Two films released, another film shot, and Steven Soderbergh managed to still watch and read a decent amount in 2019. (Note to self: barely using his Twitter account probably helps.) So a favorite tradition continues with today’s release of his annual viewing and reading log on Extension 765, which has a surprise, oddity, or some-such at nearly every turn.
Favorites include: making it through all 181 hours of Nicolas Winding Refn’s Too Old to Die Young in seven days but taking nearly four months to finish Sergei Bondarchuk’s War and Peace; Chinatown and Richard Lester movies appearing on yet another list; he, too, watching Fleabag; seeing a version of his next movie, Let Them All Talk, just under a month after principal photography commenced. And so on and so forth.
All caps, bold: MOVIE
All caps, bold, asterisk: SHORT*
All caps: TV SERIES
Italics: Book
Quotation marks: “Play”
Italics, quotation marks: “Short Story”
01/01 ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS, BOB LAZAR: AREA 51 & FLYING SAUCERS
01/02 CIVILIZATIONS, EIGHT HOURS DON’T MAKE A DAY (2), LEAVE NO TRACE
01/03 CIVILIZATIONS
01/04 CIVILIZATIONS
01/05 Moonwalking with Einstein, Joshua Foer, DATELINE, THE LADY VANISHES (’38), THE STANDUPS: GINA YASHERE
01/06 SURVIVING R. KELLY (5)
01/07 SURVIVING R. KELLY
01/08 BELOW DECK, LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS: THE DUMP, LD+R: SUITS, LD+R: THE SECRET WAR, LD+R: WHEN THE YOGURT TOOK OVER, LD+R: SONNIE’S EDGE, LD+R: LUCKY 13, LD+R: ICE AGE, LD+R: FISH NIGHT, LD+R: ALTERNATE HISTORIES, LD+R: BEYOND THE AQUILA RIFT, LD+R: THE WITNESS
01/09 THE MURDER OF MARY SHERMAN, THE VAST OF NIGHT
01/10 MONSTERS AND MEN, THE BOY FRIEND (’71), THE MYSTERY OF AGATHA CHRISTIE WITH DAVID SUCHET, THE INNOCENT MAN (4)
01/11 THE INNOCENT MAN (2)
01/13 GILDA, BLACK MIRROR
01/14 NIGHT MOVES (’75), HIGH MAINTANENCE, DARK PASSAGE
01/15 FOREVER, BELOW DECK, THE CONVERSATION
01/16 FOREVER, Insurrecto, Gina Apostol
01/17 THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE
01/18 Hark, Sam Lypsyte
01/19 HOPSCOTCH, BREXIT, FYRE
01/20 BLACK MONDAY, SMILF, DATELINE
01/22 Your Duck is My Duck, Deborah Eisenstadt, BELOW DECK, 48 HRS
01/23 Ultraluminous, Katherine Faw, CATWALK: TALES FROM THE CAT SHOW CIRCUIT, TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (’44)
01/25 HIGH MAINTENANCE (2)
01/26 The Murder on the Links, Agatha Christie
01/28 CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME?
01/29 BELOW DECK, HOUR OF THE WOLF
01/30 Heavy, Kiese Laymon, ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA
01/31 THE CRUISE, APOCALYPSE NOW, RED DESERT
02/01 SUNSET BOULEVARD
02/02 THE CRUISE (2), THE DAM BUSTERS
02/03 Friday Black, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, THE 53RD SUPER BOWL, ABDUCTION IN PLAIN SIGHT, WAIT UNTIL DARK
02/05 Dreyer’s English, Benjamin Dreyer
02/06 KITTEN RESCUERS, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER
02/09 A BRIDGE TOO FAR, THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE
02/10 SMILF, MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (’74)
02/11 THE PARALLAX VIEW
02/13 THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY
02/14 GOSFORD PARK, VEEP (2)
02/15 THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI
02/16 SHOPLIFTERS, THE STRANGER (’46), CATCH-22
02/17 The Line Becomes a River, Francisco Cantu, Ben Hecht: Fighting Words, Moving Pictures, Alina Hoffman, STUDIO 54, SMILF
02/18 BORDER, JAWS
02/19 Adele, Leila Slimani
02/22 MCQUEEN
02/23 CASABLANCA, THE BLUE ROOM, DATELINE
02/24 SMILF
02/26 THIS TIME WITH ALAN PARTRIDGE, THE THICK OF IT
02/27 THE DESPERATE HOURS (’55)
02/28 QUEEN OF HEARTS, ZODIAC
03/02 BURNING, AMERICAN GREED
03/03 SMILF
03/05 THE WANTING MARE
03/06 FLEABAG
03/07 LEAVING NEVERLAND, Improvement, Joan Silber
03/08 LEAVING NEVERLAND, DATELINE
03/09 THE LAST DAYS OF PETER BERGMANN*, NAMELESS: THE ISDAL WOMAN*, CAM, SORCERER
03/10 SMILF, The Earth Dies Streaming, A. J. Hamrah, THE CASE AGAINST ADNAN SYED
03/11 AVENUES, FLEABAG
03/12 THE LAUNDROMAT
03/13 THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD, TRIPLE FRONTIER, Ultraluminous (2), Katherine Faw
03/14 JAMAICA INN
03/17 SMILF
03/18 RAIN (’32)
03/23 THE INVENTOR: OUT FOR BLOOD IN SILICON VALLEY, WORLD FIGURE SKATING CHAMPIONSHIPS, THE MIAMI SHOWBAND MURDERS
03/24 Nervous States: Democracy and the Decline of Reason, William Davies, FLEABAG, SMILF, LEAVENWORTH (6), THE HARDER THEY FALL
03/25 APPLE SPECIAL EVENT
03/29 KLUTE
03/30 SORRY TO BOTHER YOU, THE LEGEND OF COCAINE ISLAND, THE STANDUPS: NATE BARGATZE, NATE BARGATZE: THE TENNESSEE KID
03/31 THE LAST DETAIL, Predictably Irrational, Dan Ariely, SMILF, The Parade, Dave Eggers, VEEP
04/01 FLEABAG (3), THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (’46)
04/02 KEVIN HART: IRRESPONSIBLE
04/03 THE LAUNDROMAT
04/06 Fools, Joan Silber, THE SPY WHO FELL TO EARTH
04/07 US, VEEP
04/11 Randall Jarrell’s Letters, Edited by Mary Jarrell, FLEABAG (3)
04/12 GLADIATOR, Transactions in a Foreign Currency, Deborah Eisenberg
04/13 CHINATOWN
04/14 NOTORIOUS, Best. Movie. Year. Ever., Brian Raftery
04/15 Normal People, Sally Rooney
04/16 Cold Storage, David Koepp
04/18 “Magic Mike Live”, Channing Tatum & Reid Carolin
04/21 VEEP
04/24 THE CURIOUS CASE OF CURT FLOOD, The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins
04/26 ALIEN
04/28 APOCALYPSE NOW: THE FINAL CUT, VEEP
05/01 Humans: A Brief History of How We Fucked it All Up, Tom Phillips
05/03 EXPERIMENT IN TERROR
05/04 Girl Logic, Iliza Schlesinger, ANTHONY JESELNICK: FIRE IN THE MATERNITY WARD, MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, CLEO FROM 5 TO 7
05/09 Hiroshima, John Hersey, CITIZEN KANE
05/12 CLIMAX, WANDA
05/15 VEEP
05/16 “Accidentally Brave”, Maddie Corman
05/18 MINDHUNTER (4)
05/19 MINDHUNTER (2)
05/22 MEGAYACHTS: THE LATEST CRAZE FOR BILLIONAIRES
05/23 The Last Stone, Mark Bowden
05/24 THE BIG LEBOWSKI, WANDA SYKES: NOT NORMAL, KEY LARGO, THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE
05/25 PEN15 (3), HOPE AND GLORY
05/26 PEN15 (2), “Burn This”, Lanford Wilson
05/27 SHRILL, PEN15 (5), CATCH-22, ALL ABOUT EVE
05/28 SHRILL, JOURNEY INTO FEAR
05/29 SHRILL
05/30 SHIRLL, VANISHED IN PARADISE: THE UNTOLD STORY
06/01 UNIDENTIFIED: INSIDE AMERICA’S UFO INVESTIGATION, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, PANIC ROOM
06/02 BOOKSMART, THE LAUNDROMAT
06/03 BELOW DECK
06/04 JACKIE BROWN
06/05 BLACK MIRROR (3)
06/08 Disappearing Earth, Julia Phillips, TOM SEGURA: DISGRACEFUL, MINDHUNTER (2)
06/11 OVERLORD (’75)
06/12 MY BRILLIANT CAREER, BIGGER THAN LIFE
06/14 MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS (’74), LOS ESPOOKYS
06/15 BILLIONS, REAR WINDOW, ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN
06/16 Moneyland, Oliver Bullough, BILLIONS
06/17 BELOW DECK
06/18 Under the 82nd Airborne, Deborah Eisenberg
06/19 BILLIONS
06/22 BIRDS OF PARADISE
06/23 THE HOURS AND TIMES
06/24 BELOW DECK, THE CONFORMIST, 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
06/25 APOLLO 11
06/26 FRAMING JOHN DELOREAN
06/27 Against Nature, Joris-Karl Huysmans
06/28 THE BIG CLOCK (’46)
06/29 DATELINE, All Around Atlantis, Deborah Eisenberg, I CONFESS, DEAD OF NIGHT (’45)
06/30 FIRST BLOOD
07/01 DANCE, GIRL, DANCE
07/02 BELOW DECK, TEEN SPIRIT
07/03 THE THING (’82), CHINATOWN
07/04 POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE, THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR
07/05 SILKWOOD, KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS
07/06 TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY
07/07 INSIDE THE RITZ
07/08 BUILDING CHERNOBYL’S MEGATOMB, BELOW DECK, CALLAN
07/09 AZIZ ANSARI RIGHT NOW, CALLAN
07/11 RAMY YOUSSEF: FEELINGS
07/12 I LOVE YOU, NOW DIE (2), BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA (’92)
07/13 Fleishman is in Trouble, Taffy Brodesser-Akner, ABSENCE OF MALICE
07/14 WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF?, SE7EN
07/15 BELOW DECK
07/16 BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: THE TALWARS, Twilight of the Superheroes, Deborah Eisenberg
07/17 BEHIND CLOSED DOORS: THE TALWARS, HIGH AND LOW
07/18 THE PAPER CHASE
07/19 ASH IS PUREST WHITE, THE RITZ
07/20 HANNAH AND HER SISTERS, FUNERAL IN BERLIN, DOUBLE INDEMNITY
07/22 THE IPCRESS FILE, BELOW DECK
07/23 WHO KILLED GARRETT PHILLIPS?
07/25 WHO KILLED GARRETT PHILLIPS?, A HARD DAY’S NIGHT
07/26 THE RULES OF THE GAME, BLADE RUNNER (The Final Cut), BILLIONS
07/27 TOO OLD TO DIE YOUNG (3)
07/28 TOO OLD TO DIE YOUNG (2)
07/29 TOO OLD TO DIE YOUNG, BELOW DECK, THE TRAIN (’66), THE SOUVENIR
07/30 WHITNEY CUMMINGS: CAN I TOUCH IT?
07/31 UNMASKING JIHADI JOHN: ANATOMY OF A TERRORIST, TOO OLD TO DIE YOUNG (2), WAR AND PEACE PART ONE (’66)
08/01 THE LADY EVE
08/02 DATELINE, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (Theatrical)
08/03 TOO OLD TO DIE YOUNG (2), MILLION POUND MEGAYACHTS, THE OPERATIVE
08/04 ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD, THE LAVENDER HILL MOB, SHAMPOO, THE CHILDREN’S HOUR
08/05 BELOW DECK, A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW
08/06 JOEL MCHALE: LIVE FROM PYONGYANG
08/07 MORITURI
08/08 EXTREME ENGINEERING: THE LONGEST TUNNEL IN THE WORLD, THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT
08/09 EX MACHINA
08/10 Three Women, Lisa Taddeo, BUILDING THE WORLD’S MOST LUXURIOUS CRUISE SHIP (2)
08/11 TABLOID, BARRY LYNDON
08/12 BELOW DECK
08/14 Begin principal photography on LET THEM ALL TALK, ALL CHANGE AT LONGLEAT
08/17 ALL CHANGE AT LONGLEAT, THE AMAZING JONATHAN DOCUMENTARY
09/03 DAVE CHAPPELLE: STICKS AND STONES, BELOW DECK
09/04 BELOW DECK (2)
09/11 The Grammarians, Cathleen Schine
09/12 BILL BURR: PAPER TIGER, SWORD OF TRUST
09/13 LET THEM ALL TALK
09/16 BELOW DECK
09/17 ALL CHANGE AT LONGLEAT
09/18 Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, Olga Tokarczuk
09/22 THE TOUCH
09/23 MR. KLEIN, BELOW DECK
09/25 ASSAULT ON A QUEEN, How to Be Anti-Racist, Ibram X. Kendi
09/28 LE DOULOS, BUCK AND THE PREACHER
09/29 MIDSOMMAR
09/30 BELOW DECK
10/01 TESLA, NIKKI GLASER: BANGIN’
10/03 FERDINAND AND CAROLINA
10/04 HAUSU
10/05 Quixotte, Salman Rushdie, WAR AND PEACE PART TWO (’66), THE LONG GOODBYE
10/06 Night Boat to Tangier, Kevin Barry
10/09 WAR AND PEACE PART THREE (’66)
10/10 WAR AND PEACE PART FOUR (’66)
10/11 THE BIGAMIST, EL CAMINO: THE BREAKING BAD MOVIE
10/12 DEON COLE: COLE HEARTED
10/17 Catch and Kill, Ronan Farrow
10/18 TRANSYLVANIA 6-5000
10/19 Trick Mirror, Jia Tolentino
10/20 JUDEX, GAMBIT (’66)
10/25 LET THEM ALL TALK
10/27 Sycamore Row, John Grisham, BELOW DECK, SILICON VALLEY
10/28 BELOW DECK (3)
10/31 SARIA*, BELOW DECK
11/01 BELOW DECK (4)
11/02 BELOW DECK (4)
11/03 BELOW DECK (2), BACK TO LIFE, SILICON VALLEY
11/04 BELOW DECK
11/05 SETH MEYERS: LOBBY BABY, THE SHINING
11/06 Grand Union, Zadie Smith, “The Fears”, Emma Sheanshang, HAVING A WILD WEEKEND
11/08 LET THEM ALL TALK
11/09 THE FAREWELL
11/11 “A Raisin in the Sun”, Lorraine Hansberry
11/12 LE DUEXIEME SOUFFLE, L’ECLISSE
11/13 JANE DIGBY*, PARKING*, IF ONLY NOTHINGNESS WAS A THING*, A PERFECTLY HEALTHY SITUATION*, LA NOSTRA INTERSEZIONE*, TAIPEI CITY*, SILICON VALLEY
11/14 BELOW DECK
11/15 FARGO, THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
11/16 OFFICIAL SECRETS, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
11/17 Country Girls, Edna O’Brien, PARASITE
11/18 BELOW DECK, TOM SEGURA: MOSTLY STORIES
11/20 The Lonely Girl, Edna O’Brien, SUCCESSION (2), SUNSET BOULEVARD
11/21 Coventry, Rachel Cusk, Girls in Their Married Bliss, Edna O’Brien, SUCCESSION (3)
11/22 SUCCESSION (5), NOTORIOUS
11/23 THE DAY OF THE JACKAL
11/24 BACK TO LIFE
11/27 THE FALL*, OFFICE SPACE, IDIOCRACY
11/28 MARRIAGE STORY, SERVANT (3), THE IRISHMAN
11/29 Crime in Progress, Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch, SEXY BEAST, DATELINE
11/30 THE MAN WHO WASN’T THERE, MILDRED PIERCE (’45)
12/01 DARK WATERS, THE ANDERSON TAPES, SILICON VALLEY
12/02 SHE DIES TOMORROW, RICHARD JEWELL
12/03 “Moulin Rouge!”, John Logan
12/06 SERVANT, THE CONFESSION KILLER (2), DATELINE
12/07 THE CONFESSION KILLER (2)
12/12 The Need, Helen Phillips, KNIVES OUT
12/13 SILICON VALLEY, SERVANT, FORD V FERRARI
12/14 HONEY BOY, ALL ABOUT EVE
12/16 Blowout, Rachel Maddow, UNCUT GEMS, BELOW DECK
12/18 THE LIGHTHOUSE
12/20 SERVANT, DON’T FUCK WITH CATS, THE SERVANT
12/21 Clyde Fans, Seth, Sabrina, Nick Drnaso, PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE
12/22 PAIN AND GLORY, THE STANDUPS: BETH STELLING
12/23 BELOW DECK, MICHELLE WOLF: JOKE SHOW
12/24 JOHN MULANEY & THE SACK LUNCH BUNCH, THE KINGMAKER, Life Isn’t Everything, Ash Carter & Sam Kashner
12/25 Rusty Brown, Chris Ware, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE, ZODIAC
12/26 THE SOCIAL NETWORK, IN FABRIC
12/27 LITTLE WOMEN (’19), WHO KILLED LITTLE GREGORY (2), The Topeka School, Ben Lerner, SERVANT
12/28 KENOBI*, ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS, WHO KILLED LITTLE GREGORY (3), PAULETTE*
12/29 GIVE ME LIBERTY, THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO
12/30 LET THEM ALL TALK, BELOW DECK
12/31 THE MASK OF DIMITRIOS, DODSWORTH
VINYL
SEVEN STEPS TO HEAVEN Miles Davis
NEFRITITI Miles Davis
BARBARELLA Soundtrack
AND GOD CREATED WOMAN Soundtrack
BACK IN BLACK Amy Winehouse
ARMED FORCES Elvis Costello and the Attractions