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 FILMSBOB 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 SHERMANTHE VAST OF NIGHT

01/10 MONSTERS AND MENTHE 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 HOPSCOTCHBREXITFYRE

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 CIRCUITTO 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 NOWRED DESERT        

02/01 SUNSET BOULEVARD

02/02 THE CRUISE (2), THE DAM BUSTERS

02/03 Friday Black, Nana Kwame Adjei-BrenyahTHE 53RD SUPER BOWL, ABDUCTION IN PLAIN SIGHTWAIT UNTIL DARK

02/05 Dreyer’s English, Benjamin Dreyer

02/06 KITTEN RESCUERS, THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER 

02/09 A BRIDGE TOO FARTHE 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 SHOPLIFTERSTHE 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 BORDERJAWS

02/19 Adele, Leila Slimani

02/22 MCQUEEN

02/23 CASABLANCATHE 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 HEARTSZODIAC

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*CAMSORCERER

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 OLDTRIPLE FRONTIERUltraluminous (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 YOUTHE LEGEND OF COCAINE ISLAND, THE STANDUPS: NATE BARGATZE, NATE BARGATZE: THE TENNESSEE KID

03/31 THE LAST DETAILPredictably 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 GLADIATORTransactions in a Foreign Currency, Deborah Eisenberg

04/13 CHINATOWN

04/14 NOTORIOUSBest. 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 ROADCLEO FROM 5 TO 7

05/09 Hiroshima, John Hersey, CITIZEN KANE

05/12 CLIMAXWANDA

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 LARGOTHE 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. CONFIDENTIALPANIC ROOM

06/02 BOOKSMARTTHE 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 EDGETHREE 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 HOLLYWOODTHE 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 TOMORROWRICHARD 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 KINGMAKERLife Isn’t Everything, Ash Carter & Sam Kashner

12/25 Rusty Brown, Chris Ware, MISSION: IMPOSSIBLEZODIAC

12/26 THE SOCIAL NETWORKIN 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 LIBERTYTHE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO

12/30 LET THEM ALL TALK, BELOW DECK

12/31 THE MASK OF DIMITRIOSDODSWORTH

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

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