I Only Have Two Eyes: Ryland Walker Knight

2008 was another great year for Frisco Bay repertory/revival screenings. I'm so pleased that a number of local cinephiles have agreed to provide a list of their favorite events attended here over the year. An index of participants is found here.

The following list comes from Ryland Walker Knight, conveyor of Vinyl is Heavy:

My movie-going is pretty restricted to a few venues. Here's some notes. It's all I got right now in this wild time.

1. Pedro Costa week at PFA. As I have said elsewhere, this defined my movie year, I think.

2. My Sex Life (or how I got into an argument) at The Clay made me tremble. Boy did that make me feel alive, and worthy. I can't say enough how cool it was to find Arnaud's kindred sensibility this fall. It really helped. And it's great to see just how much his films have mutated and grown (inward) into something truly unique and wild.

3. Lola Montès at the Castro. Just beautiful. Really and truly, even with a warp near the close. Maybe especially because of that. I won't see that film like that ever again.

4. The Red and the White at the PFA on the Saturday after The Dark Knight opened. A great reminder of what a camera can (and should?) do both politically and aesthetically. Sorry I forgot to include this on my Auteurs' poll.

5. The Mother and the Whore from the third row at the PFA. Immense. And, somehow, I was primed to turn around and watch it again immediately. There's a lesson: don't be scared of this thing. Just watch it. (And then some Garrel.)

6. Of all the Jia Zhang-Ke films this fall, seeing The World was the most momentous. But that's a story I'm saving, or sharing in private. All I can say is that one should never agree, really, to letting one's bartender roommate accompany one to such a screening, no matter the impulse towards friendship (and, perhaps, inspiration). It will only go wrong, however hilarious that may unravel. Also, Useless fucked my shit.