My Summer of Lists

Better movies from this century, where I've been cooling off

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On July 17th, a roundtable discussion at Artists Space launches the book What is Contemporary Art for Today? And what should it be for if anything? (which features texts by myself and many others) at 7pm. Earlier that day, I’ll join a panel at 9 Orchard discussing the New Luxury as (re)defined by Highsnobiety. Details to come.

That Times list of best movies of the 21st century so far was meant to generate responses—it even provides forms to fill out with one’s own top ten to post—and anyway, it was publicly voted on by actors and directors and producers with alliances and opportunities to seek, so we can’t take any of it seriously.

Even so, I read it and was appalled by many of the choices. My first thought, before consulting my own watching history, was that Margaret (2011) should have been number one. Not because it’s my favorite, but because it’s so many people’s favorite. Case in point, I just spoke with a conservative, Catholic dad who owns a rare T-shirt featuring the movie poster graphic. It’s not even in the top 100. In fact, Kenneth Lonergan isn’t represented at all, although all three movies he directed are of this millennium.

My second thought was: the 21st century hasn’t produced as much great film as I would have thought. Maybe the list is bad because it’s what we have to work with. Still, I’d pick very differently, if I were asked to vote. I wasn’t, so I don’t need to narrow it down. Here are some movies that were not listed (including the “Liked it? Try:” notes under ranked titles), and that I think are great, or at least, you know, better than Anchorman…

Chuck & Buck, American Psycho, Dancer in the Dark (2000)

Fat Girl, The Anniversary Party, Bully, The Piano Teacher (2001)

The Good Girl (2002)

Tarnation, Elephant, Time of the Wolf, Thirteen, Anatomy of Hell, A Family Finds Entertainment, Clean, Sideways (2004)

Last Days (2005)

Inland Empire, Friends With Money (2006)

I-Be Area, Margot at the Wedding (2007)

Two Lovers (2008)

Tiny Furniture (2010)

Margaret, We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)

Magic Mike (2012)

Exhibition, Enough Said (2013)

Maps to the Stars, Heaven Knows What, Clouds of Sils Maria, Force Majeure (2014)

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Let Them All Talk, Aline (2020)

The Lost Daughter (2021)

Funny Pages (2022)

May December, Rotting in the Sun (2023)…

I need to stop, actually, because I’d also include many movies made by my friends and family, but then the list just gets out of control and biased, which is my problem with the Times one.

On the Sunday before last, I went to Prospect Park and laid on the grass, reading until it was too dark to, then took the train home, changed, and met a date at Emmett’s on Grove, which was a real feat because Pride had disrupted the crosstown bus services. We split a sausage pizza and chicken Milanese with arugula, then walked through the remnants of the weekend’s festivities.

Weirdly, everyone out on the street in the West Village, even those dressed in rainbow lamé and fishnets, appeared to be cisgendered heterosexuals, either holding hands or making out. “Straight was this year’s theme,” my gay friend joked when I texted him about it.

Taylor Lewandowski’s book-length interview with Lynne Tillman, The Mystery of Perception (which I blurbed) is out now. As is the new issue of 90antiope, which features a conversation between Martina Tiefenthaler and I, accompanied by AI art she generated, part of which is on a cover.

Also out: the paperback, American-published version of Megan Nolan’s Ordinary Human Failings, celebrated at the Strand with a book signing and talk (with me) on Thursday. A Magazine Curated by Willy Chavarria is now available. My pregnant twin sister and I are photographed in the story called “Family Portraits.”

After the reading and talk with Megan, a bunch of us went to Old Town, one of my favorite bars. I’d never had their frankfurter and found it to be excellent: Chicago-style relish and dijon on the side, New England bun, and a side of coleslaw. The evening before, I attended a dinner party at the fab apartment of a friend who made us an all-American feast—fried chicken, boiled greens, baked shishito peppers, mashed potatoes, and potato salad—to welcome visiting friends back to the States.

One (American) now splits his time between São Paulo and Los Angeles. He brought his (Brazilian) boyfriend, who has never been to New York. Since they are staying in Bed Stuy, a first stop was the building from Everybody Hates Chris—a show I have never watched but was apparently huge in Brazil. Another (American) lived in Berlin for many years, and now lives in Amsterdam, but is about to move to Munich. Another (American) just moved from Mexico City to São Paulo, works for a New York office, and bought a house in Fire Island. Our (German) host has lives in Manhattan for decades. The others were Canadian and a native New Yorker.

Conversation of course was a bit about politics, but also fashion and movies and writing projects and summer plans. I never really make any and I don’t mind that, specifically because when I don’t, I get to hang out with visitors here. Over other dinners, we’re gossiping about some real deranged behavior exhibited by acquaintances, speculating on why there would be yet another uptick. Maybe life and all those living it just keep getting crazier now??

Here’s one more list. This one I wrote for Jouissance—beach books, summer reading spots, and my favorite of their scents.