WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING JANUARY 12, 2025

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING JANUARY 12, 2025 

A film's gross for the last seven days, followed by its total worldwide gross. I begin with data from 

Comscore and then pull from every other source available. 

1. Mufasa: The Lion King–$64m / $540m worldwide

2. Sonic The Hedgehog 3–$49m /$385m ww

3. Nosferatu–$36m / $136m ww 

4. Game Changer–$31m www debut

5. Moana 2–$30m / $990m

6. Octopus With Broken Arms aka Wu Sha 3 (Manslaughter 3)–$20m / $96m ww  

7. Den of Thieves 2: Pantera–$20m 

8. Wicked–$17m / $698m ww 

9. Big World–$13m / $92m ww 

10. Babygirl–$12m / $28m ww

11. Honey Money Phony–$11m / $41m ww 

12. Finist. The First Warrior–$11m / $20m ww 

13. A Complete Unknown–$9m / $51m ww

14. Conclave–$8m / $69m ww 

15. Gladiator II–$5m / $455m ww 

16. Paddington in Peru–$5m / $56m ww 

17. Harbin–$3m / $27m ww 

18. Detective Conan: Crossroad in the Ancient Capitol (2003)–$2m / $48m ww 

19. The Prosecutor–$2m / $34m ww 

20. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim–$2m / $20m ww  

21. Homestead–$2m / $19m ww  

22. Better Man–$2m / $10m ww

23. Hot Pot Artist aka Huo Guo Yi Shu Jia –$2m / $4m ww 

24. The Last Showgirl–$2m ww debut

25. Fake Dad–$2m 

26. Red One–$1m / $186m ww 

27. The Firefighters–$1m / $24m ww

28. The Fire Inside–$1m / $8m ww 

29. The Brutalist–$1m / $3m ww 

Bold: movies that have or likely will triple their reported budgets. That's my standard for a movie being a box office hit from theatrical alone. Many films will be profitable for a studio even if they don't triple their reported budget, but it's a good marker to indicate a big hit. 

ANALYSIS 

Boy, is it January! I went to see A Complete Unknown at my local multiplex on Sunday afternoon and the parking lot was practically empty. After a huge run from Thanksgiving to New Year's and lots of different movies doing well, everyone needed a break, apparently. The massive winter storm didn't help either. Oscar hopefuls like The Brutalist and Nickel Boys are expanding nicely while A Complete Unknown holds well. Meanwhile, Nicole Kidman proves her star power as Babygirl passes $30m worldwide. (He makes her drink milk! I just wish he'd made her wear that AMC promo spangly pant suit.) 

Wicked foolishly went to Premium Video on Demand, even though the blockbuster film could expect two more months of attention from Oscar nominations and sing-along screenings and needs to raise its profile in other countries. (Unlike most big Hollywood spectacles, it made most of its money in North America. But a sequel comes in November and they should position it to do even better overseas.) Nonetheless, the film went to PVOD and Universal proudly announced it grossed $70m right off the bat. They're thrilled of course: the studio gets roughly 80% of PVOD grosses but only 50-60% or so from box office. So the movie needed to make say $110m or so for them to make the same amount of money. And maybe if they'd waited, the PVOD take would have been substantially less. Sure, but everytime they rush a hit film onto PVOD,  they're undercutting theatrical, releasing a pristine bootleg into the world and arguably making a film less special. Wicked is substantially more fun in theaters than sitting at home alone. It's a huge film. And it's got part two coming out later this year. The cash grab "worked" but at what expense. And how disappointing for the exhibitors Universal depends on 365 days a year, for upcoming films like Wolf Man, Dog Man, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, the live action How To Train Your Dragon, Jurassic World: Rebirth, Downton Abbey 3 and Wicked: For Good in November. The shorter the window for hit films, the shorter the days they can expect exhibitors to support them and the shorter the time before theatrical dies entirely. 

We've got more data from 2024, the year when wide releases in North America were down 25% from what Hollywood turned out in the peak years pre-COVID. Naturally, one would expect box office to be down 25% but we did better than that. Ticket sales? That's another story, with some 740m being sold and that's a slight underperformance. (It's down 26% from the roughly 1 billion sold from 2016-2019. One billion, minimum.) 

Now pretending we know admissions is a joke. For North America, the MPA takes the box office gross and divides it by the average ticket price to get a very rough estimate of ticket sales. You've got matinees and kid price tickets and people who use monthly passes but they just pretend they can track admissions. Still, since they've always done this it's a fair measure to compare against itself. It's not good to see box office stronger but ticket sales slowing. That means more people are paying more money for fancy tickets like IMAX and such. You want movie-going to be a regular event for people, not a special big night two or three times a year. But again, no chain wants to release a breakdown of actual admissions and I've no clue how those passes (like my AMC A-List!) factor into this. So I'll take this one metric with a big grain of salt and yet still wish it were showing admissions back where they were seven years ago. Maybe 2025! 

I did see a lot of trailers on my Dylan outing and from 28 Years Later to Rami Malek as The Amateur to Anthony Mackie as Captain America: Brave New World to Love Hurts with Ke Huy Quan making like Jackie Chan in an action comedy, it looks like some big movies will be popping up regularly. I've got my eye on Dog Man, which I think will handily outperform expectations. 

And how was A Complete Unknown? As a Dylan fan (not fanatic, but huge fan) I should have found it ridiculous but didn't. The acting (and singing!) were generally very strong. Edward Norton is very good in what might have been a jokey or tiresome role. It sort of fell apart for me towards the end when Dylan became more "Dylan" but all in all a fine movie, with some very strong musical moments. It became a little too broad brushstroke by the end to get across the ideas they wanted, but still. It might easily have been laughable and really, it wasn't. A lovely image at the end says it all about Dylan and Pete Seeger. Dylan is riding away alone on his motorcycle (too fast, I might add!). He's leaving the 1965 Newport Folk Festival he just upended by going electric. Dylan pauses for a moment near the stage area and sees Pete Seeger, ever the folkie and man of peace, helping to collect the folding chairs and stow them on a truck. Of  course Pete Seeger is helping clean things up! 

NOTE: I still don't have good final box office info on two of the biggest hits of 2024: India's apparent all-time India and worldwide smash Pushpa 2: The Rule and Hong Kong's all-time local smash The Last Dance. 

NOTES 

mb = a film's budget in millions of US dollars; ww = worldwide

1. Mufasa: The Lion King–$200mb 

2. Sonic The Hedgehog 3–$120mb

3. Nosferatu–$50mb for Robert Eggers, acclaimed director of The Witch, The Lighthouse and The Northman. That had his biggest budget and was not a commercial success. I saw him as more of an arthouse guy. But backers stuck with him, gave him a big budget and a starry cast for a remake of Nosferatu, which I guess is classier than remaking Dracula but still a hard sell I thought. And on Christmas Day? That's counter-programming I was not behind. Happily, I was wrong and Eggers looks more like the next Peter Jackson/Guillermo Del Toro than a guy given big budgets too fast or for the wrong projects. Good for him! 

4. Game Changer–$45mb for Indian-Telugu political action film w new politico uncovering corruption and kicking ass.

5. Moana 2–Is the budget lower since it was intended for tv, at first? Or higher because they had to rethink everything? Disney says it cost $150mb, just like the original. You can bet Dwayne Johnson gets more than his share of coconuts, but that won't matter with a hit like this.  

6. Octopus With Broken Arms aka Wu Sha 3 (Manslaughter 3)–Chinese drama about businessman's daughter kidnapped from his home. 

7. Den of Thieves 2: Pantera–$40mb for Gerard Butler action flick. 

8. Wicked–$150mb for each part, so $300mb total plus beaucoup marketing. It's a big movie! 

9. Big World–$29m ww debut. Chinese drama starring pop star and actor Jackson Yee as a young man living with cerebral palsy. Yee has gone from boyband TFBoys to having the Mandarin song of the year in 2017 to success in TV and film. How's his English, asks Hollywood? 

10. Babygirl–$20mb for this Nicole Kidman sexy drama about a powerful businesswoman finding her kink with a younger, dominating man..her intern, no less! No milk was harmed in the making of this movie. 

11. Honey Money Phony–Chinese rom-com about young woman suddenly burdened with debt who falls for a (very handsome) young con man. Will he go straight for her or teach her his wicked ways so she can get out from under this financial disaster? 

12. Finist. The First Warrior–a Russian fantasy film starring actor Kirill Zaytsev as "the strongest, most agile, and handsome hero of Belogorye," according to Wikipedia. Zaytsev certainly fits the bill, though since Belogorye currently has fewer than 3000 people, that may not be such a major claim. Russians are surely starved for homegrown cinema; it's been a while since Russian films made the charts. But I couldn't even find a trailer for it on YouTube. 

13. A Complete Unknown–$60mb+ for this Bob Dylan biopic? That's a lot of money for a film about Dylan going electric at Newport. I mean, I want to see it but then I'm a Dylan fanatic. Off to a very good start and star Timotheé Chalamet is sure to get an Oscar nomination, so it should keep going. But $180m worldwide seems highly unlikely to me, if not impossible. (Do other countries give a toss about this? Is Chalamet a big enough draw for this story? I doubt it.) I'm glad it was made, but it was made for too much. Like Gladiator II, this will be seen as a commercial success, but it's not. 

14. Conclave–a reported $20mb for this Vatican thriller means this is a hit. It's at $60m and still going strong, with a boost from potential Oscar noms. I do not see the point in putting it on PVOD and flooding the market with bootlegs while potentially harming box office. This is exactly the sort of film that can play and play in theaters.  

15. Gladiator II–$250mb for Ridley Scott sword and sandals epic. It needs $750m worldwide for me to call it a hit from theatrical alone but $600m would be just fine. It's got swords. It's got sandals. Does it have legs? No, it does not. This is the sort of film that everyone thinks of as a hit, but actually didn't deliver. The talk of Gladiator 3 is nonsense. Maybe many years from now they'll use the name to launch a new franchise, but this is the end for now. 

16. Paddington in Peru–$50mb? I'm just guessing. (That's sort of midpoint between the original and Paddington 2.) Sadly, three times is not the charm artistically for this once-perfect franchise.

17. Harbin–A South Korean historical drama set in the early 1900s about rebels fighting against the Japanese occupation of Korea. When one rebel leader shows mercy to Japanese prisoners and his men pay the price, he vows to redeem himself by assassinating the first Prime Minister of Japan. So this one will probably not have a good run in Japan. 

18. Detective Conan: Crossroad in the Ancient Capitol (2003)–China reissue of Japanese animated franchise entry. Film had $32m before reissue in China. I mean, they keep making them so I assume they're profitable. 

19. The Prosecutor–Chinese drama starring Donnie Yen, who uncovers a deep conspiracy when a poor young man is framed for drug trafficking. Not on Donnie's watch!

20. The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim–per Screendollar, the budget is $30mb for this animated prequel to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movies. Even at that price, it's a flop.  Taken solely from minor footnotes in the novels, it was a gamble but a smart one. An animated film won't be compared to Peter Jackson's masterpiece. (See: the TV series.) And it's not retelling stories we've already heard. (See: superhero movies that go back to the well by redoing an origin story for Superman, Spiderman, et al.) Unfortunately, you still have to be good. The trailer I saw disappointed and audiences are not responding. A pity. 

21. Homestead–faith-based post-apocalyptic drama from Angel Studios. A survivalist fantasy. Based on a series of ten, poorly reviewed novels.

22. Better Man–$110mb!!! I just gasped when I saw the budget. Oh dear. I love the craziness of this movie. But that's a LOT of money for such a nutty idea. And forget the nutty idea. It's a musical biopic about an artist whose music I really like but has virtually no profile outside the UK. For heaven's sake, Queen is one of the biggest acts in the world and their biopic cost literally half of this one. Better Man would have been a big gamble at $30mb. 

23. Hot Pot Artist aka Huo Guo Yi Shu Jia –A young Chinese man dreams of becoming a film director, but somehow ends up running a hot pot restaurant for artists, instead. 

24. The Last Showgirl–$2mb for Pamela Anderson's performance as Vegas showgirl whose revue suddenly closes after 30 years. Not so fast, Demi, says Anderson. 

25. Fake Dad–Chinese comedy

26. Red One–Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans action/Xmas comedy. A budget reportedly up to $250mb. It's a theatrical failure, but that failure would have been just as clear if it had gone straight to streaming. Now at least it is (almost) paying for a worldwide marketing blitz and that can only help. Remember how people rented crap movies at Blockbuster simply because they'd "heard" of it during the theatrical run? Same idea. 

27. The Firefighters–Korean drama with hot young newbie joining firefighter squad, only to butt heads with a legendary veteran. 

28. The Fire Inside–$12mb for this indie drama about the true story of female Olympian boxer from Flint, Michigan. It's a stellar week for director Barry Jenkins, who wrote and produced this film and sees his family film Mufasa: The Lion King finding its audience. 

29. The Brutalist–$10mb; Adrien Brody in this architect as hero period drama

THE CHART AND HOW IT IS COMPILED 

This column is a week by week tracking of box office around the world. It is compiled by pulling from every possible source: ComScore, Box Office Mojo, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, charts for countries like China and India and South Korea, individual stories in trade or general interest newspapers, Wikipedia and anyone else discussing box office. 

ComScore Weekly Global Box Office Chart

The weekly charts contain the total gross for every movie in theaters around the world during the last seven days. If a movie opens on a Thursday, we include all the box office from Thursday through Sunday. If it opens on a Tuesday night, we cover all six days. If it opens on a Sunday (as some movies do in India or wherever, depending on holidays), then we include the box office for that one day. If a movie was released before the current week, we include the box office for all seven days. Why ignore the box office from Monday through Thursday, as most charts do when tallying the latest weekend and focusing on new releases? 

How do we arrive at this number? We take the total worldwide box office we have for a movie, subtract from it the previous week's total worldwide box office...and that's how much it made during the past seven days. Naturally, territories and movies sometimes fall through the cracks but we are as up to date as we can be, given our dependence on other outlets for the basic info. 

First, I list box office on every film we can from around the world. Any movie grossing at least US $1 million will be on here if we get info on it. Then I give some thoughts on the box office overall and individual films. That's followed by notes where I give info on each movie, with a focus on films not from Hollywood. So Despicable Me 4 you know. But a small Korean comedy or French drama? That I'll identify for you as best I can. 

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WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING JANUARY 5, 2025

WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE FOR WEEK ENDING JANUARY 5, 2025 

A film's gross for the last seven days, followed by its total worldwide gross. I begin with data from 

Comscore and then pull from every other source available. 

1. Mufasa: The Lion King–$148m / $476m worldwide 

2. Sonic The Hedgehog 3–$124m /$336m ww 

3. Moana 2–$77m / $960m

4. Nosferatu–$57m / $100m ww 

5. Octopus With Broken Arms aka Wu Sha 3 (Manslaughter 3)–$54m / $76m ww 

6. Big World–$49m / $79m ww 

7. Wicked–$47m / $681m ww

8. Honey Money Phony–$25m / $30m ww 

9. A Complete Unknown–$19m / $42m ww

10. Gladiator II–$15m / $450m ww 

11. Detective Conan: Crossroad in the Ancient Capitol (2003)–$9m / $46m ww 

12. Harbin–$9m / $24m ww 

13. Babygirl–$9m / $16m ww 

14. Finist. The First Warrior–$9m ww debut

15. Conclave–$8m / $61m ww 

16. Kraven The Hunter–$6m / $59m ww 

17. The Prosecutor–$4m / $32m ww

18. Homestead–$4m / $17m ww 

19. The Firefighters–$3m / $23m ww  

20. The Fire Inside–$3m / $7m ww 

21. Red One–$2m / $185m ww 

22. Paddington in Peru–$2m / $51m ww 

23. The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim–$2m / $18m ww 

24. Bogota: City of the Lost–$2m ww debut

25. Hot Pot Artist aka Huo Guo Yi Shu Jia –$2m ww debut 

26. Pushpa 2: The Rule–$1m / $210m ww 

27. Her Story aka Hao Dong Xi--$1m / $100m ww

28. I Am What I Am 2–$1m / $10m ww

Bold: movies that have or likely will triple their reported budgets. That's my standard for a movie being a box office hit from theatrical alone. Many films will be profitable for a studio even if they don't triple their reported budget, but it's a good marker to indicate a big hit. 

ANALYSIS 

Let me make several pointed comments this week. 

NORTH AMERICAN 2024 BOX OFFICE WAS GREAT -- The North American box office take of $8.5b for 2024 is terrific! Anyone suggesting it's a disappointment is crazy. Studios released 25% fewer wide releases than was typical from 2016-2019. So we reasonably expected 25% lower box office than was the average for those years. To be conservative, we hoped for $8 billion. But the movies that were released overperformed nicely and instead of a rock solid $8.3b we scored $8.5b.  China, by the way fell 23% and only grossed $5.8b. The reasons they're not equaling or surpassing North America as the biggest market? An economic downturn and government interference that's turned people from Hollywood films and made it harder to market those films even when they're granted permission to come to China. Further proof Hollywood should keep pushing to show their movies in China but not bother catering in absurd or offensive ways to its totalitarian government. 

Also, family films dominated, so the fear that families would never return to movie-going is utterly demolished. Indeed, from Barbie and Oppenheimer last year to a string of huge hits this year (the highest grossing R-rated film of all time, the highest grossing live action musical of all time, etc.) it's very clear audiences are more than ready to go see movies. Hollywood just needs to make them, release them and LEAVE THEM IN MOVIE THEATERS. 

HOLLYWOOD NEEDS MIDBUDGET AND SMALL BUDGET MOVIES --  A mix of movies is essential. Yes, Hollywood had lots of sequels and remakes and spin-offs. It always had them and it always will. But look at the key role played by horror, films for adults, and by mid-budget and low budget films. Nosferatu was a huge gamble and paid off with its $50mb for a horror flick based on an old silent movie most have never heard of before. It lines up director Robert Eggers as the next potential Guillermo Del Toro/Peter Jackson or maybe Christopher Nolan. But we also had Conclave and A Complete Unknown and Heretic and Anora and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever and Babygirl. They include mid-sized and very modestly budgeted films pitched to adults, families and a wide range of tastes. These movies are absolutely crucial for developing talent like Eggers and keeping theaters full. Not all of them will be hits of course. 

STUDIOS ARE WRONG ABOUT STREAMING WINDOWS -- Studios have mostly lost their minds on streaming windows. None of them will release actual grosses for their Premium Video on Demand. So they're either making so much money they don't want talent to realize that (which is the reason they treated grosses from DVD and BLuRay rental and sales like a state secret) OR the more likely scenario that the take isn't that impressive. They insist it isn't hurting box office. Bull. I was about to go see a movie and saw an ad saying it was already available in the home and it made me feel a bit of a fool for going anyway. And I'm a definite outlier when it comes to movie-going, since I will go all the time. 

Disney is perhaps the best about respecting windows, supporting the crucial theatrical experience and thus squeezing out every penny of profit at every stage. Universal is the worst. Even with a critically acclaimed leggy hit like The Wild Robot, they rushed it to PVOD in just 18 days. They of course would argue the film's success proves it's not a problem. But that's a remarkable word of mouth smash. And their ads for it almost kept me from going to see it in the cinema. And doing so teaches consumers to wait. Why bother going to a movie theater? You can just sit on your couch and wait. 

Putting Wicked onto PVOD when the film was still making money worldwide is bonkers. They have the sequel coming in November. They have Oscar nominations ahead. They have three months of little competition. AND they could be grossing a lot more worldwide. But Universal knows the second it's online there will be high quality bootlegs everywhere, discouraging people from going to see it in a theater. This film is an event and should be treated as such. One trade said it's not as well known in the non-English speaking world. (It's a huge hit of course in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.) Not true. The stage musical ran for a blockbuster nine years in Japan. It saw productions in Germany, Mexico, Amsterdam, Norway, Sweden, Poland and so on, with a new production opening in Spain in October. It also toured many other countries not mentioned. Plus, a mini-version played in theme parks around the world seen by tourists coming from countless countries. It is a worldwide property and treated right, Wicked should squeeze out every penny from every country and grow its overseas take for the sequel. Rushing it to PVOD when it's making oodles of cash is counterproductive in every way and a slap in the face to exhibitors. And not for nothing, but Wicked is far more enjoyable on the big screen with an audience than seeing it at home. 

INDIA SHOULD TOUT ITS FILMS TO THE WORLD -- India and other countries need to learn the power of boasting about their box office. Too often, producers in China and India and Hong Kong and elsewhere care only about their home markets. They don't even bother to tout the grosses of their hits to Comscore and the trades, any easy step that brings them great press and free marketing. Why ever not? Two cases in point. Pushpa 2: The Rule is the top-grossing film of all time in India, passing Baahubili 2. (By the way, those are both Telugu films, showing how the outdated idea of Bollywood and its Hindi language films dominating Indian box office is long gone.) Now Pushpa 2: The Rule is about to challenge 2016's Dangal to become the highest grossing Indian film of all time worldwide. Simiarly, Hong Kong's The Last Dance is the highest grossing Hong Kong film of all time and has made oodles of money in China and elsewhere. Both films should be on the lips of anyone reading the trades but I have struggled just to get an accurate read on their grosses week to week. Producers in these countries and the film industry honchos are missing out. Report your grosses! Bang the drum for your big hits! 

Happy New Year!

NOTES 

mb = a film's budget in millions of US dollars; ww = worldwide

1. Mufasa: The Lion King–$200mb 

2. Sonic The Hedgehog 3–$120mb

3. Moana 2–Is the budget lower since it was intended for tv, at first? Or higher because they had to rethink everything? Disney says it cost $150mb, just like the original. You can bet Dwayne Johnson gets more than his share of coconuts, but that won't matter with a hit like this.  

4. Nosferatu–$50mb for Robert Eggers, acclaimed director of The Witch, The Lighthouse and The Northman. That had his biggest budget and was not a commercial success. I saw him as more of an arthouse guy. But backers stuck with him, gave him a big budget and a starry cast for a remake of Nosferatu, which I guess is classier than remaking Dracula but still a hard sell I thought. And on Christmas Day? That's counter-programming I was not behind. Happily, I was wrong and Eggers looks more like the next Peter Jackson/Guillermo Del Toro than a guy given big budgets too fast or for the wrong projects. Good for him! 

5. Octopus With Broken Arms aka Wu Sha 3 (Manslaughter 3)–Chinese drama about businessman's daughter kidnapped from his home. 

6. Big World–$29m ww debut. Chinese drama starring pop star and actor Jackson Yee as a young man living with cerebral palsy. Yee has gone from boyband TFBoys to having the Mandarin song of the year in 2017 to success in TV and film. How's his English, asks Hollywood? 

7. Wicked–$150mb for each part, so $300mb total plus beaucoup marketing. It's a big movie! 

8. Honey Money Phony–Chinese rom-com about young woman suddenly burdened with debt who falls for a (very handsome) young con man. Will he go straight for her or teach her his wicked ways so she can get out from under this financial disaster? 

9. A Complete Unknown–$60mb+ for this Bob Dylan biopic? That's a lot of money for a film about Dylan going electric at Newport. I mean, I want to see it but then I'm a Dylan fanatic. Off to a very good start and star Timotheé Chalamet is sure to get an Oscar nomination, so it should keep going. But $180m worldwide seems highly unlikely to me, if not impossible. (Do other countries give a toss about this? Is Chalamet a big enough draw for this story? I doubt it.) I'm glad it was made, but it was made for too much. Like Gladiator II, this will be seen as a commercial success, but it's not. 

10. Gladiator II–$250mb for Ridley Scott sword and sandals epic. It needs $750m worldwide for me to call it a hit from theatrical alone but $600m would be just fine. It's got swords. It's got sandals. Does it have legs? No, it does not. This is the sort of film that everyone thinks of as a hit, but actually didn't deliver. The talk of Gladiator 3 is nonsense. Maybe many years from now they'll use the name to launch a new franchise, but this is the end for now. 

11. Detective Conan: Crossroad in the Ancient Capitol (2003)–China reissue of Japanese animated franchise entry. Film had $32m before reissue in China. I mean, they keep making them so I assume they're profitable. 

12. Harbin–Comscore has this at $8m but the Korean box office shows it with $15m total. It opened Dec 24, so I assume the national chart is more accurate. Harbin is a South Korean historical drama set in the early 1900s about rebels fighting against the Japanese occupation of Korea. When one rebel leader shows mercy to Japanese prisoners and his men pay the price, he vows to redeem himself by assassinating the first Prime Minister of Japan. So this one will probably not have a good run in Japan. 

13. Babygirl–$20mb for this Nicole Kidman sexy drama about a powerful businesswoman finding her kink with a younger, dominating man..her intern, no less! No milk was harmed in the making of this movie. 

14. Finist. The First Warrior–a Russian fantasy film starring actor Kirill Zaytsev as "the strongest, most agile, and handsome hero of Belogorye," according to Wikipedia. Zaytsev certainly fits the bill, though since Belogorye currently has fewer than 3000 people, that may not be such a major claim. Russians are surely starved for homegrown cinema; it's been a while since Russian films made the charts. But I couldn't even find a trailer for it on YouTube. 

15. Conclave–a reported $20mb for this Vatican thriller means this is a hit. It's at $60m and still going strong, with a boost from potential Oscar noms. I do not see the point in putting it on PVOD and flooding the market with bootlegs while potentially harming box office. This is exactly the sort of film that can play and play in theaters.  

16. Kraven The Hunter–$120mb. Ouch. 

17. The Prosecutor–Chinese drama starring Donnie Yen, who uncovers a deep conspiracy when a poor young man is framed for drug trafficking. Not on Donnie's watch!

18. Homestead–faith-based post-apocalyptic drama from Angel Studios. A survivalist fantasy. Based on a series of ten, poorly reviewed novels.

19. The Firefighters–Korean drama with hot young newbie joining firefighter squad, only to butt heads with a legendary veteran. 

20. The Fire Inside–$12mb for this indie drama about the true story of female Olympian boxer from Flint, Michigan. It's a stellar week for director Barry Jenkins, who wrote and produced this film and sees his family film Mufasa: The Lion King finding its audience. 

21. Red One–Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans action/Xmas comedy. A budget reportedly up to $250mb. It's a theatrical failure, but that failure would have been just as clear if it had gone straight to streaming. Now at least it is (almost) paying for a worldwide marketing blitz and that can only help. Remember how people rented crap movies at Blockbuster simply because they'd "heard" of it during the theatrical run? Same idea. 

22. Paddington in Peru–$50mb? I'm just guessing. (That's sort of midpoint between the original and Paddington 2.) Sadly, three times is not the charm artistically for this once-perfect franchise.

23. The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim–per Screendollar, the budget is $30mb for this animated prequel to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movies. Even at that price, it's a flop.  Taken solely from minor footnotes in the novels, it was a gamble but a smart one. An animated film won't be compared to Peter Jackson's masterpiece. (See: the TV series.) And it's not retelling stories we've already heard. (See: superhero movies that go back to the well by redoing an origin story for Superman, Spiderman, et al.) Unfortunately, you still have to be good. The trailer I saw disappointed and audiences are not responding. A pity.  

24. Bogota: City of the Lost–Korean drama about immigrants in Colombia who fall into illegal smuggling out of a desperate need to survive. No the best tourism ad for Bogotá.

25. Hot Pot Artist aka Huo Guo Yi Shu Jia –A young Chinese man dreams of becoming a film director, but somehow ends up running a hot pot restaurant for artists, instead. 

26. 28. Pushpa 2: The Rule–$60mb. This is now reportedly the highest grossing Indian film of all time, passing Baahubili 2! The Telugu language action film is also closing in on 2016's Dangal to maybe become the highest grossing Indian film of all time. It's a big hit, but it's been off the worldwide charts for a few weeks now, in part perhaps because Indian companies wrongly don't recognize the power of marketing box office hits to promote both the movie at hand and Indian cinema overall. We're an afterthought for an industry that historically focused on its domestic market alone. But now Indian films regularly debut in the Top 10 in North America. Since Pushpa 2 grossed at least $140m in India that means it's grossed a huge $70m overseas, more than most of their movies make in total. They should be boasting about it. I'm in London and jaws dropped when I asked some Indian workers at Pret a Manger if they'd seen it yet. You've heard of it, they asked? One worker called over another worker and then asked me what I thought of it in front of her, just so she could be astonished as well. 

First notes: The original Indian/Telugu film cost half as much and only grossed $46m. So the sequel cost more than the original movie's total gross.  But it doubled the original's entire gross in its first week. Originally, a chunk of the two films were shot at the same time, but they did significant reshoots, so just 10% came from the first go-round. Yes, it was the highest grossing Indian movie of 2021; yes it's the highest grossing Telugu films of all time.  But even the lowest estimate of the original's budget is $23mb, so it wasn't a huge hit to begin with. I am puzzled. Are the economics different for Indian films? I wouldn't be surprised if the calculations were different. There are no reports of the first film being a particular hit on streaming or on demand etc, which might justify all this. I think it's another example of Indian films committing to a sequel before there's any demand. Indeed, this film was cut into two parts before the first release. A number of other films seem to be two-parters, which is a very rare thing in Hollywood but less so in India. Is it a good idea? I don't think so.   

27. Her Story aka Hao Dong Xi --Chinese drama, literally translated as "Nice One." Single mom moves in with another single gal; adventures ensue. I don't like calling film's hits without some reporting on its budget. But I can't imagine this type of film costing even $20m, so it's a hit!

28. I Am What I Am 2–Chinese animated film is a sequel to a 2021 animated action comedy. This time, a newcomer to Shanghai agrees to fight in a boxing/martial arts tournament to raise money for his ailing dad. It's a spiritual sequel to the first film, which was critically praised but only grossed $40m ww. In that film, a kid competes in a lion dancing competition while his ailing dad is in a coma. 

THE CHART AND HOW IT IS COMPILED 

This column is a week by week tracking of box office around the world. It is compiled by pulling from every possible source: ComScore, Box Office Mojo, Variety, Hollywood Reporter, Deadline, charts for countries like China and India and South Korea, individual stories in trade or general interest newspapers, Wikipedia and anyone else discussing box office. 

ComScore Weekly Global Box Office Chart

The weekly charts contain the total gross for every movie in theaters around the world during the last seven days. If a movie opens on a Thursday, we include all the box office from Thursday through Sunday. If it opens on a Tuesday night, we cover all six days. If it opens on a Sunday (as some movies do in India or wherever, depending on holidays), then we include the box office for that one day. If a movie was released before the current week, we include the box office for all seven days. Why ignore the box office from Monday through Thursday, as most charts do when tallying the latest weekend and focusing on new releases? 

How do we arrive at this number? We take the total worldwide box office we have for a movie, subtract from it the previous week's total worldwide box office...and that's how much it made during the past seven days. Naturally, territories and movies sometimes fall through the cracks but we are as up to date as we can be, given our dependence on other outlets for the basic info. 

First, I list box office on every film we can from around the world. Any movie grossing at least US $1 million will be on here if we get info on it. Then I give some thoughts on the box office overall and individual films. That's followed by notes where I give info on each movie, with a focus on films not from Hollywood. So Despicable Me 4 you know. But a small Korean comedy or French drama? That I'll identify for you as best I can. 

What about when I blithely state a film has opened in TK% of the world? For example, I claim The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim opened in about 9% of the worldwide market. I long wanted to know how "wide" a movie has opened around the world. It's easy to know how wide a film opened in one country. In the US/Canada, a limited release might be two theaters or 20. A wide release used to mean 1000 theaters and now big movies easily open on 2000 or 3000 or even 4000 theaters. (We talk about theaters, not screens, since screen count can and does change daily or even hourly. A movie can play at one mulitplex and be on five screens or eight or one.) I really hated not knowing how many countries a movie had already opened in and how "big" those countries are in the worldwide market. So I got a list of the 20 top countries and how much of the worldwide box office they represented in 2019, the last typical year/ Those 20 countries accounted for 90% of the worldwide box office in 2019. For example, Australia was responsible for 2.13% of the $42.2 billion worldwide total in 2019. China was responsible for $22.04%. The 86 or so other countries outside the Top 20 represent well less than 1% and are equally weighted as representing just 0.116% of the total worldwide box office. 

So, The Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim opened in Spain (1.66%), Mexico (2.37%) and Brazil (also 1.66%) and 28 other countries (none major). The three big markets total 5.69% of the worldwide box office. (Roughly!) The other 28 countries (28 times 0.116%) account for 3.248%. So altogether the film has opened in 8.938% of the world, which I simplified as about 9%. This DOESN'T mean the film will make 90% more in other markets. A movie might open in China or Korea and do little or nothing anywhere else for various reason. Another movie might open in France and prove a worldwide smash. All this number is meant to indicate is how much of the world a movie has opened in already. If it's a big hit and might play elsewhere, it's good to know a film that's making headlines has only opened in 10% of the world. 

If two big films like Moana 2 and Wicked are facing off, it's good to know if one of them still has big markets like Japan still to come. No, I haven't done all the math on those two yet. But Wicked still has Germany, South Korea and Japan ahead of it and they represent 12.3% of the worldwide box office; Moana 2 has already opened in them. I'm hoping to get a program that will do all this for me automatically. Stay tuned. 

--30--    

THE MOVIES, BOOKS, THEATER, CONCERTS, ALBUMS I'VE SEEN/HEARD/READ SO FAR IN 2025

  Updated as of January 3, 2025  

KEY: star rating is on the four star scale
          meaning of "/" or "\"
          *** is three stars out of four
          ***/ is three stars leaning towards  3 1/2
          ***\ is three stars leaning towards 2 1/2


The Movies, Books, Theater, Concerts, CDs I've Seen/Read/Heard So Far In 2025

BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS
(Increasingly, I am sampling books, reading 10%, 20% even 40 or 50% before deciding to move on. The books below are only the ones I've read completely. That also explains what looks like generous grading -- more and more, if I sense a book is not going to be among my favorites, I stop reading. Too many books; too little time!)

1. Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield *** 1/2 

2. The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams *** 1/2 

3. The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon ***/ 

4. 

CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS (A strong emphasis on the ones I like, so don't think I love everything I listen to -- I just don't bother really listening to the ones I don't )

1. Dizzy Gillespie -- The Complete RCA Victor Recordings 1937-1949 (1995) *** 1/2 

2. 

MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES 

(Not TV movies, of course, but movies and TV shows -- and TV movies if it comes to that. Mostly I only list TV shows when I've tackled an entire season at once or reappraising an entire series after it's over This doesn't really capture my ongoing watching of current TV.)

1.  

THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS
(The names after the shows are the people who joined me at the performance.)

1. 

  Updated as of January 3, 2025  

THE MOVIES, BOOKS, THEATER, CONCERTS, ALBUMS I SAW/HEARD/READ IN 2024

 Updated as of December 31, 2024  

KEY: star rating is on the four star scale
          meaning of "/" or "\"
          *** is three stars out of four
          ***/ is three stars leaning towards  3 1/2
          ***\ is three stars leaning towards 2 1/2


The Movies, Books, Theater, Concerts, CDs I Saw/Read/Heard In 2024

BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS
(Increasingly, I am sampling books, reading 10%, 20% even 40 or 50% before deciding to move on. The books below are only the ones I've read completely. That also explains what looks like generous grading -- more and more, if I sense a book is not going to be among my favorites, I stop reading. Too many books; too little time!)

1. The Honourable Schoolboy by John Le Carré (1977) *** 1/2 

2. Smiley's People by John Le Carré (1979) **** 

3. M.C. Higgins, The Great by Virginia Hamilton (1974) *** 1/2 

4. Cover Her Face by P.D. James (first Inspector Dalgliesh) (1962) *** 

5. The Evolution Of Annabel Craig by Lisa Grunwald *** 

6. A London Child of the 1870s by M.V. Hughes (Molly Hughes) (1934) *** 

7. Ferris by Kate DiCamillo *** 1/2 

8. Orris and Timble: The Beginning by Kate DiCamillo; illustrations by Carmen Mok ** 1/2 

9. The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo *** 
10. The Magician's Elephant by Kate DiCamillo; illustrated by Yoko Tanaka *** 1/2 

11. The Beatryce Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo; illustrated by Sophie Blackall *** 1/2 

12. The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz **** 

13. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon ** 1/2 

14. The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon *** 

15. Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillo *** 1/2  

16. The Remarkable Rescue at Milkweed Meadow by Elaine Dimopoulos; illustrated by Doug Salati *** 

17. Navola by Paolo Bacigalupi *** 

18. The Perilous Performance at Milkweed Meadow by Elaine Dimopoulos ***

19. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson *** 1/2 

20. Black Hole by Charles Burns *** 1/2 

21. Here by Richard McGuire **** 

22. The Talented Mrs. Mandelbaum by Margalit Fox *** 

23. A London Girl of the 1880s by M.V. Hughes (Molly Hughes) (1936) *** 

24. A London Home in the 1890s by M.V. Hughes (Molly Hughes) (1937) *** 

25. Jules Feiffer -- The Collected Works Vol. 1: Clifford *** 1/2 

26. Fence Vol. 1-6 by C.S. Pacat; Illustrated by Johanna The Mad *** each 

27. The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman ***/ 

28. Backing Into Forward by Jules Feiffer *** 

29. The Great Comic Book Heroes by Jules Feiffer *** 

30. Trick or Treat on Scary Street by Lance Bass; illustrated by Roland Garrigue * 1/2 

31. Upstaged by Robin Easter ** 1/2 

32. Kill My Mother by Jules Feiffer *** 

33. My Side of the Car by Kate Feiffer; illustrated by Jules Feiffer *** 1/2 

34. Jacob's Eye Patch by Beth Kobliner Shaw and Jacob Shaw; illustrated by Jules Feiffer **  

35. Bark, George by Jules Feiffer *** 1/2 

36. The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo (2023) **** 

37. The Hotel Balzaar by Kate DiCamillo *** 1/2 

38. Alexander at the End of the World by Rachel Kousser *** 

39. Nicked by M.T. Anderson *** 

40. Adventures of Mary Jane by Hope Jahren ** 1/2 

41. Carte Blanche (James Bond) by Jeffery Deaver (2011) ** 

42. Feiffer: The Collected Works Vol. 2 by Jules Feiffer *** Kermit (classical prodigy) **; Dopple (Irish husband and wife strip flat earth) ***; Natalie (strip) *; Army Types *** 1/2; Munro (boy drafted) ****

43. Feiffer: The Collected Works Vol. 3 by Jules Feiffer *** Boom ***; Rollie **; Sick Sick Sick *** 1/2 

44. Jeffery Deaver and Isabella Maldonado -- Fatal Intrusion ** 1/2 

45. Jeffery Deaver -- The Bone Collector (1997) *** 

46. This Is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter *** 

47. Worst Case Scenario by T. J. Newman ** 1/2 

48. Bear and Bird: The Stars and Other Stories by Jarvis *** 

49. Bear and Bird: The Adventure and Other Stories by Jarvis *** 

50. By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult *** 

51. Kermit The Hermit by Bill Peet (1965) ***  

52. Huge Harold by Bill Peet (1961) *** 

53. Big by Vashti Harrison (2023) ** 1/2 

54. Farewell, Amethystine by Walter Mosley *** 
55. Heavyweight by Solomon J. Brager *** 

56. The Boy and the Elephant by Freya Blackwood *** 1/2 

57. Eli by Bill Peet (1978) (grumpy old lion) *** 

58. I'm SorryYou Got Mad by Kyle Lukoff; illustrated by Julie Kwon *** 

59. James by Percival Everett *** 1/2 \ 

60. The Great When by Alan Moore *** 1/2 

61. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton (1939) *** 

62. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown; picture by Clement Hurd 1947) **** 

63. The Story of Babar The Little Elephant by Jean de Brunhoff (1931) *** 

64. Amazing Grapes by Jules Feiffer ** 1/2 

65. Bunny Should Be Sleeping by Amy Hest; illustrations by Renata Liwska (2024) ***/ 

66. We Are Definitely Human by X. Fang ** 1/2 

67. Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell ***/ 

68. Maybelle The Cable Car by Virginia Lee Burton (1952) ** 

69. Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton (1943) ** 

70. The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton (1942) *** 1/2  

71. Big Bear and Little Bear Go Fishing by Amy Hest; illustrated by Erin E. Stead (2024) **** 

72. This Is Happiness by Niall Williams (2019) *** 1/2 

73. Time of the Child by Niall Williams (2024) ****  

74. Journey by Aaron Becker (2013) *** 1/2 

75. Knight Owl by Christophe Denise (2022) *** 

76. Hello, Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall (2018) *** (she does great waves!) 

77. Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell (2017) *** 
78. The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies Of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon *** 

79. Low-Hanging Fruit by Randy Rainbow *** 
80. Final Cut by Charles Burns **** 
81. Fly High Fly Low by Don Freeman (1957) *** 
82. Du Iz Tak? by Carson Ellis (2016) **** 

83. The Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hader (1948) ** 

84. The Spider and the Fly illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi; poem by Mary Howitt (2002) *** 

85. Mei Li by Thomas Handforth (1938) *** 

86. Waiting by Kevin Henkes (2015) ***/ 

87. An Hour Before Daylight by Jimmy Carter (2001) *** 

88. Lost in the Empire City by Avi *** 

89. The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke *** 

90. The Vegetarian by Han Kang (2007) **** 
91.  King Alfred and the Ice Coffin by Kevin Crossley-Holland; illustrated by Chris Riddell *** 

92. Into The Uncut Grass by Trevor Noah; illustrated by Sabina Hahn ** 1/2  

93. The Wolf-Girl, The Greeks and the Gods by Tom Holland; illustrated by Jason Cockcroft *** 1/2 

94. Skippy: Daily Comics 1934-1936 by Percy Crosby *** 1/2 

95. A London Home In The Nineties by Molly Hughes (1937) *** 1/2 

96. Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan ** 1/2 

97. A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn *** 1/2 

98. The Marvelous Land of Oz by L. Frank Baum ** 

99. The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin **** 

100. Tales From Watership Down by Richard Adams *** 

101. Nebraska by George Whitmore *** 

102. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino *** 1/2 

103. The Dark Frigate by Charles Boardman Hawes **** 
104. Killing Time by Alan Bennett *** 

105. Notes From Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky; trans Peavear and Volokhonsky ****

106. A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf **** 

107. A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes **** 

108. The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding novella by Agatha Christie ** 

109. 4:50 From Paddington by Agatha Christie ** 1/2 

110. Night by Elie Wiesel **** 

CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS CDS (A strong emphasis on the ones I like, so don't think I love everything I listen to -- I just don't bother really listening to the ones I don't )

1. Coleman Hawkins -- The Hawk Flies High (1957) **** 
2. Madness -- The Rise & Fall (1982, on vinyl at Andrew's apt as he packed for St. Pete) *** 

3. Television -- Adventure (1978) *** 

4. Grateful Dead -- Live/Dead (1969) ***\ 

5. Anthony Braxton -- For Alto (1971) *** 1/2 

6. Paul Bley -- Time Will Tell (1995) *** 
7. George Jones -- The Grand Tour (1974) *** 

8. Aerosmith -- Pump (2001) *** 

9. Little Walter -- His Best (1997) *** 1/2 

10. The Residents -- Duck Stab/Buster & Glen (1978) *** 

11. Elomar -- Cantoria 2 (1988) **** 

12. Elomar -- Cantoria 3 *** 1/2 

13. Elomar -- Cantoria 1 (1984) *** 1/2 

14. Otis Spann -- The Blues Never Die! (1965) *** 

15. The Velvet Underground -- White Light/White Heat (1968) ** 1/2 

16. Green Day -- Dookie (1994) *** 1/2 

17. Elvis Costello -- Trust (1981) *** 

18. Various Artists -- Shalimar Original Soundtrack (1978) *** 
19. Deep Purple -- Machine Head (1972) ** 1/2 

20. Howard Tate -- Howard Tate (1972) *** 1/2 

21. Z.Z. Top -- Tres Hombres (1973) ** 

22. Marlena Shaw -- The Spice Of Life (1969) ** 1/2 

23. Bob Marley -- Catch A Fire (1973) **** 
24. Howard Tate -- Get It While You Can (1966) *** 1/2 

25. Howard Tate -- Rediscovered (2003) *** 1/2 

26. Howard Tate -- Reaction (1970) *** 
27. Doc Cheatham and Shorty Baker --- Shorty & Doc (1961) *** 1/2 

28. Elvis Costello -- Brutal Youth (1995) *** 

29. Elvis Costello -- Punch The Clock (1983) *** 1/2 

30. Elvis Costello -- Kojak Variety (1994) ** 1/2 

31. Elvis Costello -- All This Useless Beauty (1996) ** 1/2 

32. Sly and the Family Stone -- Stand! (1969) *** 1/2 

33. Sly and the Family Stone -- There's A Riot Goin' On (1971) **** 
34. Sly and the Family Stone -- Greatest Hits (1970) **** 
35. Peter Tosh -- Legalize It (1976) *** 1/2 
36. Blur -- Parklife (1994) *** 1/2 

37. Blind Willie Johnson -- Praise God I'm Satisfied (1989) *** 1/2 

38. Prince --- Originals (2019) *** 
39. Big Star -- #1 Record (1972) **** 

40. Big Star -- Radio City (1974) *** 1/2 

41. Sly and the Family Stone -- Fresh (1973) *** 1/2 

42. Dire Straits -- Love Over Gold (1972) ** 1/2 

43. Marlena Shaw -- Who Is This Bitch, Anyway? (1972) ** 1/2 

44. Elvis Costello -- Goodbye Cruel World (1984) *** 1/2 

45. Raspberries -- Raspberries' Best (1976) **** 
46. The Beach Boys -- Smile (1967, from The Smiles Sessions box, 2011) *** 1/2 /

47. Brian Wilson -- Presents Smile (2004) ****  

48. Lead Belly -- Midnight Special: The Library Of Congress Recordings (1991) *** 1/2 

49. Brian Harnetty -- The Workbench (2023) *** 1/2 

50. Spacemen 3 -- Playing With Fire (1989) *** 

51. The 13th Floor Elevators -- The Psychedelic Sounds of The 13th Floor Elevators (1966) *** 1/2 

52. Sly and the Family Stone -- Dance To The Music (1968) ** 1/2 

53. Elbow -- The Seldom Seen Kid (2008) ** 1/2 

54. D'Angelo -- Brown Sugar (1995) **** 
55. D'Angelo -- Voodoo (2000) ** 1/2 

56. Brian Harnetty -- Words and Silences (2022) *** (Thomas Merton) 

57. Brian Eno -- Discreet Music (1975) **** 
58. New Order -- Substance 87 (1987) *** 1/2 

59. Brian Eno -- Ambient 1: Music For Airports (1978) **** 
60. Electric Light Orchestra aka ELO -- Zoom (2001) **** 

61. Brian Eno -- Ambient 2: The Plateaux of Mirror (1980) (w Harold Budd) **** 
62. Brian Eno -- Ambient 3: Day Of Radiance (w Laraaji) (1980) *** 1/2 

63. Brian Eno -- Ambient 4: On Land (1982) *** 

64. Brian Eno -- Evening Star w Robert Fripp (1975) *** 1/2 

65. Brian Eno -- Apollo aka score For doc For All Mankind (1983) ***/ 

66. Brian Eno -- (No Pussyfooting) (w Robert Fripp) (1973) *** 1/2 

67. Brian Eno -- The Equatorial Stars (w Robert Fripp) (2004) *** 1/2 

68. Peter Tosh -- Equal Rights (1977) *** 1/2 

69. Paul McCartney -- Band On The Run (Underdubbed Mix) (1973) *** 1/2 

70. Japan --- Quiet Life (1979) ***\ 

71. David Bowie -- Aladdin Sane (1973) *** 1/2 

72. Brian Eno -- The Shutov Assembly (1992) *** 1/2 

73. Oxomatli -- Street Signs (2004) ** 1/2 

74. Big Star -- Third (1978) *** 

75. The Conet Project -- Recordings of Shortwave Numbers Stations/1111 (1995) *** 

76. Volcano -- Jungle (2023) ** 1/2 

77. Aphex Twin -- Selected Ambient Works Vol. II (1994) *** 1/2 \ 

78. The Louvin Brothers -- Tragic Songs Of Life (1956) *** 1/2 

79. Brian Eno -- Music For Films (1978) ** 

80. Robert Fripp -- Exposure (1979) ** 

81. Pharaoh Sanders -- Harvest Time Live 1977 (1977/2023) *** 1/2 

82. Cortijo Y Su Combo w Ismael Rivera -- La Quiniela Del Dia (1976) *** 1/2 

83. Dinosaur Jr. -- You're Livin' All Over Me (1987) *** 1/2 

84. Eddie Condon -- 1927-1943 (1997) *** 1/2 

85. Marvin Gaye -- Here, My Dear (1978) *** 1/2 

86. Marvin Gaye -- That's The Way Love Is (1970) *** 1/2 

87. Jimmy Smith -- Back At The Chicken Shack (1963) *** 1/2 

88. Taj Mahal -- Savoy (2023) *** 1/2 

89. Junior Wells -- Hoodoo Man Blues (1965) **** 
90. Pere Ubu -- Dub Housing (1976) *** 

91. Nat King Cole -- The Best Of The King Cole Trio (1992) *** 1/2 

92. John Martyn -- One World (1977) ** 1/2 

93. June Christy -- Something Cool (1955 -- Mono) *** 1/2 

94. The Temptations -- All Directions (1972) *** 
95. Oscar "Papa" Celestin and Sam Morgan -- Recorded In New Orleans 1925-1928 (2019) *** 1/2 

96. Sean Ono Lennon -- Asterisms ** 1/2 

97. Fripp & Eno  -- Beyond Even 1992-2006 (2006) ** 1/2 

98. Tito Puente -- Dance Mania ('58)/Dance Mania 2 ('61)/Dance Mania Legacy Edition (2009) **** 

99. Einstürzende Neubauten -- Kollaps (1981) ** 1/2 

100. The Drifters -- The Drifters' Golden Hits (1968) *** 1/2 

101. Arcade Fire -- Funeral (2004) ** 1/2 

102. Jimmy Smith -- Groovin' At Smalls' Paradise Vol. 1 (1957) **** Vol. 2 (1957) *** 1/2 

103. The New Christy Minstrels -- Merry Christmas! (1963) * 1/2 ("Sing Along W Santa") 

104. Stealers Wheel -- In The Bleak Mid Winter (2019) * 

105. Sonic Youth -- Evol (1986) ** 1/2 

106. Bettye Swann -- Make Me Yours (1967) *** 
107. Steeleye Span -- Parcel Of Rogues (1973) *** 
108. The Shirelles -- Greatest Hits (1963) **** 
109. The Shirelles -- Greatest Hits Vol. II (1967) *** 1/2 

110. The Shirelles -- Mama Said: 52 Original Sceptre Records Recordings (2023) *** 1/2 

111. Circle Jerks -- Group Sex (1980) *** 1/2 

112. Eddie Condon -- The Eddie Condon Collection 1927-1961 (2014) ****  

113. Depeche Mode -- Violator (1990) *** 1/2 \ 

114. MGMT -- Loss Of Life ***/ 

115. Yes -- Yes (1969) *** 

116. Bobby "Blue" Bland -- Two Steps From The Blues (1961) **** 
117. Bill Fay -- Time Of The Last Persecution (1971) ** 1/2 

118. Elmore James -- The Sky Is Crying: The History of Elmore James (9 songs, good sound) **** 

119. Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis -- Very Saxy (1959) *** 1/2 (half a star off for the title) 
120. Brian Eno -- Cluster & Eno (2017) *** 
121. Chris Connor -- Chris Connor (1956) *** 1/2 

122. Ken Colyer -- Club Session With Colyer (1956) **** 
123. William Basinski -- The Disintegration Loops (2002) **** 

124. Etta Jones -- Don't Go To Strangers (1960) *** 1/2 

125. Mylo -- Destroy Rock & Roll (2004) * 

126. Kaiser Chiefs -- The Kaiser Chiefs' Easy Eighth Album *** 

127. Oval -- 94diskont (1995) *** 

128. Cornershop -- When I Was Born For The 7th Time (1997) ** 

129. Serge Chaloff -- Blue Serge (1956) **** 
130. Serge Chaloff -- Boston Blow-Up (1955) *** 1/2 

131. Nat King Cole -- The Complete Capitol Recordings of The Nat King Cole Trio (1991 Bear 18 cd boxed set) ** 1/2 (first 200 tracks *** 1/2; last 149 pretty dire **) 

132. World Party -- Private Revolution (1987) *** 

133. Raspberries -- Fresh (1972) *** 1/2 

134. World Party -- Goodbye Jumbo (1990) **** 

135. World Party -- Bang! (1993) ** 1/2 

136. Raspberries -- Starting Over (1974) *** 1/2 

137. World Party -- Egyptology (1997) *** 1/2 

138. Raspberries -- Raspberries (1972) *** 

139. The Waterboys -- This Is The Sea (1985) *** 1/2 

140. World Party -- Dumbing Up (2000) *** 1/2 

141. Eric Carmen -- Eric Carmen (1975) ***\ 

142. Eric Carmen -- Boats Against The Current (1977) ** 

143. Firehose -- Fromohio (1989) ** 1/2 

144. Beck -- Guero (2005) *** 
145. The Black Crowes -- Happiness Bastards *** 
146. Lester Flatt -- Heaven's Bluegrass Band (1976) ** 1/2 

147. Eddy Arnold -- My World (1965) ** 1/2 

148. Various Artists -- Uptown Top Ranking: Trojan Ska & Reggae Chartbusters (2024) *** 1/2 

149. Mance Lipscomb -- You Got To Reap What You Sow: Texas Songster Vol. 2 (1993) *** 1/2 

150. The Stooges -- Raw Power (1973) *** 
151. Death in Vegas -- The Contino Sessions (1999) ** 
152. Traffic -- Traffic (1968) ** 1/2 

153. Brian Eno -- Nerve Net (1992) ** 

154. LCD Soundsystem -- Sound Of Silver (2007) ** 
155. Fishbone -- Truth and Soul (1988) ** 1/2 

156. Black Sabbath -- Black Sabbath (1970) ** 
157. Ms. Dynamite -- A Little Deeper (2002) ** 

158. Jimmy Smith -- The Sermon! (1959) **** 
159. Portishead -- Third (2008) ***/ 

160. Roger Eno -- The Skies, They Shift Like Chords... (2023) *** 
161. Ringo Starr -- Beaucoups Of Blues (1970) ** 1/2 

162. Pauline Oliveros -- Deep Listening (1989) *** 1/2 

163. Paul Young -- No Parlez (1983) ** 

164. Tears For Fears -- The Hurting (1983) ***/ 

165. Sleater-Kinney -- Dig Me Out (1997) *** 

166. The Doves -- The Last Broadcast (2002) ** 1/2 

167. Mahlathini & The Mahotella Queens -- The Indestructible Beat Tour 1988-1989 (1989) *** 

168. Raspberries -- Side 3 (1973) *** 1/2 

169. Mance Lipscomb -- Captain, Captain!: the Texas Country Blues Guitar Of Mance Lipscomb Vol. 3 (1998) *** 1/2 

170. Tears For Fears -- The Hurting (1983) ***/ 

171. Elliot Smith -- Figure 8 (2000) ** 1/2 

172. Mel Tormé & Buddy Rich -- Together Again For The First Time (1978) ** 1/2 (an extra half for the scatting on Ella tribute "First Lady Of Song") 

173. Rush -- Moving Pictures (1981) *** 1/2 

174. Genesis -- Selling England By The Pound (1973) ** 
175. Norah Jones -- Visions ** 1/2 

176. África Negra -- Antologia Vol. 1 (2022) **** 

177. Christine and the Queens -- Chris (2018) ** 1/2 

178. Barry Adamson -- Oedipus Schmoedipus (1996) *** 

179. The Cure -- Seventeen Seconds (1980) *** 

180. Various Artists -- Piconema: East African Hits on the Colombian Coast (2023) **** 

181. Ornette Coleman -- At The Golden Circle Vol. 1 (1966) *** 1/2 

182. Shelby Lynne -- The Servant (2021) **** 
183. Pedro Lima -- Recordar É Viver: Antologia Vol. 1 (2022) *** 
184. Billie Holiday & Lester Young -- A Musical Romance (2002) *** 1/2 

185. Lester Young -- The Complete Aladdin Recordings Of Lester Young (w Helen Humes and Nat King Cole) (1995) **** 

186. Iron Butterfly -- In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968) ** 1/2 

187. Sheila E -- Bailar ** 1/2 

188. The Replacements -- Boink!! (1986) **** 

189. The Replacements -- Hootenanny (1983) *** 1/2 

190. The Replacements -- Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash (1981) *** 

191. Eddy Arnold -- The Best Of Eddy Arnold (1967) ** 1/2 

192. Ismael Rivera -- Con Todos Los Hierros (w Rafael Cortijo) (1966) *** 1/2 

193. Alexander "Skip" Spence -- Oar (1969) ** 1/2 

194. Baaba Maal -- Djam Leelii: The Adventurers (w Mansour Seck) (1989) **** (expanded *** 1/2) 

195. David Byrne and Brian Eno -- Everything That Happens Will Happen Today (2008) *** 1/2 

196. Marcus King -- Mood Swings *** 1/2 

197. The Feeling -- San Vito ** 1/2 

198. Elliot Brood -- Country **** Full City/Country album *** 1/2 

199. Kacey Musgraves -- Deeper Well *** 1/2 

200. Black Sabbath -- Paranoid (1970) ** 1/2 

201. Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard -- Skinwalker *** 1/2 

202. Lindisfarne -- Fog On The Tyne (1970) *** 1/2 

203. The Birthday Party -- Junkyard (1982) ** 1/2 

204. Taylor Swift -- The Tortured Poet Department ** 1/2 

205. Ann Savoy -- Another Heart ** 1/2 

206. Ian Hunter -- Defiance Part 2: Fiction ** 1/2 

207. Mel Torme -- California Suite (1957) *

208. Mel Torme -- Meets The British (1957) * 1/2 

209. Mel Torme -- Prelude To A Kiss (1958) ** 

210. Mel Torme -- Torme! (1958) ** 1/2 
211. Mel Torme -- Ole Torme!~ Mel Torme Goes South Of The Border With Billy May (1959) * 1/2 

212. Mel Torme -- Back in Town (1959) * 1/2 

213. Mel Torme -- Swings Schubert Alley (1960) **** 

214. Mel Torme -- It's a Blue World 1955) ** 

215. Mel Torme -- Mel Torme and the Marty Paich Dek-Tette (1956) ** 1/2 
216. Mel Torme -- Sings Fred Astaire (1956) **** 

217. Labi Siffre -- Labi Siffre (1970) ***  
218. Labi Siffre -- The Singer and the Song (1971) *** 

219. Labi Siffre -- Crying Laughing Loving Lying (1972) *** 1/2 

220. Labi Siffre -- For The Children (1973) 
221. Labi Siffre -- Remember My Song (1975) **** 

222. Ted Russell Kamp -- California Son ** 

223. Benny Carter -- Further Definitions (1961) *** 1/2 

224. Britney Spears -- ...Baby One More Time (1999) * 
225. McAlmont & Butler -- The Sound Of McAlmont & Butler (1995) *** 

226. Supertramp -- Crime of the Century (1974) ** 

227. Alice Cooper -- Billion Dollar Babies (1973) ** 1/2 

228. Pet Shop Boys -- Nonetheless ***/ 

229. Manic Street Preachers -- The Holy Bible (1994) *** 
230. Mel Torme -- At The Crescendo (1957) ** 1/2 

231. Ella Fitzgerald -- Ella in Hollywood (1960) **** 

232. Tom Tom Club -- Tom Tom Club (1987) * 1/2 

233. St. Vincent -- All Born Screaming ** 1/2  

234. KISS -- Destroyer (1976) * 1/2 

235. Mel Torme -- An Evening With George Shearing (1982) *** 

236. John Adams -- Road Movies (2004) *** 

237. The Lemon Twigs -- A Dream Is All We Know *** 1/2 

238. Eagles -- Eagles (1972) ** 

239. Prince Buster -- The Original Golden Oldies Vol. 1 (1967) *** 

240. Prince Buster and the Maytals -- The Original Golden Oldies Vol. 3 (1973) *** 

241. Tangerine Dream -- Phaedra (1974) *** 1/2 

242. Frank Turner -- Undefeated *** 

243. The Dixie Cups -- The Dixie Cups (1964) **** 

244. The Kinks -- Arthur (1969) ***/ 

245. Pete Jolly -- Seasons (1970) *** 

246. Africatown, AL -- Ancestor Sounds ***/ 

247. The Kinks -- The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society (1968) **** 

248. The Lemon Twigs -- Brothers Of Destruction (2017) *** 1/2 

249. The Lemon Twigs -- Songs For The General Public (2020) *** 

250. The Kinks -- Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround Part One (1970) *** 1/2 

251. Blur -- Blur (1997) *** 1/2 

252. Labi Siffre -- Happy (1975) ** 

253. Brad Mehldau -- After Bach II *** 

254. Don McLean -- American Boys * 1/2 

255. Miles Davis -- In A Silent Way (1969) **** 

256. John Coltrane -- Ascension (966) *** 

257. The Avett Brothers -- The Avett Brothers *** 1/2 

258. Blur -- Leisure (1991) *** 1/2 

259. Blur -- Modern Life Is Rubbish (1993) *** 1/2 

260. Traffic -- Mr. Fantasy (1968) *** 

261. Benny Carter -- Further Definitions (1962) **** 

262. Kamasi Washington -- Fearless Movement ** 

263. X-Ray Spex -- Germ Free Adolescence (1978) ** 

264. Iron Maiden -- Iron Maiden (1980) ** 

265. Blue Cheer -- Vincebus Eruptum (1968) *** 1/2 

266. The Adverts -- Crossing The Red Sea With The Adverts (1978) *** 1/2 

267. Paul Weller -- 66 ** 1/2 

268. Shelby Lynne -- Merry Christmas (2010) ** 1/2 

269. The Mavericks -- Moon & Stars *** 

270. Vampire Weekend -- Only God Was Above Us ** 1/2 

271. Emmylou Harris -- Pieces Of The Sky (1975) *** 

272. Emmylou Harris -- Elite Hotel (1975) *** 1/2 

273. Emmylou Harris -- Luxury Liner (1976) *** 1/2 

274. Emmylou Harris -- Blue Kentucky Girl (1979) *** 1/2 

275. Emmylou Harris -- Evangeline (1981) ** 

276. Emmylou Harris -- Cimarron (1981) ** 1/2 

277. Alice In Chains -- Dirt (1992) ** 1/2 

278. Mel Torme -- An Elegant Evening (w George Shearing) (1985) *** 1/2 

279. Emmylou Harris -- White Shoes (1983) ** 

280. William Orbit -- Strange Cargo 3 (1993) ** 

281. Janet Jackson -- Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989) ** 

282. Emmylou Harris -- The Ballad of Sally Rose (1985) *** 1/2 

283. Jennifer Lara -- Studio One Presents Jennifer Lara *** 

284. Willie Nelson -- The Border *** 1/2 

285. Bristol Brass Consort -- Festive Brass (2019) *** 1/2 

286. Jerry Garcia -- Garcia (1972) *** 

287. Billie Eilish -- Hit Me Hard and Hit Me Soft *** 1/2 \ 

288. Mel Torme -- Mel Torme's Finest Hour (2001) ** / 

289. Richard Thompson -- Ship To Shore **** 

290. Tommy McCook & The Super Sonic -- Top Secret (1969) **** 

291. Wes Montgomery -- The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery (1960) **** 

292. Jimmy Smith -- Root Down (1972) *** 1/2 

293. The Kinks -- Mussel Hillbillies (1971) **** 

294. Emmylou Harris -- Thirteen (1986) *** 

295. Charley Crockett -- $10 Cowboy ** 

296. Paul Simon -- Paul Simon (1972) *** 1/2 

297. Paul Simon -- One-Trick Pony (1980) *** 

298. Blur -- 13 (1999) *** 1/2 

299. Adrianne Lenker -- Bright Future ** 1/2 

300. Emmylou Harris -- Angel Band (1987) *** 

301. Jimmy Smith -- Home Cookin' (1961) *** 

302. Billy Tibbals -- Stay Teeenage ep *** 

303. Billy Tibbals -- Nightlife Stories ep *** 

304. Emmylou Harris -- Bluebird (1989) ** 1/2 

305. John Grant -- The Art of the Lie ** 1/2 

306. Montage -- Montage (1969) ** 

307. Emmylou Harris -- Brand New Dance (1990) ** 

308. Lou Reed -- Transformer (1972) *** 1/2 

309. Magazine -- Real Life (1978) ** 1/2 

310. Röyksopp -- Melody A.M. (2001) ** 

311. Mel Tormé -- Songs For Any Taste (1957) ** 1/2 

312. Yunchan Lim -- Chopin Études Op. 10 and 25 *** 

313. a-ha -- Hunting High and Low (1985) ** 

314. Blind Willie McTell -- Statesboro Blues (2003) *** 1/2 

315. Jamme -- Jamme (1968) ***/ 

316. Common -- Be (2005) *** 

317. The Divine Comedy -- A Short Album About Love (1997) *** 1/2 

318. Liam Gallagher and John Squire --- Liam Gallagher and John Squire *** 

319. Bee Gees -- 1st (1967; their third album, actually) ** 1/2 

320. Bee Gees -- Horizontal (1968) ** 
321. Bee Gees -- Odessa (1969) *** \

322. Air -- The Virgin Suicides soundtrack (2000) **** 
323. Bob & Marcia (Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths) -- Pied Piper (1971) *** 

324. Kraftwerk -- The Man-Machine (1978) *** 1/2 

325. Kraftwerk -- Computer World (1981) *** 1/2 

326. Emmylou Harris -- Cowgirl's Prayer (1993) *** 

327. Otis Redding -- The Best Of Otis Redding (1972 on Atlantic) **** 

328. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas -- Greatest Hits (1981) **** 

329. The Clovers -- The Best of The Clovers (1991) *** 

330. Martha Reeves and the Vandellas -- Gold (2003) *** 1/2 

331. Les Rythmes Digitales -- Darkdancer (1999) ** 

332. Bee Gees -- Main Course (1975) *** 

333. Wilco -- Hot Sun Cool Shroud ep *** 

334. The Marvelettes -- The Definitive Collection *** 

335. The Marvelettes -- Greatest Hits *** 1/2 

336. The Young Fresh Fellows -- The Fabulous Sounds of the Pacific Northwest (1984) *** 1/2 

337. Bee Gees -- Children of the World (1976) *** 

338. Camilo -- Cuatro ***/ 

339. Iggy Pop -- The Idiot (1977) *** 1/2 

340. Bee Gees -- Spirits Having Flown (1979) ** 1/2 (side one strong) 

341. Mdou Moctar -- Funeral For Justice ***/ 

342. Slade -- Slayed? (1973) ***/ 

343. Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore -- Texicali *** 

344. Vince Guaraldi -- It Was A Short Summer, Charlie Brown ** 

345. Otis Redding -- The Immortal Otis Redding (1968) *** 1/2 

346. The Del McCoury Band -- Songs of Love and Life *** 

347. Bobby Womack -- The Poet (1981) *** 

348. Otis Redding -- The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads (1965) *** 1/2 

349. Public Image Ltd. -- First Issue (1978) ** 1/2 

350. The XX -- I See You (2017) ** 1/2 

351. Grupo Frontera -- Jugando a Que No Pasa Nada *** 1/2 

352. Van Morrison -- It's Too Late To Stop Now (1974) *** 
353. Sea Wolf -- Leaves in The River (2007) ** 1/2 

354. Gram Parsons -- GP (1973) *** 1/2 

355. Gram Parsons -- Grievous Angel (1974) **** 
356. Ride -- Nowhere (1990) ***  

357. Maggie Rogers -- Don't Forget Me ** 

358. The 5th Dimension -- The Magic Garden (1967) ** 
359. Ismael Rivera -- La Quiniela de Dia (1976) *** 1/2 

360. Aphex Twins -- Selected Ambient Work 85-92 (1992) *** 

361. Ismael Rivera with Cortijo y su Combo Original -- Juntos Otra Vez (1974) *** 1/2 

362. Scotty McCreery -- Rise & Fall ** 1/2 

363. Snoop Dogg -- Doggystyle (1993) ** 

364. Joe Tex -- Greatest Hits (1991) **** 
365. Beyoncé -- Cowboy Carter *** 1/2 

366. Emmylou Harris -- At The Ryman (1992) *** 1/2 

367. Hermanos Gutiérrez -- Sonido Cosmico *** 

368. Richard Hawley -- In This City They Call You Love *** 1/2 

369. Bee Gees -- E.S.P. (1987) * 1/2 

370. 50 Cent -- Get Rich Or Due Tryin' (2003) ** 1/2 

371. Linda Thompson -- Proxy Music *** 1/2 

372. Badly Drawn Boy -- The Hour of Bewilderbeast (2000) *** 

373. Bad Brains -- I Against I (1986) ** 

374 Natalie Joachim -- Ki Moun Ou Ye ** 

375. Otis Redding -- Love Man (1969) *** 
376. Def Leppard -- Hysteria (1987) ** 1/2 

377. PJ Harvey -- Let England Shake (2011) *** 1/2 

378. Khruangbin -- A La Sala ** 1/2 

379. Pokey Lafarge -- Rhumba Country ***/ 

380. Can -- Tago Mago (1971) *** 

381. Ice Cube -- Predator (1992) ** 1/2 

382. Paul McCartney -- One Hand Clapping (1974/2024) *** 

383. Madeleine Peyroux -- Let's Walk ** 1/2 

384. Led Zeppelin -- IV (1971) *** 1/2 

385. Grupo Frontera -- El Comienzo (2023) *** 1/2 

386. Cindy Lee -- Diamond Jubilee ** 1/2 

387. T. Bone Burnett -- The Other Side ** 

388. Mickey Newbury -- Looks Like Rain (1969) **** 
389. Omar Apollo -- God Said No ** 1/2 

390. Astrid Sonne -- Great Doubt ** 1/2 

391. Jacques Brel -- Olympia '64 (1964) ** 1/2 

392. Dehd -- Poetry ***\ 

393. Beth Gibbons -- Lives Outgrown *** 

394. Frankie Siragusa -- Goodbye, My Love (2020) *** 1/2 

395. The Young Gods -- L'eau Rouge/Red Water (1989) ** 1/2 

396. Sparks -- Kimono My House (1974) *** 

397. Nancy Wilson -- The Swinging's Mutual w George Shearing (1961) ***/ 

398. Suede -- Suede (1993) ** 1/2 

399. Zach Bryan -- The Great American Bar Scene *** 

400. Raekwon -- Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (1995) ** 1/2 

401. Rachel Chinouriri -- What A Devastating Turn of Events ** 

402. The Verve -- A Northern Soul (1995) *** 

403. The Jesus and Mary Chain -- Darklands (1987) *** 

404. Maggie Rose -- No One Gets Out Alive ***/ 

405. John Oates -- Reunion *** 
406. Daryl Hall -- D ** 

407. Henry Mancini -- A Merry Mancini Christmas (1966) * 
408. Deep Purple -- In Rock (1970) ** 1/2 

409. The Incredible String Band -- The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter (1968) * 
410. Meat Puppets -- II (1984) *** 1/2 

411. Massive Attack -- Protection (1994) ** (but Tracey Thorn tracks  great) 
412. Public Image Ltd. -- Metal Box/Second Edition (1979) 12 track version *** 

413. Pet Shop Boys -- Actually (1987) ** 1/2 

414. Bee Gees -- Trafalgar (1971) * 1/2 

415. Megadeth -- Peace Sells...But Who's Buying? (1986) ** 
416. Incredible Bongo Band -- Bongo Rock (1973) ** 1/2 

417. Slipknot -- All Hope Is Gone (2008) * 

418. Balka Sound -- Balka Sound (2022) *** 

419. Marilyn Manson -- Antichrist Superstar (1996) * 

420. Eladio Carrion -- Sol Maria *** 

421. Louis Armstrong -- Louis In London (1968/2024) ** 

422. RM -- Right Place, Wrong Person ** 

423. Claire Rousay -- Sentiment ** 

424. Aaron Lee Tasjan -- Stellar Evolution ** 

425. Sierra Ferrell -- Trail of Fears ** 

426. Charles Lloyd -- The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow *** 

427. Emmylou Harris -- Wrecking Ball (1995) *** 1/2 

428. Mk.gee -- Two Star and the Dream Police ** 

429. Leyla McCalla -- Sun Without The Heat ** 

430. Kali Malone -- All Life Long *** 1/2 

431. Blur -- Think Tank (2003) *** 

432. Pixies -- Surfer Rosa (1988) *** 

433. World Party -- Best In Show (2007) **** 

434. Neil Young -- Fu##ing Up ** 1/2 

435. Sia -- Reasonable Woman ** 1/2 

436. Miriam Makeba -- Miriam Makeba (1960) *** 1/2 

437. Young Miko -- att. *** 

438. Earth, Wind & Fire -- That's The Way Of The World (1975) *** 

439. Jonathan Richman -- Back In Your Life (1979) *** 

440. X -- Smoke & Fiction *** 1/2 

441. The Last Dinner Party -- Prelude To Ecstasy ** 1/2 

442. Bee Gees -- Best of Bee Gees (1969) *** 

443. Bee Gees -- Best Of Bee Gees Vol. 2(1973) *** 
444. Haircut One Hundred -- Pelican West (1982) *** 1/2 

445. Nick Heyward -- North Of A Miracle (1983) *** 
446. Nick Heyward -- Woodland Echoes (2017) *** 1/2 

447. Megan Moroney -- Am I Okay? *** 

448. Hiroshi Yoshimura -- Green (1986) *** 1/2 

449. Lacy J. Dalton -- For The Black Sheep ** 1/2 

450. TV On The Radio -- Desperate Youth, Bloodthirsty Babes (2004) ** 1/2 

451. Daniel Romano aka Outfit -- Too Hot To Sleep ** 

452. The Divine Comedy -- Absent Friends (2004) *** 

453. The Hanseroth Twins -- Vera ** 1/2 

454. Mel Tormé -- I Dig The Duke, I Dig The Count (1962) *** 

455. Brian Eno -- Soft Edges ep *** 1/2 

456. Mkwaju Ensemble -- Ki-Motion (1981) *** 

457. Emerson, Lake & Palmer -- Tarkus (1971) * 

458. Grateful Dead -- Dick's Picks Vol. 8 (May 2, 1970) ***\ 

459. Bob Dylan -- Time Out Of Mind (1997) **** 

460. Bob Dylan -- Modern Times (2006) *** 1/2 

461. Shelby Lynne -- Consequences Of The Soul ** 1/2 

462. The Teardrop Explodes -- Kilimanjaro (1980) ** 1/2 

463. Klaxons -- Myths Of The Near Future (2006) ** 

464. The Po' Ramblin' Boys -- Wanderers Like Me *** 

465. John Surnam -- Words Unspoken *** 1/2 

466. Emmylou Harris -- Red Dirt Girl (2000) ***\ 

467. Emmylou Harris -- Stumble Into Grace (2003) *** 

468. Emmylou Harris -- The Travelin' Kind (w Rodney Crowell) (2015) ** 1/2 

469. Tangerine Dream -- Rubycon (1975) *** 
470. Various Artists -- The Complete Friends Of Old Time Music Concert (1965) *** 

471. Grateful Dead -- Reckoning (1981) *** 

472. Grateful Dead -- Wake of the Flood (1973) *** 

473. Killing Joke -- Killing Joke (1980) *** 

474. Spirit -- Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus (1970) ** 1/2 

475. Oso Oso -- Life Till Bones *** 

476. Bob Dylan -- Greatest Hits (1967) **** 
477. Otis Spann -- Otis Spann (1964) **** 
478. Hiroshi Yoshimura -- Surround (1986) *** 1/2 

479. Bob Dylan -- Love and Theft (2001) *** 1/2 

479. Sturgill Simpson -- Passage du Desir *** 1/2 

480. John Legend -- My Favorite Dream * 

481. Kali Malone -- Living Torch (2022) *** 1/2 

482. Popeye: Music From The Motion Picture Deluxe Edition (1980/2017) *** 1/2 

483. Laurie Anderson -- Amelia *** 

484. George Winston -- Eastern Montana ** 

485. Frank Black -- Teenager of the Year (1994) ** 1/2 

486. Brian Eno -- I Dormienti ep (2023) *** 1/2 

487. Scott Walker -- Scott (1967) *** 1/2 

488. Scott Walker -- Scott 2 (1968) *** 1/2 

489. Scott Walker -- Scott 3 (1969) *** 1/2 / 

490. Scott Walker -- Scott 4 (1969) *** 1/2 

491. Jon Hopkins -- Ritual *** 

492. Engelbert Humperdink -- The Best Of... (2005) *** 

493. FKA twigs -- LP1 (2024) ** 1/2 

494. Old 97's -- American Primitive ***/ 

495. Sugar -- Copper Blue (1992) *** 1/2 

496. Various Artists -- Kankyō Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental and New Age Music 1980-1990 (2019) *** 

497. Joe Ely -- Driven To Drive *** 

498. Crowded House -- Gravity Stairs **  

499. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan -- Devotional Songs aka Love & Devotion (w Party) (1992 on Real World Records) *** 1/2 

500. Sergio Mendes -- Herb Alpert Presents Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (1966) ** 

501. Tangerine Dream -- Legend (1985) *** 

502. Bob Dylan -- Greatest Hits Vol. II (1971) **** 

503. Lone Justice -- Shelter (1996) ** 1/2 

504. Nellie McKay -- Hey Guys, Watch This! (2023) *** 
505. Nellie McKay -- Bagatelles ep (2019) **** 

506. Scott Walker -- 'Til The Band Comes Home (1970) ** 1/2 

507. Jon Anderson -- True ** 

508. Syd Barrett -- The Madcap Laugh (1970) *** 1/2 

509. Joan Armatrading -- Joan Armatrading (1976) ** 1/2 

510. Old 97's -- Satellite Ride (2001) *** 
511. The Smile -- A Light For Attracting Attention (2022) *** 1/2 

512. The Smile -- Wall of Eyes *** 1/2 

513. Jack Sheldon -- Ho Ho Ho ep ** 

514. Bjork -- Vulnicura (2015) ** 

515. Frank Zappa -- Freak Out! (1966) *** 1/2 

516. The The -- Ensoulment *** 1/2 

517. The The -- Soul Mining (1983) *** 

518. The The -- Infected (1986) *** 

519. Logic -- Ultra 85 *** 

520. Scott Walker -- Climate Of Hunter (1984) ** 1/2 (but "Blanket Roll" great) 

521. Hugo Largo -- Drum (1988) ** 

522. Miranda Lambert -- Postcards From Texas ** 1/2 

523. The Style Council -- Cafe Bleu (1984) ** 1/2 

524. Rosie Tucker -- Utopia Now! ***/ 

525. Florian Weber -- Imaginary Cycle *** 1/2 

526. Hiroshi Yoshimura -- Music For Nine Post Cards (1982) *** 1/2 

527. The Jam -- Compact Snap! (1984) *** 1/2 

528. The Jam -- Snap! (1983) **** 

529. Squeeze -- Argybargy (1980) *** 1/2 

530. Squeeze -- East Side Story (1981) ***  

531. Squeeze -- Play (1991) *** 

532. Small Faces -- Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake (1968) ** 1/2 

533. Paul Simon -- Hearts and Bones (1983) *** 1/2 

534. Willie Tee -- I'm Only A Man (1971) *** 

535. Manu Chao -- Viva Tu *** 1/2 

536. The Jam -- Sound Affects (1980) *** 1/2 

537. Caroline Shaw -- Rectangles and Circumstance w So Percussion (2024) *** 

538. The Fall -- Live at the Witch Trials (1979) ** 

539. Nick Lowe -- Indoor Safari ** 1/2 

540. The Youngbloods -- Elephant Mountain (1969) ** 1/2 

541. Faust -- Faust IV (1973) *** 
542. Fairground Attraction -- Beautiful Happening ** 1/2 

543. Kali Malone -- Cast of Mind (2018) *** 1/2 

544. The Rolling Stones -- Stripped (1995) *** 

545. Bob Dylan -- Dylan & The Dead (1989) ** 

546. Bob Dylan -- The 1974 Live Recordings Sampler *** 

547. Nightmares on Wax -- Smokers Delight (1995) ** 

548. Juan Luis Guerra -- Radio Güira ep ** 1/2 

549. Afrika Bambaata & the SoulSonic Force -- Planet Rock: The Album (1986) *** 1/2 

550. Steve Earle -- Guitar Town (1986) *** 

551. Bob Dylan -- The 1974 Live Recordings Sampler (1974/2024) *** 

552. Bright Eyes -- Five Dice, All Threes *** 1/2 

553. Jeru The Damaja  -- The Sun Rises In The East (1994) ** 1/2 

554. Nick Heyward -- The Mermaid and the Lighthouse Keeper w India Dupre (2022) ** 

555. M. Ward -- For Beginners: The Best of M. Ward *** 1/2 

556. Pet Shop Boys -- Behaviour (1990) *** 1/2 

557. Paul Butterfield Blues Band -- East-West (1966) *** (but terrible singer) 

558. Pixies -- Doolittle (1989) *** 1/2 

559. Pet Shop Boys -- Very (1993) *** 1/2 

560. Outkast -- Aquemini (1998) ** 1/2 (one star off for vile "Mamacita") 

561. Incubus -- Make Yourself (1999) ** 1/2 

562. New Order -- Low-Life (1985) *** 1/2 

563. Public Enemy -- It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back (1988) **** 

564. Pixies -- Bossanova (1990) *** 

565. Outkast -- Stankonia (2000) *** 1/2 

566. Pet Shop Boys -- Bilingual (1996) ***  

567. Public Enemy -- Fear Of A Black Planet (1990) *** 1/2 

568. The Smile -- Cutouts *** 1/2 

569. Nick Cave -- Wild God *** 1/2 

570. Mindy Smith -- Quiet Town ** 

571. Green Day -- Saviors *** 1/2 

572. Malcolm McLaren -- Duck Rock (1983) *** (but v influential) 

573. Gepe -- Undesastre *** 1/2 

574. Tower of Power -- It's Christmas * 

575. Nicol Williamson -- The Hobbit abridged audiobook (1974) **** 

576. Roscoe Mitchell Sextet -- Sound (1966) ** 1/2 

577. Kasey Chambers -- Backbone *** ("The Divorce Song" is great) 
578. Bruce Springsteen -- Magic (2007) *** great songs, can't stand prod by B O'Brien

579. Esperanza Spalding and Milton Nascimento -- Milton + Esperanza ** 

580. Jack White -- No Name *** (needs another listen) 

581. Sonny Rollins -- G-Man (1987 live album) **** 

582. Eminem -- The Death of Slim Shady *** 

583. Pet Shop Boys -- Nightlife (1999) ** 1/2 

584. Public Enemy -- Yo! Bum Rush The Show *** 

585. Public Enemy -- Apocalypse 91: The Empire Strikes Black *** 1/2 

586. Pharoah Sanders -- Pharoah (1977) *** 

587. Various Artists -- The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) *** 1/2 

588. Betty Carter -- The Audience With Betty Carter (1980) *** 1/2 

589. Satoshi Ashikawa -- Still Way (Wave Notation 2) (1982) ** 1/2 
590. The Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge–Yulefest! (2015) ** 

591. Primal Scream -- Vanishing Point (1997) ***\ 

592. Elliott Brood -- Town and Country (2024) *** 1/2 

593. Ornette Coleman -- Free Jazz (1961) ***/ 

594. Engelbert Humperdink -- A Merry Christmas (1980) * 

595. The Stranglers -- Rattus Norvegicus (1977) *** 

596. The Germs -- GI (1979) *** 1/2 

597. Bob Sumner -- Some Place To Rest Easy ** 

598. Horace Andy -- Timeless Roots w Jah Wobble ** 1/2 

599. Faye Webster -- Underdressed at the Symphony ** 1/2 

600. Bee Gees -- Timeless: The All-Time Greatest Hits (2017) *** (cut six tracks and change order) 

601. Coldplay -- Moon Music *** 

602. Tom Waits -- swordfishtrombones (1983) **** 

603. Tom Waits -- Rain Dogs (1985) **** 

604. Tom Waits -- Frank's Wild Years (1987) *** 1/2 

605. Horace Andy -- Skylarking (1972) *** 

606. The Hentchmen -- Hentch-Forth w Jack White *** 1/2 

607. The The -- Mind Bomb (1989) ** 1/2 

608. Pet Shop Boys -- Release (2002) ** 1/2 

609. The Thrills -- So Much For The City (2003) ** 

610. Fleetwood Mac -- Rumours *** 1/2 

611. Billy Joel -- Glass Houses (1980) *** 1/2 

612. Neil Diamond -- 50th Anniversary Celebration (2017) *** 1/2 

613. Rush -- Moving Pictures ((1981) *** 1/2 

614. Jackson Browne -- Running on Empty (1977) *** 1/2 

615. Cheap Trick -- At Budokan (1978) ** 1/2 

616. J Balvin -- Rayo *** 

617. The The -- Dusk (1993) *** 
618. Judy Garland -- Judy at the Palace Closing Night (1952) ** 1/2 

619. Ray Charles -- Together Again aka Country and Western Meets Rhythm and Blues (1965) *** 

620. Dinah Washington -- Music For Late Hours (1956) * 

621. Lin-Manuel Miranda and Eisa Davis -- Warriors ** 

622. Ray Charles -- Yes Indeed! (1958) *** 1/2 

623. Ray Charles -- Cryin' Time (1966) *** 1/2 

624. Al Stewart -- Love Chronicles (1969) ** 1/2 

625. Christina Aguilera -- Stripped (2002) *** 

626. Ricky Montgomery -- Rick(y) *** 

627. Sean Shibe -- Bach (2020) *** 

628. U2 -- Achtung Baby (1991) **** 
629. Lone Justice -- Viva Lone Justice *** 1/2 (what a loss) 

630. Nirvana -- Bleach (1989) *** 

631. Nirvana -- Nevermind (1991) **** 

632. Nirvana -- In Utero (1993) *** 1/2 

633. Holger Czukay -- Movies (1979) *** 

634. Lenny Kravitz -- Let Love Rule (1989) ** 

635. Bonnie Raitt -- Nick of Time (1989) **** 

636. Ray Charles -- Modern Sounds in Country and Western Vol. II (1962) **** 

637. XTC -- Oranges & Lemons (1989) *** 1/2 / 

638. Slint -- Spiderland (1991) *** 

639. Linda Ronstadt -- Live in Hollywood Deluxe (1980) *** 

640. Echo and the Bunnymen -- Ocean Rain (1984) ** 1/2 

641. Jay Wheeler -- Música Buena Para Días Malos *** 1/2 

642. Willie Nelson -- Last Leaf on the Tree *** 

643.  XTC -- Apple Lemon Vol. 1 ** 1/2 (tracks 5,6,7) 

644. The Thrills -- So Much For The City (2003) ** 

645. Spanish Harlem Orchestra (w Ruben Blades) -- Across 110th Street (2004) **** 

646. Fantastic Cat -- Now That's What I Call Fantastic Cat *** 1/2 

647. Suicide -- Suicide (1977) *** 1/2 

648. Mercury Rev -- Deserter's Songs (1998) ** 

649. The Bees -- Sunshine Hit Me (2002) ** 1/2 

650. Paul Kelly -- Fever Longing Still *** 1/2 

651. Bob Dylan -- Love and Theft (2001) *** 1/2 

652. Ben Folds -- Sleigher ** 

653. Tito Puente -- Homenaje a Beny (1978) **** 
654. Eslaban Armado -- Amor Perdido *** 1/2 

655. El Gran Combo de Puerto Rico -- ¡Aqui No Se Siente Nadie! (1979) **** 
656. Roy Harper -- Stormcock (1971) ** 1/2 

657. Elastica -- Elastica (1995) *** 

658. Fantastic Cat -- The Very Best of Fantastic Cat (2022) *** 
659. Davy Knowles -- The Invisible Man *** 

670. 'Til Tuesday -- Voices Carry (1985) ** 

671. Lou Donaldson -- Blues Walk (1958) *** 1/2 

672. Art Garfunkel Jr. and Art Garfunkel -- Father and Son ** 

673. Little Big Town -- The Christmas Record * 1/2 

674. 'Til Tuesday -- Welcome Home (1986) *** 

675. Albert Hammond -- Christmas * 1/2 

676. Christopher Cross -- A Christopher Cross Christmas * 1/2 (but a good "Drummer Boy'") 

677. Albert Hammond -- It Never Rains in Southern California (1972) * 1/2 

678. Albert Hammond -- Albert Hammond (1974) ** 

679. Albert Hammond -- 99 Miles From L.A. (1975) * 1/2 

680. The dB's -- Stands For Decibels (1981) ** 1/2 

681. Stan Getz -- The Complete Roost Recordings (1997) **** 

682. Boss Capone and George Dekker -- Blackfire *** / 

683. War -- The World Is A Ghetto (1972) ** 1/2 

684. Onalea -- The End of the World *** 

685. Anthrax -- Among The Living (1987) * 1/2 

686. Ismael Miranda -- Así Se Compone un Son (1973) *** 

687. The B-52's -- The B-52's (1979) *** 

688. Idles -- TANGK ** 1/2 

689. The John Sally Ride -- Melomaniacs ***/ 

690. George Harrison -- George Harrison (1979) ** 1/2 

691. Duke Ellington -- The Afro-Eurasian Eclipse (1975) *** 1/2 

692. Siouxsie and the Banshees -- The Scream (1978) **  

693. George Harrison -- Living in the Material World (1974) *** 1/2 

694. Ann Peebles -- I Can't Stand The Rain (1974) *** 1/2 

695. Wire -- Pink Flag (1977) *** 1/2 

696. Susanna Hoffs -- The Lost Record ***/ 

697. Johnny Smith -- Moonlight in Vermont (1956) **** 
698. Richard Swift -- Four Hits & A Miss -- The Essential Richard Swift *** / 

699. Dwight Yoakam -- Brighter Days ***/ 

700. Maria Muldaur -- Maria Muldaur (1973) *** 

701. Beta Radio -- Waiting For The End To Come ***/ 

702. Ringo Starr -- Ringo (1973) *** 

703. Kali Malone -- The Sacrificial Code (2019) **** 
704. Soft Machine -- Third (1970) *** 1/2 

705. Michael Kiwanuka -- Small Changes *** 

706. Harry Nilsson -- Pussy Cats (1974) ** (tragic) 

707 Kim Deal -- Nobody Loves You More *** 
708. LaBelle -- Nightbirds (1971) *** 1/2 

709. Talking Heads -- The Name of This Band is Talking Heads (1982) *** 1/2 

710. Kenny G -- Miracles: The Holiday Album (1994) ** 1/2 

711. Spinners -- Mighty Love (1974) *** 1/2 

712. Eric Clapton -- 461 Ocean Boulevard (1974) *** 1/2 

713. Kendrick Lamar -- GNX *** 

714. Jennifer Hudson -- The Gift of Love ** 

715. James Talley -- Got No Bread, No Milk, No Money, But We Sure Got A Lot Of Love (1975) **** 

716. The Triffids -- Calenture (1987) ** 1/2 

717. Clay Aiken -- Christmas Bells Are Ringing * 

718. Maria Muldaur -- Christmas at the Oasis (2010) *** 1/2 

719. The Art Farmer Quintet -- Blame It On My Youth (1988) *** 

720. The Who -- Who Are You (1978) *** 

721. Maria Muldaur -- Waitress in a Donut Shop (1974) *** 1/2 

722. Parliament -- Up For The Down Stroke (1974) *** 1/2 

723. Willow -- Empathogen *** 1/2 

724. Aerosmith -- Aerosmith (1973) *** 1/2 

725. Cheo Feliciano -- Estampas (1979) *** 

726. Chicago -- Chicago IX: Chicago's Greatest Hits (1975) *** 1/2 

727. The Persuasions -- Chirpin' (1977) *** 1/2 

728. 'Til Tuesday -- Everything's Different Now (1988) *** 1/2 

729. Pet Shop Boys -- Fundamental (2006) *** 

730. Nick Lowe -- Labour of Lust (1979) *** 

731. Dolly Parton -- Jolene (1974) *** 

732. Pear Jam -- Dark Matter *** 

733. Spinners -- Pick of the Litter (1975) ** 1/2 

734. Kraftwerk -- Autobahn (1974) *** 1/2 

735. Average White Band -- AWB (1974) ** 1/2 

736. Dave Edmunds -- Repeat When Necessary (1979) *** 1/2 

737. Pete Townsend and Ronnie Lane -- Rough Mix (1977) ** 1/2 

738. Tipica 73 -- Tipica 73 (1973) *** 1/2 

739. Kurt Elling -- Wildflowers Vol.1 ***/ 

740. Kings of Leon -- Only By The Night (2008) ** 1/2 

741. Bobby Rodríguez -- Lead Me To That Beautiful Band (1975) *** 

742. Amyl and the Sniffers -- Cartoon Darkness *** 

743. Aretha Franklin -- Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky) (1973) ** 

744. Spinners -- Spinners (1973) ***/ 

745. Shelley Duvall -- Merry Christmas (1991) * 1/2 

746. Nick Lowe -- Jesus of Cool (1978) ** 1/2 

747. James Talley -- Tryin' Like The Devil (1976) *** 

748. Graham Parker -- Heat Treatment (1976) *** 1/2 

749. Graham Parker -- Howlin' Wind (1976) *** 

750. Graham Parker -- Stick To Me (1977) *** 1/2  

751. Aretha Franklin -- Young, Gifted and Black (1972) **** 

752. The Saints -- Eternally Yours (1978) *** 

753. The Hour -- Ease The Work ** 

754. Mustafa -- Dunya *** 

755. Dion -- Born To Be With You (1975) ***/ 

756. Aretha Franklin -- Aretha Now (1968) *** 1/2 

757. Kurt Elling -- Wildflowers Vol. 1 *** 

758. Ananda Shankar -- Ananda Shankar (1970) ** 

759. Aretha Franklin -- Soul '69 (1969) *** 

760. Jontavious Willis -- West Georgia Blues *** 1/2 

761. The Weeklings -- Christmas *** 

762. Dion -- Rock N Roll Christmas (1993) ("Jingle Bell Rock" a keeper)

763. Sabrina Carpenter -- Fruitcake ** (but "Cindy Lou Who" good) 
764. Billy Bragg -- Talking With The Taxman About Poetry (1986) *** 

765. The Psychedelic Furs -- Talk Talk Talk (1981) ** 1/2  

766. Minor Threat -- Out Of Step (1983) **** 
767.  Sault -- Acts of Faith  ** 1/2 

768. MJ Lenderman -- Manning Fireworks *** 

769. The Damned -- Machine Gun Etiquette **** 

770. The Weeklings -- Raspberry Park ***\ 

771. The Cure -- Songs Of A Lost World *** 1/2 

771. Psychedelic Furs -- Forever Now (1982) *** 1/2 

772. Aretha Franklin -- Spirit in The Dark (1970) **** 

773. New York Dolls -- Too Much Too Soon *** 1/2 

MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES TV MOVIES 

(Not TV movies, of course, but movies and TV shows -- and TV movies if it comes to that. Mostly I only list TV shows when I've tackled an entire season at once or reappraising an entire series after it's over This doesn't really capture my ongoing watching of current TV.)

1. Bed and Sofa (1927) *** 1/2 

2. American Fiction ** 1/2 

3. The Zone Of Interest ***  

4. Dune (2021) (in IMAX) *** 1/2 

5. The Big Parade (1925) **** 

6. The Student Prince In Old Heidelberg (1927) **** 
7. Nimona ** 1/2 

8. All Of Us Strangers *** 

9.  Dune: Part Two ** 1/2 

10.  Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga ** 1/2 

11. Showing Up (2023) *** 1/2 

12. The Quiet Girl *** 1/2 

13. Talk To Me *** (v good script, direction) 

14. Inside Out 2 ** 1/2 

15. The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring extended cut at AMC *** 1/2 

16. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers extended cut at AMC ****  

17. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King extended cut at AMC *** 1/2  

18. The Bikeriders ** (but Toby Wallace one to watch) 

19. The Small Back Room (1949) (at Moma alone) *** 1/2 

20. The Edge of the World (1937) (at Moma w Zoe) *** 

21. The Lion Has Wings (1939; Powell one of four directors) w Smith (1939; 10 min) (w Zoe, Moma) ** 

22. Kneecap *** 

23. Didi *** 1/2 

24. Alien: Romulus **  

25. Popeye (1980) * 1/2 (and yet I'm still thinking about it) 

26. Good One (v good lead, all three really; teen camping w dad and his friend) ***/ 

27. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) **** 

28. Nationtime (1972) *** 1/2 

29. Conclave ** 1/2 

30. Small Things Like These ** 1/2 

31. Anora *** 1/2 (Igor!) 

32. Bird *** (lead!)

33. A Real Pain *** 

34. Blitz ** 

35. Gladiator II * 1/2 

THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS THEATER CONCERTS
(The names after the shows are the people who joined me at the performance.)

1. A Prairie Home Companion 50th Anniversary at Ryman (w Jesse) *** 

2. The Outsiders (four subs including two leads) (alone) ** 
3. Illinoise (alone) *** 

4. Stereophonic (w Noam; partial view) *** 

5. Ex Cathedra -- Christmas Music by Candlelight at St. Martin's in the Fields (w Leslie) *** 

Updated as of  December 31 2024