Black Narcissus
Michael Powell / Emeric Pressburger 1947 UK (1st time; TV)
Nuns at a convent set up in India struggle to entertain duty, madness and sexual craving.
An unusual film in that it's not entirely clear what it's about, but one which works because it is astonishing to look at, and thoroughly establishes itself in its mise-en-scene, however studio-set it is.

American Graffiti
George Lucas 1973 US (1st time; TV)
An eventful night among teenagers in 1962 California.
Personal comedy which conjures its time and place with what is an ultimately heartrending sense of nostalgia; the performances all have an immediate air to them, and the safety of being a teenager, however uncertain of the future, was never more attractive.

Husk
Jerry Handler 1999 South Africa / UK / US (1st time; TV)
A girl settles a deal with the man to whom her father owes money.
The synopsis might become more clear on a rewatch, but the parallel editing in this short is rather abstract. Impressively shot.

The Sopranos Season 6 (no rating)
Various 2006 US (1st time; download)
*****Spoilers ahead.*****
There is a moment in the penultimate episode of this twelve-part series, wherein Silvio tells Tony, upon hearing of a Capo's death, "This isn't about Vito, this is about you". It is a subtle nod to the form of the season as a whole; the plots dealing with other characters throughout are dealt with only in relation to Tony, and how he reacts to them. Vito's homosexuality may frustrate some, but it certainly allows Chase and co. to expose the mentality behind the Mob. If it is more fragmented (episodic?) than previous seasons, and falls further into inconclusive, inconsistent narrative threads, then it also probes deeper into psychological boundaries and proves insightful of characters, most of whom are revised here to have sides to them the previous five seasons fail to show. The seasons have become more and more mature and slower-paced as the show has progressed, and here the tone is heavily reflective, with characters all in some kind of identity crisis: Paulie finds out he isn't the man he thought he was, Christopher spirals back onto drugs, Carmela philosophises in Paris, and Tony dreams of being Kevin Finnerty whilst in a coma, to mention just a few. The show has developed into a darker, more existential series than some may have liked; its self-reflexivity and increasing intertextuality mark it as a highly clever turn, less about the Mafia than questions of identity, and masculinity in particular. Tellingly, early on in the season, Tony awakens from his coma and mutters, "Who am I? Where am I going?" It could just as easily have been Chase questioning who these creations are, and what is expected of them.