Crumb: Saw this as a double feature with Ghostworld, which I also enjoyed but have a lot less to say about. An interesting and in-depth look at a complicated and controversial underground cartoonist, I really enjoyed the way this was presented. As I said on my letterboxd, I don't think I've ever seen this many people be this honest on camera for this long. R. Crumb is just a really weird fucking dude, but you see his upbringing, his siblings, the world he was born into and you're like "oh, I get it."
Werckmeister Harmonies: My first Bela Tarr film and it already got me trying to block out a seven hour chunk of time next month to watch all of Satantango. I have a thing for films with a small scale but apocalyptic tone, and this felt like I was watching one of the last towns on earth fall into chaos. Slow but beautiful, it'll catch you in it's wake and sweep you out to sea if you let it. I had to go outside just to feel the sun on my face when it ended.
The Color of Pomegranates: Short and abstract, it's like an illuminated manuscript come to life. Dense but extremely watchable, beautiful and imaginative imagery that refuses to tell you what it's about but just resonates within you. I haven't seen a lot of Soviet films and I've seen even fewer films about Armenian culture, but after this I will be looking to correct both of those deficiencies.
Cure: If you're a fan of Pulse/Kairo then here's another Kiyoshi Kurosawa film you need to see. What starts as a police procedural quickly turns into a psychological horror story as two detectives fail to solve a series of bizarely connected murders, each committed by different people against those closest to them. Great performances, an almost clinical approach to cinematography that refuses to either highlight or obscure its horrors, and one hell of a final shot.
Phantom of the Paradise: I don't know where this ranks among the rest of Brian De Palma's filmography, but I had blast with this one. A movie musical that sees the inherent camp of the genre as an asset and fully leans in to it. It's probably reductive to call it a proto-Rocky Horror but if that's what gets people to watch it then yeah, it's a proto-Rocky Horror. Also, fun fact, the design of the Phantom inspired Griffith/Femto's design in Berserk. The more you know!
Humanist Vampire Seeking Consenting Suicidal Person: I'm a sucker for coming-of-age romance stories and this one put enough of a twist on the concept to really vibe with. In spite of it's dark comedic tone, this is a very compassionate and empathetic movie about wanting to kill the version of yourself you currently are and become the person you need to be. This is the only new film in this list and I think it's still doing the arthouse circuit so if you get a chance to see it in theaters I highly recommend it!
And that concludes my personal July highlight reel. Might do this some more in the future, if y'all are interested I might do more. Or you can just follow my letterboxd for more a more up-to-date log of what I'm watching.