Categories
Archives
-
-
-
-
Recent Posts
- “Even though I’m writing about very dark material, it still feels like an escape hatch.” — Olivia Laing
- “It’s just one of the mysteries of filmmaking that sometimes you do something that you don’t even think it’s important, then it turns out to be.” — Lili Horvát
- “Ballet taught me to stay close to style and tone. Literature taught me to be concerned about the moral life.” — Joan Acocella
- “I trust contrariness. I simply rebelled at being commanded.” — Seamus Heaney
- 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: The Merry Wives of Windsor
- “I don’t think you go to a play to forget, or to a movie to be distracted. I think life generally is a distraction and that going to a movie is a way to get back, not go away.” — Tom Noonan
- “If you don’t see the book you want on the shelves, write it.” — Beverly Cleary
- “For I am of the seed of the WELCH WOMAN and speak the truth from my heart.” — Christopher Smart
- Review: Hamlet (2026)
- “Those evils that inflame the imagination and make the heart sick, ought not to leave the head cool.” — William Hazlitt
Recent Comments
- Joseph Pedulla on Susan Hayward Sleeps Raw
- sheila on “For I am of the seed of the WELCH WOMAN and speak the truth from my heart.” — Christopher Smart
- P Nickel on “The realization of ignorance is the first act of knowing.” — Jean Toomer
- Melissa Sutherland on “For I am of the seed of the WELCH WOMAN and speak the truth from my heart.” — Christopher Smart
- Bryce on The Books: “Nine Stories”- ‘The Laughing Man’ (J.D. Salinger)
- sheila on March 2026 Snapshots
- Troy on March 2026 Snapshots
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Henry IV, Part 1
- Ian on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Henry IV, Part 1
- sheila on Happy Birthday, Dean Stockwell
- jeanie laub on Happy Birthday, Dean Stockwell
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Henry IV, Part 1
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Henry IV, Part 1
- Bryan Summers on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Henry IV, Part 1
- sheila on In the Criterion Closet
- DBW on In the Criterion Closet
- sheila on Coming soon …
- sheila on March 2026 Snapshots
- Maddy on Coming soon …
- Maddy on March 2026 Snapshots
-
Category Archives: Movies
“It’s just one of the mysteries of filmmaking that sometimes you do something that you don’t even think it’s important, then it turns out to be.” — Lili Horvát
Today is Hungarian director Lili Horvát’s birthday. The timing is fortuitous. I am overjoyed for the people of Hungary today, and also thinking of the theatre artistswho have been resisting within increasingly rigid and risky parameters. Back in November, during … Continue reading
Posted in Directors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Hungary, romantic drama, women directors
Leave a comment
“I don’t think you go to a play to forget, or to a movie to be distracted. I think life generally is a distraction and that going to a movie is a way to get back, not go away.” — Tom Noonan
It’s Tom Noonan’s birthday. He just died last year, a huge loss. Most well-known for playing supernatural-style “heavies” in movies such as Manhunter and Robocop 2, he got his start in the 1960s experimental theatre scene in New York City, … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Directors, Movies, On This Day, Theatre
Tagged Tom Noonan, What Happened Was
5 Comments
Review: Hamlet (2026)
Perfect timing, what with my Shakespeare reading project and all. Riz Ahmed plays Hamlet in a new – and streamlined – version of the script, taking place in present-day London among the South Asian community. I reviewed for Ebert.
“I prefer a national film to an international film.” — Jean-Paul Belmondo
It’s his birthday today. I wrote about him on my Substack. Thank you so much for stopping by. If you like what I do, and if you feel inclined to support my work, here’s a link to my … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged France, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Paul Belmondo, newsletter
Leave a comment
“I never wanted to be this famous. I never imagined this life for myself.” — Kristen Stewart
It’s her birthday today. “Really, I’m incredibly disjointed and not candid. Just in general, my thoughts tend to come out in little spurts that don’t necessarily connect. If you hang around long enough, you can find the linear path. But … Continue reading
“I’d marry again if I found a man who had fifteen million dollars, would sign over half to me and guarantee that he’d be dead within a year.” — Bette Davis
“I was thought to be ‘stuck up’. I wasn’t. I was just sure of myself. This is and always has been an unforgivable quality to the unsure.” It’s her birthday today. First up: For Film Comment, I wrote a piece … Continue reading
In the Criterion Closet
This one’s been a long time coming! My friend, the great Kim Morgan, goes into the Criterion Closet. (If you’re not aware of what this is, “Closet Picks” is a series hosted by the Criterion Collection where celebrities, directors, artists, … Continue reading
In Memory of Roger Ebert: Michael, Roger & Me
Roger Ebert died 13 years ago today. I wrote about him and how he reached out to me a couple of months before he died and how it coincided exactly with the other Great Event in my life in the … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, On This Day, Personal
Tagged drama, friends, July and Half of August, Kwik Stop
8 Comments
Review: Living the Land (2026)
What a beautiful movie. Living the Land takes place in a small village in the Henan province. Although the year is 1991, modernity has not touched the place. There’s intermittent electricity but the people still harvest the wheat by hand, … Continue reading