Author Archives: sheila

Mirrors #19

Two striking mirror moments in Marleen Gorris’ provocative directorial debut, a major entry in the catalog of feminist cinema, a film still poking the bear, 1982’s A Question of Silence. (People freaking out about how Barbie is anti-man clearly have … Continue reading

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Review: You’ll Never Find Me (2024)

I reviewed You’ll Never Find Me, a creepy film filled with dread for Ebert. It’s really more “suspense” than “horror”. A debut feature. Low budget. It shows you just how much you can do with a low budget if you … Continue reading

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“I can take any empty space and call it a bare stage. A man walks across this empty space, whilst someone else is watching him, and this is all that is needed for an act of theatre to be engaged.” — Peter Brook

Peter Brook’s illustrious career earned him the right to be called a visionary. You’ll hear it a lot. He was one of the most influential theatrical directors of all time. Generations have learned from him, found inspiration in his work, … Continue reading

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“Reality is always extraordinary.” — Mary Ellen Mark

It’s her birthday today. My first job was as a page at a local library. I would go there after school, shelve books for a couple of hours, and then head home. I ended up working there all through high … Continue reading

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“I think my cinema is minimalist because so is my gaze: I’m very interested in people.” — Joanna Hogg

It’s the birthday of director Joanna Hogg, who hasn’t directed that many films (comparatively) and yet what she has done really matters, so much so that when there are gaps between films, people who always have her on their radar … Continue reading

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“Can’t no man play like me.” — Sister Rosetta Tharpe

It’s her birthday today. In 2018, Rosetta Tharpe was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an “Early Influence”. I mean, that’s nice, but it’s decades too late. She should have been in the first “class” of … Continue reading

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“The worst enemy of truth and freedom in our society is the compact majority.” — Henrik Ibsen

It’s his birthday today. Some posts from my archive: This is a doozy, an excerpt from an amazing book made up of transcribed lectures on Ibsen, Chekhov and Strindberg, by legendary actress and acting teacher Stella Adler. It’s a great … Continue reading

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Happy Birthday, Rhode Island’s first poet laureate, Michael Harper

“My poems are rhythmic rather than metric; the pulse is jazz; the tradition generally oral; my major influences musical; my debts, mostly to the musicians who taught me to see about experience, pain and love, and who made it artful … Continue reading

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“If it hadn’t been for the videocassette, I may not have had a career at all.” — Kurt Russell

It’s his birthday today. How I love him. I grew up with him. The Computer Who Wore Tennis Shoes. I remember that being screened for us in grade school in what they called “the multi-purpose room” (lol: gym, cafeteria, theatre). … Continue reading

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“A pas de deux is a dialogue of love. How can there be conversation if one partner is dumb?” — Rudolf Nureyev

Joan Acocella, dance critic for The New Yorker: Almost everyone who describes Nureyev eventually compares him to an animal. They bore you to death with this, but it was true. Rudolf Nureyev’s solo debut on American TV, 1963 All quotes … Continue reading

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