Categories
Archives
-
-
-
-
Recent Posts
- “I’m one of those people who thinks you can have a happy life and still be an artist.” — Shelley Duvall
- “There’s a difference between writing about something and living through it. I did both.” — poet/novelist Margaret Walker
- “I believe what Camus says. When the curtain rings down, your job is done.” — Warren Oates
- Physical Media Booklet Essay podcast interview
- “My voice isn’t an instrument I can just hang up on a hook.” — Audra McDonald
- “You can’t be on top all the time. It isn’t natural.” — Olivia de Havilland
- “If I don’t feel it, I can’t play it.” — James Cotton
- “I don’t have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I’d become. I’m me, and I’m like nobody else.” — Lena Horne
- “But man has always succeeded in rising again.” — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- June 28, 1914: “But if ever a man went anywhere of his own free will, Franz Ferdinand went to Sarajevo.”
Recent Comments
- sheila on Supernatural re-watch, Season 5
- sheila on June 28, 1914: “But if ever a man went anywhere of his own free will, Franz Ferdinand went to Sarajevo.”
- sheila on “All I actually wanted was for my work to be useful.”–Claudius Afolabi Siffre
- sheila on Physical Media Booklet Essay: Being scholarly about movies that don’t exist
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on “I just love telling stories. That’s what we do and it’s a good business to be in, especially if you know you have talent.” –Jensen Ackles
- kirinleaf on Supernatural re-watch, Season 5
- Pat on “I just love telling stories. That’s what we do and it’s a good business to be in, especially if you know you have talent.” –Jensen Ackles
- Kelly C Sedinger on June 28, 1914: “But if ever a man went anywhere of his own free will, Franz Ferdinand went to Sarajevo.”
- Clary on “All I actually wanted was for my work to be useful.”–Claudius Afolabi Siffre
- Dan on Physical Media Booklet Essay: Being scholarly about movies that don’t exist
- Mike Molloy on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- Mike Molloy on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on R.I.P. Eric Dane: Alex remembers him
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- LongTimeReaderMargot on R.I.P. Eric Dane: Alex remembers him
- Mike Molloy on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Twelfth Night: or, What You Will
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Twelfth Night: or, What You Will
-
Category Archives: Movies
“I’m one of those people who thinks you can have a happy life and still be an artist.” — Shelley Duvall
Here’s the piece I wrote when Duvall died: The “pink stuff” of Shelley Duvall. 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 … Continue reading
“I believe what Camus says. When the curtain rings down, your job is done.” — Warren Oates
“My reason for being an actor, like most any other actor, is to really nail something important down, to really find something to say in my work. And I tell myself that if I am sincere about my work, I … Continue reading
Physical Media Booklet Essay podcast interview
The Physical Media Booklet Essay zine, brainchild of Sean Abley, now has an accompanying podcast, where Sean interviews each of the writers about their “booklet essay” (about a film that only exists within another film; in other words, a film … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Leave a comment
“You can’t be on top all the time. It isn’t natural.” — Olivia de Havilland
It’s her birthday today. In The Heiress, Olivia de Havilland gave one of the greatest performances in the history of cinema. Her final moment, ascending the stairs, as the grifter Montgomery Clift bangs on the door screaming her name, is … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Henry James, Montgomery Clift, Olivia de Havilland
Leave a comment
“I don’t have to be an imitation of a white woman that Hollywood sort of hoped I’d become. I’m me, and I’m like nobody else.” — Lena Horne
It’s her birthday today. Mitchell and I – in yet another of our series of conversations – discuss Lena Horne. Weirdly, we had an enormous discussion about her one night when I was staying with him in Chicago. We watched … Continue reading
“The films that I love are very straightforward stories, like really old-fashioned stuff.” — Paul Thomas Anderson
There are many good contemporary film-makers doing fascinating bold work but Paul Thomas Anderson is what you might call “touched”. What other filmmaker now would even dare to make something like Magnolia? Who could even think that up? How was … Continue reading
A Personal Memory: or: What Dog Day Afternoon Means to Me
For Sidney Lumet’s birthday. Update to the below: I got the opporunity to discuss all this on What About Al?, Mark Searby’s podcast dedicated to the career of Al Pacino. When I was 12 or 13, I saw Dog Day … Continue reading
Posted in Directors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Al Pacino, Dog Day Afternoon, Sidney Lumet, Stanley Kramer
9 Comments
Happy Birthday, Hediyeh Tehrani
I first encountered Iranian actress Hediyeh Tehrani’s work when I covered the Tribeca Film Festival in 2006 (it was my first real “gig”). was assigned to review Fireworks Wednesday. This was my introduction to Iranian film. Fireworks Wednesday was intriguing … Continue reading
Physical Media Booklet Essay: The Podcast
The Physical Media Booklet Essay zine, brainchild of Sean Abley, now has an accompanying podcast, where Sean interviews each of the writers about their “booklet essay” (highlighting a film that does not exist). These episodes are so fascinating! We all … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Leave a comment
“The energy doesn’t end at the hands. I want such intensity that it feels like light is streaming from every finger.” — Bob Fosse
It’s his birthday today. His work as a director – in films as diverse as Cabaret, Lenny, All That Jazz, and Star 80 is getting a lot of chatter from film critics, and of course that makes sense. I love … Continue reading