Category Archives: Movies

Physical Media Booklet Essay

Physical Media Booklet Essay is the brainchild of Sean Abley, whom I have known since we were 20something actors running from blackbox theatre to storefront theatre and back up and down the stores of Lake Michigan. He had a theatre … Continue reading

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The zine is here: Physical Media Booklet Essay

The new zine – created and produced and edited by Sean Abley is here. It is called PHYSICAL MEDIA BOOKLET ESSAY. The idea behind it, the concept – is rather high concept and we’re still not saying exactly what it … Continue reading

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“It’s an absolute miracle that I’m still around.” — Dennis Hopper

It’s his birthday today. I’m so glad I used one of my columns at Film Comment -now on hiatus – to sing the praises of Dennis Hopper’s wild and nihilistic Out of the Blue, starring Linda Manz and Hopper. Of … Continue reading

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For Joseph Cotten’s birthday: Gaslight: His Listening Is Active

Except for a couple of brief encounters in public settings, Joseph Cotten’s Brian Cameron and Ingrid Bergman’s Paula Asquist never meet until the final scene of Gaslight. Cameron is obsessed with the unsolved murder of Paula Asquist’s aunt, and is … Continue reading

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“That’s the way I work: I try to imagine what I would like to see.” — Sofia Coppola

It’s her birthday today. Doing these posts is a way to pull up things from my gigantic archives. I might as well find ways to share them. But it’s also a reminder of how much I haven’t written. Topics I … Continue reading

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“I’m very concerned that we don’t make movies that are original anymore.” — Robert Zemeckis

It’s his birthday today. While Robert Zemeckis has gone on to be a bazillionaire and one of the most successful producers in Hollywood of fairly middle-brow movies, he started off small and rowdy – with two films I love: first, … Continue reading

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Elvis takes New Orleans: talking King Creole on the Guide for the Film Fanatic podcast

My pal Jason Bailey is a film critic, author, and podcast host. He has many! I’ve been a guest on all of them, I think. His new podcast is called Guide for the Film Fanatic, using as its inspiration the … Continue reading

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“I don’t care how afraid I may be inside — I do what I think I should.” — Katharine Hepburn

Barbara Walters: “Kate, you always wear pants. Do you even own a skirt?” Katharine Hepburn: “I have one, Miss Walters. I’ll wear it to your funeral.” Dan and I discussed her, in my interview with him about his new book. … Continue reading

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“I think a fear of portraying something negatively ends up creating more stereotypes.” — Sophia Takal

It’s Sophia Takal’s birthday today. “You probably can’t tell this from “Green,” but I actually think that art should have a sense of humor about itself. Art is very important and it can change lives, but it doesn’t actually save … Continue reading

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“You are not acting so much as being. The result is realism.” — Gary Cooper

It’s his birthday today. Cary Grant had a funny theory about Hollywood and how stardom was being like a crowded streetcar. Peter Bogdonavich asked Cary Grant to elaborate. Grant said: Becoming a movie star is something like getting on a … Continue reading

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