Category Archives: Movies

“I try to lie as much as I can when I’m interviewed. It’s reverse psychology. I figure if you lie, they’ll print the truth.” — River Phoenix

It’s his birthday today. Just as I will never get over Kurt Cobain’s death, and will never stop missing him and wondering what he would be doing now, I will never get over River Phoenix’s death. Losing the two of … Continue reading →

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“If you’re creating anything at all, it’s really dangerous to care about what people think.” — Kristen Wiig

Today is the birthday of one of the greatest actors working today. I can’t seem to stop mentioning Kristen Wiig in my writing. I mention her even if she isn’t the main subject. She’s my favorite. I am in awe … Continue reading →

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“I’m a tough little rebel.” — Linda Manz

Days of Heaven (1978) It’s her birthday today. Manz died on August 14, 2020. She was HUGE to me growing up, and I have written about it on occasion. She didn’t work all that much, but her performances meant so … Continue reading →

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“I knew [I was a director] from the beginning. It was just a matter of proving it.” — Martha Coolidge

It’s the birthday of director Martha Coolidge. I have always loved her work – cherished it, really – and finally got to pay tribute to her in my Film Comment column. And it’s funny how things work out. Mitchell and … Continue reading →

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“It’s important not to indicate. People don’t try to show their feelings, they try to hide them.” — Robert De Niro

I haven’t written about the majority of his roles – not for lack of admiration (and in some cases, awestruck wonder) – but here is what I have written: I included his “you talkin’ to me” scene in my gigantic … Continue reading →

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“What are you gonna do, talk the alien to death?” — James Cameron

It’s James Cameron’s birthday today, and I haven’t written all that much about him, but I did devote an entire column at Film Comment to the sexual/romantic tension between Ripley and Hicks in Aliens – and how crucial it is … Continue reading →

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“There’s no one ‘right’ way of making a science fiction movie; there’s no one way of making any kind of movie, really!” — Nicolas Roeg

It’s his birthday today. When he died, I wrote a tribute for the Jan/Feb 2019 issue of Film Comment.

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“Yeah, and I’m buddies with Alfred.” — Eminem on Alfred Hitchcock

For Alfred Hitchcock’s birthday. “It got silent, then all these voices said ‘Come follow me into the gates of Hell.’ I heard ’em yell ‘Welcome to the Norman Bates Motel!’ I ring the bell for service and I was greeted … Continue reading →

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“I gave my eardrums to MGM. And it’s true: I really did.” — Esther Williams

“Critics established a snobbery toward me.” — Esther Williams My formal introduction to aquatic-mermaid-star Esther Williams wasn’t through her movies. Oh, I may have seen some of the numbers on the various afternoon movies shown on local TV, where I … Continue reading →

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“These kids only want to talk about acting method and motivation. in my day all we talked about was screwing and overtime.” — Robert Mitchum

Robert Mitchum, Cannes 1954, photograph by Leo Mirkine It’s his birthday today. The greatest. Excerpt from Are You Anybody? An Actor’s Life, by Bradford Dillman For the past fifty years Robert Mitchum has been captivating filmgoers with his sleepy demeanor. … Continue reading →

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