Category Archives: Movies

November 2024 Viewing Diary

Stranger Things, Season 2, episodes 5, 6, 7 (2016) Continuing the very slow “binge” watch with my niece Lucy, and having so much fun. She gets such a kick out of showing it to me. She knows every moment and … Continue reading

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“I have trouble working off things that are too preconceived, like storyboards.” — Terrence Malick

“When people express what is most important to them, it often comes out in cliches. That doesn’t make them laughable — it’s something tender about them. As though in struggling to reach what’s most personal about them they could only … Continue reading

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For Busby Berkeley’s birthday: Remember My Forgotten Man and Sucker Punch

I wrote a piece originally for the Musings blog at Oscilloscope (it was included in a book!), and now lives on my site (since it’s off the Musings blog). It’s about the similarities between Busby Berkeley’s Gold Diggers of 1933 … Continue reading

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Exeunt, pursued by hundreds of beavers. Literally.

Over on my newsletter, I wrote about one of my favorite movies of the year, Hundreds of Beavers.

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For Liberties: Edna O’Brien: Documentary of A Writer and A Star

Edna O’Brien, a giant of Irish literature, died this past July. The loss is almost too much to get your head around, at least not immediately. She was a prolific writer for 70 years. Her books (and memoir, and non-fiction, … Continue reading

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“You can’t dance in a long dress.” — Tina Turner

I pretty much said what I needed to say about Tina Turner in my review of this year’s documentary Tina. I saw her in concert. I was there, I was present for her rise to total dominance in the culture, … Continue reading

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“I would rather use light to draw with instead of making thousands of drawings.” — Mary Ellen Bute

“There were so many things I wanted to say, stream-of-consciousness things, designs and patterns while listening to music. I felt I might be able to say [them] if I had an unending canvas.” pioneering experimental animator Mary Ellen Bute If … Continue reading

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“Being understood is not the most essential thing in life.” — Jodie Foster

It’s her birthday today. She’s not my favorite actress in the world although I admire her journey, which – if you think about it – is quite exceptional. Consider the other child actors who dominated in the ’70s. Who has … Continue reading

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“I care desperately about what I do. Do I know what product I’m selling? No.” — Owen Wilson

I just want to point you towards a recent remarkable profile of Wilson in Esquire, the cover story. The writer – Ryan D’Agostino – really knows what he’s doing. It’s a beautiful piece of writing filled with interesting observations. Wilson … Continue reading

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And speaking of Megalopolis

… (which I kind of love. It’s completely bonkers). But anyway … I am 100% not the first person to notice this, but it’s fun to point it out anyway: Megalopolis (2024) Night of the Hunter (1955)

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