Category Archives: Movies

Groundhog Day was one of the greatest scripts ever written. It didn’t even get nominated for an Academy Award.” — Bill Murray

Yup. (It’s Murray’s birthday today.) I have often said that it’s interesting to consider what films made today might be considered classics to future generations. Something like Casablanca was not a “prestige picture”, it was not filmed with a ponderous … Continue reading

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“People get surprised by my choices. But that comes from me looking for something new.” — Maggie Cheung

People who love Maggie Cheung (and why wouldn’t you love Maggie Cheung?) really REALLY love her. She inspires a fervid love and fascination in her devoted worldwide fanbase, fanbase that has maintained its power for over three decades now. After … Continue reading

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“I didn’t think then, and I still don’t, that I was actually sick.” — Frances Farmer

“She’ll come back as fire To burn all the liars And leave a blanket of ash on the ground.” — Nirvana, “Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle” It’s her birthday today. When Nirvana’s album In Utero came out … Continue reading

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“I think I’m a character actress in a leading lady’s body, but the industry doesn’t really see me that way.” — Sanaa Lathan

It’s her birthday today. Sanaa Lathan is a wonderful actress: fluid,funny, unconventional in some of her responses, and with deep wells of emotion that you can feel- in a visceral way, coming off the screen. You don’t catch her working. … Continue reading

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“I’ve been very lucky, considering what I look like and what I do.” — James Gandolfini

It’s his birthday today. 51 years old. It seems incomprehensible. Like a lot of people, he first came on my radar through the extraordinary scene in the motel room with Patricia Arquette in True Romance (“you gotta lotta heart, kid.”) … Continue reading

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“I never said, ‘I want to be alone.’ I only said, ‘I want to be left alone.’ There is all the difference.” — Greta Garbo

It’s her birthday today. She is a difficult subject, not just because she was a private woman, but because her onscreen persona was so fluid, mercurial, hard to grasp. Her gestures could be operatic and swanlike (watch Grand Hotel), but … Continue reading

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“I swear my next project is going to be something really simple and focused and minimal.” — Baz Luhrmann

It’s his birthday today. “I think what I’m saying is, when you get to where I am in your journey, you just have to start to accept that there’s something inside you that you’ve been trying to get out and … Continue reading

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“I’ve always felt that work – learning from people who know more than I know – is what keeps you going.” — Lauren Bacall

It’s her birthday today. This was the magazine cover that started it all. Howard Hawks was looking for a protege, a girl he could mold into his perfect idealized woman – the ideal foil for the men in those fabulous … Continue reading

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This Could Be A Total Bust, or Mickey Rourke Inside The Actor’s Studio, by Brendan O’Malley

My talented brother Brendan O’Malley is an amazing writer and actor. He maintained a blog for many years (he doesn’t blog anymore) -in 2020 I posted links to his 50 Best Albums essays, as well as all of his music … Continue reading

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Review: Sitting in Bars with Cake (2023)

I do not understand the concept of bringing cakes to bars … maybe because I don’t like cake, and if I were out with friends and some random woman came up to our table (although she might not do so, … Continue reading

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