Categories
Archives
-
-
-
-
Recent Posts
- “Art is theft, art is armed robbery, art is not pleasing your mother.” — Janet Malcolm
- “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
Recent Comments
- Kristen Westergaard on “Art is theft, art is armed robbery, art is not pleasing your mother.” — Janet Malcolm
- 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
-
Category Archives: Actors
“I’m not shy about trying to find what truth there is in any genre, whether that be an action piece, a sci-fi piece, a small indie film, or a play. I’m open to it all.” — Mahershala Ali
It’s his birthday today. I so respect his work in Hidden Figures, where he plays “support staff” to Taraji Henson. Some thoughts on actors’ understanding of storytelling functions and how they fit into stories: Actors are storytellers, and they understand … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day, Television
11 Comments
Rogerebert.com: The Great Performances of 2023
In our collective Great Performances feature on Ebert, each of the contributors wrote about a performance we considered one of the best of the year. I wrote about Rosy McEwen’s performance in Blue Jean (I included Blue Jean in my … Continue reading
Adult Film Podcast: Let’s talk about acting!!
I was a guest on Ryan Czerwonko and David Garelik’s fabulous new podcast, part of their ongoing Adult Film NYC project (I interviewed Ryan about the work Adult Film is doing for my Substack) and had so much fun talking … Continue reading
She’s not a bad person. Honest she isn’t: Kerry O’Malley in David Fincher’s The Killer
“I guess I am begging.” My breath caught when my cousin Kerry O’Malley said this line in David Fincher’s The Killer, now streaming on Netflix. Her face, her tone, her collapsed body language, was all so open and so desperate, … Continue reading
“The hope is that in rediscovering Chicago, audiences will rediscover what theater was. It was sophisticated, complicated, adult.” — Ann Reinking
It’s her birthday today. When she died last year, the outpouring of tributes and appreciation was truly heart-warming to see. Here’s what I wrote. Ann Reinking’s talent was like her performance persona: larger than life, epic in scope, intimidating. She … Continue reading
“I’m going to break that marriage up!” Teresa Wright in The Best Years of Our Lives
Today is the wonderful Teresa Wright’s birthday. The Best Years of Our Lives was the magnificent William Wyler film that swept the Oscars for 1946. It won 7! Best Picture. Best Actor (Fredric March). Best Director. Best Screenplay (Robert Sherwood). … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Dana Andrews, Fredric March, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, William Wyler
33 Comments
On This Day: October 25, 1415: “We Few, We Happy Few.”
Happy Anniversary of The Battle of Agincourt Today is the feast day of Saints Crispin and Crispinian, cobblers by trade (and patron saints thereof, although Vatican II nixed them from the calendar), fierce warriors of their faith, martyred in 286. … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, On This Day, Theatre
Tagged England, Laurence Olivier, war, William Shakespeare
9 Comments
“Quite frankly. I was all talent and no looks.” — Angela Lansbury
It’s her birthday today. She died just days before she would have turned 97. My tribute here, but you really need to read my friend Dan’s tribute.