I review The Motel Life (which opens today) for Roger Ebert. I loved it. Do not love the poster, which is so generic. The film is not generic at all. It’s deep and beautiful and heartbreaking.
Categories
Archives
-
-
-
-
Recent Posts
- “The only cause I espouse is man’s right to find his own centre, stand firm, speak out, then be kind.” — Michael Davitt, “Dissenter”
- “I do love Alice in Wonderland though. That’s something I think I could do very well.” — Edie Sedgwick
- 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- “I don’t represent anything.” — Liz Phair
- “I don’t really know why, but danger has always been an important thing in my life – to see how far I could lean without falling, how fast I could go without cracking up.” — William Holden
- “Some syllables are swords.” — Metaphysical poet Henry Vaughan
- “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- “All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.” — Charlie Chaplin
- “As a cinematographer, I was always attracted to stories that have the potential to be told with as few words as possible.” — Reed Morano
- “Even though I’m writing about very dark material, it still feels like an escape hatch.” — Olivia Laing
Recent Comments
- sheila 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
- Scott Abraham on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- Scott Abraham 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 March 2026 Snapshots
- sheila on “I don’t really know why, but danger has always been an important thing in my life – to see how far I could lean without falling, how fast I could go without cracking up.” — William Holden
- Jessie on March 2026 Snapshots
- Helen Erwin Schinske on “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- Maddy on “I don’t really know why, but danger has always been an important thing in my life – to see how far I could lean without falling, how fast I could go without cracking up.” — William Holden
- sheila on “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- Helen Erwin Schinske on “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- Joseph Pedulla on Susan Hayward Sleeps Raw
- sheila on “For I am of the seed of the WELCH WOMAN and speak the truth from my heart.” — Christopher Smart
- P Nickel on “The realization of ignorance is the first act of knowing.” — Jean Toomer
- Melissa Sutherland on “For I am of the seed of the WELCH WOMAN and speak the truth from my heart.” — Christopher Smart
- Bryce on The Books: “Nine Stories”- ‘The Laughing Man’ (J.D. Salinger)
-
New background: Le Samourai or Man of Tai Chi?
Ha! Good guesses! But no. It’s Dean Winchester. I initially put it up for a joke but now I kind of like it.
My third guess was Beria.
Okay, not.
I can see Dean’s lips now that you say it. That’s stealthy. I like it too.
Now that you mention it I can really see the resemblance to Delon. The same prettiness.
Beria! Awesome.
How far into the series (Supernatural) are you? I haven’t had the chance to get further than season 6.
Halfway through season 3. I love it. I started watching it because I am fascinated by the drama in their fandom (so much drama!) and want to write something about it, for Ebert or elsewhere. I figured I should actually watch the show. I think it’s great. Love those two lead actors!
They include the fandom drama in season 6, if I remember correctly. I look forward to reading what you write about it.
Yes I’ve been following the fans for a couple of years now without seeing one episode!
I’m glad the show is so entertaining. My research would be pretty grim otherwise!
Jensen A. in particular. Excellent actor. The whole thing is very silly but also satisfying and (at times) truly profound. And I love that they are brothers, not just partners. Maybe because I have siblings. It’s powerful on that family level.
Yeah, like your review of “The Motel Life,” it feels like the actors really are brothers and have a true history. Especially with the resentment Dean has for being the father while John was out killing demons (I don’t think I’m giving any spoilers).
I so should have made a Supernatural reference in my Motel Life review. The similarities certainly crossed my mind!
Poor Dean. Guy is so effed up, so trapped. Such an excellent characterization, especially when you see interviews with JA- he’s not like Dean at all. Even his voice is different. He’s created a character. From the pilot on. Very consistent. Any inconsistencies are the fault of the writers ( who seem to have a loose definition of continuity.)
I haven’t seen any interviews with him. Now I’ll have to see if I can find them.
And I agree: these two guys totally feel like brothers!
Check out his appearance on Chelsea Handlers show. Funny.
That deep tough voice is not there. He’s laid back. A total goofball.
Cool, thanks. Have you seen the episode where they pad out the last few minutes with an outtake of JA goofing to “Eye Of The Tiger?” Completely wonderful.
I’m also a fan of Supernatural.
Yay!
I have not seen it yet but I literally cannot wait.
I did write a short something on his gift for schtick. Still needs some tweaking but I will put it up soon. The guy gets schtick. He is suuuuper funny. Even with the darkness of the show… He has some awesome schtick.
Looked it up. Season 4, episode 6. Have fun.
Isn’t it approaching your bed time? Or do you get to stay up late on Fridays?
You’re so nice to remember. The flu has messed up my sleep. Everything out of whack. Soon I will power down.
Season 4 episode 6. Can’t wait.
The “groundhog day” episode was excruciating. Excellent.
Again I think that one touched me because of its sole focus on the sibling relationship. And you get to see JA jamming out to Asia 6 times in a row.
They really do have a relationship. Cranky at times. Sam doesn’t always like Dean’s porn addiction. It feels real.
A series doesn’t last that long unless people fall in love with the characters (in a manly-brotherhood way, in my case).
Totally. The relationship works on a lot of different levels. And there’s the eye-candy factor- but that couldn’t explain 9 seasons!
Reminds me of Mulder’s porn addiction, after your Gillian Anderson/David Duchovny post.
Lots of callbacks to the X Files. There’s that one scene where Dean walks in on Sam watching porn and they both get as awkward as Victorian old ladies. Nobody knows what to do when it’s Sam with the dirty mind and not Dean. So funny. They’re both so good! Not self-protective as actors.
Yeah, it’s like the Cary Grant pratfalls. Everyone gets a kick out of a beautiful person willing to look silly.
Exactly. And he’s gifted at it, too – he’s not just throwing off one-liners in a semi-witty way. He’s pro-actively funny on his own merit. The choices he makes! Ridiculous.
Good with the emotional stuff too and the torment, but the hook for me is the schtick.