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
- 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
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Twelfth Night: or, What You Will
-
Tag Archives: Iranian film
NYFCC: Special award for Jafar Panahi
This year, we at NYFCC gave out three special awards, one to Jake Perlin, curator, distributor and publisher in recognition of his indispensable contributions to film culture, one to dGenerate Films for its invaluable work bringing independent films to China, … Continue reading
“I will stand with the families of the prisoners and murdered and demand their rights.” — Taraneh Alidoosti
Taraneh Alidoosti, one of the most famous actresses in Iran, has been arrested. Nobody knows where she is. [UPDATE: It’s been confirmed by her father that she’s in Evin Prison. Where they put “political” prisoners. Where they put Jafar Panahi. … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies
Tagged Abbas Kiarostami, Asghar Farhadi, Golshifteh Farahani, Iran, Iranian film, Jafar Panahi, Taraneh Alidoosti
Leave a comment
Movies I Loved in 2022
It is the month of Top 10 Lists. I’ve submitted a few to different sites. And … each list is slightly different. Because I’m not a list person and I don’t rank things and I really don’t like to argue … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged action movies, Argentina, Aubrey Plaza, Australia, Austria, Baz Luhrmann, biopic, comedy, coming of age, documentary, drama, Elvis Presley, England, France, Georgia, historical drama, India, Iranian film, Jackass, Jafar Panahi, Kentucker Audley, poetry, Poland, romantic comedy, romantic drama, Scotland, South Korea, Steven Spielberg, Sweden, thrillers, true crime, Ukraine, war movies, women directors, WWI
30 Comments
NYFCC 2022 Awards
If you’ve been reading entertainment news then you already know: Yesterday, all the members of the NYFCC met up at Lincoln Center to vote on this year’s awards. It was so good to see people – friends I rarely get … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged animation, Cate Blanchett, China, documentary, drama, India, Iran, Iranian film, Ireland, Poland, Scotland, South Korea, women directors
4 Comments
November 2022 Viewing Diary
Something in the Dirt (2022; d. Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson) I really liked this. If you like losing yourself in conspiracy theories – without being, like, a QAnon-type ready to shoot up a pizza parlor – then this is super … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Alan Ladd, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Cate Blanchett, Claude Rains, crime movies, D.H. Lawrence, documentary, drama, England, film noir, France, historical drama, horror, Iran, Iranian film, Isabelle Huppert, Jafar Panahi, Joanna Hogg, Joe Berlinger, John Garfield, Nina Hoss, Poland, Ralph Macchio, Russia, sci-fi, South Korea, Steven Spielberg, Tilda Swinton, true crime, women directors
3 Comments
You said it, sister
Holy Spider (2022: d. Ali Abbasi) Been really looking forward to this one, and it did not disappoint. It’s about Saeed Hanaei, the notorious Iranian serial killer who killed prostitutes in the holy city of Mashhad. Yeah, not so holy, … Continue reading
“I hope a day will come when I can make a film, and attend your festival with it.” — Jafar Panahi to the Miami Film Festival
Today, the Miami Film Festival presented a Precious Gem Award to Jafar Panahi, the currently imprisoned Iranian director, and one of my all-time favorites. In 2010, he was banned from making films, and yet he has continued to make films … Continue reading
“And yet, the hope of creating again is a reason for existence.” — hero Jafar Panahi, from prison
I am having a distinct – and enraging – sense of deja vu right now. 11 years apart. Identical situation. Only the second one is worse. Because it’s 11 years later and we’re still dealing with this shit. In July … Continue reading
What to Know About Jafar Panahi
My friend Nicolas Rapold (former editor in chief of Film Comment, the man who gave me my column) wrote a great piece about Jafar Panahi for the New York Times. Nic gives a brief summary of what has happened, and … Continue reading
Here we go again: Three Iranian filmmakers arrested
This is so heartbreaking. On or around his birthday, amazing Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi was arrested along with fellow filmmakers Mohammad Rasoulof (The White Meadows, Manuscripts Don’t Burn, There is No Evil ) and Mostafa Al-e Ahmad (Poosteh), and vanished … Continue reading

