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- Reviews: Currents (2026)
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- “Only the bad directors tell you how to read a line, how to define your character. The good ones let you do your job.” — Carroll Baker
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- An Acting Lesson: John Wayne and the “Reality of the Doing”
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- Mike Molloy on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on “I never made a message picture, and I hope I never do.” — Howard Hawks
- Bryan Summers on “I never made a message picture, and I hope I never do.” — Howard Hawks
- Lyrie 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
- Kendra Williams on Josh White, singer of “the fighting blues”
- sheila on “I dont want to just do just country type stuff the rest of my life. I want to do some different things.” — Charlie Rich
- sheila on The Books: “Awake and Sing” (Clifford Odets)
- Jincy Willett on “There’s nobody as good as the Ramones, never will be.” — Joey Ramone
- Bill Wolfe on “I dont want to just do just country type stuff the rest of my life. I want to do some different things.” — Charlie Rich
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- Pat on “Listen, I never meant to make money. I never wanted it. I’m a singer, man.” — Gene Vincent
- sheila on “There’s nobody as good as the Ramones, never will be.” — Joey Ramone
- Jincy Willett on “There’s nobody as good as the Ramones, never will be.” — Joey Ramone
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Hamlet
- Biff Dorsey on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Hamlet
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Hamlet
- Dave on Review: The Chronology of Water (2025)
- Biff Dorsey on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Hamlet
- 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
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Tag Archives: Jensen Ackles
Train travel, Sheila style
Dunkin Donuts, Jensen Ackles, and Victor Serge. Simultaneously.
Trauma and Self-Pity: Jensen Ackles’ Acting Technique
So far, the Jensen minions are not as on top of their game in gif-creation with his performance as Soldier Boy in The Boys as they were with Dean Winchester, so I couldn’t find the moment I wanted to discuss. … Continue reading
R.I.P. Halyna Hutchins
The death of Halyna Hutchins is devastating news. I cannot even imagine the trauma of everyone who was there, who witnessed it. Horror. Hutchins was just getting started. A graduate of AFI – just 6 years ago! – and part … Continue reading
Angles and Archetypes: From Burt to Brando to Rourke to Jensen Ackles to Martha Graham to Hieroglyphs to Paul Le Mat
“Cock your hat – angles are attitudes.” — Frank Sinatra When Burt Reynolds died I wrote this whole thing about how he “worked his angles.” Like Tyra Banks tells you to do. Like all the great personae of yore knew … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies, Television
Tagged Bette Davis, Burt Reynolds, James Dean, Jensen Ackles, John Wayne, Marlon Brando, Martha Graham, Mickey Rourke, Supernatural
6 Comments
Supernatural: Season 1, Episode 3: “Dead In the Water”
Re-post for Sheltering-in-Place Re-watch Directed by Kim Manners Written by Sera Gamble & Raelle Tucker Kim Manners died in 2009. He was such a huge part of helping to create the Supernatural aesthetic, both as a director (of some of … Continue reading
Posted in Television
Tagged Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Kim Manners, Raelle Tucker, Sera Gamble, SPN Season 1, Supernatural
38 Comments
Supernatural: Season 1, Episode 2: “Wendigo”
Re-post for Sheltering-in-Place Re-watch Directed by David Nutter written by Ron Milbauer & Terri Burton teleplay by Eric Kripke After the intricate pilot, filled with exposition and set-up and flashbacks, with episode 2, we are introduced to the normal structure … Continue reading
Posted in Television
Tagged David Nutter, Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, SPN Season 1, Supernatural
74 Comments
Supernatural: Season 1, Episode 1: “The Pilot”
Re-post for Sheltering-in-Place Re-watch Directed by David Nutter Written by Eric Kripke There are a couple of story formats set up in Supernatural‘s pilot. There will be the “Monster of the Week” story (which sometimes, in later episodes, doesn’t come … Continue reading
Posted in Television
Tagged David Nutter, Eric Kripke, Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, SPN Season 1, Supernatural
94 Comments
For Rogerebert.com: Supernatural is coming to a close. My thoughts.
It’s Women Writers Week over on Ebert – 5th year in a row! All content on the front page – reviews – interviews – articles – are written by women. Quite a sight! We all pitched stuff for this special … Continue reading
September 2019 Viewing Diary
Satanic Panic (2019; d. Chelsea Stardust) Rebecca Romijn is reason enough to see this. My review at Ebert. A Hidden Life (2019; d. Terrence Malick) The new Terrence Malick film, about WWII conscientious objector Franz Jägerstätter, a man from Austria, … Continue reading
Present Tense: Death Scenes
William Holden, “Sunset Boulevard” For my next “Present Tense” column at Film Comment, I wrote about a long-time obsession – which I have covered from time to time here on my site: Actors performing death scenes. And a tribute to … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies
Tagged Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Bonnie and Clyde, Faye Dunaway, Francis Ford Coppola, James Cagney, Janet Leigh, Jensen Ackles, Marlon Brando, Meryl Streep, Present Tense, Raoul Walsh, Roaring Twenties, Shirley MacLaine, Sunset Boulevard, Supernatural, Vincente Minnelli, Warren Beatty, William Holden
6 Comments