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- “Literature is the written expression of revolt against expected things.” Happy Birthday to the least happy man ever, Thomas Hardy
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- Reviews: Currents (2026)
- Reviews: Forge (2026)
- “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
- “I never heard the term ‘rockabilly’ back then. Nobody did…When people asked what music we played, we were rock ’n’ rollers.” — Sonny Burgess
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- 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
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Tag Archives: reviews
Review: Mustang (2015)
Mustang is the third breathtakingly confident directorial debut I’ve seen this week. Is there something in the water? First there was Christmas, Again. Then there was Night Owls, and now Mustang, from first-time Turkish director Deniz Gamze Ergüven. The three … Continue reading
Review: Night Owls (2015)
My review of the wonderful Night Owls is now up at Rogerebert.com. I had never heard of this thing, or, not anything specific: it played the Chicago Critics Film Fest earlier this year. I went into it cold (which I’ve … Continue reading
Review: Christmas, Again (2015)
I went into “Christmas, Again” 90% cold and was completely seduced by it. An enormous and emotional pleasure: first-time director (who also wrote the minimalist screenplay), compelling monosyllabic central performance by Kentucker Audley, steeped in mood, atmosphere. Now this is … Continue reading
Review: What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015)
This Liz Garbus-directed documentary on the life of Nina Simone is a powerful and honest piece of work, very difficult at times to take (such intensity, such sadness), with incredible live footage of Nina Simone performing (some of it never … Continue reading
Review: Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015)
With the new Star Wars fast upon us, get ready for the “I remember my experience first seeing Star Wars when I was a wee lad and my eyes were open to wonder …” kind of commentary. I get it, … Continue reading
Review: Carol (2015); d. Todd Haynes
I love Todd Haynes’ work and Carol is very very good. One of the most beautiful-looking films of the year. Painful and poignant. Had one issue with it, but overall, it’s gorgeous and profound. Based on the novel The Price … Continue reading
Review: By the Sea (2015); d. Angelina Jolie
A lot of the commentary I’ve seen about Angelina Jolie’s By the Sea has been that it is a self-indulgent vanity project. I have some different feelings about all of that, and also have a suspicion that “self-indulgent” means different … Continue reading
Review: Sweet Micky for President (2015)
Member the recent election in Haiti? You know, the one where Pras Michel of The Fugees managed the campaign of one candidate, gigantic Haitian pop star “Sweet Micky”, and the one where Wyclef, also of The Fugees, threw HIS hat … Continue reading
Review: Room (2015); d. Lenny Abrahamson
Adapted from Emma Donoghue’s book of the same name, Room, directed by Lenny Abrahamson, deserves the term “harrowing.” It is harrowing in its quiet, in its logic, in its patience. It is harrowing in its setting. It is harrowing in … Continue reading
Review: The Assassin (2015); d. Hou Hsiao-Hsien
The visuals are, quite literally, overwhelming. There were shots that were so beautiful I practically could not take it in, in one glance: it’s like trying to “take in” the Grand Canyon. Thankfully, Hou’s camera is not of the quick-cut … Continue reading