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- 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Twelfth Night: or, What You Will
- “Literature is the written expression of revolt against expected things.” Happy Birthday to the least happy man ever, Thomas Hardy
- “I’m not interested in money. I just want to be wonderful.” – Marilyn Monroe
- “[My ambition is to] give something to our literature which will be our own.” — Walt Whitman
- “I don’t want to show things, but to give people the desire to see.” — Agnès Varda
- “I never made a message picture, and I hope I never do.” — Howard Hawks
- “If I am going to be a poet at all, I am going to be POET and not NEGRO POET.” — poet Countee Cullen
- 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
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- 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
Ikiru (1952); directed by Akira Kurosawa
Ikiru Directed by Akira Kurosawa How does the knowledge of death change how we live? It is the problem of human existence, the essential problem, that we have a hard time acknowledging the reality of death, and living accordingly. We … Continue reading
Enough Said (2013)
Enough Said is only playing in two theaters in Manhattan, the Angelika, and the AMC Lincoln Square uptown. It opened yesterday, and Allison and I bought tickets to the 7:10 show at the Angelika. Beforehand, we went out for Mexican … Continue reading
Review: Prisoners (2013)
My review for Roger Ebert.
Our Nixon (2013)
“The trouble with a tape is that, unlike a witness, you cannot cross-examine it. If it has been cut, it wlll not say so. Unlike a witness, it can only repeat what is on it and carries no trace of … Continue reading
Review: The Family (2013)
Luc Besson’s The Family: It’s not perfect, and it’s messier and more uneven than his other films. But I was entertained by it, especially Michelle Pfeiffer. I LOVE her in comedic BROAD parts. She’s a genius goofball in the right … Continue reading
Review: Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (2013)
I was excited to be assigned this one, since I love and admire Harry Dean Stanton so much (who doesn’t?). A new documentary by Sophie Huber, called Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction – I reviewed it for Roger Ebert.
Apology for Murder (1945), Kitty Foyle (1940)
Apology for Murder Directed by Sam Newfield Ann Savage made 5 movies in 1945, including the unforgettable Detour. Apology for Murder is a low-rent Postman Always Rings Twice. Only 67 minutes long, it wastes no time in … well, anything. … Continue reading
Movie Notes: The Snake Pit (1947), The Panic in Needle Park (1971), Jezebel (1938), I Could Never Be Your Woman (2007)
The Snake Pit Directed by Anatole Litvak Olivia de Havilland was nominated for an Oscar for her role in The Snake Pit. She plays Virginia, a troubled woman who has a mental crack-up three days after getting married, and is … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged Al Pacino, Amy Heckerling, Bette Davis, drama, Joan Didion, Michelle Pfeiffer, Olivia de Havilland, reviews, romantic comedy, William Wyler
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Review: My Father and the Man In Black (2013)
A fascinating (and sometimes frustrating) documentary about Saul Holiff, Johnny Cash’s manager for 17 years. Directed/written by Saul’s estranged son, Jonathan. So much good archival material here. An amazing glimpse at the fruitful and challenging partnership between Holiff and Cash. … Continue reading
Review: The Lifeguard (2013)
More mess, more chaos, more loose ends is what this film needed. More danger, more stakes. It’s THERE, but the film shies away from it. Kristen Bell is excellent, though. I’ve always been a fan. My review for Roger Ebert.