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- “Excessive consciousness is a disease.” Happy Birthday, Fyodor Dostoevsky
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- Happy Birthday, Ralph Macchio, or: How one episode of Eight is Enough saved my life
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- Gale on For John Wayne’s Birthday: Hondo (1953) at MoMA: John Wayne in 3D
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- sheila on Publication day: The Art and Making of Frankenstein
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Tag Archives: literary adaptation
Review: The Thursday Murder Club (2025)
I enjoyed this English caper! Great cast. I reviewed for Ebert.
Review: That They May Face the Rising Sun (2025)
It seems fitting to have been assigned this one to review: a film adaptation of John McGahern’s novel of the same name. John McGahern is one of my favorite authors – I’ve written a lot about him – his Amongst … Continue reading
2024 National Society of Film Critics Awards
In my second year as a member of the NSFC, we met this morning at Elinor Bunim in Lincoln Center and voted on this year’s films. These things can be pretty grueling – and today was no different – just … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Directors, Movies
Tagged documentary, England, India, literary adaptation, Palestine, Radu Jude, Romania, short films, women directors
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Ebert: The Best Films of 2024
The writers at Ebert voted on the best of 2024, and then wrote up the winners. You can see the full list and our little essays here. Thank you so much for stopping by. If you like what … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged documentary, drama, England, India, literary adaptation, Palestine, Poland, women directors
4 Comments
NYFCC 2024 Awards
We gathered today yesterday at Lincoln Center to vote on this year’s films. We don’t talk about what goes on in the room but it’s done by ballot (you’ve seen Conclave? It’s like that), and so it’s a pure numbers … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged animation, documentary, drama, England, India, literary adaptation, Palestine, women directors
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“I would rather use light to draw with instead of making thousands of drawings.” — Mary Ellen Bute
“There were so many things I wanted to say, stream-of-consciousness things, designs and patterns while listening to music. I felt I might be able to say [them] if I had an unending canvas.” pioneering experimental animator Mary Ellen Bute If … Continue reading
Posted in Directors, James Joyce, Movies, On This Day
Tagged animation, Finnegans Wake, Ireland, literary adaptation, women directors
3 Comments
Review: Small Things Like These (2024)
Cillian Murphy gives one of my favorite performances this year in the quiet painful Small Things Like These, an intimate character study with Ireland’s shameful Magdalene Laundries looming over everything. I reviewed for Ebert. Thank you so much … Continue reading
Review: Scoop (2024)
The story of how the BBC snagged the catastrophic interview with Prince Andrew. Of course I saw the interview but I didn’t know the story behind it, or the amount of wheeling/dealing behind the scenes. This is a quick one, … Continue reading
December 2023/January-February 2024 Viewing Diary
The Golden Bachelor Watched – in great hilarity – with Karen and Allison during a raucous sleepover, and Carol pulled up on FaceTime. So we could watch together. The whole thing is so ridiculous. Maestro (2023; d. Bradley Cooper) I … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Al Pacino, Aline MacMahon, Battleship Potemkin, biopic, Charlie Chaplin, Chile, Denmark, documentary, drama, dystopia, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Juliette Binoche, Kazuo Ishiguro, literary adaptation, Michael Mann, North Korea, Paul Schrader, Pre-Code, Radu Jude, Ray Milland, Richard Pryor, Romania, romantic comedy, sci-fi, short films, Sidney Poitier, silent films, Spain, Sylvia Sidney, Tana French, true crime, William Wellman, Wim Wenders, women directors
41 Comments
Review: The Promised Land (2024)
This Danish historical epic has a lot going for it, including the great Mads Mikkelsen. I recommend it! I reviewed The Promised Land for Ebert.

