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- Gale on For John Wayne’s Birthday: Hondo (1953) at MoMA: John Wayne in 3D
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Tag Archives: Baz Luhrmann
“Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing at your own joke.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald
So you see that old libel that we were cynics and skeptics was nonsense from the beginning. On the contrary we were the great believers. — F. Scott Fitzgerald, “My Generation” It’s his birthday today. First off, here’s a piece … Continue reading
Posted in Books, On This Day, writers
Tagged Baz Luhrmann, essays, F. Scott Fitzgerald, fiction, The Great Gatsby
20 Comments
“I swear my next project is going to be something really simple and focused and minimal.” — Baz Luhrmann
It’s his birthday today. “I think what I’m saying is, when you get to where I am in your journey, you just have to start to accept that there’s something inside you that you’ve been trying to get out and … Continue reading
Posted in Directors, Movies, On This Day, Theatre
Tagged Australia, Baz Luhrmann, Ewan McGregor, Leonardo DiCaprio, Nicole Kidman, The Great Gatsby
9 Comments
“Memphis amateurs are the world’s professionals.” — Rufus Thomas
Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis movie was filled with deep cuts, so appreciated if you care about this story, and not just Elvis’ story, but the environment from which he came. Memphis. Beale Street. Thomas was a singer, yes, and he recorded … Continue reading
Posted in Music, On This Day
Tagged B.B. King, Baz Luhrmann, Elvis Presley, Jim Jarmusch, Rufus Thomas, Sam Phillips, Sun Records
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“I was looking for what was coming from a man’s soul and a man’s conviction.” — Sam Phillips
The myth. The legend. There’s a lot of bull shit with the legend, and saying that does not mean throwing out the whole thing. But Sam did have a way of placing him at the center of every story in … Continue reading
January 2023 Viewing Diary
Friday Night Lights No time like the present. I binged this entire series in a couple weeks. This took commitment, and a couple days of sick leave, while trapped in my hotel room in Memphis, too sick to move. I … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Aubrey Plaza, Baz Luhrmann, Bette Davis, biopic, Cary Grant, comedy, documentary, Dorothy Parker, drama, Eddie Cochran, Elvis Presley, film noir, Hedy Lamarr, Hungary, Italy, Jean Renoir, Little Richard, Poland, Pre-Code, Ralph Bellamy, Raoul Walsh, reviews, Spencer Tracy, Teresa Wright, true crime, William Wyler, women directors
9 Comments
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
September 2022 Viewing Diary
The Deep End (2022; d. Jon Kasbe) I’m into cults but I actively avoid woo-woo, so somehow Teal Swan escaped my radar. Well, she’s on my radar NOW. This Netflix doc is extraordinary because Teal Swan participated in it, she … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Baz Luhrmann, comedy, documentary, drama, Elvis Presley, England, film noir, Hal Wallis, Ida Lupino, James Cagney, John Garfield, Marilyn Monroe, musicals, New Zealand, Olivia de Havilland, Raoul Walsh, Rita Hayworth, Thomas Mitchell, true crime, westerns, women directors
29 Comments
July 2022 Viewing Diary
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019; d. Quentin Tarantino) I like it more every time I see it. I’ve seen it maybe 7 or 8 times. Desert Fury (1947; d. Lewis Allen) I adore this messed-up homoerotic Technicolor fever-dream. … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Australia, Baz Luhrmann, Brad Pitt, comedy, documentary, drama, Elvis Presley, film noir, France, Georgia, Juliette Binoche, Kurt Russell, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mary Astor, Peter Bogdanovich, Quentin Tarantino, Rebecca Hall, Robert Altman, romantic drama, Supernatural, What's Up Doc, women directors
65 Comments
June 2022 Viewing Diary
Watcher (2022; d. Chloe Okuno) I was super impressed – and totally freaked out – by this thriller, psychological and otherwise. The mood is HEAVY with omnipresent DREAD. I reviewed for Ebert. Russian Doll (Season 1 and 2, 2019-2022) I’m … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged animation, Australia, Baz Luhrmann, comedy, David Mamet, drama, Dustin Hoffman, Elvis Presley, Emma Thompson, England, France, George Cukor, Judy Garland, literary adaptation, Meryl Streep, musicals, Paul Schrader, Quentin Tarantino, Robert De Niro, Robert Walker, short films, Supernatural, Susan Sarandon, thrillers, true crime, Vincente Minnelli, women directors
43 Comments
Guess who’s back. Back again. Shady’s back. Tell a friend.
Pete Davidson and Eminem, the progression: December 6, 2020: March 28, 2021: May 22, 2022: This past Saturday, Pete Davidson did his third Eminem sketch on SNL, this time a joke about Lorne Michaels wanting to “do a music video” … Continue reading

