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- “Ballet taught me to stay close to style and tone. Literature taught me to be concerned about the moral life.” — Joan Acocella
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Tag Archives: Charles Laughton
And speaking of Megalopolis …
… (which I kind of love. It’s completely bonkers). But anyway … I am 100% not the first person to notice this, but it’s fun to point it out anyway: Megalopolis (2024) Night of the Hunter (1955) Thank … Continue reading
“Masters of the Acting Art”: An Interview with Author Dan Callahan
Dan Callahan is one of our best writers on the craft of acting. Not only does he describe why a performance is good, he digs into the much thornier issue of how it is good. This is where most critics … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies
Tagged Al Pacino, Cate Blanchett, Charles Laughton, Diane Keaton, Dustin Hoffman, Ellen Burstyn, Faye Dunaway, Gena Rowlands, interviews, John Cassavetes, Judy Davis, Laurence Olivier, Lee Strasberg, Maggie Smith, Marlon Brando, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Patricia Clarkson, River Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall, Stella Adler
11 Comments
Yet another reason to love Robert Mitchum
“During filming [The Night of the Hunter], as they drove along a freeway, [Charles] Laughton told [Robert] Mitchum, ‘I don’t know if you know, and I don’t know if you care, and I don’t care if you know, but there … Continue reading
For Film Comment: On The Canterville Ghost (1944)
This marks my third piece this month having to do with Oscar Wilde. My latest for Film Comment is a review of the film adaptation (one of many) of Wilde’s ghost story The Canterville Ghost. This one stars Charles Laughton. … Continue reading
September 2018 Viewing Diary
Slacker (1990; d. Richard Linklater) Did a little walk down Richard Linklater lane, starting at the top, and then going all the over the place chronologically. If you think about Linklater, and his extraordinary body of work – and you … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Burt Reynolds, Charles Laughton, documentary, Goldie Hawn, Jack Black, Kathleen Turner, Keanu Reeves, Kristen Stewart, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Scorsese, Patricia Arquette, Paul Thomas Anderson, Richard Linklater, Robert Aldrich, Robert Mitchum, Stalin, Supernatural, women directors
8 Comments
August 2017 Viewing Diary
Columbus (2017; d. Kogonada) I loved this movie so much. One of the best of the year so far. My review. Dunkirk (2017; d. Christopher Nolan) Overwhelming. Saw it in IMAX 70 mm so I can’t compare to others’ experiences … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies
Tagged Billy Wilder, Channing Tatum, Charles Laughton, Dana Andrews, David Lean, David Lynch, documentary, Elvis Presley, France, Frank Capra, Henry Fonda, Howard Hawks, Lawrence of Arabia, Olivia de Havilland, Otto Preminger, Thomas Mitchell, Twin Peaks, women directors
44 Comments
July 2016 Viewing Diary
The Great Gatsby (2013; d. Baz Luhrmann) Watched 3 times. Never written about it before. I think there’s a genius in it. The Great Gatsby (1974; d. Jack Clayton) Never written about it before. I DON’T think there’s a genius … Continue reading
Happy Birthday, Lillian Gish
While re-arranging my library, which meant removing many many books, I turned around and saw this tableau. Not only did Lillian Gish get her start in the earliest days of cinema, helping to basically “invent” the closeup, under the direction … Continue reading

