Tag Archives: coming of age

August 2023 Viewing Diary

Oppenheimer (2023; d. Christopher Nolan) In general, I am not a Nolan fan (the only one of his I liked was Dunkirk), and I went into this hesitantly because I read an interview with him where he said the whole … Continue reading

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Review: Scrapper (2023)

An amazing directorial debut. I loved it. A 21st century entry in the sadly-rare Tomboy Movie Pantheon! I reviewed Scrapper for Ebert.

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Talking 1953 movies with Jason Bailey and Mike Hull: A Very Good Year podcast

My pal Jason Bailey and his pal Mike Hull host a fascinating podcast called A Very Good Year, which they describe as: “Each week we invite a guest (filmmakers and actors, critics and historians, comedians and musicians) who loves movies, … Continue reading

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R.I.P. Treat Williams

This is devastating news. In Sydney Lumet’s Making Movies, he talked about the choice to cast Treat Williams in Prince of the City: I wasn’t sure whether we were in drama or tragedy territory [with Prince of the City]. knew … Continue reading

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Review: When You Finish Saving the World (2023)

Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg. I’m not sure what happened here. I reviewed for Ebert.     Thank you so much for stopping by. If you like what I do, and if you feel inclined to support my work, … Continue reading

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December 2022 Viewing Diary

The Whale (2022; d. Darren Aronofsky) I thought it was appalling, and not just for the obvious reasons (i.e. his body is viewed as literally a movie monster, with all these horror-movie shots of his gigantic ankles, etc.) And it … Continue reading

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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

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Review: Funny Pages (2022)

This is some pretty bleak shit. But also entertaining. Dark. Weird. I had no idea what was going to happen from one moment to the next. I reviewed for Ebert.

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Review: Summer Days Summer Nights (2021)

I have a feeling a lot of people might pooh-pooh Ed Burns’ latest film – who knows, I could be wrong – but I enjoyed it. There are a couple of issues but they weren’t deal-breakers for me. I reviewed … Continue reading

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June 2021 Viewing Diary

La Notte (1961; d. Michelangelo Antonioni) Pauline Kael included La Notte in her infamous essay titled “The Come-Dressed-As-the-Sick-Soul-of-Europe Parties”. Now you can debate her on this opinion – and I think she’s off (although I think it’s a hilarious title). … Continue reading

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