Categories
Archives
-
-
-
-
Recent Posts
- Review: Sound of Falling (2026)
- “In France, I’m an auteur; in Germany, a filmmaker; in Britain; a genre film director; and, in the USA, a bum.” — John Carpenter
- NYFCC essay: “My Undesirable Friends: Part I — Last Air in Moscow”
- December 2025 Viewing Diary
- Solidarity, or: The boy in the green bandana
- “Precision and accuracy are necessary for both white and black writers. ‘A black aesthetic’ should not be an excuse for sloppy writing.” — poet and publisher Dudley Randall
- “To me, survival is the game – that’s the hardest part. I just wanna play music.” — Dave Grohl
- “When I was discovered, everything happened like dominos. I don’t know how to talk about it now because it’s too mindblowing. It’s so unreal, and yet it’s real.” — Faye Dunaway
- “As long as they pay me my salary, they can give me a broom and I’ll sweep the stage. I don’t give a damn. I want the money.” – Kay Francis
- “I look back on my life and draw one great generalization: IT WAS MY REFUSAL TO TAKE CAUTIOUS ADVICE THAT MADE ME.” — Jack London
Recent Comments
- Lyrie on December 2025 Viewing Diary
- mutecypher on December 2025 Viewing Diary
- mutecypher on December 2025 Viewing Diary
- Norm Anderson on “Carelessness on the part of revolutionaries has always been the best aid the police have.” — Victor Serge
- mutecypher on Solidarity, or: The boy in the green bandana
- Gemstone on Solidarity, or: The boy in the green bandana
- sheila on “It’s a situation I’ve never been able to fathom. One minute, it seemed I had more movie offers than I could handle, the next — no one wanted me.” — Sal Mineo
- Gemstone on “It’s a situation I’ve never been able to fathom. One minute, it seemed I had more movie offers than I could handle, the next — no one wanted me.” — Sal Mineo
- sheila on Talking with Rachel Dratch: Frankenstein is woo-woo adjacent.
- sheila on Talking with Rachel Dratch: Frankenstein is woo-woo adjacent.
- Ian on Talking with Rachel Dratch: Frankenstein is woo-woo adjacent.
- Gemstone on “Well, if I can’t be happy, I can be useful, perhaps.” — Louisa May Alcott
- sheila on December 2025 Snapshots
- Gemstone on December 2025 Snapshots
- Regina Bartkoff on November 2023 Viewing Diary
- sheila on November 2023 Viewing Diary
- sheila on November 2023 Viewing Diary
- Regina Bartkoff on November 2023 Viewing Diary
- sheila on November 2023 Viewing Diary
- sheila on November 2023 Viewing Diary
-
Tag Archives: crime movies
April/May 2023 Viewing Diary
River of Grass (1994; d. Kelly Reichardt) Reichardt’s first film. Wendy and Lucy (2008; d. Kelly Reichardt) The start of Reichardt’s collaboration with Michelle Williams. Showing Up (2023; d. Kelly Reichardt) Reichardt’s latest. I reviewed for Ebert. It’s fine. Her … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Ann-Margret, art, baseball, Belgium, crime movies, documentary, drama, Elvis Presley, France, friends, Italy, Japan, Little Richard, musicals, reviews, silent films, South Korea, The Netherlands, women directors
14 Comments
Review: The Night of the 12th (2023)
I reviewed this extremely effective multiple-Cesar-winning crime/procedural film for Ebert.
Folie à deux
Over on my Substack: riffing on one of my favorite subjects: the Folie à deux, in film, plays, books, and of course in life. Culminating in a discussion of Joël Séria’s controversial 1971 film Mais ne Nous Délivrez Pas du … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged Claude Chabrol, crime movies, France, horror, Macbeth, newsletter
4 Comments
November 2022 Viewing Diary
Something in the Dirt (2022; d. Aaron Moorhead, Justin Benson) I really liked this. If you like losing yourself in conspiracy theories – without being, like, a QAnon-type ready to shoot up a pizza parlor – then this is super … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Alan Ladd, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Cate Blanchett, Claude Rains, crime movies, D.H. Lawrence, documentary, drama, England, film noir, France, historical drama, horror, Iran, Iranian film, Isabelle Huppert, Jafar Panahi, Joanna Hogg, Joe Berlinger, John Garfield, Nina Hoss, Poland, Ralph Macchio, Russia, sci-fi, South Korea, Steven Spielberg, Tilda Swinton, true crime, women directors
3 Comments
You said it, sister
Holy Spider (2022: d. Ali Abbasi) Been really looking forward to this one, and it did not disappoint. It’s about Saeed Hanaei, the notorious Iranian serial killer who killed prostitutes in the holy city of Mashhad. Yeah, not so holy, … Continue reading
Review: Cold Weather: Portland Gumshoe-In-Training
This review originally appeared on Capital New York in 2010. This is part of the rebuild project of lost material. I came across all kinds of little movies I reviewed – and loved – but had forgotten about. Cold Weather … Continue reading
Review: Last Looks (2022)
Last Looks is an old-fashioned shaggy P.I. murder-mystery, featuring a nice big cast, all of whom give eccentric and entertaining performances. I really liked it! It’s FUNNY. Sad that funny is rare. I reviewed for Ebert.
May 2021 Viewing Diary
The Waterman (2021; d. David Oyelowo) I really loved this. Reviewed for Ebert. Des (2020; d. Lewis Arnold) Here’s what I jotted down on Instagram: David Tennant is eerily good in DES. He never does anything wrong, never makes an … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged action movies, animation, Charles Grodin, children's movies, comedy, crime movies, David Fincher, documentary, drama, England, Georgia, Meryl Streep, Miriam Hopkins, Pre-Code, short films, Sofia Coppola, Spain, Stalin, women directors
21 Comments