Tag Archives: Dean Stockwell

Today, the Sheila Variations turns 22. wtf.

The above pic of me – taken by Michael – graced the top of my original blog, when I set it up 22 years ago today. I never should have put my picture up on my site – it led … Continue reading

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Happy Birthday, Dean Stockwell

I’ve been paying tribute to him on his birthday for 15 years or something insane like that. I need to take a moment to reflect on my own “relationship” to him and his work. He was really important to me, … Continue reading

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Werewolf of Washington coming soon …

Well, this is fun! In 2020, Simon Abrams and I – who go way back as friends and colleagues – met up for a video-chat about Milton Moses Ginsberg’s forgotten monster-movie-political-satire, Werewolf of Washington. We did this for Metrograph, which … Continue reading

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Sidney Lumet: Excerpts from Making Movies

It’s Sidney Lumet’s birthday. Here are many excerpts from his classic and invaluable film-making handbook Making Movies: In Murder on the Orient Express, I wanted Ingrid Bergman to play the Russian Princess Dragomiroff. She wanted to play the retarded Swedish … Continue reading

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November 2021 Viewing Diary

The Wire, half of Season 3 This is the busiest time of year in re: film-critic-land, so had to stop my re-watch of The Wire to make room for new releases. I’ll get back to it! All Is Forgiven (2007; … Continue reading

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A Lynchian Carol Burnett

If you read my Ebert tribute to Dean Stockwell, then you know that one of his inspirations for his terrifyingly weird performance in Blue Velvet was Carol Burnett. It’s so strange, but such a perfect example of how the imagination … Continue reading

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R.I.P. Dean Stockwell

I knew this day would come, but I’ve been low-key dreading it. But since it has arrived, there was nothing to do except write the best tribute I possibly could to this actor and his 70+-years long career. The Mystery … Continue reading

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R.I.P. Milton Moses Ginsberg

I was so sad to hear of the passing of director Milton Moses Ginsberg, who directed many things but one which I hold very dear: 1973’s Werewolf of Washington, a political satire/monster movie starring Dean Stockwell as a White House … Continue reading

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January 2020 Viewing Diary

Hell Is for Heroes (1962; d. Don Siegel) A spare lean and mean war movie – pretty standard, actually – except Steve McQueen is actually presenting a character study here, a character he probably knows something about. He is eerie … Continue reading

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March 2019 Viewing Diary

Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World (2017; d. Catherine Bainbridge) Mum came and visited me and we watched this amazing documentary about the contributions Native Americans have made to music. It starts with Link Wray. I loved this documentary … Continue reading

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