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- “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
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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: Francis Ford Coppola
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
Even in a totally made-up world and time like Megalopolis …
… Elvis is there. Thank you so much for stopping by. If you like what I do, and if you feel inclined to support my work, here’s a link to my Venmo account. And I’ve launched a Substack, … Continue reading
March 2022 Viewing Diary
I’m going along my own viewing way, and then I get a gig, and everything changes. You can tell when it happens. Not announcing this gig yet, and will not be confirming or denying anything. The viewing diary is what … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies
Tagged Al Pacino, Australia, Cary Grant, comedy, Diane Keaton, documentary, drama, Francis Ford Coppola, horror, Ireland, Jerry Lewis, John Cazale, Josef von Sternberg, Kay Francis, Martin Scorsese, Miriam Hopkins, Palestine, Pre-Code, Radu Jude, Robert De Niro, Romania, Shelley Winters, Sylvia Sidney, women directors
2 Comments
This moment
Instantly recognizable at a glance. Oh, Fredo. Why.
October 2019 Viewing Diary
Semper Fi (2019; d. Henry-Alex Rubin) Reviewed for Ebert. Metropolitan (1990; d. Whit Stillman) God, I love this movie. It’s so so strange. It weaves a spell. I love Whit Stillman. He’s a modern-day drawing-room-comedy guy, and it’s the 21st … Continue reading
Present Tense: Death Scenes
William Holden, “Sunset Boulevard” For my next “Present Tense” column at Film Comment, I wrote about a long-time obsession – which I have covered from time to time here on my site: Actors performing death scenes. And a tribute to … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies
Tagged Alfred Hitchcock, Billy Wilder, Bonnie and Clyde, Faye Dunaway, Francis Ford Coppola, James Cagney, Janet Leigh, Jensen Ackles, Marlon Brando, Meryl Streep, Present Tense, Raoul Walsh, Roaring Twenties, Shirley MacLaine, Sunset Boulevard, Supernatural, Vincente Minnelli, Warren Beatty, William Holden
6 Comments
Mirrors #5: For Oscilloscope: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Here it is, a piece I have wanted to write for years, and finally got around to it. For Oscilloscope: Mirror, Mirror: When Movie Characters Look Back at Themselves
Posted in Movies
Tagged Alain Delon, Faye Dunaway, Francis Ford Coppola, Fritz Lang, Gena Rowlands, John Travolta, Johnny Handsome, M, Marlon Brando, Martin Scorsese, Martin Sheen, Mickey Rourke, mirrors, Paul Schrader, Peter Lorre, Richard Gere, Robert De Niro, Rocky, Saturday Night Fever, Sylvester Stallone, Taxi Driver, William Shakespeare
19 Comments
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
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Al Pacino, Brian De Palma, Chile, Dean Stockwell, Diane Keaton, Dustin Hoffman, Ellen Burstyn, England, Faye Dunaway, Francis Ford Coppola, Frank O'Hara, Italy, Jack Nicholson, Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Jill Clayburgh, Joanna Hogg, John Cazale, Julianne Moore, Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern, Link Wray, Marlon Brando, Martin Scorsese, Meryl Streep, Mike Nichols, Quantum Leap, Robert De Niro, Robert Redford, Roy Scheider, Supernatural, women directors, Woody Allen
26 Comments
July 2017 Viewing Diary
Six Figures Getting Sick (1966; d. David Lynch) Natalie reminded me of this short film from David Lynch when we were discussing all of the vomit on Twin Peaks: The Return. I went back and watched it – it’s on … Continue reading
Francis Ford Coppola on Cinema: “I feel like there’s a wonderful cinema in the future.”
My friend Miriam Bale reports back from the Marrakech International Film Festival, where Francis Ford Coppola gave what sounds like a hell of a talk to a group of journalists about the history of film and the future of cinema. … Continue reading

