Tag Archives: historical drama

“I never said, ‘I want to be alone.’ I only said, ‘I want to be left alone.’ There is all the difference.” — Greta Garbo

It’s her birthday today. She is a difficult subject, not just because she was a private woman, but because her onscreen persona was so fluid, mercurial, hard to grasp. Her gestures could be operatic and swanlike (watch Grand Hotel), but … Continue reading

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Review: The Miracle Club (2023)

I reviewed The Miracle Club for Ebert.

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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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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

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Review: Call Jane (2022)

Eerie timing for this one, a movie about Chicago’s The Jane Collective (a documentary about this same group came out this year as well). My review gave me the chance to sing the praises of Elizabeth Banks, in general. As … Continue reading

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Review: Lost Illusions (2022)

For Ebert, I reviewed the new adaptation of Honore de Balzac’s sweeping epic novel about the rise and fall of a young ambitious man trying to “make it” in corrupt voracious 1820s Paris. It’s quite a production. Hundreds of extras, … Continue reading

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April 2022 Viewing Diary

When I first got the Raging Bull gig, I began a re-watch of all the Scorsese-De Niro movies – at least the ones clustered around that period. I grew up on these films. These movies were huge to me as … Continue reading

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January 2022 Viewing Diary

Crossfire (1947; d. Edward Dmytryk) Went on a little Robert Mitchum kick, thanks to the Criterion Channel. Crossfire came out the same year as Gentleman’s Agreement, and both films deal with anti-Semitism, which was very much on American minds at … Continue reading

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September 2021 Viewing Diary

Busy month. I found an apartment. I moved. AGAIN. Second time this year. Plus, a family wedding. Plus a new job. It’s been a full year of upheaval, no stability, nothing regular, my stuff scattered in storage units. I’m doing … Continue reading

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