Tag Archives: Italy

“Fear and the absence of hatred may go well together.” — Niccolò Machiavelli

Posted on May 3, 2025 by sheila

Prologue, The Jew of Malta, by Christopher Marlowe, written in 1589. Machiavelli died in 1527. You can see his posthumous reputation had ballooned, just 60 years after his death. Enter MACHIAVEL. MACHIAVEL. Albeit the world think Machiavel is dead, Yet … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, On This Day, writers | Tagged Christopher Marlowe, Italy, Machiavelli, nonfiction, politics, war | 10 Comments

For International Women’s Day: Ladies I Love

Posted on March 8, 2025 by sheila

I post edited versions of this every year. I add names. I take names off if I feel like it. I enjoy compiling it. It’s not just about enjoyment. As women’s rights are up for grabs more than ever, like … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Art/Photography, Directors, Personal, writers | Tagged A.S. Byatt, Abigail Adams, Agnes Varda, Aline MacMahon, Amy Heckerling, Ann Savage, Anna Karina, Anne Frank, Anne V. Coates, Annie Proulx, art, Aubrey Plaza, Australia, Austria, Barbara Bel Geddes, Barbara Stanwyck, Barbra Streisand, Bette Davis, Bibi Andersson, Brazil, Britney Spears, Busby Berkeley, Camille Paglia, Canada, Carole Lombard, Cate Blanchett, Charlotte Bronte, Charlotte Rampling, China, Croatia, Diane Keaton, Dolly Parton, Drew Barrymore, Dubravka Ugrešić, Edie Sedgwick, Ellen von Unwerth, England, Etta James, Eve Babitz, France, Frances Farmer, Gena Rowlands, George Eliot, Georgia, Germany, Gloria Grahame, Golshifteh Farahani, Greta Garbo, Greta Gerwig, Harriet Andersson, Hediyeh Tehrani, Hong Kong, Ida Lupino, Ingrid Thulin, Iran, Ireland, Isabelle Adjani, Isabelle Huppert, Italy, Janet Malcolm, Japan, Jean Arthur, Jeanette Winterson, Jill Clayburgh, Joan Crawford, Joan Didion, Joan Jett, Joanna Hogg, Josephine Decker, Judy Garland, Julie Christie, Kate Lyn Sheil, Kay Francis, Keri Hulme, Kristen Stewart, Kristen Wiig, L.M. Montgomery, Laura Dern, Laurette Taylor, Leila Hatami, Lily Tomlin, Liv Ullmann, Louise Glück, Madeleine L'Engle, Madeline Kahn, Maggie Cheung, Maggie Smith, Marianne Moore, Marilyn Monroe, Martha Graham, Mary Oliver, Maud Gonne, Mélanie Laurent, Mia Hansen-Løve, Nancy Savoca, Natalie Portman, Nina Hoss, Nina Simone, Olivia Laing, Olympia Dukakis, Patricia Highsmith, Pauline Kael, photography, Poland, Rebecca West, Romania, Rosalind Russell, Russia, Sandrine Bonnaire, Shabnam Toloui, Shirley Jackson, Sophia Takal, South Korea, Spain, Supernatural, Sweden, Tana French, Taraneh Alidoosti, The Netherlands, Tiffany Haddish, Tina Turner, Tuesday Weld, Wanda Jackson, women directors | 106 Comments

2024 Books Read

Posted on December 30, 2024 by sheila

1. Brotherhood of Tyrants: Manic Depression and Absolute Power, by D. Jablow Hershman I was talking with the doctor who helps me manage my bipolar. He saved my life back in 2013. Well, it was a group effort. He knows … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, James Joyce | Tagged Austria, Barbra Streisand, Biography, books about Hollywood, books read, Carole Lombard, Christopher Hitchens, Elvis Presley, England, entertainment biography, essays, fiction, George Orwell, Germany, Hitler, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Jonathan Swift, Lorrie Moore, Mary Shelley, Memoirs, nonfiction, Oscar Wilde, Patricia Highsmith, Philip Larkin, poetry, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, scripts, Shakespeare, Stalin, Thomas Jefferson, WWII | 5 Comments

For Liberties: What Was Good About 2024? (in film)

Posted on December 16, 2024 by sheila

Over at Liberties: my top 20 films of 2024. Tis the season for end-of-year lists. I tend to switch them up, depending on the outlet, because I don’t get attached to my lists. But those are the stand-outs. (Thanks to … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged England, India, Iranian film, Ireland, Italy, Mohammad Rasoulof, Palestine, Poland, Radu Jude, Romania, Spain, women directors | 2 Comments

Screen Slate 2024 Poll

Posted on December 13, 2024 by sheila

Happy to participate in Screen Slate’s annual poll: Best Movies of 2024: First Viewings & Discoveries and Individual Ballots My pics: Fun to scroll through – so many people polled, including directors like Pedro Almodovar and Whit Stilman! … Continue reading →

Posted in Movies | Tagged comedy, documentary, Douglas Sirk, drama, George Sanders, historical drama, India, Iranian film, Ireland, Italy, Lucille Ball, Palestine, Poland, Pre-Code, Radu Jude, Romania, silent films, The Netherlands, women directors | 2 Comments

August 2024 Viewing Diary

Posted on September 15, 2024 by sheila

Tumbledown (2015; d. Sean Mewshaw) Allison and I re-watched this. I reviewed for Ebert when it came out in 2016. I really like it. Gosh, August feels like a long time ago. I was in New York for half of … Continue reading →

Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television | Tagged action movies, Al Pacino, Alain Delon, Australia, comedy, coming of age, drama, England, Italy, John Cazale, Michelangelo Antonioni, Rebecca Hall, Ryan Gosling, Sidney Lumet, thrillers, women directors | 12 Comments

July 2024 Viewing Diary

Posted on August 4, 2024 by sheila

Anyone But You (2023; d. Will Gluck) The fascination with Glen Powell continues. I’ve seen this maybe four times now? The NY Times did a whole ROUNDTABLE about Glen Powell, like: what is going on with this guy? It’s like … Continue reading →

Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television | Tagged action movies, Ben Gazzara, coming of age, documentary, drama, England, France, Gena Rowlands, Glen Powell, historical drama, horror, Ireland, Italy, Joan Blondell, John Cassavetes, Mary Shelley, Opening Night, romantic comedy, sci-fi | Leave a comment

May 2024 Viewing Diary

Posted on June 8, 2024 by sheila

Forward Fast (2024; d. Lorraine Sovern) I met Lorraine at the Florida Film Festival. Someone I was talking to at a party told me about her work and about this short film. He then pulled her over to our group … Continue reading →

Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television | Tagged action movies, Boris Karloff, comedy, documentary, drama, Germany, horror, Iran, Iranian film, Ireland, Italy, Mary Shelley, Mohammad Rasoulof, Pre-Code, Robert De Niro, Russia, Ryan Gosling, short films, Stalin, Tuesday Weld, women directors | 7 Comments

July 2023 Viewing Diary

Posted on August 6, 2023 by sheila

July was busy. I bought a new car. My old one basically disintegrated around me, so much so that the mechanic didn;t even want me to drive it home from his shop. I found a new apartment, and the market … Continue reading →

Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television | Tagged Barbara Stanwyck, Clifford Odets, comedy, documentary, drama, film noir, Fritz Lang, Italy, Marilyn Monroe, Orson Welles, women directors | 22 Comments

April/May 2023 Viewing Diary

Posted on June 9, 2023 by sheila

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

Tag Archives: Italy

“Fear and the absence of hatred may go well together.” — Niccolò Machiavelli

For International Women’s Day: Ladies I Love

2024 Books Read

For Liberties: What Was Good About 2024? (in film)

Screen Slate 2024 Poll

August 2024 Viewing Diary

July 2024 Viewing Diary

May 2024 Viewing Diary

July 2023 Viewing Diary

April/May 2023 Viewing Diary

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