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- 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- “I don’t represent anything.” — Liz Phair
- “I don’t really know why, but danger has always been an important thing in my life – to see how far I could lean without falling, how fast I could go without cracking up.” — William Holden
- “Some syllables are swords.” — Metaphysical poet Henry Vaughan
- “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- “All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl.” — Charlie Chaplin
- “As a cinematographer, I was always attracted to stories that have the potential to be told with as few words as possible.” — Reed Morano
- “Even though I’m writing about very dark material, it still feels like an escape hatch.” — Olivia Laing
- “It’s just one of the mysteries of filmmaking that sometimes you do something that you don’t even think it’s important, then it turns out to be.” — Lili Horvát
- “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: Norway
“The worst enemy of truth and freedom in our society is the compact majority.” — Henrik Ibsen
It’s his birthday today. Some posts from my archive: This is a doozy, an excerpt from an amazing book made up of transcribed lectures on Ibsen, Chekhov and Strindberg, by legendary actress and acting teacher Stella Adler. It’s a great … Continue reading
Posted in James Joyce, On This Day, Theatre, writers
Tagged Clifford Odets, Henrik Ibsen, Lee Strasberg, Norway, scripts, Stella Adler
4 Comments
January 2026 Viewing Diary
The Sound of Falling (2026; d. Mascha Schilinski) It took me a couple of days to shake off the effect of The Sound of Falling. I saw it at a screening room on 29th Street. I knew very little about … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies
Tagged Australia, Canada, documentary, drama, dystopia, film noir, Germany, Isabelle Adjani, Norway, short films, Sofia Coppola, women directors
4 Comments
2025 National Society of Film Critics Awards
It’s the 60th year of the National Society of Film Critics. We met up in New York / Los Angeles / Zoom to vote today. We also have a couple of fun categories – like Best Experimental Film – and … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged Argentina, Brazil, documentary, Ethan Hawke, Iranian film, Jafar Panahi, Norway, Paul Thomas Anderson, Richard Linklater, Russia
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“The best thing that can come with success is the knowledge that it is nothing to long for.” — Liv Ullmann
It’s her birthday today. In 2018 I was assigned by the Criterion Collection to write tributes to four of Ingmar Bergman’s actresses: Liv Ullmann, Bibi Andersson, (Liv and Bibi were paired together in one video – Bergman saw them as … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Directors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Ingmar Bergman, Liv Ullmann, Norway, women directors
2 Comments
Review: Folktales (2025)
Folktales is the latest documentary from powerhouse pair Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, whose 2006 documentary Jesus Camp is one of the best docs of the 2000s. (You wonder, while watching, “How on earth did they get this community to … Continue reading
Review: The Ugly Stepsister (2025)
A twisted gory re-telling of the Cinderella story, from the perspective of one of the stepsisters. This movie is wild. I dug it. I reviewed for Ebert.
The Worst Person in the World: Criterion release today, 6/28
Today is Criterion Collection release day for Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World. Special features include interviews with Trier and Eskil Vogt, actors Renate Reinsve, Anders Danielsen Lie, and Herbert Nordrum, as well as cinematographer Kasper Tuxen; and … Continue reading
Criterion June releases announced
Some fabulous titles: Pink Flamingoes! Shaft! And: I’m thrilled that Criterion is releasing Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World, a movie that’s been sweeping up awards ever since it appeared first on the festival circuit last year. The … Continue reading
February 2022 Viewing Diary
Working really really hard on a couple of big things right now. This takes up so much brain space. It’s mentally exhausting. Not complaining, just stating facts. During times like this, I lean towards true crime docuseries, or re-watches. Or … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Australia, Curfew, documentary, drama, Elvis Presley, England, horror, Joachim Trier, musicals, Norway, short films, Tuesday Weld, westerns
4 Comments
NYFCC 2021 Awards
Early this month, the New York Film Critics Circle met up at Lincoln Center – in person – for the first time in over a year – to vote on our 2021 awards. The awards show is being held in … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged Afghanistan, animation, comedy, Denmark, documentary, drama, Japan, Lady Gaga, musicals, Norway, Paul Thomas Anderson, Steven Spielberg, women directors
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