Categories
Archives
-

-
Recent Posts
- 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
Recent Comments
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- Mike Molloy on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- Scott Abraham on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- Scott Abraham on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- Mike Molloy on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Much Ado About Nothing
- sheila on March 2026 Snapshots
- sheila on “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
- Jessie on March 2026 Snapshots
- Helen Erwin Schinske on “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- Maddy on “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
- sheila on “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- Helen Erwin Schinske on “To me, music is no joke and it’s not for sale.” — Ian MacKaye
- Joseph Pedulla on Susan Hayward Sleeps Raw
- sheila on “For I am of the seed of the WELCH WOMAN and speak the truth from my heart.” — Christopher Smart
- P Nickel on “The realization of ignorance is the first act of knowing.” — Jean Toomer
- Melissa Sutherland on “For I am of the seed of the WELCH WOMAN and speak the truth from my heart.” — Christopher Smart
- Bryce on The Books: “Nine Stories”- ‘The Laughing Man’ (J.D. Salinger)
-
Tag Archives: Opening Night
“Film is, to me, just unimportant. But people are very important.” — John Cassavetes
When I think of Cassavetes, anything that comes up is inextricable from my own life journey. He’s just so IN there with me, the choices I made, the goals I had, my values. He’s also behind my favorite marriage proposal, … Continue reading
Posted in Directors, Movies
Tagged Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, Love Streams, Opening Night
Leave a comment
Mirrors #23
Gena Rowlands, Opening Night (1977) Pamela Anderson, The Last Showgirl (2024. My review.) 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 … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, mirrors, Opening Night, women directors
Leave a comment
July 2024 Viewing Diary
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
For Liberties: John Cassavetes, Tennessee Williams, and Beautiful Insanity
My next article for my Movies Before Breakfast column at Liberties Journal is one I’ve wanted to write for years: how John Cassavetes’ Opening Night and Tennessee Williams’ The Two-Character Play are the same work of art to me – … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Theatre
Tagged Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, Liberties, Opening Night, Tennessee Williams, Two-Character Play
2 Comments
John and Gena
In 1992, Gena Rowlands gave an interview to Gary Indiana for Interview magazine. It was a generous interview, with a gorgeous spread of photographs, many of them taken by the legendary Sam Shaw (who took so many famous photos of … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Directors, Movies, Personal
Tagged Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, Love Streams, Opening Night
14 Comments
Gena Rowlands in Opening Night
“So please. Tell me. Tell me what this play doesn’t express.” “Hope.” I had a great time talking with Peter Labuza for his Cinephiliacs podcast, and the final 25 minutes we spend talking about Cassavetes’ Opening Night. You can download … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies
Tagged drama, Gena Rowlands, John Cassavetes, Opening Night
Leave a comment
Peter Labuza Interviews Me for The Cinephiliacs Podcast: We Discuss John Cassavetes’ Opening Night
I had a great time talking with Peter Labuza for his wonderful Cinephiliacs podcast. You can download the episode here. We get into it! We talk about actors, movies, movie stars, John Wayne, Elvis, Judy Garland, gesture – and then … Continue reading
“I’m in trouble, y’see?”
Gena Rowlands, in “Opening Night” That movie is “my heart”. Conversation at a party with five wonderful gentlemen.
Opening Night: It’s All In the Eyes
This post is for my friend Shelagh Carter.

