Tag Archives: Orson Welles

“I started at the top and worked my way down.” — Orson Welles

It’s his birthday today. When Orson Welles was just a teenager, he traveled to Ireland. And although it seems improbable (perhaps not, because this is Orson Welles we’re talking about), he decided to audition for the newly-formed Gate Theatre, and … Continue reading

Posted in Actors, Directors, Movies, On This Day, Theatre | Tagged , | 18 Comments

R.I.P. Jimmy Buffett

I met Jimmy Buffett in 2017 in the theatre lobby after a performance of Escape to Margaritaville, the Broadway musical centered around Jimmy Buffett songs, then in preview. (The script was written by Greg Garcia and my cousin Mike O’Malley!) … Continue reading

Posted in Movies, Music, RIP, Theatre | Tagged | Leave a comment

July 2023 Viewing Diary

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 , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

October 2022 Viewing Diary

Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation (2020; d. Lisa Immordino Vreeland) Fascinating dual portraits. No “talking heads”. The entire thing is made up of their own voices, told in talk shows, or interviews. Amazing footage I’ve never seen before. Christine … Continue reading

Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

December 2021 Viewing Diary

Nightmare Alley (2021; d. Guillermo del Toro) I will re-post here the thoughts I jotted down on Facebook after I saw it for the first time. I absolutely loved this film. Nightmare Alley is gorgeously shot, with an ominous moody … Continue reading

Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

No Smoking

Everett Sloane and Rita Hayworth, “Lady from Shanghai”

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

December 2020 Viewing Diary

I hope you like The X-Files. Look forward to hearing from fans of the show. The past couple of months have been heart-wrenching for my family. It will continue to be so. We are struggling under the weight of the … Continue reading

Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Recommended: Biographies

For starters: My recommended Fiction books My recommended Non-Fiction books BIOGRAPHIES: American Sphinx: The Character of Thomas Jefferson, by Joseph Ellis I’ve written a lot about Joseph Ellis’ work here. While I love David McCullough’s work so much, Ellis is … Continue reading

Posted in Actors, Books, Directors, Founding Fathers, James Joyce, Theatre, writers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

December 2018 Viewing Diary

Swimming with Men (2018; d. Oliver Parker) A rather slight little comedy about men forming a synchronized swimming team. I reviewed for Ebert. Zama (2018; d. Lucrecia Martel) One of the best films of the year (I saw it after … Continue reading

Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

More 2018 Movies to See

So all this Top 10 stuff gets a little bit too competitive for me sometimes. There can’t be a “winner” anyway, in art. It doesn’t work like that. This has been a really good year and I’ve seen a lot … Continue reading

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments