Tag Archives: Roman Polanski

“Being an actor means being an instrument for someone else. I want to give myself completely.” — Catherine Deneuve

It’s her birthday today. She was great right out of the gate. One of the unique things about her career (and she has few peers here) is that she has regularly been regaled as one of the most beautiful women … Continue reading

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September/October 2023 Viewing Diary

I moved in late September. Again. I found a little cozy apartment, the second floor of a little house, with slanted ceilings, little cubbyhole-eaves everywhere, and a big yard. It’s a 10 minute walk to the beach. I found it … Continue reading

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Men and women through a windshield darkly

Knife in the Water, Roman Polanski, 1962 A Married Woman, Jean-Luc Godard, 1964 Certified Copy, Abbas Kiarostami, 2010

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April 2021 Viewing Diary

Jewel Robbery (1932; d. William Dieterle) This glittering pre-Code, starring William Powell as a jewel thief, and Kay Francis as a married woman in love with her jewels, is such a subversive delight. Powell is devastatingly charming and Francis is … Continue reading

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August 2018 Viewing Diary

Ballerina (2009; d. Bertrand Normand) I tripped over this documentary on FilmStruck (I love dance documentaries), and it’s really really good. Not only do you get to know a bunch of different dancers, but it’s a portrait of what ballet … Continue reading

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Look Out

Guess the movie.

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NYFF 2011: Carnage, Roman Polanski’s Latest. Abandon Hope, All Ye Who Enter Here

This review originally appeared on Capital New York. A privileged existence leads to guilt, and guilt leads to savage behavior. This is the obvious message in Roman Polanski’s Carnage (an adaptation of Yasmina Reza’s hit Broadway play God of Carnage), … Continue reading

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2010 Books Read

Round-up of the books I read this year, in the order in which I read them. I am nearly finished with one last book (a collection of stories by Miranda July, given to me by my sister Siobhan for my … Continue reading

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Repulsion, 1965

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Chinatown: frames and lenses

An awesome compilation of images from Roman Polanski’s Chinatown put together by the always-interesting Jim Emerson. Seriously. Not to be missed. As Jim wrote: (Only for those who know their way around “Chinatown.”)

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