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- Reviews: Currents (2026)
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- “Only the bad directors tell you how to read a line, how to define your character. The good ones let you do your job.” — Carroll Baker
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- “I am in a prison: one wall is the avant-garde, the other wall is the past, and I want to escape.” — György Ligeti
- An Acting Lesson: John Wayne and the “Reality of the Doing”
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- sheila on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Hamlet
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- Dave on Review: The Chronology of Water (2025)
- Biff Dorsey on 2026 Shakespeare Reading Project: Hamlet
- sheila on “I just love telling stories. That’s what we do and it’s a good business to be in, especially if you know you have talent.” –Jensen Ackles
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Tag Archives: Romania
“I am in a prison: one wall is the avant-garde, the other wall is the past, and I want to escape.” — György Ligeti
György Ligeti – whose birthday it is today – was a classical composer, born in Romania, who lived in Hungary as a young adult, before fleeing Stalinist oppression to Austria. As he said in an interview much later, he lived … Continue reading
Posted in Movies, Music, On This Day
Tagged Hungary, Romania, Stalin, Stanley Kubrick
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2024 National Society of Film Critics Awards
In my second year as a member of the NSFC, we met this morning at Elinor Bunim in Lincoln Center and voted on this year’s films. These things can be pretty grueling – and today was no different – just … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Directors, Movies
Tagged documentary, England, India, literary adaptation, Palestine, Radu Jude, Romania, short films, women directors
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For Liberties: What Was Good About 2024? (in film)
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
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Screen Slate 2024 Poll
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
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On Radu Jude’s latest, Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World
For my Substack: on Radu Jude’s new film, Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World, the film I’ve been most eager to see this year. I love his work so much.
December 2023/January-February 2024 Viewing Diary
The Golden Bachelor Watched – in great hilarity – with Karen and Allison during a raucous sleepover, and Carol pulled up on FaceTime. So we could watch together. The whole thing is so ridiculous. Maestro (2023; d. Bradley Cooper) I … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Al Pacino, Aline MacMahon, biopic, Charlie Chaplin, Chile, Denmark, documentary, drama, dystopia, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Juliette Binoche, Kazuo Ishiguro, literary adaptation, Michael Mann, North Korea, Paul Schrader, Pre-Code, Radu Jude, Ray Milland, Richard Pryor, Romania, romantic comedy, sci-fi, short films, Sidney Poitier, silent films, Spain, Sylvia Sidney, Tana French, true crime, William Wellman, Wim Wenders, women directors
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