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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: Taraneh Alidoosti
“I’ll stay and look you straight in the eyes like all these normal people when I scream for my rights.” — Taraneh Alidoosti
“I’ve inherited this courage from the women of my land, who for years have been living their lives, every day with resistance… I will stay, I will not quit, I will stand with the families of the prisoners and murdered … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day
Tagged Asghar Farhadi, Iranian film, Taraneh Alidoosti
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Happy Birthday, Hediyeh Tehrani
I first encountered Iranian actress Hediyeh Tehrani’s work when I covered the Tribeca Film Festival in 2006 (it was my first real “gig”). was assigned to review Fireworks Wednesday. This was my introduction to Iranian film. Fireworks Wednesday was intriguing … Continue reading
“I will stand with the families of the prisoners and murdered and demand their rights.” — Taraneh Alidoosti
Taraneh Alidoosti, one of the most famous actresses in Iran, has been arrested. Nobody knows where she is. [UPDATE: It’s been confirmed by her father that she’s in Evin Prison. Where they put “political” prisoners. Where they put Jafar Panahi. … Continue reading
Posted in Actors, Movies
Tagged Abbas Kiarostami, Asghar Farhadi, Golshifteh Farahani, Iran, Iranian film, Jafar Panahi, Taraneh Alidoosti
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January 2017 Viewing Diary
Conspiracy (2001; d. Frank Pierson) The definition of “the room where it happens”. The awful room where something vile was decided. The TV movie starring Kenneth Branagh (so excellent) about the Wannsee Conference. It’s superb. Based on the one surviving … Continue reading
Posted in Monthly Viewing Diary, Movies, Television
Tagged Akira Kurosawa, Asghar Farhadi, Carrie Fisher, dance, documentary, Elia Kazan, Iran, Iranian film, Japan, Supernatural, Taraneh Alidoosti, Turkey, women directors
18 Comments
I Hate Lists, But … The Best Movies of 2016
The Roger Ebert contributors each submitted our own individual Top 10 Lists for 2016 – compiled here. As mentioned in the introduction, the NUMBER of titles – all total – that show up on this list is a testament to … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged Asghar Farhadi, Chantal Akerman, Coen brothers, comedy, concert films, documentary, drama, England, Fireworks Wednesday, France, Golshifteh Farahani, Hediyeh Tehrani, horror, Iran, Isabelle Huppert, Jim Jarmusch, Jonathan Demme, Justin Timberlake, Matthias Schoenaerts, Mia Hansen-Løve, Paul Verhoeven, Richard Linklater, Sophia Takal, Taraneh Alidoosti, Tilda Swinton, William Carlos Williams, women directors
15 Comments
2016 Movies To See
Out Now Out Soon Out Earlier This Year
Posted in Movies
Tagged Asghar Farhadi, Channing Tatum, Coen brothers, Colin Farrell, George Clooney, Hediyeh Tehrani, Isabelle Huppert, Jim Jarmusch, Justin Timberlake, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Jackson, Richard Linklater, Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Scarlett Johansson, Spike Lee, Taraneh Alidoosti, Tilda Swinton, Tom Hanks
29 Comments
Review: Fireworks Wednesday (2006); d. Asghar Farhadi
Asghar Farhadi’s third film, Fireworks Wednesday, is finally getting an American release (it opens at the Film Forum in New York this week; I’m not sure about other locales but check your art-houses, if you’ve got them.) Farhadi’s 2011 film … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged Asghar Farhadi, drama, Fireworks Wednesday, Hediyeh Tehrani, Iran, Iranian film, reviews, Taraneh Alidoosti
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Review: About Elly (2009); directed by Asghar Farhadi
If you give an answer to your viewer, your film will simply finish in the movie theatre. But when you pose questions, your film actually begins after people watch it. In fact, your film will continue inside the viewer. — … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged Asghar Farhadi, drama, Fireworks Wednesday, Golshifteh Farahani, Iran, Iranian film, reviews, Taraneh Alidoosti
7 Comments