Crying at Eddie Mueller calling Henry Fonda a “man-puppy.” #NoirAlley #TCMParty

I feel like BERLIN EXPRESS ought to be more compelling given the story (creepy clown!) and talent (Robert Ryan!) involved, but I’m so taken with all the post-war German location photography. The barren landscape around the Brandenburg Gate is pretty unrecognizable. #NoirAlley #TCMParty

Wrote some about Mike Figgis’ massively entertaining (if overly selective) MEGADOC, his fly-on-the-wall chronicle of the making of MEGALOPOLIS that includes many things I love, namely: new George Lucas content (!!) and Shia LaBeouf being a maniac: bit.ly/47Z8TUm

Robert Redford’s influence on cinema extends so far beyond his impossibly cool screen presence it’s difficult to condense into a few words. My pick for an underrated film of his? The hella fun 1974 Peter Yates-helmed heist flick THE HOT ROCK. RIP to the definition of a movie star.

An admittedly finger wagging post by me about the hunting for celebrity photos at festivals [a paywalled post].

Genuinely learn something new from Eddie’s #NoirAlley intros every time. You mean we can thank Joan Crawford for giving a young composer named Elmer Bernstein his big break? #TCMParty

Of course I had to review DOWNTON ABBEY: THE GRAND FINALE, which finally broke the series’ habit of struggling to address impending social change while maintaining the status quo. Not really a movie, but I would watch 10 more of these easily: bit.ly/4nyOVnT

From #TIFF50, I reviewed Darlene Naponse’s AKI, a wordless documentary depicting the land-based way of living in Ontario’s Atikameksheng Anishnawbek territory purely via an immersive soundscape and gorgeous photography. It’s about as poetic as cinema gets: bit.ly/461IljP

From TIFF, I reviewed the festival’s sole Pakistani entry GHOST SCHOOL, Seemab Gul’s wonderful debut feature that’s a Kiarostami-esque odyssey into the country’s very real issue of abandoned schools from a child’s POV: bit.ly/41QzI9g

Next month Forbidden Hollywood returns to @arkadincinema.bsky.social with an absolute masterpiece for spooky season: Rouben Mamoulian’s inventive and sexually daring 1931 adaptation of DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE starring Frederic March. Oct. 6 @ 7 pm— tix: bit.ly/3VxroHQ

For my last bit from Venice (for now), I have a catch-all highlighting 4 movies: Stephan Komandarev’s MADE IN EU, Marie-Elsa Sgualdo’s SILENT REBELLION, Anuparna Roy’s SONGS OF FORGOTTEN TREES, and Ali Asgari’s DIVINE COMEDY: bit.ly/4gf93ck

Big fan of ELVIRA NOTARI: BEYOND SILENCE, Valerio Ciriaci’s documentary about Italy’s first female filmmaker that’s an invigorating look at how one artist informs others. My review from Venice: bit.ly/4g8R72Q

Unfortunately, I have to throw hands at Alexandre O. Philippe’s slanted and overly idolatrous documentary KIM NOVAK’S VERTIGO. Great to see Kim on screen again tho! My review from Venice: bit.ly/3UWjszD

I’m both beguiled and frustrated by Benny Sadfie’s anti-sports biopic THE SMASHING MACHINE, which often holds us back from getting a handle on its characters. So great to see Dwayne Johnson in this lane though- he’s good! My review from Venice: bit.ly/4p2bO4B

From Venice, I reviewed 3 terrific, searing documentaries that premiered out of competition: Werner Herzog’s GHOST ELEPHANTS, Lucretia Martel’s NUESTRA TIERRA, and Laura Poitras and Mark Obenhaus’ COVER-UP: bit.ly/47jaV16

THE TALE OF SILYAN, a poetic new doc from HONEYLAND director Tamara Kotevska, stunningly combines magical realism and vérité footage to highlight the economic struggles of North Macedonian farmers and make a plea for conservation. My review from Venice: bit.ly/3JGHg8e

I’ve really wrestled with Guillermo Del Toro’s FRANKENSTEIN in the 24+ hours since I watched it. It’s technically admirable, but lacking a certain soulfulness and reckoning with the doctor’s God complex that I still can’t quite put my finger on. My review from Venice: bit.ly/4mCMhgB

From Venice, I wrote about three films that deal with crisis of family and faith: Teona Strugar Mitevska’s bold and idiosyncratic Mother Teresa biopic MOTHER, Shahad Ameen’s HIJIRA, and Mihai Mincan’s MILK TEETH. bit.ly/3HYf7cg

Maryam Touzani’s CALLE MALAGA is absolutely my favorite film I’ve seen in Venice, a tender reflection of the memories we make in places that’s funny and sensual and warm, anchored by a winning Carmen Maura. My review: bit.ly/465vOuC

I like THE KIDNAPPING OF ARABELLA, Carolina Cavalli’s follow-up to her delightfully deadpan AMANDA, more the more I sit with it, exuding a deep understanding of what it’s like to be a girl and feeling like the wrong version of yourself at any age. My review from Venice: bit.ly/4mDBbbf

I didn’t care for Yorgos Lanthimos’ latest, BUGONIA, a series of broad critiques of everything from corporate greed to ecological disaster that feel tired on arrival. My review from Venice: bit.ly/47Q8LWQ

Lethargic pacing and his typical bluntness aside, I rather liked Paolo Sorrentino’s LA GRAZIA, which I found to be much more emotionally rich compared to his previous films I’ve seen. My review from Venice: bit.ly/46apm6z

Ciao from the Lido— I’m covering the Venice Film Festival for the next week!

The energy I intend to bring to Venice next week (Katharine Hepburn in 1955’s SUMMERTIME)

Spike Lee couldn’t be cooking more with HIGHEST 2 LOWEST, a film that, as it changes shape throughout its runtime, turns from a rocky movie to a good movie to a great movie. My review: bit.ly/4oEqqXH

POV: you’re watching a pre-Code movie. Norma Shearer in STRANGERS MAY KISS (1931)

CATCHING BULLETS, a locally made documentary, tracks the stories of community activists seeking to end gun violence in St. Louis via compelling character arcs and candid discussions. It screens in STL this Thursday before being released on streaming Friday. My review: bit.ly/45ik6gX

I am once again banging the drum for the Bonn International Silent Film Festival, which puts a hefty selection of their slate online, free to watch for 48 hours (you don't even have to sign up!). It's running now through Aug 20: bit.ly/3Jbmbmf

Alex Ross Perry’s sprawling video essay chronicling the history of the video store and how it’s reflected in its portrayal in movies, VIDEOHEAVEN, is expanding to more theaters (and screens locally here at the end of the month). It’s as meaningful as it is repetitive- my review: bit.ly/40OTYYs

Very neat to wake up on a Sunday morning and get to finally watch a movie that’s been on your list forever…the RIFIFI heist lived up to the hype. #TCMParty #NoirAlley

The completion slate for Venice Film Festival.

I caught Grace Glowicki’s DEAD LOVER at Hysteria Fest and found lots to love about it: a droll Frankenstein riff with marvelous DIY effects and a singular style (including lighting that evokes 1930s two-color Technicolor and made me lose my mind). My review: bit.ly/4o1ipvK

Happy belated birthday to relatable queen Barbara Stanwyck.

Next month from Forbidden Hollywood at @arkadincinema.bsky.social, Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, and Mary Astor form a steamy love triangle in the tropics in Victor Fleming’s RED DUST (1932). August 4 at 7 pm- tickets: bit.ly/4lCbszi

I think this movie could be improved by Belita skating (I love SUSPENSE so much and got a little too hyped for another ice-skating noir before Eddie’s intro dashed my dreams) but the shady soda fountain and unbelievably stacked supporting cast are pretty good substitutes. #NoirAlley #TCMParty

A lil trek through Bodega Bay today 🐦‍⬛

In which I go to Twin Peaks to offer my contribution to the diner pie discourse (it is Edible)

🚨This is an Edward Everett Horton emergency*🚨 *he’s wearing a swimsuit and sandals with socks in THE GAY DIVORCEE #TCMParty

the scene with Nellie and the snake is an homage to the Clara Bow film CALL HER SAVAGE (1932) shout out to @katieatthemovies.bsky.social for catching this one

Can’t say that I’m that high on MATERIALISTS, a movie that I didn’t hate watching but that continues to fall apart the longer I hold it in my hand. As precise as Celine Song’s filmmaking is, it’s sorely lacking in humanity. My review: bit.ly/4mYPuaY

🏖️☀️🏝️

I reviewed a couple of great films that premiered at #Tribeca this week: first, RUNA SIMI, is an engaging documentary about the urgency of language preservation, tracking one man’s efforts to dub THE LION KING into the ancient Peruvian language Quechua: bit.ly/4jLMcoJ

Of course I was in the bag for THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME, Wes Anderson’s newest about family and the legacies we leave behind. My review: bit.ly/3HpDdMF

HIPS, HIPS, HOORAY! The 1934 Wheeler and Woolsey musical comedy screens next from Forbidden Hollywood at @arkadincinema.bsky.social on July 7. Contains some of the most jaw-droppingly skimpy costumes of any pre-Code movie, plus anarchic humor that dips into the surreal. Tickets: bit.ly/43whT0w

Opening here tomorrow, playing all weekend!

Caught Dea Kulumbegashvili’s pro-abortion (drama? thriller?) APRIL at the Ragtag last night. It’s a wonderfully slippery and haunting picture.

THE ENCAMPMENTS is a propulsive and easily digestible document of the pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, its urgency in step with how accessible it currently is (it’s playing in some theaters, but is also streaming on Watermelon+). My review: bit.ly/4kbbbmj

New on the blog, I wrote about one of the most singular (and extremely Canadian) experiences you can have at the movies this year: THE PEE PEE POO POO MAN: bit.ly/4j3msE6

Next up from Forbidden Hollywood at @arkadincinema.bsky.social is 1933’s LADIES THEY TALK ABOUT, a fun and fascinating early women in prison film starring the QUEEN Barbara Stanwyck. June 2 @ 7 pm- tickets: bit.ly/3GDlXDc

Using this Mae West night to shamelessly plug my screening of I’M NO ANGEL tomorrow night: bit.ly/44e1Ogv #TCMParty