one of my old essays from the archives

Absolutely union busting

What's a good movie for understanding the United States of America that shows life before the country was actually founded? A film that gets at some essential historical, racial, philosophical, political truth and speaks to what the country would eventually become?

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This was answer when my intern asked why I shelled out for the Criterion release of The World of Wong Kar-Wai. I might have had the crazy eyes when I said it.

GET THEIR ASSES

Of course, replies are filled with people who feel the need to factcheck one of the best zingers in a long time

Seems like a decision made by an economically confident business

Today I blocked about a dozen political accounts that I could summarize as "Yet you participate in society. Curious! I am very intelligent."

If you love something, buy a physical copy of it You do not actually own anything that you "bought" that's digital only

Houston, Texas

A celebration of Mel Brooks and Silent Movie!

Only 1 left in stock

I got to record a conversation with him in 2019, about a year before he died. He was incredible: chimeraobscura.com/vm/episode-3...

I love Milton Glazer's work

Lost and Found in the Cathedral of Cinema is the new book by Jeffrey Overstreet, whose writing on cinema and spirituality was a revelation to me. Reading it is like watching a beautiful film that unreels like a dream. I wrote the foreword. All copies signed by both of us. mzs.press/SIGNED-Lost-...

So looking forward to smoking Blue Dream and watching this this weekend. Thanks @mattzollerseitz.bsky.social!

St. Paul, Minnesota

Don't threaten me with a good time

I keep trying to post a thoughtful summary of why I like this movie, but AutoCorrect keeps making me seem as if I don't know how to spell, so I delete & repost, then it happens again. So just read my review! I was surprised by how much I liked it. www.rogerebert.com/reviews/litt...

We saw the 25th anniversary screening of OCEAN'S 11 on Wednesday, so this is PARTICULARLY apt.

One of my favorite things about John Cena is that he is a grown man with the proportions of a baby. Him just standing with a confused frown is comedy.

I love the diner scene in THE BIRDS because a large portion of it revolves around the people trying to rationalize the situation. Then the birds attack and the reasoned ornithologist goes quiet and the rest of the folks do nothing as the panicked mother accuses Melanie of being an evil being.

Fun stuff here:

“It’s a profane, bawdy, slapstick-infused comedy with a few sentimental moments that might make you misty-eyed even if you think you’re immune to such manipulations." @mattzollerseitz.bsky.social reviews LITTLE BROTHER:

One of my favorite shots of all time

The 2005 War of the Worlds would make a dandy double bill with Hitchcock's The Birds. Humanity itself is threatened by natural forces that seem supernaturally infused. None of the violence (much of it chain reaction slapstick w/a body count) has any apparent strategy save to shock, terrorize & kill.

I did the foreword to this magical and moving work of personal criticism by Jeffrey Overstreet (@overstreet.bsky.social). If you'd like a copy signed by both of us, you'll find it at the other side of the link below:

I missed the memo that Spielberg's reimagining of Bullitt, with car chases galore, was shelved due to attached star Bradley Cooper having a "falling out" with the director. How does one fall out with Spielberg? Plug Michael B. Jordan or John Bernthal in there and step on the gas.

So what I'm getting from this is, incrementalism is bullshit and we should just do the stuff that we say would be good for society

A pleasant, calming, embracing influence on your lunch hour. mzs.press/Skater-Kikis...

She's not bad. She's just drawn that way. mzs.press/Rog-&-Jess-W...

Since our store had a (totally, utterly, WTF?? surprising) bestseller in a biography of Shemp Howard, we have added the autobiography of his brother Moe to the shelves: "I Stooged to Conquer." mzs.press/I-Stooged-to... BTW, if you want the Shemp book, it's here: mzs.press/SHEMP-The-Bi...

Me. I am somebody who wants this. And so I bought one just now.

I've said this on the show before, but if John Pozer believed every frame of a film should be a painting, then every frame of HEAVY METAL should be airbrushed art on the side of a van.

I think you know somebody who wants this

2 left

With the party leaders' recent track records, I kind of doubt their targets are gonna be quaking their boots

Last week I alluded to seeing a film that irritated me so much at first that I thought about walking out, but that impressed and moved me in the end. The Invite was that film. Strong performances all around, though Rogen stands out most, thus my extravagant praise. www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-...

New book:

I did the foreword to this magical and moving work of personal criticism by Jeffrey Overstreet (@overstreet.bsky.social). If you'd like a copy signed by both of us, you'll find it at the other side of the link below:

I did the foreword to this magical and moving work of personal criticism by Jeffery Overstreet. If you'd like a copy signed by both of us, you'll find it at the other side of the link below:

What's your super-specific daily struggle? One of mine is, should I keep doing whatever urgent thing I'm doing, or rewatch the scene in "The Fabelmans" where young Spielberg scrutinizes the home movies he took of his family and uncovers an upsetting secret? www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUoS...

A worthy project

Good grief, we only have two copies left

I hope the sequel will be called Therewulf www.esquire.com/entertainmen...

Insta-blocking any account without an avatar that seems like a person picked it. Sorry to any humans who get caught in the dragnet, but y'all should know better than to go on here looking like a bot right out of the gate.

Everything about this sounds heavenly, but the best part, to me, is "the app costs $24.99, with all the proceeds going to an animal charity."

Last week I alluded to seeing a film that irritated me so much at first that I thought about walking out, but that impressed and moved me in the end. The Invite was that film. Strong performances all around, though Rogen stands out most, thus my extravagant praise. www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-...