Cleopatra lights Marc Antony's cigarette. (Claudette Colbert and Henry Wilcoxon on set of DeMille’s CLEOPATRA in ‘34)

a really wonderfully considered piece from @nymag.com. cultural criticism is the heartbeat of american cultural production and its history. the form gives tangibility to how we remember and how critique brings us to a place of societal betterment…. there is no life worth living without it.

Wow, this is a fabulous poster for a wonderful film that conceives of Death as a handsome young man—Fredric March. A swift, elegant pre-Code (it came in just a few months before the Hays hammer fell) that clocks in at just 79 minutes.

"It isn’t so much that movies are being made by algorithm as that, by continually surfacing the mass-market or safe choice, the algorithm itself has a flattening, coarsening effect on our overall tastes."

Happy to see essays back at @animusmagazine.bsky.social, which always features thoughtful and engaging work. Loved reading this piece on how Hollywood films portray, distort, and avoid climate change

The only remotely wise thing I can say is to directly support outlets that are still writing thoughtful, eloquent criticism. Shell out a few $ for a subscription to those who offer it, hit the free sites with your traffic, share good pieces here and elsewhere. It's a tiny thing, but it's something.

Whenever another shitty media thing happens I always see people say 'support Teen Vogue!' and it's true that Teen Vogue are doing amazing work contrary to all their sister publications but they are still a Conde brand. You could also champion supporting indie media!

so, in the course of a month, the New York Times reassigned four veteran critics, the Washington Post’s film critic took a buyout, Vanity Fair decided it doesn’t need a film critic at all, and the Associated Press got rid of book criticism altogether? Cool.

There's no other publication like BW/DR for longform essays on film that aren't tied to a news cycle or a release calendar (plus their team is full of great people). Give them your support!

Increasingly convinced the main damage cell phones have done to creativity isn't decreased attention spans or what not but the elimination of productive boredom. Inspiration comes from the mind filling the void inside. Hard to make art when you're constantly silencing the silence with "content."

The gleeful doxing of someone cheating in public is bad even if they are a CEO and even if they are a Coldplay fan. It's bad because this kind of thing is happening to random people on TikTok for such crimes as "sitting silently on a plane" or "being attractive" www.404media.co/the-astronom...

Julianne Moore giving you this important reminder to buy enough hot dogs for your 4th of July festivities.

My review of NATCHEZ, Tribeca’s documentary competition winner this year, which is a truly impressive film that I hope will get to be widely seen very soon. Scalpel-sharp editing, deep historical and anthropological detail, and a group of captivating—sometimes disturbing—subjects

Can I just put in a plug for book events at local bookstores? Please go to them if ever you can! They’re (usually) free to attend (though of course you can choose to buy the book) and the happiness it brings authors for you to be there is like 10x the effort of getting there!!

Tune out this story at your peril. www.usermag.co/p/right-wing...

I have a new story in @riverstyxmag.bsky.social called “Death and the Bachelor,” and it’s for all the Old Hollywood obsessives, queer cinephiles, romantics and existentialists out there. 🤍✨

I have a new story in @riverstyxmag.bsky.social called “Death and the Bachelor,” and it’s for all the Old Hollywood obsessives, queer cinephiles, romantics and existentialists out there. 🤍✨

One of my favorite essays I've written, on two basically perfect films from a distinctive director who's never gotten his due. MIDNIGHT is streaming on the Criterion Channel now, it's mostly unavailable otherwise so take the time to watch it!

Reviewed I'M STILL HERE for In Review Online. Solid, timely political thriller, and Fernanda Torres' gives a really exceptional performance

Director Mitchell Leisen lines up a shot of Claudette Colbert in the classic comedy “Midnight” (1939)

Oscars aren't the last word on any film's legacy, but a win/nomination can tip the scales on whether a film completely fades from view or is able to stick around. (They also help prop up films that otherwise might get sidelined in favor of franchises)

New piece in praise of MULHOLLAND DRIVE, and in memory of David Lynch, at In Review Online

once again thinking about this passage from David Lynch's book Catching the Big Fish

Love you forever 🖤

Our hearts are with everyone impacted by the devastating wildfires in Southern California. Our Trust & Safety team has created a centralized hub housing all verified fundraisers related to the LA fires, which we'll continue to update throughout the coming days as they come in gfme.co/3DNAIlh

Reviewed Maura Delpero’s VERMIGLIO (Italy’s Oscars entry this year) for In Review Online. Worth a watch—it’s deceptively intricate and filmed beautifully

Happy New Year from Dorothy Parker (and me).

E.M. Forster always gets it

Reviewed MUFASA for In Review Online. Barry Jenkins does genuinely beautiful work, but “live-action animation” is still plunged too deep in the uncanny valley for the film to fully work. (The unimpressive songs don’t help the film’s case either)

Do not hesitate to share this post to rebuild my family’s life after we lost everything in Gaza

Really liked this in @tnyfrontrow.bsky.social’s NOSFERATU review — I’ve noticed a lot films lately that are made of meticulously composed compositions stacked back-to-back which, in total, sap the film of momentum and energy www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

A few favorite movies to watch for when this weird week rolls around 🥂❄️ boxd.it/BAMpE

Wrote a short write-up of HERE (the Bas Devos film) for In Review Online’s best of ‘24 list 🍃🌾 Happy to see some other favorites on here too (esp. CHRISTMAS EVE AT MILLER’S POINT, QUEER, DAHOMEY)

PLEASE DON'T SKIP ME :(( My account has been restricted, So, my gfm doesn't appear to everyone! Please support my family gfm !! by sharing and quoting and donating 💔🙏🏻🚨 gofund.me/a625d5ba Please, Leave a comment 🇵🇸 or 🍉

Semi-colon party all night long! Say what? Semi-colon party all night long!!

Highlighting all the writers we’ve published so far this year! Thank you to our contributors, and to the whole EL community. Help us publish excellent writers in 2025 by donating to our end-of-year fundraiser! electricliterature.com/every-writer-weve-published-in-2024

"Amnesty International’s research has found sufficient basis to conclude that Israel has committed and is continuing to commit genocide against Palestinians in the occupied Gaza Strip, the organization said in a landmark new report published today."

Late to the party on this, but I loved HIS THREE DAUGHTERS—true emotional honesty and clarity in the writing and performances, and I was also so taken with Sam Levy’s cinematography

Deserved!

If you like Kelly Link and Angela Carter stories, “Hounds of Love” by Kate Bush, or anything involving talking animals with questionable intentions, then you’ll (hopefully!) like this too

New short story (first fiction publication!) in Muleskinner Journal today. It's a queer, contemporary fairy tale about a man and a fox—and about isolation, desire, the beast waiting at the door.

Some 2023 favorites

“It’s still relatively taboo to discuss the obvious fact that queer desire jumbles up desire for and desire to be.” Excited to see QUEER, and this is such a beautifully written review