QUESTION FOR DOCUMENTARY MOVIE LOVERS: We're doing our pod this week on doc legend Frederick Wiseman who just passed. We'd love to include communnity thoughts. What do you think of the documentary as a medium? Of Wiseman's work? We'll read comments in pod.

MOVIE COMMUNITY PODCAST QUESTION: We're dedicating this week's pod to documentarian Frederick Wiseman (1930-2026) who shook our cinema with docs like TITICUT FOLLIES, WELFARE, etc. What are your thoughts on Wiseman? Here's a 13mn FOLLIES interview clip: youtu.be/az_50NMq67A?...

Robert Duvall had power just in his presence. He was instrumental in so many classics-TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, NETWORK, APOCALYPSE NOW, etc. Yet it's his quiet intensity in THE GODFATHER movies that remains our favorite. Here's a classic scene to marvel at: youtu.be/MsTpGRKqANg?...

Movie quote Mondays: producer/director George Stevens (WOMAN OF THE YEAR, SHANE, GIANT, A PLACE IN THE SUN): "[in response to a question from Shelley Winters on the difference between stage and screen acting] Shelley, in films you talk soft and think loud."

Sunday classics: A fascinating 1950's 7mn time capsule of the time producer.director George Stevens came on the game show "What's My Line" and was questioned by a blind folded James Mason among others: youtu.be/FLr1jeHeGWQ?...

Saturday "How to-" edit improvisation: Great 4mn43s clip of how editor Thelma Schoonmaker cut the toughest scene of her career -an improv scene in RAGING BULL between De Niro & Pesci: youtu.be/6enMrxbpI-w?...

New movie podcast Friday! SMC Pod #209: The movie repertory theater, the video store, and the streamer: secretmovieclub.podbean.com/e/repertory-...

New Movie Writing Thursdays: Ukranian moviemaker Aleksandr Dovzhenko's mysterious dynamic 1930 montage classic EARTH has much going on beneath the surface: boxd.it/c4YI7d

NEW MOVIE THOUGHTS: We just saw Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho's political thriller THE SECRET AGENT (up for several Oscars). We were quite taken with it (writing upcoming). What did you think?

MOVIE COMMUNITY QUESTION: What are the unique advantages & disadvantages of the rep theater, the video store, and the streamer for cinema culture? We're grateful for your thoughts and will weave your comments into our upcoming podcast released this Friday Feb 13, 2026.

Movie Quote Mondays: Denzel Washington "“Without commitment, you'll never start. But more importantly, without consistency, you'll never finish.”

Classic Movie Sundays: Great 20mn interview with writer/director Charles Burnett on his 1978 masterpiece KILLER OF SHEEP about a black family in South Central LA (also see this movie!): youtu.be/FvzDP7V_0vI?...

"How To" Saturdays: How to Improvise. Catherine O' Hara's choices in Christopher Guest's WAITING FOR GUFFMAN (1997) are a masterclass in how constant craft & work lead to moments of comedic gold. We still remember this as possibly the funniest scene in the entire movie: youtu.be/koL36h8CuZo?...

New Movie podcast Fridays! SMC Pod #208: Charlie Chaplin & Buster Keaton-the start of two cinematic traditions: secretmovieclub.podbean.com/e/smc-pod-20...

DAVID LYNCH FANS! Some good news from Jennifer Lynch, Mr. Lynch's daughter. His final project "Unrecorded Night" a 550 page script (!!) meant to be a series of Netflix episodes will be released by the family so we can all read it. Check out more info here: www.worldofreel.com/blog/2026/2/...

MOVIE QUESTION: The under $3M self-financed YouTube star Markiplier movie "Iron Lung" grossed $18M last weekend. No studio promotion budget. The YouTuber's 38.2M audience powered the movie to big profit. What are your thoughts? Is a new model emerging?

MONDAY MOVIE QUOTE: Michael Caine "Movie acting is about covering the machinery... It looks very easy. It should. But it's not, I assure you. To disappear your complete self into a character is quite difficult. I've tried it 85 times, and I've succeeded two or three times."

CLASSIC MOVIE SUNDAYS: Theo Angelopoulos' 1995 ULYSSES GAZE starring Harvey Keitel is incredible cinema that deserves to be discovered by a new generation. Check out the opening 4 minutes where history-past, present, future-is condensed into 1 shot: youtu.be/St4Okk4OeQ4?...

Our condolences to Ms. O Hara's family. Catherine O' Hara was a continental treasure. Canadian, hilarious, wild range. We in the states got to enjoy her immense talent. There will never be another like her. Here's a 1983 Rolling Stone interview: www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv...

New moving writing Thursday: Wong Kar Wai's 1990 DAYS OF BEING WILD-the ground zero of an achingly romantic body of cinematic work: boxd.it/bPMZz5

NEW MOVIE QUESTION: Both Sam Raimi (SEND HELP) and Gore Verbinski (GOOD LUCK HAVE FUN DON'T DIE) return in February with new movies after long absences. Who's a director who hasn't made a feature movie in awhile you'd like to see make a return? One for us-Spike Jonze.

MOVIE QUESTION: What is a big oversight in Academy Award history? We might suggest Stanley Kubrick not winning BEST DIRECTOR for 2001 in 1969 is pretty high up there. Of course it's subjective. What do you think? Here's the Academy website for research: www.oscars.org/oscars/cerem...

MONDAY MOVIE QUOTE: Avant garde moviemaker Jonas Mekas on the potentials of moviemaking "You have the possibility to give light a dimension in time."

SUNDAY MOVIE CLASSICS: Jonas Mekas' 1969 avant garde classic WALDEN features an incredible moment of music history-Velvet Underground's 1st ever performance at a party hosted by Andy Warhol. Here's the 3mn clip for movie & music lovers: youtu.be/RInhCEZvRf8?...

3mn video history of the influential Sundance Film Festival which celebrates its final year in Park City, Utah this month before it moves to Boulder, Colorado for its 2027 edition. CHECK OUT THE VIDEO HERE: youtu.be/hVL4A97w-6o?...

NEW MOVIE PODCAST FRIDAY: SMC Pod #207: The Character Actor-the unsung critical aspect to what makes a movie work: secretmovieclub.podbean.com/e/smc-pod-20...

NEW MOVIE WRITING THURSDAY: Memories of Underdevelopment (co-adapt & dir by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, 97mns, Cuba, 1968) *Part of Martin Scorsese's WORLD CINEMA project boxd.it/bLUQjx

NEW MOVIE QUESTION: What does everyone think of 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE? Do you think it will work as a trilogy (next movie now officially in development)?

Happy birthday David Lynch born January 20, 1946 in Missoula, Montana. The patron saint of all moviemakers who want to go further. Thank you for all your amazing cinema. Here's his 1/20/22 weather report. And remember, focus on the doughnut not the hole: youtu.be/DbppqP-eq28?...

"I Have a Dream Speech". Still one of the most powerful pieces of cinema ever. Martin Luther King's 8/28/63 speech. On this MLK day, may all Americans who believe this country can become more fair, more equal, always take inspiration: youtu.be/vP4iY1TtS3s?...

CLASSIC MOVIE SUNDAY! Happy birthday Cary Grant, the most debonair motherf#@!er of them all. Born January 18, 1904 in Bristol, UK. Here's a great Turner Classic Movies piece of Michael Caine talking about why Cary Grant is the quintessential movie star: youtu.be/PDBY0A4JnTs?...

MOVIE QUESTION: What's a rarely screened hidden cinema gem that needs to get the big screen treatment? We've always wanted to see the Estonian sci-fi 1979 classic DEAD MOUNTAINEER'S HOTEL on the big screen (we're suckers for Soviet-era sci-fi). How about you?

NEW MOVIE PODCAST FRIDAYS! SMC Pod 206-Movies that capture what it means to be Jewish-American: secretmovieclub.podbean.com/e/smc-pod-20...

NEW MOVIE WRITING THURSDAY: Johnnie To's 2005 Hong Kong gangster succession epic ELECTION is rooted in the values of community, craftiness, and strategy over flash, violence, and showy emotionalism: boxd.it/bEmG3t

MOVIE CULTURE QUESTION: What role do awards shows play in movie culture in this moment? Is their greatest importance getting folks to check out movies as awareness is raised? Is it adding a certain class and mystique? What do you think?

LIMITED SERIES TV QUESTION: Limited TV series like 2014's TRUE DETECTIVE Season 1 and David Lynch's 2017 TWIN PEAKS: THE RETURN (Season 3) rightfully get shouted out for being top form tv-cinema hybrids. What have other limited TV series represent the best work in the genre?

Monday Movie Quote: Spencer Tracy "The...thing an actor has to offer a director and finally an audience is his instinct."

Ah! Is there anything as satisfying as a movie theater lobby full of people talking about the movie they've just seen! Thank you Secret Movie Clubbers for a great 2025. New 2026 events announced asap.

WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE UNDER THE RADAR CLASSICS? Many Secret Movie Clubbers have recommended we screen BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK w/ Spencer Tracy and an all star cast, dir by John Sturges. What are some other great classic movies that should get more big screen love?

FIRST SMC POD OF 2026: SMC Pod #205-The movies of 2025. We look at 12 fascinating movies and what they might say about where we're going with cinema in 2026: secretmovieclub.podbean.com/e/smc-pod-20...

NEW MOVIE POD GUEST SPOT! Profilesineccentricity invited us to talk about writer/director John Huston "the eccentric's eccentric". WARNING: Language & salty stories. Check it out here (there's a Patreon bonus episode as well): open.spotify.com/episode/5ksZ...

New movie writing: Costa Gavras' 1972 political thriller STATE OF SIEGE is still an incisive piece of political filmmaking: boxd.it/bxkF7n

GODFATHER AUDIENCE GENERATIONS: We're so grateful to our audience who have been coming to the Million Dollar Theater for decades. Here's a story of a father-daughter. Stay tuned, new events will be launched/announced asap.

MONDAY MOVIE QUOTE: Akira Kurosawa “In order to write scripts, you must first study the great novels & dramas of the world... You must also see the great films. You must read the great screenplays & study the film theories...If your goal is to become a film director, you must master screenwriting.”

CLASSIC SUNDAY: Here's a fascinating 3mn clip, previously unpublished, of Ingmar Bergman's memories and feelings about Christmas. Beware, it's very Bergman. Yet something about his longing for the memory of Christmas is very profound and moving. youtu.be/uhFCT0hSusM?...

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE OR HIDDEN GEM BUSTER KEATON SHORT OR FEATURE? We're prepping an upcoming podcast on Buster Keaton & Charlie Chaplin. We want your thoughts. What Keaton shorts or features are your favs or discoveries for those who have just seen the hits?

New Year, New movie writing: Happy 2026! We wish everyone every good thing. Edward Yang's 2000 Taiwanese masterpiece YI-YI looks at a modern millenial family across a year of joys and challenges. A great movie, check it out. Here are our thoughts: boxd.it/bldqL1

New Year's Eve movie writing & Rob Reiner tribute: Why WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (1989) is a great new year's eve movie and an example of Reiner's ability to bring joy in the greatest Hollywood tradition: letterboxd.com/secretmoviec...

Secret Movie Club duo collage! Thanks to all our Secret Movie Clubbers who bring their friends, family, significant others to experience cinema in the theater. We love you.

These Secret Movie Clubbers came correct for INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE (screened 12/14/25 Million Dollar Theater, DTLA). Come join the fun and movie community and see great movies in LA's first movie palace. Sign up for newsletter here: lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/u3kseHu/s...