On THE WHOLE TOWN’S TALKING, my #5 1935 film

I conclude my series on my favorite 1935 films with my #5: John Ford's THE WHOLE TOWN'S TALKING. This is a *tight* comedy, an absolutely delightful comedy with deep and understated sympathy for its central victim of capitalism and police errors and aggression. trettleman.medium.com/becoming-fre...

Here is an excerpt from my conversation with @mihailova.bsky.social about THE CAT RETURNS for The Complete Catalog: Studio Ghibli. Links in quoted post!

Back in November, I got an unusual request in my inbox: would I be down with recording a Ghibli podcast on The Cat Returns, one of my least favorite Ghibli movies? Turned out to be a really fun conversation, thanks to host @ettletodd.bsky.social open.spotify.com/episode/6Cip...

Studio Ghibli E19 of The Complete Catalog is live! @mihailova.bsky.social and I talk THE CAT RETURNS, a "slight" movie that we maybe expect too much from? But we also describe what we enjoy about this film that lives in the shadows of a few different movies from the studio. Links 👇

Here is an excerpt from my conversation with Ned Thanhouser about THE ABYSS for The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever: 1910. Links in the quoted post!

1910 E2 of The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever is live! Preservationist Ned Thanhouser joins me to talk about the story of the studio his grandparents formed, but also selects mostly classic literature adaptations. Plus one film that courted controversy! Links 👇

On 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE, nearly the “worst” in the series (as you can see, that’s very relative, it’s great)

Oh yeah! It's late, but I saw 28 YEARS LATER: THE BONE TEMPLE today. It rocks. I added my thoughts on it to my piece on the whole series. trettleman.medium.com/the-28-later...

Here is an excerpt from my conversation with Shiro Yoshioka about SPIRITED AWAY for The Complete Catalog: Studio Ghibli. Links in quoted post!

Studio Ghibli E18 of The Complete Catalog is live! Here it is, my favorite Ghibli film: Spirited Away. Lecturer Shiro Yoshioka and I go long on this monumental film, one that I come back to and find new things to appreciate time and time again. Links 👇

Here is an excerpt from my brief season intro to The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever: 1910. Links in quoted post!

1910 E1 of The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever is live! The beginning of a decade doesn't immediately mean a big shift, but this show is kind of about reducing things to calendar years. And indeed, a lot is changing! I give some brief historical context in my season intro. Links 👇

I hate that exercising makes me feel better

On THE 39 STEPS, my #4 1935 film

After a few recent viewings of THE 39 STEPS, I'm still so taken in by how *understated* its approach to thrilling action and suspense is. So I wrote this piece on my #4 1935 film, using that word "understated" quite a bit, paired with my view of its ellipses. trettleman.medium.com/the-elliptic...

Here is an excerpt from my conversation with Zoe Crombie about MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS for The Complete Catalog: Studio Ghibli. Links in quoted post!

Studio Ghibli E17 of The Complete Catalog is live! Lecturer and researcher Zoe Crombie and I discuss MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS, Isao Takahata’s penultimate feature (!) and a deeply funny and moving work in spite (or because) of its episodic structure. Links 👇

Here is an excerpt from the brief season finale of The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever: 1909. Links in quoted post!

1909 E7 of The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever is live! As usual with the brief season finales, I address the themes of the conversations and share the five most selected films (and my own list for the year). Comedy kind of ruled! Links 👇

I shared my 2025 in movie-watching stats last week, but what about the selections for The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever? 2025 contained the entirety (give or take a week) of the 1903 through 1909 seasons. So first, here are the stats for the top 5 films as compiled from guests and listeners’ picks

On BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, my #3 1935 film

I shared my 2025 in movie-watching stats last week, but what about the selections for The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever? 2025 contained the entirety (give or take a week) of the 1903 through 1909 seasons. So first, here are the stats for the top 5 films as compiled from guests and listeners’ picks

I'm really happy about how this turned out: my reading of BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, my #3 1935 film. It was kind of hard to find something new about a very covered film, and maybe I didn't, but I tried to weave together its various themes. trettleman.medium.com/e5be326b99e3...

Please help me identify the women behind the scenes in #StudioGhibli films, particularly if you know Japanese. zepfanman.com/2026/01/help...

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever: 1909 ends next week! What are your five favorite films of 1909 (or any)? Reply here or submit to www.the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list by Monday 1/5 to be brought into the collective list!

Here is an excerpt from my conversation with @malcolmcook76.bsky.social about PRINCESS MONONOKE for The Complete Catalog: Studio Ghibli. Links in quoted post!

The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever: 1909 ends next week! What are your five favorite films of 1909 (or any)? Reply here or submit to www.the5bestfilmsofeveryyearever.com/list by Monday 1/5 to be brought into the collective list!

Studio Ghibli E16 of The Complete Catalog is live! @malcolmcook76.bsky.social joins me to talk PRINCESS MONONOKE, and boy, what an ep! We dig quite deep into this behemoth of pop culture and its profound themes. Plus: some talk about Ghibli's advertising work! Links 👇

The official Letterboxd “Wrapped” or whatever isn’t out yet but I have these 2025 stats here! I watch a lot of shorts. But I’m still disappointed I came in under my 2024 numbers 😔

Here is an excerpt from my conversation with Paul Flaig about FIRST INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION FOR AIRPLANES IN BRESCIA for The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever: 1909. Links in quoted post!

Happy New Year's Eve, 1909 E6 of The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever is live! Professor Paul Flaig wrote a great book on the Weimar Republic and Hollywood slapstick, and although we're of course dealing with an earlier period, he works in German and American (and French!) comedy, plus more. Links👇

On IS THIS THING ON?, Bradley Cooper’s latest film as director and his best yet

Bradley Cooper's still fledgling directorial career has taken a pleasantly surprising turn with his latest, IS THIS THING ON?. Since I saw it, I've been thinking about it quite a bit, and so I also wrote about the guy's whole filmography so far. trettleman.medium.com/the-bradley-...

Here is an excerpt from my conversation with Madeleine Clermont about WHISPER OF THE HEART for The Complete Catalog: Studio Ghibli. Links in quoted post!

Studio Ghibli E15 of The Complete Catalog is live! My good friend Madeleine Clermont joins me to talk about WHISPER OF THE HEART, a sleeper favorite for best Ghibli film. And indeed, we both love it, based on its wonderfully understated yet emotional depiction of the creative process. Links 👇

Merry Christmas! Here is an excerpt from my conversation with Yuki Irikura about GOBAN TADANOBU (and really Japan’s first film star, Matsunosuke Onoe) for The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever: 1909. Links in quoted post!

1909 E5 of The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever is live! Merry Christmas Eve: here's a great episode for you, whether you're alone, escaping family, or can catch up later! Professor Yuki Irikura joins me to mostly talk Griffith, but also old-school tricks and Japan's first film star. Links 👇

On A TALE OF TWO CITIES, my #2 1935 film

My #2 1935 film is A TALE OF TWO CITIES, a surprisingly effective Dickens adaptation. There's one big reason for that: Ronald Colman. My 1935 essay series continues! trettleman.medium.com/a-tale-of-tw...

This may not mean anything to most of my followers but: do we think Hideo Kojima is a lefty?

Here is an excerpt from my conversation with @zepfanman.com about POM POKO for The Complete Catalog: Studio Ghibli. Links in quoted post!

This is my experience with writing my whole life: I think I can't possibly ever get myself to start (sometimes for days), I write three sentences within 45 minutes (most of that spent on my phone nowadays), I make dinner and watch something, I come back and my fingers can't type fast enough.

Studio Ghibli E14 of The Complete Catalog is live! @zepfanman.com and I talk about POM POKO, an eco-fable that simultaneously revels in silly humor and morbid reflections, even while it doesn't provide any easy answers to the destruction facing our natural environments. Links 👇

Here’s an excerpt from my conversation with @kathyfs.bsky.social for The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever: 1909 about THE MILL. Links in quoted post!

1909 E4 of The 5 Best Films of Every Year Ever is live! @kathyfs.bsky.social wrote about early cinema audiences quite some time ago, and has since ranged in other subjects like radio history and back to silent film, and her picks similarly weave from morbid drama to eye-popping tricks. Links 👇

On THE NOISE OF SAY ANYTHING’S ROOM WITHOUT…, the band’s worst album

I saw Say Anything last week and also discovered they (or Max Bemis) had just suddenly dropped a new record, THE NOISE OF SAY ANYTHING’S ROOM WITHOUT… I added my thoughts on it to my piece on their discography. trettleman.medium.com/the-say-anyt...

I’ve been trying to find words about the awful news about Rob and Michele Reiner and this thread captures my thoughts exactly

Here’s an excerpt from my conversation with Michael Burns about OCEAN WAVES for The Complete Catalog: Studio Ghibli. Links in quoted post!