Now watching:

🎶 Da-n-da-n-da-da-da and here I am The only Cybertruck in Uganda 🎶

I find it moving that David Lynch loved IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE so much he couldn't talk about it without crying. His sincere belief in the redemptive possibilities contained in that film and what it said about people seems to me like a key element of understanding his own work.

Today at The Reveal: You can read @scotttobias.bsky.social on MARTY SUPREME and read me on FATHER MOTHER SISTER BROTHER and ANACONDA. More reviews tomorrow. Phew! It's a busy time of year.

Now watching:

Now seated for AMC’s latest Scream Unseen selection. What will it be? Will it be too terrifying for me to make it to the end?!?

!! Here’s a link to full video of the 60 Minutes segment that Bari Weiss killed last minute, via @jasonparis.bsky.social: is.gd/paU8Ko (It was uploaded to the Global TV app in Canada, seemingly by accident, and has now been taken down)

I've been get a food of new followers, most of whom appear to be bots. But in this era of A.I. acceptance, what is a bot? I welcome you as equals, friends.

“What got broken here doesn’t go back together.” www.vulture.com/2019/10/the-...

A photo I took in 2018 when people living in Trump-branded buildings voted to take his name off. Feel like there’s more of this to come.

Looking at my best movies of 2024 list as I prepare to write my best-of for 2025. And, you know what? Carol Kane in BETWEEN THE TEMPLES as performance of the year, I stand by that. thereveal.film/the-best-fil...

Any Democrat who thinks it's appropriate to "find common ground" with the Republicans on issues like high school sports teams is negotiating with a political party that does not believe trans people should exist. This policy will kill people, so maybe stop wringing your hands about volleyball.

Always smart to follow Hyden's work wherever it publishes. And his newsletter is already good.

Today at The Reveal: three reviews of movies that mildly let us down, to varying degrees:

I'll always be fond of this movie (which is also tangled up in memories of early fatherhood for me, as it is for Matt). It's a really solid foundation. I think Johnson built on it brilliantly. ROGUE ONE suggested an abundance of new possibilities for the series. And then... well...

Oscars Cheer Moment Winners: 2022: The Flash Enters the Speed Force (Zack Snyder's Justice League) 2023: Darrian Bloodaxe Takes a Stand (Rebel Moon, Pt. 1) 2024: Snoop the dog ODs on aspirin (Anatomy of a Fall) 2025: Dalton Gets in some CGI-assisted fights (Road House) 2026: ???

For The Reveal today, I revisit the Rob Reiner film about what happens to military subordinates who follow an illegal order: thereveal.film/the-present-...

It is now my solemn duty as A Guy Who Has Seen Every Other Movie in the Conjuring Cinematic Universe to watch the most recent entry.

Today at The Reveal: I ranked 17 classic Christmas cartoons from the golden age of theatrical animation. Popeye? Mickey? Tom? Jerry? The Little Pups? All that and more awaits those who click.

A classic @kphipps3000.bsky.social list for the holidays: thereveal.film/worst-to-bes...

Today at The Reveal: I ranked 17 classic Christmas cartoons from the golden age of theatrical animation. Popeye? Mickey? Tom? Jerry? The Little Pups? All that and more awaits those who click.

Writing process: I need to look up a poster artist for a passing reference, get drawn down a rabbit hole about the artist's life and work... look up and an hour has passed.

R.I.P.

💔💔💔

Rob Reiner made some great movies but he was also unafraid to speak the truth, and was one of the public voices who knew you don’t squander your platform, and only got louder about opposing evil fucks as he got older. Legend.

Don't know where to begin in paying proper tribute to Rob Reiner. When I was a teen in the '80s, getting into movies, he was one of my first favorite directors. And as someone who loves vintage TV, it's always been a delight to see him pop up in random '60s episodes as Hollywood's resident hippie.

There's an AI product that promises an experience "so cinematic it feels real." This fundamentally understands what "cinematic" means.

I really wanted to like ELLA MCCAY but it's a pretty rough ride for most of its running time.

Hey, you, do you want to read @emilystjams.bsky.social's "Woodworking"? Yeah, I think you do. It's on sale right now... books.apple.com/us/book/wood...

Just had to watch the AI Coke ad while seated for a movie. I’ve never related to the end of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE more.

Today at The Reveal: We handed our Open Questions column over to @kristenklopez.bsky.social, author of POPCORN DISABILITIES:

Every year this list invariably hurts my pocketbook.

Today in The Reveal, I talked to Roger Deakins and his creative/life partner James about his gorgeous new book on cinematography, which our own @kphipps3000.bsky.social help bring to life: thereveal.film/interview-ro...

JFC wish people would stop saying THE HUNGER GAMES ripped off BATTLE ROYALE. (Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian, parroting Quentin Tarantino, being the latest offender.) Might as well say it ripped off THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME; DEATH RACE 2000; ROLLERBALL; THE RUNNING MAN; THE 10th VICTIM tbc

Who needs professional critics when regular folks can also post reviews?

For The Reveal I rounded up the year's best movie posters:

For The Reveal I rounded up the year's best movie posters:

It's a good list of nominees this year. But it usually is and this also feels like an unusually good year for movies. (The movies themselves, not the industry. That seems really iffy.)

Yeah, I agree with this. Writers need to get paid; people subscribing to publications and websites is how that happens. And writers need to get work, so we share what we do in an attempt to try interest people. No apologies for that.

Why rent when you can own?

Now seated for KILL BILL.

Computer... enhance!

Researching an annual piece I write on movie posters always reveals some trends. I think this might be the peak of every-character-gets-a-poster absurdity.

Today at The Reveal: Reviews of MERRILY WE ROLL ALONG (by me) and REFLECTION IN A DEAD DIAMOND (by @scotttobias.bsky.social). (We did not catch FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY'S 2. Apologies. I assure you that we do still like movies):

Today at The Reveal: The latest entry in my '80s in 40 column looks at FOOTLOOSE (and, briefly, CHILDREN OF THE CORN), an old-fashioned movie that nonetheless attempts to make a case against turning back the clock—with dance!

For @tvguide.com I reviewed WAKE UP DEAD MAN: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY (which I think is now my favorite of the three):

Today at The Reveal: The latest entry in my '80s in 40 column looks at FOOTLOOSE (and, briefly, CHILDREN OF THE CORN), an old-fashioned movie that nonetheless attempts to make a case against turning back the clock—with dance!

Did BREAKING BAD's Facebook page get hacked?

Whoa. Enjoy, Minnesota. It's a good family to be a part of.

Me at 22: I like Tarantino's movies and will pore over every interview to get advice on what to watch and be challenged by Tarantino's sometimes heterodox opinions. Me at 52: I like Tarantino's movies.