Next week’s column interview is probably the most personal thing I’ve done since that piece on the Meyerowitz Stories I wrote for @brightwalldarkroom.com in 2021. Shout out to @sophyromvari.bsky.social for making space for these important conversations and for her brilliant film BLUE HERON.

Context for those asking:

From an art reporter perspective, J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter should not be compared to Pablo Picasso's iconic oil painting "Guernica" for several reasons, including the big differences in mediums, Picasso dying in 1973, and Rowling explicitly stating she's using her wealth to fund an anti-trans org

You either have this sort of political juice or you don't. Cannot be taught.

You can debate “separating the art from the artist,” in an epistemological sense, til the cows come home, but please know that by supporting anything Rowling touches, you’re funding dangerous political campaigns that align with views and methods of Nazism: mjhnyc.org/blog/transge...

I really appreciate Cristian Carretero and Lorraine Jones’ evocative Puerto Rican lovers on the run drama ESTA ISLA, which rebels against genre conventions to discover something organic and mesmerizing. My review via @ebertvoices.bsky.social

Our latest reading list suggests nonfiction titles (horror film analysis) for the Trans Rights Readathon (17 - 31 March 2026) and beyond... Sign up at transrightsreadathon.carrd.co! #transrightsreadathon #trr2026 #transvisibilityday #bookrecs #nonfiction #booksky #horrorsky

I’ve got a long one for you today! I had so much fun talking with author, critic and film historian @pamhutch.bsky.social about QUEEN KELLY, Louise Brooks, C. A. Lejeune, HÄXAN, and so much more! Read: oldfilmsflicker.substack.com/p/silent-fil...

Sorry to rant but I'm doing so as someone deep into my third act. At every stage, I benefited from editors who had faith in me, colleagues who taught me, writers I wanted to be like. When the very people who should be giving younger writers those chances go on about AI, they are failing their field.

A thriving community of culture writing makes everyone in it smarter; we learn from colleagues, from competitors, from writers who are better than we are! A community that devalues knowledge and accuracy demeans and degrades everyone in it and everyone it's trying to reach. We have to do better.

I can't recall a time when more talented reporters and writers on movies and culture who have real skill and knowledge are struggling to find a foothold. We live in an "Everyone's an expert" era. But everyone isn't. Editors: Please take a chance on folks you haven't tried before. Read their clips!

how does this makes you feel? what do you tell yourself you would do if you were there? 50 years from now what will people say about all the people just standing there letting it happen?

This is so bleak. Rosenbaum was the main film writer for the Reader for DECADES. Legacy media is in such a bad place when they don’t have room for a monthly piece from one of the giants of the medium. jonathanrosenbaum.net/2026/03/movi... jonathanrosenbaum.net/2026/03/movi...

Come on, this is not that hard. Valerie Perrine earned her Best Actress nomination--and she did earn it--for her vulnerable, touching performance in Bob Fosse's 1974 film Lenny. She was a fun, spirited presence in many subsequent movies made by an industry that didn't know what to do with her. RIP.

Four more days to apply for the Chicago Critics Association and Rotten Tomatoes Emerging Critics Program! Get those applications in all you aspiring Chicagoland film critics!

We really need to bring back copy editors. (Perrine was nominated for LENNY -- and rightly so -- and was a supporting player in the SUPERMAN films.)

Want news about the Chicago Critics Film Festival delivered directly to your email? Subscribe to our newsletter for announcements, sneak peeks, and more! 📧 bit.ly/CCFFNewsletter

ICYMI

for the late night crowd

“Every time they were making a film in the silent era, they were exploring the idea of what a film can be. Everyone who tried to get into filmmaking during this era had to have a vision.” A fantastic convo between Pamela Hutchinson and Marya!

for the weekend crowd!!

For people who are concerned about having their devices seized at US airports starting Monday when ICE "assists" the TSA, EFF has this guide: www.eff.org/deeplinks/20...

for the night crowd

The only thing you need to read this Sunday!! @pamhutch.bsky.social and @oldfilmsflicker.bsky.social in conversation -- talking Queen Kelly👑, C.A. Lejeune, feminist film history, silent festivals, Musidora, Iris Barry, and "the magic of film"! 🎞️❤️ oldfilmsflicker.substack.com/p/silent-fil...

for the afternoon crowd

Really enjoyed talking to the fab @oldfilmsflicker.bsky.social for this extended chat.

Must read conversation: Marya E. Gates interviews Pamela Hutchinson oldfilmsflicker.substack.com/p/silent-fil...

All of Marya's interviews are insightful, and this one with @pamhutch.bsky.social is a special delight.

I’ve got a long one for you today! I had so much fun talking with author, critic and film historian @pamhutch.bsky.social about QUEEN KELLY, Louise Brooks, C. A. Lejeune, HÄXAN, and so much more! Read: oldfilmsflicker.substack.com/p/silent-fil...

We made our goal! @812filmreviews.com and I want to sincerely thank everyone who helped us out. Here is a photo of Miss Fanny, who is NOT enjoying life in quarantine. Hopefully she will get better soon. She'll be eleven in May. Here's hoping she's free by then!

boosting to help my homies 🙏🏽

remember when I said Friday the 13th got my ass gofund.me/0d3c67392

for the afternoon crowd

am I living in VANILLA SKY? am I gonna meet Benny the dog???

How can they be $79B in debt and I’m supposed to believe money is real???

The owners of CBS have billions of dollars. This isn’t a fiscal decision. We are in a new era of robber barons, but they don’t just want our resources, they also want to take away our access to information.

Wow. Just announced-- Bari Weiss and co. are shutting down CBS News Radio. deadline.com/2026/03/cbs-...

One of the best. Her deep dives are incredible and she knows the ins & outs of the SEO driven editorial culture to boot. Britt is the level of talent you make a place for rather than wait for a vacancy and hopes she's available.

In this week’s Directed By Women Viewing Guide: a lo-fi expressionistic romantic horror comedy, a social realist drama starring Rose Byrne, Juliette Binoche and the Bakri Family in New York City, short experimental films from Palestine, the films of Monika Truet, and a biopic of Mary Shelley.

"We’re not in Gaza, but we’re close to Gaza. Those are our friends, our family, our colleagues. It’s us. So I think the film was made with a lot of broken hearts, but also, like, this is what we can do. We have to do it." Director Annemarie Jacir on #Palestine36, opening today:

We are just under $500 away from our goal. Thank you to everyone who’s helped so far!

Y'all. . .it's been a year. Literally a year since Miss Fanny almost died from her heart attack and the world has come back for our necks. Literally my neck. Fanny got ringworm and gave me the ringworm. With our medical/cleaning fees. . . my savings are wiped out. Any help would be appreciated.

In this week’s Directed By Women Viewing Guide: a lo-fi expressionistic romantic horror comedy, a social realist drama starring Rose Byrne, Juliette Binoche and the Bakri Family in New York City, short experimental films from Palestine, the films of Monika Truet, and a biopic of Mary Shelley.

for the nite owls

If anyone can help, please do. 🙏

honestly this is pretty much the worst year of my life and the universe keeps piling on more shit

The ringworm Fanny has is quite literally bad luck. It comes from dirt. Outside and outside-indoor cats usually get it. She is neither of those. So by random chance a speck of dirt got into the apartment that infected her and then spread to Marya.

we're about 1/3 of the way to our goal. any help, even sharing, that you can give would be wonderful.

We’re already 18% of the way to our goal. Thank you to all who have contributed 🙏🏾

ICYMI