Second viewing of day: #TheShadowWhip (Wei Lo, 1971) a very entertaining #ShawBrothers wuxia about reputation and past wrongs featuring Pei Pei Cheng in her last film for the studio. #filmsky

Today’s viewing: #CountingCrowsHaveYouSeenMeLately (Scott, 2025) an intimate and moving chronicle of the band and Adam Durwitz as he and the band navigated instant fame and success, at the same time he was struggling with his mental health told in a moving film. #filmsky

15th: Last Seen a powerful a moving example of how primary documents like the ads for the Freedom Generation looking for loved ones after slavery that make up this book can be used to dispel white supremacist fallacies about slavery and black lives in America. #booksky

Second viewing of day: #BastardSwordsman (Chun Ku-Lu, 1983) one of #ShawBrothers later wuxia films that blends swordsmanship, kung fu and magic through the use of VFX as well as standard choreography. Fairly entertaining but not revelatory. #filmsky

Today’s viewing: #Buddha’sPalm (Wong, 1982) this campy, fun, psychedelic #ShawBrothers film blends fantasy, wuxia, and kung fu to create a film with lasers, magic, and special weapons unlike any other film from the studio and was likely the result of success of StarWars. #filmsky

Tonight’s viewing: #Bugonia (Lanthimos, 2025) #filmsky

Second viewing of day: #KillerConstable (Chih Hung-kei, 1980) an amazing late release from #ShawBrothers that presents a gritty, bleak picture of Qing era China and a justice system with no mercy wielded by the Chief Constable known for his bloody sword. #filmsky

Today’s viewing: #TheAvengingEagle (Sun, 1978) one of #ShawBrothers best releases ever blending wuxia with kung fu. It is a different kind of story focused on a villain redeeming himself and finding humanity unlike most of the films with a vengeful hero. #filmsky

14th: Death at the Sanatorium from Ragnar Jonasson is a fantastic example of Scandi crime fiction blended with the spirit of Agatha Christie. Focus is on a cold case from 1983 that is reopened in 2012 and leads to another death and secrets long buried being revealed. #booksky

Today’s viewing: #TheSentimentalSwordsman (Yuen, 1977) a fantastic wuxia from Shaw Brothers that uses the wandering hero narrative to explore larger questions about the nature of love, duty, and justice in the martial arts world. #filmsky

Today’s viewing: #JadeTiger (Chor Yuen, 1977) a very entertaining and emotionally resonant wuxia from Shaw Brothers that critiques the notions of vendettas and skills in martial arts world with its story of a son who recoils from vengeance and learns humility. #filmsky

13: Old Filth from 2004 is a moving novel about Raj Orphans which the main character Feathers was before being sent to be educated in England. Told in memories of Feathers as he looks back on his life at the age of 80 in prose that is startling and sparkling. Outstanding book. #booksky

Turns out that if you want to capture the magic of The Muppet Show, the one neat trick is… To do The Muppet Show. My review of the excellent, hopefully not one-off special: comicbookclublive.com/2026/02/03/t...

Really enjoyed the return of #TheMuppetShow on Disney+ and hope it is successful enough to warrant green lighting further episodes.

Today’s viewing: #ClansofIntrigue (Chor Yuen, 1977) a bonkers in a good way wuxia film from Shaw Brothers that merged wuxia with the Gothic, and police procedural with its story of a legendary thief accused of murdering 3 martial arts clans masters and his quest to prove his innocence. #filmsky

12: Cinder House an imaginative retelling of Cinderella as a ghost story. The novella grabs you from the first page and never lets go with its moving story of loss, identity, and desire. #booksky

Today’s viewing: #TheMagicBlade (Chor Yuen, 1976) an entertaining and shadowy wuxia film from Shaw Brothers that was released at a time when the wuxia film was declining in popularity because of martial arts films. #filmsky

Today’s viewing: #HighPressure (LeRoy, 1932) a madcap Pre-Code WB comedy about salesmen, high pressure corporate schemes, and promotions with William Powell in a role he was born to play. #filmsky

Second viewing of day: #SecretofRedOrchid (Ashley, 1962) a Rialto West German krimi based on Edgar Wallace novel Gangsters in London with a story of American organized crime that comes to London to terrorize wealthy British nobility. #filmsky

Today’s viewing: #The14Amazons (Keng, 1972) released by Shaw Brothers in July. The wuxia film is epic in scope matched with lavish production values that recall those of David Lean and Hollywood in the 1960s. Very entertaining and with a mostly female cast puts a new spin on the genre. #filmsky

Tonight’s viewing: #SecretMallApartment (Workman, 2024) a fascinating documentary that raises questions about gentrification, the notion of art and it value as a form of expression in connection with a collective of artists who lived inside of a mall in a secret space. #filmsky

Finished S2 of #AThousandBlows which was so great. The inclusion of an American angle, mesmerism, along with continued exploration of British colonialism and class via boxing and criminal underworld with emotional depth is so fantastic.

Such shocking and sad news. She was so talented and funny. What a loss for her family, friends and fans.

Today’s viewing: #TheOscars (Rouse, 1966) an over the top campy look at Hollywood, stardom, and Oscar voting and campaigning. An interesting film that marks the departure from classical Hollywood and the beginning of New Hollywood. #filmsky

11th: Shadow Ticket Pynchon’s latest and perhaps last novel is a anarchic, hilarious, jazzy take on the hard boiled novel filled with witty songs and dialogue. Set in 1932 the plot concerns a PI searching for a runaway cheese heiress and along the way he runs into spies and Nazis. #booksky

Highly recommend the new UK crime drama #Bookish that is now available on @pbs.org. Great stories and outstanding production values.

I wrote this song on Saturday, recorded it yesterday and released it to you today in response to the state terror being visited on the city of Minneapolis. It’s dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, our innocent immigrant neighbors and in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. Stay free

Today’s viewing: #28YearsLater (Boyle, 2025) a moving installment in the series that offers some gore and violence while telling a powerful coming of age story about the love between a boy and his mother and how he reckons with crafting his own identity and masculinity. #filmsky

10th: Family of Spies written like a riveting spy thriller Kuehn mixes historical events with her own personal discoveries about her family that reveal a dark secret: her grandfather was a Nazi living in US and provided intelligence for Pearl Harbor attack by Japan. #booksky

Today’s viewing: #TheRip (Carnahan, 2026) on Netflix a so so action film about drugs, money, and corrupt cops helmed by performances from Affleck and Damon. #filmsky

Today’s viewing: #DeadEyesofLondon (Vohrer, 1961) one of the best Rialto West German krimis from 1924 Edgar Wallace novel. The film about wealthy men dying by accident and a possible insurance scam features a solid story matched with great noir inspired visuals. #filmsky

9th: The Crime at Black Dudley Allingham’s take on the country house murder mystery that offers puzzles, feints, and the first appearance of Albert Campion who is a minor character in this book about a weekend house party where murder and thefts occur. #booksky

I have now watched a good chunk of his work in films from Ringo Lam, John Woo, Tsui Hark and more. He was clearly a star and his magnetic presence matched with the grace of his movements plus ability to play action, comedy, hero and tortured bad guys are unmatched by any actor of the 80s/90s. 2.2

The range and charisma of Chow Yun-Fat in Hong Kong films of the 80s and 90s is incredible. He had all the makings of a global movie star but unfortunately was overshadowed by Hollywood stars like Tom Cruise. 1/2

Today’s viewing: #OnceAThief (Woo, 1991) a very entertaining and lighthearted take on the heist film from Woo who ably combines comedy, drama, and his trademark balletic gun battles into a story of friendship. #filmsky

Nominations for the 98th #Oscars are officially in! See the full list of 2026 nominees.

I’ve added the script for Wake Up Dead Man to my site. This is the final shooting script, so it has stuff that was cut and moved around, which I always think is more interesting to see than a conformed cleaned up version. Enjoy! www.rian-johnson.com/screenplays

Today’s viewing: #BulletintheHead (Woo, 1990) a classic Hong Kong action film from the master of the form John Woo. It is a harrowing and moving look at male friendship, greed, and honor set against the chaos of 1960s. #filmsky

8th: China’s World View from Chinese economist Li is a book worth reading to get some insight into Chinese economic policy and foreign policy as well as a better understanding of domestic policy. Readers should be skeptical as Li does seem to get lost in the propaganda. #booksky

Wanna read 5,000 words on a hundred years of Universal monster films? Sure you do! My latest for @crimereads.bsky.social crimereads.com/universal-mo...

Today’s viewing: #TheGreenArcher (Roland, 1961) the West German krimi which was an adaptation of Edgar Wallace’s 1923 novel. The film about a wealthy and cursed family, Bellamy, with a disgraced man grapples with issues of class, vengeance, and murder. #filmsky

7th: Flesh the 2025 Booker Prize Winner which is written in a spare prose style to propel the discomforting story of Istvan, a Hungarian man who seems to drift through his life saying “okay.” There is no inner awareness of his character only vignettes of alienation and trauma. #booksky

Today’s viewing: #ApocalypseintheTropics (Costa, 2024) a revealing documentary that examines how the growth of Evangelicals in Brazil gave rise to a politics of the far right and anti democratic movements in the country. #filmsky

6th: Stephen Greenblatt’s outstanding literary biography and cultural analysis of Christopher Marlowe— Dark Renaissance. It provides a much richer portrait of Marlowe as an artist, student, and spy while connecting his experiences to changes in Elizabethan England. #booksky

Second viewing of day: #NightoftheJuggler (Butler, 1980) a gritty, sleazy, non stop action film filmed in and on the decaying streets of NYC. Main plot deals with kidnapping of a teen girl by a racist psycho who wants to get revenge on wealthy property developers. #filmsky

Today’s viewing: #TheRedCircle (Jurgen, 1960) the second Edgar Wallace krimi based on the 1922 novel. Fairly entertaining crime thriller that is overshadowed at times by too many subplots, minor characters, and feints. Still, the central villain and story are solid. #filmsky

5th: Fate of the Day, Atkinson’s thorough look at the American Revolution from 1777-1780. A must read to see how through stumbles and some successes in those years America was able to hold together even as it faced overwhelming challenges from UK and for food, weapons, etc. #booksky

4th: Broken Arrow the latest in Univ. of New Mexico’s Reel West series. Angela Aleiss offers solid background on the development of this iconic Western along with deep insight into its stance on Native American identity and values at the time perfect for scholars and fans. #booksky

Another banger from Variety's Daniel D'Addario, who is owning the Kill Tony beat (Dokoupil, not the podcast.) "Dokoupil has attempted to position himself as something more than anchor: He seems to be, in his mind, the main character of the news." Read and share: variety.com/2026/tv/colu...