Oh, shit, @jamellebouie.net is writing the Criterion essay for the Network 4K release. I may have to pre-order. www.criterion.com/films/34869-...

Martin Scorsese and Danny De Vito were both born today, two years apart, and in their honor here are some Frank-themed Scorsese memes:

Netflix House is deeply strange and vaguely upsetting, a misguided meatspace concept from a company that wants to kill the theatrical experience (aka communal culture) altogether. Read Josh's great article about it!

Top five genres: -metaphorical or literal monster cannot help themselves -urban siege -melodrama feat. beautiful kitchens -procedural shakes hero to their core -snappy dialogue consolation for unhappiness

Some inspiring words on cinema in the streaming era from the Pope. Yes, THAT Pope.

Good week. Most of the time the awards season crunch leads to some duds, but for the past few days I've been lucky.

Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague is streaming on Netflix today! If you didn't make it to the big screen for this, I suggest putting your phone in another room while you watch. As a black and white hangout movie, total immersion is key to its charms.

I have my pulse on what gets clicks, which is why I went long on how it's a mixed bag that Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress is always mentioned alongside Star Wars.

New albums releasing today I'm pumped about: -Home Front (post punk) -Odonis Odonis (industrial punk) -The Notwist (electronica) -Wale (hip-hop) -Blondshell (indie rock) -FKA Twigs (art pop/R&B) Maybe I should start posting these every Friday. We need more music talk on here, y'all.

I am about to see the new Knives Out movie. My prediction: the hot priest did it! (This is also covering my bases because I could be referring to two different people/suspects).

There are many great two-word phrases from rock history, but I am most partial to "NIGHT MOVES."

Spotted on /r/letterboxd

Slowly but surely, word of mouth for Train Dreams is spreading. Unlike many other films this prestige movie season, it returns to my thoughts regularly. It's a grower!

I like Defector, but they have run multiple versions of this piece - all of which are framed by how a movie's politics do not align with the author's. I am glad they are dipping their toes into criticism, I just hope they find something more to say than telling a movie's fans they're wrong.

The depravity of our healthcare system really clicks into focus when you consider an actor of his stature must auction off merch for his medical bills.

car speeds will remain unrestricted

A bunch of DC-area concertgoers who refuse to be scabs just unclenched their buttholes.

I am a simple man. I thought the whole point of the moniker “007” is that the person assigned it is anonymous and replaceable.

Edgar Wright’s The Running Man has the roughest third act rewrites I’ve seen in years, to say nothing of the egregious product placement. I keep hoping his films without Simon Pegg will be good… not anymore.

Die My Love is an intense drama anchored by an unforgettable Jennifer Lawrence performance. Since it got a big release this weekend, I hope a bunch of normies saw it and had their minds blown. My @spectrumculture.bsky.social review.

Truly a great indie pop album. Every song is a banger.

Sunday is my birthday, and to celebrate my wife was going to take me to dinner at a nice restaurant. We just found out our reservation, which was made MONTHS ago, was canceled due to an unforeseen plumbing issue. How fitting, given how shitty this year has been. I cannot help but laugh.

Train Dreams is a remarkable drama, one that will languish on Netflix because its inexorable, meditative power is not suited to streaming. Go see it in theaters while you can.

Frankenstein is available to stream on Netflix today, so expect a bunch of “I don’t get the big deal” takes from people uninterested in the movie who half-watched it on their phones.

I went a little long on Nuremberg, a legal thriller I liked more than my critic colleagues. Yes, it's didactic and blunt, but I would argue that is an appropriate response to our current times. Terrific ensemble, too.

Letterboxd is down because my latest review was so incisive the network crashed. My bad, everyone.

Not surprisingly, @attackerman.bsky.social has the essential Cheney obituary. A few good zingers in here, too.

Vice is worse than Crash. Vice is so bad that Crash is the *funnier* movie. Crash is woefully misguided, but unlike Vice, it does not drip with contempt for its audience.

If you want to understand Cheney's legacy, maybe the last place you should look is Adam McKay's VICE - the worst Best Picture nominee this century. In the days ahead, there will be funnier obits with more history and moral clarity than McKay - an idiot's idea of a smart man - could ever muster.

Now is a race against time to tell friends Cheney died via emoji-pasta because that’s the *best* way to share/learn about his demise.

This is DELICIOUS: 1. Cook half a pound of spaghetti in boiling water. 2. Whisk a sauce of olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, fresh pepper, and Parmesan until smooth. 3. Drain the pasta, add it to the sauce, then toss with fresh basil leaves. 4. Add extra cheese/pepper/oil to taste.

Violent Ends is a throwback to the talky Tarantino knockoffs of the 1990s… just not the good ones.

James Earl Jones, the old man from The Sandlot.

Me turning on the game: oh I bet this will be fun. Me right now: no cocktail I make will be strong enough.

Jafar Panahi’s latest is a masterpiece, and it opens in DC theaters this weekend. Go see it.

Top first time viewings, October: 1. It Was Just an Accident (2025) 2. Train Dreams (2025) 3. Frankenstein (2025) 4. Penda’s Fen (1974) 5. From Beyond (1986) More new releases than usual, but what can I say? It’s that time of year.

My last scary movie of the month is Benson and Moorehead’s Resolution, one of my favorites. It’s a slow burn, sure, but it is genuinely creepy and all the more effective because it never looks and acts like its preferred genre. It is also funny as hell.

Next level: strategically trading Halloween candy is a great way to teach the economic concept of comparative advantage.

Buscemi!

Free idea for the residents of Elm Street: get blackout drunk every night! You won’t dream about a thing.

This Halloween, I am correcting a major cinematic oversight. That's right: I am watching Freddy vs. Jason.

Jafar Panahi’s latest is a masterpiece, and it opens in DC theaters this weekend. Go see it.

Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague is a French-language comic drama that follows the production of Godard's Breathless. It'll be most enjoyed by folks already familiar with titans of French cinema, but no matter your background, the gorgeous B&W photography makes this a must-see in theaters.

The Kennedy Center may be nationally recognized, but it's still mostly frequented by locals. DC residents went more than 90% for Harris, so it tracks they won't support the ideological philistines that run it now. It's a shame, since performers booked in advanced for 2025 shows suffer most.

Tonight was my third or fourth time seeing Nation of Language, and they just keep getting better. They might be the best indie band of the 2020s, or at least among the most underrated.

I am seeing Nation of Language tonight, as elegant synth pop is one of life’s simple pleasures.

Knocking ONE BATTLE AFTER ANOTHER because it doesn't do activism the way you think it should is a symptom of online culture's belief that all art *has to* reflect and preach a realistic progressive political model for its era. But that's not how art, stories, or humans work.

No type of criticism is more tired and lazy than “actually, you’re all wrong to hate/love something” that comes weeks after a consensus takes hold. You’re not the Last Honest Man, you’re just late and kind of a coward.

I rewatched The Green Knight, my first time since the theater, and all the ambiguity I thought it had dripped away. If anything, its mirrors The Last Temptation of Christ, with Vikander as both Magdalene and Judas. A rich text that rewards multiple viewings, not just because the 4K looks great.