Favorite films

  • The Last Waltz
  • Citizen Kane
  • A Matter of Life and Death
  • Once Upon a Time in the West

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  • The Georgetown Loop

  • Night Mail

    ★★★★

  • Game Over

  • The Grand Duel

    ★★★★

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  • Dumb Money

    Dumb Money

    ★★

    Gillespie’s narrative is surprisingly inert—especially considering the rambunctious energy and emotional depth he brought to I, Tonya—and for as much as characters talk about their backstories, hopes, and dreams, they never seem to break free of their one-dimensionality.

    More here.

  • The Complete Story of Film

    The Complete Story of Film

    ★★★★★

    Available now from Music Box Films, The Complete Story of Film is a grand and sweeping exploration of cinematic innovation. It’s nearly 19 hours long, discusses more than 600 movies, and features 30-plus filmmakers from all over the globe.

    Cousins’ essayist documentary is neither history nor survey—though you could certainly watch it that way. It’s an exploration of how writers, directors, actors, producers, cinematographers, editors, et al. crafted the cinematic medium into one of the most intoxicating art forms of…

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  • Rome, Open City

    Rome, Open City

    ★★★★

    Remember those old movies? The ones where a couple drives down the road, only they aren’t driving, they’re sitting in a car on some studio lot. And that’s not a road behind them; it’s a rear projection of road. Looks fake doesn’t it?

    Did this fakery bother audiences back then? Not in the slightest. Back in the 1920s, ’30s and even into the ’40s, movies were about beautiful people living in fabulous mid-city apartments, dressing glamorously, saying the right thing…

  • The Boxing Cats

    The Boxing Cats

    ★★★★★

    As far back as 1894, they figured out that cat videos were what the people wanted.