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“The Forest Spirit gives life and takes life away. Life and death are his alone.” One of the most beautiful things about Princess Mononoke is the magnitude of the world, and it’s not merely in terms of how director Hayao Miyazaki brings his resplendent hand-drawn landscapes to life read more

Like many, I read the Odyssey as part of my high school education, but what remains are bits and pieces of iconography passed down through popular culture as much as the text itself. To state the obvious, Christopher Nolan’s latest film is an adaptation, and it makes creative choices that a my read more

I’ve been dipping back into the work of Joan Crawford and director Frank Borzage, so here are some capsule reviews of some of their films: Sadie returns home to the playful shenanigans of her former compatriot (Franchot Tone). Her mother is the long-time cook of a well-to-do family, and he is read more

The topical sweet spot of screwball comedy, journalism, and ocean liner romances, makes Libeled Lady feel like a quintessentially 1930s movie. Trusted studio director Jack Conway and the stars peg it as prime MGM. Spencer Tracy is Warren Haggerty, the managing editor of the New York Evening Star. He read more

“God chose the foolish things of the world, that He might put to shame those that are wise. And He chose the weak things of the world that he might put to shame those that are strong” – Ira quoting 1 Corinthians 1:27 Man’s Castle has a wonderful set-up for a beautiful gag, al read more

“Nobody knows if a person’s good or bad except the person themselves, and they won’t tell.” Pre-Code has garnered a salacious reputation for the titillating nature of its content and themes, which all but fly in the face of what contemporary society perceives to be Classical read more

“Nobody knows if a person’s good or bad except the person themselves, and they won’t tell.” Pre-Code has garnered a salacious reputation for the titillating nature of its content and themes, which all but fly in the face of what contemporary society perceives to be Classical read more

Christian Petzold is one of my favorite directors working today, and part of this might come from hearing his interviews. Because he’s such a charismatic, hilarious person to listen to. It might be surprising to those familiar with more than a few of his films. Still, his knowledge and love of read more

Before the movie played, there was a short featurette following famed animator Hayao Miyazaki leading up to his Oscar win for Boy and The Heron in 2024. He sits with one of his fanciful drawings and mumbles something to the effect that it’s a pain going back to the real world.  You only say th read more

For the two years I lived in Japan, one of my immediate joys was discovering music that was new to me: It included the likes of Happy End and Mr. Children. And that’s before you broach the subject of City Pop. But about the same time, I was smitten by some of the tunes of Yumi Arai. It wasn read more

I never went to summer school, and I genuinely enjoyed taking standardized tests. But I still feel an instant kinship for these kids and their world. I was a high school student decades later, and I’ve only taught in a classroom on a very limited basis. And yet, these experiences made me recog read more

Some Kind of Wonderful announces itself in all its ’80s glory with a montage of drums, synths, working-class grease monkeys tinkering on cars, and a pair of teens making out. There’s no doubt it’s a John Hughes movie, and though Howard Deutch was called back after Pretty in Pink t read more

Wargames is a movie for the age of “Star Wars,” and by Star Wars, I’m referring to Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative. Because, despite detente, these are still the days of the Cold War, mutually assured destruction, and the threat of nuclear holocaust. Warm and fu read more

The Barkleys of Broadway was initially conceived as a reunion. It was meant to star Fred Astaire and Judy Garland to capitalize on their successful partnership with Easter Parade. Taking nothing away from Judy, it does feel like there’s something propitious about Astaire and Rogers getting bac read more

Ralph Bellamy, Jack Carson, and Fred Astaire sounds like a stellar triumvirate for a movie, and Carefree does us a favor by getting the three men together. Bellamy takes up his usual post as the other man and jilted lover, Stephen Arden. Amanda Cooper (Ginger Rogers) can’t seem to make a decis read more

Taken in the lineage of movie musicals, Follow The Fleet feels like a prototype for On The Town, or maybe there were just more movies focusing on sailors on leave back in the day. It’s like romances set on ocean liners. With the proliferation of commercial air travel, it’s possible a who read more

Roberta opens with a troupe of musicians known as the Wabash Indianans who perform a wonderfully kooky organ routine in the middle of a train depot. It’s so inventive in fact, including the verbal gymnastics of Candy Candido, that they get sacked before they can even begin their gig in France. read more

Circle of Danger introduces us to our hero, Clay Douglas (Ray Milland), off the coast of Florida. He’s part of a team of salvagers culling the depths. For others, it’s a moneymaking proposition. For him, it’s solely mercenary. The first sign of real dough, and he parlays it into a read more

Movies like Easy Living would eventually go extinct with the advent and further proliferation of television. Now these kinds of programs would exist on cable or maybe streamers. It’s 1 hour and 17 minutes with solid stars, fairly impressive production values, and yet it’s certainly filli read more

Below, I highlighted some of the other movies and documentaries I watched in 2025 and managed to jot down a few thoughts. Thanks for reading! Like the modern biopic, it’s cheekily self-aware, but it’s also good fun. Koln 75 slaloms through time and space, German and English, while pledging an abidi read more