"Writing about the new wizard show as if it’s a normal program is a political act."
What do we do with the new Harry Potter show?
One thing is clear: We can’t magically erase the issues around the Sun City of television
moryan.com
@Scarequotes
He/him. Moviegoer, movie lover. Handy on a pub quiz team.
Has favorites — 15 sources in 90 days
"Writing about the new wizard show as if it’s a normal program is a political act."
What do we do with the new Harry Potter show?
One thing is clear: We can’t magically erase the issues around the Sun City of television
moryan.com
Nice intro to Ksenia Nekrasova, a Russian poet not well known in the US.
“I have met only two female poets in my life...
...Marina Tsvetaeva and Ksenia Nekrasova.” —Anna Akhmatova
patrickw577004.substack.com
2000 swear words? Now that's a rich language.
Excuse my French? The swear words that used to be illegal in Canada
Quebec has perfected such a vast variety of profanity that it's been called "the Amazon rainforest of swear words". But uttering these terms could have once landed you in prison.
bbc.com
I've been enjoying this camera app and it's nice to hear from Johnson and Yedlin about their thought process.
Can Rian Johnson’s New Camera App Make Your iPhone Photos Look Like His Movies?
The Knives Out director and his go-to cinematographer Steve Yedlin talked to GQ about Chromagraph, a new iPhone app they launched to help amateur shutterbugs take movie-worthy pictures.
gq.com
“Feral parakeets” = band name
The Pollycrisis | David Wingrave
Are the feral parakeets taking over the United Kingdom avian friend or foe?
thebaffler.com
Lovely essay on Annie Dillard, who we lost a few weeks ago.
The Freedom of the Weasel | Grace Glass
Her great themes were timeless, the stuff of the ancients’ ancients: perception, eternity, travel, the problem of evil. She repudiated Aristotle, denied the primordial split between myth and natural philosophy: Anything could, and would, be likened to everything, in the service of the sentence.
nplusonemag.com
Notorious: One of the greatest Hitchcock movies. If any of his masterpieces can be considered underrated, this is the one.
A Very Strange Love Affair: Hitchcock's "Notorious" Turns 80
Notorious turns 80 this year and it's as effective and powerful as ever.
rogerebert.com
Always love a list like this where I haven't heard of at least half of the entries. New stuff to read!
Eight Books to Become a Better Film Critic
It’s just like my opinion, man
afilmdiary.substack.com
Fantastic interview with one of the great film editors, anchored in his work on The English Patient.
Editing As Music: An Interview with "The English Patient" Craftsman Walter Murch
The acclaimed editor and sound designer talks about the poetry of the edit in Anthony Minghella's classic, and his approach to his craft.
rogerebert.com
The only Carthusian monks in the US live in Vermont. This is a lovely deep dive into their life today. (Alas, this branch does not make the liqueur.)
The Carthusians of Vermont - First Things
In a hollow just north of Bennington, Vermont, near the New York state line, nineteen monks at the Charterhouse of the Transfiguration live and die in seclusion. It’s the...
firstthings.com
Had never really thought about "directors who work infrequently" as a specific kind of filmmaker before reading this, but it's a thoughtful, incisive piece.
Bilge Ebiri on Our Fascination with Filmmakers Who Make Few Films
The film critic on Terrence Malick, Lance Hammer, Elaine May, and other directors who went long stretches without making films.
yalereview.org
“This is a mysterious object that keeps growing in meaning.” This whole profile of Lance Oppenheim, one of the directors of You Can See Everything, is worth reading. But it ends with that quote from him, which is a perfect encapsulation of how I feel about any great movie, or great work of art. (And YCSE is indeed great.)
The 30-Year-Old Behind You Can See Everything
How Lance Oppenheim cold-emailed his way into making two of the best films of the year.
vulture.com
I am a relatively new fan, having watched The Rehearsal since the trailer for You Can See Everything dropped, and this is useful background info.
The New Fan’s Guide to the Unreal World of Nathan Fielder
Surprised by the hype around yet another documentary on Theranos fraudster Elizabeth Holmes? It has everything to do with this experimental comedian.
wired.com
Saw Alien again recently, and immediately googled the UX of the self-destruct sequence. This assessment does not disappoint.
A deep dive into the UX of the Nostromo’s self destruct procedure
Because I was so preoccupied with whether I could, I didn’t stop to think if I should…
dinosaurenby.medium.com
Good deep dive into the role of film piracy in film preservation
Pirating the Pirates
Notes from the underground of film preservation.
mubi.com
Really like the nuance involved in making a successful Indigenous restaurant in an industry that benefits from alcohol being a big profit driver. Different solutions!
How Indigenous Restaurants Build Their Drink Menus
For Indigenous restaurants, history and stigma around alcohol impacts how chefs and bartenders approach drink menus.
punchdrink.com
Fingers crossed, because I don't want crows as our enemies.
Are Crows Really Our Friends?
An investigation into the state of corvid–human relations.
audubon.org
Banger of a piece by Emily St. James, with this great final line: "I don't need The Simpsons to be good, but I think some part of me will always need it to exist."
The first time The Simpsons could have ended
Our new series on great TV episodes of the 21st century begins with a would-be series finale.
episodes.ghost.io
I've been wondering just why Jay Kelly was a misfire since I saw it, and this is a great analysis of the movie and Noah Baumbach's career that mostly answers the question.
Did Success Spoil Noah Baumbach?
The director is at his best when he’s depicting men who resent the world for not recognizing their genius.
vulture.com
Never really thought about the erotic nature of typewriters before, so this was illuminating. And a good take on Secretary.
Secretary and the Erotic Nature of the Typewriter
"Two lonely people have come together through a love and desire that’s unique thanks, in part, to the typewriter."
typebarmagazine.com
The obituary Adams deserves.
I have no mouth and I must scream at Black people: Scott Adams, 1957-2026 - The Comics Journal
The creator of Dilbert has died, Scott Adams, June 8, 1957 - January 13, 2026
tcj.com
“You learn that movies are not best viewed in 20-minute increments, but you learn they can be. You hope no director you ever interview reads this paragraph.” Been a while since I was watching movies holding babies, but this is truth.
washingtonpost.com
I didn't expect that there was much more to say about Dorothy Stratten, but this piece — particularly the last few paragraphs — pull it off.
Forgotten Star Dorothy Stratten Almost Lived the Hollywood Fairy Tale. It Ended as a Horror Story.
Peter Bogdanovich, Bob Fosse, and Hugh Hefner all loved her, in their own ways—for better and worse. This reexamination of Stratten’s life, rape, and murder casts a new light on the angel who was a centerfold.
vanityfair.com
As someone who deliberately eats less meat and enjoys vegan meals, it's interesting to see the pendulum swing back towards meat. (I do enjoy meat, just like being deliberate about it.)
How Veganism Got Cooked
Plant-based eating was supposed to be the future. Then meat came roaring back.
grubstreet.com
Some surprising choices, which means it’s an interesting list.
CBC Arts Presents: The 50 Greatest Films Directed by Canadians
Near, far, wherever you are — these directors have shaped not only Canadian film but the entire art of cinema around the globe.
cbc.ca
"We’re foie gras ducks being force-fed escapism." Friction can be good, actually.
In 2026, We Are Friction-Maxxing
In the face of technologies that sell us escapism at every turn, we need to build up tolerance for “inconvenience.”
thecut.com
Far more than just a book review — a deep dive into affection for Judy Garland.
Bee Wilson · Two Pins and a Lollipop: Judy Garland’s Greatness
To be a Garland fan is to have the illusion that you can save her from the wounds of the world, even as her voice and...
lrb.co.uk
Missed this dive into something I've been curious about since seeing the movie: How'd they film all that table tennis in Marty Supreme?
How ‘Marty Supreme’ Got Table Tennis Right
The director Josh Safdie had a personal connection to 1950s players, but he also enlisted professionals to choreograph the action and employed a visual trick.
nytimes.com
I’m not wired to be obsessive like this, but I’m grateful for those who are.
Someone Has To Save The Film And TV That Studios Won’t | Defector
HBO had a series of legendary stand-up specials in the 1990s, and one of the best of those came from a performer who was not a comedian. Ricky Jay and His 52 Assistants was incredibly funny, but Jay was a magician, although that seems not quite right. The press material for the special, which first…
defector.com
Yeah this question strikes deep and is something I've heard a lot of variations on lately.
How the hell are you supposed to have a career in tech in 2026? - Anil Dash
A blog about making culture. Since 1999.
anildash.com
I love a good top 10 list but also appreciate how annoying they can be.
Why critics have a love-hate relationship with top 10 lists - Poynter
Reducing a year of culture to a handful of honorees leads to agita — and, one hopes, appreciation
poynter.org
Love to discover new nuances in one of my Favorite movies. Gorgeous analysis.
There Is No Mary Problem in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’
George’s vision of his wife without him is essential to the film, but critics continue to miss its true—and profound—meaning.
thebulwark.com
Provocative in the "hey, that's a really great point" sense of the word.
Bilge Ebiri: “Why Terrence Malick Is the Most Influential Director”
Bilge Ebiri explores filmmaker Terrence Malick’s vision of grace and his far-ranging influence on American cinema.
yalereview.org
"While I don’t want to pick a fight with the most powerful person in the movie business, that fact leads us towards a controversial but inescapable conclusion: Avatar is an animated movie."
The Truth About the Avatar Movies That No One Wants to Accept
James Cameron and his stars are desperate to convince the world that these movies aren’t “cartoons.” Why bother?
slate.com
Very vicious, even more amusing.
Two Nights Playing With Fire At Patrick Mahomes And Travis Kelce's Steakhouse | Defector
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As celebrity restaurant mascots, athletes offer a tidy sense of vertical integration: Why not supply the very calories they need to expend on the field? I’m surprised there are so few successful models. We have all mostly forgotten (or agreed not to talk about) George Brett’s restaurant in Kansas City, Brett…
defector.com
I've sung "Jingle Bells, Batman smells" for years — long before The Simpsons covered it — but never thought much about the variety of lyrics in this folk song.
Jingle Bells (Batman Smells): an incomplete festive folk-rhyme taxonomy
Gather round the fire, everyone, and let me tell you a story. It has everything you could want in a Christmas blockbuster: superheroes and villains, a car crash, children singing, a mystery to solv…
loreandordure.com
Jeffrey Zeldman on an aesthetic preference for indifference (or cruelty).
Jeffrey Zeldman Presents Accessibility is a human right, cruelty a human wrong. - Accessibility
Once more for the folks in the back. Calibri is easier than Times New Roman for folks with certain visual disabilities to read. That’s why the Biden Administration chose Calibri for their digital communications: to include more people and make life just a wee bit easier for the disabled. And who in their right mind could […]
zeldman.com
Hollywood wants hits — if they're the right kind of hits.
The Hit Hollywood Didn’t Want - The American Prospect
Ryan Coogler’s bloodsucker blockbuster is all about Black creative freedom. No wonder the industry saw it as a threat.
prospect.org
Lots of doom and gloom about moviegoing and movie theaters surviving, but there's interesting stuff going on outside the big chains.
Can Music Box CEO Brody Sheldon, a second-generation movie buff, build a mini-empire of historic theaters?
As many movie theaters struggle, Chicago’s Music Box is expanding into Minnesota and adding a third screen in Lake View. “We seem to be doing something right here,” Sheldon says.
wbez.org
Clear advice. Lots of experience, and some of it may be wisdom.
Ben Kingsley Still Gets Nervous in Front of a Camera
The most acclaimed actor of his time talks about why he changed his name, the sublime moments from action to cut, and the differences between Gandhi and Lear.
esquire.com
Casey Johnston doesn’t just want you to strength train, she has tips for strength training your mind.
how to read more
from someone who actually struggles
shesabeast.co
“It was striking to realize that a) a century ago I might well have died; and b) the cost of maybe saving my life was three hours in the ER and $4.16 worth of antibiotics.” A reminder that things don’t just improve. People make them better — and can make them worse again.
By Charles C. Mann
Our ancestors built grand public systems to conquer hunger, thirst, darkness, and squalor. That progress can be lost if we forget it.
thenewatlantis.com
“Art should be automatically radical,” says Stellan Skarsgård.
Stellan Skarsgård and Robert Reich Tell Us How to Escape the Political Doom Loop
The Swedish actor has a grim perspective on the state of the world. We called in Robert Reich—the academic, author, and former politico—to give hia pep talk.
culturedmag.com
Best thing I’ve read yet on One Battle After Another, one of the year’s great movies.
Black Actresses Are Carrying One Battle After Another
Teyana Taylor, Chase Infiniti, and Regina Hall propel the film’s most conflicted ideas, for better and worse.
vulture.com
Adversarial poetry
Poets are now cybersecurity threats: Researchers used 'adversarial poetry' to trick AI into ignoring its safety guard rails and it worked 62% of the time
Hacking the planet with florid verse.
pcgamer.com
Fascinating though horrible.
How right-wing superstar Riley Gaines built an anti-trans empire
The swimmer tied a trans woman for fifth. The MAGA industrial complex took care of the rest.
motherjones.com
Any interesting storytelling technique can turn into an overused trope.
Death to the Penultimate Flashback Episode
Why do so many shows keep making episodes that feel like unnecessary homework?
vulture.com
Came out last year, came across my feed today.
Gene Tierney and the pitfalls of being 'the most beautiful woman in movie history'
Film star Gene Tierney was worshipped for her looks – but they were also a poisoned chalice. Nearly a century on, has the way we consider beauty changed all that much?
bbc.com
Amazing to take a moment to appreciate the scale of the returns industry.
We Bought a 450-Pound Mystery Pallet Packed With Returned Goods From Amazon and Beyond. Here’s What We Found Inside.
Pallets of overstock, returned, and undelivered-mail packages are an indicator of just how much stuff there is in the retail ecosystem.
nytimes.com
Siskel and Ebert were formative for me, This is a great overview of some of their many high points.
The 50 Best Siskel & Ebert Reviews
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the most famous film critic do ever, here are 50 of their best reviews.
screencrush.com