A short month, but no shortage of bangers. Outrage, directed by Ida Lupino A scream for help in the noirish night. The first Hollywood film confront the subject of rape, though it does not call it by name. Directed by Ida Lupino as only a woman could (the assault scene,
The much-reviled 31 Days of Oscar enters its third excruciating week, with anointed mediocre classics dominating the programming. But there are a few gems that deserve your attention. Saturday 02/28 04:30 p.m. PST The Naked Spur. Probably the best of the James Stewart/Anthony Mann westerns
Tubi is a free streaming service, with ads. The ads keep it free and Tubi adamantly claims they will always be free (thus, will always have ads). Now the ads may be a non-starter for many of you, but at least they warn you when they are coming with
The dreaded 31 days of Oscar continues. The highlight of the week is Sunday-Monday some classic WW2 films that emphasize humanism over patriotism. If you are lucky enough to have your pa or grandpa still around, watch these with him. Also featured, some absolutely seminal films about Union Organization.
The Grim Reaper was a bigger son of a bitch than usual today. We lost Robert Duvall and the great Documentary film maker and giant human being Frederick Wiseman.
Sam Raimi has been a brand name since he burst (splattered?) onto the scene with the magnificent, micro-budgeted The Evil Dead in 1981. He executed the tried and true Hollywood career strategy, still very much valid today, of strutting your stuff in low-budget horror as an entree to
The dreaded 31 days of Oscar has begun on TCM, so lots of official classics that are either not great or don't need my recommendation. There are a few exceptions, below.... Tuesday, 02/17 06:30 a.m. PST The Desert Song. Dunes and Tunes! Utterly ridiculous musical
If you are wondering what this is, please Read Introduction These are the directors who have transcended their technical problems with a personal vision of the world. To speak any of their names is to evoke a self-contained world with its own laws and landscapes. They were also fortunate
It's a huge week on TCM, including Pre-Code Lubitsch, Michael Schultz and Chuck Heston in a Safari jacket and Ford Galaxie! Friday, 02/06/26 08:30 p.m. PST Man in the Wilderness, directed by Richard C. Sarafian If, like me, you enjoy movies about survival
Terence Stamp passed away this year, and the Criterion Channel has a tribute to him right now. His death called to mind what an incredible run he had in the 60s. He was pretty much to go to go of the Art cinema across the globe for several years. Toby
About a year and a half ago, I started what would prove to be an unachievable and utterly batshit project. It was a "revision" of the Andrew Sarris seminal text The American Cinema: Directors and Directions 1929-1968, or as it is more commonly known, that one book
The first month of the new year began with a bunch of bangers. Several of these wound up on my Best of 2025 list. Song Sung Blue (2025), directed by Craig Brewer The antidote to all those reverent musical biopics about great men. This is about mediocre people who only