Watched and Read - June 14, 2026

 Here's what I watched and read this past week...

 

MOVIES

Disclosure Day (2026), directed by Steven Spielberg, is classic Spielberg with outstanding performances by Colin Firth, Josh O’Connor, Emily Blunt, and Colman Domingo. The score by John Williams is also amazing. There is a lot of great action, especially the train sequence. It is refreshing to see a new film that has a realist look. With that being said, the CGI effects sometimes didn’t blend well with the live action. I do miss the puppeteer days. Disclosure Day is not as great as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but the movie is definitely worth seeing, especially for its theme of empathy and its big action sequences.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), directed by Steven Spielberg, is one of my top films of all time, and one I watch ever year. I also teach it for sound studies in my intro to film course. I could write a whole post about the film’s sound and cinematography . The first time the aliens visit Barry’s house is a great example of the creative use of off-screen sound. Roy building Devil’s Tower in his living room while the television plays in the foreground is a great of example of how the long take can create an active spectatorship. Lastly, the special effects are amazing. It is a must-see film.

Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer (2026), directed by Wes Orshosk, is a tough documentary to watch on Iron Maiden’s legendary singer from the first two albums. Yet, I found it to be very engaging. Although, the surgery scene was a little tough to watch.

200 Cigarettes (1999), directed by Risa Bramon Garcia. I always enjoy web of life narratives. It had been a while since I’ve seen the film, and I think it still holds up as a fun 1990s film, with a great soundtrack. The ending is too neatly tied up for me. Val and Stephie’s New York accents also didn’t ring true (I say this as someone who has a New York accent). But overall, I enjoyed watching the film again.

Tokyo Story (1953), directed by Yasujirō Ozu, is his masterpiece and a great film of world cinema. Ozu has a very distinct style of filmmaking. His films are paced leisurely, emphasizing dailiness. Today, this would be referred to as slow cinema. Ozu is also known for his depiction of 360-degree space. A great classic Japanese film.

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TV

We finished watching Legends, which is a fantastic miniseries. The acting and writing are outstanding. The first episode starts off slow, but afterwards, you will be hooked. The fact that this is based on a true story is unbelievable.

I started watching The Wonder Years again. This was a popular series when I was in high school. A little over ten years ago, I binged-watched the entire series. It is one of those older television shows that did a great job of balancing serialization and episodic storytelling. I love the episode when Kevin goes to work with his father in the first season. A great nostalgia show, with a good soundtrack. It is streaming on Hulu.

I just discovered there are new Regular Show episodes on Hulu. It’s always fun to watch Mordecai and Rigby.

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BOOKS

I am currently finishing Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. I’ve seen the movie before, so I am familiar with the story. So far, this is an amazing book, with six nested narratives.

Watched and Read - June 7, 2026

 

Here’s what I watched and read last week…

 

 

MOVIES

The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936), directed by Jean Renoir. This week I started watching the Criterion Channel’s curation of French poetic realism. I had a seen a few films from this period, but I was curious to learn more about this movement. The Crime of Monsieur Lange is an entertaining film about a small publishing company run by Paul Batala, a shady man. I enjoyed the cast of characters. The set design is cramped and confined, which I am learning is a stylistic trait of poetic realism.

The Lower Depths (1936), directed by Jean Renoir. This is another film from Criterion’s poetic realism collection. A good drama with a great performance by Jean Gabin who plays Pepel. I particularly enjoyed the scene when Pepel becomes friends with the Baron after trying to rob him.

A Wedding (1978), directed by Robert Altman. I‘ve always wanted to see this one. What a cast of characters! Almost fifty! Carol Burnett is amazing. She should have been nominated for an Academy Award. A Wedding is not as great as Nashville or McCabe & Mrs. Miller, but this is a solid and funny film. Altman’s career in the 1970s is amazing. A Wedding is available to stream on Criterion. Don’t miss this one.

Power Ballad (2026), director by John Carney. Another great one by Carney. I’ve loved all of his film, with Sing Street being one of my favorites. Great performances by Paul Rudd and Nick Jonas. Fun film with a good soundtrack.

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TV

Welcome to Wrexham. This is turning out to be a really good season. I look forward to each week’s episodes. Go Wrexham!

I watched the third episode of The Boroughs and am still enjoying it. There was a great twist at the end of this one.

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BOOKS

I finished Jacques Lacan’s first seminar. I’ve read a lot of Lacan and do have some familiarity with his concepts. It goes without saying that Lacan is very difficult to read. In Seminar I, he takes up the topics of ego psychology, speech, transference and resistance. This is also the seminar where he discusses the inverted bouquet scenario. I plan to read Seminar II which is a continuation of these topics.

 

Watched and Read - May 31, 2026

 

Here’s what I watched and read last week…

 

MOVIES

Hard Boiled (1992), directed by John Woo, might be one of the greatest action films ever made. I always show the shoot out in the tea house that opens the film to my students, and I always tell them that this is nothing compared to the hospital sequence. The long take of Tony Leung and Chow Yun-fat moving through the hospital corridors is one of the many highlights of the film.

Clockwatchers (1997), directed by Jill Sprecher, is a smartly written movie, with great performances. I particularly enjoyed how space is depicted in the film. There are a lot of shots that compress the work environment, which I think nicely parallels the existential theme of work. This is a great companion film to Office Space. It is streaming on the Criterion Channel.

Marty, Life is Short (2026), directed by Lawrence Kasdan, is good documentary on the comedian and actor Martin Short. It is hard to believe all the tragedy he faced throughout his life. Definitely worth watching.

We Bury The Dead (2026), directed by Zak Hilditch. I was mixed on this movie. I enjoyed the visuals and post-apocalyptic atmosphere, but I didn’t find it to be scary. The sound effects of teeth chattering from the zombies were a little too much for me. I had to turn the down the volume on my TV, it was so intense! But I am glad to see Daisy Ridley on screen.

Abraham’s Boys (2025), directed by Natasha Kermani, is a good movie. I read on IMDb that the film has terrible reviews, but I actually enjoyed it. It is slow paced, with a moody atmosphere. The cinematography is excellent. I particularly enjoyed the deep-focus landscapes which allows us to see the isolation of the Van Helsing family. I also enjoyed the mixture of the Western and Gothic. The film is based on a Joe Hill short story, which I’ve read. Hill is an excellent writer, and I am glad to see some of his stories making it to the screen. Abraham’s Boys might not be for everyone, especially if you are looking for lots of jump scares and fast-paced horror. But I really enjoyed Kermani’s slow cinema style adaptation of Hill’s story.

Marty Supreme (2025), directed by Josh Safdie. I really enjoyed the film’s fast-paced energy. It comes at you like a bullet train. Once you’re on board, it’s hard to get off. This is not your typical sports film. Timothée Chalamet said he watched The Hustler and The Color of Money to prepare for the role. I can see some of Tom Cruise’s Vincent from The Color of Money in Marty. It also might be one of Chalamet’s best performances. The cast of characters is great. 

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TV

Welcome to Wrexham, episode three, is another good episode of the latest season. We are introduced to more new players that might be shifting the tide. And I always enjoy the stories of the Wrexham community.

Spider-Noir. I enjoyed the first episode. I watched the color version. Next episode, I will check out the black and white version. Great cast of characters.

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BOOKS

The Philosophy of Horror, or Paradoxes of the Heart by Noël Carroll is a very good book on the horror genre. The premise is this: why does horror frighten us when we know the monster does not exist. It is what Carroll calls the paradox of horror. One of his central claims is that it’s the thought of horror that frightens us. Carroll offers lots of examples to back this up. However, his critique of psychoanalysis is weak and outdated. I recommend reading Todd McGowan’s article or his book on The Real Gaze and Slavoj Žižek’s response to Carroll and David Bordwell’s critique of psychoanalysis and Marxism in The Fright of Real Tears. Putting psychoanalysis aside, if you are interested in horror studies, this is a must-read even if you don’t agree with some of Carroll’s claims or his definition of horror.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is an amazing book. I teach Hugo in my introduction to film course but had never read the book. I definitely plan to assign the book for my Film and Literature course. If you love movies, this is a must-read.

 

 

Watched and Read - May 24, 2026

 Here's what I watched and read...

 

 

MOVIES

Used Cars (1980), directed by Robert Zemeckis. One of my favorite films that I watched growing up. Much of the humor still holds up, especially the scene when they jam the president’s speech on TV to run a commercial. And I love Toby, the dog. Fun film.

Room 237 (2012), directed by Rodney Ascher. I don’t agree with many of the interpretations and claims made in the film, but I still found it fascinating to watch. The Shining is one of my favorite films, and I even wrote a chapter about it in my book, Cinema of Confinement. The documentary is worth checking out, especially the part where they play the film forward and backwards at the same time. But if you are a Kubrick fan, you might find yourself yelling at your TV or computer, or however we watch things these days.

Fear and Desire (1952), directed by Stanley Kubrick. This is the first film directed by Kubrick, which he financed himself. It is nowhere near the great films he would later make, but it is worth seeing, even with all its flaws and mistakes. For one, the visuals are great - there is something strange about the way Kubrick frames and composes the forest. There are also some interesting experiments with editing. Lastly, Kubrick’s first film takes up a topic that he would return to in Paths of Glory and Full Metal Jacket: the psychological impact of war on the individual. Kino Lorber put out the restored version (70 minutes) a few years ago. Definitely worth the watch. 

 

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TV

I watched the first episode of The Burroughs and thought it was pretty good. What held my attention was Alfred Molina. He is just an amazing actor, and he plays the part with authenticity. In addition to Molina, there are other great actors in the series, such as Geena Davis, Bill Pullman, and Clarke Peters, to name a few, that make it worth watching. It definitely has an old-school Spielberg vibe from the early 1980s.

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BOOKS

See my post on Stephen King’s From a Buick 8.

I am almost done reading Noël Carroll’s book, The Philosophy of Horror, or Paradoxes of the Heart, which I am very much enjoying.

 

 

Newsletter #6

Hope everyone is doing well and getting excited for summer. Speaking of summer….

My Lovely Dark Summer:

It is now available to purchase. It’s also available on Kindle Unlimited.

I received two very nice reviews, one from Kirkus Reviews and Readers’ Favorite.

I am very excited for everyone to read it.

Hitchcock Project:

The proposal and writing sample have been sent. Now I am “patiently” waiting for the reviews. In the meantime, I am starting to write the conclusion.

Run to the Future:

This is the second Charlie One book, and I am very happy with the draft I’ve written. There’s a good chance I’ll have it ready in 2027.

Dark Escape:

This will be the fourth book in the Zworsky’s Children series. The story follows Robbie from Texas’s escape from the Circle. The story parallels Rise of the Creepers. I think I can have it ready in 2027.

Flight Unknown:

I went over 100 ratings on Amazon! I am very thankful for the ratings and reviews.

Movies and Books Read:

You can always read what I’m watching and reading on my Substack page.

Well, that’s it for me.

Enjoy the summer.

Keep reading. Watch movies.

Tom C.

www.tomconnellyfiction.com

 

From a Buick 8 and the Horror of the Unknown

 

I was going to include this in my watched and read, but decided it deserves its own post.

I finished Stephen King’s From a Buick 8 this week, which was my second time reading it. The setting of the story is Pennsylvania. It is an oral account of a Buick abandoned at a gas station by a mysterious man who randomly disappeared. “Oil’s fine!” The car is towed to a state trooper barracks (Troop D) and stored in Shed B. The story is more about atmosphere than plot. As I wrote in my last post, King does not offer much specificity about where the car came from and why strange things emerge out of it (although I like the idea of it coming from Mid-World).

There is, however, a parallel between the unexpected death of Curtis Wilcox and the mystery of the Buick. Curtis died while on duty. His teen son, Ned, likes to hang around the barracks as a way to be close to his deceased father. State trooper Sandy Dearborn, who does most of the storytelling, believes Ned is looking for answers, just as we are looking for answers that would explain the mystery of the Buick. There are no answers, and that’s where the heart of horror resides in this tale.

Horror is about shattering the order of things, which can take on various forms, such as monsters or creatures. Or as Paul Wells puts it, “In whatever way the monster is conceived and acts . . . it serves to operate as a mode of disruption and breakdown in the status quo” (9). The Buick is unknowable and defies explanation. In a way, the Buick is similar to movies like The Birds (1963) and Jaws (1975), where something unexplainable defies the laws of nature and invades the everyday.  

 

 

But that does not stop Troop D’s curiosity to know and make sense of the Buick. Sandy recounts how they took pictures and videotaped the odd things that came out of the Buick’s trunk. They even dissect a strange-looking bat, an entity that King describes as the Buick giving birth to. In short, they try to make meaning where no meaning is to be had. Even as the troopers carry on with their duties, the Buick continues to haunt them, especially Curtis, who becomes obsessed with figuring out its mystery. Is it a coincidence that the person who killed Curtis was the person who worked at the gas station when they first discovered the Buick? Or is there a direct connection between the two? The answer remains unknown.

King writes in the author’s note that he completed the first draft shortly before his accident in the summer of 1999. For that reason, I try not to look too much into the connection between the two, even though it is hard not to. I think From a Buick 8 is an amazing novel. What the story doesn’t reveal, reveals a lot.

Watched and Read - May 17, 2026

 Here's what I watched and read last week....

 

MOVIES

Against All Odds (1984), directed by Taylor Hackford, is based on the classic film noir, Out of the Past. The film started off on a good note, then petered out. I did not feel the chemistry between Jeff Bridges and Rachel Ward. But Richard Widmark, who acted in many film noirs of the past, is worth the watch.

Kedi (2016), directed by Ceyda Torun, is a good documentary about cats that roam the streets in Istanbul. I was surprised that all the cats depicted in the documentary looked well cared for and well-fed. Very cool. Meow.

Lumière! Le Cinema (2025), directed by Thierry Frémaux, is one of the best films I’ve seen in a while. The documentary provides not only a history of the beginnings of moving images but also offers stunning images of France in the late 19th century. Watching this documentary is like being in a time machine. If you love movies, this is a must-watch.

Breathless (1983), directed by Jim McBride. Caught this on the Criterion Channel. This was my second time seeing it. The first was a surreal experience because I didn’t think it was possible that someone could actually adapt Godard’s masterpiece. So on the second viewing, I was prepared, and I really enjoyed it. Richard Gere gives an amazing performance. The visuals are spectacular, especially the surreal traveling matte car scenes. And I love seeing all the real locations in L.A. Tarantino apparently loves the movie, and you can definitely see its influence in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. This is a hidden gem of the 1980s. Just don’t think about Godard’s film when you watch it.

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TV

The first episode of the new season of Welcome to Wrexham is really good and very emotional. Lots of new players this season. The stakes are once again high for Wrexham.

I watched the first episode of Legends, which I very much enjoyed. I’ll watch anything with Steve Coogan. It’s streaming on Netflix.

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BOOKS

I am currently rereading Stephen King’s From a Buick 8. I love the story’s atmosphere. King takes full advantage of his Lovecraft influence and sense of cosmic horror by not explaining what the Buick is, why strange things emerge out of it, or where it came from. I want to think the Buick was once owned by The Stand’s Randall Flagg. Or maybe it’s from Mid-World.

 

Watched and Read - May 10, 2026

 Here's what I watched and read last week..

 

 

MOVIES

Point Break (1991), directed by Kathryn Bigelow, is a very good film involving Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves), an undercover FBI agent, investigating a series of bank robberies in Los Angeles. It is a great action film, involving some incredible sequences. But I think what I enjoy the most is seeing Los Angeles on screen back in the 1990s. The movie is currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.

Zero Focus (1961), directed by Yoshitarō Nomura, is another good Japanese noir. I’ve watched several Japanese noir films on the Criterion Channel and this is the first with a lead female protagonist. I particularly enjoyed the flashbacks in the final part of the film.

D.O.A. (1988), directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel. I caught this one on the Criterion Channel. It is a neo-noir that visually looks amazing. The story, however, is not very good. But it’s worth checking out for its cinematography.

Rude Boy (1980) is part documentary and part fiction. The best parts of the film are the performances by The Clash. It is currently streaming on the Criterion Channel.

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TV

I am now caught up on Bob’s Burgers. So far, this has been one of their best seasons. I love all the Gen X references.

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BOOKS

Monsters in the Archives: My Year of Fear with Stephen King (2026) by Caroline Bicks is an excellent new book on King’s early work. Bicks had the opportunity to go through King’s archive and unearth early drafts of his work. Her book is a close analysis of Pet Sematary, ‘Salem’s Lot, Carrie, The Shining, and selected stories from Night Shift. Bicks compares various versions of King’s works and explains how the changes affect the trajectory, tone and feel of the story. Since King typed these stories in the 1970s, there are notes and exchanges with the editors in the margins. The notes in the margins are significant for archivists. I also enjoyed the comparisons between Shakespeare and King, especially her observations on Macbeth and Carrie. If you love King, this is a must-read. And it is accessible. And thank God academia is starting to take King’s work seriously. I say this as someone who is in the field.

Watched and Read - May 3, 2026

 Here's what I watched and read last week...

 

MOVIES

A Colt is My Passport (1967), directed by Takashi Nomura, is a very good Japanese noir. It has a Hollywood B-film feel, mixed with a Spaghetti Western. Great performance by Joe Shishido. Super cool ending.

Cruel Gun Story (1964), directed by Takumi Furukawa, is another great Japanese noir. I really enjoyed the film’s setup, which reminded me of Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing. I am starting to become a fan of Shishido. I highly recommend this one.

The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel (2026), directed by Ben Feldman, is a great documentary on the band’s emergence in the early 1980s. It is very tragic and sad about what happened to Hillel Slovak.

Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game (2022), directed by Austin Bragg and Meredith Bragg, is a very enjoyable film based on a true story. I liked how they structured the film, intercutting Roger Sharpe (not the real Roger Sharpe) talking to the filmmakers throughout the story. It reminded me of American Splendor, which mixes real footage of underground comic book artist, Harvey Pekar, and the fictional account of his story. Pinball is streaming on Hulu. 

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TV

Pistols (2021). I finished the series and thought it was excellent. They crammed in a lot in the last episode, but overall it was a lot of fun to watch. There is a lot of humor, mixed with gritty realism. Boyle brilliantly captures the feel, energy, and excitement of a punk rock show. I would definitely put this up there as one of Danny Boyle’s great works. I highly recommend it.

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BOOKS

I finished reading Ray Bradbury’s collection of short stories in I Sing the Body Electric! And Other Stories. Lots of great stories, especially “The Burning Man,” “The Lost City of Mars, “The Utterly Perfect Murder,” and “Punishment Without Crime.”

“The Possibility of Evil” by Shirley Jackson is a classic short story. Miss Strangeworth is what we would call an online troll. There is no evidence in the mean letters that she sends anonymously to the people of her small town. All she is doing is stirring up trouble. In her view, it is because people need to open their eyes and be aware of the evils lurking in the world. The brilliance of Jackson’s story is that good and evil are not dualistic but dialectical. That is, they are intertwined with each other. The idyllic fantasy is always threatened by something that wants to undo it. I am teaching this alongside Hitchcock’s Shadow a of Doubt. Both are examples of evil within small places.

 

 

Watched and Read - April 26, 2026

Here's what I watched and read...

 

 

MOVIES

Black River (1957), directed by Masaki Kobayashi, is a dark and gritty Japanese noir film. I had a hard time connecting with this one.

I Am Waiting (1957), directed by Koreyoshi Kurahara, is a good film, with some cool cinematography.

Tron: Ares (2025), directed by Joachim Rønning, has amazing visuals and a great soundtrack by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. But the film’s story is not very good. The performances are not good either. A big disappointment.

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TV

I enjoyed the new PBS Nova episode, Artemis II: Return to the Moon. It is amazing how much work goes into rocket launches and all the precautions taken, especially the crew’s reentry to Earth. I wish they showed more pictures of the Moon and Earth from Artemis. Overall, it’s a very enjoyable episode.

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BOOKS

I finished The Chrysalids by John Wyndham last week. An excellent and powerful book by one of the great sci-fi writers of great writers of the twentieth century. See my post on Chocky.

“The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson. This is a disturbing story I am teaching for horror studies. If you have not read it, I will not go into detail. What I will say is that the story invites conversation. My take is that the horror of the story is in the re-reading of it. The horror is assigned to the everyday and the procedures associated with conducting the lottery. It is a great example of ideology, evident in the exchange between Mr. Adams and Old Man Warner. We learn that another village is thinking of giving up the lottery, which upsets Old Man Warner. Ideology operates by not calling attention to itself as ideology, and I think that’s one of the things that makes “The Lottery” so disturbing. They have a choice not to do this. Great read by another great writer of the twentieth century.

 

 

Watched and Read - April 19, 2026

 Here's what I watched and read last week...

 

 

MOVIES

Sentimental Value, (2025), directed by Joachim Trier, is a very good movie with excellent performances from Stellan Skarsgård, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, and Elle Fanning. I particularly enjoyed the film’s melodramatic mood.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse (2018), directed by Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey and Rodney Rothman, is one of my favorite animated films. It’s a great story about about finding yourself - for both young and old. Anyone can wear the mask.

The International (2009), directed by Tom Tykwer, is a good movie, with some good action, particularly the Guggenheim Museum sequence. But there are some questionable moments, such as Louis (Clive Owen) walking through traffic with a gun. The cars drive by him as if this were an everyday occurrence.

High and Low (1963), directed by Akira Kurosawa, is an excellent film by one of cinema’s greatest directors. Kurosawa did not direct many contemporary Japanese films, which makes this one fascinating, especially given that it is adapted from a Ed McBain novel. A must-see if you are exploring international cinema.

Take Aim at the Police Van (1960), directed by Seijun Suzuki, is a good Japanese film noir. The style is fast-paced and gritty. Criterion has curated a number of these films, which I plan to watch. Suzuki is known as one of the central figures of the Japanese New Wave.

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TV

Pistols (2022), directed by Danny Boyle. I’ve watched two episodes so far. What a great miniseries on the Sex Pistols. Anthony Dod Mantle’s cinematography is amazing. Pistols reminds me a lot of 24 Hour Party People (2002). A great miniseries so far.

I am also catching up on the new season of Bob’s Burgers. I loved the 300th anniversary episode where they tell the story of how Linda and Bob started the restaurant.

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BOOKS

I read a very good chapter on Hitchcock’s Frenzy by Luke Robinson. The chapter is from One Shot Hitchcock, where each writer analyzes one shot from one of Hitchcock’s films. Robinson focused on a shot of Barbara (Brenda Blaney) before she is murdered by Rusk (Barry Foster). Robinson provides some very interesting observations, particularly Hitchcock’s use of silence and its connection to death.

 

Watched and Read - April 12, 2026

Here's what I watched and read last week....

 

MOVIES

Nuremberg (2025), directed by James Vanderbilt, is a good movie with great performances by Michael Shannon and John Slattery. But Russell Crowe’s performance as Hermann Göring is the highlight of the movie, and it’s frightening! I think Rami Malek was miscast as Douglas Kelley.

Out of the Past (1947), directed by Jacques Tourneur, is a classic noir. I love the cinematography and the labyrinthine plot. Great performances by Robert Mitchum, Jane Greer, and Kirk Douglas. A must-see classical Hollywood film.

Yeast (2008), directed by Mary Bronstein. I caught this on the Criterion Channel. Yeast is considered a mumblecore movie. Criterion, however, does not list it as mumblecore in the description. Are they embarrassed by the term? Anyway! Mumblecore got attached to a bunch of indie filmmakers at the turn of the millennium. The Duplass brothers, Joe Swanberg, Andrew Bujalski, and Greta Gerwig all came out of this cool, little film movement. Yeast’s minimalist plot, emphasis on character, and realism definitely give the film a mumblecore vibe. Although, at times, the film feels amateur, I strangely enjoyed watching it.

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TV

Sebastian Maniscalco’s comedy special, It Ain’t Right, is really funny, especially his bits on Amazon deliveries and turning 50. It is streaming on Hulu.

Billy Idol Should Be Dead (2025). I was a little mixed on this documentary. I was hoping they would have gone more into the music and his band members rather than Idol’s drug issues. But then I should have known by the title of the documentary.

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BOOKS

I finished reading The Last Kings of Hollywood by Paul Fischer and thought it was an excellent read. I’ve read a lot of books and articles about New Hollywood cinema, and this was definitely one of the best. I think Fischer’s book and Peter Biskind’s, From Easy Rider to Raging Bull, are great companion pieces on that era in cinema.

I read Ray Bradbury’s short story, “The Lost City on Mars.” It is definitely one of the top stories in the collection, I Sing the Body Electric!, which I am almost done reading.

I also finished Dean Koontz’s, The Friend of the Family. It’s an excellent read and beautifully written. The story has a little bit of a Charles Dickens vibe. I highly recommend it.

 

 

Watched and Read - April 5, 2026

 Here's what I watched and read last week...

 

MOVIES

Project Hail Mary (2026), directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, is definitely one of the best films I’ve seen this year so far. I love the novel, and I thought they did a great job adapting it for the screen. Ryan Gosling is amazing. Definitely check out the film on the big screen - the special effects are excellent.

The Fantastic Four: Four Steps (2025), directed by Matt Shakman, is a very entertaining film from Marvel's Cinematic Universe. I have not seen all of the MCU films since the third phase, but I really enjoyed Fantastic Four. I particularly like the film’s 1960s look and style. The film even piqued my interest in the next Avenger films.

American Graffiti (1973), directed by George Lucas, is one of my all time favorite movies. The story takes place over one night and is confined mostly to the cars cruising the strip. The film does not follow a traditional narrative structure. Rather than focusing on one main character, the film crosscuts between four characters, Curt, Steve, John, and Kerry. If there is any star of the film it is the music. As much as I love Star Wars, I wish Lucas made more of these types of films.

Michael Clayton (2007), directed by Tony Gilroy, is an excellent thriller about a fixer, played by George Clooney, who works for a big law firm in New York City. The performances from Clooney, Tilda Swinton, and Tom Wilkinson are outstanding. Some of the movie was filmed where I grew up in the Hudson Valley. One of my favorite scenes takes place at the Moodna Viaduct. I highly recommend it.

Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), directed by Hayao Miyazaki, is a great one from the legendary Japanese animator. I teach this for my film course and always enjoy watching it. I particularly love the film’s European architecture.

Is This Thing On? (2025). I was mixed on Bradley Cooper’s new movie. The story was a little too jumpy for me. And some of the dramatic moments were not believable. But I did like the way they shot the movie. 

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TV

I Am Chris Farley (2015) is a very good documentary that chronicles Farely’s beginning as a comedian at Second City to SNL and his final years in Hollywood. Farley was an amazing talent. I can watch his SNL skits over and over.

I am catching up on the new seasons of Family Guy and Futurama. Both are starting out very good. I even went back to American Dad!, which is on Fox again. The first episode of the new season is fun. I got burned out on American Dad! when I watched it on TBS. But I really enjoyed what I watched from the new season.

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BOOKS

I read a very good article on teen and youth films by Timothy Shary. Shary provides a great overview of the history of young people in cinema. He offers different sub-genre of teen movies that begin with what he terms “The Multiplex Generation,” which is really about Generation X and older Millennials. The article ends in the early 2000s. But his book, Teen Movies: A Century of American Youth, explores more recent Generation Z movies.

 

 

Watched and Read - March 29, 2026

 

Here’s what I watched and read…

MOVIES

The Long Walk (2025), directed by Francis Lawrence, is not a bad adaptation of Stephen King’s novel. I enjoyed the performances by Cooper Hoffman and David Jonsson. The novel, however, is more impactful than the film, but it is still worth checking out.

Let’s Get Lost (1988), directed by Bruce Weber, is an excellent and engaging documentary about jazz singer and trumpeter Chet Baker. The footage cuts back and forth between the past and present. The documentary includes interviews with Baker’s family and features great performances by Baker himself.

Remote Control (1988), directed by Jeff Liebermanl. I caught this one on the Criterion Channel. Kind of campy. Might be intentionally bad, but it has an interesting premise as an homage to 1950s sci-fi cinema.

Blackberry (2023), directed by Matt Johnson, is a very engaging movie. At times, the “nerdom” was a little bit over the top. But overall I really enjoyed learning about the rise and fall of the BlackBerry phone. Worth checking out.

Alan Pakula: Going for Truth (2019), directed by Matthew Miele, is a good documentary on Pakula’s film career. The documentary devotes a good portion to Pakula’s paranoia trilogy of the 1970s: Klute, The Parallax View, and All The President’s Men. The documentary made me want to revisit some of his films.

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TV

Jeff Ross: Take a Banana for the Ride (2026). This is a funny and very heartfelt one-man-show about Jeff Ross’s life. It was recently on Broadway and is now available on Netflix. I was very moved by his story, and I highly recommend it.

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BOOKS

I am currently reading Dean Koontz’s new book, The Friend of the Family and am very much enjoying it. I am also reading The Last Kings of Hollywood by Paul Fischer, which I am also enjoying.

 

Watched and Read - March 22, 2026

 Here, what I watched and read last week....

 

 

MOVIES

Rebecca (1940), directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is one of the first Female Gothic films. It is also Hitchcock’s first film after moving to America. The Gothic atmosphere is spectacular, especially in the sequence where the second Mrs. de Winter explores the west wing of Manderley. It is well known that Hitchcock disavowed the picture because Selznick interfered with it, but it’s definitely worth checking out regardless.

Notorious (1946), directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is one of his top films of the 1940s. I read that the Hollywood Production Code—the group that policed film content at the time—would not allow prolonged, lustful kissing between Devlin and Alicia, so Hitchcock had to film around that. The Code even raised an eyebrow at Alicia’s heavy drinking!

Double Indemnity (1944), directed by Billy Wilder, is the quintessential noir film. It has all the classic themes: an unstable world, deception, sexuality, entrapment, and moral ambiguity. Phyllis is one of the best femme fatales, and it’s no surprise she is ranked #8 on AFI’s list of greatest villains. It’s one of Wilder’s finest films.

The Hobby: Tales from the Tabletop (2025), directed by Simon Ennis, is a fascinating documentary about players, collectors, and designers of board games. I knew nothing about this subculture and found it very interesting, especially the section on game designers.

On the Waterfront (1954), directed by Elia Kazan, is one of my all-time favorite films. It is a gritty, realist crime drama. The performances are outstanding, especially those by Marlon Brando and Eva Marie Saint. The score by Leonard Bernstein is also very memorable. It’s an important film that demonstrates how one person’s courage can make a difference for many.

Sinatra in Palm Springs (2018) is an enjoyable documentary that chronicles Frank Sinatra building his home in Palm Springs. You really get a sense of how much he loved living in the desert—his love of food and drink, and his time spent with friends. What surprised me most was the amount of charitable work he did.

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TV

DTF: St Louis. I was mixed on the first episode. But watching the second episode confirmed that this series is not for me. And the product placement is really bad.

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BOOKS

The Amplified Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana by Michael Azerrad nicely updates his original book from 1993. I very much enjoyed reading Azerrad’s notes alongside the original text. Having lived through Nirvana’s popularity during the 1990s, it’s hard not to think about what direction that the band would have gone in after In Utero. Would Dave Grohl have stayed in the band? Overall, it’s a great read.

 

Watched and Read - March 15, 2026

Here's what I watched and read last week...

 

MOVIES

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991), directed by Nicholas Meyer, is a major improvement over the previous Star Trek film. I especially enjoyed the parallels between the end of the Cold War and the attempt to establish peace between the Federation and the Klingons. Meyer also balances humor and drama effectively. And of course, it wouldn’t be Star Trek without plenty of Shakespeare references.

In the Name of the Father (1993), directed by Jim Sheridan, is a powerful film about the Guildford Four, featuring incredible performances by Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite, and Emma Thompson. It’s an important film and a moving father-and-son story. A must-see movie.

Paddy Chayefsky: Collector of Words (2025), directed by Matthew Miele, is a great documentary about one of Hollywood’s greatest screenwriters. The film does an excellent job highlighting key monologues and passages of dialogue from Chayefsky’s work, including Marty and Network. I also enjoyed the interviews, particularly with Aaron Sorkin, who is now one of Hollywood’s leading screenwriters. The documentary is currently streaming on HBO and is a must-see for writers.

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TV

Star Trek: The Next Generation. Yes, this has been a Star Trek week! I watched “The Game,” the episode in which Wesley Crusher returns in season five. It’s not a bad episode, though the ending feels a little too easy. It was also nice to see Ashley Judd in one of her early roles. However, “Unification,” Parts I and II, featuring Spock, are really strong episodes. The episodes aired around the time Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was released in theaters, and they are dedicated to Gene Roddenberry, who had just passed away.

Classic Albums: Nirvana – Nevermind (2005) is a great episode about Nirvana’s landmark album, filled with insightful interviews about the band at the time. One of the highlights is producer Butch Vig at the mixing board, explaining how many of the songs were recorded. One thing that is often overlooked about Nevermind is how much Dave Grohl contributed vocally to the album.

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BOOKS

Absolute Recoil by Slavoj Žižek. Because I have read so many of his books, it is sometimes difficult to identify the central premise, as many of them share similar structures. Žižek often returns to examples from his earlier work, but this has never bothered me. In fact, I find the repetition helpful in clarifying complex concepts such as Hegel’s “negation of negation” and the “night of the world.” As always, Žižek draws on Lacan to explain Hegel’s ideas, particularly concepts like the death drive and objet petit a.