Movies in 2026 135

 

The Hedonists (Jia Zhangke, 2016)

I've talked about making a more concerted effort to acquaint myself with short films, and obviously I've already watched several. What's easy to forget is that short films are not simply early efforts as a director is learning her or his craft and trying to get noticed, but also options that they'll pursue later when it seems like the best approach for a particular idea. With that in mind, the other night I watched Jia Zhangke's 2016 film The Hedonists, a short film that he directed years after he was already the best director in the world (you know me, I'm never guilty of hyperbole, although I do think he's the best director currently making films). It was very much a Jia Zhengke project, cleverly commenting and critiquing the strange transitional world that China finds itself in. The Hedonists felt like an embryonic cross between his Still Life (2006) and The World (2004). Recommended (keeping in mind that he's my favorite current director).

And That's That

 So here's a picture that I snapped on Thursday night after the students in my last final have shuffled out of the room. I just felt I should record the moment, even if I couldn't quite capture the emotion of that moment (although, as my friend Sheila opined, there's no place lonelier than an empty class room at the end of a class). I sat there for a little bit and soaked up the moment, and cried a few tears. It's been a long run, that began in October, 1982 when I gave my first college lecture. I was TA'ing for a professor and he headed out of town, leaving me to give a lecture on Sparta to a class of 130 students, who were essentially my age (twenty-two). Later I'll have more to say about my feelings as I process this transition, and also my reflections on the state of academia and our students.

And that's that. 

Movies in 2026 134

 

Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy, 2007)

Somehow I had never managed to watch Michael Clayton until last night, although folks I know, and whose film opinion I respect, think a lot of it. I liked it a lot, and thought it was, by far, George Clooney's best performance. I've always like Clooney, partially because we're about the same age and from the same area and, obviously, the same leading man good looks (grin), and partially because of his politics, but sometimes he slides by on good looks and charm (although, truthfully, I think that's more a comment on the failure of the director than the actor). However, he's great in Michael Clayton. I was surprised that Tony Gilroy has not done more meaningful work. His career mainly seems to be related to the Bourne franchise and Star Wars related TV material, which seems like a waste of a lot of talent.

Movies in 2026 133

 

Ball of Fire (Howard Hawks, 1941)

Yesterday I watched a film that I hadn't seen in years, Howard Hawks's Ball of Fire. It starred Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper - and was directed by Howard Hawks - all at the height of their careers. It's a good as I remembered. A couple things jumped to mind as I watched it. First off, TV's The Big Bang Theory is such an incredible ripoff of Ball of Fire. The film was actually remade, again directed, oddly, by Howard Hawks in 1948 as A Song is Born, starring Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo. However, at least people who saw A Song is Born in 1948 understood that it was a remark. Somehow I doubt that anyone who watches The Big Bang Theory understands that it's essentially either an homage or a ripoff of a classic Hollywood film. To be fair, I've only seen snippets of The Big Bang Theory at the gym, where it seems to be playing twenty-four hours a day - maybe it I watched it I'd be a fan. Secondly, the supporting cast of Ball of Fire is chockfull of future stars and famous character actors: Dana Andrews (later in Laura, The Best Years of Our Lives, etc.), Elisha Cook, Jr. (The Big Sleep, Shane, House on Haunted Hill, etc.), Henry Travers (It's a Wonderful Life, Mrs. Miniver, The Bells of St Mary's, etc.), Oscar Homolka (I Remember Mama, The Seven Year Itch, etc.), S.Z. Sakall (Casablanca, Christmas in Connecticut, etc.), Tully Marshall (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Oliver Twist, etc.), Leonid Kinskey (Casablanca, The Man with the Golden Arm, etc.), Richard Haydn (And Then There Were None, Alice in Wonderland, etc.), and Aubrey Mather (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Suspicion, Jane Eyre, etc.). This would be THE MOVIE for a film version of Immaculate Grid.

Movies in 2026 132

 

King Kong (Merian C. Cooper, 1933)

I cannot remember the last time I saw the original King Kong, which takes us all the way back to Merian C. Cooper's 1933 classic. It's part of that Criterion Channel collection which is paying homage to the first Criterion Collection films with commentary for which they've lost permission (to sell DVD copies, although they can still occasionally stream them on the Channel). Considering the state of America in 1933, in the depth of a Great Depression caused by unregulated corporate greed, it's not surprising that audiences loved seeing King Kong smash the shit out of New York. As I was watching I kept thinking about the final line: "It was beauty that killed the beast." A much truer line would have been, "It was capitalism than killed the beast." I also found myself wondering why Fay Wray is not universally recognized as the first Scream Queen.

A CFL Life

 You know that you live a very rich and fun - or unimaginably silly - life when it's still April and you open your Ticketmaster app and you already have tickets for Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and Saskatchewan Roughriders games. Come on, that's some serious CFL love.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.

Movies in 2026 131

 

Nightfall (Jacques Tourneur, 1956)

Last night we delved back into the Criterion Channel's Jacques Tourneur film noir collection (it's a small collection, although Out of the Past is waiting) to watch his 1956 movie Nightfall. It's certainly not as good as Out of the Past (but what film noir is?), but a hell of a lot better than Berlin Express. It had some nice moments, and also some borderline ridiculous moments, so I wouldn't run out to watch it if I were you, but there are worse uses of your time. Mainly, it was interesting for the related rabbit hole exploration it inspired: 1) I didn't know that its star, Aldo Ray, is the father of Eric Da Re, who played Leo Johnson on Twin Peaks, 2) it was one of Anne Bancroft's first movies, 3) Janet didn't make the connection between Brian Keith and the old TV show Family Affair, although when I reminded her she did automatically remember Buffy and Jody, and 4) I remembered that James Gregory (what a great voice) was a character actor who was in a ton of films, but I forgot that he played Deputy Inspector Franklin Luger on Barney Miller for years. It also had one of the great completely over the top movie posters of all time (see above).

Vermont Public Philosophy Week 2026

 It's funny how an event that I initially was tricked/dragooned/misdirected into participating in - the Vermont Public Philosophy Week - has become an annual tradition that I really look forward to. Last Saturday I gave a talk on "'Your Hatred Is Evidence of Our Power': What Thucydides Tells Us About the Decline of America" at the Adamant Community Club. It was a success, although I never admit to much of anything being a success. Still, if you can draw a crowd of ten people to a location hidden down on a dirt road on a beautiful spring day then I guess it's a success. Plus, everyone stayed past the allotted time to continue asking questions and making comments. However, how can you screw up a talk based on Thucydides during these turbulent times in America? All the credit really goes to Tyler Doggett, a philosophy professor from UVM who organizes all of it. It's such a great idea: getting the community together to discuss ideas.

It was an enthusiastic crowd, including one hardy soul who drove in all the way from Burlington for the talk (reminding me of the three people who came in from BTV last year to hear my talk on Pessoa).

The talk combined Thucydides's accounts of the Funeral Oration of Pericles and the Melian Dialogue, viewed through the lens of America today and the great lie of American Exceptionalism. It was a lot of fun to give, and it inspired a lot of good questions.

Movies in 2026 130

 

Princess Iron Fan (Wan Guchan & Wan Wailing, 1941)

This is the go-to film that I always show for the Final In-Class Analysis in my Journey to the West class. It's an entertaining film, based on a classic adventure from Journey to the West, and a perfect fit for what I'm trying to accomplish with the final. Princess Iron Fan is the first animated feature in Chinese history, and is also clearly intended to serve as a propaganda film (and it works very well as such). It's easy to find on YouTube, and you should definitely check it out.

Movies in 2026 129

 

Shoulder Arms (Charlie Chaplin, 1918)

And the run of silent films continues, this time with Charlie Chaplin's film Shoulder Arms. It's considered the first war comedy, and considering that it came out in 1918 it's difficult to imagine how you would get an older one (in that you need both a war and film as a medium). Recommended.

Amazing Ali

 My son sent this picture along the other day and it just brought me more joy than I can express. It's his wonderful wife Ali, and they're grabbing lunch at Sarducci's (which is our favorite place to eat). As a parent you, even if you're trying not to do so, imagine who your kid will marry - I could not, in my wildest imaginings, have created a better fit for my son. She is amazing.

There are many things that I'll miss about life here in Vermont, but none of them hold a candle to spending time with Gary and Ali. I suspect many plane tickets to Sicily will magically show up in their email box.

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City Lights (Charlie Chaplin, 1931)

I've been delving into a lot of silent films lately, obviously, and that's a great thing because it's an area that I don't know as much about. Like most folks, I know the big names, but I don't know enough of the specific films, directors, and actors. Of course, while watching a bunch of Chaplin films is a great place to start, I hope that there will be other options. I remember reading years ago that something like half of the films made before 1950 are lost forever, so I'm sure that applies doubly to way too many of the silent era films. I've often seen Chaplin's City Lights, which I watched the other night, described as his classic. I liked it a lot, although I don't know if I would consider it head and shoulders above Modern Times or The Great Dictator. Still, it was great - and is required viewing. Filming an entire silent film in 1931 was awfully late, as most folks had already switched over to talkies.

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Berlin Express (Jacques Tourneur, 1948)

There are those times - and it seems to happen more in film than in other media (although I don't know how far I would push this argument) - that an OK artist somehow produces a masterpiece. I always associate it with Michael Curtiz, who was a dependable, serviceable director, who somehow directed Casablanca. I don't know why I settled on Curtiz for this designation - and it's no doubt a bit harsh - because he also directed Mildred Pierce and The Adventures of Robin Hood and Yankee Doodle Dandy and Passage to Marseille and White Christmas. That said, Casablanca always makes the short list for greatest films of all time, while those other films are pretty good or entertaining at best. However, somehow everything came together on Casablanca - and the distance between it and any of his other films is profound. Having said that, maybe it would be better if I identified that category by Jacques Tourneur instead. He directed Out of the Past, which is simply a great film and maybe the great film noir of all time. Tourneur's next best film might be - the original Cat People? Last night we watched Tourneur's 1948 film Berlin Express, which the Criterion Channel was trying to foist off as a film noir (which they tend to do, because, well, all film nuts love film noir), but it's more of a failed political thriller. It's pretty bad. The photography is beautiful, and the scenes of bombed out post-war Frankfurt were amazing/sobering to see. Robert Ryan looks like he would have been much more comfortable in a true film noir, while Merle Oberon (Wuthering Heights) and Paul Lukas (Watch on the Rhine) were trying to remember when they were in better movies. I think a good rule for judging a film is if there is a third person voiceover throughout the entire movie it's probably a bad movie.

Movies in 2026 126

 

The Kid (Charlie Chaplin, 1921)

As part of this year of film (although every year tends to be a year of film for me) I've been diving back into some of the silent films, which have been a joy. Last night I watched Charlie Chaplin's first full-length feature, The Kid, released in 1921 (crazy to think that the film is 105 years old). It's funny and sad and redemptive, and definitely should be viewed by any and all film lovers. It's funny to think of a very young Jackie Coogan playing the Kid. Most people simply remember him from playing Uncle Fester on the Addams Family forty years later. It's also strange to think that Coogan's first wife was Betty Grable?!?!

0

 And now it is over. It's funny, if you've spent the last semester and a half counting down the days with CFL players it shouldn't hit you with the number switched from 1 to 0, but it did. There was a lovely going away soiree here in Wick yesterday, which deserves its own post so I'll revisit it soon. However, I'm feeling a terrible sense of finality and loss, which I'll talk about when I've had the change to think about it. It's definitely a bittersweet moment.

Thanks to Rolan Mulligan for loaning me his number 0 for the final Countdown installment. I'm going to have to find other ways to do fun research on the CFL (beyond going to the four CFL games in four cities this summer - which will almost certainly turn into five CFL games in five cites, how can we go to games in Ottawa, Regina, Hamilton, and Ottawa and somehow skip our hometown Alouettes?). Rolan was born in Lake Wales, Florida, and played his college ball at Reedley, UAB, and Toledo). Like many later CFL stalwarts, Mulligan kicked around the NFL for a bit, with stops along the way with the Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, and Indianapolis Colt. Since 2021 Mulligan has played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and has achieved a lot of success. He was on the Grey Cup winning squad from last year, and has been a two time CFL All-Star as well as winning the Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award in 2024. I've had the opportunity to see him play in person, but in July we'll see him play a home game in Saskatchewan.

91?

 The campaign to get me to start has obviously intensified, as the #1 that was gracing my door after class on Monday has been covered up by a #91. I think it's a losing battle, but I'm truly touched by the effort to get me to hang around a while longer.

Thanks to Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund for unofficially loaning me his number 91 for the Unofficial Countdown (brought to you by Erik Esckilsen). He was born in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, before playing college ball for Champlain College (no, not that Champlain College, but Champlain College Lennoxville) and then Southeastern Louisiana  University). Adeyemi-Berglund was drafted in the first round of the CFL draft by the Calgary Stampeders, although he (and the league) sat out the 2020 season because of COVID (Canada, like a mature country, took COVID seriously). Since 2024 he has played for our hometown Montreal Alouettes, twice being a CFL East All-Star and twice winning the Lew Hayman Trophy for outstanding Canadian player in the East Division.

Amusing and Pleasant Recollection

 "I shall never regret," said Mr. Pickwick in a low voice, "I shall never regret having devoted the greater part of two years to mixing with different varieties and shades of human character: frivolous as my pursuit of novelty may have appeared to many. Nearly the whole of my previous life having been devoted to business and the pursuit of wealth, numerous scenes of which I had no previous conception have dawned upon me - I hope to the enlargement of my mind, and the improvement of my understanding. If I have done but little good, I trust I have done less harm, and that none of my adventures will be other than a source of amusing and pleasant recollection to me in the decline of life. God bless you all!!""

Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers

Fernando Pessoa (another one of my man crushes, as you know) had famously proposed that the greatest regret of his life was never being able to read The Pickwick Papers again for the first time. Mr. Pickwick had called his friends - and members of the PC - together let let them know that, "The Pickwick Club exists no longer." I thought of this line the other night at 2:00 in the morning, when pain had forced me awake, and I was keeping the cats company out in the living room. Usually, my self-loathing (which is always flowing just beneath the surface) is most acute during those times in the middle of the night when I can't sleep (this is a new experience for me, another gift from old age, because for most of my life the only thing I did well was sleep; sleep apnea was doing its best to kill me, but at least I wasn't staring at the ceiling, reflecting upon my innumerable failures as a father, husband, son, brother, friend, scholar, teacher, etc.). I reached for one of our copies of The Pickwick Papers and tracked down the passage. I suppose it should have made me sad, but instead it filled me with appreciation, for all of the people who have played, continue to play, and hopefully will always play, a role in my absurdly rich life. Doubtless, I will be dragooned to speak at tomorrow's going away soiree, and hopefully Dickens will help me out.

Movies in 2026 125

 

Meshes of the Afternoon (Maya Deren, 1943)

Last night I watched a short film that I had first seen last year, Maya Deren's 1943 Meshes of the Afternoon. This is part of my goal to watch more short films this year, which, as I proposed earlier, I think I've ignored over the years. It's considered a foundational work in the surrealist canon, although I read an interesting review that argued that it was probably influenced more by the wave of film noir movies that were popular then. After the film I asked Janet if she had ever heard of Maya Deren, as they both went to Smith College (like so many intelligent, cool women I know). I'm jealous of folks who went to amazing schools like Smith, and it pains me that so many great small liberal arts schools are closing in this America where moronity and greed rule. Recommended - the film, not today's America.

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Hold Me Tight (Mathieu Amalric, 2021)

Last night I watched another Vicky Krieps film. Apparently she's turned into the go-to actress for films about isolation and misery. She's good fit, although not because she seems more than normally isolated or miserable, but simply because she's such a good actress. I suppose that just as with any actor in any category, there is the definite chance that they will get pigeon-holed. What I love about European films is the desire to make important films about important topics, stuff that would be relegated to a remarkably small budget in an independent film, because all the film industry resources are reserved for the latest installation of the Marvel or Star War brand. There are certainly big budget productions in Europe, but there seems to be a smaller gap - essentially, they're not simply making stupid new movies about Superman or the Fantastic Four or impossibly small budget independent films. Anyway, thanks for coming to my TedTalk. The film I watched last night was Mathieu Amalric's 2021 film Hold Me Tight. Vicky Krieps plays Clarisse, who has apparently run away from her husband Marc (Arieh Worthalter) and her kids, but, in reality, they are the ones who left her (although not in the way we think she left them). Most of the film is her obvious grief and her memories - an imagined memory - of her family's lives after she has left them. Vicky Krieps's wonderful, sorrowful performance holds the film together when it might have spun out of control. You should definitely check it out. It's being featured in this month's Vicky Krieps collection on the Criterion Channel.

1

 Yes, 1, not 54. The last week has begun. As I was saying earlier, I was very touched by the sign with the player wearing 54 yesterday. Erik, the culprit, promised as a last week gift to not complain about Champlain or students, although we both know that I grouse about both far more than he ever does. My students were great on Monday, which may relate to a wonderful job by their professor, but I suspect only reflects either their being able to see the end of the semester - or some grudging happiness for their professor.

Thanks to Warren Moon for loaning me his #1 for the penultimate Countdown post. What can one say about Moon that hasn't already been said? He's the only player who appears in both the CFL and NFL Hall of Fame (the only other double occupants are coaches: Bud Grant and Marv Levy). He was born in Los Angeles, California, and played college ball first at West Los Angeles Community College and then more famously at Washington. Despite a stellar career at Washington, Moon went undrafted (I suspect he was a victim of the then long-lingering suspicion of Black quarterbacks, which seems insane now, but what fairly common until not that long ago). He signed with the Edmonton Eskimos, playing for six seasons, along the way winning five Grey Ciups, and winning the Most Outstanding Player Award in 1983. In 1982 he became the first quarterback in either league to throw for 5000 yards in a season. He then made his long-awaited arrival in the NFL, playing for the Houston Oilers for a decade, before brief stops with the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, and Kansas City Chiefs. I will be sporting his jersey on Thursday, the last active class day of my teaching career.

East Calais Posh

 There are many things about Vermont that I will not miss, but there are other things that I'll miss quite a bit. Some of the smaller, more obscure, things are what I'll miss the most. For example, I'll miss my Saturday morning routine of making the dump to the local dump transit station on Moscow Woods Road in East Calais. I get to check out the local smart set (the dump is also where people running for office often hang out on Saturday morning, because it's the one place where you are guaranteed to see a lot of people). While there, as I've celebrated elsewhere on this blog, I get to deliver dog treats to Willow (now, sadly, on the disabled list with knee surgery) and Misty as they hang out in their truck. Then I head around the corner to visit the East Calais General Store, which is a great store - and Jen, who runs it, is really great and always happy to help out with things. Inevitably, I grab a breakfast sandwich to supercharge for my next stop - the gym in Berlin for my Saturday morning workout (since it's a half-hour drive to Planet Fitness it's OK to wait to grab brekkie at the store). Since the weather has broken (a bit, it snowed on Sunday - and I drove through a whiteout on the way to school yesterday), I sat outside to revel in the nice weather and scenery.

You can't get more posh than a sausage and egg sandwich and a chocolate milk.

54?

 Apparently there is a movement (conspiracy?) to convince me to put off my retirement and stick around at Champlain for another year. I found this photo on my door this morning, covering up the picture of Davis Sanchez's #2. The logic is that with my diva twice a week schedule I only have classes 27 days a semester, so 54 would be my year. No one has admitted to this chicanery so far, but, truthfully, I was sincerely touched by it. Maybe they will remember me past June.

Thanks to Justin Lawrence for unofficially loaning me his #54 as for the Unofficial Countdown as part of the scheme to convince me to hang around for another year. Lawrence was born in Edmonton, Alberta, (and thus he is a National player) and played college ball at the University of Alberta before being a 5th round pick in the 2018 draft. Over the years he's played for the Calgary Stampeders, Toronto Argonauts, and currently for our hometown Montreal Alouettes. He's a three time Grey Cup champion, once each for the three clubs - which would inspire me to sign him, because he's both a good player and also clearly good luck.

Movies in 2026 123

 

The Ghost Breakers (George Marshall, 1940)

After the relative disappointment of Phantom Thread I decided not to think, and instead simply watch a movie that I loved from childhood: The Ghost Breakers. It stars Bob Hope and Paulette Goddard (who I obviously have such a cinematic crush on) in one of the first horror comedies, which have been a staple of Hollywood for decades. Is it a great movie, of course not, nor even a good one, but it's also a film that I'd watch every time it popped up on the TV, and I eventually just my own copy. It also stars Willie Best, in one of those demeaning roles that black actors had to play for decades, as Hope's (Larry Lawrence) valet Alex. Apparently Hope said that he thought Best was one of the best actors he ever worked with, and other actors over the years said similar things, but Best was stuck playing certain roles. Later in his life he had pot and heroin busts, and the bad publicity brought an early end to his career. It makes me wonder if someone has written his biography, if so, I may track it down. The other interesting black actor in the film was Noble Johnson, who faced many of the same obstacles. Because of his imposing size, Johnson played a greater variety of roles, although none of them that gave him many opportunties: a zombie in The Ghost Breakers, a native in King Kong , an Indian chief in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, etc. What I didn't know, and which is very interesting, is that Johnson founded the Lincoln Motion Picture Company, an African American film company that made, what at the time were called "race films." The challenges of keeping the company afloat proved to much and Johnson eventually closed it down and went back to character roles. Again, I need to track down a biography.

Movies in 2026 122

 

Phantom Thread (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2017)

I'm always beating the Paul Thomas Anderson drum, as compared to the Wes Anderson drum (as I've lamented in the past, my students love the latter's quirkiness and are put off by the former's complexity). I should point out that neither of them are close to being my favorite directors, I just tend to like PTA a lot more than WA. Having said that, last night I watched a Paul Thomas Anderson film that I simply thought was over-praised: Phantom Thread. It's odd, because when I break it down I like all the component parts: great performances by Vicky Krieps (as Alma Elson), Daniel Day-Lewis (as Reynolds Woodcock), and especially Lesley Manville (as Cyril Woodcock); beautifully filmed; a haunting soundtrack. I found the characters completely unlikeable, and not unlikeable in a way that would teach a valuable lesson. Instead, they were simply vaguely unlikeable, and not interesting enough to make me want to dig deeper into personalities. I'm clearly in the minority here because it's considered one of the great films over the last couple decades, but I just never warmed to it. Obviously, I'll give it another try at a later date, and it may simply be that I wasn't in the right mood at the right time. 

In the Feline Orbit

 Whenever Janet is out of town I, naturally, get a lot more attention from the cats. Mollie will usually track me down at some point, mainly because I'm a warm lap, but Cici may completely disappear unless she's bugging me to eat or she wants to climb on top of me at bed time as I read (standing in for Janet). However, when Janet is out of town they are a little more present. 

This is pretty normal, as Mollie follows me downstairs to watch movies. Cici has her own chair over by the pellet stove, if she deigns to come spend time with us. Oddly, neither of them came down last night at all, which may mean they didn't like the movie offerings.

This is the more traditional morning lineup, at least for Mollie, who, after an exhausting night of guarding the cabin, melts on me right after her breakfast. Cici is always keeping Janet company in bed, but, lacking company, she suffered the humiliation of joining us out in the living room (you can barely see her hidden away on the loveseat. 

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Grand Illusion (Jan Renoir, 1937)

So, Friday night turned out to be quite a doubleheader: Emily Atef's More Than Ever and Jean Renoir's classic Grand Illusion.  It was a first viewing for More Than Ever, but I've seen Grand Illusion many times (and can't imagine a universe where I didn't want to watch it again). The other night I think the inspiration for Grand Illusion was that I'm considering films to show as part of the final exam for my Images of Fascism class, but I never need much inspiration to watch Renoir's classic. It's one of the great anti-war movies, which made it's release only two years before the outbreak of World War II all more emotionally jarring. Jean Gabin was great (I mean, he's Jean Gabin, FFS) as Lieutenant Marechal. If you've seen a great film several times you always find yourself noticing different things and reflecting upon different performances or aspects of the film. Dita Parlo gives an underappreciated performance as Elsa, the German farmwife, who is herself a widow of the war, and who takes in Marechal and Rosenthal (Marcel Dalio). I've always had this odd cinematic category of women in movies who play a character that I imagine myself cinematically living with: such as Stella (Jennifer Black) in Local Hero or Kate (Karen Silas) in Simple Men. I think that living with Elsa in the mountains is now part of that collection. As I was watching the film I began to consider the career of Marcel Dalio, who lived through the war and relocation, and eventually transitioning from leading roles to supporting roles, and the crazy variety of movies he's in: Grand Illusion, Casablanca, One Night in Lisbon, Flesh and Fantasy, Wilson, The Damned, The Snows of Kilimanjaro, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, Flight to Tangier, Sabrina, Anything Goes, Pillow Talk, Donovan's Reef, Catch-22, etc. Most of these you wouldn't know he was there, but he's essentially ubiquitous. You know me, I'm never guilty of hyperbole, but if you haven't seen Grand Illusion, you can't be considered a civilized, let alone a sophisticated or educated, person. 

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More Than Ever (Emily Atef, 2022)

In addition to their other rotating monthly collections, the Criterion Channel often has one that focuses on a particular actor. This month it is Vicky Krieps. She such a fine actor, so it's nice to see more of her movies. I think the only one of her films I had seen previously is Bergman Island, which I'll definitely be watching again (so prepare for that addition). The other night I watched her in Emily Atef's 2022 film More Than Ever. Krieps plays Helene, a woman who is dying from a rare lung condition, and also stars Gaspard Ulliel, in one of his last roles, as her husband Matthieu, who is trying to help/understand. She decides to head off to Norway to stay at the cottage of a stranger, Mister (Bjorn Floberg), that she met online. Matthieu eventually tracks her down there, trying to convince her to come back home for treatment, and she has other ideas. I found it very impactful, and not simply because of the fine performances and the stunning scenery. There are times when I think I'm, in addition to many other perfectly valid reasons, going to Europe to just fade away on my own terms. I think that Cary Grant and Great Garbo stopped acting and giving interviews because they wanted their fans to remember them as they were and not what age was turning them into. I'm "slightly" less famous and beloved than Grant or Garbo, but maybe I'd just like my friends to remember me as I was and not this increasingly crippled wreck (this also explains why I don't want any public celebrations of my retirement, obviously). The Italians or Portuguese will only know me as this, and will simply abide me and not pity me. There are times when I think I won't come back at all, but instead send plane tickets to Gary and Ali to come visit. I doubt it it will reach that level, but it is something I think about. I'm not going to go kill myself or anything that self-absorbed, because, despite the constant pain, I love life too much and am looking forward to what comes next, but I completely understood Helene's desire to be left in Norway to face her end on her terms. Anyway, More Than Ever is heartily recommended.

2

 Well, here we go. One week left in my long career. My friend Kevin scolded me, quite rightly, for presenting a flawed countdown. That is, I'm only counting my teaching days, and I didn't include the days I have to be on campus for giving my Final Exams. This is, of course, a Point of Excellence, and I am guilty as charged. My only defense is that my spring schedule changed very late, and thus last December i didn't now if I was going to have final exams on two or three days during the Final Exam week, and thus it seemed safer to tie the Countdown to actual teaching days. Plus, there is no active teaching during Final Exams (although I've had students say things like, "wait, are you introducing new material during the Final Exam period? - to which I usually answer something like, "well, duh," and "expect an email from me this summer with new things to consider"). Finally, I suppose I could have tied the Countdown to my actual days left on the payroll of Champlain College, but that would have made this whole thing seem like it was a job, which I completely reject. Essentially, as with most things, I am unrepentent.

Thanks to Davis Sanchez for loaning me his #2 for the Countdown. Sanchez was bon in Delta, British Columbia, and played his college ball south of the border at Oregon. Unlike a lot of CFL players, who ended up spending their time in the NFL on the practice squad, Sanchez was on the active roster of the San Diego Chargers for a couple season. However, his greatest success was in the far superior CFL (as all right-thinking individuals know), and over the years he played for the Calgary Stampeders, Edmonton Eskimos, BC Lions, and three different stints with the Montreal Alouettes. Along the way he was on three different Grey Cup winning teams. Since his retirement he's played a very active role in the broadcast booth for CFL games.

Movies in 2026 119

 

Rango (Gore Vervinski, 2011)

As you might guess, I give my students a lot of film recommendations, none of which they take - and they, in turn, sometimes give me film recommendations, which I occasionally take. Lately one of my favorite students from this semester has been hectoring me to watch the animated feature Rango, which I did the other morning. It was OK, and I certainly smiled at a few of the film references. Over the years my friend Erik and I have hosted a number of film screenings in an effort to introduce the students the better films, but they inevitably led to the two of sitting alone in the Alumni Auditorium watching together - and there are far worse things than that. I always thought that if I watched enough student-suggested films I'd eventually discovered a hidden gem, but in the end retirement arrived first. 

Movies in 2026 118

 

The Hand of God (Paolo Sorrentino, 2021)

Paolo Sorrentino was one of my great discoveries last year, and, again, why am I so poorly educated? The Criterion Channel exhausts itself trying to get me caught up (will I ever recover from growing up in Indiana?). His film The Great Beauty blew me away and quickly became an all-time favorite, and I'll doubtless be watching it again soon and thus it will make this year's list. The other night Janet and I watched his semi-autobiographical film The Hand of God, which was also very good. Like most Italian filmmakers, they're cursed/blessed to always be associated with Fellini. I read where one film critic had proposed that if The Great Beauty was Sorrentino's La Dolce Vita, then The Hand of God is his Amorcord. There is some definite truth to that comment. The great Toni Servillo (and Sorrentino regular) plays the father of Fabietto Schisa (played by Filippo Scotti) as he grows up in Naples, surrounded by his extended family, and focused on the possibility of the local Naples team potentially signing the legendary Diego Maradona. Teresa Saponangelo gives a wonderful performance as Fabietto's mother, while Luisa Ranieri (as his aunt, and object of lust) Patrizia and Betti Pedrazzi (as Baronnessa Focale, who gives him a tremendous gift) compete to steal scenes. Like all Sorrentino film, The Hand of God is required viewing.

Movies in 2026 117

 

Still Processing (Sophy Romvari, 2020)

And continuing along the short film path, I then watched Sophy Romvari's Still Processing. Last post I made the point that paying closer attention to short films would also introduce me to up and coming filmmakers who might soon be releasing feature length films (although, truthfully, I just want to watch quality movies, of any length, as compared to the utter dross that Hollywood produces). Sophy Romvari, a Canadian filmmaker, released her first feature length effort, Blue Heron, last year, although I don't think it made an appearance at a theater here in Vermont, sadly. Still Processing tells the story of Romvari looking through previously unseen pictures and movies from her childhood, which she had never seen because her father had hidden them away in the wake of the death of her two oldest brothers. Their cause of death is not revealed, although we learn at the end that they died as adults, on different dates, so you are forced to assume it was suicide (which would also explain why her father might have hidden the pictures in the first place). It's a haunting film, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her work in the future.

Movies in 2026 116

 

The Water Murmurs (Story Chen, 2022)

I don't know why I don't watch more short films. The Criterion Channel offers a wealth of them, but for some reason I don't go out of my way to watch them. Part of this might relate to availability, but the Criterion Channel helps solve that problem. Maybe, and this shows how dumb I am, I think of them as somehow "lesser" than a full length feature. Now, following that logic, I should never read short stories and only read full length novels (including coming up with some numerical boundary line of page numbers). Obviously, this is all stupid. Just as last year's effort to read things I don't normally read led me to some very interesting authors, but also made me rethink why I read certain writers and don't read others, this year's emphasis on film is both leading me to new directors but also making me rethink how I view film. Just as sometimes a short story is the best way to tell a story, as compared to a lengthy novel, then some times a short film is the best way to tell a fascinating story. Plus, I'm introduced to directors I didn't know about - and, it's going to put new directors, still honing their craft, on my radar. Anyway, one of my goals for the rest of the year is to watch more short films. With all of that in mind, last night I watched Story Chen's The Water Murmurs. As one might expect from a short feature, the story is more evocative as compared to definitive, and thus arguably more powerful and memorable since the audience is forced/allowed to "complete" the story in our minds. A young woman, Nian (Annabel Yao), visits her hometown, which is soon going to be underwater because of a mysterious asteroid collision. However, it's really much more a story about memory and loss than any sort of science fiction tale. It reminds me, sort of, of Jia Zhangke's Still Life, with a little Gi Ban thrown in. Story Chen received well-deserved recognition at Cannes for this effort. Definitely recommended.

3

 And we've entered the penultimate week, as we close down my four plus decade teaching career. Classes were good yesterday. In my COR 303 classes I taught the students a bit of paleography, to let them know in addition to understanding how historians approach their decisions-making process, they should also understand what we do on a day to day basis. It's one of my odder assignments, but one which has always proved popular with the students. And last night we watched Terrestrial Verses, and then I'd declared it Champlain College If Day - in honor of Winnipeg If Day - and asked the students how they would express the danger of creeping authoritarianism (like Winnipeg's 1942 If Day, I told the students to imagine that they took over the campus and show people what it would actually mean if we fully passed into an authoritarianism regime). They didn't do an extraordinary job, but they came up with some interesting ideas. I have come up with so many odd assignments over the years, most of which worked better than the ones that I had devoted more time to planning. I will miss that creative process after I shut it down.

Thanks to Vernon Adams, Jr. for loaning me his number 3 for the Countdown. I've actually seen Adams play a couple times, which, considering that I've attended over twenty CFL games I suppose that shouldn't be too surprising. Adams was born in Pasadena, California and played college ball at Eastern Washington and Oregon. He went undrafted by the NFL and attended rookie mini-camps with the Seattle Seahawks and Washington (at the time) Redskins, but never received an offer. He headed north, and began a peripatetic career with stops at the Montreal Alouettes, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Montreal Alouettes (again), BC Lions, and Calgary Stampeders. I've seen him have some great games. He was the starting QB in last June's freeze bowl game in Calgary that Kevin and I barely survived. Adams did not have a great day that day, but nobody did, including us.

Movies in 2026 115

 

Terrestrial Verses (Ali Asgari & Alireza Khatami, 2023)

Ali Asgari and Alireza Khatami's Terrestrial Verses is yet another film that the Criterion Channel, in its infinite compassion, introduced to me. It quickly found its way into my film classes, and is a natural fit for this semester's Images of Fascism class. It almost makes me sad I won't be able to share it with students anymore. Last night, one of my students told me that we had finally watched a film that he was excited to show to his friends. I'm a little disappointed in regards to the other dozen films I showed along the way, but I'll take any and all small victories. It's a series of short vignettes, all featuring one camera shot, with a different person suffering through a variety of micro-aggressions from from nameless, faceless authority figures. My favorites were Selena, the little girl who wants to dance while her mom drapes dehumanizing layers of burqas on her, and Aram, the teenage girl who shows her high school  vice principle that the system has taught her a thing or two along the way. Terrestrial Verses is required viewing.

Movies in 2026 114

 

Daybreak (Marcel Carne, 1938)

I made the point a few days ago that I thought that Marcel Carne may actually be my favorite French director (I don't now if I can say that definitely, because there are so many great French directors and I'd have to brood over it - but I do really like his early films). Apparently Godard and Truffaut just brutalized Carne at the height of the French New Wave (I think they hated everyone, eventually including each other), so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they included Carne in their spleen. Last night as I was driving home from my night class I began reflecting upon this fact (it's an hour drive from Burlington to Calais, so I have plenty of time to ruminate). Godard and Truffaut were brilliant filmmakers who changed cinema forever, but I think I can say that I never cared anything about any of the characters in any of their movies, and I don't think I was supposed to. I cannot make the same statement about characters in Carne films. Sometimes it seems that our desire to be deconstructive replaces our desire to construct a narrative that tells a story that the audience cares about. Or maybe I'm being as unfair to Godard and Truffaut as they were to Carne? Anyway, I re-watched Carne's 1938 classic Daybreak, starring Jean Gabin, Arletty, and Jules Berry. I remember the first time I saw the film I was more than a little stunned to see Arletty in a brief nude scene, but then, she's Arletty, and they're the French, so I shouldn't have been. Gabin is, per usual, great, with that roguish tough guy persona. Highly recommended (no matter what the ghosts of Godard and Truffaut might tell you).

BOE Temporary Relocation

 On Friday we had a glitch in our usual Breakfast of Excellence schedule. As is well-documented, we always meet for breakfast at 8:00 at the TASTee Grill, but when we arrived all four tables are spoken for. We waited for a bit, but eventually had to track down an alternative option. This made us all sad, because we love to give the TASTee Grill as much business (and love) as we can (plus, they have great food). We settled at some new place, which exists, along with a bank, in the skeleton of the old Pizzeria Uno. It was a bit off-setting because it's right on the edge of the neighborhood where I lived when Jen and I were together, and we ate dozens of meals there over the years. However, it was more bittersweet because I'm going to miss these guys so much. I will definitely not be counting down the diminishing BOEs with CFL players, as I'm in a state of denial about the passing of this most beloved of traditions.

From left to right: John, Sandy, Kevin, Erik, and Kelly. It was a nice meal, although paying two separate times for a refill on coffee ensures that we will not return (truthfully, what variety of savagery is making someone pay twice for coffee?; I mean, if you order two lattes, then I think the separate cost is justified, but paying separately for a second coffee?). 

Movies in 2026 113

 

Dune (Denis Villeneuve, 2021)

The 113th film of the year was an unexpected treat, not simply because it wasn't a film that I was planning to watch, but, more importantly, because my son asked me I wanted to come down to his and Ali's place to watch Denis Villeneuve's Dune. Last year, as part of my year of reading things I don't normally read, I knocked off the first two novels Frank Herbert's Dune series. I remember liking the first one a fair bit, and the second one much less (at least not enough to inspire me to continue in the series). I thought Villeneuve's effort was a worthy one, and we're already making plans for watch the second installment soon. We had this passing but also tangible moment when we realized that it would be impossible for us to watch the third film in the theaters next December. Highly recommended - that is, spending as much time as possible with your son at every age.

Movies in 2026 112

 

Return to Reason (Man Ray, 2023)

Yesterday, thanks to the Criterion Channel, I watched Man Ray's Return to Reason, which is actually a compilation of four of his short surrealist pieces from the 1920s. The 2023 version was a product of Jim Jarmusch and Carter Logan, both big fans of the original works, and this includes a new soundtrack. I enjoyed the four films, although I was also thinking that surrealism is one of those things that, here we are a century out from Man's work, would not have the same impact for the new viewer. It's not simply because surrealism has been so immersed (and in the process cheapened) into popular culture, but also because life itself in the age of the internet and smart phones and AI has simply become surreal. You should definitely check it out.

4

 Another week gone, and only two more weeks of the regular semester to go. I've officially lost the battle of the No Going Away Parties campaign, as two parties are now on the agenda. It's strange to think that by the end of this month I will be done with teaching - and my book will be finished (being published, obviously, will remain an ongoing mission, but having the great mass of it complete is going to feel wonderful/strange) - and then the summer and a very different life opens up. My main two goals, once May rolls around, are to devote hours a day to Italian - and to get back to the gym and the pool and long walks - as I begin to refashion myself into a new entity.

Thanks to Keon Hatcher for loaning me his #4 for the Countdown. In many ways his story is also a classic CFL story. Hatcher was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and played at Arkansas, but went undrafted by any NFL team. As an undrafted free agent, he spent a few years bouncing back and forth between the Oakland Raiders (twice), Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers (twice), and New York Jets. His career NFL statistics: 1 catch for 8 yards. In 2021 he headed north, and has been with the BC Lions ever since, including being a CFL All-Star in 2023 and 2025. Now, he's playing all the time, catching passes from the CFL's best QB (Nathan Roarke), and enjoying a lot of success. You have to love his story.

Oh, and I love the metaphor of this picture - 4 days left, but zero closing in fast.

Movies in 2026 111

 

RoboCop (Paul Verhoeven, 1987)

One of the many wonderful things about the Criterion Channel is when they go rogue - or bonkers - and have unexpected (inexplicable) collections (1970s drive-in horror, snow westerns, etc.). Currently they are featuring a collection of films that they, back in the early days, that is, when they were only the Criterion Collection and before the advent of the Criterion Channel, had permission to print DVDs with cool extra features and commentaries (they created the commentary track on DVDs). One of them is, again unexpectedly and inexplicably, Paul Verhoeven's RoboCop. I always forget how subversive RoboCop is, as are many of Verhoeven's movies. I didn't realize that Peter Weller, who plays the titular character, later earned his PhD in Renaissance art. I had forgotten that Ray Wise, who would shortly after this achieve lasting cultural fame as Laura Palmer's father Leland in Twin Peaks. I also had this memory that my son, when he was a wee lad, had a RoboCop video game (maybe just a handheld? - where maybe he was fighting Aliens?), although he has no memory of it. 

Movies in 2026 110

 

Pictures of Ghosts, (Kleber Mendonca Filho, 2023)

Recently I watched Kleber Mendonca Filho's Bacurau (2019) and Neighboring Sounds (2012) - thank you to the Criterion Channel for both. What I had not realized is that I had previous watched another of his films, Aquarius (2016), but it was several years ago and I hadn't put the pieces together yet. So far I've really liked every one of his films, including the one I just watched the other night: the documentary Pictures of Ghosts (2023). The documentary focuses on his hometown of Recife, so I guess this fits in well with one of this week's other films, My Winnipeg (although it was not part of a grand design). I think it was called Pictures of Ghosts for a couple reasons, the first being a spectral image that he inadvertently captured on film. The film opens with a reflection on the history of his mother's apartment, which I recognized from Neighboring Sounds (and he slides in scenes from that film, and others, into more personal shots - including the ghost. The rest of the film is dedicated to a heartfelt and poignant reflection on three movie houses from Recife and their eventual passing. Highly recommended. Hopefully his latest film, 2025's The Secret Agent, eventually makes its way to Criterion, although I suppose I could track it down on Prime.

Movies in 2026 109

 

Resurrection, (Bi Gan, 2025)

Guy Maddin's Only Dream Things oddly works very well as a precursor for the next film, although clearly that was not my plan. I just finished Bi Gan's 2025 film Resurrection. The Criterion Channel has started featuring films fresh out of the theaters (not Vermont theaters, sadly, but theaters in larger and more intellectually vibrant markets in New York and LA). They always start off with a specific date and time when you can begin to stream it, almost giving it a feeling of being in the theater with thousands of other film nerds across the world. However, after that you can watch it at any time. I've done both, although I have to admit that I really like syncing up that first viewing when I can. I discovered Bi Gan late last year, on the Criterion Channel, not surprisingly, and absolutely loved his first two films: Kaili Blues (2015) and Long Day's Journey Into Night (2018). He's known for including an extended - literally somewhere between forty-five minutes and an hour - single, uninterrupted take, which dominates the second half of his movies. It's extraordinary, and speaks to his incredible imagination and cinematic chops. Having said all that, I definitely did not like Resurrection as much as his earlier two full-length films. It's staggeringly brilliant filmmaking, and features another long sequence at the end which beggars the imagination. However, the central theme is so opaquely delivered - or Bi Gan didn't feel that it needed one (which is fine, obviously) - that the film ends up depending entirely upon the cinematography. You end up not caring about the characters at all because you simply don't know anything about the characters. It's extremist instrumentalist filmmaking, which tends to work well in short art installations like Maddin's piece, but which borders on tedium in a two and a half hour movie. I'll definitely watch anything from Bi Gan, and I need to track down his earlier work, but in the end, while I was impressed by the technical wizardry of Resurrection, it simply left me cold. I absolutely felt a connection to the characters in his first two films, but every actor in Resurrection simply felt like prop to anchor a camera shot.

Movies in 2026 108

 

Only Dream Things, (Guy Maddin, 2012)

After watching My Winnipeg, I'll doubtless, and predictably, going through all the Guy Maddin films on the Criterion Channel. I started off with a very short film, Only Dream Things, which Maddin filmed as a museum installation piece. It's all based on his own home movies from his childhood, which were heavily manipulated to give it a very eerie, Lynchian, feel. I can clearly see myself plopped down on a bench in a museum, watching it all the way through three times.

My Life

 The news is so routinely horrible - and my students are so overpoweringly disinterested - that even writing seems like fun by comparison. Actually, one of the things that is making the transition to retirement easier is how much I'm enjoying writing.

As my project is coming to an end, no matter what form, if any, that it takes, sometimes I sit back and think about all the work that I've done - and, more importantly, all that I've learned - and it's kind of staggering. And, really, that ziggurat of books is only a small part of the process, simply the primary texts that drove everything else. 

Movies in 2026 107

 

My Winnipeg, (Guy Maddin, 2007)

By way of preparation for July's CFL Trip of Excellence to Winnipeg/Saskatchewan, it's not surprising that I felt moved to watch Guy Maddin's beautiful/disturbing/funny/sad film, My Winnipeg. I'd heard about Guy Maddin for years, but for some reason I had never managed to watch any of his work. I'm definitely going to make up for that cultural/cinematic shortcoming. I saw My Winnipeg described as a "docu-fantasia," which, even though I've never seen the term before, seems to fit beautifully. It's a very personal reflection on growing up/getting away from/going back to Winnipeg. It's almost indescribable, but in a wonderful way. It also features Ann Savage (who we all remember from the definitive film noir Detour) as Maddin's mother. Essential viewing, and not simply for those attending a Blue Bombers game in July.