Movies in 2026 35

 

Oslo, 31 August, (Joachim Trier, 2011)

Yes, the Joachim Trier film fest continues. I re-watched his Oslo, 31 August, which is simply a wonderful and powerful film. It is the second film in his Oslo trilogy, sandwiched between 2006's Reprise and 2021's The Worst Person in the World, the latter of which, sadly, I haven't seen yet. Oslo, 31 August follows the day of recovering drug addict Anders, played brilliantly by Anders Danielsen Lie, on one day as he is released from his expensive rehabilitation center for a job interview. He runs into many of his old friends, and tragically but not surprisingly many of his past problems, as he comes to grips with the pain he has caused others. The film includes so many brutal emotional gut punches, and the ending is brilliant and painful, but also true to itself. Very highly recommended. 

Movies in 2026 34

 

Inspector Montalbano: The Snack Thief, (Alberto Sironi, 1999)

We should probably just consider this post as a bit of a placeholder, as this film is the first in a series that we will doubtless be watching. Last year I gave Janet the first ten books in Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano collection, which focuses on a Sicilian detective. Since then we discovered that Camilleri's novels inspired a television series that stretched out, off and on, for over twenty years - eventually leading to the a Young Montalbano series. It's a pretty enjoyable, and painless, way to figure out a bit about our new home, even if a lot of the humor and situations are exaggerated (or maybe they're not, it is Sicily). We watched the pilot, entitled The Snack Thief, which was interesting. Years ago I read where a famous detective author propose that in the end the success of the series is really about the detective and not the mystery he/she is solving, and Montalbano seems like an interesting character. It nothing else, the first installment hasn't frightened me away from Sicily yet. 

Hell Is Getting Ready to Freeze Over

 I suppose there's not much to be said about these images, other than the usual: #YankeeHellhole

When we first moved up here to Vermont over a quarter century ago these cold snaps were more frequent (and, yes, I know that sounds like a true Vermonter, which I'm not) and you'd have stretches where the temperature never made it up to zero for days on end. I tend to not romanticize the past, especially in regards to Vermont weather.

My friend Kerry asked if I was dreaming of Sicily. I replied that my legs are. While my main problem with my legs is the mysterious muscular/neurological condition that plagues me, I also struggle with arthritis, and increasingly the Vermont winters beat on me.

Movies in 2026 33

 

Winter Brothers, (Hlynur Palmason, 2017)

I suppose, sitting deep in a Vermont winter, I shouldn't be watching movies based in winter in other cold places, but maybe misery does love company. In Hlynur Palmason's Winter Brothers, there's plenty of misery and winter, but sadly not much company. I had watched Palmason's Godland a few months ago, although I didn't make the connection until I began to explore another great Criterion Channel collection. Palmason is an Iceland director who will hopefully begin to get more notice. Winter Brothers focuses on two brothers, young brother Emil (Elliott Crosset Hove - who stars in Godland) and Johan (Simon Sears), who work in a mine. It's pretty grim, and deals with issues such as isolation and masculinity. It doesn't come together as cleanly as you might wish, and I suspect it wasn't meant to. Recommended. It's made me want to go back and watch Godland again.

Frequent Visitor

 As I proposed the other day, once the deer showed up and decided to hang around our yard for several hours I figured that it meant we'd have a return visitor. And, sure enough, as I was reading in the living room I looked out the window and their was our friend, just hanging out. Hopefully this is a good thing, as in she likes the flavor of our trees or the backyard possesses a nice combination of fun and a wind break, and not something bad, like she's lost her crew. Still, it's lovely to look out the window and see nature so close.

I guess we need to create some sort of loyalty program for return visitors. 

Hell Has Frozen Over

 Actually, here in Vermont I think Hell is getting ready to freeze over, but more on that in a few posts. The more immediate, and unbelievable, example of Hell freezing over is the fact that IU won the college football championship last night. Now, I don't give a tinker's damn about any college sports (and, as I've often opined, I think it's an incredibly destructive force - at least on the level of big time college sports - that has done terrible damage to the American university system), but I am happy that IU won, mainly because I have friends who are big fans and I know it gave them joy. It's almost impossible to get your brain around since, until two years ago, IU was the default answer for: What is the worst college football program of all time? Seriously, they had lost more games than any other program. And now they completed the first 16-0 season. Bizarre. I remember visiting Jack at IU in college for the Nebraska game, and we were joking about whether or not they were going to add a triple digit to the visitor's end of the scoreboard.

Jack and Juju's kids pooled their resources and bought tickets so that these proud IU alums could attend the championship game. 

 

Movies in 2026 32

 

Dazed and Confused, (Richard Linklater, 1993)

One of the advantages of 2026's year of movies, much like 2025's year of books, is that I'm encouraged to get out of my rut and watch movies that I've always meant to watch but somehow never got around to viewing. So, why had I never got around to watching Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused, even though it's all but a cultural touchstone. Of course, the first reason may simply be that it's a cultural touchstone, and that ran up against my well known contrarian nature. Also, I think much of the 1990s went by in the blur of child-rearing and kicking off my career. Finally, and maybe most importantly, shit, I lived through high school in the mid-1970s, and I don't have any happy or romantic memory of it. One of the thing that I like about the film is that Linklater didn't try and turn it into some idiotic George Lucas American Graffiti version of the 70s. Yes, Dazed and Confused featured a lot of fun and silly behavior, but it also included the stupidity and cruelty and small-mindedness and boredom that was also a big part of the age. I'm sorry that it took me so long to watch Dazed and Confused for the first time, and it won't nearly be so long before I give it a second look. 

Movies in 2026 31

 

Reprise, (Joachim Trier, 2006)

We may be starting a Joachim Trier film fest. Happily, the Criterion Channel has some, although not all, of Trier's film available (but where would I be without it?). Last night I watched his first film, Reprise, for the first time in several years. The film is both joyous and dark, and even if this early effort you can see the extraordinary potential that would make Trier one of the best filmmakers in the world. The film follows the trials and tribulations of two young writers, Phillip (Anders Danielsen Lie) and Erik (Espen Klousman Hoiner) as they launch their careers, and struggle with innumerable personal problems. Highly recommended.

Company

 You never can tell who will pop by the cabin for a visit, even on a snowy cold day like today.

The last couple days I noticed the cats running up to the window to take a look in the backyard, and now I guess who had been popping by for a visit. The local beasties, the outside beasties, tend to get into patterns (at least that's true of our occasional guest, the fox) so we may have more daily visits from our friend.

Movies in 2026 30

 

Louder Than Bombs, (Joachim Trier, 2025)

It's only lately that I've discovered the Danish-Norwegian filmmaker Joachim Trier (thanks, Criterion, as always). This morning I watched his Louder Than Bombs, which I liked but didn't love (although it had some wonderful moments). It was chock full of fine performances, and Isabelle Huppert (not surprisingly) was transcendent. Sometimes I tell my students that their papers were not fully realized, after explaining that I swiped the phrase from movies. With that in mind, I guess my critique of Louder Than Bombs was that it wasn't fully realized. I found myself thinking that it would have made a better novel, mainly because there were clearly worlds within worlds beneath the surface of four very complex characters, and only so much time to explore cinematically. I liked his earlier Reprise, Oslo 31 August, and Thelma quite a bit, but unfortunately haven't been able to see his The Worst Person in the World or his current Sentimental Value yet. 

Movies in 2026 29

 

Vivre sa vie, (Jean-Luc Godard, 1962)

I've made the point along the way that I like Czech New Wave better than French New Wave, although that certainly doesn't mean that I don't like the latter. I think after making that bold point the other night I'm being drawn back to watching some of the best films of Godard and Truffaut and Varda, etc., so expect a number to appear. Last night I watched Godard's Vivre sa vie, starring Anna Karina (his definitive muse). She plays a would be actress, who, after leaving her husband and infant, tries to make it in Paris. Her job in a record story doesn't pay the bills and in the end she becomes a prostitute. Despite a tragic ending, she lives her life unapologetically. Karina's performance is wonderful, and the film includes some of those odd but brilliant moments (such as Karina's character discussing life with Godard's actual professor) that you'd expect from one of his films. The end will stay with you. Highly recommended.

25

 

Daniel Adeboboye is another native Canadian, born in Mississauga, Ontario, which is right next to two CFL cities, Toronto and Hamilton (it's essentially a suburb of the former). He attended Bryant University, and then played for hometown Toronto Argonauts, winning a Grey Cup along the way. He was traded to the REDBLACKS last season. Ottawa was the worst team in the league last year, but they just spirited Ryan Dinwiddie away from the Argonauts so I suspect better times are on the way.

I had just switched the weekly countdown number over to 25 days left until retirement, as signified by Daniel Adeboboye, currently of the Ottawa REDBLACKS, when my friend Erik caught the change on the door. He asked if that was the right number, and when I answered yes, he pointed out that it's not many days left. I think it's starting to hit all of us. 

Movies in 2026 28

 

Youth in Fury, (Masahiro Shinoda, 1960)

Here's a film, Youth in Fury, that I was considering using in my Images of Fascism class this spring as a Finals Week assignment, although I think I may have backed away from it. I'm not a huge fan of Masahiro Shinoda, although his Pale Flower is my favorite Japanese film noir. The film is about a university student who is drawn towards right wing terror as part of his and Japan's turmoil, which would have potentially made for a perfect fit for my Fascism class, but in the end I don't know if we get into his mind enough to allow my students to tackle with his motives in relation to the readings we've done on authoritarianism, especially the appeal of authoritarianism to the young. It's a good movie, and the ending is beautifully evocative of the age, so I may give it another consideration. Either way, it's definitely recommended.

Movies in 2026 27

 

Bitter Rice, (Giuseppe De Santis, 1949)

I literally stumbled across Giuseppe De Santis's 1949 film Bitter Rice. I was searching for another film in Criterion and this one popped up, and, well, you can imagine that I always wander down all those avenues. It's somewhere between a neo-realist exploration of social issues and a film noir. I didn't realize that even today half of the EU's rice comes from Italy, although I'm assuming the conditions are not as grim as they were in 1949. Recommended.

Sweet Birthday Gifts

 Beyond the Ottawa REDBLACKS jersey which is making its way south, Janet also bought me a couple highly entertaining (and informative) books on the CFL.

Steve O'Brien's book is very interesting, and gives you a clear sense of how close they always are to shutting down, but also their plucky refusal to surrender.

Stephen Drake's book is quite entertaining. I've just started and I'm already amazed at how many times the Grey Cup Trophy has been dropped, smashed, burnt, lost, and kidnapped for random.

Aveiro

 I was culling out material from my phone and came across a bunch of pictures from last June's trip to Portugal that I never did anything with (for who knows what reason - probably the demands of blogging about all of last year's reading). Anyway, I came across some nice shots of a lovely day that I spent, taking the long way from Coimbra back to Lisbon. Clearly, that's not a straight shot, but on each trip to Portugal I want to cover different corners of that marvelous country. It's kind of painful to think of it now, mainly because Sicily has taken center-stage in our plans, at least for the next few years. Still, even if we end of settling in Sicily forever, I'm sure we'll make it back to Portugal. Aveiro is often portrayed as Portugal's Venice because of its canals, although they are more artificial and much newer than their much more famous cousins in northern Italy. Still, it's a beautiful place and I could definitely see it as a possible relocation alternative, although I suspect it must get awfully crowded during the high tourist season.

The canal boats are called barcos moliceiros, which are modelled on the traditional boats used to harvest seaweed.

The canals come together as part of a larger, Venice-like (or Venice-light) lagoon.

It's a very charming town, and I'm definitely hoping to return.

Movies in 2026 26

 

Boogie Nights, (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1997)

Paul Thomas Anderson is the Anderson filmmaker who I like, as compared to Wes Anderson who is the Anderson filmmaker who I've very cool towards (although my students love the latter). I think that Wes Anderson is a brilliant technical filmmaker, but he's definitely one who is simply satisfied with his films being clever and quirky and nothing more. It's not that I don't love quirky and clever, because, well, my love for Hal Hartley is well-documented, but the difference is that there are characters in Hartley films who, amidst the hurricane of quirkiness, I care about deeply, whereas I never care about any character in a Wes Anderson movie. Obviously, I guess that's OK, because I don't think you're supposed to care about the characters in a Wes Anderson movie, but rather just be impressed by the wizardry of the director. There are many directors (and writers and painters and singers and musicians, etc.) who are very generous, but I just don't think that's anything that interests Wes Anderson. On the other hand, there's Paul Thomas Anderson, who is also a very successful and well-respected director, but it's difficult to not feel the pain and victories (often small) of his characters. Last night I watched his Boogie Nights for the first time in forever, and it was better than I remembered (and I remembered it being good).  Once I think I described it as It's a Wonderful Life in the Porn Industry, not because it's great to work in the porn industry, obviously, but that the end was oddly life-affirming. In the increasingly cold and hateful Reagan universe, which has reached its horrible nadir today, you can find family in strange places. Highly recommended.

The Bullies

 

"So, are we eating lunch or not?"
 

The Criterion Closet

 There are two institutions to which I give consistent and boundless love: the CFL and the Criterion Channel. Why Canada has not just just given me citizenship in response to my CFL devotion is anyone's guess (apparently I'm going to have to write my book about the CFL first). Similarly, the Criterion Channel needs to invite me to the Criterion Closet. For those who don't know (that is, wrong-thinking individuals) the Criterion Closet is a series of videos where famous directors and actors (but sadly no retiring Vermont college professors) are allowed to enter a closet an take as many DVDs as they would like, while also explaining their selections. It's pure joy for a film buff. I think I even know that films I would choose and what I would say, which I clearly think about this entirely too much. Erik sent me this cartoon the other day, which speaks to the fact that I send around the Criterion Closet videos too much. It's sort of the equivalent of me watching a CFL game and suddenly having three people text me "Rouge!" is response to game action. Come on, Criterion, I'm not asking for citizenship, just a trip to the Criterion Closet!!

This will be our apartment in Sicily.

Movies in 2026 25

 

Speaking Parts, (Atom Egoyan, 1989)

I've been enjoying this month's Criterion Channel Atom Egoyan collection, despite my ragging on Chloe the other day. My judgment is probably unfair, mainly because I hold him in such high esteem as a director. Yesterday I watched his Speaking Parts, one of his earliest and best efforts. It's almost painful to watch, and not simply because it's so brilliant and it brings me back to the question of why Egoyan doesn't make interesting films anymore. Rather, it's painful because Egoyan's vision is so prescient and depressing. Among other things, it deals with how technology steals away our humanity and leaves us floundering in an artificial world. I'm always saddened in class to see my students paying no attention to each other before class and instead sitting quietly staring at their phones, which starts again immediately after class is over. I sometimes get angry with them - once, notably, when we finished watching The Deer Hunter, and none of them said anything but instead just returned to their phones and their perceived reality. It features some Egoyan regulars, with Arsinee Khanjian and Gabrielle Rose particularly giving great performances. Highly recommended.

The Little One

 Janet is down in Boston at the moment, running her winter residency, which means I'm in charge of the cats, or they're in charge of me, the difference being that I'm not trying to convince them to give me whipped cream every time the refrigerator is opened. The one who "suffers" the most from Janet's absence is Cici, mainly because so much of her daily schedule is centered around Janet. This mainly relates to Janet reading in bed in the morning and evening, and Cici plopping down on her the entire time. Mollie just follows me around the house, on multiple floors, and sitting on my lap, so her schedule doesn't change much. Yesterday I intentionally climbed back into bed midday to work on Duolingo, but mainly to give Cici a chance to recreate, imperfectly, her favorite thing. She appeared out of nowhere in about five seconds, and order was somewhat restored.

"So, when is Janet getting back - and why are you still here - and are you going to the refrigerator soon?"

Movies in 2026 24

 

Monsieur Hulot's Holiday, (Jacques Tati, 1953)

Last year I watched Jacques Tati's film Playtime, which I absolutely loved. Yesterday I watched his earlier film, Monsieur Hulot's Holiday, where he introduced his beloved character. Truthfully, I didn't like it as much as Playtime, although that's hardly a stinging critique. There's a certain pace that you need to adjust to, mainly a slow burn, where his character clumsily causes unintentional mischief. I read where Rowan Atkinson loved the film, and based his Mr. Bean on Monsieur Hulot, which makes sense, but since I don't like Mr. Bean nearly as much as his Blackadder, I suppose I'm naturally limited to how much I am drawn to the character. Atkinson's point was that it was amazing how much you could say and how much fun you could have with so little words, and he's definitely spot-on in this observation. I also like Tati's critique of the modern business sensibility and pace. Definitely recommended. This makes me want to go back and watch Playtime. 

Straight Down the Line

 The pain and sadness of my end is mainly alleviated by being surrounded by extraordinary colleagues and some of my best friends. Chief among them is my amazing friend Erik. With our (hopefully temporary) declining numbers we don't even have to share an office anymore, but neither of us could imagine that happening. We simply get along too well. In explaining to my students on Monday where my office is I told them that I shared an office with Professor Esckilsen, mainly because we're the two biggest film whores on campus and we spend most of the day talking about French actresses that we love and commiserating over idiot student stories. My kids understood.

The classic film noir Double Indemnity was playing on the ceiling of our office when I came back after my first class, a gift from EE. 

26

 And so it begins, my last semester teaching. Truthfully, it's stressful, the ending of something that has dominated so much of my life over the last forty years and reimaging myself as having some purpose for the last decade or so, but I guess I'm coming to terms with it. My physical decline, oddly, helps with the process, because I know in my heart of hearts that I can't continue to do this. When I walk into Wick and pause before the seven steps up to the landing to marshal my dwindling resources for the climb it makes it easier to imagine a world where I don't have to suffer through that pain and humiliation. Happily, my classes were great on Monday, which may simply be that they know that it's my final semester. Anyway, at the end of the day, it was time to put up a new CFL player's picture on my door, recognizing now only 26 days until retirement.

And this is Garney Henley, an all-time Hamilton Tiger-Cats great. He was born in Elgin, North Dakota and attended Huron College (a college in Huron, SD, now, as with an increasing number of small private schools, closed). So far, this sounds like the classic CFL story. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the 15th round (back in the day when the NFL draft was that extensive), but was released. Upon the suggestion of Packers coach Vince Lombardi he was signed by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. From these reasonably nondescript origins, Henley built an almost unrivalled  career, being named an All Star ten times, the first nine as a defensive back and the last as a receiver (in a year he also won the league's Outstanding Player Award - it boggles the mind). He played in seven Grey Cups, winning four, and the Tiger-Cats retired his number this year.

Movies in 2026 23

 

Youth of the Beast, (Seijun Suzuki, 1963)

After two soul-crushing Swedish films I decided to lighten the mood with some anarchic Seijun Suzuki/Joe Shishido madness. I would sometimes show Suzuki's Youth of the Beast in my Japanese film noir class, although in the last couple years I kept it in reserve to suggest to students for different films to analyze for their final exam. It's not as over the top as Branded to Kill or Gates of Flesh, but it's chock full of general Suzuki brilliance/lunacy, and Joe Shishido is, as always, great. Every time I watch it the film reminds me more of Kurosawa's Yojimbo, which came only two years earlier, only  passed through a Seijun Suzuki meatgrinder. 

Movies in 2026 22

 

Wild Strawberries, (Ingmar Bergman, 1957)

It shouldn't be too surprising that Liv Ullmann's Faithless, based on a script that Ingmar Bergman wrote at the end of his life, would lead me to Bergman's own Wild Strawberries. I don't know if Wild Strawberries is my favorite Bergman film, but it would be in the running. It included many of those wonderful actors that you would expect to find in a Bergman film - Bibi Andersson, Ingrid Thulin, Gunnar Bjornstrand, Max von Sydow, and Gunnel Lindblom - but the story is focused around Victor Sjostrom, in his last role, as Isak Borg, an aged professor who decides to drive, both literally and metaphorically, to receive an honor. It probably also makes perfect sense that I'd be drawn to this film once again as I begin my last semester and pass another birthday. Like Isac Borg, I wish that I had beautiful childhood memories to recall here at the end - or maybe it would be better to say that I wish I had beautiful childhood memoires that I would let myself recall here at the end. Highly recommended.

Sadly, I don't seem to be short of troubling nightmares. I don't Janet that Isak Borg and I had so much in common: 78 year old selfish retired professors. She had a much more positive view of her husband. 

Movies in 2026 21

Faithless, (Liv Ullmann, 2000)

It took me a couple viewing sessions to make my way through Liv Ullmann's Faithless, and not simply because it's a long movie. Mainly, it was simply a very raw and painful film, and it took a while to work through. It's easy to think of Liv Ullmann "merely" as an actress, but she's also a very talented director. The script was written by Ingmar Bergman himself, and he was clearly coming to grips with the damage that he had caused through his own well-documented infidelities. Lena Endre's performance as Marianne is staggeringly brilliant. The ending was not particularly satisfying, but the ending of affairs is never particularly satisfying either, so I guess there's some symmetry here. Highly recommended, although this would not qualify as a good date night selection.

Movies in 2026 20

 

The Killing, (Stanley Kubrick, 1956)

Re-watching The Asphalt Jungle clearly put me in a film noir - and especially a Sterling Hayden film noir - mood, as I watched Stanley Kubrick's The Killing again this afternoon. I'm not a huge Kubrick fan, although he would not fall into that list of artists that I admire more than I like that I discussed earlier. I would probably argue that The Killing is actually Kubrick's best film, although I don't know if I would die on that hill (but I don't think I'm merely being a contrarian either). Takumi Furukawa's excellent Cruel Gun Story, starring the immortal Joe Shishido, which I always show in my Japanese film noir class is essentially a remake. Highly recommended.

Movies in 2026 19

 

The Asphalt Jungle, (John Huston, 1950)

Recently I watched John Huston's final film, The Dead, at the end of the year, so I guess there's some sort of poetic logic that I watched a film from his earlier years at the turning of the season. The year 1950 is sometimes referred to as the year film noir reached its peak, or at least it's the year that produced the most films noir. In that year John Huston, who years earlier helped begin the genre with The Maltese Falcon, produced one of its shining lights, The Asphalt Jungle. While later posters would celebrate/promote Marilyn Monroe (it's one of her first roles), she actually plays a small role (although she's quite good). Sterling Hayden stars in what is probably his best performance. I'm sure that when I first saw The Godfather I had no idea who that police chief getting shot by Michael was (such was my ignorance). I often will show the first give minutes of the film in class, because they are just about perfect it setting the mood of the film beautifully. Highly recommended. 

Movies in 2026 18

 

Sex, Lies, and Videotape, (Stephen Soderbergh, 1989)

Curse the day that Stephen Soderbergh met George Clooney. It's sort of painful to watch this wonderful 1989 film, great in its own right and important in its role in inspiring independent cinema, and not think of all the great movies that could have been made if Soderbergh was not distracted making smug and utterly comfortable vehicles for Clooney. I like both Soderbergh and Clooney a lot, but I think their careers, especially Soderbergh's, would have taken a more interesting path if they weren't such frequent collaborators. 

Smoking Bishop

 Yesterday my excellent friend Steve popped into the Breakfast of Excellence to give me a wonderful birthday gift. It was a collection of recipes for all the drinks that appear in Charles Dickens stories. This is an epic gift!!

As all right-thinking individuals recall, after his time with the ghosts, Scrooge invites Bob Cratchit for a bowl of Smoking Bishop so that they can discuss his family's future. 

Movies in 2026 17

 

New Rose Hotel, (Abel Ferrara, 1998)

As I'm sure I've discussed, there is a subset of artists that I know more in theory than in reality. That is, I admire their vision and what they accomplished and completely support their recognition, but who I have never warmed to. This would include artists like Prokofiev and Stravinsky and Altman, etc. I appreciate how they changed the world and their process, but I just don't, personally, like their work. This led to my famous misstep with my friend Kevin when I was trying to make that point about They Might Be Giants, not realizing that it was his favorite band. Another artist that might find their way into this eclectic collection would be Abel Ferrara. Last night I watched his New Rose Hotel, which starred Christopher Walken, Willem Defoe, and Asia Argento. Obviously, I love independent filmmakers, and I like many of the actors who work with Ferrara, and I celebrate anyone who keeps film noir alive, but I don't think I've ever seen a Ferrara film that I truly liked. The characters remain vaguely out of focus for me, and thus I simply don't care about them as I should. Still, this will not keep me from watching more of his movies in the future. 

Movies in 2026 16

 

The Valley of the Bees, (Frantisek Viacil, 1968)

Possessing a subscription to the Criterion Channel has taught me so much (and, with the exception of the CFL, who do I show more love to than the Criterion Channel?). As I've often noted, my Japanese Film Noir class grew out of the Criterion Channel's collection of the same name. Another collection that I've loved (and which I partially harvest for my Fascism class this semester) is their Czech New Wave collection. The other night I watched Frantisek Viacil's The Valley of the Bees, which is the final film in his history trilogy (following The Devil's Trap and Marketa Lazarova). The Valley of the Bees focuses on the story of two men, Ondrej and Armin, who are members of the Teutonic knights, and the tragedy that ensues when Ondrej fees the order and Armin journeys to bring him back. It works beautifully as a historical critique of fanatical religion, but it's difficult to not read read it as a commentary on communism. I need to watch more Viacil films. 

Movies in 2026 15

 

Walk Cheerfully, (Yasujiro Ozu, 1930)

I'm a huge fan of Ozu, as I suspect all true film lovers are. Yesterday I saw one of his early silent films, Walk Cheerfully. I didn't realize that it was silent until I started watching, although the  year made it likely. I'm used to those classic Ozu films from his golden age, based on quiet family dramas and the struggle between the traditional and the modern. His earlier films tend to be comedies, or at least have more of a comedic air, or deal with crime, or at least aspects of crime. Walk Cheerfully centers on two friends and small time crooks, Kenji (or Ken the Knife) and Senko. Kenji meets a nice girl and tries to go straight, which proves to be a challenge. Ozu includes this fascinating synchronized movement from the characters, especially the crooks, which gets at the pull of the group. I was most drawn to the intense, beautiful, and at time almost homoerotic friendship between Kenji and Senko. If you're a fan of Ozu you should definitely check out this film and some of his other early efforts, which will give you a more complete sense of the master. 

Yet Another Birthday

 And yet another birthday, and year, has flown past. Yesterday was a lovely day, despite my growing aversion to birthdays. Janet took gave me some lovely presents (my last remaining CFL jersey, two books on the CFL, and, best of all, a beautiful poem she wrote for me) and took me out to eat at Sarducci's (which was, as always, excellent). Along the way there was the usual couple hundred birthday wishes that made there way to me through various modes of social media from around the world. It's lovely to be remembered, all while I do my level best to be forgotten.

Seriously, that guy must be a thousand years old (which is essentially 66 rounded up).

Janet, blissfully, enjoying her affogato. 

Movies in 2026 14

 

Simple Men, (Hal Hartley, 1992)

I have this suspicion that I probably re-watch Hal Hartley's Simple Men, the final film in the Long Island trilogy, on every birthday. Certainly, I would never argue that it's one of the best five movies every made, but it is doubtless securely positioned in my top five favorite movies of all time. To me, it's Hartley's best, although there are many of his other films that I love. We just need to remember: "There's no such thing as adventure. There's no such thing as romance. There's only trouble and desire." I used to propose that one of my mythical cinematic/literary relationship/locations was to help Kate run Homer's Oyster Bar and plant trees - essentially, I think that's where I've ended up. I cannot recommend this movie too highly. 

Movies in 2026 13

 

Barbary Coast, (Howard Hawks, 1935)

I got an early start for my birthday morning by watching Howard Hawks's 1935 film Barbary Coast. It starred Miriam Hopkins, Edward G. Robinson, Joel McCrea, and Walter Brennen. There was no great logic to this particular selection. Mainly, I'm still feeding off of the Criterion Channel's Howard Hawks collection. It's OK, and how could you ever go wrong with a Howard Hawks movie? I didn't know that Howard Hawks was born in Goshen, Indiana, although, like most Hoosiers who amounted to anything, he bolted pretty quickly.

Oh, and apropos of nothing, I just finished a re-read (for the first time in almost fifty years) of Booth Tarkinton's (a Hoosier who never left the state) The Magnificent Ambersons. What a great novel. It's so odd to think that Tarkinton won the Pulitzer twice (one of only four writers to do so) but is essentially forgotten today. If not for the Indiana connection I guess I wouldn't remember him either, which is a pity because he was a truly great writer.

La Befana

 La Befana snuck over from Italy to surprise Janet with presents yesterday. That witch is such a scoundrel, but she's obviously dedicated to her job of providing presents for all boys and girls.

La Befana is the Christmas witch - or just an old woman - who flies on her broom to give presents to boys and girls in Italy on Epiphany (6 January), which marks the official end of the holiday season. You get a couple smaller personal gifts on Christmas, but more tend to show up on Epiphany, along with a hearty Buona Befana!  She looks very comfortable on our Christmas tree, but she'll be packing up to head to Sicily soon.

Boys in Toronto

 Andy sent this picture along the other day, which was a very pleasant surprise. It's Kevin, Andy, and I in Toronto on our truly excellent Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts doubleheader from a couple years ago. We (that is, mainly, Kevin) had mastered the Toronto mass transit system, and thus getting to the Argonauts game was a lot easier than my last traffic-stalled visit to the stadium.

It's really difficult to express how joyous that trip was, although the looks on our faces might give you some indication. Getting away with such great friends is such an extraordinary gift. As I get older, and, well, I'm already like a thousand year old, I appreciate these adventures more and more.

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Taste of Cherry (Abbas Kiarostami, 1996)

One of the things that's great about teaching - or writing - is that it keeps your brain working because you're always forced (encouraged) to go into new areas of thought. I think this was why I was always so worried about retiring, because my brain would turn to mush very quickly. My growing interest in writing has somewhat lessened that fear, that and the reality of being in pain every day has made me be more honest with myself. Anyway, I guess this is an intro into the movie I finished this morning: Abbas Kiarostami's film Taste of Cherry. It was probably only six or eight months ago that I watched it previously, but I was thinking that it might be a good fit for my Fascism class (I'm being fairly flexible in my use of the word, although we'll be doing out best to reach a cleaner definition, and focusing more generally on authoritarianism). My goal for the second half of the class is to finish with three Czechoslovakian New Wave films and three Iranian films, with Taste of Cherry being the last movie in the regular semester. By then I'm hoping that their understanding of film and authoritarianism will be subtle enough to allow them to delve into this complex film. Apparently Roger Ebert gave Taste of Cherry one out of four stars, and it made his list of most hated movies. It makes you wonder how he ever fabricated a career as a successful film critic because his take on this film is so woefully misguided (and trying to avoid the word moronic: he described it as boring, which is a criticism worthy of my students). It's an extraordinary film - and is highly recommended.

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Hidden in the Fog (Lars-Eric Kjellgren, 1953)

Last night we watched Lars-Eric Kjellgren's 1953 film Hidden in the Fog, the final movie that is featured in the Criterion Channel's Nordic Noir collection. It starred Eva Henning, who was so good in Hasse Ekman's Girl with Hyacinths. I liked the film, although I thought it was the weakest of those featured in the collection, mainly because it never could seem to figure out what it wanted to be. Was it a psychological drama? Was it a true film noir? Was it a big country house murder mystery? It wasted time that could have been better devoted to fleshing out the motives of the main characters, and even the last scene, which ends with Henning framed (in classic film noir fashion) by her window, seen from the outside through fog, simply felt like an add-on as compared to a true reveal that maybe she was the murderer after all. I don't think I'd recommend it, although it had some nice moments. 

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Death Is a Caress (Edith Carlmar, 1949)

Seriously, it's difficult to imagine a better title for a film noir than Edith  Carlmar's Death Is a Caress (with the possible exception of Takashi Nomura's 1967 Joe Shishido vehicle, A Colt Is My Passport). Not only is Death Is a Caress the first Norwegian film directed by a woman, it's also considered the first Norway's first film noir. The pervasive sexuality reminds me of Marlene Dietrich's famous observation that, "In America sex is an obsession, while in Europe it's a reality." It feels more like a character study of two obsessive, tortured souls than a true crime-driven film noir, although there is a murder at the end, but there is so much about the film that would genuinely qualify it for that vague category of film noir. It stars Bjorg Riiser-Larsen (who is wonderful) as a tortured rich woman and Claus Wiese as her younger mechanic lover, and their passionate and destructive relationship drives the narrative. Riiser-Larsen is considered one of the greatest Norwegian actresses of all time, while Wiese, oddly, ended up moving to the US and working in local TV stations and owning the Norseman Inn in Bethel, Maine. Carlmar directed ten films in a ten year period, and then retired as a director (introducing Liv Ullmann to the world in her last movie). Recommended. It's playing on the Criterion Channel right now as part of the Nordic Noir collection (and why don't you have the Criterion Channel?).

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Scarface (Howard Hawkes, 1932)

"There's only one rule: 'Do it first, do it yourself, and keep doing it!'" Such is the advice from Paul Muni's Tony Camonte, aka Scarface, in Howard Hawkes's classic gangster film, Scarface. Camonte is talking about rubbing our your enemies, but I suppose it's not bad advice for most things (this is probably how I built my Global Modules network). Muni is such an interesting character, and an underrated actor. I think he only made twenty-two films, but was nominated for an Academy Award five times (winning for The Story of Louis Pasteur). When I think of greatest American directors I tend to forget Howard Hawkes, but if you line up his films over the decades you could make a very compelling argument for him. I loved the note at the beginning which makes it clear that organized crime is a great threat, and asking the audience what they were going to do about it (we should start every story about Donald Trump with the same message). The message is re-enforced by the travel sign reading The World Is Yours, which Camonte always reads as a message for him in his rise to power, but the it's the last image in the film, reminding the audience the world is theirs and they shouldn't accept the criminals. It was also great to see Boris Karloff not playing a monster.  Highly recommended - one of the great crime films.

My Other Netherlands Picture

 The other day I was discussing my utter mystification at my lack of pictures from the Netherlands. I went back through my phone - and my camera - and Facebook - and nothing. I know that I shared pictures of Amsterdam with people, but I can't imagine digging back through the thousands of texts that I've sent Janet or Mike or Cyndi or Kevin or Marcelle to track them down. Bizarre. Anyway, this is the other one I found. We're sitting in a two hour security line at the Amsterdam airport, caused by some computer glitch and made worse by lingering work shortages caused by COVID. 

This is it? Weird. I know I should have more pictures from the Netherlands, but I simply don't. It's like someone tapped into my camera and phone and deleted them - or hypnotized me and made me delete them. I'm blaming the Belgians.