Movies in 2026 70

 

High Pressure, (Mervyn LeRoy, 1932)

Mollie, the horizontal cat, was in a mood (mainly, I suspect, because Cici, the vertical cat, was spending the day at the vet) and simply wouldn't leave me alone as I was trying to getting some writing done. So, I finally surrendered, and sat over in my morning chair so that she could curl up on me and take a nap (proving, once again, who really runs things when you have a cat). I took the opportunity to watch another movie from the Mervyn LeRoy collection on the Criterion Channel on my phone. This was High Pressure, which was enjoyable, although also seemed the weakest film that I've seen from the collection so far. William Powell, as Gar Evans (his name is a little too close to mine), is, typically, great, and Frank McHugh is good in a typically Frank McHugh  role as Mike Donahey. While I was watching it I kept thinking that the Doris Day/Rock Hudson movie Lover Come Back is sort of an uncredited remake. If you're a William Powell fan (and, really, who isn't?), you could check it out.

13

 And now we're officially over halfway through my last semester. My great friend Kerry stopped by yesterday and noticed the number 13 that had just appeared on my door, and I explained the process. I think she was triggered by the number 13, and began to talk about the need for a public celebration of my retirement, which I thought had disappeared in the chaos of life at Champlain. I explained, truthfully, as I've explained before, that I don't want a big public going away shindig. I'm OK with a series of smaller gettogethers. but the thought of being the center of a big celebration just makes my skin crawl. I'm going to litter the road with as many roadblocks as possible to keep this from being scheduled, including a series of fictional trips back to Indiana. If not for this summer's two CFL trips I think I'd just get on a plane for Sicily as soon as my final grades are submitted.

Thanks to Anthony Calvillo for loaning me his number 13 for the countdown. Calvillo was born in LA, and played his college ball at Utah State. After brief stints with the Las Vegas Posse (during the ill-fated CFL excursion south of the border) and Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Calvillo played the rest of his career with the Montreal Alouettes. When he retired he had passed for more yards than any professional QB, before his record was eventually broken by Drew Brees of that southern league - he still holds the all-time CFL record. He's one of only ten quarterbacks to have thrown for over 400 touchdowns. In addition, Calvillo won four Grey Cups and was voted the Most Outstanding Player three times.  Not surprisingly, he's a member of the CFL Hall of Fame. Currently, Calvillo serves as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Montreal Alouettes. 

Movies in 2026 69

 

One Battle After Another, (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2025)

Last night we finally got around to watching Paul Thomas Anderson's One Battle After Another, which seems to be, along with Sinners, the two leading choices to win the Oscar for Best Picture (although I suspect that It Was Just an Accident or Sentimental Value are better pictures). Either way, as has been the case since 1986, I will not be watching the Oscars as I continue the boycott I started when David Lynch's Blue Velvet was not nominated (in an age when no one believes in anything or stands for something, I am the exception). Of the two, I would pick One Battle After Another, although I certainly would be happy with Sinners winning (as I said earlier, it is a wonderful film). Maybe it's the unabashed critique of Trump's America that pushes the arrow to One Battle After Another for me. There was an article on the BBC website recently which asked the question: if so many film critics view One Battle After Another as a classic, why did so few people bother to see it. They proposed several reasons, when the obvious reason is simply that Americans are morons. Highly recommended.

The Cabin That Dripped Ice

 In honor of the 1971 Hammer film, The House That Dripped Blood, we are proud to present: The Cabin That Dripped Ice. [No one will be admitted during the terrifying ice decapitation scene!] As I've mentioned previously, during the last couple winters Vermont has seemingly remembered that it's Vermont. And, again, as I mentioned previously, I will not miss the Vermont winter.

Janet proposing that we really should do something about the ice hanging from the cabin.

Janet finally snapping and heroically freeing us from the demonic ice that was trying to entomb the entire cabin.

Movies in 2026 68

 

The General (Buster Keaton & Clyde Bruckman, 1926)

Over the years I've seen innumerable clips from Buster Keaton films, but, strangely - and shamefully - I had never seen a complete Keaton film until yesterday. I watched his 1926 film The General. It was one of those films that I had heard of (I think Orson Welles said that The General was not only the best comedy ever made, but also the best film), but had never gotten around to watching it. Happily, the Criterion Channel is featuring one of their odd collections, this time on movies with great stunts, which they would normally never show. It's sort of like their collections on 1970s drive-in horror movies or snow westerns, which shows that clearly they are not being driven by marketing but instead by true weirdo film buffs sitting in a room bouncing around ideas. They have a couple Keaton movies and also a Harold Lloyd film (all of which have moved into my queue). The General is a great, great film, and it is highly recommended.

Oskee Wee Wee

 This summer's CFL Trips of Excellence are coming into view. In June I'll be heading to Hamilton to meet my cousin Nick for a Tiger-Cats game. Not only will this be his fir CFL game, it will also be his first time out of the country. Not surprisingly, he's super excited. Obviously, he now has to learn the Tiger-Cats official fight song, otherwise he won't blend. I, of course, both know that Song of Excellence, but have enough Tiger-Cats swag to blend effortlessly. This will be my third Tiger-Cats game, which I'm definitely looking forward to. Hamilton is a great place to see a game, with great fans and a nice stadium. It also houses the CFL Hall of Fame, which somehow I've never visited (although that will change this summer).

The plane tickets were purchased yesterday for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers & Saskatchewan Roughriders doubleheader, so obviously there will be much more discussion of that soon enough.

14

 And now I'm half-way through the final semester of my long teaching career. My students were pretty good this week, and hopefully it will carry over next week as we have one more week until spring break. Today I popped into Walmart's to pick up something before leaving Burlington, and in the space of five minutes ran into a former student, my friend Deb from the Food Shelf, and Brother Yunus from the mosque, which just about sums up so much of my life over the last few years. My former students had taken my Ibn Khaldun class a few years ago, and he talked about how much he had enjoyed the class and how much he felt he had learned; professors never tire of hearing from their former students (especially the happy ones), since it gives us some hope that we're still making a difference.

And thanks to Jack Coan for loaning me his number 14 for the countdown. I thought I would change things up and feature a player just beginning his career, and not an all-star or a CFL Hall of Famer. Coan is the backup quarterback for the Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders, which, unfortunately for him, means he doesn't get a lot of playing time. The tickets have been purchased for this summer's Winnipeg/Saskatchewan doubleheader, so I might seem him get in some snaps (especially in those important 3rd and 1 situations). He played his college ball at Wisconsin and Notre Dame. I noted that he is from Sayville, New York, the home of the esteemed Sanford Zale. Today at the Breakfast of Excellence, Sandy told me that his father's knows Jack's family, so it is a small world.