Movies in 2026 157

 

The 39 Steps (Alfred Hitchcock, 1935)

Clearly, it was an eclectic film day in the cabin yesterday. Janet was out of town, and I had knocked off some work in the morning, so I gave myself away to a long movie marathon. I wanted to get the taste out of my mouth of Frankenheimer's dreadful 52 Pick-Up, so I finished the evening with a re-watch of Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1935 film The 39 Steps. I think that The 39 Steps is my favorite Hitchcock film, which is not to say that it's my choice for best Hitchcock film, but it's definitely the one that I will happily take every chance to watch. Robert Donat (as Richard Hannay) and Madeline Carroll (as Pamela, initiating the long Hitchcockian tradition of the icy blonde) give wonderful performances, including a fair bit of slapstick. Highly recommended.

Movies in 2026 156

 

52 Pick-Up (John Frankenheimer, 1986)

The Criterion Channel features an extraordinary amount of films that I love (obviously), but sometimes I can't imagine why they featured a certain movie. Sometimes, it's just part of an odd collection, and thus I find it sort of charming - at other times I'm mystified. Last night I watched John Frankenheimer's 52 Pick-Up, which definitely fell into the category of: What were you thinking, Criterion? Beyond nice performances from John Glover and Clarence Williams III as villains, this was just a dog. I'm assuming the category must have been: Wow, John Frankenheimer Was Truly Dreadful In The Second Half Of His Career. It's hard to believe that this was the same guy who directed Birdman of Alcatraz, The Manchurian Candidate, and Seven Days in May. Avoid at all costs.

Movies in 2026 155

 

The Thing From Another World (Christian Nyby, 1951)

And this is about as far removed from Blue Is the Warmest Color as you can imagine (and such is the cinematic life of the cabin): Christian Nyby's 1951 classic film The Thing From Another World.  I don't know how many times I've watched this film, but it never grows old. It's part of the current Criterion Channel featured collection on 1980s remakes, where they tie the original to the 80s version - as I mentioned previously, the later remakes are all pretty dreadful, with the notable exception of John Carpenter's reworking of this film (which I will doubtless watch again before it disappears). Over the years, people given Nyby little credit for directing this film, and instead proposing that was really Howard Hawks (who produced it) who did the directorial heavy lifting. On some level I think I believed that, mainly because I've just heard people say it so often (including Michael Weldon in his Psychotronic Guide to Film), but Nyby always kicked back against that notion - and, rightly so, found it insulting. Nyby had worked with Howard Hawks for years, serving as an editor on some of Hawks's classic films, and he proposed that of course his film would have felt like a Hawks's film because of the influence of his mentor. It's a good argument, and I think people haven't given Nyby enough credit for this effort. Anyway, highly recommended.

Movies in 2026 154

 

Blue Is the Warmest Color (Abdellatif Kechiche, 2013)

I actually own a copy of Abdellatif Kechiche's 2013 film Blue Is the Warmest Color, which means that I don't have to wait for the Criterion Channel to feature it in a collection. Of course, I own it because the Criterion Collection snared me with one of their great sales, which is why I'm going to have to find a way to get a ton of DVDs overseas (Janet is doing a much better job culling out books than I'm doing culling out DVDs). The film was controversial - not to the French, because, thank God, they're French - but to an American audience, and it swept the French film awards.  Adele Exarchopoulos (as Adele) and Lea Seydoux (as Emma) play two women locked in an intense love affair, and their performances are extraordinary. I think people got caught up in the lesbian love affair aspect of the story, and somehow overlooked the love affair side of the story. Anyone who has been in a passionate/intense/painful love affair will recognize the emotions, no matter the form that your partner took - and if you haven't experienced an affair as passionate/intense/painful as the one experienced by Adele and Emma then I pity you. Highly recommended.

Evil Twins

 When you see this formation - that is Cici and Mollie - sitting right next to each other on my lap in the morning that only means one thing: Janet had to go out of town for a couple days. Without their mother to follow around, I suddenly get lots of attention. Mollie usually follows me around, as she is the ultimate lap whore, but Cici is either hiding in the walls or keeping Janet company. With Janet missing, I'm suddenly a popular choice.

Happily, Janet will be back today, which means that the cats' long national nightmare will be at an end.

Movies in 2026 153

 

After the Curfew (Usmar Ismail, 1954)

Last night I watched Usmar Ismail's wonderful 1954 Indonesian film After the Curfew. There's a great collection associated with Martin Scorsese and his attempt to preserve classics of world cinema, which has led me to several great films. A.N. Alcaff plays Iskandar, a former freedom fighter against the Dutch who tries to return to a normal life after independence. He has a lovely fiancée, Norma (played by Netty Herawaty), but he's drawn instead to his ex-colleague Puja (Bambang Hermanto) and a prostitute, Laila (Dhalia).The entire film takes place in the space of one day, as he unsuccessfully tries to re-engage into a society that only seems to be interested in him as potential criminal muscle. Highly recommended.

Movies in 2026 152

 

The Black Cat (Edgar Ulmer, 1934) 

And here's another viewing after a space of way too many years: Edgar Ulmer's 1934 The Black Cat. This is a result of Janet and I going down an Edgar Ulmer rabbit hole the other night, although I'd hate to think how many times I watched this movie on Saturday night horror movie slots (I'm sure the Cool Ghoul played some role in my first viewing). The was the first of eight films that co-starred Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, both fresh off of their star-making roles in Frankenstein and Dracula. Karloff (as Hjalmar Poelzig) and Lugosi (as Dr. Vitus Werdegast) as old enemies, who had both been in love with the same woman, who finally meet up to settle the score. There's a connecting story about a young married couple (David Manners and Jacqueline Wells as Mr. and Mrs. Allison, but nobody showed up at the theater to watch them). It's pre-Code, so it's a bit over the top and included scenes and themes that would have been unheard of a couple of years later. Required. "Supernatural, perhaps, Baloney, perhaps not."

Movies in 2026 151

 

D.O.A. (Rudolph Mate, 1950)

Over the last couple days I watched two movies that I've seen quite a few times over the years, although not for a while. First off, Rudolph Mate's 1950 D.O.A.. As should be very well-documented by now, I love film noir (as all right-thinking individuals do). The film never makes my short list of greatest films noir, but it's still a must see, obviously. There are things that annoy me about the film, mainly the portrayal of Paula (Pamela Britton), Frank Bigelow's (Edmond O-Brien) girlfriend, although that's more a critique of 1950s America and not her performance, which is fine. Rudolph Mate includes this odd trick early in the film where every time that Frank sees a woman there's this annoying whistle sound, almost as if he was immediately and uncontrollably attracted to the woman, but then changed his mind (it's almost like a measurement of erectile functionality, which I'm sure was not their intent in 1950, but I think that every time I hear it). Once the film hits its stride it's a thrill ride all the way to the finish. Obviously, everyone knows the story: Frank Bigelow, for no particular good reason, is poisoned, and spends his last couple days on earth trying to solve his murder. It's been remade a few times, and I think I should check them out; the Criterion Channel is pairing it with the 1988 Dennis Quaid remake right now, so I guess I'll start there. Recommended.

Movies in 2026 150

 

The Love That Remains (Hylnur Palmason, 2025)

I guess you are kind of a film nut, if not a film whore, if not also a big whopping nerd, when you come up from downstairs and your wife asks, "What did you watch?," and you reply, "Another Icelandic film." Last night I watched Last night I watched Hylnur Palmason's 2025 film The Love That Remains. Last year I had watched Palmason's Winter Brothers (2017) and Godland (2022), both of which I loved - and both of which, especially the former, were pretty grim. The Love That Remains definitely has a lighter touch, although it has some sobering moments. It tells the story of a couple, Anna (Saga Gardarsdottir) and Magnus (Sverrir Gudnarson), who are splitting up, and how they continue to are devoted to each other and their three kids (played by Palmason's own children). There are moments that are very funny and other that are very sad - and other that are more surreal, including the attack of a giant, revenge-seeking rooster. Palmason fashions some scenes that will definitely stay with me, including the large human-like doll hanging from a pole, overlooking the North Sea, that is shown throughout the entire year, and is essentially a character in its own right (including coming to life, sort of, at the end) and an image of Magnus floating in the ocean at the end (real or metaphor, it's left up to you). You get the sense of loss and anger and frustration, but also of enduring love. Highly recommended, as are Winter Brothers and Godland.

Movies in 2026 149

 

Seven Chances (Buster Keaton, 1925)

I'm continuing my deep dive into silent movies, and am becoming a huge Buster Keaton fan in the process. Yesterday morning I watched his 1925 film Seven Chances. Somehow I had never seen it, although I had seen clips of the utterly (and justifiably) iconic scene of him running down a hillside while dodging boulders (how he kept from killing himself is anybody's guess). The more of his films that I watch, the more I understand why he's considered one of the greatest directors of all time. Highly recommended. I'm trying to convince my good friend David Rous that he's a dead ringer for Buster Keaton, which he doesn't see yet, but doubtless will as I pester him about it. 

Potential for Growth

 I just wanted to post a great picture of Gary and Ali that I snapped the other night at the wonderful retirement party that my friends threw me the other night at Queen City Brewery. Their speeches were so heartfelt and loving (and clearly far effusive than can be justified by my meagre virtues), that in the end I was not in the position to thank them. at least collectively, I talked to everyone face to face, as thoroughly as they deserved. I gather pictures and have more to say about this - and the other party - later. I feel very loved and appreciated.

Having Gary and Ali there topped it off. I love them both so much, and will miss them terribly.

Movies in 2026 148

 

Detour (Edgar Ulmer, 1945)

It was definitely Old School night at the cabin last night. After watching silent shorts from Chaplin and Keaton, Janet joined me to re-watch Edgar Ulmer's utterly classic 1945 film noir Detour. It's a film that we both absolutely love, and compete to jump in with the lines as they're spoken.  Ulmer is sometimes referred to as the King of the Bs, as in he's always associated with B movies, but that's pretty unfair. He ended up in that niche and could never quite climb out of it, but he directed the hell out of what he was given and his budgetary restraints. After it was over we started watching a related documentary on Ulmer (the documentary was two and half hours, while Detour is an hour). Ulmer's filmography is amazing, including a series of tuberculous informal films (he was a working director, and he took what was available). Ann Savage completely steals the show as the vindictive, psychopathic Vera - it's an absolutely stunning performance. The movie has aged remarkably well and is now considered a classic, and Savage's performance is the stuff of legend; it's the reason why Guy Maddin cast her as his mother in his docu-fantasia My Winnipeg. This is beyond highly recommended, it is required viewing. I've used it over the years in my Japanese film noir class (as we started the classes by discussing foundational aspects of film noir) and even my students loved it.

Movies in 2026 147

 

Sherlock Jr. (Buster Keaton, 1924)

I'm becoming quite the Buster Keaton fan, and it's about time. I've always liked Keaton, but never really watched enough of his films in a row to truly get an appreciation of him. He's wonderful, and it's hard to imagine a filmmaker who more consistently makes me laugh and gasp than him (while watching, I'm often amazed that he didn't kill himself). Last night I watched his 1924 film Sherlock Jr., which, in addition to some utterly crazy physical stunts, included some truly meta film mischief (his character, who shows movies, walks into the movie he's showing - which has been copied endlessly throughout the years). Highly recommended.

Movies in 2026 146

 

A Day's Pleasure (Charlie Chaplin, 1919)

I'm continuing my exploration of short and silent films, and this included last night's viewing of Charlie Chaplin's 1919 A Day's Pleasure. A good family man takes his wife and kids out for a boat ride, which leads to some inspired shenanigans. It's not the best Chaplin, but it's still awfully good, and you should check it out. 

Movies in 2026 145

 

Anatomy of Hell (Catherine Breillat, 2004)

It does seem like I'm re-watching several films (although I've also watched a lot of new ones, obviously), and one of them is Catherine Breillat's 2004 film Anatomy of Hell. I watched it for the first time a couple years ago and didn't like it, and decided to give it another watch and confirmed my initial opinion (although I think I liked it more this time). That said, I don't think it's a film that is meant to be liked, but rather a film that is meant to be experienced, and which is meant to make you uncomfortable. Amira Casar (in a very great and brave performance) plays a woman who tries to slit her wrists in a gay nightclub. She's saved by a gay man, which leads to the first words in the film: Man: "Why did you do that?" Woman: "Because I'm a woman." So, yeah, you know you're in for a bumpy night. The woman hires the gay man (played by Rocco Siffredi, an actual famous porn actor) to watch her for four nights and tell her what he sees. It's very graphic, which I guess explains why Breillat hired an actual porn actor for the role. Actually, I was less put off by the graphic nature of the scenes than by much of the pretty leaden dialogue, especially from the character of the man. Sort of like Belle de Jour, at the end you're not quite certain of what happens, that is, does the man commit an act or imagine that he'd like to commit an act. I can't recommend it, although I've also watched it twice, so clearly I see something there. I think I like the idea of Catherine Breillat making films more than her actual films, to which she'd no doubt say, quite rightly, "who cares?" Maybe I'll check back here later when I inevitably watch it again in three years.

Movies in 2026 144

 

Belle de Jour (Luis Bunuel, 1967)

My latest Luis Bunuel film is one I've actually seen several times: his 1967 masterpiece Belle de Jour. As I've stated previously, I go back and forth on Bunuel, but Belle de Jour is a film I've always liked, and tend to like more upon every new viewing. Catherine Deneuve plays Severine, a bored and sexually frustrated or frigid wealthy woman, who has elaborate sadomasochistic fantasies. At times it's difficult to tell what's reality and what are her fantasies, especially at the end, which can be read different ways. She grows bored and begins working at a brothel in the afternoon, which opens her up sexually, but also leads to disaster (if that's not simply another fantasy). This time the scene that jumped out at me was her killing time in between tricks. Another prostitute is working on a crossword puzzle, and asks, "Carries his father, six letters?" The well-educated Severine replies, "Aeneas, A-E-N-E-A-S." The other woman replies that it makes sense, since the third letter is an N, causing Severine to have a pained expression at the ignorance of her friend, although they are both working at a brothel. It instantly found its way into my book on the Epics. Recommended - that is, Belle de Jour, and not by book, although it would be nice if you bought it if it's ever published.

Sono In Pensione

 Recently I signed up for an online Italian class, because, well, it's time to get serious about beginning to learn Italian.  It's time partially because we'll (if the Italian government and court system play nice, which is probably a big if) be in Italy in a few months, but also because I'm now retired and am more in control of my time from now on (although I have lots of projects lined up, although I guess they're more my personal projects, and I will doubtless prove to be a more harsh tyrant than Champlain). I've tinkered with Duolingo, but I don't think it's really a system that's going to effectively teach you a foreign language, but it's OK for those stretches of five or ten minutes when you have some free time and you want to do something other than doom scroll. Over the last year or so I've also paid for Pimsleur, which I like and don't like. I certainly get more out of it than Duolingo, which may only partially relate to the fact that I'm paying for it, and it has less video game content. What I don't like about it is that you have to listen to a half-hour discussion all the another language before you can begin to get text. I understand that it's just a different way to approach learning a foreign language, but it just doesn't seem to fit with how I learn. Essentially, I need to see the text earlier, which relates to simply not being very good at foreign languages, but also because I'm increasingly hard of hearing. So, if I just listen to it the first time without having access to the text, I simply don't pick up the words. I'm going to keep it, at least through the end of the current term, because it might be useful to hear a different approach, especially during down times in my Italian course. My first course in the online class starts on Monday, and I need to get used to the idea of sitting in a chatroom, and this fills me with dread. It's exactly what I need to do, but I know I'm going to hate it at the beginning because it's going to inspire a ton of embarrassment. That said, I'm not going to survive in Italy by just reading text, I need to be able to chat, so I'll just have to plow ahead. I was watching a video today and how to prepare for our first chatroom discussion, and one of the first important phrases was "sono in pensione" or "I'm retired."

Movies in 2026 143

 

I Am Not a Witch (Rungano Nyoni, 2017)

One of the corners on the Criterion Channel website (which, again, offers me more films than I can ever watch) is the section on Films Leaving This Month. I don't want to be that idiot who had the chance to watch a classic film and somehow missed the opportunity because I didn't get around to it. It also foregrounds films or directors that may have gotten lost in the shuffle, and also puts me on the clock. And I'm glad the Criterion Channel put me on the clock, because this morning I watched one of the best films I've seen in years: Rungano Nyoni's 2017 film I Am Not a Witch. It's a Zambian film that focuses on a nine year old girl who is accused of being a witch, but it's really much more broadly about misogyny and corruption in Africa. Shula(Maggie Mulubwa) ends up accused of being a witch, and ends up being sent to a camp for witches, which is one part tourist trap of one part source for slave labor. Mr. Banda (Henry B.J. Phiri) plays the government official is charged with looking after Shula, but in the end exploits her. The film gets its point across, but it's never clumsy or preachy, and it's both funny and also heartbreaking. I suppose all the time I've spent in Africa, including far too briefly in Zambia, help me appreciate some of the more subtle points, but I think anyone would love this film. Highly, highly recommended.

Movies in 2026 142

 

Viridiana (Luis Bunuel, 1961)

As I work my way through the Luis Bunuel collection - or at least the Bunuel films available on the Criterion Channel - I recently re-watched his 1961 film Viridiana. This is a film that routinely makes Best Of lists, not only of best Bunuel films but more generally of all films, but it's also one that I've never warmed to. It has fine performances (including Silvia Pinal in the title role) and some classic Bunuel moments, but it's also a film that seems almost determined to crowd the screen with as many unlikeable characters as possible. Viridiana is set to take her vows as a nun, but she's ordered by the mother superior to go home to visit her allegedly dying uncle. She gives in, even though she feels nothing towards him and wants to stay in the nunnery. Her uncle Jaime is utterly depraved, and his son Jorge, who eventually arrives with his girlfriend, is just about as bad.  Viridiana decides not to return to the nunnery, but instead brings in as many local beggars as possible in an attempt to do a good deed. While Viridiana and Jorge are away from the house the beggars break into the main house, embark on a drunken orgy, and then almost kill Jorge and rape Viridiana when they return. At the end of the film it is made to appear that Viridiana has given up on her loftier ambitions, and seems to have agreed to a threesome with Jorge and the servant Ramona (how the censors let that one get through is beyond me, which is especially amazing considering that it was the revised ending after the censors balked at the original ending). It's as if the message is that life is simply horrible and irredeemable and it's not worth the effort of trying to fix it. I appreciate the criticism of societal hypocrisy, including another classic Bunuel shot at the church, but, like I said, I've simply never warmed to it. Maybe it's because in the end I do think it's worth the effort to try and make the world a better place, or my lack of sophistication caused by growing up in Indiana leaves me too much of a dope to appreciate the film. No matter what, you should definitely check it out, and feel free to reach out to me and explain my ignorance. It is recognized as a classic film, and, if for no other reason, it's worth a viewing.

A Child's Doll

"No empire justifies breaking a child's doll. No ideal is worth the sacrifice of a toy train."

Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet, text 454

I think these lines jumped out at me because of the Vermont Public Philosophy Week talk that I gave a couple weeks ago, but also because of the Trumpian horror story that we're living through. My talk focused on Thucydides, especially his Melian Dialogue and how power and empire negatively impacted the Athenians. Many Greeks at the time thought that the Athenian slaughter of the Melians cursed them, but Thucydides wasn't willing to go that far. However, he did make it clear that endless war and aggression and ambition would corrupt human nature. I keep watching these news reports which complain that Trump's unlawful war on Iran was driving up gas prices and how this aggravated people. Somehow, the price at the pump is more important than bombing a girls' school and killing over a hundred children. This is exactly what Thucydides was warning us against. I'm now sixty-six, and it seems like that for my entire life the US has been at war, almost universally punching down at weaker countries. It has so corrupted our soul that we can no longer feel, let alone realize that we have become the bad guys.

Movies in 2026 141

 

Simon of the Desert (Luis Bunuel, 1965)

And, as promised, I'm more deliberately tackling the Luis Bunuel filmography. With that in mind, this morning I watched his 1965 film Simon of the Desert. It very imaginatively and audaciously tells the story of the 5th century Syrian saint Simeon Stylites, who spent over thirty years sitting on top of a series of pillars as part of his devotion to God. Amazingly, he drew followers. I can remember how in my early days of teaching more traditional history classes my students were amazed/appalled by his story. Bunuel does an interesting job both celebrating and parodying him, or at least his parodying his often hypocritical followers. In a classic Bunuel moment the film ends up with Simon (Claudio Brook)  and Satan (Silvia Pinal) in a New York City discotheque. Recommended.

Movies in 2026 140

 

El (Luis Bunuel, 1953)

Over the years it seems like I've seen a lot of Luis Bunuel films, but I think it's been over so many years and in so many different circumstances - essentially, I've watched them haphazardly - that I don't have a true sense of him as a filmmaker. I'm going to do my best to address that. This morning I watched his 1953 film El, which is currently playing on the Criterion Channel. El was filmed during Bunuel's years of exile in Mexico. If you think you have an unhappy marriage, you should watch El and focus in on the marriage of Francisco (Arturo de Cordova) and Gloria (Delia Garces), because you'll feel a lot better about your situation. Both de Cordova and Garces are very good in roles that could have slipped into simple melodrama in the hands of weaker actors and a less talented director. By this point Bunuel had moved beyond his surrealist roots, although several of the scenes hint at his earlier films. Francisco is jealous bordering on pure paranoia, and Bunuel does a great job including critique of a society, including the church and Gloria's own mother who are naturally going to believe the man's side of the story. Highly recommended. Expected to see many more Bunuel films discussed in the near future.

Movies in 2026 139

 

Cat People (Jacques Tourneur, 1942)

The other day I made the point, when talking about how incredible it seems to me that Jacques Tourneur directed Out of the Past (he's not a bad director, but, come on, Out of the Past is an all-time classic), I proposed that Cat People might be his second best film (again, I don't know how passionately I'd make that argument, but I having trouble coming up with a clear #2 on his list). Anyway, this is by way to saying that I watched (for the bazillionith - or at least some number larger than ten) his 1942 film Cat People. Simone Simon (who won the role in a big talent search - mainly they were looking for an actress with an "exotic" look) plays Irena Dubrovna, a Serbian refugee who has dark memories and dreams of her haunted village back home, and who may turn into a black panther if she is sexually aroused. Apparently Simone Simon was dating a double agent at the time of the filming (and the guy later swiped most of her money), and was under investigation. It's not a great film, but there's a reason why I watched it a bazillion (or at least some number larger than ten) times, and you should check it out. Alan Napier, who later played Alfred on the 1960s Batman TV show, is one of Oliver's (Irena's husband, played by Kent Smith) co-workers. Tom Conway, who normally played characters who were a bit too clever or a bit too slimy, played Dr. Louis Judd, Irena's psychiatrist, a character who was both too clever and too slimy, and pays for it with his life. Jane Randolph plays Oliver's non-supernatural love interest, and survives Irena's jealousy, including the iconic swimming pool scene. If nothing else, it's worlds better than the ridiculous 1980s remake (this month the Criterion Channel is featuring 1980s remakes, double-billed with their earlier inspirations - not to give it all away, but with the exception of John Carpenter's The Thing remake of Christian Nyby's - although it might be better to say Howard Hawks's - The Thing from Another World - both are great - the 1980s remakes are crap). 

At Least One Student

 I think there was a time when I was widely and wildly popular with students (and I don't think I'm romanticizing my teaching career), with a few students who actively disliked me and the majority who liked me a lot - and then a few years ago it switched and now most students dislike me and a few like me a lot; which I guess is more proof that it was time to retire. One of the few students who really liked me over the last few years is the excellent Leah Baker, who took me three or four times. She even dragged her boyfriend (not fiancé) out to Adamant for one of my Vermont Philosophy Week Talks a few years ago. I had been presenting on Proust, and I tend to mention Proust so often in class that she had eventually borrowed a copy of Swann's Way (which in the end I just gave to her - I mean, come on, who drags their boyfriend out to Adamant to listen to a talk on Proust? That's pretty epic.). Anyway, Leah is one of my all-time favorite students. Today, completely out of the blue, she emailed me to let me know that they had just moved to Nashville, and she wanted to send me a picture of a section of her bookcase which features books that I either gave to her or suggested to her. She told me that she's having trouble tracking down copies of all the volumes of Remembrance of Things Past, which is not surprising, since most bookstores only stock Swann's Way (to their shame). I think I've found a new home for my old complete copy of Proust.

So, the moral of the story is that at least one student liked my classes.

Movies in 2026 138

 

Sunnyside (Charlie Chaplin, 1919)

I'm continuing my effort to acquaint myself with short films, and that includes working my way through the Charlie Chaplin silent film collection on the Criterion Channel. With that in mind, last night I watched Chaplin's 1919 film Sunnyside. Chaplin's character Charlie (not quite the Little Tramp) works at a shabby hotel is a French village, and he's just about as bad at his work as you could imagine. The scene of him getting in and out of bed at 3:30 is classic. Edna Purviance, per usual, plays his love interest. Recommended.

Movies in 2026 137

 

Lacombe, Lucien (Louis Malle, 1974)

Here's another film that David Chase suggested in his Adventures in Moviegoing section on the Criterion Channel: Louis Malle's 1974 film Lacombe, Lucien. I go back and forth on Malle film, I think it relates to his pacing, and all directors have their own internal clock, and his is always just a tad off with me. However, I also almost universally really like his films (Elevator to the Gallows, Au revoir les enfants, Atlantic City). Lacombe, Lucien was a controversial film when it came out because it addressed the complexity of the French response to German occupation during World War II, that is, while it is easy for the French to romanticize that all Frenchmen fought in the Resistance, there were other French citizens who, for innumerable reasons, supported, even quietly, the Nazis. Pierre Blaise plays Lucien, who initially wanted to join the Resistance, but then, almost immediately, began to side with the Germans. We're never told exactly why Lucien makes this decision, several reasons are hinted out, and I think that's what Malle meant to tell us - it's not that simple. Blaise was a complete amateur, who Malle chose after a lengthy search, and I think this was part of Malle's goal of keeping Lucien's (and many Frenchmen) motives obscure. Blaise was only in three more films, all short within a year, before dying in a drunken car crash at the age of twenty. The actress who played Lucien Jewish lover France Horn, Aurore Clement, looked awfully familiar, and I figured out that I had seen her in Wem Wenders's Paris, Texas - and also in the colonial French scene in the expanded director's cut of Apocalypse Now (Coppola had left it on the cutting room floor in the initial theatrical release, which is a pity because it may be the best scene). Definitely recommended.

Movies in 2026 136

 

Il Sorpasso (Dino Risi, 1962)

One of the many cool things that the Criterion Channel does is include mini-interviews with folks about films they love, in a series they call Adventures in Moviegoing. As a pretty unrepentant film nut I tend to watch all of them, not only because I love to listen to people talk about movies, but also because it introduces me to even more movies that I've never heard of. I was listening to David Chase (of The Sopranos fame) talk about some of his favorite films and was introduced to Dino Risi's 1962 film Il Sorpasso. It is a beloved Italian film which, somehow, I had missed. It tells the story of two men who meet under odd circumstances, form an unlikely friendship, and embark on a two day road trip. The adventure is marked by humor, friendship, desire, and tragedy. Vittorio Gassman (who I remembered from Bitter Rice) plays the irresistible and irresponsible Bruno Cortona, who dragoons the introverted Roberto Mariani, played by Jean-Louis Trintignant (who had a decades-long career, although I suppose I remember him best from his late career role in Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colours: Red) into the joyous and tragic road trip (at the very end of the film Robert admits to Bruno that he feels like he's lived his entire life in those two days). In a notable supporting role, 1960s "It Girl" Catherine Spaak plays Bruno's daughter Lilli. I laughed out loud when Lilli calls Robert "Young Werther"; there simply aren't enough cinematic jokes based on Goethe's The Sorrows of Young Werther). There are moments when one realizes how big of a nerd they are, and it's hard to imagine a more obvious example than recognizing and laughing at a The Sorrow of Young Werther reference in a 1962 Italian film. Highly recommended: Il Sorpasso, not hanging around with me. Thanks to David Chase for the film recommendation.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.