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.

Movies in 2026 135

 

The Hedonists (Jia Zhangke, 2016)

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

And That's That

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

And that's that. 

Movies in 2026 134

 

Michael Clayton (Tony Gilroy, 2007)

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

Movies in 2026 133

 

Ball of Fire (Howard Hawks, 1941)

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

Movies in 2026 132

 

King Kong (Merian C. Cooper, 1933)

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

A CFL Life

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

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk.