G. Kevin Lally

Thanks, Ben!

An extraordinary essay. So honored to be included.

Billy Wilder’s Battle With the Past How the fabled Hollywood director confronted survivor’s guilt, the legacies of the Holocaust, and the paradoxes of Zionism.

I have a new piece up @thenation.com on Billy Wilder, the Holocaust, survivor's guilt, and confronting the limits of Zionism. www.thenation.com/article/cult...

I’ve always been aware of Artur Rubinstein’s renown as a great pianist, but holy moly, his performance in Edgar G. Ulmer’s Carnegie Hall (1947) is incredible.

On the AFI tribute to Francis Ford Coppola, everyone pronounces his name as Cope-pola. Except for Martin Scorsese, who says ‘Copp-ola.’ Who’s correct?

I strongly suspect those rude RSV commercials (the ones where happy old folks are cut off mid-sentence) were created by some smug, sadistic Millennial a-hole. Your day will come, bud.

Movie discovery of the week: Madame X (1937) on TCM, with a rare lead performance by the great Gladys George. She knocks it out of the park.

A 1992 Visit with Pioneering Director Mira Nair—and Her Infant Son, Zohran Mamdani One of the week’s big newsmakers is Zohran Mamdani, the relative newcomer who decisively defeated former New York governor Andrew Cuomo (and his big-money machine) in the Democratic primary race fo…

It’s so crazy that when I interviewed director Mira Nair in 1992, her infant son—Zohran Mamdani—was in the room.

Classified information? What classified information? The Trump gang is being especially Orwellian today.

YouTube video by M. Kirollos Closely Watched Trains (1966) - Opening Scene (Eng Subs)

The time has come to revisit classics I saw in my early 20s that have faded from memory. So glad I returned to the wonderful Closely Watched Trains, from 1966. It’s part of The Criterion Channel’s Czech New Wave collection.

YouTube video by PizzaFlix Patterns (1956) ROD SERLING

First-time watch: Patterns, the excellent film version of Rod Serling’s 1955 teleplay about business ethics. Don’t tell me it’s not just as relevant 70 years later.

Pass it on.
#StandWithUkraine

Trump and Vance don’t deserve to lick Zelenskyy’s muddy boots.

Even more relevant now than when I bought this t-shirt.

You really can just email Elon Musk at hr@opm.gov

Discovery of the day: Archie Mayo’s Black Legion (1937), part of TCM’s ‘How to Fight Nazis’ series and eerily relevant.

Personal movie discovery of the week: The Flame of New Orleans, a delightful Marlene Dietrich comedy directed by Rene Clair, on Criterion Channel.

Movies are my balm for the dreaded year ahead. In the first 48 hours of 2025 we watched The Bitter Tears of General Yen, Rain, Three Strangers, Mildred Pierce (and the Carol Burnett parody, Mildred Fierce), Captain Fantastic, Grey Gardens (2009), and RoboCop (1987).

‘Green Border,’ ‘No Other Land’ and ‘Anora’ Are Among 2024’s Best Thanks to my relatively new perch on the editorial board at Cineaste, I’m getting to see more films a year than ever. (Editing a monthly magazine and website for several decades limited my fre…

Just posted my top ten films of 2024—with lots of runners-up!

Has anyone else noticed how many guests on TV news programs begin their responses to questions with ‘I mean’? When did this become commonplace?

‘According to a new poll, 54 percent of voters think President-elect Trump will do a good job upon his return to the White House. So it’s official: Covid causes memory loss.’—Seth Meyers

Cineaste Magazine

I’m pleased to announce my first cover story for Cineaste—my interview with writer-director Sean Baker about his Palme d’Or winner ‘Anora.’ Cineaste is old-school, so you need to subscribe to read it. www.cineaste.com

The only reason the Democrats won’t control the House in 2025 is the extreme gerrymandering in North Carolina. What this article doesn’t mention is that the corrupt Supreme Court has struck down reasonable challenges to gerrymandering. The fix is in.

✋

After watching/hearing him make the promotional rounds on Seth Meyers and SmartLess, I’ve realized that Hugh Grant is one of the funniest and drollest people alive.

Great piece, Dan. You handled a delicate subject well.

It’s a beauty. Congratulations!

I already gave it as a birthday gift—and I own a copy too.

It’s eternal vigilance time, folks. Like, 24/7.