ben kaye

Why Isn't Hannibal Lecter in Looney Tunes: Back in Action? It's more complicated than you might think...

ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV to Representatives of the World of Cinema (15 November 2025)

Dear brothers and sisters, Although cinema is now over a century old, it is still a young. dreamlike and somewhat restless art form. It will soon celebrate its 130th anniversary, counting from the tirst public screening by the Lumière brothers in Paris on 28 December 1895. From the outset, cinema was as a play of light and shadow, designed to amuse and impress. However, these visual effects soon succeeded in conveying much deeper realities, eventually becoming an expression of the desire to contemplate and understand life, to recount its greatness and fragility and to portray the longing for infinity. Dear friends, I am happy to greet and welcome you. I also express my gratitude for what cinema represents: a popular art in the noblest sense, intended for and accessible to all. It is wonderful to see that when the magic light of cinema illuminates the darkness, simultaneously ignites the eyes of the soul. Indeed, cinema combines what appears to be mere entertainment with the narrative of the human person's spiritual adventure. One of cinema's most valuable contributions is helping audiences consider their own lives, look at the complexity of their experiences with new eyes and examine the world as if for the first time. In doing so, they rediscover a portion of the hope that is essential for humanity to live to the fullest. I find comfort in the thought that cinema is not just moving pictures; it sets hope in motion! Entering a cinema is like crossing a threshold. In the darkness and silence, vision becomes sharper, the heart opens up and the mind becomes receptive to things not yet imagined. In reality, you know that your art form requires concentration. Through your productions, you connect with people who are looking for entertainment, as well as those who carry within their hearts a sense of restlessness and are looking for meaning, justice and beauty. We live in an age where digital screens are always on. There is a constant flow of information. However, cinema …

day after day. Nonetheless, cinemas are experiencing a troubling decline, with many being removed from cities and neighborhoods. More than a few people are saying that the art of cinema and the cinematic experience are in danger. I urge institutions not to give up, but to cooperate in aflirming the social and cultural value of this activity. The logic of algorithms tends to repeat what "works," but art opens up what is possible. Not everything has to be immediate or predictable. Defend slowness when it serves a purpose, silence when it speaks and difference when evocative. Beauty is not just a means of escape; it is above all an invocation. When cinema is authentic, it does not merely console, but challenges. It articulates the questions that dwell within us, and sometimes, even provokes tears that we did not know we needed to express. In this Jubilee Year, the Church invites us to journey towards hope, your presence here from so many different countries, and your artistic work in particular, is a shining example. Like so many others who come to Rome from all over the world, you too are on a journey as pilgrims of the imagination, seekers of meaning, narrators of hope and heralds of humanity. Your journey is not measured in kilometers but in images, words, emotions, shared memories and collective desires. You navigate this pilgrimage into the mystery of human experience with a penetrating gaze that is capable of recognizing beauty even in the depths of pain, and of discerning hope in the tragedy of violence and war. The Church esteems you for your work with light and time, with faces and landscapes, with words and silence. Pope Saint Paul VI once spoke to artists saying: "If you are friends of genuine art, you are our friends," recalling that "this world in which we live needs beauty in order not to sink into despair" (Address of Pope Paul VI to Artists, 8 December 1965). I wish to renew this friendship because cinema is a workshop of hope, a place where people can…

regard, dear seasoned and novice filmmakers, I invite you to make cinema an art of the Spirit. In the present era, there is a need for witnesses of hope, beauty and truth. You can fulfill this role through your artistic work. Good cinema and those who create and star in it have the power to recover the authenticity of imagery in order to safeguard and promote human dignity. Do not be afraid to confront the world's wounds. Violence, poverty, exile, loneliness, addiction and forgotten wars are issues that need to be acknowledged and narrated. Good cinema does not exploit pain; it recognizes and explores it. This is what all the great directors have done. Giving voice to the complex, contradictory and sometimes dark feelings that dwell in the human heart is an act of love. Art must not shy away from the mystery of frailty; it must engage with it and know how to remain before it. Without being didactic, authentically artistic forms of cinema possess the capacity to educate the audience's gaze. In conclusion, filmmaking is a communal effort, a collective endeavor in which no one is self-sufficient. While everyone recognizes the skill of the director and the genius of the actors, a film would be impossible without the quiet dedication of hundreds of other professionals, including assistants, runners, prop masters, electricians, sound engineers, equipment technicians, makeup artists, hairstylists, costume designers, location managers, casting directors, directors of photography, music directors, screenwriters, editors, special effects technicians and producers. Every voice, every gesture and every skill contributes to a work that can only exist as a whole. In an age of exaggerated and confrontational personalities, you demonstrate that creating a quality film requires dedication and talent. Thanks to the gifts and qualities of those whom you work alongside, everyone can make their unique charisma shine in a collaborative and fraternal atmosphere. May your cinema always be …

a big brick of text about PETER HUJAR'S DAY for cinefile.info.

some words from me on Ira Sachs' PETER HUJAR'S DAY for @cinefilechicago.bsky.social. playing in Chicago now at the Gene Siskel Film Center!

(citing Barbican as an example of a multi-disciplinary arts center, less so regarding its specific funding source)

every single major city should have a federally-funded arts center (think London’s Barbican) for theater, film, dance, art, etc.

a really nice week, to be honest!

a lot of great performances this year, but my two favorites have got to be Ethan Hawke in BLUE MOON and Rose Byrne in IF I HAVE LEGS I'D KICK YOU. top notch stuff that blew me away.

YouTube video by And Now They Sing How "The Pirates of Penzance" Became a Musical

did some voiceover work for my friend's latest video essay on "The Pirates of Penzance," what it takes to turn an opera into a musical, and the importance of trusting the material (and the audience) when reviving classic works. youtu.be/6HUbPzRe3MI?...

jim downey in the immortal "jeff epstein?" meme

The Epstein story gets a something that is tearing at the heart of the electorate: elite impunity. The idea that wealthy and powerful people can do terrible things *at scale* and face no consequences for them. Whatever political party actually stops it could rule the country for a generation.

The Music Box is proud to welcome filmmaker Jafar Panâhi for an Encore Screening of IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT on Monday 11/24 at 7pm.

Tickets now on sale for Music Box Members. If available, general public tix go on sale this Thursday at Noon.

More Info: musicboxtheatre.com/films-and-ev...

Homayoun Ershadi (1947-2025)

The thing about Mamdani is that he’s a talented politician but not otherworldly or one in a billion, he’s just a competent guy with popular ideas who ran against an entitled piece of shit and to me it’s a lot more optimistic to imagine 1000 campaigns like his than to view him as a unique phenomenon

literally doing the Leonard Nimoy “well my work is done here” bit but with complete sincerity.

CALL NOW: Tell Your Democratic Senator It's Time for Chuck Schumer to Step Aside

Enough is enough. Contact your Democratic senators TODAY and tell them to call for Senator Schumer to step aside as Minority Leader. We desperately need new leadership in the Democratic Party.

Old joke: If a genie gave Democrats three wishes, they'd negotiate down to one, and then wish for something they think Republicans might like.

Cowards die many times before their deaths,
The valiant never taste of death but once.

What is the argument for voting for Democrats for harm reduction if the harm is not fucking reduced

I am once again saying that we saw what wall to wall, panic coverage of a crisis looked like after the Biden debate and there’s no reason Trump isn’t getting that kind of coverage except for class solidarity.

finally saw BELFAST, MAINE this year which just instantly feels like one of the most consequential American films ever made. i could’ve stayed in that world for another 4 hours.

letterboxd top 4 films; Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Matewan, News from Home, and Om Shanti Om.

new letterboxd top 4 dropped.

HE'S APPEALING TO THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES THAT HE BE ALLOWED TO STARVE AMERICANS

i still don’t think i’ve seen even close to a single piece of evidence that zohran mamdani is antisemitic beyond him believing children in palestine shouldn’t be killed by israel

Crosstitch guide image reads “this machine kills fascists” with clipart images of an onion, a sub and a bottle of mustard

Was this the best use of my time today? No. Is it the most amusing way I could have spent the last 90 minutes? Absolutely. Pattern is free here: bit.ly/4nGGCGc

I genuinely really liked John Doyle's abridged "Allegro," though that's lost to the ages now.

hot tip: this movie is really fucking good.

oh thank goodness

got him.

basically every 2024 truism is dead. Trump did not build a lasting multiracial coalition or turn young men into committed Republicans. You don’t need to cave on trans rights to win. The pundits have nothing left to tell you.