Alex Sepiol

In the time of chimpanzees I was a monkey.

Vertigo
Notorious
Strangers on a Train

Normcore ain’t just for jeans.

TIL that the same David Ward who wrote the Sting also wrote and directed Major League.

I do love a wide and varied Hollywood career. Made me think about other careers with range.

George Miller: Mad Max AND Happy Feet.

Bob Clark: Black Christmas AND A Christmas Story.

Other examples?

YouTube video by kindeer Crossroads 1986 trailer

Is Sinners (2025) the prequel to Crossroads (1986)?

youtu.be/ntrCbhQw8yg?...

Draborama

The Rules of Distraction

Little Little Lies

So excited for the Altman HOF and the collection you’re curating on Criterion Channel. Never seen Quintet or A Perfect Couple, Jimmy Dean… plus will be nice to revisit the rest.

Every August 31st, Joachim Trier’s masterpiece feels inevitable 🖤

Did I cry? Several times? Maybe! (Okay, I did).
Really beautiful writing, Emily. A bittersweet feeling at the end of book… it was amazing to see how they had all grown and developed but I was sad to say goodbye to them. Can’t wait to read your next book.

Recently read @emilystjams.bsky.social’s fabulous novel Woodworking. I love an intergenerational small town story of connection, and this was moving and delightful. One of my very favorite reads of the year.

JFC

"It is unusual for federal border agents to make arrests during the fighting of an active fire, especially in a remote area."

I read it a few months before lockdown and it has really stayed with me.

Indeed. It’s NY and LA and then the next tier. Would probably say for that: Chicago, Miami, DC, SF, Houston, Boston, Philly, Seattle, Atlanta.

in so many ways MR. ROBOT was ahead of its time in its approach to character, understanding that every person is a dynamic blend of past, present, desire, regret, fury and loneliness; representation, but more. was just walking about the mosque scene the other day. a highlight in prestige TV.

NY Times push alert that reads: Chaos at the D.N.C. The Democratic National Committee has been plagued by infighting and a drop in big donations, raising alarm as the party tries to win back power.

It’s almost comforting that we can always count on the Times to raise this as news.

fake congas 0:00 snare enters 0:15 stiff funk bass 0:29 arpeggiated synth line 0:48 arpeggiated synth bass fades in 0:50 bass riff and wall of synth strings 1:17 strings jump an octave 1:24 double clap 1:35 "I know you know we believe in a land of love" underpinned with roller coaster bass 2:01 slappy syncopated guitar and punctuating bell 2:16 cheeky reference to masturbation? 2:56 unusual melody jump on "often thought he WAS deranged" 3:06 vocal growl on "HAVE some fun" 3:13 "now I know the perfect kiss is the kiss of death" 3:54 latin cowbell/percussion blocks 3:59 gritty synth bludgeons in 4:13 space blaster FX and warm pad breakdown 4:59 frogs 5:13 Gillian's majestic synth stack 6:12 Hooky noodling 6:26 windmill guitar chords 6:56 bass descends into nothing 7:47 brake squeal and car crash ending 7:56 other (please specify)

Over on ILX there's a new thread called "Let's determine the best moment of New Order's The Perfect Kiss on Substance" and these are the options in the poll and 1) accurate, all of them and 2) I am in agonies that there is no "ALL OF THEM" option.

THIS A UNITED STATES SENATOR ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE OF CALIFORNIA BEING PHYSICALLY SHOVED OUT OF A MEETING ABOUT WHAT THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS DOING TO THE BIGGEST CITY IN OUR STATE.

The state of California needs to arrest the DHS "security" forces for assault and every Democrat in the U.S. Senate needs to sign onto a campaign to impeach Kristi Noem.

Right fucking now.

Pornify a classic:

Jules in Jim

Only Angels Have Wings
8 1/2
Masculin Feminin
Casablanca
Pale Flower

(The prompt is a little buried now but it’s post five favorite black and white films)

Comment period for this ends TODAY, so please take a minute and submit a comment. I just sent mine in.

John Malkovich in Empire of the Sun has a wonderfully roguish charisma.

Poker Face season 2 launches TODAY on Peacock! It’s a case-of-the-week episodic show, an ode to stuff like Columbo, Rockford… fun guest stars each week, truly episodic so you can pretty much drop into any episode. No heavy lifting, just a good time every time. Share & enjoy!

Remake a movie to avoid the tariff challenge:

Last Tango in Akron

YouTube video by Movieclips The Limey (8/11) Movie CLIP - Stacy the Hitman (1999) HD

Nicky Katt was such an electric performer. I was forever a fan of his after seeing this scene from the Limey.

youtu.be/S76IuL89zVY?...

Shorter Trump: The coconut milk is off!

From The NY Times: "There's obviously an ongoing negotiation with Russia and Ukraine, and I think the president made the decision not to conflate the two issues." Russia pays no tariffs under the president's current system; Ukraine, the victim of Moscow's 2022 invasion, pays 10 percent.)

I know we have all theoretically moved on from Russiagate, but what in the kompromat is this?!