Oh the Ghost and Mrs Muir is such a touchstone for me. I knew the movie as a child but also fell in love with the 60s era TV show. Loved seeing this here.
Excellent! You might want to check out the interview I did with Nick Davis, who is the great nephew of Joseph L. Mankiewicz—he talks about the making of the movie and of his uncle Joe. He also wrote one of the best Hollywood bios, Competing with Idiots.
We did Kiss Me Deadly on the Fifteen-Minute FIlm Fanatics podcast--I always thought it was overrated (people go on and on about it) but my co-host brought me closer to the crowd.
I watched Tar last year on a tiny airplane seatback screen through shitty disposable airplane headphones and it was still obvious that it was a magnificent film and performance from Blanchett. It’s been a decade since I’ve read the Real Life of Sebastian Knight but your description here makes me want to reread it to see if I find a connection to Tar as well. What I remember most about the book is not a serious portrait of a flawed artist but the obsessive half-brother’s pathetic, comic pursuit of him.
Anyway, appreciate this list! Maybe next year I’ll take Criterion’s Noirvember more seriously. I usually default to picking from the “leaving at the end of the month” list because I have a hard time choosing what to watch!
I do the same thing with “Leaving this Month.” And when I tell myself I really don’t have time to sit and watch a movie, I justify it by thinking, “Well, this is responsible viewing!” Thanks for reading—Happy New Year!
This post was a wonderful read! I too like Albert Brooks and just the other day watched, once again, Defending Your Life. Your post has made me want to see more Albert Brooks films😊. Love the pic of Cary Grant with the book “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House” at the end!
Thanks for this - I've added plenty to my list from this post. Here's to 2025!
Right back atcha!
Oh the Ghost and Mrs Muir is such a touchstone for me. I knew the movie as a child but also fell in love with the 60s era TV show. Loved seeing this here.
Excellent! You might want to check out the interview I did with Nick Davis, who is the great nephew of Joseph L. Mankiewicz—he talks about the making of the movie and of his uncle Joe. He also wrote one of the best Hollywood bios, Competing with Idiots.
Glad to read about the Flannery O’Connor book. I’ve been curious but haven’t found much about it elsewhere.
If you like her stuff, it’s worth a read. If you’re still working through her catalogue, I’d finish that first. My two cents. Thanks for reading!
Tár: I also loved this. Successful artists are not always, in fact frequently are not nice people. This was a nuanced portrayal of one.
Another noir film I just called out in my post is "Kiss Me Deadly." I think it's OK to laugh at it.
I'll check out those books!
We did Kiss Me Deadly on the Fifteen-Minute FIlm Fanatics podcast--I always thought it was overrated (people go on and on about it) but my co-host brought me closer to the crowd.
I watched Tar last year on a tiny airplane seatback screen through shitty disposable airplane headphones and it was still obvious that it was a magnificent film and performance from Blanchett. It’s been a decade since I’ve read the Real Life of Sebastian Knight but your description here makes me want to reread it to see if I find a connection to Tar as well. What I remember most about the book is not a serious portrait of a flawed artist but the obsessive half-brother’s pathetic, comic pursuit of him.
Anyway, appreciate this list! Maybe next year I’ll take Criterion’s Noirvember more seriously. I usually default to picking from the “leaving at the end of the month” list because I have a hard time choosing what to watch!
I do the same thing with “Leaving this Month.” And when I tell myself I really don’t have time to sit and watch a movie, I justify it by thinking, “Well, this is responsible viewing!” Thanks for reading—Happy New Year!
This post was a wonderful read! I too like Albert Brooks and just the other day watched, once again, Defending Your Life. Your post has made me want to see more Albert Brooks films😊. Love the pic of Cary Grant with the book “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House” at the end!
Thank you! Yes, Defending Your Life is a great one.
All great books!