Alan Zilberman
@alanzilberman.bsky.social
Film critic at Washington City Paper
Do you like The Silence of the Lambs, Shogun, Columbo, or Sherlock Holmes? When you think about Rashomon, do you remember liking it? Then you should probably check out The Samurai and the Prisoner, which rules. My @wcp.bsky.social review.
The Samurai and the Prisoner Elegantly Remixes Disparate Influences
Kiyoshi Kurosawa departs from his usual dark thrillers for something more historically resonant, part period epic and part mystery.
washingtoncitypaper.com
16 out of 50, which isn't too bad I guess. What's funny, though, is that half of the thrillers I haven't read is because I have already watched the TV or film adaptation.
The 50 Best Thriller Books of the 21st Century (Gift Article)
Hundreds of novelists, librarians, editors and other book lovers voted. See how their ballots stack up.
nytimes.com
Gonna be dire when all we have left are various substacks, /r/indieheads/, and fucking Fantano.
BrooklynVegan, Alt Press Hit With Mass Layoffs
Music publications Revolver and Goldmine have also been gutted by owners Veeps and Live Nation
pitchfork.com
Nah, the sentiment shared by Cyril here is common among literal children, and a decent-sized contingent of the Letterboxd user-base (who are also probably children).
Dan Schkade@danschkade.bsky.social · 12h agoListen, strokes/folks etc, but "Batman Begins > Barry Lyndon" should trigger a wellness check
I got bored, so I made a new LB top 4, this time brought by the letter "P." I've been changing these in alphabetical order, so the next revision may be tricky becuase I cannot think of that many "Q" movies I love besides Quiz Show.
Now I am no expert, but if a chief executive of a media conglomerate writes an op-ed defending his ability to shepherd a news organization - and he does NOT mention the shitty reactionary pundit he hired to run it - then maybe he is not too happy with her job performance.
This was my wedding. Good times were had by all during the No Children singalong, although Lars was (understandably) skeptical at first.
Lars Gotrich@totalvibration.bsky.social · 2d ago“Many people are divorced” and, yet, I have danced* to this song at a wedding. * yelled along drunkenly
“Many people are divorced” and, yet, I have danced* to this song at a wedding. * yelled along drunkenly
the Mountain Goats@themountaingoats.bsky.social · 2d agoI don't even know what to say. This is real, this is true, so, like, thank you all, from the bottom of my heart. This took over 25 years to happen so if there's any lesson here it's either "keep at it, who knows" or "many people are divorced"
They made the giant inflatable Jason Statham appear so chonky he almost looks like me (derogatory).
I made the exact same face as this baby during the final scene of Disclosure Day.
The New York Times@nytimes.com · 4d ago“The Odyssey” is selling out in all formats at all times of day — including baby-friendly matinees, which are packed with newborns and frazzled parents desperate for some normalcy.
Once again I am compelled to remind everyone that criticism is a discipline with its own set of discrete skills and that people who do other kinds of writing are no more likely to be good at their first attempt than a guitar player who decides he’s good at the piano for some reason
Lindsay Beyerstein@beyerstein.bsky.social · 3d agoNone of these people are tricksters, they are only liars. "We have been living in an age of tricksters. Musk, President Trump, Tucker Carlson, Andrew Tate, Nick Fuentes — the grammar of the modern right is tricksy."
Scene report: Stars and BSS killed it. Metric was good but the vibe was off? They struck me as careerist, which is maybe unfair, but the first two are so achingly sincere.
Alan Zilberman@alanzilberman.bsky.social · 4d agoAll of DC’s elder millennials are at the Stars, Broken Social Scene, and Metric concert tonight. If you’re not here, you probably couldn’t make child care work tonight or your back pain is too much.
All of DC’s elder millennials are at the Stars, Broken Social Scene, and Metric concert tonight. If you’re not here, you probably couldn’t make child care work tonight or your back pain is too much.
It is really fucked up there is no 4K edition of Munich.
Two of the best rock biopics ever made, Control and Nico 1988, are now streaming on Criterion Channel. Get on it, dorks.
Look, a lot of people are clowning on Adam O'Neal for taking a job for which he wasn't qualified in service of helping a billionaire curry favor with an autocrat, using his position to build an unpopular and facile video series and then bailing on the role in barely over a year.
The first anniversary of my dad passing is Sunday. The way Cooper talks about his own dad, even though he is much younger than me, is kind of inspiring.
rai-t theory@brothrai.bsky.social · 5d agoCRYING
Elastica’s self-titled album
Stop Calling Me Frank@stopcallingmefrank.bsky.social · 5d agoYou have a month to write a 33 1/3 book about the album of your choice. Which record are you going to write about? (No previously covered albums allowed; new shit must come to light: see below.) (For all books in the series: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/33_1/3) (H/t @monostich.bsky.social
If you’re going to email me late on a Friday, this is the only subject line I will tolerate.
No complaints this week! I enjoyed the early 2010s indie scene specificity of Mile End Kicks, which suffered due to timing: it hits the same coming of age beats as Tony, which I watched the night before, but Tony does it a lot better.
Letterboxd@letterboxd.social · 5d agoHappy #LetterboxdFriday! Time to post your #LastFourWatched 🤳
Well, it’s invoicing day, and since they’re really apparently not going to pay me for something I wrote for them two months ago, I guess today is the day to post about how @vulture.com fucks over its film freelancers. Long (sorry) thread, with receipts:
Vulture@vulture.com · 2mo agoThere are 118 feature films, plus galas, talks, podcast recordings, and more at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. Our guide to the movies and events worth lining up for.
He now has the personal liberty to freely explore the labor market.
Philip Bump@pbump.com · 5d ago[nimoy-didnt-i.gif]
When this played over a key scene, I nearly swooned. Tamaryn is not really well-known, and in a just world her horny, cinematic dream pop tune would get big on TikTok or whatever so she could restart her career.
Hands All Over Me
YouTube video by TAMARYN - Topic
youtube.com
Alan Zilberman@alanzilberman.bsky.social · 5d agoI had a lot of fun writing about I Want Your Sex, a kinky comedic riff on Sunset Boulevard with cheeky performances - including Charli XCX hilariously cast against type - and a killer synth-pop soundtrack. My @spectrumculture.bsky.social review.
I had a lot of fun writing about I Want Your Sex, a kinky comedic riff on Sunset Boulevard with cheeky performances - including Charli XCX hilariously cast against type - and a killer synth-pop soundtrack. My @spectrumculture.bsky.social review.
I Want Your Sex - Spectrum Culture
By drawing from a lot of influences and keeping things light, Gregg Araki’s relatively mainstream sex comedy is a fun call to action for the repressed.
spectrumculture.com
Tag yourself, I'm Pat Smear trying to keep it cool while Kim Gordon touches my shoulder.
Sad news. Solo recently blew me away as the protaongist in Víctor Erice's Close Your Eyes.
Actor Manolo Solo dies, Goya winner for 'The Fury of a Patient Man'
The 62-year-old actor was also nominated for 'B, la película', 'El bon patró', 'Cerrar los ojos' and 'Una finca portuguesa'
en.ara.cat
"This incuriosity about Nolan’s dialogue as specifically cinematic dialogue once again betrays Wilson’s condescension towards cinema. Anyone who cares about film will find it dispiriting to witness; on a more dispassionate level, it also makes for repetitive, hollow writing." Fucking A
Elena Lazic@elazic.bsky.social · 7d agoEmily Wilson's piece on Christopher Nolan's THE ODYSSEY for the LRB went viral and was received very positively by many — but not by virtually every film critic I know. For @animusmagazine.bsky.social I wrote about why: animus-magazine.ghost.io/a-tale-as-ol...
Rosebush Pruning sports a great cast, including Elle Fanning and Tracy Letts. It is also terrible, a cheap imitation of Yorgos Lanthimos and Emerald Fennell that unintentionally shows why it's so hard to work in their mode of sexually depraved dark comedy. My @spectrumculture.bsky.social review.
Rosebush Pruning - Spectrum Culture
Frequent Yorgos Lanthimos collaborator Efthimis Filippou depicts another dysfunctional family, but he declines to present them with any depth or recognizably human qualities.
spectrumculture.com
