@johnbeifuss.bsky.social
Longtime (but now occasional) film critic, fulltime reporter for the Memphis daily newspaper, The Commercial Appeal. Earned first writing paycheck from Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine.
New movies in Memphis, 9/18: Zach Cregger's RESIDENT EVIL; THE WEIGHT (Ethan Hawke and 1930s gold smugglers struggling in the wilderness); SHAUN THE SHEEP: THE BEAST OF MOSSY BOTTOM (pretty sure the only 2015 movie I've watched more than 'Shaun the Sheep' is 'Fury Road'...) 1/2
Remarkable that BIGGER THAN LIFE, WRITTEN ON THE WIND and THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN were released within a seven-month period. A definitive American triptych!
The pernicious influence of 'prestige' television mars HOPE, which begins as a fun and distinctive monster thriller but extends the narrative with complications and tired 'revelations' until it finally functions more like the first 3 episodes of a streaming series than a movie.
The great Alvin Youngblood Hart opening his show tonight at Hernando’s Hideaway (just off Elvis Presley Boulevard) with Bo Diddley’s “Pretty Thing.”
Almost 70 years after William Castle wired theater seats for "The Tingler," Malco theaters in Memphis has added body-rattling "D-BOX" seats, which add "a physical dimension to the action onscreen": www.commercialappeal.com/story/entert...
Malco adds new D-BOX seats. Why they're 'like a theme park ride'
Malco recently transformed 63 seats in three auditoriums at the Paradiso in Memphis into D-BOX seats that literally shake, rattle and roll.
commercialappeal.com
Dorothy Mackaill sings “I’m Crazy for Cannibal Love” in Michael Curtiz’s BRIGHT LIGHTS (1930).
Showcasing short and feature films from around the world, fit for all ages (from toddler to adults), the Like You Children's Film Festival returns this weekend to the Pink Palace: www.commercialappeal.com/story/entert...
Like You Children’s Film Festival back with more big-screen magic
The Like You Children's Film Festival, which runs Sept. 11-13 at the Pink Palace in Memphis, will screen nearly 160 short and feature films.
commercialappeal.com
Great find - this is news to me!
Paul Duane 🥔@paulduane.bsky.social · 7d agoFirst time to my knowledge this whole LP has turned up online, from a Japanese pop star - Kenichi Hagiwara- who went to Memphis & recorded with the best musicians there, including the legendary Jim Dickinson & the Memphis Horns. It's proper funky. Check it out! youtu.be/XjdQ65tcdfo?...
Great stuff! (As always, at No Fences)
Charles Hughes@charleshughes2.bsky.social · 2w agoNew at No Fences Review: we begin our memorial to Dolly Parton with my thoughts on 16 of my favorites. Plus a whole bunch of recommended readings from others who've contended with her work and legacy. More coming soon. Please share and subscribe.
Dolly Parton and '9 to 5' will screen for free (yes, FREE) four times (yes, FOUR) on Sept. 25 at the Halloran Centre: www.commercialappeal.com/story/entert...
See Dolly Parton's '9 to 5' for free at Memphis' Halloran Centre
The free "9 to 5" movie screenings at the Halloran Centre will be on "Dolly Day" and were organized to honor "a Tennessee icon."
commercialappeal.com
Watched THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER once again last night and once again I was emotionally overwhelmed to the point where I almost could not breathe.
Here's the first mandrill to be born at the Memphis Zoo. I like mandrills, so this is good news. (Even if I didn't like mandrills, this would be good news.) www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/l...
The National Civil Rights Museum has announced its 2026 Freedom Award winners (a gap of 60 years separates the youngest and oldest honorees): www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/l...
National Civil Rights Museum announces 2026 Freedom Award honorees
Shavon Arline-Bradley, Fred D. Gray, Nneka Ogwumike and Bakari Sellers are the National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award honorees for 2026.
commercialappeal.com
The Metal Museum opens this week in Overton Park: www.commercialappeal.com/story/entert...
Metal Museum opens new Overton Park home. Take a first look inside
The Metal Museum's new location in Overton Park will elevate the profile of a Memphis museum that had been something of a hidden gem.
commercialappeal.com
Two Dolly Parton movies are returning to Memphis theaters - including for a week's run at the Ridgeway: www.commercialappeal.com/story/entert...
Dolly Parton movies will be back on Memphis movie screens
"Steel Magnolias" and "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" will screen at three Malco theaters in the Memphis area.
commercialappeal.com
I have no memory that this existed - and it ran for *five* seasons (3 on ABC, 2 in first-run syndication), 1982-1987.
Kind of distressing to learn that angel-on-Earth Dolly gives her heart in her last starring movie role -- the romantic comedy STRAIGHT TALK -- to James Woods.
THE LORRAINE - a documentary about the famed Memphis motel that was a haven for Black artists and travelers for decades until the assassination there of Dr. King - will be the opening night film at the 2026 @indiememphis Film Festival: www.commercialappeal.com/story/entert...
'The Lorraine' documentary to open Indie Memphis Film Festival
Indie Memphis Film Festival returns with 'The Lorraine' documentary.
commercialappeal.com
New movies in Memphis, 8/28: The much-delayed, much-anticipated (by me, at least) COYOTE VS. ACME: Ridley Scott's THE DOG STARS; IDIOTS, a comedy from Macon Blair ('Green Room'); BUDDY, another kids'-entertainment-gone-bad horror movie; FINDING EMILY, a Brit romcom... 1/2
Dang, someone is selling my book for $331. I Think that’s more than I made on it. (Kidding. [Kind of.])
Memphis theater bookers apparently have no faith in TEENAGE SEX AND DEATH AT CAMP MIASMA: Yes, it opens here Friday, but only at the Cordova Cinema.
