Michael Phillips
@mrmichaelphillips.bsky.social
Past: Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, etc. Present: Host and co-producer, “The Movie Racket,” part of the “Filmspotting” podcast commune; announcer, Classical WFMT Chicago, and weekly WFMT “Soundtrack” contributor.
Is it that simple? A good movie=3 good scenes, and no bad ones? Give a listen to ep 3 of the new #filmspotting podcast interloper #TheMovieRacket, hosted by #me, joined by veteran story analyst Billy Mernit. And Walter Brennan gets the last hippity-hop with the exit music. omny.fm/shows/filmsp...
"A good movie is three good scenes and no bad ones” with Billy Mernit | The Movie Racket - Filmspotting
Examining the wisdom of Howard Hawks.
omny.fm
Bedroom>living room! Dog>landscape? In the new ep of "The Movie Racket"-- #Filmspotting- produced, me-hosted -- @theamynicholson (a pip!) and I get into 11 Rules for Box Office Appeal, the (likely alcohol-fueled) memo Preston Sturges wrote circa 1941. We're in the #Filmspottting feed, friend.
A brand new something to download, first thing Monday: “The Movie Racket,” the latest @Filmspotting podcast. Host, me; Ep 1 guest, Michael Shannon. Show intro explains the idea, but I’ll tease it with: Nobody knows anything. There’s gold in them thar axioms!
“The Justice Department’s senior leadership closed an investigation of Paramount’s bid for Warner Bros. Discovery before career staffers who were concerned about the acquisition had an opportunity to object, according to people familiar with the matter.”
Exclusive | Justice Department Decision to Allow Paramount Deal Surprised Staff Investigators
Department staffers investigating the Warner acquisition were leaning toward recommending a challenge to the merger, people familiar with the matter say.
wsj.com
Mom, still sharp and amazing at 93, breezed through this 2023 interview, and I'll always love the image of a gang of first-year Catholic college girls in the middle of Nebraska, dancing back to the dorm after seeing "An American in Paris." www.chicagotribune.com/2023/05/12/c...
Column: For Mother’s Day, a critic, his mother and a screenful of memories
Who else am I going to interview for Mother’s Day? My barber? Mom was up for it, so here it is. Name: Jean Gallagher Phillips, born in Racine, Wisconsin, raised in Kenosha. Age: 90. Disposition: excel...
chicagotribune.com
Thoughts and prayers for the most heartless, brainless, headless presidential administration imaginable. It’s called PUBLIC HEALTH. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/07/h...
Hantavirus Response Shows How Trump Cuts Have Compromised U.S. Preparedness
nytimes.com
Saw Lester’s “Three Musketeers” for the first time since ‘74. Loved it at 13, current me didn’t. But amid this US political and moral nightmare the key line now belongs to Heston’s Cardinal Richelieu: “Vengeance? An expensive luxury. Statesmen cannot afford it.” #Richelieu2028
This is unconstitutional. Voting is a fundamental right for every American. Illinois will keep administering free and fair elections – and what Donald Trump puts on a piece of paper will not change that.
The Associated Press@apnews.com · 4mo agoBREAKING: President Trump signs an order directing the creation of a national eligible voter list, a move expected to face swift legal challenges.
Of course he does. Is this a joke? He defended the guy who killed Good. He’s told multiple people that he thinks protesters should be attacked. He told people at a rally to rough someone up. He’s said nothing as ICE has hurt people for months. He doesn’t get to walk away from this now.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 7mo agoLeavitt: "Nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed in America's streets. This includes Renee Good, Alex Pretti, the brave men and women of law enforcement, and the many Americans who have been victimized by illegal alien criminals"
Thin on the page, but the all-pro duo of "Send Help" -- Rachel McAdams and dir. Sam Raimi -- rescues the movie from itself. It's "Cast Away" if Wilson the volleyball were a total a-hole. My review for the @sfchronicle: www.sfchronicle.com/entertainmen...
‘Send Help’ review: Rachel McAdams saves Sam Raimi’s grisly ‘Survivor’ riff
Sam Raimi’s “Send Help” plays like “Cast Away” meets “Survivor,” elevated by Rachel McAdams, who brings humor, control and bite to a grisly premise.
sfchronicle.com
Excellent overview of America's imperiled touring artist visa situation by @sisario.bsky.social.
‘An Unbelievable Mess’: Artists Are Stymied by Trump Travel Bans
nytimes.com
rare to see an american politician speak in these terms and it rocks
Amanda Litman@amandalitman.bsky.social · 7mo ago“When I speak about making our city more affordable, my vision is not limited to the homes that we live in or the child care that we’re making universal — it’s also a vision where we make it possible for working people to afford lives of joy, of art, of rest, of expression.”
Try it. You’ll like it. Also, volunteer. Help out at a food bank. Talk to people. Listen to people. Remember why we’re all here. And a good 2026 to you, friends.
IndivisibleMontgomery@indivisiblemontmd.bsky.social · 8mo agoIn thinking about what you can do this year, keep this in mind: showing up at protests has real impact - - www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
And start w Part 1. They’re numbered in order!
LarsenOnFilm@larsenonfilm.bsky.social · 8mo agoDocumentaries and comedies get some attention on Part 1 of our Filmspotting Top Ten of 2025 Roundtable, where Adam and I share "outlier" picks with @alisonwillmore.bsky.social and @mrmichaelphillips.bsky.social . Watch here: youtu.be/_EKR0Rq2EIc?...
I learn a lot every year, but this year I got SO much from Alison, Adam and Josh every which way. Thanks to all, including Sam and Joe “House Call” DeCeault. Take a listen.
LarsenOnFilm@larsenonfilm.bsky.social · 8mo agoProducer Sam Van Hallgren delivers an early Christmas present, cranking out Part Two of our Filmspotting Top Ten Roundtable with @alisonwillmore.bsky.social and @mrmichaelphillips.bsky.social ...
Yes, and Ted Sarandos has already indicated his displeasure in anything more than 2 weeks. So.
Just checked - for 2025 among wide releases, WB has averaged a 35 day window, slightly above the industry average (which makes sense since they've had a bunch of big hits). The industry average is about 33 days.
Apparently the Netflix algorithm picked up on the phrase “you ran guns to Ethiopia” and boom: prequel
Dana Stevens@thehighsign.bsky.social · 8mo agoThe opening of this email from Netflix about their acquisition of Warner Brothers does not have me feeling super-confident about how they will treat the classic film archive now in their care. "Franchises" like ... Casablanca? Which is the single classic movie mentioned in a list of TV shows & IP?
NY-and-thereabouts friends: If you can swing by Astoria and the Museum of the Moving Image 4:30pm Sat. Nov. 1, I'll be here with these good people. movingimage.org/event/the-st...
The State of Film Criticism – Museum of the Moving Image
It’s become distressingly rare for arts journalists of all kinds to maintain staff jobs. For this free event, the Museum invites an illustrious panel to discuss the embattled profession of film critic...
movingimage.org
They were already living in one of Chicago’s worst apartment buildings. Then came the ICE raid. Our story @chicagotribune.com breaks down the “mind-blowing violation of the Fourth Amendment” that occurred and the propaganda from the U.S. government. www.chicagotribune.com/2025/10/19/i...
They were already living in one of Chicago’s worst apartment buildings. Then came the ICE raid.
In what appears to have been a warrantless operation, the federal government will not say how many people were detained, who remains in custody and what happened to the children.
chicagotribune.com
Favorite sign at one of the many, many rallies across America today, this one in Albuquerque: "I like my democracy neat, no ICE." Clearly the work of domestic terrorists.
And yet five of the nine would probably get rid of the Voting Rights Act for free
holden m. accountable@noahs.bsky.social · 10mo agoSupreme Court running out of funding before they can get rid of the VRA would be really funny
Next on my reading list. It can, and has, happened anywhere.
The Guardian@theguardian.com · 10mo agoA prophetic 1933 novel has found a surprising second life – it holds lessons for us all | Charlotte Higgins
What an absolute treasure Diane Keaton was. Her wit never tired, nor did her style.
Laying the groundwork for martial law, with the instigating provocation to be named later, exceeds the meaning of "unusual."
The New York Times@nytimes.com · 10mo agoBreaking News: President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the military should use U.S. cities as “training grounds” at an unusual meeting focused on culture wars. It was unclear why they needed to gather senior military leaders from overseas to tell them this face to face.
Thanks to the good people at rogerebert.com. It's a sadly beautiful re-watch right about now, in the age of "five Watergates a month."
Movie reviews and ratings by Film Critic Roger Ebert | Roger Ebert
Movie reviews and ratings by Film Critic Roger Ebert | Roger Ebert
rogerebert.com
Robert Daniels@812filmreviews.com · 10mo ago“Time has been kind to it. But a re-watch of “All the President’s Men,” shadowed by Redford’s passing, comes with some side effects generated by our current American times, not the movie’s.” A great piece by @mrmichaelphillips.bsky.social. Read here: www.rogerebert.com/features/jus...
