Tom Hall
@tomhall.bsky.social
Artistic Director
Montclair Film Cinemas + Festival
Husband, Dad, U of Mich & Flint Central alum, LFC, Swag 4 Life for WFMU, true believer in empathy.
backrowmanifesto.substack.com
Montclair Film Cinemas + Festival
Husband, Dad, U of Mich & Flint Central alum, LFC, Swag 4 Life for WFMU, true believer in empathy.
backrowmanifesto.substack.com
I feel like people continue to sleep on Lynne Ramsey's YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE, which uses the ubiquity & impunity of organized, elite sexual abuse as a traumatic trigger. It is one of the great films of this time, and Joaquin Phoenix is incredible as usual. Demands a (re)watch.
February 1, 2026 at 3:49 PM
I feel like people continue to sleep on Lynne Ramsey's YOU WERE NEVER REALLY HERE, which uses the ubiquity & impunity of organized, elite sexual abuse as a traumatic trigger. It is one of the great films of this time, and Joaquin Phoenix is incredible as usual. Demands a (re)watch.
Friends, I am very excited to share that I will be singing a song with NYC legends Joe McGinty & The Losers Lounge at all six of their upcoming shows, taking place February 19-21 at Joe's Pub, featuring the music of R.E.M. & The Replacements.
Get Your Tickets 👇
bit.ly/LosersREMvMats
Get Your Tickets 👇
bit.ly/LosersREMvMats
February 1, 2026 at 1:49 PM
Friends, I am very excited to share that I will be singing a song with NYC legends Joe McGinty & The Losers Lounge at all six of their upcoming shows, taking place February 19-21 at Joe's Pub, featuring the music of R.E.M. & The Replacements.
Get Your Tickets 👇
bit.ly/LosersREMvMats
Get Your Tickets 👇
bit.ly/LosersREMvMats
In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, I am sharing a sketch of my ideas from 2013, grappling with what I consider to be the most important film ever made, Claude Lanzmann's SHOAH.
The BRM Archive: SHOAH
On Holocaust Remembrance Day, A Model For Making The Past Present
backrowmanifesto.substack.com
January 28, 2026 at 1:44 AM
In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, I am sharing a sketch of my ideas from 2013, grappling with what I consider to be the most important film ever made, Claude Lanzmann's SHOAH.
Rest in Power to Margaret Ross of The Cookies, an amazing singer whose voice graced some of the best pop records of the 1960s. I got to see her sing when she joined my friends in The Losers Lounge for a tune, and it was a thrill. So sorry to learn of her passing.
Margaret Ross (The Cookies): "Chains" and "Don't Say Nothing Bad About My Baby" at Loser's Lounge
YouTube video by Loser's Lounge
www.youtube.com
January 25, 2026 at 2:45 PM
Rest in Power to Margaret Ross of The Cookies, an amazing singer whose voice graced some of the best pop records of the 1960s. I got to see her sing when she joined my friends in The Losers Lounge for a tune, and it was a thrill. So sorry to learn of her passing.
Absolute MUST SEE in NYC… so thrilled this is happening!!
January 23, 2026 at 4:46 PM
Absolute MUST SEE in NYC… so thrilled this is happening!!
THE NAME OF THIS BAND IS R.E.M. — A speed run through the career of the band that changed my life. Because the band did not directly participate in this book, a lot of the material and insights came from researching publicly available materials with which, as a lifelong fan, I am familiar.
January 23, 2026 at 3:40 PM
THE NAME OF THIS BAND IS R.E.M. — A speed run through the career of the band that changed my life. Because the band did not directly participate in this book, a lot of the material and insights came from researching publicly available materials with which, as a lifelong fan, I am familiar.
R.I.P. to Uncle Floyd, who brought decades of hilarity & joy to so many. I was lucky to host him as part of a film Q&A back in 2022, & it remains a highlight-- just get out of the way, let the talent shine, & try to stop laughing. There will truly never be another one like him, a true original. ♥️
January 23, 2026 at 1:23 PM
R.I.P. to Uncle Floyd, who brought decades of hilarity & joy to so many. I was lucky to host him as part of a film Q&A back in 2022, & it remains a highlight-- just get out of the way, let the talent shine, & try to stop laughing. There will truly never be another one like him, a true original. ♥️
Cocteau Twins
Stereolab
Sleater-Kinney
Alvvays
Joanna Newsom
Stereolab
Sleater-Kinney
Alvvays
Joanna Newsom
Introduce yourself with 5 concerts you've seen, with WOMEN lead singers
Heart
Annie Lennox
Ke$ha
Florence and the Machine
Idina Menzel
Heart
Annie Lennox
Ke$ha
Florence and the Machine
Idina Menzel
January 22, 2026 at 6:27 PM
Cocteau Twins
Stereolab
Sleater-Kinney
Alvvays
Joanna Newsom
Stereolab
Sleater-Kinney
Alvvays
Joanna Newsom
Great night at Film at Lincoln Center at the New York Jewish Film Festival for a screening of SAPIRO V FORD, which features an outstanding performance (in a documentary!) by my friend Ben Shenkman. Sold out crowd & great experience. Congrats to the festival & film teams on a terrific event!
January 22, 2026 at 3:57 AM
Great night at Film at Lincoln Center at the New York Jewish Film Festival for a screening of SAPIRO V FORD, which features an outstanding performance (in a documentary!) by my friend Ben Shenkman. Sold out crowd & great experience. Congrats to the festival & film teams on a terrific event!
Packed house at MoMA today for the restoration of Russ Meyer’s VIXEN! Nothing like some reactionary politics tethered to a pervy fetish gaze under the mask of sexual liberation on a Friday afternoon! The restoration looks incredible and has completely reframed Meyer’s project for me—
January 17, 2026 at 3:00 AM
Packed house at MoMA today for the restoration of Russ Meyer’s VIXEN! Nothing like some reactionary politics tethered to a pervy fetish gaze under the mask of sexual liberation on a Friday afternoon! The restoration looks incredible and has completely reframed Meyer’s project for me—
I love this so so much.
January 12, 2026 at 9:03 PM
I love this so so much.
Awesome night at MoMA seeing the STUNNING new restoration of Michael Almereyda’s NADJA, screening as part of MoMA’s To Save & Project program. I remember seeing it in 1995 in Washington, DC and being enamored with its low budget delights. Tonight, it looked and sounded better than ever!
January 12, 2026 at 11:58 AM
Awesome night at MoMA seeing the STUNNING new restoration of Michael Almereyda’s NADJA, screening as part of MoMA’s To Save & Project program. I remember seeing it in 1995 in Washington, DC and being enamored with its low budget delights. Tonight, it looked and sounded better than ever!
VERA, OR FAITH- I loved this? A look inside the mind of a girl on the spectrum, living through dark, turbulent times in America, told through the lens of her obsession with languge (a nod to her Nabokovian roots) and her privileged, leftist NYC family dynamics. Dark & delightful, just what I needed.
January 7, 2026 at 1:50 PM
VERA, OR FAITH- I loved this? A look inside the mind of a girl on the spectrum, living through dark, turbulent times in America, told through the lens of her obsession with languge (a nod to her Nabokovian roots) and her privileged, leftist NYC family dynamics. Dark & delightful, just what I needed.
FATEFUL HOURS: THE COLLAPSE OF THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC-First read of 2026 completed, and once again, Volker Ullrich brings forth urgent lessons from the past. The history of our time is not yet written, nothing yet to happen is determined— we still have time & the responsibility to act. And so, we must.
January 3, 2026 at 1:25 AM
FATEFUL HOURS: THE COLLAPSE OF THE WEIMAR REPUBLIC-First read of 2026 completed, and once again, Volker Ullrich brings forth urgent lessons from the past. The history of our time is not yet written, nothing yet to happen is determined— we still have time & the responsibility to act. And so, we must.
Nancy: … and now, let’s see who Vecna *really* is!
*pulls off mask*
The Whole Gang (in unison): Former Stranger Things cast member Sean Astin?!
Astin: and I would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for you meddling kids!
*pulls off mask*
The Whole Gang (in unison): Former Stranger Things cast member Sean Astin?!
Astin: and I would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for you meddling kids!
January 2, 2026 at 1:41 AM
Nancy: … and now, let’s see who Vecna *really* is!
*pulls off mask*
The Whole Gang (in unison): Former Stranger Things cast member Sean Astin?!
Astin: and I would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for you meddling kids!
*pulls off mask*
The Whole Gang (in unison): Former Stranger Things cast member Sean Astin?!
Astin: and I would have gotten away with it if it weren’t for you meddling kids!
My 2025 in reading... a light year in terms of numbers, but favs include WE DO NOT PART (& HUMAN ACTS, which are a pair in my thinking), PLAYWORLD, YOU DREAMED OF EMPIRES, & Olga Tokarczuk's THE EMPUSIUM, which was fun. I'll read more this year now that other things have calmed down a little...
January 1, 2026 at 9:43 PM
My 2025 in reading... a light year in terms of numbers, but favs include WE DO NOT PART (& HUMAN ACTS, which are a pair in my thinking), PLAYWORLD, YOU DREAMED OF EMPIRES, & Olga Tokarczuk's THE EMPUSIUM, which was fun. I'll read more this year now that other things have calmed down a little...
It was the thrill of a lifetime to host Rob Reiner at the 2016 Montclair Film Festival. He was one of the filmmakers who shaped my youth, who defined the movies of the 1980s. I won't ever forget the pleasure his films delivered, to our shared love of the movies, to my childhood.
December 15, 2025 at 9:41 PM
It was the thrill of a lifetime to host Rob Reiner at the 2016 Montclair Film Festival. He was one of the filmmakers who shaped my youth, who defined the movies of the 1980s. I won't ever forget the pleasure his films delivered, to our shared love of the movies, to my childhood.
My 2¢- THERE WILL BE BLOOD is a masterpiece. Paul Dano is playing a fraud who uses religious hysteria to maintain his hold on a small, superstitious community, but he is small time, a huckster, who is up against an actual sociopath who has his own con. Their dynamic = America. Both actors incredible
December 11, 2025 at 2:23 PM
My 2¢- THERE WILL BE BLOOD is a masterpiece. Paul Dano is playing a fraud who uses religious hysteria to maintain his hold on a small, superstitious community, but he is small time, a huckster, who is up against an actual sociopath who has his own con. Their dynamic = America. Both actors incredible
‘Tis The Season for…
My Top 5 Christmas Movies!
Fanny & Alexander
Eyes Wide Shut
Black Christmas
A Christmas Tale
Rare Exports
Enjoy! 🎄🎅❄️
My Top 5 Christmas Movies!
Fanny & Alexander
Eyes Wide Shut
Black Christmas
A Christmas Tale
Rare Exports
Enjoy! 🎄🎅❄️
December 3, 2025 at 12:19 AM
‘Tis The Season for…
My Top 5 Christmas Movies!
Fanny & Alexander
Eyes Wide Shut
Black Christmas
A Christmas Tale
Rare Exports
Enjoy! 🎄🎅❄️
My Top 5 Christmas Movies!
Fanny & Alexander
Eyes Wide Shut
Black Christmas
A Christmas Tale
Rare Exports
Enjoy! 🎄🎅❄️
Oh nothing, just prepping Thanksgiving dinner while listening to Sam Cooke destroy an audience on this album which is, to my thinking, the greatest live performance ever captured on record. Goosebumps and literal tears... Good lord...
November 26, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Oh nothing, just prepping Thanksgiving dinner while listening to Sam Cooke destroy an audience on this album which is, to my thinking, the greatest live performance ever captured on record. Goosebumps and literal tears... Good lord...
Big birthday today! I am now Double Nickels On The Dime years old! I can now drive 55, because I have no other choice!
November 19, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Big birthday today! I am now Double Nickels On The Dime years old! I can now drive 55, because I have no other choice!
New Volker Ullrich & NO ONE TOLD ME? Who are you people? Are we even friends? Extremely disappointed in all humans & algorithms alike.
This is an INSTAPURCHASE!
This is an INSTAPURCHASE!
November 12, 2025 at 9:58 PM
New Volker Ullrich & NO ONE TOLD ME? Who are you people? Are we even friends? Extremely disappointed in all humans & algorithms alike.
This is an INSTAPURCHASE!
This is an INSTAPURCHASE!
Guys, did you hear? After no negotiation, there *might* be a VOTE which will likely kill the ACA & fund the ongoing destruction of our institutions. See? Everyone is working together & governing! This is what we all want! Senate votes to point to in a year! Great job! I live for wins like this!
November 10, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Guys, did you hear? After no negotiation, there *might* be a VOTE which will likely kill the ACA & fund the ongoing destruction of our institutions. See? Everyone is working together & governing! This is what we all want! Senate votes to point to in a year! Great job! I live for wins like this!
Beautiful night with the NY Phil, featuring Joshua Bell playing Thomas de Hartmann’s Violin Concerto, composed for Ukraine in 1943 during the Nazi occupation. Dalia Stasevska conducted beautifully, including a new piece by composer Bohdana Frolyak & Benjamin Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem. 👏
November 9, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Beautiful night with the NY Phil, featuring Joshua Bell playing Thomas de Hartmann’s Violin Concerto, composed for Ukraine in 1943 during the Nazi occupation. Dalia Stasevska conducted beautifully, including a new piece by composer Bohdana Frolyak & Benjamin Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem. 👏