Alan Zilberman
@alanzilberman.bsky.social
One of the last idiots to write about film for an alt-weekly
Might be the worst film I’ve seen all year.
Review forthcoming!
Review forthcoming!
About to watch a new movie about a beloved large American in Japan.
a man in a plaid shirt and glasses stands in front of a window
ALT: a man in a plaid shirt and glasses stands in front of a window
media.tenor.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:17 AM
Might be the worst film I’ve seen all year.
Review forthcoming!
Review forthcoming!
About to watch a new movie about a beloved large American in Japan.
a man in a plaid shirt and glasses stands in front of a window
ALT: a man in a plaid shirt and glasses stands in front of a window
media.tenor.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:31 AM
About to watch a new movie about a beloved large American in Japan.
Letterboxd's new video rental service is promising access to undistributed festival standouts, sneak peeks, and "unreleased gems." They also do not mention any specific titles, and note availability will vary by location.
Needless to say, I am dubious.
Needless to say, I am dubious.
Letterboxd Video Store: what you need to know about our new feature coming soon • Journal • A Letterboxd Magazine
Coming in early December: Letterboxd Video Store, our latest feature to get you adding films to your watchlist and, crucially, checking them off. Here’s everything you need to know.
letterboxd.com
November 19, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Letterboxd's new video rental service is promising access to undistributed festival standouts, sneak peeks, and "unreleased gems." They also do not mention any specific titles, and note availability will vary by location.
Needless to say, I am dubious.
Needless to say, I am dubious.
I caught up with Sorry Baby last night, and it really did not work for me. Most folks seemed to love it, so I am thankful for this @alisonwillmore.bsky.social review that - in just three paragraphs - articulates why I found its pervasive coyness so frustrating.
Sorry, Baby Has a Hard Time Talking About the Things We Can’t Talk About
Eva Victor’s directorial debut is promising, but it’s more often exasperating.
www.vulture.com
November 19, 2025 at 4:01 PM
I caught up with Sorry Baby last night, and it really did not work for me. Most folks seemed to love it, so I am thankful for this @alisonwillmore.bsky.social review that - in just three paragraphs - articulates why I found its pervasive coyness so frustrating.
I enjoyed this essay on the 40th anniversary of "Psychocandy" by The Jesus and Mary Chain. Listening again now, still cool as hell.
I'll never forget seeing them open for Nine Inch Nail and their set *BEGAN* with Just Like Honey, their most famous song. Killer move, more openers should do it.
I'll never forget seeing them open for Nine Inch Nail and their set *BEGAN* with Just Like Honey, their most famous song. Killer move, more openers should do it.
The Wind is Screaming Around the Trees: 40 Years of Psychocandy | The Quietus
Ned Raggett considers the geographical, cultural and political pressures that helped form Psychocandy, J&MC debut album.
thequietus.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:21 PM
I enjoyed this essay on the 40th anniversary of "Psychocandy" by The Jesus and Mary Chain. Listening again now, still cool as hell.
I'll never forget seeing them open for Nine Inch Nail and their set *BEGAN* with Just Like Honey, their most famous song. Killer move, more openers should do it.
I'll never forget seeing them open for Nine Inch Nail and their set *BEGAN* with Just Like Honey, their most famous song. Killer move, more openers should do it.
"The price, which doesn’t include an overnight stay in the room, is $1,964."
Is the Beatles experience at the Omni Shoreham worth $1,964? It offers a private two-hour tour of historic music sites around town and an elaborate afternoon tea for two in the Beatles’ suite.
Is a Beatles “Experience” at a DC Hotel Worth $1,964?
The band stayed at the Omni Shoreham in 1964.
washingtonian.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:38 PM
"The price, which doesn’t include an overnight stay in the room, is $1,964."
I am not paid enough to review Wicked: For Good, but I assume they did not fix my issue with the first movie: that everything in it looks like it was constructed from regurgitated Jolly Ranchers.
November 18, 2025 at 5:21 PM
I am not paid enough to review Wicked: For Good, but I assume they did not fix my issue with the first movie: that everything in it looks like it was constructed from regurgitated Jolly Ranchers.
Reposted by Alan Zilberman
Alissa's tenure at NYT has carved out so much space for documentaries, and here she addresses the threat of A.I. on our understanding of "truth" and how nonfiction filmmakers are fighting back: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/m...
Can You Believe the Documentary You’re Watching?
www.nytimes.com
November 18, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Alissa's tenure at NYT has carved out so much space for documentaries, and here she addresses the threat of A.I. on our understanding of "truth" and how nonfiction filmmakers are fighting back: www.nytimes.com/2025/11/18/m...
Oh, shit, @jamellebouie.net is writing the Criterion essay for the Network 4K release. I may have to pre-order.
www.criterion.com/films/34869-...
www.criterion.com/films/34869-...
November 17, 2025 at 6:58 PM
Oh, shit, @jamellebouie.net is writing the Criterion essay for the Network 4K release. I may have to pre-order.
www.criterion.com/films/34869-...
www.criterion.com/films/34869-...
Martin Scorsese and Danny De Vito were both born today, two years apart, and in their honor here are some Frank-themed Scorsese memes:
November 17, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Martin Scorsese and Danny De Vito were both born today, two years apart, and in their honor here are some Frank-themed Scorsese memes:
Netflix House is deeply strange and vaguely upsetting, a misguided meatspace concept from a company that wants to kill the theatrical experience (aka communal culture) altogether.
Read Josh's great article about it!
Read Josh's great article about it!
I went to Netflix House and had a very weird time, you can read about it here
slate.com/culture/2025...
slate.com/culture/2025...
Netflix Has Built Its Own In-Person Immersive Experience. It’s … Weird, to Say the Least.
What it’s like visiting Philadelphia’s Netflix House, a disorienting experience housed in a giant mall.
slate.com
November 17, 2025 at 2:33 PM
Netflix House is deeply strange and vaguely upsetting, a misguided meatspace concept from a company that wants to kill the theatrical experience (aka communal culture) altogether.
Read Josh's great article about it!
Read Josh's great article about it!
Top five genres:
-metaphorical or literal monster cannot help themselves
-urban siege
-melodrama feat. beautiful kitchens
-procedural shakes hero to their core
-snappy dialogue consolation for unhappiness
-metaphorical or literal monster cannot help themselves
-urban siege
-melodrama feat. beautiful kitchens
-procedural shakes hero to their core
-snappy dialogue consolation for unhappiness
Top 5 movie genres are:
heist
intelligence/espionage thriller
pitch perfect
cerebral ensemble oscar fodder drama
heist some more
heist
intelligence/espionage thriller
pitch perfect
cerebral ensemble oscar fodder drama
heist some more
Top 5 movie genres are:
People being shits at a dinner party
Rotting mansion, faded starlet/society beauty, high-camp fuckdown
Either nothing or everything happened, glacially slowly & visually stunningly
Woman is being haunted or maybe there’s actually a gross guy
Tilda Swinton hears a weird noise
People being shits at a dinner party
Rotting mansion, faded starlet/society beauty, high-camp fuckdown
Either nothing or everything happened, glacially slowly & visually stunningly
Woman is being haunted or maybe there’s actually a gross guy
Tilda Swinton hears a weird noise
November 17, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Top five genres:
-metaphorical or literal monster cannot help themselves
-urban siege
-melodrama feat. beautiful kitchens
-procedural shakes hero to their core
-snappy dialogue consolation for unhappiness
-metaphorical or literal monster cannot help themselves
-urban siege
-melodrama feat. beautiful kitchens
-procedural shakes hero to their core
-snappy dialogue consolation for unhappiness
Reposted by Alan Zilberman
Some inspiring words on cinema in the streaming era from the Pope.
Yes, THAT Pope.
Yes, THAT Pope.
November 15, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Some inspiring words on cinema in the streaming era from the Pope.
Yes, THAT Pope.
Yes, THAT Pope.
Good week. Most of the time the awards season crunch leads to some duds, but for the past few days I've been lucky.
November 14, 2025 at 7:33 PM
Good week. Most of the time the awards season crunch leads to some duds, but for the past few days I've been lucky.
Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague is streaming on Netflix today!
If you didn't make it to the big screen for this, I suggest putting your phone in another room while you watch. As a black and white hangout movie, total immersion is key to its charms.
If you didn't make it to the big screen for this, I suggest putting your phone in another room while you watch. As a black and white hangout movie, total immersion is key to its charms.
Nouvelle Vague - Spectrum Culture
This recreation of 1950s Paris and the French New Wave is cinematic catnip for Godard fans who don't mind some playfulness, while the rest may find it all downright tedious.
spectrumculture.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague is streaming on Netflix today!
If you didn't make it to the big screen for this, I suggest putting your phone in another room while you watch. As a black and white hangout movie, total immersion is key to its charms.
If you didn't make it to the big screen for this, I suggest putting your phone in another room while you watch. As a black and white hangout movie, total immersion is key to its charms.
I have my pulse on what gets clicks, which is why I went long on how it's a mixed bag that Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress is always mentioned alongside Star Wars.
Oeuvre: Kurosawa: The Hidden Fortress - Spectrum Culture
In Kurosawa's top-down portrayal of war’s aftermath, The Hidden Fortress opts for something anthropological, a tale where conflicts over land and influence are immaterial.
spectrumculture.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:11 PM
I have my pulse on what gets clicks, which is why I went long on how it's a mixed bag that Akira Kurosawa's The Hidden Fortress is always mentioned alongside Star Wars.
New albums releasing today I'm pumped about:
-Home Front (post punk)
-Odonis Odonis (industrial punk)
-The Notwist (electronica)
-Wale (hip-hop)
-Blondshell (indie rock)
-FKA Twigs (art pop/R&B)
Maybe I should start posting these every Friday. We need more music talk on here, y'all.
-Home Front (post punk)
-Odonis Odonis (industrial punk)
-The Notwist (electronica)
-Wale (hip-hop)
-Blondshell (indie rock)
-FKA Twigs (art pop/R&B)
Maybe I should start posting these every Friday. We need more music talk on here, y'all.
November 14, 2025 at 1:06 PM
New albums releasing today I'm pumped about:
-Home Front (post punk)
-Odonis Odonis (industrial punk)
-The Notwist (electronica)
-Wale (hip-hop)
-Blondshell (indie rock)
-FKA Twigs (art pop/R&B)
Maybe I should start posting these every Friday. We need more music talk on here, y'all.
-Home Front (post punk)
-Odonis Odonis (industrial punk)
-The Notwist (electronica)
-Wale (hip-hop)
-Blondshell (indie rock)
-FKA Twigs (art pop/R&B)
Maybe I should start posting these every Friday. We need more music talk on here, y'all.
I am about to see the new Knives Out movie. My prediction: the hot priest did it!
(This is also covering my bases because I could be referring to two different people/suspects).
(This is also covering my bases because I could be referring to two different people/suspects).
November 13, 2025 at 10:58 PM
I am about to see the new Knives Out movie. My prediction: the hot priest did it!
(This is also covering my bases because I could be referring to two different people/suspects).
(This is also covering my bases because I could be referring to two different people/suspects).
There are many great two-word phrases from rock history, but I am most partial to "NIGHT MOVES."
"Teenage Wasteland" is maybe the best two-word phrase in rock history and frickin Pete Townshend had to name the song "Baba O'Riley"
November 13, 2025 at 8:49 PM
There are many great two-word phrases from rock history, but I am most partial to "NIGHT MOVES."
Spotted on /r/letterboxd
November 13, 2025 at 7:28 PM
Spotted on /r/letterboxd
Slowly but surely, word of mouth for Train Dreams is spreading. Unlike many other films this prestige movie season, it returns to my thoughts regularly. It's a grower!
Train Dreams is a remarkable drama, one that will languish on Netflix because its inexorable, meditative power is not suited to streaming. Go see it in theaters while you can.
Train Dreams Is About the Kind of Man Who Rarely Gets the Epic Treatment
In this moving adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella, the filmmakers never strike a false note in a logger’s quiet search for meaning and joy.
washingtoncitypaper.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Slowly but surely, word of mouth for Train Dreams is spreading. Unlike many other films this prestige movie season, it returns to my thoughts regularly. It's a grower!
I like Defector, but they have run multiple versions of this piece - all of which are framed by how a movie's politics do not align with the author's.
I am glad they are dipping their toes into criticism, I just hope they find something more to say than telling a movie's fans they're wrong.
I am glad they are dipping their toes into criticism, I just hope they find something more to say than telling a movie's fans they're wrong.
No type of criticism is more tired and lazy than “actually, you’re all wrong to hate/love something” that comes weeks after a consensus takes hold. You’re not the Last Honest Man, you’re just late and kind of a coward.
November 13, 2025 at 2:45 PM
I like Defector, but they have run multiple versions of this piece - all of which are framed by how a movie's politics do not align with the author's.
I am glad they are dipping their toes into criticism, I just hope they find something more to say than telling a movie's fans they're wrong.
I am glad they are dipping their toes into criticism, I just hope they find something more to say than telling a movie's fans they're wrong.
The depravity of our healthcare system really clicks into focus when you consider an actor of his stature must auction off merch for his medical bills.
James Van Der Beek Is Auctioning ‘Dawson’s Creek’, ‘Varsity Blues’ Props Amid Cancer Treatment: “The Time Is Now”
As James Van Der Beek faces a colorectal cancer diagnosis, the actor is parting with some rare memorabilia to assist with treatment costs.
deadline.com
November 13, 2025 at 2:15 PM
The depravity of our healthcare system really clicks into focus when you consider an actor of his stature must auction off merch for his medical bills.
Reposted by Alan Zilberman
car speeds will remain unrestricted
D.C. is forcing e-bikes to slow down, citing teen crime
Police say Lime bikes are being used as getaway vehicles.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 13, 2025 at 12:12 PM
car speeds will remain unrestricted
A bunch of DC-area concertgoers who refuse to be scabs just unclenched their buttholes.
9:30 Club owner voluntarily recognized its workers’ union: www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...
Staff at 9:30 Club and other venues win voluntary union recognition
The production company I.M.P. will recognize a union for hospitality staffers at 9:30 Club, the Atlantis and Lincoln Theatre, after workers petitioned last month.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:28 PM
A bunch of DC-area concertgoers who refuse to be scabs just unclenched their buttholes.