ben kaye
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thebenkaye.bsky.social
ben kaye
@thebenkaye.bsky.social
what he’s typed will be a window into his madness | writes about movies, theatre | bylines: Cine-File, Chicago Reader, The Spool, Newcity Stage, possibly you????? | chicago-based (they/he)
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thebenkaye.com
https://benkayewords.org
https://boxd.it
Reposted by ben kaye
answer is great but also it's telling that the guy who's been saying this since day 1 has to answer about whether he's an antisemite for 5 min every interview while the same people grin vacantly at the jewish space lasers lady and call her a brave warrior
WELKER: What is your message to Jewish New Yorkers who feel you won't be tough enough in your response to antisemitism?

MAMDANI: That I am looking forward to being the next mayor and fulfilling the commitment I've made to Jewish New Yorkers to not only protect them but to celebrate and cherish them
November 23, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Reposted by ben kaye
we can milk it a second time too!
reappearing in 60 cities in December
linktr.ee/hundredsofbe...
November 22, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Reposted by ben kaye
Our love grew quickly, like bamboo. But distrust quickly spread underneath it, like the roots of bamboo. Looking back, I was naive. Green. The color of, you guessed it, more bamboo.
November 18, 2025 at 3:07 AM
Reposted by ben kaye
Zohran flip your hair again we need healthcare get him to give us healthcare.
November 21, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Reposted by ben kaye
once again joining the many people who have observed how much of a world-historical problem it is that Trump is so fucking funny
Q: Are you affirming that you think President Trump is a fascist?

MAMDANI: I've spoken about--

TRUMP: That's okay. You can just say yes. I don't mind.
November 21, 2025 at 9:27 PM
Reposted by ben kaye
Trump is being nicer to Mamdani than Democratic leadership was lol
November 21, 2025 at 9:09 PM
this was always the plan. no artistry on display, just pathetic bloated attempts at brand management and IP extension. no one mourns the wicked, indeed.
Stephen Schwartz says he and Winnie Holzman are developing a new ‘WICKED’ project.

It wouldn’t be a sequel to Glinda and Elphaba’s story but instead a new idea that “expands Oz in a new direction”

(Source: theankler.com/p/more-oz-wi...)
November 21, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Reposted by ben kaye
talkin' about the AI bubble
November 20, 2025 at 6:56 PM
audiences are clearly hungry for the works of Samuel Beckett. put Jacob Elordi in Krapp's Last Tape. Timothee Chalamet in Endgame. let's go all out. playbill.com/article/wait...
Waiting For Godot, Starring Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, Recoups On Broadway
The Jamie Lloyd-helmed revival earned back its initial investment in just eight weeks.
playbill.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:02 PM
some people just have a fetish for being yelled at, and that's okay.
November 19, 2025 at 6:42 PM
…..huh!
Letterboxd Video Store. Coming early December 2025. 👀

More info: boxd.it/2OU
November 19, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Reposted by ben kaye
Attention all Evanstonians!

Your librarians and library staff need your support. Join the Evanston Local 1891 AFSCME Library Union as they make their demands to their Executive Board. @afscme.bsky.social
November 18, 2025 at 5:41 PM
no movie is going to exist less than MOANA (2026). absolute emperor’s-new-clothes of a movie. get it outta here!
November 18, 2025 at 4:25 AM
Reposted by ben kaye
whenever the sun sets at 4:45 pm i open a window, lean out and yell "WRONG" as loud as i can. that usually buys me another hour or two of sunlight
November 17, 2025 at 9:48 PM
appreciate Kat’s absolute patience in dealing with the most unhinged weirdos out there.
Yesterday, a Republican tried to give me holy water and Trump perfume because I’m “demonic.”

Extremely normal stuff coming from an extremely normal party.
November 17, 2025 at 10:59 PM
Why Isn't Hannibal Lecter in Looney Tunes: Back in Action? It's more complicated than you might think...
ign.com IGN @ign.com · 9d
Why Isn’t Pennywise in The Running Man? It's more complicated than you might think... bit.ly/4a04Vvk
November 15, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Reposted by ben kaye
November 15, 2025 at 11:43 AM
some words from me on Ira Sachs' PETER HUJAR'S DAY for @cinefilechicago.bsky.social. playing in Chicago now at the Gene Siskel Film Center!
November 14, 2025 at 9:46 PM
every single major city should have a federally-funded arts center (think London’s Barbican) for theater, film, dance, art, etc.
"my least woke opinion is---"

That's enough. We've had enough people indulging in the "thrill of a little conservatism", as a treat. Of considering reactionary thought to be a salacious and taboo in a world descending into reactionary mania.

Give me your MOST woke opinions. We're bringing it back.
November 14, 2025 at 3:35 PM
a really nice week, to be honest!
November 14, 2025 at 3:18 PM
a lot of great performances this year, but my two favorites have got to be Ethan Hawke in BLUE MOON and Rose Byrne in IF I HAVE LEGS I'D KICK YOU. top notch stuff that blew me away.
November 14, 2025 at 1:10 AM
did some voiceover work for my friend's latest video essay on "The Pirates of Penzance," what it takes to turn an opera into a musical, and the importance of trusting the material (and the audience) when reviving classic works. youtu.be/6HUbPzRe3MI?...
How "The Pirates of Penzance" Became a Musical
YouTube video by And Now They Sing
youtu.be
November 13, 2025 at 4:52 PM
November 13, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Reposted by ben kaye
The Epstein story gets a something that is tearing at the heart of the electorate: elite impunity. The idea that wealthy and powerful people can do terrible things *at scale* and face no consequences for them. Whatever political party actually stops it could rule the country for a generation.
November 12, 2025 at 10:23 PM