Watched the 1934 Scarlet Pimpernel after reading the book, and can confirm: Leslie Howard > Laurence Olivier.

Still have so much emotional memory re playing this, in part because I once listened to the soundtrack often. Rediscovered in an old box! With apologies to Vrenna; had misremembered that it was Reznor’s work. 😬 (Added to my player, huzzah!)

You wouldn’t think these would work as a double-bill, but watching them back to back as I try to catch the flicks leaving Criterion Channel this month was a grand experience. Love both these movies so much, @nmkennedy.bsky.social. 📽️

We do not talk about Arthur Conan Doyle’s "Tales of Terror and Mystery" enough. Holy cats. I have been right frissoned by 3 of these stories so far, and am only halfway through.

Rewatching Walkabout; had forgotten that the brief research station scene (in particular) is a masterclass in composition. A gobsmackingly gorgeous series of setups set within a gob-gorge movie, overall (love myself a cinematographer-turned-director). 📽️

Well now I’m reminded of my favourite film logo of all time; to this day, I think, “My word, that designer was ON” every time I see this opening. Beauty.

Finally seeing The Wages of Fear and, because I’ve seen Sorceror (❤️) twice, I have to keep pausing and walking away even ahead of the big tense scenes because it’s. so. a priori. tense. Holy crap, I love these movies.📽️ #CriterionChannel

David Lean’s The Passionate Friends is my Casablanca. I don’t know why it doesn’t get more press.

Yes, always. But this time, something just as sinister.

I still have the biggest crush on Ros from MI-5/Spooks, damn. 🔥

My usual Easter watch still moves me to tears every time. I ate a chocolate bunny whilst being so moved, this year. Wishing the northern hem a fruitful 2026 planting and a robust harvest! No droughts, no floods, no fires. 🐇 🐣 🌷 🍎

Wilkie Collins called it in 1862. 🤷‍♂️ (PS found another Collins novel to read! ❤️)

Thank the gods for Criterion Channel 📽️ capturing movies that totally passed me by, like Puiu’s Aurora. Not sure how I missed this one as a fan of his. Went in blank. Completely engrossed. It’s like the best "slow tv” Romania-style + a smidge of very early Haneke. Shook in the best way. #filmsky

Portrait of a Lady on Fire is indeed gorgeous, riveting 🔥. Plus it contains the divine, under-sung Valeria Golino, who always knocks it out of the park (she’s the best thing in The Morning Show, and torched the screen in her brief Drops of God S1 stint).

Well, that’s creepy: I signed up for 3 free months of Mubi weeks back in part to get access Radu Jude movies, which got me wanting to see the older Romanian New Wave flicks I devoured/reviewed in the aughts—and lookie what Criterion Channel just dredged up for March. I spoke it into existence! 😂📽️

Bad enough living somewhere the air hurts our face, but now it’s also a somewhere one’s winter boots come with built-in ice cleats. 😒 What are we even doing?

Just watched 3 Women for the first time and was R I V E T E D. So many questions, not least of which are (a) how did I not see this glorious movie before and (b) dammit, I’m being dragged kicking and screaming into Altman fandom, aren’t I?

Why did I not know that Altman made an early moonshot flick with Caan and Duvall that the producers railed him over because of his overlapping dialogue back in 1967? Tight little mod SF. brb off to watch his Quintet now.

Learned about disc rot when I lost an old friend this weekend. (Also learned DVDs generally last decades longer than blu-rays, so glad I still buy those as often...)

These people drive me up the wall. Maybe they coulda painted Voice of Fire technically (*maybe*) but what makes it give me gooseflesh is the IDEA the artist created—the title, the allusion, the deeper everything. I got chills standing there. You would not have given me chills, dude, I promise.

When I’ve had a crap day and feel like balls, I pull out a comfort movie. Prince of Darkness has been one of my big ones since I was a kid. Is there a more atmospheric blend of science + mythos/religion = chaos in horror cinema? From those first three opening Carpenterian notes…

I would sell my soul right now for a bag of proper mustard chips from France and a bottle of Breton cider.

It’s like my library somehow knew that these 2 valiant authors were each published in Lackington’s once upon a merry, given that both titles were released from my hold queue on the same day. 🎉 Finally plunging in, @premeemohamed.com and @vajra.me! My expectations are suitably atmospheric.

I’ve been so good about non-essential purchases this year, but I fell off the wagon at the record store yesterday, alas.

Also, big ups to Criterion Channel for letting us see an obscure, non-horror Cronenberg flick—at least until end of this month. That + John Saxon = no question it must be watched before Tuesday. Now I know whether or not to buy it on disc. 🤷‍♀️

My favourite books—the ones I get lost in but that also impress the fock out of me—are those making it hyper clear the author reads across *eras* and *cultures*. I want to see massive vocabs that aren’t afraid of archaisms, regionalisms and superb poetry craft. No mass-market beige here. Slurp.

Still very much my headspace this morning. 🤷‍♀️

Sigh, rewatching my Footprints on the Moon DVD from Shameless, and the coming attractions reminded me I *still* haven’t seen my white-whale giallo. If anyone spots The Designated Victim rolling onto Tubi, Shudder or elsewhere, please ping me, #horrorsky and #filmsky. 📽️