StarringBilly West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Tress MacNeille, and Maurice LaMarcheOverviewNew season on the horizon.The adventures of a late-20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J. Fry, who, after being unwittingly cryogenically frozen for one thousand years, finds employment at Planet Express, an interplanetary delivery company in the retro-futuristic 31st century.Review Futurama This show has ended and returned so many times, I don’t know if this is truly the end or not.…

After the relentless Tetsuo movies this one is going for an Obayashi contrast: demonic possession and rushing camera blur and bodily explosions amidst a medium-paced, brightly colored daytime plot with upbeat made-for-TV music. A few good stop-motion and matte painting shots, then after the initial goblin attacks the movie has lost its juice, and they’re just spraying flying spiders with a can of wd-40. Feels like a studio with a bland cursed-high-school story hired an edgy young filmmaker to…

The first recording today starts with the end of Scoop. I don’t think I eve watched this but it’s got a lot of familiar faces, like Barry from Eastenders (Shaun Williamson). Mina Anwar off of the Sarah Jane Adventures. Hacker the dog. And Mark Benton. There’s a trail for Ultimate Summer. Plus a trail for Escape from Scorpion Island. Then, it’s supposed to be an episode of Hounded – The Back of the Sofa. But in fact, what we get is an episode of Total Wipeout. Media Centre Description:…

Good bright color and 1980s slow motion, bad Pink Floyd music. Women be shoppin’, then be gettin’ murdered at their homes in Tucson. Was it possible for artists working in the 1980s to not produce an “80s movie?” Certainly not in this case, and the music is largely to blame. Cammell pulls off some great angles and edits, like a glitchy Nic Roeg movie, and overall I felt bad not liking it after reading this. David Keith is an audiophile home stereo installer, who drives an ugly green van while…

StarringStephanie Beatriz, María Cecilia Botero, John Leguizamo, Mauro Castillo, and Jess DarrowDirectorByron Howard and Jared BushOverviewThere's a little magic in all of us...almost all of us.The tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family—every child except one, Mirabel. But when she discovers…

Smiling Friends season 3 (2025) Animation-wise episode six is the greatest, one of multiple agency origin stories. Beef House (2020) Pretty good fake sitcom. The People’s Joker director worked on this.

I am returning to the subject of the Awful British Comedian exactly like a dog to its vomit, only you have to imagine something worse than vomit. And possibly worse than a dog. OLD MOTHER RILEY, HEADMISTRESS is a relatively late 1950 entry in the popular series starring drag comic Arthur Lucan and his wife/daughter. […]

StarringAnthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, and Olga MeredizDirectorJon M. ChuOverviewThe time has come.The story of Usnavi, a bodega owner who has mixed feelings about closing his store and retiring to the Dominican Republic or staying in Washington Heights.Review In the Heights Someday I hope to see the stage version of this, but the movie version is beautiful. The scale of the dance numbers is fantastic and the message is full of life and fun. Now say the name so no…

The long hot summer of 2026 continues here at Pordenone. The first day of festivities for the 45th Pordenone Silent Film Festival dawned with a blaze of sunshine, a bustling market and an abundance of good vibes in northern Italy. And we closed with the glow of the Spanish sun. Now, to my mind, it … Continue reading Le Giornate del Cinema Muto 2026: Pordenone Post No 1 →

It was 65 years ago today, on October 3, 1961, that The Dick Van Dyke Show debuted on CBS. Among many other things, The Dick Van Dyke Show is well known for its opening, in which Dick Van Dyke trips over an ottoman or some variant thereof. As fans of The Dick Van Dyke Show well know, this was not the original opening of The Dick Van Dyke Show. Instead, the original opening featured photos of the characters and still shots of scenes to a jazzier version of the theme written by Earle Hagen. The…

Find all previous and future episodes listed here or in your podcast app under “Barbican Station”. This episode I talk with author Frank Sennett about episode three, Resurrection. We talk about all of this episodes shocking returns, russian assassins and all the great guest performances this episode. Plus is Shirley the little sister of the Slow Horses and is the show a modern day Operation Mincemeat? Finally, who is up for a Fray Bentos? All that and more in this episode! Frank’s book Shadow…

StarringLin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Renée Elise Goldsberry, Phillipa Soo, and Daveed DiggsDirectorThomas KailOverviewThe story of America then, told by America now.Presenting the tale of American founding father Alexander Hamilton, this filmed version of the original Broadway smash hit is the story of America then, told by America now.Review Hamilton The nuances and subtleties of this play only grow every time I watch it. After seeing it in person again last night, I put in the…

A lovingly made animated film. Not only is Mr. Fox fantastic - everyone is. And so is the story, the sets, the music. And as typical for Mr. Anderson, it sometimes difficult to appreciate all those little details during the first viewing.👍 Recommended!

Welcome to The Film Noir Files, the noir series here at Shadows and Satin and over at Speakeasy, the blog authored by my pal Kristina, where each month we recommend a film noir feature for you to watch on TCM. We never know what the other has selected until we post, and part of the fun is trying to never pick the same movie! As I’d expected, I faced a bit of a challenge finding a film noir to recommend for October, especially with many gems airing this month that I’ve already highlighted, like…

This month, we are going to be taking a look at the vibrant and pioneering Vitagraph film studio. Among the first film studios in America, Vitagraph led the charge in animation, special effects, domestic comedy and more. Unfortunately, they are well-known among silent movie nerds but pretty obscure to the general public these days. The […]

Back to August. All of these were part of the Super Saturday Movie Club, whose monthly theme this time was "Todd Solondz Movies", comprising movies #38 to #41. Sep 5 - Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)I will say it only once because otherwise I'd have to say it for every movie on this list, and that is that they look very conventional and television-like. There are flares of good shots here and there but I remain unconvinced that he has the eye of a genius and just happens to enjoy making the…

So DIGGER was… interesting. I avoided all reviews before I went, so I was watching the film clean. In case anyone’s reading this who hasn’t seen the film yet, I will simply say that the trailers for the film are not the film. I think it’s built to be watched twice. The first time, the twists hit you and you grapple with disappointment and your patience is tested. I want to watch it again with more attention to the details, while I’m not fidgeting in my chair, my investment in the first thirty…

Every holiday season, I get nostalgic for ’90s television. I blame all those network programmers who spent years filling October with themed episodes, Halloween specials, and holiday programming blocks because they clearly got their hooks into me. Even now, it doesn’t really feel like Halloween until I’ve spent a few evenings revisiting some old sitcoms. My recaps are pretty simple. I provide a spoiler-free synopsis, talk about how well the episode actually embraces Halloween, and then give it…

Finished American Pastoral this morning. Is the Swede a Job like figure? Nothing but bad things happen to him – except he wilts in the end. And who in the world is Rita Cohen, really? And did any of the particulars of the story actually happen, or was Jerry the brother just putting on Zuckerman and coloring events?

I first saw UNMASKED (1950), a 60-minute Republic Pictures "B" film, at the 2025 Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival.I loved it and said it was probably my "favorite" new-to-me film of the festival.Now, to my delight, UNMASKED is available on Blu-ray in a beautiful print as part of the Dark Side of Cinema XXVII Collection from Kino Lorber Studio Classics.Even better? It has a commentary track by Alan K. Rode, who programmed the movie as producer and host of the Arthur Lyons Festival.I never would…

Still rips.

Thanks to everyone who participated in my John Wayne Giveaway quiz, which concluded earlier this week.Several participants answered all five questions correctly. I drew an email address from among those entries which had all answers correct.I have contacted the winner by email but have not yet received a response. If I don't receive a reply in the next few days I will draw a backup winner, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it! Next week I'll update this post either way.Here are the…

Hadn’t watched the original in so long I’ve forgotten most of it, so why not refresh my memory with the remake, which everyone says is exactly the same movie but in English. No missteps noted in the adaptation, this worked out great for everything except the actors’ reputations. I’ve only seen one movie each by tormented parents Naomi Watts and Tim Roth (not counting Twin Peaks season 3) in the last two decades but maybe that’s a me-problem. Tormentor Michael Pitt was tenth-billed in Seven…

The first recording today starts with the end of Copycats. There’s a trail for Ultimate Summer programmes. Then it’s Deadly 60 – Australia. Steve Backshall takes a microlight to look at the Australian landscape. He looks at the Cane Toad, a hugely invasive species which were deliberately introduced to kill insects which were eating the sugar cane crops, and it was discovered that they were useless at that, but they ate everything else, and they are also poisonous, so they’re not eaten by other…

Checking out the Renoir silents with my faithful playlist of weird jazz. Cute riverboat girl Catherine “Nana” Hessling loses her dad to a random fall overboard and becomes the ward of her abusive uncle. Things aren’t gonna get any better from here, if the film title is to be believed. She meets a charismatic poacher named Weasel who provokes the locals into burning his house down, the girl left crying while Weasel skips town with her dog. But the girl doesn’t deserve all this torment by 1920’s…

By Ben Miller Alejandro G. Inarritu's Digger is sure to be divisive. While you might have an understanding of the film's tone and messaging early on, a sharp-left turn in the narrative reframes your entire comprehension of what transpires. It's a real mess. It's going to be very difficult to talk in detail about this film without discussing spoilers, but if you are confused by reading my review, imagine how you would feel in the theater. When the "twist" happens, I stared at the screen…

mundane-theron-sca-etienne:

Vorgegarte Linsen nehme ich eigentlich so gut wie nie, für meine heißgeliebten Linsensuppen verwende ich immer getrocknete Ware. Auf der Suche nach einer Verwertung für eine Dose Bio-Berglinsen aus einem Wiener Schmankerlpackerl von meiner lieben Freundin kam mir ein Hummus in den Sinn und der ist so gut geworden, daß ich nach dem Knipsen sogleich ein paar Löffel ohne Brot weggeschleckt habe

If you are a regular viewer of Turner Classic Movies, you may have seen the documentary Beyond the Border: Latino Representation in Hollywood a few weeks ago. For those of you didn't, you really should check Beyond the Border: Latino Representation in Hollywood out. It is a documentary directed by Clara and Julia Kuppererg that examines Latino stereotypes, Latino erasure, and the eventual challenge to Hollywood that came about with the civil rights movement.What makes Beyond the Border: Latino…

Remember when Netflix was going to acquire Warner Brothers Discovery and the deal was all but done? Recall how Skydance/Paramount wouldn't quit trying to make itself the owner, and kept at it until Netflix said, "Screw it, we're out," and walked away, with Skydance/Paramount, "Winning?" Well, Skydance/Paramount has gotten past a bunch of legal questions and has maneuvered itself to being an even bigger entertainment company than ever, with the head (David Ellison) being known as a bit of an…