It’s not just the answer to a trivia question (What was the first film awarded Best Picture?), Sunrise is now in the public domain, freely available to watch, and quite good. If you’re familiar with Murnau, it’s likely not your favorite of his films, but as one of the emblematic directors of German Expressionism to come to Hollywood and debut with this is a legendary feat of its own.
I’ve tried to go to the movies on my birthday. More often than not I’ve succeeded. This year warranted a post of its own. Once I hear that Coyote vs. Acme was opening on 8/28 I was hopeful that I’d be able to catch an early Thursday screening on my birthday proper. It’s a film that has had a long road to finally hitting screens and that already earned its (human) star a BAM Award for his fight to see it released.
Having finally gotten to see it, I am so, so thankful that Will Forte fought so hard and that Ketchup Entertainment stepped in to salvage something else Warner Bros. was ready to toss into the trash and set ablaze. I highly recommend it. It’s not just nostalgia or Easter Eggs that make it work, it’s a brilliant concept, cleverly executed and genuinely funny. Go out and see it.
The films I share in my 31 Days of Oscar posts tend to get lost in the shuffle, so I’ll be featuring them on Short Film Saturday to give them their due.
Fauve (2018)
This was a film I first discussed in a 31 Days of Oscar post. While I often think of other Chaplin works first. This is one I still rate as a 9/10. Enjoy.
As mentioned in my last Shameless Self-Promotion post, today August 15th, 2026, marks the release of my first collection of poetry The Prismatic Menagerie.
You can buy the book at the link above. But I thought I’d share the gift of some cinematic observations in poetic form I’m calling…
Films Theories
Is this comedy tongue-in-cheek
or does it just not open its
mouth when it speaks?
How much non-diegetic content
must I consume before I am
ready to digest this film?
Why do some executives
think we want screen-life movies,
so lacking in cinema and vitality?
And why do YouTubers bring
us films that make even cynics
believe in the art-from again?
He only watches Christopher Nolan’s
movies microscopically and believes
he understands all movies can and should be.
When I see a movie
I hope someone else watches it
I don’t want A.I. to ingest and vomit
it back out onto my TV.
Mae West said “I only like two kinds
of men: domestic and imported.”
I feel the same way about movies…
and men.
Why are you so obsessed with
what is and isn’t canon
in a Cannonball Run reboot?
The camera in a German
Expressionist film is a dog’s head
it tilts when things are unsettled.
The film debut of musical legend Duke Ellington.
The films I share in my 31 Days of Oscar posts tend to get lost in the shuffle, so I’ll be featuring them on Short Film Saturday to give them their due.
Pianissimo (1963)
Warner Archive released a set of three adaptations of Seven Keys to Baldpate, the earliest of which is now available to stream for free. All the versions of this story I’ve seen thus far have been quite entertaining. Enjoy!
The films I share in my 31 Days of Oscar posts tend to get lost in the shuffle, so I’ll be featuring them on Short Film Saturday to give them their due.
The Last Repair Shop (2023)
Not only a Pre-Code title but one that was ahead of its time in many regards.
The Movie Rat 