Dear Cinephiles, “And remember don’t give your heart to any boys. You’re mine. until you get married. Then you’re still mine.” Early in Sofia Coppola’s newest gift (and yes, I consider new films from my top five directors to be gifts) Felix, an irrepressible Bill...
Dear Cinephiles, “I’ve never healed anything this bad before, it’s going to take time.” The idea that we cannot find commonality, that we have to destroy what we don’t understand or don’t like – that instead, we should unite to help our neighbors – to combat fear and...
Dear Cinephiles, “Do you ever feel your life has turned into something you never intended?” Tom Ford is a great designer – but the man also knows his cinema, and how to make good movies. I’ve been frustrated that he’s only made two – but they’re both exemplary....
Dear Cinephiles, ‘The blues help you get out of bed in the morning. You get up knowing you ain’t alone. There’s something else in the world. Something’s been added by that song. This be an empty world without the blues.’ – Ma Rainey...
Dear Cinephiles, Ali: “Why do you cry?” Emmi: “Because I’m so happy on the one hand, and on the other I can’t bear it anymore. All this hatred from everyone. I always pretend I don’t care, but I do.” Rainer Werner Fassbinder has always had a special place in my...
Dear Cinephiles, Professor Siletsky : “I wonder if you really know what Nazism really stands for?” Maria Tura : “I have a slight idea” Professor Siletsky : “In the final analysis, all we’re trying to do is create a happy world.” Maria Tura : “And people who...
Dear Cinephiles, Andy Dufresne: “There are places in this world that aren’t made out of stone. That there’s something inside… that they can’t get to, that they can’t touch. That’s yours.” Red: “What’re you talking about?”...
Dear Cinephiles, Su Li-zhen Chan : “You notice things if you pay attention.” Heed that wisdom. “In the Mood for Love” (2000) by maestro Wong Kar-wai is on my top-ten. The list shifts, but this one always remains in it. I’m not alone in claiming this film to be one of...
Dear Cinephiles, Will : “My life is made up of units of time. Buying CDs – two units. Eating lunch – three units. Exercising – two units. All in all, I had a very full life. It’s just that it didn’t mean anything.” Evolving is not an easy...
Dear Cinephiles, “Eddie and Jean met and fell in love. Eddie and Jean got married and bought a house. Eddie and Jean were gonna have a kid but didn’t. So, every morning, Eddie kisses Jean, Eddie leaves the house, and Jean’s alone.” There’s quite a dazzling moment in...
Dear Cinephiles, “It’s been a long A long time coming But I know a change gonna come Oh, yes it will” Watching Leslie Odom Jr. as Sam Cooke singing “A Change is Gonna Come” at the denouement of Regina King’s transcendental directorial debut “One Night in Miami”...
Dear Cinephiles, “I came to Paris to study and to paint, because Utrillo did, and Lautrec did, and Roualt did. I loved what they created and I thought something would happen to me too. Well, it happened all right. Now, what have I got left? Paris. Maybe that’s...
Dear Cinephiles, Marmee March : [reading Father March’s letter] “Give them all my dear love and a kiss. Tell them I think of them by day, pray for them by night and find my best comfort in their affection at all times. A year seems a very long time to wait...
Dear Cinephiles, “Oh, life is like that. Sometimes, at the height of our revelries, when our joy is at its zenith, when all is most right with the world, the most unthinkable disasters descend upon us.” Think for a second about that sentiment expressed in “A Christmas...
Dear Cinephiles, Robert: “Life’s too short to waste time on things you don’t absolutely love.” Sylvie: “But how do you know if you love something absolutely?” Robert: “I guess when it’s the only thing that matters.” Eugene Ashe’s “Sylvie’s Love” (2020) is the most...
Dear Cinephiles, Prime Minister : “General opinion’s starting to make out that we live in a world of hatred and greed, but I don’t see that. It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it’s not particularly dignified or newsworthy, but it’s...
Dear Cinephiles, “I wonder, uh, all these mornings you’ve been sitting in my study, sitting, have you had any moments of stillness? Because you’re right, Ruben. The world does keep moving, and it can be a damn cruel place. But for me, those moments of...
Dear Cinephiles, “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas. Just like the ones I used to know” The song White Christmas had been used in the film “Holiday Inn” (1942) starring Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. The ballad went on to win the Oscar for Best Original Song. It...
Dear Cinephiles, “Christmas Spirit is about believing, not seeing. If the whole world saw me, all would be lost.” The yuletide comedy “Elf” (2003) has become a perennial favorite of mine. It happens to have the right amount of wit, silliness and warmth while...
Dear Cinephiles, “Traditionally, the Ekdahls give a party to the theatre staff down on the stage. The guests are what you’d call a rather mixed lot. Quite different from what we’re used to here in the theater restaurant. Nevertheless, I don’t want to see any...
Dear Cinephiles, “I’ve been wanting you For so long, it’s a shame” The most rapturous movie moment of 2020 comes in the middle of Steve McQueen’s “Lovers Rock.” I think one of the reasons why it affected me so much was because I didn’t expect something...
Dear Cinephiles, Catherine: “You said, ‘I love you.’ I said, ‘Wait.’ I was about to say, ‘Take me.’ You said, ‘Go away.’ How could I have waited this long to recommend a François Truffaut film – one of the most influential directors, and one of the founders of the oh...
Dear Cinephiles, King-Lu: “It’s the getting started that’s the puzzle. No way for a poor man to start. You need capital or some form of miracle.” Cookie: “You need leverage.” King-Lu: “Or a crime.” The conversation above takes place about one third into Kelly...
Dear Cinephiles, George Bailey: “Now we can get through this thing alright, we’ve got to stick together though. We’ve got to have faith in each other.” I hadn’t sat through Frank Capra’s “It’s A Wonderful Life” (1946) for a very long time until a few days ago, and not...
Dear Cinephiles, “There must be a way to rid this community, and by extension the nation, of this cancer of intolerance.” I was fortunate to attend a high school in New Jersey (The Peddie School) that strived for inclusivity. I look back at the time I attended (from...
Dear Cinephiles, Apu: “Didi, have you ever seen a train?” Durga: “Sure.” Sarbojaya Ray: “Don’t lie.” Apu: “You know where the tracks are? Where?” Durga: “Past the big meadow and beyond the rice fields.” Apu: “Shall we go one day?” And we do go see the train. We...
Dear Cinephiles, “And as each one of you go in your individual lives, I want you take this with you. The Whitfields are a family. We will always be a family. And no one and nothing can change that.” It is indeed a special moment. Right before there’s been a lot of...
Dear Cinephiles, “I want to spend a few minutes talking with you about your relationships okay? Because they can affect your health. Did you know that? “ I can sit through tough subject matter. As long as it is well-made, I will end up exhilarated on the other end....
Dear Cinephiles, Therese: (holding a camera) “A friend told me I should be more interested in humans.” Carol: “And how’s that going?” Todd Haynes’ “Carol” (2015) is an intoxicating love story. It’s swoon-worthy. It casts a spell over you – and you just get swept in...
Dear Cinephiles, Julia: “You seem to be able to make me feel as if everything’s going to be alright.” Dudley: “Well it could be if people could only learn to behave like human beings.” I love the holidays. In particular, I love the feeling of hope that they engender...
