Archive - The SS Ben Hecht, by Stephen Silver

Conan, ‘Anora,’ and a mostly successful Oscar night

We know what a bad Oscar night looks like, and that isn’t what this was.

22 hrs ago •

February 2025

Fin: Gene Hackman, 1930-2025

Also: The Epstein dud, Israel/Palestine at the Oscars, another (?) new Scorsese movie, the White House and the Tush Push, and more in this week’s notes…

Feb 28 •

'UnBroken' is the amazing story of a family's Holocaust survival

Beth Lane directs the documentary about the survival of the seven Weber siblings, the youngest of whom is her mother.

Feb 27 •

‘My Dead Friend Zoe’ is an earnest, successful drama about PTSD

And ‘Riff Raff,’ also co-starring Ed Harris, brings a super-overqualified cast to a generic crime drama.

Feb 26 •

‘Shutter Island,’ Martin Scorsese’s eeriest film, turns 15

The Boston-set horror mind-bender combined an A-list cast with a bizarre, twisty plot.

Feb 25 •

Please pay Brady Corbet!

The Brutalist director revealed something important in an interview last week: Some of your favorite filmmakers make little to money.

Feb 24 •

Fin: The next phase of the 'wokeness' wars, from the White House to Saturday Night Live

Plus: Shocking 007 news, Jalen Hurts’ Rocky steps vow, an unlikely Netflix comeback, remembering Detective Crashmore, and more in this week’s notes…

Feb 21 •

Six selections from the 2025 Atlanta Jewish Film Festival

Reviewing new festival films about Charles Grodin, Leni Riefenstahl, street sign wars, a wild Shabbat dinner, a trans soccer ref, and a gun-toting…

Feb 20 •

‘We Beat the Dream Team’ is a delightful bit of basketball history

Grant Hill fronts an HBO documentary about one time the Dream Team lost.

Feb 19 •

How ‘The Breakfast Club’ has curdled, after 40 years

The John Hughes high school classic from 1985 hasn’t held up as well as I thought.

Feb 18 •

Don’t boycott ‘Captain America’ because Shira Haas is in it

It’s nonsense to reject a film because its 7th lead is from Israel

Feb 17 •

Fin: Sexual misconduct seems to be allowed now

The Eagles win again, Anne Hathaway bleeds green, that Kanye AI video, and more in this week’s notes column.

Feb 14 •

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