TIFF Report I: "All of a Sudden,""Minotaur,” "Wild Horse Nine"
A new Hamaguchi masterpiece, a brooding Russian drama and a peak performance from one of our great acting eccentrics.
Latest
Eight Movies I want to See at TIFF 2026
It's fall festival time, and the Watch List is headed to Toronto to try and make sense of it all.
Watch List Digest 9/4/26
Last Gasp of the Summer edition
What to Watch: "Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma"
Gillian Anderson and Hannah Einbinder go on a voyage of personal discovery in Jane Schoenbrun's new movie, and it's a hell of a ride.
In Review: "Coyote vs Acme," "The Dog Stars," "Peter Asher"
Plus a few words on two icons we've lost this week.
Book Review: "How to Prepare for the Past"
A phantasmagoric rock memoir from a man who apparently was everywhere. Plus: Billy Collins parodies Mary Oliver (or does he?) and some Criterion Channel picks.
Poetic Injustice: The "Mary Oliver" documentary
A new film by Sasha Waters is a celebratory portrait of the beloved poet, but there's a tougher Mary Oliver somewhere behind the stanzas.
What to Watch: "Wild Inside," "Late Fame," "Tony" & "The Invite"
An owl, a poet and a chef walk into a bar.
(More) Tales of Brave Ulysses
Looking for a leaner, meaner, classier "Odyssey"? "The Return," with Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche, awaits you on VOD. Plus, some thoughts on Emily Wilson (scorpion) and Christopher Nolan (frog).
On Rock 'n' Roll Ghosts and Other Matters
David Toop's "Two-Headed Doctor" is a spellbinding genealogy of American music tied to one of the strangest, deepest records of the 1960s. Plus a few movie things.
What to Watch: "Remake," "Tuner"
A nifty little thriller on demand and, in theaters, an aching confession of complicity and regret from one of our finest documentarians.
The Watch List Turns 5
What to Watch
Ramblin' Man: "The Odyssey" reviewed
Christopher Nolan's blockbuster adaptation of the classic tale is an unexpected Homer.
Remembrances ⭐️
Sam Neill 1947-2026
Farewell to a changeling actor who amassed innumerable credits while never quite getting the credit he deserved.
Weekly Digest
Watch List Digest 7/12/26
Went away, got bit, got sick, got better -- how's your summer been?
Music 🎸
Weekend Playlist: Drive, He Said
In which the author searches for the fool's gold of the Platonic Ideal of a car tunes playlist.
What to Watch
What to Watch: Four Cool Streams for a Hot Weekend
New to VOD: Four cinematic diversions running the gamut from the sublime to the very silly.
What to Watch
"Eddie Coyle," Anaplasmosis and "Off the Map"
Come hear Chris Vognar and me talk Boston crime-film turkey Thursday night, and make time for a lost little charmer on demand. Plus, Ty vs the ticks.
What to Watch
What to Watch: "I Swear," "Eno," "EPiC"
A pottymouthed feel-good Scottish movie on demand, plus music docs from the King and the Brain.
Music 🎸
Hitch(ing) Post
In praise of one of the great rock 'n' roll eccentrics.
What to Watch
E.T., Come Home: "Disclosure Day," "Power Ballad" and more
Steven Spielberg returns to his extraterrestrial roots in a mostly magnificent blockbuster drama. Plus: I probably shouldn't like "Power Ballad," but I did.
Events
Everyone Comes to Rick's (Still)
Come for a screening and discussion of the deathless "Casablanca," 6/11 at the West Newton Cinema.
Zen Journal
The Time of My Life
How two photographs taken 50 years apart have the author pondering ... everything.
Movies Ty Forgot He Reviewed: "Silent Souls" & "Don't Think Twice"
Take your pick: A deadpan bit of Finnish poetry or an incisive human comedy of Manhattan bad manners.