Let's Get Physical: Art Horror and Nonfiction Influences.

 

The latest physical media column tackles the expanded 50th anniversary edition of Desi Arnaz' A Book, the Maltin family film-themed cookbook, Louise Weard's Castration Movie Anthology 1, and new home video editions of The Stendhal Syndrome and The House with Laughing Windows.

At the movies: Beyond The Black Rainbow.

 Finally showing in a Nashville theatre. On 35mm, no less.

Multiple Movie Catchup.

 

Five short film reviews: cosmic horror/public access commercial whatsit BUFFET INFINITY, country horror HOKUM, artsy musical drama MOTHER MARY, controversial genre piece LEE CRONIN'S THE MUMMY, and the 3D Billie Eilish concert film HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. All a worth checking out.

At the movies: Dead Lover.

 

There's not really anything out there right now like Dead Lover. A friend said to me that it felt like the best Kids In The Hall project in years, and I feel that. Check this one out.

At the movies: Sholay.

 Sholay is one of the all-time greats. Seriously, you want to just soak in it.

At the movies: The Christophers.

 A sensible film for grownups dealing with real issues and wild personae.

At the movies: Faces of Death (2026)

 

I had no idea that I was going to vibe with this. But I kind of did.

At the movies: Exit 8.

 

I have not been up and aware of much in the contemporary video game moment, but just the description of this film (and the game it's based on) had me very intrigued...

Big Ears 2026!

 I covered the 2026 Big Ears Music Festival in Knoxville, Tennessee, this year, and had a lovely time. Artists I saw and talk about include: Tunde Adebimpe, Laurie Anderson, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Kunal Gunjal, Praveen Narayan, Perfume Genius, Saraswati Ranganathan, Swaminithan Selvaganesh, So Percussion, Selvaganesh Vinakrayam, Reggie Watts

At the movies: Scream 7.

 I got into everything that's going on with Scream 7. All of it.

Nirvanna The Band The Show The Movie

 

A talk with editor/programmer/trusted friend Zack Hall about the magic of Nirvanna The Band the Show The Movie. Funnily enough, I Twin Peaksed the experience and started with this sequel/prequel before the rest of the extant material. It worked.

The 2025 Jim Ridley Film Poll

 Every year, I assemble a bunch of critics, filmmakers, artists, theorists, and assorted aesthetes to collab on a poll about the year in cinema. It tends to be awesome, and I thus present the latest installment.

At the movies: The Testament of Ann Lee.

 

A transcendent work of art that you really ought to see in a theatre, if you can. A fascinating work about the history of religion and women's voices therein. One of the greats of the decade.

My 2025 Year-End Film Superlatives.

 Y'all should know how much I love a good list. And these are my thoughts on the year in film (and physical media).

At the movies: Avatar: Fire and Ash.

 

Occasionally, I disagree with the headlines that my outlet sometimes selects. The word 'delight' is at odds, I think, with what I've written, but I did ultimately enjoy most of the experience (3D is awesome, HFR is terrible).

Erykah Badu at The Pinnacle

 Seeing Erykah Badu live is really quite the experience. I had a blast, and skewed rather contemplative.

At the movies: Peter Hujar's Day.

 

I found a lot to get lost in in Peter Hujar's Day, a film that gets exponentially richer the more times you see it.