I will never forget the experience of seeing LEAVING NEVERLAND at its Sundance premiere. For @avclub.com I wrote about a devastating, definitive documentary about surviving sexual abuse that cannot be erased.
Same.
Congrats!! So exciting, Scout!!
Hate to be hat in hand, but today I found myself facing a HUGE, unexpected homeownership expense: a $10,000 plumbing bill.
It's a huge financial blow during an already vulnerable time, and I'd be so appreciative of your help. I've started my 1st ever GoFundMe here: www.gofundme.com/f/help-us-re...
A handwritten note with a smiley face which reads, “Dear Melissa, Thank you! Happy Tea Tasting!” Plus two packages of green tea, one sample sized “Shi Feng Longjing, Green Tea from Mrs. Li” and one bigger package, “Autumn Laoshan Green Tea, From the He Family.”
Lately, I’ve been enjoying green teas from Verdant Tea, and I love how they always send a little handwritten note and a sample to try with every order. A very small pleasure in the scheme of things but a sweet one.
verdanttea.com
Incidentally, Gwen Harris, the mother of Brooks Potteiger (Pete Hegseth’s pastor) went on a podcast in February told the story of Potteiger’s abuse of his kids and how she reported her son to CPS.
music.youtube.com/podcast/jjjP...
For Bellingham folks, Serpent’s Path (and Chime) will also be playing at the Pickford Film Center on April 16.
www.pickfordfilmcenter.org/movie/serpen...
Bumping my Testament of Ann Lee review now that the movie’s streaming. If you missed it when it was in theaters: welcome. Come join us.
I'll also state on TDOV that beginning tomorrow you can watch a series of films directed by trans people on the Criterion channel. We programmed this series with love and with hope.
❤️❤️❤️!
Cover image of the book Corpses, Fools, and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in Cinema
Happy Trans Day of Visibility! 🏳️⚧️
Today’s a good day to pick up a copy of Corpses, Fools, and Monsters, the terrific book by @willowcatelyn.bsky.social and Caden Mark Gardener.
mzs.press/Corpses-Fool...
My good friend Scout is trying to get a film off the ground and has hit a snag because a producer funding much of the budget has dropped out unexpectedly. They are set to go into production soon and he is desperate for some help. He is a great critic & independent filmmaker. Please help if you can
I agree! I blocked him/them.
(The review is a handy tool for outing the LB assholes and I’m generally quicker at getting to that block button. 😉)
Sinners & OBAA will probably be threaded around one another for decades to come--not because of the Oscars--but because they were two movies from 2025 that had something worth interrogating & people from new generations are going to continue to watch those movies & talk about them in that way.
"there is no best among them, there is just the mood that day." hell yeah PTA the cinephile #Oscars
So many people I follow are crying with joy about Autumn Durald Arkapaw winning and that is the kind of thing I want to see from the Oscars.
FIRST WOMAN TO EVER WIN BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY. FIRST BLACK PERSON TO WIN BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY. FIRST FILIPINA TO WIN BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY. ACADEMY AWARD WINNER AUTUMN DURALD ARKAPAW.
And Autumn Durald Arkapaw! Wow. History-making win and a speech that lived up to it. Count me as a fan of this year's show.
That’s what I was thinking too :-/
STARTERS Chloé Zhao Long Bao Cutting Through Lox Emma Scone (with Jamnet) Ethan Guac If I Had Eggs I’d Whisk You Kleber Mendonça Phyllo KPopcorn Demon Hunters Leonardo Pistachios Olives Laxe The Secret Agent Lettuce Wraps CHEESE PLATTER Edam Hawke Havarti Supreme Michael Brie Jordan Ricotta Reinsve Sent-Emmental Value MAIN COURSES Bone-In O’Brien Chicken Tinga Ibsdotter Lilleaas Daal Thomas Anderson F1-Pot Chili Gamey Madigan Honey-Baked Hamnet Jafar Pan-Seared Ahi Jur Aspic World Rebirth Leg of Lambnet Mr. Nobody Against Puttanesca Roast Byrne Sean Penne Spamnet Musubi Steak Diane Warren Wagyu Moura Wonton Mee Mosaku Zootopia Stew SIDE DISHES Avatar: Fire and Hash Chanterelles Fanning Corn on the Jacob Darius Congee Frankenstein and Beans Jessie Buckwheat Noodles Michael Pea Jordan Plantain Dreams Squash Safdie Stellan Skars Chard Teyana Taters Timothée Chow/Lo Mein BEVERAGES (ONE BOTTLE AFTER ANOTHER) Benicio del Taro Boba Blue Moon It Was Juice Antioxidant Joachim Beer Martini Supreme Michael Tea Jordan Que Syrah, Sirāt Ryan Cooler Teavana Taylor Zinners DESSERTS Brittle Amélie or the Character of Rain Bugonia Split Cake Hudson Melon Skarsgård Train Creams SNUBS After the Bundt Amanda Seyfries Chase Infinitea Cynthia Burrito Jay Jelly Jesse Lemons Joel Edgertongue Marinara Grande No Other Choy Paul Mezcal Sorry, Baby Greens Springsteen: De Liver Meat From Nowhere The Tasty Mint of Ann Lee Wicked: For Gouda
Behold! My 2026 Academy Awards menu, full of #Oscar-themed options for breakfast, lunch and Sinners.
As always, I'd like to thank the Academy — and my wife, for being the best editor and partner in pundom.
Omg please yes
My question exactly!
“. . . fewer Gen Z women agreed that a wife should always obey her husband (18%) and an even smaller share of Baby Boomer women (6%) held that view”
🙃
Thrilled to say @pickfordfilmcenter.bsky.social in Bellingham, WA, will be participating! June 5-11.
Programming will be announced in April.
There are few things more satisfying than a scathing, well-written bit of dark humor. Bravo to @davidjroth.bsky.social for making me laugh at the absurdity of little men in big shoes this morning.
THREAD: I got laid off from NYMag/Vulture after 14 years. The family lost 75% of income + medical. Now mzs.press bookstore, once a side project. is do-or-die for Judith & I. I feel weird telling you this because others are doing much worse. But if you could like or share this, we'd be so grateful!
Uh oh 😆
I had, ahem, noticed that, too.
And I’m with you!!
I’m a little flummoxed by the hate for the film, so your review was especially cathartic! :)