Paul Francis

#BESTFILMSOF2026 **FINAL** TIER 1 BLACK BAG: An exquisitely stylish rendering of a successful marriage. BONJOUR TRISTESSE: Growing up is HARD! FRANKENSTEIN: Live, U Abused Creatures of Modernity! LIVE! AUCTION: A small movie about Fancy People - THAT SAYS IT ALL!

“Open the Strait of Hormuz or I’m closing the Strait of Hormuz”

Absurd and inhuman violence is spreading ferociously through the sacred places of the Christian East, profaned by the blasphemy of war and the brutality of business, with no regard for people’s lives, which are considered at most collateral damage of self-interest. But no gain can be worth the life of the weakest, children, or families. No cause can justify the shedding of innocent blood.

@nightwriter22 Omg that sounds awesome. #ThisIsWhyWeCantHaveNiceThings #JamesBond

Director Steven Soderbergh during his interview with The Playlist revealed that he pitched ideas for James Bond films to producer Barbara Broccoli on two separate occasions, and both were ultimately rejected. Soderbergh's proposal was for a parallel franchise. A separate Bond continuity or "universe" that would run alongside the main series. The pitch's key aspects were the following: - Set in the 1960s - R-rated, with more violence and sex - A different actor as Bond - A fictional backstory tied to real historical events - A more stylized, auteur-driven approach

All the President’s Men turns 50 today. This famous “six‑minute shot” is a masterclass in phone acting and pure technical nerve. Director Alan J. Pakula and cinematographer Gordon Willis pull off a single, unbroken slow zoom: from a wide, humming newsroom to a tight close-up on Redford. No cuts. No safety net. Tension builds in real time. Redford carries it with typical quiet confidence. Six minutes of note-taking and talking into a phone, no flashy “Oscar clip.” He even flubs a name (“McGregor” for “Dahlberg”), corrects himself naturally, and Pakula keeps it because it feels authentic. The background is part of the story. As Woodward hones in on his phone call, everyone behind him huddles around a TV watching Senator Tom Eagleton resign. The contrast is deliberate: they chase the “obvious” headline, while the camera drifts past them to Woodward, and the real story. To hold Redford and the busy background in focus early on, they used a split‑diopter lens, then had to ease it out as the camera moves in. A technical tightrope. The timing of both actor and cinematographer is spot on. As Woodward closes in on the truth, the world literally falls away: the newsroom blurs, the noise fades, and we lock into his obsession. It’s one of cinema’s great moments: Redford doing almost nothing—and somehow everything at the same time. What makes this shot brilliant is the contrast it carves between Redford and the newsroom around him. The visual language does the talking: he’s locked in, disciplined, driven, all focus and fire. He stands apart because the work matters more than anything else.

@BilgeEbiri Nobody was like "Oh well thats understandable - ______ is a very psychologically taxing time"? Hate to say it, (and the language is harsher than the point, but): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idiot_plot #TheDrama

The secret she confesses to is, in fact, quite terrible, and questions of childish mischief aside, something she’s still capable of doing: abandoning a friend in need.

So much absurd material in the news. SO annoyed missed SNL last nite (know can watch on the internet - but its not the same 🫤) #WeekendUpdate youtube.com/watch?v=ziKqd2…

Sad times but Idea of #KristiNoem & POWER MAD COSPLAYING PERVS flying around on a tax funded #SexPlane is so funny! (Movie in there -but what would #Zizek say?) Whatever happened to wholesome camp like "I never" n "spin the bottle"? Guess thats just the way- #Escapade #Lacan

Favorite video yet is Dan Hurley's mom after The Shot: "HOLY FUCKING SHIT!!!"

36 years later, UConn got revenge on Duke for Christian Laettner's game-winning shot against them in 1990 🔥

UCONN FROM THE LOGO FOR THE WIN 😱 🎥 @MarchMadnessMBB

Congratulations to all Americans who dared to take to the streets today and publicly expressed their stance and disagreement with the actions and policies of their president. #WeSayNoKings 👍👍👍

Absolutely. His work on #Industry is woefully slept on (Remember his bottle ep w/Uncle Junior on #TheSopranos? This biz is so fickle and weird! 😆) He's a shining talent in the state-of-the-art crowd pleaser that is #ProjectHailMary Rlly wanted more scenes w/him & #RyanGosling!

@FurkanGozukara Ah. So THAT's what happened!

Massive reality check. Tech oligarchs did not suddenly become conservative. Biden tried to regulate Amazon and Meta so they simply switched sides and bought Trump instead. It is not about ideology it is about raw capitalist control over the government.

Maybe knda sorta sad that 90s Prog Guitar Gods #Chavez released an EP in 2017 to relatively little fanfare (some power loss - and takes a while to build up to the release - but its worth it!) open.spotify.com/track/3xTjguuh…

Ouch! #Facts. That book was like my whole "thing" fr a while in the late 2000s (think it was that great doc about HS debate teams: #Resolved on HBO that got me) #PedagogyoftheOppressed #PaoloFriere #IdealogicalFoundation tiktok.com/t/ZP8b9tKuC/

The last few years have exposed a critical reality about American tech oligarchs: They are not merely greedy opportunists seeking profit. Many are dangerous, out-of-touch extremists who possess massive, unchecked power and absolutely no capacity for introspection

(But gotta admit my two overall faves of the year may actually have been ANIMATED) NEZHA 2: Havent been this deeply moved by a movie since.. RRR? DEMONSLAYER: INFINITY CASTLE - SO many beheadings! SO many tears! (SO many deep character arcs w/backstory)

#TOPFILMSOF2025 ***TIER 3*** SANTOSH: Rural Indian Wife takes over dead husband's job in a fresh cop drama. SPLITSVILLE: Like Rohmer but funnier. Keep going, guys! WHEN FALL IS COMING: High stakes w/these Old Frenchies lol! MI: FINAL RECKONING: Love that Donloe storyline!

#BESTFILMSOF2025 *TIER 2* SINNERS: High Cinema! (Wanna say "the flaw makes it perfect" -but not when its the climax) SENTIMENTAL VALUE: Lets hear it for "Palpable Interiority!" ONE BATTLE: Perfidia a tad alienating - but top notch 70s cinematic fetishism! PHOENICIAN SCHEME: Yeah! What IF Rich Dudes actly tried to fix the world?