Alan Zilberman
@alanzilberman.bsky.social
One of the last idiots to write about film for an alt-weekly
Did you see Wake Up Dead Man this weekend? Did you avoid reviews so you wouldn’t get spoiled?
Great, totally get that!
But why not read my review now?
Great, totally get that!
But why not read my review now?
Think Wake Up Dead Man Can’t Top Glass Onion? Have a Little Faith.
Detective Benoit Blanc encounters his most challenging case yet and gets a major assist from an unlikely partner.
washingtoncitypaper.com
November 29, 2025 at 10:57 PM
Did you see Wake Up Dead Man this weekend? Did you avoid reviews so you wouldn’t get spoiled?
Great, totally get that!
But why not read my review now?
Great, totally get that!
But why not read my review now?
Tom Stoppard was a great playwright - I was partial to Rock and Roll, his drama about Czechoslovakia during the Velvet Revolution - but he was also a terrific script doctor. He wrote all the best lines in The Last Crusade and Revenge of the Sith. Rest in power
two men standing next to each other with the words chook chook chook written on the bottom
ALT: two men standing next to each other with the words chook chook chook written on the bottom
media.tenor.com
November 29, 2025 at 5:58 PM
Tom Stoppard was a great playwright - I was partial to Rock and Roll, his drama about Czechoslovakia during the Velvet Revolution - but he was also a terrific script doctor. He wrote all the best lines in The Last Crusade and Revenge of the Sith. Rest in power
The sweetest words in the English language
November 29, 2025 at 2:00 PM
The sweetest words in the English language
Reposted by Alan Zilberman
Looking for a mediumread while you wait at the airport or hide from your family? My latest @wcp.bsky.social has queer artists, a woman courts labeled a “lunatic,” and 19th-century horses: washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7748...
On Places: Repurposing—and Queering—an H Street Corridor Carriage House
Once home to the ENIKAlley Coffeehouse—a refuge and an incubator for Black gay and lesbian artists and activists.
washingtoncitypaper.com
November 27, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Looking for a mediumread while you wait at the airport or hide from your family? My latest @wcp.bsky.social has queer artists, a woman courts labeled a “lunatic,” and 19th-century horses: washingtoncitypaper.com/article/7748...
Introduce yourself with five concerts you’ve seen multiple times
Nine Inch Nails
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Charli XCX
@themountaingoats.bsky.social
Reel Big Fish
Nine Inch Nails
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Charli XCX
@themountaingoats.bsky.social
Reel Big Fish
Introduce yourself with five concerts you’ve seen multiple times
Destroyer
Yo La Tengo
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Carly Rae Jepsen
Green Day
LCD Soundsystem
Destroyer
Yo La Tengo
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
Carly Rae Jepsen
Green Day
LCD Soundsystem
Introduce yourself with five concerts you’ve seen multiple times
The Replacements
Tori Amos
Tegan and Sara
Sleater-Kinney
The Hold Steady
The Replacements
Tori Amos
Tegan and Sara
Sleater-Kinney
The Hold Steady
November 27, 2025 at 11:31 PM
Introduce yourself with five concerts you’ve seen multiple times
Nine Inch Nails
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Charli XCX
@themountaingoats.bsky.social
Reel Big Fish
Nine Inch Nails
Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Charli XCX
@themountaingoats.bsky.social
Reel Big Fish
We hosted Thanksgiving lunch, not dinner, so family already came and went. Now I’m sipping red wine and watching The Godfather - as it should be.
November 27, 2025 at 8:23 PM
We hosted Thanksgiving lunch, not dinner, so family already came and went. Now I’m sipping red wine and watching The Godfather - as it should be.
not enough nü metal in the parade
November 27, 2025 at 3:48 PM
not enough nü metal in the parade
1. "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go"
2. "London Calling"
3. "Mother and Child Reunion"
4. "Sleep to Dream"
5. "Age of Consent"
2. "London Calling"
3. "Mother and Child Reunion"
4. "Sleep to Dream"
5. "Age of Consent"
November 26, 2025 at 5:06 PM
1. "(Don't Worry) If There's a Hell Below, We're All Going to Go"
2. "London Calling"
3. "Mother and Child Reunion"
4. "Sleep to Dream"
5. "Age of Consent"
2. "London Calling"
3. "Mother and Child Reunion"
4. "Sleep to Dream"
5. "Age of Consent"
Local PSA: Wake Up Dead Man opens in DC-area theaters today! You can catch screenings here:
-Atlantic Plumbing
-Bethesda Row
-Angelika Pop-up
-Alamo Crystal City
-LOOK Dine-in Tyson's
-Angelika Mosaic
Y'all will want to see this one with a packed house.
-Atlantic Plumbing
-Bethesda Row
-Angelika Pop-up
-Alamo Crystal City
-LOOK Dine-in Tyson's
-Angelika Mosaic
Y'all will want to see this one with a packed house.
Think Wake Up Dead Man Can’t Top Glass Onion? Have a Little Faith.
Detective Benoit Blanc encounters his most challenging case yet and gets a major assist from an unlikely partner.
washingtoncitypaper.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Local PSA: Wake Up Dead Man opens in DC-area theaters today! You can catch screenings here:
-Atlantic Plumbing
-Bethesda Row
-Angelika Pop-up
-Alamo Crystal City
-LOOK Dine-in Tyson's
-Angelika Mosaic
Y'all will want to see this one with a packed house.
-Atlantic Plumbing
-Bethesda Row
-Angelika Pop-up
-Alamo Crystal City
-LOOK Dine-in Tyson's
-Angelika Mosaic
Y'all will want to see this one with a packed house.
I hit the trifecta of hating on nice/sad movies with my pan of Eternity, a romantic comedy about the afterlife that did not think its premise through.
Wouldn't ANY eternity by hell?
Why do these men insist they are husbands when their vows clearly state that their marriages are over?
Wouldn't ANY eternity by hell?
Why do these men insist they are husbands when their vows clearly state that their marriages are over?
Eternity - Spectrum Culture
This high-concept romantic comedy is never light on its feet, despite a likable cast, and suffers the longer it takes to resolve.
spectrumculture.com
November 26, 2025 at 1:36 PM
I hit the trifecta of hating on nice/sad movies with my pan of Eternity, a romantic comedy about the afterlife that did not think its premise through.
Wouldn't ANY eternity by hell?
Why do these men insist they are husbands when their vows clearly state that their marriages are over?
Wouldn't ANY eternity by hell?
Why do these men insist they are husbands when their vows clearly state that their marriages are over?
Yesterday and today, I managed to bike from my house to the office without stopping once, thanks primarily to the lack of traffic.
Resolved: Thanksgiving week is an underrated bike commute week (cc @fakesharrows.bsky.social).
Resolved: Thanksgiving week is an underrated bike commute week (cc @fakesharrows.bsky.social).
November 26, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Yesterday and today, I managed to bike from my house to the office without stopping once, thanks primarily to the lack of traffic.
Resolved: Thanksgiving week is an underrated bike commute week (cc @fakesharrows.bsky.social).
Resolved: Thanksgiving week is an underrated bike commute week (cc @fakesharrows.bsky.social).
I love reading your Pi takes.
November 26, 2025 at 12:19 AM
I love reading your Pi takes.
DC voters present: a collective response of "good" to this news.
Breaking news: Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) will not seek reelection, a seismic decision in D.C. politics that will bring to a close more than a decade in leadership.
D.C. Mayor Bowser will not run for fourth term
Bowser, who has led D.C. over a turbulent decade, will not seek reelection in 2026, a decision bound to open up a highly competitive mayoral race.
www.washingtonpost.com
November 25, 2025 at 7:28 PM
DC voters present: a collective response of "good" to this news.
Reposted by Alan Zilberman
Read @alanzilberman.bsky.social’s Letterboxd review on Hamnet, a supposedly Important Movie that is deeply deeply flawed. boxd.it/bCCMIh
A ★★ review of Hamnet (2025)
Now that Hamnet is opening in theaters and I do not plan to review the film, I wanted to expand a little on my thoughts here. Parts of Hamnet are moving, like the tentative nature of Agnes and William...
boxd.it
November 25, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Read @alanzilberman.bsky.social’s Letterboxd review on Hamnet, a supposedly Important Movie that is deeply deeply flawed. boxd.it/bCCMIh
Awards season is already exhausting! I hope we get a break from it.
*finger of monkey's paw curls menacingly*
All kidding aside, I would be remiss not to remind y'all that Brett Ratner's upcoming Amazon documentary about Melania Trump releases in January.
*finger of monkey's paw curls menacingly*
All kidding aside, I would be remiss not to remind y'all that Brett Ratner's upcoming Amazon documentary about Melania Trump releases in January.
I teased this last night in What I’m Hearing but now confirmed: Paramount WILL release Rush Hour 4 after prodding from Trump on behalf of Brett Ratner. Distribution deal. Producer Tarak Ben Ammar is lining up financing. Get ready for the dumbest possible state-controlled media.
November 25, 2025 at 5:18 PM
Awards season is already exhausting! I hope we get a break from it.
*finger of monkey's paw curls menacingly*
All kidding aside, I would be remiss not to remind y'all that Brett Ratner's upcoming Amazon documentary about Melania Trump releases in January.
*finger of monkey's paw curls menacingly*
All kidding aside, I would be remiss not to remind y'all that Brett Ratner's upcoming Amazon documentary about Melania Trump releases in January.
Several years ago, I explored the repeated use of certain music in my first piece for Roger Ebert, mostly focusing on a Spiegel Im Spiegel and a snippet from the score for Danny Boyle's Twilight. I even talked to composers Steven Knight and Nicholas Brittell about it. I think it still holds up!
November 25, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Several years ago, I explored the repeated use of certain music in my first piece for Roger Ebert, mostly focusing on a Spiegel Im Spiegel and a snippet from the score for Danny Boyle's Twilight. I even talked to composers Steven Knight and Nicholas Brittell about it. I think it still holds up!
I am not reviewing Hamnet, so I expanded my thoughts on it in my Letterboxd review.
Basically, I think Chloe Zhao has an unseemly, voyeuristic gaze, and her use of Max Richter's "On the Nature of Delight" is cynical, a misguided attempt at edging her audience toward ALL THE FEELS.
Basically, I think Chloe Zhao has an unseemly, voyeuristic gaze, and her use of Max Richter's "On the Nature of Delight" is cynical, a misguided attempt at edging her audience toward ALL THE FEELS.
A ★★ review of Hamnet (2025)
Now that Hamnet is opening in theaters and I do not plan to review the film, I wanted to expand a little on my thoughts here. Parts of Hamnet are moving, like the tentative nature of Agnes and William...
letterboxd.com
November 25, 2025 at 1:44 PM
I am not reviewing Hamnet, so I expanded my thoughts on it in my Letterboxd review.
Basically, I think Chloe Zhao has an unseemly, voyeuristic gaze, and her use of Max Richter's "On the Nature of Delight" is cynical, a misguided attempt at edging her audience toward ALL THE FEELS.
Basically, I think Chloe Zhao has an unseemly, voyeuristic gaze, and her use of Max Richter's "On the Nature of Delight" is cynical, a misguided attempt at edging her audience toward ALL THE FEELS.
If someone gets Mamdani to rank The Coen Brothers, this site will go supernova.
The timeline arguing about pop-culture rankings.
And they say Bluesky doesn't have the juice.
And they say Bluesky doesn't have the juice.
November 24, 2025 at 8:51 PM
If someone gets Mamdani to rank The Coen Brothers, this site will go supernova.
Isaac is right, and it bears repeating.
I made a similar complaint when Naveen Kumar was hired, but looking at his Washington Post bylines, it's even worse than I thought it would be.
He goes weeks or months without covering DC-area productions. We are lucky if we get one a month.
I made a similar complaint when Naveen Kumar was hired, but looking at his Washington Post bylines, it's even worse than I thought it would be.
He goes weeks or months without covering DC-area productions. We are lucky if we get one a month.
Gotta say, it sucks for DC, a great theater town, that the first string theater critic not only doesn’t live in the city, but barely ever covers local theater.
November 24, 2025 at 7:36 PM
Isaac is right, and it bears repeating.
I made a similar complaint when Naveen Kumar was hired, but looking at his Washington Post bylines, it's even worse than I thought it would be.
He goes weeks or months without covering DC-area productions. We are lucky if we get one a month.
I made a similar complaint when Naveen Kumar was hired, but looking at his Washington Post bylines, it's even worse than I thought it would be.
He goes weeks or months without covering DC-area productions. We are lucky if we get one a month.
I would swap the places of Return of the Jedi and The Last Jedi, but other than that, this is pretty accurate.
haven’t seen ROS or Solo but this seems like a pretty ball-knowing list from Pritzker, particularly if he volunteered the name “Star Wars” rather than “A New Hope”
November 24, 2025 at 6:40 PM
I would swap the places of Return of the Jedi and The Last Jedi, but other than that, this is pretty accurate.
I will also be doing this, but just to put things in perspective, part 1 of Stranger Things Season 5 (premiering Wednesday) is 271 minutes.
Long movies sound intimidating, until you stop and think how long the average streaming binge sesh can last.
Long movies sound intimidating, until you stop and think how long the average streaming binge sesh can last.
I am seeing two films in theaters next week with a combined runtime of 473 minutes.
This is a healthy way to live.
This is a healthy way to live.
November 24, 2025 at 3:11 PM
I will also be doing this, but just to put things in perspective, part 1 of Stranger Things Season 5 (premiering Wednesday) is 271 minutes.
Long movies sound intimidating, until you stop and think how long the average streaming binge sesh can last.
Long movies sound intimidating, until you stop and think how long the average streaming binge sesh can last.
If you got a chance to watch Train Dreams on Netflix this weekend, I would appreciate it if you took a look at my review from a few weeks ago.
Spread the word about this film, y'all! It's a grower.
Spread the word about this film, y'all! It's a grower.
Train Dreams Is About the Kind of Man Who Rarely Gets the Epic Treatment
In this moving adaptation of Denis Johnson’s novella, the filmmakers never strike a false note in a logger’s quiet search for meaning and joy.
washingtoncitypaper.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:09 PM
If you got a chance to watch Train Dreams on Netflix this weekend, I would appreciate it if you took a look at my review from a few weeks ago.
Spread the word about this film, y'all! It's a grower.
Spread the word about this film, y'all! It's a grower.
Reposted by Alan Zilberman
Udo Kier's first and only post on Twitter 💯
March 8, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Udo Kier's first and only post on Twitter 💯
Whoa. An absolute legend that brought unique energy to every movie where he appeared.
He first made an impression on me in Ace Ventura thirty years ago, and he stole a scene most recently in the Brazilian thriller The Secret Agent.
Rest in power.
He first made an impression on me in Ace Ventura thirty years ago, and he stole a scene most recently in the Brazilian thriller The Secret Agent.
Rest in power.
Udo Kier, German Actor Who Appeared in ‘My Own Private Idaho,’ ‘Andy Warhol’s Frankenstein,’ Dies at 81
Udo Kier, a German actor who collaborated with everyone from Andy Warhol to Lars von Trier to Madonna, died on Sunday morning. He was 81.
variety.com
November 24, 2025 at 12:11 AM
Whoa. An absolute legend that brought unique energy to every movie where he appeared.
He first made an impression on me in Ace Ventura thirty years ago, and he stole a scene most recently in the Brazilian thriller The Secret Agent.
Rest in power.
He first made an impression on me in Ace Ventura thirty years ago, and he stole a scene most recently in the Brazilian thriller The Secret Agent.
Rest in power.
A movie that takes place where you’re from.
November 23, 2025 at 5:48 PM
A movie that takes place where you’re from.