Chris Dashiell
@cdashiell.bsky.social
Essayist, film critic, philosopher
A century ago....
November 20, 2025 at 11:21 PM
A century ago....
The Luck of Ginger Coffey (1964)
Robert Shaw plays an Irishman in Montreal who can't keep a job or his many promises to his exasperated wife (Mary Ure). I associate Shaw with tough roles, but here he plays a naive, self-indulgent fool—endearing but unreliable. The film is smart and unsparing.
Robert Shaw plays an Irishman in Montreal who can't keep a job or his many promises to his exasperated wife (Mary Ure). I associate Shaw with tough roles, but here he plays a naive, self-indulgent fool—endearing but unreliable. The film is smart and unsparing.
November 20, 2025 at 5:55 AM
The Luck of Ginger Coffey (1964)
Robert Shaw plays an Irishman in Montreal who can't keep a job or his many promises to his exasperated wife (Mary Ure). I associate Shaw with tough roles, but here he plays a naive, self-indulgent fool—endearing but unreliable. The film is smart and unsparing.
Robert Shaw plays an Irishman in Montreal who can't keep a job or his many promises to his exasperated wife (Mary Ure). I associate Shaw with tough roles, but here he plays a naive, self-indulgent fool—endearing but unreliable. The film is smart and unsparing.
What perfect album came out the year you turned 16?
November 17, 2025 at 7:36 PM
What perfect album came out the year you turned 16?
Crime Wave (1953)
Fairly sturdy "B" movie about an ex-con (Gene Nelson) trying to go straight, whose wife is threatened by recently escaped crooks so that he'll agree to help them do a job. Top-billed Sterling Hayden plays a mean-tempered cop chasing them. Nothing special.
Fairly sturdy "B" movie about an ex-con (Gene Nelson) trying to go straight, whose wife is threatened by recently escaped crooks so that he'll agree to help them do a job. Top-billed Sterling Hayden plays a mean-tempered cop chasing them. Nothing special.
November 15, 2025 at 4:12 AM
Crime Wave (1953)
Fairly sturdy "B" movie about an ex-con (Gene Nelson) trying to go straight, whose wife is threatened by recently escaped crooks so that he'll agree to help them do a job. Top-billed Sterling Hayden plays a mean-tempered cop chasing them. Nothing special.
Fairly sturdy "B" movie about an ex-con (Gene Nelson) trying to go straight, whose wife is threatened by recently escaped crooks so that he'll agree to help them do a job. Top-billed Sterling Hayden plays a mean-tempered cop chasing them. Nothing special.
Loving (1970)
George Segal plays a NYC commercial artist, a married man having an affair, always scrambling to keep things together. It all culminates with a lengthy and disastrous party in Westport. The screenplay is clever, the party is hilarious, and at the same time the film is kind of sad.
George Segal plays a NYC commercial artist, a married man having an affair, always scrambling to keep things together. It all culminates with a lengthy and disastrous party in Westport. The screenplay is clever, the party is hilarious, and at the same time the film is kind of sad.
November 11, 2025 at 5:30 AM
Loving (1970)
George Segal plays a NYC commercial artist, a married man having an affair, always scrambling to keep things together. It all culminates with a lengthy and disastrous party in Westport. The screenplay is clever, the party is hilarious, and at the same time the film is kind of sad.
George Segal plays a NYC commercial artist, a married man having an affair, always scrambling to keep things together. It all culminates with a lengthy and disastrous party in Westport. The screenplay is clever, the party is hilarious, and at the same time the film is kind of sad.
A century ago....
November 9, 2025 at 5:17 AM
A century ago....
A century ago....
November 6, 2025 at 6:23 AM
A century ago....
The Outrun (2024)
Saoirse Ronan plays a woman in London who falls apart due to alcoholism. After getting sober she takes a job protecting wild birds on the Orkney Islands where she grew up. Ronan is brilliant at creating this character with her strengths and shortcomings. She carries the picture.
Saoirse Ronan plays a woman in London who falls apart due to alcoholism. After getting sober she takes a job protecting wild birds on the Orkney Islands where she grew up. Ronan is brilliant at creating this character with her strengths and shortcomings. She carries the picture.
November 5, 2025 at 1:10 AM
The Outrun (2024)
Saoirse Ronan plays a woman in London who falls apart due to alcoholism. After getting sober she takes a job protecting wild birds on the Orkney Islands where she grew up. Ronan is brilliant at creating this character with her strengths and shortcomings. She carries the picture.
Saoirse Ronan plays a woman in London who falls apart due to alcoholism. After getting sober she takes a job protecting wild birds on the Orkney Islands where she grew up. Ronan is brilliant at creating this character with her strengths and shortcomings. She carries the picture.
Crossing (2024)
In Georgia (the country), a retired teacher (Mzia Arabuli) is searching for her niece, a young transgender woman who ran away from her hateful father. The journey leads to Istanbul, and an emotional twist is followed by a deeply moving one near the end. A film of great tenderness.
In Georgia (the country), a retired teacher (Mzia Arabuli) is searching for her niece, a young transgender woman who ran away from her hateful father. The journey leads to Istanbul, and an emotional twist is followed by a deeply moving one near the end. A film of great tenderness.
November 1, 2025 at 7:04 AM
Crossing (2024)
In Georgia (the country), a retired teacher (Mzia Arabuli) is searching for her niece, a young transgender woman who ran away from her hateful father. The journey leads to Istanbul, and an emotional twist is followed by a deeply moving one near the end. A film of great tenderness.
In Georgia (the country), a retired teacher (Mzia Arabuli) is searching for her niece, a young transgender woman who ran away from her hateful father. The journey leads to Istanbul, and an emotional twist is followed by a deeply moving one near the end. A film of great tenderness.
A century ago....
October 28, 2025 at 7:21 AM
A century ago....
Le Roman de Renard (1937)
Ladislas Starevich was a Russian animator who made, in France in 1929-30, this marvelously strange stop-motion feature based on the tales of the trickster Renard the Fox. The advent of sound meant another 7 years before release. Black-and-white lends it antique charm.
Ladislas Starevich was a Russian animator who made, in France in 1929-30, this marvelously strange stop-motion feature based on the tales of the trickster Renard the Fox. The advent of sound meant another 7 years before release. Black-and-white lends it antique charm.
October 27, 2025 at 6:24 AM
Le Roman de Renard (1937)
Ladislas Starevich was a Russian animator who made, in France in 1929-30, this marvelously strange stop-motion feature based on the tales of the trickster Renard the Fox. The advent of sound meant another 7 years before release. Black-and-white lends it antique charm.
Ladislas Starevich was a Russian animator who made, in France in 1929-30, this marvelously strange stop-motion feature based on the tales of the trickster Renard the Fox. The advent of sound meant another 7 years before release. Black-and-white lends it antique charm.
In Front of Your Face (2021)
Hong Sang-soo's films turn on small epiphanies. Here a former actress (Lee Hye-yeong) returns to Seoul after many years. She stays with her sister, visits her childhood home, and then meets a film director at a café. A revelation occurs that is tender and amusing.
Hong Sang-soo's films turn on small epiphanies. Here a former actress (Lee Hye-yeong) returns to Seoul after many years. She stays with her sister, visits her childhood home, and then meets a film director at a café. A revelation occurs that is tender and amusing.
October 20, 2025 at 4:55 AM
In Front of Your Face (2021)
Hong Sang-soo's films turn on small epiphanies. Here a former actress (Lee Hye-yeong) returns to Seoul after many years. She stays with her sister, visits her childhood home, and then meets a film director at a café. A revelation occurs that is tender and amusing.
Hong Sang-soo's films turn on small epiphanies. Here a former actress (Lee Hye-yeong) returns to Seoul after many years. She stays with her sister, visits her childhood home, and then meets a film director at a café. A revelation occurs that is tender and amusing.
The Substance (2024)
It was clever to use body horror to attack the obsession with a women’s appearance, and all the exaggerated fantasies around it. The grotesque special effects are so over the top that you laugh in the recognition of the absurdity & degradation of the entire spectacle.
It was clever to use body horror to attack the obsession with a women’s appearance, and all the exaggerated fantasies around it. The grotesque special effects are so over the top that you laugh in the recognition of the absurdity & degradation of the entire spectacle.
October 16, 2025 at 5:43 AM
The Substance (2024)
It was clever to use body horror to attack the obsession with a women’s appearance, and all the exaggerated fantasies around it. The grotesque special effects are so over the top that you laugh in the recognition of the absurdity & degradation of the entire spectacle.
It was clever to use body horror to attack the obsession with a women’s appearance, and all the exaggerated fantasies around it. The grotesque special effects are so over the top that you laugh in the recognition of the absurdity & degradation of the entire spectacle.
A New Leaf (1971)
Elaine May's tart comedy tells of an arrogant rich guy (Walter Matthau) who finds out he's broke and seeks a wealthy woman to marry. He finds a timid klutz of an heiress (May), who falls into his trap. A showcase for Matthau's comic brilliance. Very cynical. I laughed helplessly.
Elaine May's tart comedy tells of an arrogant rich guy (Walter Matthau) who finds out he's broke and seeks a wealthy woman to marry. He finds a timid klutz of an heiress (May), who falls into his trap. A showcase for Matthau's comic brilliance. Very cynical. I laughed helplessly.
October 12, 2025 at 5:44 AM
A New Leaf (1971)
Elaine May's tart comedy tells of an arrogant rich guy (Walter Matthau) who finds out he's broke and seeks a wealthy woman to marry. He finds a timid klutz of an heiress (May), who falls into his trap. A showcase for Matthau's comic brilliance. Very cynical. I laughed helplessly.
Elaine May's tart comedy tells of an arrogant rich guy (Walter Matthau) who finds out he's broke and seeks a wealthy woman to marry. He finds a timid klutz of an heiress (May), who falls into his trap. A showcase for Matthau's comic brilliance. Very cynical. I laughed helplessly.
A century ago....
October 11, 2025 at 3:48 AM
A century ago....
A century ago....
October 7, 2025 at 10:16 PM
A century ago....
Enemies, A Love Story (1989)
Ron Silver plays a Jew who married the Polish woman that hid him in her barn during the war. But now, in 1949 NYC, he's having an affair with a beautiful damaged Holocaust survivor played by Lena Olin. Paul Mazursky deftly adapted an Isaac Bashevis Singer novel.
Ron Silver plays a Jew who married the Polish woman that hid him in her barn during the war. But now, in 1949 NYC, he's having an affair with a beautiful damaged Holocaust survivor played by Lena Olin. Paul Mazursky deftly adapted an Isaac Bashevis Singer novel.
October 7, 2025 at 6:03 AM
Enemies, A Love Story (1989)
Ron Silver plays a Jew who married the Polish woman that hid him in her barn during the war. But now, in 1949 NYC, he's having an affair with a beautiful damaged Holocaust survivor played by Lena Olin. Paul Mazursky deftly adapted an Isaac Bashevis Singer novel.
Ron Silver plays a Jew who married the Polish woman that hid him in her barn during the war. But now, in 1949 NYC, he's having an affair with a beautiful damaged Holocaust survivor played by Lena Olin. Paul Mazursky deftly adapted an Isaac Bashevis Singer novel.
Space Cowboy (2024)
A documentary about Joe Jennings, a skydiving cinematographer who's created stunts for many films. Pictured here is a fake living room set, with a skydiver on a couch, his feet on a coffee table while watching TV, plunging through the air at high speed to hilarious effect.
A documentary about Joe Jennings, a skydiving cinematographer who's created stunts for many films. Pictured here is a fake living room set, with a skydiver on a couch, his feet on a coffee table while watching TV, plunging through the air at high speed to hilarious effect.
October 1, 2025 at 6:37 AM
Space Cowboy (2024)
A documentary about Joe Jennings, a skydiving cinematographer who's created stunts for many films. Pictured here is a fake living room set, with a skydiver on a couch, his feet on a coffee table while watching TV, plunging through the air at high speed to hilarious effect.
A documentary about Joe Jennings, a skydiving cinematographer who's created stunts for many films. Pictured here is a fake living room set, with a skydiver on a couch, his feet on a coffee table while watching TV, plunging through the air at high speed to hilarious effect.
The Wall (2023)
Vicky Krieps plays a Border Patrol agent who is stressed out and angry most of the time. Her aggressive attitude on the job alienates her colleagues, and she eventually causes a serious incident involving migrants. The ambivalence of this character makes the film interesting.
Vicky Krieps plays a Border Patrol agent who is stressed out and angry most of the time. Her aggressive attitude on the job alienates her colleagues, and she eventually causes a serious incident involving migrants. The ambivalence of this character makes the film interesting.
September 27, 2025 at 5:44 AM
The Wall (2023)
Vicky Krieps plays a Border Patrol agent who is stressed out and angry most of the time. Her aggressive attitude on the job alienates her colleagues, and she eventually causes a serious incident involving migrants. The ambivalence of this character makes the film interesting.
Vicky Krieps plays a Border Patrol agent who is stressed out and angry most of the time. Her aggressive attitude on the job alienates her colleagues, and she eventually causes a serious incident involving migrants. The ambivalence of this character makes the film interesting.
A century ago....
September 22, 2025 at 3:47 AM
A century ago....
Poil de Carotte (1932)
A redheaded boy (Robert Lynen) in rural France is neglected by his father (Harry Bauer) while his mother favors two older siblings. Julien Duvivier had already adapted the Jules Renard novel in 1925. But this remake with sound was a great success, a gorgeous & moving film.
A redheaded boy (Robert Lynen) in rural France is neglected by his father (Harry Bauer) while his mother favors two older siblings. Julien Duvivier had already adapted the Jules Renard novel in 1925. But this remake with sound was a great success, a gorgeous & moving film.
September 20, 2025 at 5:36 AM
Poil de Carotte (1932)
A redheaded boy (Robert Lynen) in rural France is neglected by his father (Harry Bauer) while his mother favors two older siblings. Julien Duvivier had already adapted the Jules Renard novel in 1925. But this remake with sound was a great success, a gorgeous & moving film.
A redheaded boy (Robert Lynen) in rural France is neglected by his father (Harry Bauer) while his mother favors two older siblings. Julien Duvivier had already adapted the Jules Renard novel in 1925. But this remake with sound was a great success, a gorgeous & moving film.
Ordinary People (1980)
The subjects of shame and family dysfunction were new and welcome at the time. Mary Tyler Moore plays the most difficult role, that of the narcissistic mother, and she pretty much nails it. But overall the film feels airless: its resolution too pat, its insights meager.
The subjects of shame and family dysfunction were new and welcome at the time. Mary Tyler Moore plays the most difficult role, that of the narcissistic mother, and she pretty much nails it. But overall the film feels airless: its resolution too pat, its insights meager.
September 14, 2025 at 4:17 AM
Ordinary People (1980)
The subjects of shame and family dysfunction were new and welcome at the time. Mary Tyler Moore plays the most difficult role, that of the narcissistic mother, and she pretty much nails it. But overall the film feels airless: its resolution too pat, its insights meager.
The subjects of shame and family dysfunction were new and welcome at the time. Mary Tyler Moore plays the most difficult role, that of the narcissistic mother, and she pretty much nails it. But overall the film feels airless: its resolution too pat, its insights meager.
Devotion (1946)
Hollywood's version of the Brontës, with Olivia de Havilland & Ida Lupino as Charlotte & Emily. It's completely made up romantic tosh that has Emily falling in love with the curate before he marries Charlotte. Lupino is pretty good. The film manages to entertain in spite of itself.
Hollywood's version of the Brontës, with Olivia de Havilland & Ida Lupino as Charlotte & Emily. It's completely made up romantic tosh that has Emily falling in love with the curate before he marries Charlotte. Lupino is pretty good. The film manages to entertain in spite of itself.
September 8, 2025 at 6:31 AM
Devotion (1946)
Hollywood's version of the Brontës, with Olivia de Havilland & Ida Lupino as Charlotte & Emily. It's completely made up romantic tosh that has Emily falling in love with the curate before he marries Charlotte. Lupino is pretty good. The film manages to entertain in spite of itself.
Hollywood's version of the Brontës, with Olivia de Havilland & Ida Lupino as Charlotte & Emily. It's completely made up romantic tosh that has Emily falling in love with the curate before he marries Charlotte. Lupino is pretty good. The film manages to entertain in spite of itself.
Hit Man (2023)
A philosophy professor (Glen Powell) stumbles into a part- time police gig as a fake contract killer entrapping homicidal idiots into confessions. Richard Linklater's genial comedy pokes fun at the "hit man" genre, with the hero's class lectures commenting on his weird character arc.
A philosophy professor (Glen Powell) stumbles into a part- time police gig as a fake contract killer entrapping homicidal idiots into confessions. Richard Linklater's genial comedy pokes fun at the "hit man" genre, with the hero's class lectures commenting on his weird character arc.
September 5, 2025 at 12:05 AM
Hit Man (2023)
A philosophy professor (Glen Powell) stumbles into a part- time police gig as a fake contract killer entrapping homicidal idiots into confessions. Richard Linklater's genial comedy pokes fun at the "hit man" genre, with the hero's class lectures commenting on his weird character arc.
A philosophy professor (Glen Powell) stumbles into a part- time police gig as a fake contract killer entrapping homicidal idiots into confessions. Richard Linklater's genial comedy pokes fun at the "hit man" genre, with the hero's class lectures commenting on his weird character arc.