Dana Stevens
@thehighsign.bsky.social
Film critic at Slate; co-host of the Slate Culture Gabfest podcast; repped by the Cheney Agency; member NYFCC. Camera Man, my book on Buster Keaton, is out: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Camera-Man/Dana-Stevens/9781501134203
The opening of this email from Netflix about their acquisition of Warner Brothers does not have me feeling super-confident about how they will treat the classic film archive now in their care. "Franchises" like ... Casablanca? Which is the single classic movie mentioned in a list of TV shows & IP?
December 6, 2025 at 7:23 AM
The opening of this email from Netflix about their acquisition of Warner Brothers does not have me feeling super-confident about how they will treat the classic film archive now in their care. "Franchises" like ... Casablanca? Which is the single classic movie mentioned in a list of TV shows & IP?
Refuting any statement made on Bret Easton Ellis' podcast is so many leagues below Tony, but that was satisfying to read.
December 5, 2025 at 4:40 AM
Refuting any statement made on Bret Easton Ellis' podcast is so many leagues below Tony, but that was satisfying to read.
I looked at my "Bluesky Harvest" & was pretty happy w/ the results--the word cloud suggests my time here is not as crabby & politics-focused as it sometimes feels. Also I was further toward the "offline" than "online" end of their "touch grass" spectrum, so that's good. Still: more culture in 2026!
December 4, 2025 at 12:37 AM
I looked at my "Bluesky Harvest" & was pretty happy w/ the results--the word cloud suggests my time here is not as crabby & politics-focused as it sometimes feels. Also I was further toward the "offline" than "online" end of their "touch grass" spectrum, so that's good. Still: more culture in 2026!
4:20 but for pie
November 30, 2025 at 9:22 PM
4:20 but for pie
That did not render as a gif for some reason, which is sad because Pee Wee's flail is a crucial element! So: a movie that takes place where I'm from:
November 23, 2025 at 5:43 PM
That did not render as a gif for some reason, which is sad because Pee Wee's flail is a crucial element! So: a movie that takes place where I'm from:
Doesn't start but ends there:
November 23, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Doesn't start but ends there:
Taylor needs to write a song about Thelma and Zasu!
November 19, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Taylor needs to write a song about Thelma and Zasu!
I did make one contribution last week to the Nuzzi discourse:
November 17, 2025 at 3:34 PM
I did make one contribution last week to the Nuzzi discourse:
Cops! But to be more contemporary: Doesn't one of the Jason Bourne movies have a legendary one? Across the rooftops of, I think it's Tangier?
November 17, 2025 at 5:59 AM
Cops! But to be more contemporary: Doesn't one of the Jason Bourne movies have a legendary one? Across the rooftops of, I think it's Tangier?
(JKJK--actually the papal movie picks are kind of awesome & I love that he's reaching out to the world of cinema in this way.)
November 12, 2025 at 12:45 AM
(JKJK--actually the papal movie picks are kind of awesome & I love that he's reaching out to the world of cinema in this way.)
But it's this guy:
November 11, 2025 at 7:17 PM
But it's this guy:
Also ladies in weird outfits hopping around! From Segundo de Chomón's El Testamento de Dr. Caligari:
November 10, 2025 at 7:39 PM
Also ladies in weird outfits hopping around! From Segundo de Chomón's El Testamento de Dr. Caligari:
That wonderful photo appeared on my timeline directly below this one. Thanks for posting & thanks to you both for giving us Velma and Roxie. 🎩
November 10, 2025 at 5:21 PM
That wonderful photo appeared on my timeline directly below this one. Thanks for posting & thanks to you both for giving us Velma and Roxie. 🎩
This was the first one that came to mind for me, but I deemed it too silly to post:
November 8, 2025 at 9:46 PM
This was the first one that came to mind for me, but I deemed it too silly to post:
His denial of reality is just open-faced.
November 6, 2025 at 9:34 PM
His denial of reality is just open-faced.
"Objective, primatology-based virtues"? We are honestly one day away from an NYT podcaster demanding his guests' phrenological head measurements. Just complete fascist-adjacent gobbledygook.
November 6, 2025 at 5:42 PM
"Objective, primatology-based virtues"? We are honestly one day away from an NYT podcaster demanding his guests' phrenological head measurements. Just complete fascist-adjacent gobbledygook.
It just keeps getting funnier/more rage-inducingly true:
November 4, 2025 at 8:28 PM
It just keeps getting funnier/more rage-inducingly true:
I spent the weekend offline, so I'm late to the Ozymandias poetry-spoof craze (if you missed it you must be following the wrong people!). Anyway I couldn't stop thinking about it, so here's my contribution.
November 3, 2025 at 4:15 PM
I spent the weekend offline, so I'm late to the Ozymandias poetry-spoof craze (if you missed it you must be following the wrong people!). Anyway I couldn't stop thinking about it, so here's my contribution.
Brooklynites: with SNAP benefits expiring as of today, here are two ways you can help feed neighbors: donate to CHiPS, the food pantry/ women's shelter in Park Slope: www.chipsonline.org. Or leave food in the community fridge on 6th Street between 4th and 5th avenues, next to the Postmark Cafe.
November 1, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Brooklynites: with SNAP benefits expiring as of today, here are two ways you can help feed neighbors: donate to CHiPS, the food pantry/ women's shelter in Park Slope: www.chipsonline.org. Or leave food in the community fridge on 6th Street between 4th and 5th avenues, next to the Postmark Cafe.
