My Courses

Everybody who has seen horror movies remembers the image that most frightened them, that put the hook in them, that alerted them to the idea that a movie could contain more than its fair share of the malevolence of the universe in its images. How could this thing fit into a single frame? How did…

Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” is utterly eerie for its baroque uncertainty. As its three main characters are hopelessly isolated inside its vast and ominous setting, the movie constantly unnerves us with the increasing unreliability of their respective viewpoints. The result is alternatively baffling and terrifying to the very end. Noticing again how cold and distant…

Season Three of “Only Murders in the Building” takes the Hulu series co-created by John Hoffman and Steve Martin to the venue it was practically built for: the theater. For a comedy-mystery series that has long flourished with jokes about art imitating life’s absurdities, “Only Murders in the Building” now has some razzle-dazzle from musical numbers by…

I was so sad to hear of the death of celebrated filmmaker William “Billy” Friedkin, a director who made one of my favorite films of all time, and who was much admired by my late husband, Roger. I send the deepest condolences to his wife, Sherry Lansing, and their family. I knew both Billy and Sherry as lovely, decent…

Matt writes: Few people have made me laugh to the point of hyperventilating as much as Paul Reubens (a.k.a. Pee-wee Herman), who died on July 30th at age 70, following a private six-year battle with cancer. The freewheeling imagination and exuberance of “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” left a lasting impression on my sister and me, as did his…