Sam Van Hallgren
@samvanhallgren
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Dad, Filmspotting, NH native, Kenyon grad, wants your music/book recommendations.
Downtown Megalopolis
Joined July 2007
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Best lead performance by a former SNL cast member*.
*Minimum three seasons.
Murray, ...Translation
66
Murray, Groundhog Day
58
Sandler, Punch Drunk
55
Sandler, Uncut Gems
90
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Name a film, preferably newish, that, while widely considered great, has you itching to get on your soapbox and shouting "DO YOU ALL REALIZE HOW GREAT THIS IS? WE NEED TO BE TALKING ABOUT HOW GREAT THIS IS. ALL. THE. TIME."
Yes, I just rewatched Phantom Thread.
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There are so many ways to remake Vertigo without actually remaking Vertigo. It's been done at least once very very well.
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Every decade Sight & Sound names their Top 100 films of all time, based on a wide-ranging critics poll.
In 2012, only one film from the previous decade ('02-'12) made the cut: Mulholland Drive (
#28
).
The question:
What single film from '12-'22 should make the list?
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642
The Godfather was the movie of the 70s.
Raging Bull the movie of the 80s. (If you grew up in the 80s.)
Pulp Fiction the 90s.
There Will Be Blood/No Country the 00s.
There is no consensus film of the 10s. There will not be. That's not a bad thing. It's just a thing.
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Glad my Phantom Thread afterglow inspired so many to share their favorite not-celebrated-enough films.
You're correct. Your favorite movie isn't celebrated enough. It's possible that no movie is and no movie will ever be again.
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File under: physical media matters.
The theatrical cut of AMADEUS - the movie that won the 1985 Best Picture Oscar and one of the greatest movies of all time - appears impossible to rent digitally. Just the director's cut. This is not ok.
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@rohandm99
You are speaking my language, Rohan. My favorite movie from last year by a mile. Extraordinary and somehow... misunderstood? Or just under-appreciated? A mystery. A masterpiece.
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You can get a six-hour doc series, culled from 55 hours of never-seen footage, about the making of one album. Which one?
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Just a reminder that it’s never too late to come to the realization that the movie everyone else loves but you is, in fact, great. That you were wrong and they were right.
My ★★★★½ review of The Royal Tenenbaums on
@letterboxd
:
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THE FLORIDA PROJECT is on
@PrimeVideo
.
THE FLORIDA PROJECT is on
@PrimeVideo
.
THE FLORIDA PROJECT is on
@PrimeVideo
.
THE FLORIDA PROJECT is on
@PrimeVideo
.
THE FLORIDA PROJECT is on
@PrimeVideo
.
It only made $5M at the box office. Chances are you haven't seen it.
See it.
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“Was there anyone famous there”? - the 8-year-old when I walked in the door from my NYC adventure for the
@filmspotting
‘22 Wrap Party.
“Well it kinda depends—actually, yes. Do you know who this is with Adam?”
“Who?”
“That is Pip from Disenchanted.”
“Wait wut that’s insane.”
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Who has given your single favorite movie performance of 2024? Just one, can be large or small.
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@MikeLaPenta
A movie that has infected my mind like a virus. In a good way. Always kind of thinking about it.
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@SeanFennessey
Isn't this just a case of a "weaker" supporting actress category compared to stacked best actress? Surely Margot was
#6
.
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Pick a title from a director's filmography that could work for almost any film in their filmography.
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Sorry to post our Ws here, but I just loved this recent review of the show that someone posted on Apple Podcasts. Lovely writing and wonderful to think about how the show has become part of their life.
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Only problem with
@serial
: it makes every
@ThisAmerLife
story seem about six hours too short. ps:
#Serial
is The Wire of podcasting.
#listen
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@YesitsAlistair
Strong disagree. Loved it on release; admired it even more on a rewatch last year. A vigorously sincere attempt to come to terms with the morality of AI and, along the way, a meditation on what it means to be human. I'd also defend Gump and American Beauty. (But not Garden State)
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Spike Jonze hasn't made a (narrative) feature since 2013. Jonathan Glazer finally returns this year after a decade away. Who else haven't we heard from in far too long?
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Discuss.
And listen to Filmspotting.
We turn 20 next year.
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Apparently I can cry over the death of a website.
You were too good to be true,
@FilmStruck
.
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Not sure who needs to hear this, but Kelly Reichardt's FIRST COW is currently free to rent for Prime Video members (and to own digitally for 3 bucks). As you've likely heard, it's one of the best of the year.
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Reading through all the
#FilmspottingMadness
feedback and just want to say how lucky it makes me feel to work for a show that has such smart, thoughtful and passionate listeners. Hundreds of comments and not a snarky or mean-spirited note in the bunch. Thank you!
@filmspotting
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Public service for fellow dummies:
There is not just one Wes Anderson short coming to Netflix this week, but four.
Henry Sugar (available now)
The Swan (also available as of today)
Ratcatcher (tomorrow)
Poison (Saturday)
Whose fault is it that I didn't know this?
Mine?
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Are there directors who haven't had new work in a while (3+ years) who you desperately want to make something?
I'm forever checking on THE FITS director Anna Rose Holmer, and it looks like she's finally got something in production. I am also itching for a new Jeremy Saulnier.
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Favorite performance in a David Fincher film?
I've only seen it once, but the one that really lingers for me is:
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Letterboxd is secretly the best thing ever hatched by the internet and let's all agree to keep it a secret even after reading Scott's great piece about it.
No one has written much about Letterboxd, even as it has inched toward the center of online film culture for the better part of decade. So I wrote a lot about it for
@ringer
:
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On this day in 2005: BE COOL immortalized as first film reviewed on Filmspotting (née Cinecast).
Happy birthpod day,
@filmspotting
!
Happy 15th Anniversary
@filmspotting
! Cc
@LarsenOnFilm
@samvanhallgren
Everyone should celebrate by participating in
#filmspottingmadness
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You have to name the five best working actors.
Good luck to you.
In no particular order, I'm going with:
Olivia Colman
Adam Driver
Carey Mulligan
Viola Davis
Colin Farrell
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Has anyone so overtly delighted in the making of movies, the actual craft of making movies, more than Wes Anderson?
FRENCH DISPATCH is not Anderson doubling down on his aesthetic, but instead sees him ecstatically embrace the opportunity to try not just new things but all things.
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I’m not going to log IN THE HEIGHTS on Letterboxd because I lied and told my 12-year-old I liked it and he’s on Letterboxd too. Thank you for your patience during this difficult time.
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One lead performance from 2022.
Just one.
What's your pick?
cc
@filmspotting
@LarsenOnFilm
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Has there ever been a Coen Bros character like Hobie Doyle? So sincere, so sweet—and heroic.
In related news, HAIL CAESAR! is an all-timer.
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Based on early reviews, I have concluded that NAPOLEON is Sir Ridley's worst film, also maybe one of his best, certainly his funniest, and that I should skip right to the inevitable director's cut not to be confused with the 4-hour cut.
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What director's films, for you personally, have benefitted the most from rewatches?
Mine is dumb because it's so obvious, but it's The Coens for me.
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This week on
@filmspotting
,
@LarsenOnFilm
utters these immortal lines:
"Adam, I love you, but you have no idea what you're talking about."
Nolan's INCEPTION
+ The Top 5 Films of the Year (So Far)
Coming at midnight.
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Do we appreciate Samuel L. Jackson enough? I'm not sure we do.
Dude is 70. Well over a hundred movie credits.
Has never given a bad performance. In fact, has always been among the best things about any movie he's in no matter how small the part.
He's got one Oscar nomination.
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FRANCES HA just hanging out there on Netflix if you need it.
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One of the great pleasures of living in a small town is watching the high school musical starring kids you see stocking shelves at the grocery store or taking your order at Culver’s. The seniors in tears during bows knowing this may be their last time on stage. Here’s to them.
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Was just watching Caan's incredible diner monologue from THIEF. What are some other great scenes where characters tell stories? Not just famous monologues, but story-telling scenes. (Note: this is a Tarantino-free zone.)
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JOSH
You're right in how you describe ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN as being restrained, but this is a movie that uses MULTIPLE SPLIT-DIOPTER SHOTS—"
ADAM
OH, YEAH. We're gonna get there.
#nerds
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2022 Scenes of the Year
What have you got?
I think two of my favorite scenes/moments of the year were when Colin Farrell looked like this.
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Rewatched Dunkirk last night and had me thinking how nice it is - and not an inevitability! - that the most gifted directors of my generation (Anderson, Anderson, Nolan) matured into even greater talents as they became more curious, more empathetic, and (I’d guess) more humble.
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Was WHITE NOISE one of your most anticipated movies of the year, but everything you've read makes you think it's a swing and a miss from Baumbach and a huge letdown?
I've got good news! Everything you've read is incorrect.
WHITE NOISE is incredible.
Carry on.
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Is there an actor who would just NOT work in a Wes Anderson film, and why is Tom Cruise?
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Found out today that the HS teacher who changed my life - Elaine Trudeau - passed away. I don't remember a thing she taught us, but I remember everything she shared. Music, books, theater, movies. Everything she loved, she shared.
Thank you, Ms. Trudeau. Thank you, teachers.
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A24 turns 10 this year.
What is your favorite A24 release?
(The list: )
Ex Machina
309
Lady Bird
351
Moonlight
418
Other
727
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How was the
@filmspotting
TOP GUN watch party?
Well, it featured a Kilmer v Cruise "tooth off" so the answer is obviously AMAZING.
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Which Oscar snub are you going to be most disappointed by tomorrow?
It's Stephanie Hsu, EEAAO. That's the answer.
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Is any other actor capable of doing what Adam Driver does and does so well? His physicality, his weirdo/hostile charisma, his comic chops, his intelligence, his theatricality.
We haven’t had one like him since PSH.
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#AgnesVarda
is my favorite artist not just because of her bold and visionary work, but because that work is a manifestation of what made her an extraordinary human: curious, empathetic, fearless and wildly inventive.
Bonne nuit, Saint Agnes! Je t'adore!
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Watched Stop Making Sense and Young Girls of Rochefort today. Side effects: aesthetic rapture, levitation.
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You know what’s a great movie?
Master & Commander. - A dad. Also me who is a dad and just showed this movie to his 13-year-old. Great great movie.
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Michael: "I did not have the same emotional response as some. I was kinda wiped out aesthetically."
Josh: "I got both."
Michael: "Yeah, but you cry at card tricks."
The
@filmspotting
Top 10 Films of 2018 Part 2 - coming Friday.
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Every movie that gets a theatrical release should also be required to get a dvd/blu release. Talking to you streaming services that give your movies qualifying theatrical runs. Can we make this is a law?
Related: need my blu of THE LOST DAUGHTER asap.
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Skip intro on this episode of Cheers, Netflix? I think not.
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Deep movie thoughts:
On screen, a real animal doing nothing is more full of wonder, surprise and drama than a CGI animal doing everything.
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The good news:
@filmspotting
and
@LarsenOnFilm
split on JOKER.
The better news: we're posting the show early.
Look for it in your feed 4pm CST.
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Michael comes back from the bathroom and sits down. Sollozzo is speaking in Italian. The elevated train is deafening. The camera is closing in on Pacino, his panic is our panic. Sound, image, acting. It’s one of the great illustrations of what this medium is capable of.
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Anyone else getting a strong Jordan Peele US vibe with this halftime show?
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How good is the Six Trophies podcast?
My 15-year-old and I have a weekly date where we drive around for an hour so we can listen to it together.
Basketball. Laughs. Good times.
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I'm not gonna say I told you so,
@filmspotting
and
@LarsenOnFilm
, but this week's show - TOP 5 MOVIEGOING EXPERIENCES - is really special.
Aided by tons of great feedback from Filmspotting listeners, this one is an all-timer.
Coming Friday!
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Between now and the end of March,
@netflix
is releasing new films from Steven Soderbergh, Dan Gilroy and J.C. Chandor. I had no idea I was running Netflix, but the facts don't lie.
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What movie score do you think you've listened to most in your life?
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I got a CD player for xmas and pulled all my CDs out the storage they've been in for 10+ years and I think maybe I'm truly content for the first time in 10+ years?
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I was just reminded that I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS exists and it made me so happy. I loved how that film lived in my head for weeks and weeks and months.
It's still buried over yonder in Netflix International Cemetery if you want to plan a visitation.
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A: Bradley Cooper
Q: Name an actor you are never excited to see cast in a film who is, nevertheless, always good and sometimes great.
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Is James Gray the most acclaimed film director of the last twenty years who has received zero love from the Oscars?
Discuss.
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There's a moment in MARRIAGE STORY when Johansson is lying on a bed, contemplating her broken life, and I imagined her thinking about her younger self, also on a bed, with some of the same questions.
This would make an incredible double feature.
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Can someone tell me how a text crawl is better than Virginia Madsen’s face?
#LynchDidItBetter
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AK: "How many pages of notes is that?"
JL: "This would be... 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... and a quarter."
AK: "WHAT?! Come on. I barely got one. What could you possibly have been writing?"
JL: "You're about to hear it."
#HobbsAndShaw
review coming Fri. on
@filmspotting
.
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Can we talk for a minute about how good Cooper is in NIGHTMARE ALLEY? Like truly great. I’m a little shook.
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So maybe THE LOST DAUGHTER is the best film of 2021 and certainly one of the best directed and written?
Discuss.
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HAMILTON isn't a movie; it's a filmed stage performance. But. If it were a film, the best film performance in it is, arguably, Anthony Ramos.
Well, it's Jonathan Groff.
But after Groff it's Ramos.
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The “Would that it t’were” scene from Hail Caesar except my four-year-old is Fiennes and it’s me singing lyrics from Frozen.
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Many of you know this, but in case you don’t: your (currently closed) public library may have quite a large digital collection with ebooks, audio books and more.
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When did everyone decide to forget about ANNETTE being the best film of the year? I didn’t get the memo.
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Another year, another year of me wondering when we will see something new from Anna Rose Holmer, director of THE FITS, one of the best films from the last decade.
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"I know that sounds miserably condescending, but there I go." -
@phillipstribune
"I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the sound of three men discussing how much they loved the passionate feminism of this movie." -
@TashaRobinson
New
@filmspotting
!
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Remember when we had those months and months of Oscar debates and then they actually gave out the awards and at no point was Carey Mulligan's performance in WILDLIFE recognized? I think about this almost every day. Impossible to overstate how great she is. Impossible.
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I support this idea.
@mattsinger
there’s so many new streaming services added the past 3 years, could be a good time for Filmspotting SVU to return🤔
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Days later, I continue to be moved by the enormous act of empathy that is EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. To focus the narrative on Yeoh's character (and Ke Huy Quan's), on characters of their generation, Daniels' parents' generation. A really special film.
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Longtime
@filmspotting
listeners get a treat this week: the oft-referenced, but rarely deployed I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, BUT YOU'RE COMPLETELY WRONG comes out of the mothballs.
7 From '76—Best Year Ever: ROCKY
'40s Noir: DETOUR
Coming Friday.
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A suggestion for
@Hulu
:
PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE playing on loop.
I open the app or go the site? It's already playing.
Beginning, middle, end, I don't care.
Many thanks,
Sam
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@tvjedi
@LandsEnd
@Steven_Hyden
The color scheme, Wendy!
Also, yes, Radiohead was smart enough to TM mountains years ago.
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@FrankJalbrecht
I hear what you're saying, Jake, but Vertigo isn't great because of the story; it's great because of the filmmaking. Also, I know you know this, but theatre is ephemeral. New productions of classics are a necessity. Take what's great about the Hitch and make something new.
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"I think we might read the ending a little differently."
As a producer, there are few statements I love hearing more.
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE
50th Anniversary Sacred Cow Review
Friday on
@filmspotting
.
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Hard agree.
I used to think that the synth-heavy scores of movies from the 1980s & 1990s would age poorly. Today they seem even cooler than they did back then.
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