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Niels Joaquin

@nielsj.bsky.social
49 followers 39 following 459 posts

Writer. 75% 🎞, 25% 📚🎵💻🚲 Brooklyn, NY nielsjoaquin.com

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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 14h
NYFF #4: Bitter Christmas (2026). It ultimately won me over 😊 I was wondering what new thing could arise from these well-worn metafictional games, but Almodóvar found a funny way out, evaluating the merit of his own "minor" works within a minor work (Or is it? I don't think so!)
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
NYFF #3: Suicide Note (1976–1984), in 16 mm. Mostly thought of La région centrale while watching. Without the title and the intro context, my thoughts would never have turned to death. Then again, I am so deep in the spectacle that processed goods and TV color bars are just life
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
NYFF #2: Fatherland (2026). I'm a big Cold War fan. I do like this one (Hüller always great; Żal photography always exceptional; Zischler really feels like he could be Thomas Mann), though in its short runtime I feel like its rich ideas were only lightly sketched
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
My second Geese concert, Forest Hills. I didn't know that up in the front, it is basically like a "Trinidad" mosh pit *for the entire show* 😄 Probably takes the crown for my favorite concert now Videos: "Islands of Men," "Trinidad," "Cobra," "Long Island City Here I Come"
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Krasner and Pollock: Past Continuous, The Met
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Third Strokes concert, Flushing Meadows. STILL GOT IT. It's actually inspiring how much they've still got it First time hearing these live: "Heart in a Cage," "New York City Cops" (!), "Gratisfaction," "Under Control." Really loved hearing AHJ harmonize live on "Gratisfaction"
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Overheard on crowded 7 train to the Strokes: "They're OLD. Like 40s??"
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
NYFF #1: Cameron Winter at Carnegie Hall (2026), in 35 mm, world premiere. Fuckin phenomenal. There's no doubt he's going down as one of the greatest
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The Warriors (1979), in 35 mm - The Bronx to Coney Island with night train service, oof 😓 - Not even the best Michael Beck film with gratuitous roller skating
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Forgotten Island (2026). There are like seven references to the Filipino love of karaoke, and a direct depiction of it at a graduation party, so we finally have proper representation in mainstream American cinema
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Anticipation of the Night (1958) and Green Desire (1966), both in 16 mm. Experimental film is always a nice brain recalibration
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Random bike tweet: the route from the Navy Yard to Park Slope is so well connected now. Coming from Williamsburg, I used to climb up Vanderbilt to Prospect Heights. Now the path that goes by BAM is a straight shot. Biking is such a great intra-borough solution!
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
The Little Mermaid (1989), first time in 35 mm. Looks like this print was from a 1997 theatrical re-release: a trailer for Mr. Magoo and a teaser for A Bug's Life were attached
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Pumping Iron (1977). Check out Metrograph's ongoing series with American Cinema Editors (ACE) whenever a screening pops up. Good stories about the craft and the industry
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Brandon Flowers at Brooklyn Paramount. Highlights: - "Plans" (great lead single) - "Still Want You" (his best!) - "Magdalena" (another great one from the back catalog) - "People Who Died" (crazy-good cover!) Also loved his inter-song storytelling. An underrated songwriter, IMO!
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Daughter of the Nile (1987), DCP. The thing I appreciate most about this Hou film is seeing how people actually use and live in their houses: doing homework on a tiny kitchen table, leaving the bathroom door open, convalescing, farting, finagling cash from your grandparents
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Finished Complete Shorter Fiction by Herman Melville (Everyman's Library, 1997). The section I hadn't read yet was "Uncollected Stories and Sketches"—primarily the short stories that Melville wrote in 1853–1856 for Harper's and Putnam's but that didn't end up in The Piazza Tales
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (1974), in 35 mm. The film integrates the logistics of commuting by train and by car so well. When the police car with the money flips over at Astor Place, you're like Ohhhh shit, game over. 28th Street? Nope, not gonna make it Similar to:
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
In "Cock-a-Doodle-Doo!" (1853), Melville describes "a very lonely part of the country" where people just pass through "as if that part of the world were only made to fly over, and not to settle upon." Love that he conceived of flyover country before you could fly over the country
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Musical Bodies, The Met Prince's guitar, a Stradivarius violin, a theremin, Savion Glover's tap shoes
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Model (1980), DCP. I love how much time Wiseman gives to the TV commercial: you really get a great feel for the production side. Also unexpectedly reminded me of Boogie Nights (Many things do), in that people may think you're in a low art form—but why not take your art seriously?
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Stepping into the Unknown: Films from the Bob Dylan Center—apparently "Program #2," as I saw the one at the Paris Theater last year, too. We need these compilations versioned properly for (Letterboxd, yes, but also) reference/archiving/general organization!
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Finished Selected Poems by Pierre de Ronsard, bilingual edition (Penguin Classics, 2002). This took a lot of exertion because (1) my French vocab is small and (2) I had to get used to the Middle French spellings and some archaic/obsolete words. But I learned a lot!
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Nénette and Boni (1996), in 35 mm. The coffee-machine dream sets the tone for a slippery reality. There, the gurgling and the play of light have to resolve to wakefulness, but in other cases you question whether you're viewing an omniscient perspective or another immature fantasy
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
PTA made my #1 film of all time, and I truly think Geese is going to be one of the greatest bands of this century (of all time? I do think 3D Country is one of the greatest albums I've ever heard)—so it is a big day for annoying people (me) Also, PTA's Junun is really good!
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
Aww, I really like AMC Kips Bay. We usually go there after Thanksgiving dinner I don't see a lot of multiplex movies, but this is my NYC AMC breakdown (# visits): Empire: 31 Lincoln Square: 26 Kips Bay: 11 Village 7: 2 34th: 1 variety.com/2026/film/ne...
variety.com
New York’s AMC Kips Bay Movie Theater to Close at End of 2026
New York's AMC Kips Bay movie theater is closing at the end of the year.
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Finished Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War by Herman Melville. It's moving to see Melville engage so deeply and humanely with world-historical events through verse—and in a variety of structures—especially as he had, by this point, left novels behind forever
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Short story #2. Ch-check it out Thanks to Evan Tesei for the persistent nudges this summer and to Craig Elbert for the encouragement! nielsjoaquin.com/writing/endu...
nielsjoaquin.com
Enduring
Fiction
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Finished Smoke by Ivan Turgenev. I found this to be fairly bitter and immature compared to Fathers and Children (which is the earlier work), but I did like this exchange: "Life's hard in general, Grigori, don't you think?" "It depends who you are, Irina."
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
3 Bad Men (1926). John Ford had already made a monumental Western with George O'Brien, The Iron Horse: one of the greatest Westerns, and one of the greatest silents. I guess I was bound to be disappointed by this reunion—but O'Brien is also barely used here!
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Finished The Bear, season 5 (and the "Gary" episode). I don't consider this amazing TV, but I do appreciate the various ways that all the characters learned emotional regulation, healthy apologies, and forgiveness amid their personal chaos. That's what I'll take from this series
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg (1927). There's a night-tinted courtship that's so elegant in how the camera glides, and then doesn't—the ol' "what's in the frame and what's out." Ostensibly straightforward, and yet who can pull off that grace? The Lubitsch Touch, baby!
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Way Down East (1920), with a live orchestra. Extraordinary experience from MoMA 🫶
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), second time in 35 mm. I don't see this one come around on film that often. (Last time I saw it was at Doc Films in 2013.) The archival print that FLC got for Monroe's centennial was glorious
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Finished Fathers and Children by Ivan Turgenev. Bazarov is such a vivid creation: the embodiment of a "My Back Pages" type who rails against "abstract threats / Too noble to neglect" because that's actually the easy part But maybe I used to be a Bazarov and now I'm the fathers
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
1. Is This It = Room on Fire 3. First Impressions of Earth 4. Comedown Machine 5. The New Abnormal 6. Angles (still good!) 7. Reality Awaits I don't hate the new one, but I don't think any of their greatest work is on here. I like "Psycho Shit" and "Falling out of Love"
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Masked and Anonymous (2003), in 35 mm - Hilarious that Dylan co-wrote scenes where he gets to play straight man to others going batshit - Best "Cold Irons Bound" ever. Unbelievable power - My longtime Twitter mutual @whitecitycinema.bsky.social is a smart dude 👍
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
My third Bob Dylan concert, Forest Hills - On "Crossing the Rubicon," you can hear Dylan's individual 🎹 notes descending before the refrain each time. Incantatory - He whipped out the harmonica three times. Crystal-clear, strong, perfect. Can't believe I get to hear this in 2026
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
The Odyssey (2026), in IMAX 70 mm. The long homecoming is one of the best things Nolan has ever done (which is saying a lot!), and it's lovely to see all his favorite themes—the painful irretrievability of lost time, the fragility of a civilized society—continuing to resound
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 18/07/2026
Finished Élisabeth by Éric Rohmer. Felt very much like his films! Talky, Frenchy intrigue by the water, with people juggling what they say, what they choose to present to others, and what they've convinced themselves to believe
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
On Dangerous Ground (1951), in 35 mm "How do you do it? How do you live with yourself?" "I don't. I live with other people."
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
Alamo Bay (1985), DCP. I was born quite close (in time and space) to the location of the real events. I appreciate that Malle's anthropological interests extended to the U.S. and that he wanted to give voice to this American story, from an area with scant cinematic representation
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Four Sons (1928), in 16 mm. Poetic shafts and halos of light, gauzy melancholy, double-exposure fantasies ... Interesting to see a John Ford film look like Borzage's and Murnau's work at Fox around this time!
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Finished Fiskadoro by Denis Johnson. "Some of us are aligned with a slight force, a frail resistance that shapes things for the better—I really believe this: I stand against the forces of destruction."
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
The Master (2012), sixth time on 🎞️, fifth time in 70 mm. Dare I say this is another Love and Death in the American Novel setup? Freddie spurns Doris, cannot form healthy partnerships. He runs from submitting to any master, and his escapes are typical ones that Fiedler describes:
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), second time in 35 mm. This movie terrified me as a kid. It's great to see it with adult eyes and enjoy the craft. You know that Soderbergh interview about Mad Max: Fury Road? I feel the same sense of wtf astonishment (Arnold says "neural net"!)
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
Universal Soldier (1992), in 35 mm. Two Roland Emmerich prints in one week, lol. Surprisingly offers some commentary on veterans affairs and technology for warfare. Actually a sharp contrast with Independence Day's jingoism: here we're clearly the bad guys doing bad things
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Ivan's Childhood (1962), DCP I'm 6/7 on Tarkovsky's narrative features now. Still holding out for the ideal conditions for Andrei Rublev to fix my life
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Independence Day (1996), second time in 35 mm. I saw this in its original release! A high point in '90s spectacle! Undeniably a key film of my childhood. Also, Bill Pullman's run of While You Were Sleeping, Independence Day, and Lost Highway in consecutive years is king shit
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Niels Joaquin @nielsj.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
The Pirate (1948), in 35 mm. Not into this one ... The comedy is so broad and strained, and it forces Garland to instantly pivot to incongruously heartfelt numbers. Summer Stock is a much better Garland/Kelly pairing
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