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Stephen Whitty

@stephenwhitty.bsky.social
788 followers 569 following 446 posts

Film critic, programmer, lecturer, dog-rescuer. Bylines in Entertainment Weekly, Village Voice, NY Daily News, Cosmopolitan and 30 years of newspapers. Author, "The Alfred Hitchcock Encyclopedia."

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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
I used to think, naively, that if we had public executions, Americans would be so disgusted by the sight they’d finally, fully abolish the death penalty. Now, I realize it will probably only result in sick AI cartoons on X, and frat bros pounding brews and chanting “USA! USA! USA!”
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Thanks to Blue Fox Entertainment and everyone who helped bring festival favorite "Big Girls Don't Cry" to The Picture House last night to kick off another season of Film Club -- a quiet, and quietly devastating, look at peer pressure, consent, and the high-stakes melodrama of being 14. Opens Friday
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Truly enjoyed Jesse Eisenberg's "The Debut," with a fabulous performance from Julianne Moore. A smart, perceptive comedy that also left me with a deep nostalgia for those long-gone days, 40 years ago, when Woody Allen and Mia Farrow would make films like this almost annually.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I go deep into the Zone with my old colleague Alan Sepinwall to talk about his new book about Rod Serling and the way he changed television -- and, yes, the way entertainment journalism is changing too, whether we like it or not. www.njarts.net/187470
njarts.net
Alan Sepinwall makes case that Rod Sterling was 'TV's First Visionary' in new book
Personal appearances planned for Maplewood and Wyckoff.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
“There’s a fella, got a million acres. Guards ever’place to keep folks out. Rides aroun’ in a bullet-proof car…Fat, sof’ fella with little mean eyes an’ a mouth like a ass-hole…If he needs a million acres to feel rich, seems to me he feels awful poor inside.” – Steinbeck, "The Grapes of Wrath," 1939
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
You're a Dead Man, Charlie Brown: I dove deep into a weird subgenre of horror-movie takeoffs of kiddie characters -- and at the end of the rabbit hole, a murderous Easter Bunny lay in wait. www.njarts.net/more-lazines...
njarts.net
More laziness than creativity in new horror subgenre featuring familiar storybook characters as killers
'Pinocchio Unstrung,' 'Popeye's Revenge,' 'Easter Bunny Massacre' and more.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Star Power: All we ever saw or knew about Dolly Parton was what she wanted us to see or know. And that was the point. A fond salute to one of the last of the private public figures. www.njarts.net/185074
njarts.net
Dolly Parton remained true to herself -- not just 9 to 5, but 24/7
Musician, actress and philanthropist recently died at 80.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
An Actor's Life For Him: Veteran performer Bill Timoney on soap operas, Broadway, voice work, famous friends, infamous scam artists and a decades-long run as the profession's do anything, go anywhere "utility player." www.njarts.net/184220
njarts.net
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
First, Coarse: How Tony Bourdain, a self-described jerk from New Jersey, grew into Anthony Bourdain, writer, world traveller, and chef www.njarts.net/anthony-bour...
njarts.net
Anthony Bourdain learns how to be a better chef -- and a better person -- in '70s-set biopic 'Tony'
Dominic Sessa stars in new film.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
And he's screaming, "Guards! Guards! Get me away from this low-life!"
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I read a translation of "The Odyssey" before going to see the Christopher Nolan film; I'm definitely willing to do some homework for an epic film from a great director. For the umpteenth, corporate-engineered movie based on a children's comic book series, not so much.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Circe, as depicted on a 5th-century BCE vase. But, yes, tell me again how everyone in Ancient Greece was pale and blonde.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Escape the dog days of summer by spending time with some of cinema's favorite tails. www.njarts.net/181049
njarts.net
Great moments in canine cinema: 10 movies to help get you through the dog days of summer
'Lassie Comes Home,' 'Best in Show,' 'Because of Winn-Dixie' and more.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 28/06/2026
RIP, Dulce. A tearstained farewell at my FB page.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Sumer is icumen in! A festive day to father figures everywhere!
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
As "Big Night" begins some celebratory, 30th-anniversary screenings, Tony Shalhoub checks in to talk about getting cast in the film, fighting stereotypes, art v. commerce, ending "Monk" and what HE likes to cook. www.njarts.net/179453
njarts.net
At Lighthouse International Film Festival, Tony Shalhoub reflects on 30th anniversary of 'Big Night'
Will also screen new comedy, 'Bolio: Spirit of the Mustang,' there.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Grab him by the P.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
And that's a wrap on another season of Film Club at The Pelham Picture House, with "Couples Weekend," "Forge," "Burt," "Carolina Caroline," "The Birthday Party" and "Peter Asher: Everywhere Man." Special thanks to the studios, filmmakers and audiences who made it all possible. See you in the Fall!
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Thanks to Greenwich Entertainment, Falco Ink. and all who helped bring "Peter Asher: Everywhere Man" to The Picture House last night (and thanks to directors Dan Geller and Dayne Goldfine for zooming in). A warmly nostalgic look at pop music's baby boomer peak, opening at NY's Quad Cinema 6/19.
peterashermovie.com
Find Your Theater | Peter Asher: Everywhere Man
The extraordinary life of Peter Asher—pop star, producer, manager, and confidant to legends such as Paul McCartney, James Taylor, and Linda Ronstadt.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
E.T., Come Home: Spielberg's "Disclosure Day" delves into UFO conspiracies, but its most intriguing puzzle is what it's missing. www.njarts.net/179287
njarts.net
Steven Spielberg returns to familiar territory in disappointing sci-fi film, 'Disclosure Day'
For a movie called “Disclosure Day,” Steven Spielberg’s latest still keeps a lot of secrets. And the biggest one is: Why? Of…
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Thanks to all who helped bring "The Birthday Party" to The Picture House last night, and got director Miguel Angel Jimenez to Zoom in for a chat. A dark drama with Willem Dafoe superb as a domineering father who's a lot of Onassis, a little of Prospero, and completely in control. Opens August 14.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
If it sometimes feels like there's only one movie a year made with a female lead over 60 -- and it's usually Meryl Streep -- you're not far off. And even Meryl would argue, That's not good. www.njarts.net/178569
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Actually, “ugly fuck” is how the Millers reproduce.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
Thanks to Magnolia Pictures and everyone who helped bring "Carolina Caroline" to the Picture House last night (and getting director Adam Carter Rehmeier to Zoom in). A wild road movie that starts like "Paper Moon" and slowly slips into "Bonnie and Clyde" territory. See it in theaters June 5
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Hey, it's Henry Kissinger's birthday! Be sure to have a couple a beers before you visit his grave.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
Thanks to filmmaker Joe Burke for his film "Burt," a lovely, intimate, heartfelt character study made on the tiniest of shoestrings. Our Pelham Picture House members loved it and you will, too; keep up with its journey to you at www.BurtTheMovie.com
burtthemovie.com
Burt The Movie
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Signs of hope: Several universities recently invited Big Tech execs and AI advocates to give commencement speeches. Students roundly booed any mention of artificial intelligence.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Not to argue semantics with a barely literate cult, but maybe clinging to the slogan “Make America Great Again” is a bad way to start talks with the world’s only other superpower? If we’re saying we’re not what we were, they’d be idiots not to seize the advantage. And all the idiots are on our side
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Thank to Falco, Utopia Films and all who brought "Forge" to the Pelham Picture House last night, a stylish film from Jing Ai Ng about high-risk con jobs (including the ones we play on ourselves). Opening soon in select theaters; catch it in LA at the Nuart tomorrow or at NY's Quad on May 22.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
A programming note: I'm coming to the Garden State to host a screening of this heartfelt story of an immigrant trying hard to navigate our heartless asylum process. Q and A afterward with the filmmakers. Saturday, May 16 — Wayne Cinemark Willowbrook Mall 7:00 PM Screening + Q&A
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Reed All About It: Rex, Redux www.njarts.net/remembering-...
njarts.net
Remembering Rex Reed, one-of-a-kind film critic and pop culture journalist
He has died, at the age of 87.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
“YouTube creators” are “the most trusted voices in today’s media” says the platform’s full-page ad in today’s Times, and I would have read more except I had to watch a new video someone just uploaded proving Stanley Kubrick helped fake 9/11.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Happy Mothers Day!
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Reposted by Stephen Whitty
𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐍 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐋™ @devononearth.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Happy 226th Birthday to John Brown, the only white boy to ever truly understand the assignment
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 09/05/2026
Taxpayers shouldn't have to subsidize things that don't directly benefit them, insists the Post. Interesting point. Does that mean I can now withhold a percentage of my Federal taxes, since I don't support our military "excursion" in Iran?
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
People clinging to hope can't afford to be cynical -- which is why, in times of trouble, Hollywood always offers us optimism over pessimism, escapism over exposes. www.njarts.net/the-devil-we...
njarts.net
'The Devil Wears Prada 2' offers a shrewd balancing act: a little bit of reality and a lot of escapism
Sequel had big opening weekend.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Thanks to Vertical Entertainment, Prodigy PR and everyone who helped bring "Couples Weekend" -- and director Nora Kirkpatrick -- to the Pelham Picture House for the opening night of this season's Film Club. An amusingly dark (or darkly amusing?) relationship story with a super cast. Opens Friday.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
In the language of haute couture, "The Devil Wears Prada 2" is strictly a knock-off. www.njarts.net/the-devil-we...
njarts.net
'The Devil Wears Prada 2' doesn't exactly disappoint, but doesn't dazzle, either
Sequel opens on May 1.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
Donald Trump evacuated at the White House Press Dinner. Luckily, he brought an extra pair of pants.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
A true living legend has little to lose from an unflattering biopic. A dead one -- well, his less-talented heirs -- have everything. And that's why "Michael" tells the story it does, and carefully avoids anything else www.njarts.net/175672
njarts.net
Like many music-related biopics, 'Michael' doesn't really create full picture of the man in the mirror
Film presents 'a popular, sanitized version of Michael Jackson.'
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
Next up from author J.D. Vance: "My Journey From Convert to Apostate."
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Just spent 90 minutes on the phone trying to get my smart television and my internet router to "talk" to each other. I feel like a marriage counselor for machines.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
The teen prodigy of capsule reviews is a grandfather now -- and still inspiring new generations (including his daughter) to share his love of classic film. www.njarts.net/174670
njarts.net
Leonard Maltin and daughter Jessie collaborate on 'Family Movie Night Menus' book
'Recipes & Films for Unforgettable Times Together' are offered.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Identical to so many job descriptions I see these days: Grab something off a site, (the Daily Mail and Hindustan Times seem to be favorites), add a new lede, and repost. This isn't even content farming. It's content sharecropping.
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Reposted by Stephen Whitty
Tammy Duckworth @duckworth.senate.gov · 02/04/2026
Trump was warned this would happen. He did it anyway. Now, over 10,000 Veterans lost their homes. 90,000 more are on track for foreclosure. On top of cutting jobs, slashing benefits and throwing our heroes into an unnecessary war. The most anti-Veteran President in history.
NPR: Trump's VA killed a home loan program. Vets are now losing their homes because of it
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
Donald Trump has described Bruce Springsteen as looking like a "dried-up prune" which is not only, arguably, untrue but redundant; prunes, by definition, are dehydrated. It'd be like saying “evil villain” or “stupid idiot,” or “tiny-fingered, mushroom-phallused, colostomy-bag-brained Trump.”
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Two new, very different, very big hits share one important piece of advice for Hollywood. Now if they'd only take it. www.njarts.net/as-usual-hol...
njarts.net
As usual, Hollywood's future plans call for ... more of the same
Success of "Project Hail Mary" and "The Housemaid" means sequels are probably coming.
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Birthday boy Lon Chaney Sr. here to remind you that it's April Fool's Day, and to be suspicious of anything you read on the internet. But you already are, aren't you?
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Despite revelations that her husband is a crossdresser who texts with sex workers, Kristi Noem swears her marriage is stronger than ever. "In fact," she said, "later tonight he's meeting me out by the gravel pit for some target practice."
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Stephen Whitty @stephenwhitty.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
Catch 47: Anyone who would accept the Mark Twain Prize from the Trump regime is automatically unworthy of receiving the Mark Twain Prize.
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