Darren Hughes
@longpauses.bsky.social
Occasional writer and film programmer with a day job. Cinema Scope, Filmmaker Magazine, MUBI Notebook. Artistic Director, FILM FEST KNOX. www.longpauses.com
Pinned
Reposted by Darren Hughes
Frederick Wiseman changed the way we see the world.
From the classrooms of High School to the corridors of Hospital, he turned his camera on the institutions that shape us — inviting us to look closer, sit longer & confront truth with empathy.
May his memory be a blessing.
February 18, 2026 at 3:31 AM
Frederick Wiseman changed the way we see the world.
From the classrooms of High School to the corridors of Hospital, he turned his camera on the institutions that shape us — inviting us to look closer, sit longer & confront truth with empathy.
May his memory be a blessing.
It’s so embarrassing to be the only person in Berlin who speaks one language.
February 16, 2026 at 5:55 PM
It’s so embarrassing to be the only person in Berlin who speaks one language.
The positive responses to Rosebush Pruning on Letterboxd are just noting the obvious things this obvious movie does in the most obvious ways. This is the loathsome movie Lanthimos-haters have been accusing him of making for years.
February 14, 2026 at 1:20 PM
The positive responses to Rosebush Pruning on Letterboxd are just noting the obvious things this obvious movie does in the most obvious ways. This is the loathsome movie Lanthimos-haters have been accusing him of making for years.
Two of the first three competition films I’ve seen in Berlin — Nightborn and Everybody Digs Bill Evans — are really, really bad.
February 14, 2026 at 9:54 AM
Two of the first three competition films I’ve seen in Berlin — Nightborn and Everybody Digs Bill Evans — are really, really bad.
Thanks to a Lufthansa strike and rerouted flights I can now say I’ve spent two hours in Asia. The Istanbul airport is nice. I should come back someday.
February 12, 2026 at 1:22 PM
Thanks to a Lufthansa strike and rerouted flights I can now say I’ve spent two hours in Asia. The Istanbul airport is nice. I should come back someday.
I will always win this game: Promises Written in Water (Gallo, 2010)
Have asked this before and always like the responses. What are your biggest “I saw that in the first run cinema” flexes? Couple of mine:
Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Office Space (1999)
Transformers: The Movie (1986)
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Office Space (1999)
February 11, 2026 at 11:05 PM
I will always win this game: Promises Written in Water (Gallo, 2010)
Anyone have tips for note-taking while reading physical books? In grad school I was an obsessive underliner and would type quotes after finishing, and I remember some of those books better than the ones I read last month. Maybe record voice memos and then edit the transcriptions?
February 11, 2026 at 1:12 AM
Anyone have tips for note-taking while reading physical books? In grad school I was an obsessive underliner and would type quotes after finishing, and I remember some of those books better than the ones I read last month. Maybe record voice memos and then edit the transcriptions?
Y'all following the story about Bard's president being a grotesque monster? www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/u...
New Email Shows Bard’s President Thanked Epstein for Caribbean Trip
www.nytimes.com
February 10, 2026 at 1:45 PM
Y'all following the story about Bard's president being a grotesque monster? www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/u...
Reposted by Darren Hughes
what have i learned in amassing and organizing a sizable photo collection of black life in one year?
“little projects” and “unstructured work” are crucial to a robust intellectual life. pursuing what you’re curious about sharpens everything around you.
“little projects” and “unstructured work” are crucial to a robust intellectual life. pursuing what you’re curious about sharpens everything around you.
February 9, 2026 at 11:12 PM
what have i learned in amassing and organizing a sizable photo collection of black life in one year?
“little projects” and “unstructured work” are crucial to a robust intellectual life. pursuing what you’re curious about sharpens everything around you.
“little projects” and “unstructured work” are crucial to a robust intellectual life. pursuing what you’re curious about sharpens everything around you.
Restating the blindingly obvious here, but this week millions of American Christians announced their commitment to white nationalism by proudly celebrating Kid Rock as a champion of their core values.
To be clear, this is not hypocrisy. Kid Rock *is* a champion of their core values.
To be clear, this is not hypocrisy. Kid Rock *is* a champion of their core values.
February 9, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Restating the blindingly obvious here, but this week millions of American Christians announced their commitment to white nationalism by proudly celebrating Kid Rock as a champion of their core values.
To be clear, this is not hypocrisy. Kid Rock *is* a champion of their core values.
To be clear, this is not hypocrisy. Kid Rock *is* a champion of their core values.
Increasingly ashamed of my degree from a public university in Florida.
FAMU can't use the word Black on anything posted around campus related to Black History Month, to stay in compliance with Florida state laws against DEI. Black students can't use the word Black at their Historically Black College during Black History Month.
February 8, 2026 at 4:33 PM
Increasingly ashamed of my degree from a public university in Florida.
More James Baldwin: “In Paris everything is very slow. Also, when dealing with the bureaucracy, the man you are talking to is never the man you have to see. The man you have to see has just gone off to Belgium, or is busy with his family, or has just discovered that he is a cuckold.”
February 8, 2026 at 3:10 PM
More James Baldwin: “In Paris everything is very slow. Also, when dealing with the bureaucracy, the man you are talking to is never the man you have to see. The man you have to see has just gone off to Belgium, or is busy with his family, or has just discovered that he is a cuckold.”
Tennessee has been gerrymandered to the point where congressional elections happen only in the primaries. Every blue state legislature should follow Virginia’s lead.
trump creating the incentive and permission structure for democrats to do insane 2010-era gerrymandering of their own may turn out to be one of the biggest self-owns of all time. dems are now pretty likely to emerge with an advantage from the 2025-26 redistricting wars
February 7, 2026 at 2:42 PM
Tennessee has been gerrymandered to the point where congressional elections happen only in the primaries. Every blue state legislature should follow Virginia’s lead.
A free stream of one of the best films of 2025. Get on it.
🚨🚨 Henry Fonda for President 🚨🚨 is this week's pick at Le Cinema Club
www.lecinemaclub.com/now-showing/...
www.lecinemaclub.com/now-showing/...
HENRY FONDA FOR PRESIDENT a film by ALEXANDER HORWATH.
A free, curated platform streaming one film every week.
www.lecinemaclub.com
February 6, 2026 at 7:18 PM
A free stream of one of the best films of 2025. Get on it.
What's the over/under on the number of films I'll see in Berlin next week that are better than an episode of The Pitt?
February 6, 2026 at 2:43 PM
What's the over/under on the number of films I'll see in Berlin next week that are better than an episode of The Pitt?
Derek Dooley is running for Senate. If you don't understand how hilarious that is, just trust me. It's hilarious.
February 5, 2026 at 4:04 PM
Derek Dooley is running for Senate. If you don't understand how hilarious that is, just trust me. It's hilarious.
Listening to Kenny G is a perfect companion to @carlzoilus.bsky.social's excellent book on Celine Dion.
A ★★★½ review of Listening to Kenny G (2021)
This film is a perfect companion to Carl Wilson's excellent book about Celine Dion. Neither pulls any punches when critiquing kitsch (Ben Ratliff is an especially strong interview), but both also make...
letterboxd.com
February 5, 2026 at 2:20 PM
Listening to Kenny G is a perfect companion to @carlzoilus.bsky.social's excellent book on Celine Dion.
Good news guys, MAGA is falling apart because of an ad, and I'm confident that this time MAGA *really is* falling apart because those dorks who wrote some speeches for Obama say so.
(I credit my radicalization to those photos of Obama and Springsteen posing in sunglasses by a convertible.)
(I credit my radicalization to those photos of Obama and Springsteen posing in sunglasses by a convertible.)
February 4, 2026 at 9:00 PM
Good news guys, MAGA is falling apart because of an ad, and I'm confident that this time MAGA *really is* falling apart because those dorks who wrote some speeches for Obama say so.
(I credit my radicalization to those photos of Obama and Springsteen posing in sunglasses by a convertible.)
(I credit my radicalization to those photos of Obama and Springsteen posing in sunglasses by a convertible.)
Two Film Fest Knox award winners were selected for True/False. :)
February 3, 2026 at 8:19 PM
Two Film Fest Knox award winners were selected for True/False. :)
I'm struggling to avoid succumbing to conspiracy brain when it sure as hell appears that a group of white, patriarchal oligarchs (redundant?) destabilized the world's democracies for shits and giggles. Everyone mentioned in those files should be asked about nothing else for the rest of their lives.
February 3, 2026 at 4:58 PM
I'm struggling to avoid succumbing to conspiracy brain when it sure as hell appears that a group of white, patriarchal oligarchs (redundant?) destabilized the world's democracies for shits and giggles. Everyone mentioned in those files should be asked about nothing else for the rest of their lives.
OBAA has got me re-evaluating PTA and, you know what? he's really good. Rewatching Inherent Vice last night was the most fun I've had watching a movie in quite a while. It's the same pleasure as peak Pakula--scene after scene of actors absolutely nailing the one thing they were cast to do.
February 3, 2026 at 4:18 PM
OBAA has got me re-evaluating PTA and, you know what? he's really good. Rewatching Inherent Vice last night was the most fun I've had watching a movie in quite a while. It's the same pleasure as peak Pakula--scene after scene of actors absolutely nailing the one thing they were cast to do.
This movie rocks. I'd never made any connections between Spike Lee and Godard, but now I want to do a deep dive. He loves Theresa Randle's face like Godard loves Anna Karina's, and I'm sure they lifted production design ideas from Godard's early color films. Randle should've been a Movie Star.
February 2, 2026 at 3:54 PM
This movie rocks. I'd never made any connections between Spike Lee and Godard, but now I want to do a deep dive. He loves Theresa Randle's face like Godard loves Anna Karina's, and I'm sure they lifted production design ideas from Godard's early color films. Randle should've been a Movie Star.
It finally happened. My kid asked if I'd ever heard of a song that she likes, and I got to piss her off by telling her I saw the band play it live 20+ years ago, right after it was released.
So, anyway, Wren has discovered "There, There" by Radiohead.
So, anyway, Wren has discovered "There, There" by Radiohead.
February 2, 2026 at 1:56 AM
It finally happened. My kid asked if I'd ever heard of a song that she likes, and I got to piss her off by telling her I saw the band play it live 20+ years ago, right after it was released.
So, anyway, Wren has discovered "There, There" by Radiohead.
So, anyway, Wren has discovered "There, There" by Radiohead.
Reposted by Darren Hughes
Just popping some gift links to our Epstein reporting from the last few days in this thread
They Said They Weren’t Close to Epstein. New Documents Show Otherwise. www.nytimes.com/2026/01/31/u...
They Said They Weren’t Close to Epstein. New Documents Show Otherwise.
www.nytimes.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:14 PM
Just popping some gift links to our Epstein reporting from the last few days in this thread