Paul Cote
@paul-the-cote.bsky.social
PhD. Senior Lecturer at University of Maryland, College Park. He/him. Focuses in Cinema, Film Music, animation, children’s media
Reposted by Paul Cote
This so perfectly articulates the best thing about this movie: Mary. “It’s a Wonderful Life is, in part, the story of someone becoming, kicking and screaming, against all intentions and desires, a big man. Mary sees the big man in George from the first, because she is a big woman.”
This is an almost shockingly wise essay. I'm glad I've finally read it.
There Is No Mary Problem in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’
George’s vision of his wife without him is essential to the film, but critics continue to miss its true—and profound—meaning.
open.substack.com
December 24, 2025 at 3:53 AM
This so perfectly articulates the best thing about this movie: Mary. “It’s a Wonderful Life is, in part, the story of someone becoming, kicking and screaming, against all intentions and desires, a big man. Mary sees the big man in George from the first, because she is a big woman.”
It’s actually Frankenberry’s Cereal. Frankenberry is the name of the scientist, not the cereal.
October 31, 2025 at 7:47 PM
It’s actually Frankenberry’s Cereal. Frankenberry is the name of the scientist, not the cereal.
Going to start pronouncing Silksong “SILK-sung” the way Brando pronounces Krypton “KRYP-tun.”
September 6, 2025 at 4:49 AM
Going to start pronouncing Silksong “SILK-sung” the way Brando pronounces Krypton “KRYP-tun.”
Reposted by Paul Cote
Do all those hustle culture guys whose schedule is like…
Wake up at 4am.
Eat a tiny meal.
Exercise for 15 minutes.
Tiny snack.
10 minute nap.
Splash around in a bowl of water.
Get dressed in practical clothes already laid out.
…realize that’s the same agenda as a literal baby?
Wake up at 4am.
Eat a tiny meal.
Exercise for 15 minutes.
Tiny snack.
10 minute nap.
Splash around in a bowl of water.
Get dressed in practical clothes already laid out.
…realize that’s the same agenda as a literal baby?
August 8, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Do all those hustle culture guys whose schedule is like…
Wake up at 4am.
Eat a tiny meal.
Exercise for 15 minutes.
Tiny snack.
10 minute nap.
Splash around in a bowl of water.
Get dressed in practical clothes already laid out.
…realize that’s the same agenda as a literal baby?
Wake up at 4am.
Eat a tiny meal.
Exercise for 15 minutes.
Tiny snack.
10 minute nap.
Splash around in a bowl of water.
Get dressed in practical clothes already laid out.
…realize that’s the same agenda as a literal baby?
Reposted by Paul Cote
“Laugh, so they’ll know you’re one of them. Laugh, or he’ll kill you. Laugh, and maybe you won’t be next.”
A real gut punch, from @petridishes.bsky.social
A real gut punch, from @petridishes.bsky.social
remember comedy? that thing from the 1980s where you hate your wife? its back!!!
Are You Laughing Yet?
Everyone can say exactly what they want, free of the fear of censorship, except by the government.
www.theatlantic.com
July 23, 2025 at 3:01 PM
“Laugh, so they’ll know you’re one of them. Laugh, or he’ll kill you. Laugh, and maybe you won’t be next.”
A real gut punch, from @petridishes.bsky.social
A real gut punch, from @petridishes.bsky.social
Reposted by Paul Cote
For @theatlantic.com, I wrote about Linn Ullmann’s new novel, Girl, 1983, a fascinating work of autofiction that pushes us to consider how what we forget might be as important to storytelling as what we (think we) remember.
Gift link here: www.theatlantic.com/books/archiv...
Gift link here: www.theatlantic.com/books/archiv...
What We Gain by Forgetting
In Linn Ullmann’s memoiristic fiction, the erosion of memories is a feature, not a bug.
www.theatlantic.com
July 15, 2025 at 2:28 PM
For @theatlantic.com, I wrote about Linn Ullmann’s new novel, Girl, 1983, a fascinating work of autofiction that pushes us to consider how what we forget might be as important to storytelling as what we (think we) remember.
Gift link here: www.theatlantic.com/books/archiv...
Gift link here: www.theatlantic.com/books/archiv...
Reposted by Paul Cote
Marah Maher had just begun her final year of high school when the war started.
Now she is part of a generation of pediatric amputees from Gaza, grieving her family and longing to go home as she learns to walk again in the United States.
Gift link below - thank you for reading.
wapo.st/40cgCcS
Now she is part of a generation of pediatric amputees from Gaza, grieving her family and longing to go home as she learns to walk again in the United States.
Gift link below - thank you for reading.
wapo.st/40cgCcS
For this teen from Gaza, her legs are the least of what she’s lost
Part of a generation of young amputees, Marah Maher is learning to walk again. Every step brings her closer to an unimaginable future.
wapo.st
July 10, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Marah Maher had just begun her final year of high school when the war started.
Now she is part of a generation of pediatric amputees from Gaza, grieving her family and longing to go home as she learns to walk again in the United States.
Gift link below - thank you for reading.
wapo.st/40cgCcS
Now she is part of a generation of pediatric amputees from Gaza, grieving her family and longing to go home as she learns to walk again in the United States.
Gift link below - thank you for reading.
wapo.st/40cgCcS
Reposted by Paul Cote
I do kind of miss when the news was just on the news and not a bunch of other places where people got mad at you for not also being the news.
June 29, 2025 at 4:29 AM
I do kind of miss when the news was just on the news and not a bunch of other places where people got mad at you for not also being the news.
My hypothetical NYT Top 10 Films of the 2000s. Limited myself to 1 per director. Honorable mentions to Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus, Ennio, Persepolis, Pan’s Labyrinth, Royal Tenenbaums, A.I., New World, Inglorious Basterds, In the Mood for Love, All or Nothing, and Tale of Princess Kagura
June 28, 2025 at 12:40 PM
My hypothetical NYT Top 10 Films of the 2000s. Limited myself to 1 per director. Honorable mentions to Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus, Ennio, Persepolis, Pan’s Labyrinth, Royal Tenenbaums, A.I., New World, Inglorious Basterds, In the Mood for Love, All or Nothing, and Tale of Princess Kagura
Reposted by Paul Cote
My first piece for the @nytimes.com Book Review considers two middle grade novels which are distinct in scope and motivation but aligned in their depictions of rites of passage achieved through the recognition of adult solipsism and corruption.
Here’s a gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/b...
Here’s a gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/b...
These Watery Works Offer Sharks, Thrills and Magic
www.nytimes.com
June 20, 2025 at 12:43 PM
My first piece for the @nytimes.com Book Review considers two middle grade novels which are distinct in scope and motivation but aligned in their depictions of rites of passage achieved through the recognition of adult solipsism and corruption.
Here’s a gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/b...
Here’s a gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/b...
Beautiful, profoundly moving review from @rvoronacote.bsky.social about grief and the allure of AI as a means of avoiding all difficult emotions.
For @washingtonpost.com’s BookWorld, I wrote about Jayson Greene’s gorgeously rendered and deeply philosophical novel UnWorld, which gave me the opportunity to scream about the scourge of AI, and why I think people are eager to lean on it in the first place.
Gift link: wapo.st/4k2R1df
Gift link: wapo.st/4k2R1df
Review | In ‘UnWorld,’ humans try to cure grief with technology
Jayson Greene’s debut novel considers the limits of artificial intelligence and its ability to simplify our lives.
wapo.st
June 20, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Beautiful, profoundly moving review from @rvoronacote.bsky.social about grief and the allure of AI as a means of avoiding all difficult emotions.
Reposted by Paul Cote
*guy who cant possibly comprehend that sometimes a visual artist has an aesthetic seeing that there's a new wes anderson coming out* WUUUughhguuhghghhhzzzuuuuuh??? WHUhh????? Bbbbuhhhh....????
May 28, 2025 at 4:33 PM
*guy who cant possibly comprehend that sometimes a visual artist has an aesthetic seeing that there's a new wes anderson coming out* WUUUughhguuhghghhhzzzuuuuuh??? WHUhh????? Bbbbuhhhh....????
If you inherited a movie theater, what’s your first double feature?
May 25, 2025 at 4:36 AM
If you inherited a movie theater, what’s your first double feature?
Reposted by Paul Cote
This is easily one of the best magazine features I have ever read. It is funny, educational, comprehensive and detailed about multiple technical topics while staying accessible to a general reader. I wish I could nominate it for a National Magazine Award. It is well worth your time.
I love this so much this scene has also driven me crazy for my whole life slate.com/culture/2025...
It’s One of the Weirdest Mistakes in Movie History. I Spent Months Investigating How It All Went Wrong.
The story behind cinema’s most mysterious bird.
slate.com
May 17, 2025 at 5:46 PM
This is easily one of the best magazine features I have ever read. It is funny, educational, comprehensive and detailed about multiple technical topics while staying accessible to a general reader. I wish I could nominate it for a National Magazine Award. It is well worth your time.
The best parts of Andor are when, after 40 minutes of gritty Army of Shadows cosplay, they cut to Mon Mothma walking down a hallway with some googley-eyed Muppet as she’s urgently whispering “please Senator Goofenscrub, I need you to vote against The Emperor’s Glorbanflib genocide act!
May 14, 2025 at 2:44 AM
The best parts of Andor are when, after 40 minutes of gritty Army of Shadows cosplay, they cut to Mon Mothma walking down a hallway with some googley-eyed Muppet as she’s urgently whispering “please Senator Goofenscrub, I need you to vote against The Emperor’s Glorbanflib genocide act!
Reposted by Paul Cote
I know times are hard, and so much demands our attention, but my dear cousin has suffered a catastrophic hemorrhagic stroke, and those of us who love her are trying to alleviate the resultant financial strain. If you can help, either by donating or sharing, I’ll be so grateful.
gofund.me/1281207e
gofund.me/1281207e
Donate to Stand by Sarah: Stroke Recovery Fund, organized by Bridget Scala
Help Support Dr. Sarah Kaplan Browne’s Recovery
Two weeks ago, my lifelong and b… Bridget Scala needs your support for Stand by Sarah: Stroke Recovery Fund
gofund.me
May 7, 2025 at 1:36 PM
I know times are hard, and so much demands our attention, but my dear cousin has suffered a catastrophic hemorrhagic stroke, and those of us who love her are trying to alleviate the resultant financial strain. If you can help, either by donating or sharing, I’ll be so grateful.
gofund.me/1281207e
gofund.me/1281207e
Reposted by Paul Cote
Pub day for these beauties!
Both novels are certified bangers. Also! LADY AUDLEY'S SECRET features a conversation between the brilliant @sarahweinman.com and yours truly.
Two new additions to our shelf! NORTH AND SOUTH and LADY AUDLEY'S SECRET will be on YOUR shelves this May 6. 🌸 Swipe to read the note from the editors featured in each book.
All copies available for order at your favorite bookshop or at unnamedpress.com including our 2025 Subscription! #classics
All copies available for order at your favorite bookshop or at unnamedpress.com including our 2025 Subscription! #classics
May 6, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Pub day for these beauties!
Reposted by Paul Cote
People will always say they’re your friend and they support you no matter what but then they’ll say some toxic shit to you like “you have to let go of the cursed amulet, it’s changing who you are” and “don’t let its power corrupt you” all because they want the amulet for themselves
April 10, 2025 at 4:54 PM
People will always say they’re your friend and they support you no matter what but then they’ll say some toxic shit to you like “you have to let go of the cursed amulet, it’s changing who you are” and “don’t let its power corrupt you” all because they want the amulet for themselves
Reposted by Paul Cote
My latest piece for @washingtonpost.com's Book World is an essay on grief literature, drawing significantly on Lauren Markham's Immemorial (a beautiful book), with some forays into Roland Barthes, and a bit about a tree that I think might remember my late mother.
Here's a gift link: wapo.st/4cqRvrD
Here's a gift link: wapo.st/4cqRvrD
Guest column | Words aren’t enough to describe grief, but they can still be a refuge
For all its agonies and loneliness, grief continually asserts itself as a creative force.
wapo.st
April 10, 2025 at 3:16 PM
My latest piece for @washingtonpost.com's Book World is an essay on grief literature, drawing significantly on Lauren Markham's Immemorial (a beautiful book), with some forays into Roland Barthes, and a bit about a tree that I think might remember my late mother.
Here's a gift link: wapo.st/4cqRvrD
Here's a gift link: wapo.st/4cqRvrD
Reposted by Paul Cote
49% of Troy was like "they tried to kill us yesterday" but 51 were chanting HORSE! HORSE! really loud
February 27, 2025 at 7:01 PM
49% of Troy was like "they tried to kill us yesterday" but 51 were chanting HORSE! HORSE! really loud
Reposted by Paul Cote
For those who just watched the Severance season finale, may I share the following oldie but goodie with you:
The Muppet Show - 201: Don Knotts - “The Windmills of your Mind” (1977)
YouTube video by The Muppet Show Vault
youtu.be
March 22, 2025 at 2:57 AM
For those who just watched the Severance season finale, may I share the following oldie but goodie with you:
Reposted by Paul Cote
To all the Democrats who spent the last 10 years insisting we need a “strong Republican Party”: well, we got one. What did we need it for, again?
March 18, 2025 at 1:00 AM
To all the Democrats who spent the last 10 years insisting we need a “strong Republican Party”: well, we got one. What did we need it for, again?
Reposted by Paul Cote
Retire the comedy and tragedy masks and replace them with Walter Goggins
March 17, 2025 at 5:23 PM
Retire the comedy and tragedy masks and replace them with Walter Goggins
Reposted by Paul Cote
"This is going to ruin the tour."
- Justin Timberlake talking about his DUI arrest and Chuck Schumer talking about his own recent congressional record
- Justin Timberlake talking about his DUI arrest and Chuck Schumer talking about his own recent congressional record
March 17, 2025 at 2:51 PM
"This is going to ruin the tour."
- Justin Timberlake talking about his DUI arrest and Chuck Schumer talking about his own recent congressional record
- Justin Timberlake talking about his DUI arrest and Chuck Schumer talking about his own recent congressional record