Author Archives: Ted Hicks

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About Ted Hicks

Iowa farm boy; have lived in NYC for 49 years; worked in motion picture labs, film/video distribution, subtitling, media-awards program; obsessive film-goer all my life.

“Dog Days” – A Pilgrim’s Progress

Posted on October 8, 2016 by Ted Hicks

Dog Days is a six-part comic web series on YouTube that follows the misadventures of a fledgling dog walker named Max Miller. It was created and written by Sam Rubinoff, a stand-up comedian for five years and a dog walker … Continue reading →

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“Hell or High Water” – The Real Deal

Posted on September 1, 2016 by Ted Hicks

Hell or High Water is one of the best films of the year so far. I’ve seen it twice in one week, drawn back by the excellence of the filmmaking, writing, and performances — the whole package. I anticipated the … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Home Video | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

From Kubrick to Murnau – Notes on Four Great Films

Posted on August 29, 2016 by Ted Hicks

Film Forum, here in New York, is currently showing a series called “Return of the Double Feature,” which offers two features for the price of a single admission. This series runs through September 13th. Each pair of films is linked … Continue reading →

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“Be curious. Stand up. Keep your eyes open. Don’t blink.” – Robert Frank

Posted on July 16, 2016 by Ted Hicks

What a terrific year this has been so far for documentaries. I just saw another great one, Don’t Blink – Robert Frank, directed by Laura Israel. I wish I had time to write a more finished piece, but we’re leaving … Continue reading →

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Varieties of Human Experience: Recent Documentaries

Posted on June 4, 2016 by Ted Hicks

In the last ten to twenty years, in addition to informing us in a journalistic sense, the best documentaries have been artistic expressions in their own right. The ones I’ve seen lately have been outstanding, uplifting, deeply moving, and extremely … Continue reading →

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The Supercharged Art of Walter Molino

Posted on May 26, 2016 by Ted Hicks

Last week a friend of mine in Minneapolis, Mark Ryan, sent me a series of illustrations by Walter Molino, an Italian comics artist and illustrator. I’d never heard of this guy, but was totally blown away by his work. I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Comics | Tagged , | 4 Comments

“Tale of Tales” Pt. 2 – Supplemental Material

Posted on May 2, 2016 by Ted Hicks

This may be a deeper dive than anyone who hasn’t already seen Tale of Tales will want to take, but here it is for those who do. First is more information about the work of Giambattista Basile, author of the film’s … Continue reading →

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“Tale of Tales” – Once Upon a Time…

Posted on April 30, 2016 by Ted Hicks

Tale of Tales presents three dark and bloody fairy tales — truly fantastic and quite wonderful flights of the imagination — yet it feels very real. Directed by Matteo Garrone, this is a lucid dream of a movie, an elaborately … Continue reading →

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“Anomalisa” – Behind the Scenes

Posted on February 13, 2016 by Ted Hicks

Anomalisa was included in my Best Feature Films of 2015 last month, but I’d originally intended to devote a separate blog post to the film. In preparation for that piece — which I didn’t write — I accumulated a variety … Continue reading →

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What I Watched Last Year: Best TV 2015

Posted on February 6, 2016 by Ted Hicks

_____________________________________________________________ The following shows were new to me last year. I should note that I have somehow not yet seen Jessica Jones (Netflix) or the second season of Fargo (FX), both of which I’m sure would be on this list. Better … Continue reading →

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