greetings!

It was another weekend spent like the little white rabbit in wonderland. By the time you read this, the Valentine’s Day event that MovieJawn cohosted with Exhumed Films and Girls Like Horror will be in the past. As I write this, my gut tells me that it went off without a hitch. Here’s hoping my speculations into the future were true.

Speaking of foretellings… I have finally gotten into the practice of TAROT. This is a ritual that I have been meaning to explore for quite a while, and I am pleased as punch to have finally dipped my toes into the mysterious waters. After procuring various decks - some gifted and some independently purchased from faraway lands - I have finally cracked a couple of them open and have found this to be a most fascinating custom. Thus far, I found this new exercise to be quite rewarding and it has piqued my interest in learning more about the witchy side of things. I will continue to share my journey here. If you practice Tarot and are up for sharing, I would love to hear about your experience. Drop me a line. With the few pulls I have made from the deck, one thing is certain: a shift has occurred and my future looks bright. Fellow Libras, did you feel it too? I am excited for the magic that is sure to come in 2026.

what’s the latest scoop?

On The Air

Several moons ago in a previous newsletter that at this point is from a land faraway, I had laid out my aspirations of the Cinematic Crypt TV Studio. More was said about this dream here, back in 2024. Side note: I will never stop being amazed at how fast time flies.

Fast forward to present day and well… it is still a dream. In 2024, the Television Studio lights were rarely lit and, sadly, the camera did not roll much. It inevitably became a land of misfit toys situation, cluttered and riddled with dust.

As stated in my first newsletter of the year, a goal for 2026 is that I stop finding my aspirations, dreams, and projects at the bottom of the to-do list. With that in mind, this past Thursday Tommy Udo and I rolled up our sleeves and got to work at cleaning up the TV Studio. We made quite a bit of progress! We even managed to film a (not so perfect) promotional video on Friday in the space, which you can view here. Something I am learning to grapple with in 2026 is to leave the idea of perfection at the door and just do the thing. It is more important to act on my ideas, make them a reality, even with the mistakes/faults, rather than simply leave them as figments in the space of possibility.

I want to enjoy the process and understand that with each act I will improve and learn something. While filming this promotional video with Tommy (pictured above in all his preciousness) for the Valentine’s Day event at Philly Film Society, I learned how to transform my iPad into a teleprompter. So even if the video is somewhat mediocre (haha) I got something out of it. Also, Tommy and I had fun.

Ultimately, the Television Studio space will be utilized for creating and experimenting with video projects. I never thought I would say this, but I have found a fondness for being in front of the camera. Which is great news as I really want to have my podcast, Cinematic Crypt be more than just a radio program. My goal is to have it continue to be on the airwaves, but also have a video broadcasting presence as well. Tommy and my gears are churning with ideas and we have many brainstorms on the type of content we will be creating for your eyes. Tommy feels something needs to be done about CINEMA ETIQUETTE and pines to see the return of my MOVIE MANNERS (watch here) series. As they say in the television biz, stay tuned and make sure you follow our YouTube channel here. 

this week i am proud of…

In The Booth

On Friday a new video series for MovieJawn that I am working on with my pal Esra Erol premiered.

IN THE BOOTH, will be an ongoing video series that will provide a sneak peek at cinematic professions. Episode 01 features Abby Forkell, a projectionist at Ambler and Hiway Theater. Abby is absolutely fantastic (she is also Tommy Udo’s Aunt) and you will see more of her in the coming weeks in some other clips we have planned to share as part of this series. Make sure to follow MovieJawn’s YouTube Channel here so that you never miss an episode.

This series means a lot to me, as I think it is important to shine a light on those that work behind the scenes. The cinema is one of my favorite places in the world. It is where I feel safe, it brings joy to my life, and most importantly it is where I go to feel alive.

I truly believe things happen for a reason, which is why the fates had me cross paths with Esra Erol. Upon meeting her, I immediately got great vibes and I knew we were going to do amazing things together. This is just the beginning, and I can’t wait to see where this takes us.

Shout out to my fellow MovieJawn pals, Ashley Jane Davis for creating the music you hear and to the amazing Sergio Valentino for assisting us with filming. The video was shot and edited by Esra Erol and produced by me.

this week i recommend…

Elvis: The Comeback Special (1968)

On Wednesday I was fortunate enough to see EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert (2026). This is the most recent Elvis Presley offering from Baz Luhrmann and is a follow-up to his 2022 motion picture, Elvis. It is a quasi documentary, but mainly a concert film composed of found footage that was restored and put together by Baz and his team.

I have plan to write a review of EPiC, so I won’t go into too much detail here other than that I found it to be exquisite and already have plans to see it again on February 23 with my mother. Watch out for my review of EPiC for MovieJawn, for the wide release on February 27.

However, watching EPiC has essentially reignited my Elvis obsession and has been cause for me revisiting one of my favorite things ever put to celluloid: THE COMEBACK SPECIAL.

To me, The Comeback Special shows us that it is never too late. It also serves as reminder that reinvention is always just around the corner. Of all the Elvis interviews and behind the scenes footage I have seen, I never feel we really SEE THE REAL HIM. However, in The Comeback Special I think it is the most raw he ever was. To me, it is perfect, don’t even try to tell me differently. Whomever made the decision to put him in that black suit, I hope is living their best (after)life. Watch The Comeback Special here in VHS glory, compliments of Archive.org, and send me a telegram thanking me after you do.

For those of you that follow me on Letterboxd, you may recall that back in 2022 I began watching the filmography of Elvis and, well, the project somewhat lost steam due to the amount of duds.

I did, however, create a rating system and compile a list of the flicks I managed to view, which you can find here.

The OFFICIAL VIVA LAS VIDEOS Elvis Watch 🍌 Rating System:

🍌🍌🍌🍌🍌= absolutely bananas

🍌🍌🍌🍌 = top banana

🍌🍌🍌 = buncha buncha bananas

🍌🍌 = very a-peeling

🍌 = boo-nana

To Benjamin’s delight, I now feel reinvigorated to restart the Viva Las Videos Elvis Watch and finally complete it. Especially after watching King Creole - that is a smoking motion picture - I have high hopes for other diamonds in the rough. Don’t miss out on reading my thoughts, follow me on Letterboxd.

Thanks for stopping by.

Happy you are here. xx.
goodbye.