Film Analysis & Criticism
Ebiri argues that deep expertise in a source text often blinds viewers to the actual movie on screen. In his most-discussed post — 67 replies — he contended that audiences assume source knowledge is an advantage for assessing adaptations, but it's often a disadvantage "because you’re unable to see the movie for what it is," admitting this happened to him with Scorsese’s THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, which he initially disliked but now loves [1]. He defended this stance against pushback, clarifying he means "DEEP knowledge" held by experts, translators, or writers, not casual readers, and noting that highly faithful adaptations make even minor changes sting more [1]. He applied this lens to Nolan’s THE ODYSSEY, engaging with criticisms but firmly rejecting the claim the film is boring — his second most-replied post (59 replies) stated, "Happy to engage with most (sincere) criticisms of Nolan’s THE ODYSSEY but you lose me completely with the contention that it’s ‘boring.’ Like, I really don’t know what to say to that. No, it’s not." [2]. He also pushed back on the notion that Nolan couldn't make a film like EYES WIDE SHUT, noting critics said the same thing about Kubrick both before and after he made it [3].
Adaptation Theory: Ebiri lays out a theoretical stance that deep knowledge of a source text impairs film assessment, citing his own initial dislike of THE AGE OF INNOCENCE [1].
Defending The Odyssey: Ebiri defends Nolan's THE ODYSSEY from criticism, rejecting the "boring" label and engaging with claims about the director's range [2][3][4].
Director & Film Commentary: Ebiri discusses Michael Mann's Miami Vice on its anniversary, recommends Kiyoshi Kurosawa, reviews Gregg Araki, and notes Anthony Quinn's history of playing Greeks [5][6][7][8][9].
Film Industry News & Culture
Ebiri amplifies screening announcements, restorations, and peer film writing. He resurfaces his own 2021 essay on Michael Mann's MIAMI VICE for its anniversary, retweeting multiple peers praising the film [5][10][11][12][13]. He promotes a podcast appearance on THE ODYSSEY [14] and highlights restorations for Visconti’s WHITE NIGHTS and Glazer’s SEXY BEAST [15][16]. He signals directional support for peers' work, sharing a Vulture article on Matt Johnson's Bourdain project [17] and coverage of the Heat 2 development history, noting the $165 million budget and studio moves from WB to Sony/Paramount to Amazon MGM [18]. He also publishes his own reviews for Flaco the Owl doc WILD INSIDE, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s THE SAMURAI AND THE PRISONER, and Gregg Araki’s I WANT YOUR SEX [19][7][8].
other
A catch-all for viral retweets, sports jokes, and environmental news. Ebiri retweets posts lamenting AI's societal impact [20][21], joking about NBA pricing [22], and covering ecological collapse, such as the death of an Arizona lake's fish population and Scotland's new "swift brick" building law [23][24].
Also this week
Mourning & Tributes (~8%): Ebiri amplifies remembrances for French DJ Kavinsky, whose "Nightcall" opened Drive, retweeting madeon's tribute [25][26]. He also amplifies the passing of Glen Hansard, retweeting Padraig Belton's extensive tribute on Hansard's legacy busking for the homeless on Grafton Street each Christmas Eve, and his Oscar-winning film ONCE [27][28][29][30].
Politics & Social Issues (~7%): Ebiri retweets commentary pushing back on revisionist COVID history, including a post reminding that medical workers worked hard to save lives during a novel pandemic, countering GOP narratives [31][32]. He amplifies a post calling out Katie Miller for hypocrisy after Fauci diary entries revealed he checked on her while she was pregnant in 2020, despite her later calls to jail him [33]. He also engages with police abolitionism debates and quotes an article on the decline of primary care doctors [34][35].
Pop Culture & Music (~4%): Ebiri retweets a take on The Strokes' internal dynamic, noting Casablancas wants to make absurdly bad/good music while the rest of the band wants decent enough albums [36]. He quotes a study claiming people speak 30% fewer words per day than 20 years ago, saying "Can say true" [37], and comments on the divorce of Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty owners Joseph Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai [38].
Personal Anecdotes & Observations (~3%): Ebiri shares a relatable behind-the-scenes moment from the Criterion Closet, revealing he has only ever taken two movies from the closet — THE CONFESSION and STATE OF SIEGE, both by Costa-Gavras [39].
Top conversations
67 replies · 168.1k viewsEbiri argues that deep knowledge of a source text is often a disadvantage when assessing its film adaptation, engaging with users to clarify he means expert-level knowledge and noting that faithful adaptations make minor changes sting more. [1]
59 replies · 48.2k viewsEbiri firmly rejects the contention that Nolan's THE ODYSSEY is boring, stating he loses the ability to engage with that specific criticism. [2]
20 replies · 63.6k viewsEbiri resurfaces his 2021 Vulture essay on Michael Mann's MIAMI VICE for its 20th anniversary, joking that the film is almost old enough to legally purchase a mojito. [5]
Retweets
(3.7M views)retweeted @fvckfemi_ stating the world was fine without AI. [21]
(1.8M views)retweeted @RNB215 joking that Sixers tickets won’t have prices next to them, just names of human organs. [22]
(1.7M views)retweeted @caitiedelaney arguing society is normalizing surveillance culture and rewarding freaks for invading people’s privacy so we fight it less when the government does it. [40]
(1.6M views)retweeted @thejackhopkins recounting ICE grabbing a Missouri roofer with no warrant, resulting in the self-deportation of his wife and their deaths in a cane field, stating, 'Not a side effect. The point. Enough of this bullshit.' [41]
(1.4M views)retweeted @fawnn404 arguing people's politics would become very different if they stopped seeing the global south as a collection of humanitarian crises and started seeing it as the majority of humanity. [42]
