December 7, 1919: Director/actor Erich von Stroheim, “The Man You Love to Hate,” makes his directorial debut with Blind Husbands. December 11, 1930: A protest of All Quiet on the Western Front by members of the Nazi Party in Berlin…
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In a Lonely Place (1950): Classic Film Review
Guest blogger Richard Finch writes: Film: In a Lonely Place Country: U.S. Director: Nicholas Ray ***1/2 It’s taken me more than one viewing to warm completely to In a Lonely Place. In the film Humphrey Bogart plays Dixon Steele, a…
Read more →Is The Fairy Tale Over at Disney Animation?
By way of introduction, this is the premiere installment in what I hope will be a regular series of columns discussing the latest animated releases on home video, as well as new titles on the big screen and TV, along with some…
Read more →Ted Thomas Remembers Walt & El Grupo
When he was a kid, Theodore Thomas got to have dinner every night with Walt Disney. Well, not quite in the literal sense. Ted’s father was Frank Thomas, one of the Walt Disney Studio’s fabled “Nine Old Men,” a legendary…
Read more →1980s Christmas: Cheers
Guest blogger Joanna Wilson writes: Everybody’s favorite work-place family sitcom (or drink-place family sitcom) from the 1980s is Cheers. This popular show has several holiday episodes but my own favorite is the one entitled “Christmas Cheers” from 1987. In this…
Read more →Black Swan Movie Review
Black Swan Movie Review Natalie Portman has come a long way from playing laser-blasting royalty for George Lucas—now capturing the leading role in one of the most anticipated films of the year, director Darren Aronofsky‘s Black Swan. A potent mix of showbiz melodrama…
Read more →Movie Poll: What’s your favorite Busby Berkeley musical?
What’s Taboo in the Movies Today?
The movies’ distinguished history of breaking taboos started right away. The Kiss, an 1896 short filmed in Thomas Edison’s Black Maria studio, was considered scandalous and “absolutely disgusting.” Edison’s company, perfectly anticipating the marketing strategies that would long benefit future…
Read more →Edmond O’Brien: From Shakespeare to Film Noir
Struggles with his weight might have cost him a leading man’s conventional career arc, but this native New Yorker’s indisputable presence and gifts granted Edmond O’Brien some four decades as one of Hollywood’s most compelling character players. Born in the…
Read more →Robby the Robot
I have always liked sci-fi, even the early stuff. Or maybe, especially the early stuff. I was talking with a friend and he mentioned Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet (1956). The movie is a classic of early sci-fi, with effects…
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