Do you ever feel like you must be going insane because it seems like you’re the only sane one in a messed up world of lunatics? I know modern-day politics drives me to this point many times over. Mike Nichol’s CATCH-22 (1970) takes on this premise in the darkest of comedies. At the core of this film, Alan Arkin as Captain John Yossarian is perfection … Continue reading Alan Arkin in CATCH-22 (1970)
Get your hankies ready to be soaked. Oh, and postpone that manicure because you’ll nibble off those nails anyway. Whether you’ve never seen it, or it’s one you’ve screened countless times, William Beaudine’s SPARROWS (1926) is a both a tear-jerker and nail-biting thriller to be savored. [Warning: SPOILERS will pop up ahead upon reading.] Deeply hidden in the muddy, quick-sand and alligator-infested swamps of the … Continue reading The Original Sweet Badass Momma of the Silents, Mary Pickford in SPARROWS (1926)
Edmund Goulding’s Best Picture Academy Award winning GRAND HOTEL (1932) set the standard for the ensemble cast concept of films to come. It takes an intimate view of a diverse array of characters whose lives intersect at the Grand Hotel of Berlin. We’re introduced to each main character one by one in brief snippets as we see their purposes at the hotel and their initial … Continue reading GRAND HOTEL (1932)
Before Matthew McConaughey was giving stand-out and Oscar-worthy performances in films such as DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (2013) and THE WOLF OF WALL STREET (2013) or in the popular HBO TV series “True Detective” yet after he was better known as that rom-com actor who seemingly took on a new career as a beach dude obsessed with constantly showing off his tauntly toned torso, there was … Continue reading THE LINCOLN LAWYER (2011)
Based on EM Forster’s novel, the famed production/directing duo Ismail Merchant/James Ivory’s A ROOM WITH A VIEW (1985) takes an unconventional view of a romantic tale in a very conventional time. Set in Edwardian British society, a young miss Lucy Honeychurch, portrayed delightfully by Helena Bonham Carter in her first big screen debut, and her overbearing cousin chaperone (talented Maggie Smith) vacation at the Pensione … Continue reading A ROOM WITH A VIEW (1985)
Despite urgings from industry colleagues to avoid predicted controversy (especially when three political figures are called out for their well-known antisemitism by name), producer Darryl F Zanuck fought hard to bring Elia Kazan’s GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT (1947) to the big screen. With a love story mixed in, this film tackles the subject of American antisemitism as a cultural experience, much more directly than had been endeavored … Continue reading Nuances of Antisemitism in GENTLEMAN’S AGREEMENT (1947)
What made the Pre-Code era so scandalous, was the content and characterizations in those films made between 1930-1934 in a time when censorship was in name only. In the years 1932-1934, these were the rebellious years of filmmaking where the envelope was pushed so far, the Hays code of censorship was finally enforced. One of the benefits of this scintillating period was the portrayal of … Continue reading Classic Movie History Project: Women In Film 1932-1934
For the 2nd year in a row, the ‘Cubish duo’ Aurora aka @CitizenScreen of Once Upon A Screen and yours truly of Outspoken & Freckled aka @IrishJayhawk66 are so in awe of the mega talents of writer/director Billy Wilder that hosting a birthday party blogathon in his honor is simply a must! I think Billy would appreciate the best gifts are those in the form … Continue reading Happy Birthday, Billy Wilder! (Bloggers Beguile Us with Bday Bash Gifts)
To honor Billy Wilder’s birthday (today would have been his 109th birthday), I’m sharing my thoughts on one of his most beloved comedies of all-time, SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959). Written (along with long-time writing partner IAL Diamond), produced, and directed by Billy Wilder, this film is a comedy that’s both classic and contemporary. Then and now. It was a slight change of pace for Wilder who … Continue reading Billy Wilder’s SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
What defines sexy in film? Is it watching a couple make out? Adonis and goddess bodies of perfection? Is it showy shots of skin? Is it something more taboo? If you ask, most people define sexy as not something so gratuitously obscene as pornography, but rather the suggestion of sex. What’s most hot, is usually what’s not. In other words, why let the camera do all … Continue reading Why SHE DONE HIM WRONG (1933) defines SEX
Outspoken & Freckled 