As a rule, I don’t like comedies. Inevitably, it seems, comedy turns into a bully. It laughs at the stooge and when it laughs loud enough and long enough, everyone else will join in. A dream fails, smothered beneath a rude trombone note. A character, offering her whole heart for justice, any bit justice, and … Continue reading
Written by Frank S. Nugent from a novel by Alan LeMay and directed by John Ford, the finest there ever was when it came to the Western, The Searchers is considered by most critics to be the greatest Western ever put on film. “As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece … Continue reading
“A preacher with a vicious mission marries a widow in order to discover the location of 10,000 dollars her husband hid from her son.” Directed By: Charles Laughton Rating: Approved, 93 min THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS You will not know evil when you see it. It will walk down the lane in the dusk, the hems of … Continue reading
“When she is selected to open a nunnery in the Himalayas, Sister Clodagh must hold the nuns together against the indifferent forces of the mountain, the conflicts with villagers, and the emerging pasts of the nuns that threaten to pull them apart.” Directed By: Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger Rated: PG13, 100 min Black Narcissus begins with … Continue reading
Before Steve McQueen was being cool in movies like The Getaway and The Thomas Crown Affair (not the remakes), he was saving his own town from an angry gelatin that ate people in The Blob. One night Steve (McQueen) and his girlfriend Jane (Aneta Corsaut) come across an old man with some weird residue stuck to his … Continue reading
I recently decided to examine films from a list considered to be the mostest greatestest films of all time. One that floats about in the middle of the American Film Institutes Top 100 of all time is The Third Man (1949) written by Graham Greene, directed by Carol Reed, and produced by David O. Selznick. Anything that is … Continue reading
This post was originally written and published by Margaret Perry on The Great Katharine Hepburn. Attempting to categorise classic Hollywood stars as feminist or anti-feminists is basically a futile exercise. In the first place, the term “feminist” or “feminism” didn’t come into wide usage until the late 1960s, when the “2nd wave” was in full swing. … Continue reading
It is going to be a wonderful weekend on TCM for classic movie fans. Most of today will be devoted to the crime/suspense/thrillers of directors Raoul Walsh and Edwin L. Marin. I especially recommend Walsh’s Manpower (1941), starring Edward G. Robinson, Marlene Dietrich, and George Raft, which will be on today at 10:45 am. Then at … Continue reading
If you are an Elvis Presley fan, today is the day for you! TCM will be airing the rock n’ roll star’s films all day, starting with Speedway (1968) at 6:15 am and ending with Love Me Tender (1956) at 6:30 pm. I can personally recommend Jailhouse Rock (1957), which will be on at 2:45 pm. This classic movie is … Continue reading
Sorry I went AWOL over the holidays, but I am back with a vengeance. To see an overview of what to expect this month on Turner Classic Movies, check out this post on my blog The Great Katharine Hepburn! Guest programmer Bill Paxton was recently nominated for an Emmy award for the TV mini-series Hatfields & … Continue reading
The Cinematic Katzenjammer 