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Celebrating Black Film Artists
In honor of Juneteenth, I decided to collect links to some of the articles I’ve written where I discuss the work of black film artists in one celebratory post. I hope it will encourage readers to seek out work by black directors, actors and writers that I’ve singled out and discover more of their incredible output. THE BRUTAL TRUTH: Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave … Continue reading Celebrating Black Film Artists
HOLLYWOOD COMES TO HEARST CASTLE: MEMORIES & MUSINGS
Maybe it was the Hollywood homes featured in my last post or the ongoing worldwide celebration of Orson Welles 100th birthday? Whatever the reason, I spent a great deal of contemplating William Randolph Hearst and his massive hilltop estate at San Simeon last week. As any classic film fan worth their salt knows, the newspaper mogul once played host to many Hollywood stars and starlets … Continue reading HOLLYWOOD COMES TO HEARST CASTLE: MEMORIES & MUSINGS
10 GREAT CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER PERFORMANCES
My favorite moment of this year’s Oscar telecast occurred when a sprightly 82-year-old Christopher Plummer took the stage in a beautiful velvet suit to accept his Best Supporting Actor award. He was incredibly gracious and gave one of the best speeches of the night. It was obvious that the Canadian actor hadn’t lost any of the charm that has made him so appealing to audiences … Continue reading 10 GREAT CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER PERFORMANCES
TELEFILM TIME MACHINE: THAT CERTAIN SUMMER (1972)
Just three short years after the Stonewall riots took place in New York ABC made television history when they aired THAT CERTAIN SUMMER (1972), the first gay-themed made-for-TV movie. This landmark telefilm is often left out of discussions about gay cinema but its significance shouldn’t be underestimated. This surprisingly smart and sensitive drama is well worth revisiting for the stand out performances, progressive script and Lamont Johnson’s … Continue reading TELEFILM TIME MACHINE: THAT CERTAIN SUMMER (1972)
Tunes & Tomes: Favorite 2020 Albums & Books
Some favorite albums from 2020 Tami Nelison – Chickaboom! Tami Nelison is a Canadian powerhouse of talent. Stumbled on a track from this album last year while scrolling through Youtube and was hooked. A combination of golden-age country, rockabilly raunch & sweet soul. Neilson writes and performs all her own songs with a band that includes her brother, guitarist Jay Neilson. Every track on the … Continue reading Tunes & Tomes: Favorite 2020 Albums & Books
Vampires & Gangsters: Four Favorite 2020 TV Premieres
I don’t watch much TV but when I do the stuff I enjoy can typically be found on PBS or FX. Fargo Season 4 – FX The finale felt rushed and didn’t exactly live up to the promise of the previous episodes but that doesn’t matter because what came before it was some of the best TV I’ve seen. Fargo Season 4 was better directed, … Continue reading Vampires & Gangsters: Four Favorite 2020 TV Premieres
World on Fire: Four Favorite 2020 Film Releases
For whatever reason (Pandemic fatigue? Regurgitated film plot fatigue?) I wasn’t very impressed with most of the new releases I watched this year. Halfway through screener season I just gave up and stopped watching new movies because I was bored. Despite my misgivings about the year in general there were a handful of films released in 2020 that I really appreciated. Here are my Top … Continue reading World on Fire: Four Favorite 2020 Film Releases
Remembering Barbara Shelley 1932-2020
“This world is the nurse of all we know, This world is the mother of all we feel, And the coming of death is a fearful blow To a brain unencompass’d by nerves of steel: When all that we know, or feel, or see, Shall pass like an unreal mystery.” – Percy Shelley, ‘On Death’ (1816) I was deeply saddened to learn that my favorite … Continue reading Remembering Barbara Shelley 1932-2020
SPY GAMES: The Looking Glass War (1969)
One of the best films I saw last year was Tomas Alfredson’s TINKER TAILOR SOLIDER SPY (2011) based on John Le Carré’s novel of the same name. It stars Gary Oldman in a career defining performance that’s earned him an Oscar nomination. I hope Oldman takes home the award but I’m not here to talk about TINKER TAILOR SOLIDER SPY. I’m here to discuss another spy film … Continue reading SPY GAMES: The Looking Glass War (1969)
THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING: MEDIUM COOL (1969)
“This is America quaking, this movie, seen the way only a gifted artist can possibly draw his photographic attention to these events . . . the roots and fruit of social turmoil, and the media pervading and even anticipating the event. The media’s involvement in the motion picture, its place in the movie, is more important than the relationship that exists between the girl and … Continue reading THE WHOLE WORLD IS WATCHING: MEDIUM COOL (1969)
POLITICS, PROTEST & PROGRESS IN THE STRAWBERRY STATEMENT
Stuart Hagmann’s THE STRAWBERRY STATEMENT (1970) is often dismissed today as a dated relic of the early 1970s. During its initial release, it was singled out for being exploitive and failing to be a straightforward adaptation of the book it was based on. Many critics claimed that Hagmann’s direction was erratic and too creative for its own good, which supposedly diminished the film’s political message. When I … Continue reading POLITICS, PROTEST & PROGRESS IN THE STRAWBERRY STATEMENT
