You might not know the name, but the face is instantly recognizable in television and film. Watch one of the classic TV channels and you will see a lot of her work. When I think of female character actors, Jeanette Nolan is on a select list that includes Ellen Corby, Thelma Ritter, Mildred Natwick, Nancy … More Jeanette Nolan (actor)
I just finished a three-session film class on Alfred Hitchcock. Over six hours, we tried to digest his remarkable career. Of course, it helps to have seen most of his films and much of his television anthology series. Hitchcock is a lot of things, personality, auteur, mystery and macabre storyteller, and great observer of life. … More Hitchcock by the Decade
This blog is a companion to my “Almost Noir” posting. I listed Eddie Muller as a noir expert, he is a film historian, host on TCM and keeper of the noir genre. Muller published a fascinating book on film noir, Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir, in 1998, and has updated and expanded … More Dark City: Film Noir
One of my favorite film subjects, Tom Hanks is a fascinating actor/filmmaker. Search my site, you will find several entries, including more detailed reviews of the films below. These three films are from Hank’s most recent work. This is the mature Hanks, who slips into character roles, like the finest actors of the past. Bridge … More Tom Hanks: Some Recent Roles
I am going to present you two stacks of DVDs (no Blu-ray disks mixed in). You are going on a trip and these are the only entertainment you will have. No TV, cable or internet. Which one would you choose? No trading between stacks. Stack 1 Roman Holiday (1953) – Reporter Gregory Peck and Princess … More DVDs: Which Stack?
Who does not have an opinion of actor Brad Pitt? The old saying goes that women want to be with him and men want to like like him, or maybe some men want to be with him too. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Pitt is now 57 years old, thankfully, most of us … More Brad Pitt: His Career Examined
On a rainy day or when you’re not feeling yourself, curling up with a movie is good company. Is it Love Story or The Dirty Dozen? In Sleepless in Seattle, there is actually a scene about guy movies, as a response to An Affair to Remember, which is pivotal to the plot of Sleepless in … More Comfort Movies
This is the best of James Stewart’s family films during the 1960s. Stewart’s decade of the 1950s was radically different from what followed in the 1960s. The 1950s was Stewart’s best decade of work; not only were his films very successful, but he turned in a variety of deeply convincing and challenging performances. I believe … More Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)
The Western film was a big part of my early life. I formed much of what I believed about our country’s westward expansion and taming of the frontier from what I saw on the screen. We should not rely on learning history from Hollywood, but it was hard not to in those days. Films and … More The Legacy of the Western
Iconic actress Maureen O’Hara had a long successful film career. She is known for her pairing with John Wayne in five films, but she was a great co-star with many of Hollywood’s great leading men. During the years 1961-1963, she appeared in four of her best roles and most memorable films. She portrayed many fiery, … More Maureen O’Hara (1961-1963)
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