Posted on February 1, 2019 by admin
Hitchcock’s most taut, nail-biting output came during the 1940s, a decade fraught by global war. It was a time laced with suspicion, doubt, daring, and misplaced trust.
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Posted on January 10, 2019 by admin
Some of my favorite silent films -- from Buster Keaton antics to stunning double exposure to experimental stop-motion and early wildlife documentaries. These are movies that have truly stayed with me over the years.
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Posted on December 3, 2018 by admin
For many, winter signals blazing firesides and hot cocoa. But just beyond the frosted windows is a cold, unforgiving night. Short days, bare trees, deep snow, eerie quiet. Enjoy these shivering tales that will make your frostbitten fingertips tingle.
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Posted on September 8, 2018 by admin
Best known for their iconic pairing in The Thin Man series, Powell and Loy play a spunky, witty couple who swig cocktails and solve crimes – with the help of their dog Asta. Shake up a Nick and Nora Martini, and add five more Powell/Loy pairings to your queue.
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Posted on August 28, 2018 by admin
Happy 20th anniversary to DVD Netflix! Here’s to many more comfy nights on the couch, more smiles at the mailbox and more cinematic realizations.
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Posted on August 5, 2018 by admin
Audrey Totter's tough as nails persona radiated through the screen. Starting as a radio actor in Chicago and New York, she became a respected film actor with a searing gaze that was perfect for the film noir popular at the time.
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Posted on August 1, 2018 by admin
If you haven't seen a Myrna Loy film, TCM has chosen some great ones to screen on August 2. In addition to The Thin Man, which is canon Loy, make sure you catch Libeled Lady (1936) and Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948).
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Posted on June 2, 2018 by admin
In the midst of popular schlocky Hammer horror productions, director and producer Jack Clayton set out to make a creepy, slow, psychological horror film with The Innocents (1961).
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Posted on April 23, 2018 by admin
Drawing on the themes of Shakespeare's MacBeth, Katherine is a fierce woman, tired of living by her husband's rules and she has no problem committing murder to get what she wants. And, as is the sign of good storytelling, the audience is tempted to cheer for her.
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Posted on March 10, 2018 by admin
Based on a television series from the 1960s, The Fugitive follows Dr. Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) who is falsely accused of murdering his wife. If I had to choose one film from the 1990s to watch forever, it would be this one.
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Posted on February 12, 2018 by admin
There is something of the world about Romola Garai. At 39, she has already seen a great deal in her young life. She was born in British Hong Kong and lived in Asia until she was eight. She landed her first film role at 18, playing the younger version of Dame Judi Dench in The…
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Posted on January 29, 2018 by admin
With straight-forward insight and wry humor, she shares the troubled yet strangely charming lives of the Mortmain family.
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Posted on November 17, 2017 by admin
Rather than a "locked room" mystery wherein the victim is found dead in a room where no one could have gotten in or out, Christie traps everyone together on a snowbound train. The victim, the suspects, and the detective are all stuck in the "locked room." The new movie version, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh is problematic but it was much better than the trailers led me to believe.
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Posted on November 29, 2016 by admin
Though I haven’t focused on it lately, I also write about films (often classics). I earned a master’s degree in cinema studies, really just for fun. Recently I was accepted into a stable of writers at Film Inquiry and they agreed to let me write a “Beginner’s Guide to Film Noir.” It was great fun…
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Posted on October 4, 2015 by admin
In 1922, FW Murnau, a German film director, released the vampiric horror classic Nosferatu. Based loosely on Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Murnau created a hyperstylized, proto-noir in this silent film. It set the standard for horror films for decades to come. Even shooting the film was creepy. The main actor, Max Schreck, was reportedly obsessed with his role.…
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