Thoughts on Laurence: I’d actually never heard of him before watching this film, despite the fact that he was quite popular and appeared in many iconic films. Maybe now I’ll … Continue Reading “The Manchurian Candidate” Review – Laurence Harvey (Summer Under the Stars #11)
It’s a new month and that means a new birthday tribute! This week, I’m diving headfirst into a celebration that is a long, long time coming: Martin Milner Mondays! Milner … Continue Reading Martin Milner Mondays: Halls of Montezuma
This post is in conjunction with Film Forum’s Burt Lancaster tribute. Find out more and purchase tickets here. There are certain real-world events Hollywood is quick to capitalize on and … Continue Reading Judgment at Nuremberg (1963)
Films have always revisited eras of the past to question whether hindsight would or would not affect the outcome, and no actor was greater at this specific genre than James … Continue Reading 36 Hours (1964)
Victorian literature is recognized for its emphasis on repression, social hierarchy, and gender politics. When William Thackery published Vanity Fair in 1848 he couldn’t have assumed that its heroine, Becky … Continue Reading Becky Sharp (1935)
When it comes to war movies I tend to gravitate more towards stories about the homefront. American citizens were enmeshed in the drama of both world wars, but when it … Continue Reading Since You Went Away (1944)
Twilight Time could never have predicted the recent passing of Omar Sharif, star of their latest Blu-ray release, The Night of the Generals. Directed by Anatole Litvak, this WWII murder … Continue Reading The Night of the Generals (1967)
Doctor Zhivago is a movie whose reputation precedes it. Doctor Zhivago marks my first foray into David Lean territory – a director I’ve avoided because his movies require getting comfy for … Continue Reading Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Oof, Fridays With Yvonne De Carlo is off to a rocky start. Though never an A-list actress, De Carlo is best remembered to legions of television fans as Lily Munster … Continue Reading Fridays With…Yvonne De Carlo: Salome, Where She Danced (1945)
The first person to cross the finish line wins, a rule that Hollywood endorses no matter what. When revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara died in 1967 Hollywood scrambled to present his … Continue Reading Che! (1969)
Originally published August 13th, 2013 Pint-sized actress Margaret O’Brien’s movies aren’t always winners (Tenth Avenue Angel), but her exuberance and maturity, all while remaining innocent and precious, elevates the work … Continue Reading The Canterville Ghost (1944)
Originally published September 4, 2015 Cinematic misfires can happen in Hollywood. Cleopatra is a great example. Take A-list stars, add an exorbitant budget and you’ll have an instant hit, right? … Continue Reading The Young Lions (1958)
Our final Preston Sturges film of the week with Hail the Conquering Hero, one of two Sturges films released in the same year, both starring Eddie Bracken (the other being … Continue Reading Hail the Conquering Hero (1944)
Before Twilight Time’s recent release I’d never heard of Man Hunt, odd considering it’s directed by acclaimed director Fritz Lang, and starring 1940s heavy-hitters Walter Pidgeon, George Sanders, and Joan … Continue Reading Man Hunt (1941)
The secret in Santa Vittoria is where a million bottles of wine are stashed, a mundane plot for a WWII comedy, right? Director Stanley Kramer, whose work expressed the hilarity … Continue Reading The Secret of Santa Vittoria (1969)
There’s little actual desire to find in Desire Me, a 1947 Warner romance that should be memorable for being the only pairing of Robert Mitchum and Greer Garson, but instead is … Continue Reading Desire Me (1947)