Wednesday, November 30

REVIEW: Nocturnal Animals





Directed by Tom Ford
2016 Drama, thriller
1 hour 56 minutes
From Focus Features

Starring
Amy Adams
Jake Gyllenhaal
Michael Shannon
Aaron Taylor-Johnson
Armie Hammer
Isla Fisher
Karl Glusman
Michael Sheen
Laura Linney

Tuesday, November 29

REVIEW: Allied





Directed by Robert Zemeckis
2016 Romance War Drama
2 hours 4 minutes
From Paramount Pictures

Starring
Brad Pitt
Marion Cotillard
Jared Harris
Simon McBurney
Lizzy Caplan
Daniel Betts
August Diehl
Matthew Goode

Friday, November 25

Good 40s Films: East Side, West Side

1949 Drama
From MGM
Directed by Mervyn LeRoy

Starring
Barbara Stanwyck
James Mason
Van Heflin
Ava Gardner
Cyd Charisse
Nancy Davis
Gale Sondergaard
William Conrad
Beverly Michaels
Douglas Kennedy
William Frawley

Tuesday, November 22

The Directors: Michael Curtiz

He was one of the most prolific directors Hollywood ever had. One of the great workhorses, his output, especially in Hollywood's Golden Age, is simply incredible. Though his last film was in 1961, there would be precious few today who are unaware of quite a cache of his films.  You may not know he directed them and some of you may not have heard of him, but you know the films.

Friday, November 18

REVIEW: Loving





Directed by Jeff Nichols
2016 Biographical Drama
2 hours 3 minutes
From Focus Features

Starring
Joel Edgerton
Ruth Negga
Will Dalton
Terri Abney
Marton Csokas
Nick Kroll
Michael Shannon

Tuesday, November 15

B Leading Men II

These two B leading men, Paul Douglas and Broderick Crawford, have a few things in common.  One is that their leading men status alternated with second leads. Both were burly and loud and gruff. They were born in the same city.  And they shared a famous role, that of uncouth junkyard tycoon, Harry Brock, in the comedy Born Yesterday.  Douglas played the part on Broadway and Crawford in the film.  Let's fill in the stats:

Friday, November 11

Good 40s Films: A Letter to Three Wives

1949 Drama
From 20th Century Fox
Directed by Joseph Mankiewicz

Starring
Jeanne Crain
Linda Darnell
Ann Sothern
Kirk Douglas
Paul Douglas
Jeffrey Lynn
Thelma Ritter
Barbara Lawrence
Connie Gilchrist

Tuesday, November 8

Character Actors: Woolley & Gomez

It's not a stretch to conclude that Monty Woolley and Thomas Gomez had a few things in common.  Both were born in New York City around the turn of the last century, both were accomplished stage actors before becoming movie performers, they were character actors who were highly-skilled scene-stealers, they were on the round side and both were gay although they conducted their lives far differently.

Friday, November 4

Mr. Reliable: Joseph Cotten

His longtime pal and discoverer, Orson Welles, once told Jo Cotten that he wasn't sure if he would be a very good actor but he was bound to become a big movie star.  Cotten certainly appeared in a number of important movies but I am not sure that I would include him in the ranks of the big movie stars.  To be frank, I thought he could be a bit colorless. I wish he'd played against type more. Watching a number of his films over the years, I found myself thinking of who I might have rather seen in his role.

Tuesday, November 1

Good 40s Films: The Postman Always Rings Twice

1946 Film Noir
From MGM
Directed by Tay Garnett

Starring
Lana Turner
John Garfield
Cecil Kellaway
Hume Cronyn
Leon Ames
Audrey Totter
Alan Reed
Jeff York