REVIEW: Jane Got a Gun

Directed by Gavin O'Connor
2015 Western
1 hour 38 minutes
The Weinstein Company

Starring
Natalie Portman
Joel Edgerton
Ewan McGregor
Rodrigo Santoro
Noah Emmerich
Boyd Holbrook

REVIEW: 45 Years

 

Directed by Andrew Haigh
2015 Drama
1 hour 35 minutes
From Sundance Selects

Starring
Charlotte Rampling
Tom Courtenay

REVIEW: The Finest Hours

Directed by Craig Gillespie
2016 Drama
1 hour 57 minutes
From Disney

Starring
Chris Pine
Casey Affleck
Holliday Grainger
Ben Foster
Eric Bana

Anne Baxter

It may be that there was never an actress who made as many inferior movies as Anne Baxter did.  She made 50 films and is primarily known for just two of them.  Frankly, even in those two, I think the films are better than she is in them.  You may disagree.

Jeanne Crain

Actresses were hired for any number of reasons.  Sometimes it was for talent but often that talent was unknown or untapped at the time of hiring.  It was hoped the lady would develop some talent that would come through training and grooming.  Sometimes she was brought into the family of a great studio for her looks and sometimes it was because those looks projected some sort of image the studio was looking for.

The Directors: Otto Preminger

To say that this man was a challenge is a serious, multi-faceted understatement.  On the upside, without him it might have taken many more years to hack away at the censorship that stifled movies' creativity.  He also helped end the horrendous blacklist. On the downside was his behavior on film sets and his treatment of actors.  His tantrums were legendary.  He berated, belittled and insulted actors.  Some challenged him to fights, some wept, many said they'd never work with him again. 

Rambling Reporter III

Oscar Nominations

Well, they're out.  Let's discuss the top eight categories... picture, directing, writing and acting categories.  We offer kudos, boos, facts, predictions, snubs.  Just tap on read more below and let's get going.

Miss Rita Hayworth

She was known as The Love Goddess and her sultry looks set the standard for her generation.  During the war-torn first half of the 40s she became one of the two most popular pin-up queens for the men in the military (Betty Grable being the other) and her photos were plastered in lockers and adorned the sides of bombers.  Unlike a lot of top actresses, Rita Hayworth had a warm, personal appeal that stemmed greatly from an innate shyness from which she never recovered.

REVIEW: The Revenant

Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu
2015 Western
1 hour 56 minutes
From 20th Century Fox

Starring
Leonardo DiCaprio
Tom Hardy
Will Poulter
Domhnall Gleeson
Forrest Goodluck
Lukas Haas

Good 40s Films: Rope

1948 Drama
From Warner Bros
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock

Starring
James Stewart
John Dall
Farley Granger
Cedric Hardwicke
Edith Evanson
Joan Chandler
Constance Collier
Douglas Dick
Dick Hogan

REVIEW: The Hateful Eight

Directed by Quentin Tarantino
2015 Western
3 hours, 7 minutes
From The Weinstein Company

Starring
Samuel L. Jackson
Kurt Russell
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Walton Goggins
Damien Bechir
Tim Roth
Michael Madsen
Bruce Dern
James Parks
Dana Gourrier
Zoe Bell
Channing Tatum