M*A*S*Hseen @ Landmark Loews Jersey Theater, Jersey City, NJ5.3.13I've known about Robert Altman for a long time, but I never really studied him or his films in any great depth. I've seen M*A*S*H and The Player a bunch of times, but sadly, I've yet to see Nashville. One of these days... Still, I always figured I knew what defined his films: huge, ensemble casts, lots of actorly improvisation, and overlapping dialogue. It wasn't until I saw M*A*S*H on the big screen for the first time earlier this month, ... read more »
The Mary Astor Blogathon is an event honoring the life and film career of actress Mary Astor, and is hosted by Tales of the Easily Distracted and Silver Screenings. Click on the links for a complete list of participating blogs.Dodsworthseen on TV @ TCM4.14.13"What a drag it is getting old," the Rolling Stones sang, and brother, ain't that the truth. It's nothing you can control, try as you might. In your head, you may still feel like you can mosh like a madman and rave till dawn, but one day, you wake up... read more »
Oooooh boy, the summer movie season is finally upon us, and while my expectations for the summer blockbusters are fair-to-middling this year, it's still exciting to see what they have for us. As much as I've been kvetching on Twitter about the new Star Trek film, for instance, there's no way I can avoid seeing it, simply because it is Star Trek. The superhero movies, on the other hand, I've cooled down on a little bit - too much of a good thing, y'know - but hope springs eternal. Can Christopher Nolan's ... read more »
42seen @ AMC Fresh Meadows, Fresh Meadows, Queens, NY4.18.13And now, five things I thought of as I watched 42:1. I wished my father had lived to see this, because this would've soooooo been up his alley. I got my appreciation for baseball from him at an early age. (It used to be love at one point. It must have been love, but like the song says, it's over now. Invite me to a ball game and I'll go, especially if it's a minor league game; I just don't feel the passion for it that I once did.)For all of our ... read more »
The Actressseen on TV @ TCM4.4.13I don't recall the first time I ever heard of Ruth Gordon. I suspect the first time I saw her was very likely in Rosemary's Baby, though I didn't know who she was then. I had a teacher in college who claimed she completely identified with Gordon's character in Harold and Maude, even though she was nowhere near as old as Gordon was in that film.Both of these films came in the latter phase of Gordon's career, and I have yet to see her when she was younger, but even so, my i... read more »
I normally don't make a big deal out of commemorating another natal anniversary (as Ivan calls them). Growing older has given me less reason to celebrate as the years pile on, but still, I try not to think about it and attempt to go through life as if I were still 25 and the world was my oyster. (Strange expression. What would I do with an oyster other than eat it?) But you're not here to listen to me complain about getting old (are you?), you're here for me to amuse and edify you (I think), so check out... read more »
Mrs. MiniverRandom Harvestseen on TV @ TCM3.11.13So according to the website Behind the Name, the name "Greer" comes from the Scottish, and is a derivation of "Gregor." It's one of those old-fashioned names you hardly ever see anymore, so perhaps it's only fitting that it's associated with one of the big movie stars of the past - namely, Greer Garson. I can't say I'm too familiar with her, but I do recall having seen her biggest hit, Mrs. Miniver, back when I was working video retail. At the time, I tho... read more »
**600th POST**The Queens World Film Festival is a six-day event which showcases films from around the world at venues within the New York City borough of Queens. Throughout this week, I'll write about select films from the show. For more information about the festival,visit the website.So QWFF began a little differently for me this year. I arrived at the Museum of the Moving Image sooner than expected, even though it was around a quarter after seven. The front door was closed, so I, along with a couple o... read more »
The most important news - for me, at least - is that the Queens World Film Festival returns next week, and once again I'll be there to cover it. It's a long one this year, March 5-10, but I'll do my best to cover as much of it as I can. I was not prepared for the level of hospitality and generosity I received from festival heads Don and Katha Cato last year, which included being invited to Don's birthday party last summer, which I totally did not expect. Therefore, I'm fondly looking forward to returning... read more »
One Two Threeseen @ Landmark Loews Jersey theater, Jersey City, NJ2.23.13When I still drunk soda on a regular basis, I was a Pepsi drinker. As a kid, drinking soda went hand in hand with redeeming the empty bottles for cash. There was a tiny bodega a couple of blocks from our house that accepted empty bottles, and my parents places the responsibility burden of redeeming them on me. While it was always great to get free money, especially when you're young, I hated having to be the one to gather all the bo... read more »
