UK-based movie blogger with a passion for The Lord of the Rings, international films and Cary Grant’s filmography.
Classic Hollywood celebrates American films that were released between the 1910s and the 1960s. Commercial film production in the United States developed rapidly after World War I (1914-1918); the major Hollywood studios together were releasing more than 500 feature films a year by the mid-1930s. Source: Professor David Neumeyer. The American Film Institute (AFI) has... Continue Reading →
Prior to watching His Girl Friday I thought that I knew what a 'motormouth' was. I now realise that the people I had thought were speedy speakers were in fact very slow in comparison to the lightning fast repartee between Gary Grant and Rosalind Russell. The third outing between Grant and director Howard Hawks sees... Continue Reading →
This week in Thursday Movie Picks – run by Wandering through the Shelves – we’ve been asked to list three to five directors who took home the Best Director Oscar. As usual, I’ve made my selection from films I have seen. What does a director do? MasterClass explains: "A director is a person who determines the... Continue Reading →
First time watches dominated this month, although I kicked off my Bondathon (again) ahead of No Time To Die's release later this year. Thanks to a free one-week trial of NOW I was able to see quite a few films from classic Hollywood as well as the Oscar-winning Promising Young Woman. 1ST TIMERS Fatal Attraction... Continue Reading →
This week in Thursday Movie Picks – run by Wandering through the Shelves – we’ve been asked to list three to psychological thrillers. As usual, I've made my selection from films I have seen. Fatal Attraction (1987) I watched this for the first time quite recently and while I knew the gist of the film -... Continue Reading →
Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan tackle American red tape and administrative annoyances in this comedy based on the lived experience of Roger Charlier, a Belgian who married an American nurse and published his story in the Baltimore Sun in 1947, two years prior to the film's release. Set post-World War II in Heidelberg, Allied-occupied Germany,... Continue Reading →
I'm fortunate to have visited over 30 countries in my thirty-something years. One of my favourite countries to visit is Norway, and a large part of that is its incredible natural beauty. In The Wave (original title Bølgen) we experience the sometimes cataclysmic repercussions of the Earth's ever-moving landscape. Inspired by real life events - and... Continue Reading →
In a landscape dominated by multi-picture franchises, CGI effects and multimillion-dollar budgets, watching a standalone film with no real plot or defined character roles can be a lovely way to give your mind a break and relax. Set in post-war rural Japan, My Neighbor Totoro explores a few weeks in the lives of sisters Satuski... Continue Reading →
Back in 2011 when this blog was in its infancy, a fellow film fan - some folks may remember Scott (aka Custard) of FrontRoomCinema - wrote a review for me on one of their favourite films, Run Lola Run. Finally, 10 years later, I too can say I've watched and enjoyed it. Directed by Tom... Continue Reading →
I watched 14 films in March, which is broken down as 12 first time views and two rewatches. I finished rewatching The Hobbit series but couldn't find any charm in Made in Italy. 1ST TIMERS Moxie (2021) - Moxie is a powerful film that will hopefully empower audiences to challenge the status quo that they witness. ★★★★... Continue Reading →
This week in Thursday Movie Picks – run by Wandering through the Shelves – we’ve been asked to list three to five actors and actresses who claimed Best Supporting Oscars. As usual, I've made my selection from films I have seen. Best Supporting Actor Alan Arkin for his performance as Edwin Hoover in Little Miss Sunshine... Continue Reading →
"Working on Ralph Bakshi's The Lord of the Rings was my Woodstock," explains Gene Hamm, an animator now living in San Francisco who cut his teeth on the ambitious 1978 animation of JRR Tolkien's classic novel. "Everybody working on the production was just totally nuts. I'm amazed we got anything done because we'd have entire conversations just... Continue Reading →
