Time for another Shamedown. I kept getting that one Little Mermaid song, "Under the Sea" in my head when I was writing this. Can't imagine why. Anyway, for those who want to know what in the world a Shamedown is, please visit the Cinema Shame crew. When Irwin Allen's 1961 film, Voyage To the Bottom of the Sea was released, the … Continue reading Shamedown #3: Voyage To the Bottom Of the Sea
Carrying the Banner
In the nineteen-eighties and nineties, there were very few musicals being produced, at least not live action ones. Some people said that it was because Hollywood had forgotten how to make that type of film. There were movies that featured dancing, or maybe a song or two, but as far as films with plot-driven soundtracks, … Continue reading Carrying the Banner
Amarillo Or Bust
Miss Bette's back, y'all... We all know how studios liked certain stars in certain roles. It streamlined the whole casting process to know who could play gangsters, or high society types, or ingenues. Every once in a while, though, studios did color outside the lines, and one example of that is 1941's The Bride Came C.O.D. A … Continue reading Amarillo Or Bust
Page To Screen: Since You Went Away
There were a lot of films made about the American home front during the Second World War, but few are as sprawling or epic as David O. Selznik's 1944 movie, Since You Went Away. The story of a Midwestern family, the Hiltons, the film is based on a book of the same name by journalist Margaret Buell … Continue reading Page To Screen: Since You Went Away
Shamedown #2: Bridget Jones’s Baby
Ah, Numero Dos. Again, for those of you who are new to the Shamedown thing, please see Cinema Shame for the whys and wherefores. Everyone has a guilty pleasure, and one of mine happens to be Bridget Jones. Sometimes. Normally, R-ratings are a turnoff, but I'll make an exception now and then, and Bridget has grown on … Continue reading Shamedown #2: Bridget Jones’s Baby
Announcing the Broadway Bound Blogathon!
Yep. This is big. Really big. First, I've never hosted a blogathon before, and second, the Great White Way has been the pinnacle of so many performers' careers for almost one-hundred fifty years. I know I delve into Broadway at least every other month on Taking Up Room, but it's such a massive subject that I wanted … Continue reading Announcing the Broadway Bound Blogathon!
They Really Lived
We're still in Texas, only our hero now has the accent and a shotgun on his knee. I give you Michael Caine in 2003's Secondhand Lions. The film opens with two old men flying a biplane around a wide stretch of Texas prairie. Actually, it's more like joyriding than flying. They even barnstorm an overpass … Continue reading They Really Lived
Victor’s Pageant Tips
The man, the myth, the legend... Michael Caine is nothing if not versatile, and among his many memorable roles, he played pageant consultant Victor Melling in 2000's Miss Congeniality. The film, of course, revolves around FBI agent Grace Hart (Sandra Bullock), who is as rough around the edges as they come. She dresses like a man. … Continue reading Victor’s Pageant Tips
Taking a Leap
There's one thing that pretty much all time travel films have in common: Gadgetry. Whenever characters hop across time periods, they step into a car, or a phone booth, or turn a dial on a necklace...you get my point. There's always a vehicle by which they travel. It's very few films that have time travel … Continue reading Taking a Leap
Whales of Star Trek
The time, it must be traveled. Little side note: Because Star Trek is so well-known, I won't be including the names of the principal cast. Supporting actors are a different story, though. Although I like Star Trek, I'm not a Trekkie by any stretch of the imagination. Or maybe I am--I've seen most of the movies, and … Continue reading Whales of Star Trek
Origins: A Wrinkle In Time
Every once in a while, Hollywood seems to turn out something promising, and the upcoming A Wrinkle In Time looks to be one of those. Starring Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, Mindy Kaling, Chris Pine, and Zack Galifinakis, with Storm Reid as Meg, the film is, of course, based on Madeleine L'Engle's superlative novel. I read the book … Continue reading Origins: A Wrinkle In Time
Close Quarters
Today we've got a free-for-all movie for CineMaven's Free For All Blogathon, and it's a doozy. We're back in Washington D.C., people. The war is still on, folks are still crammed into the city like sardines, and there's more craziness to be had. Only instead of an apartment building, we're checking in at the fanciest … Continue reading Close Quarters
A Lady And Her Jewels
Elizabeth Taylor was just as famous for her jewelry as she was for her beauty and acting ability (Who else remembers White Diamonds?). Her collection was such a phenomenon that it was immortalized in a gorgeous, highly detailed book called Elizabeth Taylor: My Love Affair With Jewelry. This coffee table book is chock-full of high-definition photos. … Continue reading A Lady And Her Jewels
Then Comes Baby
We're back at the Banks house, and the stork is circling the area. A year after MGM released Father of the Bride, Father's Little Dividend came along. While not as strong as the first film, it's another sweet family story, and united a cast and crew that had become a family away from the cameras. Stanley Banks … Continue reading Then Comes Baby
Then Comes Marriage
Here comes Elizabeth... Okay, so we've visited the Banks family once before, only this time we get to see more than their gorgeous house. In 1950, Elizabeth Taylor turned eighteen, so MGM began transitioning her into more adult roles, and one of her first was Father of the Bride. Based on the best-selling novel by then-popular author … Continue reading Then Comes Marriage
Origins: Game Night
The concept of a game coming to life is definitely not new, and the latest movie about that is titled...Game Night. Yeah. Totally didn't see that coming. The title is so generic that Googling "game night movie" turns up more clip art for hosting game nights than stuff about the movie. Am I the only one … Continue reading Origins: Game Night
Shamedown #1: That Night In Rio
So it's come to this...my first Walk of Shame. Platonically speaking, of course... 🙂 If anyone wants to know why this post is called a Shamedown, please visit the fine folks at Cinema Shame. MGM was, of course, the musical powerhouse of the studio era, but it's always interesting to see what the other studios came … Continue reading Shamedown #1: That Night In Rio
Taking Up Room 