Off we go... Placer County is no stranger to the film business. Not to brag, but Hollywood has loved our scenery since the silent era. Charlie Chaplin, of course, filmed The Gold Rush in Truckee. Nike, when much wiser and more daring heads prevailed in the PR department, used Foresthill Bridge for the bungee-jumping scene … Continue reading Hollywood Comes To Auburn
The Seen On the Screen Blogathon Has Arrived
We're here, guys, and we're about to go places this weekend! Can't believe this blogathon has come already, because I feel like I just announced this thing and 2023 is flying by. As usual, if anyone's coming in late and wants to join us, because impulse trips are a thing sometimes, please let me know. … Continue reading The Seen On the Screen Blogathon Has Arrived
Different Year, Different Weirdness
The weirdness is back, bay-bee, and since my last go-round I've been dubbed the Queen of the Bad Movie by Michael of the wonderful Maniacs and Monsters blog, a title I wear proudly because Michael and his co-writer, Andrew are well-acquainted with weirdness themselves. So yeah, thank you, Michael. 🙂 Now, with the title comes … Continue reading Different Year, Different Weirdness
One Week Until the Seen On the Screen Blogathon
Seven days left, all, and I don't know about you, but I'm getting excited because we're gonna be going all kinds of places. Thanks once again to everyone who's signed up, and as usual, if anyone would like to join us, there's plenty of room, so just drop me a line and we'll get you … Continue reading One Week Until the Seen On the Screen Blogathon
Page To Screen: Jane Eyre
Jane Eyre is a very personal heroine who, once encountered, is hard to forget, and everyone has their own ideas as to how she should be portrayed. The proof is in the dozens of film and TV movies made about her over the past century (see a complete list here). For those who might not … Continue reading Page To Screen: Jane Eyre
We’re All In This Together
I've heard things about Sunday School Musical, and when I found it on Tubi, curiousity got the better of me, not that there's much to ruin about the movie. Simply put, it is both a nostalgia hit and a train wreck, so averting the eyes is impossible, and anyway, it's an Asylum movie, so we … Continue reading We’re All In This Together
I Have the Power…Kinda
Here come the B's... What Gen Xer doesn't remember the original He-Man cartoon? And the toy line? Everyone I knew at school, including me, were huge fans and would play He-Man at recess all the time. And of course, we all remember the 1987 live action film, Masters of the Universe. The question is, though, do we really … Continue reading I Have the Power…Kinda
Shamedown #3: The North Star
Time for a new Shamedown, people, and this one was definitely not what I expected. Before we get into that, though, if anyone would like to know what a Shamedown is, the details can be found at the CinemaShame website, and past Shamedowns can be found here. All righty, here we go... As I said … Continue reading Shamedown #3: The North Star
Announcing the Sixth Broadway Bound Blogathon!
OK, it seems like we just did this, right? Well, yes. Yes, we did. I feel weird announcing our sixth trip to Broadway only six months after our last one, but since those wacky folks at the American Theatre Wing decided to move the Tonys to September in 2020 and then move them back to … Continue reading Announcing the Sixth Broadway Bound Blogathon!
A Tale of Sentinels and Fire
TV's on again, guys... One of my favorite shows in college was The Sentinel, and by far one of my favorite episodes of the series is "Light My Fire," which was originally broadcast on February 5, 1997 as part of the show's second season. I don't think it's the show's best episode, but it has a … Continue reading A Tale of Sentinels and Fire
During World War Two: John Ford
John Martin Feeney seemed born ready for a fight. He didn't start out wanting to direct films but to join the United States Navy, and upon graduation from Portland High School in Maine he applied to the Naval Academy. When Feeney was rejected, he went to Hollywood and worked as an apprentice to his older … Continue reading During World War Two: John Ford
Vampires, Werewolves, and Tags…Oh My
OK, the Pick My Movie Tag has come back to haunt me, and I'm good with that, because people have taken this thing and run with it, which is fun and highly gratifying (Thanks, blogosphere!). Anyway, my friend Sally of 18 Cinema Lane has tapped me in to write about a vampire film made after … Continue reading Vampires, Werewolves, and Tags…Oh My
One Month Until the Seen On the Screen Blogathon
We're getting close, all...are you ready? I'm so glad everyone has gotten into this topic, which is, admittedly, pretty unusual, and I'm curious to see what kinds of stories you've got about the places you've picked and how this works into the film or films you've picked. Thanks everyone who's signed up so far--you all … Continue reading One Month Until the Seen On the Screen Blogathon
The Allure of the Bad Boy
Nice to see Mr. Keaton again... Early sound films can be funny. The stereotype is, of course, that actors had to huddle around a microphone badly hidden or not while punching out their lines with all the sincerity of rain-soaked fence posts. Buster Keaton being Buster Keaton, though, all bets were off, and one of … Continue reading The Allure of the Bad Boy
Service With A Smile
Well, hello, Mr. Kaye... It's no secret that during the Second World War the public were to never quite forget the current situation, and movies that promoted everyone getting in on the fight were especially welcome by the Office of War Information, but I have to wonder how prepared they were for 1944's Up In … Continue reading Service With A Smile
Stage To Screen: Shadowlands
Although he was a literary powerhouse, C.S. Lewis has very seldom been portrayed on the screen as himself (Sorry, Treebeard, although you still kinda count). One of the most major works associated with him is Shadowlands, which mainly focuses on Lewis's life with his wife, Joy Davidman Gresham. For those who aren't familiar with Lewis … Continue reading Stage To Screen: Shadowlands
Shamedown #2: The Hidden Fortress
Our second dose of Shame! As usual, if anyone would like to know what a Shamedown is, the deets can be found on CinemaShame's website. All righty, then, here we go... The 1958 film, The Hidden Fortress is rather notorious because of its pedigree as a Kurosawa film and being one of George Lucas's inspirations for … Continue reading Shamedown #2: The Hidden Fortress
Taking Up Room 