Welcome back to Cooking With the French Chef, in which I review episodes of Julia Child’s original show, cook out of the new edition of the French Chef Cookbook and share the results with you. Past posts can be found here. Fruit tarts are both intriguing and intimidating. No matter the season, there they sit in the bakery … Continue reading Cooking With the French Chef: Strawberry Tarts
Judy Garland, Mystery Sleuth
Cash-ins, of course, are nothing new, and in 1945 Judy Garland was able to add another item to her resume. Well, sort of. In Judy Garland and the Hoodoo Costume, the former Dorothy Gale became an unwitting mystery sleuth. The author, Kathryn Heisenfelt, is more mysterious than her books and her books are all kinds of … Continue reading Judy Garland, Mystery Sleuth
Contractual Obligations Are So Romantic
Are we back? We seemed to get a slew of adventurous romcoms in the early 1980s, probably because a lot of people wanted to ride the Indiana Jones wave, and one of the most famous of that time was 1984's Romancing the Stone, a fiery and funny send-up of romance novels. Those who have seen that … Continue reading Contractual Obligations Are So Romantic
Made It Through May. Woo Hoo.
Golly, May was a crazy month. My son was in his last month before graduating from high school, I was in my last month of work before the summer so that meant end-of-year barbecues and other last things, and my husband is getting our Miata that we never drive ready to sell. Getting back to … Continue reading Made It Through May. Woo Hoo.
Pick A Parody, Any Parody. Well, Almost.
We haven't had a bad movie on here in a long time, and in this case I mean bad. I don't know how 2004's Miss Castaway And the Island Girls came up in my Tubi feed, but there it was, and even though I could tell it was awful, I was strangely intrigued by Michael Jackson's disembodied head … Continue reading Pick A Parody, Any Parody. Well, Almost.
Were They As Good The Second Time?
The thing with blogging, especially film or book blogging, is that we're always left to wonder if a reviewer ever changes their mind about something. It's easy to have an opinion in the heat of the moment, but after the dust settles, then what? We all know it's especially easy to do this with theatrical … Continue reading Were They As Good The Second Time?
Another Go With “Steamboat Bill, Jr.”
Welcome back, Mr. Keaton... 1928's Steamboat Bill, Jr. seems like one of the quintessential Buster Keaton movies. I'll be honest: I tried reviewing this movie for last year's Buster Keaton Blogathon and just couldn't muster an opinion. It wasn't for lack of trying, either. Long story short, as soon as I saw Lea was bringing … Continue reading Another Go With “Steamboat Bill, Jr.”
During World War Two: 1944 Movie Recs
How is it that our 1944 recs list is longer than the one for 1943? Yet here we are. There was a lot of crazy stuff happening that year, movie-wise and news-wise, so obviously this list isn't exhaustive. I saw a bunch of movies in IMDb's advanced search results that I want to add to … Continue reading During World War Two: 1944 Movie Recs
The Original Slayer
Not too long ago, I got to watch pretty much all the episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I was surprised at how much I liked it. Sure, it got goofy sometimes, but a lot of it was also really, really cool. However, it's taken decades for me to see the movie, which was pretty … Continue reading The Original Slayer
Close To Home
Grab the Kleenex... There was no shortage of tearjerker movies during the World War Two period, and one of the most successful was 1943's The Human Comedy. The public loved it. The critics loved it. It was also reputed to be Louis B. Mayer's favorite movie. How does it hold up today? Surprisingly well in a … Continue reading Close To Home
A Gallery of Graduations
Graduation, of course, is on the horizon for so many, my son and nephew included, and the bittersweet feelings are thick right now, as is the nostalgia. What better way to tap into that than watch some movies centered around graduation? Or at least have a graduation scene in them? It all works. In that … Continue reading A Gallery of Graduations
Cooking With the French Chef: Timbales
Welcome back to Cooking With the French Chef, in which I review episodes of Julia Child’s original show, cook out of the new edition of the French Chef Cookbook and share the results with you. Past posts can be found here. What does the word, "timbales" make you think of? It doesn't signal food to me. I don't … Continue reading Cooking With the French Chef: Timbales
My Favorite Shirley Temple Movie
Here we go... I've never been a huge fan of Shirley Temple's early films, but The Little Princess is one of my favorites (Another is Heidi). No offense to anyone who likes them, but they're just not my taste. In 1939 Shirley Temple turned eleven, no longer a poppet but not yet a teenager, although she … Continue reading My Favorite Shirley Temple Movie
Bela Lugosi, Action Hero
Who's ready for adventure? Bela Lugosi, is, of course, best known for playing Dracula, as well as starring in various other creature features, but Dracula was both his blessing and his curse, and Lugosi spent the rest of his life trying his hardest to get away from it. One of his more successful attempts seemed … Continue reading Bela Lugosi, Action Hero
Okay, April Wasn’t Bad. Not Bad At All.
Yeah. February was just OK and March was even worse. April, on the other hand, went by so easily I had to wonder if it was playing a month-long joke on me. But no, it shaped up to be a pretty good month, moviewise and otherwise, and after a while I simply sat back and … Continue reading Okay, April Wasn’t Bad. Not Bad At All.
You Saw It Here First
Remember that TV show, Early Edition? The one about the guy who always got tomorrow's news a day early? Well, 1944's It Happened Tomorrow is a pretty similar concept, and as King Solomon once said, there's nothing new under the sun. It all opens in the then-present day, when Lawrence and Sylvia Stevens are celebrating … Continue reading You Saw It Here First
So-Bad-It’s Bad Shakespeare
Happy birthday to the Bard! It seems odd to say, but not every Shakespeare adaptation is wonderful and worthy of attention, even when it features topflight talent and suitably melodious classical delivery. Sometimes they just stink. The 1980 BBC TV movie of The Tempest is unfortunately one of those. It mostly sticks to the plot, and the … Continue reading So-Bad-It’s Bad Shakespeare
Taking Up Room 