And now we present Mr. William Holden... William Holden worked with Billy Wilder five times, whether Wilder was directing or writing, and one of the most classic is the 1954 film, Sabrina. Costarring Audrey Hepburn and Humphrey Bogart, the film is a sweet, graceful story with a healthy amount of Wilder's trademark bite. The Larrabees live on … Continue reading Unintended Consequences
Who Really Shot Liberty Valance?
Looks like it's high noon... My dad used to rent a lot of westerns when I was growing up, and I remember I felt pretty blah about them after a while. Westerns can be like sci-fi in that they have their own archetype. There are gallops on horseback, shootouts (at high noon or otherwise), peppery women, saloons … Continue reading Who Really Shot Liberty Valance?
Shamedown #3: Voyage To the Bottom Of the Sea
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
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
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
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 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
The Face On the Lunchbox
There have been a lot of famous last words spoken throughout history. John Lennon's aunt famously told him, "A guitar is nice, but you'll never make a living with it." Neville Chamberlain waved the Munich Pact and declared "Peace in our time." The Titanic was called "unsinkable." Then there's this little gem: "I'm telling you, this is … Continue reading The Face On the Lunchbox
All About Ann Rutherford
OK, all--confession time: up until Ruth and Kristina announced this blogathon, I had no idea that Ann Rutherford was Canadian. I've watched her films for years, so I don't know how I missed that important detail, but it's true. Rutherford was born in Vancouver, British Columbia a hundred years ago as of November 2, 2017, … Continue reading All About Ann Rutherford
Louis and Oscar
Out and about with one of our closest neighbors... 🙂 Of all the studio moguls except for the Warner Brothers, Louis Burt Mayer gets the most attention, and rightly so. He presided over Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which not only bore his name, but boasted it had more stars than there are in the heavens and made "art … Continue reading Louis and Oscar
Going Wildcat
Time to pay homage to the King... Spencer Tracy and Clark Gable made three movies together, always playing close friends, or what some today might term "bromance." However, instead of simply being best friends, the dynamic was usually Tracy's character shepherding Gable's, at times sacrificing his own happiness in order to allow Gable to prosper, … Continue reading Going Wildcat
Taking Up Room 