In 2013 Barack Obama began his second term as President of the United States; Benedict XVI resigned and Francis was chosen to replace him as the 266th pope; Edward Snowden revealed the US government had been engaged in mass surveillance of its population; Grand Theft Auto V was released; Croatia joined the European Union; In… Continue reading 100 years of the Income Tax: A look back at 2013
Tag: Remakes
Introducing the DeLorean: A look back at 1981
In 1981, Palau became an independent nation; The Iranian hostage crisis ended; Dick Beardsley and Inge Simonsen tied in the inaugural London Marathon; Bobby Sands began a fatal hunger strike; Ronald Reagan was shot by John Hinckley Jr,; Sandra Day O’Connor became the first female Justice of the Supreme Court; Donkey Kong was released; Ric… Continue reading Introducing the DeLorean: A look back at 1981
Men are pigs: A look back at 2017
In 2017, Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States; The Nintendo Switch was released; Hurricane Harvey, Hurricane Irma, and Hurricane Maria struck the US; Stephen Paddock killed 58 people at a Las Vegas music festival; The Walt Disney Company announced plans to purchase 21st Century Fox; The exposure of Harvey Weinstein as… Continue reading Men are pigs: A look back at 2017
It’s Logan!
It (2017) I watched the 1990 miniseries as a preteen and read the massive novel shortly after. I have a fond attachment for the performances of Annette O’Toole, John Ritter, Harry Anderson, Richard Thomas, and especially Tim Curry as Pennywise. But, sadly, I watched it again a few years back and it doesn’t hold up. It’s… Continue reading It’s Logan!
A royal resume
Despite her retirement from Hollywood at age 26 to become the Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly was ranked the 13th greatest female film star by the American Film Institute. Because she retired so young, her public image was frozen as a young, beautiful woman and her marriage into royalty created a unique mystique among American celebrities. Add… Continue reading A royal resume
Best of the 1950s
Sunset Boulevard (1950) Faded silent screen star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) steadfastly believes she will regain her former glory and hires writer Joe Gillis (William Holden) to help with her planned comeback, but as the project drags on their relationship becomes dangerously complicated. William Holden brings a weary everyman quality to Joe Gillis while Gloria… Continue reading Best of the 1950s
That bitter bastard Elaine makes an interesting gambit
The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933) Megan Davis (Barbara Stanwyck) comes to Shanghai at the height of the Chinese Civil War to marry her childhood sweetheart, missionary Dr. Robert Strike. A powerful Chinese warlord, General Yen, assure them safe passage to perform humanitarian work. At a checkpoint, they discover General Yen lied and, in the… Continue reading That bitter bastard Elaine makes an interesting gambit
That’s not a boy, it’s a man!
Oldboy (2013) Josh Brolin is perfectly cast as Joe Doucett an outwardly menacing, but inwardly heroic figure. Elizabeth Olsen (younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley) radiates charisma as Marie Sebastian. Sharlto Copley was great in District 9 (2009) and I liked him in The A-Team (2010), but he’s not menacing enough as The Stranger, and, at… Continue reading That’s not a boy, it’s a man!
Mrs. Henderson proudly presents: The dark star of Burma
The Burmese Harp (1956) At the end of the Second World War, Private Mizumisha is sent to convince a group of Japanese holdouts to surrender to British forces, but a bombing separates him from his platoon. A monk finds Mizumisha and nurses him to health. After his recovery, he travels the country, burying the fallen… Continue reading Mrs. Henderson proudly presents: The dark star of Burma
The sorrowful vampyre is obsessed with blood
The Sorrow and the Pity (1969) Marcel Ophuls (son of French director Max Ophuls) documents the collaboration between French government officials and Nazis during World War II, exploring what people will compromise in order to survive and how a nation responds to an existential crisis. He interviews members of the French resistance as well as… Continue reading The sorrowful vampyre is obsessed with blood