Reviews and commentary about current and classic cinema. Curated by Stanford Clark.
This year, I am watching all 50 movies listed in the great book from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Must-See Musicals: 50 Show-Stopping Movies We Can’t Forget by Richard Barrios (Running Press, 2017; available on Amazon.com, on the Shop TCM website, and, hopefully, from your favorite bookseller). More information about the book and my viewing project this year is here.
Here’s the rundown of the movies I watched in March (courtesy of the Movies Past and Present Instagram feed).
Welcome to the 67th episode of the Movies Past and Present podcast!
This month’s “Three by…” director is Chloé Zhao. More about her filmography is on IMDb.com.
This week’s pick is The Ten Commandments (1956). The film will be screened as it is every year on the ABC Television Network this Saturday, April 3 (check your local listings). It will also be playing on the big screen as part of the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Big Screen Classics series this Wednesday, March 31 and Easter Sunday, April 4; more info at fathomevents.com/tcm. I’ll be watching it on a Blu-ray Disc that I just ordered from Amazon.com.
Subscribe to the Movies Past and Present podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. I hope that watching some great movies will bring you peace and comfort this week. Thanks for listening, be safe out there, and dedicate yourself to the truth.
As mentioned in my March 15, 2021 podcast, I’ve started a new “Movie of the Week” feature. I’ll be recommending a favorite movie with the hopes that it will be a film that you’ll enjoy, too. I’d love to chat online about each week’s film on my Instagram and Twitter feeds if you’re so inclined.
In honor of the new CGI-slugfest Godzilla vs. Kong (Warner Bros., 2021) opening in theaters on HBO Max on March 30, 2021, I picked another double-feature this week with the original King Kong (RKO, 1933) and the original Godzilla (Toho Co., Ltd., 1954). I watched both of these films on HBO Max.
While the Godzilla vs. Kong film appears to have nothing to do with the storylines from the original films, I still marvel at the artistry and filmmaking techniques used in both of these classic monster movies, particularly with the amazing visual effects in King Kong done by special effects wizard Willis O’Brien. (And it’s a total guilty pleasure watching these original Godzilla films knowing that it’s a dude in a rubber suit destroying miniature sets.)
Here’s some cool artwork for both of these classic monster movies.
As mentioned in my March 15, 2021 podcast, I’ve started a new “Movie of the Week” feature. I’ll be recommending a favorite movie with the hopes that it will be a film that you’ll enjoy, too. I’d love to chat online about each week’s film on my Instagram and Twitter feeds if you’re so inclined.
First up are actually two films, both from my all-time favorite movie studio, Walt Disney Animation Studios. I selected both the first feature length film from Disney Animation, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), as well as their 59th animated feature length and most recent film, Raya and the Last Dragon (2021).
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs also happens to be an entry in the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Must-See Musicals viewing guide which I am following this year, so it’s a double bonus.
Snow White is available on the Disney+ streaming service. Raya is currently playing in theaters and is available on Disney+ Premier Access (additional fee required).
Here are posters for the two films.
Welcome to the 66th episode of the Movies Past and Present podcast!
Here are the nominees for Best Picture for this year’s Academy Awards®️:
A full list of all nominations is available at the official Oscars website.
Save the date(s)! Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has some cool events coming soon.
This month’s TCM Big Screen Classics film is a 65th anniversary screening of The Ten Commandments (Paramount, 1956). Screenings will be on Sunday, March 28 and Wednesday, March 31. Check fathomevents.com/tcm for details.
This year’s TCM Classic Film Festival will be another virtual event like last year’s festival. New this year is the addition of HBO Max as another virtual venue for classic films and interviews. The event will take place May 6-9, 2021. More info is at filmfestival.tcm.com.
Here’s a video introduction from TCM host Ben Mankiewicz:
Actress Margaret Rutherford as Agatha Cristie’s super sleuth Miss Marple is pure delight. She appeared as the character in five films:
These films are available for rent or purchase on Amazon.com (I spoke incorrectly in the podcast…my bad).
New feature! My inaugural “Movie of the Week” films are the first and most recent animated features from Walt Disney Animation Studios: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Raya and the Last Dragon (2021).
Subscribe to the Movies Past and Present podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. I hope that watching some great movies will bring you peace and comfort this week. Thanks for listening, be safe out there, and dedicate yourself to the truth.
This year, I am watching all 50 movies listed in the great book from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Must-See Musicals: 50 Show-Stopping Movies We Can’t Forget by Richard Barrios (Running Press, 2017; available on Amazon.com, on the Shop TCM website, and, hopefully, from your favorite bookseller). More information about the book and my viewing project this year is here.
Here’s the rundown of the movies I watched in February (courtesy of the Movies Past and Present Instagram feed).
Welcome to episode 65 of the podcast!
“Reframed: Classic Films in the Rearview Mirror” film series now playing on Turner Classic Movies (TCM)
Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca (1940; I have this on DVD from The Criterion Collection) vs. Netflix’s Rebecca (2020)
Subscribe to the Movies Past and Present podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. I hope that watching some great movies will bring you peace and comfort this week. Thanks for listening, be safe out there, and dedicate yourself to the truth.
Welcome to episode 64 of the podcast!
This month’s “Three by…” director is Michael Mann. More about his filmography is on IMDb.com.
Also, check out this interview done last year with Michael Mann talking about the making of Heat.
Subscribe to the Movies Past and Present podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. I hope that watching some great movies will bring you peace and comfort this week. Thanks for listening, be safe out there, and dedicate yourself to the truth.
The magicians at Pixar Animation Studios have released a new poster and teaser trailer for the upcoming feature film Luca.
Here’s the first teaser trailer for the film.
Love the poster art, too (well, of course I do because it’s from Pixar).
Luca is scheduled to open in U.S. theaters on June 21, 2021. Let’s hope it happens!
Welcome to episode 63 of the podcast!
Now playing in theaters and on HBO Max: Judas and the Black Messiah (Warner Bros.).
This year, I am watching all 50 movies listed in the great book from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Must-See Musicals: 50 Show-Stopping Movies We Can’t Forget by Richard Barrios (Running Press, 2017; available on Amazon.com, on the Shop TCM website, and, hopefully, from your favorite bookseller).
Full list of the 50 films is here. Mini-reviews are on my Instagram feed and on my blog.
The film I’d probably recommend the most so far from the guide is The Love Parade (Paramount, 1929). I found it on DVD as part of a multi-disk set from The Criterion Collection.
Subscribe to the Movies Past and Present podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. I hope that watching some great movies will bring you peace and comfort this week. Thanks for listening, be safe, and dedicate yourself to the truth.