January 16, 2021 Podcast

Happy New Year! Welcome to the first podcast of 2021.

New in Theaters

The Emperor’s New Groove (Disney, 2000) is back in select U.S. theaters this weekend. Check your local listings.

Reviews

Loved News of the World (Universal, 2020), now playing in theaters.

2021 Movie Watching Project

One of the movie watching projects I’m taking on in 2021 is watching the 50 movies listed in a cool book from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) called Must-See Musicals: 50 Show-Stopping Movies We Can’t Forget (Running Press, 2017). Full list and more info is here. Follow my Instagram feed for my mini-reviews of all of the films.

My 10 Best Films of 2020

I compiled a list of my favorite films I saw for the first time in 2020 regardless of the films’ initial release date. Full list is on my Letterboxd page (click the “Lists” link).

TCM’s Noir Alley page is here.

Thanks for Tuning In!

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. Be safe out there!

2021 Movie Watching Project: TCM Must-See Musicals

Happy 2021! Grateful that it’s a new year.

For my 2021 movie watching project, I am going to watch the 50 movies listed in the 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).

Heaven knows that we could use some happiness, so what better way than to watch a bunch of escapist musicals?! Over the course of 2021, I’ll plan to watch one of these films per week. I will be documenting my progress on my Instagram account (@moviespap), so please join me there. I’ll keep the blog updated with my progress, too (mostly with just copies of my Instagram posts).

Here’s the list of films. Excited to get started. Hope you’ll want to follow along, too!

*=Haven’t Seen

  1. The Broadway Melody (MGM, 1929)
  2. The Love Parade (Paramount, 1929)*
  3. Sunny Side Up (Fox, 1929)*
  4. King of Jazz (Universal, 1930)*
  5. Le Million (Films Sonores Tobis-France, 1931)*
  6. Love Me Tonight (Paramount, 1932)*
  7. 42nd Street (Warner Bros., 1933)
  8. Top Hat (RKO, 1935)
  9. Show Boat (Universal, 1936)*
  10. Swing Time (RKO, 1936)
  11. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Walt Disney, 1937)
  12. The Wizard of Oz (MGM, 1939)
  13. Yankee Doodle Dandy (Warner Bros., 1942)
  14. Holiday Inn (Paramount, 1942)
  15. Cabin in the Sky (MGM, 1943)
  16. Cover Girl (Columbia, 1944)
  17. Meet Me in St. Louis (MGM, 1944)
  18. On the Town (MGM, 1949)
  19. Annie Get Your Gun (MGM, 1950)
  20. An American in Paris (MGM, 1951)
  21. Singin’ in the Rain (MGM, 1952)
  22. Million Dollar Mermaid (MGM, 1952)
  23. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (20th Century Fox, 1953)
  24. The Band Wagon (MGM, 1953)
  25. Calamity Jane (Warner Bros., 1953)
  26. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (MGM, 1954)
  27. A Star Is Born (Warner Bros., 1954)
  28. Oklahoma! (Magna/RKO, 1955)
  29. The King and I (20th Century Fox, 1956)
  30. The Girl Can’t Help It (20th Century Fox, 1956)*
  31. Funny Face (Paramount, 1957)
  32. The Pajama Game (Warner Bros., 1957)
  33. Jailhouse Rock (MGM, 1957)
  34. Gigi (MGM, 1958)
  35. West Side Story (Mirisch Corporation/United Artists, 1961)
  36. The Music Man (Warner Bros., 1962)
  37. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Parc Film/20th Century Fox, 1964)
  38. A Hard Day’s Night (Shenson, United Artists, 1964)
  39. Mary Poppins (Walt Disney, 1964)
  40. My Fair Lady (Warner Bros., 1964)
  41. The Sound of Music (20th Century Fox, 1965)
  42. Funny Girl (Columbia, 1968)
  43. Oliver! (Romulus/Columbia, 1968)
  44. Fiddler on the Roof (Mirisch Corporation/United Artists, 1971)
  45. Cabaret (ABC/Allied Artists, 1972)
  46. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (20th Century Fox, 1975)
  47. Grease (Paramount, 1978)
  48. Beauty and the Beast (Walt Disney, 1991)
  49. Chicago (Miramax, 2002)
  50. La La Land (Summit Entertainment/Lionsgate, 2016)
Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in SWING TIME (1936); ©️RKO

TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” Update for December 2020

I am watching all 50 movies listed in the cool book from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) called Must-See Sci-Fi: 50 Movies that Are Out of This World by Sloan De Forest (Running Press, 2018; available at Amazon.com and Shop TCM). The complete list of 50 films is here.

Here’s the rundown of the December movies courtesy of the Movies Past and Present Instagram feed.

WALL-E (2008)

District 9 (2009)

Arrival (2016)

December 24, 2020 Podcast

Welcome to this week’s podcast!

You can listen below as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. And follow me on Instagram (my handle is @moviespap).

New in Theaters

New on Streaming Platforms

Here are some noteworthy films that are on a streaming platform near you:

Three By…Robert Wise

This month’s “Three by…” director is Robert Wise. More about his filmography is on IMDb.com.

2021 TCM Big Screen Classics Series

The film in the 2021 Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Big Screen Classics series have been announced. More information is at the Fathom Events website.

Thanks for Tuning In!

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. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

December 11, 2020 Podcast

Welcome to this week’s podcast!

You can listen below as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. And follow me on Instagram (my handle is @moviespap).

Coming to Theaters

The last two films in this year’s Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Big Screen Classics series are:

  • Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
  • Babe – 25th Anniversary (1995)

Participating theaters and showtimes are at fathomevents.com/tcm.

Disney Investor Day

The Walt Disney Company made a slew of announcements on December 10, 2020 about upcoming films for their Disney+ streaming service as well as their slate of theatrical film releases from all of the major studios: Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, and Walt Disney Animation Studios. You can view the presentation here (it’s four+ hours long…really). The D23 website has a good summary of it, too.

“Modern” Christmas Movies

Truth be told, I struggle to find any contemporary Christmas movies that I really love. However, two constant favorites are actually TV specials: A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966; again, the 30-minute TV special, not one of the lousy feature film adaptations).

Thanks for Tuning In!

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. Be safe out there! Thanks again.

December 3, 2020 Podcast

Welcome to this week’s podcast!

You can listen below as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. And follow me on Instagram (my handle is @moviespap).

Coming Soon

Also of Note

Director Francis Ford Coppola and Paramount Pictures are issuing a new version of the much maligned The Godfather Part III (1990). It’s even got a new title: The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone. Rumor has it that it’s a big improvement (thank goodness). Look for it at a theater near you December 4; also coming to Blu-ray and Digital on December 8. And look for a Godfather retrospective coming soon to the podcast.

Five Favorite Classic Christmas Movies

It’s the holiday season and there are a bazillion Christmas movies to choose from. This week’s podcast includes my top five favorite Christmas films from the classic era. I hope this will help you with your holiday movie watching plans! Make sure to check out all of the classic Christmas film goodness on Turner Classic Movies this month, too.

Thanks for Tuning In!

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. Be safe out there! Thanks again.

TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” Update for November 2020

I am watching all 50 movies listed in the cool book from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) called Must-See Sci-Fi: 50 Movies that Are Out of This World by Sloan De Forest (Running Press, 2018; available at Amazon.com and Shop TCM). The complete list of 50 films is here.

Here’s the rundown of the November movies courtesy of the Movies Past and Present Instagram feed.

The Matrix (1999)

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

Only three more movies left in this project, which is kind of a bummer. I’ve really had fun with this one. Still, some exciting movie watching projects await for 2021. Stay tuned…

TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” Update for October 2020

I am watching all 50 movies listed in the cool book from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) called Must-See Sci-Fi: 50 Movies that Are Out of This World by Sloan De Forest (Running Press, 2018; available at Amazon.com and Shop TCM). The complete list of 50 films is here.

Here’s the rundown of the October movies courtesy of the Movies Past and Present Instagram feed.

Brazil (1985)

Robocop (1987)

Jurassic Park (1993)

November 12, 2020 Podcast

Welcome to this week’s podcast!

You can listen below as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. And follow me on Instagram (my handle is @moviespap).

Now in Theaters

Put on a mask and enjoy some “comeback classics” in the theaters! Check your local listings.

Three by…

I’m continuing my “Three by…” series where I watch three different films from the same director. This month’s director is the French director, photographer, and artist Agnès Varda. The three films I watched were:

Varda received an honorary Academy Award for her body of work in 2017.

The Criterion Collection has recently released a boxed set with all of her films.

Thanks for Tuning In!

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. Be safe out there! Thanks again.

October 30, 2020 Podcast

Happy Halloween! Welcome to this week’s podcast!

You can listen below as well as on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. And follow me on Instagram (my handle is @moviespap).

Now in Theaters

Now Streaming

Reviews

Thanks for Tuning In!

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. Be safe out there! Thanks again.