Tag: Turner Classic Movies (TCM)

TCM “Must-See Musicals” Update for March 2021

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).

Swing Time (1936)

Rose Marie (1936)

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)

TCM “Must-See Musicals” Update for February 2021

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).

Love Me Tonight (1932)

42nd Street (1933)

Top Hat (1935)

Show Boat (1936)

TCM “Must-See Musicals” Update for January 2021

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 January (courtesy of the Movies Past and Present Instagram feed).

The Broadway Melody (1929)

The Love Parade (1929)

Sunny Side Up (1929)

King of Jazz (1930)

Le Million (1931)

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)

TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” Update for September 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 this month’s movies (courtesy of my Instagram feed).

Blade Runner (1982)

The Brother from Another Planet (1984)

The Terminator (1984)

Back to the Future (1985)

TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” Update for August 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 this month’s movies (courtesy of my Instagram feed).

August Is TCM’s “Summer Under the Stars” Month

August 2020 on Turner Classic Movies (TCM) again means “Summer Under the Stars.” Every day during the month, a different Hollywood actor will be highlighted with 24 hours worth of films. So, get excited for some deep cuts, new discoveries, and old favorites from some great movie stars.

For a full schedule, visit the TCM “Summer Under the Stars” website. The day resets at 6:00 a.m. ET.

Here’s the full rundown for the month:

  • August 1 – Barbara Stanwyck
  • August 2 – Rock Hudson
  • August 3 – Rita Hayworth
  • August 4 – S.Z. “Cuddles” Sakall
  • August 5 – Ann Miller
  • August 6 – Burt Lancaster
  • August 7 – Sylvia Sidney
  • August 8 – Charlie Chaplin
  • August 9 – Goldie Hawn
  • August 10 – Norma Shearer
  • August 11 – Sammy Davis Jr.
  • August 12 – Lana Turner
  • August 13 – John Barrymore
  • August 14 – Steve McQueen
  • August 15 – Nina Foch
  • August 16 – Cary Grant
  • August 17 – Maureen O’Hara
  • August 18 – Warren Beatty
  • August 19 – Delores del Rio
  • August 20 – William Powell
  • August 21 – Diana Dors
  • August 22 – Natalie Wood
  • August 23 – Olivia de Havilland
  • August 24 – George Raft
  • August 25 – Anne Shirley
  • August 26 – Laurence Olivier
  • August 27 – Claudette Colbert
  • August 28 – Paul Henreid
  • August 29 – Eva Marie Saint
  • August 30 – Charlton Heston
  • August 31 – Alain Delon

Image ©️ Turner Classic Movies

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

The 2020 sci-fi movie project continues! I’m 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 this month’s movies (with two of the four sections courtesy of my Instagram feed).

Sleeper (1973)

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

Pure torture.

©️ British Lion Films

Logan’s Run (1976)

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This week’s TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” is LOGAN’S RUN (1976). A splashy, high-concept film set on Earth in the 23rd century where people live in a hedonistic pleasure dome but with a catch—you only can live to age 30, then you get killed in a bizarre public ritual. Those who avoid the ritual in order to live longer are called “runners.” Our hero, Logan (played by Michael York), is a “sandman,” whose job it is to kill anybody who tries to run. When he gets an assignment to find a place where many runners have been hiding, he and his love interest Jessica (played by Jenny Agutter) decide that perhaps that there might be more to life that what is presented to them in their dome of short-lived youthful pleasure. Also stars Roscoe Lee Browne, Farrah Fawcett, and Peter Ustinov. Author Sloan De Forest writes that “when gritty dramas like SERPICO (1973) and ONE FLEW OVER THE CUKOO’S NEST (1975) reveled in realism, LOGAN’S RUN offered pure escapism, recalling the grandeur of Hollywood’s golden age.” Directed by Michael Anderson. @turnerclassicmovies #tcmmustseescifi #letsmovie (📷: MGM)

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Star Wars (1977)

One of my all time favorites (although I consider it more of a “space opera” than science fiction).

©️ Lucasfilm, 20th Century Studios

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

My 2020 movie project continues of 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.

June’s films were as follows (content mostly from my Instagram feed).

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Barbarella (1968)

I thought that this weird sci-fi sex comedy was mostly just excessive and stupid. I can understand its cult status, but it did nothing for me.

©️ Paramount Pictures

THX 1138 (1971)

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

This film is a difficult one. I know that’s the point, but I don’t think there was anything redeeming in it and I don’t believe I gained anything from submitting myself from the torture of watching it.

©️ Warner Bros. Pictures

Silent Running (1972)

And as an added bonus, I recently saw this cool poster for Silent Running created by artist Matt Ferguson.

©️ Universal Pictures, Matt Ferguson

Solaris (1972)

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This week’s TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” pic is the artsy and cerebral film SOLARIS (1972). The film tells the story of a space station that is experiencing some seriously unusual phenomena (as in people from the astronauts’ past re-appearing on the ship). Author Sloan De Forest writes, “As much a heartrending drama, a fantasy, and a study in psychological horror as it is a science-fiction epic, [Russian director] Andrei Tartkovsky’s SOLARIS defies classification. It is a challenging film—plodding, ambivalent to the wonders of space, more concerned with atmosphere than action. But once experienced, its haunting world is not easily forgotten.” @turnerclassicmovies #tcmmustseescifi #letsmovie [📷: Mosfilm (Russia)]

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

The COVID-19 “social distancing” recommendations were still in place for most of month of May which led to some excellent movie watching at home. I’m still going strong with my 2020 movie project of 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.

Now that we’ve entered the 1960s, the films have been much more experimental and esoteric. Here’s the rundown of this month’s movies courtesy of my Instagram feed.

La Jetée (1962)

These Are the Damned (1962)

Alphaville (1965)

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This week’s TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” movie is the avant-garde French New Wave film ALPHAVILLE (1965). The film tells the story of a secret agent who travels to a far-away planet to destroy a super computer that has taken over the minds of its inhabitants. Author Sloan De Forest calls it “[o]ne of the most unconventional science-fiction movies ever made…a retro 1940s film noir colliding into a dystopian technocracy.” Director Jean-Luc Godard “deconstructs the expected science-fiction tropes and scrambles them, creating a new style that has left an indelible mark on cinema.” Definitely worth checking out. 🇫🇷 @turnerclassicmovies #tcmmustseescifi #letsmovie #scififridaynight #socialdistancing (📷: Pathé Contemporary Films)

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Fantastic Voyage (1966)

Planet of the Apes (1968)

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This week’s TCM “Must-See Sci-Fi” Film is PLANET OF THE APES (1968). Astronauts crash-land on a planet where simians are the dominant species and the humans are treated, well, like wild animals. The first of many “Apes” films, this one is still a stand out. Author Sloan De Forest writes “starting it all was the 1968 original, a case in which every element came together—acting, writing, direction, makeup, set design, and music—to exemplify…’the collaborative art of Hollywood at its best.’” Stars Charlton Heston as astronaut George Taylor, Kim Hunter as Zira, Roddy McDowall as Cornelius, and Maurice Evans as Dr. Zaius. Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. 🙈🙉🙊 @turnerclassicmovies #tcmmustseescifi #letsmovie #scififridaynight #getyourstinkingpawsoffmeyoudamndirtyape #alonetogether (📷: @20thcenturystudios)

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