by Bill Grinnell The Academy Awards ceremony is the biggest event of the year for me. I actually refer to it as Film Geek Christmas, and yes, as much as I hate to admit it, this day is more important to me than Christmas. Unlike last year when no one could say for sure who… Continue reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Academy Awards 2024
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Academy Awards 2023
by Bill Grinnell The Academy Awards ceremony is the biggest event of the year for me. I actually refer to it as Film Geek Christmas, and yes, as much as I hate to admit it, this day is more important to me than Christmas. In almost every category this year, no one can say for… Continue reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Academy Awards 2023
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Academy Awards
by Bill Grinnell The Academy Awards ceremony is the biggest event of the year for me. I actually refer to it as Film Geek Christmas, and yes, as much as I hate to admit it, this day is more important to me than Christmas. This year’s race is the most volatile I have ever seen… Continue reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Academy Awards
High Noon: A Hidden Allegory for McCarthyism
by Bill Grinnell High Noon was about a lot more than just a man standing up to evil. Westerns used to be more that just Westerns. I’m willing to bet most people don’t know that. Westerns (along with Sci-Fi) were used for years as a way to disguise social and political commentary. Audiences would look… Continue reading High Noon: A Hidden Allegory for McCarthyism
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Oscars
by Bill Grinnell The Academy Awards ceremony is the biggest event of the year for me. I actually refer to it as Film Geek Christmas, and yes, as much as I hate to admit it, this day is more important to me than Christmas. While there are some volatile races this year, most of the… Continue reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Oscars
Banner Year: 1939
by Bill Grinnell Part of our limited series Banner Year 1939 1939 is consistently considered to be Hollywood’s greatest year. More well received, popular, and well remembered films came out in 1939 than any other. It’s called a Banner Year. Unfortunately, the term is currently so bandied about that it has lost almost all of… Continue reading Banner Year: 1939
Frame by Frame: Blake Edwards
Picking a Scene Apart: There’s more here than the audience perceives: I’m beginning a new series of articles where I literally pick a scene apart to show the reader what each little bit of the scene means. What that part establishes about a character or a character relationship. What is being done subliminally, symbolically, and… Continue reading Frame by Frame: Blake Edwards
Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) is still a thoroughly entertaining and engaging movie, even at the age of 60. What has made it endure for so long is the real connection audiences make to Holly Golightly, played by Audrey Hepburn. The movie had a very contemporary setting and the early 60s had a distinct vibe. John… Continue reading Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Chinatown
Part of the American New Wave Series Chinatown (1974) is easily one of the five best films of the American New Wave. There’s something very special about a movie that makes you want to watch it over and over so you can find more depth to the story. It captures your interest and never lets… Continue reading Chinatown
The Graduate
The Graduate (1967) is the seminal film of the late 60s. It spoke to an entire generation of youth who were disillusioned and disaffected. The Baby Boomers had more expectations placed upon them than any previous generation. As their ideals about what America was supposed to be came crashing down around them, the Boomers began… Continue reading The Graduate
Network
Network (1976) was the lamentation and exhortation of writer Paddy Chayefsky. A lamentation of the corruption of the medium by moneyed interests, and the exhortation to do something about it lest television descend into the depravity depicted in the film. He was saying “this is how far this has gotten, and this is where it’s going… Continue reading Network
Some Like it Hot
Flawless Some Like it Hot (1959) is widely considered to be the greatest screen comedy of all time. Yet before its release that would have been hard to imagine. The film was swarmed by controversy including worries about homosexuality, cross dressing, and sexuality. America has grown up quite a lot since then, and today it’s… Continue reading Some Like it Hot
Love is a Many Splendored Thing
Love is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955) is another example of how films were watered down in the 1950’s to smooth over or disguise controversial themes in films. Based on a book from a real life story, the Production Board repeatedly refused to sanction the filming because of the themes of adultery and miscegenation– mostly only the… Continue reading Love is a Many Splendored Thing
The Maltese Falcon
The Maltese Falcon (1941) was the nothing short of astonishing directorial debut of John Huston. He meticulously planned it shot for shot while writing the screenplay, incorporating the notes directly onto the page along with sketches of each shot. By doing the work first, Huston was able to fine tune and improve on much of… Continue reading The Maltese Falcon
How the American New Wave was Born
It’s been called a lot of things. The New Hollywood, The Film School Generation, or simply as The 70’s. More recently, the 13 years between 1970 and 1983 have come to be known as The American New Wave. It was a period of much excitement, upheaval, and change that had the unintended after effect of… Continue reading How the American New Wave was Born
The Apartment
A near timeless film The Apartment (1960) marked quite a turn in American Cinema. During the 50s, movies making social commentary or dealing with dark issues were so sanitized that you now come to the end of them and say “that’s what that’s supposed to be about?” Just some examples of 50s watering down are:… Continue reading The Apartment
What you will find here
With the lockdown, people have more time to explore films they never thought of before. Despite popular opinion, there are films more than 40 years old that are still watchable, relevant, and entertaining. More than just the handful everyone can name like The Wizard of Oz (1939) or It’s a Wonderful Life (1946.) That’s why… Continue reading What you will find here
