Created by cartoonist Charles Addams, “The Addams Family” debuted in the New Yorker Magazine in 1938. Through the years, “The Addams Family” has been adapted into a live action format several times. The 1960s TV series starring John Astin as Gomez and Carolyn Jones as Morticia, is probably the most beloved, but two 1990’s feature …
Based on a play by Philip Barry, Holiday is the third film starring Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn and their third with director George Cukor. Released in 1938 around the time Katherine Hepburn was being called “box office poison,” she gives one of her more heartfelt performances. A romantic comedy, Holiday has a surprisingly serious …
As the New Wave emerged in late 1950’s France, Britain too, was experiencing its own cultural movement with the rise of the “kitchen sink” drama. Kitchen sink dramas presented gritty, realistic stories of domestic or socioeconomic situations involving working class families or individuals struggling to get ahead in postwar England. Released in 1959, Room at …
Adapted from an Elmore Leonard novel, Burt Reynolds directs and stars in, Stick aa Ernest “Stick” Stickney an ex-con just out of prison after a seven-year stint for armed robbery. No sooner has he arrived home in Florida, Stick decides to accompany a friend on a drug deal. Unfortunately, the drug deal goes bad, and …
In the decades since she died, it’s become common knowledge that Judy Garland struggled with drug addiction for years. As a child, MGM fed her diet pills, sleeping pills, and ‘pep’ pills to stay awake. She was a drug addict before she had a choice. It’s hard to watch self-destruction, but it’s even harder when …
In a professional career that began in the mid-sixties and ended with a final concert in 2009, Linda Ronstadt transcended genre, singing rock, country, light opera and Latin. It’s surprising to learn that Ronstadt is terribly insecure about her talents. Though she hasn’t performed in more than a decade due to Parkinson’s disease, Linda Ronstadt …
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Kristen Bell’s Veronica Mars returned this past July, this time on Hulu in an eight-episode series revival. This is actually the series fourth season (with a feature film in 2014 serving as a bridge between them all) and sadly, it’s weakest by far. Veronica finds herself squaring off against a bomber terrorizing spring breakers in …
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A critical and ratings success during its six-season run, period drama Downtown Abbey captivated viewers, boosted public television ratings and garnered critical acclaim. After four years away, fans can catch up with the Crawley family and their servants in Downtown Abby: The Motion Picture. As the film opens, the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) receives …
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Released in 1952, The Bad and the Beautiful tells of the rise and fall of a legendary Hollywood producer. Directed by Vincente Minnelli, it’s filled with juicy details about what goes on behind the scenes in the movie business. Many of its characters and events were based on real people and movie productions, easily recognizable …
Set in the Pacific Northwest in the years following World War II, Snow Falling on Cedars is an adaptation of David Guterson’s best-selling novel. When local fishermen Carl Heine Jr.’s (Eric Thal) body is pulled from the water, his estranged childhood friend, Japanese American Kabuo Miyamoto (Rick Yune) is charged with his murder. The Sheriff …
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