Director Blake Edwards had a long, successful, and influential career. He is the man who brought us Inspector Clouseau, The Great Race, 10, and Victor Victoria among others. Released in 1987, Blind Date was originally intended for the then-married Madonna…
In my years of studying and watching film, I’ve become quite a fan of the silent era. There are many great films—Metropolis, Pandora’s Box, and Charles Chaplin’s City Lights—are some of the most widely known. German F.W. Murnau was one…
Masters of Cinema’s Blu-ray release of Wings appears to be nearly identical to Paramount’s 2012 offering, save for a slightly better contrast, and more impressive packaging, with the inclusion of a 40-page booklet containing several informative essays and photographs. The…
One of the most lucrative franchises in television history, as of this writing, Star Trek has spawned four live-action series: Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise. As a long…
The first film version of William Shakespeare’s dark and bloody tale of Macbeth I remember seeing is Roman Polanski’s 1971 take on the story. Known for its dark brutality, this should come as little surprise, since it was the director’s…
To be honest, the behind-the-scenes goings on during this, the filming of the third film based on Jack London’s Call of the Wild, is nearly as interesting as anything that happens on screen. Stars Clark Gable and Loretta Young fell…
While definitely not one of John Wayne’s best films, North to Alaska is a lot of fun. A blend of comedy, romance, and Western expressions, North to Alaska had a bit of a troubled production history before its release in…
Director Lee Daniels (Precious, The Paperboy) has never been known for his subtlety, preferring instead the direct approach, which while admirable, can be difficult to digest. His latest project, which spans more than fifty years of American history, could have…
More than seventy years before Jerry Bruckheimer and Johnny Depp made Pirates fun again, Tyrone Power became a star, beloved for his swashbuckling roles in films such as The Mask of Zorro, Blood and Sand, and The Black Swan. Recently…
Largely considered to be one of the best films to come out of Hollywood in the 1940’s, Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s The Ghost and Mrs. Muir still manages to be a deeply affecting love story more than sixty years after its…