Possibly Louis Malle’s best film, the Oscar-nominated semi-autobiographical drama Au Revoir les Enfants focuses on the tragic friendship between two boys.
5 Nazi movies: Joseph Goebbels’ ‘Third Reich’ cinema - a crucial and extremely popular propaganda tool - promoted the White Nationalist German ethos.
10 examples of theocracy in movies and TV illustrate the many forms of the inescapably authoritarian communion between religion and government.
Belfast movie: Kenneth Branagh is shooting his ‘most personal film,’ set in tumultuous 1960s Northern Ireland. Judi Dench and Jamie Dornan among stars.
John Paul Jones with Robert Stack: 4th of July movies. Although every sign indicates that 2019 is the new 1984, those in the U.S. shouldn’t fret: TCM’s 4th of July…
Roy Rogers, Singing Cowboy of 1940s and 1950s Hollywood. Known for his affable characterizations and, both on and off screen, “traditional values” stance, the King of the Cowboys – step…
Right-wing filmmaker Clint Eastwood’s Sully movie is a tribute to ‘old-fashioned all-American heroism.’ Tom Hanks plays US Airways pilot Chesley Sullenberger.
Where is Agrabah? Republicans want to bomb Aladdin city. Where is Agrabah? Nearly 1 in 3 Republican primary voters want to bomb ‘Aladdin’ city According to a new poll by Public…
Trumbo movie: Bryan Cranston and Helen Mirren superb as left-wing screenwriter Dalton Trumbo and right-wing gossip columnist Hedda Hopper. Trumbo movie review: Highly entertaining ‘history lesson’ toplining an outstanding Bryan…
Truth movie: Cate Blanchett “flawless” as 60 Minutes’ Mary Mapes. Truth movie: Gripping and well-acted drama can’t hide 60 Minutes producer Mary Mapes’ role in the ‘devolution of TV journalism’…
Patricia Neal ca. 1950. Patricia Neal movies: ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ & ‘A Face in the Crowd’ Back in 1949, few would have predicted that Gary Cooper’s leading…
The Beginning or the End 1947 with Robert Walker and Tom Drake. Hiroshima bombing 70th anniversary: Six movies dealing with the A-bomb terror Seventy years ago, on Aug. 6, 1945,…
Theodore Bikel: Folk singer, actor and political/social activist. Theodore Bikel: Social/political and union activist (See previous post: “Theodore Bikel: From ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ to ‘Star Trek.’”) Besides his acting…
Jean-Luc Godard in his youthful days: Greek debt crisis solution? Jean-Luc Godard solution for the Greek debt crisis: ‘Therefore’ copyright payments A few years ago, Nouvelle Vague filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard,…
Kristen Stewart: ‘Camp X-Ray’ star to join ‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk’ cast. Kristen Stewart to join ‘Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk’ movie After putting away her Bella Swan wig…
Young Robert Redford as Bob McKay in ‘The Candidate.’ Robert Redford and politics: ‘The Candidate,’ ‘All the President’s Men’ A young Robert Redford can be seen in The Candidate, All…
Ben Bradlee: ‘The Washington Post’ executive editor played by Jason Robards in All the President’s Men. Ben Bradlee: From ‘All the President’s Men’ to ‘Ghosts of Grey Gardens’ Former Washington…
Polly Bergen publicity shot ca. 1960s. Polly Bergen: Actress on Richard Nixon’s ‘enemies list’ (See previous post: “Polly Bergen: ‘First American Woman President.’”) As discussed in the previous post, despite…
Kristen Stewart in Camp X-Ray. ‘Camp X-Ray’ trailer: Kristen Stewart & Payman Maadi in Guantanamo’s ‘war zone’ The official Camp X-Ray trailer is out. “Make no mistake about it. This…
Kristen Stewart in Camp X-Ray. ‘Camp X-Ray’: Kristen Stewart & Peyman Moaadi praised, but mixed reviews for Sundance political drama The Guardian‘s Xan Brooks wasn’t too crazy about first-time feature…
Colonialism in Africa and its lasting legacy: The Wilby Conspiracy with Michael Caine, Sidney Poitier, Prunella Gee, and Rutger Hauer. Shot in Kenya with an international cast, Ralph Nelson’s South…
Cry, the Beloved Country with Canada Lee and Sidney Poitier. Directed by Hungarian-born Zoltan Korda (The Four Feathers, Sahara) from a screenplay by an uncredited John Howard Lawson – one…
American military movies: Besides depicting the Civil War, D.W. Griffith’s landmark 1915 feature The Birth of a Nation had the Ku Klux Klan saving heroine Lillian Gish. From ‘The Birth…
Captain Phillips movie with Mahat M. Ali, Tom Hanks, and Faysal Ahmed. ‘Captain Phillips’ movie: ‘Incomplete’ and ‘less than completely satisfying’ In Paul Greengrass’ thriller starring Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips, the…
The Fifth Estate with Benedict Cumberbatch as Julian Assange and Daniel Brühl as Daniel Domscheit-Berg. ‘The Fifth Estate’ movie review: ‘Tasty’ but ‘opaque’ version of WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange Late in…
Playwright Arthur Miller vs. Red Scare paranoia: The Crucible and the Salem witch hunts demythologize the concept of ‘American exceptionalism.’
Remarkable women’s suffrage movie Mothers of Men dismisses the notion that the female right to vote would destroy American families and society.
James Woods in Videodrome. James Woods in $10 million Twitter lawsuit feud: Crassly vocal right-wing actor goes after two crassly vocal users who attacked him In a letter dated Aug.…
Glenda Jackson: Actress and former Labour MP. Two-time Oscar winner and former Labour MP Glenda Jackson returns to acting Two-time Best Actress Academy Award winner Glenda Jackson set aside her…
Selma movie with David Oyelowo as Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. ‘Selma’ movie review: Politically salient in the early 21st century The title of director Ava DuVernay’s historical…
Jane Fonda in Alan J. Pakula’s Klute. Jane Fonda movies on TCM: ‘The China Syndrome’ & ‘Klute’ + Jean-Luc Godard drama Turner Classic Movies’ 2014 “Summer Under the Stars” kicked…
Idris Elba in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Directed by and starring a couple of Englishmen, respectively Justin Chadwick and Idris Elba, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom has been indifferently…