TCM’s Classic Movies Seriesis the perfect opportunity to re-visit or perhaps attend for the first time the theatrical screenings of – “Planet of the Apes”, “Animal House” and “The King and I”.
Each film will include a special TCM-produced commentary by host Ben Mankiewicz who will provide exclusive insights, behind-the-scenes looks and more.
I’m a big proponent of heading to the theater to watch an anticipated movie on the big screen. Even though we have the convenience of DVDs and streaming, nothing beats the experience of sitting in the dark and enjoying a great film with fellow movie lovers.
Planet of the Apes may make you question just how civilized and superior humans really are to our primate relatives. It serves as a metaphor for man’s frailties and social prejudices. It holds up a mirror for people to challenge the idea of humanity.
A science fiction film directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, it stars Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, Kim Hunter, Maurice Evans, James Whitmore, James Daly and Linda Harrison. The screenplay by Michael Wilson and Rod Serling was based on the 1963 French novel La Planète des Singes by Pierre Boulle.
The film tells the story of an astronaut crew who crash-land on a strange planet in the distant future. Although the planet appears desolate at first, the surviving crew members stumble upon a society in which apes have evolved into creatures with human-like intelligence and speech. The apes have assumed the role of the dominant species and humans are mute creatures wearing animal skins.(Wikipedia)
Join Astronaut George Taylor (Charleton Heston) as he attempts to uncover the truth after waking up on a desolate planet and discovering that apes are in control! See the classic that bravely challenged social issues and made people ask the question, “how civilized are we, really?”
I love Robin Williams. His talent was beyond compare. I’ve written about his unique gifts in a previous post and how deeply his passing affected me. So, I was very excited to see that PBS is paying tribute tonight at 10pm to this comedic genius.
This tribute to actor and comedian Robin Williams features one of his last full-length interviews for the Pioneers of Television series, including never-before-seen comments on his life and comedic and dramatic work, as well as tributes to Williams by those who knew and worked with him, and clips from his career.
In 1998, Williams won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Dr. Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting. In addition, Williams was nominated thrice for Best Actor for his performances in Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society and The Fisher King. He also received twoPrimetime Emmy Awards, six Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Grammy Awards throughout his career, and was inducted as a Disney Legend in 2009. (Wikipedia)
Join PBS Tuesday, July 19 at 10 PM for a remembrance of one of the pioneers of comedy, Robin Williams.
As I write on my About page, I’ve loved movies ever since I was a kid at the Saturday matinees. When the VCR was developed, I was in heaven. The ability to view my favorite films whenever I wanted was a day I had envisioned since childhood.
This post is Part 2 of Most Quotable Films and features some of my favorite, most notable quotes from my best-loved movies.
My family has a lot of fun reciting movies and my children were raised watching and memorizing movie lines.There are way too many quotable films to name, but here goes:
CaddyShack is a raucous joyride of quotes. How could it help be starring Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, and Bill Murray? I don’t know how any of the cast could keep a straight face during filming. One of my favorite scenes is in the pool with the candy bar. Not going to give it away so give it a look-see.😂
Starring Gene Wilder, Clevon Little, Harvey Korman, and Madeline Khan, this Mel Brooks film has to be one of the funniest flicks of all time! It offends everyone and in a past post titled “Too Blazing Hot”, I posed the question if this movie could be made today because of its’ incorrectness in practically every scene. However, this satire of western films lasers in on a myriad of stereotypes and folklore. My husband’s favorite scene was the villains around the campfire. After seeing it he insisted on us returning to the theater for what turned out to be an afternoon of non-stop belly laughs. If you haven’t already, make it a point to see this classic.
Yet another Mel Brooks masterpiece, Young Frankenstein pays homage to the original Frankenstein and its’ sequels. I’m a huge Universal monster fan and was blown away with Brooks’ accuracy in the scenes and references to all the films. Absolute genius!
I’ve only touched on a minuscule number of quotable films. Let me know some of your favorites in the comments!
As I write on my About page, I’ve loved movies ever since I was a kid at the Saturday matinees. When the VCR was developed, I was in heaven. The ability to view my favorite films whenever I wanted was a day I had envisioned since childhood.
I have two children and raised them to be movie junkies, as well. We frequently have conversations laced with film quotes like – “It doesn’t have to be gold” from the Billy Wilder classic, “Some Like it Hot!” or “Do or do not. There is no try.” from the wise Yoda in “Empire Strikes Back”.
This post features some of my favorite, most notable quotes from my best-loved movies. There are way too many to name, but here goes:
Trivia: Marlon Brando boycotted the Academy Awards and turned down his Oscar for Best Actor in protest of the treatment of Native Americans in film and on television. Al Pacino also was a no-show for being nominated as Best Supporting Actor and not Best Actor. He had more screen time so didn’t appreciate the slight.
This Jack Lemmon, Tony Curtis, Marilyn Monroe comedy vehicle has always been close to my heart because, for its time, was the most subversive film I’d ever seen. And I mean that in a good way! Cross-dressing, gay marriage, it’s brilliant! In my top 5.
Tom Hanks “made his bones” to quote The Godfather in this remarkable cinematic triumph. Forrest Gump will probably go down as one of the most quotable films of all time! “Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get”.
1939 is considered to be the most amazing year in the motion picture industry for the quality of films and audience attendance. “Gone With the Wind”, “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” and “The Wizard of Oz”, which is one of the most beloved works of our time. It continues to tug at our heart strings with every generation.
“Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking.” Scarecrow
This group is just a sampling of some of the best. Stay tuned for Part Two of the Most Quotable Films. In the meantime:
Bernie Worrell, composer and keyboardist, lost his fight with lung cancer on Friday. He was 72. Worrell was one of the original funk masters performing with the “Parliament/Funkadelic” and the “Talking Heads”. (for which I will always remember his frenzied playing style)
Worrell was classically trained. Taking up the piano at age 3, he later studied at the Juilliard School and the New England Conservatory of Music.
Parliament/Funkadelic
Among the many P-Funk jams he co-wrote, played on, or co-produced were “Flash Light,” “Atomic Dog,” “Aqua Boogie,” and “Red Hot Mama”.
David Byrne (Talking Heads) and Bernie Worrell
David Byne of “The Talking Heads” remarked at a benefit concert for Worrell earlier this year – “He gives you the theology of funk. Bernie can take the music to a very cosmic place.”
Worrell released several solo albums, including “All the Woo in the World” and “Funk of Ages”. Presented by Prince, Bernie Worrell was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with other members of Parliament-Funkadelic in 1997.
In 2015, Worrell appeared in the movie Ricki and the Flash as the keyboard player in Meryl Streep’s band. The movie reunited Worrell with director Jonathan Demme, who had directed “Stop Making Sense”. (If you haven’t, I highly recommend checking out Stop Making Sense!)
Talking Heads – “Stop Making Sense”
During May 2016, the New England Conservatory of Music gave Worrell, who studied at the school until 1967, an honorary Doctor of Music degree.
The following video is – “Stranger: Bernie Worrell on Earth”. It is a documentary film about Worrell’s life, music and impact.
Dance and I go way back. I have memories of American Bandstand and “bopping” with the staircase banister. There have been hundreds of dances long before I came along and even since. But, the most incredible dance craze I’ve ever seen by far is “The Lindy Hop”!
Don’t get me wrong, The Nicholas Brothers are my boys and their performances were breathtaking! No matter how many times I watch their dance routine from the Lena Horne/Bill “Bojangles” Robinson film “Stormy Weather”, I hold my breath in disbelief.
Like the Nicholas Brothers, the Lindy Hop is a marvel to behold! An assemblage of gymnastic, caution to the wind, I can’t believe they just did that dance moves. The coordination and imagination alone make this form of dance tops in my book.
I watch the television dance competition program, “So, You Think You Can Dance” for the myriad of styles and routines. However, I challenge even these dancers to impress me with the moves of the likes of the legendary Lindy Hopper Frankie Manning! (featured in this routine from the 1929 film, “Hellzapoppin”, he and his partner are last.)
The Lindy Hop was developed in Harlem, New York City, in the 1920s and 1930s and originally evolved with the jazz music of that time. It was very popular during the Swing era of the late 1930s and early 1940s. Lindy was a fusion of many dances that preceded it or were popular during its development but is mainly based on jazz, tap, breakaway, and Charleston. It is frequently described as a jazz dance and is a member of the swing dance family. (Wikipedia)
Just as jazz music emerged as a dominant art form that could absorb and integrate other forms of music, Lindy Hop gained its own fame through dancers in films, performances, competitions, and professional dance troupes.
Frankie Manning was part of a new generation of Lindy hoppers and is the most celebrated Lindy hopper in history. Some sources credit Manning, working with his partner Freida Washington, for inventing the ground-breaking “Air Step” or “aerial” in 1935. An Air Step is a dance move in which at least one of the partners’ two feet leave the ground in a dramatic, acrobatic style. Most importantly, it is done in time with the music. Air steps are now widely associated with the characterization of lindy hop, despite being generally reserved for competition or performance dancing, and not generally being executed on any social dance floor. (Wikipedia)
The popularity of Lindy Hop declined after World War II, and the dance remained dormant until revived by European and American dancers in the 1980s.
The closest I’ve ever come to Lindy hopping is a gymnastic dance sequence in a community theater production of “West Side Story”. I executed a “back flip” move with my partner which for me stands out as the most exciting dance routine of my community theater career.
I was 40 years of age when I performed the “back flip” routine so, hey, maybe I’ve got a Lindy Hop left in me! 😎
This controversial 1988 musical comedy-drama was written and directed by Spike Lee and is based in part on Lee’s experiences at Atlanta’s Morehouse College, Spelman College, and Clark Atlanta University. (Spike Lee also has a role as “Half-Pint”, a pledge for Gamma Phi Gamma) It is a story about fraternity and sorority members clashing with other students at a historically black college during homecoming weekend and also touches upon issues of colorism (discrimination based on skin color) and hair texture bias within the African-American community. The film stars Larry Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, and Tisha Campbell-Martin.
School Daze resonates with me for a couple of reasons, first, as a member of a sorority and second, because of my love of the musical genre, the well-produced dance sequences.
Spike went out on a limb challenging black colleges, politics, and internal racial relations. At the time, some people felt he was airing family business. Discussing subject matter usually not shared with the world at large. Good and bad hair, light skinned vs. dark skinned, social class. Spike touched a nerve on all these issues, garnering mixed revues from audiences.
As a black, sorority girl, I found that Spike was telling truths that I’ve experienced over the course of my life. Skin color, hair texture, and social standing. These are issues we still deal with today. As far as the politics, my college class was very political and our participation ranged from running for our dorm governing counsel to initiating the first black cheerleader. Because we grew up in the 60’s and the civil rights movement we understood that we benefited from the sacrifices of others and it was our responsibility to pay it forward.
But, the bottom line of my enjoyment of this movie is I absolutely loved the production numbers! When the film was made you didn’t see lots of musicals like in the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s. More serious subjects were generally being portrayed due to the politics of the times. Remember, Nelson Mandela was still in prison and apartheid was full on in South Africa.
Now, let’s check out my very favorite performance – Gamma Rays!
These divas are working it in this dance piece! I can still perform this entire routine and it continues to make me smile. Absolutely fabulous!!
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times noted School Daze’s significance as a film with a “completely black orientation. “All of the characters, good and bad, are black, and all of the character’s references are to each other.” (Wikipedia)
School Daze is relevant, witty, and worth viewing. Two Thumbs Up!
My ideas for posts come to me in a very organic way. Doesn’t matter where I am or what I’m doing, if a thought comes to mind I immediately write it down. (if I don’t, it can be lost in the ether forever:) This time, sitting under the dryer at the salon, I came up with the idea for a flashback look at the revolutionary video format from “back in the day”and some of my favorite titles from the hundreds of tapes in my VCR library.
The Video Home System (VHS) is a standard for consumer-level use of analog recording on videotape cassettes. It was developed by Victor Company of Japan (JVC) in the 1970s. (Wikipedia)
Over the years, I’ve been upgrading my VHS tapes to DVDs because of the quality. But, I’d also kept my VCR because of my extensive VHS collection and besides, it was in perfectly good condition. That is until about a year ago. The rewind ceased to function and upon ejecting the tape it became a projectile, hurling itself across the room.
I recently celebrated my birthday and received an Amazon gift card which I was very excited to use in purchasing a new, used VCR. As I started taking inventory of tapes I hadn’t been able to or just forgot about watching over the years, I was like a kid in a candy store, discovering these titles all over again.
Anyone who knows me understands I’m a movie junkie. As a kid, my mom and I went to the “show” (as we called it) on a weekly basis. And on Saturdays, I’d tag along with my sister to the monster matinees.
Growing up in the sixties, I only had access to my favorite films at the movie theater. However, I always believed the day would come when I’d assemble a film library and be able to watch my faves as often as I’d like. It would take another decade, but I got my wish when in 1977 the VCR player became available to the general public.
From the 1950s, magnetic tape video recording became a major contributor to the television industry, via the first commercialized video tape recorders (VTRs). At that time, the devices were used only in expensive professional environments such as television studios and medical imaging (fluoroscopy).
In the 1970s videotape entered home use, creating the home video industry and changing the economics of the television and movie businesses. The television industry viewed VCRs as having the power to disrupt their business, while television users viewed the VCR as the means to take control of their hobby. (Wikipedia)
First VHS Logo
In the beginning, there were few titles available and the tapes were expensive. ($60-$80) It would take until the early eighties before the format was feasible as prices came down.
The first theatrical film ever released to the public on VHS was the South Korean drama, The Young Teacher, in 1976. The first three titles to become available in the U.S were – The Sound of Music, Patton, and M*A*S*H (at an average retail cost of $50-$70, each).
I have such happy memories of watching The Sound of Music (1965) for the first time and being swept up in the majestic opening number and loving every song. At that moment, Julie Andrews became my favorite songstress and I would forever perform as a soprano!
West Side Story (1961) also made an impression and was one of the coolest musicals of the 1960’s. Winner of ten Academy Awards including Best Picture, this electrifying musical sets the ageless tragedy of Romeo and Juliet in the slums of 1950s New York.
My personality is the type that will watch a movie over and over again and I’m so thankful for the advent of the VCR which has allowed me to collect and enjoy my film library anytime I desire. These films have also impacted and inspired me to take my love of musicals and eventually perform in community theater productions.
It’s so wonderful to be able to relive fond big screen memories, and relish home movies of when my kids were young. Starting my video collection was a wish come true and I often enjoy revisiting these special films and moments of days and times gone by.
VHS Legacy
Often considered an important medium of film history, the influence of VHS on art and cinema was highlighted in a retrospective staged at the Museum of Arts and Design in 2013. In 2015 the Yale University Library collected nearly 3,000 horror and exploitation movies on VHS tapes, distributed from 1978 to 1985, calling them “the cultural id of an era.” (Wikipedia)
I was thinking about actors who so embodied the role that you forgot the actual actor. The first that immediately came to mind was George Clooney in the Coen Brother’s Academy Award Nominated film –“Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?”
George Clooney
Normally my reaction to Clooney is, “wow, he’s so fine!” But, as Ulysses Everett McGill I didn’t ever think about the “fine” George Clooney but instead was mesmerized and cracking up with laughter at lines like “my hair”. Ulysses is a Dapper Dan hair pomade man. (totally obsessed with his hair)
I had no idea he was so freakin’ funny! Who knew? He usually plays fine, hot, strong characters but this time, he went all the way out the box with this incredible performance.
One of my favorite scenes is when he’s at a political benefit concert with his “band” the Soggy Bottom Boys and becomes engrossed in conversation trying to convince his ex-wife (Holly Hunter) to give him a second chance. Just when he is just about to reel her in, he hears the opening line to his (unbeknownst to him) hit song “Constant Sorrow”and without hesitation is back at the mike and crushing it. A man after my own heart. (I’m a community theater veteran:)
Produced, edited, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen, and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson, with John Goodman, Holly Hunter, and Charles Durning in supporting roles. Set in 1937 rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, the film’s story is a modern satire loosely based on Homer’s epic poem, Odyssey. The title of the film is a reference to the 1941 film Sullivan’s Travels, in which the protagonist (a director) wants to film a fictional book about the Great Depression called O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Wikipedia)
The film is brilliant and all the actor’s performances are remarkable! “Oh, Brother Where Art Thou” is a dark comedy whose themes touch on poverty, politics and racism. I give it – both thumbs way up.
I am all about the Marvel Universe and I love Tony Stark/Iron Man! I also love the actor Robert Downey, Jr. and see his life in parallel with that of Tony Stark’s.
Even director Jon Favreau saw the parallels with the character as he explained his choice of Robert Downey, Jr. by stating: “Downey wasn’t the most obvious choice, but he understood what makes the character tick. He found a lot of his own life experience in ‘Tony Stark’.”
In “Iron Man”,we meet the reckless, engineering genius, irreverent playboy, and heir to the Stark Industries fortune, Tony Stark. His engineering abilities eventually help him turn his life around and accept responsibility for the weapons of mass destruction he and his late father – Howard Stark have developed.
Robert John Downey Jr. (born April 4, 1965)
Like Stark, Downey is brilliant! I’ve watched his career blossom from the silly bully in Weird Science (1985) to his seemingly real-life story in, Less Than Zero (1987) to his incredible performance in the 1992 film Chaplin, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor and won him the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
Robert Downey, Jr as Chaplin
About “Less Than Zero”, Downey has said that for him “the role was like the ghost of Christmas Future” since his drug habit resulted in his becoming an “exaggeration of the character.”
His devolution from a teenage star to his public humiliation as a drug addict brought loss of relationships with pain and heartache to his friends and family. I’ve prayed for him to get his life together and not squander the gift he was given.
Unfortunately, as a child, Downey was “surrounded by drugs”. His father, a drug addict, allowed Downey to use marijuana at age six, an incident which his father has said he now regrets. Downey later stated that drug use became an emotional bond between him and his father: “When my dad and I would do drugs together, it was like him trying to express his love for me in the only way he knew how.” (Wikipedia)
Downey-“Weird Science”
Downey-“Less Than Zero”
Downey-“Chaplin”
At the beginning of “Iron Man”, Tony is actually promoting Stark Industries and his new project the “Jericho” missile. (a rocket-propelled grenade) On a promotional tour in war-torn Afghanistan, Tony Stark is injured and kidnapped by a terrorist group, who want him to produce a copy of his weapon. Angered by the turn of events, he secretly develops the prototype that becomes “Iron Man.” This imposing figure reeks havoc on his captures as Stark/Iron Man escapes. Back home at his lab, we witness the evolution of the look and strength of Iron Man as Tony fashions him into a force for good against those who profit from Stark Industry’s weapons of war.
Robert Downey, Jr. like Tony Stark was forced to face his demons and (according to Downey) turned his life and career around with the help of his family, therapy, meditation, twelve-step recovery programs, yoga and the practice of Wing Chun kung fu. Downey has also credited his wife Susan Levin – Executive Vice President of Production at Joel Silver’s film company and production partner – with helping him overcome his drug and alcohol habits.
Downey and wife Susan
Today, Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man, and as an Avenger, is an integral player in the Marvel Studios Universe which is proving to be one of the most profitable franchises in the film industry.
I smile whenever I see Robert or Tony. It feels good watching a fellow spirit not only overcome his challenges but thrive in the arena where we can share and enjoy his talent.
“A lot of people do get out but don’t change. So the thing is to get out and recognize the significance of that aggressive denial of your fate, come through the crucible forged into a stronger metal.” (Vanity Fair)
This site is about how to live our life in a meaningful way by accepting complete surrender to the Almighty with purity of mind and character. It is about the eternal religion of the world i.e. Hinduism which is very liberal to anyone because there are many branches or methods to get the divinity to turn our life into an ever blissful one.
Free listening and free download (mp3) chill and down tempo music (album compilation ep single) for free (usually name your price). Full merged styles: trip-hop electro chill-hop instrumental hip-hop ambient lo-fi boombap beatmaking turntablism indie psy dub step d'n'b reggae wave sainte-pop rock alternative cinematic organic classical world jazz soul groove funk balkan .... Discover lots of underground and emerging artists from around the world.
iheartfilm 