Archive for August, 2011
Today on TCM: Rancho Notorious (1952)
Western wear, Fritz Lang direction, (campy?) Dietrich, and George Reeves, later to play TV’s Superman and die in an enduring and intriguing Hollywood scandal – really, what more could you ask for in movie? TCM is airing Fritz Lang’s 1952 Technicolor western Rancho Notorious today at 3:15 pm EST.Is it straight-up schlock or one of [...]
Rock Opera Metropolis Set to Hit 20 Cities
Hmm… I tend to get pretty persnickety about overtly modern soundtracks for silent movies. However, there’s no reason not to see Metropolis 1 billion times, so bring it! Girogio Moroder’s 1984 rock opera soundtrack isn’t my favorite Metropolis score, but it’s not the worst either and seeing a silent in a movie theater is always [...]
School Field Named After Buster Keaton
Perhaps I would have enjoyed elementary school dodge ball more if I had been playing on Buster Keaton Field. It was very slap-sticky anyway. Muskegon’s Bluffton Elementary is all set to christen the ball field Buster Keaton Field.
Film Friday | Weekly Roundup
Pretty Clever Film Gal has been busier than a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs! But not so busy that she didn’t scour the interwebs for you! Before you read on, I need to send up an SOS. Do any of you dear readers use TIVO desktop to transfer and convert [...]
Film Friday | Weekly Roundup
It’s been a busy week at Pretty Clever Films Headquarters thanks to TCM’s Summer Under the Stars. First we’re treated with Lon Chaney day and then Humphrey Bogart day. At night, I hear TIVO softly crying to himself in the other room. Even though I have roughly a gagillion movies to watch, I still took [...]
Chaplin-Keaton-Lloyd Locations (and more)
John Bengtson is the author of three books about the triumverate of silent comedians, Silent Echoes, Silent Traces, and Silent Visions. These books track the real world settings used as background in the films of Keaton, Chaplin, and Lloyd and document them in a then and now fashion. For lovers of silent films, these books [...]
Lon Chaney, “The Man of a Thousand Faces”
To celebrate the amazing Lon Chaney and TCM’s airing of 16 Chaney classics, I’ve put together a slideshow of a few of his most famous characters. Consider these images a teaser, because still images do not do justice to Lon Chaney’s tranformative performances. For example, in Mr. Wu, Chaney appears physically smaller, well beyond the [...]
16 Lon Chaney Movies on TCM
Thanks to TCM’s August series “Summer Under the Stars” we’re being treated to 16 Lon Chaney movies today. Sixteen! If you’re not familiar with Lon Chaney, “The Man of a Thousand Faces,” this schedule is beyond an excellent primer. If you are familiar, then kick back and enjoy not only Chaney’s amazing performances, but some [...]
Film Friday | Weekly Roundup
You know guys… I can’t think of anything witty or pithy to say today. It’s been a long week and I really just want to go and boot around on my sweet new ride. Any suggestions on sweet biking spots in Toronto? Before I tear out, ringing my bell all the way, I put together [...]
Talk About Dancing For Your Dinner…
[Chaplin's] determination to make a serio-comic feature was challenged by First National who preferred two reel films, which were more quickly produced and released. Chaplin wisely gained his distributors’ approval by inviting them to the studio, where he trotted out the delightful Coogan to entertain them. – Phil Posner, The Kid Synopsis Related articles [...]
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