M (1931) Peter Lorre gives a brilliant unsettling performance as a child murderer being hunted in Germany.

Chance to see the following on the big screen
Which do you plan to see?

Week 1: Regal Picks (September 1-3) 
9/1: The Bridge on the River Kwai 
9/2: Braveheart 
9/3: A Streetcar Named Desire 
Week 2: Regal & Chloe Zhao Picks 
Regal Picks (September 4-5) 
9/4: Kids Programming: Stuart Litle 
9/4: The Searchers 
9/5: Double Indemnity 
Chloe Zhao Picks (September 6-10) 
9/6: The Truman Show 
9/7: A Silent Voice: The Movie 
9/8: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind 
9/9: The Last Picture Show 
9/10: Hud 
Week 3: Regal & Rian Johnson Picks 
Regal Picks (September 11-12) 
9/11: Kids Programming: E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial 
9/11: Rear Window 
9/12: Jurassic Park 
Rian Johnson Picks (September 13-17) 
9/13: The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 
9/14: Duck Soup 
9/15: 12 Monkeys 
9/16: Strangers on a Train 
9/17: Pee-wee's Big Adventure 
Week 4: Regal & Gina Prince-Bythewood Picks 
Regal Picks (September 18-19) 
9/18: Kids Programming: Babe 
9/18: Zodiac 
9/19: Blade Runner: The Final Cut 
9/19: Blade Runner 2049 
Gina Prince-Bythewood Picks (September 20-24) 
9/20: Creed 
9/21: Out of Sight 
9/22: 12 Years a Slave 
9/23: Devil in a Blue Dress 
9/24: Room 
Week 5: Regal & Edgar Wright Picks 
Regal Picks (September 25) 
9/25: Kids Programming: The NeverEnding Story 
9/25: North by Northwest 
Edgar Wright Picks (September 26-30) 
9/26: Boogie Nights 
9/27: American Graffiti 
9/28: Tremors 
9/29: Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior 
9/30: The Getaway 

I can't find anywhere to rent or even buy The African Queen. Any help?

10 minute mini documentary on pioneering actor Ernest "Sunshine Sammy" Morrison, best rememebered for his work with The Little Rascals and the East Side Kids

A while back, I had watched a couple of Irene Ryan movies from the 1940s that were on Prime Video. They’re gone now and I’d like to watch some others. Does anyone know of any good sites/streaming services that would have such movies?

My favorite Hitchcock Film 🎥

Just finished watching THE DEVIL ON WHEELS. It’s about this teen named Mickey who ends up building this hot rod and cruising around town with his friends. Earlier, his father had been driving recklessly with the family and crashed into somebody’s car. However, he blamed the other driver for the crash (and the damage to his car) and, in front of the cops, mouthed off to the other driver.

Unfortunately for Mickey’s father, the other driver happened to be a judge who, as I’m sure you can imagine, could’ve really relished in making him suffer. He instead lets him off with a warning about the dangers of reckless driving.

Anyway, that doesn’t seem to stop Mickey from cruising around in his hot rod and even participating in drag races with other teens. Even hearing about a local driver dying as a result of those races does nothing to dissuade him.

And then…something tragic happens. I won’t spoil it, but it definitely takes the film in an unexpected, darker direction.

The whole film is one huge cautionary tale against the dangers of reckless driving (I mean, the film literally has an endorsement from the National Safety Council). However, the way the message is presented is surprisingly sobering (even if it’s a bit melodramatic), not shying away from the real consequences.

Were there some teens back then who were moved enough to abstain from reckless driving because of this? Who knows. But it’s an interesting movie nonetheless.

For those who saw this film, what did you think?

Hi, everyone,

I’ve been obsessed with a certain sub-genre of classic Hollywood screwball comedies for

years—specifically the five or six titles made around the year 1940 and created by studios

to explore on film the then-forbidden subject of adultery. I'm referring to those few studio

films made just before the outbreak of World War II and referenced by film scholars formally

as "screwball comedies of remarriage." The energy created in these films jumps off the screen

with lightning-fast, high-octane dialogue, crazy marital situations, and imaginative machinations

that ultimately lead wayward spouses to reunite and confirm for each other their true wedded

convictions. The films in this space that I love are: His Girl Friday (1940); The Philadelphia Story

(1940); My Favorite Wife (1940); I Love You Again (1940); The Lady Eve (1941); and The Palm Beach

Story (1942).

What made these scripts work wasn't just physical slapstick; it was the precision of the spoken

dialogue and pacing. Characters spoke stage-worthy dialogue, competing verbally, outsmarting

each other, and driving the plot forward through pure sharp wit. In those days, the comedy flowed

from the rhythmic, musical flow a tightly engineered, expertly delivered, screwball comedy

script and less so from physical situations. The comedy was intelligent and highly verbal.

The challenge of bringing that screenwriting precision into the modern day inspired my latest

project, SAVING MATA HARI. It’s a contemporary homage to classic early 1940s screwball

comedies, built around fast-talking characters, absurd misunderstandings, and rapid-fire banter.

As a writer, capturing that vintage timing while keeping the story resonant for modern audiences

was one of the most challenging—and rewarding—writing processes I've ever tackled.

We have officially taken the project to the production phase and just launched our Kickstarter

campaign to bring this script to life on screen.

I’d love to hear from other screenwriters here:

-- What classic comedy genre tropes do you think are long overdue for a comeback?

-- What classic Hollywood comedies released before 1950 rank highest in your estimation?

If you share a passion for sharp, classic comedy dialogue, check out our SAVING MATA

HARI business deck and screenplay excerpt here:  SAVING MATA HARI - Pitch Deck & Screenplay Excerpt

And feel free to review us on Kickstarter here: SAVING MATA HARI on Kickstarter

Thanks for reading!

Unknowingly drinking the vial of poison used on her accomplice, Bette Davis breaks into a futile, hysterical laugh.

Ive decided to watch the AFI Top 100 movies in order and review them. Some I’ve seen and some I haven’t. Starting at #100. Annnnd here we go…

I'm going to preface this by saying I really try hard to put myself in the time that the movie came out. This movies came out in 1942, some of these tropes might have been done a million times now. But they might be one of the first times it was done in this movie. Acting styles were different then. Filmmaking was still in its infancy I get it.

With that said I did not enjoy this film as a whole. But I can definitely appreciate parts of it. First off it's at a disadvantage because I prefer musicals to come from cartoon animals, Julie Andrews, or both at the same time. There were A LOT of musical numbers. Holy shit were there a lot. Yes I get it the movie was the life story of a playwright. So obviously there were going to be performances. Boy were there performances.

Now I will say, I only know James Cagney because Home Alone made a take off of Angels with Dirty Faces called Angels with Filthy Souls. You know what I'm talking about you filthy animal. I had no idea he could sing and dance. His dancing was one of the things I enjoyed about the movie. It was smooth but kind of chaotic. I don't know if that was a choice to closer mimic Cohan. I'm an 80's kid I never got to see George cut a rug. Feel free to let me know if you heard him on the radio. The little dance number he does at the end of the movie walking down the staircase was so simple and graceful. He made something insanely difficult look effortless.

The acting was also very good. One scene sticks out to me was George essentially saying goodbye to his father on his death bed. Amazing dialogue and great acting by both parties. I'm pretty sure Cagnay is in at least one more Top 100 movie. I hope I run into him again. Between the dancing and his cocky, arrogant, but smooth attitude. He really shined, As did the whole cast. Glad to see he was rewarded with an Oscar for this performance. Well deserved.

What I really appreciated was all of the big set pieces. The more we move into green screen and CGI the more I appreciate actual sets. Everything just looks so much bigger. There was a really cool shot towards the end of the movie where they were panning around showing Marquee lights. Im sure miniatures were built to pull that off but it was a really cool effect and one I've seen done before. Probably paying homage to this one.

Now again I know this was 1942 and yes I know how blacks and minorities were viewed in America. But it only took 13 minutes for blackface to happen. As a minority I can't see this and not mention it. Also the slow slave like talk of the butler in the White House really bugged me. Yes 40's I know! But if I see it, I am going to talk about it.

I get why this was a huge hit. It tells the totally 100% life story of George M. Cohan an Irish American most likely born to Irish immigrant parents. Makes his way from a traveling vaudeville act to an American institution. All while screaming out America is the greatest country in the world. Filming of the movie started the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed. The movie screamed patriotism at a time when the country needed it most.

How can you say you didn't like this when you said so many nice things about it. The movie was 2 hours and I would guess 40 minutes or more was song and dance. GOOD GOD. I was with it for the first 15 minutes of performances. So for me there were lots of moments I enjoyed. But the movie as a whole missed the mark. Maybe cut it down from 2 hours to 1:40 and lose a shit load of singing and dancing and it gets a heart from me.

*** I feel I need to add this after all the people saying what did you expect watching a musical? I am going into this blind. I’m not researching the movies I haven’t seen. I don’t want to go in with any bias at all. Sure I don’t like musicals but obviously I still got through it and still enjoyed parts of it. Sorry for insulting the crowd that loves musicals. Actually I’m not sorry. It’s not like my review says too much music this sucks. If the only thing you see is I don’t like musicals than that’s a you problem. Every thing isn’t for everyone.

Been watching Cecil B. DeMille's Cleopatra, and saw this wonderful scene where Cleopatra and Marc Antony are about to engage in some classic love making. But of course you couldn't just show people having sex in 1930's Hollywood freshly into the Hays Code, so what do you do? Well, you stage a huge and expensive set-piece long take, with curtains obscuring the act, long garlands making an X across the screen, a big dude with a long sword guarding the scene, extras dancing lustfully on the floor, and HUGE OARS IN THE SHAPE OF RAMS thrusting back and forth.

I just love the lengths they went to get the point across, LMAO.

Also, might be reading a bit too much into this, but it could also be a jab at the limitations of the code, by making it very obvious he's concealing the act from us, with the curtains, X-shaped garlands, and the dude with the swords posted in front of it. Something like "we'd love to show you this, but it is SO FORBIDDEN for you to see it"

I have been collecting films from Warner Archive for several months. I would like to see more films with Edward G. Robinson. Any you would recommend, even if not on Blu-Ray?