Author Archives: willmckinley

About willmckinley

Will McKinley is a New York City-based writer, producer and classic film obsessive. He’s been a guest on Turner Classic Movies (interviewed by host Robert Osborne), Sirius Satellite Radio and the TCM podcast. Will has written for PBS and his byline has appeared more than 100 times in the pages of NYC alt weeklies like The Villager and Gay City News.

Update #2: 10 Things I Learned at the TCM Classic Film Festival

One of my favorite things about the annual TCM Classic Film Festival is meeting and interacting with the talented people who bring the channel to life. In addition to impromptu chats at screenings and during communal gatherings at the Roosevelt … Continue reading

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Screening Report: THE KID (1921) at Film Forum + Chaplin Look-Alike Contest

It was just after noon on a spring Sunday, and I was chatting with a fellow cineaste outside Film Forum, the Downtown Manhattan movie mecca. “KID AUTO RACES? That’s Chaplin’s first short,” I said. “Well, it’s the first one where … Continue reading

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Happy Birthday, Robert Osborne – Live from the 2013 TCM Classic Film Festival!

Every year I travel to Hollywood for the TCM Classic Film Festival and I think to myself, “This will be the year the magic finally wears off.” And then Robert Osborne walks in, and it feels like Moses has come … Continue reading

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Screening Report: The 1933 Pre-Code Festival

On a recent Friday night, I struggled to find an empty seat at Film Forum, the Downtown Manhattan movie mecca where I spend most of my free time and discretionary dollars. Sold out shows are not uncommon at the cinema, … Continue reading

Posted in Classic Film, Film Forum, Pre-Code Film, Screening Report | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Update: Bill Hader Returning for Third Season of “TCM Essentials Jr.”

TCM announced today that “actor and writer” – they don’t add “impressionist,” which is my favorite of his skills – Bill Hader will return for his third season of TCM Essentials Jr., the summer showcase of films “that are ideal for parents … Continue reading

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Henry Koster’s FRAULEIN (1958)

Watching the DVD of Henry Koster’s FRAULEIN (1958) from 20th Century Fox Cinema Archives was one of my most frustrating classic film viewing experiences in recent memory. You can read all about it in my review at Cinema Sentries. In the meantime, … Continue reading

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UPDATE #4: My Obsessive-Compulsive Guide to the TCM Classic Film Festival

(UPDATES are in italics.) This is something I look forward to – and dread – all year long. Now that the schedule for the upcoming TCM Classic Film Festival has finally been released, the impossible choices must begin. And, with … Continue reading

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Screening Report: FOXY – THE COMPLETE PAM GRIER at the Film Society of Lincoln Center

Like I needed another reason to adore Pam Grier. “I loved the old Boris Karloff films,” the actress said on Friday night before a midnight screening of SCREAM BLACULA SCREAM (1973) at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Francesca Beale … Continue reading

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Pam Grier at the Film Society of Lincoln Center

Actress Pam Grier appeared tonight at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Elinor Bunin Monroe Film Center. She’s still gorgeous and sassy at age 63. Foxy: the Complete Pam Grier, an 11-film retrospective, continues through Sunday. The schedule is here.

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The Good, the Bad, and the Old Movie Weirdos

“You’re an Old Movie Weirdo,” my girlfriend said to me. “I know you don’t think you are, but you are.” Before we go any further, you need to know something about Maggie: she’s honest to a fault, particularly when it … Continue reading

Posted in Classic Film, Film Forum, IFC Center, Screening Report | Tagged , , , , | 37 Comments