Category Archives: Contemporary Film

Classic Film Icons Tarnish in TRUMBO (2015)

Posted on November 6, 2015 by willmckinley

John Wayne rarely played the bad guy in his nearly half-century film career, but he finally gets the chance in TRUMBO, Jay Roach’s uneven biopic of blacklisted screenwriter Dalton Trumbo. Wayne (David James Elliott) and gossip columnist Hedda Hopper (Helen … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary Film, Screening Report | Tagged | 14 Comments

For Classic Film Fans, Death is a Way of Life

Posted on June 14, 2015 by willmckinley

“This is really the closest thing you get to news in your world,” my girlfriend’s brother said to me the day Christopher Lee’s death was announced. The passing of a 93-year-old is never a surprise; still, Thursday was a somber day … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Film, Contemporary Film | Tagged , , | 25 Comments

How a Fox/Time Warner Merger Might Impact Classic Film Fans

Posted on July 16, 2014 by willmckinley

“There’s a storm blowin’ up – a whopper, to speak in the vernacular of the peasantry!” Professor Marvel (Frank Morgan) says to Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) in THE WIZARD OF OZ. If you’re a fan of that beloved 1939 MGM film, or … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary Film, TCM | Tagged | 13 Comments

Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones Drive Miss Daisy to the Multiplex

Posted on June 4, 2014 by willmckinley

There’s a new Angela Lansbury film in theaters this week, which is news that will delight any classic movie and TV fan. But the version of Driving Miss Daisy in which the legendary actress stars opposite James Earl Jones isn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary Film | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Screening Report: Andrew Bujalski’s COMPUTER CHESS (2013)

Posted on August 4, 2013 by willmckinley

The most enjoyable movie I’ve seen this summer is in black and white. That probably doesn’t surprise you. But what if I told you it’s not a classic from the Studio Era, but rather a current release from one of … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary Film, Film Forum, Screening Report | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Screening Report: Guillermo del Toro’s PACIFIC RIM (2013) in IMAX 3-D

Posted on July 14, 2013 by willmckinley

If you see PACIFIC RIM, director Guillermo del Toro’s “Giant Monsters vs. Giant Robots” CGI Punch ’em Up, make sure you stay for the closing credits. There’s a text screen at the very end that may be of interest to classic … Continue reading →

Posted in Contemporary Film, Screening Report | Tagged | 4 Comments