Monthly Archives: December 2014

Showtune Saturday: “I’ve Got Plenty To Be Thankful For”

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes: By this point in the holiday season you’re almost certainly heartily sick of the most famous song from Holiday Inn (1942). Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” is certainly a victim of its own success: despite, (or perhaps because … Continue reading →

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Notes on “Chinatown Nights”

Posted on December 18, 2014 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: Intriguing Wellman-directed picture in the doomy Oriental vein of “Broken Blossoms” and “The Bitter Tea of General Yen.” Wallace Beery is Chuck, a bellowing Irish mug who’s installed himself as a warlord in Chinatown. Florence Vidor, in … Continue reading →

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Robert and Nanook

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: Robert Flaherty’s “Nanook of the North” is usually discussed as a documentary, but I wonder if the movie isn’t ill-served by that conversation, which is simply too limiting to address the subtleties of Flaherty’s art. In focusing on … Continue reading →

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Architecture Du Jour

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: The main gate to the World’s Exposition in Paris, 1900. More here. Click on the image to enlarge.

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Showtune Saturday: “Thank Heaven For Little Girls”

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Eddie Pensier

Eddie Pensier writes: The irreplaceable Maurice Chevalier in Vincente Minnelli’s Gigi (1958), a most astonishingly lighthearted and charming Lerner and Loewe musical (based on Colette’s novella of the same name) about a Parisian courtesan. Do yourself a favor, and ignore … Continue reading →

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Movie Poster Du Jour: “Charade”

Posted on December 13, 2014 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: This is a large poster: about five feet in height. They stopped making them in this size in the ’80s.

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The Treasure of Treasures

Posted on December 9, 2014 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: Lately I’ve been enjoying, bit by bit, the Cohen Film Collection’s restoration of D.W. Griffith’s  “Intolerance,” which is available to stream via Hulu Plus. (It’s also available on Blu-Ray.) I’ve seen the movie many times, but … Continue reading →

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Art Du Jour: The Velveteria

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Blowhard, Esq.

Blowhard, Esq. writes: When Sir Barken was recently in L.A. on a cultural tour for his daughter, we met up for a day so I could show them around downtown. Sure, LACMA and the Getty are fine, but the city has … Continue reading →

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“I’m Sorry You Feel That Way”

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: Bill Burr’s new Netflix special is often dazzling. It’s 80 minutes long, and there’s not a down spot in it. No one can rant like Burr; his routine is a quicksilver stream of beligerence. It’d be grating if it weren’t so dizzyingly … Continue reading →

Posted in Humor, Performers | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Two Movie Posters for “. . . And God Created Woman”

Posted on December 7, 2014 by Fabrizio del Wrongo

Fabrizio del Wrongo writes: The UK poster, with art by F.W. Payne and a title without “God.” The adjusted title deprives the ” . . . but the Devil shaped Bardot!” tagline of most of its bite. The iconic French … Continue reading →

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