When I first became enamored of classic Hollywood, there were a handful of actors who were responsible for introducing me to this new wonderful world. At the time, the one who shone the brightest was Marilyn Monroe; today, she is still someone I cherish. To belatedly celebrate Ms. Monroe’s June 1st birthday, I’ve decided to… Read more »
Magical. That shouldn’t be the word that describes a film about a sleazy arrangement that allows executives to use an employee’s apartment for lurid affairs. The title The Apartment should bring to mind booze, broads, and empty promises. Instead, it makes us think of a fragile romance that slowly, achingly enables two people to grow… Read more »
The first time I met Fred Astaire, I hated him. Except I didn’t know him as Fred Astaire, I knew him as Ted Hanover, the conceited hoofer in Holiday Inn who kept stealing the girlfriends of the man who was supposedly his best friend, Jim Hardy (Bing Crosby). My poor, six-year-old heart felt so sad… Read more »
If you’ve seen a film by Terry Gilliam, Wes Anderson, or Tim Burton, you’ve likely seen the influence of Czech filmmaker Karel Zeman. An artistic genius who often combined live action and animation to spellbinding effect, Zeman worked as an animator and director from the 1940s up until his death in 1989. I first discovered… Read more »
We don’t talk about Esther Williams enough. That’s basically what I’ve been shouting from the rooftops ever since I started learning about Esther in 2013, after her death at the age of 91 encouraged me to take notice of the remarkable life and career of the woman deemed the Million Dollar Mermaid. As a longtime… Read more »
When I learned that I was one of the lucky IU Cinema employees to be randomly picked for the Staff Selects series, I was over the moon. I mean, a chance to program a film at one of my favorite places in the world? Seriously? Incredibly enough, my first choice worked out — a 1953… Read more »