Charlie Hunnam and Dakota Johnson to Star in “50 Shades of Grey”

Posted on September 3, 2013 at 5:03 pm

charlie hunnamdakota-johnsonE.L. James’ erotic best-seller Fifty Shades of Grey is soon to be a movie, starring Dakota Johnson as literature student Anastasia Steele and Charlie Hunnam as billionaire Christian Grey.  The book began as “Twilight” fan fiction and with its two sequels has become an international sensation.  Dakota Johnson, best known for the short-lived television series “Ben and Kate” and for vivid and confident work in small roles in “The Five Year Engagement” and “21 and Over,” is the daughter of Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith.  She is currently filming Shakespeare’s “Cymbeline” with Ethan Hawke and Milla Jovovich.  Charlie Hunnam was most recently seen in “Pacific Rim” operating a giant robot.  His roles have been exceptionally wide-ranging, from Victorian England as the title character in Nicholas Nickleby and as outlaw motorcyclist Jax Teller in Sons of Anarchy.

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Actors Based on a book Behind the Scenes

The Story of Film — On TCM

Posted on September 3, 2013 at 3:55 pm

Anyone who loves film should watch the 15-episode documentary about the history of film now showing on TCM.  In “The Story of Film: An Odyssey,” documentarian and film historian Mark Cousins takes us from the very first flickering images a little more than a hundred years ago to the evolution of the language of cinema and the art of storytelling in the movies.  

 

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Film History

Celebrate the First Day of School with The Magic Schoolbus!

Posted on September 3, 2013 at 8:00 am

I have a Magic Schoolbus DVD to give away!  This one is called “In a Pickle,” and it includes the title episode about microbes, “Meets Molly Cule” about molecules, and “Makes a Stink” about smell — with a special bonus episode: “Meets the Riot Squad.”

Send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com with “Schoolbus” in the subject line and tell me what your favorite subject is in school.  Don’t forget your address!  (US addresses only)  I’ll pick a winner on September 8.  Good luck and have a good school year!

 

 

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Contests and Giveaways

Labor Day Movies 2013

Posted on September 2, 2013 at 8:00 am

In honor of the people who brought us the 40 hour work week, weekends off, and major advances in workplace safety and all those who work to contribute to society and care for their families:

Harlan County, U.S.A. This classic documentary about striking miners in one of the country’s most violent worker confrontations.

Up in the Air One of the few companies flourishing in this economy is one that helps other companies fire people.

Matewan Chris Cooper stars in John Sayles fictional film inspired by real-life efforts by miners to protest a pay cut, beautifully photographed by cinematographer Haskell Wexler.

Executive Suite Is this post-WWII story of a struggle to become CEO between the green-eyeshade numbers guy (Frederic March) and the man who sees a job as a way to give employees meaning, purpose, and dignity (William Holden) an artifact of its time or a cautionary tale?

In Good Company Dennis Quaid plays a middle-aged executive who finds himself working for a man young enough to be his son (Topher Grace) in this takeover-era story about the tension between revenues based on buzzwords and spreadsheets and revenues based on relationships and trust.

Blue Collar Auto workers are caught between corrupt executives and corrupt union officials in this gritty story starring Richard Pryor and Harvey Keitel.

The Company Men Three executives lose their jobs in this recession-era film by John Wells, starring Chris Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, and Ben Affleck.

The films of Frederick Wiseman Pioneering documentarian Frederick Wiseman has produced the definitive series of films about work in the United States, covering everything from a high school, to a mental hospital, a high-end retail store, a ballet company, a hospital, a boxing gym, a racetrack, the military, a court, and a welfare office.

And be sure to check out my previous list, including classics like “9 to 5,” “The Pajama Game,” and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”

upintheair_poster1

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For Your Netflix Queue Neglected gem Quiz

Three Songs About September

Posted on September 1, 2013 at 3:59 pm

Happy September!  Here are three of my favorite songs paying tribute to this month.

Many people have sung the haunting Kurt Weill “September Song,” originally introduced by Walter Huston (father of director John Huston and grandfather to Anjelica and Danny Huston) in an otherwise-forgotten musical called “Knickerbocker Holiday.”  But no one, not even Frank Sinatra, sings it better than Willie Nelson.

The longest-running play in the world is the sweet musical “The Fantastiks,” featuring this bittersweet song, “Try to Remember.”  It was introduced in 1960 by Jerry Orbach.  Here he is, 22 years later.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEW1F9kZ-UE

The Tempos originally recorded “See You in September” in 1959, but the harmonies made it perfect for The Happenings.

 

 

 

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