Kevin Sampson and I Talk 4th of July Movies — Picture Lock

Posted on July 4, 2016 at 5:33 pm

Many thanks to Kevin Sampson and the Picture Lock podcast for having me on to talk about our favorite 4th of July movies. These were not just films that take place on or discuss Independence Day but those that illuminate the issues of liberty and equality that led to and provide the foundation of the Declaration of Independence.

copyright picture lock 2016
copyright picture lock 2016
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Fandango’s Best Road Trip Movies — From “Thelma & Louise” to “Vacation”

Posted on June 2, 2016 at 8:00 am

As families plan their summer schedules, there’s almost sure to be a road trip. You might want to take a look at Fandango’s list of the greatest road trip movies to help you decide what you do and don’t want to include. From “Thelma & Louise” to “Zombieland,” “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure,” “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle,” “Lost in America,” and “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” the list has action and adventure, comedy, and romance. My list would omit “joe Dirt,” “The Guilt Trip,” “Wild Hogs,” “Identity Thief,” “Vacation,” “Crossroads,” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Road Chip” but I was glad to see choices like “Sideways,” “It Happened One Night,” “Nebraska,” and “Midnight Run,” four of the all-time greats. I’d add “The Sure Thing,” “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert,” “The Daytrippers,” “Smoke Signals.” “O, Brother Where Art Thou?,” and the two “Trip” movies with Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon (another one is coming!). I often say that the single most popular theme in stories is a journey, from The Odyssey to “The Wizard of Oz,” and “The Jungle Book.” There’s a reason for that — a journey separates us from the usual and familiar and intensifies our responses. And it provides us with unlimited opportunities for risk, adventure, lessons learned, and new friends, sometimes even romance.

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For Your Netflix Queue Lists

Lewis Carroll’s Alice on Screen

Posted on May 24, 2016 at 3:25 pm

This week’s Tim Burton “Alice Through the Looking Glass” is the latest film to feature one of the most popular characters in movie history, based on the books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll. That was the pen name of a Oxford mathematics professor named Charles Dodgson, who wrote the books in 1865 to entertain a little girl named Alice Liddell.

The stories have been adapted for every possible kind of media, from theater to the earliest silent films, audio and radio, one of Disney’s most popular animated features, and live-action films. Some of the most memorable include:

A 1903 British silent film with some of the earliest special effects.

Walt Disney’s 1923 “Laugh-o-Grams,” a series of “Alice” stories with a little girl interacting with animated characters was a variation on Alice in Wonderland.

Disney Studio’s 1951 animated version.

A 1983 television adaptation with Richard Burton and his daughter Kate Burton.

A 1972 musical version with Peter Cook, Dudley Moore, and future Phantom of the Opera star Michael Crawford.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sO85rKasgg

A 1985 television version with Carol Channing as the White Queen.

A ballet.

Kate Beckinsale in “Through the Looking Glass”

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Celebrate Valentine’s Day With Real-Life Movie Sweethearts

Posted on February 14, 2016 at 8:00 am

I love to recommend romantic movies for Valentine’s Day. This year, how about some movies starring real-life movie sweethearts?

Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward made several films together, including “The Long, Hot Summer” and “Rachel Rachel” (he directed, she starred).

Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn met on “Woman of the Year” and you can see them fall in love on screen.

Their last movie together was “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner.” This speech, filmed just before Tracy’s death, feels as though Tracy is speaking about his love for his co-star.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie met on “Mr. and Mrs. Smith.”

Director Taylor Hackford met his wife, Helen Mirren, when they made “White Nights” together.

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton had a passionate, tempestuous relationship, including two marriages and divorces, that was reflected in their films together.

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