Love Letters to Old Hollywood

Virginie over at The Wonderful World of Cinema is hosting a great blogathon devoted to screen goddess, Ingrid Bergman, and naturally I had to be a part of it. Ms. Bergman's 100th birthday is today, and what better way to honor her? Check out the other fantastic contributions here ! ********************************************************* I made a terrible discovery last night while taking notes for this post -- I've completely taken Notorious for granted. The first time I saw it, I loved everything about it, from its magnetic leads to its delicious dialogue. I could recite every camera angle and every scene. However, it had been awhile since I had seen the film, so watching it again suddenly became like a revelation to me. I've championed Notorious for years, and I was completely justified as it unfolded before me for the umpteenth time. This movie is damn good, and I'm so glad I picked it for this blogathon.

Good golly. It's been two years already? When I started this blog, I had no idea how much I would enjoy it. I've found many other blogs I now adore, and I hope that I've been blessed with new readers of my own. For the past year, I've really been trying to improve not just the quantity of posts, but the quality of them. I've changed formats and colors, as well as paid more attention to the details in films. I started including photos I took myself in order to provide a better aesthetic and understanding for the movies I talk about (I admit, for better or worse--my laptop doesn't have a DVD player and so I have to improvise my own "screenshots" using my TV and phone camera). I'm also trying to take advantage of adding YouTube videos to my posts. They're all little things, but they're designed to make my blog much better for you lovely people, and so I'll sleep better at night. I even started participating in blogathons, which have been ...

Today I celebrate Debbie Reynolds's day as part of the continuing Summer Under the Stars Blogathon, although her day isn't until tomorrow starting at 6 am. My first entry on Fred Astaire can be found here , and the list of other entries are  here  at Journeys in Classic Film . ****************************************************** Although finally reviewing Singin' in the Rain was mighty tempting, I wanted to do something unique for the incomparable Ms. Reynolds. So, taking a look at her filmography, I decided to shed some light on one of Debbie's first major films, the charming Two Weeks with Love . Although Jane Powell is the real star here, I think you'll soon find out why I picked this for a post celebrating Debbie. We go back to the early 1900's... Music conductor Horatio Robinson (Louis Calhern) is leading his orchestra at a quaint bandstand; he's soon joined by his oldest daughter, Patti (Jane Powell), whose vocal chops are quite mature ...

I'm very happy to say I'm taking part in the great Anti-Damsel Blogathon. You really must read the other entries. Or else the ghosts of Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, and Katharine Hepburn will come get you. You can find the list  here . ********************************************************** The story of Gambit is simple: a thief and his art forger partner hire a nightclub dancer to pull off the theft of a sculpture. Everything goes smoothly, it's the perfect heist, everyone parts ways, the end. Uhhh, no. The best thing about Gambit is that it turns its simple plotline on its head, effectively screwing with audience expectations. This is one of those films that you wish you could see for the first time every time, and it's also one that you might not want to read about before you see it. Just warning you -- I'll be indulging in plenty of spoilers in order to talk about the ball of delight that is Shirley MacLaine's character, Nicole Chang. Read...