Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier is one of my all-time favorite novels. I was thrilled when I discovered Netflix was creating a Rebecca remake if a bit dubious. Could anything ever compare to the ultimate Rebecca by Hitchcock?
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Spring in a Small Town is my first encounter with a classic Chinese movie. It is included on the 1001 Movies to See Before You Die list, which is how I first discovered it. I found it to be beautiful and poetic, and I was entranced by its lead actress, Wei Wei.
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The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix is experiencing a ton of popularity, but it is having an unintended effect. It is inspiring an uptick of women chess players.
Classic actresses were ahead of their time, I guess. They had to spend a lot of time waiting between scenes. So what did they do? Became women chess players and mastered the Queen’s gambit (and other chess moves, I am sure).
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It's that time of year again -- what's on your list of things to get done in 2018?
Much has been written about New Years. The psychology behind it, the shoulds and should nots. I had no idea what I could possibly add to the conversation, to be honest. We all know the basics on how to keep them:
- Make them achievable.
- Set short-term milestones.
- Have an accountability partner, or app.
- Enjoy the journey.
- And so on...
Summer is on! I hope you are all catching a bit of sun, even if it is in your own backyard. In these challenging times, I have personally been finding a lot of comfort in cinema—I have been consuming a menagerie of films from the 1001 Movies to See Before You Die List and let me tell you, that has been keeping me busy!
A lot of the films are pulled from the silver screen, and I have been learning a lot about classic film directors. A few of my recent favorites include 42nd Street with its Busby Berkeley choreographed dance routines that are out of this world, Make Way for Tomorrow with its depression-era setting, and Brief Encounter with its tragic romance. Warning, the latter two are def tear-jerkers.
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Remember when 2020 came and I mentioned I was excited that everyone was proclaiming this year as the new “Roaring 20s” and how that got me a little excited?
As a refresher, according to History.com, the Roaring 20s was a time of:
a surging economy created an era of mass consumerism, as Jazz-Age flappers flouted Prohibition laws and the Harlem Renaissance redefined arts and culture.
Well, so far the economy is not surging, and the laws being flouted are those flouting the stay-at-home orders. But it does seem like the Age of Coronavirus might redefine a new era of arts and culture. I hope everyone is staying safe out there.
And while we may be apart, we can always bond over some classic films that deal with isolation, disease, and pandemics. My recommendations are included below!
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Happy New Years! And congratulations, you survived 2019.
Already, people are hailing the coming decade as the new “Roaring 20s” which has me a little excited.
According to History.com, the Roaring 20s was a time of:
Read Morea surging economy created an era of mass consumerism, as Jazz-Age flappers flouted Prohibition laws and the Harlem Renaissance redefined arts and culture.
The other day, my husband randomly asked me, “Is Doris Day still alive?” As many of you know, we lost Doris last year, May 13, 2019. She lived a long full life, though. She was 97 years old, and in those 97 years, Doris work embodied that of the All-American girl. Her legendary career included numerous hit singles, many classic movies, The Doris Day Show, and her passionate advocacy for animals.
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Audrey Hepburn. Elizabeth Taylor. Marilyn Monroe. And up there with the rest of the screen siren greats, stood Ava Gardner. The ultimate femme fatale, she skyrocketed to fame when, in a stroke of marketing genius, her image graced entire sides of buildings to promote the film noir classic The Killers.
Ava Gardner became a star, and fans came to see her films in droves.
Have you ever wondered about the mysterious Ava Gardner?