June saw a lot of trips to the theater, for new releases and old favorites, as well as repertory screenings for movies I hadn’t seen before. Among the screenings I especially enjoyed was seeing Notorious on film inside the historic Los Angeles Theatre, featuring an introduction with film critic Leonard Maltin and Cary Grant’s daughter,…
KLUTE (1971) Directed by Alan J. Pakula Cinematography by Gordon Willis I finally had some time to participate in The Film Experience’s Hit Me With Your Best Shot series this week, and I couldn’t resist the opportunity to pick out images from one of my favorite movies of the 1970s, Klute, the first of Alan J. Pakula’s…
May was much more low-key with my movie-watching compared to April, though there was still a lot that I watched. Anna May Wong was TCM’s Star of the Month, so I watched several of her films that I hadn’t seen before. A few of them were from the 1930s, which ended up being the decade…
It’s already been a few weeks since this year’s edition of the TCM Classic Film Festival, but as it goes with such a wonderful event, I’m still thinking back to all that happened over those glorious few days. It was beyond amazing to have TCMFF back in person and to be reunited with old pals…
April was essentially a build-up to the highly anticipated in-person return of the TCM Classic Film Festival, which came to an end just a week ago. It was so wonderful for TCMFF to be back in Hollywood, especially to be reunited with fellow classic movie lovers. I’ll recount my whole TCMFF experience later this month.…
THE LAST PICTURE SHOW (1971) Directed by Peter Bogdanovich Cinematography by Robert Surtees This week’s edition of Hit Me With Your Best Shot at The Film Experience focuses on the late Peter Bogdanovich’s most acclaimed movie, the coming-of-age drama The Last Picture Show. Among the film’s many accomplishments is the work of veteran cinematographer Robert…
SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS (1954) Directed by Stanley Donen Cinematography by George J. Folsey Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is the subject of The Film Experience’s Hit Me With Your Best Shot episode this week, a musical I love despite its rather problematic premise. Much of my love for the movie is due to…
THE GODFATHER (1972) Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Cinematography by Gordon Willis Just in time for Francis Ford Coppola’s birthday today, The Film Experience’s Hit Me With Your Best Shot series returns this week with his most famous movie, and one of the most acclaimed films of all time: The Godfather. So much has been…
The countdown is on for the in-person return of the TCM Classic Film Festival, with just a couple of weeks to go! I’m so excited to be going back to TCMFF, especially now that I live in Hollywood and am within walking distance of all the venues. Since I’ve experienced TCMFF once before back in…
I ended up not watching quite as many movies as I typically do in March. Part of that was due to spending time with my family, who visited me during the first week and a half of the month for my birthday. So this wrap-up post will be brief. But before going over the new-to-me…
Oscar Sunday is finally here! I’ll admit that while I generally love awards season, I’m ready for its grand finale tonight as it’s been a long one (though not as long as the previous season). So it’ll be nice to have the Oscars back in February next year. But before we move on, it’s time…
ROMANCING THE STONE (1984) Directed by Robert Zemeckis Cinematography by Dean Cundey With The Lost City hitting theaters soon, this week’s movie for The Film Experience’s Hit Me With Your Best Shot is Romancing the Stone, as both share a very similar premise. I was excited to revisit this film as I’d only previously seen it…
WEST SIDE STORY (2021) Directed by Steven Spielberg Cinematography by Janusz Kaminski The Film Experience’s Hit Me With Your Best Shot takes on another 2021 adaptation of an old favorite: West Side Story! Steven Spielberg took on the daunting task of putting his own spin on a beloved classic, and I’ll admit that despite his…
THE CONVERSATION (1974) Directed by Francis Ford Coppola Cinematography by Bill Butler (and uncredited: Haskell Wexler) This week’s Hit Me With Your Best Shot episode at The Film Experience is all about The Conversation, the film sandwiched between Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II, released the same year as the…
February was a lighter movie-watching month, at least compared to my usual viewing habits. But it was still a great month of film, especially for screenings around L.A., from retrospectives honoring Peter Bogdanovich and Sidney Poitier to a couple of my favorite filmmakers making special in-person appearances, Paul Thomas Anderson and Barry Jenkins! I’ve also been…
