Hit Me With Your Best Shot – The Last Picture Show

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…

Hit Me With Your Best Shot – Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

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…

Hit Me With Your Best Shot – The Godfather

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…

My Picks for TCMFF 2022

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…

Films in 2022: March

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…

The 94th Academy Awards: My Picks and Predictions

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). But before we move on, it’s time for my annual tradition on my blog, wherein I’ll make predictions on which…

Hit Me With Your Best Shot – Romancing the Stone

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…

Hit Me With Your Best Shot – West Side Story

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…

Hit Me With Your Best Shot – The Conversation

  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…

Films in 2022: February

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…