Film Festival: Contemporary Christmas Last Holiday (2006) is a contemporary Christmas story starring Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, and Gerard Depardieu. I love a good Queen Latifah movie and I hope you will try this movie if you haven’t seen it! When we first meet Georgia Byrd (Queen Latifah) she is distractedly singing with her…
Culture
In “Lisa’s Home Bijou”, I’ll share my reviews of classic films and hopefully inspire you to have a few film festivals of your own. I am proud to claim Betty Grable as a distant cousin. My “film career” began when my parents named me for Leslie Caron’s character in “An American in Paris.”
Annotated White Christmas: Lisa’s Home Bijou
White Christmas (1954) is a favorite Christmas musical for so many people. This is another classic that doesn’t really need a review. Being over 60 years old, I think it’s time for an annotation for younger viewers. Here’s my take on some of the sayings and culture in White Christmas that might need some explanation….
Lisa’s Home Bijou: St. Louis Blues
Film Festival: Summertime Blues St. Louis Blues is the 1958 Hollywood version of W. C. Handy’s life, formulated as a vehicle for his music as opposed to an accurate biographical portrayal. However, St. Louis Blues is well worth it because of the music and the fine performances.Although his exact place in the pantheon of blues greats…
The Big Parade WWI silent film: Lisa’s Home Bijou
Film Festival: Silent Greats The Big Parade (1925) is a silent classic, crafted by director King Vidor to be a memorable look at the American boys who fought in France during the Great War. War stories are an important part of our storytelling tradition. We attach romance to the idea of boys going off to…
Metropolis silent classic utopia: Lisa’s Home Bijou
Film Festival: Silent Greats Metropolis (1927) is a silent German film that is a masterpiece of art direction and science fiction with a strong philosophy. The film begins with “The mediator between brain and hands must be the heart!” The story of Metropolis takes place in 2026. We see machinery grinding away and the hands…