Welcome to BlogHub: the Best in Veteran and Emerging Classic Movie Blogs
You can rate and share your favorite classic movie posts here.
You can rate and share your favorite classic movie posts here.
Creed II (2018, Steven Caple Jr.)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 24, 2018
At no point in Creed II does anyone remark on the odds of Michael B. Jordan boxing the son of the man who killed his father. It’s all matter-of-fact. The sportscasters all seem to think it’s perfectly normal Dolph Lundgren spent the thirty-ish years since Rocky IV training his son to someday defeat read more
The Dark Tower (2017, Nikolaj Arcel)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 23, 2018
The Dark Tower is the story of unremarkable white kid Tom Taylor–wait, he’s supposed to be eleven? No way. Anyway, it’s the story of unremarkable white teenager Tom Taylor who discovers, no, his visions are real and he is a wizard and he’s going to travel to another dimension and bring a legendary read more
The Amazing Exploits of the Clutching Hand (1936, Albert Herman), Chapter 13: The Mystic Menace
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 22, 2018
I stand corrected. Clutching Hand does do something with the ship. There’s a large scale fist fight between Jack Mulhall, Rex Lease, and their pals and the mutinying crew of the ship. It’s not good–though there are some decent stunts–but it’s there. I was wrong. I was right, however, about read more
Frankenstein (1910, J. Searle Dawley)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 21, 2018
In its opening title card, Frankenstein warns it will be a liberal adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel. It’s only going to be sixteen minutes after all. But Frankenstein hits most of the big events–it opens with Frankenstein (Augustus Phillips) leaving for university, where he becomes obsessed read more
Haywire (2011, Steven Soderbergh)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 20, 2018
Haywire’s plotting is meticulous and exquisite. And entirely a budgetary constraint. It’s a globe trotting, action-packed spy thriller with lots of name stars. The action in the globe trotted areas, for instance, is more chase scenes than explosions. Haywire doesn’t blow up Barcelona, lead Gina read more
Widows (2018, Steve McQueen)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 19, 2018
Widows is very real. You know it’s very real and not Hollywood because it takes place in Chicago and it’s real Chicago and not Hollywood Chicago. Though Robert Duvall, who gives a fine performance, does make it feel a little like Hollywood Chicago. But it’s also real because Liam Neeson has nose read more
It’s Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown (1977, Phil Roman)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 18, 2018
It’s Your First Kiss, Charlie Brown is a little weird. Not only because the opening establishing shot has adults (albeit in extreme long shot) but also because Snoopy’s helicoptering around on his ears and Woodstock is his cameraperson. And it’s about the homecoming game, where Charlie Brown is read more
All That Heaven Allows (1955, Douglas Sirk)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 17, 2018
The third act of All That Heaven Allows is all about agency. Who has it, how they avoid it, why they avoid it. For a while it seems like it’s about Jane Wyman having it, then about Rock Hudson having it. Wyman’s always implied agency, right from the start. Hudson, who doesn’t have a scene from read more
The Apartment (1960, Billy Wilder)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 16, 2018
The Apartment does whatever it can to remain a dramatic comedy when it shouldn’t be anymore. And sort of isn’t. When the film shifts into real drama, there’s no going back. Director Wilder gets it too. The film has a good comedy opening, a breathtaking dramatic middle, and a decent comedy end. read more
Halloween II (2009, Rob Zombie)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 15, 2018
The only good thing about Halloween II are the end credits. They run like nine minutes, meaning the movie is closer to ninety-five minutes than 105. Even though the ninety-five minutes feels like an eternity. The movie starts with director Zombie making fun of the idea of making another Halloween I read more
The Amazing Exploits of the Clutching Hand (1936, Albert Herman), Chapter 12: Hidden Danger
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 14, 2018
Not only is twelfth time the charm for Clutching Hand as far as chapter title matching content–there is a real Hidden Danger–this chapter also has master detective, constant cosplayer, and general goof lead Jack Mulhall actually solve a crime. And the solution is really, really clever. The reveal read more
Halloween (2007, Rob Zombie)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 13, 2018
Halloween is very loud. It’s about the only thing director Zombie keeps consistent throughout. It gets loud. It starts kind of quiet–comparatively–then gets loud. Jump scares always have some noise. But once the jump scares are every two seconds, there’s just loud noise. Giant spree killer Tyler read more
It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown (1976, Phil Roman)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 12, 2018
It’s Arbor Day, Charlie Brown opens with Charlie Brown (Dylan Beach) and Linus (Liam Martin) making vaguely sexist cracks about Linus’s mother’s ability to ride her bicycle. Just as you’re thinking writer Charles M. Schulz is taking it a little far, he cuts to baby Rerun (Vinny Dow) on the back read more
High Noon (1952, Fred Zinnemann)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 11, 2018
High Noon is a film all about courage and cowardice, so it’s appropriate the film starts with the most courageous thing it’s ever going to do and it does a few. It commits to its theme song. Not a piece of music from Dimitri Tiomkin, but a country song (written by Tiomkin, lyrics by Ned Washington, read more
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 10, 2018
The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp runs two and three-quarters hours and takes place over forty years. The former’s passage is sublime, the latter’s is subtle. Directors Powell and Pressburger bookend the film in the present, then flashback. The lead at the start of the film is James McKechnie. read more
The Amazing Exploits of the Clutching Hand (1936, Albert Herman), Chapter 11: The Ship of Peril
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 8, 2018
The Ship of Peril features the single most surprising thing about The Amazing Exploits of the Clutching Hand so far. They actually shoot some of the chapter on a ship. Not all of it–like when the rough and tumble crew are below deck, it’s obviously not a ship, but there are at least a half dozen read more
Experiment Perilous (1944, Jacques Tourneur)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 8, 2018
Experiment Perilous is a strange film. Not the plot–well, some of how the plot is handled–but the strangeness comes from the result of how the film is executed. It’s a Gothic family drama set in twentieth century New York City without a lot of the family. There’s a flashback sequence, but Perilous read more
You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown (1975, Phil Roman)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 7, 2018
Most of You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown is a motocross race. There are a bunch of kids in the race–organized by Peppermint Patty (Stuart Brotman)–but the only two racers who matter are Charlie Brown (Duncan Watson) and Snoopy, “disguised” as The Masked Marvel. The race is beautifully plotted. read more
The Amazing Exploits of the Clutching Hand (1936, Albert Herman), Chapter 10: A Desperate Chance
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 6, 2018
While he’s lost his advantage (apparently) by the cliffhanger, master detective and frequent dimwit Jack Mulhall bumbles his way into a win in A Desperate Chance. Because he’s got her house bugged (with a camera, natch), he’s able to see Mae Busch get conned and go to… rescue her? Not clear read more
Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown (1975, Phil Roman)
The Stop Button Posted by Andrew Wickliffe on Nov 5, 2018
There’s not a lot of story in Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown. It’s almost Valentine’s Day and Charlie Brown (Duncan Watson) is anxious to receive some valentines. Meanwhile, Linus (Stephen Shea) has a crush on his teacher, much to the chagrin of Sally (Lynn Mortensen). Those plots are it. Everythin read more