‘GWTW’ returning for 80th birthday
Gone with the Wind, the highest-grossing movie of all time (adjusted for inflation), is returning to movie theaters for its 80th anniversary. But it will be playing just four days: February 28 and March 3, 17 and 19. For tickets and cinema information, check out Fathom Events. But make sure you see it in a […]
Running counter to the Tomatometer
I’m really not as disagreeable as some people think. Really. Hmm, well, OK, at least not until this last month, when three out of my four movie reviews have run counter to the Tomatometer. Here’s to the death of groupthink!
Before Beatles: ‘illustrated songs’ and ‘soundies’
While it’s generally accepted that the Beatles’ short “promotional films” from 1966 (“Rain” and “Paperback Writer”) were the first rock music videos, the genre has much earlier beginnings. For you music and film historians, I suggest checking out these fascinating Wikipedia articles on the “illustrated song,” which has its roots in 19th-century magic-lantern shows, and […]
History lesson: Who is the K in RKO?
Film buffs know RKO Pictures as one of the “Big 5” studios of Hollywood’s Golden Era, along with MGM, Warner Brothers, Paramount and 20th Century Fox. (See this Wikipedia article for more on that.) Film historians might also know that “R” stands for “Radio” and “O” for “Orpheum.” But few can tell you where the […]
A series of firsts for Oscar
For me and the Oscars this year, it’s a series of firsts, or lack thereof. It’s the first time that not a single one of my choices for best picture (Ready Player One), best actor (Ethan Hawke, First Reformed) and best actress (Toni Collette, Hereditary) has been nominated. And throwing salt on the wound, the […]
A poem
We interrupt this regularly scheduled movie blog to bring you a political poem: “The Man of Steel Slats” by Cameron Meier Faster than a speeding bigot, More power-hungry than a loco fascist, Able to leap to terrible assumptions in a single bound. Look! Up in the White House! It’s a turd, it’s a bane. It’s […]
Quotas at the Golden Globes?
Congratulations to Regina King for winning best supporting actress at the Golden Globes on Sunday. Her performance in If Beale Street Could Talk (directed by Barry Jenkins) was stellar, and her selection as best supporting actress was one of the few decisions by the Hollywood Foreign Press that I agreed with. But her acceptance speech […]
Misplaced enthusiasm
Bird Box is definitely a B-movie, but one with stars, some good acting (Sandra Bullock and particularly Tom Hollander, who practically saves it) and a cool premise. I almost feel a bit guilty for giving it a slight thumbs-up (2 ½ stars on 0-5 scale). But I really wish people could work up similar enthusiasm […]
New photo pages
Happy 2019! The new year begins here at MeierMovies with some additional photo galleries. Check out my visual tributes to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Truman Show, along with a revamped main photo page. And if you missed my page of travel photography that I created last year, you can see it […]