Free Republic

Today being Resurrection Sunday, the pick for today's feature is the perennial Easter favorite based upon the Lloyd C. Douglas novel about the Roman centurion who wins Christ's robe and how his life changes. The first film shot in CinemaScope. I particularly love the scene where Jean Simmons' character tells off Emperor Caligula.

Today being Palm Sunday prompts me to pick a film based(very loosely) on a story from the Gospels. Despite some glaring inaccuracies(the most notorious being the daughter of Herodias dancing before Herod Antipas in an effort to SAVE rather than to behead John the Baptist. Not how it happens in the book, folks), this film manages to entertain thanks to the villainy of Charles Laughton and Judith Anderson and, most of all, the loveliness of Rita Hayworth. I also like how instead of "THE END" appearing at the finale, the film shows the Sermon on the Mount with "this was...

Today being St. Patrick's Day, what better pick for today's feature could there be than this one?

Recently watching reruns of the classic TV series on the ME TV channel is the inspiration for today's feature, the hit comedy film which served as its basis. To quote the intro from the TV series: "Can 2 divorced men share an apartment without driving each other crazy?"

Today's feature is Gary Cooper's final film, an underrated, British suspense thriller directed by Michael Anderson("Around The World In 80 Days", "Logan's Run") and scripted by Joseph Stefano("Psycho").

Today's feature: black and white, film noir, a blond femme fatale, a cripple millionaire, a luxury yacht and a hall of mirrors. Enjoy.

Following in the tradition of "McClintock" a couple of weeks ago, today's feature is another Shakespearean Western. Leonard Maltin calls it "Othello On The Range" and it's an apt description. Ernest Borgnine plays the Othello character, Rod Steiger's Iago, Valerie French is Desdemona and Glenn Ford is the Cassio character. Also starring Charles Bronson and Felicia Farr(Mrs. Jack Lemmon). Sidenote: I believe both Ford and Borgnine were Republicans.

Saint Valentine's Day being later this week motivates the appropriately titled pick for today's feature. TAOL is a dark farce about a struggling artist(Dick Van Dyke) who fakes his own death to increase interest in and sales of his own paintings. James Garner is his buddy/manager and partner in this scheme which, of course, snowballs into all kinds of trouble and comic events. Lovely actresses Angie Dickinson and Elke Sommer in their prime play the women in their lives. A fun movie that I discovered as a child on a Sunday afternoon being played by a local channel but oddly...

For Super Bowl Sunday, what could be a more macho alternative for those who don't have a dog in the fight so to speak than a classic western starring Hollywood's greatest he-man John Wayne? The Duke plays a tough cattle baron named George Washington "G.W." McLintock while his frequent leading lady, the lovely Maureen O'Hara plays his tempestuous red headed wife in this wild, wild west take on William Shakespeare's "Taming of the Shrew". Definitely not a film for the PC/socialist/feminazi crowd but quite fun for those who are pro-capitalism, pro-freedom and pro-strong male leader. It's also fun to see...

Today's feature is director King Vidor's final film "Solomon and Sheba". It's not the most accurate Biblical epic made but it does make a great vehicle for the gorgeous Gina Lollobrigida(of whom I am a big fan) back in her prime. Interestingly enough, Solomon was originally played by Tyrone Power but he died during filming and Yul Brynner replaced him. Supposedly, Power's footage appears in some scenes though I do not know which one. As with all Hollywood Bible pics, enjoy but read the book also-1 Kings 10:1-13 and 2 Chronicles 9:1-12

With tomorrow being the inauguration of the disastrous 2nd Obama Administration(a/k/a the 3rd Jimmy Carter Administration that never was), what could be more appropriate for today's MFASA pick than a disaster film released the same year as the inauguration of the Carter presidency? A plague infected terrorist stows away on a passenger train which gets rerouted to a quarantine camp that will have to cross a rickety bridge with a good chance of not being able to sustain the train's weight. Come to think of it, the innocent train passengers probably have more reason to be optimistic about their fate...

Today's MFASA features the only film to star both the King of Cool(Republican and later in life born-again Christian, Steve McQueen) and the Queen of Hot(sweet Lutheran girl Ann-Margret). McQueen's the title character, a young hotshot card player who goes up against the Man(Edward G. Robinson) in a high tension poker game in Depression-era New Orleans. A-M(as Melba, the bad girl or "Ginger" of the film) and Tuesday Weld(as Christian, the good girl or "Mary Ann" of the film) are the women in his life. They both look more like swingin' 60s chicks than 1930s women but hey, they're both...

This week's feature is a classic western featuring cinema great and conservative Republican actor Gary Cooper. It's great to see him and Steve McGarrett battling each other 10 years before Jack Lord ever said "Book 'em Danno."

Today being New Year's Eve Eve so to speak is the inspiration for this Sunday's feature. The triumvirate of Peter Sellers, Blake Edwards and Henry Mancini's only non-Inspector Clouseau comedy. It basically concerns a blacklisted Indian actor who gets accidentally invited to a swank Hollywood party and the ensuing chaos that occurs. It's a very loosely structured film but makes for an amusing time capsule of 1968 Hollywood. Worth watching if you're a fan of Sellers, Edwards and/or Mancini.

Today being Christmas Eve Eve is the inspiration for today's feature. The beloved perennial Christmas classic about a man who sees what life would've been liked if he had never been born. Starring conservative Republican and WWII veteran James Stewart and directed by Republican, pro-American director Frank Capra. Possibly my favorite film of all time.