A collection of movie reviews and favorite blog posts

As a communication graduate and fan of many film genres, I decided to put together this mini-portfolio post of my movie write-ups. I’m currently in a job search, seeking journalism jobs. In case an opportunity comes along requiring coverage of the entertainment world, I can easily share this with my application. So, for starters, here are film reviews I wrote as a staff writer for the Loquitur at Cabrini College (more recently became Cabrini University, it is ending operations at the end of spring 2024).

Titanic

Oscars Big Winners

The Artist

Footloose (Remake)

Warren Miller’s Off the Grid

Contagion

Summer Blockbusters

127 Hours

While attending Cabrini, I also took up a minor in English literature and within that, a concentration in film studies. Classes on cinematic works were lecture-based, not actually filming style; one textbook included terminology about camera angles. For a final project, I created a presentation using various scenes of many views from the camera’s point of view. Anyway, I’ve always had in interest in Old Hollywood; formal education covering that topic was fascinating! To compliment this academic pursuit, I decided to start this blog and for the purpose of this post, I wanted to include a few favorites about movies and TV shows I’ve watched along the way. A bit difficult to narrow down, it turned out to be more than a few, so I’ll add more later on. Then, I’ll write about recent / new flicks and series.

The Goldbergs and 80s Nostalgia

Adventure Awaits in the Secret Life of Walter Mitty

The Outsiders

Happy Viewing!

A return to movie blogging soon while life happens

So much has been going on lately, both good and bad that I’ve been sidetracked for quite a while from steady blogging. Not only that, but as far as sharing thoughts on movies, I kept wanting to write about a particular one before any other. It was the first one I saw in theaters post-pandemic, although now that movie outing is almost a year ago. Of course, that just adds to how life happens and sometimes we can’t always get to everything we’re trying to do. Various reasons cause us to put projects on hold for any length of time. I go more into what’s been happening, on my main blog in a post written as an update on fundraising for my veteran dad. This links back to the first post about a fundraiser, which also includes a link to continue further back to life events shortly after my mom died. Her birthday is coming up early next month; we miss her a lot.

Now, with the 20^th anniversary of WordPress, I thought this made for another reason for at least a brief post as my own way to celebrate the platform’s milestone. After I publish a write-up about a certain action flick, I’ve got ideas for which ones are next. Until then, movie fans, enjoy whatever you’re watching!

Dodge Challenger meets retro tv car

Whenever I’m heading home, I have a few roads to choose from to finish out my commute. Driving down one of them, I often pass a slick black Dodge Challenger parked to the left or right. I never saw it while it was running, the owner getting ready to leave or just coming back. That is, until recently. Engine on, this muscle car also featured a row of small red lights in a side-to-side pattern up on the hood. I thought, Oh, cool, KITT car! As a kid, I was a huge fan of the 80’s television series “Knight Rider” because of its high-tech ride.

I’d love to get a quick video of the Dodge Challenger, with its KITT-like lights on if I see the owner outside sometime. Although it would be a random encounter, we could talk cars for a few moments. There have been a few instances when I was approached about whether or not I was going to sell my Camaro. If I am able to take a quick video, I won’t be able to post it on here as I don’t have a paid version of my blog for now. So, I’ll share info on which social platform I post it to. In the meantime, here’s a photo of another Dodge Challenger spotted at a local car show. The “Fast & Furious” movie character reference was a cool surprise!

Remembering James Dean on his 90th birthday

In honor of my favorite classic Hollywood movie star, I thought I’d share a few photos.

At a local car show several years back, I spotted an old Ford Mercury similar to one that James Dean drove in “Rebel Without A Cause.” What a cool find to see this plate on the front end!

Someone in my area listed these for sale online; I decided to add them to my collection.

Me, donning an awesome shirt ordered from the Fairmount Historical Museum in Marion, In. I’d love to visit and check out the James Dean Festival sometime!

Are good movies still being made, Halloween edition

A recent Facebook memory status update inspired this particular blog post and in the spirit of Halloween, I thought I’d elaborate with
creature features. The old memory was about an undergraduate class I took, called World of Film. Other students and I had a mid-term
focusing on the same theme: are good movies still being made and why we do or don’t believe so. Just for a short, sweet answer on Facebook, I wrote that yes, very good ones come along each year.

When I saw that memory show up for re-share, I did so using favorite classic monsters. Despite numerous remakes, they could easily build up
an opposing answer. Some may feel that the film industry is running out of ideas. However, there are always new movies released that are
amazing; they’re well-acted, have strong plots, engage our emotions, etc. Although I favor originals of many cinematic works, I also love
certain remakes or reboots. A perfect example, especially for this frightful time of year, is “The Wolfman” (2010) starring Benicio Del Toro in the beastly title role. It had creepy scenes of an old English manor and a misty nighttime forest, a storyline set in / around Victorian era. So, maybe it was a tribute to old horror movies with that atmospheric look in which monsters lurk. Yet modern also suits vampires and werewolves for “Twilight,” its young audience relating to 21st century high school life. Of course, having a heartthrob element, the franchise couldn’t go wrong. Team Edward or Team Jacob, right? If I were part of the age group that had crushes on either guy, I’d go more for Robert Pattinson from the start. His character’s brooding demeanor would’ve drawn me to Team Edward.

What are your thoughts about whether or not we still see good movies being made?

Also, with two onscreen vampires in this post, which actor is your favorite as the classic monster?

Have a Safe and Happy Halloween!

A creepy movie car

When I was a kid, I had a variety of Matchbox cars “parked” in their individual spaces of a carrying case. It was a hobby stemming from an early love of cars, attending events such as Super Chevy with my parents. Over the years, I’ve spotted vendors selling them at local
festivals or in their shops with a mix of other items. That’s how I found a collector’s edition of the Stephen King horror film car, Christine. Although I don’t usually buy these little models anymore, being a movie buff inspired me to get this one.

Anyone who has seen the story of a possessed, evil car may remember the new teen owner’s personality change. In a garage scene, he stares
at Christine and sort of challenges the classic car to show its powers. The headlights come on in a distorted way to appear extra ominous. I couldn’t help but recall that moment after taking a photo of this Camaro at a car show. One headlight looked as though it was bursting.

I go to a number of car shows and at another one, this next oldie made me do a double-take. Christine? Well, close, but not quite the same
make and model as it’s a Dodge Coronet. King’s iconic red demon ride was a Plymouth Fury – and what a furious set of wheels!

The Dodge Coronet was cool to see not only as it somewhat resembled a movie car, but also because it’s one I’ve rarely spotted. Even among
all the classics on display for enthusiasts to admire. Maybe as I come across any others similar to favorite onscreen rides, or exact
replicas, I’ll post about them here. I usually write about car shows on my photo / travel blog, but my love of cool wheels and movies gives me more ideas for this one.

Do you have a top pick among cars in movies? If so, which would you take for a spin?

On the Waterfront as a date night movie

I love catching favorite classic cinematic works on Turner Class Movies and one of them that I don’t see often is “On the Waterfront” (1954). The night before it was set to air again, various celebrities gave some commentary on the performance of Marlon Brando, his character’s interaction with others and the film itself.

The two most memorial comments in my opinion had to do with Brando, each for different reasons. Several people described his talent in the role of Terry Malloy as a top five of all time, if not the best. I love his mannerisms; he comes from a rough territory and background, yet is sensitive. That also leads to the second comment about his character, which is the connection he shares with the much more innocent Edie Doyle (Eva Marie Saint). I feel as though I can relate to that, as I’d been drawn to someone who was opposite my reserved personality. It was that good girl falling for the bad boy scenario. Anyway, the budding romance between Terry and Edie was reflected on by John Turturro as a date movie. It’s odd to have never looked at watching this classic in the same sense, even though a love interest was building onscreen. I just hadn’t paralleled it before to my own life experiences in terms of who my heart desired. But now, having my own way of relating to Terry and Edie, I can definitely see it as romantic. So I would absolutely have a stay-in date night to watch “On the Waterfront,” especially with a guy who has that mysterious, tough, even dangerous air about him, yet also possesses a sensitive side. Maybe that’ll be a date night idea sometime.

Outside of the commentary on TCM, I have to add some of my own thoughts about another cast member, Lee J. Cobb. He stars as Johnny
Friendly, who runs the waterfront workers and isn’t to be slighted. I’ve only seen him in one other classic, “12 Angry Men” (1957) opposite Henry Fonda. Whichever one of these films I first watched, that’s all it took to be a fan; Cobb was amazing in showing emotions. In both roles, he represented different types of villain characters – one as an overall bad guy and the other driven by a sour family relationship. I want to check out Cobb’s other roles as well.

If you haven’t tuned in to “On the Waterfront,” it’s worthy of adding to a movie-watching bucket list. Directed by Elia Kazan, this classic
also stars Karl Malden as Father Barry and Rod Steiger as Terry’s brother Charley.

Looking back to an onscreen pandemic and entertaining safely through Coronavirus

As Coronavirus updates relayed how serious it was becoming, it reminded me of the movie “Contagion” (2011). I saw it in theaters and
even a fictional pandemic led to concern about my immediate surroundings, including where I sat. All-too-realistic scenarios on a global scale were depicted; the virus spread through simple daily activities and as people travel, not knowing they’re sick. A scene of one character drinking out of a wine glass hinted at the idea of hidden danger in her hand. Later, I wrote a review, “Biohazard spreads rampant fear in Contagion,” for The Loquitur, as a communication student at Cabrini.

I haven’t seen “Contagion” since and don’t remember all of the details; the wine glass comes back to mind due to what it represents.
Touch one thing, you get sick. With Coronavirus media coverage building quickly, all I could think was, please tell me we’re not
going to experience that movie playing out in real life. Even though the cinematic world may add extra dramatization, that made an onscreen pandemic no less horrifying.

Despite past virus outbreaks such as SARS and H1N1, Coronavirus soon reached a point at which everyone began to say that it’s unlike anything they’d ever witnessed. Sometimes I would catch footage of people in China walking around wearing masks due to severe pollution. That made me feel awful for any area’s residents having to deal with such air quality issues. Yet I never imagined that I’d start to see images on TV of people all around the world donning masks for the reason we’re doing so now. At first, I only saw one person with a mask on at a grocery story. But soon, I noticed more and more faces shielded by some type of mask everywhere and then it was required of everyone shopping.

While on the subject of shopping, there were several instances when price-gauging was apparent. I noticed it with face masks and packs of bottled water. One movie I’ve seen a number of times, “Deep Impact” (1998), aired again recently. I caught a scene in which the president (Morgan Freeman) addressed in his speech any potential price-gauging as
disaster loomed. How much the public gets charged for essential items is one element I don’t recall in “Contagion.”

Social distancing had been necessary even before shopping with face masks. Staying in touch online is all-the-more important to entertain and keep spirits up with family and friends. I have both relatives and friends who don’t use social media a lot to begin with and even now. Other people I know are only on Facebook, whether they use it actively
or rarely. When not communicating with anyone, passing time would be on your own to enjoy various hobbies. As a fan of many movies, I let that interest be a form of escape from stressful news.

I hadn’t signed up for any streaming services, even before Coronavirus led to the closing of movie theaters among many other businesses. For the most part, I take in entertainment via traditional TV. Early in the stay-at-home phase, it seemed as though there wasn’t much in the
programming that interested me enough to watch. Or something I like would air on a channel that requires a subscription. But choices eventually improved and included a number of favorite movies.

As way to cut my household expenses, one idea is to cancel the higher-end cable channels soon. It may only be temporary. But I’m hoping to get a DVD player hooked up to the TV, making up for the cancellation. I have a ton of DVDs stored away and would love to watch them as another entertainment option, especially while hunkering down through the pandemic. Maybe streaming services will be reconsidered as well.

Thoughts on the Golden Globes 2020, upcoming awards

For this year’s award season, I’m already behind in posting about my favorites to win as I usually do. So, like last time, I’ll just share
any thoughts afterward and go back into my nominee picks next season.

When entertainment award shows air, I often catch the red carpet arrivals and interviews. Sometimes, I wish I could be among the
spectators because it’s so exciting and glamorous. It would make me feel as though I’m back in old Hollywood in that sense. The fashions sure have changed, yet there’s that overall extra glamour for the special event that has continued. Speaking of what the stars are
wearing, follow-up coverage always includes those best- and worst-dressed lists. So far, I’ve only seen a worst-dressed list and although some I can agree with, there was one whose gown wouldn’t have been on my worst list if I were posting regularly about celebrity
fashion. Maybe that’s another area I could go into later, just for the purpose of sharing thoughts. Anyway, Michelle Williams was featured on the one worst-dressed list I saw, however I personally liked what she donned for the red carpet. She’s one of my favorite actresses, yet that wouldn’t blind me on any opinion of what someone wears for such
events. The peach color was appealing and a floral shoulder accent in blue added an extra pop to the gown as well. Even if she isn’t wearing something that reflects back to a classic Hollywood era, something about her reminds me of that; always classy style and mannerisms. Williams won for Best Actress in a Limited Series, “Fosse/Verdon,” which I didn’t see yet, but congrats to her on this win!

I do have an overall favorite among the gowns worn at the Golden Globes and this year, it’s the one worn by Rachel Weisz. A long black column style (if I have the fashion terminology right), topped off with a stunning glimmering neckline; such a classic look! In terms of acting, Weisz has also been one of my favorites, going back to when first seeing her in “The Mummy” (1999). I still laugh at the library
mess scene! I’ve enjoyed Weisz’ acting talent, whether in comedy, action / drama such as “Chain Reaction” (1996) or fantasy including
“Oz the Great and Powerful” (2013).

Besides the gorgeous style, wouldn’t it be awesome to see so many favorite stars? A number of mine won statues, even though I’ve yet to catch them in the particular role leading to this year’s Golden Globe win. For instance, I missed “Joker” in theaters, but every time I’ve
seen a clip from the movie Joaquin Phoenix wows me. I’m rooting for him to win an Oscar this year. Later today, my local gym will be
featuring “Joker” in its cinema. So, now I have my chance to catch up on that and maybe a few other award-nominated movies before the rest
of the season.

My other favorite winners of the night included those in TV and in movie roles. Stellan Skaarsgard (Best Supporting Actor, “Chernobyl”); I’m always behind particularly in hit series and it was no different with this one. I’ll have to catch up at some point. Brad Pitt (Best Supporting Actor, “Once Upon A Time in Hollywood”); every now and then, I see him in a rerun of an episode or two of “Growing Pains,” a TV series I grew up watching. Pitt is a long-time favorite, that’s for sure. In his speech, he joked to costar Leonardo DiCaprio about that “Titanic” scene in which Kate Winslet‘s Rose is floating solo on a large piece of wooden debris.

Another long-time favorite, Tom Hanks won the Cecil B. DeMille lifetime achievement award and I loved the montage of his roles. TV,
movies, comedy, drama, voiceover for animation; he can do it all. The clips even included showing him in “The Love Boat” credits; there’s one I didn’t know he acted in! My earliest memory of Hanks is probably
when he played a relative of the Keatons in “Family Ties.” Other clips showed him in a few roles I haven’t seen. Anyway, Hanks is
well-deserving of this award and he is so humble. In his speech, he honored his “Captain Phillips” (2013 ) costar Barkhad Abdi for his
acting talent. He did the same for Charlize Theron, who presented the award to him. And her reaction; it was one of those happy tear-jerker moments!

Earlier in the evening, another special award went to Ellen DeGeneres and as they showed her early stand-up comedy acts, I remembered seeing a few way back when on TV. I wouldn’t have been able to recall specific jokes, but one clip had a joke about when people try on new
shoes; so funny and true! Her thank-you speech was hilarious as well and she paid tribute to funny lady Carol Burnett, who has that
trademark ear-tug. I was almost too young to catch Burnett’s early work while new episodes aired, but I could still think of that about
her. It shows how those in the public eye can have something about them that is recognizable, iconic, from one age group to the next. DeGeneres even mentioned the ear-tug in paying honor to someone of inspiration in comedy. I think that DeGeneres is in a realm with Hanks; they are both celebrities who people love, whatever the area / areas of talent.

Since I went back to Hanks momentarily, one whose characters were about real-life people and their situations, another favorite who did
so this year was Renee Zellweger. She portrayed classic Hollywood star Judy Garland in “Judy” and this is one of those cases in which simply seeing the clips gave that sense of ‘she’s gonna win for this.’

One more favorite winner was Laura Dern (Best Supporting Actress, “Marriage Story”) and while I didn’t see this movie, I admire her for
overall talent throughout the years. With a theme of what many go through in real-life, along with a talented cast, I’ll have to catch
up on this award season movie as well.

Among the presenters was one of my latest (and that of many others) celebrity crushes, “Aquaman” star Jason Momoa. I didn’t even know he’d be onstage, so that was a nice eye candy surprise! I’ve got to catch him in his TV series, “See” (2019), among other roles. My best friend and I can’t wait for the “Aquaman” sequel to be released in theaters.

So, those are my favorite moments to recap the Golden Globes this year. Congrats to all winners and on to the next award shows!

Movies still to see in 2019

The majority of these picks are from a list of 2019’s most anticipated movies, which I saw in an article on CBS News. At this point, I’ve missed most of them on the big screen and haven’t yet picked up my own copies on
DVD/Blu-Ray. But I have another option for catching movies – my local gym has a cinema! Each month, a different round of movies is on the calendar and they include both new releases and old favorites. So far, I haven’t watched a movie in full at the gym. I just have to plan my schedule to be there early enough before a class or personal training sessions. Anyway, here are a few that have caught my interest this year.

“Avengers: Endgame”

I have to re-watch the previous installment in this franchise, but I know I’ll enjoy this for the amazing special effects and action scenes. Within the overall superhero genre, I have to catch up on the “Iron Man” movies and I still haven’t seen “Thor: Ragnarok.”

“Godzilla: King of the Monsters”

I’ve always been a fan of the giant creature movies, so this was among the must-see works for me. I caught part of it at the theater in the
gym I go to, although my timing was off and I saw it in this order: last 20 minutes, first 20, another 10 in the middle. Despite catching
it in an odd manner, I was impressed. But it’s not just oversized lizards and apes; it’s those more-than-pesky insects as well. My favorite big bug flicks include “Tarantula” and “Them” of the 1950s. With new Godzilla and King Kong movies made over the years, I wonder if those giant spiders and ants will get remakes. Not that I’m in favor of remakes and reboots for everything. I’m just curious about what they’d be like, how much of an audience they would draw in to theaters.

“The Addams Family”

The movies starring Angelica Huston, Christopher Lloyd, Christina Ricci have always brought laughs with the humor reflecting creepy lives. I saw a Broadway play of this spooky family on a college bus trip to New York City. I know I’ll also enjoy an animated film
version, as I have several other favorites in that genre. One perfect example is the “Hotel Transylvania” franchise, with its own comical
family of monsters.

“Terminator: Dark Fate”

One of the franchises I grew up with, this makes me curious about how the story of humans against cyborgs will play out. I wasn’t too much a fan of “Terminator Salvation” (2009), but I think sometimes there’s a least favorite installment in one franchise or another. A re-watch could help me get more into it because as of now, I don’t remember
much of this one.

“Men in Black International”

The original with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones was one of my alien-themed favorites. In recent years, I’ve become a fan of Chris
Hemsworth, whether he is Thor or stars in action, thriller or comedy movies.

“Hobbs and Shaw”

Action sequences in the trailer are jaw-dropping and frenemy humor between Hobbs and Shaw continues from “The Fast and the Furious” franchise. I’m also looking forward to the next installment of the overall
action-packed films. I caught 20 minutes of this one in the theater at my local gym; that timeframe included the scene when the title
characters are trying to get security clearance. Shaw is pressing a guard’s face up to the facial recognition screen, while Hobbs remains
humorously unimpressed and bored.

“Little Women”

I will enjoy this as a fan of book-to-film works, as well as for the elaborate historical time period costumes. The settings of such movies
are always romantic and even inspire me to visit locations used in filming.

“Booksmart”

Much like with other teen movies, I think my best friend and I will watch this and find something we relate to in it. We enjoy watching
“The Breakfast Club” and “Sixteen Candles,” from our generation, along with “The Edge of Seventeen” (2016). There’s always that teen crush element and an embarrassing moment, whether or not it has to do with those feelings.

“Ford v Ferrari”

I love cars and as far as somewhat recent racing movies, I thought the 2013 movie “Rush” was awesome! That starred Chris Hemsworth as James Hunt and Daniel Bruhl as Niki Lauda, real-life names of the Formula 1 racing scene. As soon as I first caught a trailer for “Ford v
Ferrari,” featuring two acting favorites, Matt Damon and Christian Bale, it had me hooked. I can’t wait to see this one! Another movie of
this genre that I’d recommend is “Le Mans” (1971), because it stars classic Hollywood actor Steve McQueen.

“Charlie’s Angels”

Despite often seeing e-news about the latest movie and television remakes and reboots, I missed anything about this one in the works.
But it looks pretty cool. I like one of the trailers for it, focusing on Kristen Stewart and stating in a new way. It’s always interesting to me seeing an actor or actress in something considered totally different role compared to previous ones. Also, Elizabeth Banks is starring as Bosley, for a female twist on a character that was male in past versions of the movie and earlier TV series.

Any thoughts on these?