Seldon's Blog

"ESCAPE FROM FORT BRAVO" (1953) Review

Years ago, I used to watch a great deal of old movies on late night television. My two favorite channels that offered these movies were Turner Network Television (TNT) and the American Movies Classic (AMC), which used to air movies without any commercial breaks. On TNT, I had stumbled across a Western movie originally released by MGM Studios in 1953 called "ESCAPE FROM FORT BRAVO" (1953) and fell in love with it. After watching my recently purchased DVD copy of the movie, I could see why it became a favorite of mine. ( Read more... )

Below is a list of ten of my least favorite movie period dramas: ( Read more... )

Below is my current list of favorite movies set in the 1930s: ( Read more... )

THE COMPARISONS BETWEEN "MAYTIME" (1937) and "TITANIC" (1997)

While watching the 1937 operetta that starred Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy - "MAYTIME", I noticed that the story and main characters bore a strong resemblance in story structure to a movie that was released sixty years later . . . namely the 1997 Oscar winning movie, "TITANIC", which starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Note the following: ( Read more... )

"OTHER MEN'S WOMEN" (1931) Review

Adultery is rarely treated with any kind of maturity in fiction - whether in novels, plays, movies and television. I am not saying that adultery has never been portrayed with any maturity. It is just that . . . well, to be honest . . . I have rarely come across a movie, television series, novel or play that dealt with adultery in a mature manner. Or perhaps I have rarely come across others willing to face fictional adultery between two decent people with some kind of maturity. ( Read more... )

"THE BLUE DAHLIA" (1946) Review

Sometime during World War II, novelist Raymond Chandler was hired by Paramount Pictures to co-write the 1944 film classic, "DOUBLE INDEMNITY", with writer-director Billy Wilder. Another two years passed before the studio assigned him to write a post-war film noir movie, 1946’s "THE BLUE DAHLIA". ( Read more... )

Below are images from the 1946 crime drama, "THE BLUE DAHLIA". Written by Raymond Chandler and directed by George Marshall, the movie starred Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake and William Bendix: ( Read more... )

"TRUMBO" (2015) Review

I tried to think of a number of movies about the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) and the Hollywood Blacklist I have seen. And to be honest, I can only think of two of which I have never finished and two of which I did. One of those movies I did finish was the 2015 biopic about Hollywood screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo. ( Read more... )

Below are images from "FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD", the 1967 adaptation of Thomas Hardy's 1874 novel. Directed by John Schlesinger, the movie starred Julie Christie, Terence Stamp, Peter Finch and Alan Bates: ( Read more... )

Below is a list of my five favorite episodes from ABC's "AGENT CARTER". Created by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the series starred Hayley Atwell as Agent Margaret "Peggy" Carter: ( Read more... )