Adventures of Don Juan marks Errol Flynn’s return to the swashbuckler genre after a nine-year absence and it was a hit with audiences. Well, it depends on the continent. The film did better with European audiences than it did domestically. Flynn was still a popular actor but the studio would lower budget on his films. This was his first film under a new contract with the studio for $225K per film through 1961. But because…
"Adventures of Don Juan: Errol Flynn’s Swashbuckler Return"Month: March 2023
Solzy at the Movies will be providing live updates as the 95th Oscars are broadcast live from the Dolby Theatre on ABC. Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner are producing the 95th Oscars while Jimmy Kimmel returns for his third hosting stint. Kimmel previously hosted in 2017 and 2018. If you recall, Kimmel was on hand during Envelopegate, which is covered in Michael Schulman’s new book, Oscar Wars. Here’s to hoping nothing controversial happens tonight, even…
"95th Oscars: The Academy Award Winners – Live Updates"
Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears, written by Michael Schulman and published by Harper Books, is a must-read. The Academy of Motion Pictures got its start because then-MGM chief Louis B. Mayer wanted to avoid negotiating with unions. Ultimately, guild members would later threaten with boycotts and resignations and the Oscars would go onto become an awards show. Frank Capra made a name for himself during the early years and…
"Oscar Wars by Michael Schulman Is A Must-Read"
The Dirty Dozen is an epic Oscar-winning World War II thriller and features a star-studded cast in the 1967 big screen adaptation. When the Academy Awards took place in 1968, the film’s only win was for Best Sound Effects aka Sound Editing. It earned three other nominations for Supporting Actor (John Cassavetes), Film Editing, and Sound. In 2001, the film would be honored as one of the top 100 thrillers by the American Film Institute.…
"The Dirty Dozen: An Epic World War II Thriller"
A Disturbance in the Force is the Star Wars Holiday Special documentary that Star Wars fans have been waiting years to watch. November 17th will mark the 45th anniversary of the Star Wars Holiday Special. Thirteen million viewers would tune into the 98-minute disaster in the making on CBS. What better time than now than to present a documentary? At long last, fans might begin to get answers. How did this happen? Why did this…
"A Disturbance in the Force – SXSW 2023"
Another Body follows a college woman and her search for justice after finding deepfake pornography of herself circulating the internet. You know how you’ll sometimes get those suspicious links in a Facebook message from a friend. In this particular instance, it’s easy to see why it might be a suspicious link. But as it turned out, someone used deepfake technology to take her face and place it in a porn video. Why people are so…
"Another Body – SXSW 2023"
Late Bloomers is a coming-of-age dark comedy about a recently single musician who ends up in physical therapy and has to grow up. Director Lisa Steen and screenwriter Anna Greenfield return to SXSW for the first time since short film Step Daddy premiered in 2019. Steen directed all four of Greenfield’s short film scripts–including Sundowners in 2019–so it’s only natural that she’s behind the camera for the feature film. This time around, Greenfield’s script focuses…
"Late Bloomers – SXSW 2023"
Forbidden Planet is the greatest sci-fi film of its time and would pave the way for bigger and better sci-fi blockbusters to come. If you’re up for waking up bright and early on Saturday morning or wish to set a DVR, the film is airing as a part of TCM’s 31 Days of Oscar programming. It earned an Oscar nomination for Best Visual Effects at the 29th Academy Awards. Not surprisingly, the film lost to…
"Forbidden Planet: A Cinematic Sci-Fi Classic"
Alias Jesse James stars Bob Hope and Rhonda Fleming in a Western spoof that sees an insurance salesman fighting for his life. The film would also turn out to be the final film for director Norman Z. McLeod after a 31-year career in the industry. It might not be the best film to go out on but it still has plenty of laughs. Only a decade earlier, the filmmaker directed Bob Hope in Road to…
"Alias Jesse James Is A Fast-Paced Western Spoof"
Actor-comedian Jim Gaffigan spoke with Solzy at the Movies about starring in sci-fi dramedy Linoleum, which is now playing in theaters. Gaffigan was supposed to talk about the film a few weeks ago but had to reschedule the press day. In the film, he stars as Cameron Edwin and doppelganger Kent. Cameron hosts failing children’s science TV show, Above & Beyond, but also has aspirations of being an astronaut. Following a space-race era satellite falling…
"Jim Gaffigan talks Linoleum"