Chapter 19 of The Mandalorian takes audiences to Coruscant as forced workers of the Empire transition into the New Republic. Spoilers follow below. Outside of the bookends featuring both Din Djarin and Bo-Katan Kryze, the episode mostly takes place on Coruscant. Outside of glimpses here and there during celebrations, we’ve yet to return to the Galactic capital post-ROTJ. Until now. But almost as soon as we’re there, Revenge of the Sith fans are in for…
"The Mandalorian: Chapter 19 – The Convert"
An American radio announcer finds out that they are the new king of Barovia in Where There’s Life but a secret society has other ideas. It’s hard to watch this film and not think about a similar film, The Princess Diaries. Unlike Where There’s Life, the Julie Andrews/Anne Hathaway vehicle doesn’t feature any assassination attacks on the Queen of Genovia or her newly identified heir. They do feature people that want a change in the…
"Where There’s Life: A Bob Hope Comedy Thriller"
In watching Santa Fe Trail, one starts wondering if this Western was the consolation prize for Warner Bros. after losing Gone with the Wind. In the first moments after pressing play, my first question was just what the hell was Warner Bros. thinking? It’s not just the studio. Michael Curtiz is a filmmaker that is better than this pro-Confederate propaganda. Leave it to him to read into the history of the Santa Fe trail but…
"Santa Fe Trail: What Was Warner Bros. Thinking?"
The Sea Hawk reunites director Michael Curtiz and swashbuckling star Errol Flynn, resulting in one of their best collaborations together. This film might be a period adventure film but it was an allegorical film about Hitler and the need to fight back during WWII. King Philip II of Spain basically stands in for Hitler in the 1940 swashbuckler. While the film takes place in the late 1500s, one can definitely see how they use the…
"The Sea Hawk is One of Errol Flynn’s Best Performances"
Errol Flynn was only a small contract player for Warner Bros. going into Captain Blood but the swashbuckler propelled him to stardom. The film takes us to England 1685 where Irish doctor Peter Blood (Errol Flynn) is just performing his duties as a doctor. Next thing you know, he is being arrested for treason against King James II (Vernon Steele). But rather than follow through with the death sentence from Judge Jeffreys (Leonard Muddie), the…
"Captain Blood Made Errol Flynn A Star"
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"
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"