SEAN CONNERY as James Bond.

 Sean Connery would've been 94 years old today. Born in August 25th, 1930, he passed away on 0ctober 31, 2020. I've always been a big fan of all his movies but I choose to remember him today as James Bond 007, one of his most famous roles!

RAQUEL WELCH / STELLA STEVENS

 February may be the month of love and sweethearts but this year it has been particularly harsh with two of my early crushes: Raquel Welch and Stella Stevens, both of whom passed away on this month.

                                                                   RAQUEL WELCH                                                    

                                                  (September 5, 1940 - February 15, 2023)

Welch first won attention for her role in Fantastic Voyage (1966), after which she won a contract with 20th Century Fox. They lent her contract to the British studio Hammer Film Productions, for whom she made One Million Years B.C. (1966). Although Welch had only three lines of dialogue in the film, images of her in the doe-skin bikini became best selling posters that turned her into an international sex symbol. She later starred in Bedazzled (1967), Bandolero! (1968), 100 Rifles (1969), Myra Breckinridge (1970), and Hannie Caulder (1971). She made several television variety specials. WIKIPEDIA

STELLA STEVENS

(October 1, 1938 – February 17, 2023)

Stevens began her acting career in 1959 in the film Say One for Me produced by and starring Bing Crosby and appeared in several TV series such as the anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents, General Electric Theatre and Bonanza in 1960. She won the 1960 Golden Globe Award for "New Star of the Year".

That year she appeared in three Playboy Pictorials and was named Playmate of the Month for January 1960. She starred in films such as Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962), The Nutty Professor (1963), The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1963), The Silencers (1966), Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (1968), The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970), and The Poseidon Adventure (1972).  Stevens subsequently focused more on TV roles, miniseries, and movies including roles in The Love Boat (1977, 1983), Hart to Hart (1979), Newhart (1983), Murder, She Wrote (1985), Magnum, P.I. (1986), Highlander: The Series (1995), and Twenty Good Years (2006). WIKIPEDIA

(Happily, Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren,Joan Collins, Elke Sommer, Ann-Margret, Ursula Andress, Angie Dickinson, Jacqueline Bisset, Catherine Deneuve, Linda Evans and Mamie Van Doren are still with us!)

MY TOP 10 CHRISTMAS MOVIES

 Every year, at this time, I prepare myself to watch my favorite Yuletide Season movies and I have ranked them in order of preference. They're all great films and their place in the list does not deter from their merits. All 10 are highly recommended if you like classic films and/or Christmas themed movies.

1.-   A CHRISTMAS STORY (1983)

2.-   NATIONAL LAMPOON'S CHRISTMAS VACATION (1989)

3.-   BABES IN TOYLAND (MARCH OF THE WOODEN SOLDIERS) - 1934

4.-   THE BISHOP'S WIFE  (1947)

5.-   WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954)

6.-   IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)

7.-   MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947)

8.-   ELF (2003)

9.-   POLAR EXPRESS (2004)

10.- THE MUPPET CHRISTMAS CAROL (1992)

There's also the matter of the excellent and essential Christmas TV specials which I never miss during this season, but that is the subject of my next blog entry!

THE SEVENTY YEAR ITCH

The First and the Best James Bond 007!

Remembering Sean Connery on his birthday. The first and the best James Bond 007!

GET MICHAEL CAINE!

 Michael Caine, one of my favorite actors is 89 years old today and in celebration of this famous British icon, I will review here some of my favorite Caine performances.  His filmography on IMDb lists 134 film credits, which is quite a large body of work so it is rather difficult to pick out just a few. However, these here are my most memorable Michael Caine appearances:

ZULU (1964) 

With Stanley Baker

THE IPCRESS FILE (1965) 

 

With Sue Lloyd

ALFIE (1966)With Shelley Winters

THE ITALIAN JOB (1969)

TOO LATE THE HERO (1970)

         With Cliff Robertson

GET CARTER (1971)

 

SLEUTH (1972)

With Sir Laurence Olivier

THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING (1975)

With Sean Connery 

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED (1976)

DRESSED TO KILL (1980) 

With Angie Dickinson

                                                                                                                          

DEATHTRAP (1982)  

                                                           With Christopher Reeve

                   EDUCATING RITA (1983) 

With Julie Walters

BLAME IT ON RIO (1984)

 

With Michelle Johnson and Joseph Bologna

HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1985)

 With Barbara Hershey

MONA LISA (1986)  With Bob Hoskins

THE FOURTH PROTOCOL (1987)

WITHOUT A CLUE (1988)

 With Ben Kingsley

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS (1988)

A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM (1990)

NOISES OFF (1992)

THE CIDER HOUSE RULES (1999)

 With Toby McGuire

SHINER (2000)

THE QUIET AMERICAN (2002)

SECONDHAND LIONS (2003)

THE STATEMENT (2003)

BATMAN BEGINS (2004)

With director Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale

As Alfred Pennyworth

 THE PRESTIGE (2006)

FLAWLESS (2007)

With Demi Moore

HARRY BROWN (2009)

GOING IN STYLE (2017)

With Alan Arkin and Morgan Freeman

KING OF THIEVES (2018) 

TWIST (2021)

BEST SELLERS (2021)

MICHAEL CAINE on IMDb