THE BARBENHEIMER EFFECT!

                                 Caught between the Pink Wave and the Atomic Bomb!

From WIKIPEDIA: Barbenheimer is an Internet phenomenon that began circulating on social media before the simultaneous theatrical release of two blockbuster films, Barbie and Oppenheimer, on July 21, 2023, in the United States and several other countries. The word is a portmanteau of the films' titles. The dramatic difference between Barbie—a fantasy comedy by Greta Gerwig about the fashion doll Barbie—and Oppenheimer—an epic biographical thriller by Christopher Nolan about physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, scientific director of the Manhattan Project, which developed the first nuclear weapons during World War II—prompted a comedic response from Internet users, including memes and merchandise. Polygon described the two films as "extreme opposites", and Variety called the phenomenon "the movie event of the year".

INDIANA JONES GOES OUT WITH A BANG!

The new and last INDIANA JONES adventure has been released to rather lukewarm reviews from the critics but also, to generally delighted audiences and the franchise starring Harrison Ford has apparently ended its run with the fifth installment which I think is a wise decision. In my opinion, in spite of a few misses here and there, the series goes out with a bang.

FAREWELL, INDY!

When the pandemic lockdown was declared, some people freaked out and went on a toilet paper hoarding spree. And toilet paper became as valuable as anything Indiana Jones might search for. 

Thus, this 2020 cartoon:

I vaguely recall I once played an Indiana Jones inspired character on a comedy stage play many years ago. Can't remember the plot or the play's title but I can say it had a very successful run since we went past the 100 performances mark.

I was never the Harrison Ford type but since this was a screwball comedy, nobody cared!

LOVE & DEATH

As I was strolling across a field near my home, I suddenly felt a strange chill running through my spine and a weird sense of anxiety overcame me, when suddenly I turned around and saw this tall and mysterious figure standing right beside to me. A cold breeze swiftly encircled my entire body and I knew then and there I was next to Death itself.  Fortunately, the alarm went off and I woke up.  I then remembered I had fallen asleep a few hours before, watching Woody Allen's 1975 film "LOVE AND DEATH". Whew!

The Late, Late, Late, Late Show!

Has this ever happened to you? You are laying in bed, ready to watch a movie when suddenly, without you knowing why, the end credits appear rolling before your eyes...and you didn't see anything before that.

Was the movie too short?  Was this some sort of avant garde, experimental auteur kind of thing? Or was this the first time in the history of films that some studio just released the title and end credits without any footage in between?

No, stupid. You just dozed off as the film began!

LESLIE NIELSEN : FROM DRAMA TO COMEDY

BORN ON THIS DAY:

Leslie Nielsen (February 11, 1926 – November 28, 2010) was a Canadian actor, comedian, and producer. He appeared in more than 100 films and 150 TV programs. He worked as a disc jockey before receiving a scholarship to study theatre at the Neighborhood Playhouse. He made his acting debut in 1950.

His performances in the films include Forbidden Planet, The Poseidon Adventure, Creepshow,  Airplane!, Dracula - Dead and Loving It, The Naked Gun film series, plus many others. Nielsen received a variety of awards and was inducted into the Canada and Hollywood Walks of Fame.

FROM WIKIPEDIA:

Although his notable performances in the films Forbidden Planet and The Poseidon Adventure gave him standing as a serious actor, Nielsen later gained enduring recognition for his deadpan comedy roles during the 1980s, after being cast for the Zucker, Abrahams and Zucker comedy film Airplane! In his comedy roles, Nielsen specialized in portraying characters oblivious to and complicit in their absurd surroundings. Nielsen's performance in Airplane! marked his turning point, which made him "the Olivier of spoofs" according to film critic Roger Ebert, and leading to further success in the genre with The Naked Gun film series, based on the earlier short-lived television series Police Squad!, in which Nielsen also starred. Nielsen received a variety of awards and was inducted into Canada's Walk of Fame and the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

As Francis Marion in THE SWAMP FOX (1959) 

THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972)

CREEPSHOW (1982)

                                                          

AIRPLANE! (1980)

Nielsen passed away on November 28, 2010 at age 84.  His body was interred in Fort Lauderdale's Evergreen Cemetery. As a final bit of humour, Nielsen chose "Let 'er rip" as his epitaph.

MY FAVORITE CARY GRANT

 Cary Grant made 73 films from 1932 to 1966. His thematic range went from high adventure, action thrillers, and screwball comedies, to romance and drama. He is chiefly remembered for his collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock on four of his best films: SUSPICION, NOTORIOUS, TO CATCH A THIEF and NORTH BY NORTHWEST, and also from his screwball comedies of the late thirties and early forties. Some of his best works combined romance, drama and comedy, such as HIS GIRL FRIDAY, ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS, GUNGA DIN, PENNY SERENADE and CHARADE and in all of them, the unmistakable Cary Grant persona and sophisticated charm always came through.

Out of his enormous output, I have chosen these 30 films, which are the ones I revisit and enjoy over and over again.

MY FAVORITE CARY GRANT list on IMDb:

https://www.imdb.com/list/ls557970806/

RAQUEL WELCH and the Star and Stripes!

I had a crush on Raquel Welch back in the 60s, ever since I got a glimpse of her wearing that famous furry skin bikini in the 1966 film One Million Years B.C. 

 

Raquel will be 81 this year and two things haven't changed: her wonderful looks...and my crush on her.

From WIKIPEDIA: 

 Raquel Welch (born Jo Raquel Tejada; September 5, 1940) is an American actress and singer. 

 She 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 she 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.

Welch's unique film persona made her an icon of the 1960s and 1970s, due to her portrayal of strong female characters and breaking the mold of the archetypal sex symbol. Because of this, her rise to stardom in the mid 1960s was partly credited with ending Hollywood's vigorous promotion of the blonde bombshell. 

These wonderful Star and Stripes bikini shots are from her 1970 film MYRA BRECKINRIDGE.

And this is where it all started:

Her complete filmography on IMDb:

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000079/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0