By Craig Leask Much like the Cleopatra (1963) filming fiasco and its nearly devastating effect on the financial stability of 20th Century Fox Studios, Hello, Dolly! (1969) nearly accomplished the same thing by practically bankrupting the same studio, not through a lack of planning and over paying its actors as with Cleopatra, but by vastly…
By Nick Maylor So far this December, Alan, Craig, Melissa, and John have all listed their favourite/must-see Christmas/Holiday films. Alan and I also threw a spotlight on television specials we hold dear. When I was asked to do a list of my top 5 Christmas movies, I found myself at the inescapable truth that at…
By Craig Leask In movies, haunted houses and castles are traditionally isolated locations: perched on stormy hilltops, swampy bayous, or located on vast, overgrown estates, separated from society (or anyone who can offer help to those in peril). A mountainous resort, closed for the winter, requiring a caretaker, lonely empty mansions being investigated or hosting…
Above: “The Vandamm Residence North by North West: (1959)” By Craig Leask Mid-Century Modern (MCM) is an architectural design and decorating style based upon clean lines, clear expanses of glass, open sight lines, a blurring of interior and exterior spaces and a complete lack of clutter. The style was developed and made popular by architects of the time,…
By John H. Foote THE REVENANT (****) For his visceral, stunning performance in The Revenant (2015), Leonardo Di Caprio finally won a long overdue Academy Award for Best Actor, and the truth is, he deserved it in every way. His near silent performance was easily the best performance of the year, a startling work of…
It was Easter, 2001. I had been in the hospital since Valentine’s Day, three and a half weeks of that in a coma, and had been transferred from Sunnybrook Trauma to the St. John’s Rehab Hospital. Hit head on, I had been choppered to Sunnybrook with life-threatening injuries, long story, not for here. Easter Sunday,…
By John H. Foote The Godfather Part II (1974) is arguably the greatest of American films, with its astounding artistry and complex themes, followed by The Godfather (1972), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) , On the Waterfront (1954), Raging Bull (1980), Schindlers List (1993), Apocalypse Now (1979)The Wizard of Oz (1939), and The Searchers (1956), each…
By Craig Leask It had all the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster: adulterous love affairs, broken marriages, millions of dollars in squandered funds and even attempted murder … and that was all behind the camera! Most people know the story behind the making of Cleopatra (1963), which was initially conceived as a “low budget”…
By Craig Leask Homeownership has always been the basis of the American Dream. That sense of accomplishment, a pride of ownership, the creation of lifelong memories. While purchasing your first home can be a very proud milestone, it can also be a very arduous and frightening move – sometimes you just don’t get that feeling…
By Craig Leask Scary movies have been a standard of the movie industry since the early years of film production. The bar was set with the original classics: Nosferatu (1922), Dracula (1931), and Frankenstein (1931), all of which were set in gloomy, shadow filled castles and filmed in glorious black and white. The success of these…