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 Craig Leask Like a lot of people, Christmas is and has always been a special time of year for me and nothing gets me more into the spirit of the season then settling down in front of some of my favorite Christmas movies. Several my favorites, as you will soon read, were not initially…
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…
November 11th is Remembrance Day here in Canada. For our American neighbours, it is Veterans Day and is also known as Armistice Day. We here at Foote & Friends On Film decided to offer a few recommendations for films that shine a spotlight on war times and those to whom we owe our freedom. Please…
By Craig Leask I’m a sucker for movies with big old creepy houses (check out my article on Spooky House Comedies here). So, as you can imagine, in the weeks leading up to Halloween my Blu-ray player is kept busy with everything from the classics (Dracula (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Psycho (1960), and The…
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 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 On an overcast, gloomy Sunday afternoon, when you want to order in some comfort food, wrap yourself up in a blanket and waste away the day watching a film which brings you comfort, there are those trusted flicks which I always return to. These films are my comfort food, my meatloaf and…
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…