Welcome to BlogHub: the Best in Veteran and Emerging Classic Movie Blogs
You can rate and share your favorite classic movie posts here.
You can rate and share your favorite classic movie posts here.
Classic Films in Focus: HANDS OF THE RIPPER (1971)
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Sep 26, 2019
Hands of the Ripper (1971) is a gory Hammer horror foray into the much visited territory of Jack the Ripper mythology, this time focusing on the serial killer's imaginary daughter and the effects of being a witness to acts of extreme violence. While it has many of the customary elements of classic H read more
Classic Films in Focus: THE HORRIBLE DR. HICHCOCK (1962)
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Sep 17, 2019
I'm a sucker for early 60s Gothic horror, whether it's Corman, Hammer, or Bava, which means my opinion of a picture like Riccardo Freda's The Horrible Dr. Hichcock (1962) is inclined to be positive in spite of its shortcomings. Yes, it's about a necrophiliac surgeon who like his bedmates totally inc read more
A Quick Trip to TIFF19
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Sep 16, 2019
I've always wanted to attend film festivals, but they're few and far between where I live, and the timing has never worked out for me to get to the big one for classic movie fans, TCMFF. Luckily, my visit to my sister's new home in Toronto this month coincided with the second weekend of the Toronto read more
Classic Films in Focus: THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932)
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Sep 4, 2019
Of course it's a dark and stormy night when Raymond Massey, Gloria Stuart, and Melvyn Douglas stumble into a strange old house whose occupants are even more menacing than the raging floods outside, and director James Whale milks the atmosphere for all it's worth in this delightfully dire horror come read more
PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE on Shudder
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Aug 14, 2019
I first saw Phantom of the Paradise (1974) a few years ago and immediately became obsessed with it; I downloaded the entire soundtrack and listened to it constantly for weeks. I was delighted to be able to revisit the film this week thanks to the Shudder streaming service, where the film is currentl read more
Three Favorite Movies in STRANGER THINGS 3
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Jul 9, 2019
*Warning! Mild spoilers ahead, but only related to minor incidents. No major plot points are discussed.
The third season of Stranger Things continues its love affair with all things 80s, including the movies of that decade and the heyday of the local video rental store, which gives the final episod read more
Classic Films in Focus: CASANOVA BROWN (1944)
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Jul 1, 2019
What does a viewer expect going into a movie that features multiple marriages, a burning mansion, a kidnapped baby, and a clueless new father on a crash course in infant care? Hilarity seems like a reasonable answer, but that's not what we get with Casanova Brown (1944). While its plot summary sound read more
Classic Movie Style: Cary Grant's Sunglasses
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Jun 12, 2019
On my way home from a trip to the UK last week I happened to flip through the Holland Herald on our KLM flight from Edinburgh to Amsterdam, and I was delighted to find this little article about chic sunglasses inspired by those worn by Cary Grant in the 1959 film, North by Northwest. Cary Grant is s read more
Richard III and Disinformation in TOWER OF LONDON (1939)
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on May 8, 2019
One probably doesn't go looking for timely political commentary in a film like Tower of London (1939), which offers a mashup of history and horror in its retelling of the bloody rise and fall of England's most reviled monarch. Much of the plot is familiar to viewers thanks to broad cultural awarenes read more
Classic Films in Focus: DARK WATERS (1944)
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Feb 12, 2019
Somewhere between Lifeboat (1944) and Gaslight (1944) lies the plot of Dark Waters (1944), in which Merle Oberon stars as the survivor of a U-boat attack whose fragile sanity is tested by a collection of nefarious characters. All three pictures appeared in the same year, but the first two are decide read more
2018 Movie Log in Review
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Jan 22, 2019
2018 was an exceptionally busy year for me beyond my usual activities, so it's no shock that I didn't watch as many films this year as I have in previous years. A part-time volunteer effort became a full-time job on top of homeschooling my high schooler and keeping up with other volunteer work, but read more
Classic Movie Tourism: King Kong on Broadway
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Jan 16, 2019
Some 85 years after the great ape's original screen debut, King Kong has made a triumphant return to New York City, this time as the star of his own Broadway musical. There have been plenty of sequels, reboots, revisions, and reincarnations featuring the oversized cinema gorilla, but I've never seen read more
The End of FilmStruck
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Nov 16, 2018
For the last six months my movie watching and review writing have been severely curtailed due to pressing work on other efforts, but I always comforted myself with the thought that FilmStruck would be there waiting for me after November 6 passed. Now, alas, the cruel corporate gods at AT&T have read more
High School Movies, Then and Now
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Sep 18, 2018
Netflix recently released a handful of romantic comedies set in high schools, including To All the Boys I've Loved Before and Sierra Burgess is a Loser, and their arrival has provided an opportunity to watch a new generation of high school movies and reflect on those that came before, particularly t read more
Classic Films in Focus: BLONDE CRAZY (1931)
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Aug 15, 2018
Blonde Crazy (1931) is a Pre-Code cracker that really puts the slap in its slapstick, with Joan Blondell regularly smacking costar James Cagney as the pair make their way through a series of scams and double crosses. Cagney's conman deserves Blondell's tough love; his Bert is too smart for his own g read more
Movie Log for June 2018
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Jul 9, 2018
I've been unusually busy this summer, which means that my movie viewing has been fairly limited. In spite of that, I've been enjoying the summer blockbuster fare and classics on FilmStruck, which has a wonderfully robust collection that changes frequently (the subscription is definitely worth it, so read more
Classic Films in Focus: JULIA MISBEHAVES (1948)
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Jun 5, 2018
Directed by Jack Conway, Julia Misbehaves (1948) is a charming, frothy romantic comedy that reunites the stars of Mrs. Miniver (1942) for a rather different look at the ups and downs of marriage. Greer Garson kicks up her heels as a bohemian performer long estranged, but not divorced, from husband W read more
Classic Films in Focus: AFTER THE THIN MAN (1936)
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on May 4, 2018
After the Thin Man (1936) reunites director W.S. Van Dyke and stars William Powell and Myrna Loy for a sequel to the 1934 hit, The Thin Man, in which Nick and Nora Charles first cracked wise and drank heavily through a crime-solving adventure. We pick up right where we left off at the end of the fir read more
FilmStruck! Finally!
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Apr 30, 2018
I'm delighted to announce that FilmStruck has finally arrived at our house. While I have been watching the development of this new streaming service since its early days, I had to wait for it to be available for Roku devices to enjoy it myself. Travel and commitment schedules made the first few mont read more
FilmStruck! Finally!
Virtual Virago Posted by Jennifer Garlen on Apr 30, 2018
I'm delighted to announce that FilmStruck has finally arrived at our house. While I have been watching the development of this new streaming service since its early days, I had to wait for it to be available for Roku devices to enjoy it myself. Travel and commitment schedules made the first few mont read more