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Call me a cephalophile. Or an octo-enthusiast. Either one speaks to my obsession with the octopus in film. It is such a dramatic creature with those eight elongated tentacles that even a brief appearance can jolt a movie awake. An octopus lurking in a cave is like a killer in a closet. “Run!” read more

I wonder how many people heard of Henry Jerome & His Orchestra? Very few, I'd imagine! And even fewer have ever heard of Geffen Records. So you lucky readers are in for a treat (and an education)!Henry Jerome was a popular bandleader in the 1930s and 1940s who performed on ships, at ballrooms, r read more

The legendary Audrey Hepburn left a lasting impression on us for many reasons. One of them was her style, which made her a true fashion icon. In that regard, and on the occasion of The Audrey Hepburn Blogathon hosted by Maddy from Classic Film and TV Corner, I felt like sharing with you some of my f read more

Another TCM film festival is in the books, and it was just as fabulous this year as it was the first time I attended back in 2013 – four wonderful days filled with films, friends, and fantastic special guests! As you may know, for the last six years, I’ve attended the festival with my older daughter read more

Welcome to The Film Noir Files, the monthly noir series here at Shadows and Satin and over at Speakeasy, the blog authored by my pal Kristina, where each month we recommend a film noir feature for you to watch on TCM. We never know what the other has selected until we post, and part of the fun is tr read more

David Lloyd & His London Orchestra wasn't the most popular name in the instrumental field during the mid-century, but this album – Film Hits (1966) – has some great arrangements of popular film themes and it makes one wonder why he didn't become more popular than he was. Admittedly, read more

So, for absolutely no reason, the other day, I felt like I was in the mood to rank stuff and make a challenging list. As a result, I made a top list of my 95 favourite film directors! Why? No idea, but I think it was about time, right?! And believe me, it was not an easy task. So, to rank things o read more

As I noted in my Pre-Code Crazy post a few days ago, this year’s TCM Film Festival extended into May, so I’m recommending a movie for the Film Noir Files that I previously covered here at Shadows and Satin. For this month, I’m pleased to recommend one of my favorite noirs – They Live By Night read more

In the early 1960s a plethora of great "motion picture theme" albums were released and honestly, it is hard to choose one over the other when comparing them. Ray Ellis and His Orchestra was not as popular as Ray Conniff or Ferrante and Teicher, but he had a large output and recorded equally stellar read more

It’s hard to believe that the 2026 TCM Film Festival – my 12th in-person and 14th overall – will kick off in just two weeks! It seems that I live my entire year waiting for this event; it always seems so far away, and then before I know it, it’s here and gone, and I’m living for the next one. read more

As I mentioned earlier this week, Kristina and I are doing something a little different this month (and maybe next month!) and recommending pre-Code and film noir movies that we’re previously written about on our respective sites. My recommendations for April are all airing on the same day – April read more

In recent years, podcasting has considerably increased in popularity, and now, “what’s your favourite podcast?” is as common a question as “what is your favourite film?” or “who is your favourite singer?” That is something we definitely wouldn’t have i read more

Bing Crosby was always the hippest cat in the music industry and when it came to toe-tapping rhythms, he really knew how to swing it. Dixieland music was a particular favorite of his, so he decided to team up with his gal pal Rosemary Clooney and band leader Billy May to create a Dixieland album in read more

 HITCHCOCK'S PRO-NAZI FILM? is about as clickbait a title as you can get. This is a 2023 documentary about Alfred Hitchcock's 1944 film LIFEBOAT, and the controversy it caused upon its release. I was not aware of the existence of this film until I saw the DVD of it listed among the new arr read more

Welcome to The Film Noir Files, the noir series here at Shadows and Satin and over at Speakeasy, the blog authored by my pal Kristina, where each month we recommend a film noir feature for you to watch on TCM. We never know what the other has selected until we post, and part of the fun is trying to read more

"If there ever was a 'Si Zentner kind of music', this is it -- music of great intensity and drive, just right for Si's big band style". So reads the album notes of Si Zentner & his Orchestra's From Russia with Love album from 1964 and boy are they right! The handsome orchestra leader had a read more

At an isolated Antarctic research station, scientists battle a deadly alien with such extraordinary shape-shifting capabilities that the men don’t know if the person next to them is still human. The truth is only revealed when the alien is threatened and violently abandons its current inhabitant. read more

Welcome to The Film Noir Files, the noir series here at Shadows and Satin and over at Speakeasy, the blog authored by my pal Kristina, where each month we recommend a film noir feature for you to watch on TCM. We never know what the other has selected until we post, and part of the fun is trying to read more

This is a wonderful album. Pepe Jaramillo was a fantastic pianist and the arrangements of these popular film themes are lovely. In an era when all of these songs appeared on countless instrumental albums, it seems impossible to create a new and unique arrangement for each and yet Ken Thome, the musi read more

Welcome to The Film Noir Files, the noir series here at Shadows and Satin and over at Speakeasy, the blog authored by my pal Kristina, where each month we recommend a film noir feature for you to watch on TCM. We never know what the other has selected until we post, and part of the fun is trying to read more