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As you may know, I’ve been going to the TCM Film Festival every year since 2013 – this year is no different. What is different this year, though, is that the fest is scheduled a little later than usual and is extending into May. So, instead of serving up a new Pre-Code Crazy pick for May, I’m 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 Groucho Marx once said, time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana. (Ha!) But seriously, folks, time just keeps on slipping into the future; before we know it, it’s going to be time for the 2026 TCM Summer Under the Stars celebration – and despite my best intentions to review every new-t 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

April is always a busy month around these shadowy and satiny parts – in the midst of preparing for my annual trip to the TCM film festival (this year will mark my 12th in-person visit), I also have the Dark Pages film noir newsletter to get to press, along with any other assignments or experiences 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

Pre-Code Crazy is the monthly series here at Shadows and Satin and over at the blog of my pal Kristina, Speakeasy, where each month we recommend a pre-Code film for you to watch on TCM – we never know what the other has selected until we post, and we try to never pick the same movie! I almost never read more

I don’t remember when I first found out that Kim Luperi and Danny Reid were writing a book on pre-Code movies, but I know it seemed like it would be an eternity before it hit the bookshelves. Well, Pre-Code Essentials: Must-See Cinema from Hollywood’s Untamed Era finally came out in October 2025, read more

In keeping with my New Year’s resolution to regularly update my ongoing blog series (I see you, Flawed Gents!), today I’m serving up the second entry in Star Words, which shines the light on classic movie star appearances on TV talk shows. This post focuses on the appearance that gave me the 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

Pre-Code Crazy is the monthly series here at Shadows and Satin and over at the blog of my pal Kristina, Speakeasy, where each month we recommend a pre-Code film for you to watch on TCM – we never know what the other has selected until we post, and we try to never pick the same movie! TCM is serving read more

You know how you can remember exactly where you were when you learned some earth-shattering news? When I found out about the death of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, on December 14, 2025, I was sitting at the counter in my breakfast nook, looking at something or another on my laptop. I typically l read more

If you know me or my blog, you’ll know that I love coming up with new ideas for series – I have several here at Shadows and Satin already: Will They Stay Together, Western Noir, Obscure Femmes, and Flawed Gents. (Okay, so I only have one entry in that last series, and that was from 2017 – but read more

TCM is at it again – serving up another overflowing platter of noir, for your shadowy pleasure! Tune in on Tuesday, January 13 (my younger daughter’s 28th birthday!) to dive into these goodies. The line-up of seven noir features is below, and if I’ve already covered them here at Shadows and Satin, read more

Back in August, I started a new series here at Shadows and Satin – “Will They Stay Together?” – where I plan to look at 10 couples of noir and ponder their staying power for the duration. Part I of the series focused on Gilda Mundson (Rita Hayworth) and Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) – who, I read more

TCM is bringing the noir this January (Janu-NOIR-y?), starting on January 9th with a quintet of first-rate features. I’ve covered each of these here at Shadows and Satin, so I’m providing a link to each of these posts and strongly encouraging you to tune in to this great lineup of shadow read more

Back in 2024, I recorded the first of three audio commentaries for Blu-ray releases from Film Masters. The first two films, The Emperor Jones (1933) and The Red House (1947) were released earlier in 2025, and I’m pleased to share that the third Blu-ray, Lady of Burlesque (1943), is now availab 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

Pre-Code Crazy is the monthly series here at Shadows and Satin and over at the blog of my pal Kristina, Speakeasy, where each month we recommend a pre-Code film for you to watch on TCM – we never know what the other has selected until we post, and we try to never pick the same movie! Happy new year, read more

On Christmas Eve 2024, my Pre-Code Crazy/Film Noir Files/Dark Pages pal Kristina (author of the Speakeasy blog) invited me to participate in a cinematic scavenger hunt of sorts. Like the fellas (and lady) on TV’s Mission Impossible, it was my mission, if I chose to accept it, to selec read more