Madcap, Goofy, Bonkers, Enduringly Hilarious: Screwball Comedies of the 1930s

February 15, 2019 in Collections

By the 1930s, studios had figured out how to record sound. Along with a slew of decadent musicals (think Busby Berkeley or Fred and Ginger) came a slate of fast-talking, raucous comedies. Divorce-remarriage plots, fish out of water stories, and fierce, funny women all figure in the genre. These silly comedies of errors have heart, and they are still just as biting and edgy today.

5 Classic Movies to Watch, Inspired by the 91st Academy Awards

February 14, 2019 in Collections

We'll watch the fashion, praise and lament the winners, tweet obvious observations in the hopes of accruing likes, and, ultimately, still get bored. Which is why the movies themselves should count more than ever. At its core, this truly is a show for movie lovers. Rather than harping on the legitimacy of certain nominations, or deserved wins, let’s all instead celebrate the classics.

These beloved films set standards, became traditions, and even feel like the inspiration, in a way, for some of the nominated films of this year's Academy Awards. Some classic movies to watch include:

Seven Films That Depict the Great Depression

February 08, 2019 in Collections

Numerous movies and documentaries have been made about this period of time, but what movies were made during the Great Depression that reflected the economic and social climate, without the benefit of analysis and reflection down the road? Many of the movie themes from the 1930s focused on prosperity. Witnessing success on the big screen removed audience members from their financial and social troubles, at least for a couple of hours. It’s a bit challenging to find movies from the 1930s that dealt with the problems of the time—as they were happening. Here are seven discs available from DVD Netflix that give us a peek into what the Depression was like in the 1930s.

15 Most Rented Cary Grant Films

January 18, 2019 in Collections

Despite an acting career spanning over 70 films, not to mention a varied background of vaudeville, radio, and a bit of Broadway, can you believe he never won an Oscar? Sure, he was nominated for several BAFTAs, Golden Globes, but only a couple of Academy Awards.

A Cinematic Tour of the 1920s

January 09, 2019 in Collections

The silent era of cinema isn’t always the easiest sell to casual movie fans. There’s a nasty rumor that silent film equals boring film, and that’s just a notion born through a lack of exposure. Alfred Hitchcock called silent films the “purest form of cinema” and everything thereafter “pictures of people talking.”

I won’t discount, however, the perceived barrier to entry. There’s truth in the notion that viewing a silent film requires more active participation on the part of the viewer. Silents absolutely require your attention. They require you to put away your small screens (not a bad thing, you know) and devote 90-some minutes to flickering images. Once you submit yourself to the experience, you’ll be duly rewarded with a new understanding of the earliest building blocks of cinema and a fresh respect for film as a visual art form.

Spotlight on “A Letter to Three Wives”

January 08, 2019 in Red Hot Picks

The phrase “who needs enemies with friends like you” must have come in the minds of Deborah, Lora, and Rita, the main characters of 1949 American romantic drama film A Letter to Three Wives.

Notable Academy Award Winners of the 1920s

January 08, 2019 in Collections

Identifying notable Academy Award winners from the 1920s is a very easy task. That’s because the first Academy Awards ceremony was held at the end of the decade, and it only honored movies released from August 1, 1927 to August 1, 1928. The first slate contained just 12 categories, while today, there are more than 20. The International Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences organized the event, held in the Blossom Room of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel on May 16, 1929. It was only attended by 270 people who each paid $5 admittance. The winners had been announced three months prior.

Films of the 1920s

January 08, 2019 in Collections

Any dip of the toes into the 1920s has to include some of the greatest films and stars of all time. This is the decade which started with silent films, where sound was introduced, and where, by the end of the decade, all the studios were rushing to make movies with sound. There was also a lot of experimentation with multiple images, special effects, camera movement and angles, and more. If you’ve watched movies from the 1910s you will easily notice the field quickly becoming more artistic as well as technically proficient in the 1920s. The Hays Code (censorship) had yet to be introduced, so the artists were not restricted by limitations that were enforced beginning in 1934 and would last into the 1960s.

Silence is Golden: A Look at the Silent Film Era

January 07, 2019 in Collections

It’s true that the silent era was never really silent. Going to the movies in the 1920s was quite the experience. News reels, shorts, small vaudeville acts, and live music accompaniment were all on the bill. With today’s high-tech options and multi-million dollar budgets, it’s amazing to look back at the early days of cinema and see how much they did with just a little creativity, ingenuity, and just a dash of daring.

A Century of American Movies

January 02, 2019 in Collections

As Netflix moves past its 20th anniversary, we have decided to celebrate our future by going decade by decade through this century of American film. Each decade seems to have its own spirit and stories, and to kick us off, we’ll look at what I think are the indelible images or scenes from the past ten decades of American movies—the moments we remember and the moments that make us love American movies.

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