MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 23, 2010

Around the World in 80 Days (1956) Around the World in 80 Days is one of the lesser acclaimed Best Picture winners and understandably so. The 3+ hour movie offers an epic adventure marked by little excitement and characters that are difficult to love or identify with. David Niven‘s Phileas Fo   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 19, 2010

A Shot in the Dark (1964)      Unlike The Thin Man movies, the series of films following the bumbling French detective Jacques Clouseau opted not to fashion the titles of the sequels off the first. The Pink Panther title refers to a priceless gem featured only in the initial film,...   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 17, 2010

Last night’s episode of “Glee” featured a dream sequence in which glee club teacher Will Scheuster imagines he is living the “Make Them Laugh” number from Singin’ in the Rain. He takes on the Donald O’Connor character and is accompanied by one of the studen   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 16, 2010

Green Fire (1955)      I now find myself a single step away from completing my Grace Kelly checklist and having seen all the princess’ movies. Thankfully, last week TCM played the hard-to-locate Green Fire leaving only Fourteen Hours on my list, which happens to be a disc or two away on...   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 15, 2010

I have read around on the web some mentions of a new Joan Crawford biography released earlier this month that seems to be gaining some positive attention. It’s penned by Donald Spoto, who gave us bios on Grace Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Alfred Hitchcock and just about every other   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 15, 2010

The Big Sleep (1946)      Despite sitting on my shelf since 2006, The Big Sleep finally made its move to the DVD player. My failure to watch the flick is no knock to the story or Bogie and Bacall, but more a reflection of my tendency to prioritize the less-permanent...   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 14, 2010

     So ends the three-part incidental series on movies about married life. Couples in No More Ladies, Love Crazy and The Palm Beach Story consider divorce but none follow through, which is the happy ending we expect in a romantic movie. The latter, however, might offer the most illogical reason fo   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 13, 2010

Love Crazy (1941)      Welcome to part two of the accidental trilogy of marriage movie reviews. I managed to watch three movies over two days that all portrayed life after marriage. The first, No More Ladies, was a drama that makes lover-boys rethink their extramarital affairs. Today’s Love C   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 12, 2010

No More Ladies (1935)       No More Ladies is the first in what has become an inadvertent sequence of movies viewed over the past day that depict various aspects of the strains on married life. For our first, the trauma is infidelity. Look for the next two over the weekend: The Palm...   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 11, 2010

Secret Ceremony (1968)      I almost wanted to give this movie a “What the F—?” rating because I think I might be traumatized for life after this one. I’ve categorized Secret Ceremony as both drama and horror because frankly I could not figure out if this was supposed to be   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 10, 2010

See No Evil (1971)      The 70′s murder thriller See No Evil is a bit out of character for my “Cinematic Shorts” because I have only seen it once. Despite that, it is a movie that pops into my mind somewhat regularly because it was just that fantastic. It is a story...   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 9, 2010

Strait-Jacket (1964)      So begins part two of the “Joan Crawford: Old and Crazy” reviews, and although I have given Strait-Jacket the same rating as Berserk, the former is a better flick by comparison. Filmed three years earlier than her circus-murder movie, Crawford actually behaves   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 8, 2010

Alfie (1966)      I knew nothing of 1966′s Alfie going into it other than Michael Caine was the lead. I was instantly, however, drawing comparisons to 1963′s Tom Jones. Both films are about young playboys — one from current times the other during the 18th century. Both movies pain   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 5, 2010

The Birds (1963) Your first reaction to the rating above might be: “What? Rachel thinks a Hitchcock movie is only so-so?” Implausible as it might seem, I nevertheless concluded after multiple viewings over the years that The Birds is a Hitchcock thriller better suited for collecting dus   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 4, 2010

Berserk (1967)      At what point did things start going downhill for Joan Crawford‘s career? Was it the 60s that took their toll or age 60? I have mentioned before that Crawford aged well, as illustrated in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? but that did not stop her from being...   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 3, 2010

As I remain at my office desk past 1 a.m. hoping to soon receive a reprieve from my duties as reporter this election night, I find myself contemplating movies that hinge on the subject. In my bleary state, I am having trouble coming up with many classic ones, so I might need...   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 2, 2010

While the City Sleeps (1956) Lupino in "They Drive by Night" Ida Lupino in "While the City Sleeps" Unfortunately, this film, although having the backing of fantastic director Fritz Lang, was a bit sloppy in its plot. Not only does the narrative cover the search for the &#8   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 1, 2010

House on Haunted Hill (1958)      It has happened at last: I have issued the dreaded Yipes! rating to a movie. Ryan and I had planned to see a showing of House on Haunted Hill Saturday at Columbus, Ohio’s historic venue (that started as a movie house), the Ohio Theatre. We...   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on November 1, 2010

I am pretty excited about a documentary series Turner Classic Movies is doing starting Nov. 1. “A History of Hollywood: Moguls and Movie Stars” is a seven-part series of one-hour shows airing at 8 p.m. Monday and Wednesday (repeat) that chronicles aspects of film from the very beginning   read more

MacGuffin Movies Posted by RBuccicone on October 30, 2010

With my favorite holiday just a day away, I think now would be the pertinent time to reveal my nomination for the best movie monster. 1988′s Pumpkinhead was not a good movie, but the monster created for the film makes the whole 80s clichéd plot worthwhile. Isn't he cute! The story is...   read more