Category: Talk of the Lobby

Comedy, Musical, Period Piece, Talk of the Lobby, Uncategorized

The Brady Bunch Movie: Those Were The Days Then and Now, and Jan Finally Gets Her Due

The television show, The Brady Bunch seems anachronistic even for its time. Even in the late 60s, the type of wholesome American family of shows like Make Room for Daddy or Father Knows Best seemed passé. The Brady Bunch debuted in 1969, and consider some of the other programs that were on that year that were far edgier. The most popular show was Rowan & … Continue reading The Brady Bunch Movie: Those Were The Days Then and Now, and Jan Finally Gets Her Due

QV 2019Leave a comment
Genre, Special, Talk of the Lobby, YouTube

YouTube Channels Worth a Gander

At one point, there was NBC and CBS. Then along came ABC. Slowly people started to gain access to cable television, an invention that first developed to help people in the valley get access to stations when geography prevented a broadcasting signal to be picked up. With cable television came dozens, then scores, then hundreds of channels. Now there’s streaming shows on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, … Continue reading YouTube Channels Worth a Gander

QV 2019Leave a comment
Comedy, Musical, Talk of the Lobby

Clue, the Mere Exposure Effect, the Costanza Gambit, and the Musical without a Song

Warning Spoilers!!!! Warning Spoilers!!! Warning Spoilers!!! Warning Spoilers!!! The Perils of A Favorite Film In the following post, I’m going to argue something a bit odd about a movie I love. I’m going to argue that Clue (1985) can be thought of–or at least discussed in terms of–a musical, even though none of the characters sing. Now, you might be saying to yourself, “but Clue … Continue reading Clue, the Mere Exposure Effect, the Costanza Gambit, and the Musical without a Song

QV 2019Leave a comment
Children's, Comedy, Musical, Special, Talk of the Lobby, Uncategorized

Family Friendly Films: Deep Loves, Deep Cuts, and Might Be’s

I’ve been asked by my friend and colleague, Alana, create a list of family friendly films. Now, this challenge is both easy and hard. It’s easy because there’s no shortage of family friendly films. But that abundance of options is what makes it hard. How does one pick from such a plentiful list? Another challenges comes the way memory erodes our impressions of these stories. … Continue reading Family Friendly Films: Deep Loves, Deep Cuts, and Might Be’s

QV 2019Leave a comment
Special, Talk of the Lobby

The Crisp Ending: What is it and Which Films Have it?

There’s so many different parts of a film that can make it memorable, an exciting beginning, a thrill-ride story, surprises and suspense, and sometimes the quietude of slow camera work can provoke reflective thought. It’s the endings, though, that leave people breathless and wide-eyed when the lights come-up and the people shuffle out into the hallways. It’s the endings that keep the viewers in their … Continue reading The Crisp Ending: What is it and Which Films Have it?

QV 2019Leave a comment
Special, Talk of the Lobby

Ten Films about the Media that Will Make You Think

There are all kinds of First Amendment films, freedom of the press films, media films, broadcasting films, and so forth. You’ve probably seen many of them yourself. One common characteristic amongst these films is the hagiographic treatment they give of journalists, reporters, and anchors. If you watch too many of these films, you’ll get the sense that your average reporter is a modern day errant … Continue reading Ten Films about the Media that Will Make You Think

QV 2019Leave a comment
Comedy, Drama, Foreign Film, Genre, Talk of the Lobby, Thriller, Uncategorized

Parasite: Aristotle and Arthur Miller, Tartuffe and Montgomery Cliff, and the Genre of the Ingénue Climber

Warning: Spoilers!!!!!!!!!! Warning: Spoilers!!!!!!!!! Warning: Spoilers!!!!!!!! The 2019 film Parasite, directed by South Korean filmmaker, Bong Joon Ho, has provoked awe in audiences, both for it’s aesthetic construction and for its treatments of the themes of social inequality, fate, and chance. These two layers of the film–it’s artful construction and it’s provocative meaning–work in tandem to tell the story of the nearly destitute Kim family, … Continue reading Parasite: Aristotle and Arthur Miller, Tartuffe and Montgomery Cliff, and the Genre of the Ingénue Climber

QV 2019Leave a comment