Around the Blogosphere This Week

Miscellaneous bits of news and fun stuff from around the Internet...

...I've been reading Jeanine Basinger's books since I first fell in love with classic films as a kid -- her books on Lana Turner, Gene Kelly, and Shirley Temple were very early entries in my film history collection, and I especially enjoyed her books THE STAR MACHINE and A WOMAN'S VIEW. I was delighted to learn she has a new book due out in January, I DO AND I DON'T: A HISTORY OF MARRIAGE IN THE MOVIES. If Basinger's past record is anything to go by, it should be an interesting read which will also give me plenty of new ideas for movies to watch.

...It was very nice indeed to be invited once more to have a guest post published at MovieFanFare. My recent review of RAGE IN HEAVEN (1941) has been adapted and posted at the MovieFanFare site. My additional MovieFanFare guest posts can be accessed via the top item in this link roundup.

...ARTHUR CHRISTMAS (2011) came out on DVD last week. Highly recommended for seasonal viewing.

...Thanks to a Tweet by Lou Lumenick, I learned that Jonathan Blackmer, the son of Sidney Blackmer and Suzanne Kaaren, has worked in recent years as a background extra and actor under the name Sidney Blackmer Jr. He plays a small role in the new film LINCOLN (2012).

...Lou had a wonderful interview with Nancy Olson which was published last week in the New York Post.

...The Warner Archive Wednesday film at Out of the Past last week was COLLEGE COACH (1933), a fun-looking pre-Code with Pat O'Brien, Dick Powell, Lyle Talbot, Ann Dvorak, and even John Wayne! Looks entertaining...I recently enjoyed catching up with Judy's thoughtful review of THE WEDDING NIGHT (1935) at Movie Classics. It stars Gary Cooper and Anna Sten...The latest reviews at Riding the High Country are SMOKE SIGNAL (1955) with Dana Andrews and Piper Laurie, and WHISPERING SMITH (1948) with Alan Ladd and Brenda Marshall...Glenn Erickson just reviewed the Warner Archive release of NORTHWEST PASSAGE (1940) at DVD Savant. It stars Spencer Tracy, Robert Young, and Ruth Hussey.

...Hacking Netflix reports that Amazon is testing selling their Amazon Prime 2-day shipping and movie streaming service for $7.99 a month. It's currently a flat $79 per year.

...A UK trailer for LES MISERABLES (2012) has more footage than previously seen. I just wish the sound quality were better. Hard to judge the singing of Russell Crowe or the big group number "One Day More" based on these snippets. A very nice new TV spot also recently made its debut.

...This is the best trailer I've seen yet for HITCHCOCK (2012) with Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren; it made me more interested in seeing it. The big question is do I need to see PSYCHO (1960) first? Not certain I'm ready for that one...

...Just say no to Black Friday shopping on Thanksgiving Day.

...Reviews of Margaret Talbot's THE ENTERTAINER: MOVIES, MAGIC AND MY FATHER'S TWENTIETH CENTURY, about the life and times of her father, Lyle Talbot, can be found at the Los Angeles Times, Slate, Out of the Past, and A Mythical Monkey Writes About the Movies.

...Notable Passings: Han Suyin, the author of the book which inspired the film LOVE IS A MANY-SPLENDORED THING (1955), has passed on at the age of 95. There is a great deal of interesting info on the author on the DVD of the film version, which has one of the finest commentary tracks I've heard...Former American League President Lee MacPhail died last week at the age of 95.

...We'll close this week with Veteran's Day thoughts from Classic Montgomery and 50 Westerns From the 50s.

Have a great week!