Around the Blogosphere This Week

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

...On this anniversary, Caftan Woman's tribute to New York in the movies seems the perfect place to start.

...And last week at Another Old Movie Blog, Jacqueline reviewed the New York  story Middle of the Night (1959), starring Fredric March and Kim Novak.

...Cinema Viewfinder recently sponsored a Nicholas Ray Blogathon. Among the interesting posts: 50 Westerns From the 50s on THE TRUE STORY OF JESSE JAMES (1957), the Self-Styled Siren on BORN TO BE BAD (1950), and Thrilling Days of Yesteryear on A WOMAN'S SECRET (1949).

...New cookbook coming in October: FROM OUR GRANDMOTHERS' KITCHENS from the editors of Cook's Country Magazine.

...Last summer Steven Spielberg spoke out against digitally enhancing films years after their release: "(In the future) there’s going to be no more digital enhancements or digital additions to anything based on any film I direct. I’m not going to do any corrections digitally to even wires that show." If only his friend Mr. Lucas were of that opinion.

...Hacking Netflix wonders if a a forthcoming Amazon Kindle with a color screen will have a Netflix streaming app.

...New on DVD from Twilight Time: MY COUSIN RACHEL (1952) starring Olivia deHavilland and Richard Burton. The DVD includes a trailer, an isolated musical track, and a booklet with an essay by Julie Kirgo.

...Movietone News pays tribute to James Mason.

...Raquelle's Thoughtful Eating has had a lovely redesign featuring vintage graphic art. Check it out, and then hang around to visit the terrific photo-filled posts.

...Jim Lane's Cinedrome has an extensive post on Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in GIRL CRAZY (1943). Follow the links at the bottom of the page for much more on the history of GIRL CRAZY.

...Mike Clark of Home Media Magazine reviews the recent DVD release from Olive, THE ATOMIC CITY (1952), starring Gene Barry and Lydia Clarke (Mrs. Charlton Heston). I enjoy Cold War films, and write-ups by Mike, Kristina (linked last week), and Glenn Erickson (first linked in August) definitely have me intrigued.

...This book, due in November, looks great: SAUL BASS: A LIFE IN FILM AND DESIGN. The authors are Pat Kirkham and Jennifer Bass.

...Netflix recently limited some customers to one stream per account, then said the restriction was a "mistake." However, it's hard to understand exactly how it's a "mistake" when the change was actually enforcing Netflix's own written policy. The other thing that's confusing is that the number of streams allowed per account is based on the number of discs one rents at a time, yet starting this month Netflix has separated disc rentals and streaming into separate payment plans. I hope Netflix doesn't limit streams to one per account; it's not at all unusual, with a family of six, for a couple people to be watching Netflix on the TV, via the Roku, and someone else to be watching a different program on a computer.

...Grand Old Movies has a very interesting post on ballet films in general and THE UNFINISHED DANCE (1947) in particular. It's interesting how "dark" ballet films can be!

...Glenn Erickson's latest reviews at DVD Savant include the Warner Archive releases IN CALIENTE (1935), a minor musical with numbers by Busby Berkeley; the interesting "B" noir FOLLOW ME QUIETLY (1949), starring William Lundigan; and ONE MINUTE TO ZERO (1952), a Korean War drama starring Robert Mitchum, Ann Blyth, and Charles McGraw.

...I'm excited about seeing WEST SIDE STORY on the stage for the first time in a few days. The touring production currently at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts has received some strong reviews.

...Notable Passings: TV director Charles S. Dubin, who directed many episodes of M*A*S*H, has passed on at the age of 92...and the Oscar-winning actor Cliff Robertson, seen here at the right, died yesterday, the day after his 88th birthday. For me, I will always remember Robertson as the narrator of THE MEN WHO MADE THE MOVIES in the '70s, as well as the star of late '50s-early '60s fare such as THE GIRL MOST LIKELY (1958), MY SIX LOVES (1962), and SUNDAY IN NEW YORK (1963).

...Happy birthday to character actor Frank Cady, who turned 96 on September 8th!

Have a great week!