It’s usually hard to bet against Barbara Stanwyck. Starting her career in the late 1920s, within a few years she was already churning out star making roles as plucky working class girls who could rise to the top: think Ten Cents a Dance (1931) and Baby Face (1933) – both reviewed here on Filmizon, only to further elevate herself during the film noir era with starring roles like Double Indemnity (1944) and The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) – also both on Filmizon, she even conquered television later in her career as matriarch Victoria Barkley in 112 episodes of Big Valley from the mid to late 1960s. In other words, it’s rather unusual to see her in a clunker... though with the film looked at here today, Shopworn (1932), directed by Nick Grinde, Stanwyck herself described it as, “one of those terrible pictures they sandwiched in when you started”.
Nestled in the heart of the Adirondacks, the cleverly named Trekonderoga is a highly unique comic convention. Located in Ticonderoga, New York, the event not only boasts celebrities, vendors, reminiscences, discussions and a perfect reincarnation of Star Trek’s USS Enterprise (built using the original blueprints from the series – which is celebrating its 50th year), but also features the rich history and striking natural surroundings at the heart of the small locale. Misty mountains, lush green forests, a rapidly flowing miniature waterfall, the impressive structure that is Fort Ticonderoga, historic buildings and other forms of beautiful nature are all found in the location that straddles both Lake George and Lake Champlain.
For the second year running, Cornwall’s Benson Centre hosted CAPE, the Cornwall and Area Pop Expo. Fantasy Realm’s Randy Sauvé and fiancee Carol Grant (founders of the event), once again ran the show (congratulations to the couple who married in a truly unique ceremony that took place on Saturday evening at CAPE). After a more than successful first year (with more than 3500 people attending the one day event), hopes were high for year two.
I thought this would be a good time to highlight some of the things that have been added to the site over the last little while. For those of you who did not catch my ‘Vigilante Justice’ column, there is now a ‘dual’ style review where I can compare and contrast two movies. You will […]
On a cold and blistery winter’s night (Friday, February 12th, 2016 to be exact), where drivers were hit with snow squalls, white outs, icy roads and frigid temperatures, more than three hundred people made their way to the seventy-five year old historic Port Theatre in Cornwall, Ontario to attend the first movie premiere the city has ever held. Though some arrived late and others would not make it to the cinema (some having to turn around, while others had to be towed home), most arrived unscathed, gathering to mingle in the lobby as writer, director, producer, editor and actor Marcus Ovnell waited to graciously greet the attendees.
By now, I am sure many of you have already heard that legendary rock star David Bowie passed away on January 10th, 2016. What you may not yet have heard is that iconic British actor Alan Rickman passed away earlier today.
First off, I hope that everyone has a Merry Christmas, a happy holiday season and an excellent New Year. I hope that you have enjoyed my site thus far and that you will check back next week for more great reviews.