Rocky IV (1985) – Sylvester Stallone

There are some flaws in the fourth entry in the Rocky series (I’m looking at that ridiculous robot) and I’m not sure the themes of East vs. West, hubris, and capitalism carry through all the way, because, despite all of the things Rocky (Sylvester Stallone who also wrote and directed) gives up during the course…

La Strada (1954) – Federico Fellini

Anthony Quinn and Giulletta Masina star in this Fellini classic that is a recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Thelma & Louise. A road movie, the film follows Masina as a young, innocent and naive woman, Gelsomina, who can’t think for herself, while Quinn is the…

The Conquest of the Pole (1912) – Georges Melies

Using Jules Verne’s Voyages Extraordinaires series as its inspiration, the next stop in DK Books’ The Movie Book is the highly enjoyable The Conquest of the Pole from the brilliant French showman, Georges Melies. The film follows a muktin-national team of explorers, occasionally interferered with by a group of Suffragettes who are planning on exploring…

The Impossible Voyage (1904) – Georges Melies

Also known as Whirling the Worlds, Melies next masterpiece is my port of call as I continue exploring the trailblazing work of the French showman, thanks to DK Books’ The Movie Book. Running about twenty minutes, the short uses Jules Verne’s Journey Through the Impossible as its basis. A group of explorers and an inventor…

The Devil’s Castle (1896) – Georges Melies

I dig into a new book this week, DK Canada’s The Movie Book. It will take us through a gamut of decades and titles, and there is so much to watch. There are titles I’ve seen, and those I haven’t – so it’s going to be a fun ride. Since I’ve seen the first film…