Movies for the Day, Sunday, April 1, 2018

Today's movies mark Easter and Poetry Month.

He Is Risen (1962) is an episode
of a documentary series that aired
from 1954 to 1970- Project XX.
This episode discusses the Resurrection
as depicted in great art.  Christ is
pictured right in twelfth century art.
The 30-minute episode won an Emmy
for Original Music.  Project XX had
34 episodes.  Today is Easter Sunday.



He Is Risen









Slam (1998) is about a ghetto
victim and prisoner who uses
poetry as his outlet.  April is
Poetry Month.






Slam










The Inquiry (1987) is a story about
Rome's inquiry of the missing body
of Jesus Christ.  Today is Easter
Sunday.





The Inquiry

Movies for the Day, Saturday, March 31, 2018

Today's movies mark the birthdays of Herb Alpert and Richard Chamberlain and Easter.

A Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Double
Feature (1966) features two of the great band's
animation of two of its songs.  This movie won
an Oscar for animated best short subject.  Alpert
was born March 31, 1935.





A Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Double Feature










The Thorn Birds (1983) is a sweeping
family saga set in Australia, starring Richard
Chamberlain, born March 31, 1934.  The
miniseries aired March 27 to March 30, 1983.
The miniseries won Emmys for Lead Actress,
to Barbara Stanwyck, for Supporting Actor,
to Richard Kiley, for Supporting Actress, to
Jean Simmons, and for Art Direction, Film Editing,
and Makeup.


The Thorn Birds

The Passion of the Christ (2004) is the story
of the last twelve hours of Christ before his
crucifixion.  Tomorrow is Easter Sunday.




The Passion of the Christ

Movies for the Day, Friday, March 30, 2018

Today's movies mark Doctors Day, Easter, and the birthday of Vincent Van Gogh.

The Last Angry Man (1959) is about a
Brooklyn doctor portrayed on television.
Today is Doctors Day.







The Last Angry Man







Godspell (1973) is the story of
Jesus set in New York City.  It is from
a stage musical.  Easter is Sunday,
April 1, 2018.






Godspell

















Vincent & Theo (1990) is the story of
the great but troubled painter Vincent Van
Gogh and his brother, Theo.  Vincent was
born March 30, 1853.






Vincent & Theo

Movies for the Day, Thursday, March 29, 2018

Today's movies mark a Texas day, the birthday of Eileen Heckart, and Easter.

Blossoms in the Dust (1941) is about a
Texas orphanage for children of unknown
parents founded by a person who lost a child.  It
is based on the true story of Edna Gladney.  March
29 is Texas Love the Children Day.  This movie
won an Oscar for Interior Decoration.






Blossoms in the Dust








Butterflies Are Free (1972) is about
a romance between a blind man and
his neighbor.  This movie won an
Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, to
Eileen Heckart, born March 29, 1919.






Butterflies Are Free








A.D. (1985) is a television miniseries
about the early Christian Church, taken
from the New Testament Acts of the
Apostles.  It won an Emmy for Special
Visual Effects.  It is the last of a miniseries trilogy:
Moses the Lawgiver (1974), Jesus of Nazareth
(1977), and Acts of the Apostles (1985); followed
by A.D The Bible Continues (2015).  Easter is
this Sunday, April 1.

A.D.

Movies for the Day, Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Today's movies mark a circus anniversary, Easter, and the Three Mile Island anniversary.









Nightmare Alley (1947) is about murder
in a carnival sideshow setting.  The Barnum
& Bailey circus, aka, the Greatest Show on
Earth, formed March 28, 1881.  The great
Phineas Taylor Barnum was born July 5,
1810.





Nightmare Alley

Barabbas (1961) is the story of the
criminal set free by Pontius Pilate so
Christ could be crucified.  Easter is less than
one week away.






Barabbas










Stronger Than the Sun (1978) is an episode
of the British Play for Today series.  It is about
a nuclear power plant worker who tries to
expose a radioactive leak.  The Three Mile Island
nuclear power plant disaster in the United States
occurred March 28, 1979.

Stronger Than the Sun

Movies for the Day, Tuesday, March 27, 2018

Today's movies mark the birthday of Anthony Lewis, Easter, and the birthday of Quentin Tarantino.

Three Brave Men (1957) is a courtroom drama
in which a lawyer tries to get a Navy clerk reinstated
after being fired as a security risk because of
alleged Communist leanings.  This movie is based
on Pulitzer Prize articles by Anthony Lewis recounting
the Abraham Chasanow case.  Lewis was born March 27,
1927.  Chasanow was born December 1, 1910.




Three Brave Men

Perry Como's Easter in Guadalajara
(1982) won an Emmy for Tape
Sound Mixing.  Easter is less than
one week away.  Como is
pictured in about 1956.






Perry Como's Easter in Guadalajara












Pulp Fiction (1994) is about small-time
gangsters.  This black comedy was directed
and written by Quentin Tarantino, born
March 27, 1963.  This movie is on the
National Film Registry.




Pulp Fiction

Movies for the Day, Monday, March 26, 2018

Today's movies mark the birthdays of Tennessee Williams and Robert Frost and Easter.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) is about a
dysfunctional Southern family whose
patriarch is dying.  This  movie is based on
the classic play by Tennessee Williams, born
March 26, 1911.  See also the television
version from 1985, which won an Emmy
for Outstanding Supporting Actress, to Kim
Stanley.


Cat on a Hot Tin Roof










Robert Frost:  A Lover's Quarrel With the
World (1963) is about the great New England
poet reminiscing, teaching, and at home.
This film won an Academy Award for Best
Feature Length Documentary.  Frost was born
March 26, 1874.




Robert Frost: A Lover's Quarrel With the World












The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) is
the story of Christ's life.  Easter is less than one
week away.






The Last Temptation of Christ

Movies for the Day, Sunday, March 25, 2018

Today's movies mark Greek's national holiday and the birthday of Sarah Jessica Parker.

Een Griekse Tragedie (A Greek Tragedy)
(1985) is about three scantily clad female
figures struggling to hold up the remains of an
ancient Greek temple.  The film won an Oscar as
Best Short Animated Film.  March 25 is a national
holiday in Greece, commemorating the start of the
War of Greek Independence in 1821.





Een Griekse Tragedie









Landscape in the Mist (1988) is about two
Greek children who embark on a mystical
journey to Germany to find the father they never knew.
Today is a Greek national holiday (see above).






Landscape in the Mist

Sex and the City (June 6, 1998 to February
22, 2004)  is a TV series about a sex columnist and
her three friends exploring Manhattan.  Featuring drama,
comedy and romance, the series lasted six seasons and
94 episodes.  It stars Sarah Jessica Parker, born March
25, 1965.  It won Emmys in 2001 for Outstanding Comedy
Series, in 2002 for Directing, Costumes, and Casting, in 2003
for Casting, and in 2004 for Lead Actress, to Sarah Jessica
Parker, and for Supporting Actress, to Cynthia Nixon.


Sex and the City

Movies for the Day, Saturday, March 24, 2018

Today's movies mark the birthdays of Steve McQueen, Margarethe Cammermeyer, and Keisha Castle-Hughes.

The Sand Pebbles (1966) is about a
fictional American gunboat on war-torn China's
Yangtze River in 1926.  This action and romance
movie stars Steve McQueen, born March 24,
1930.






The Sand Pebbles










Serving in Silence:  The Margarethe
Cammermeyer Story (1995) is a
TV movie based on the true story of
Cammermeyer, born March 24, 1942.
She was a military service member who was
involuntary discharged after she disclosed her
homosexuality.  She legally challenged the action.
The movie won Emmys for Lead Actress, to
Glenn Close, Supporting Actress, to Judy Davis, and
Writing.


Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story










Whale Rider (2002) is not only the story
of a young girl growing up in New Zealand
and whales but also provides insight
into the indigenous Maori culture.  This movie
won an Oscar for Best Actress to
Keisha Castle-Hughes, born March 24, 1990.



Whale Rider

Movies for the Day, Friday, March 23, 2018

Today's movies mark the birthdays of Joan Crawford and Akira Kurosowa and Pakistan's national holiday.

Mildred Pierce (1945) is about success and tragedy
in one woman's melodramatic life.  Joan Crawford
won an Oscar as Best Actress for her leading role.
Crawford was born March 23, 1904.  This movie, which
is listed on the National Film Registry, is based on
a 1941 novel by James M. Cain.






Mildred Pierce









The Seven Samurai (1954) is a
Japanese "Western" set in 16th century
Japan.  A village hires professional warriors to
fend off bandits.  This movie was directed by
the acclaimed Akira Kurosawa, born
March 23, 1910.  It was later remade as The
Magnificent Seven.





The Seven Samurai








Saving Face (2012) is about a doctor,
Mohammed Jawad, who performs plastic
surgery on women disfigured by acid attacks
in Pakistan.  Today is Republic Day, aka
Pakistan Resolution Day, in Pakistan.  This
movie won an Academy Award for Short
Subject Documentary.




Saving Face

Movies for the Day, Thursday, March 22, 2018

Today's movies mark World Day for Water, International Day of the Seal, and the Masters.







H2O (1929) is a short silent film, a study
of water in its many forms.  This 13 minute
movie is on the National Film Registry.  Today
is United Nations World Day for Water.






H2O








Sammy the Way Out Seal (1962) is
a Disney Film about a boy and a seal.
Today is International Day of the Seal.








Sammy the Way Out Seal










Caddyshack (1980) is a comedy about
country club golf.  Golf's venerable
Masters tournament was first held
March 22, 1934.  This movie features the
following American Film Institute great quote:  "Cinderella
story.  Outta nowhere.  A former greenskeeper, now, about
to become the Masters champion.  It looks like a mirac ***
It's in the hole! It's in the hole!  It's in the hole!"  Followed by
Caddyshack II (1988).


Caddyshack

Movies for the Day, Wednesday, March 21, 2018

Today's movies mark the second day of Spring, World Poetry Day, and World Down Syndrome Day.







Where the Boys Are (1960) is about teenagers
during spring break in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.
March 19, 20, or 21 is the first day of Spring.





Where the Boys Are









The Danish Poet (2006) is about
a poet considering life.  This film
won an Academy Award as Best Short
Animated Film.  Today is World
Poetry Day, declared by UNESCO
in 1999.  April is National
Poetry Month in the United States.





The Danish Poet





Born This Way (December 8, 2015 - ) is a
television series that follows young adults
with Down Syndrome, first described by
John Langdon Down. Today is United
Nations World Down Syndrome Day.  Langdon
was born November 18, 1828.  In 2017, the
series won Emmys for Cinematography and
Casting.



Born This Way

Movies for the Day, Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Today's movies mark the birthdays of Mister Rogers and Henrik Ibsen and the start of the war in Iraq.

Mister Rogers Neighborhood (1968 to 2001)
is a beloved show for young children combining
entertainment and learning.  There are 895 half
hour episodes.  Fred Rogers, the star, was born
March 20, 1928.





Mister Rogers Neighborhood










A Doll's House (1973) is a story
of domesticity threatened.  It is
based on the play by Henrik
Ibsen set in the 1800s.  Ibsen
was born March 20, 1828.




A Doll's House










Operation Homecoming:  Writing the
Wartime Experience (2007) is a documentary
based on the writings of the military
on the ground in the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan.  It won an Academy Award for
Feature Documentary.  The post 9/11
wars led by the United States began October
7, 2001, in Afghanistan and March 20,
2003, in Iraq.


Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience

Movies for the Day, Monday, March 19, 2018

Today's movies mark the birthday of Wyatt Earp, National Poultry Day, and the birthday of Richard Burton.







The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp (1955 to 1961)
is a television series loosely based on the life
of the legendary Western lawman.  The 226 episodes were each 30 minutes.  Earp, born March 19, 1848, is played
by Hugh O'Brian.



The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp









Le Poulet (1965) is the story of
a chicken's fate- dinner or pet.
This film won an Oscar as Best Short
Subject, Live Action.  Today is National
Poultry Day.




Le Poulet








Mountains of the Moon (1990) is a
dramatization of explorer Sir Richard
Burton's search for the source of the
Nile in the late 1800s.  Burton was
born March 19, 1821.





Mountains of the Moon

Movies for the Day, Sunday, March 18, 2018

Today's movies mark the birthday of George Plimpton, a landmark Supreme Court case, and the birthday of John Updike.









Paper Lion (1968) is about sportswriter
George Plimpton's experience when he
posed as a rookie quarterback for the pro
football Detroit Lions.  Plimpton was born
March 18, 1927.





Paper Lion









Gideon's Trumpet (1980) is the story of and behind
the United States Supreme Court landmark right
to counsel case handed down March 18, 1963 (Gideon
v Wainwright, 372 US 335).  This TV movie was based
on a book by journalist Anthony Lewis, born March
27, 1967.  Clarence Earl Gideon, born August 30,
1910, was represented by future Supreme Court
Justice Abe Fortas.



Gideon's Trumpet









The Witches of Eastbrook (1987) is about
women in a New England town who conjure up the
perfect man/devil.  This movie combines
comedy, fantasy and horror and is inspired by
a novel by John Updike, who was born March 18,
1932.




The Witches of Eastbrook

Movies for the Day, Saturday, March 17, 2018

Today's movies mark St. Patrick's Day.








Man of Aran (1934) is a classic documentary
with some fictionalization about life on the
Aran Islands off the coast of Ireland, showing
the islanders' subsistence farming and fishing
life.  Today is St. Patrick's Day.




Man of Aran









Captain Lightfoot (1955) is about
a pair of Irish rebels circa 1815.  This
swashbuckler stars Rock Hudson, born
November 17, 1925.  Today is St.
Patrick's Day.






Captain Lightfoot











Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959)
is a fantasy adventure about leprechauns and
people.  This Disney film seems just right
for St. Patrick's Day.






Darby O'Gill and the Little People

Movies for the Day, Friday, March 16, 2018

Today's movies mark the birthday of Jerry Lewis, a migration date for curlews (birds), and the My Lai Massacre.







You're Never Too Young (1955) is a typical wacky
comedy from the team of Dean Martin and
Jerry Lewis, from the mid 1950s.  Lewis was born
March 16, 1926, and Martin was born June 7, 1917.






You're Never Too Young











The Last of the Curlews (1972)is about
a last Eskimo curlew in the Canadian Arctic.
Curlews are long billed migratory birds. March
16 is their traditional arrival date at the Umatilla
National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.  This animated
episode was part of the ABC Afterschool Specials.  It
won an Emmy for Children's Programming.



The Last of the Curlews











Judgment:  The Court Martial of
Lieutenant William Calley (1975) is
a drama about the court martial stemming
from the My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam
War.  The massacre occurred March 16, 1968.
The trial began November 17, 1970; Calley
was convicted March 29, 1971.  The TV movie
won an Emmy for Video Tape Editing.



Judgment: The Court Martial of Lieutenant William Calley