Movies for Wednesday, March 15, 2017

The movies for today, March 15, 2017, celebrate the release of two movie franchises and a long-running television sitcom.


The Godfather (1972) premiered on March 15, 1972.
It is one of the greatest movies of all time.  About a Mafia
family, it was followed by The Godfather Part II (1974) and
The Godfather Part III (1990).  The Godfather was awarded
Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor to Marlon
Brando, Adapted Screenplay to Francis Ford Coppola, based
on the bestseller by Mario Puzo.  The Godfather Part II was
awarded Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director to
Francis Ford Coppola, Screenplay, Supporting Actor to
Robert DeNiro, Original Dramatic Score and
Art/Set Direction.  The series features one of the great
movie villains, Michael Corleone.  The Godfather is
on the National Film Registry.

The Godfather




Taxi (1978 to 1983) is an award winning
television sitcom which starred Judd Hirsch,
born this day in 1935.  It won the Emmy for
Outstanding Comedy Series in 1979 through
1983.  Judd Hirsch won Emmys as Lead Actor
in a Comedy Series in 1980 through 1983.  Danny
DeVito won an Emmy as Outstanding Supporting
Actor in 1981 and Christopher Lloyd and Carol
Kane won similar awards in 1983.  Emmys were
awarded in 1979 to episodes "Sugar Mama" and
"Paper Marriage," in 1980 to "Louie and the Nice
Girl," in 1981 to "Elaine's Strange Triangle" and
"Tony's Sister and Jim," and in 1982 to
"Simka Returns" and "Elegant Iggy."

Taxi



Ice Age (2002) was released this day, March 15, in
2002.  Ice Age proved to be a very popular
animated family movie and has spawned
a number of sequels.




Ice Age

Movies for Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Today's movies celebrate Pi Day, March Madness and actor Michael Caine (Tuesday, March 14, 2017).

The Dot and the Line:  A Romance in Lower
Mathematics (1965) won an Oscar for Best
Short Subject, Cartoons.  Its selection for
today celebrates Pi Day.  Pi is the circumfer-
ence of a circle and begins 3.14.




The Dot and the Line






Today, March 14, begins the NCAA
basketball championship, also known
as March Madness.  Hoop Dreams
(1994) is a documentary of the
basketball dreams of inner city Chicago
kids.  It is listed on the National Film
Registry.



Hoop Dreams




The Cider House Rules (1999) is the story of a
young man coming to age in 1940s Maine
(admitted to the Union on March 15 [tomorrow]
in 1820).  In this movie about relationships, actor
Michael Caine won an Oscar for Supporting Actor.
Caine was born March 14, 1933.  It also won an Oscar
for Writing.


The Cider House Rules

Movies for Monday, March 13, 2017

Today's movies feature a battle, a dysfunctional family and an inspirational leader (Monday, March 13, 2017).


On this date, March 13, in 1884, the Siege of
Khartoum in the Sudan began.  Khartoum
(1966) is the story of that siege, which ended
January 26, 1885, with the defeat of British
General Chinese Gordon (born January 28,
1833) by Arab warriors.




Khartoum






Shameless (2011- ) is a Showtime
series starring William H. Macy,
born this day, March 13, in 1950.
It is a dramedy about a dysfunctional
family.  Its Emmy awards include
Guest Actress in a comedy series to
Joan Cusack for playing "Sheila
Jackson" in 2015 and for Stunt
Coordination in 2016.



Shameless






The Master (2012) is partly inspired by
Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, born
March 13, 1911.  Academy Award nominations
were garnered by Joaquin Phoenix for Leading
Actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman for Supporting
Actor and Amy Adams for Supporting
Actress.


The Master

Movies for Sunday, March 12, 2017

Sunday, March 12, 2017:  today's movies include the life of Jesus, The Sound of Music, and a film starring Liza Minnelli.




Continuing our listing of Christian Lenten season
movies is From the Manger to the Cross (1912).
This silent classic, 71 minutes long, was filmed
on location in Palestine and presents the life of
Jesus.  It is listed on the National Film Register.



From the Manger to the Cross






The Sound of Music (1965) is the
story of the Van Trapp family as it
flees Austria in 1938 to escape Nazi
rule.  The invasion of Austria, the
Anschluss, began March 12, 1938.  It
is based on the memoir of Maria Von
Trapp, born January 26, 1905.  Julie
Andrews, born October 1, 1935, stars.
The musical is listed on the National
Film Registry and won Oscars for Best
Picture, Director (Robert Wise), Sound,
Film Editing, and Music Scoring.  It
features two famous movie songs:  "My
Favorite Things" and "Do Re Mi."

The Sound of Music





Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon
(1970) is the story of three misfits living
together.  It stars Liza Minnelli, born March
12, 1946.



Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon

Movies for Saturday, March 11, 2017

The selections for today, Saturday, March 11, 2017, feature a lethal virus, a play about Jesus, and a musicologist in Appalachia.


In the thriller, the The Satan Bug (1965), a lunatic
steals a lethal virus from a government lab.  Today
is the anniversary of the flu epidemic in the
United States in 1918.




The Satan Bug

In this Christian Lenten season, we begin to
list some movies about Jesus.  Jesus of
Montreal (1989) is about a group of actors
who produce a play about Jesus and some
consequences.



Jesus of Montreal







Songcatcher (2000) is the tale of a musicologist
who collects folk songs in Appalachia in the
early 20th century.  It is loosely based on the
work of Olive Dame Campbell, born March 11,
1882, and founder of John C. Campbell Folk
School in Brasstown, North Carolina.



Songcatcher

Movies for Friday, March 10, 2017

Today, Friday, March 10, 2017, we explore a sexually charged movie about a brutal murder, a television series about a 1960s advertising agency, and the hunt for a terrorist.


Basic Instinct (1992) stars Sharon Stone, born March
10, 1958, in a highly sexually charged tale of a
brutal murder.



Basic Instinct

Mad Men (2007 to 2015) (AMC) is a great
television series about an advertising
agency in the 1960s which starred Jon
Hamm, born March 10, 1971.  It won many
Emmy awards including Outstanding
Drama Series (in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) and
especially for episodes "Smoke Gets In Your
Eyes" (the pilot, in 2008), "Meditations In An
Emergency", "The Gold Violin" and "Shoot"
(in 2009), "Shut the Door, Have a Seat" and
"Souvenir" (in 2010), and "Christmas Comes
But Once a Year" (in 2011).  Jon Hamm won
an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a
Drama Series, as Don Draper, in 2015.

Mad Men




Manhunt:  The Inside Story of the Hunt for Bin
Laden (2013) won an Emmy for Outstanding
Documentary or Nonfiction Special.  9/11
terrorist Osama Bin Laden was born March 10,
1957 and was killed by United States special
forces May 2, 2011.




Manhunt: The Inside Story of the Hunt for Bin Laden

Movies for Thursday, March 9, 2017

The movies for today, Thursday, March 9, 2017, feature a famous fictional private investigator, a chess whiz, and a World War II romance.




Kiss Me Deadly (1955), based on a Mickey Spillane
book, features the famous fictional private
investigator Mike Hammer.  Spillane was born this
date in 1918.  The movie is listed on the National
Film Registry and had a major influence on later
films.



Kiss Me Deadly







Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) is about
a young chess whiz.  It is an inspiring
movie.  Bobby Fischer was a great chess
champion born March 9, 1943.




Searching for Bobby Fischer

The English Patient (1996) is a World War II
romance featuring a plane crash in the
desert, a nurse and Italy.  It won many Oscars,
including Best Picture and Supporting Actress-
Juliette Binoche, born this date in 1964- and
for Director, Cinematography, Art/Set
Direction, Costume Design, Sound, Film
Editing and Original Dramatic Score.



The English Patient