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Claire Bloom and Charlie Chaplin in Limelight

Limelight

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Limelight (1952) starring Charlie Chaplin, Claire Bloom, Sydney Chaplin, Nigel Bruce, Buster Keaton

Limelight is a truly wonderful film; it swiftly became one of my favorites. In a nutshell, it’s the story of a once-great stage comedian (Calvero, a formerly great tramp clown, played by  Charlie Chaplin), who’s been failing in his career, and has become an alcoholic, who saves the life of  Terry, a despondent ballerina (played by  Claire Bloom) from a suicide attempt. The film is a juxtaposition of these two personalities, one who rallies & goes onward, the other who falls further.

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The Kid (1921) starring Charlie Chaplin, Jackie Coogan, Edna Purviance

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The Kid, produced & directed by Charlie Chaplin. Starring Charlie Chaplin, Edna Purviance, Jackie Coogan

Synopsis of Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid:

The Kid was Charlie Chaplin’s first full-length movie. It, more than anything else to that date, made Chaplin a living legend. It took over a year to produce, and was an incredible success for Chaplin. The opening title reads: “A comedy with a smile — €and perhaps a tear.”  As a woman (Edna Purviance) leaves a charity hospital with a newborn.  She passes a church wedding, leaving her baby with a pleading note in a limousine. Then she goes off to commit suicide. She turns from suicide at the last moment to return to her child, only to find him missing. The limo had been stolen by thieves who dumped the baby by a garbage can.  Charlie the Tramp finds the baby. After failing to pass the child on to someone more suitable, raises the child himself.

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The Swarm

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The Swarm (1978) by Irwin Allen, starring Michael Caine, Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark, Olivia  de Havilland, Henry Fonda, Fred MacMurray

Irwin Allen did quite a few disaster movies (The Poseidon Adventure, Airport) that were commercial, if not always critical, successes. The Swarm, in contrast, was a flop both commercially and critically — and a massive waste of some very good acting talent as well.

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All-Star Superman

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Fueled by hatred and jealousy, Lex Luthor masterminds an elaborate plot to kill the Man of Steel — €“ and it works. Poisoned by solar radiation, Superman is dying. With weeks to live, he fulfills his life’s dreams — €“ especially revealing his true identity to Lois Lane — €“ until Luthor proclaims his ultimate plan to control the world with no alien hero to stop him. Powers fading, Superman engages in a spectacular deadly battle with Luthor that could truly trigger the end of Earth’s Greatest Protector. This startling and gripping DC Universe Animated Original Movie stars the voice talents of James Denton, Anthony LaPaglia, Christina Hendricks and Ed Asner.

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The Two Mrs. Carrolls

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The Two Mrs. Carrolls (1947) starring Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck

 In The Two Mrs. Carrolls, Humphrey Bogart stars as a struggling artist, Geoffrey Carroll. He is (seemingly) happily married — until he meets Sally (Barbara Stanwyck). Apparently mentally ill, he returns home, where he paints a picture of his wife as the angel of death.  Then he begins to poison her.

After her death, he romances and marries Sally, and all is well at first. Until he begins to fall out of love with her, and paints a portrait of her, as well … As the angel of death.   Sally, however, begins to put pieces of the puzzle together, and realizes what her husband is trying to do.   In the meanwhile, Geoffrey is being blackmailed by someone who’s found out about the first murder. And who finds out why it’s a fatal mistake to blackmail a mentally ill homicidal man.

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My Favorite Brunette

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My Favorite Brunette – starring Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Peter Lorre, Lon Chaney Jr.

Movie review of one of Bob Hope‘s finest solo comedies, My Favorite Brunette. He plays a baby photographer who longs to be a private eye. And he’s inadvertently given the opportunity when a beautiful brunette (Dorothy Lamour) mistakes him for one. This leads him into a web of danger, deceit, and murder with spies (including Peter Lorre in a delicious performance). A very good, funny romantic movie, of that type that sadly isn’t made any more.

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Superman/Batman: Apocalypse

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When a spaceship splashes down in Gotham Harbor, Batman and Superman encounter a mysterious Kryptonian with powers as great as Superman’s. When Darkseid gets wind of this, he has the Kryptonian abducted and brought under his control on Apokolips. It’s up to Batman and Superman to retrieve the Kryptonian, forcing them to infiltrate Darkseid’s hostile world where superpowerful threats lurk around every corner. This story is based on Jeff Loeb’s popular mini-series from the Superman/Batman comic books.

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The Abominable Dr. Phibes

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The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) starring Vincent Price, Joseph Cotten, Peter Jeffrey

The Abominable Dr. Phibes is one of the great horror movies. It has a great cast, beautiful music, wonderful sets putting the Art Deco style to excellent use and some great acting. The audience even feels some sympathy for the murderous Dr. Phibes, played incredibly well by the talented Vincent Price.

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