Film Reviews Episodes

The 94th Academy Awards was one for the history books to paraphrase Chris Rock, one of the presenters. The best actor award went to Will Smith for his starring role in King Richard. But the Motion Picture Academy is weighing whether to sanction Smith. Jessica Chastain won best actress for The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Best film went to Coda. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

Featuring the upcoming 15th annual Documentary Film Festival.

1980s TV soap Falcon Crest is back on Amazon Prime IMDB-TV.

Oscar Night used to be all glitz and glamour. But now its’ preachy virtue signaling is boring TV viewers. Will this year be better ?

A literary collaboration of husband and wife comes under scrutiny when the husband wins the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem star in this Aaron Sorkin written and directed film about the creative genius of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz who created the I love Lucy sitcom. Three crises dominate one week in 1952, Lucy's pregnancy, Desi's philandering and charges of Lucy's membership of the Communist Party. Well acted, written and directed - just released in time for the Academy Award nominating process ! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

In today's episode film critic Shaun Chang reviews the most recent Bond film and Daniel Craig's fifth and last one, No Way to Die. We also discuss the development of the franchise over the last 60 years. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

Quentin Tarantino's 9th film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie gives set in 1969 Hollywood, gives a Through the Looking Glass ending to the Sharon Tate/LaBianca murders by the Manson Family. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

The 119 episodes of the TV series were filmed on location in San Francisco. To retain San Francisco authenticity, a sound stage was built in the City to film non-location, indoor scenes. Early 1970s San Francisco comes alive in these episodes. Douglas and Malden are both Oscar winners. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

Bullitt starring iconic 1960s King of Cool Steve McQueen is set in San Francisco. A Chicago mobster is being guarded by Lt. Frank Bullitt (McQueen) and his team pending his appearance as chief witness before a Senate subcommittee. A heart-stopping car chase down San Francisco’s vertiginous hills still revs up the adrenaline ! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

The dedication ceremony of the worlds tallest high rise at 138 stories in San Francisco, is the setting for this 1974 disaster film. The film unintentionally provides an eerie foreshadowing of the events of 9/11 and the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

Robin Williams was an accomplished comedian and dramatic actor who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in “Good Will Hunting.”. A comedic genius, he died in 2014 at the age of 63. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

Sean Penn’s Oscar winning portrayal of slain gay rights leader Harvey Milk is a powerful dramatization of the last 10 days of his life in November 1978. Milk continues to inspire both Americans and global citizens like Leo Varadkar, Prime Minister of Ireland. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

This film noir is set in 1941 San Francisco and stars Humphrey Bogart in the title role of private investigator Sam Spade, Mary Astor as the manipulative fortune seeker Brigid O’Shaugnessey, Sidney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre. Intrigue, greed, obsession on the streets of San Francisco. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

Hitchcock’s thriller and horror film was filmed on location in San Francisco and Bodega Bay, Sonoma County in 1962. The themes of the film, a world out of joint, nature attacking humans, inhabitants seeking shelter from terror are topical for today’s Covid -19 lockdown culture caused by another force of nature gone awry. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/james-herlihy/message

In this episode I discuss the greatest film of all time, Vertigo, as judged by the British Film Institute in 2012. Set in 1957 San Francisco, it is a technicolor travelog of the City by the Bay. It provides a magnificent physical backdrop to the dark and brooding themes of deceit, obsession, unrequited love and insanity as depicted by Alfred Hitchcock. The screenplay was adapted from the French novel “D’entre les morts.” (From among the dead.) written by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac. --- T...