Photo by Geoffrey Carter (Originally published, December 10, 2021) By Geoff Carter Well, the Christmas season is upon us in full force. The commercials are everywhere. We’ve seen that ad for the car—or Energizer Bunny, wrapped in a bow and sitting in the driveway on Christmas morning at least one hundred times. Getting ready for this holiday season, …
Read
Category:Couch Potato
The Couch Potato’s Guide to Hollywood: The Legacy of Matt Damon
nicolas genin from Paris, France, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter He is a brilliant actor, writer, and producer whose charming manner and boyish good looks have cemented him as one of the most likable actors working in the cinema today, but that engaging smile and affable manner are often the tools this …
Read
The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Burt Lancaster
Hal Wallis Productions, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Burt Lancaster started his show business career as a young circus performer in the acrobatic duo of Lang and Cravat, but soon graduated to theater and, finally, the movies. His dominating screen presence landed him in tough-guy roles in films like The Killers and Brute Force where his …
Read
The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Robert Redford
NBC Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter During his storied career, Robert Redford was not only known as one of the great leading men of his generation, but also as a gifted director, producer, and outspoken advocate of independent film. Founder of the now internationally renowned Sundance Film Festival, Redford has been …
Read
One Summer: Two Worlds
Film Review of Summer of Soul Gind2005, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons August 15, 1969, marked a number of turning points in American culture. It was a watershed moment for the youth counterculture. The Woodstock Music and Arts Festival began near the tiny town of Bethel, New York. Over the next four days, more than …
Read
The Couch Potato’s Guide to New Hollywood: The Legacy of Al Pacino
Al Pacino in Serpico Paramount Pictures, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter He’s been a major icon of American cinematic landscape for decades, known mainly for his seminal portrayal of crime boss Michael Corleone in The Godfather, a performance some have called the best in movie history, but Al Pacino has demonstrated a range in …
Read
The Couch Potato’s Guide to the New Hollywood: The Legacy of Johnny Depp
nicogenin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Most of us first saw Johnny Depp as a fresh-faced recruit in Platoon or as the geeky lovelorn teenager in Nightmare on Elm Street. At that time, he seemed to be just another Hollywood pretty boy, but since then, he’s created unique iconic performances as the soft-spoken and kindly …
Read
The Couch Potato’s Guide to New Hollywood: The Legacy of Jeff Bridges
Thomas Attila Lewis, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Over a career that’s spanned four decades, we’ve seen Jeff Bridges portray fresh-faced and hopeful young men like Duane Jackson in The Last Picture Show or Lightfoot in Thunderbolt and Lightfoot and then grow into cynical middle-aged curmudgeons like Rooster Cogburn in True Grit, or Otis “Bad” Blake …
Read
The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Bette Davis
Alexander Kahle (1886–1968) for RKO Radio, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Bette Davis is—still, to this day—the grand dame of American cinema. Her screen presence has been like no other, before, or since. The gravelly and distinctively clipped voice, beautiful eyes, and brimming self-assurance that filled the frame every time the camera …
Read
The Couch Potato’s Guide to the New Hollywood: The Legacy of Anthony Hopkins
John Mathew Smith & www.celebrity-photos.com from Laurel Maryland, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Anthony Hopkins, one of the finest classical actors of his generation, is a master of depicting the contradictions and dualities of the human condition. Many of his roles demand a carefully refined and civilized exterior (at which he …
Read
The Couch Potato’s Guide to the New Hollywood: The Legacy of Leonardo DiCaprio
See Li, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter He has been called one of the greatest movie stars of his generation, which he is, but more that, Leonardo DiCaprio is an artist who has chosen to be more than just a pretty face. From his early work, including his spectacular portrayal of the …
Read
The Couch Potato’s Guide to New Hollywood: The Legacy of Denzel Washington
Falkenauge, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter In the three and one-half decades since he’s been a screen actor, Denzel Washington has pretty much done it all. He’s known as one of the film industry’s most charismatic leading men, which is exceedingly evident in works like the titular role in Malcolm X or as the …
Read