Babs and Knuckles in their Holiday Special Deck the Halls Artwork by Michael DiMilo Video and Story by Michael DiMilo In memory of Dave Bolyard The holiday season is all about family tradition. Whether it’s about going to Midnight Mass, carving the Christmas ham, avoiding the mother-in-law’s homemade eggnog, or sampling Grandma’s oyster stew, traditions …
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Category:Couch Potato
The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old/New Hollywood: The Legacy of Diane Keaton
Firooz Zahedi, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Probably best-known for her “La-di-da, la-di-da” refrain in her portrayal of the ditzy titular character in Annie Hall, that particular Diane Keaton role is nothing like her intense performances as the desperately promiscuous schoolteacher in Looking for Mr. Goodbar or the angry and frustrated wife and mother in Shoot the Moon. …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Spencer Tracy
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (work for hire), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Spencer Tracy was known as an actor’s actor, a man so skilled in the craft that everyone–critics, directors, other thespians, and even producers, stood in awe of him. His singular talent was in the fact that his craft was very nearly transparent; you …
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“Just Like the Ones I Used to Know”: The Couch Potato’s Guide to Vintage Christmas Movies
Photo by Geoffrey Carter 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, however, is going to be …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Tony Curtis
United Pictures Corporation, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Tony Curtis had it all: good looks, a charming smile, and a disarming glibness he used to portray wheeler-dealers like Corporal Jake Leibowitz in Captain Newman, M.D., con men like Lt. JG Nicholas Holden in Operation Petticoat, or opportunistic manipulators like Sidney Falco in The Sweet Smell …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to a Vintage TV Christmas
“Oscar the Elf” Photo by Geoff Carter
The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Humphrey Bogart
Warner Bros., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter If some actors (think Henry Fonda, Katherine Hepburn, James Stewart, or John Wayne) are screen icons, then Humphrey Bogart is an institution. Like those other actors, Bogart brought his unique screen persona to every role. His distinctive icy stare, self-assured presence, soft-spoken but gravelly voice, …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to News of the World
Film Review of The French Dispatch By Geoff Carter Photo by Geoffrey Moffett on Unsplash As one of the most eclectic filmmakers of his—or any other—generation, Wes Anderson’s work is covered with his beautifully designed fingerprints. His meticulously styled color palettes, the free and interchangeable use of animation within a traditional narrative framework, a playfulness bordering on giddiness …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Jack Nicholson
AP Wire press photo – from eBay auction ebay (auction archive), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter He is a Hollywood icon whose career stretches back to the early days of American International Pictures, where he appeared in the original version of Roger Corman’s Little Shop of Horrors. Cinematic milestones like Easy Rider, Tim Burton’s Batman, The …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Steve McQueen
Ryangrigg, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter In the early 1960s, in the age of cool, he was the “King of Cool”. He was sexy, handsome, smart, fearless, bold, and unflappable. He played heroes and anti-heroes alike: gunfighters, soldiers, cops, criminals, convicts, and even the occasional sophisticate. Being a motorcycle and car enthusiast, …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Living the High Life
Greg Hume, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Review of The White Lotus on HBO In the Buddhist religion, a white lotus is a symbol of mental purity found in the state of bodhi, or awakening. It is also linked to a state of enlightenment and strength. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the lotus-eaters were a society of …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to the Swamps of Jersey
Not the Way it Used to Be: Review of The Many Saints of Newark Stephen Hanafin, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter After watching The Many Saints of Newark, HBO’s celebrated prequel to its blockbuster series, The Sopranos, I can only imagine how much more disappointed the average fan is with this production than with …
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