English: “Copyright © by Warner Bros. Inc.” Photographer unknown., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Clint Eastwood has been a screen icon for the past sixty-six years. He’s acted in over seventy-two films, directed forty-five, and produced more than fifty, sometimes wearing all three hats during a single project. He has been responsible …
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Category:Movies
The Couch Potato’s Guide to New Hollywood: The Legacy of Meryl Streep
Jack Mitchell , CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Meryl Streep is nearly universally acclaimed as the finest actress working in cinema or on the stage today—or any other day. Her name is synonymous with the absolute gold standard of acting, and she has appeared in some of the most outstanding and unusual films …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to the New Hollywood: The Legacy of Tom Hanks
Yeoman 1st Class Donna Lou Morgan, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons In the last few weeks, the Couch Potato has looked at some of old-time Hollywood’s greatest actors, discussing the best films of James Stewart, Paul Newman, Audrey Hepburn, Henry Fonda, Katherine Hepburn, and John Wayne. Even though this survey has barely scratched the surface …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of John Wayne
20th Century Fox, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter That languorous drawl, that odd rolling gait, the quick draw, and that look of steely determination comprised the essence of probably one of the most famous of all American cinematic heroes. He starred in countless Westerns, private eye flicks, war movies, and even dabbled …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Katherine Hepburn
Unknown author Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio publicity photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Katherine Hepburn was not just an actress; she was a force of nature. Hepburn was a spirited, outspoken, intelligent, and assertive woman who just happened to be one of the most distinctive actresses of her generation. According to Sheridan Morley, one …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Henry Fonda
Henry Fonda in 12 Angry MenUnited Artists, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Over the course of five decades on the stage and screen, Henry Fonda evolved from playing innocent, usually countrified characters like Tom Joad in The Grapes of Wrath into strong paternal types like the titular role of Mr. Roberts, the unnamed president striving …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Audrey Hepburn
Paramount-photo by Bud Fraker, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Only a few actresses had the ability to exude the easy elegance, charm, and vulnerability of Audrey Hepburn. Grace Kelly could at times, but she didn’t quite match Hepburn’s otherworldly onscreen presence. Hepburn radiated natural uncontrived beauty and flawless grace, and she seemed …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of Paul Newman
Warner Bros., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter Paul Newman was a master of cool—right up there with his peers Brando and James Dean—except he also had a certain down-to-earth quality the others lacked. Like Dean or Brando, he excelled at portraying characters that were typically a mixture of charm, intelligence, and sometimes …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to Old Hollywood: The Legacy of James Stewart
Liberty Films, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter I was flipping around the TV dial a couple Saturdays ago, and there wasn’t much on—more ubiquitous reruns of Law & Order, even more overbearing chatter on MSNBC, and an endless line of banal reality shows. Then I happened to flip to TCM and caught the …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to the Best of the Best: The Films of Martin Scorsese
Artwork by Michael DiMilo By Geoff Carter Siebbi, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons His films are deeply embedded into the fabric or our culture. From the grittiness of Mean Streets, Raging Bull, and Taxi Driver to the gentility of The Age of Innocence, the black humor of The King of Comedy, or the epic scope of The Last Waltz, Martin Scorsese has left a …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to the Best of the Best: The Films of the Coen Brothers
Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Geoff Carter From their very first production, the quirky genre-bending thriller, Blood Simple, to their latest film, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, an anthology of short films simultaneously deifying and lampooning the Western genre, the Coen Brothers have made films that are—to say the very least—unpredictable. Their stories have …
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The Couch Potato’s Guide to the Best of the Best: The Films of Steven Spielberg
Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons Spielberg is the man. He’s a legend. He’s a franchise. As a director, he’s personified the Hollywood gold standard since 1975, the year of the first ever summer blockbuster, Jaws. As an artist, he’s written and directed films that examine myriad manifestations …
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