by ·Comments Off on IA #20: D.O.A. (1950)

D.O.A. (1949) on IMDb

D.O.A. is a true film noir classic. From its first scene, with star Edmund O’Brien walking through the hallway of a police station to report his own murder, its fast pace and slowly unraveling mysteries keep the viewer on the edge of his seat. It’s the movie I remember when anyone says a notary’s job is dull.

In 2004, D.O.A. was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Leonard Maltin gave this gem 3½ (of 4) stars. It’s a great way to start the Top 20 countdown in the Internet Archive Top 100.

by ·Comments Off on IA #21: Suddenly (1954)

Suddenly (1954) on IMDb

The settings seem more claustrophobic than high-budget, but Suddenly delivers a surprisingly taut thriller. Frank Sinatra, fresh off a best supporting actor Oscar the year before, stars as the leader of a group of assassins who terrorize one family’s house as they wait for the President to pass by.

Leonard Maltin gave this slice of film noir 3½ (of 4) stars, helping it move up the chart on the Internet Archive Top 100.

by ·Comments Off on IA #22: In Which We Serve (1942)

In Which We Serve (1942) on IMDb

In Which We Serve is the first movie in the Internet Archive Top 100 list with a perfect 4-star rating from Leonard Maltin. (Or the last, if you’re reading them 1 to 100.) It was nominated for Oscars for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay (Noel Coward). Coward, who also scored, co-directed and starred, won an honorary Academy Award for his “outstanding production achievement”. The New York Film Critics Circle and National Board of Review both named it the best film of 1942.

Maltin wrote, “Unlike many WW2 films, this masterpiece doesn’t date one bit”. It’s the story of the crew of a British destroyer, told in flashback. If you’ve never seen it before, this is your chance.

by ·Comments Off on Wednesday Notes

Probably because all the cool kids run pay-TV services, T-Mobile will acquire Level3 TV, as recounted by Jeff Baumgartner of Multichannel News. T-Mobile said it will “launch a disruptive new TV service in 2018.” With all the other over-the-top services in place, I can’t imagine a niche in which T-Mobile would outperform the incumbents. But I’ve been wrong before.

In a similar vein, Stephanie Prange at Home Media Magazine described the relaunch of Redbox on Demand. It won’t be like the service that it shut down in 2014, instead providing options that remind me a lot of Vudu’s – short-term rentals or digital purchases. Redbox doesn’t have Vudu’s head start, but it’s got plenty of existing kiosk customers. But if your customers already rent new DVDs for less than $2 at kiosks, then how do you pitch the idea that they should stay home and pay $4 to rent the same movies online?

And Bloomberg’s Kyle Stock examines why it’s so hard to find Christmas classic films on streaming services. It’s because they’re not the fresh content that pay services crave and they’re not the long-tail losers that a studio might be willing to license on the cheap. “Of the 25 greatest holiday movies as ranked by American Movie Classics, only five are available for streaming on Amazon.com, Hulu or Netflix this season.” That’s one reason my holiday tradition is the cartoon Christmas Comes But Once a Year. It’s always free at the Internet Archive.

by ·Comments Off on IA #23: Penny Serenade (1941)

Penny Serenade (1941) on IMDb

Cary Grant and Irene Dunne show off some serious chemistry in Penny Serenade, a retrospective of a couple’s courtship and child-rearing, set to a record album titled “The Story of a Happy Marriage”. They meet in the music store where Dunne’s character works, and their lives are a whirl of world travel, newspapers, and a song for every scene.

Grant was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar, the first of only two Academy Award nominations he received. This movie is an effective tear-jerker and a counterbalance to the more serious war movies and film noir that are a big part of the Internet Archive Top 100.