MeFite malevolent trawled some lists of public domain movies (lots of great film noir) and put together a new, improved, or at least free version of Netflix. Behold: Voleflix! Includes films featuring Ed Wood, Fred Astaire, Audrey Hepburn, Vincent Price, Barbara Stanwyck, Cary Grant, Stanley Kubrick, Boris Karloff, Frank Sinatra and more… It also has daft Voleflix Originals and rates your taste in movies from your watchlist. [via mefi projects]
Jennifer Jenkins from the Duke Center for the Public Domain writes, “January 1, 2020 is Public Domain Day! Works published in 1924 are entering the US public domain. They include George Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ and ‘Fascinating Rhythm,’ silent films by Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, and Thomas Mann’s ‘The Magic Mountain,’ E. M. Forster’s ‘A Passage to India,’ and A. A. Milne’s ‘When We Were Very Young.’ These works were supposed to go into the public domain in 2000, after being copyrighted for 75 years. But before this could happen, Congress hit a 20-year pause button and extended their copyright term to 95 years. See what will (finally) be open to all!”
Made in 1898, G.A. Smith’s ‘Santa Claus’ is a film of considerable technical ambition and accomplishment for its period. It uses pioneering visual effects in its depiction of a visit from St. Nicholas.
A former magic lanternist and hypnotist, Smith was one of the first British film-makers to make extensive use of special effects to create fantastical scenes. It comes as little surprise that Smith corresponded with the French pioneer Georges Méliès at about this time, as the two men shared a common goal in terms of creating an authentic cinema of illusion. (Michael Brooke)
* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library
As many of you know, I am a huge fan of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I had been meaning to watch this movie for a long time, but when The Man Who Invented Christmas (IMDB) appeared for free viewing on the Kanopy service (available via the LA Public Library and others) it was a perfect opportunity and time of year to settle in with some coffee and cookies, nurse my Christmas cold and enjoy.
The movie is quite good and you hear some of the best lines in the book as it shows Dickens’ characters helping him create the story. Dickens’ real family and real history also become part of the story as he struggles with his own past and own issues as he writes. The movie stars Dan Stevens from Downton Abbey fame and Christopher Plummer delivers a great performance as Ebenezer Scrooge.
This is the story of the magical journey that led to the creation of Ebenezer Scrooge (Christopher Plummer), Tiny Tim and other classic characters from A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens) mixed real life inspirations with his vivid imagination to conjure up unforgettable characters and a timeless tale, forever changing the holiday season into the celebration we know today.
Nominated for Achievement in Visual Effects, Best Adapted Screenplay and Achievement in Make-Up at the Canadian Screen Awards.
“A surprisingly fresh movie about a story we all know very well.” – Peter Howell, Toronto Star
* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library
Doing my husbandly duty recording @drrosannewelch Presenting her Talk – The Sisterhood of Science Fiction: A Walk Through Some Writers and Characters You (Should) Know and Love
* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library
* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library
* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library
* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs ** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out! † Available from the LA Public Library
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