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MacGuffin Spotlight
Double Feature Showdown – Christmas in Connecticut vs. Remember the Night
I love Barbara Stanwyck. I also love Christmas movies. So, it should come as no surprise that I especially love Barbara Stanwyck Christmas movies. As is turns out, there are two of them: Christmas in Connecticut and Remember the Night. Each one can hold its…
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MacGuffin Bonus Discussion – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
The MacGuffin joins forces with The Backroom for a bonus discussion on The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, from director Peter Jackson and starring Martin Freeman & Ian McKellen. This episode can be played online via the flash player below or it can be downloaded from…
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Film Analysis – Best Picture Predictions
It’s that time again: Oscar time. Many of the contenders have been seen, and the race for Best Picture is starting to take shape. But with the possibility of having five to ten nominees, things get a bit trickier. Here are the most likely contenders,…
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For the Ladies – Old Acquaintance
One of the more prevalent subjects in the Women’s Pictures of the thirties, forties, and fifties is female friendships. Often it is relegated to subtext or incidental material, but every once in a while it takes center stage, as in the 1943 film Old Acquaintance,…
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Bird Watching – Nancy Savoca’s “Dogfight”
Discovering a great, previously unknown performance from an admired actor is one of the joys of watching little-known films. Discovering a pair of great performances from actors you never knew worked together is even better. This was just part of my delight while watching Nancy…
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Double Feature Showdown – Ginger Snaps vs. Jennifer’s Body
The “Last Girl” is a horror movie trope so prevalent we don’t even think twice when we see it. She is the survivor of whatever atrocities the film has set up for its victims, and usually makes it to the end by keeping her clothes…
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For the Ladies – I Married a Monster from Outer Space
While not what we typically think of as a “Woman’s Picture,” I Married a Monster from Outer Space is an interesting exploration of women’s fears about marriage in 1950s America. It’s a 1958 horror/science fiction movie directed by Gene Fowler Jr., and is a great…
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Bird Watching – Ruba Nadda’s “Cairo Time”
Of the many reasons I wish I’d been in attendance at the Toronto Film Festival last month, the wide variety of films by women that were shown and celebrated is at the top. Six of the festival’s twenty gala presentations were for films directed by…
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