Classic Cinema Zone

With a long history of making romantic films, Hollywood is more than capable of setting the mood for those who don’t want to go out to a crowded restaurant and pay for an overpriced meal, but still want to spend some quality time with their significant other. Some here are fun and light, while others require a box of tissues to be on hand. But all are classic movies that have stood the test of time.

Here’s a listing of movie and TV people who left us during 2011 (some of whom you may not have heard much about), plus brief comments and a link to the Internet Movie Database or other sites where you can read more, including two who have tributes on this site.

Two months ago, the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department reopened their investigation of the mysterious death of screen icon, Natalie Wood, after receiving what was then called substantial new evidence. But yesterday, detectives revealed that nothing new has been unearthed that would point to anything other than an accidental death. … Read Full Post

It has become somewhat obligatory to celebrate even the most minor of milestones when it comes to the life and career of Alfred Hitchcock. And, of course, 2012 offers no exceptions. … Read Full Post

Whether you like monsters or goblins or ghosts or even aliens from another planet, there’s nothing quite like watching old scary movies on Halloween. While some of these classic films seem rather tame or even laughable by today’s standards, they still manage to pack a terrifying punch. Here are just a few of some of the best horror movies from classic Hollywood and beyond.

With an elegant and quietly commanding personality, Sidney Poitier became the first African-American to win Best Actor at the Academy Awards. Because of his refusal to compromise his principals and his insistence on taking roles that avoided stereotypical depictions of blacks, Poitier earned the respect of audiences and his peers. As in Major League Baseball with Jackie Robinson in the 1940s, Poitier broke down barriers and paved the way for others to follow.

This past Saturday, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association announced that actress Doris Day will receive their Career Achievement Award alongside other Critics Award winners on Dec. 11th. The multi-talented girl next door was one of the biggest box office draws in the 1950s and 1960s, ably performing in dramas, romantic comedies and even thrillers. She starred opposite some of the top leading men of her day, including James Stewart in Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much , Rex Harrison in Midnight Lace and Cary Grant in That Touch of Mink . … Read Full Post

Get a jump start on your holiday shopping with these new releases on Blu-ray. Some make their debuts on the format while others are reissues with new features and packaging. Great for casual fans and obsessive collectors alike, these Blu-ray selections will no doubt bring a smile to anyone’s face.

With deadly charm and cool sophistication, Sean Connery inaugurated British secret agent 007 in 1962 and set forth the framework for other actors who played the role in later movies. He was icy-cold in Dr. No, charmingly witty in Goldfinger and a bit too cheeky in Diamonds Are Forever. No matter what, Connery inhabited the role like no other and remained the prototypical Bond among fans for decades.

If there was ever a director-actor tandem that defined the Western genre, it was John Ford and John Wayne. Over the course of five decades, Ford and Wayne made over 20 pictures, most of them Westerns and some that stood the test of time as the model for all others to follow. They made other types of films, war movies and even a romantic comedy. Here are seven of their very best.