On this day in 2011, The Social Network took home three awards at the 83rd Oscars – Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing and Best Original Score. It should have won more – it was absolutely the best film of 2010, and the fact that David FIncher hasn’t won a Best Director Oscar yet isContinue reading “Quick Hits: February 27”
Author Archives: juliecampbell522
Quick Hits: February 26
On this day in 1989, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway opened at the Imperial Theater. Jason Alexander is a god damn delight as the narrator – and rightfully won the Tony for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (the show won 5 other Tonys, including Best Musical). You can listen to the Original BroadwayContinue reading “Quick Hits: February 26”
Black History Month and the Oscars
February is Black History Month, and like every other segment of our society, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has a long history of racism that it has only recently attempted to remedy. The recent pressure on the Academy to diversify has resulted in very little improvement; in 2020, the distribution ofContinue reading “Black History Month and the Oscars”
Quick Hits: February 22
The Muppet Show is now on Disney+ and you’d better believe I’m watching it. The first episode’s guest star was the incomparable Rita Moreno. The Go-Go’s have finally – FINALLY – been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, after fifteen years of eligibility. The most successful all-female rock band ever, they stillContinue reading “Quick Hits: February 22”
Titanic steamrolls the box office
On February 20th, 1998, the US box office hit $1 billion for the year, the quickest that’s ever happened. Those are big numbers. Huge. Titanic, you might say. It’s impossible to overstate how much Titanic dominated popular culture in late 1997 and early 1998. The film smashed one box office record after the next –Continue reading “Titanic steamrolls the box office”
Millie Bobby Brown goes to “Eleven”
Today is Millie Bobby Brown’s 17th birthday, which gives me the perfect excuse to talk about one of the most astonishing and authentic performances by a child actor that I’ve ever seen. Brown’s rendering of Eleven on Stranger Things is so mind-bogglingly good, it’s easy to forget that she only utters 246 words in theContinue reading “Millie Bobby Brown goes to “Eleven””
Quick Hits: February 17
On this day in 1967, The Beatles released “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane”. Both singles would eventually appear on the soundtrack to Magical Mystery Tour. The album is an embarrassment of riches, including those first two singles, “I Am the Walrus”, “All You Need Is Love” and “Hello, Goodbye”. It was reviewed unfavorably comparedContinue reading “Quick Hits: February 17”
The Beatles and The Maharishi
On this day in 1968, George Harrison and John Lennon, along with their wives, flew to Rishikesh, India, to study transcendental meditation (TM) with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr would join them later. The trip would end on a sour note (more on that later), but the group’s time there fueled aContinue reading “The Beatles and The Maharishi”
Quick Hits: February 15
John Oliver and the crew of Last Week Tonight have returned from hiatus and all’s right with the world again. YouTube launched in the US on this date in 2005, so basically, YouTube is old enough to drive now. My husband and I finally started watching The Queen’s Gambit over the weekend, and it isContinue reading “Quick Hits: February 15”
The Silence of the Lambs at 30
The Silence of the Lambs, Jonathan Demme’s gothic masterpiece of horror and suspense, was released thirty years ago today. A Valentine’s Day release seems an odd choice for a horror movie, but it was perfect for me, a chronically single college student, and I went to see the film on opening night with friends. ItContinue reading “The Silence of the Lambs at 30”
Peanut Butter and Julie 