A Brief History On January 24, 1940, The Grapes of Wrath, a drama film directed by John Ford, was released in theaters in the United States of America. The film was based on John Steinbeck’s 1939 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. The screenplay was written by Nunnally Johnson and the executive producer was Darryl F. Zanuck. The film tells the story of the Joads, an Oklahoma family, who, after losing their farm during the Great Depression in the 1930s, become migrant workers and end up in California. The motion picture details their arduous journey across the United States as…
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A Brief History On November 1, 2017, we look back to last night when we got to see a pre-screening of the new Marvel major motion picture, Thor: Ragnarok. Although we will speak more about it, it is possible to sum up the movie in just a few words: Blockbuster, A Must See, Colorful, Stunning, Pure Entertainment, Action-Action-Action!, Eye Candy, and probably the biggest grossing movie of 2017 (our prediction). It is the 3rd in a series of Thor themed movies (Thor, from 2011, and Thor: The Dark World from 2013). The film follows 16 other Marvel Cinematic Universe films…
A Brief History On October 27, 2017, Paramount Pictures releases Suburbicon, a noir-ish “dramadey” written by the Coen Brothers and directed by George Clooney. With the star power of Matt Damon and Julianne Moore, the film is sure to make a major splash on the movie scene. We watched a pre-screening event on October 23, 2017 and will share our thoughts on the film. Digging Deeper The Coen Brothers have brought us a string of somewhat odd, but highly successful films, such as Fargo, The Big Lebowski (one of our favorites), No Country for Old Men, and True Grit (the…
A Brief History This article provides links to online versions of the various novels and films used in our class on American History after the Civil War. Please click on the book or film’s title to read that book or watch that film online. Digging Deeper Module #1: Reconstruction and the Expansion of American Civilization, 1865-1890 Movie: Shane (1953) Module #2: America’s Appearance on the World Stage, 1890-1918 Book: Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (1893) Book: Ragged Dick; or, Street Life in New York with the Boot Blacks (1868) Book: The Jungle (1906) Module #3: The Interwar Years, 1918-1941 Movie: The Grapes of Wrath (1940)…
A Brief History On October 27, 2017, the new major motion picture, Goodbye Christopher Robin, will make its premier at theaters across the United States, bringing humanity and realism to the beloved characters associated with Winnie-the-Pooh, the characters created by author A.A. Milne based on his real life son and his son’s beloved plush animals, characters and children’s books that have become the most cherished of all children’s stories. We had the privilege of previewing this excellent movie before release, and will try to avoid spoilers as we describe the film. Digging Deeper As the title of the British produced…