Stubs - Mata Hari (1931)

Mata Hari (1931) Starring Greta Garbo, Ramon Novarro, Lionel Barrymore, Lewis Stone. Directed by George Fitzmaurice. Screenplay by Benjamin Glazer, Leo Birinski. Produced by George Fitzmaurice, Irving Thalberg (uncredited). Run time: 92 minutes. Black and White. USA Drama. Espionage.

While the film Mata Hari is based on Mata Hari’s life, hers is a bio that flies in the face of the Production Code that the Hays Office was there to enforce. A one-time exotic dancer, Mata Hari was known for using her sexuality to get men to do her will, which was supposedly giving her military secrets. Thought to be a double-agent working for both France and Germany during World War I, she was eventually executed for her treason.

Stubs - The Cat in the Hat (1971)

The Cat in the Hat (1971) Starring the voices of Allan Sherman, Daws Butler, Tony Frazier, Pamelyn Ferdin, Thurl Ravenscroft, Lewis Morford Directed by Hawley Pratt. Teleplay by Dr. Seuss. Based on The Cat in the Hat, published in 1957 by Dr. Seuss. Produced by Chuck Jones and Ted Geisel. Run time: 25 minutes USA Animated, Musical, TV Special

In 1955, William Spaulding, then the director of Houghton Mifflin's education division, invited Theodor Geisel, writing under the pseudonym of Dr. Seuss, to dinner. Geisel was then best known as the author of If I Ran the Circus. Based on an article about literacy in early childhood, Spaulding supplied Geisel with a list of between 300 and 400 words every six and seven-year-old should know and reportedly challenged him to "Write me a story that first-graders can't put down!" Geisel came up with The Cat in The Hat using 236 words. And no first-grader was able to put it down. For many people, it would be their first book they could read on their own.

Stubs - The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie

The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie (2024) voices by Eric Bauza, Candi Milo, Peter MacNicol, Wayne Knight, Laraine Newman Directed by Pete Browngardt. Screenplay by Darrick Bachman, Pete Browngardt, Kevin Costello, Amdrew Dickman, David Gemmill, Alex Kirwan, Ryan Kramer, Jason Reicher, Michael Ruocco, Johnny Ryan, Eddie Trigueros. Produced by Michael Baum. Run time: 91 minutes. Color. USA. Animated, Comedy

Porky Pig and Daffy Duck are back on the big screen in The Day the Earth Blew Up, a Warner Bros., animation film released by Ketchup Entertainment. If you’re expecting the old Looney Tunes from your childhood, this is a good facsimile but doesn’t quite live up to expectations. Some of that may have to do with the fact that there are 11 writers on the film and while the style is reminiscent of the past, the humor is a little cruder.

Stubs - Waitress

Waitress (2007) starring: Keri Russell, Nathan Fillion, Cheryl Hines, Adrienne Shelly, Eddie Jemison, Jeremy Sisto, Andy Griffith. Directed by Adrienne Shelly. Screenplay by Adrienne Shelly. Produced by Michael Roiff. Run time: 104 minutes. Color. USA. Comedy.

Every holiday seems to have related films, take Groundhog Day, or even a genre of films, Christmas with the holiday film. But some holidays don’t have films that come to mind. For Pi(e) Day, can we recommend Waitress directed by Adrienne Shelly?

URLate

While browsing the free section on Steam, I have been careful in discerning games I want to play, with one factor being whether it stands out for the right reasons. One such title is the recently-released URLate, the first title from solo indie dev NoSepoGames. The point-and-click gameplay and visual style intrigued me enough to play it as soon as I could, and even in its short length it showed a lot of promise from this new developer.

Stubs - Conclave

Conclave (2024) starring: Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, Isabella Rossellini Directed by Edward Berger. Screenplay by Peter Straughan. Based on Conclave by Robert Harris. Produced by Tessa Ross, Juliette Howell, Michael Jackman, Alice Dawson, Robert Harris. Run time: 120 minutes. Color US/UK Political Thriller

While art is not always a reflection of real life, sometimes a movie comes at a time when, even though it might be fiction, gives insight into current and future events. With the current Pope seriously ill, the process through which he would be replaced is examined in Conclave, a film from director Edward Berger, based on the novel of the same name by Robert Harris.

Stubs - Elektra

Elektra  (2005) starring Jennifer Garner, Goran Višnjić, Will Yun Lee, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Terence Stamp Directed by Rob Bowman Screenplay by Zak Penn, Stuart Zicherman, M. Raven Metzner.  Based on Comic book characters by Frank Miller. Motion picture characters by Mark Steven Johnson. Produced by Arnon Milchan, Gary Foster, Avi Arad. Color Run time: 97 minutes. Superhero USA

If you watched the recent Deadpool & Wolverine (2024) and saw Jennifer Garner dressed up as a superhero and were unfamiliar with the character she’s playing, you might be tempted to watch Elektra (2005), in which she portrayed the titular character. Or, if you watched the much-assailed Daredevil (2003), you might want to see what happened to the Elektra character that was believed dead but apparently wasn’t, in which case you might also be curious about this film, the supposed continuation of her story.