Sibling Cinema

We take a brief pause from our Hitchcock countdown this week with our first Chaplin Checkpoint. Bonnie had never seen a Chaplin movie before. We start with his hit 1921 comedy The Kid. The Tramp takes in an abandoned baby, who grows into an adorable child, played by Jackie Coogan. Counsin Jenny joins us as our special guest co-host!

In this episode we discuss Hitchcock’s early talkie, The Skin Game . Based on a popular play at the time, this 1931 drama deals with the feud between two wealthy families in England. Details: The Skin Game was released in 1931 by British International Pictures. Produced by John Maxwell. Script was written by Alfred Hitchcock and Alma Reville based on John Galsworthy’s play. Starring Edmund Gwenn,...

In this episode we discuss another silent Hitchcock movie, Easy Virtue , a 1927 (maybe 1928?) melodrama about a free-spirited woman who marries into a judgmental family that probes into her past. Details: Easy Virtue was released in 1928 by Gainsborough Pictures. Produced by Michael Balcon. Script was written by Eliot Stannard based on Noel Coward’s play. Starring Isabel Jeans, Franklyn Dyall, Rob...

This week we return to Hitchcock’s silent era with The Farmer’s Wife, a comic romance set in the rural English country side. Details: The Farmer’s Wife was released in 1928 by British International Pictures. Produced by John Maxwell. Screenplay by Alfred Hitchcock, adapted from Eden Phillpotts’ play. Starring James Thomas, Lillian Hall Davis, Gordon Harker, Maud Gill, and Louise Pounds. Cinematogr...

This week we talk about Hitchcock’s shortest movie, Number Seventeen. This 1932 crime movie is set in an abandoned house where a criminal enterprise is up to some shenanigans. Details: Number Seventeen was released in 1932 by British International Pictures. Produced by John Maxwell from a screenplay by Alma Reville (aka Mrs. Hitchcock), Alfred Hitchcock, and Rodney Ackland, based on J. Jefferson F...

We make our first visit to Hitchcock’s silent era with Champagne from 1928. It’s a star vehicle for British silent film star Betty Balfour. She plays an heiress who defies her father with an on-again-off-again romance. There’s also a mysterious gentleman who keeps crossing her path. It’s a riches to rags to riches story of sorts. Hitchcock himself hated it, listen in to hear what we thought of it....

In the mid-1930’s, Alfred Hitchcock picks a rather unusual assignment: Waltzes from Vienna, an adaptation of an operatic musical about Johann Strauss Jr.’s composition of The Blue Danube. Although Hitch took out most of the play’s music, it’s still the closest we’ll ever get to a Hitchcock musical. We watched this obscure film and actually have a pretty fun discussion about this movie we were both...

Our journey through the filmography of Alfred Hitchcock begins with what is arguably his most maligned film, Juno and the Paycock. It’s the adaptation of a famed Irish play about a poor Dublin family whose bonds are tested when they anticipate a large inheritance. We watched it so you don’t have to, and we discuss it all here. The Details: Juno and the Paycock , released 1930 by British Internatio...

An introductory episode in which we discuss what we have in store for our third season of Sibling Cinema. Stay tuned!

WHIPLASH We conclude this series with the tenth anniversary of Whiplash. The breakthrough film for director Damien Chazelle, starring Miles Teller as an ambitious jazz drummer at an elite school, and his attempts to gain the favor of a viciously exacting band leader played be J. K. Simmons.

Season 2, Episode 9: ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND For our penultimate episode in this series, we take a look at Michel Gondry's 2004 romantic sci-fi comedy Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, starring Jim Carey and Kate Winslet. Next week we finish off this series with the ten-year-old jazz band thriller Whiplash..

Season 2, Episode 8: TRUE LIES We continue our ten-part series where we take a deep dive into a film celebrating a milestone anniversary this year. 1994 is an iconic year: Forrest Gump vs Pulp Fiction vs Shawshank Redemption at the Oscars and The Lion King breaking box office records. We're keeping it light though, with James Cameron's spy comedy thriller True Lies, starring Arnold Schwarz...

Season 2, Episode 7: GHOSTBUSTERS We continue our ten-part series where we take a deep dive into a film celebrating a milestone anniversary this year. This week, we dial into Iven Reitman's 1984 smash hit Ghostbusters. You all know it: Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Sigourney Weaver Bernie Hudson, Slimer, the great Ray Parker song, dogs and cats living together. How does...

Season 2, Episode 6: THE CONVERSATION We continue our ten-part series where we take a deep dive into a film celebrating a milestone anniversary this year. This week, we wiretap into the 1974 classic surveillance thriller, The Conversation. It's directed by Francis Ford Coppola and stars Gene Hackman in one of his signature roles. It turns 50 this year. And, hey, Ghostbusters turns 40 this year...

Season 2, Episode 5: A HARD DAYS NIGHT We continue our ten-part series where we take a deep dive into a film celebrating a milestone anniversary this year. Today's subject is the 60th anniversary of Beatlemania with the Beatles' first movie A Hard Days Night. Next week, we bust into the 70s for the 50th anniversary of Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation .

Season 2, Episode 4: SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS We continue our ten-part series where we take a deep dive into a film celebrating a milestone anniversary this year. Today's subject is the hit musical, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. It's directed by Stanley Donen, who directed Singin' in the Rain. Next week, we will turn our attention to 1964 a...

Season 2, Episode 3: LAURA We continue our ten-part series where we take a deep dive into a film celebrating a milestone anniversary this year. Today's subject is the 80th anniversary of film noir classic Laura. Directed by Otto Preminger, this twisty mystery stars Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, and Vincent Price. Next week, we will turn our attention to 1954 and discuss the musical...

Season 2, Episode 2: IMITATION OF LIFE We continue our ten-part series where we take a deep dive into a film celebrating a milestone anniversary this year. Today's subject is the 1934 melodrama Imitation of Life. Directed by John Stahl, this movie stars Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers in an interracial friendship of two single mothers. The film has since been overshadowed by its 1959 rema...

Season 2, Episode 1: SHERLOCK JR. Welcome to our new mini-season, a ten-part series where we take a deep dive into a film celebrating a milestone anniversary this year. We start off with Sherlock Jr. the 1924 Buster Keaton classic that turned 100 years old earlier this year. Next week, we will turn our attention to 1934 and select a film turning 90, and so on until we finish the series with a 10-y...

We're winding down our very long first season with a two part season finale. We look back at all the Best Picture winners we've covered and select the best of the best. Tune in next week for our new season. We have a ten-part series featuring films celebrating a decennial anniversary this year. First up, the 100th anniversary of Buster Keaton's 1924 classic Sherlock Jr.

We're winding down our very long first season with a two part season finale. We look back at all the Best Picture winners we've covered and select the best of the best. Tune in next week for Part II!

Episode 69: THE GODFATHER Our countdown* comes to an end after a year and a half, give or take. We're talking about one of the giants of American cinema, Francis Ford Coppolla's The Godfather. The iconic cast includes Al Pacino, Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, James Caan, Abe Vigoda, John Cazale, and Talia Shire. Does it really deserve the number one spot? Listen in and see what we think. Sp...

Episode 68: CASABLANCA This week we travel to Morocco in the midst of World War II. Then part of unoccupied France, hundreds of refugees wait for their chance to fly to their freedom. This is, of course, Casablanca, one of the most cherished classic films. Join us as we dig into Michael Curtiz's grand romantic thriller, starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains, and Paul Henreid....

Episode 67: LAWRENCE OF ARABIA This week we discuss David Lean's sprawling 1962 historical epic, Lawrence of Arabia. Peter O'Toole stars as British WW1 officer, TE Lawrence, who gains fame by uniting Arab tribes against the Ottoman Empire. The huge supporting cast is headlined by Omar Sharif, Anthony Quinn, Alec Guinness, and Claude Raines. It won Best Picture over To Kill a Mockingbird. W...

Episode 66: THE GODFATHER, PART II For this week's episode, we dive into Francis Ford Coppola's epic crime sequel, The Godfather, Part II. Al Pacino returns to the role of Michael Corleone. Also returning, John Cazale, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, and Talia Shire. Joining the cast for this installment we have, among many others, Lee Strasberg, Michael V. Gazzo, and Robert De Niro, who play...