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2022 Film Year in Review

2022 was the year that Korean dramas took over my life. I pretty much stopped watching anything else mid-year. I justify this new addiction by telling myself that I’ve spent years bingeing classic films so that I don’t feel too guilty.

However, in the first half of the year, I made the effort to watch some classic film series such as Maisie, Dr. Kildare and Lassie. The Lassie films were my favorites. And thanks to my discovery of the Kanopy and Film Struck streaming apps as well as Youtube, I was able to watch some harder to find classic titles. Then of course, there was my foray into Shakepeare adaptations courtesy of The Hollow Crown series. I’ve found that his plays make more sense when I see them performed rather than reading them. Altogether I watched 363 titles, including re-watches. which is much less than last year’s 500, but right on par with previous years. Continue reading “2022 Film Year in Review”

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2022 Book Year in Review

This year I purposed to be more intentional in my book choices. With only so much reading time, I said no to some books so I had time to read others. That lasted through late summer until I gave up all my precious free time to binge watch Korean dramas. I kept intending to pick up the books that were still on my TBR list, but thanks to my newfound obsession I entered into my first real reading slump. Which also means that not only did I fall short of my goal of reading 100 books this year, but it was probably my worst reading year on record, since I only made it half way to that goal. The one thing I did  accomplish was to write more Goodreads review for the books I read. So I did manage to salvage a silver lining. Continue reading “2022 Book Year in Review”

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Book Review -Norma Shearer: A Biography by Gavin Lambert

Norma Shearer has long been a subject of interest for me.  I am an ardent admirer of her work, particularly since she successfully made the transition from silent pictures to become a film star in sound films, a feat many others couldn’t accomplish.

Then there is of course my fascination with the mythos behind Norma’s marriage to MGM wunderkind Irving Thalberg. She benefitted from this relationship but also had to fight for her place, not only has his partner but for the roles he didn’t think she could play.  I’ve also always wanted to know more about her life post Thalberg and MGM.

Thankfully, I finally had the chance to read the biography written by Gavin Lambert who was a screenwriter, novelist and who also wrote biographies on  Alla Nazimova and Natalie Wood. Lambert was able to meet Norma several times before she passed away, interviewed her son and some of her friends and was also granted access to personal papers owned by MGM, all of which help add personal knowledge and details that are vitally necessary in his tribute to a woman who rarely shared or even hinted at the inner Norma Shearer. Continue reading “Book Review -Norma Shearer: A Biography by Gavin Lambert”