In this caper, Regina Lampert (Audrey Hepburn) and Peter Joshua (Cary Grant) become intertwined in mystery and romance after meeting each other on a ski holiday in the French Alps. After returning to Paris, Lampert learns that her husband has been murdered, and that he was involved in a theft. Now Regina is being pursued by …
Category: Featured
Jun 16 2021
Soviet Film Wednesday: There Will Come Soft Rains
In this eerie animation, a nuclear bomb hits a California town, and only one house is left standing, an automated house with robots. The people did not survive, but the robots who cook, clean, and take care of everything continue with their daily routines long after the humans are gone. Finally, the robots are also …
Jun 08 2021
Tiki Moon Mix
This Thursday marks the new moon and the first solar eclipse of 2021, and to usher in this unique combination of celestial events, I have mix of exotica and relaxed moon remixes to sit back and enjoy this Tiki Tuesday. Here’s a summer-y “Tiki Moon Mix” via Soundcloud. Tiki Moon 🌕 Tracklist 1) The Dixie …
Jun 06 2021
Selected Classics: The African Queen (1951)
Recommended for its entertainment value as well as its cultural significance, The African Queen is delightful. When puritanical missionary Rose Sayer (played by Katharine Hepburn) and gin-loving, freewheeling riverboat captain Charlie Allnut (Humphrey Bogart) take a wild river ride together, they find a surprising connection to each other. Their journey isn’t easy, though; the film …
May 24 2021
Selected Classics: The Song of Bernadette (1943)
I’m starting a ‘Selected Classics’ line of posts as a part of my own foray into the world of classic movies that I hadn’t seen until recently, but were really worth the watch. The first is this dear film starring Jennifer Jones, The Song of Bernadette. This is a beautiful movie. It is based on …
May 13 2021
Trader Joe’s Has Tiki Roots
After all, we know Trader Joe’s is completely unique. I remember the first time I went to Trader Joe’s was when my daughters were in college in California and we went to the store. Wow! Being from Kansas, I had never seen anything like it. So many varied types of foods and different cuisines that …
May 02 2021
The Pear-Green Apple: A Meditation on Yuri Norstein’s ‘Tale of Tales’
Why I Love Tale of Tales I recently featured Yuri Norstein’s animation Tale of Tales for Soviet Film Wednesday, and this week I would like to take some time to delve into my thoughts on this epic film, which has been voted the “Greatest Animation Film of All Time” by an international jury. It is …
Apr 20 2021
Tiki Tuesday: Remembering Les Baxter
Les Baxter is one of the two most prominent figures from the world of exotica lounge music of the ’50’s and 60’s, along with Martin Denny. Baxter was born Leslie Thompson Baxter in Mexia, Texas on March 14, 1922. As a young man, he studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory, and then attended Pepperdine College …
Sep 07 2019
Wonders, Soda Fountains, Hot Springs, and Kitsch on Route 66
Some of the best places to see on the long Rt. 66 stretch between Tulsa and Los Angeles This summer my daughter, her boyfriend, and I took our longest Route 66 road trip yet: from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Los Angeles, California, tracing the route that many Oklahomans took in the ’30’s, as fictionalized in The …