CategorySHORT

Posted December 13, 2021 BRITISH

Santa for Hire (2020)

CRUMBLIES… Old Jack here was in a foul mood. The decorations had gone up in the home. My gloomy, dark TV room had been transformed into a glistening, glittering and … Continue Reading Santa for Hire (2020)

Posted December 4, 2021 CHRISTMAS WHILST OLD

Détresse et Charité (France) / The Beggar Maiden (UK) / The Christmas Angel (USA) (1904)

CRUMBLIES… Christmas movies can range from the annoying to appalling. And it has ever been thus. In an attempt to add a sprig of holly to this site, old Jack … Continue Reading Détresse et Charité (France) / The Beggar Maiden (UK) / The Christmas Angel (USA) (1904)

Posted April 28, 2019 AMERICAN

The Unchanging Sea (1910)

CRUMBLIES… Okay, back to early-ish cinema and D.W. Griffiths in year three of his career; and at film number 131, or thereabouts. He knew how to work hard before he … Continue Reading The Unchanging Sea (1910)

Posted August 28, 2018 FANTASY

Pierrette’s Escapades / Le départ d’Arlequin et de Pierrette (1900)

CRUMBLIES… Okay, I sat through these two minutes of obscure pantomimic pantomiming, so you do too. Silent Steve dared me to eat a cupcake quicker than Pierrette’s Escapades, plainly expecting … Continue Reading Pierrette’s Escapades / Le départ d’Arlequin et de Pierrette (1900)

Posted August 3, 2018 BRITISH

Walter Finds a Father (1921)

CRUMBLIES… Silent Steve went rare and British when I asked for some ancient films about fatherhood. He pulled up a comedy short from 1921 that tells the classic (perhaps I … Continue Reading Walter Finds a Father (1921)

Posted July 24, 2018 COMEDY

Diving Lucy (1903)

CRUMBLIES… Silent Steve asked me if I had a minute to spare. I did, and we crammed an early – nay, primeval – British comedy short into it. A project … Continue Reading Diving Lucy (1903)

Posted July 16, 2018 DRAMA

La Fée aux Choux / The Fairy of the Cabbages (1900)

CRUMBLIES… Silent Steve stared at me. I stared at Silent Steve. “Cabbages?” I said. “Yup,” he replied. And so I’m going to share this with you. First, a history lesson. … Continue Reading La Fée aux Choux / The Fairy of the Cabbages (1900)

Posted June 24, 2018 DRAMA

La Fée Printemps / The Spring Fairy (1902)

CRUMBLIES… Way back in the dawn of cinema (second decade), Georges Méliès had competition from the Pathé Frères across town in Paris. Segundo de Chomón was one of their team; … Continue Reading La Fée Printemps / The Spring Fairy (1902)

Posted June 23, 20181 Comment AMERICAN

The Land Beyond the Sunset (1912)

CRUMBLIES… I know, Silent Steve and I had a bit of a Sunday. He thought we should look at a couple of American films, what with the good stuff to … Continue Reading The Land Beyond the Sunset (1912)

Posted June 23, 2018 DRAMA

Ménilmontant (1926)

CRUMBLIES… Okay, I thought Silent Steve had gone mad. One cold, dull Sunday, when sugar was low and my nerves were on edge, he suggested the tragic tale of a … Continue Reading Ménilmontant (1926)

Posted June 18, 20182 Comments BRITISH

In Familia (2018)

CRUMBLIES… Here’s a quiet treat for lovers of acting excellence. You’ll not find it on the imdb, indeed old Jack only happened upon it because my boy Steve had been … Continue Reading In Familia (2018)

Posted June 13, 2018 BRITISH

The New Lot (1943)

CRUMBLIES… A snifter of a Robert Donat performance, this. It’s 1943 again – and for real – and his run of war propaganda films tips into recruitment in a 40 … Continue Reading The New Lot (1943)

Posted April 8, 2018 COMEDY

Troubles of a Grass Widower / Vive la Vie de Garçon (1908)

CRUMBLIES… Oh yes. Silent Steve makes old Jack discover the silents again. No – stay! This is rather fun. A 1908 tale of a man, abandoned for being a dick … Continue Reading Troubles of a Grass Widower / Vive la Vie de Garçon (1908)

Posted April 3, 2018 DRAMA

Barbe-bleue / Bluebeard (1901)

CRUMBLIES… I know, I know, 1901, but it only lasts 9 minutes, so try watching Barbe-bleue – a cinematic silent of a four hundred year-old fairy-tale-nasty. The hero? Bluebeard, a man … Continue Reading Barbe-bleue / Bluebeard (1901)

Posted March 22, 20181 Comment AMERICAN

Enoch Arden (1911)

CRUMBLIES… Okay, so I hit upon this ancient short while scrolling through one of those out-of-copyright film apps on the home’s AppleTV. Classix or Classic Films or somesuch. There was … Continue Reading Enoch Arden (1911)

Posted March 3, 20181 Comment DEMENTIA

Dotty (2014)

CRUMBLIES… I mentioned the lake down by the woods, didn’t I? Our old care home is grimly set, but with that one lovely place. Before the visitors come, and sidestepping … Continue Reading Dotty (2014)