Classic Movie Birthday Party Theme
The sky is the limit when planning a classic movie birthday party. If you are considering going with one specific movie however, please feel free to select from some of the excellent themes and ideas below.
1) The Godfather. I can’t think of a more appropriate birthday party for a good many of the men I know. It’s a great classic movie and the guys will have a great time going over their favorite Godfather lines all night. Have some great Italian music, Italian food, and plan for a night of fun. Don’t forget to have the movie on hand so that arguments over infamous lines and old scores can be settled.
2) Casablanca. This is great theme for a birthday party for the one you love or a romantic celebration such as Valentine’s Day or an anniversary. Have white table clothes, the soundtrack from the movie, an elegant dinner, and dress in clothes appropriate for the era. This is a classic movie and will definitely be a night and a party to remember.
3) Star Wars has finally attained status as a true classic and while it may be more modern than what many have in mind for those of the thirty something generation it is a great movie to incorporate and will make for a ton of fun that really is out of this world. Again the soundtrack and the DVD make lovely companions to a party of this theme and you can argue over favorite lines and make wagers accordingly. Wage war with blasters and light sabers and dress as your favorite characters or assign characters to various guests.
4) Favorite Movie Villains. This is another great theme for a classic movie party that doesn’t get used nearly often enough. I think we all have one villain that we can identify as a favorite rather it was one that scared us into spilling our pop or one that we can identify with to some extent it is great fun to celebrate life by exploring that little touch of darkness within. It also tells a lot about the people you call friends.
5) Old Westerns. For those who are looking for the perfect excuse to start a campfire and sing campy old trail riding music, there is little like a wild western movie theme to make those dreams a reality. You could even complete the evening with cowboy karaoke and s’mores. Just make sure you have plenty of your favorite westerns on hand in case you forget the lyrics.
Classic movies provide an excellent source of inspiration for all manner of wonderful ideas for themed birthday parties. You could even go with a John Wayne theme, World War II theme, Steve McQueen, or Clint Eastwood birthday party theme. Let your imagination run wild and have a great time making the plans and choosing the decorations for your perfect classic movie birthday party ideas. You never know when you’ll end up striking gold and creating the perfect night for the special someone you know and love.
Katharine Hepburn: A Short Bio
Hepburn went to Bryn Mawr College and she graduated in 1928 from there. She happened to meet Ludlow Smith in the college and she married him the same year she graduated. But the marriage didn’t last too long and they got divorced in 1934. During her student days at the college she took active participation in theatre arts and she even appeared in 2 theatrical productions after her senior year in Baltimore, MD. Then she moved to New York and began training as an actor. She got her first break in theater in her first New York Production “The Big Pond”. But that didn’t go well and she was discontinued from the show only after one showing. But there was no dearth of work for her and she regularly worked in Broadway shows.
The turning point in her life came when she did a Broadway show in 1932 called “The Warrior’s Husband” in which her performance was greatly appreciated and thus led her to many screen tests. She eventually ended up getting a role in the film “A Bill of Divorcement” released in 1932. She won rave reviews for her role in the film and there was no looking back for her after that. Many production houses lined up at her home to cast them in their movies. She had an excellent run of movies in 1930’s which included her first Academy Award winning movie “Morning Glory” in 1933 for which she won the award for best actress. What better start can an actor get, being only a year old and winning an Oscar.
In the same year i.e. 1933 she again returned to New York Theater and worked in the Broadway Production “The Lake”. The show didn’t do many wonders to her career in fact the show was rejected by both the audience and the critics. She returned to Hollywood again in 1935 but with little success. Until the year 1938 she only had two successes, one in “Alice Adams” released in 1935 and other in “Stage Door” released in 1937, which also gave her second Oscar nomination. But then this period included more flops than hits so much so that everybody started calling her “box office poison”. She was no more an actress in demand and was deemed as a commercial failure, which led her to return to Broadway again. She starred in “The Philadelphia Story” in 1938, which rehabilitated her career again. She gained the film rights of the show and made a movie by the same name and story in 1940 and that was a box office hit and also won her third Oscar nomination. She was back in business one more time. Her next movie was “Woman of the year”, her first with Spencer Tracy. This was just a beginning of the long association they had there after which lasted for 8 more movies and twenty-five years of romantic love affair. She was once again nominated for the best actress award for this movie.
She continued to appear in movies in 1940’s and 1950’s which resulted in her winning seven Oscar nominations and two Oscars awards for best actress for movies “Guess who’s coming” and “The Lion in Winter”. She also worked in Shakespeare plays from 1955 to 1960. In 1970’s she started making television movies and also appeared in several of them. She even won an Emmy for her role “Among the Ruins” in 1975 with Laurence Olivier. She was befittingly awarded with Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. She won another Oscar Award for best actress for her role in “On Golden Pond” released in 1982. Her last film was “Love Affair” in 1994 in which she had a guest appearance.
Although she was romantically linked with many men but she didn’t marry any of them. The only longest romance was with Spencer Tracy, which Hepburn admitted. Hepburn became less and less social in her last years of life and she remained home mostly. Katharine Hepburn passed away on June 29, 2003 at her home giving the world glorious 96 years she lived.
Holiday Gifts: Books, Movies and Music
Movies are sold everywhere from Blockbuster Video Rental stores to Walgreen Drug Stores. You can find movies in convenience stores and grocery stores. Many of the larger retailers, like Wal Mart, have bins of “bargain” priced movies and if you don’t mind digging through them you can find some really good movies at rock bottom prices. If you aren’t bothered by the words “previously viewed” you can get some current hits for $8.00 to $10.00. With a diligent search and good timing you can get some great new unopened movies off of ebay for a fraction of the cost in stores. It’s also a good source for movies that are out of print.
Not sure what kinds of movies they like? Perfect time for a gift card. You can get a gift card for purchase or for rental. A really nice basket to make contains a gift card for movie rental, a box of microwave popcorn and a few candy bars.
You can also purchase some great boxed gift sets. Many of these sets, like the Lethal Weapon series, are made up of the Directors Editions which contain a lot of extra scenes that were cut from the theater versions and an extra tape with interviews, bloopers and other interesting information. Have a John Wayne or Will Smith fan on your list? There are several different boxed sets combining each of their movies or put one together yourself.
Not sure about their favorite movie, but you know they are addicted to the television show Boston Legal? A large number of the television shows release entire seasons in a set format. Does your spouse love watching Discovery Channel or The Learning Channel? You will find many of their shows and specials can be found on tape or DVD. Whether you are looking for VHS tapes or DVD’s you’re sure to find the perfect gift.
The same can be said for gifts of music. There are music stores where the selection is enormous and like the movies you can find CD’s in just about any store you walk into. With an idea of the type of music or the favorite singers you’re looking for you can put together a really nice gift without a lot of effort.
There are an amazing number of bookstores out there, ranging from the small corner bookstores to the mega chains with a cafe and reading areas that contain comfortable arm chairs so you can sit back with your cup of coffee and enjoy a good book. You aren’t limited to hard or soft cover books. There are also books on cassette tapes and books on CD’s. There are even e-books that can be downloaded onto their computer and read that way. Love stories, detective novels, horror novels, westerns, science fiction, biographies, cookbooks, instructional books, children’s books. Your bookstore can be your one stop holiday gift shop.
Train Movies
The film Polar Express features one of the best actors around, Tom Hanks who plays five different characters. This film tells the story of only those who truly believe in Santa Clause can help save his ability to bring presents to children all over the world. The boy is asked to go to the North Pole with Santa Claus in an effort to show him what really exists there.
A great deal of the movie takes place on the Polar Express, the name of the locomotive that magically takes Santa Claus to and from the North Pole. The steam engine featured in the movie is based on a real one that is in a train museum known as the 1225.
Tom Cruise has been well known for various movies over the years, but none of them compare with the popularity of Mission Impossible. In fact, it has two very successful sequels under its belt. There is plenty of action in all of them, but the most memorable takes place in the first Mission Impossible movie. Cruise is seen in some tough stunts that he makes look realistic on the top of a speeding train.
Many of the early westerns feature amazing scenes with various types of trains in them. It isn’t uncommon for gunfights to be taking place on top of these moving trains. In fact, it is very possible that the scenes for that popular Mission Impossible movie were developed from this core idea that had been in the movies so many years ago.
Some movies don’t feature the train in them for very long, but the train still plays an important role in the movie. The Harry Potter series is very popular and you will find the children ride the train to and from Hogwarts at the beginning and the end of every movie. In many ways this train has become a trademark of the shows. It also signifies their movement from the normal world to the world of magic.
By the title, you may think the movie Derailed featuring Jennifer Aniston is going to be about a train disaster. Yet this is a very intriguing movie that details the delicate webs of lies and deceptions that can take place for money. Her character plays a manipulative woman who pretends to fall for married men on the commuter train. When they meet at a hotel room and intruder rapes her.
Later in the movie you find out the rapist is really her husband. Everything is a set up to make the men she meets on the trains feel sorry for her. They are also willing to give her money not to tell anyone about their affair, especially their wives. You will be on the edge of your seat watching the story unfold as it has many twists and turns.
Of course we can’t talk about train movies without including Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. This is a hilarious comedy with Steve Martin and John Candy. The story is about a businessman who is desperately trying to get home to spend Thanksgiving with his family.
There are plenty of movies out there featuring trains. Some people enjoy the entire movie and others place it on their favorites list simply for the action involving the trains itself. Trains are such an important part of our society and our global economy that it is only fitting they find their way onto the big screen to offer us quality entertainment.
The Latest In iPods – iPod Video
The most important new feature of the latest generation of iPods, meaning the 5th generation, is the video. Basically, these inventive and technologically advanced, yet small devices support both MPEG-4 and H.264 videos at significantly high resolutions, which are not far from a VSH tape. Actually, in more precise terms, the H.264 codec can play video at frame rates up to 30 frames per second, video bit rates as high as 768 kilobits per second and pictures as big as 320 pixels wide by 240 pixels high. Comparing the iPod video with the TV 27 FPS or the movies 24 FPS, it is obvious that the small device it is much better. Regarding the audio qualities, comparing to a CD quality, the iPod video is superior. On the other hand, the MPEG-4 video supports a bit rate of 2,500 kilobits per second and pictures as big as 480 pixels wide by 480 pixels high, meaning three times the size of the actual screen (in comparison with the H.264 video, which supports pictures the same size as the screen pf the iPod).
The reviews on this item are so far, excellent – the quality of the motion images is great, with almost perfect colors, even when the device is connected to a TV set in order to watch a video. Even more, watching the videos on the actual iPod is possible due to a larger screen, which also allows the high visibility of sharp texts and photos. Still, even though the battery is claimed to last around 20 hours, which is an evolution since the last iPod model, the battery is much rapidly consumed when watching videos.
The range of improvements since the last model of iPod is impressive: the new video iPod comes with a new design, but in the same black and white colors and with a new set of accessories, which range from world clock, smaller earphones and a thinner slipcase to AC adapter and FireWire cable. Concerning the new package design, the iPod video comes with a new look: the box is flat and in a square shape; the color of the new box is black with silver accents, such as the Apple logo and the text.
The latest generation of iPods surprised the market in many ways: from the video capacities to the other improved features since the last model in 2005 and from the design and package changes to the wide and evolved range of accessories that are available together with the new iPod video. The evolution of the iPod shows an increased interest in constantly developing this device and always considering the needs and desires of the consumer. It is expected that the next generation of iPods to be even more optimized, with a lot of changes in the video settings and a longer capacity of the battery when watching videos.
Download Free Iphone Movies
For reasons as yet unknown, it’s not currently possible to download movies or anything else directly onto the Iphone itself, instead, you will first need to download them to a computer and then transfer them across. This means you will of course need to have the use of a computer, and also an internet connection. Any fairly modern computer should be fine, and as far as the internet connections goes, the usual rule still applies – the faster the better!
The toughest thing about downloading Iphone movies is knowing where to get them from. True, you could get them from Itunes, and Apple are rumoured to be working on a native version of Itunes which will work on the Iphone itself and allow download of media while on the move. This will be pretty cool, but just like regular Itunes will probably cost you a fortune.
To combat this cost issue, many people currently use the file sharing or bit torrent sites to get their downloads from. This can seem good, as it’s very cost effective, but unfortunately you are breaking the law when you use these sites. That’s not even the worst part, torrent sites like this have no way of monitoring who uploads what, which makes them a real hacker’s playground. This is bad news as it means that sites like this are often the first places to begin the spread of new viruses and malware etc – the hackers simply upload their latest virus and name it as something currently popular. The downloader has no way of knowing what they are getting until it’s too late.
Not all sites are like this though, over the last year or so a far more healthy alternative has made itself known. There are now a few sites around where you can join their membership for a small fee and then get unlimited access to their downloads. These sites prove far safer and offer excellent value, and would definitely be recommended for their high speed and wide range.
This article should help you stay a little safer when looking for movie downloads for your new Iphone. Happy downloading!
The Golden Age Of Hollywood
The popular names during the Golden Era were Clark Cable, Bette Davis, Charlie Chaplin, Bing Crosby, Spencer Tracy, Bob Hope, Ingrid, Judy Garland, Bergman, James Cagney, Jennifer Jones, Ronald Reagan, Elizabeth Taylor and Cary Gran, the list is endless. These actors became the house hold names throughout the country in 1930’s and 1940’s. The film industry during this era was so wealthy and powerful that studios like Paramount, MGM, Universal, 20th Century Fox and RKO kept adding more buildings to their studios. More than 7,000 films were released by these studios during the period of 1930’s and 1940’s. More than 75 million people flocked to see at least one film in a week during the peak years of Hollywood.
Also during this era the nation saw threats due to Second World War. When soon this threat turned into reality the presidents of these studios took this as an opportunity to make films that would bond countrymen together during these tough and dreadful years. They made many patriotic movies involving actors like Betty Grable and Van Johnson. These movies in a way also helped the war efforts. Apart from the movies there were numerous short films and documentaries made.
Some of the famous movies of the golden era include Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress directed by William Wyler, Howard Hawks directed movies Sergeant York, To Have and Have Not. The commonality among all the movies of golden era was that almost all the movies ended on a happy note and patriotic ardor, which was liked by the people also. The movies made during the 1940’s are referred to as “film noir” which in the literary context means “dark films”. The movies were mostly pessimistic with tough male protagonist who was also a cynic and female protagonist would be attractive woman leading the males to a disastrous situation. Few examples of the Film Noir are Stranger on the Third Floor directed by Boris Ingster, High Sierra directed by Raoul Walsh, Shadow of a Doubt directed by Alfred Hitchcock and The Maltese Falcon directed by John Huston.
The comedies were also popular during that era, the main feature of the comedies were duos forming during this period. Some of the famous duos of actors were Bob Hope and Bing Crosby famous for their movie Road to Singapore, Abbott and Costello, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, and Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The movies that portrayed the lives of the westerns during the era were also popular with the people some of the examples being Fort Apache and She wore a Yellow Ribbon. But by the time these movies were released the downfall of the Hollywood has already begun due to the effects of the war, depression and arrival of television only to be not able to recover again.
Meryl Streep: A Short Bio

As obvious Meryl also dreamt of becoming an opera singer one day and she started taking singing lessons at the age of twelve to fulfill her dream. Meryl was raised in suburban Bernardsville where she attended Bernardsville High School. She was a cheerleader, homecoming queen and also acted in many school productions in her school where she graduated in 1967. She majored in Drama and English at Vassar College. After she graduated from Vassar College in 1971 she took admission in Yale University School of Drama in New Haven, Connecticut where she also appeared in about thirty theater productions and graduated in 1975. She studied costume design and playwriting at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire.
Streep’s professional stage debut was in the play “The Playboy of Seville” in 1971. Streep went to New York to launch her Broadway career. Her Broadway career took off with “Trelawney of the Wells” in 1975. Her critically acclaimed performance in Tennessee Williams’ “+27 Wagons Full of Cotton” was also nominated for Tony Award. Streep forayed into television and made her debut with Robert Markowitz’s “The Deadliest Season” in 1977. The same year she also made her silver screen debut in “Julia”. The next year proved to be even better for Streep as she won an Emmy award for her role in “Holocaust” in 1978 and also got married to sculptor Don Gummer on September 15, 1978. She also starred with Robert De Niro in Michael Cimino’s “The Deer Hunter” in 1978. Although she played a miniscule role in the movie, her energy and acting prowess fetched her first of many Oscar nominations she got.
Streep’s next movie was “Manhattan” in 1979 in which she portrayed the role of a ruthless lesbian and ex-wife of Woody Allen. She also starred in “Southern Mistress” the same year. But one of the best breaks in her life came with the movie “Kramer vs. Kramer” in 1979 where her blistering interpretation of the scarred and torn Joanne Kramer won her the Best Supporting Actress Award in 1980. She won many other awards for portraying the same role. Streep continued rising to the top with variety of roles specially her double role in the movie “The French Lieutenant’ Woman” in 1981and her stellar performance in the holocaust movie “Sophie’s Choice” in 1982 for which she won an Oscar for Best Actress. Many of her notable movies also include “Silkwood” and “Out of Africa” in 1985 winning her Oscar nomination again for best actress. With her powerful roles in the movies she did, she raised the quality of work so much so that expectations also became tremendously high. One of the reasons why the actress was not able to sustain well in the 1990’s, the other reason being the genre of the movies didn’t suit her style any more.
Of recently Streep starred in “Adaptation” and “The Hours” in 2002, the former also earned her an Oscar nomination again. Streep also won an Emmy in 2004 for a mini-series “Angels in America”. The actress continues to do quality work in movies and television programs even to this day and gives viewers opportunity to witness a true talent and perfection which is very rare these days.
- Their Best Role: Meryl Streep (cinematical.com)
- Streep reflects on career full of surprises (cbc.ca)
- Meryl Streep interview for Julie and Julia (telegraph.co.uk)
A History Of Warner Bros
They began film production by the onset of World War I and they soon opened the Warner Bros. studio in 1918. Sam and Jack Warner were into film production and the other two brothers handled finance and distribution. Their first big success came after the creation of the character “Rin Tin Tin”. It became so popular that it was used in twenty six subsequent movies. They bought the pioneer Vitagraph Company, which had presence all over the nation, with the help of loan taken from Goldman Sachs. They also took over many radio stations and also constructed many theaters. They incorporated music and special effects in their production and were the first ones to start talking pictures.
The Warner Bros. bought the Stanley Company and gained shares and control of the First National Pictures and the merger was named as A Warner Bros. – First National Picture. After the merger their first all-talking and all-color film caused the whole industry to change overnight. They made many musicals after that and after a point of time, the audience wanted a change. The production head Darryl F. Zanuck now concentrated on making more serious and realistic productions. These productions were said to be encourage gangsters and thus faced many censorships. The studios then changed their course of direction to historic dramas, melodramas and adaptation of best sellers to avoid scissors of censor. Though the Warner Bros. were ruling the industry for a while, MGM slowly took over them after some time.
In 1930s, Warner Bros. took a plunge into cartoons with Looney Tones cartoons. They launched their own Warner Bros. Records in 1958 but by 1960s the motion pictures were on a decline. Finally they decided to sell the studio to Seven Arts Productions and the company was renamed Warner Bros.-Seven Arts. Steve Ross purchased this company later and made Ted Ashley as the head of the studio and renamed it as Warner Bros. Pictures. Warner Bros. joined with Columbia Pictures for film distributions till 1988 and then made a joint venture with Walt Disney Pictures till 1993. Along with Tribune Company of Chicago they launched The WB Network in 1995.
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, “Dawson’s Creek”,” Smallville”, “7th Heaven” and” Charmed” caught the eye of millions of people. 7th Heaven went for eleven seasons making it the longest running family drama and Charmed went for eight seasons making it the longest running drama with actresses in the lead. CBS Corporation and Warner Bros. replaced The WB Network with The CW Television Network. They obtained rights to produce the famous Harry Potter series in the end of 1990s and the first Harry Potter movie was released in 2001 and to date a total of four Harry Potter movies have been released.
Ice Hockey In Movies, Television, And Music
Hockey is so popular in Canada that it’s a very important part of Canadian culture. It always features Canadian-produced shows and furthermore it’s launched a new genre of reality and scripted shows since the United States hasn’t really attempted to create a reality show about the sport of Hockey since they’ve covered everything from law enforcement to talent shows, but not the sport of hockey. Film director Kevin Smith who’s a big hockey fan always manages to add in some reference to the sport in his films Mallrats, Jersey Girl, and a couple others it’s kind of like Spike Lee using the technique of the background moving to make it look like the people are walking and in conversation or thought it’s kind of like Smith’s trademark film making technique. Yet hockey is still not nearly as popular as basketball, baseball, tennis, soccer, and golf, but it’s slowly coming into its own.
Cartoons have come into making hockey a part of it’s story lines like Peanuts where Snoopy who’s well known by any one who’s a fan of the Peanuts cartoon that he loves ice hockey and many comic strip frames feature him playing the sport with his constant companion Woodstock. The only other cartoon that had a reference to hockey was in the show The Simpsons where Lisa was playing in a hockey match. Hockey has also stepped into the world of music as well with known singers like Warren Zevon and Stompin’ Tom Connors. Hockey has been an integral part of American and Canadian culture in some way shape and form, but it has boosted the popularity of the sport among the people who are fans of it greatly and it will continue to rise in years to come. It’s usually those who live in cold climates that will appreciate such a sport as hockey. Hockey’s history spans many years, but in Canada it’s a way of life just as football and basketball are a way of life in America, Canadians appreciate the action and how it brings people out to have a good time and enjoy a sporting event that’s a national pastime like baseball.
For most Canadians its hockey and beer exactly how Americans like their professional sports games and the majority of the hockey movies made was around the time Hollywood was going through that phase where films were being made about sports, books, video games, songs, and historical time periods. The Mighty Ducks was the most recent in the last 15 years of a rehashing of hockey themed movies.











