On this day in movie history - A Man Called Otto (2022):

A Man Called Otto

directed by Marc Forster,

written by David Magee,

based on the novel A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman,

was released in the United States on December 29, 2022.
Music by Thomas Newman.

Cast:

Tom Hanks, Truman Hanks, Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Cameron Britton, Juanita Jennings, Emonie Ellison, Peter Lawson Jones, Laval Schley, Mike Birbiglia, David Magee, John Higgins.

On this day in movie history - Blue Valentine (2010):

Blue Valentine

directed by Derek Cianfrance,

written by Derek Cianfrance, Cami Delavigne and Joey Curtis,

was released in the United States on December 29, 2010.
Music by Grizzly Bear.

Cast:

Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, Faith Wladyka, John Doman, Mike Vogel, Marshall Johnson, Jen Jones, Maryann Plunkett, James Benatti, Barbara Troy, Carey Westbrook, Ben Shenkman, Eileen Rosen, Enid Graham, Ashley Gurnari, Jack Parshutich, Samii Ryan, Mark Benginia, Timothy Liveright, Tamara Torres, Robert Russell, Michelle Nagy, Felicia Reid, Melvin Jurdem, Alan Malkin, Derik Belanger, Isabella Frogoletto, Madison Ledergerber, Jaimie Jensen, Joseph Basile, Ian Bonner, Robert Eckard, Michael J. Kraycik, Corey Sullivan.

Born on this day – Jon Polito:

Jon Polito

Actor

December 29, 1950 – September 1, 2016

Born on this day – Mary Tyler Moore:

Mary Tyler Moore

Actress

Producer

December 29, 1936 – January 25, 2017

Born on this day – Ed Flanders:

Ed Flanders

Actor

December 29, 1934 – February 22, 1995

Born on this day – Inga Swenson:

Inga Swenson

Actress

Singer

December 29, 1932 – July 23, 2023

Born on this day – Mike Nussbaum:

Mike Nussbaum

Actor

December 29, 1923 – December 23, 2023

Credits:

The Old Country (2021); Tom of Your Life (2020); Nostalgic (2014); The Chicago Code (2011); Osso Bucco (2008); Dirty Work (2006); The Game of Their Lives (2005); Off-Loop, on Stage (2004); The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas (2002); Flying (2002); Sailorman (2000); In Our Own Hands (2000); Cupid (1998); The Con (1998); Early Edition (1997); Men in Black (1997); The X-Files (1997); The Commish (1992–1996); Shadow of a Doubt (1995); Steal Big Steal Little (1995); Frasier (1995); Losing Isaiah (1995); Gypsy (1993); Love, Honor & Obey: The Last Mafia Marriage (1993); Class of '96 (1993); Condition: Critical (1992); Overexposed (1992); The Water Engine (1992); Gladiator (1992); Brooklyn Bridge (1991); Separate But Equal (1991); Desperate Hours (1990); L.A. Law (1990); Archie: To Riverdale and Back Again (1990); 227 (1990); Field of Dreams (1989); Things Change (1988); Fatal Confession: A Father Dowling Mystery (1987); Fatal Attraction (1987); House of Games (1987); The Equalizer (1987); Spenser: For Hire (1986); Vital Signs (1986); Towing (1978); Harry and Tonto (1974); The Sig Sakowicz Show (1972); T.R. Baskin (1971); The Monitors (1969).

Born on this day – Lily Ebert:

Lily Ebert

Writer

Holocaust survivor

December 29, 1923 – October 9, 2024

Credits:

Television:

Good Morning Britain (2021); Sky Midnight News (2021); Sky World News (2021); The View (2022).

Book:

Lily's Promise

How I Survived Auschwitz and Found the Strength to Live

By Lily Ebert and Dov Forman.

Hardcover.

Published 2021.

Published by Macmillan.

ISBN 13: 9781529073409

ISBN 10: 1529073405

ASIN: 1529073405

Description:

A heart-wrenching and ultimately life-affirming Holocaust survivor story that demonstrates the power of love to see us through the darkest of times.

When Holocaust survivor Lily Ebert was liberated in 1945, a Jewish-American soldier gave her a banknote on which he’d written ‘Good luck and happiness’. And when her great-grandson, Dov, decided to use social media to track down the family of the GI, 96-year-old Lily found herself making headlines round the world. Lily had promised herself that if she survived Auschwitz she would tell everyone the truth about the camp. Now was her chance.

In Lily’s Promise she writes movingly about her happy childhood in Hungary, the death of her mother and two youngest siblings on their arrival at Auschwitz in 1944 and her determination to keep her two other sisters safe. She describes the inhumanity of the camp and the small acts of defiance that gave her strength. From there she and her sisters became slave labour in a munitions factory, and then faced a death march that they barely survived.

Lily lost so much, but she built a new life for herself and her family, first in Israel and then in London. It wasn’t easy; the pain of her past was always with her, but this extraordinary woman found the strength to speak out in the hope that such evil would never happen again.

Born on this day – Dina Merrill:

Dina Merrill

Actress

Producer

December 29, 1923 – May 22, 2017

Born on this day – Viveca Lindfors:

Viveca Lindfors

Actress

Writer

Director

December 29, 1920 – October 25, 1995

Born on this day – Jo Van Fleet:

Jo Van Fleet

Actress

December 29, 1915 – June 10, 1996

Credits:

77 Sunset Strip (1963); 80 Steps to Jonah (1969); Actor's Studio (1949–1950); Alcoa Theatre (1959); Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1956–1961); American Masters (2005); Armstrong Circle Theatre (1953–1955); Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre (1967); Bonanza (1970–1971); Campbell Summer Soundstage (1954); Cinderella (1965); Colorspace Vol. 1 (2010); Cool Hand Luke (1967); Cosmopolitan Theatre (1951); Danger (1954–1955); East of Eden (1955); East of Eden: Art in Search of Life (2005); Encounter (1956); Frontier Circus (1962); General Electric Theater (1959); Great Performances (1971); Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957); Hollywood Heaven: Tragic Lives, Tragic Deaths (1990); I Love You, Alice B. Toklas! (1968); I'll Cry Tomorrow (1955); Inner Sanctum (1954); James Dean's Lost Slideshow (2013); Kraft Suspense Theatre (1964); Kraft Theatre (1955–1956); Kraft Theatre / The Philco Television Playhouse (1952–1955); Kraft Theatre / The United States Steel Hour (1954); Mannix (1970); Max Liebman Spectaculars (1955); Medical Center (1971–1973); Mod Squad (1970); Moving Image Salutes Elia Kazan (1987); Naked City (1962); NBC Experiment in Television (1967); Play of the Week (1960–1961); Police Woman (1977); Power (1980); Robert Montgomery Presents (1955); Route 66 (1963); Satan's School for Girls (1973); Seize the Day (1986); Star Tonight (1955); Summer Playhouse (1964); Suspense (1954); The 14th Annual Tony Awards (1960); The 28th Annual Academy Awards (1956); The 69th Annual Academy Awards (1997); The DuPont Show of the Month (1959–1961); The Ed Sullivan Show (1956); The Family Rico (1972); The Film Society Of Lincoln Center Annual Gala Tribute to Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward (1975); The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight (1971); The King and Four Queens (1956); The Mask (1954); The Rose Tattoo (1955); The Tenant (1976); The Virginian (1966); The Wild Wild West (1969); This Angry Age (1958); Thriller (1961); Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse (1958); Wild River (1960).

Born on this day – George Marshall:

George Marshall

Actor

Writer

Producer

Director

December 29, 1891 – February 17, 1975

Left to right: George Marshall, Claire Trevor, Glenn Ford, and William Holden, on the set of the movie Texas (1941).

Credits:

Police Woman (1975); The Crazy World of Julius Vrooder (1974); Hec Ramsey (1972); Cade's County (1972); Daniel Boone (1964–1970); Here's Lucy (1969); Hook, Line and Sinker (1969); The Wicked Dreams of Paula Schultz (1968); Eight on the Lam (1967); Tarzan (1966); Boy, Did I Get a Wrong Number! (1966); The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1965); Valentine's Day (1964–1965); Advance to the Rear (1964); Dark Purpose (1964); Papa's Delicate Condition (1963); How the West Was Won (1962); The Happy Thieves (1961); Cry for Happy (1961); The Gazebo (1959); It Started with a Kiss (1959); The Mating Game (1959); Imitation General (1958); The Sheepman (1958); The Sad Sack (1957); The Guns of Fort Petticoat (1957); Beyond Mombasa (1956); Pillars of the Sky (1956); Cavalcade of America (1955); Screen Directors Playhouse (1955); The Second Greatest Sex (1955); Destry (1954); Duel in the Jungle (1954); Red Garters (1954); Money from Home (1953); Houdini (1953); Scared Stiff (1953); Off Limits (1952); The Savage (1952); A Millionaire for Christy (1951); Ace of Clubs (1951); Never a Dull Moment (1950); Fancy Pants (1950); My Friend Irma (1949); Lust for Gold (1949); Tap Roots (1948); Hazard (1948); Variety Girl (1947); The Perils of Pauline (1947); Monsieur Beaucaire (1946); The Blue Dahlia (1946); Hold That Blonde! (1945); Incendiary Blonde (1945); Murder, He Says (1945); And the Angels Sing (1944); True to Life (1943); Riding High (1943); Star Spangled Rhythm (1942); The Forest Rangers (1942); Valley of the Sun (1942); Texas (1941); Pot o' Gold (1941); When the Daltons Rode (1940); The Ghost Breakers (1940); Destry Rides Again (1939); You Can't Cheat an Honest Man (1939); Hold That Co-ed (1938); Battle of Broadway (1938); The Goldwyn Follies (1938); Love Under Fire (1937); Nancy Steele Is Missing! (1937); Can This Be Dixie? (1936); The Crime of Dr. Forbes (1936); A Message to Garcia (1936); Show Them No Mercy! (1935); In Old Kentucky (1935); Music Is Magic (1935); $10 Raise (1935); Life Begins at 40 (1935); 365 Nights in Hollywood (1934); She Learned About Sailors (1934); Wild Gold (1934); Ever Since Eve (1934); Call It Luck (1934); The Big Fibber (1933); Husbands' Reunion (1933); Sweet Cookie (1933); Caliente Love (1933); Easy on the Eyes (1933); Olsen's Big Moment (1933); Towed in a Hole (1932); Their First Mistake (1932); The Soilers (1932); A Firehouse Honeymoon (1932); Alum and Eve (1932); Pack Up Your Troubles (1932); The Old Bull (1932); Strictly Unreliable (1932); Just a Pain in the Parlor (1932); Big Dame Hunting (1932); He Loved Her Not (1931); Hey Diddle Diddle (1930); Uncle's Visit (1929); Puckered Success (1929); Tomato Omelette (1929); Watch My Smoke (1929); No Children (1929); Circus Time (1929); No Vacation (1929); Camping Out (1928); No Sale Smitty (1928); No Picnic (1928); Gentlemen Prefer Scotch (1927); Girls (1927); From a Cabby's Seat (1926); A Parisian Knight (1925); The Sky Jumper (1925); The Big Game Hunter (1925); A Spanish Romeo (1925); The Burglar (1924); Paul Jones, Jr. (1924); The Race (1924); The Hunt (1924); The Fight (1924); The Back Trail (1924); Men in the Raw (1923); Where Is This West? (1923); Don Quickshot of the Rio Grande (1923); The Haunted Valley (1923); West Is West (1922); Smiles Are Trumps (1922); The Jolt (1921); The Lady from Longacre (1921); After Your Own Heart (1921); A Ridin' Romeo (1921); Hands Off! (1921); Why Trust Your Husband (1921); Prairie Trails (1920); Ruth of the Rockies (1920); Charlot, Charlot! (1919); The Adventures of Ruth (1919); The Gun Runners (1919); The Husband Hunter (1918); The Fast Mail (1918); Beating the Limited (1918); When Paris Green Saw Red (1918); Naked Fists (1918); The Midnight Flyer (1918); Quick Triggers (1918); The Man from Montana (1917); The Ninth Day (1917); Squaring It (1917); Right of Way Casey (1917); Meet My Wife (1917); Double Suspicion (1917); Swede Hearts (1917); The Honor of Men (1917); Casey's Border Raid (1917); Bill Brennan's Claim (1917); The Desert Ghost (1917); The Raid (1917); Roped In (1917); Border Wolves (1917); They Were Four (1917); The Comeback (1917); Won by Grit (1917); The Devil's Own (1916); A Woman's Eyes (1916); Love's Lariat (1916); The Committee on Credentials (1916); The Code of the Mounted (1916); Across the Rio Grande (1916); The Waiters' Ball (1916); And the Best Man Won (1915).

Recommended reading - Street with No Name (2021)

Street with No Name

A History of the Classic American Film Noir

By Andrew Dickos.

Published by The University Press of Kentucky.

Published 2021.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0813152194

ISBN-13: 978-0813152196

Description:

"The best book available on the genre of movies set in the dark, wet streets of the urban US." – Choice.

"A concrete, concise study of noir against an impressive historical vista that brings to light the complex relation between alienation and obsession that makes up these films." – Rain Taxi Review.

"Dickos provides a sharp critical and psychological evaluation of a genre that continues to mutate long after many pronounced it dead." – Shepherd Express.

Andrew Dickos's Street with No Name traces the film noir genre back to its roots in German expressionist cinema and the French cinema of the interwar years. Dickos describes the development of the film noir in America from 1941 through the 1970s and examines how this development expresses a modern cinema. He argues that, in its most satisfying form, the film noir exists as a series of conventions with an iconography and characters of distinctive significance. Featuring stylized lighting and urban settings, these films tell melodramatic narratives involving characters who commit crimes predicated on destructive passions, corruption, and a submission to human weakness and fate.

Unlike other studies of the noir, Street with No Name follows its development in a loosely historical style that associates certain noir directors with those features in their films that helped define the scope of the genre. Dickos examines notable directors such as Orson Welles, Fritz Lang, Otto Preminger, and Robert Siodmak. He also charts the genre's influence on such celebrated postwar French filmmakers as Jean-Pierre Melville, Francois Truffaut, and Jean-Luc Godard.

Addressing the aesthetic, cultural, political, and social concerns depicted in the genre, Street with No Name demonstrates how the film noir generates a highly expressive, raw, and violent mood as it exposes the ambiguities of modern postwar society.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg, on reading:

Reading is the key that opens doors to many good things in life.

Reading shaped my dreams, and more reading helped me make my dreams come true.

- Ruth Bader Ginsburg.