ThisTV Blog

  Gary Cooper made himself one of Hollywood’s most famous actors by frequently portraying a hero on the big screen in films such as The Virginian, The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, and Sergeant York. But on one notable occasion, Gary Cooper became a hero in real life when he put his career on the […]

  The sci-fi movies of the 1950s and ’60s are mostly remembered for their hokey special effects, their rah rah patriotism, and their propensity for oversized monsters. But there is another surprising aspect present in a number of these films that frequently gets overlooked: Their thirstiness. The B movies of the mid-twentieth century were surprisingly […]

  If you were to come up with a list of the greatest comic performers of the past half-century, your list would likely include names like Conan O’Brien, Eddie Murphy, and Steve Carell, among others. And if you were to ask any of them about their biggest influences, one name will repeatedly come up: Peter […]

  Chuck Norris is 80 years old. He hasn’t starred in a movie in 15 years. To many people today, he exists only as the punchline in memes about his alleged toughness; a toughness that couldn’t possibly be anything close to reality. But those memes didn’t come from nothing. Throughout the 1970s and ’80s, Chuck […]

  Over five decades, Steve Martin has established himself as one of the most gifted comic actors to ever grace the silver screen. After conquering the world of stand up comedy in the 1970s, Martin turned his attention to film, and the comedy genre hasn’t been the same sense. Though his output has varied by […]

  As a native Mainer, I certainly understand why New England has so frequently starred as the setting in so many horror films. Much of the region is sparsely populated, with thick forests and long, cold winters. It’s older than most of the rest of the country as well, and who knows how many untold […]

  Bill Murray is one of the biggest movie stars of the past half-century, and he has countless iconic films to thank for that status. From classic comedies like Caddyshack, Ghostbusters, and Groundhog Day to his late-career dramatic work in films like Lost in Translation, Broken Flowers, and Rushmore, Murray has one of the most […]

  All comedy is hard, but parody movies seem to be especially difficult to pull off. In a regular old comedy, all the film has to do is make its audience laugh. That’s still a challenge, but parody movies have it much harder. In addition to generating laughs, a parody film also has to mimic […]

  Superhero movies absolutely dominate the box office these days, and most of them follow pretty similar patterns. Sure, there are some differences, but at the end of the day, Batman, Iron Man, Black Panther, Wonder Woman, and Spider-Man are all costumed crimefighters with exceptional abilities. But every once in a while, a superhero movie […]

  Most blockbuster movie franchises tend to be pretty similar in their makeup. Whether it’s the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, or Harry Potter, the most successful series feature loads of action and tons of special effects. Virtually all blockbuster movie franchises fall under the sci-fi, superhero, or fantasy umbrellas, or at the very least, […]