A Round Of America

A Round Of America We do not claim ownership of the images used, and no copyright infringement is intended.

If you are the artist and would like us to remove this content, please contact us and we will comply with your request immediately.

Today, I found an incredibly exciting autograph in the mail. After sending this picture to Dame Judi Dench to sign last ...
08/13/2025

Today, I found an incredibly exciting autograph in the mail. After sending this picture to Dame Judi Dench to sign last year, I took a chance and sent it to Sir Ian McKellen as well. Despite my concern that I might never see it again, it just arrived, now signed by both of them.

The picture itself is a scene from "Macbeth," a recording of Trevor Nunn's production at the RSC in 1979. It is my favorite adaptation of my favorite Shakespeare play. Both of these acting geniuses infuse so much into their performances. When I taught English, I would show this performance to my students to supplement to reading of the Scottish Play, so that they would understand that Shakespeare wasn't boring.

I am so pumped to have it back in my autograph album now, where it will stay until I eventually frame it. Here's to the talent of Dame Judi and Sir Ian!

🎬🎬 The Door (2009), directed by Anno Saul and based on Akif Pirinçci’s novel, is a tense, time-bending thriller about gu...
08/13/2025

🎬🎬 The Door (2009), directed by Anno Saul and based on Akif Pirinçci’s novel, is a tense, time-bending thriller about guilt, temptation, and the dangerous allure of second chances. It follows David (Mads Mikkelsen), a once-celebrated painter whose life spirals into isolation and despair after a single, devastating mistake—his young daughter dies while he is distracted.

Years later, still consumed by grief and self-loathing, David stumbles upon something impossible: a hidden passage, a literal door, that leads back in time to the day of the tragedy. The discovery is both a miracle and a curse. He seizes the opportunity to save his daughter, rewriting the past and creating a new life where the accident never happened.

But the door does not grant redemption without cost. The world he has stepped into is subtly wrong—familiar yet distorted—and the longer he stays, the more the fabric of this altered reality begins to fray. He encounters versions of people he once knew who are different in unsettling ways, and shadows of the life he erased start to close in on him.

The film blends emotional drama with science fiction’s eerie what-if scenarios, turning the concept of time travel into an intimate moral dilemma rather than a spectacle. Mikkelsen plays David with a haunted intensity, making his desperate hope and gnawing paranoia feel painfully real. The muted color palette and measured pacing amplify the unease, creating a world that feels dreamlike but on the edge of collapse.

In the end, The Door is less about the mechanics of time travel and more about the impossibility of escaping the consequences of our actions. It asks whether a second chance at life is worth taking if it means shattering the natural order—and whether some doors are better left unopened.

Richard Burton (age 46) & Elizabeth Taylor (age 39) arriving at Heathrow Airport, London (1971). 😍🎬🎥
08/13/2025

Richard Burton (age 46) & Elizabeth Taylor (age 39) arriving at Heathrow Airport, London (1971). 😍🎬🎥

On August 13, 1976: the sci-fi thriller film "FUTUREWORLD" premiered
08/13/2025

On August 13, 1976: the sci-fi thriller film "FUTUREWORLD" premiered

Newlyweds, Olivia Hussey and Dean Paul Martin on their wedding day, Las Vegas, 1971
08/13/2025

Newlyweds, Olivia Hussey and Dean Paul Martin on their wedding day, Las Vegas, 1971

Andy Warhol paying homage to Alfred Hitchcock . Photograph by Jill Krementz on April 26, 1974, at the Sherry Netherland...
08/13/2025

Andy Warhol paying homage to Alfred Hitchcock . Photograph by Jill Krementz on April 26, 1974, at the Sherry Netherlands Hotel in NYC. Hitchcock was in New York for a salute from the Lincoln Center Film Society, and Warhol conducted an interview with him during this visit.

Resolved White was born in England in 1615 and came to the New World as a child aboard the Mayflower. He was the son of ...
08/13/2025

Resolved White was born in England in 1615 and came to the New World as a child aboard the Mayflower. He was the son of William White, a respected member of the Pilgrim community, and Susanna White, who became the first woman known to give birth in Plymouth Colony after the voyage. Resolved grew up during the colony’s formative years, witnessing the challenges of survival, community building, and interaction with Indigenous peoples. His childhood experiences shaped him into a resourceful and capable adult.

As an adult, Resolved White married Judith Vassall, and the couple had children who continued his family’s presence in New England. Resolved contributed to the colony through farming, civic duties, and involvement in the growing community infrastructure. He experienced firsthand the evolution of Plymouth from a struggling settlement to a more established society, participating in decisions and efforts that ensured its stability and prosperity.

Resolved White lived a long life by the standards of his time, passing away in 1687. His life represents the journey of the second generation of Pilgrims, those who transitioned from surviving the immediate hardships of colonization to shaping a sustainable society. Through his descendants and the records of his activities, historians gain insight into both the daily life and broader cultural development of early Plymouth Colony.

The Man from the Alamo (1953) is indeed often celebrated by classic Western fans for its gripping storyline, tight pacin...
08/13/2025

The Man from the Alamo (1953) is indeed often celebrated by classic Western fans for its gripping storyline, tight pacing, and strong performances from a stellar cast. Directed by Budd Boetticher — a filmmaker who would later become renowned for his psychologically nuanced Westerns — the film blends historical drama with personal redemption.

The story follows Glenn Ford as John Stroud, a man branded a coward after leaving the Alamo before its fall. Stroud’s departure was actually to protect settlers’ families from an imminent attack, but when he returns, he discovers his name disgraced. Determined to restore his honor, he embarks on a dangerous mission to track down and punish the marauders responsible for killing his neighbors’ families.

The cast is a who’s who of 1950s Western talent:

Glenn Ford delivers a characteristically understated yet emotionally charged performance.

Hugh O’Brian, in an early role before becoming TV’s Wyatt Earp, adds charisma.

Neville Brand makes for a memorable heavy, his imposing screen presence perfect for the film’s darker moments.

Guy Williams, years before Zorro and Lost in Space, appears in one of his early big-screen roles.

Julie Adams brings warmth and emotional grounding as the female lead, fresh off her fame from Creature from the Black Lagoon.

The film is notable for its mix of action, moral complexity, and Boetticher’s keen sense for landscapes — using the rugged terrain as both backdrop and silent character. It’s a story about honor, sacrifice, and justice, with Ford’s quest for redemption giving the movie a strong emotional spine.

If you like, I can give you a full breakdown of its production history and real-life ties to the Alamo legend, which makes it even more fascinating.

🎬🎬 Circle of Friends (1995) is a warm, bittersweet coming-of-age drama wrapped in the charm of 1950s Ireland, where frie...
08/13/2025

🎬🎬 Circle of Friends (1995) is a warm, bittersweet coming-of-age drama wrapped in the charm of 1950s Ireland, where friendship, love, and the push-and-pull between tradition and change weave together.

Benny (Minnie Driver) is the heart of the story—big-hearted, shy, and brimming with dreams that stretch far beyond her small hometown of Knockglen. Alongside her two childhood friends, the vibrant Eve (Geraldine O’Rawe) and the flighty, glamour-seeking Nan (Saffron Burrows), she heads to Dublin for university. There, the world widens: lectures, city streets buzzing with possibility, and the intoxicating thrill of first love. For Benny, that love comes in the form of Jack (Chris O’Donnell), a kind and earnest medical student whose affection seems to promise a fairytale ending.

But life, in Maeve Binchy’s world, is never quite so simple. Beneath the surface of Dublin’s polite society, there are class divisions, whispered scandals, and the subtle cruelties of those who cling to convention. Benny’s romance with Jack is tested by gossip, misunderstandings, and betrayals—both personal and from those she trusts most.

Director Pat O’Connor bathes the film in soft, nostalgic light, capturing the lush green countryside and the muted elegance of post-war Dublin. The costumes and settings evoke a time when appearances mattered deeply, but hearts often wanted more than society was willing to give.

At its core, Circle of Friends is about the enduring strength of loyalty—how friendships can bend, fracture, and, with care, mend again. It’s about finding one’s place in a world that can be both tender and unkind, and about the courage it takes to choose love—whether romantic or platonic—that truly sees you.

By the final scenes, Benny stands a little taller, her smile touched with wisdom, and the circle, though altered, still holds.

86-year-old Dyan Cannon with her daughter, Jennifer Grant, 57, at the premiere of "Archie" a bio-pic of Grant's father a...
08/13/2025

86-year-old Dyan Cannon with her daughter, Jennifer Grant, 57, at the premiere of "Archie" a bio-pic of Grant's father and Cannon's ex-husband, Cary Grant, December 2023.

In 1950, Elizabeth Taylor was already well on her way to becoming one of Hollywood’s most luminous stars. At just 18 yea...
08/13/2025

In 1950, Elizabeth Taylor was already well on her way to becoming one of Hollywood’s most luminous stars. At just 18 years old, she had already transitioned from a child actress — remembered for films like National Velvet (1944) — into a glamorous young leading lady whose striking violet eyes and natural screen presence captivated audiences.

That year marked a pivotal moment in her career with roles that began to showcase her maturity and dramatic range. Notably, she appeared in Father of the Bride opposite Spencer Tracy, playing Kay Banks, the radiant young bride-to-be whose wedding preparations throw her father into comedic chaos. The film’s success not only cemented her image as the ideal ingénue but also led to a sequel, Father’s Little Dividend (1951).

Offscreen, Taylor’s beauty and growing sophistication were frequently celebrated in studio portraits from the era — like the kind you’re referencing — which highlighted her flawless complexion, expressive eyes, and timeless elegance. 1950 was also the year she married hotel heir Conrad “Nicky” Hilton, her first marriage, an event heavily covered by the press and emblematic of her status as both a movie star and a figure of public fascination.

🎬🎬 Silvia Prieto (1999), directed by Martín Rejtman, is a sly, understated Argentine comedy that turns the everyday into...
08/13/2025

🎬🎬 Silvia Prieto (1999), directed by Martín Rejtman, is a sly, understated Argentine comedy that turns the everyday into something quietly absurd. At its center is Silvia Prieto (Rosario Bléfari), a 27-year-old woman living in Buenos Aires whose life feels neither dramatic nor particularly remarkable—until she becomes mildly obsessed with reinventing herself.

Silvia’s attempts at self-improvement are hilariously small in scope. She buys a parrot, changes her hairstyle, experiments with new jobs, and awkwardly navigates relationships, all with the same calm, almost affectless demeanor. The comedy comes not from big gags but from the deadpan delivery, the deliberately flat dialogue, and the strange, mundane coincidences that ripple through her days.

Things take a curious turn when she discovers there’s another woman named Silvia Prieto living in the city. This revelation stirs a subtle identity crisis—not the dramatic kind, but one that makes her question how much of her life is truly hers, and how much is just a name, a habit, or a role she’s playing. The film never forces answers, instead letting meaning accumulate through small gestures, repeated phrases, and the odd rhythm of life itself.

Rejtman’s style is minimalist and dryly observational, avoiding sentimentality and drama in favor of precision. Every shot feels deliberate, every word spoken just slightly off from natural speech, creating a world that feels both real and faintly surreal. Rosario Bléfari’s performance is perfectly pitched—her Silvia is enigmatic, passive yet quietly determined, a person trying to define herself in the most low-key way possible.

Ultimately, Silvia Prieto is about the quiet strangeness of ordinary life, the fluidity of identity, and how even the smallest changes can feel monumental when you’re looking for a fresh start. It’s a comedy of minimal events with maximum charm, where the punchlines are in the silences.

Address

Los Angeles, CA

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when A Round Of America posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to A Round Of America:

Shortcuts

Share

Category