A wonderful science angle (or is that โAngel?โ) to โItโs a Wonderful Lifeโ
DETROIT โ As you probably know, an annual NBC tradition is airing โItโs a Wonderful Lifeโ on Christmas Eve -- and this year, more than any other year, we need that movie. There is a way cool science angle to the movie that nobody knows about: Near the beginning, remember the scene where the angels in heaven choose an angel named Clarence to head to Earth to save George Bailey? Well, thereโs an ultra-cool science angle to that scene. Check out my explanation in the short video above -- itโll make your Christmas even more special! RELATED: Best Christmas movie?
Essential movies of the '30s and '40s
OK, and let's not forget "Young Mr. Lincoln," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" and the first of Basil Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes movies. Some of those movies made this list -- how could they not? "The Grand Illusion" (1937)Set during World War I, this great French drama from director Jean Renoir explores the futility of war and class distinctions through French officers captured by German forces. "Casablanca "(1942)Bogart and Ingrid Bergman will always have Paris, and film fans will always have this stirring tale of an American finally choosing duty over love in the midst of World War II. "The Best Years of Our Lives" (1946)The definitive movie about soldiers returning home from war, filled with touching moments.
All-American double features to stream over the Fourth of July
Lincoln's gentle, gregarious outer demeanor cloaks a fiery, resolute inner passion, played to perfection by Daniel Day-Lewis (Available to stream on Netflix). Double Feature: "Young Mister Lincoln" (1939)Director John Ford and star Henry Fonda's portrait of the president's early days as an attorney with a gift for oratory (Available to stream via rent or purchase on Amazon Prime, Fandango Now and Vudu). Double Feature: "Born On the Fourth of July" (1989)Oliver Stone directs a de-glamorized Cruise as a disabled, disillusioned Vietnam vet in a moving portrait of the human cost of war (Available to stream via rent or purchase on Amazon Prime, Fandango Now and Vudu). Double Feature: "Stripes" (1981)Bill Murray and Harold Ramis lead the military misfits in Ivan Reitman's raucous, raunchy spin on the durable comedy genre (Available to stream via rent or purchase on Amazon Prime, Fandango Now and Vudu). Directed by Rob Reiner with his expected crowd-pleasing panache (Available to stream via rent or purchase on HBO Now/HBO Go).
On this day: July 2
1997: Actor James Stewart, best known for movies such as "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington," "The Philadelphia Story," "It's a Wonderful Life," "Rear Window" and "Vertigo," dies of a blood clot in his lung at age 89 in Beverly Hills, California. Stewart won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in "The Philadelphia Story" and was nominated for another four Oscars. He also was a World War II and Cold War veteran, rising to the rank of brigadier general in the United States Air Force Reserve. Hide Caption