“Exquisite romantic pain”: Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about Martin Scorsese’s masterful 1993 adaptation of Edith Wharton’s heartbreaking novel The Age of Innocence, which traces the tragic, Gilded Age romance between Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Countess Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer). No surprise there, as it’s quite possibly my favorite Scorsese film—which always shocks fans of Goodellas … Continue reading “Exquisite romantic pain”: Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence →

Still wake up the same old Susie

If you’ve read everything I’ve ever written here since I started this blog in the spring of 2020, I thank you. If you only drop by once every few months and cherry pick articles of interest to you, I thank you. If this post is the first time you’re reading this blog, I thank you. … Continue reading Still wake up the same old Susie →

The Soothing Autumnal Chill of What Lies Beneath

Last October I wrote about why I love What Lies Beneath (2000), a film that’s long been an annual Halloween season watch for me. It’s beyond perfect for this time of year, especially with its autumn-in-New-England setting. Offering an exquisite lead turn by Michelle Pfeiffer, as a woman on edge trying to unravel a mystery … Continue reading The Soothing Autumnal Chill of What Lies Beneath →

Marvelous Michelle

Me: “I’m so over Marvel movies.“ *trailer drops for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumnania* Michelle Pfeiffer: “Oh, yeah?” Me: “How soon can I buy tickets?” Marvel movies lost me quite a while ago. They have intermittent moments of entertainment, but overall I’be found them mostly forgettable since Avengers: Endgame (2019). Then this new trailer happened … Continue reading Marvelous Michelle →

Houston, We Have a New Font

It’s two and a half years since I launched The Starfire Lounge and for all of that time the extravagantly serifed Cherry Wash has served as the title font. Just like everything else in the basic site design, I didn’t put much thought into the font, just picking one of the first I saw from … Continue reading Houston, We Have a New Font →

“Everything I want is in this room”: Happy Anniversary, Frankie and Johnny

I’ve loved an awful lot of movies in my life, but none more than Frankie and Johnny, which opened thirty-one years ago today, October 10, 1991. The superlatives for this movie are endless. A career-best performance from Michelle Pfeiffer as Frankie, a 30-something New York City diner waitress who’s been hurt badly in the past … Continue reading “Everything I want is in this room”: Happy Anniversary, Frankie and Johnny →

Samantha “Sunshine” Jensen

Twelve years before she roared into immortality as Catwoman in Batman Returns, Michelle Pfeiffer played a different type of cat, a B.A.D Cat, to be precise. A what, you ask? Well, I’ll tell ya what. After starting her career with guest spots on television series like Fantasy Island and ChiPs, Michelle nabbed a regular gig … Continue reading Samantha “Sunshine” Jensen →