"You talk really fast, man," said Julie Garfield, actress and daughter of the late Warner Brothers star John Garfield, who was known for his accelerated streetwise patter. "Who do you think you are, Martin Scorsese?"

Dale was the voice of damage-control, the pen of Oscar campaigns, and the heart of a movement that cultivated compassion in modern Hollywood. Laughter and caring were Dale Olson's trademark, entertainment was his business.

Crime has not just been good to the criminals; it's been awfully good to Hollywood as well.

Love Ranch is neither a nostalgic look back at a simpler time nor a modern take on emerging or changing sexual standards. Instead, it's just another tawdry soap opera, tarted up with bigger names.

The Arthur Lyons Film Noir Festival has ended. The festival broke records this year with audiences soaking in all of that sun and sin, light and vice, early mornings and existential angst. Murder among the palm trees was actually, quite perfect.

I've not delved into that simmering, masculine menace of charm and vulnerability -- the actor John Garfield -- nearly enough.

Technology will only offer more quality film choices as time goes by. The trick for savvy consumers and movie fans will be to stay informed as to what's really good..

Who was the bigger star -- Bette Davis or Joan Crawford? Maybe reviewing some highlights of their respective careers can help resolve this thorny question.