Everyday (adj.) – such as is met with every day; ordinary; commonplace.
Cinephile (n.) – a person who is fond of motion pictures.
I write monthly articles to discover and celebrate the everyday entertainment of cinema’s first century. Whether recontextualizing well-known classics or bringing lesser-known gems and important historical films to light, this blog aims to introduce myself and others to films off the beaten path. While I watch a large swath of modern and classic American and international films, I love revisiting, studying, and writing about the Hollywood Golden Age with a heavy emphasis on silent movies.
To dive right into my writing, check out a list of my personal favorite posts or keep scrolling for more featured posts and topics. Follow me on Letterboxd to see what I watch plus my bit-size reviews. Most importantly, make sure to subscribe below to my email list to get monthly posts sent directly to your inbox so you don’t miss out on a single post.
Explore The Everyday Cinephile
From decades of European silent cinema to my search for the perfect classic film books, I enjoy picking a couple of topics to focus my energy on as I study the films and era in question. Dive straight into some of my favorite-to-study topics and journeys through classic film (click to navigate directly to the page).
The European Silent Cinema Project
Starting from the very first year of projected moving images in 1895 up to 1930, I review two films each year to come out of Europe. Join me as I travel through the very beginnings of the projected image in countries as diverse as Germany, Italy, and Croatia to name a few.
Utah in Film
Utah was one of the most frequented states for on-location shooting in classic Hollywood, becoming known for its prominent landscapes in Western classics like Stagecoach and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Learn about both the various shooting locations’ and the native-born Utahns’ impact on Hollywood history.
Summer Classic Film Reading
For the past three years, I’ve completed the Summer Classic Film Reading Challenge hosted by Raquel Stecher’s Out of the Past Blog by reading and reviewing six classic film-related books. Peruse through my 2020, 2021, and 2022 lineups for great (and some not-so-great) suggestions for books on wide-ranging topics from biographies of silent matinee idols to manuals on film projection. Check back for my 2023 lineup in May!
Me standing in front of a memorial for Fay Wray in her hometown of Cardston, Alberta.
The Man Behind the Keyboard
The name is Hall… Shawn Hall.
I love silent films, pre-code films, film noir, and following each year’s Oscars race. I grew up Las Vegas, Nevada and currently live at the center of the movie world in Los Angeles pursuing a career as a film archivist and preservationist.
Ever since I got hooked on watching classic films in high school, DVRing as many movies on Turner Classic Movies, and checking out my library’s collection of AFI Top 100 list films, I’ve loved the power that film has to entertain, question, and uplift.
The best movies don’t just fill up an hour and a half of our Friday night. They become a part of us, comforting us when we’re in need, inspiring us to be our best selves, and challenging us to expand our own worldview beyond the limited confines of our own notions and beliefs. While I enjoy a good movie no matter the year of its release, I want to make sure films that matter to me from decades past will still have a large audience and impact the film community and others for years to come.
Check out my interview at Classic Movie Blog Association’s website here to learn more about my thoughts of classic film.
1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 2020 Summer Reading Challenge 2021 Summer Reading Challenge 2022 Summer Reading Challenge 2023 Summer Reading Challenge African American filmmakers Alice Guy-Blache Animation Auteurs Barbara Stanwyck Best of Lists Betty Compson Biographies Blogathons Book to Screen Adaptations Brigham Young Brighton School Buster Keaton Cecil B. DeMille Character Actors Charlie Chaplin Clara Bow Clara Kimball Young classic film classic film reading Classic Movie Day Classic Television Dick Powell Double Features Douglas Fairbanks Early Cinema Easter Epics Ernest Lubistch Ernest Torrence European Cinema F.W. Murnau Fan Magazines Fay Wray Film Festivals Film Music Film Noir film podcast Film Projection Film Recommendations Frank Borzage Genre Filmmaking George Melies Harold Lloyd Harry Houdini Hollywood blacklist Hollywood Studios Ingmar Bergman Intro to James Cruze John Gilbert Laraine Day Leslie Nelson Lois Weber Loretta Young Lost Films Lumiere Brothers Mabel Normand Mack Swain Mary Pickford Mormons in the Movies Moroni Olsen Motion Picture Stunt Pilots Natacha Rambova Oscar Micheaux Oscars Pre-1910 Pre-Code Hollywood Remakes Shakespeare Sidney Poitier Silent Clowns Silent Movie Day Silent Movies Utah and the Movies Utahns in Film Utah on Film Vincent Price William Dieterle Women Filmmakers Year in Review Zane Grey
