In movies, getting the girls together can mean a variety of things: A wild night out, a moving drama, possibly a touching love story. At the heart, always, is female bonding, and a sense of companionship and support to deal with whatever life throws their way. We’ll look at the ways movies bring women together and champion the female bond.

Whether it’s a comedy or drama, the best love stories inspire the audience to care about the characters and root for them to be together. When they do finally embrace, darn if it doesn’t make even the most cynical loner believe in love all over again. But how do movies get us to believe in love time and time again? We’ll discuss that and more.

In movies, musicals bring together music and Broadway in ways that no other genre offers. Breaks from reality into song and dance make musicals wonderfully enjoyable and a masterclass in filmmaking prowess. We’ll examine what makes musicals unique and great, and appreciate the classics with reverence and adulation.

Horror movies are not all blood and guts. In fact, the slasher movie (Halloween, Friday the 13th) is a relatively new entry to the horror genre. The best horror disturbs and unsettles, and its roots date back to the silent era. We’ll discuss what makes horror movies effective, and why they remain one of the most popular genres in Hollywood today. Includes clips from Dracula, Frankenstein, The Exorcist, and more!

Thanksgiving, Hanukah and Christmas involve family, friends, food…and chaos. Whether there’s trouble traveling or trouble at home, holiday movies heighten the drama around the season’s festivities – often to a breaking point. But then the virtues of the holiday come through to save the day. Includes clips from Planes, Trains and Automobiles, A Christmas Story, It’s A Wonderful Life, and more!

Get ready for Hollywood’s biggest night with HOH’s annual lecture on the Best Picture Oscar nominees! Break out the red carpet, pop the champagne and (if you’d like!) dress in your finest as we cover all of this year’s Best Picture nominees. We’ll discuss why each film was nominated, the Oscars it’s most likely to win, and we’ll show a clip from each film. We also hit on all the major categories throughout the evening. This is a lecture any fan of the Oscars will not want to miss! Note: The lecture can only be done during Oscar season, which is Jan. 24-March 12, 2023.

Celebrate America by indulging in Hollywood’s (occasional) unabashed patriotism. Here we champion all that America has done well, how it has strived to become and stay the greatest country in the world. Great for Memorial Day, July 4th or Labor Day events. Be sure to wear red, white and blue if you can!