Catch it if You Can: Dear Murderer (1947)
December 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment
This is a very cleverly crafted, properly acted and well written piece of British Film Noir that asks the audience to go on a journey to discover that there is no such thing as a “perfect crime.” At a crisp 90 minutes, it does not skip a beat and leaves its audience constantly engaged.
For a little perspective on how this film was likely received in 1947, I defer to the New York Times Review of Dear Murderer.
It is available for viewing on Netflix, via its streaming feature.
What do You think Of the Oscar© 2011 Hosts?
November 29, 2010 By 2 Comments
With the announcement of James Franco and Anne Hathaway for next years’ Oscar ceremony, tell me what you think?
What do you think of the Franco-Hathaway Oscar© 2010 duo?
- What are they smoking? (100%, 4 Votes)
- Frakin' Awesome! Can't Wait! (0%, 0 Votes)
Total Voters: 4
Loading ...Movie Going Dilemma
November 23, 2010 By 5 Comments
My decision to go see “Love and Other Disasters Drugs” this upcoming weekend has prompted me to ask myself a question: are there any movie actors that are on a self-imposed “Movie Embargo” list? In other words, are there any films that I will not see based solely on the actors in the movie? The question comes to mind because some of my initial reservation in going to this movie had to do with my indifference to one of the lead actors in the films.
After much thought, I have concluded not really … I feel quite ambivalent about “movie stars” as such. GRANTED there are people that I try to see most every project they are in (read Kate Winslet) but not really anyone that I would definitely say no to or whose screen presence I am completely turned off by.
So I bring the question to the readers: is there any film star, that once you see their name on the poster, you absolutely refuse to see the film, no matter the critical (or otherwise) response?
An Education
November 2, 2010 By 4 Comments
Production Still from "An Education"
So as per my way in catching movies WELL after they have been released, I finally got around to seeing An Education this weekend; not exactly Halloween viewing!
Overall I thought it was a good movie – and not quite the movie I was expected in a good way. I was anticipating a dominant theme of high drama. Instead what I experienced was a perfectly balanced film that reflects what many of us go through in our own lives much like life itself – a mixture of light and dark, joy and sorrow, heartbreak and triumph. Add to this the fact that it is a mid-20th century period piece which is also a coming-of-age story means that it could have easily fallen into the trap of melodramatic sentimentality. It does not largely due to the great screenplay by Nick Hornby and performances, lead of course by a wonderful Carey Mulligan.
Another fantastic artifact of this film going experience is that the director is Lone Scherfig, whose CV is while a bit brief, quite impressive. Her films include Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (a film recommended to me by a blog reader) and Italian for Beginners a film that constantly appears in my Netflix queue of which I have a fleeting interest to check out. So An Education has been an education for me in many respects.
Quote of the Day
October 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment
[life is] much more quantum. People leap from one state to another and they don’t necessarily show a flicker of what they’ve been through. An awful lot of stage acting … is devoted to showing. But in life we don’t always show – and we often show the opposite of – what’s going on, what we’re really thinking. We may have suffered terrible tragedy but we walk in a room and nobody can see it on our face; nobody could ever know. We’re just there, in the moment with no idea of what’s to come.
Interview in VOGUE magazine, October 2010.
Photo Credit: Vanessa Regdrave in a production still from Blow-up (1966).
The Social Network (or Should I Drop the “The”)?
October 6, 2010 By Leave a Comment
I will not waste time “reviewing” The Social Network so to speak. But I did think I should take a moment to mention how much I really liked this film – in fact in a year where what I have seen has been a bit disappointing, this is clearly one of my favorite films of the year.
In many ways, the major coup for me was taking what on its surface would seem to be a “nerdy” or “intellectual” subject and creating an all around fully engaging film that at times left me so involved in the drama on the screen that I forgot where I was.
There are a lot of props to go around. Director David Fincher at the helm of this very well made film. His signature is all over the film. In less capable hands this could have simply fallen into the area of legal melodrama.
Much of this credit is due to Aaron Sorkin’s (West Wing!) fantastic screenplay. He was able to capture the drama, comedy and in some cases, the tragedy surrounding the people, places and events that mark the Facebook phenomenon.
Of course you cannot be engaged in a story through direction and writing alone. You need a cast that is able to deliver the goods. On that count the entire cast showed their chops – yes Jesse Eisenberg is the primary catalyst of all the action but I feel like this was really a great ensemble piece. [Another Dr. Who reference: Andrew Garfield (Eduardo Saverin) featured prominently in a two-parter during Series Three of one of my favorite shows!]
As we approach the the season where films are “geared towards adults” this was a great entreé.
One example of Facebook’s reach.
Quick Pick: “I Married a Witch” (1942)
October 6, 2010 By 2 Comments
I tweeted about this film last night as I watched its closing moments. I just wanted to take a moment to briefly post here about what an imaginative, creative piece of cinema this was. As a fan of the television series “Bewitched” (which this film predates by 20 years or so), I really was taken in by the story of a witch mixing with a mortal and all the wondrous things that come with that.
The film was directed by René Clair and is based on the novel The Passionate Witch by Thorne Smith.
The supporting cast is also of note and includes the likes of Cecil Kellaway, Susan Hayward and the ever entertaining Robert Benchley.
For more information on this film, I refer you to the entry in the TCM Movie Database.
While the City Sleeps by Fritz Lang
Over the years I have watch many films from auteur Fritz Lang including:
… to name a few.
I am also looking forward to November 7th. On this date Turner Classic Movies will be showing a restored version of Lang’s visionary Metropolis. It will be my first time seeing it! I am really excited.
One film that has flown below my “noir-radar” is his 1956 film While the City Sleeps. It is a really effective crime drama about the hunt for “The Lipstick Killer.” It is really engaging and the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. This is another film of Lang’s that casts a noir favorite, Dana Andrews as one of the main protagonists. As someone mentioned in the comments field of the you tube clip I have included on this post, a depressing side note this film is that it is painfully obvious that Dana Andrews is likely “worse for wear” in many of the scenes as indicated by the inflection of his speech.
All this aside, I hope that more people see the film because it is a really good watch.