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Tuesday’s Overlooked: Summer Preview Edition

May 7, 2013 By 1 Comment

Well the summer blockbuster season is officially upon us. Often this time of year ushers in the relentless array of big budget films released for the sole purpose of parting us with our hard earned money (yeah still bitter about the IMAX 3D experience that was Iron Man 3).

However, there also exists in this space a smaller set of films that offer a counter-balance to the larger more extravagant fare on offer. So for this week’s “Overlooked” series (courtesy of bloggin’ buddy Todd Mason) I have decided to look into my crystal ball (don’t actually have one) and see what films coming out this summer I feel will not get their just desserts by the mainstream audience.

Frances Ha (actually will be seeing it this week)

Frances (Greta Gerwig) lives in New York, but she doesn’t really have an apartment. Frances is an apprentice for a dance company, but she’s not really a dancer. Frances has a best friend named Sophie, but they aren’t really speaking anymore. Frances throws herself headlong into her dreams, even as their possible reality dwindles. Frances wants so much more than she has, but lives her life with unaccountable joy and lightness. “Frances Ha” is a modern comic fable in which Noah Baumbach explores New York, friendship, class, ambition, failure, and redemption. Courtesy of IFC Films. Opens May 17th in NY & LA with a staggered released throughout the country.

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Before Midnight (see previous post). Opens May 24th

 

The East

An operative for an elite private intelligence firm finds her priorities irrevocably changed after she is tasked with infiltrating an anarchist group known for executing covert attacks upon major corporations. (Source: IMDB) Opens May 31

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Much Ado About Nothing

A modern retelling of Shakespeare’s classic comedy about two pairs of lovers with different takes on romance and a way with words. (Source IMDB) Directed by Joss Whedon. Opens June 7

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The World’s End

Five friends who reunite in an attempt to top their epic pub crawl from 20 years earlier unwittingly become humankind’s only hope for survival. (Source: IMDB) From the team that brought us Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Opens August 23

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What films are you looking forward to this summer that you feel have the potential to be overlooked by the mainstream audience? Hit me up in the Comments section below.

 

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Tuesday’s Overlooked Film: The Tall Target

April 30, 2013 By 3 Comments

This week’s ‘overlooked’ pick is the first (of certainly several) shout outs from the 2013 TCM Film Festival. The movie is 1951′s The Tall Target directed by Anthony Mann and starring Dick Powell.

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Powell is a New York City-based a police officer, hell bent stop the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in Baltimore as he makes the train journey from Pennsylvania to his inauguration in Washington, DC.

Now I will readily admit (as I also discussed with another film-goer), that when I read the program description in the festival guide, I was not sure if this was some sort of contemporary, for the time hard-boiled crime thriller (Powell was in it after all) that happened to be anachronistic, given the “tall target” of the title. But soon in I realized that was not the case. Thanks in part to another WONDERFUL introduction by film historian Donald Bogle, we find out that this film is based in part on historical folklore that allegedly took place on the eve of Lincoln’s swearing-in.

There are quite a few twists and turns to this one so I will leave it up to you to enjoy for yourself.

Also starring in supporting roles are Adolphe Menjou and Ruby Dee, a young slave who has more moxie than one initially would think.

Check out Todd Mason’s site, Sweet Freedom for more overlooked, forgotten or otherwise under-appreciated cinematic gems.

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Tuesday’s Overlooked Film: Mother and Child (2009)

April 23, 2013 By 13 Comments

I am writing this on a Saturday because I want to make sure that I get everything down. Rarely, I mean RARELY do I venture to the land of Lifetime – Television for Women (I have my reasons). But very interesting sight of Samuel L. Jackson and Naomi Watts in bed TOGETHER made me stop in my tracks.

What I watched over the course of the next couple of hours was honest and well-performed (if not a bit melodramatic in some movements, but all is ultimately forgiven) – and also this week’s ‘overlooked’ film – 2009′s Mother and Child.

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Written and directed by Rodrigo Garcia, it should surprise no one how the intersecting lives narrative works. Here, the central theme is (as indicated by the title) are the various women’s relationship to motherhood.

  • Karen (Naomi Watts) is an ambitious, determined woman who faces a daunting decision that causes her to face the demons of the past.
  • Elizabeth (Annette Bening) never quite got over the fact that subsequent to falling pregnant aged 14, there was something missing in her life. Now 38 years later, will she have a chance at redemption?
  • Lucy (Kerry Washington), is unable to have a child of her own but is willing to move heaven and earth to right this wrong.

From the main cast down to the supporting players (Shareeka Epps, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Cherry Jones, David Morse) this film is so well played that I stayed on Lifetime (even watching a preview of The Client List) until the film’s conclusion.

 

Be sure to check out other overlooked titles at Sweet Freedom!

 

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Tuesday’s Overlooked: Dodsworth (1936)

April 16, 2013 By 5 Comments

This week I decided to change things up a little instead of choosing a traditional overlooked film, I would like to focus today’s post on a film that I have overlooked until recently.

It is the 1936 film Dodsworth, directed by filmmaker William Wyler with a screenplay adapted from the Sinclair Lewis novel and play (by Sidney Howard) of the same name.

For some reason I had in my mind that this film would be a taxing, cumbersome exercise to get through. The reality was far from that – Dodsworth is a cleverly written, expertly provocative look at a disintegrating marriage, among other things.

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Sam Dodsworth (Walter Huston), automotive titan, is selling up and retiring from the business. At the urging of his wife Fran (Ruth Chatterton), they soon pack their bags and set sail for Europe. It is evident early on, that this seemingly happy couple have divergent interests, especially on the part of Fran, who is obviously bored with her husband’s perceived lack of refinement. For his part, Sam tries in vain to hold the relationship together, even as he crosses paths with divorcee Edith Cortright (Mary Astor was never lovelier).

The writing is sharp and nuanced and the performances were expertly delivered:

Ruth Chatterton shines as the wayward wife who is seeking a thrill anyway and with anyone who she can. She is, in my opinion, a rather opportunistic, loathsome creature trying to hold onto her youth (via any available man). However her time has long passed and she comes off looking absolutely ridiculous. This frivolous and reckless behavior bears fruit in the final act – Fran gets her comeuppance at the hands of scene-stealing Maria Ouspenskaya, in her role of Baroness Von Obersdorf, whose son is Fran’s latest Continental conquest; as I stated in my tweet from the evening viewing:

As I stated during the #TCMParty tweeting event, Walter Huston is an actor that I know his renown for his talents and has featured in a couple of films (at least) that I like, including The Devil and Daniel Webster and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, but in terms of giving him his full props as an outstanding stage and screen actor. In this film, he plays the ups and downs (and downs) of his character convincingly and with aplomb.

Rounding out the standout performances for me is Mary Astor. Absent is the hard-boiled noir dame of my cinematic imagination to be replaced by a totally empathetic, soft, warm woman who you cannot help (like Sam Dodsworth) be drawn to her.

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I watched the film with my fellow #TCMPartiers Sunday night and had a blast! Thanks to all of my twitter buddies that encouraged me to continue to watch along (even if I am a bit bleary-eyed the following morning).

Be sure to check out other “overlooked” or forgotten titles on Todd Mason’s blog, Sweet Freedom.

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Tuesday’s Overlooked Film: Baby Face (1933)

April 9, 2013 By 8 Comments

Many films were lost in the mire of the Hays Code (read more about it here); recent years have warranted a re-visitation and examination of these “lost” films. The “Pre-Code” films often used the titillating themes of sexuality and moral ambiguity to pull in and keep the movie going public deeply flocking to the cinemas.

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This week’s overlooked selection, Baby Face starring Barbara Stanwyck and George Brent, is one such example. The tagline reads, She had it and made it pay. Specifically Stanwyck’s Lily Powers uses her feminine guile to work her way up the corporate ladder, ‘bumping’ into the likes of John Wayne along the way.

Thanks to its frank discussion of sex and sexuality, Baby Face‘s release has been said to be (in part) responsible for the institution of the morality–dictating edicts of the Hays Code:

… the original version of the film was rejected by the New York State Censorship Board in April 1933 … The uncensored version remained lost until 2004, when it resurfaced at a Library of Congress film vault in Dayton, Ohio … The restored version premiered at the London Film Festival in November 2004. In 2005 it was deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and selected for preservation in the United States Library of Congress National Film Registry and also was named by Time.com as one of the 100 best movies of the last 80 years. (Source: Wikipedia)

I suggest if you have not heard of this film, seek it out. It is a fine example of a Hollywood that existed for a very short period of time but had a lasting impact on the industry for several decades.

Be sure to check out some other overlooked titles at Todd Mason’s blog, Sweet Freedom.

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Overlooked Film: Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994)

April 2, 2013 By 6 Comments

This week’s pick for my overlooked film is 1994′s Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle starring Jennifer Jason Leigh as writer Dorothy Park and her cohort, also known as the Algonquin Round Table.

For those who do not know much about Dorothy Parker, I suggest you look her up. Parker was a poet, writer, critic and satirist, best known for her witty wisecracks, writing for publications such as The New Yorker. (Source: Wikipedia)

Her talents eventually caught the attention of Hollywood and she headed west to pursue a career as a screenwriter. Her writing credits include: A Star is Born (1937), Saboteur (1942), and my personal fave The Little Foxes (1941).

Her successes included a couple of Academy Award nods. But this success was halted in its tracks when she found herself on the infamous Hollywood blacklist of the 1950s. At the time of her death in 1967, she bequeathed her estate to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Foundation. At the time of King’s death, the estate was turned over to the NAACP. Fascinating woman indeed.

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I think I first saw this film at a time when I was quite fascinated with this collective of writers, thespians and other critical minds who would gather at Manhattan’s Algonquin Hotel during the heyday of the Roaring Twenties.

The film was a critical success, even earning a nomination for the 1994 Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or, the events highest honor. Unfortunately these plaudits did not translate into commercial box office success.

The cast was top shelf and featured Matthew Broderick (Charles MacArthur), Campbell Scott (Robert Benchley), Peter Gallagher (Alan Campbell), Jennifer Beals (Gertrude Benchley), 
Andrew McCarthy (Eddie Parker), 
Wallace Shawn (Horatio Byrd), … I really could just go on. Needless to say there are a lot more!

Be sure to check out other selections from our own Overlooked Film collective, fearlessly led by Todd @ Sweet Freedom!

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Tuesday’s Overlooked Film: Rabbit Proof Fence (2002)

March 26, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Happy Tuesday everyone! After this weekend’s delight that was The Sapphires, I was reminded of another film that dealt with some of the issues mentioned, but dealt with in a more dramatic fashion. Rabbit Proof Fence, directed by Phillip Noyce (Dead Calm), saw him return to his native Australia to film an adaptation of Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara. It is based the true account about the author’s mother a mixed-race Aborigine, who along with two other girls, who ran away from the Moore River Native Settlement in Western Australia, to return to their families, after having been placed there in 1931. The settlements were used by the Australian government to make the “half-castes” ready to integrate into white Australian society as domestics, with the hope that they will eventually marry and further dilute their Aboriginal blood.

Remarkably, in the film (as in real life) the girls walked along 1,500 miles of the Australian rabbit-proof fence to return to their community all the while with the law and an indigenous tracker on their trail.

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The cast included Evelyn Sampi, David Gulpill, Deborah Mailman (of the aforementioned The Sapphires), Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty) and Kenneth Branagh.

Check out the trailer here:

 

Be sure to check out other Overlooked films at Todd Mason’s blog, Sweet Freedom.

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Tuesday’s Overlooked Film: The Indian Runner (1991)

March 19, 2013 By 6 Comments

This week’s pick is 1991′s The Indian Runner, directed by Sean Penn (directorial debut) and starring Viggo Mortensen and David Morse as brothers who could not be more dissimilar.

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The Indian Runner is the tragic tale of two brothers – Joe (Morse), the one who stays on the straight and narrow, a man of the law and Frank (Mortensen), a troubled, restless soul who constantly finds himself on the wrong side of the law. Frank drifts in and out of everyone’s life without much explanation – he just is. This aimless drifting includes a stint in Vietnam (the film is set in the 1960s) and a little later on, serving some time in the slammer. Upon release from prison, he returns home after a double tragedy – the death of their mother and their father’s subsequent suicide.

In spite of his best efforts to get his life together, including sticking around for the impending birth of his daughter and landing a steady job, Frank manages to finds himself again at odds with the law; this provides a continued source of conflict between him and Joe.

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Please be forewarned, this film is a downer that does not let up. That said, as a first time feature it holds together well enough that I think the emotional ride you find yourself on while watching it is well worth it. I am not sure about its video availability but if you have HD cable television, it airs on the MGMHD.

The supporting cast of the film includes Charles Bronson, Patricia Arquette, Sandy Dennis (in her final screen role) and Dennis Hopper (Benicio Del Toro is in it too)!

Fun fact: The film’s screenplay (written by Penn) is based on a Bruce Springsteen song (“The Highway Patrolman”).

Be sure to check out other overlooked/forgotten films by visiting Todd Mason’s blog.

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Tuesday’s Overlooked Film: The Shape of Things (2003)

March 12, 2013 By 10 Comments

My pick this week is yet another film I caught on a lark one afternoon while watching cable TV. The Shape of Things is the filmed adaptation of the stage play, both of which were written by Neil LaBute; he also directed it. The movie starred the original theater cast – Gretchen Mol, Paul Rudd, Rachel Weisz and Fred Weller.

When I saw this film, I did not know much about Mr. LaBute’s reputation and previous body of work (I know – for shame). I just remember being quite taken aback by the premise of and outcome of the film. Further investigation led me to discover that the dark and twisted complexities of the male-female relationship dynamic are themes common in his oeuvre. It all started to make sense …

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Synopsis (courtesy of Fandango):Paul Rudd stars as Adam, a shy, nerdy English student and museum guard. Rachel Weisz plays art student Evelyn, who, unawares to Adam, takes him on for an ambitious ”project.” He thinks he’s really falling in love with her, but she’s determined to see how much she can transform him into someone else. Co-starring as Adam’s friends are Gretchen Mol and Fred Weller, who can’t understand the new guy he’s becoming.

Check out the trailer here:

Let me know what you think? Is this something you are interested in? Are you familiar with any of Neil LaBute’s other work? Comment below.
* Oh yeah and don’t forget to catch more overlooked films by visiting “Overlooked Gatekeeper” Todd Mason’s blog, Sweet Freedom.
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Tuesday’s Overlooked: The Major and the Minor (1942)

March 5, 2013 By 4 Comments

Today’s pick, The Major and the Minor was only director Billy Wilder’s second Hollywood directorial credit and yet you can see in it some of the trademarks that he would constantly employ as a filmmaker – the combination of witty dialogue, farce and romantic entanglements.

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SYNOPSIS

A young woman tired of life in the big city decides to head back home to the Midwest. The problem is that the fare for the return trip has gone up so the last money she has is not enough for the train passage. Her solution is to disguise herself as a little girl, aged 12. Her presence draws the attention of military officer (Ray Milland), who agrees to chaperone the ‘minor’ safely to her mother in Iowa, under the condition that they first make a detour to a military academy where he works.

Yes, I know – it is TOTALLY unbelievable that Ginger Rogers could pass for a 12 year old, but that is the whole gag after all. In spite of this flight of fancy, I still enjoyed the film mainly because of the silliness of it all. It is also not hurt by the presence of notorious humorist Robert Benchley.

Besides I received a bit of a history lesson in that I learned all about the Maginot Line ;)

In the final analysis, this is yet another one of those classic Hollywood films that I cannot help but watch whenever I see it on my television screen.

Check out other titles on Todd Mason’s blog Sweet Freedom.

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