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DVD Pick: Moguls and Movie Stars (2010)

February 4, 2013 By Leave a Comment

I luv history.

I luv movies.

So really it was just a matter of time when I would suck it an commit seven straight hours of my life to watching and reacting to this TCM Original Production, Moguls and Movie Stars, an in-depth look at the birth of the motion picture industry from 1889 until 1970, which I guess is a solid marker for cinema’s “modern era.”

Hollywood Sign

Click on the links below for a synopsis of each episode:

Episode One: Peepshow Pioneers (1889-1907)

Episode Two: The Birth of Hollywood (1907-1920)

Episode Three: The Dream Merchants

Episode Four: Brother Can You Spare a Dream (1929-1941)

Episode Five: Warriors & Peacemakers (1941-1950)

Episode Six: The Attack of Small Screens (1950-1960)

Episode Seven: Fade Out, Fade In (1960-1969)

This is a must-see film for anyone who considers themselves a cinephile. After all, through this wonderful medium, we have been able to chronicle an entire human century of existence.

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What Would YOU Like to See?

January 31, 2013 By 4 Comments

As per my uz … I visited TV.com this week (yeah, I kinda love the small screen too – don’t get me started in on Scandal …) and stumbled upon this interesting article as part of their “Fantasy Casting” series.

sneakers

Let it be known: I LOVE me some Sneakers, so personally the idea of it getting a TV reboot (even within the realm of fantasy) is a bit disconcerting. I felt that its narrative was perfectly composed for a film and not necessarily convertible to serialized format, but hey, that’s just me. Some of the ideas TV.com readers had were quite interesting.

But I digress. Reading the article got my grey matter moving and led me to the following question: exactly which films WOULD work as a TV reboot? Well readers I am posing that very question to YOU.  Maybe it has already been done – see M*A*S*H, Buffy, Teen Wolf, The Odd Couple, … My Big Fat Greek Life (yeah it existed) – or maybe not.

In any regard, share your thoughts and ideas in the comments section below.

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What I Have Been Watching …

July 11, 2012 By 9 Comments

A few weeks ago I mentioned one of my latest television obsessions and tied it into the world of cinema. This week I will not even attempt a tie-in; instead I will just wax poetic about a program I am a couple of episodes in, The Shadow Line, which originally aired on BBC Two (BTW thanks for the recommendation, Scott – he of Front Room Cinema).

This one-off, seven part series stars a personal favorite of mine, Chiwetel Ejiofor as a cop investigating a murder of an underworld boss. But rest assured, it is not that straightforward. See, he is just back on duty after recovering from a gunshot wound to the head – and the bullet is still lodged there. As a result of the shooting, he has amnesia from the event, which also saw his partner die. This is al established the end of the of the first episode, which had a perplexing and intriguing final act that left one wondering, “Just WHAT is going on?”

And now that I have just finished episode two which heralded the introduction of Stephen Rae’s shadowy figure, I cannot wait for episodes 3 and beyond.

Although made for television, this series has a very cinematic look and feel to it. The writing is clever and well-placed in the hands of a superb cast of actors including Stephen Rae, Christopher Eccleston, Kierston Wareing and a very, very frightening Rafe Spall as the nephew of the murdered crime boss who has more than a screw loose.

Check out the trailer:

For us here in the States, getting our hands on this series has been a hard task to say the very least; this past February, DirectTV aired the program on its Audience Network. But it now appears to be available on Blu-ray via Amazon.com. My only warning: the video description states that this is an All-Region disk, so I can assume that it will play on a North American video disk player, but one cannot be too sure.
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Video Pick – Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

June 18, 2012 By 12 Comments

After a long delay, I have recently seen Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Since the pleasant surprise of the first Guy Ritchie–Sherlock Holmes film, I was really looking forward to seeing this film. But life often took over and I missed catching it in the cinemas. On a recent trip back from California I had the opportunity (and pleasure) to see this much-anticipated sequel.

SYNOPSIS

(edited from the Official Sherlock Holmes 2 website)

There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris)—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may give him an advantage over the renowned detective. Around the globe, headlines break the news. No one sees the connective thread between these seemingly random events—no one, that is, except the great Sherlock Holmes, who has discerned a deliberate web of death and destruction. At its center sits a singularly sinister spider: Moriarty. Holmes’ investigation into Moriarty’s plot becomes more dangerous as it leads Holmes, Watson and companion Madam Simza Heron (Noomi Rapace) out of London to France, Germany and finally Switzerland. But the cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead, and moving perilously close to completing his ominous plan. If he succeeds, it will not only bring him immense wealth and power but alter the course of history.

If I were to sum up my reaction to this film, I would have to say in many ways I liked it just as much as the original film. The narrative is tight, as it is primarily focused on the battle of wits between Holmes and Moriarty.

Much of the film’s success rests on the chemistry between Downey and Law. And they do not miss a beat. Watching them play off of one another is well worth the price of admission.

Arch-villain Dr. Moriarty (Jared Harris) is equal parts cunning and devious. I know very little about Mr. Harris’ previous work except for the fact that he is the son of the late Richard Harris. Well, actually, that is not true; upon examining his IMDb entry more closely, I realized I kinda sorta know who he is (from his work), I just had not realized it :) Anyway, he was a good antagonist and held his own against Downey’s master sleuthing.

We know where this is heading …

The presence of supporting cast members Stephen Fry (as Holmes’ brother Mycroft) and Noomi Rapace added to the fun. In particular, the light comedic touch of Mr. Fry and his character’s ‘sibling antipathy’ aimed at his younger and more clever brother provided a great deal of levity to the increasingly tension surrounding the other events of the film.

What else is left to say but that Guy Ritchie does it again! He has produced an entertaining, action-packed film that does not disappoint.

As a fan of both the film series and the source material I am looking forward to Sherlock Holmes 3!

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iluvcinema Selects: Ne les dis à personne/Tell No One (2006)

March 7, 2012 By 8 Comments

Ne les dis à personne (Tell No One) could have easily been an entry to the ‘Overlooked’ series I take part in, but alas, it is my latest video recommendation (Note: I have previously referred to this film a few times here on this blog).

For many of your out in the blog-o-sphere, you may be familiar with this film if only for the fact that Ben Affleck has been tipped to direct the English-language version. But why wait until 2014 (according to the IMDB) when you can catch the French original now.

Based on a novel from American crime author Harlan Coben, Tell No One is a taut, gripping suspense thriller which stars François Cluzot as Alex, a grief-stricken man who, several years after his wife’s (Marie-Josée Croze) murder, now finds himself the chief suspect of a double murder. Add to this an email Alex receives which reveals a new, mysterious layer to his wife’s death and …

… that is about all I will say about the film; the less you know, the better. There are so many unexpected developments that I do not want to spoil a single thing for you, if you decide to accept the mission I have laid before you.

Tell No One is directed and co-written by actor Guillaume Canet and co-stars Kristin Scott Thomas.

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

Tell No One was awarded four César Awards in 2007: Best Director for Guillaume Canet, Best Actor (François Cluzet), Best Editing and Best Music Written for a Film (Original Score).

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New Criterion Releases

December 17, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Truth be told, besides my recent purchase of the Limited Edition of the Complete Harry Potter (I know I should have waited), I have not purchased too many video disks lately. Most of my home cinema viewing has been courtesy of Netflix and DVRed programming from cable.

But this week I decided to take a look and see what the Criterion Collection has on offer in the way of upcoming releases. Of this list, a couple of titles stood out as ‘possible’ purchases, including:

 

A Night to Remember (1958) directed by Roy Ward Baker. It is a ‘straight to the acts’ yet still dramatic retelling of the fateful maiden voyage of the Titanic. When I first saw this film I was taken with the fact that there is no real star; it attempts to tell the story in almost a documentary style. This makes sense, because the film is based on a book that documented the first hand accounts of passengers who were aboard the ship. Release Date: March 27 2012

 

 

Box Set: David Lean Directs Noël Coward. This set looks awesome. It contains four movies including: Brief Encounter (1945, a personal favorite of mine), In Which We Serve (1942), This Happy Breed (1944) and Blithe Spirit (1945). Of these titles the one film that I have not seen is This Happy Breed. I am strongly leaning towards making this purchase. Release Date: March 27 2012

 

 

 

An honorable mention goes to the Chris Marker double-bill of La Jetée/Sans Soleil (1963/1983). The noted work for me is the sci-fi film told via a series of stills, La Jetée. This film left such an impression with me when I first saw it in film class while at university; the time travel story was later adapted by Terry Gilliam in Twelve Monkeys. My main reservation when considering purchasing this disk is that the film that interests me most (La Jetée) is only 27 minutes long. That said, the travelogue Sans Soleil may be an interesting watch. Release Date: February 7 2012

 

As is standard, these titles have received the full ‘Criterion Treatment’ – they are chock-full of extras and supplemental materials.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Tuesday’s Overlooked Film: Gaslight (1940)

November 15, 2011 By 12 Comments

For this week’s selection of the ongoing series from Todd Mason at Sweet Freedom, I have chosen the British thriller Gaslight from 1940.

The film is based on the play Gas Light / Angel Street (in the United States) by Patrick Hamilton. It is also the film that caught the attention of Hollywood studio MGM, who made the picture 4 years later with director George Cukor and starring Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Joseph Cotten and Angela Lansbury. In fact, according to reports at the time, MGM attempted (unsuccessfully, obviously) to get all negatives of the original version destroyed, for fear that it would compete with their bigger budget adaptation.

While I did enjoy the MGM production, I feel that the British version also has a lot going for it. For one, it is not as melodramatic as the American version. There is a coldness, sterility and greater sense of peril present in this version; especially in the way the actors interpreted their roles. I pay particular notice of the portrayal of Paul/Gregory (Anton Walbrook and Boyer, respectively) and my response to them and their actions. When the big “reveal” happens, I found myself not as surprised that Boyer’s character could go to such lengths – in fact I do not see Boyer batting not giving his action a second thought. But in the case of Anton Walbrook, it is made all the more surprising.

*While this article is not entirely dedicated to an analysis of Gaslight, it provides a solid background to the film.

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Veterans Day Pick

November 11, 2011 By 2 Comments

This video recommendation is in honor of all those veterans who served, including my father, the late Cpt. James B. Dawson, ASM BSM.

For those who have not seen The Best Years of Our Lives I highly recommend it. It is a film that no matter how many times I see it never gets tiresome. Yes, it is a glossy Hollywood production, but it is also so much more. It is also one of the first films that really looked at the real affect war had on those who came home. Through the challenges and obstacles each of our main characters faced, their heroism is elevated and humanized.

This was due in great part to the portrayal of Homer Parish, as portrayed by Harold Russell, had in the film. Harold Russell (1914-2002) was a WWII veteran who lost both hands in a botched training exercise. The Best Years of Our Lives gave us a glimpse into this world of a long, hard emotional and physical recovery.

We also had the portrayal of the ‘fly-boy’ hero Fred Derry (Dana Andrews) whose life comes crashing down all around him upon his return home. On top of that he is suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome, as signified by his terrifying nightmares, which cause him to break out into night sweats and screams.

Our third vet, Al Stephenson, as portrayed by Frederic March, finds re-adjusting to his middle class life a bit too unsettling and turns to the bottle for some relief and ‘sanity.’

A wonderful supporting cast including personal favorites Myrna Loy and Teresa Wright aided to the story. One pleasant surprise for me was Virginia Mayo in the role of Marie, Fred’s pin-up wife, who also has to re-take stock of her life after her hero husband returns to the civilian ranks.

Fast-forward roughly 50 years later, and to the romantic drama A Walk in the Clouds, which touched upon the challenges of returning to post-WWII America, and you will see many elements of that story may have been “borrowed” (or at least have in its DNA) The Best Years of Our Lives.

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Tuesday’s Overlooked Film: Rope (1948)

November 8, 2011 By 12 Comments

This week I have chosen to talk about Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope from 1948.

At the film’s start, we see a murder taking place in an apartment. After ‘disposing’ of the body in a less-than-discreet place, our antagonists, Brandon Shaw (John Dall) and Phillip Morgan (Farley Granger) are in throws of preparing for a dinner party. Among the guests to this party are the victim’s fiance, father and former romantic rival. Rounding out the guest list is the pair’s former teacher and mentor, Rupert Cadell, portrayed by James Stewart.

As the evening transpires, the conversation becomes increasingly morose; and James Stewart’s Rupert begins to piece together that something is just not right. As the party dies down, Rupert makes the shocking and unimaginable discovery.

Rope has many layers to it. For one, the story is based on a play, which in turn was ‘inspired’ by the real life case of Leopold and Loeb, who were convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder of a 14 year old boy. It also deals with the intellectual exercise of executing the ‘perfect murder’ (presumably one where the perpetrators do not get caught). Another debate the characters have in the film is about the philosophical concept of Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche‘s Übermensch (Superman) and the notion of one man’s superiority to another.

Rope is well regarded in film circles and among Hitchcock fans, but is not as well known to the general public. Among the film’s various accomplishments are:

  • it is the first of Hitchcock’s Technicolor films
  • it takes place in real time
  • it was edited so as to appear as a single continuous shot through the use of long takes. This was achieved by panning, closeups and dissolves, among other techniques. (Source: Wikipedia)

This piece of cinema represents Hitchcock at his most experimental and daring. The idea of Hitchcock being an experimental filmmaker seems antithetical to the impression often associated with him – that is he is often characterized as a controlling taskmaster who methodically laid out all the scenes from his films shot-by-shot. It is worth seeing for this alone.

* For another Hitchcock recommendation this week, go to Flixchatter and read  Ruth’s take on 1945′s Spellbound

* Also be sure to go to Todd Mason’s blog for more Overlooked Films


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Just Had to Share …

November 2, 2011 By 4 Comments

I will make this short and sweet; please view this commentary of one of my all-time favorite film noirs, Detour (1945) presented by A.O. Scott of The New York Times:

My father recommended this film to me several years ago, just as I was cutting my teeth in the genre. As with any B-movie, the production values (or lack thereof) may deter some people who are not used to the genre’s conventions. But in my mind’s eye that makes it even more of an exciting cinematic venture.

Note that this film is in the public domain and can easily be found online.

Let me know what you think.

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