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Coming to a (TV) Screen Near You (Whitechapel)

October 12, 2011 By 7 Comments

For the record, I am an unabashed ‘fan’ of the mystery surrounding the Whitechapel Murders involving the infamous, still unidentified “Jack The Ripper.” Well saying ‘fan’ may be a bit of a stretch. I have read several novels and short stories (including the fantastic Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper, written by Robert Bloch in 1943). In fact, a seminal childhood memories is of my grammar school friend reading this story to me over the phone one Friday afternoon. This was probably the moment which sparked my “Jack the Ripper” interest.

More recently on a trip to London, me and my friends stopped by the Sherlock Holmes Museum and among other forms of kitsch and paraphernalia, there was a sweet collection of bits related to the crimes committed in 1888.

This fascination goes beyond the printed page and jumps on to the silver screen. Among my favorite ‘Ripper-themed’ films are:

  • The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1923) dir by Hitchcock
  • The Lodger (1944) starring George Sanders and Merle Oberon
  • Man in the Attic (1953) starring Jack Palance
  • Time After Time (1979) starring Malcolm McDowell, David Warner and Mary Steenburgen
  • From Hell (2001) based on the Alan Moore graphic novel and directed by the Hughes Brothers. Starring Johnny Depp, Heather Graham and Ian Holm

So you are probably wondering where this all leading. While watching Law and Order: UK  as I do on Wednesday evenings, there was a preview for a ‘new’ series coming to BBC America. It is called Whitechapel  and it is premiering here in the States on October 26th.

The plot is pretty basic – in modern day London, there is a killer on the loose whose M.O. mirrors that of the Victorian-era serial murderer. Here are the opening credits.

So what do you think? Is this something that you are interesting in watching this?

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Double Feature Theatre

July 31, 2011 By 8 Comments

Oh well I am not getting off to a good start with this blog-a-thon:  I am a day late!

The idea of the blog is simple – imagine you are in charge of programming movies to be seen in the cinema. Thanks to the folks at Go-See-Talk for getting a bunch of us together to share with you what we have all come up with. Anyway without further ado …

Office Space and 9 to 5

 

 


Tell No One and Swimming Pool

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Tuesday’s Overlooked Film: A Hatful of Rain

June 14, 2011 By 5 Comments

This week’s selection is the 1957 film A Hatful of Rain. The film stars Eva Marie Saint, Don Murray, Anthony Franciosa, and Lloyd Nolan. The film is based on the stageplay of the same name and was written by Michael V. Gazzo. He also adapted the play for the screen with an assist from Alfred Hayes and (then blacklisted Carl Foreman); Foreman was not to receive screen credit from the Writer’s Guild of America until 1998, 14 years after his death (source: Wikipedia).

The film was directed by Fred Zinnemann (From Here to Eternity, High Noon) with a musical score by frequent Hitchcock collaborator, Bernard Herrmann.

 

Why I Like This Film

It is part of that set of films in my estimation, that were starting to crop up in the late 1950′s (and into the 60′s) that attempted to take realistic look at issues plaguing contemporary society. In this case, the issue of drug addiction was the subject. Hatful of Rain is a poignant and heartbreaking account of a man, played by Don Murray, riddled with a heroin addiction he acquired while in a military hospital (he is a Korean War veteran).

His behavior is not known to his pregnant wife (Saint) or his recently-arrived father (Nolan) who, along with his brother (Franciosa – who knows what ails his brother), all live in the same cramped apartment.

What has touched me over the years about this story is not only the central theme of the battle the lead character in undergoing but also the toll it takes on those around him.

Two other items of interest:

1) A bit of trivia: Anthony Franciosa received an Academy Award nomination for his performance.

2) Unfortunately, this title is not available for purchase but it is definitely worth scouting on TCM or any other specialty movie channel.

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For All You Mothers Out There (Mother’s Day Vid Picks)

May 5, 2011 By 3 Comments

The portrayal of mothers in film can run the gambit from the self-sacrificing mother to the belligerent, self-interested mom. And there is a whole lot in between.

In honor of Mother’s Day 2011, I decided to put together a list. Granted, my list has no particular order and while my goal was to I tried to cap it at a nice, even interval (5 or 10) I landed on 6 classic films that feature moms in various shades of gray.

Imitation of Life (1959): I could not have a mother’s day film list without including this one. It personally resonates with me because it is one of the few classic films that my mother would always reference. In fact she is the one that introduced me to this Douglas Sirk/Lana Turner weepie melodrama. I know there is a 1934 version out there, which I have yet to see, but for me, this one is IT. Granted, you have to get past some of the “less than PC” references as they relate to racial identity and race relations. But overall it really is an enjoyable, guilty-pleasure watch, especially if you are into Sirkian soap operatics.

I Remember Mama (1948): I think I have only seen this film once, love this film for several reasons – it is based in turn of the century San Francisco, is directed by the great George Stevens and features Irene Dunne and Miss Ellie from Dallas (Barbara Bel Geddes). It is a touching screen adaptation about the nostalgia of looking back reminiscing about a time long ago and far away.

To Each His Own (1946): This is a film about a mother who lost, found, lost (again) and finally found at last the son she longed for.

Psycho (1960): Switching gears (a bit), in Psycho, we have a film about what happens when a son has severe “mommy issues.” The results are unsurprisingly not good.

Gypsy (1962): The life of burlesque legend Gypsy Rose Lee brought to life on the screen by Rosalind Russell and Natalie Wood. A must-see for all aspiring stage moms.

Mildred Pierce (1945): I really enjoyed the Winlset-led HBO adaptation but this 1940′s version starring Joan Crawford and Ann Blyth are stylized in a way that only came out of films during this period of time.  The Crawford version is very crisp and stylized and just wonderful and camp in its own way. I love the story of a mother blinded by an obsessive devotion to an unappreciative, vindictive and dare I say – evil child.

 

READERS: Do you have any recommendations?

 

 

 

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History Versus Hollywood (Biopics)

July 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Based on a true story?

A Dispatch from Reuters: based on a true story?

I was recently watching Turner Classic Movies, in particular, a film starring Edward G. Robinson,  A Dispatch from Reuter’s, supposedly about the life and times of the founding member of the Reuters New Service.

My purpose in writing will not attempt to expose the likely historical inaccuracies that this and many a bio-pic. Watching this movie just got me thinking about some of my favorite films from the period spanning the 1930′s – 1950′s that were stories “based on the life of …” – but not really.

  • Madame Curie (1944)
  • Sergeant York (1941)
  • St Louis Blues (1958)
  • I am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang (1932)
  • The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
  • Devotion (1946)
  • Man of a Thousand Faces (1957)
  • The Three Faces of Eve (1958)
  • They Died With Their Boots On (1939)

In the modern era there are obviously plenty of “based on the life of …” stories that come to mind. In an earlier post I mentioned Elizabeth I (2005) the cable television biopic starring Dame Helen Mirren. Other notables cinematic turns include Frost/Nixon (2008), Gia (1998), The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007), American Gangster (2007), The Last King of Scotland (2006) ….

As you can see the list can get quite extensive. At the end of the day, it is important to remember that these works are pieces of entertainment.

Here is a video I found that features some of the best biopics to be released over the past decades:

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Summertime is here! Bring on The Blockbuster (and not so big) Pictures!

April 25, 2009 By Leave a Comment

summer-2009Yes ladies and gents, it is that time of year again.  A time when movie studios unload their crowd pleasing big-budgeted movies. I really look forward to this time of year, especially when there are more than three (3) films I am willing to pay for.  Last year was pretty good and this year looks like it will be the same.

While this is a time for the larger movies to see the light of there are also those smaller films (“counter-programming”) which I must remember not to overlook.
I already have my Wolverine (May 1) ticket purchased and at the ready. The moment Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (July 15) tickets go on sale, I am there, in spite of the nearly nine months I endured after Warner Brothers held off the initial release date. It is almost unforgivable.

So, after doing some additional research on IMDB’s Summer 2009 Movie Guide, here is my personal list of other must see films:

May
8th: Star Trek – I am not a Trekkie but I am really forward to this re-imagining. They had me at the teaser.
8th: Rudo y Cursi – I am going to try to catch this at the Tribeca Film Festival. Could be a riot.
22nd: Terminator Salvation – Bale tirade aside I almost forgot that this movie was coming out. The trailer looks very good.

So far, there is nothing premiering in June that captured my interest; does not matter anyway – I am seeing Eric Clapton in concert. That should get me through. BUT If I do get the urge to enter the cinema, I will likely catch up on Whatever Works and Easy Virtue.

July
1st: Public Enemies – given my love of crime dramas from eras long gone their handling of similar subjects and characters, I am looking forward to seeing how the story is brought forward into the 21st century.

That is it folks! It looks like it will be the Summer of Bale, if both his movies are big. Granted my must see list is not an end all be all for summer movie going experience. I am sure over the course of the summer I will dragged invited to go to the movies with friends and family. At the end of the day, going to the movies really is a social enterprise; well that and a great way to save on home energy costs (free AC)!

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Beyond the Gates (USA rel. 2007, dir. Michael Caton-Jones)

November 7, 2007 By Leave a Comment

 

 

original poster
Background

For the record, I saw this film under the UK-release titled Shooting Dogs1, and I saw it before I saw Hotel Rwanda. Actually that would have been a better basis for me to review the film on but for better or worse, since then I have actually seen Hotel Rwanda and invariably when I review Beyond the Gates I am obviously drawing oblique comparisons to both films. So I will try in earnest to not make this blog a comparative review but rather focus on Shooting Dogs/Beyond the Gates and why I feel it had such an enormous impact on me2.

 

So for a while after this movie was released overseas I followed its trail across ti he Atlantic in earnest waiting to see if and when it would get picked up; finally in late 2006 IFC Pictures purchased the US distribution rights and the film was finally released in March 2007.

 

 

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DVD Pick: Children of Men

October 17, 2007 By Leave a Comment

The Human Project Lives

Actually this is a movie pick – it is currently on a loop on cable television. But I recommend a DVD purchase for posterity.

Introduction

Admittedly the movie that I was anticipating view when I saw it in January is not the film I experience after I left the theater nearly two hours later.

Initially I sat there flummoxed at all the images was flashing across the screen. Literally there is a lot to take in … your visuals are assailed (and assaulted) from the very beginning.

At the conclusion of my first viewing, I was aware that I had not seen a bad film but had been witness to something different than I had experienced in quite some time. It was only after my recent second viewing that I felt comfortable giving my opinion and (a minimal degree of) insight into what my cinematic experience was.

Visually it is a remarkable film – a certain credit to the fine cinematography (thank goodness Mr. Emmanuel Lubezki received an Oscar nomination for his efforts).

Also great credit goes to the director, Alfonso Cuaron, who has helmed pictures such as Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (my personal favorite book AND film of the series) and Y Tu Mama Tambien, a film that I must admittedly go back and re-watch because frankly, I was left scratching my head on that one too.

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