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August 4, 2015 By iluvcinema Leave a Comment

Summer of Darkness Recap.

I hope that everyone (well, at least some of you) had the opportunity to enjoy the special programming block shown on TCM during the months of June and July known as TCM’s Summer of Darkness. Every Friday during this period, the TCM schedule was jam-packed with key noir pieces (eg. Detour), as well as films that were great “influencers” – essential viewing that established the mood and essence of what would come to engender this film movement/genre (eg., Fritz Lang’s M). And not to be left out, there were a even a few contemporary pieces that had clearly had a noir DNA imprinted on them.

If, however, you did not have the privilege of catching any of these gems, here is a list of a few that whether I saw them for the 1st or 50th time, I feel are well worth seeing:

Double Indemnity05_01_front_image-compressed_2e668f

D.O.A.

The Letter

Detour

Gun Crazy

The Set-Up

Too Late for Tears

The Narrow Margin

L.A. Confidential

The Asphalt Jungle

The Hitch-hiker

(Image Credit: TCM)

As you read this you may be saying, “Well, it’s August so the moment is gone iluvcinema.” To that I say – you are in luck. You may have missed them on their initial TCM run, but have no fear, you can catch many of these (as well as other) titles using the Watch TCM application/website.

Gun Crazy (1949) aka Deadly is the Female Directed by Joseph H. Lewis Shown: Peggy Cummins (as Annie Laurie Starr), John Dall (as Bart Tare)
Gun Crazy (1949) aka Deadly is the Female
Directed by Joseph H. Lewis
Shown: Peggy Cummins (as Annie Laurie Starr), John Dall (as Bart Tare)

Side Note: My initial vigor for participating in the FREE companion course (TCM Presents Into the Darkness: Investigating Film Noir) offered in conjunction with Ball State University, was unfortunately dampened by life’s happenstance. So while an abrupt change in schedule meant I unable to engage in real time with my community of fellow cineastes, thanks to early enrollment, I have an archive and invaluable resource to call upon when discussing and referencing film noir. Here’s hoping that in the future TCM forms similar partnerships.

TOO LATE FOR TEARS, Lizabeth Scott, Dan Duryea, 1949
TOO LATE FOR TEARS, Lizabeth Scott, Dan Duryea, 1949

Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: film noir, recap, TCM, tcm summer of darkness

February 12, 2014 By iluvcinema Leave a Comment

31 Days of Oscar

This winter has been brutal here in the Northeast, like Day After Tomorrow brutal. But fortunately it has been made a little warmer thanks to my television friends at TCM, with their annual 31 Days of Oscar viewing party.

tcm31days

Image Credit: Turner Classic Movies

In the lead up to the 86th Annual Academy Awards:

Each night’s [TCM] primetime lineup from Feb. 1 through March 3 will be devoted to showcasing all the movies nominated in a particular category in a given year. Meanwhile, daytime programming will focus on specific categories, with winners and nominees from multiple years.

So yeah we are currently a third of a way into the cinematic lovefest, but that does not mean you have to miss out on the remaining action. I personally feel about cinema the way I feel about any other topic of interest – in order to be truly literate in that area, a grasp of all leading up to the present is essential for true appreciation.

The prime time schedule (as of today, February 12) includes:

  • Feb. 12: Best Supporting Actress nominees from 1963
  • Feb. 13: Best Actress nominees from 1942
  • Feb. 14: Best Actor nominees from 1955
  • Feb. 15: Best Picture nominees from 1929-30
  • Feb. 16: Best Picture nominees from 1951
  • Feb. 17: Best Scoring of Music – Adaptation or Treatment nominees from 1962
  • Feb. 18: Best Film Editing nominees from 1959
  • Feb. 19: Best Supporting Actor nominees from 1937
  • Feb. 20: Best Actress nominees from 1934
  • Feb. 21: Best Actor nominees from 1944
  • Feb. 22: Best Picture nominees from 1948
  • Feb. 23: Best Picture nominees from 1938
  • Feb. 24: Best B/W Art Direction – Set Decoration nominees from 1965
  • Feb. 25: Best Cinematography, Black-and-White nominees from 1947
  • Feb. 26: Best Actress nominees from 1931-32
  • Feb. 27: Best Actor nominees from 1943
  • March 1: Best Picture nominees from 1967
  • March 2: Best Picture nominees from 1935
  • March 3: Best Special Effects nominees from 1958

As if the films are not enticing enough, the interstitial “extras” are equally informative; the original TCM program, And the Oscar Goes To … airs this Saturday (February 15th) and traces the history of the ultimate in cinematic awards ceremonies, with archive clips and interviews with past and contemporary winners, it is a treat for people who love the Academy Awards.  

Note, if you missed anything, you can always play catch up with the NEW Watch TCM App. And for a little more fun, if you are on Twitter, you can participate in live-tweeting events with my classic film friends using the TCMParty hashtag (#TCMParty).

 

Filed Under: Television Tagged With: 31 days of oscar, TCM

September 3, 2013 By iluvcinema 1 Comment

My Thoughts on “The Story of Film: An Odyssey”

Originally released in the UK in 2011, The Story of Film: An Odyssey got its US television broadcast premier Monday night (9/2) on TCM. An inspired piece, the documentary spans 15-episodes and is presented by UK-based film critic Mark Cousin, its content adapted from his 2004 book The Story of Film. Each episode covering a fixed span of time serves as an “introduction” to a series of films related to the theme of the episode.

Story of Film

What is it about you may ask? Well, it is exactly as advertised on the tin – it traces the history of cinema as an art form, starting with the visionaries and pioneers (Edison, Lumiere Brothers) and eventually working its way up to contemporary cinema.

How it gets there is unique to say the very least. It is often a personal insight that combines history with the more technical aspects of the movie-making process, all the while interconnecting these elements to the entire world of cinema, past and present. In that way it truly spans all corners of the globe and looks at film from a decidedly international perspective.

Be warned, as I was earlier in the evening: it does contain some plot revelations (“spoilers”) to films that you may have yet to see; for example, in the first episode (the only one I have seen so far), the ending of Once Upon a Time in the West was revealed. Will this stop me from watching? Heck nah. I find the history and the various clips chosen to accompany the documentary far too compelling to turn away.

Well that's a shame ...
Well that’s a shame …

It should also be noted that the documentary is narrated by Mr. Cousins himself, and is delivered in what I can only describe as an unconventional manner. I suppose may be due in part with his rather distinctive brogue (although Northern Irish, Mr. Cousins is currently based in Scotland). Another characteristic I have surmised early on is that some of the statements made by M. Cousins may come off as rather jarring and opinionated. In his preamble to Episode 1, he states that Casablanca is not a classic film. What the … ? However, upon further reflection, I realize this does not mean that he is saying the film is bad or unworthy of special merit, praise or noteworthiness, but rather I suspect/hope he is trying to blow wide open, to challenge and expand our notions about what he calls “the language of film,” in a way that moves beyond films being merely a Hollywood convention. In other words, Casablanca may very well be a landmark of American film making history, but it is just one in a larger canon of what makes cinema CINEMA. Even in this light, or maybe because of this, I am here for all of it.

The Story of Film: An Odyssey will air new episodes every Monday night through December, with a repeat airing on Tuesday, although the accompanying films will be new each evening.

Have you seen this documentary (in part or in whole)? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Filed Under: Documentaries, Reviews, Television Tagged With: history of film, TCM

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