9/10/06
Rated R: Republicans in Hollywood: 2004 AMC produced documentary (filmed during the 2003 California recall election) about the Republican minority in the entertainment buisness. One of the films central questions is if GOP affiliation is a liability in the industry, something which the films talking heads (all Repulicans or their sympathisers) disagree on. B-list Republicans featured in this doc include Patricia Heation, Pat Sajak, Drew Carey and Ben Stein.
Monday, July 2, 2007
The Big Heat (1953)
9/8/06
The Big Heat: I chose this Fritz Lang directed Noir as my film to view in memory of the recent death of Glenn Ford. Ford plays a police detective investigating the suicide of a fellow officer, what he finds conncets the dead cop to rampent corruption in their unnamed city. When Ford's officer Bannion gets too close, the syndicate controling the city has his wife Katie (played Jocelyn Brando, Marlon's sister) killed. Of course this only serves to make Bannion more deteremed. This strong little film also features Gloria Grahame and a young Lee Marvin.
The Big Heat: I chose this Fritz Lang directed Noir as my film to view in memory of the recent death of Glenn Ford. Ford plays a police detective investigating the suicide of a fellow officer, what he finds conncets the dead cop to rampent corruption in their unnamed city. When Ford's officer Bannion gets too close, the syndicate controling the city has his wife Katie (played Jocelyn Brando, Marlon's sister) killed. Of course this only serves to make Bannion more deteremed. This strong little film also features Gloria Grahame and a young Lee Marvin.
Casino Royale (1967)
9/6/06
Casino Royale: Charles K. Feldman produced satire of James Bond movies, taken very losely from Ian Flemings first 007 novel. Four directors, an all star cast, and lots of cameos, this movie is an inchoherent mess. For a better a film from the same year that covers similar territory see In Like Flint. However the Herb Alpert themed title sequence is not to be missed. DVD also contians the first screen presentation of the James Bond character, a 1954 episode of the anthology series Climax, staring Barry Nelson as an American James Bond, and Peter Lorre as Le Chiffre.
Casino Royale: Charles K. Feldman produced satire of James Bond movies, taken very losely from Ian Flemings first 007 novel. Four directors, an all star cast, and lots of cameos, this movie is an inchoherent mess. For a better a film from the same year that covers similar territory see In Like Flint. However the Herb Alpert themed title sequence is not to be missed. DVD also contians the first screen presentation of the James Bond character, a 1954 episode of the anthology series Climax, staring Barry Nelson as an American James Bond, and Peter Lorre as Le Chiffre.
Syriana (2005)
9/4/06
Syriana: A movie for our times. Tom Clancey meets Kevin Phillips. The Crash of oil politics. Say what you will about the politics of the people who made this movie, they are closer to the mark then we might wish they were. If that's still not enough for you, there is a scene where George Clooney has his finger nails removed by pliers (who says he dosn't understand the wants of conservative audiances).
Syriana: A movie for our times. Tom Clancey meets Kevin Phillips. The Crash of oil politics. Say what you will about the politics of the people who made this movie, they are closer to the mark then we might wish they were. If that's still not enough for you, there is a scene where George Clooney has his finger nails removed by pliers (who says he dosn't understand the wants of conservative audiances).
San Francisco (1936)
9/3/06
San Francisco (1936) is really the proto-type for the disaster movie genre. You take your romance, your riverly (such as your love-triangel, your borken friendship, or both) and have that all crash into some major calamity (preferably a historical one) towards the end of the film.
Even given how trite its formula has become, I loved this movie, not only are the preformances frist rate, and the special effects great for there time, but it has a truely engaging dramatic story that touches on themes of love, corruption, and faith. In fact the movie is mostely a not completly convincing metaphore about faith. Clark Gable plays the good hearted rack Blackie Norton, Jeanette MacDonald the clean-living singer he falls for, and Spencer Tracy his best friend the priest.
San Francisco (1936) is really the proto-type for the disaster movie genre. You take your romance, your riverly (such as your love-triangel, your borken friendship, or both) and have that all crash into some major calamity (preferably a historical one) towards the end of the film.
Even given how trite its formula has become, I loved this movie, not only are the preformances frist rate, and the special effects great for there time, but it has a truely engaging dramatic story that touches on themes of love, corruption, and faith. In fact the movie is mostely a not completly convincing metaphore about faith. Clark Gable plays the good hearted rack Blackie Norton, Jeanette MacDonald the clean-living singer he falls for, and Spencer Tracy his best friend the priest.
Corpse Bride (2005)
9/3/06
Corpse Bride is perhaps the only heavily Poe influenced animated family musical ever produced. Presented in director Tim Burtons preferd 'stop-motion style', only this time achived through computer animation, the movie is based losely on a Russian folk story about a man who accidently weds a dead women. At a tight 77 minutes the film is enjoyable, and saved from the meandering pace that ruined The Nightmare Before Christmas for me. Featuring the voice talents of (who else) Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.
Corpse Bride is perhaps the only heavily Poe influenced animated family musical ever produced. Presented in director Tim Burtons preferd 'stop-motion style', only this time achived through computer animation, the movie is based losely on a Russian folk story about a man who accidently weds a dead women. At a tight 77 minutes the film is enjoyable, and saved from the meandering pace that ruined The Nightmare Before Christmas for me. Featuring the voice talents of (who else) Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.
Kingdom Hosptial (2004)
9/3/06
Stephen King and the ABC Network had long had a good relationship, producing many successful mini-series during the 1990's, the best of which being The Stand from 1994. So when King decided he would like to produce an Americanized version of Lars Von Trier's Danish mini-series The Kingdom, as a limited run series for the network, all the planets seemed aligned for great success. However for reasons unknown, ratings for Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital in the spring of 2004 were so poor, that the network didn't keep the program on the air long enough to resolve it's 15-episode arc (I hate it when that happens).
Kingdom Hospital is now available on DVD so one can get the whole story of the haunted happings at the Lewiston Maine medical facility. The series feels a little slow and diluted in places, but comes together in the end. The plot concerns how the hospital was built on the site of two historic disasters, an 1869 fire at a clothing mill that killed more then a dozen child labours, and a 1939 fire at the orignal Kingdom Hospital. Diane Ladd plays Sally Druse, a character I never found quite as charming as I think I was supposed to, a psychic patiant who contacts the dead at the hospital. Andrew McCarthy plays Dr. Hook, a good man who at first doubts Mrs. Drews, but then comes to belive her. Bruce Davison is the wicked neurosurgon Dr. Stegman, who gets to go crazy over the course of the series. Jack Coleman plays Steven Kings alter-ego Peter Rickman, a popular artist who is hit by a van while jogging near his home in the Maine woods. The show also boasts the talking spirit anteater Antivas, the most impressive CG character I've ever seen on television. Mr. King and Ed Begley Jr. also appear in the series.
Stephen King and the ABC Network had long had a good relationship, producing many successful mini-series during the 1990's, the best of which being The Stand from 1994. So when King decided he would like to produce an Americanized version of Lars Von Trier's Danish mini-series The Kingdom, as a limited run series for the network, all the planets seemed aligned for great success. However for reasons unknown, ratings for Stephen King's Kingdom Hospital in the spring of 2004 were so poor, that the network didn't keep the program on the air long enough to resolve it's 15-episode arc (I hate it when that happens).
Kingdom Hospital is now available on DVD so one can get the whole story of the haunted happings at the Lewiston Maine medical facility. The series feels a little slow and diluted in places, but comes together in the end. The plot concerns how the hospital was built on the site of two historic disasters, an 1869 fire at a clothing mill that killed more then a dozen child labours, and a 1939 fire at the orignal Kingdom Hospital. Diane Ladd plays Sally Druse, a character I never found quite as charming as I think I was supposed to, a psychic patiant who contacts the dead at the hospital. Andrew McCarthy plays Dr. Hook, a good man who at first doubts Mrs. Drews, but then comes to belive her. Bruce Davison is the wicked neurosurgon Dr. Stegman, who gets to go crazy over the course of the series. Jack Coleman plays Steven Kings alter-ego Peter Rickman, a popular artist who is hit by a van while jogging near his home in the Maine woods. The show also boasts the talking spirit anteater Antivas, the most impressive CG character I've ever seen on television. Mr. King and Ed Begley Jr. also appear in the series.
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