- Screen cap from Turkish gem “Bal” (Honey)
by Sam Juliano
We at Wonders in the Dark continue to think about our friend Murderous Ink and his Japanese compatriots at a very trying time in their nation’s history. While reports continue to underline the gravity of the situation, it seems that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. As the moving reports documented here at the site by our friend have been deeply appreciated.
Maurizio Roca e mailed me late Sunday afternoon to inform me that the countdown will resume on Thursday, April 7th, due to unforeseen circumstances surrounding his move within the Borough of Brooklyn. His impassioned correspondance yet again confirms how dedicated he is to this great project and to the site’s readers, and I can’t thank him enough for all the time and abiding commitment he has made to film noir and the difficult task of comparitive assessment. Do what you have to do my dear friend, and understand we are all grateful for everything you’ve done.
A number of terrific posts were published this past week at the site, and they include Tony d’Ambra’s latest poetic foray, a brilliant and rapturous work on the Korean masterwork Poetry which already has landed on page 1 of the google page; Jim Clark’s splendid examination of the filmmaking career of Canadian artist Dennis Cote, Jamie Uhler’s latest installment in his incomparably authoritative Getting Over the Beatles series; Bob Clark’s newest essay on the Zack Snyder flick Sucker Punch, and two more magisterial entries from Allan Fish in his long-running “Fish Obscuro” series. Of course the stellar daily noir entries from Maurizio have received many page views and comments, and some more fabulous side-bar work from Dee Dee on various anniversaries and up-coming projects have kept the place hopping. Dee Dee in fact has announced a major interview slated to post on Tuesday, April 5th.
I had a rather busy week on the cultural scene, managing three stage plays in Manhattan and at the Performing Arts Center in Smithtown, Long Island, and also seeing four new releases, including one at a new site in Brooklyn (recommended by our friend Longman Oz in Dublin).
The 57 mile trip to Long Island on Saturday night to see a staging of Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap” yielded a mixed result. Mind you, this landmark play – running non-stop in London for 59 years – is a very great one, but regional actors in the north shore community theatre (a renovated movie palace) were only average, and most were almost impossible to hear. The place was modestly attractive, and the stage set of a hotel room during a snow storm was well-designed, but the production was missing a spark, inducing some in the audience to nod off, while a few others complained to their wives that they’d be “better off being bored at home.” Those couples never returned after the intermission. As I was the instigator for this trip, I got some friendly ribbing from Lucille and Broadway Bob who were also there for the ride.
Friday evening’s “Theatre For A New Audience” staging of the Bard’s Macbeth was high-quality stuff from the same company that gave Shakespeare fans two top-rank productions of Othello and Hamlet over the past two years. Once again the distinguished African-American actor John Douglas Thompson (who superbly played the moor in Othello) is memorable as Macbeth, while Annika Boras makes for a commanding Lady Macbeth. Mimimalist staging is wed to a traditional reading, made all that more riveting with the help of exceptional lighting and some creative stage embellishments. The witches were three young men wearing hippie garb, and Macduff was played by another worthy African-American thepian, Albert Jones. The company’s Othello is still unmatched, but it was refreshing to see a stage Macbeth that didn’t embrace updated fascist settings. Hence, I have always preferred traditional readings. This is the ninth stage Macbeth I have seen since my first at the Actor’s Cafe Theatre all the way back in 1973, when I reviewed it for the Bergen Community College school newspaper.
The week’s big surprise (although the reviews were reasonably solid) was the three-hour-and-fifteen minute Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes: Part 1 staging at the Peter Norton Space on 42nd Street. The play by Tony Kushner, is set in the 1980s against a backdrop of greed, conservatism, sexual politics, and the discovery of an awful new disease: AIDS. Both a love story and a political drama, the story centers around a group of separate, but inextricably connected individuals whose relationships are disintegrating as the AIDS crisis starts to grab hold. Kushner’s dark, cynical humor captures the fragility of the human condition and his prophetic and sublime words pierce the heart and move you to tears. Even with a high regard for the television mini-series with Al Pacino and Meryl Streep from 2002, the staging, performances and brisk pace of this long production made for a most memorable Wednesday evening. The second part is over four hours, and I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get tickets before the April 25th closing, though I’ll be watching. I attended this play with Broadway Bob, who also responded most favorably.
On the movie scene I saw the following in theatres:
One Hundred Mornings *** 1/2 (Thursday evening) Brooklyn Retro
Bal (Honey) **** 1/2 (Sunday morning) Village East Cinemas
Source Code ** (Sunday afternoon) Edgewater multiplex
The Lincoln Lawyer *** 1/2 (Sunday afternoon) Edgewater multiplex
Our esteemed friend Longman Oz in Dublin informed me of a new Brooklyn movie theatre called the ‘retro cinema’ which sits literally under the Brooklyn Bridge. It was this location I traveled solo to on a rainy Thursday night, and discovered a most interesting screening place: a back room of a busy restaurant bar, that shows only movies that failed to win Manhattan openings, films that may have made their mark at Cannes, Sundance and elsewhere. The seats were reportedly taken from cars and actually are quite comfortable, and a bar waiter asks repeatedly before the film begings if “everyone is good with the food!” The film is is not run on a projector by rather on a blu-ray disc on a 12 foot screen. The results were actually quite impressive, and the film, ONE HUNDRED MORNINGS, while not remotely great, still makes a fine case for the future of Irish director Conor Horgan, who imparts some subtle intrigue to his present-day apocalyptic scenario. I guess we’ve seen so many end-of the-world movies that have hit us over the head, that a pull back can become tedious, but I’d dare say Conor’s film reminded me in tone and pacing of Lynn Littman’s 1983 TESTAMENT, though that earlier film is far more disturbing, while Conor documents his societal beakdown in far more predictable terms. The outcome in ONE HUNDRED MORNINGS is expected and nothing revelatory, but the film is memorable for it’s deliberate pacing and attention to the smallest cracks that open the floodgate to the inherent barbaric instincts that surface in such a doomsday scenario. I would like to thank Longman for his heads-up on the film and this unique theatre in this memorable seedy neighborhood, and would like to mention that our friend Chuck Bowen penned a terrific review of the film for SLANT: http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/one-hundred-mornings/5356
In addition I saw another clunker from Duncan Jones (I was no fan of MOON either) but this less existential thriller resorts to the same tactics over and over again, and the ending is rather ludicrous. I’ve seen all I need to see with the parallel universe theme in the original STAR TREK episode “Mirror Mirror,” which at least was engaging and unconvoluted. Jake Gyllenthal and Vera Fermiga can’t really develop either. THE LINCOLN LAWYER was a decent legal thriller with a nice twist, and the week’s best film is one recommended highly from my friend Srikanth (Just Another Film Buff), who placed it among his best films of last year, though I have it as a 2011 release with the USA opening this past week. The beautiful Turkish film BAL (HONEY) showcases some lovely scenery and a moving story with a terrific lead performance by the child actor Bora Altas, and it concerns loss, beauty and an acute sense of mystery. It’s an intelligent and meditative film that should appeal to all serious cineastes. I hope to have a full review at some point.
Some of the links this week are carry-overs:
Tony d’Ambra has had a sizzling week. His recent poem on the Korean film Poetry, penned at Wonders is a treasure, and severla days ago he posted his greatest noirs of all-time list at FilmsNoir.net that respresents his first-ever attempt at such a venture despite his resounding expertise. The results speak for themselves (63 noirs that received 5 star-ratings from the Sydney native): http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/the-greatest-film-noir.html
John Greco has a terrific review of Andre de Toth’s Pitfall headlining at Twenty Four Frames: http://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/pitfall-1948-andre-de-toth/
At Scribbles and Ramblings Sachin has penned a great double examination on Roy Andersson films: http://likhna.blogspot.com/2011/04/roy-andersson-double.html
At Movie Classics Judy Geater has a wonderful post up in appreciation of James Cagney on 25th the anniversary of his passing: http://movieclassics.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/james-cagney/
At Speaking from the Heart Laurie Buchanan asks what gear you are in today while remembering a turtle crossing she has noticed earlier that day: http://holessence.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/turtle-crossing/
Jason Marshall has named Hattie McDaniel as Best Supporting Actress of 1939 for her beloved performance in Gone With the Wind. His terrific essay is over at Movies Over Matter: http://moviesovermatter.com/2011/03/31/hattie-mcdaniel-gone-with-the-wind-best-supporting-actress-of-1939/
Ed Howard’s miraculous run at Only the Cinema continues with a superlative examination of Charles Vidor’s classic Gilda: http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com/2011/04/gilda.html
One of the most truly ecclectic of all bloggers, Samuel Wilson has penned an intriguing piece at Mondo 70 of 1969′s Machine Gun McCain: http://mondo70.blogspot.com/2011/04/machine-gun-mccain-gli-intoccabili-1969.html
Jaime Grijalba has authored an exceptional essay on Otto Preminger’s The Cardinal at Exodus 8:2: http://exodus8-2.blogspot.com/2011/04/cardinal-1963.html
At SmiledYawnedNodded Longman Oz has an excellent capsule reviewing leading on Ken Laoch’s Route Irish: http://smiledyawnednodded.com/2011/03/28/routeirish/
Filmmaker/blogger Jeffrey Goodman is leading up with an intriguing piece on “Social Media for Filmmakers” at The Last Lullaby: http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/2011/03/social-media-for-filmmakers-guru-thomas.html
At Ferdy-on-Films Marilyn Ferdinand has a marvelous essay up on Anthony Mann’s underexposed Railroaded: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?p=9326
Meanwhile at This Island Rod, Ferdinand colleague Roderick Heath has a stupendous essay up on Die Hard 2: http://thisislandrod.blogspot.com/2011/04/die-hard-2-1990.html
Jeff Stroud is leading up with a fascinating post titled “The Moment of Encounter” at The Reluctant Bloger: http://jeffstroud.wordpress.com/2011/03/28/the-moment-of-encounter/
At Living in Cinema Craig Kennedy is offering up a wonderful “mini-review” of The Elephant in the Living Room: http://livingincinema.com/2011/04/01/mini-review-the-elephant-in-the-living-room-2011/
“A Friendly Farm Gate Chat” is topping at Terrill Welch’s wonderous Creativepotager’s blog. I strongly suggest joing Terrill on her modest shopping spree: http://creativepotager.wordpress.com/2011/04/02/a-friendly-farm-gate-chat/
At The Seventh Art Srikanth Srinivasan has penned a superlative capsule review of Jerzy Skolimowski’s Essential Killing: http://theseventhart.info/2011/03/26/ellipsis-36/
The inspiring and resilient ‘Murderous Ink’ is enduring all the fears and inconviniences in Tokyo at the present time, enough to return to blogging about the cinema. His new piece at Vermillion and One Nights on 1957′s Downtown is a must-read for all serious cineastes: http://vermillionandonenights.blogspot.com/2011/03/downtown.html
David Schleicher has a great post up at his place on baseball movies as the 2011 season commences: http://theschleicherspin.com/2011/03/31/the-starting-nine/
At Darkness Into Light Dee Dee is on a celebratory holding pattern with some posts chronicling the past events, prizes, contests and noir happenings over the past weeks. No one has worked harder for so many just causes, and no one’s passion has been more palpable: http://noirishcity.blogspot.com/
Stephen-Russell-Gebbett’s latest exceptional post at Checking on my Sausages is on Hulk: http://checkingonmysausages.blogspot.com/2011/03/hulk.html
Hokahey has penned an exquisite piece on the new Jane Eyre at Little Worlds: http://hokahey-littleworlds.blogspot.com/2011/04/beautiful-jane-eyre-2011.html
At Cinemascope, Shubhajit is leading with a terrific capsule on a Bengali film called Life Goes On: http://cliched-monologues.blogspot.com/2011/04/life-goes-on-2010.html
At the home of the venerated Coffee Messiah Michael Harford leads up with a most telling post on “Coffee and Art”: http://coffeemessiah.blogspot.com/2011/03/gettin-to-be-that-time-of-year-again.html
Kaleem Hasan’s Satyamshot remains the place to be for Indian culture, film, sports and politics: http://satyamshot.wordpress.com/
J.D. has authored an impressive essay on Eerie, Indiana, a kind of Twin Peaks for kids at Radiator Heaven: http://rheaven.blogspot.com/2011/03/eerie-indiana.html
Troy Olson is headlining at Elusive as Robert Denby with a fabulous review of the Korean I Saw the Devil: http://troyolson.blogspot.com/2011/02/i-saw-devil.html
Jon Lanthier has a new round-up of recent viewings, all-written with his incomparable insights and style at The Aspiring Sellout: http://aspiringsellout.com/2011/03/viewing-log-2/
Andrew Wyatt has a terrific review up on Sucker Punch at Gateway Cinephiles: http://gatewaycinephiles.com/2011/04/01/sucker-punch/
Kevin Olson’s exceptional review of the noir Force of Evil is still heading up at Hugo Stiglitz Makes Movies: http://kolson-kevinsblog.blogspot.com/2011/02/for-love-of-film-noir-blogathon-force.html
R.D. Finch has penned a terrific review of The King of Marvin Gardens at The Movie Projector: http://themovieprojector.blogspot.com/2011/04/king-of-marvin-gardens-1972.html
Pat Perry is heading up at the reinstated Doodad Kind of Town with some Oscar pieces: http://doodadkindoftown.blogspot.com/2011/02/oscar-winners-2011-and-great.html
T.S. at Screen Savour has some marvelous capsule reviews up for “Media Month” on some of cinema’s greatest features: http://www.screensavour.net/2011/03/media-month-february-2011.html
Matthew Lucas has penned a superlative essay on the Turkish Bal (Honey) at From the Front Row: http://fromthefrontrow.blogspot.com/2011/03/review-bal-honey.html
At The Cooler Jason Bellamy has an engaging (and challenging) post for movie lovers titled The Eyes of March: http://coolercinema.blogspot.com/2011/03/eyes-of-march-2011.html
At Cinema Styles Greg Ferrara has posted a loving remembrance of Elizabeth Taylor: http://cinemastyles.blogspot.com/2011/03/elizabeth-taylor-rest-in-peace.html
Jake Cole has a penned a superlative piece on the vampire movie remake Let Me In at Not Just Movies: http://armchairc.blogspot.com/
Daniel Getahun has posted the ‘Top Ten documentaries’ of 2010 at Getafilm. Looks like an essential for cineastes: http://getafilm.blogspot.com/2011/03/best-documentaries-of-2010.html
Drew McIntosh is heading up with five caps from an underrated Divivier gem from 1943 at The Blew Vial: http://thebluevial.blogspot.com/2011/03/flesh-and-fantasy-julien-duvivier-1943.html
Anu, at The Confidential Report has posted a spectacular Top 10 list that again shows why and how he’s an ultimate cineaste: -2010/http://theconfidentialreport.wordpress.com/2011/01/12/top-ten-of\
At Velvety Blackness, Jean has written a brilliant essay on the cult classic Underground: http://velvetyblackness.blogspot.com/2011/03/underground.html
At Visions of Non-Fiction, Dave Van Poppel has penned an intriguing essay on Clio Bernard’s The Arbor, that should be seen by all cineastes: http://visionsofnonfiction.blogspot.com/2011/03/arbor.html
Jeopardy Girl talks a bit about Chomet’s The Illusionist and some other things at her “FAQ” pst at The Continuing Story of Jeopardy Girl: http://jeopardygirl.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/some-faq/
And the esteemed Film Doctor has also taken on the multiplex feature with singular insights at his place: http://filmdr.blogspot.com/2011/03/baby-doll-and-steampunk-zombie-nazis-9.html
Thanks very much for the mention Sam, and the compliment.
HULK is a curious and complex film that didn’t really capture the imagination of the public. Much could be written about it.
Thanks for all the other links too – I’m especially looking forward to reading Roderick Heath’s piece on DIE HARD 2. This week I watched
MOTHER OF TEARS ** (very good in small patches, mostly uninspired)
…and a couple of others that I may write about soon.
Many thanks Stephen! I will definitely check out that HULK review today. I’ll admit I was never a fan, but there is 50ish teacher in my school who is a Hulk maniac. He’s an art teacher, and he draws and acquires everything Hulk. It was always a kind of cult craze. My son Danny is a huge fan too. The film never did make a big splash with the public, I quite agree.
Roderick’s review of DIE HARD 2, read last night, is indeed an awesome piece.
I have to admit, “Hulk” turned me off quickly with the way it lamely appropriated comic-book aesthetics without really bothering to understand how they’d work in cinema. All that split-screen, drawing attention to the “panels” and comic-book captions? Didn’t draw me. Also, Bana didn’t have the right physical stature for Banner– he’s too tall, strong and imposing already. Edward Norton was a perfect choice in the sequel, and wasn’t saddled down by a rote daddy-issue plot, either.
Sam,
Again, I thank you for the shout out, you are always so generous.
The horror in Japan just seems to go on. In this morning’s NY Times, Japan is said to be releasing “low” levels of radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean used as part of the effort to cool the reactors. I understand they may have no other choice but think about it next time you eat fish. Nuclear waste in Pacific and oil in the Gulf, but don’t worry, the “experts” say it is all safe!
That is an impressive week you had buddy! Too bad about THEMOUSETRAP production considering the length of the trip. ANGELS IN AMERICA is a brilliant experience filled with just about every emotion in the book (we saw parts 1 and 2 back in the 1990′s). The new Brooklyn theater seems like a unique idea, hopefully they can make a go of it.
My own week was a busy one of volunteering and movies with a one day interruption for some brutal storms on Thursday, part of the front that hit the entire east coast. Anyway, the weather was good for the gigantic “yard sale” and it was a huge success financially.
I think we were right on in agreement with THE LINCOLN LAWYER though I liked the confounding SOURCE CODE a bit more than you. On my own film front this week I watched the following…
Source Code (***) This SF film is a definite mind trip. A confusing, tale about a experimental Government project where a dead soldier (Jake Gyllhenhaal) can enter the body of another person for eight minutes at a time in hopes of thwarting a anti-terror attack. Fairly entertaining until the director totally lost me with the illogical ending.
The Godfather (*****) Coppola’s epic masterpiece of the Corleone family and organized crime reigns as one of the most formal and classical films in American cinema. The correlation between organized crime and the corporate business world. (Even the meeting of Mafia Dons takes place around a boardroom style table) is just one of the many themes explored . At its core, the film is still an old fashion Warner Brothers’ style gangster film, only Coppola gives us a close up modern day view of “family” matters. Masterful!
Open City (****1/2) A landmark Italian film made with black market film stock, few professional actors and extremely limited finances, in other words, Guerilla filmmaking, Italian Style. The film centers on a group of resistance fighters, eventually betrayed by a former mistress, who is seduced by the German lesbian assistant of the Gestapo officer in charge, a sadistic creep named Bergmann. The film contains some brutal scenes of torture that must have been truly shocking to filmgoers back in the 1940′s when the film was first released. My only problem with the film is the extreme broad strokes of good versus evil Rossellini, and scriptwriter Fellini, paint. The resistance fighters have God, Church and family on their side versus the evil Nazis who are vile, sadistic, heartless, homosexual, lesbian, anti-religious zealots. I am not fan of Nazi’s but no one group is all pure and golden and another all evil. There should be some shades of gray in the characterization.
I’m No Angel (****) The incomparable Mae West is in pre-code heaven with carny life, men, hootchie cootchie dancing, men, taking on the elite, men, New York and Cary Grant. Some of her memorable lines are from this film (“Peel me a grape,” “It ain’t the men in your life that count, it’s the life in your men”). Every word that comes out of her mouth is surrounded with innuendo, making it all sound suggestive.
Jack Goes Boating (***1/2) Phillip Seymour Hoffman’s directing debut is a poignant, bittersweet story about the breaking up of one couple and the coming together of a second. Based on Bob Glaudini’s Off-Broadway play which starred Hoffman, John Ortiz and Daphne Rubin-Vega, all who recreate their stage roles in the film. The newcomer is the talented Amy Ryan as Connie, Hoffman’s love interest. Hoffman bloated soft puffy boy features fit the awkwardness of his character, Jack, who has a hard time dealing with life’s everyday situations. A former high school friend of mine, Richard Petroselli, plays the role of Uncle Frank.
The Projectionist (***1/2) Independent filmmaker Harry Hurwitz’s wonderful offbeat tribute to film lovers. This may be an acquired taste, there are some silly moments, but I would think most film lovers would find the film witty and clever with some shade of early “Saturday Night Live” style humor. Interspersed with film clips from classic films, we follow the life of Chuck McCann (played by Chuck McCann), a movie projectionist at theater in New York, whose dull life allows to imagine himself as a superhero who saves the world, and his dream girl from The BAT, played by Rodney Dangerfield in his film debut. Made in 1971 there are some great scenes of old Times Square and 42nd Street before its Disney like makeover.
John: I’m honestly afraid to read about the latest news about Japan. Concern about the Japanese people has now extended to consternation for the rest of the world in view of all this risidule environmental contamination. It’s a hundred times worse than the gulf oil spill. As a big fish eater (particularly salmon) I am mortified to read what you have relayed here.
Congrats on your successful yard sale! I saw a few in our neighborhood this past week, which usually means spring weather is upon us. But the winter is persistent in these parts. We had that lousy weather too one day this week, but sorry it was so severe by you. As always your volunteer work is to be applauded.
Yeah, SOURCE CODE is one that has impressed many (heck, it’s at around 90% at RT) and it requires some patiences and super-attentiveness. Frank made a good comparison with INCEPTION, though I prefer Nolan’s film by a wide distance. Bob Clark is preparing a WitD review on SOURCE CODE.
Excellent capsules there of THE GODFATHER and OPEN CITY, both supreme classics of the cinema. Yes, the former is patterned in a sense on the old Warners mob movies, while Roselini’s film is the definitive entry in the neo-realist movement. I see what you are saying though about the need for some ‘gray’ personifications.
Your dead-on on I’M NO ANGEL, and not far off from where I stand with JACK GOES BOATING. That’s great to have a high school friend acting in a film! Awesome! I never met or knew him, but the actor Joe Pantoliano attended my high school (Cliffside Park) and hung around in my town with people I do know.
Thanks for the terrific delineation of THE PROJECTIONIST, a film I’m sorry to say I haven’t seen yet.
Have a great week my friend, and thanks for the spectacular wrap!
Sam, thanks so much for the wonderful mention. Like you, I continue to follow the Japanese tragedy with great concern, and my heart and thoughts continue to be with them daily.
It sounds like you had another tremendous week. I saw ANGELS IN AMERICA once on stage and was equally enthralled. I also loved hearing about that new theater in Brooklyn. I would love to take in a screening there the next time I’m in the area (which unfortunately isn’t near as often as I would like).
This week I saw ASHES AND DIAMONDS, Von Sternberg’s UNDERWORLD, WICHITA, 99 RIVER STREET, TOKYO-GA, REBELS OF THE NEON GOD, NIGHT OF THE DEMON, and THE CRANES ARE FLYING. I enjoyed them all, and even though it’s probably a minority opinion, I would have to say my favorite was the Wenders essay dedicated to Ozu. As I’ve mentioned previously, Ozu’s been the most inspiring directorial discovery of the last year or so, and I’ve long been a fan of Wenders’ seventies and early eighties work.
Thanks, Sam, so much for all that you do. You’re truly an inspiration.
Jeffrey, as I mentioned to John, it’s a fearful thing to check out the newest developments in the Far East not only for the Japanese people, but now for others around the globe.
Thrilled to hear you had seen the theatrical staging of ANGELS, and came away with the same kind of reaction. I am hoping I’ll be able to negotiate the four-hour Part 2, but it will all depend on some time factors. I dare say on stage it works even better than on film, though I have nothing but admiration for that television special.
The Brooklyn theatre is a god-send, and I am hoping they will stay the course with this kind of eclectic programming. These are films that are denied regular Manhattan openings, yet are deserving of public exposure based on their festival prominence. This Irish film has received some very good reviews.
I love Ozu deeply as well, so I have no issue with teh Wenders choice. I am also a huge fan of CURSE OF THE DEMON, ASHES AND DIAMONDS, UNDERWORLD and THE CRANES ARE FLYING. Talk about having a great week, you just had one for the record books yourself!
Many thanks as always my great friend!
Sounds like you guys got caught in the proverbial mousetrap. 57 miles for a mediocre experience is tough to take. But I agree that’s still one of the greatest plays with the right production. Looks like the plays Macbeth and Angels in America and the Turkish film were the big winners.
Yep, Fred, and I heard the music from my wife and Broadway Bob. I’ll think twice about traveling that kind of distance in the future, especially with Manhattan and it’s incomparable theatrical diversity within a stone’s throw. I’m sure a MOUSTRAPstaging will be offered soon enough in the Big Apple. Yes, the MACBETH and ANGELS were superior as was the lovely Turkish film that I feature here with a screen cap.
Many thanks my very good friend!
Most of what I read about Source Code was positive. But I can see why this kind of film could be a turn off. It’s comparable to Nolan’s Inception, though I would imagine it’s nowhere as good. If you ever plan to make the trek to that Brooklyn Bridge theatre again give me a hollar.
Frank I just read the same comparison from Jenny Boulden at LIVING IN CINEMA. I would INCEPTION light years ahead of this new film, though again I recognize I’m in the minority.
Aye, I’ll keep you abreast on that Retro Theatre.
Many thanks my excellent friend!
Sam – I very much enjoyed the word picture you painted for “Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes: Part 1,” but the brushstroke that really grabbed my attention was: “Kushner’s dark, cynical humor captures the fragility of the human condition and his prophetic and sublime words pierce the heart and move you to tears.” Now I’m chomping at the bit.
THANK YOU for pointing to Speaking from the Heart.
Laurie, thanks very much for that! The stage work was deeply affecting, and imaginatively mounted. It’s no wonder that it inspires some stimulating ideas. And thanks too for the the compliment on the capsule assessment. I know this work is popular and will always make the rounds. As I noted to some others I hope to see Part 2 before it finishes up at the end of the month.
As always many thanks my excellent friend!
Thanks for the mention, Sam!I’m still at home recovering after surgery, but I have an ultrasound today that I hope will yield good results. As I’ve been at home, I found time to watch and finish the John Adams miniseries with Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney, which was pretty fantastic. I’ve recently started Downton Abbey, the British series that concerns Downton estate’s inheritance, for both the upstairs and downstairs parties. It’s absolutely fantastic if you ever get the chance to see it. It stars Maggie Smith and an entire cast of wonderful actors.
Hope you had a wonderful weekend!
Dave: I wish you a speedy recovery, and as I stated to you last week I know well what you have gone through. Your routine ultrasound will work out just fine, and you’ll need a bit of R & R. for a short while anyway.
The Paul Giamatti/Laurie Linney JOHN ADAMS is marvelous of course, as is that magnificent Pulitzer-prize winning work by David McCullough. I have not seen DOWNTON ABBEY yet, but have heard so much about it. Your recommendation is further validation of it’s worth.
Many thanks as always my friend, and feel better fast!
Hope you are feeling better soon, Dave – I thought the John Adams mini-series was fantastic too, and also enjoyed ‘Downton Abbey’. You might also like the ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ follow-up series which was shown in the UK at Christmas, starring Eileen Atkins – I thought that was possibly even better than Downton!
Thanks a lot Judy and Sam! And thanks for the recommendation, Judy! I’ve heard good things about the Upstairs Downstairs follow-up series and really want to check it out. I’ve never seen the original, either (I’m at the ripe age of 25), but I plan on seeking both out. Hope both of you are well!
Thanks Dave, all is well indeed!
Thanks, as always, for the shout-out, Sam. So, no fan of MOON, eh? I liked it and thought it as a nicely understated homage to ’70s SF like SILENT RUNNING. I am curious to see Duncan Jones’ new film if only to see how he deals with a significantly larger budget. I will certainly keep your observations in mind.
J.D. I’ll admit with MOON I am on the outside looking in. So many have embraced it and written so many greats about it, that I am now of the opinion I missed the boat. I have been meaning to watch it again, but haven’t gotten around to it. That’s a most interesting and persuasive comparison point you make with SILENT RUNNING. I’d be very interested in seeing a review on SOURCE CODE from you at some point.
many thanks as always my very good friend!
Sam: That sounds like an excellent adventure you had discovering that theater under the bridge. I wish we had enterprise like that in my neighborhood.
My weekend included William Wellman’s outstanding western Yellow Sky and Ferdinando Baldi’s mediocre spaghetti western Hate Thy Neighbor (love the title!) along with Machine Gun McCain. Like Jeffrey Goodman, I also checked out Jacques Tourneur’s Wichita, which’ll probably be my next review. While it isn’t an especially distinguished version of the Earp legend, it intrigues me because its gun-control theme probably makes it a more political film now than it was when it was released 56 years ago.
Last night I took a break from Mildred Pierce (I can catch up on demand) to watch TCM’s Fragments special featuring the surviving clips of otherwise-lost films. Turned out that I’d seen a lot of them already but the overall effect was still kinda heartrending. I’d love to see the rest of John Ford’s Village Blacksmith to see what led up to its Freaks-ish finish, or any of the first film version of The Great Gatsby, not to mention stuff of which nothing survives.
Ironically, Samuel, I got the tip-off on that Brooklyn theatre from none other than our Irish friend Longman Oz, who found out about it from across the pond! Ha! I will certainly be following the upcoming schedule to see what’s worth returning there for.
I recall Judy writing a fine piece on YELLOW SKY a while back at MOVIE CLASSICS. Your review of Baldi’s film is the first I heard of it. Nice work there too with MACHINE GUN MC CAIN at MONDO 70! I purchased the Warner Archives DVD of Tourneur’s WICHITA, but haven’t yet watched it. Intriguing point there about the gun-control topicality. I’ll keep an eye out for your upcoming review.
Of course, FRAGMENTS is more than intriguing, and I’ll wait for the DVD release of MILDRED PIERCE that is sure to come soon. Ah, I have never seen Ford’s VILLAGE BLACKSMITH, though I thought I saw just about every Ford (ha!)
Thanks again my friend for the great comment here!
Sam and Samuel, I’ll write more tomorrow, as I’m half-asleep, but just a quick note to say I haven’t reviewed ‘Yellow Sky’ as yet – I do remember seeing a review of it, though, maybe by John Greco?
Thanks Judy, it may well be John. I’ll have to check at TWENTY FOUR FRAMES. You had done so much with Wellman that I mistook this one as being completed.
Hello Sam and everyone who lurks around these realms of internet movie and entertainment criticism and appraisal!
Thanks once more for featuring me in your essential blog roll, the entry of last week went through a lot of work before even writing it (the writing was kinda rushed, I won’t deny it) but for the purpose of the Blogathon, it was quite a hard work.
Your week seemed to be quite acomplished in the theater world, as you know, I’m a fanatic of acting, so I just love to see other people act in the stage. It gives you some kind of window to the soul of the author, the directors and even the actors who portray the characters. Theater is truly an amazing experience.
Sad to hear about the halt to the countdown, even if I really haven’t participated in it (the only one I did was just replaced, “Gaslight”), so I guess now I have to write something for this wednesday (hehe).
Me? I had a quiet week, but with just one bad news, my mom turned out to be a bit sick, and she has an ulcer (ugh), so that’s that. The rest of the week was alright, I guess. Tuesday and Saturday were spent with the girlfriend, we ate something that last day. On thursday we did an exercise, quite funny, one that Eisenstein did to his alumni, he read the “Crime & Punishment” part where a guy kills a prestamist, and we had to plan how we would shoot the scene. The final answer awaits next thursday.
Saturday night I went with my university friends to eat something (chorrillana: fried eggs, fried potatoes, beef, fried onions), and then to a friend’s house to play Wii (I went back home 5 am).
My week, movie wise:
- Au hasard Balthazar (1966, Robert Bresson) ****1/2 Sad, hard to watch sometimes, slow, beautiful, all these thoughts went through my mind as I saw this well made film from the french master. It was a pleasure to see it in a big screen (no film though), but I still kinda prefered L’Argent. This one, is good as well.
- The Cardinal (1963, Otto Preminger) **** Surprised to see how good it was, ashamed at how long it turned out to be. My review is at the blog.
- Everything Will Be Ok (2006, Don Hertzfeldt) ***** MASTERPIECE. Oh my god, this must be one of the best things ever made. How an animation could embody so much in such a little time and in such simple traces. He is a genius of this times.
- 13 Assassins (2010, Takashi Miike) ****1/2 Splendidly well made, dream-like, action filled, the movie may recall every other samurai movie, specially “Seven Samurai”, but this one is done with so much passion and attention to detail, as well as a powerful message about the times we live in, that it’s just amazing.
- Kiss of the Spider Woman (2985, Hector Babenco) ***1/2 I had to see this movie as I will act in a play based on the book. Now, I didn’t find it that well acted (except for Raul Julia, astonishing) and the mix of real life with the movies didn’t really engage in a conversation as I wish it had.
- I Was Born, But… (1932, Yasujiro Ozu) ****1/2 Well made and funny at large times. My review was my Sam Flick Pick, as you know.
- Sucker Punch (2011, Zack Snyder) **1/2 I wrote a bit about this one in the comments at Bob’s essay, and this one I just found boring and dull and repetitive and dull and sexist and dull and boring. Snyder is not a fave.
- Wake Wood (2011, David Keating) **** Hammer Horror Film back in its form! Full of splendid bloody effects and quite a good acting from some people, this one raises above as an example of folk horror, full of supertitions and wizardry of the past.
Oh, I also finished “Good Omens”. So Good!
Anyway, bye Sam, have a good week!
Well Jaimie, your work on THE CARDINAL was evident in the great job you did with the writing. I saw it but have yet to comment. It’s definitely an interesting Preminger.
You are certainly encouraged to post something here on Wednesday if you can manage it, but I understand you are spreading thin in all directions. Yes, I know you have a special love for acting and for the stage, and have yourself engaged in productions. This is another reason why your involvement, participation and friendship is so special–you are culturally diversified! Yes, at this time of the year, theatre is dominant. I try and see what I can at reasonable prices, and even have two more lined up for Tuesday and Wednesday of this week: SOLDIER DREAMS and BAD SEED.
The countdown has only been delayed for three days Jaime, and will resume on Thursday, so no harm. Maurizio is in the process of moving from one Brooklyn location to another.
Very sorry to hear your Mom has been ill, and has discovered she has an ulcer. These are not what they once were and are easily manageable. She’ll surely have to lay off any spicy food though. My best wishes to her for a quick rebound. Nice to see you are maintaining some quality time with your girlfriend- I hope she’s a movie lover though!- and interesting session there with “Crime and Punishment.” Nice meal there, and time with Wii, though as you know you don’t want to go too far with that. Ha!
It’s great that you continue to find the artistry in Hertzfelt, and that another five-star rating has been given out to another of his films. I haven’t seen this one yet, but I don’t doubt your excceding praise!
Bresson’s BALTHAZAR is slow and painful to watch as you rightly contend, but for me it’s one of the supreme masterpieces of the cinema, one of the greatest films ever made.
13 ASSASSINS is exactly where you have it; as I mentioned THE CARDINAL is solid, so your rating is fair; for me KISS is about a ***, so we’re in agreement, and I haven’t yet seen that new Hammer film.
I WAS BORN…BUT is absolutely a masterwork.
Congrats on finishing GOOD OMENS. Thanks again for this alwats cherished submission, and am looking forward to Wednesday’s pot if you design to go forward with it. Many thanks my very good friend!
Wow, I am impressed by all that you share here – and maybe a bit jealous as it connects me to the world that is too far away for me right now. Most of the plays I have seen recently are children’s theatre productions and the high school drama groups. I have to wait for most movies too although there is a new 16 plex nearby, they do not play many of the movies that I wish to see – I just have to satisfy the urge by reading all the books I can discover! (The King’s Speech is now playing here 9:30pm Sunday nights )
Wow I have read your post three times and then I got really excited because I think I will be at one play for the Shakespearean Festival in Ashland, Oregon – August?
I was on the beach in New Jersey in the late 70′s teaching gay men about this new disease and safe sex…would love to see that play – Wow Thank you
Patricia: Thanks so much for making your first appearance at Wonders in the Dark, and for forwarding such a splendid comment on this always-treasured weekly diary post. I’ll admit I am very lucky in the sense that I have the opportunities in the NYC area to see Broadway theatre and off-Broadway theatre. I may have taken this a bit too far with that long trip to Smithtown, Long Island, but I was seduced by the fact that there hasn’t been a “Mousetrap” staging in the Big Apple in a while. Great that you now have a new multiplex near you, and that you have resolved to attend the Shakespeare Festival. I’m assuming you’ll opt for one of the four great tragedies if they are all on the schedule. So you were here in the 70′s helping out with the crisis, eh? Wow. I salute you for that. I am 56 now (my wife Lucille is nine years my junior) so I well remember those days. Interestingly enough I caught the documentary on the making of the film THE BOYS IN THE BAND a few weeks ago here at the Quad. Most of taht cast succumbed to AIDS, with few still around. Fortunately the writer Mart Crowley is here, and was the center of the documentary.
Again, I can’t thank you enough Patricia for sharing, and if you are free, this thread runs every Monday. Have a great week my friend!
Sam, this is my second comment on your site, and you put me up on your blog roll – Patricia’s Wisdom… the patricia60 is for your like button! I came over from Creative Potager and and Laurie Buchanan’s referrals…
I have been reading here for quite awhile, just now started commenting.
My oldest daughter loves movies and plays and keeps me informed on many – but she lives in San Francisco – but I feel mostly “out of it” right now!
I just pick up on your great energy and joy – passionate joy and think that is wonderful. My neighbor’s son in law is a play write living in Hyak NY Chris Kyle and he won an award for one of his plays? My claim to fame
Patricia: I’m sorry about that. I never realized you both are one and the same person; but I tend to have scattered side if you know what I mean! I very much appreciate these anecdotes. I am thrilled that you came here via the referrals from Terrill and Laurie, two people I respect mightily. Meeting them was a major highlight of my blogging tenure, and now we can add you to that group. That’s your neighbor’s son-in-law who’s an author? Wow. It’s a small world indeed.
Thanks again my friend!
Sam, I don’t think I would have taken too kindly to that 60 mile trip either. The best play on Broadway -whatever that is- wouldn’t be worth the distance you traveled. But you are a man on a mission dude, and know you’ll never be convinced when your mind is made up. I love Dame Agatha, but never read nor watched “The Mousetrap.”
The Turkish film “Honey” looks great.
Ha! Peter. Yeah, I really crossed the line this past week, and will exercise wiser judgement in the future. It’s like bypassing a food court in a mall to dine in a McDonalds or a Wendy’s right outside of it. Ot something like that anyway! The Turkish film BAL is a treasure, and I thank my friend JAFB for the initial heads up in December at THE SEVENTH ART.
Many thanks as always my friend.
Sam -
I am chuckling over your lukewarm reaction to that community theatre production of “The Mousetrap.” Almost 17 years ago, I played Katherine Casewell in that show, also in a community theartre produciton, proably not much memorable than the one you attended. My most enduring memory is of our opening on a scorching hot Labor Day weekend in a theatre with very limited air conditioning and being costumed for our “coming in from a snowstorm” entrances – NOT a pleasant memory!
Very little of the current multiplex fare interests me – your comments on “Source Code” pretty much confirm my supsicions, and although I’m a Russell Brand fan, I’m hardly in the target demographic for “Hop.” I did, however, catch “Certified Copy” last week and I remain, as ever, in awe of amazing and seemingly effortless talents of Juliette Binoche. I’m looking foward to seeing that one again soon.
You played Katherine Casewell, Pat???
Wow!!!!!!
She is admittedly a strange character, but that’s what makes her so fascinating. You did need to go into masculine mode though, if your production was true to the source. Of course she is integral to the final twist ending, but I’ll say no more in fear of repurcussions from Matthew Pritchard, Dame Agatha’s grandson, who now receives the royalties for this and all Christie’s other plays. Looks like your acting experience goes well beyond the musicals Pat! One day you should write a book on it. The production we saw was passable, though Christopher Wren’s eccentricity was grossly exaggerated, and the volume was too low, (as so many in the audience attested to at the break.) That anecdote about dressing in snowstorm garb in the heat of summer would certainly say a lot about your experience here! Ugh.
Of course don’t take my view on SOURCE CODE as any kind of final word, though I would have to say it won’t be your kind of film. And HOP I will stay clear of. So happy to hear what you say there about CERTIFIED COPY, which I just acquired on a Region 2 blu-ray. Like you I can’t wait to see it a second time. Binoche is indeed a treasure!
Many thanks Pat for the great submission and have a special week my very good friend!
Sam, thank you, as always, for your mention. I missed last weeks Monday Dairy post but I’ve decided that some of the movies I watch deserve mention here as they are treasured finds.
I begin with my favourite POETRY (2010) directed by Chang-dong Lee which I will watch again soon for this film is so rich it cannot be completely experienced in one viewing. Sam I know you have written about this film and I am not sure I can add anything more. A reminder, that life is never over until we are done living it. May we seek to learn, understand and correct our mistakes for as long as we are able – and sometimes to continue living is a choice we may not choose.
I saw the classic Swedish film AUTUM SONATA (1978) directed by Ingmar Bergman for the third or fourth time. The exploration and development of character in this film still impresses me. This film gives new meaning to the analogy of peeling an onion. I watched the film using the English audio this time. It was a wise decision. Better than half of the film’s depth is captured in the expressions on the faces of the characters – as, in my humble opinion, only Bergman can do.
The Thai film UNCLE BOONMEE (2010) directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul grabbed me for its imagination and simplicity of filming with such success. I felt slightly culturally inept in my viewing – like there must be much more to know and I was only able to get a blurry glimpse like those of the ape creatures in the jungle. Still, I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this ghostly gem.
I found HUNGER (2008) directed by Steve McQueen a violent film that tries to make sense out of the Northern Ireland conflict that seemed to be hard to understand even if you were Irish – a powerful a film about Irish hunger striker Bobby Sands with nightmare qualities.
I am glad I did not watch the Japanese film MERRY CHRISTMAS MR. LAWRENCE (1983) directed by Nagisa Ôshima in the same week as HUNGER. I have never been very good at understanding what might lead one person to harm others in a way that went beyond the war motive they were engaged in. Without apology, Nagisa Ôshima movie takes the viewer to that place.
JERICHOW (2008) though this German film directed by Christian Petzold is a well structured and acted film and holds immense tension with minimal action, I always feel broken-hearted at the damage that happens from infidelity. In this case, I was surprised that I could remain sympathetic towards the violent, controlling husband who is not a very likable fellow. But there really are no good guys or gals in this film – only humans trying to get by the best they can.
UNFAITHFULLY YOURS (1948) directed by Preston Sturges. Though the story is about a character that becomes obsessed but unwilling to look at the facts, it could be any of us who let our fears take over our reason. Of course, when we try to get revenge what seems seamless in our minds quickly unravels into silliness when executed. A timeless familiar story that successful shines a light on our own jealous shortcomings. Plus, the Symphony is a treasured experience all by itself.
My sweetie did not like WHAT DREAMS MAY COME (1998) directed by Vincent Ward at all. But he hid it very well until the movie was over. I, on the other hand, appreciated its artistic qualities and Robin Williams was predictably entertaining. Compared to some of the other films listed here it was rather lightweight and more entertaining than profound or moving.
Sam, I know this is a rather long comment so I am hoping it is appropriate. Let me know if I need to put a finer point on my choices to share and limit them to only three …. or so. Best of the week to you as always!
Terrill, there is no such things as a response that’s “too long!” Heck I’m flattered, honored and enriched whenever you offer up an extended response! Of course I know you are busy painting and exploring, so time spent at this site shows support and loyalty of the highest order. I am deeply grateful.
Your glowing summation POETRY is dead-on, and yes, I agree this is one film that is enhanced by repeat viewings. I knew this film would be right up your alley, but heck, by any standard it’s as affecting and beautiful as we’ve had in years. I agree with you completely on Bergman’s AUTUMN SONATA and also with UNCLE BOONME which is poetically profound and frustrating at the same time. But there one is rich in themes symbols, and it’s world view is consistent. I had mixed feelings about JERICHOW, but I am definitely in the minority (again you offer up a very good capsule) but I am a very big fan of Sturges’s UNFAITHFULLY YOURS. Excellent discussion of HUNGER and MR. LAWRENCE, which are not easy to watch (as you note) but are brilliantly done nonetheless. I always enjoyed looking at the colors of that Robin Williams’ film, but will admit it’s thoughts are simple enough.
This is a spectacular wrap Terrill and I am very grateful to have it here.I wish you a great week painting my friend!
Its been a painful weekend, watching my VCU Rams fall short of the championship. It was a great year and makes me proud to one bay be a VCU alumni. Its great to see you enjoyed Bal Sam, though I think the film deserves no less than 5 stars (4 1/2 is just not high enough). It won the Berlin film festival (with the great Werner Herzog as head juror) and yet it still doesn’t get the same word of mouth as other 2010 foreign films being released this year. A film that deserves to be on a list with Pather Panchali and Spirit of the Beehive as one of the best coming of age stories ever.
Sorry about the VCU Rams Anu; I know it’s tough when one follows along over a long period of time.
As far as the rating for BAL, I’ll admit Anu, it came very close to that 5 stars you are calling for. I have been inclined to go with that had I not given a slew a quartet of films five stars in the past weeks. I was getting leary and expected to get something like: “Gee Sam, what are you giving every film that comes out 5 stars now?” or something like that. Ha! Perhaps I will raise it after a second viewing, but I can assure you it’s a certain top ten film for the list next December. Great comparisons there too with PATHER and SPIRIT, two of the greatest films of childhood.
Many thanks for stopping by Anu!
Thanks again for the mention Sam. That retro theater does sound like a fun location. Hopefully in the future you will unearth some precious films there, films that slip through the gaping hole that it is the North American film distribution system
I had enjoyed Moon but I was not sure about seeing Source Code. The trailers had set my expectations quite low even though I try to not judge films too harshly by trailers. Sometimes, trailers cannot convey a film accurately or even give a wrong impression about a film. I might still see Source Code but won’t be in any rush
Thanks as always for stopping in Sachin! I must admit I hope another worthwhile film shows up at the Retro, and I want to go back there just for the ambiance, although with some friends. But yes, the films that slip through will at least get a run, even if on blu-ray. But as the Irish film showed, the blu-ray was an excellent way to showcase the film.
I’d definitely like to get your opinion on SOURCE CODE when you get around to it! I’m not quite sure what you;ll think.
Thanks very much for the plug, Sam. I’ve had another quiet week – I watched just two films. One was a Cagney pre-Code comedy directed by Michael Curtiz, ‘Jimmy the Gent’, which is a lot of fun although Bette Davis doesn’t have all that much scope in her part.
The other film I saw was Borzage’s ‘The Mortal Storm’ – interesting to see the similarities with his ‘A Farewell to Arms’, as again you have the lovers torn apart by war, and the romantic endings in particular are very similar visually. But the main thing of course is the portrayal of the Nazis’ impact on domestic small-town life, with chilling sequences like the one where the local “leader” forces everyone to join in a supposedly cheery singsong in the inn, and has a man who refuses to join in the singing beaten up outside. Also great to see Frank Morgan, James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan together again in a film released only months after ‘The Shop Around the Corner’, but with a far bleaker vision of a small European community.
Anyway, I have an exciting weekend in store, as I’ll be off to London to see Wellman’s silent classic ‘Beggars of Life’ at the BFI accompanied by a live band – can’t wait! Thanks again Sam, and I also always enjoy reading everyone’s great comments in this thread.
Judy, thanks for being such a trouper at this thread and at the site in general. Your taste and effervescent manner is a real joy. I hope you have a great time with BEGGARS, especially as the DVD print out here is dire. But aside from that, what a great way to view it of course! (and the live band? Fantastic!)
You did a splendid job here framing Borzage’s THE MORTAL STORM, and yes it was great to have that trio together again, even though as you note, a far bleaker enterprise. This film is always an excellent one to re-visit.
JIMMY THE GENT has some serious admirers and Cagney is always praise for his performance, but yes Davis hadn’t come into her by this point. I’ll be looking for the reviews, and I wish you a great trip to the Big City over the weekend!!! Thanks so much my great friend!
What I saw/did last week for the love of film –
“Billy Liar”(1963 *****) — Brit social realism and also a bitter comedy. Often wrongly compared to Walter Mitty, Tom Courtenay’s Billy is no gently musing daydreamer, he’s a North Country undertaker’s clerk (his job is a good, sardonic touch) who despises his dreary life, taking solace in hilarious-pathetic fantasies (he’s the military ruler of a country called, Marx Bros. style, ‘Ambrosia’. That 5-star rating may be a bit generous, but “Billy Liar” is much underrated these days and that’s a pity. With Julie Christie (in her film debut, I think) and Mona Washbourne and Wilfred Pickles (both perfect as Billy’s parents). John Schlesinger directed with the same moving empathy, skill with actors and wonderful eye he later displayed in “Midnight Cowboy.” Hope you like this as much as I did, Sam.
After enjoying Allan’s assessment of “Purple Noon,” I decided to read some Patricia Highsmith, an author new to me, the Ripley series: “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” “Ripley Underground” and “Ripley’s Game”. The first is by far the best. I don’t know if the others are meant as satire of the American dilettante on the Continent, a sort of Henry James policier, but in both Highsmith writes like a shopper-tourist and neither is very interesting.
But “The Talented Mr. Ripley” is a neat little exercise in sociopathology with Tom (“Believe It Or Not!”) Ripley the twenty-something opportunist, climber, amoralist full of self-loathing, willing and able to commit any crime to escape his squalid, humdrum life. And Highsmith is no moralizer, letting Ripley get away with some shockingly vicious business, indeed. The exotic Italian-French locales and the muted homoeroticism give the novel the chic appeal of young aesthetes slumming along the Mediterranean, smoking Gauloises, painting, sunning and living off trust funds (Highsmith may have inspired Frank Abagnale and his “Catch Me If You Can” account of forgery and impersonation). Maybe, maybe not.
Anyway, I think Minghella’s film version of “The Talented Mr. Ripley” is even better than the book. In the film Marge gets wise to Tom’s crimes and her realization and her horror at that realization make the film much more believable. One can suspend disbelief in the idiocy of the supporting characters, including police and private investigators, only so long.
Now I need to see Delon in Clement’s film. I vaguely remember a film called “Rider on the Rain,” but can’t recall whether I liked it or not.
Thanks for everything, Sam, and I’ll be e-mailing you.
Mark, I absolutely love BILLY LIAR and much appreciate your excellent analysis in sizing it up. Yes, Schlesinger’s empathy was vividly transcribed in this film and in MIDNIGHT COWBOY – I quite agree. BILLY LIAR is of course part of the social realism cinema favored by teh Brits during this period. Our friend R.D. Finch has been covering a number of the entries in this compelling time for cinema, and I just recently named Tony Richardson’s THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG DISTANCE RUNNER as my favorite in this movement. Christie and that distinguished cast are magnificent. Ironically she captured the Oscar over her British colleague Julie Andrews for THE SOUND OF MUSIC! Geez, talk about night and day! Ha!
Excellent discussion of Highsmith’s literature, and I really like this:
“The exotic Italian-French locales and the muted homoeroticism give the novel the chic appeal of young aesthetes slumming along the Mediterranean, smoking Gauloises, painting, sunning and living off trust funds (Highsmith may have inspired Frank Abagnale and his “Catch Me If You Can” account of forgery and impersonation).”
As you well know, much of this was impressively tranferred to the screen, and Matt Damon delivered one of his finest performances as the sociopath. Minghella mounted everything most alluringly as well.
I did receive your e mail Mark, thanks and I will be responding very soon. Thanks for the kind words and the insightful submission here my friend!
You know, Sam, I’ve never really cared for Tony Richardson’s self-consciously tricky style. I loathe “Tom Jones” with all its winking japes and aping of silent film technique, though he did get a vital performance out of Finney. Have you seen his scarcely seen remake of “The Charge of the Light Brigade” ? I haven’t seen it in ages, though I recall it fondly for its stellar cast (Hemmings, Redgrave, Howard, Gielgud).
How are you Sam? Hope all is well with Lucille and the kids. As you know, I’ve been tied up with that legal matter over the last few months, and haven’t had as much time online as I would have hoped for. But with that matter drawing to a close, I will be back.
Roz and I saw “Source Code” on Saturday and we liked it more than you did. “Inception” is far more complex, but this one displayed some striking visuals and retro ideas. I hope to see “Win Win” this coming weekend.
David, it’s really great hearing from you! I well understand you’ve been tied up, and appreciate your emails. I know most people are on your side with SOURCE CODE. At some point I’ll have to give it another shot, perhaps on DVD. This first viewing really grated on me after a while. It seemed to be going around the same circle over and over.
Many thanks my friend!
Well, I finally got around to writing something new on my blog, Sam, with a review of LES DAMES DU BOIS DE BOULOGNE. I’m already getting the feeling that I’m going to have a high appreciation for all the Bresson films I end up seeing.
On the viewing front, I see that Dave watched JOHN ADAMS, and strangely enough, my wife and I started that over the weekend, watching parts 1 and 2 and really enjoying it. We’re both kind of history nerds (we actually listened to a book-on-tape of McCullough’s 1776 on a long road trip a few years ago), so this series seems right up our alley.
No other movies to be had during the week (except whatever movies my daughter ends up wanting to watch with me), but I hope to carve out some time to continue with the Bresson films and I still need to watch that last part of THIS IS ENGLAND ’86.
Troy, thanks so much for your sustained friendship and loyalty. That’s definitely great news about that Bresson film posting at your place, and I will surely be over to read it very soon. I know you’ve been busy and haven’t had a chance to do much blogging as of late, but these things are cyclical, and besides you have a wonderful family and position that take precedent. I’m with you and Dave on JOHN ADAMS, and also had heard much of it on audio CD several years back when that was quite the craze. Hope you get a chance to finish THIS IS ENGLAND ’86 and look forward to your reaction at ELUSIVE AS ROBERT DENBY.
Thanks again my great friend!
Hello Sam. I am on an exhausting schedule right now, but did manage to see a couple of plays.
First up was a conventional staging of Tennessee William’s Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. A strong Irish cast brought out the perpetually swirling mix of dark humour and sense of impending doom quite well, but it just lacked something a bit special to remember it by – an attribute that has otherwise been the hallmark of this theatre’s recent run of great twentieth century American plays.
The other was The Parting Glass – a small-budget play that neatly mixes Ireland’s long history of economic disaster and emigration with its nearly-as-impressive history for near misses when it comes to qualifying for major soccer tournaments. Perhaps too much drama heaped into this one-man play at the expense of nuance, but it made its point well enough and there were some great turns of phrase on occasion.
As for your week, the density of events above is remarkable. I have never seen The Mousetrap, but feel no particular compulsion to do so either. I saw a rather staid version of Macbeth in Dublin last year. Sounds like you got the imaginative version that I sorely missed out on.
As for Angels in America – sounds like a truly tremendous play; pity about the less-than-snappy title! I would be quite pleased to ever get to see that one. Having had the farce of two rival gay theatre festivals taking place in Dublin at the same time last year, it looks like one is definitely not happening this time around and the other has not announced a programme yet for a festival beginning in a month from now. Hopefully it will get there, as some of the best theatre that I saw last year was across those two festivals.
Not terribly surprised re Source Code really. “Jake Gyllenthal” is a by-word for nausea-inducement in my book, so I was in “baseless opinion affirmation” mode reading your thoughts on the film!
This brings me to 100 Mornings.
Wow, that theatre sounds cracking – exactly my kind of indie dive! Was the nosh any good? I love the idea of showing films that never made it to a proper screening despite a good festival showing. Its a business idea that occurs to me at the end of most festivals that I go to, but I have never had the balls to do anything about it.
Pity that you did not like the film a little more, even if the 3.5 stars actually sounds about right. I am probably closer in spirit to the Slant Magazine review of the film. It has been a good year since I saw it, but I actually do remember it rather well. Its a bit thinly plotted in one sense, I agree, and some bits were a little hammy in the acting department. However, I do like the restraint that mostly gets exercised and there is a strong sense of realism about the transitions that occur. Also, one thing that may not be easy, I imagine, for non-Irish viewers to instinctively pick up on is the differences in accents and what that tells you about the different characters. Finally, I loved the photography of the location that Suzie Lavelle was able to achieve with the Red One camera.
Looks like you saw a solid staging of CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF there Longman, even with the mild disclaimer. I have no doubt that a strong Irish cast would do this material justice in every sense. In any case great to hear you’ve had an impressive run of American plays so far. The low-budget THE PARTING GLASS seems interesting in a different sort of way. Sounds like for the most part it was worthwhile.
Well, with MACBETH it’s hit or miss. The Christopher Street staging of last month was forgettable, but strong acting will always mitigate against staging-or lack of it. Maybe next year you’ll get the imaginative one, and we’ll get the staid one.
Ah, the name is easily enough forgotten when you are treated with the likes of ANGELS IN AMERICA, and I’m sure you would find this quite powerful Longman. I don’t know if you have yet seen that 2002 mini-series with Pacino and Streep, but it’s easily enough obtainable. It’s excellent. maybe you’ll get this staging in Dublin at some point.
Again I thank you for the great suggestion of the Brooklyn theatre. As you see many others here are saying as much. Well, I liked 100 MORNINGS, but acknowledge it’s exceedingly slow, and I may well have missed some of that Irish dialect. Absolutely. As it is the characters spoke low, so I was straining to hear. There were minor similarities to THE ROAD, but of course we know where that one went. The theatre was a hoot, and watching that movie on a 12 inch screen via blu-ray was a far better experience than I may have thought possible. There were about 8 people there, but this was the last screening of the week, and it was late for a week night. I got a charge out of the seats too, but there’s no denying it was comfortable. In any case I agree that Conor exercised restraint and there was a compelling realism that suggested more foreboding than any more graphically implied scenario. Yes, it was also thinly-plotted and sometime shammy. But all is all, a recommened film!
Many thanks as always my excellent friend!
That great Man Of The People President of the United States
Barack Obama’s budget for the year 2012 includes 36 billion dollars in subsidies for the nuclear power industry, and another 800 million for research in the nuclear power field.
What will it take to end this insanity? How many more millions of human beings must be poisoned with deadly radioactive food, water, and air before the rulers of the world (CORPORATIONS and their running dog lackeys {politicians}) realize that they are cutting their own throats as well as ours?
What we need in this country is what they have in Egypt: COURAGE.
We should stop wringing our hands and sending our sympathies to Japan and get out in the streets and demand an end to the neo-fascist world order that is murdering our planet only because it’s the best and fastest way to make more money than God has.
We at Wonders In The Dark will probably be making up top 10,000 best movies of all time lists as our hair falls out, as our adult diapers fill with excrement, and giant tumors burst through our navels.
LOL Andrei!!! In fact that is exactly what I was doing tonight–making up a new list as you can see now!!! But yes, things are surely unravelling and I much appreciate your satiric underpinnings.
Thanks Daddy-O!
OK, grandad!
Sam, thanks a lot for the good words, and apologies for the delay in joining the conversation. My internship begun this Monday at a city which is almost a couple of thousand kilometres from my home city.
So a lot of traveling was involved, along with shifting base (for April & May) to the apartment where I’ll be staying. The distance to my workplace is also quite large as the office is located outside the city, thus involving getting adjusted to long traveling hours. So, as you can understand, life has been quite hectic these last couple of days, and will continue to be so for these 2 months.
I hope Maurizio resumes his Noir countdown soon, as it has been an absolute pleasure second-guessing his choices & reading his brief analyses of the films.
It was also great reading about your fascinating discovery of the obscure film screening venue. I can understand what an interesting experience it must have been to be made aware of that place’s existence, and then actually traveling down there on a rainy evening to catch a film. The fact that car-seats have been used for the seating purpose has also played its role in making the restaurant/pub a part of my must-visit locations if and when I visit your city
Thanks so much for that detailed update Shubhajit. I know this is a vital time in your life and I wish you the very best. One of your most remarkable traits is your resilience, and I would speculate that alone will make you quite successful. All through the period when you were attending classes, you maintained CINEMASCOPE, and you kept on keeping on with the film watching and blogging. I know you will have even less time now, but if I know you, you will make the best of the openings.
Maurizio’s countdown is schedules to resume tomorrow morning (Thursday). The short break has actually enhanced the anticipation, as we’ve entered the home stretch.
Best Wishes to you my friend, and thank you!
Always wanted to see Angels in America onstage. I love the Nichols miniseries, although I’ve always believed that Kushner is too hard on the “Joe” character. I can’t imagine anything more humiliating for a guy than his mother befriending a group of guys who hate him.
Adam, that’s admittedly an excellent point, and it certainly was evident in the staging I attended. I didn’t expect it to work as well as it did, but in hindsite there wasn’t really any reason to feel that way. The play has some powerful sequences -real and surreal- and the characters are dynamic. I hop I’ll be able to see part 2 before the end of the month, when it closes.
Thanks so much for stopping by Adam, and hope and anticipate all is well. I really need to see what’s going on by you.
I’m presently at an internet cafe in Manhattan, after dropping off Lucille and Melanie for a Rod Stewart/Stevie Nicks concert at Madison Square Garden.
Thanks again.
Sam, thanks for the pointer, and all the kind words!! I’m really glad that you could watch HONEY and that you did adore it.
You’ve been watching one great film after another every week, I wonder if your top 10 for 2011 is already done. Ha. There are a hundred films that I’m looking forward to this year, hope they actually get released in 2011, instead of being postponed.
Had been busy last week, so didn’t watch much cinema, except the films of Patrick Keiller, which are a real find. A truly ‘British’ auteur.
Off to read your other big post!
THanks and Cheers!
Allo, Allo…Sam Juliano, Allan Fish, and WitD readers…
Let me start Off by saying that my thoughts, hopes, and prayers are with the people Of Japan and Murderous Ink and his family and friends too…
Now, as I digress… I would have to say more than just a little to take a look at what you watched on the “big screen” and on the stage too…
Starting with Agatha Christie’s “The Mousetrap,” Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes and “Othello.”
Of the three stage play that you, Mrs. Lucille Juliano, and Broadway Bob, watched I’am only familiar with Shakespeare’s “Othello” even though the former plays sound interesting too…especially, “Angels in America.”
Thanks, for sharing and I hope you, Mrs. Lucille Juliano, and Broadway Bob, enjoyed the latter two stage-play at least…after reading the experience you related with the Christie’s play “The Mousetrap.”
Now, on to the theater…I see that you viewed…
One Hundred Mornings *** 1/2 Bal (Honey) **** 1/2
The Lincoln Lawyer *** 1/2 and Source Code ** …With the film Source Code being the weakest link. Once again, thank-you, for sharing what you viewed at the theater, on stage and your fellow bloggers’ links too!
DeeDee