Jeremy Juliano at Film Forum for screening of “King Kong” and participation in ‘Fay Wray screamalike contest” wearing tee-shirt he won in raffle drawing.
by Sam Juliano
What ever happened to the years when March came in like a lamb? Winter seems more and more reluctant to relinquish it’s icy grip in the weeks leading up to spring, and as a result heat bills are staying the course. But I am speaking here of the weather in the Northeast. The midwest has had it even worse, and still others can actually boast of very favorable conditions. But what of weather in general? It’s really nothing more than a convenient way for me to start these weekly threads.
Lucille and I took the three boys to a Fay Wray Scream-alike contest on Sunday morning at 11:00 A.M. that was staged after the regularly-scheduled “Film Forum Jr.” screening of the 1933 King Kong. Any child under the age of 12 was eligible to participate in their own rendition of the terrified young heroine of the monster adventure classic in her famed voice rantings. Our youngest child Jeremy was third in line to do his thing, but it was clear that ‘screaming’ was never a favorite pastime of the 10 year old fifth grader. He didn’t finish among the six finalists (the grand prize was four free tickets to the Empire State Building Tour) but got lucky in the ensuing raffle, and managed to win a King Kong tee-shirt. The ‘Film Forum Jr.’ series has been a smash success, selling out week after week, and necessitating advance purchases for those wishing to attend. The past three weeks also included a second screening on another of the theater’s three screens of the film at 11:10 A.M., though that overflow addition on Sunday of course did not include the wonderful festivities that have made the series such a weekend essential for NYC youngsters. The upcoming screenings include Jason and the Argonauts, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T., Young Frankenstein and Easter Parade, with the Garland/Astaire featuring a ‘Crazy Hat contest.’ Program Director Bruce Goldstein announced on Sunday that due to the wild success of the series, thirteen weeks have been added. Some of those additions include The School of Rock with a guitar contest and Chaplin’s The Kid with a Charlie Chaplin look-alike competition.
We also saw three other films over the weekend, after a trying week centering around a health scare for Lucille that turned out to be a kind of acid reflux. I am not looking for sympathy and was even reluctant to mention it here, except to say that Lucille spent a few days in the hospital having nuclear stress tests, and I was in no disposition to do the writing required for the link scroll. Hence I will give it a full rest and will only note the star ratings for the films I saw:
Stoker ** (Saturday night) Sunshine Landmark Cinemas
The Gatekeepers *** (Friday night) Montclair Claridge
Jack the Giant Slayer ** (Saturday afternoon) Secaucus
King Kong (1933) ***** (Sunday morning) Film Forum
What ever happened to the years when March came in like a lamb?
Sam, you got it all mixed up! March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb for pete’s sake. And here in the Midwest it actually came in like a lamb this year. . . .
Although Searching for Sugarman has return for another engagement, I haven’t yet seen it, opting instead to casually watch various TCM offerings in their “31 Days of Oscar Series.” Among those I’ve seen parts of this week include West Side Story (still effective), Annie Hall (still charming), Around the World in 80 Days (still overblown poof), Monsieur Verdoux (still great), and The Landlord (still cute). and Touch of Evil, which contains one of my favorite iines (by Marlene Dietrich): “You don’t have a future — it’s all used up!”
I’m waiting to see Midnight Cowboy on TV but it never seems to get airtime — it can’t be the X rating can it?
Pierre—
I think you got that right! Ha! But back in the day I remember a teacher who tried to assert that it could go in reverse, and that however March starts off, it will end in the opposite direction. Short of a hurricane or a cold spell though, I can’t really see such a scenario developing, so you can’t be questioned there.
Love hearing that WEST SIDE STORY, my favorite film musical, which won the 1961 polling here at WitD is “still effective” and that ANNIE HALL is still charming and that MONSIEUR VERDOUX is “still great.” Saw the Chaplin recently and continue to see it as masterful, if a tad behind the early Big Three. THE LANDLORD is fine, but I have taken my lumps here and elsewhere for my rare dissent on TOUCH OF EVIL, which I continued to find a bore on repeat viewings. I recognize the problem is not the film, but me. MIDNIGHT COWBOY actually now has an R rating. The X was lifted some time back. I saw the film on Manhattan’s 42nd Street when I was 17, and was captivated by the performances and by the controversy it maintained back at a time when it’s subject was a big deal.
Thanks as always my friend! Have a very good week.
Sam I’m very sorry to hear that Lucille had a health scare. My best wishes to you and the family and I’m sure everything will work out just fine. I’ll be back here later to add more to the comments.
Thanks very much for that Jon! It is not official until later today but it appears almost conclusive that the culprit is the gall bladder. Every symptom is leading to that conclusion, and this is common in Lucille’s family. I am sure you know many who have had their (uneeded) gall bladder removed, and it’s really a routine procedure. It all makes sense now, since gall bladder symptons are almost always thought be heart related by fearful people BEFORE being tested. I still have mine, but one of my brothers had his taken a few years back. This was the worst week I can remember, as there was so much stress and fear. Lucille will be OK, and she actually has a very good heart. There can be no better news in the world. Thanks again.
Sam –
Our storm “watch” has been upgraded to a “warning” because the March “lamb” is bringing up to 9-inches of snow to the greater Chicagoland area over the next 72-hours.
I’m impressed that Jeremy participated in the Fay Wray Scream-alike Contest. Then of course winning a King Kong tee-shirt in the raffle is pretty darned cool, too. Love the photo!
And of course I’m delighted to know the results of Lucille’s extensive health tests show that your own heart rate can shift out of overdrive and resume a normal beat again.
Laurie—
Oh boy! Yet another major snow event for your already-besieged area during the “lamb” time window! Ugh. I hope the forecast is overstating things, but I would very much appreciate if you keep me abreast. I know you and Len have had too muc experience this winter clearing sidewalk and porches. The fun quotient has worn out it’s welcome I know. Thanks very much for the concern and kind words in regards to Lucille. As I just said to Jon above, the rate of probability that her gall bladder will have to be removed is extremely high, as every sympton is kicking in that is consistent with that issue. But this is a routine matter, and I am fully expecting that everything will move forward without a hitch. We did have a blast at the screening of KING KONG, thank you. Jeremy was tickled. Many thanks as always my great friend!
Glad to hear all is well with Lucille Sam. I know the kind of terrible week you just completed. The fear and stress no doubt took it’s toll on you and the kids.
Wonderful photo of Jeremy. That scream-alike contest was neat, and another way to bring the family in on a fun event. And the film speaks for itself.
Thanks so much Peter. As you now know it is probably the gall bladder. this means she will be in the hospital for a single day in the very near future. Lucille’s older sister by two years had her own taken out about five years ago. Yes this was as stressful a week as we’ve ever had in our marriage. But Lucille is resilient and upbeat as always. I am the one who is an emotional wreck, and have been all week.
Yes, we got a nice repreive on Sunday morning at the Film Forum. Everyone has peaks and valleys in their lives, but as this is my diary, people always here of mine. Ha!
Thanks as always my friend!
Gall bladder issues are common Sam. All will be well with Lucille.
True enough Frank. Thanks so much my friend!
Sam – you must say more about Stoker – it seems to be falling down love it /loathe it lines. I’m on the fence about trying to see it when it opens here.
David—
The biggest issue I had with the film was that disaster of a script. It doesn’t help that I never warmed to Park’s stylistics in his past highly-praised work (like OLD BOY) and never found the ‘lyrical violence’ and beautification of blood as a particularly artful experience. He’s bold, but he’s messy. Waskikowska and Kidman was very fine though. If you have liked the director’s previous works the odds are good you will appreciate STOKER, at least in good measure.
Thanks as always my friend.
Sam, it sounds like you have your priorities straight so don’t sweat skipping anything. By contrast, my priority last week was watching 1981 movies. I was most impressed thematically by Wajda’s Man of Iron (and I took the trouble to catch up with Man of Marble as well) and visually by Fassbinder’s Lola. The latter is obviously his riff on the Blue Angel story, my impression being that the BRD was on some level repeating the Weimar tragedy as farce, with some faint echoes of Nazism in the Muller-Stahl character’s ultimately empty threats to “annihilate” the corruption around him. It’s a fascinating and shockingly slick production given Fassbinder’s furious pace. I’ll have more to say about Diva at my blog soon but I can say here that I was underwhelmed. It has its moments obviously but it’s hard to see what seemed so new about it at the time, though it remains distinctive to some extent. Further out on a limb I watched Gate of Youth, co-directed by Kinji Fukasaku and Koreyoshi Kurahara. I don’t know the circumstances of this joint effort, whether it was a true collaboration or one replacing the other, but while there’s some evidence of Fukasaku’s style in the few outbursts of violence there’s very little of Kurahara’s “warped” sensibility on display in this earnest postwar coming-of-age story. The film really stands on its solid ensemble cast, the best of them Tomasaburo (Shogun Assassin) Wakayama as a benign yakuza man. I’m also in the middle of Thief, but while I like it so far I don’t think it would change any of my votes for the year. And as I said while casting my votes, it was a pretty good year, compared to much of the decade to follow. Take care.
Samuel—
As I stated in the subsequent post, I do need to scale back some of my on-line activities, but past promises seem to have only been met in part. I’ll play it by ear. As to the matter of the summaries and the site links I am hoping to have these back next week.
I know you have used the site’s weekly voting threads as a fruitful outline to proceed with catch up viewing. I agree with you that 1981 is no down year at all. As far as DIVA – the film you will soon have a post on at MONDO 70, I can understand why this film might not grab you, but I have been a long time fan. The great American soprano Wilhelmenia Fernandez’ electrifying ‘goose-bump special’ rendition of Alfredo Catalani’s “Ebben? Ne andro’ lontana,” one of opera’s greatest arias, is at the heart of this unique thriller. I saw it not too long ago at the Film Forum in fact. Great points there about LOLA, which I do indeed see as a riff on Von Sternberg’s famed Weimar classic and most definitely farcical. The lead actress was my choice as the best of 81, and it’s always been a Fassbinder favorite of mine. Wajda’s MAN OF IRON is excellent, agreed, and need to watch GATE OF YOUTH, which you brilliantly analyze; I am close to your position on THIEF. I am no Michael Mann advocate. MAN OF MARBLE is fine.
Thanks my friend for the spectacular comment and continuing support and friendship, all deeply cherished!
Sam, I don’t think King Kong will ever be on my watch list no matter how good people continue to think it is
We are already feeling the budding of spring in our area, which means more time outside and even a wee bit of sun peeking through those heavy west coast clouds. I have one film for us this week and that is…
In A Better World – 2010 directed by Susanne Bier
The complexities of this Danish flims exploration of male violence and male commitment to teaching kindness, caring and responsibility I don’t believe has ever been done better. Some the scenes from Africa are graphic and chilling so this is NOT a movie for children or those who are faint of heart. Yet, as an example on how difficult and yet worth while it is for families and men in particular to teach and live gentle-kindness the film is a gem.
Terrill—-
The giant ape will not be an invite to everyone’s table, and there are even a minority who find it “dull” until the half way point or so. I am a big fan yes, but so much has to do with sentiment and my childhood. That’s great news that the Spring is moving in, and that you will be able to spend more time outside, as there will be further creative opportunities!
Well the one film you have here is a gem but a well-respected artist. Blier also directed BROTHERS, a film I admire. True what you say there about some of the scenes not advisable for children, especially too since it is basically a complex film about bullying and retribution. This was actually the Best Foreign Film winner of 2010. In any case it’s an excellent film, and you framed it beautifully.
Thanks as always my great friend. Have a terrific week!
Oh good to know Sam. I had no idea the film had been so well received. I shall look up Brothers as well. Not sure I have seen that one either.
Hi! Sam Juliano, Allan, WitD writers and readers…
But what of weather in general? It’s really nothing more than a convenient way for me to start these weekly threads.
Ha!ha!
Sam Juliano, now with a little chuckle behind me and a more important matter at hand, I’m sending my prayers and wishes for a speedy recovery to Mrs.Lucille Juliano, as she face this heath issue in her life.
“Our youngest child Jeremy was third in line to do his thing, but it was clear that ‘screaming’ was never a favorite pastime of the 10 year old fifth grader. He didn’t finish among the six finalists…”
Ha!ha!…that’s cute!
However, Congratulation! are in order for young Jeremy Juliano, as he did take home a T-Shirt that he won in the Raffle drawing.
[By that way, that's a very nice photograph Of Jeremy Juliano, he's cute!]
I also hope that you, Mrs. Lucille Juliano, and your family enjoyed the films that you viewed last week:
I can see that “Stoker,” and “Jack the Giant Slayer” were the weak links as “The Gatekeepers” and “King Kong” (1933) the original version received your stamp Of approval.
Sam Juliano, thanks, for sharing, I hope that you and your family, have a great week…as usual.
deedee
Dee Dee—-
Once again I must thank you kindly for your remarkable concern in Lucille’s behalf. While I know gall bladder issues have become common and routine, the original thought was that there might have been heart concerns. The symptoms at the beginning are the same, with shoulder burning that spreads to the back. These original fears caused a great deal of stress earlier in the week, needless to say. I feel much more confident now, and hope the matter is resolved ASAP. Your kindness to Lucille over several years in so many ways has been legendary my friend. Yes true enough, this was one of the weaker movie weeks, but the earlier quarter of the year is typically listless apart from some carry over foreign language films from the previous year.
Hence a film called WAR WITCH, seen by me in Tribeca last year, also opened this past week in Manhattan, and it is a five-star film that I would immediately stands as my favorite film for 2013. I hope to see it again.
Thanks as ever for your amazing comment and deeply cherished support, concern and sense of humor as always my great friend@
Jeremy looks mighty fine in that T Shirt and good for him in giving it a try. My kiddos would all chicken out at the last minute and I value giving it a try.
I watched the new documentary A PLACE AT THE TABLE on iTunes and it was well worth the $6 – so well done. The hard part was seeing all the work I was involved in during my graduate school internships which had been undone – yes “moochers” those are the folks trying to work and feed a family without enough funds. – incredible film experience.
I see that Quartet is going to be on Amazon streaming in the Middle of March – it will be the only way I get to see that one so will try that new way on when it is up and running. I think I learned something new! which always makes my heart sing with this streaming movie experience. I like it
Now about LUCILLE – yep that Gall Bladder thing is very scary then again quite a relief that it can be treated in a routine fashion now. We all reach a stage where we think it is our heart, when it turns out to be our hearts are strong and good and other organs are having problems. I will keep Lucille and her healing in my thoughts.
I will add a we addendum to my healthy thinking….I am looking at the new iphone blood pressure monitors and scales. Still too expensive yet but definitely harbingers of the new computers that will help us be healthier…and stronger – finding more ways to inform us about keeping the health we need. We need all the good hearts and minds we can create these days…helping us do wonderful and magical things for our world and for each other.
Patricia—
Thanks so much for the nice words about Jeremy in that Kong tee-shirt. Jeremy is actually the shyest of the five kids, but if you urge him to do something he will always go along. He is not an experienced “screamer” though and was eclipsed by some real throaty participants. Ha! When I was his age I was very much like your own kids! As far as A PLACE ON THE TABLE I was actually thinking of you on Saturday night when I entered the Sunshine Landmark Cinemas on Houston Street with Lucille, Melanie and Broadway Bob to see STOKER, and we passed a table with attendants giving out pamphlets about A PLACE AT THE TABLE, which was showing in one of the other theaters on the same floor as our movie. I had not realized that and nearly decided to see it while the others watched STOKER, especially since I am not a fan of that film’s director. Great idea to employ streaming to watch QUARTET, a movie I do like, and believe you will too. Thanks very much on those comforting words about the situation with Lucille. Yes the initial fear is that there is a heart problem and that thought is more than one can bare. The news that the heart was fine was one of the greatest moments I can ever remember. Joy. Now we need to get past this and all will be well. Those blood pressure monitors and scales sound like a wise way to keep everything under control.
Thanks for the tremendous comment my great and always-helpful friend! Have a terrific week!
Wow, contests and movies! What a great time to spend with the family and kids! I love it! Anyway, I’m really glad, as I told you internally, that Lucille is fine and well. For some reason, I’ve never been a fan of the film King Kong, I do think that it’s a good film, but I just rate it **** and I was really surprised that I didn’t think much of it. I looked at your stepping back issue and I respect it a lot, I sent you an email about it. Anyway, let’s go to the films I saw this week:
- Contact (1997, Robert Zemeckis) ****1/2 One of those films that I’ve always seen bits and parts of and then suddenly I find it starting on cable and it’s marvelous to see the vision of Carl Sagan put in the screen, the actual travel and the special effects may not look realistic but they are beautiful to look at, and at times there’s an emotion as well as an understanding in the face of our protagonist, that I think it’s part of the best acting that she has done in her career.
- Declaration of War (2011, Valérie Donzelli) ***1/2 A french movie about a family that has a kid who has cancer really early on in his life, and how the family and the parents cope with it, with their differences and their views on the subjects that appear here and there in the modern french society. I think that at times it works better as a view on modern french society and the health system present there (even if it doesn’t go really deep into those elements, it brings out necessary stuff for it to be compelling). Anyway, a decent film.
- The Haunted Castle (1897, George Albert Smith) ***1/2 An early silent short film that takes some nifty special effects, basing them off the ones perfected by Méliès, with an interesting result.
- Identity Thief (2013, Seth Gordon) *** A neat idea that was overblown and stretched for way too long of a runtime and then filled with scenes that have worked way better in other action comedies from the past 40 years or something like that. It still has some interesting performances, moments here and there, but it’s a waste most of the time, it’s one of those comedies that are just a bit awful and just a bit funny, and hence you find yourself guilty.
- Le locataire diabolique (1909, Georges Méliès) **** A weird and impressive magician moves to a new apartment and makes his whole family and furniture appear. Funny and magical!
- Le manoir du diable (1896, Georges Méliès) **** A haunted spooky house! Filled with ghosts and skeletons, classy, clichéd and great!
- Robot Jox (1989, Stuart Gordon) *1/2 Stuart Gordon is a good director, of the movies I’ve seen he seems to be pretty good at the genre filmmaking and the whole thing, but this science fiction giant robot thing is just awful to look at and at the same time just so boring boring boring at every second that it goes through its shenanigans. Plus, it looks fake, everything looks carboardy or like an art project from an art college student.
- The Insect’s Christmas (1913, Wladyslaw Starewicz) **** Another great early stop motion from the russian director, this time featuring a father christmas and the gifts given to a small community of insects. Maybe not as meta and shocking as his other works, this is just a tad bit sweeter to look at.
- Solaris (1972, Andrey Tarkovskiy) ****1/2 I finally saw another film by the supposed russian master of filmmaking, and I must say that I’m pleasantly surprised by the results, I knew that I wasn’t going to get a hard sci fi film, and that it was going to get its roots more on the conversational elements, but that didn’t make it less complicated or rooted in science, the science of the mind nothing less. The issue of memory and extraterrestrial consciences is just one of the most interesting elements in the film, as well as its beauty, ending and many other elements present there.
- Suspense. (1913, Phillips Smalley, Lois Weber) **** Some really clever editing and composition here in this early american short by one of the first female directors. It’s suspenseful and violent on its own good!
- Tres Semanas Después (Three Weeks Later) (2010, José Luis Torres Leiva) **** Last week was the three-year anniversary of the big earthquake of 2010 in Chile, and so I decided to watch one of the documentaries made about it, this features long shots of the destruction and state in which most buildings and houses got to after three weeks of the earthquake, people still on the street, in shelters, with their houses and homes destroyed forever. Sad and beautiful to look at the destruction as a demonstration of nature.
- A Cat in Paris (2010, Jean-Loup Felicioli, Alain Gagnot) ***1/2 Nice little french animation feature that has some nice art and motion, as well as some clever moments, but it usually goes for the weakest plot elements about a story of a girl that can’t speak, a cat burglar and the cat that they share. There are some elements that would never make it to an american animation, and I appreciated that.
Have a good week Sam, and everyone, take care!
Jaimie—
Thanks as always for the spectacular comment, and the glowing capsules that are included. Yes Lucille will be fine, but both her and I are presently on serious diets. Her ‘fatty liver’ issue can be reversed with exercise and smart eating. The matter with her gall stones is still inconclusive. I have stepped back for now, but how far have I stepped back? Ha. Apparently not that much to this point. I am a big fan of Tarkovsky’s SOLARIS, and agree with your smart assessment and rating. I think I liked the French DECLARATION OF WAR a bit more than you, but just a half star. You are quite right, methinks, that the real focus is on French society and the health system. If I remember that young couple were as bad as noir characters when it came to smoking! Ha! I like CONTACT but somewhat less than you did and agree that Jodie Foster was quite good; I understand your position on KING KONG, and am relieved you gave a middling grade on IDENTITY THIEF, a film I have avoided to this point. Great to see the impressive capsules on the silent Melies films, the animated and the Chilean films and the remarkable presentation in general. Have a great week my friend. Many thanks as always!
Sam,
I can understand how you would need to take a step back from blogging and movies etc. It can have a way of getting in the way sometimes of doing other things. I’ve been trying to make a point of NOT watching movies at least 2 days a week. That’s hard for someone who would tend to watch a movie every day. I have better balance this way though and I find I’m at peace about it.
This past week I saw:
Compliance: I felt like this would have been an interesting premise, but the film turned into a lurid spectacle and I really didn’t like the point of view, especially as it began to switch to the “caller”, which I thought was really stupid and cheap.
Face to Face: Finally saw this Bergman for the first time. I think I was expecting a bit more from it overall. It’s good, but not one of my favorite Bergman films.
The Man without a Past: This Kaurismaki film I did not quite find as inspired as his late 80’s early 90’s output. Good but not great.
Up this week is:
The Kid with a Bike
Mother Kusters Goes to Heaven
Chinese Roulette
La Guerre est Finie
I will be traveling starting Thursday to the west coast and won’t return until Monday as this begins a stretch this spring of heavier travel. Well I wish you all the best Sam and to your family as well my friend.
Jon—
I much appreciate your incredible support and friendship for such a long time! Your positive energy is one of the blogging joys! Yes I am pulling back a bit, but even in that sense, most would say I am not pulling back far enough. A close, cherished friend suggested I respond to everyone in a longer single comment, but when I resolved to it, I found I just couldn’t. And I know the need to cut down the weekly movies too. You make a very good point about COMPLIANCE, which is a film I like to a point, but that shift in sentiment is rather contrived. I never cared much for A MAN WITHOUT A PAST, but I do know we are both in the minority on that, though I do like FACE TO FACE quite a bit, if like you not one of Bergman’s top level masterworks. It’s really intense. Have a great time on the west coast my friend! We’ll all be waiting for you when you return! Thanks as always!
Sam I have enjoyed our friendship immensely from the beginning and consider you a very good friend and you have encouraged me on so many occasions, you have no idea. I hope we can meet someday. Hope you survive the storm over there! Best of luck and stay warm and dry!
Sam,
I hope that Lucile’s health concern will all resolved as soon as possible and your worry will just fade away.
This week, I saw two Hiroshi Shimidzu’s prewar films from Mieko Takamine Retrospective at Ikebukuro Shin Bungeiza. THE MASSEURS AND A WOMAN is one of my favorite among Shimidzu’s films. It is relatively short (just a little over an hour) but filled with quiet lyricism. The performance from all players are excellent, but Toku the masseur played by Shin Tokudaiji is one of the most memorable characters among prewar Japanese films.
Another was NOBUKO, the girl’s school melodrama a la Mädchen in Uniform. The print quality was unbearably bad, especially its sound track. There were some ineptly staged scenes which could not be explained unless Shimidzu were sleeping whole time.
There are series of screenings and retrospectives in coming weeks in Tokyo, and I will try to attend all of them!
MI
MI—
Thanks so much for your kind concern and cherished friendship. You are truly a wonderful person, and the site has been blessed by your visits for so long. Lucille will be fine. As I explained to others she has a reversible condition called ‘fatty liver’ that requires some weight loss and exercise. Last week was high stress for everyone until we were told the heart was very fine. Thanks again!
Too bad about the print quality on NOBUKO, which sounds like an interesting film, what with it’s similarities to the excellent MADCHEN IN UNIFORM, but alas you confirm some fatal issues. Shimidzu’s THE MASSEURS AND A WOMAN sounds essential. The “quiet lyricism” and the characters make it especially appealing. Expecting any kind of a subtitle print here stateside is rather a tall order, but great news that you got to see it. Great too that you have some excellent retrospectives coming up, and will watch for responses at VERMILION AND ONE NIGHTS.
Thanks again my friend! Have a very nice week.
Sam, I really hope Lucille has a quick and complete recovery of her health, and that you manage to get back to the grind (so to speak) with refreshed mind & renewed energy. Until then, please dedicate as much time as you need to, to your family.
I’ll also keep it brief from my end. So, in short, here’s what I managed to watch in the meantime:
- Bergman’s powerful indictment against the tragedy & folly of war, Shame
- Kaurismaki’s delectably deadpan & droll black comedy, I Hired A Contract Killer
- Yoshida’s expressionistic, romantic and psychological drama, Affair in the Snow
- Woody’s The Other Woman – a movie that most critics seem to dislike, but I reasonably liked it
Once again, here’s wishing all the best to you and your family.
Thanks very much for that Shubhajit! As I have stated on this thread today (below) it has been confirmed that Lucille will be having her gall bladder taken out sometime in the next few weeks. The matter of ‘fatty liver’ was played down as a “non-issue” especially as it is easily reversible by just being good. While I am sure all will be well, I will be doing all I can to help around these parts. Bergman’s SHAME is masterful of course; I love Yoshida’s AFFAIR IN THE SNOW, feel the Kaurismaki is fine, but I am not a fan of that particular Woodman. But I respect your view and know there are fans. Thanks as always my friend! Have a great week!
Sam, I do hope Lucille soon feels a lot better and wish you all a much better week than the worrying one you have had, and also wish both of you all the best with the diet and exercise. (I’ve been working to lose weight and eat more healthily since last summer but really need to get more exercise too!) Well done to Jeremy and a great photo. I’m sure everyone will understand if you have less time for blogging.
I’ve been enjoying taking part in the John Garfield centenary blogathon and have watched a couple of his films that are new to me over the past week, ‘Nobody Lives forever’, a noir thriller where he plays a conman, which I liked although I didn’t think it was one of his very best noirs and ‘Between Two Worlds’, a strange war-time tale about a group of people travelling to heaven, or hell, aboard a ship – I enjoyed parts of this but thought it fell down towards the end. I also re-watched ‘He Ran All the Way’, his last film and one of his greatest noirs, which I reviewed at my blog.
Apart from that I saw a French film from 1933, ‘Du Haut en Bas’, a comedy about the tenants of an apartment building directed by Pabst and featuring Michel Simon, Jean Gabin and a tiny role for Peter Lorre as a tramp. I liked this a lot and wonder if there is any chance of it getting a full restoration? It would be a great one to see on the big screen rather than online!
I’ve also just watched ‘Christmas Holiday’, an odd film noir directed by Robert Siodmak with Gene Kelly as a psycho mama’s boy and Deanna Durbin as his long-suffering wife. Straight after that I saw the romantic melodrama ‘Kitty Foyle’ starring Ginger Rogers – I was quite surprised at all the similarities between the plots of these two films, both unfolding in flashback narrated by the heroine and showing her falling for a weak charmer who is a member of a leading family! Anyway I enjoyed both, but found some parts of ‘Kitty Foyle’ a bit cheesy, though Ginger is great.
Judy—
You are a peach and someone whose words and support always give me comfort. I can never thank you for all you have done over the last several years at this site and on a one-on-one basis. You have been utterly remarkable. We did get the confirmation this morning that Lucille will be having her gall bladder removed withing three weeks or so, and that the ‘fatty liver’ condition is a “non-issue” that can be reversed with some weight loss and exercise. I much appreciate your behind-the-scenes advice and encouragement with the gall bladder issue too! Great to hear you are going the healthy route these days as well. And appreciate the kids words on Jeremy. You penned a terrific review of HE RAN ALL THE WAY, and it’s one I will soon be seeing thanks to your generosity! I am a fan of NOBODY LIVES FOREVER and pretty much agree with you on BETWEEN TWO WORLDS. I saw CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY at the Siodmak Festival at the Film Forum last year, and posted my own reactions to it under the absolutely extraordinary favorable essay written by Tony d’Ambra at FILMSNOIR.NET:
http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/christmas-holiday-1944-never-mind-the-melodrama.html
KITTY FOYLE is no masterpiece but I agree Ginger is great and the film is enjoyable. I have never seen DU HAUT EN BAS, but what names are associated with it. I will investigate further. Many thanks my friend! Have a great weekend.
Sam,
Thanks again for the mention. Would love to see KING KONG on the big screen. The Film Forum is doing an excellent job with this series of films for the entire family. Looks like the rough weather is hitting the NE again. Hopefully spring is on the way. Have a great week my friend!
All Quiet on the Western Front (*****) Classic anti-war film that still packs a punch on the horrors, the meaninglessness and evils of war along with the stupidity of those back home preaching the glories of dying for ones country with shallow patriotic slogans and rhetoric. The battle scenes are as graphic, and magnificently shot, as the war is shown to be senseless. As Lew Ayres tell a classroom of anixous young teens ready to fight upon his return to visit his teacher, There’s no glory, “We live in the trenches, we fight..we try not to be killed – that’s all!” This is Lewis Milestone’s masterpiece. While he made a few other good films, “The Racket,” “The Front Page,” and “Of Mice and Men” to name a few, he never came close again to making the fine a film.
The Paperboy (***) Quirky little film which I still cannot decide how I feel about it. Cusack nails the crazy Southern redneck and Kidman is good. Hard to recommend.
Cat Ballou (***1/2) Still has enough laughs to keep you entertained and Lee Marvin shows his comical side. However, I have to question whether he deserved the Oscar for Best Actor over Burton, Olivier and Steiger whom he ran against.
Tootsie (****1/2) Fantastic performance from Hoffman and a smart script. Still love it after all these years.
John—
The rain-snow mix that is going on right now as I respond to you on Thursday night is rather nasty, but the temperatures are set to rise into the 50′s over the weekend, so perhaps we are done with the worst of it. But then perhaps not. March is an unpredictable month by any standard. The FF did great business over the previous weekend with KING KONG during multiple screenings. I completely agree that the series had been a godsend for families who want to enjoy classics together. You offer up a brilliant assessment of one of the greatest war films of all-time (ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT) and a personal favorite. I completely agree that Marvin should NOT have won that Oscar, though CAT BALLOU is fun. My choice is Rod Steiger for THE PAWNBROKER. Yes agreed too that TOOTSIE is a solid comedy and THE PAPERBOY is middling. Have a great week my friend! Many thanks as always!
Everything is going well on the this end. I will respond to the (above) comments later today when I get home from school. I am also most interested in responding to Jim and Jaimie’s terrific posts.
It has been officially confirmed that Lucille must have her gall bladder taken as we suspected. They don’t feel it is an emergency situation at all, and figure the procedure is basically an in and out in the same day.
Her liver enzymes are excellent, and that ‘fatty liver’ situation was downplayed by the doctor who felt it was a non-issue, that can easily be reversed with diet and exercise.
Sam, wanted to pop in and say hi quickly.
I saw a few things this past week – ARGO, THE MAN IN THE WHITE SUIT, and THE MORTAL STORM. I was glad to see them all but particularly liked the latter two. I believe you are a big fan of them as well. In fact, I owe you for pointing me to the Mackendrick.
Hope you are getting some much-needed rest. Thanks so much, Sam!
Jeffrey—
Thanks for all your support. You’ve been a trooper at this place and your humility is second to none! Can’t at all blame you for citing WHITE SUIT (seen recently at Film Forum) and THE MORTAL STORM, two classics of the cinema. I do like ARGO as well, but never saw it as the “best” of anything. Have a great week my friend!