Modern 'diner' set used in Jonathan Miller's City Opera production of Gaetano Donizatti's "The Elixir of Love"
by Sam Juliano
Jamie Uhler’s ‘Rilke designs’ will now be published as part of an upcoming project. As per Jamie’s recent report on an e mail:
“At least three of my ‘Letters’ from the Rilke designs will be published in an anthology book highlighting unique visual designs for classic works of literature. The publisher is Seven Stories press. http://home.sevenstories.com/ Will provide more details as they emerge.”
Everyone at Wonders in the Dark is thrilled for Jamie, and we look forward to the completed work. This is one of the site’s proudest moments, but more than that it finally gives recognition to Jamie’s artistry.
Things in Tokyo remain tenuous at best, but that man ‘Murderous Ink’ remains a role model of inspiration and tenacity as he has returned to blogging, while enduring all the consternation that seems to underline the daily reports out of his great city. Our thoughts and prayers remain firnly affixed in the far East.
My own week included an appearance at Lincoln Center (with Broadway Bob and music teacher Frederick Fochesato) on Thursday night to take in a marvelous updated version of Gaetano Donizetti’s bel canto opera masterpiece L’Elixir d’Amour by the City Opera, which I am planning to review soon at the site. I loved that 50’s diner set and the soaring voice work by the leads, and thought “Una Furtiva Lagrima” came off magnificently.
On Saturday night, Lucille, Broadway Bob and Sammy and Danny joined me in attending a staging at the Ironbound Theatre in Brooklyn of Treasure Island, based on the beloved novel by Robert Louis Stevenson. Again I am hoping to pen a full review on this memorable experience by this remarkable local company who made great use of props and some actors with Broadway experience.
I also watched Tom McCarthy’s Win Win a second time at the Lincoln Center Cinemas in Manhattan, so I could attend the director’s Q & A with actress Amy Ryan, and give my daughter Melanie a chance to see the film. (as she was the only one who didn’t see it last week).
Otherwise I saw just two new releases in theatres:
My Perestroika *** 1/2 (Saturday afternoon) IFC Film Center
Potiche *** (Sunday afternoon) Angelika Film Center
Francois Ozon’s latest film adds up to less than previous efforts, even with Deneuvre in very fine form. Perhaps this slight material is better suited to the stage, but it’s a far cry from the emotionally-suffused TIME TO LEAVE, CRIMINAL LOVERS and SWIMMING POOL. I think highly of Ozon, but this one is perhaps his least memorable. Sometimes, though, the comic resonance connects. The solid documentary MY PERESTROIKA examines five Russians in their 30’s through the breakup of the Soviet Union with a look at sociological, economic and political factors that play a vital role at this time of defining change. It’s refreshing that we are spared the ‘talking head’ devive, which yields here to the real experience.
My most recent review is on the new Jane Eyre, and it will post early Monday morning.
There is some truly magnificent work out there:
At Twenty Four Frames John Greco has a fascinating interview with Douglass K. Daniel, the author of a new book on American director and writer Richard Brooks. It’s a banner moment for this great blogsite: http://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/interview-with-author-douglass-k-daniel/
Stephen Russell-Gebbett’s ‘favorite top ten films of all-time’ post is leading up magnificently at his Checking on my Sausages abode: http://checkingonmysausages.blogspot.com/2011/03/ten-greatest-films-ive-seen.html
The hottest blogger out there right now is the exceedingly-gifted Ed Howard, who has been on a prolific run over the past month of providing Only the Cinema readers with a non-stop flow of brilliant marathon essays on all kinds of films, the latest of which is a probing and scrutinyzing piece on Jean Rouch’s Les Maitres fous: http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com/2011/03/les-maitres-fous.html
At Movie Classics, Judy Geater is leading up with a terrific review of the 1932 Hollywoodclassic A Farewell to Arms with Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes: http://movieclassics.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/a-farewell-to-arms-frank-borzage-1932/
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
Samuel Wilson has penned a buffo piece at Mondo 70 on Marco Ferreri’s mock-epic Don’t Touch the White Woman: http://mondo70.blogspot.com/2011/03/dont-touch-white-woman-touche-pas-la.html
Jaime Grijalba lovingly remembers Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) at Exodus 8:2: http://exodus8-2.blogspot.com/2011/03/elizabeth-taylor-1932-2011.html
At the Creativepotager’s blogsite artist extraordinaire Terrill Welch has another eye-filling presentation for art and nature lovers titled “When the Sun Comes Out:” http://creativepotager.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/when-the-sun-comes-out/
Laurie Buchanan’s “Putting on a Face” post at Speaking From the Heart is a telling commentary on those who purposely appear differently to different people: http://holessence.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/putting-on-a-face/
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/
And by a wonderful coincidence, Longman Oz in Dublin has penned an excellent piece himself on the same Skolimowski film: http://smiledyawnednodded.com/2011/03/25/essentialkilling/
At Marilyn Ferdinand’s Ferdy-on-Films, Australian wonderkind Roderick Heath has penned what could well be his magnum opus on Eisenstein’s Ivan the Terrible Parts I & II. It’s a Hall of Fame essay if there ever was one, and it considers on of world cinema’s most fascinating projects: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?p=9233
Tony d’Ambra gives the details for the recently-announced Criterion DVD of the noir classic Kiss Me Deadly (Aldrich) at FilmsNoir.net: http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/criterion-to-release-remastered-film-noir-classics-kiss-me-deadly-and-le-cercle-rouge.html
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/
David Schleicher is all laughs at The Schleicher Spin with his buffo examination of the best comedy films with his more than able assistant: http://theschleicherspin.com/2011/03/19/47-comedies-one-million-laughs/
At Cinemascope, Shubhajit is leading with a terrific capsule on the trendsending horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street: http://cliched-monologues.blogspot.com/2011/03/nightmare-on-elm-street-1984.html
Filmmaker Jeffrey Goodman has posted a great piece on The Last Lullaby at his namesake site, along with a sobering list from Ted Hope of 35 pointers: http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/2011/03/great-piece-on-lullaby-and-another.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
R.D. Finch has a terrific and comprehensive review up on Hening Carlsen’s 1966 Hunger, at The Movie Projector. The performabce in the film by Per Oscarsson is one of the greatest in the history of cinema: http://themovieprojector.blogspot.com/2011/03/hunger-1966.html
Kaleem Hasan’s Satyamshot remains the place to be for Indian culture, film, sports and politics: http://satyamshot.wordpress.com/
Craig Kennedy has a very fine review up on Francois Ozon’s Potiche at Living in Cinema: http://livingincinema.com/2011/03/24/review-potiche-2011-12/
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
Jeff Stroud speaks of that perplexing feeling of “Empty Fullness” while assessing his fantastic creative week at The Reluctant Bloger: http://jeffstroud.wordpress.com/2011/03/25/empty-fullness/
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/
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
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 terrific review up at Not Just Movies on Sucker Punch: http://armchairc.blogspot.com/2011/03/sucker.html
And at Little Worlds Hokahey also has a great essay up on Sucker Punch: http://hokahey-littleworlds.blogspot.com/2011/03/zack-snyders-sucker-punch.html
At This Island Rod, Australian Roderick Heath imparts his customary brilliance on 1982′s Beastmaster: http://thisislandrod.blogspot.com/2011/03/beastmaster-1982.html
At Velvety Blackness, Jean has written a brilliant essay on Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: http://velvetyblackness.blogspot.com/2011/03/scott-pilgrim-vs-world.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
At Scribblings and Ramblings, Sachin presents the ‘Genie Awards 2011: The Best of Canadian Film’: http://likhna.blogspot.com/2011/03/genie-awards-2011-best-of-canadian-film.html
Daniel Getahun of Getafilm enthusiastically speaks of the upcoming ‘Muriel Awards’ at his place: http://getafilm.blogspot.com/2011/02/coming-soonmuriel-50.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\
Wow, congratulations both to Jamie for this recognition of his talent and to this site for having the foresight to showcase his work!
It looks like it was a comparative quiet week for you, Sam, and I am obliged to admit to much the same. I did see a few DVDs , though, including JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG, which I re-watched following the conclusion of a major tribunal of inquiry here in Ireland. Its a terrific film in terms of its brave and nuanced intellectual arguments. How dramatic it all is, though, is a different debate! Yet, once again, Burt Lancaster, even sitting motionlessly, proves to be an entirely leonine figure!
And thanks to you Longman for posing both of those flattering acknowledgements here! When Jamie had originally published his work here at WitD, I was perplexed and intimidated by the complexity of the work. And even as an English lit major I found myself lost in his myriad of graphic design. I completely agree that his work deserves full recognition and it means so much to us that it showcased here.
Lancaster is truly great in NUREMBERG, as is Maximillian Schell, who in a few scenes was absolutely electrifying. It’s a much better film than critics of it’s day contended as far as I’m concerned and bottom line it that it’s riveting. I’ve defended Stanley Kramer before (BLESS THE BEASTS AND CHILDREN and IT’S A MAD MAD MAD MAD WORLD) and I’ll defend hilm again! Ha!
That’s amazing though that you have a major tribunal convened in Ireland. It seems this is something that goes on and on.
On another note, which a series of plays coming up later this week, I passed up a chance tomorrow night for a cut-rate ticket for Jason Miller’s THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON with Brian Cox, Jason patric and Kiefer Sutherland in the cast. I may get another chance in a few weeks. I’m sure you know this work well, if I had to speculate.
Many thanks as always for the great wrap my friend!
Thanks for the mention, Sam. I’m home after 3 months, but I’ll be getting to spend just 1 week at my city as I’ll be moving to another city for internship for 2 months. Planning to spend this short stay by sleeping to my heart’s glory and watching a few movies here and there :)
Shubhajit: This seems like a very tricky time for you, though you are well on your way to a successful completion of your studies. I find you quite a fascinating and resilient person, and I am honored at your loyalty and am grateful for your friendship. You’ve done quite well to keep CINEMASCOPE stocked with reviews during a time when your life was spoken for by the University. Enjoy the time off, and do well during your internship. They’ll be plenty of time for the movies.
Many thanks as always my friend!
Sam,
Thanks again for the shout out Sam. Great news about Jamie and well deserved! My own week was peaceful, always a good thing. I spent some time outdoors this week photographing Florida’s bird population, some of which, I added to my Facebook photo gallery.
On the film front I watched the following…
Taxi Driver (*****) Watched this again on the big screen at my local AMC theater. Still, one of the most dark and unrepentant of American films. Scorsese dares to take us on a ride through New York’s steamy, bleak rain soaked streets and glaring neon lights patrolled by an unhinged Travis Bickle as our saving grace or more accurately as a deranged avenging angel.
The Lincoln Lawyer (***1/2) Solid legal thriller with plenty of twists and turns to keep you going. McConaughey actually has to act in this film and he does so skillfully as the sleazy shark of a lawyer who eventually finds himself in deep water. Marisa Tomei adds a nice touch of believable class to it all.
The Untouchables (****1/2) DePalma/Mamet violently poetic version of the Elliot Ness/Al Capone saga. DeNiro’s Al Capone is a nasty, eye for an eye, smart ass that probably gives us the most the most accurate look at what the real Al Capone was like. Costner’s Ness comes across as a bit of a goody two shoes puritan leaving the acting honors to DeNiro and Sean Connery. The film is visually stunning particularly during the killing of Connery and the nod to Eisenstein’s Odessa steps montage.
Bulldog Drummond’s Bride (**) My first exposure to the Bulldog Drummond film series and not a good one. The film is rather dull and you never really care what happens to any of the characters. This was John Howard’s final film as Drummond.
Nobody Lives Forever (***1/2) John Garfield is Nick Blake, a con-artist just released from the Army who quickly gets back into the game. Only the con was thought up by Doc (George Coulouris), an untrustworthy sleaze bucket, and the mark is a beautiful rich widow (Geraldine Fitzgerald), who Nick falls for. The film remains interesting without ever managing to become great. Some plot points are left hanging, still the supporting cast (Walter Brennan, George Tobias, Faye Emerson and George Coulouris sparkle and there is a nice atmospheric ending.
Paradise Found (**1/2) Beautifully shot but slow moving, lightweight bio film about the artist Paul Gauguin. The film interweaves his two lives between his family in Paris and his paradise in Tahiti but overall it seems like Gauguin light. I thought Kiefer Sutherland did a good job as Gauguin.
My biggest problem with THE UNTOUCHABLES is that I think the director was more interested in one story rather than the other in a film that has a hard time merging the two…
For me, it is very clear that DePalma was so smitten with the “Al Capone” storyline that he really got lazy in developing the “Elliot Ness” storyline. The inconsistencies in the visuals during the Ness sequences, the slow pacing and unreigned performances all point to DePalm’s lack of interest. Had he chucked the whole Ness story, the formation of The Untochables, and focused, exclusively on Al Capone and DeNiro’s rather striking performance he would have had a tighter, better constructed and all-together more interesting movie
Kevin Costner is practically sleepwalking through this film and he’s the star of the movie!!!! I never understood the praise for Connery’s performance either. Frankly, the character is played as just that, a cardboard character, more of a caricature of what a tough Irish cop in Prohibition era Chicago would look and sound like. For an actor that is supposedly as smart as Connery I found it amazing that he would have even fallen for a part as blatantly stereotyped as this. There is no dramatic flourish to it, the dialogue is presented like its being read off of cue-cards and tough guy sneering is one of the great examples of over-the-top profiling by an actor that is obviously embarrassed by his own presence in a stinker of this magnitude.
I have often found myself marveling in how cheap and depth-less this whole film is. The production design of the film looks like it was slapped together from old sets recycled from every good James Cagney gangster film of the thirties and early forties and Ennio Morricone’s score is so repetitively annoying that it could give anyone seeing it for the first time a case of head spins. DePalma dresses each moment of the film like they’re all supposed to be the big turning point of the story only to offer them up, really, as red herrings for a plot that really has no majot turning point at all.
Whenever DeNiro’s on screen the performance saves what little good there is in the entirety of the film and it still comes off in the end as a sloppy and thrown together piece. DePalma was at his best in the 70’s and early 80’s (if at all) and THE UNTOUCHABLES is, again for me, a reminder that his successes were clearly outweighed by his missteps.
Frankly, I have always felt THE UNTOUCHABLES would have been best let alone and allowed the memories of that terrific television series to prevail. In the end, I think the film is a major bomb.
Now, TAXI DRIVER is a totally different story…
And I’ll go one further…
If you wanna see a really good film about the period that DePalma is going for in THE UNTOUCHABLES and harboring a sense of violent dread that I think the director is woefully missing in his account of Elliot Ness and Al Capone, then I say rent Sam Mendes superior ROAD TO PERDITION. PERDITION is that rare gangster film that combines artistry with deep human emotion and delivers itself as a visual tome poem dealing with the themes of life turning the cards to losing hands in the matter of a split second. Beatifully envisioned by the director and brilliantly portrayed by a cast that includes Tom Hanks (in a surprisingly effective foray towards the darker side of humanity), Daniel Craig (before he was Bond), Jude Law and, in his last great turn, Paul Newman as the crime boss slowly realizing his time and world is coming to an end. Conrad Hall’s cinematography captures the orange glow of a bygone era that we only know from grainy black and white photos of the period and Thomas Newman score strikes a perfect balance between the skittered nerves of the plot and the calming realizations of lifes never ending acknowledgement of fate.
How did I know that you would reference ROAD TO PERDITION here? Well, you’ve done it glorious justice here, and I well remember the high regard you had for it upon release (a position I was pretty much in agreement with.)
John, great that you got some quality time outdoors (we are still getting sub 30 degree temperatures here and it’s almost April. I guess this will go down as the Winter That Wouldn’t Die. As I told others I completely agree that Jamie deserves this remarkable acknowledgement. I think he loved his Rilke work more than anything else he’s done for the site, and well he should. Others are now seeing it’s worth and artistry.
I still haven’t gotten into the Facebook swing of things.
Your capsule there on TAXI DRIVER is incredible, but I well remember a review you had penned that was much the same. The film is still playing at the Film Forum, and I hope to get there, but it’s doubtful at this point. I’ve seen it a number of times, but the print you saw over this past week is most desirable. I have missed a few chance at THE LINCOLN LAWYER, but hope to see it soon and appreciate your fine assessment. Some others have said good things about McConaughey’s performance. I see Dennis has gone hog-wild in adding to your capsule on THE UNTOUCHABLES. I may not value the film quite as high as you, I am still a moderate fan of it, regardless of what my overall view of Di Palma is. I always like those big set pieces too (Odessa Steps, Connery’s killing) Your rating for NOBODY LIVES FOREVER is perfect and I concur on those fine supporting performances. I haven’t seen PARADISE FOUND but am most interested, in view of the subject matter.
Good Luck with the bird photographt too.
Many thanks as always John for the superlative wrap and great week!
CONGRATS all around for JAMIE UHLER!!!!!!!!
Jamie, I hope you are as proud of your work s we here are proud of your accomplishment!!!! This is a real feather in your cap!!!!!
I have been following the news from Japan extensively and I am crossing my fingers and saying prayers on a daily basis that somehow thing will turn for the better. Alarmingly, my attention was brought to the news this morning that some amount of radiation from the nuclear crisis in Japan is finding its way into the Massachusettes area. Officials and experts on the subject say there is nothing to be alarmed about and the level of the poisons found in the water in MA are so dilluted that it poses no threat. I don’t know though…
Can a garauntee be made? Are they sure that it won’t swell into bigger doses of radiation travelling over to the States????
And then I wonder…
Is this the end of days? Is this the realization of the prophecy of 2012 that so many movies and books have highlighted as their subject????
This is scary…
I do know this though. MI is a brave person and I wish him and his family safety and good fortune and pray that an end to this worry and fear comes soon.
As for me…
The move to the new apartment is in full swing. The boxes are packed. The furniture has been sold, given away and donated. The moving van will be here on Wednesday and then…
ADIOS old pad, hello new one!!!!
Packing sucks. The confusion of what stays and what goes is enough to drive a person mad and I just wish the whole thing was done with already…
Dennis, you said some wonderful words there for Jamie, and I’m sure he appreciates them greatly. The Rilke project was one of the site’s most creative presentations, and Jamie fully deserves professional attention for it.
Murderous Ink is indeed a courageous man, and I am proud to have met his acquaintance. He has certainly given all WitD a special perspective that could never be acquired by news reports. I think you may be a bit too worried about all that world-to-end nonsense, but whenever this kind of catastrophe is upon us, we thing of all these kind of things.
You are handling the move well. I know the kind of inconvinience that greets such an endeavor, and I hope you will be at 320 Ninth for a long time. Back in Fairview again! Ha!
Thanks for that fabulous response here as always my friend!
Dennis,
I did a casual search on Massachusetts rainwater radiation level reports and found it 79pCi/L. This is roughly 3 Bq/Kg. If it is more than 100 Bq/Kg, you have to avoid giving it to infants, who are more susceptible to radiation effects. That’s the guideline here, cautious one at that. It seems some Congressman asking iodine pills to be distributed, but I don’t think it is as alarming as that. I think what you can do now is keep watching the data, probably reported on regular basis, to see if the value is increasing. Don’t worry, I would be in serious trouble before you get contaminated water. In that case, I will post an alert here.
MI
MI,
Thank you for the update and the concern. I cannot even begin to imagine what you are going through at home and I’m slightly embarrassed by my own miniscule worry in comparison.
I’m one of those types that sees the glass as half empty versus the guy that sees it half full. However, in a case like this, I feel that my worry (not just for me, but everyone) is a little validated. The world is changing. The shifts that are occuring are, for the most part, unnatural and its starting to show us proof that the planet is a living breathing entity that, like an animal backed into a corner, will bite hard when it thinks it’s in jeopardy. The human race has ravaged and decimated this planet to the point of exhaustion and the need for things like nuclear power are like guns hidden under the beds of our parents waiting to be discovered and played with by a toddler. We have toyed with dangerous things, things that really needed to be left alone and the result is this big blue marble getting pissed off and reacting.
If the events of the past several weeks in Japan haven’t woken us up to the peril we are creating then I think it’s time we finally admit that we’re ill prepared for the results that will be leveled on us. I just pray that these warnings are enough to make us step back and take a deep breath and come to the conclusion that things must be done to make peace with a bigger force that has been shaken from its slumber.
Wars are raging all over the globe with no discernable solution in sight. People just need to chill out and try to get along. The technological rape of the planet must stop and there are plenty of green solutions to solve the problems of energy and global warming if we just agree to make the steps necessary to bring them to fruition.
Ultimately, my worry doesn’t go out to myself as much as it goes out to the little ones that will be here on the globe long after I am gone. I look at Sams kids, my nephews and kids of dear friends of mine and I ask: “What will be left for them?” I shudder to think they will have to live with the effects of our greed and self centered natures and not only learn to survive in a world slowly taking sick, but have to make ammends for the mistakes we have made.
My heart goes out to you and all the people of your region and I wonder if there was anything we could have done to keep a catastophe of this proportion ever happening in the first place. It could happen to any one and any place at any time.
Japan is in my prayers each and every night when I go to bed and again when I wake to face the day each and every morning…
Thank you so much for the response. You are a better and braver man than I…
Sam, thanks so much for the wonderful mention. Like you, I continue to keep Japan in my thoughts as these extraordinarily difficult weeks unfold.
It sounds like you had a great week. I really need to make time to take in more theater. It’s something I haven’t been as diligent about of late.
This week though I did see THE PLAYER, EVERYTHING STRANGE AND NEW, THE MYSTERY OF PICASSO, AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER, CHELSEA ON THE ROCKS, and FIVE DEDICATED TO OZU. Although I quickly admit that it’s not for everyone, I found the Abel Ferrara documentary the most affecting of the bunch. It merges Ferrara’s typical raggedy and rough style to an interesting look at the landmark hotel.
Here’s to another awesome week, Sam. Thanks so much for all that you do.
Yes indeed Jeffrey, the situation is Japan can never get too much of our thoughts, and surely there must be some glimmer of light ahead. You are certainly no stranger to natural disasters, and you come to this one from, sall I say, ‘informed’ perspective.
Living almost in Manhattan I am able to take advantage of the theatrical opportunities and this particular time of the year is the richest in that regard. I have four plays coming this week from Wednesday night till Saturday night, so Lucille and I will be ‘hoppin’ that’s for sure. I bet when you were in Paris you had some great things to see and hear. You saw quite a group of films, and while I can’t blame you for favoring that Ferrara work, I would probably choose Altman’s film as my favorite. But with your typical stacked deck there can’t ever be a wrong answer.
Hope all is well with you my friend, though I’m sure you’ve been busy. Many thanks as always!
That Treasure Island with the family must have been a gas out in Brooklyn. You sure inject your itinerary with some diverse ventures. As you know, I am familiar with The Elixir of Love and love that big aria. The diner setting is cool.
My congratulations to Jamie Uhler. That’s big.
Frank, Lucille and I took Sammy and Danny with us to the Ironbound Theatre, which was a converted church. (Broadway Bob was with us too). The location is barely two blocks from the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). We were imprssed with the passion and resourcefullness that went into this production, even if the gunshots almost made us deaf! Ha! We got a parking apace (literally) right in front the door. Yes, I’ve always known indeed of your love for “Una Futiva Lagrima” and we got a stellar voicing of it from David Loceli.
Yep, Jamie has really hit it big here, and he fully deserves it.
Many thanks as always my friend.
Sam – A huge CONGRATULATIONS to Jamie Uhler! That’s fantastic.
My thoughts and energy remains focused on the people in Japan. Thank you for keeping us updated in regards to “Murderous Ink.”
If your schools are on the same schedule as ours, you’re enjoying spring break this week. If that’s the case, I can’t even begin to imagine the additional number of movies and plays you’ll attend.
I loved the review you wrote on jane Eyre, you really (!) piqued my interest at the mention of Judy Dench. In my opinion, you just can’t go wrong when her talent is part of the lineup!
Thank you for pointing to Speaking from the Heart.
Laurie, thanks so much for those impassioned words for Jamie and of course for the dire situation in Japan. ‘Murderous Ink’ has been regularly appraised us of the situation in Tokyo, for which we are eternally grateful.
Ha, you know what I do with my spare time!!! But oddly enough our spring break week isn’t until Monday, April 11th (which of course means we’ll be off from the 9th till the 17th, though then we get off the following week for Good Friday. Anyway, behaps the wait will increase the prospects for better weather. We’ll see.
Thanks again for the much appreciated words for my modest JANE EYRE piece. You and I both think most highly of the great Dame Judi Dench!
Thanks again my very good friend!
Sam, thanks for the mention (and in turn thanks everyone else). I’m blushing hundreds of miles away.
Jamie, that was a given in view of the heights you’ve scaled! Way to go!!!!!
Sam, yesterday was pretty busy. Besides normal weekend chores, I shot out to the local arthouse for Certified Copy and shot back home in order to put up a review before it was time for Mildred Pierce. HBO ran the first two parts last night and I was impressed. Haynes and his cinematographers use the two-color Technicolor palette to evoke the period as we know it from media artifacts. Perhaps we’ll see more blue in later episodes. Winslet is fine and the actress playing the young Veda is a strange little monster, a hateful satire of all the precocious children you see in movies. The best thing about the show so far is the the detail made possible by the long format. And since the detail usually focuses on how to make money, it feels dramatically justified. Overall, I thought it a strong start with three hours to go.
On the noir front, I finally caught up with Phil Karlson’s Kansas City Confidential, which was just about as tough but not quite as effectively oppressive as the director’s best stuff. I also had the misfortune to see a copy of William A. Seiter’s Borderline apparently recorded off TV with false fadeouts for commercial breaks and some footage missing. From what I could tell, this attempt at noir farce (teaming Fred MacMurray and Claire Trevor) had potential but was much too mild. It nearly manages to render Raymond Burr unmenacing! Oh well….
Samuel, I am happy that you penned a review on CERTIFIED COPY though I must still go over to MONDO 70 and see what observations you came up with. Samuel, when I was first appraised of the project I had mixed feelings, as I have always regarded the Curtiz film as an American classic. But the fact that Haynes (FAR FROM HEAVEN) was doing it dispelled any sight-unseen reservations. Sadly I have not seen it, and am way too occupied on most weekends to watch HBO or any television in fact. I would assume a DVD will be availble soon enough though. Thanks for a descriptive of the color process, and of relating what some of the most memorable aspects were.
As I am responding to you right now, I see your news about Farley Granger. So sorry to hear this lamentable news. Yep, another major player gone. Thanks for that report on the aborted viewing of BORDERLINEand also the mention of KANSAS CITY CONFIDENTIAL, a fine Karlsen noir.
Many thanks as always my friend for the terrific wrap!
Sam, Jamie, I’m really pleased that that project regarding Rilke’s text will circulate farther. It was really admirable, Jamie, how you tackled a difficult conceptual architecture and transposed it into visual excitement. It was remarkable that such a complex subject appeared in a blog. Congratulations to both of you!
I agree with you Jim. That was one of the most challenging projects ever presented at this site, and frankly we’re proud Jamie’s been recognized. Many thanks my friend!
Sam, more book-reading than film-gazing last week, though yesterday evening on TCM I caught Losey’s “Accident” and I feel almost caddish for not liking it more — so much talent, sexual frisson and Pinteresque menace ‘arted up’ by the disruption of the time-space continuum (Proust) and lingering shots of Oxford architecture and gargoyles, and portentous holds on things like a lone tree (Antonioni), though Bogarde, Baker and Merchant deliver chills to the cerebro-spinal cortex with excellent underplaying. Especially Mrs. Pinter. That French starlet’s feathered gown reminded me of “Marienbad” ‘s high fashion look, and then shortly, voila, we see Delphine Seyrig herself!
Still, the working-class Pinter’s take on snotty British upper-class sex tensions and rivalries is appropriately disgusted and amused, and “Accident” is probably worth a second look. Who was really driving the car and did alcohol cause the crash? Or maybe it was an untethered dog. The sound of Bogarde’s barking dog can be heard in the long opening scene.
Did the girl, a princess, get euphemistic ‘cold feet’ on the eve of her marriage? She’s blank and neurotic in a Monica Vitti sort of way. Now I have to see “Accident” again, damnit.
By the way, is Pinter’s Proust screenplay still unproduced? When one thinks of “The Go-Between” and now “Accident,” Losey might have been the ideal director for Proust’s infinitely layered novel, though his stream-of-consciousness syle doesn’t quite work for “Accident” ‘s nasty little mystifications.
‘Accident’ is the only Pinter/Losey combo I haven’t seen… I’m a huge Pinter fan, I must see this now! (might blind buy the R2 dvd right now)
Congratulations, Jamie. Great news!
“Accident” is definitely far above the ruck of most films and it’s haunted me for the past couple of days now.
I plan to check it out again for more clarification. Full of creepy sunlit menace and sexual undertones and frustrations. Michael York looks so fresh and new, but then this was way back in 1967!
“Still, the working-class Pinter’s take on snotty British upper-class sex tensions and rivalries is appropriately disgusted and amused, and “Accident” is probably worth a second look. Who was really driving the car and did alcohol cause the crash? Or maybe it was an untethered dog. The sound of Bogarde’s barking dog can be heard in the long opening scene….”
Mark, I am a huge Losey fan (DON GIOVANNI, THE CRIMINAL, THE SERVANT, THE GO-BETWEEN, THE PROWLER are films I rate highly) but like Jamie, I have never gotten around to this particular film. Your assessment here however will be more than enough impetus for me to reverse that soon, even with your substantial misgivings. Your questins and stram-of-consciousness analysis here are terrific and I can only say I’ll make it my business to see it. I love Losey way too much for avoidance. He also may well be the one who should have tackled Proust. In recent years he’s been reassessed by many (a book “The Films of Joseph Losey” is essential for cineastes) and is finally being seen as the genoius he is.
Many thanks as always my friend for the stellar submission here!
Great news for Jamie! I will also be on the lookout for the book and hopefully the details will continue to be updated for everyone. Another art filled week for you Sam.
Thanks Maurizio. I was in your own neck of the woods on Saturday night for the stage version of TREASURE ISLAND. I actually thought of you at one point, and was trying to figure how far you were from that spot, which isn’t far from the Manhattan Bridge. That was a diverse week, but this upcoming week is the real doozer with 4 stage plays Wednesday through Saturday (Angels Over America, Catch Me If You Can (musical), Macbeth and Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap. I hope I make it alive. Ha!
Yes, I will looking forward to purchasing a copy of the book that will be housing Jamie’s work!
Many thanks my friend!
Way to go Jamie!
Sam – did you catch the first two parts of “Mildred Pierce” on HBO yet? Knowing you are a big Todd Haynes fan, I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. I was highly impressed – the production design was amazing and the attention to detail in the dialogue and cadences of life in 1930’s California was top notch. I’m not familiar with the original film or the book – but this looks like grand melodrama territory. Should be interesting.
I saw “The Lincoln Lawyer” (***1/2) in theaters and was highly entertained (though would’ve preferred more of Marisa Tomei) though it was instantly forgettable when I left the theater.
On DVD I watch “Syndromes and a Century” (***) and was a bit disappointed on the heels of “Uncle Boonmee.” I just didn’t feel anything for the film, though it had many nice little moments, and I “got” what the director was getting at. Clearly in my mind, “Boonmee” is thus far Weerasthakul’s masterpiece.
Baseball season starts on Thursday! Go Phils!
As a film noir fan I must still admit that the first two parts of Todd Haynes’ Mildred Pierce are far superior to the Curtiz film. The fact that I only like and not love the Joan Crawford 1945 vehicle should be taken with a grain of salt. The original picture was always marred by overly soapy melodrama that never sat well with me. The Haynes version (so far) is able to handle these elements better with the dark material of the Cain novel.
Something tells me David, that the Phils will be sitting tall at the end of this coming season! That pitching staff is unreal! Over here the Yankees are looking weak in that department.
Well, it’s true I love Todd Haynes, but I have bided my time with this new series, not managing to work it into my schedule just yet. But rather than diving in I’ll instead wait for a proper DVD release. I appreciate everything you say there and am expecting great things. Our friend Ed Howard has written one of his greatest reviews ever (haven’t I said that before?) in an assessment of it that sets the bar:
http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com/2011/03/mildred-pierce-episodes-1-2.html
but I’ve heard nothing but praise. Samuel Wilson of course says quite a bit on this thread, and what with the great reports from all quarters I can say I can’t wait!
Still haven’t gotten to THE LINCOLN LAWYER but will do so soon, and I must say I’m surprised at what you say there on SYNDROMES, though I am smiling at your re-conformation of BOONME’s excellence.
Many thanks as always my excellent friend!
Hello Sam and everyone who stays some hours around these places, specially to Jamie, who has the genius of the “J” (lol) and has made us all proud, congrats!
You had a quiet weekend Sam, with five outings, but still it’s awesome to hear that in the theater front the best plays are coming out, good for you that you have Broadway near you… I mean, where you live is where the fun is had! I wanna go there!
My week was somewhat tiring, I saw the girlfriend on tuesday and saturday (we studied math, she has a hard test coming up), wednesday I recorded an interview with the director at my drama club (I was editing it today and it turned out… fine) for my Tv Workshop, thrusday we saw some Bresson extracts and was excited enough to see one myself, I also took a bunch of pictures of a nearby hospital for homework, and Friday I saw a film at the university, cool stuff.
My week, movie wise:
– ALICE (1980, Woody Allen) **** For some reason, when Alice started to romance the guy, even after she knew what he had done, I thought I’d hate the movie… I did, for a second, but some magic was put on me and I didn’t mind, not at all. Still, it’s a good film.
– MONEY a.k.a L’ARGENT (1983, Robert Bresson) ****1/2 Quiet direction, quiet acting, quiet movie. Respect for such a dedicated direction and a story that made me look confused, but satysfied.
– THE BAD LIUTENANT: PORT OF CALL – NEW ORLEANS (2009, Werner Herzog) ****1/2 My choice for the best actor of 2009 was Nicolas Cage for this movie, and seeing it again confirmed my choice, I just love the whole thing, and it remains the only Herzog I’ve seen. Criminal, right?
– HUSBANDS AND WIVES (1992, Woody Allen) ****1/2 Incredible acting and story, splendid way of shooting this vignete of modern social love life, the way it was told it was atractive as well.
– LIFE OF BRIAN (1978, Terry Jones) ***** I wanted to laugh for a while, so I watched this masterpiece of absurdist comedy, full of little jokes and bits that make it rewatchable as hell.
– SHADOWS AND FOG (1991, Woody Allen) *** My least favorite Woody Allen film so far, I didn’t care what happened, I didn’t like the characters, and I didn’t understand a thing was happening in the screen. I just loved the cinematography and use of black and white.
– VIRIDIANA (1961, Luis Buñuel) ***** This was the movie I saw at the university. It was splendid, every scene was perfect, every little parlament had sense, every image was compelling, and it isn’t even the best Buñuel movie I’ve seen. This guy is genius, for sure.
The movie for tomorrow’s Sam Flick Pick was just seen and the review has just been programed, so you’ll read it tomorrow.
May you have an amazing week Sam!
Indeed Jaime! Your near-namesake has hit a grand slam this week, and all of us are anticipating some great things in the upcoming months.
I do hope you can get to these parts at some point Jaime! Lucille and I (and the gang) would really love to meet you! Yes, living within minutes of Broadway gives those with pockets that can stand it some incomparable opportunities. This is the time of the year when the theatre offers it’s most prestigious productions, and I have some great stuff lined up for later this week, including highly praised stagings of MACBETH and Agatha Christie’s THE MOUSETRAP.
Great to see you spent some quality time with the girlfriend even if it may have been compromised a bit by the intrusion of ‘mathematics’ of all things! Ha! As far as the interview with the drama club director, well that’s great stuff! You should consider posting it as EXODUS: 8:2!
You’ve watched some great things this week, and I fully concur with the five-star rating for Bunuel’s VIRIDIANA, one of the masterpieces of world cinema, and perhaps my favorite from the director. I would also go with the top rating for Bresson’s film, though you are certainly close enough there. And what you say in the capsule is perfect. I am also with you completely on ALICE in rating and assessment. It’s a solid Woodman film, but not among his very best. You surely must see more Herzog, that’s for sure but a strong ‘yay’ on NEW ORLEANS and Cage’s performance!
As far as the other two Woody films, it’s amazing how close we are yet again. SHADOWS deserves no more than the *** you give it (it’s essentially one of his weaker films) and HUSBANDS AND WIVES has improved with re-viewings.
I would go a little lower with LIFE OF BRIAN, but I really can’t quibble with what you say there.
I will be heading over to EXODUS 8:2 to see your flattering new post in your great “Flick Pick” series.
Many thanks again for yet another magnificent submission to this revered weekely thread my friend!
Thanks very much for the plug, Sam – I haven’t had a chance to update my blog for a while, but hope to put that right this week. Seeing ‘Treasure Island’ on stage must have been really something – quite a challenge for the adapters!
I was at the theatre too this weekend, seeing a fine production of ‘Guys and Dolls’ at the New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich. This is probably my favourite musical, and I loved it just as much as ever. My family also saw Julian Lloyd Webber with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performing the Elgar Cello Concerto, plus Mendelssohn’s Hebrides Overture and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, which was another great evening.
Film-wise, I saw two films with great cinematography by Charles Lang, one in black and white, the other in colour. The first was Mitchell Leisen’s ‘Arise My Love’ (1940), starring Claudette Colbert and Ray Milland, which Allan reviewed a few weeks ago – I’m keen to see a lot more Leisen now and can’t understand why this great mixture of wartime drama and screwball romance isn’t better-known. Thanks again to Allan for highlighting this film.
The other film was ‘The Shepherd of the Hills’ (Henry Hathaway, 1941), a non-Western role for John Wayne as a troubled young moonshiner in the Ozark mountains, also starring Betty Field as an unglamorous heroine who strides through mud in bare feet. I was slightly startled to see how similar the poverty-stricken life portrayed here is to that of ‘Winter’s Bone’, 70 years on – except that the main industry in this one is producing illegal booze rather than drugs. Anyway, this film is a bit uneven but very interesting, with gorgeous scenery, though it was actually filmed in California rather than the Ozarks.
I must also add to the congratulations for Jamie – great that his work is going into print.
Hey Judy! I understand there will always be instances where you can’t always maintain sustained posting, but all in all I’d say you done exceedingly well at MOVIE CLASSICS over the past months.
Wow, that Mendelssohn, Elgar and Beethoven venue sounds fantastic! Some of music’s greatest works on one evening by one of the greatest ensembles in the world! An evening of pure bliss, and a night to cherish well into the future! The Hebrides Overture is a piece many aren’t familiar with, but it’s one of Mendelssohn’s treasures!
GUYS AND DOLLS is a musical treasure and a sure thing to place in my upcoming musical countdown! It’s your absolute favorite musical? Wow! That production really sounds great too! You had a phenomenal musical week in every sense there! I’ve never seen GUYS AND DOLLS on stage, having always seems to muff the chances I had. Nice work there!
Allan did indeed do a phenomenal job bringing Leisen’s superlative work to the blogosphere. EASY LIVING, MIDNIGHT, REMEMBER THE NIGHT and HOLD BACK THE DAWN are exceptional films, and the one you saw here is another well-deserving of exposure for those examining his work.
I can’t remember if I saw that Hathaway, though I’ve seen the lion’s share of his work. I greatly appreciate the superbly-delineated connection to WINTER’S BONE here, and will examine further.
Yes Jamie has really done himself well, and deserves all the plaudits.
This was one of your most spectacular weekly wraps Judy, and I’m thrilled to receive it!
Hi! Sam Juliano, Allan Fish, and WitD readers…
I hope that your family and friend Broadway Bob, enjoyed L’Elixir d’Amour (The set Of L’Elixir d’Amour reminds me Of artist Hopper’s paintings. )
Treasure Island, and Win Win…
…I can see that both film and play fared well in your opinion. I will check-out your review Of Jane Eyre, post… shortly!
I can also see that My Perestroika, *** 1/2 and Potiche *** both received reviews in the positive from you too!
([By the way, I know an artist that paint in the same “vein” as Hopper…the artist name is Christopher Stott I thought that he was influenced by Wyeth, but nope I was wrong it’s Hopper’s work that his artwork is influenced by…])
Once again, my prayers and thoughts goes out to the people Of Japan and Murderous Ink, and his family and friends at this the most heart-breaking Of times. :(
[Postscript: Here Goes a very interesting Photo blog where the blogger, reflects on the beauty Of Japan and its people too! J
Photojournal Japan
I also want to take the time to Congratulate! Jamie, too…on his great news and very good-luck to Jamie too in this endeavor.
Sam Juliano, once again, thanks for the mention and the link-up to all Of our fellow bloggers, once again this week.
Thanks, fo sharing!
DeeDee :)
Dee Dee:
Excellent point there comparing that diner setting with Hopper’s work!!!! That’s a perfect visual reference point in fact!!! (Thanks too for the subsequent embellishment on Hopper by bringing up ‘Christopher Stott’) Yes, Broadway Bob, music teacher Frederick Fochesato and I enjoyed City Opera’s production immensely. I’d rate at as the equal of any ELIXIR I’ve seen at the Metropolitan Opera. The lead tenor and soprano did wonders with this eternally popular bel canto opera, and I’d see it again in a heartbeat if the opportunity arises. As you note, I did indeed have a great time Saturday night in Maurizio Roca’s neck of the woods too with the passionate rendering of TREASURE ISLAND by a tireless group of thespians who made superlative use of props in the converted church building near the Manhattan Bridge. Sammy and Danny really enjoyed it! Maybe I can convince them now to read Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic!!! Now that would be an accomplishment!
I saw WIN WIN a second time to allow my daughter Melanie to play catch up (she missed it the first time around) and to hear director Tom McCarthy to negotiate the Q & A, which turned out to be fascinating. The other two films were decent enough, though less than what I have been seeing in recent weeks.
Thanks very much for the link to the photo journal, which I will check out as soon as I enter this response to you. I am loathe to read much more of this, and am concerned for the Japanese people and our friend Murderous Ink.
I’m sure Jamie very much appreciates the wonderful words for him, which as I’ve stated are much deserved!
Thanks my dear friend for this magnificent, comprehensive comment!
Howdy Sam, I’ve been busy lately getting ready for my grading and setting up some long term goals, but I’ve always popped in to check which film will be the latest one to appear on the film noir count down…
Up in the Air**
A very light movie with Clooney holding court, centre stage. There are plot moments in it that have a delightfully satirical edge, such as the introduction of the interactive screens to dismiss staff. It really doesn’t have anything to say about the great economic banking robbery and falters in the domestic section focusing on the sisters marriage. Plus points would be that it didn’t sugar coat the end and the there are some brilliantly edited scenes of Clooney packing for his journeys, the sheer speed and vim of them is intoxicating.
Lourdes**
I watched this and then dug up your review of it….whilst I agree that it has elements of Bunuel and Bresson, and there is an active intelligence at work – but it veered too much from the austere to the sterile for me. It really needed an evocative score to kick in at opportune moments. Another thing that I didn’t at all believe was the romantic element – which was a huge barrier to embracing it. I just didn’t see the chemistry at work for a the military officer and the an invalid dribbling all over her clothes and who have barely had any meaningful conversation.
Up*
With it’s huge reputation and glowering reviews, I expected more too from this. The first 20/30 minutes are truly magnificent and had they been shorn off and been presented as a short, I would applaud it. Alas, after that it goes the way of an action adventure buddy movie, with section gleaned off of ‘The Red Balloon’, then ‘Fitzcarraldo’, then Wells’ ‘The Island of Doctor Moreau’ with a Kirk Douglas lookalike, and finally ‘The Rocketeer’, ect., ect. It’s hardly original and the human element, the warmth is swamped.
Force of Evil****
A brilliant little noir, which I expect to be seeing in the noirs appearing daily. It’s several notches above ‘Body and Soul’ which has it moments but is hampered, for me, by the over use of broad melodramatic elements (the music, Ben’s death, and a certain crudeness). This is vastly sharper, with a hallucinatory quality. And the was Polansky uses his camera to give sudden close-ups a pungent, fearful urgency and his use of the staircases throughout – to evoke a mythical resonance, as if these trips up steps were momentous journeys into a hinterland where souls can be brought – this is the type of direction of a master film maker. The tragedy was that he, like so many others, was robbed of the creative life.
Kickass***
I really didn’t know what to expect from this one. A tongue in cheek spoof/parody of the superhero genre, but unlike nonsensical kack – such as ‘Hancock’ this is a genuinely funny, playful, stylish and inventive piece, doing what the like of ‘Buffy’ and Tarantino fail to do. The only thing that falters it is the romance. It may even be better than the rating I gave it.
The Prowler*
I thought I’d give this another chance, having seen it years ago. Not too impressed – way too talky for me and with a very familiar plot with the like of ‘double Indemnity’, ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice’ and ‘Body Heat’ – all of which I prefer over this one. Losey was better when he came to Britain.
American Idol****
This is a marvellous documentary about Ronald Reagan, a figure that I truly despise and have a visceral gut level response to (next to Thatcher and Murdoch – oh and I nearly forgot Cheney). It’s by the maker of ‘Why We Fight’ and has the same rich denseness, cutting back and forth, establishing the bigger picture and then telling the story with all it complications and contradictions. Part of the BBC Storyville documentary strand that will get a far wider release and exposure.
Hey Bobby, my deepest apologies for the late response to this stellar round-up. I always think I need to set aside some well-earned time, but that strategy has fallen by the wayside.
You provided some brilliant (and personal) capsules here, and oddly enough I differ on several, though I wouldn’t or couldn’t contest some of your excellent points.
While I agree that the scrapbook opening of UP is one of the most beautiful and moving sequences in any animated film, I felt it didn’t shoot downward after that, holding the stage with some wonderous set pieces, even with that one weak sequence with the dogs. I fully support the spectacular reviews on the strength of the gorgeous animation and the splendid idea, indepted as it is to some ideas from lamorisee’s THE RED BALLOON.
I also felt Losey’s THE PROWLER as the best of his Hollywood work. This sordid story of sex, corruption and greed is one of the bleakest of all noirs, one of 1951′s finest films in any genre, and the vassel in which Van Helfin and Evelyn Keyes deliver stupendous performances. The film’s sociological underpinnings as as blistering as any noir. I’ll agree with you though that aside from this film, his great works were definitely made in the U.K.
True the romance was hokey in KICKASS, but everything else does work as you note with enthusiasm. I was as surprised as anyone when I walked out of the theatre.
Your FORCE OF EVIL capsule is brilliant, as brilliant in fact as the film. Great point too with the “hallucinatory” quality. It’s way ahead of BODY AND SOUL in every sense.
I found UP IN THE AIR emotionally distancing and featherwight in it’s themes. It’s not a film that will draw me closer to Clooney either. But again your assessment here is food for thought.
As far as my beloved LOURDES, I relied on Schubert and Bach for the musical inspiration, but can’t deny what you say there about the bizarre romantic sub-plot, but I stand behind Hausner’s astounding ability to juggle her viewpoint, satirizing, which upholding perceived reverence. That’s why I embraced the Bunuelian and Bressonian elements. But your overall reaction is certainly fair enough.
I am no fan of Reagan either, ha! But I concur with your estimation through and through!
Spectacular stuff my friend!
And you were the star of the Outer Limits blogothon!!! I wonder if those guys are considering a follow-up?
First off, congrats to Jaimie — getting published is no small feat and is quite the accomplishment.
My movie viewing was limited to watching the first three episodes of THIS IS ENGLAND ’86, which I’m glad Allan pointed out in a post several months back, otherwise I wouldn’t have known it even existed. I have yet to finish the final episode (looking to do that tonight) and will post some short thoughts on it here next week. I”m curious if Jamie has watched this, as the era and music seems to be pretty well connected to his music posts.
On the blog front, I should have a post on LES DAMES DU BOIS DE BOULOGNE up by the end of the week (I actually watched it several weeks back). I’m trying to get back to at least a bi-weekly posting schedule, though various obligations (such as landscaping our entire backyard) may see to that not happening :) I’ll at least try.
Troy: As I’ve stated in the past, your family life (and mine too, but I am demented) should not be comprimised for blogging unless there is a likely prospect of a job as a result of the writing. You are not looking for one, and I sure as heck aren’t, as I am well past that time. The fact that you’ve done as well as you have both in a prolific sense and in a quality sense has shown you as a trouper. Much as I hate to admit it, the landscaping is really more important, though I still can’t wait to see that Bresson review.
I am not sure if Jamie has seen this, but I have and I can corroborate your enthusiasm. Of course Allan’s review was outstanding as you point out. I also loved the original THIS IS ENGLAND, as you have.
I’m sure Jamie will be buy to acknowledge those kind words in his behalf.
Many thanks my very good friend!
Sam Juliano said,”As you note, I did indeed have a great time Saturday night in Maurizio Roca’s neck of the woods too with the passionate rendering of TREASURE ISLAND by a tireless group of thespians who made superlative use of props in the converted church building near the Manhattan Bridge. Sammy and Danny really enjoyed it! Maybe I can convince them now to read Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic!!! Now that would be an accomplishment!”
Sam, I hope that both Of your sons, Sammy and Danny, read Stevenson’s book Treasure Island too…Because I read it myself a little over two years ago…a very interesting book indeed!
By the way, Sam Juliano, Do your sons follow “The Depp” Caribbean adventures? I haven’t watched any Of the film in the series yet…(with yet being the operative word…yeah, yeah, yeah…) and I’am waiting and hoping for the box-set too!
Sam Juliano said, “Thanks very much for the link to the photo journal, which I will check out as soon as I enter this response to you. I am loathe to read much more of this, and am concerned for the Japanese people and our friend Murderous Ink.”
Sam Juliano, This is a very interesting Photo-blog where the blogger, reflects on the beauty Of Japan and its people too…not so much on the “horror” that is occurring in Japan right now…As a matter Of fact, I have left a comment on his blog (Which is awaiting moderation…and I liked it over there on Facebook too!) I understand where you are coming from, but we do have to face the good and bad ordeals that life have to offer…there is no escaping that fact…
Here goes a blog discussing the Quakebook
A Post About The Wonderful Quakebook
our man in abiko
A Graphic Designer Pays Homage To Japan
DeeDee ;)
Once again Dee Dee you have unearthed some incredible links, and again you’ve brought some healing to the fore of this terrible event. I salute you for this my dear friend, and hope readers will be checking out this essential links! I just did myself!
Yes, all of my kids are Johnny Deep Pirates of the Caribbean junkies, and have been since the first film released! Ha! We always see the new released in the theatres first., and we have every one on DVD as you would certainly suspect. It will be a little more difficult to get them to read TREASURE ISLAND though, but I’ll keep trying. Danny is dyslectic, but he words hard and has is exceedingly art-talented. The two girls are very bright, but TREASURE ISLAND is more of a boys book of course.
Thanks again for the wonderful dialogue my friend!
Sam,
Thank you for the mention. I hope you enjoyed my review of “Downtown”. I really wish it be more widely available. It is a fine example of professional film making with heart.
I enjoyed your review of new film adaptation of Jane Eyre. I knew it has been filmed numerous times, but not as much as 26 times. I agree its success largely depends on casting. And this new film seems to have interesting matching for two protagonists, according to your colorful description. Wonderful.
Here, people try to adapt themselves to this situation, which we had only imagined in science fiction. Day by day, devastated areas are investigated for the damage and loss. Food and other essential supplies are now gradually reaching the evacuated stations. Thanks to international relief efforts, more people feel safe and less painful. It is such an occasion we realize that we do not live alone.
Nuclear disaster prompts fear, stress and anguish not only among us but overseas. I have to confess, I had panicked. When government reported tap water was contaminated, I did get scared. After a couple of hours, though, I tried to keep myself calm down. I am an engineer, and trained as a scientist. First, get data. Get numbers. So I looked up all the reported data from government and independent sources on nuclear radiation and contamination, environmental radiation data and tap water analysis. Compare these results to what had been known about radiation and health effects. I didn’t know you will get radiation dose of 0.02mSv/hour from background radiation if you live in Guarapari, Brazil (it is not contamination, just high background). Here, we have 0.0001mSv/hour, which is certainly larger than normal, but not so alarming. Tap water is at more than 100 Bq/kg at worst. If you are not drinking it on continuous basis, it is not a problem. Also, it depends on what isotope we are dealing with. One of the prevailing problems concerning this event is sensational reporting style of news and media. They do not lie, but they overemphasize the
values. Of course, you need to keep watching data closely and regularly, but overreacting and buying filter-based water purifier (which does not reduce radiation) does not help.
Because radio programs (my wife and I don’t watch TV) are mostly sensational debate on the issue, we spend most of our free hours reading. I recommended Cornell Woolrich’s “The Phantom Lady” to my wife, which she liked a lot. We watched Siodmak’s 1944 noir the other day for comparison. It was fun to talk about merits of text versus/and image. I tend to give more credit to Siodmak’s wet pavements in this case. I do have strong affection for other Woolrich works.
Anyway, I am preparing another post at my site. This post will be quite different in its theme…but I hope you might find it interesting.
Thanks,
MI
The other day I meant to note the end of our Elizabethan era, roughly 1942-1980, when Queen Elizabeth Taylor reigned over an array of movies, many forgettable, but made from the high-minded materials of Shakespeare (“The Taming of the Shrew”), Dreiser (“An American Tragedy” transmuted into high romance called “A Place in the Sun”), Williams (“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof”), Carson McCullers (“Reflections in a Golden Eye”) and Albee (“Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf”). She wasn’t a particularly gifted actress, but she had something, that mysterious, indefinable ‘It’ factor and physically, especially during the 1950s, she possessed an unearthly beauty, languid doe eyes, porcelain skin, cupid’s bow lips and a luxuriant black mane all topped off by a rack that wouldn’t quit. It would be interesting to note how many teenage boys of the 50s (or married men, for that matter) masturbated to images of Taylor in a satin slip lounging and lolling and sidling her way around Paul Newman or Laurence Harvey, whispering and biting and caressing her leading man to the point of climax ( well, maybe not Newman, whose character in “Cat” is a repressed homosexual with a big, symbolic crutch, but Elizabeth did her best to get Newman’s glandular juices flowing, and if she couldn’t arouse ‘Brick’ she sure had the audience panting).
Whenever she entered a room or leaned in a doorway, cocktail or cigarette aloft, the temperature in the joint spiked at least 10 degrees. She had it and she knew it and she melted her way across movie screens for a good 15-20 years, a feat I can’t imagine Nicole Kidman or Jessica Biel or Angelina Jolie or any other pushcart pretender to the throne of True Goddess/Tabloid Queen/Wet Dream pulling off today.
Elizabeth actually gives a respectable performance as Albee’s fishwife in “Virginia Woolf,” coaxed along by director Mike Nichols and then-husband Richard Burton, an actor unassailably front rank. She seems to relish the opportunity to get down and dirty, blowsy, frumpy and vulgar, smoking and drinking and swearing her way through the role of a lifetime. It won her an Oscar, just like her tracheotomy and brush with death got her one six years earlier for her performance as a high-class call girl in O’Hara’s “Butterfield 8.” She also played a trashy bawd, very well too, in the little known “X,Y and Zee,” based on a novel by Edna O’Brien with high caliber talent like Michael Caine, Susannah York and Margaret Leighton in 1972.
Well, a legend is gone now and I don’t think we’ll see the likes of Liz again. And if some hazy day after Hollywood has been swallowed up by aliens, tomb raiders and space princesses, someone asks you what a real movie star looked like, tell them to watch “A Place in the Sun” and freeze-frame that luminous close-up of Taylor and Clift. Now that, my friends, is not just a Star, but a Supernova.
Farewell, Elizabeth.
And if some hazy day after Hollywood has been swallowed up by aliens, tomb raiders and space princesses, someone asks you what a real movie star looked like, tell them to watch “A Place in the Sun” and freeze-frame that luminous close-up of Taylor and Clift. Now that, my friends, is not just a Star, but a Supernova.
Farewell, Elizabeth.
Beautiful. Well said Mark S.