by Sam Juliano
Here in the Garden State movement to open parks and some businesses is underway in view of dropping case numbers that are presently the lowest since the pandemic began. With progress of course there is grief and in our local Hudson County Park, one of the largest in North Jersey we have had social distance violations and some park goers hurling insults at sheriff’s officers. It seems incredible at this late stage that some people are still in denial and downgrading a deadly crisis that has taken almost 85,000 lives in the United States alone. In any case there is clearly a light at the end of the tunnel now more than ever and many of us have embraced optimism like never before. Wishing all our readers continued safety and well-being.
The Allan Fish Online Film Festival will begin on Allan’s birthday, May 28th, which this year falls on a Thursday. We were hoping for at least 7 or 8 participants and still may have that number or more, but unfortunately at this time there are only four (4) rock solid commitments from Roderick Heath, J.D. Lafrance, project founder James Uhler and Yours Truly Sam Juliano. Normally Jamie sets up the schedule but with the lower number of participants the order is really a no-brainer. Hence, as usual Jamie will launch the fourth annual tribute to Allan Fish with his own submission on May 28th. Roderick Heath will be second up on Friday, May 29th, J.D. Lafrance will post on Saturday, May 30th, and Sam Juliano on May 31st. Robert Hornak is considering a post and a few others may yet respond in the affirmative. In any event Jamie, Rod, J.D. and Sam now have their official days to move forward with. Any possible additions will extend the calendar dates. Thank you so much to all!
Movie fans will soon have drive-in theaters to satiate their lust for out of home cinema. We’ll keep you posted!
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Writers/Founders
After howling through A Slight Case of Murder, I’m running a Ruth Donnelly movie marathon.
– Hands Across the Table with Carole
Lombard
– Female with Ruth Chatterton
– Hard to Handle with James Cagney
– Jewel Robbery with Kay Francis
– Ladies They Talk About with Barbara
Stanwyck
– The Affairs of Annabel with Lucille
Ball
Donnelly was one of early Hollywood’s funniest supporting comediennes. My gal Mary Boland was another.
Happy birthday to Robert Morse, an actor I developed a big crush on after seeing Tony Richardson’s wild and crazy The Loved One. (Liberace sells caskets.)
Methinks it was that boyish gap between his front teeth.
Just want to mention Michel Piccoli’s splendid late-career performance in Moretti’s “We Have a Pope.” Piccoli has one of the most astonishing filmographies in cinema history; his Bunuel films alone confer almost godlike status upon the great actor. RIP.
Take care, Sam.
Damien: Omen II. Damn The Exorcist for spawning this wretched franchise, which confoundedly attracted more than a few fine actors. Lovely Lee Grant is roasted alive in this sequel.
Mark, I am certainly a big fan of Donnelly and delight in some of those titles you have been watching! Nice too that you mentioned that all-but-forgotten performance by Piccoli in WE HAVE A POPE, which may not be “The Shoes of the Fisherman” but it still a satiric minor gem. I also loved him in Marco Ferreri’s gastronomic Italian satire “La Grande Bouffe” (1973), which also tends to be under-mentioned. Loved Morse too in THE LOVED ONE and always found that tooth gap an identifying feature! Ha! You are tempting me with those Donnellys for re-viewing! Thank you as ever my friend!
Mark, I’ve always found DAMIEN a guilty pleasure and who can forget Grant? 🙂
Oh, I forgot the Marco Ferreri provocation. What a cast!
Remember Ava Gardner’s snark when Frank married Mia?
“I always knew Frank would end up in bed with a boy.”
LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How the hell did 70s disaster maven Irwin Allen manage to assemble such glittering all-star casts? Just learned that Lee Grant was in The Swarm, also 1978. Let’s hope that Ms. Grant, Henry Fonda, Michael Caine, Richard Widmark, Olivia de Havilland were paid obscene amounts of money, and
I have no plans to watch The Swarm before 2035.
I too am in no rush to re-visit THE SWARM ,e specially with so much quality stuff to visit and re-visit these days! But what a cast indeed! 🙂
Re The Atlantic throwing shade at TCM, as if, AS IF the MAGA trolls could ever sit through a Kurosawa, a Fellini, or one of the great silents (think Lang’s premonitory five-hour Dr. Mabuse the Gambler) with all those annoying subtitles and intertitles.
Even a right-wing intellectual like Kyle Smith recently bitched about Bergman’s bleakness, mocking the master with the sobriquet Ingmar “Chuckles” Bergman. Jesus.
Let ’em watch Bohemian Rhapsody or Top Gun.
Hahahahahaha Mark, I hear ya!!!! (MAGA trolls)
Smith is hopeless, and his taste is mostly appalling, even though he loved NEVER LOOK AWAY, and like me had it as film of the past decade. But yes those last two fils are the speed of those trolls!