It was an absolute pleasure to meet and get a quick interview with the great Kurt Angle this past summer in Ottawa. First making a name for himself on the amateur wrestling circuit, it all culminated with a gold medal win (with a broken neck, no less) at the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia. The ultimate achievement for most amateur athletes, this was not the end for Angle, but only the beginning. Just a mere two years later, he had signed on to the World Wrestling Federation (now the WWE or World Wresting Entertainment), a leap that would soon find him taking professional wrestling by storm. Making his television debut in November of 1999, he was a natural, not only at the wrestling, but also on the mike.
With the steamy heat of summer upon us, it is time to revisit one of my favourite genres – the dark, seductive, hard-boiled stories of film noir (from the 1940's and 50's). Billy Wilder, one of the great directors of the twentieth century, created three classics that fall within this genre: 1944's Double Indemnity (which I have already reviewed), 1951's Ace In the Hole and the 1950 iconic motion picture Sunset Blvd. – which will be reviewed here today.
On the 8th of July, 2016, I had the privilege of golfing with NHL Hall of Famer Dale Hawerchuk at Upper Canada Golf Course in Morrisburg, Ontario. For those of us who have played hockey, we understand how difficult it is to put up a point per game, whether we were playing house league, travelling team, or in the professionals. Hawerchuk impressively put up 1409 points in only 1188 games during his career, which spanned from 1981-1997. He spent most of his time with the Winnipeg Jets, but also played for the Buffalo Sabres for five years, the St. Louis Blues for a year, and wrapped up his career playing two years with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Each generation has a select few films that push the boundaries of their era – changing the way in which people saw motion pictures and (usually) creating a new freedom for future filmmakers to delve deeper into those controversial themes that were first explored in the edgy flicks. One such movie is Fred Zinnemann’s 1953 motion picture From Here to Eternity. A major risk for Columbia at the time ), the decision paid off, as it was a major financial success and won eight Academy Awards (including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor and Actress – for Frank Sinatra and Donna Reed, Best Director, etc.).
"I remember 3 or 4 weeks before [filming Star Trek], I was working on a western, being beat up, and shot, and one thing and another. . . and then finally killed in the thing; and then a month later I’m in a gold tutu floating around as a God – so you never know in this business. It is very strange". That is a quote from iconic character and voice actor Michael Forest, who has been working in the business for more than sixty years. He humourously summed up life as an actor in the quotation above, referencing work on a western as well his classic turn as the God Apollo (in the episode ‘Who Mourns for Adonais?’) on the television series Star Trek. I was fortunate enough to interview Forest at CAPE, the Cornwall and Area Pop Expo as part of the fiftieth anniversary of the cult classic Star Trek.
Back in 1982, a sci-fi horror film called The Thing got trashed by critics – perhaps it was due to it coming out around the same time as other sci-fi flicks like E.T. The Extraterrestrial and Blade Runner, or because it was too dark and edgy. . . or maybe it was simply ahead of its time. Funnily enough, it is now considered one of the all-time greats of the horror genre. Critics have come around to see the movie in a much more positive light – which explains why it has been placed onto countless lists that recognize great films, horror or otherwise.
There may be no film that better encapsulates the idea of doing what is right or just rather than what is popular or easy than the classic 1952 western High Noon. I recently chatted with iconic character actor John Rhys-Davies, who has created wonderful personas in memorable films such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy (Gimli), Raiders of the Lost Ark/Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (playing Indiana Jones’ loyal pal Sallah), or portraying General Pushkin in the 1987 James Bond flick The Living Daylights, to name but a few.