Films That Matter
Judge, Juror #2, and Executioner
This very well may be the shortest review I’ve ever written. Juror #2 (2024), Clint Eastwood’s most recent directorial effort (he also co-produces), very much leans on several legal dramas and thrillers from the past, most notably the classic 12 Angry Men, to great effect. Twisting the above mentioned film in clever fashion, in some ways, recovering alcoholic Justin Kemp (Nicholas Hoult) is a stand-in for Henry Fonda’s Juror #8, as he too stands up for the man being charged with murder... the only difference is, he soon realizes that he knows a bit more about the case than the rest of the jurors (and even he originally thought). Though this is not a twist filled feature (à la Usual Suspects), much of its entertainment comes from watching it unfurl as it goes along – hence why very little of the plot will be disclosed here. It is also worth noting that, unlike 12 Angry Men, screenwriter Jonathan A. Abrams opens the story wide, allowing us to hear testimony, explore the crime scene, and discover actual truths we never got to see in the 1957 motion picture.
-
Don’t Knock It Till You Try It
Don't Bother to KnockJuly 15, 2016When one thinks about Marilyn Monroe’s acting career, they would likely imagine her performing in a light musical comedy in the vein of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, The Seven Year Itch or Some Like It Hot. Yet, an early Monroe performance that may catch some off guard is when she plays Nell Forbes in the 1952 film-noirish drama Don’t Bother to Knock. Set entirely in a posh New York City hotel, bar singer Lyn Lesley (Anne Bancroft) has broken it off, by letter, with her beau Jed Towers (Richard Widmark), reasoning that he is too cold and does not have the heart for a long term relationship. The man arrives, booking a room in the hotel, hoping that he will win her back.
-
Star Pick with Dale Hawerchuk
Taking a Drive with HawerchukThe Shawshank RedemptionJuly 12, 2016On 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.
-
I Want to Ride My Bicycle. . .
Bicycle ThievesJuly 10, 2016Vittorio De Sica’s 1948 classic Bicycle Thieves is a prime example of Italian Neo-Realism. The genre, which spanned a short ten or so year period during the 1940s and 1950s, highlighted life of ordinary, working class (and often impoverished) individuals who were dealing with the stresses of day to day life in Italy during or shortly after World War 2. Previously, Italian filmmakers had had their artistic scope and perspective limited by the fascist government of Benito Mussolini (for more than twenty years) and this style of motion picture was a reaction to it. Filmed in a semi-documentary fashion (typically on a low budget), the streets of Rome and other cities were used instead of the safety of studios to depict relevant social themes of otherwise common people.
-
Star Pick with Beverly Washburn
A Day at the BeachFrom Here to EternityJune 28, 2016Each 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.).
-
If You Get a Chance. . .
Blind ChanceJune 26, 2016Back in the early 1980's, Polish writer/director Krzysztof Kieslowski made a film titled Blind Chance, which scrutinized the concepts of luck, predetermination, and how one minuscule happening (through blind chance) can change your life in wholly different ways. Filmed at the heart of the Solidarity Movement in Poland (a time when people rose up against the Communist government in the form of a trade union first led by Lech Walêsa – which led to greater freedom for a few years), Kieslowski
-
Star Pick with Michael Forest
Apollo Re-Visits CasablancaCasablancaJune 14, 2016"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.
