Films That Matter
Déjà vu Dalliance
Channeling the mesmeric movies churned out by the studio system back in the 1930s and 40s, Allied (2016), directed by Robert Zemeckis, channels the likes of Morocco, Casablanca, Across the Pacific, Gilda, To Have and Have Not, and numerous others – attempting to find a spark from the classic themes of melodrama, romance, suspense and the epic nature of the annals of the cinematic past, with quite successful results. Set the year Casablanca and Across the Pacific were released – 1942, the story in fact starts in Morocco, with recently parachuted in Canadian spy Max Vatan (Brad Pitt) meeting up with another undercover agent, Marianne Beauséjour (Marion Cotillard), who will be pretending to be his wife.
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Journalist Takes Shocking Journey
Shock CorridorFebruary 26, 201610 days: that was how long it took to film the 1963 B-movie Shock Corridor. Originally advertized as an exploitation picture (and it does have some of those elements), Samuel Fuller’s film about a journalist who has himself committed to solve a mysterious murder is so much more than its original label.
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Staying Under the Radar
The Scarlet and the BlackFebruary 23, 2016It is generally believed that tv movies are pretty average fare. It is rare that a film released on the tube can transcend this preconceived notion and be considered a great movie, yet this is the case with the excellent 1983 flick The Scarlet and the Black.
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Walkaway, Walkaway. . . “It” Will Follow
It FollowsFebruary 21, 2016It Follows is a surprisingly creative new horror picture that avoids using gore and builds its atmosphere the old-fashioned way, taking the typical sex-crazed teen motif and flipping it upside down to create a novel and interesting picture.
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The Long and Short of It
The Big ShortFebruary 16, 2016Adam McKay, the comedic director best known for films like Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Step Brothers, takes a much more serious turn in the Academy Award Best Picture nominee The Big Short.
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Star Pick with Marcus Ovnell
A Road Less TravelledArlington RoadFebruary 14, 2016As you probably read previously, Marcus Ovnell, the writer/director of the outstanding Swedish dramatic thriller The Break-In, explained that his favourite film of all-time was the 1990's classic Shawshank Redemption. Though he said that this was his clear favourite, he also highlighted a lesser known movie as one that I (and others) should watch – the 1999 thriller Arlington Road.
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A Thrilling ‘Sub’ject
Black SeaFebruary 9, 2016A recent movie that has sadly gone completely under the radar is the 2014 submarine heist thriller Black Sea.
