Films That Matter
A Bloody Good Time
A very important film from 1935 that is probably not as well known today as it should be, the swashbuckling action adventure Captain Blood, directed by Michael Curtiz (The Sea Wolf, The Breaking Point), featured numerous important happenings that would leave rippling effects on the industry for many years to come. Though Curtiz had immigrated to the United States years before, having some success in the silent era with Noah’s Ark (1928) and with the early sound pictures Doctor X (1932) and Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933), it was this bigger budget extravaganza that would help him become a top tier film maker, someone who would go on to make an inordinate number of future classics, including The Adventures of Robin Hood, Angels with Dirty Faces. Yankee Doodle Dandy, Mildred Pierce, and perhaps most importantly, Casablanca... among others.
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Do Look Now
Don't Look NowMarch 8, 2016The horror genre has many incarnations. The two that seem to be most popular as of this point are the slasher flick (i.e. Saw) or the based-on-true-events-style ghost story – à la Paranormal Activity, The Conjuring and so on. From time to time we may see a more traditional, even Victorian-style ghost story such as Crimson Peak or The Woman in Black, but the film I am reviewing today is much harder to pigeonhole, as it is part searing psychological drama, which is then mixed with Gothic horror and a touch of thriller. It is Nicolas Roeg’s 1973 slow-burner of a picture, Don’t Look Now.
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You’ll Fall for Niagara
NiagaraMarch 4, 2016It is rather unusual to see a film-noir made in glorious Technicolor – though this is exactly what the 1953 crime thriller Niagara is. Director Henry Hathaway swaps the moody shades of black and white for strikingly vivid colours as we watch two couples cross paths in stunning 1950's Niagara Falls, Ontario (the film was almost completely shot on location).
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Star Pick with Marcus Ovnell
Get Busy Living. . .The Shawshank RedemptionFebruary 2, 2016Marcus Ovnell, the writer/director of the excellent Swedish film The Break-In, is flying down to Cornwall, Ontario, Canada to premiere the above mentioned movie at the historic Port Theatre on Friday, February 12th, 2016 at 7:15 P.M. As a lead up to the very special event, enjoy this interview with the filmmaker from when we spoke at the St. Lawrence International Film Festival a few months earlier. It was clear from the very beginning that Ovnell has a great passion for cinema (especially American). Being a gargantuan fan of films, it took him a minute to narrow down his pick, with Shawshank Redemption taking the top spot in the end.
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Movie Sequel is Equal to Original Saga
The Godfather: Part IIJanuary 27, 2016Abe Vigoda passed away today at the age of 94. Vigoda enjoyed a long career in the film and television world, with standout roles in The Godfather Part 1 and Part 2 as well as in the comedy series Barney Miller. Though, perhaps more recently he is best remembered for his short but vital part in the hilarious Superbowl Snickers commercial featuring Betty White. In honor of Vigoda, The Godfather Part II will be reviewed here today.
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Like a Fine Wine
Arsenic and Old LaceJanuary 22, 2016It is usually quite easy to spot a film that is based on a stage play, as the movie is generally set in one, never-changing location. Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope and Gene Saks’ The Odd Couple are just two examples of iconic films that originally came from the stage, and the same can be said for the movie being reviewed here today – the 1944 Frank Capra black comedy Arsenic and Old Lace.
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Star Pick with Ron Perlman
Worth a RepeatThe GodfatherJanuary 19, 2016I spoke to character actor Ron Perlman recently about his favourite films. The veteran performer, who has been in motion pictures and television for more than thirty-five years, shot to fame in the late eighties with the show Beauty and the Beast. He has not stopped since, taking on numerous memorable roles in series such as Sons of Anarchy and Hand of God as well as in films like Hellboy, Drive and Pacific Rim, to name but a few. He has worked with horror maestro Guillermo del Toro an impressive six times – calling the director an absolute genius.
