Films That Matter
A Lawyer, a Mortician, and a Professor Walk Into a Morgue...
One of the trends of the gialli, when possible, was for the film making team to attract a formerly successful Hollywood star who had aged out of his heyday a bit... think The Pyjama Girl Case who nabbed Ray Milland, The Cat O’Nine Tails starring Karl Malden, or The Killer Is On the Phone featuring Joseph Cotten... and, with today’s example, Farley Granger leading So Sweet, So Dead (1972). Directed by Roberto Bianchi Montero, the feature, which is also known as the less subtle The Slasher ... Is the Sex Maniac! follows a small city detective, Inspector Capuana (a mustached Granger – They Live by Night; Side Street), who has recently moved to a larger locale in southern Italy.
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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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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.
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Star Pick with Tony D
A Movie You Couldn’t RefuseThe GodfatherJanuary 18, 2016It is not hard to argue that the classic 1972 crime film The Godfather is the biggest movie to come out of that decade and transcend the generations (that is, if we do not count its 1974 sequel – which is of equal popularity and importance).
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Grifter has Tenuous Grip in this Film Noir
Night and the CityJanuary 15, 2016In 1950, just prior to being blacklisted, director Jules Dassin was sent to make a film in London, England – being warned by producer Darryl F. Zanuck that it would most likely be the last movie he would make. What came of this venture was the classic film-noir Night and the City.
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Star Pick with Ben Briscoe
Playing the GameLayer CakeJuly 13, 2014I am sure that most of you may recall my review last summer with Canadian PGA golfer Riley Wheeldon (who had such a good year that he has advanced to the Web.com Tour – just one step below the PGA tour), who said that his favourite movie was Happy Gilmore. I was actually lucky enough to golf with a second pro last year; Welshman, Ben Briscoe. Briscoe attended the qualifier, which was played at the Cornwall Golf and Country Club, and sadly did not make the cut (which would have sent him to Upper Canada Golf Course to play in the Great Waterway Classic), giving him the less satisfying runner-up prize of playing a round of golf with me.
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Film Noir, De Palma Style
Femme FataleMay 11, 2014In 2002, writer/director Brian De Palma once again put pen to paper and created another one of his unique homages to classic cinema (the first in ten years). Titled Femme Fatale, the director lets us follow his own take on the legendary film noir bad girls of old.
