Films That Matter
What’s the Name of the Game
There are so many things that go into making us who we are as individuals – from our parents and our past experiences, to our job and where we live, with even something as simple as our name becoming a big part of forming our identity as a human being... but, if those things are taken away from us, how might someone prove who they are when there is no evidence of what is being claimed. Infusing post-war themes within a kidnapping/murder mystery melodrama with film noir motifs, My Name is Julia Ross (1945), directed by Joseph H. Lewis (Gun Crazy) and based upon the novel “The Woman in Red” by Anthony Gilbert (the pen name of Lucy Beatrice), entraps us in the strange predicament of the titular character... though no one is calling her by that name. Following Julia Ross (Nina Foch) in post World War II London, England, she is in a rather difficult predicament – as she falls behind on her rent, she can find no work no matter how hard she looks.
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What to Get the Man Who has Everything
The GameMarch 28, 2014Before I refer to the main title, I must first announce that long-time character actor James Rebhorn passed away last week at the age of 65. Though perhaps not a household name, the tall balding man (who looked the same age for as long as I can remember) will surely be missed, as he played small yet memorable roles for more than 30 years.
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A Tribute to the Master of Suspense
Blow OutJanuary 26, 2014Alfred Hitchcock is often considered to be one of the greatest directors of all-time and I would have to agree with that assessment. His genius at building a suspenseful story through the camera lens in films such as Vertigo, The Birds, Rear Window, North By Northwest, to name a few, place him at the top of the list. One active director who would wholeheartedly agree is Brian De Palma.
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Fontaine Shined Bright
SuspicionDecember 30, 2013This is the second week in a row that I have had to begin with the sad news of another death of a film legend. Joan Fontaine, the actress who gained fame for playing threatened wives to possibly dangerous husbands in the early 1940s, passed away at the age of 96 last week.
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What’s in that Box?
Kiss Me DeadlyAugust 7, 2013Fans of Quentin Tarantino and his iconic crime thriller Pulp Fiction may remember the cryptic glowing briefcase with the lock that is opened by the number 666 which is held by John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson. This mysterious plot device was borrowed from one of the last great film noir pictures from that genre’s classical era, 1955's Kiss Me Deadly. Similarly, this gimmick was also used (but this time in the trunk of an automobile) in the Alex Cox 1984 cult classic Repo Man, starring Harry Dean Stanton and Emilio Estevez.