Films That Matter
Star Pick with William Ragsdale
I was fortunate to be able to interview actor William Ragsdale on April 24th 2022, at the Cornwall and Area Pop Event (or CAPE). A most entertaining event each and every year, one of the highlights was a reunion of Ragsdale and Amanda Bearse – two of the stars of Tom Holland’s horror cult classic Fright Night (you can find their recollections of the film, as well as Ms. Bearse’s Star Pick interview here on Filmizon.com). It is also worth noting that Ragsdale returned for Fright Night’s sequel, and has continued working ever since... recently having a memorable three year stint on the excellent series Justified... while speaking of horror, he had a cool cameo in 2023's Renfield – back in the vampire realm once more. When our conversation turned to his favourite film, it did not take him long to highlight a horror classic – 1980's The Changeling, starring George C. Scott. This is what he had to say: “I love that movie [The Changeling]. When it came out I thought it was brilliant. It had strong performances from George C. Scott and Melvyn Douglas. For me, the shock stuff is not so great, I really love the ambience and how things are created... it is almost like how Guillermo del Toro builds his atmosphere. I really like feeling like this is a place I’m going into and hanging out. And, of course, that movie was all about that. If the setting is correct, I enjoy it – and The Changeling just had it.” It is also worth noting that he gave a shout-out to The Exorcist earlier in the interview as well.
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Star Pick with Brian O'Halloran
In the Heat of the Day… and NightDo the Right ThingMay 25, 2016Often considered the best film of 1989, Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing sets the tone early with Rosie Perez (who plays Tina) dancing to Public Enemy’s song "Fight the Power". It was rather interesting to learn that Lee was actually influenced by Ann Margret’s opening in Bye Bye Birdie (which has a very different vibe). In any case, what follows is a powerful, character driven dramedy that widely encompasses life, death, race, poverty and everything in between – all found within the neighbourhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
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Star Pick with Marilyn Ghigliotti
Love After DeathGhostMay 12, 2016There was always something highly entertaining about the late Patrick Swayze, whether he was having a comedic dance off against Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live, or he was the criminal mastermind of a surfer gang in the action flick Point Break. He always brought a charming, entertaining and realistic human side to the characters that he portrayed. One role that epitomises his varied career is the romantic dramedy Ghost.
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Star Pick with Jenny Lampa
How Hours Mark the TimeThe HoursApril 26, 2016Interweaving multiple stories can be a complicated thing to do. For every film that succeeds at structuring several tales into one powerful story, there are twice as many that fall flat. One movie that takes on this challenging task, tackling three separate narratives that take place in very different eras, is the 2002 dramatic motion picture The Hours. The film features several powerhouse performances from three superb actresses (Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Julianne Moore), so it is perhaps not surprising that actress Jenny Lampa, who has earned rave reviews and has received a number of acting nominations for her performance in the Swedish thriller The Break-In, selected this as one of her favourite movies.
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Star Pick with Stephen Harper
The Enigma that is Man and MachineThe Imitation GameMarch 15, 2016One of the more critically acclaimed films to come out of 2014 was the World War 2 drama The Imitation Game, which follows Alan Turing, a mathematical prodigy who builds a machine that can break the Enigma – a German device that decodes their secret military messages. Someone who wholeheartedly agreed with the praise this movie received is former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper – who proclaimed that it was easily his favourite film of 2014.
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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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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.
