Films That Matter
Stealers Wheel
A film noir with some eccentricities, The Big Steal (1949), directed by then third time film maker Don Siegel (who would go on to make such greats as Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Dirty Harry, and Escape from Alcatraz), plays like a long chase within a longer chase, while the meeting between gent and femme is something akin to a will they/won’t they screwball comedy. The usually laconic Lt. Duke Halliday (Robert Mitchum) is in quite the conundrum, as he has been robbed of a U.S. Army payroll totaling a whopping three hundred grand by swindler Jim Fiske (Patric Knowles). On the lam in Mexico (a rather rare noir location, also think Ride the Pink Horse and Touch of Evil), Halliday is on his trail... but the problem is, so is his superior – Captain Vincent Blake (William Bendix), who, of course, thinks it was actually the Lieutenant who ran off with the money.
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Here Alone Entertains at St. Lawrence Film Festival
September 11, 2016Last weekend, on Saturday the 3rd of September to be exact, the St. Lawrence International Film Festival held an upscale special screening/gala in the beautiful Performing Arts Centre at SUNY Potsdam in historic Potsdam, NY. Bringing an audience together from both the United States and Canada, the event was hosted by Ogdensburg native Mark Valley. The star television actor charted the course for the evening, mixing equal parts class and humour as he lightened the mood prior to the screening of the Tribeca Audience Award Winning horror suspense thriller Here Alone.
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Mum’s the Word
Keeping MumSeptember 9, 2016In September we will mark the seventh anniversary of the death of Patrick Swayze. Becoming a powerhouse star of the 1980's and 1990's with classics such as Dirty Dancing, Ghost, Road House, Point Break, among others, the man left an indelible impact on the film industry. So, as a tribute here today, I am going to write about one of his last movie roles that can be found in the small, rarely seen 2005 British comedy Keeping Mum. Directed by Niall Johnson, the story follows a married reverend, Walter Goodfellow, played masterfully by Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean), his wife Gloria, Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient), and their two children, as their lives become more and more impacted by their new housekeeper Grace, the endearing Dame Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall from the Harry Potter franchise).
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Star Pick with Felix Silla
Great Things Come in Small PackagesHigh NoonSeptember 6, 2016While at Trekonderoga on August 13th, 2016, the Ticonderoga, NY, comic con that is all things Star Trek (including the brilliant recreation of the original Starship Enterprise) , I was lucky enough to be able to interview several interesting actors – one of whom was Felix Silla, a man who has left an indelible yet oft hidden mark on the television and film industry over his five plus decades of work. Before I begin, I would like to thank the Trekonderoga staff for setting me up in such a wonderful (noise free) room for my interviews, with a beautiful background of the hilly, forested Adirondacks that frame the excellent three day event. The man behind the mask (or hair), was born in Italy in 1937, eventually making his way to the United States on November 24th, 1955, where the trained circus performer toured with the iconic Ringling Bros. circus (for seven years) and the Barnum & Bailey Show. Using his 3' 11" versatile frame to his advantage, he eventually made his way into show business in the early 1960s, taking on a plethora of intriguing roles. His big break came when he was cast as Cousin Itt on the original Addams Family television series in 1965.
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A Rabbit and a Gent Walk Into a Bar…
HarveySeptember 4, 2016If a stage play is to be successful, it needs to rely on the strength of two very important aspects – its actors and sharp dialogue. The one thing that I have come to notice when watching an adaptation of a play is that the dialogue that transitions over to the big screen is almost always beautifully written, unbelievably witty and surprisingly eloquent. There is perhaps no better example of this than the 1950 classic Harvey. Mary Chase adapts her own Pulitzer Prize winning play (with some help from Oscar Brodley), bringing with her Jimmy Stewart and Josephine Hull, two actors who had already tackled the material on the stage. Stewart plays Elwood P. Dowd, a kindly and charming gentleman who comes from a well-to-do family. He has a lovely demeanor, but is thought to drink too much (he does spend most of his days frequenting bars) . . . and also just happens to be friends with an invisible, six foot three and a half inch tall rabbit named Harvey.
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Sink or Swim
Night SwimSeptember 2, 2016Tomorrow, the St. Lawrence International Film Festival will be putting on a special gala (in Potsdam, NY) where they are screening the Audience Award winner (for best Narrative Picture) from the Tribeca Film Festival – the dramatic horror movie Here Alone. One of the best little glitches that occurred at last years St. Lawrence International Film Festival was when I sat awaiting the showing of The Corpse of Anna Fritz. Instead of the foreign flick beginning, the projectionist mistakenly began to screen Here Alone director Rod Blackhurst’s 2014 short film Night Swim. Thankfully, the festival worker did not stop the compact flick, allowing it to play out before starting the full length feature.
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Star Pick with Steve Coulter
Cool Pick for Dog Days of SummerDog Day AfternoonAugust 30, 2016Back in April of 2016, I sat down with actor Steve Coulter (twice). He was one of the special guests attending the Cornwall and Area Pop Expo (CAPE). The character actor, who has had a plethora of interesting roles over his career, is perhaps best remembered as the kind hearted, intellectual Reg Monroe (the mastermind behind the walled compound of Alexandria) on the ever popular series The Walking Dead. He has also had a recurring role as Amishman Elijah Bowman on the standout Cinemax series Banshee. On the film front, he has worked with horror maestro James Wan an impressive five times, including as Father Gordon in The Conjuring and its sequel, as well as playing Carl in Insidious: Chapter’s 2 and 3. He also portrayed Roger, a lawyer, in one of my favourites – Mr. Brooks. Mr. Coulter was gracious enough to be interviewed twice, once as part of a local Cogeco special, while on day two of CAPE, we chatted all things Banshee. Check out both meetings below to hear some great stories from all the things mentioned above, as well as his favourite film.
