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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Star Pick with Michael Forest
Apollo Re-Visits CasablancaCasablancaJune 14, 2016"I remember 3 or 4 weeks before [filming Star Trek], I was working on a western, being beat up, and shot, and one thing and another. . . and then finally killed in the thing; and then a month later I’m in a gold tutu floating around as a God – so you never know in this business. It is very strange". That is a quote from iconic character and voice actor Michael Forest, who has been working in the business for more than sixty years. He humourously summed up life as an actor in the quotation above, referencing work on a western as well his classic turn as the God Apollo (in the episode ‘Who Mourns for Adonais?’) on the television series Star Trek. I was fortunate enough to interview Forest at CAPE, the Cornwall and Area Pop Expo as part of the fiftieth anniversary of the cult classic Star Trek.
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Bad Side of the Moon
MoonJune 12, 2016While watching the sci-fi mystery drama Moon, I was thinking that this was going to be it. . . the first Sam Rockwell movie I’ve seen where he does not bust into a dance routine. But alas, no, he meets his quota once again in this flick, similar to his performances in Charlie’s Angels, Iron Man 2 or The Way Way Back, to name but a few. It is not that I dislike his spontaneous groove moves, they are usually highly entertaining; it is simply something that I hawkishly look for each and every time I view a Rockwell movie – feel free to join the cause.
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Just One of Those Things
The ThingJune 10, 2016Back in 1982, a sci-fi horror film called The Thing got trashed by critics – perhaps it was due to it coming out around the same time as other sci-fi flicks like E.T. The Extraterrestrial and Blade Runner, or because it was too dark and edgy. . . or maybe it was simply ahead of its time. Funnily enough, it is now considered one of the all-time greats of the horror genre. Critics have come around to see the movie in a much more positive light – which explains why it has been placed onto countless lists that recognize great films, horror or otherwise.
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Star Pick with John Rhys-Davies
When the Clock Strikes 12High NoonJune 7, 2016There may be no film that better encapsulates the idea of doing what is right or just rather than what is popular or easy than the classic 1952 western High Noon. I recently chatted with iconic character actor John Rhys-Davies, who has created wonderful personas in memorable films such as The Lord of the Rings trilogy (Gimli), Raiders of the Lost Ark/Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (playing Indiana Jones’ loyal pal Sallah), or portraying General Pushkin in the 1987 James Bond flick The Living Daylights, to name but a few.
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This Tarnished Gringo Shines
Get the GringoJune 5, 2016Mel Gibson may not be the most popular actor out there now, but there is no denying that he has had one of Hollywood’s more impressive careers over the last three or so decades. He puts everything he has into his work and one of his most recent films that once again impresses, yet has sadly gone unnoticed, is the 2012 crime flick Get the Gringo. Mel Gibson plays the unnamed criminal with the heart of . . .
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Shine a Light
Julia's EyesJune 3, 2016Our eyes are the windows to the world. They are one of our most vital senses, and losing our vision is, in turn, probably one of every persons’ biggest fears. That is why the Spanish horror thriller Julia’s Eyes is one of the spookiest film concepts to come out in recent history. Written by Oriol Paulo and Guillem Morales (who also directs the picture), the visionary tale twists and turns as our protagonist, Julia Levin
