Films That Matter
A Law Unto Themselves
The front door to an apartment swings open... an unseen figure walks through the living area and approaches a beautiful blonde woman wearing a robe as she walks around the bathroom... he then deliberately empties the barrel of his revolver into her – this is the jarring cold opening to the film noir Illegal (1955), and one thing is for sure, it knows how to grab your attention. Funnily enough, this was the third adaptation of the 1929 play “The Mouthpiece” by Frank J. Collins, following Mouthpiece (1932) and The Man Who Talked Too Much (1940) – and they say movies are remade too much today. Flash to Victor Scott (Edward G. Robinson), a district attorney who is wise to all the angles and is graced with a silver tongue. With an unyielding desire to win (he got it from growing up and fighting his way out of the slums), he argues every case like it is his last.
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Join the Madness
Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever ToldMay 1, 2016Though I consider myself well versed in most areas of film, I must say that I knew nothing about the horror cult classic Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told, until I began researching for my interview with Beverly Washburn, who starred in this quirky motion picture that was filmed in 1964, though it was only released in 1967 (due to issues with finances and poor distribution).
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Get Your CAPE On
April 29, 2016For the second year running, Cornwall’s Benson Centre hosted CAPE, the Cornwall and Area Pop Expo. Fantasy Realm’s Randy Sauvé and fiancee Carol Grant (founders of the event), once again ran the show (congratulations to the couple who married in a truly unique ceremony that took place on Saturday evening at CAPE). After a more than successful first year (with more than 3500 people attending the one day event), hopes were high for year two.
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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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These Vagabond Shoes Are Longing to Stray
Sullivan's TravelsApril 22, 2016It is interesting to chart the history of how time affects the status of actors, directors and the like. Some stars, though long since passed, have lasted the test of time – their names still bandied about in common conversations and the current lexicon. When watching a thriller, we may quickly reference Alfred Hitchcock, or while enjoying the manoeuvres of a physical comic, our minds may harken immediately to Charlie Chaplin or Chris Farley. Yet, it is equally as intriguing to investigate how certain names that were once so prevalent in their own era have become unknown to the common viewer – where only true film afficionados know their reach and influence. This seems to be the case with the highly talented comedic filmmaker Preston Sturges.
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Bigger, Fatter, and Oh So Greek
My Big Fat Greek WeddingMy Big Fat Greek Wedding 2April 19, 2016Back in 2002, My Big Fat Greek Wedding hit the world by storm. . . and when all was said and done, it became the top grossing romantic comedy of all-time (without ever being number one at the box office). It told the story of an intensely smothering yet loving Greek family living in Chicago by way of our lead and voice over narrator Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos – who wrote the story and got an Academy Award nomination for her effort). The plain and slightly nerdy woman, who works at her parents’ restaurant and cannot seem to find love, sets us up for a feel good story that combines the concept of finding love in the most unexpected places with a positive spin on Greek-American stereotypes that hit right on the mark.
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Are You Listening?
The Lives of OthersApril 17, 2016As viewers, we act as voyeurs, observing the intricacies of the character’s lives – their actions, interactions, relationships, affairs and countless other physical or mental manoeuvres. Films can act as therapy and relief, or can cause self-reflection, disgust or numerous other emotions depending on how we react to what we are scrutinizing on the screen. It may resemble something we have done in our own lives or could illustrate a seedy side of life that we have never even contemplated. A number of directors have cleverly infused their stories around the concept of voyeurism, adding a deeper level to our viewership, to great effect. The first filmmaker to come to mind is Alfred Hitchcock, who masterfully concocted Rear Window and Psycho around these themes, though there are countless other examples: Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom, Peter Weir’s The Truman Show and Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut are merely three more that fall within this category. A European motion picture that once again delves into this intriguing topic is Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s 2006 movie The Lives of Others.
