Films That Matter
Safety First
Like a severe and utterly serious version of Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 satirical dark comedy Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, you would think that Fail Safe would have been the original release in theatres that was then later spoofed, yet that is not the case. Released approximately six months later in the same year, as you might imagine, it led to very poor returns at the box office – dare I say it (as the film deals with this subject matter)... it was a bomb! Despite that, over time, it has become a bonafide classic. Based upon Eugene Burdick’s 1962 novel of the same name and directed by Sidney Lumet (Dog Day Afternoon), he introduces us to our main players by way of little vignettes.
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Movie Sequel is Equal to Original Saga
The Godfather: Part IIJanuary 27, 2016Abe Vigoda passed away today at the age of 94. Vigoda enjoyed a long career in the film and television world, with standout roles in The Godfather Part 1 and Part 2 as well as in the comedy series Barney Miller. Though, perhaps more recently he is best remembered for his short but vital part in the hilarious Superbowl Snickers commercial featuring Betty White. In honor of Vigoda, The Godfather Part II will be reviewed here today.
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Going Off the Rails On This Crazy Train
SnowpiercerJanuary 24, 2016There is something that has always drawn me to movies that are set on trains. This unique setting boasts many themes that a screenwriter and director can play with. Not only does it lend itself to a claustrophobic place for a mystery thriller, but it also may symbolize the old world, romance or an epic journey. There is also the thinly veiled partition that separates class divisions (travel through a door and you may have plain economy style or lavish burled walnut compartments with sleek curtains where the richest of the rich relax).
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Like a Fine Wine
Arsenic and Old LaceJanuary 22, 2016It is usually quite easy to spot a film that is based on a stage play, as the movie is generally set in one, never-changing location. Alfred Hitchcock’s Rope and Gene Saks’ The Odd Couple are just two examples of iconic films that originally came from the stage, and the same can be said for the movie being reviewed here today – the 1944 Frank Capra black comedy Arsenic and Old Lace.
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Star Pick with Ron Perlman
Worth a RepeatThe GodfatherJanuary 19, 2016I spoke to character actor Ron Perlman recently about his favourite films. The veteran performer, who has been in motion pictures and television for more than thirty-five years, shot to fame in the late eighties with the show Beauty and the Beast. He has not stopped since, taking on numerous memorable roles in series such as Sons of Anarchy and Hand of God as well as in films like Hellboy, Drive and Pacific Rim, to name but a few. He has worked with horror maestro Guillermo del Toro an impressive six times – calling the director an absolute genius.
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Star Pick with Tony D
A Movie You Couldn’t RefuseThe GodfatherJanuary 18, 2016It is not hard to argue that the classic 1972 crime film The Godfather is the biggest movie to come out of that decade and transcend the generations (that is, if we do not count its 1974 sequel – which is of equal popularity and importance).
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Grifter has Tenuous Grip in this Film Noir
Night and the CityJanuary 15, 2016In 1950, just prior to being blacklisted, director Jules Dassin was sent to make a film in London, England – being warned by producer Darryl F. Zanuck that it would most likely be the last movie he would make. What came of this venture was the classic film-noir Night and the City.
