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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Wise Gals
Three Wise GirlsSeptember 13, 2024It’s funny how things have changed so much over the years, but at the same time, human beings seem to have changed so little. Single men complain about women, while single women complain about men just as much... something discussed quite frequently in the romantic dramedy Three Wise Girls (1932), directed by William Beaudine and based upon Wilson Collison’s novel “Blonde Baby”. Cassie Barnes (Jean Harlow) is a small town soda jerk... and with her shapely body and platinum blonde locks, she attracts all the wrong kinds of men. Having had enough of the lecherous men back home, she makes the move to New York City, quickly finding work (and a whole new crop of creeps) while working the ice cream and soft drink game.
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The Case of the Cane Mutiny
Death Carries a CaneAugust 31, 2024Don’t get the wrong idea... the 1973 giallo Death Carries a Cane, co-written and directed by Maurizio Pradeaux, may make it sound like the grim reaper-like killer at the centre of all the carnage is simply some feeble hop-a-long struggling to meander the streets of Italy, but that may not be the case when you hear some of the other titles that this film has been gifted for different markets or releases: Dance Steps on the Edge of a Razor, The Tormentor, Maniac at Large, The Night of the Rolling Heads, and Devil Blade... perhaps it’s a bit more ominous sounding now. Poor Kitty (Nieves Navarro; aka Susan Scott) is at the right place at the wrong time... showing her visiting parents some of the tourist sites in Rome, she just so happens to be looking through some pay-for-use binoculars on a hilltop when she witnesses the murder of a young woman (through a house window) by a silhouetted assailant wearing a black hat, overcoat and stylish sunglasses who has a bit of a hobble.
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First Among Equals
The Equalizer 3August 22, 2024What looks to be the closing note of Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua’s trilogy (a rare thing for both men, as these are the only sequels they’ve ever done), The Equalizer 3 is a much more contemplative form of an action movie... a character with a violent past that is trying to work through it as he enters the final chapters of his life. Opening with a lengthy single take that shows the destruction that Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) can cause, it is a cinematic gem of a piece set in a baddie’s lair in Sicily... a strikingly stylized moment that leaves our lead wounded in body and soul.
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Pearl-Clutch
PearlAugust 12, 2024What do you get when you cross Dorothy Gale with the Wicked Witch of the West? The answer may just come in the 2022 melodramatic horror film Pearl, co-written and directed by Ti West. The approximately six decade prequel to West’s homage to the early years of the slasher subgenre of 1970s horror with X, this rewind throws us into the life of the titular Pearl, originally the slash happy elderly woman who we now see as a young woman.
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CAPE Escape
April 25, 2024It was another exciting weekend in the city of Cornwall, as CAPE, or the Cornwall and Area Pop Event, returned once more (like any good superhero franchise) – this time attracting more than 3,500 excited visitors for the Saturday and Sunday festivities on April 20th and 21st, 2024. People of all ages, many in glorious costume (ranging from Evel Knievel and Deadpool to fantastical personal creations), flooded the Benson Centre, primed to explore its many exciting booths. . . fans were excited to see similar items from previous years, including retro toys, Funko pops, original artwork, comic books and literature, while they were also lucky enough to find some new vendors offering up unique items that have not been seen at the event for many a year – including vintage movie posters (Rolled & Folded Movie Posters), old school video games (Video Game Mansion), and a cool array of goodies from Cornwall Stamp Co. - Rock & Roll Print Shop.
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Comedy Team, Female Style
Let's Do ThingsCatch-As Catch-CanMarch 3, 2024With the massive success of Laurel and Hardy, who producer Hal Roach had paired together after signing them separately in 1926 (they would remain with his studio until 1940), the man had the bright idea of creating a female counterpart duo, bringing together Zasu Pitts and Thelma Todd. The team would make seventeen popular shorts from 1931-33, their first two, Let’s Do Things and Catch-As Catch-Can, looked at here today. Like all good comedy teams, you have two very different character types. Zasu comes across as the slightly depressed, nervous and fretful brunette, while Thelma is a much more vibrant and colourful blonde dame. . . the former’s desperation often dragging her more put together friend into rather unorthodox situations. In Let’s Do Things, they find themselves as employees selling music for a giant department store... while looking for a way out of their dead-end jobs.
