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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No Man is an Island
Island of Lost SoulsOctober 28, 2016Adapting H.G. Wells’ novel "The Island of Doctor Moreau" for the screen, Paramount’s 1932 film Island of Lost Souls is not nearly as well known as the Universal horror pictures that were released around the same time (Dracula, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man), though it most definitely should be. Though H.G. Wells despised the picture and its overt horror elements (which he felt got in the way of the true message of his book), it has become known as the premier adaptation of the classic novel – though it was banned three times in Britain for its depiction of vivisection. Adapted by Waldemar Young and Philip Wylie, and directed by Erle C. Kenton (The Ghost of Frankenstein, House of Frankenstein, House of Dracula), the cautionary tale follows shipwrecked survivor Edward Parker (Richard Arlen) as he is picked up by a trading vessel. Treated by a dour doctor, Montgomery (Arthur Hohl), the newly resuscitated man discovers an odd array of animals on the ship.
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Star Pick with Rudolf Schenker
Fly Me to the MoonAvatarOctober 25, 2016Soon after Avatar’s release, it became evident that it was not only a movie – it was a worldwide phenomenon that was bringing people together, getting young and old to sit in darkened cinemas for over two hours and forty minutes (promptly making it the highest grossing film of all-time – ending just shy of 2.8 billion dollars). The creative piece of world building, with its vivid, alien landscape and intoxicating mythology (while also ushering 3-D back into the cinematic limelight), also caught the eye of Rudolf Schenker, a founding member (and guitar-god) of the iconic German hard rock band The Scorpions. A master song-writer, the man has concocted numerous classic rock tunes, with catchy riffs, iconic lyrics and impressive solo work. Sharing solo and rhythm duties with co-guitarist Matthias Jabs, Schenker and the band have become known for their unforgettable, high-octane, crowd-pleasing live performances.
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Creature Feature
Creature from the Black LagoonOctober 23, 2016The last of the great monsters to come out of Universal’s iconic horror era – that ran from the 1920s through the 1950s (following in the footsteps of Dracula, Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, The Wolf Man, as well as many others), The Creature from the Black Lagoon has captured the hearts and minds of people over the past six plus decades. Seen as being a forebear to films which have people dealing with some sort of unknown or super-animalistic type creature (think Alien, Predator or Jaws), director Jack Arnold’s 1954 horror flick developed the formula for this style of films success. Set in the heart of the Amazon, the leader of a geology expedition, Dr. Carl Maia (Antonio Moreno), stumbles upon an earthshattering discovery.
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McQuarrie Cruises to New Heights in Jack Reacher
Jack ReacherOctober 21, 2016With Jack Reacher: Never Go Back opening today, I thought this would be the perfect time to reflect on the original 2012 film. I am sure that most of you have heard the controversy revolving around it, with ardent fans of Lee Child’s ‘Jack Reacher’ novels being discouraged by the casting of Tom Cruise in the leading role. Much like an overzealous carny following the stringent rules and regulations of height restrictions on rides, book lovers were uninspired by the selection of the action superstar, as his five foot seven inch frame did not fit with the character’s description – at a gargantuan six foot five inches tall.
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Star Pick with Keir Dullea
Train in VainBrief EncounterOctober 18, 2016Whilst attending Trekonderoga, the Ticonderoga comic convention that is all things Star Trek, on August 13th, 2016, I was fortunate enough to be able to interview Keir Dullea. Best known for taking on the starring role of Dr. Dave Bowman in Stanley Kubrick’s iconic space epic 2001: A Space Odyssey – he reprised the character for the film’s 1984 sequel 2010: The Year We Made Contact. Dullea has played a variety of intriguing roles over his six plus decades in the industry, getting his first lead role in 1962's David and Lisa, the actor then went on to star in 1964's The Thin Red Line, Otto Preminger’s 1965 mystery Bunny Lake is Missing, 1974's Black Christmas (often considered to be the genesis of the slasher horror film genre), and Robert De Niro’s 2006 flick The Good Shepherd, to name but a few of his film credits. The man actually highlighted a small Canadian film that he made back in 1973, titled Paperback Hero (also known as Last of the Big Guns), as being the favourite film he has worked on to this point.
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Soul Survivor?
FaustOctober 16, 2016Iconic German director F.W. Murnau is often considered to be one of the most influential filmmakers of the silent film era. Creating the first ever vampire movie, Nosferatu (a perfect example of German Expressionism) in 1922 and Sunrise (sometimes considered to be the best silent film drama of all-time – and the first motion picture he made in America) in 1927, a perhaps slightly lesser known movie (of his) that is equally as impressive is 1926's Faust: A German Folk Legend. Revolving around the age old struggle of good versus evil, the tale begins with the demon Mephisto (Emil Jannings) debating with an Archangel (Werner Fuetterer) about the nature of human beings. The agent of darkness believes that he will be able to corrupt the righteous, wise old sage Faust (Gösta Ekman). The two agree that, if Mephisto succeeds, the Devil will be given rule over the Earth.
