Films That Matter
The Fall and Rise of Babylon
Sometimes, certain films just seem destined to underperform at the box office, only to fall into more of a cult status down the road... and this could likely be the case for writer/director Damien Chazelle’s epic depiction of late 1920s, early 1930s Hollywood in Babylon (2022). Clocking in at three hours, nine minutes, if Chazelle’s 2016 musical La La Land was a love letter to current Hollywood, then this could easily be considered something similar to the growth and birth of the place. In some ways reminiscent of Quentin Tarantino’s 2019 feature Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (which also gives the viewer a bird’s-eye view into the movie making business), the aptly named Babylon is perhaps not for the faint of heart, but will be rewarding for anyone intrigued by the silent and the 30s Pre-Code era (or for people who are simply looking to learn more about this cinematic time).
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Journalist Takes Shocking Journey
Shock CorridorFebruary 26, 201610 days: that was how long it took to film the 1963 B-movie Shock Corridor. Originally advertized as an exploitation picture (and it does have some of those elements), Samuel Fuller’s film about a journalist who has himself committed to solve a mysterious murder is so much more than its original label.
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Star Pick with Marcus Ovnell
A Road Less TravelledArlington RoadFebruary 14, 2016As you probably read previously, Marcus Ovnell, the writer/director of the outstanding Swedish dramatic thriller The Break-In, explained that his favourite film of all-time was the 1990's classic Shawshank Redemption. Though he said that this was his clear favourite, he also highlighted a lesser known movie as one that I (and others) should watch – the 1999 thriller Arlington Road.
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Where the Limelight Never Fades
LimelightJanuary 5, 2016There may not be a man who better exemplifies the heights in which one can rise and then fall than the legendary Charlie Chaplin. The British immigrant perfectly illustrates the ‘American Dream’. He started as a vaudeville performer, then became a silent film star – he had already signed a million dollar contract in the 1910's. By early 1919, he had formed United Artists with partners Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and D.W. Griffith – giving him control over the quality of his beloved product.
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Star Pick with Nathan Andrew Jacobs
WANTED Someone to Go Back in Time With MeSafety Not GuaranteedJanuary 1, 2016Sometimes it is not easy to qualify exactly what genre a movie is. Safety Not Guaranteed is one of those films. The 2012 picture was recommended to me by Nathan Andrew Jacobs, the writer/director of the independent film Killing Poe, who stated that it was an excellent Indie film that should be seen by more people.
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Mountain of Madness
Black Mountain SideDecember 10, 2015There has long been a history of films that deal with isolation and seclusion – some being big budget blockbusters while others are low-budget flicks. Movies such as The Shining, Cabin Fever and The Thing each created a sense of impending dread by using these two themes effectively. The low budget Canadian film Black Mountain Side continues the tradition.
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Star Pick with Billy Gibbons
Casablanca on TopCasablancaDecember 17, 2014We are now in the middle of the awards season and are closing in on the holy grail of film festivities: the Academy Awards, or as we all like to call him – Oscar. This month, I will be reviewing four motion pictures that have won at least one of the major prizes of either best director, actor, actress or picture.
