October, 2009 Archive
George D. Allen | Staff Notes
In the 1999 film Holy Smoke, director/co-writer Jane Campion’s eccentric melodrama of sexual politics, a religiously confused Kate Winslet is whisked away to an isolated cabin in the Australian outback, where expert cult deprogrammer (and hopeless womanizer) Harvey Keitel attempts to penetrate her intellectual and spiritual defenses in order to wean her from a cult that has abused her psyche with promises of empowerment and nirvana. Instead, his own moral weaknesses compromise him, leading the two into bed, and later, to a heated war over gender roles that ends with…well, with Harvey Keitel wearing lipstick and a red dress. Whether or not Keitel was effectively “castrated” by Winslet’s character is a matter for some interpretation. And, you had to be willing to indulge Campion’s sense of theatricality to be invested at all in the interpretive exercise.
It’s easier, I’d argue, to read that film as a more traditional narrative--that is, if you can see past the “shocks” of Winslet’s nude cavorting and spontaneous urination, and the sight of Keitel weeping his Bad Lieutenant weep in a tight red dress--where both characters learn from each other and end up the richer and wiser for their carnal and cathartic combat.
Not so much, in writer/director Lars von Trier’s Antichrist.
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Gary Cahall | Staff Notes
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This past summer's news that the Walt Disney Company was buying Marvel Entertainment in a reported $4 billion cash and stock deal had fanboys (and fangirls) of all stripes burning up the Internet for weeks with snarky suggestions (the long-awaited Donald Duck/Howard the Duck team-up, Super Goof joining the X-Men, the Incredibles versus the Incredible Hulk, et cetera) on how to merge the two universes. Nothing like those ideas will be happening (I hope), but from a cinematic standpoint a key question for the House of Mouse is what properties could the studio put on the big screen? Since Paramount owns the movie rights to Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and various Avengers characters, Columbia has a tight hold on your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, and Wolverine and his fellow mutants are tied up with Fox, what's left? Well, in the spirit of Halloween, I would like to suggest the following series, all with a horror/science-fiction slant, that could serve as launching pads for new film franchises (NOTE: I'm sticking to titles that haven't had live-action adaptations before, although no one wants to see a new Doctor Strange film more than yours truly):
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Jason Marcewicz | Staff Notes
There surely have been enough lists in the blogosphere about the best horror movies ever made. Rather than revisit those frightening flicks that we all love so much I decided to focus solely on a series of indelible images that to this day make filmgoers’ skin crawl. The following stills represent the most chilling moments ever captured on the Silver Screen. How many have you seen?
Alien
The emergence of the alien with its fearsome teeth and bloodcurdling shriek in the chestburster scene shocked audiences. Even the actors (except for John Hurt) were left in the dark as to what specifically would happen to John’s character. Writer Dan O’Bannon had read about ichneumon wasps which lay their eggs in host insects that result in quite real ghastly hatch-outs. That image gave him nightmares…and the idea for this scene.
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Brian Sieck | Staff Notes
Sure, the Halloween holiday is a prime time to curl up with a terrifying title. Even those folks out there who don’t share a huge proclivity for scary movies with other horror cinemaphiles can’t resist the urge to pull the covers up to their eyes and experience a fine fright fest. However, many of these people tend to stick to the staples such as Halloween or Psycho, and while these films are true classics, there are plenty of other lesser-known gems out there that fans may not be aware of that can still pack tons of scares, gore and fun into an evening. It’s with this in mind that we present a host of rare to semi-rare frightful favorites that have been released within the last thirty-some years that can be enjoyed on All Hallows’ Eve or any time of year whether the viewer is a genre devotee or a fledgling horror buff.
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George D. Allen, Irv Slifkin and John Tartaglia | Movie Buzz, Movie Buzz Podcast
MovieFanFare's mysterious columnist Dr. Strangefilm makes a spectral appearance in Ghouly Irv's spooky domicile to discuss some oddly uncanny classics, and finally, Movie Irv welcomes a guest critic from the Movies Unlimited staff to compare notes on picks for the s-c-a-r-i-e-s-t movies of all time. (Don't let those credits at the end of Segment III fool you...stay tuned for Segment IV!) Happy Halloween!
Jason Marcewicz | Staff Notes
Though the hockey mask is now iconic, it was world renowned make-up artist Tom Savini who created the original look for young Jason Voorhees (Ari Lehman) for the first Friday the 13th movie. Below are more stills of boogeyman Jason sans his infamous mask. Can you match the picture to the correct film? Those needing a bit of help will find some subtle clues given in the accompanying film summaries. (Warning: Spoilers abound.)
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Gary Cahall | Staff Notes
Both are victims of supernatural curses. Both stalk their prey by the light of the moon. And, to both, normal humanity is just so much fast food on the hoof. Vampires and werewolves have been among the most "loved" monsters in movies and television for decades. So why are these creatures of the night, who seemingly have so much in common, more often than not at each others' throats--figuratively if not literally--whenever they appear together?
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Irv Slifkin | In the Director's Chair, Movie Buzz
Quick, cinephiles: What do you think of when we say the name “Samuel Fuller"?
Film noir? A forceful, primitive directing style? A big, smelly cigar?
It certainly wouldn’t be sensitivity, feminism or ha-ha funny.
But according to Christa Lang Fuller, married to the legendary writer, producer and director from 1967 to his death in 1997, he was a man sensitive to many issues, and a true feminist who was quite funny and harbored a strong desire to make a comedy.
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Jay Steinberg | This Week in Film History
October 25, 1925: France's star of silent slapstick comedy Max Linder, 41,and his young wife are found dead in a Paris hotel, victims of an apparent suicide pact.
October 30, 1948: A major shift in the shape of the film industry begins as RKO becomes the first major to split off its theater ownership from its production wing.
October 31, 1962: Screen divas Joan Crawford and Bette Davis' feud on (and off) the screen fuels the horrific black comedy What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
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Jerry Frebowitz | New Releases This Week
New DVD Releases for this week include the family comedy Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs, and a not-so-family film, Woody Allen's Whatever Works, along with other theatrical newcomers, TV collections new to DVD, some interesting Foreign Film releases and four vintage whodunits that are always lots of fun.
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Irv Slifkin | In the Star's Trailer, Movie Buzz
As a character actor, Bruce McGill never looks a gift horse in the mouth.
So, when he was about to sign a contract to trade an acting gig for a free vacation, he was ready to sign on the dotted line. Then things changed.
“I was set to go on a cruise and swap doing a show for the vacation,” says the 59-year-old performer. “It was a half hour from when the contracts came in the mail, when I got a call to be in Law Abiding Citizen. I looked at my wife and she looked at me in the eye and said, ‘What have you been working all your life for?’ So I knew I had to do it.”
Tags: movie reviews