Movies, Mom & Me

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  Commentary:  Under construction.
    I haven't received this movie, yet, but it's on its way (from North Dakota, no less) and I should have it by Friday.
    It's funny, because, recalling what I said about the last movie I entered in here, Serenity, regarding how I was really excited about seeing that movie, well, the truth is, I feel the same about this movie and the last four I've listed. I obtained them all through a sale featuring movies that featured strong female roles, actors and/or directors and other crew. I've never seen a sale like that. It will probably be a long time before I see one like that again. I want to mention, though, for anyone "listening", there's an excellent chance I would not have obtained any of these five movies had they not been presented in such a format. Kudos to whomever thought of it. Sterling idea! More, please!
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Viola Davis	Veronica Rawlings	Michelle Rodriguez	Linda	Elizabeth Debicki	Alice	Cynthia Erivo	Belle

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2018
    Directed by Steve McQueen.

Labels: §4, dramaE, neo-noirC, political5, revenge1, tragedy2, violence4

# posted by gail @ 15:55    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  This movie created quite the buzz, initiating no less than four dedicated articles on Roger Ebert's site and a further flurry of mentions in compendium articles there. It also caught the eyes of many awards organizations and won more than a few of its nominations.
  Update 4/21/22:  I watched this movie last night, 4/20/22. Yeow! I was glued to the screen! Superbly watchable movie, very involving, no false performances or sloppy plot schematics that I could detect, subtly presented, expertly framed the protagonist's journey into revenge and, ultimately, horror! A wonderful job done by all, notably writer/director Emerald Fennell. Now, I'm curious about her other work, some of which, as an actress, I've seen. Really looking forward to more of her work in all categories of film making!
    Of note, this movie has also inspired me to add another label category, "revenge". Turns out, another movie I recently acquired with this one also fits this category, so I've started out running. I'm about to add a third, an old one that clearly fits into this category. I'm sure I'll find more in my collection to which "revenge" applies.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Carey Mulligan	Cassie Thomas	Bo Burnham	Ryan Cooper	Alison Brie	Madison McPhee	Clancy Brown	Stanley Thomas
  Jennifer Coolidge	Susan Thomas	Connie Britton	Dean Elizabeth Walker	Chris Lowell	Alexander Monroe	Alfred Molina	Jordan Green (uncredited)

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2020
    Directed by Emerald Fennell.

Labels: clancy-brown, dramaE, female-director3, feminist, revenge1, violence4, women's-movie2

# posted by gail @ 13:32    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  This movie turns on Sarah Tobias' (played with verve and extraordinary competence by Jodie Foster) dance in the game room of the bar she was in the night she was raped. The dance is joyously energetic, celebratory, expressive and, yes, seemingly provocative, except that it is clear she wasn't trying to provoke anything, she was merely expressing. That dance, more than anything in the movie, is what defines the criminal injustice in what happened to her next. The idea of rape was clearly present in the minds of the watchers even before the dance took place. The rapists were simply waiting for the opportunity to do the deed. It didn't matter on who they perpetrated the rape. It could have been any of the women in that bar. It just happened to be Sarah. It was Sarah because, if you notice, all the other featured women in the bar left as the rape took shape in the minds of the rapists and onlookers or as it commenced. This movie is, in my opinion, a brilliant commentary on male society's perspective on rape. To men, they are not the perpetrators, women are, for simply being, well, women. Although a dance preceeded this rape, rarely does anything objectively "provocative" preceed most rapes. Thus, the presence, or absence, of a provocative dance is not up for question. The movie clearly underlines that rape isn't something women, or men, for that matter, provoke, it's something that men perpetrate upon weaker members of the society, women, primarily, but not exclusively.
    I initially saw this movie a long time ago, possibly on television, but I can't be sure. I'd forgotten about it until it popped up in a sale of film products featuring female actors and other crew. Suddenly, I was remembering the extraordinary effect it had on me. It did not make me afraid, so much, as disgusted at the shenanigans through which the legal system put this case. It smartened me up right quick, as they say in the trades. I've never had to participate in such a case, and hope I never do, but thinking, yet again, about this movie still kindles a sense of righteous anger in me.
    Let me state this clearly: As a woman, and, only, as a woman, I neither like nor trust men. I learned this, first from my father, not explicitly, but implicitly, ambiguously. Even when some man, somewhere, says or does something with which I concur, which is often, I am guarded. I am always thinking, in the back of my mind, that at any moment that particular man is going to say or do something else that will completely undercut any act of seeming fairness or support. That's just what it is to be a woman in this society, and many others. It could be different but, in 1988, when this movie was released, and now, in 2022, as I just completed watching it for the second time in my life, this remains true. And, men wonder why in the world some feminists want to separate from, or get rid of, men.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Jodie Foster	Sarah Tobias	Kelly McGillis	Kathryn Murphy	Bernie Coulson	Kenneth Joyce	Ann Hearn	Salley Fraser

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1988
    Directed by Jonathan Kaplan.

Labels: 20th-century-chick-flicks1, character-study, dramaE, feminist, jodie-foster, legal, violence4

# posted by gail @ 12:10    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  This movie is a not-quite-so-guilty pleasure for me. I have usually been able to find it playing on a streaming service without commercials once a year or so, but, I have access to only two streaming services (that's all I need, actually, considering that, despite my huge number of owned movies, I don't watch movies or programs a lot). Lately, I've been experiencing my hunger, again, for this movie, and was left with no outlets through which to assuage it, which has never before happened. Just out of curiosity I thought, you know, I wonder how much it would cost if I just owned this movie. I found an astonishingly cheap price for a new press in widescreen with subtitles and, knowing that I will watch this movie again and again, grabbed it. It just arrived. I'll be luxuriating in it shortly.
    Lots of film critics lauded this movie, including Jennifer Lopez' performance in it. That's what accounts for the "not-quite-so-guilty" part of my pleasure in this movie. The part of my pleasure about which I feel guilty is that it depends upon Selena's tragic end. Without the short and shocking trajectory of her life she likely would have continued to be a huge, cross-sectional star, but I doubt there'd be a movie about her. She may have become an acting, as well as a singing, star, in her own right, and, likely, either way, her existence doing what she did so well would have produced at least as much wealth for her family as her tragedy probably has, but, well, to be blunt, untimely tragedy tends to generate at least as much attention, if not more, as success. Sad truth.
    Much worthy attention was paid to the making of this movie. All the choices made, the actors, the carving of the story for maximum effect, the production, the presentation, are top notch. It is unfortunate that all this excellence had to be lavished on presenting a tragedy, rather than a long-lived phenomenon.
  Update 3/23/2022:  Yes, yes, yes, I spent most of yesterday afternoon and evening watching my copy of this movie. May I say, it is the premier popcorn-and-soda movie of my collection. Although just a few minutes over two hours, I rewound and rewatched so many sections of it that I spent at least four hours luxuriating in it.
    I plan to watch Netflix's version, Selena: The Series, for comparison. It received low to middling reviews from professional critics (with the exception of the immediately previous review, which has an interesting perspective, from Roger Ebert dot com) and was rebuked even more for "occasionally [struggling] to tell its subject's story with depth or perspective" (a quote from the Wikipedia article about the film) than the film. IMDb users, however, [(1997 movie), (2020-21 series)] ranked the two practically the same: above middling. The consensus seems to be that while professional critics are looking for something with more depth (which I'm not sure is possible without a thorough companion story about Yolanda Saldívar, Selena's side-business manager and murderer), off-the street (so to speak) critiques from watcher-plebes are, largely, satisfied and disappointed with both depictions in equal measure and for the same reasons, giving the series a slight, and, I think, insignificant, edge.
    Once I finish viewing the series, if I think I have anything cogent to add, I will, but, if not, well, what you read above is what you get.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Jennifer Lopez	Adult Selena	Edward James Olmos	Abraham Quintanilla, Jr	Constance Marie	Marcela Quintanilla	Lupe Ontiveros	Yolanda Saldívar

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1997
    Directed by Gregory Nava.

Labels: biography3, coming-of-age2, dramaE, edward-james-olmos, jennifer-lopez, musical2, popcorn-and-soda7, tragedy2

# posted by gail @ 12:18    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  I watched this movie today, 3/21/2022. The experience was somewhat unsettling for me, for a few reasons. I don't think I've ever mentioned this before, but when I watch a movie that has a soundtrack of popular music from an era through which I lived and in which I paid particular attention to that popular music, I find it disquieting. This doesn't happen often. Luckily, I don't end up obtaining many movies that have vivid sound tracks with which I personally identify. In the case of this movie, for me, because I was so familiar with the soundtrack and associated it with a very specific time in my life in which I was in my car a lot, listening to the radio, traveling from job to job, hearing the soundtrack took me out of the movie and whipped me back to that time.
    Other than that, I thought Julianne Moore's performance was astonishing, the character she played was even more astonishing, and, although I've never lived through such a character crisis, had circumstances been a bit different in my life, had I, for instance, gotten married, kept a home for a family, lived in an environment with very strict behavioral codes, I could imagine myself adopting some of that character's behaviors, just in order to remain standing. This surprised me, as it made me aware of the differences between expression of one's self and the expression of other's expectations of one's role that continues to plague women 35 years after the period of time this movie portrays and 27 years after this movie hit the screens. Todd Haynes, himself, has referred to this movie as a horror film. I would have to agree, and a damned subtle and intriguing horror film, at that, which continues, in my opinion, to seem applicable to the lives of women.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Julianne Moore	Carol White	Peter Friedman	Peter Dunning	James LeGros	Chris	Susan Norman	Linda

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1995
    Directed by Todd Haynes.

Labels: Criterion4, dramaE, horror1, julianne-moore, psychological1, women's-movie2

# posted by gail @ 22:55    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  This is a hard driving movie in which, in one way or another, all the characters are smarmy except for the one primary female character who gets belted by everyone's smarm and deals with it by leaving the vicinity of the smarminess, while the viewer, me, of course, hails her endurance and her strength. I suspect, when this movie was made, the point of it was to highlight all this smarminess, but, viewing it over half a century after its release, it is Susan's endurance which stays with me. Her brother J.J., her brother's "henchman" Falco, they are all so much spoiled meat against Susan's incorruptibility.
    Roger Ebert, by the way, christened this as a Great Movie. I have mixed feelings about this designation. Certainly, the acting and directing qualify, but, I don't know, the story, hmmm, well, I'll have to think about it, maybe watch it again.
    Still under Construction.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Burt Lancaster	J. J. Hunsecker	Tony Curtis	Sidney Falco	Susan Harrison	Susan Hunsecker	Martin Milner	Steve Dallas

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1957
    Directed by Alexander Mackendrick.

Labels: burt-lancaster, Criterion3, dramaE, film-noir1, journalism, melodramaC

# posted by gail @ 14:29    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  Yes, I paid attention to the note to myself and scrounged for a copy of this movie. I haven't watched it, yet, I just received it today, but plan on snuggling into it tonight.
    This movie is a part of the tidal wave of luxurious English period pieces, more than a few directed by the director of this movie, that appeared in theaters in the late 1960's through the mid 1970's. Not that there aren't many that appeared outside that time frame, there have been (and continue to be). But, during this period there was a peculiar thirst in the (primarily American and British) movie watching public for theatrical stories featuring English actors and English period settings (with complications intact, please). I'm not sure if this movie was the most celebrated one of this group, but it was wildly popular, so popular that, although I wasn't much of a movie attendee during the time it initially hit the theaters (because of where I lived and the island's inavailability of movies and movie theaters), I saw this one during its first run.
    Interesting fact about this Thomas Hardy story: It has been made into a movie at least four times (starting in 1915, culminating, so far, in a 2015 version) and the book version, on Amazon, runs to 4+ pages. Its listings may run on for several more pages. I simply continued no further than the fourth.
    The book (and story) were so popular when I was in high school (when the movie was released) that we read the book in my Comp Lit class. I vaguely remember enjoying the book, I remember vigorous discussions in class about the differences between the movie and the book, but I also remember imagining the characters, as I read, as each of the gaggle of British movie actors who were featured in the film.
    The story has a feminist cast. I remember this being heavily discussed in our Comp Lit class, which shouldn't seem unusual, considering the year we studied it. I also remember, though, being mightily disappointed in the ending of both the movie and the book for this very reason. Although I can't remember if Bathsheba's independence was refuted, in the end, by either presentation, I do remember my disappointment clearly. It crystalized as the knowledge that there was no Alan Bates out there who had, was or would woo me, nor was there a Peter Finch or a Terence Stamp. My independence and feminism, in fact, were considered far from alluring and, at times, abrasive. This issue was not an insignificant part of our classroom discussions.
    Anyway, I'll likely write more once I re-watch the movie, so, Dear Reader, stay tuned. I might even be inspired to re-read the book.
  Update 1/27/2022:  I watched this entire film (it lasts almost three hours) today. Luckily, there were intermissions and entractes (one of each, I think, but I'm not sure) which made for handy make-another-cup-of-coffee breaks. Whew! Very involving, primarily to look at, partially to follow the story. I'd forgotten about that. I'm glad I picked this one up.
    Terence Stamp's performance is so enjoyable. I laughed delightedly at his playfully, fiercely erotic sword-play exhibition devised on the spot to woo Bathsheba. I wished his character had been in the film more, even though the story revolved around his involvement with Bathsheba. As I was watching the movie, I made a vow to seek out more of his filmography.
    Although all the actors turn in peak performances, in my opinion the four clear standouts are Terence Stamp, Peter Finch, Fiona Walker as Liddy and Freddie Jones, who played Cainy Ball with a zest that provoked a smile from me every time his character appeared. I have no complaints about the other actors. Everyone was in exacting form, whipped into shape, no doubt, by director John Schlesinger, who coaxed outstanding performances from even the minor, minor characters. Yes, I know, Julie Christie and Alan Bates are not mentioned above. The problem, from my perspective, is that all the roles excepting the four I mention in the first sentence of this paragraph, were, well, ho-hum. Even Bathsheba Everdene's independence and "feminism" is, well, very visible, but, frankly, all the female characters had very strong wills. When I realized this, about half way through the movie, another part of me stood and took appreciative notice. I wish I could remember if this female independence was present in the book. I think I may have to go back and reread it, just to satisfy my curiosity about that.
    Anyway, I found the film riveting, loads of fun to watch. It made me glad it's a part of my collection. I'll be watching it again. It also whetted my appetite for yet another British movie in the same vein released in the same approximate time period: The Go-Between. Alas, so far, I haven't found a source for the purchase of this one, not Amazon, nor Barnes & Noble, nor anywhere else, unless I want a Region 2 copy that would be of no use to me instead of a Region 1 copy that will actually play on my DVD player. I'm mystified as to why this movie appears not to be available. Ah, well. I'll keep looking.
    When I watch a sprawling, well done epic like this one, I realize, once again, how much I love this type of movie and find myself hungering for another, and another ... So, yes I made a short list of epic movies I own that I haven't seen recently: one Dutch, two American and three British. I'll probably be littering tomorrow and my weekend with them. Too bad rain or snow are not in the forecast. My line-up would be perfect for a precipitous weekend+one.
  Update 1/28/2022:  While pulling a web crawl for The Go-Between to see if I might find a freely available copy to view, I suddenly had a flashback to having watched the movie on Guam when it came out. I'd read the book, not as a class project but because My Florida Sister had become mesmerized by it and I wanted to see what had captured her interest. I enjoyed the book. Then, the movie arrived, I went to see it, and, you know what? Today I remembered my reaction to the film: seething disappointment; which surprised me, at the time. But, now, my memory counsels me, don't look any further, because, again, you won't like what you see. Now, that I'm remembering my initial reaction, I'm wondering if it garnered so much acclaim because it was considered kind of a "Far from the Madding Crowd II" ... only it wasn't. So, that search is over. Thank the movie gods.
    BTW, I included far more names in the table below than were necessary because the names of the characters are so fascinating. In many cases (probably most, if not all, I haven't watched the film through that lens, yet) the names are a take on the portrayal of the person. Or vice versa. I'm willing to bet that Thomas Hardy was suggesting both.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Julie Christie	Bathsheba Everdene	Terence Stamp	Frank Troy	Peter Finch	William Boldwood	Alan Bates	Gabriel Oak
  Fiona Walker	Liddy	Prunella Ransome	Fanny Robin	Alison Leggatt	Mrs. Hurst	Paul Dawkins	Henry Fray
  Denise Coffey	Soberness	John Barrett	Joseph Poorgrass	Freddie Jones	Cainy Ball	Peggy Ann Clifford	Fat Lady at Circus

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1967
    Directed by John Schlesinger.

Labels: dramaE, period6, romance5, spectacle2

# posted by gail @ 14:19    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  Although I just received this movie today (1/18/2022) and haven't yet watched it, I already have something interesting to relate about it. You'll note that the link to the movie in the title of this post takes you to a review by Roger Ebert in which he consecrates the movie as one of his "Great Movies". That was in 2002 when he reconsidered his initial review of the same movie which he wrote in 1973.
    Roger Ebert was not the only film critic who reconsidered their initial opinions of this film. Wikipedia devotes an entire section of their write-up on this film to its Re-evaluation in years subsequent to its initial release by not only film critics but other professionals in the industry. In addition, if you pull a search for this movie on Roger Ebert's site, all the reviews but one on at least the first page mention this movie, whether or not they were written by Roger Ebert. This continues through the second page of search results, as well. I didn't go any further, I didn't need to. It seems this movie, slowly but surely, gained an authoritative reputation through the years within the industry. This almost makes me salivate at the prospect of watching it, for my first time, tonight.
    Another mention: In 2018 at Roger Ebert's site Matt Zoller Seitz wrote a ranging and provocative memorium article about Nicolas Roeg on the occasion of his death. It's both informative and enjoyable reading.
    Finally, Wikipedia's article on Nicolas Roeg is a delightful addition to all the information above. Aside from listing all his films done as a director and cinematographer (take a look, I'm sure you've seen and enjoyed a few; chances are, more than a few) the article is littered with acknowledgements from others in all corners of the film industry citing Roeg's influence on their work. I, myself, own two of his films (this one and Samson and Delilah), have seen several [one of which, Far From the Madding Crowd, ranks as one of my all time favorites; I know, I know, why don't I own it then? Why don't I own it?!?], would like to see several more and hanker to own some of those.
    At any rate, I'll definitely be back here within the next few days to write about my reaction to the film. Stay tuned, Dear Readers.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Julie Christie	Laura Baxter	Donald Sutherland	John Baxter	Hilary Mason	Heather	Clelia Matania	Wendy
  Massimo Serato	Bishop Barbarrigo	Renato Scarpa	Inspector Longhi	Leopoldo Trieste	Hotel Manager	David Tree	Anthony Babbage
  Ann Rye	Mandy Babbage	Nicholas Salter	Johnny Baxter	Sharon Williams	Christine Baxter	Bruno Cattaneo	Detective Sabbione

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1973
    Directed by Nicolas Roeg.

Labels: §, donald-sutherland, dramaE, folk-horror

# posted by gail @ 15:59    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  I don't actually have this movie in my collection, yet; it's on the way. But, I watched it last night, uncut, without commercials, at this link, The Day After, courtesy of Super Critical Podcast. Thank you, Super Critical Podcast! In case, Dear Reader, you're interested in knowing the ruminations of Super Critical Podcast about this movie, the link for that episode is here. I recommend you check it out. In fact, I've fallen in love with this channel and recommend it to you if you have any interest in movies featuring nuclearity.
    So, yes, I've watched it. It is the most devastating nuclear apocalypse movie I've seen, thus far. It is not for the faint of heart, but, despite its high level of tragic believability, it's worth it. There was a small but not annoying issue of video fuzziness at the beginning of the movie but I think that may have been due to either my TV or connection, because it corrected itself almost immediately. It is loaded with well-defined characters and scenarios that won't let go of your mind, even after the final credits.
    It was a TV production broadcast during the hey-years of nuclear apocalyptic films, the early 1980s. Of all the nuclear apocalyptic movies I've seen, so far, I have to say that this is the most riveting because it is the most well done and leaves nothing to the imagination. It's been less than 12 hours since I finished the movie and I continue to have images from it pop up, unbidden, in my memory. As you watch, you'll recognize several actors who hadn't yet become readily recognizable when this film was released who later went on to become big-deal-actors. You'll also notice the obvious seriousness with which this production was approached. This was one of the best blendings of message and movie I can recall, without a hint of preachiness in the script. Just daily life lived under a literal nuclear cloud.
    I'll be watching it again, later after I receive it, so I may have more to say about it. Or, you know, not. It was devastatingly realistic and I have a feeling that sense of devastation doesn't let up after multiple viewings. This movie, by the way, is the film that had a huge impact on U. S. President Ronald Reagan and was responsible for causing him to rethink his nuclear war policy.
  Update 1/25/22:  Extra Credit Question: Who do you know (including yourself) who you think would be capable of ordering the launch of a nuclear bomb? Don't worry, Dear Reader, I'll explain and elaborate later.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Jason Robards	Dr. Russell Oakes	Georgann Johnson	Helen Oakes	John Cullum	Jim Dahlberg	Bibi Besch	Eve Dahlberg
  Lori Lethin	Denise Dahlberg	JoBeth Williams	Nurse Nancy Bauer	Calvin Jung	Dr. Sam Hachiya	Steve Guttenberg	Stephen Klein
  John Lithgow	Joe Huxley	Amy Madigan	Alison Ransom	William Allen Young	Airman 1st. Billy McCoy	Arliss Howard	Tom Cooper

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1983
    Directed by Nicholas Meyer.

Labels: apocalyptic, bibi-besch, dramaE, haunting3, jason-robards-jr, john-lithgow, nuclear, reflective, tragedy2, TV3, war3

# posted by gail @ 13:02    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  If you read comments left about this movie on Amazon.com (from where I purchased it) you'll notice that many of the commenters mention how long it's been since they first saw it: 30 years, 35 years; for me it's been 38 years. That was also the last time I saw it. In all these years, I haven't forgotten it. It was the first movie on my list of "nuclear movies to acquire" that I drew up a couple of months ago. No, it wasn't a long list. There aren't that many, and I wasn't interested in a lot of the movies I discovered.
    During a significant portion of the Cold War, during my raising from elementary school through college, I lived on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean that was definitely a tactical target for bombing by U.S. "enemies", in part because it housed the B-52's that busied themselves, daily, with trips to and from Southeast Asia, in part because it was the U.S. Naval home of the nuclear submarine "Proteus", in part because the island was a strategic communications center for about half the earth, in part because Australia also had a stragetic communications center there and in part because the island was constantly surrounded by Russian "fishing trawlers" that monitored all communications coming into and leaving the island, while the crews gambled at cards with the local fisherman. Although our family was civilian when we lived there, everyone on the island was aware that the island was so small that, if it were bombed, it would be as though nothing ever existed at its coordinates. This was not of particular concern to anyone, except, perhaps, the U.S. military installations on the island. The rest of us, well, why worry about something we couldn't influence? I remember that, for instance, there were no "duck and cover" drills in any of my classes, whether they be elementary, high school or college. I didn't even become aware of the phrase "duck and cover" for many years after having left the island. After all, one blast and everyone on that island would be on their way to the afterlife.
    This is why, having seen the movie some years after leaving that island, I became fascinated with it. I didn't immediately relate to it. The situation we lived in during those early years of nuclear threat was nothing like what was portrayed in this movie. I mean, really, radiation sickness? No one living on that island during a nuclear attack was ever going to have to worry about that!
    However, although my life on that island had long ended when this movie came out, by that time I was living in the U.S. Nuclear culture. I continued having no fear of nuclear attack and it's aftermath, having been well schooled, throughout my entire youth, in "don't worry about it, you won't survive it" culture, but was riveted by this culture I'd missed and whether I shouldn't seriously consider it, since moving from an island where obliteration in nuclear warfare was a given to a country where, well, it wasn't.
    Take a look at this list: Films about the nuclear holocaust. It contains 61 titles. I'm assuming that it is not complete, and may never be, since these films continue to be churned out, but it starts in 1951. 1951, people! That was the year I was born! The most recent on the list was released in 2019: Chernobyl, a fictionalized account of a real nuclear disaster. There is even a punk rock musical on this list, Population: 1, released in 1986.
    Staggering, really! You'd think ... well, what would you think?!?
    I haven't [re]watched this movie, Testament [this review, by Glenn Erickson, DVD Savant/Cinesavant is illuminating about the history of nuclear apocalyptic films, as well as being an excellent review of this movie, in case you're interested], yet. I'm going to do that, today. I don't know if I'll write anymore about it. Possibly, since most of what I've written above is about the "genre", not this movie. But hang on, readers. We'll see.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Jane Alexander	Carol Wetherly	William Devane	Tom Wetherly	Ross Harris	Brad Wetherly	Roxana Zal	Mary Liz Wetherly
  Lukas Haas	Scottie Wetherly	Philip Anglim	Hollis	Lilia Skala	Fania	Leon Ames	Henry Abhart
  Lurene Tuttle	Rosemary Abhart	Rebecca De Mornay	Cathy Pitkin	Kevin Costner	Phil Pitkin	Mako	Mike

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1983
    Directed by Lynne Littman.

Labels: apocalyptic, dramaE, female-director3, haunting3, nuclear, reflective, tragedy2, TV3, war2, william-devane

# posted by gail @ 13:06    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  Within the last few weeks when I was doing basic research for this site this movie captured my attention. I'm not sure, but I think I may have encountered it during a discussion of the EMP (electro-magnetic pulse) phenomenon resulting from a nuclear blast on an episode of Super Critical Podcast [the hosts of the episode to which I listened, by the way, are wary of what has been attributed to this phenonmenon]. At any rate, whatever was said piqued my interest and I ordered the movie.
    I haven't watched it, yet, and will report back once I do. In the meantime, I discovered that it is listed on TimeOut - Movies's latest (December 10, 2021) compilation of The 100 best horror movies of all time. Since the last time the Wikipedia article on the film (linked immediately below) referenced the list in 2014 this movie has moved up one notch from 66 to 65.
    I couldn't help it, by the way. I perused the entire list to see which movies in my collection appear on the list. Here's a rundown. The names of the movies I own are linked to the articles TimeOut - Movies wrote about each movie, including their current ranking (the list is reranked periodically - by the way, TimeOut's The 100 best horror movies of all time list includes two write-ups, the initial for the film as it appears in the list and an additional, different write-up when you click on the title; unfortunately, the html is so convoluted for the list that I couldn't figure out how to link to the initial write-up, so, if you want to access the first write-up, you'll need to scroll through the list; it's usually worth it, until the list is recalibrated, I suppose), after which I linked each to its location on my site:
  • 82. Midsommar - Midsommar in this journal
  • 67. The Witch - The Witch in this journal
  • 65. Kairo/Pulse - Pulse (Kairo) in this journal
  • 57. The Vanishing - The Vanishing in this journal
  • 56. The Sixth Sense - The Sixth Sense in this journal
  • 54. Repulsion - Repulsion in this journal
  • 39. Jacob's Ladder - Jacob's Ladder in this journal
  • 29. The Birds - The Birds in this journal
  • 7. Rosemary's Baby - Rosemary's Baby in this journal
    So. I was surprised to notice in TimeOut's The 100 best horror movies of all time list how many I'd seen and not collected, on purpose. I don't find horror films unwatchable. It's just that it has to be really good for me to want to watch it more than once. Of course, all of TimeOut's The 100 best horror movies of all time are supposed to be that good. I think that depends on the customer, and I'm a tough customer for horror. But, I scribbled down one movie from the list of which I'd never heard but read so interesting that I think I'd like to find it in my library system, rent it, if they have it, and possibly own it: 13. Don't Look Now. It's by one of my favored directors and comes in a Criterion edition, but it's a bit pricey for me, right now, especially since I need to settle down on movie buying for awhile. Ah, well. Could the U.S. government please send its citizens another stimulus check, say, a $2,000 check? The oligarchic corporations, into whose pockets it would land lickety split via citizens spending this money immediately (including me), would be thrilled. So would I. Oh, U. S. Government in the guise of Joe Biden, how reckless you are with your citizens, and, ultimately, your country.
    You may notice that, in my own labeling, I did not assign the "horror" genre to all these films. I thought about it, as I was compiling this post, but decided to keep my original ranking. Horror is different for different people. Those that I didn't label as horror don't have quite the horrific impact for which I look in a horror film.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Kumiko Asō	Michi Kudo	Haruhiko Kato	Ryosuke Kawashima	Koyuki	Harue Karasawa	Kurume Arisaka	Junko Sasano
  Masatoshi Matsuo	Toshio Yabe	Shinji Takeda	Yoshizaki	Jun Fubuki	Michi's mother	Shun Sugata	Boss

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2001
    Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

Labels: §, apocalyptic, dramaE, folk-horror, psychological1, suspense3

# posted by gail @ 15:05    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  I haven't watched this movie, yet, but I will be watching it tonight and will report back later. I am a fan of South Korean cinema, in general, and Bong Joon-ho's work, in particular, so I'm really looking forward to watching this movie.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Kim Hye-ja	Mother	Won Bin	Yoon Do-joon	Jin Goo	Jin-tae	Yoon Je-moon	Je-moon
  Jeon Mi-seon	Mi-seon	Song Sae-byeok	A Detective	Lee Young-suk	Junk Collector	Moon Hee-ra	Moon Ah-jung

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2009
    Directed by Bong Joon-ho.

Labels: §, bong-joon-ho, dramaE, mother-son-dynamics1, neo-noirC, revenge1

# posted by gail @ 03:33    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  I only own a few of Stanley Kramer's movies, but I've seen, throughout the years of my life, several of them. Check out this list. I'm sure you'll recognize several you've seen. Considering how long he lived (from 1913 - 2001), he wasn't particularly prolific, but the list to which I've connected will show you that he was extraordinarily important as a producer and director. It's almost as though he had a golden touch; he didn't use it often, but when he did, the results were always spectacular, often groundbreaking.   I'll be writing more about this film when I watch it again after having not seen it for a few decades. I can't believe my luck that it was available!
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Gregory Peck	Cmdr Dwight Towers	Ava Gardner	Moira Davidson	Fred Astaire	Julian Osborn	Anthony Perkins	Lt Cmdr Peter Holmes
  Donna Anderson	Mary Holmes	Lou Vernon	Bill Davidson	Kevin Brennan	Dr. King	John Meillon	Ralph Swain
  John Tate	Admr. Bridie RAN	Harp McGuire	Lt. Sunderstrom	Lola Brooks	Bridie's Secretary	Bill Hunter	extra/swimming double

  
    Cary Peck, Gregory Peck's son, also had an uncredited cameo in this film.
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1959
    Directed by Stanley Kramer.

Labels: apocalyptic, bill-hunter, dramaE, fred-astaire, gregory-peck, nuclear, romance5, war2

# posted by gail @ 01:03    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  I decided to add this movie to my collection after listening to an interview with Martin Scorsese in which he said this movie was part of his inspiration as he was working on The Age of Innocence. I'll collect and publish the exact quote, later. This movie, though, has been on my informal list (meaning, not this list, which is of movies I've seen but don't own) of movies I've been wanting to acquire for a couple of years, now. Right now, I'm going to watch the movie, the original Italian version (Il gattopardo) first, then the truncated (by 24 minutes) English version after.
    Roger Ebert, aside from christening this movie one of his "Great Movies" in 2003 (I couldn't find Ebert's original review ... but, Ebert didn't begin his career as a film critic until 1967, so his "Great Movie" review of this 1963 movie might be the only review of it he wrote), also interviewed a variety of people involved in making this movie, so it is mentioned in a variety of his articles. I'll scout those out and link them in this post, as well as add my reactions to watching both versions of this movie, later.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Burt Lancaster	Don Fabrizio Corbera	Alain Delon	Prince Tancredi Falconeri	Claudia Cardinale	Angelica Sedara	Paolo Stoppa	Don Calogero Sedara
  Rina Morelli	Princess Maria Stella	Romolo Valli	Father Pirrone	Terence Hill	Count Cavriaghi	Serge Reggiani	Don Francisco Tumeo

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1963
    Directed by Luchino Visconti.

Labels: §, burt-lancaster, Criterion3, dramaE, romance5

# posted by gail @ 12:46    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  This is one of two Christmas movies I ordered, both featuring Barbara Stanwyck, both filmed in the 1940's (this one in 1940, the other in 1945). My route to obtaining both of these Christmas movies didn't start even close to my destination. Last week I noticed, upon receiving Die Hard, that my Christmas collection of movies is paltry. This didn't surprise me. I'm not a fan of just any old Christmas or Holiday movie. As you can see, if you check out the list attached to the "Christmas" label, back there, I've even gotten rid of two Christmas movies since my mother's death (both of which she loved) that I just couldn't stand. I'm very discerning when it comes to holiday movies, so much so that if the cover of the case even looks like a TV Christmas production, I shake my head and turn away.
    But, I wanted to enrich my Christmas collection, this year. For some reason, which I doubt I'll plumb, I'm in the mood for Christmas movies this year. This isn't the first time it's happened, but it is pretty rare. So, I went on a hunt for a couple more, having had such luck with Die Hard. The search was increasingly dismal. I almost gave up. Then, I stumbled across these two Barbara Stanwyck movies [the other is Christmas in Connecticut]. I looked up information on them and thought, yeah! That's what I'm looking for! So I ordered both. Now, I'm looking forward to a Christmas movie session this year, and it'll start tomorrow night.
    The Christmas movies I've collected (and kept), though, are dear to my heart. I can't imagine going through "the season" without watching all of them every year between a bit before Christmas up to New Years. I even like every single one of them enough so that it's not unusual to watch any one of them throughout the year during the "off-holiday season" (which is, of course, the entire rest of the year excepting the Christmas season). And, by the way, don't even mention Thanksgiving movies. Not having any, thank you.
    Stay tuned for more, later, when I actually watch these two movies.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Barbara Stanwyck	Lee Leander	Fred MacMurray	John Sargent	Beulah Bondi	Mrs. Sargent	Elizabeth Patterson	Aunt Emma
  Willard Robertson	Francis X. O'Leary	Sterling Holloway	Willie Simms	Charles Waldron	NY Judge	Paul Guilfoyle	NY DA

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1940
    Directed by Preston Sturges.

Labels: §, barbara-stanwyck, beulah-bondi, Christmas, dramaE

# posted by gail @ 16:45    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  When I looked for links about this movie to attach to the title of this post, I found two competing write-ups by two movie reviewers I respect and couldn't decide between them, so, I did a kind of blind movie case flip (front=Emanuel Levy's review; back=DVD Savant's Glenn Erickson's review). Now that I've thoroughly perused both reviews, I have to say, I'm glad Glenn Erickson's "won", because he writes, as well, about the history of the movie and Douglas Sirk's movie art, really fascinating stuff. Here is the Emanuel Levy review, which is little more than a perfunctory rundown of the story.
    Okay. So, I just received this movie, as well as two Barbara Stanwyck Christmas movies in the post. I've seen none of them. That's what I'll be doing tonight and, probably tomorrow. Not sure which movie I'll watch first. I'll decide that while I'm waiting for the sun to go down.
    Later, readers.
  Update 5/15/2022:  Unlike the two Christmas movies I received with this, I've seen this movie at least twice since I received it. I'm turning into a fan of 1950's lush melodramas [Should I be concerned?!?], particularly if they star Rock Hudson, it seems. I obtained three such movies at the same time and have to say, yikes! Apparently, they (primarily Douglas Sirk) knew what they were doing with melodrama in the 1950's. I was born at the beginning of that decade, so I was too young (and too isolated, frankly, living on an island where going to see a movie was a chore and television, well, forget ever seeing a film on the one local channel we received) to be exposed to any of these movies. When I became interested in movies it was the late 1960's and early 1970's and quite a different kind of movie was being produced, as well as since.
    Anyway, what fun to discover these movies! They are all engaging as hell. They are so good at plucking the woman-strings, even now, they almost make me ashamed to have any lingerings of high-50's-female-sentiment. I really thought I'd missed out on all that! Anyway, this one is a stunner, featuring world travel, blindness, playboy-to-physician changes of character, you name the dramatic set-up, it's in this movie. And, much to my surprise, I love it! It's not, I might add, what I would ever have wanted for my life, but I can truly understand what was so beguiling about the life-style on which this movie is framed. And Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson! Plus a dash of pseudo-philosophical bullshit, I mean, how lucky could those 1950's women get?!? And then Agnes Moorehead shows up in two out of these three tear jerkers (although, I have to admit, it takes a lot more than any of these movies to make me cry; I may have been born in the 50's, but I'm not of the 50's)? And a playfully, preternaturally wise Girl Child! Wow! Bring it on, baby!
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Jane Wyman	Helen Phillips	Rock Hudson	Bob Merrick	Barbara Rush	Joyce Phillips	Agnes Moorehead	Nancy Ashford
  Otto Kruger	Randolph	Gregg Palmer	Tom Masterson	Paul Cavanagh	Dr. Giraud	Sara Shane	Valerie
  Richard H. Cutting	Dr. Dodge	Judy Nugent	Judy	Helen Kleeb	Mrs. Eden	Rudolph Anders	Dr. Fuss

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1954
    Directed by Douglas Sirk.

Labels: Criterion3, douglas-sirk, dramaE, rock-hudson

# posted by gail @ 16:31    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  This series is, essentially, about international politics gone rotten through attempting to manipulate terrorism to acquire personal and national political power and monetary reward. As well, the three segments are closely interrelated. For instance, one of the key characters dies in the middle of the first segment but isn't replaced in the highly important position he occurpied until the third segment. When he is replaced, his replacement is someone who is in cahouts with another important character who is attempting to keep an explosive secret. My memory of this trilogy is dim, but not so dim that I can't remember being electrified by it. That's why I added it to my collection. The machinations and motivations can be confusing and elusive, so it's best to watch closely, perhaps with the remote in hand. Finally, many of the roles are handled by a team of top-notch British actors, which is always a thrill. As you can imagine, many of the roles and their actors reappear throughout the series. I'll attempt not to repeat too many of them from segment to segment.
    I may be moved to write more later, after I watch all three shows again. Really looking forward to watching the complete series, back to back! And, then, watching it again whenever I want!
  
  Page Eight   

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Bill Nighy	Johnny Worricker	Rachel Weisz	Nancy Pierpan	Michael Gambon	Benedict Baron	Judy Davis	Jill Tankard
  Tom Hughes	Ralph Wilson	Saskia Reeves	Anthea Catcheside	Ewen Bremner	Rollo Maverley	Felicity Jones	Julianne Worricker
  Ralph Fiennes	Alec Beasley	Alice Krige	Emma Baron	Holly Aird	Anna Herve	Richard Lintern	Max Vallance

  
  → alice-krige
  
  Turks & Caicos   

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Helena Bonham Carter	Margot Tyrrell	Rupert Graves	Stirling Rogers	James McArdle	Ted Finch	Winona Ryder	Melanie Fall
  Christopher Walken	Curtis Pelissier	Dylan Baker	Gary Bethwaite	Meredith Eaton	Clare Clovis	Zach Grenier	Dido Parsons

  
  Salting the Battlefield   

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Valeria Vereau	Elisabeth	Olivia Williams	Belinda Kay	Leanne Best	Amber Page	Pip Carter	Freddy Lagarde
  Daniel Ryan	Bill Catcheside	Kate Burdette	Allegra Betts	Shazad Latif	Jez Nichols	Malcolm Sinclair	Reverend Bernard Towers

  
    The Wikipedia links for each of the episodes are as follows: Page Eight, Turks & Caicos, Salting the Battlefield
    Release Dates: 2011, 2014, 2014
    Director (all three episodes): David Hare

Labels: alice-krige, christopher-walken, dramaE, dylan-baker, rachel-weisz, spy, TV3

# posted by gail @ 16:05    0 comments    email......this post

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  Commentary:  Roger Ebert didn't like this movie very much. He only gave it two stars and a middling review. Other reviewers were equally ambivalent. They, at the time and through time, were in the minority, although a rather large minority. Audiences, however, were not ambivalent. It's a crowd pleaser, a perennial favorite and, dare I say, one of my favorite Christmas movies.
    Despite Roger Ebert's dismissal of it, it's been re-reviewed and revisited twice since the movie was released: Once in 2013 by Matt Zoller Seitz and again in 2015 by Brain Tallerico when a commemoriative set of the entire series of movies was released.
    Truth be told, the only movie in the series I've seen is this one. In fact, until I read one of the articles above, I was only vaguely aware that there was a collection surrounding this character. I can't imagine that I'll be catching up on the sequels, but, this year, for some reason, I wanted this movie to be a part of my Christmas celebration, and the Christmas part of my movie collection.
    More later, when I watch it.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Bruce Willis	John McClane	Alan Rickman	Hans Gruber	Alexander Godunov	Karl	Bonnie Bedelia	Holly Gennero-McClane
  Reginald VelJohnson	Al Powell	Paul Gleason	Dwayne T. Robinson	De'voreaux White	Argyle	William Atherton	Richard Thornburg
  Tracy Reiner	Thornburg's assistant	Clarence Gilyard	Theo	Hart Bochner	Harry Ellis	James Shigeta	Joseph Yoshinobu Takagi

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1988
    Directed by John McTiernan, Jr.

Labels: §, action3, alan-rickman, Christmas, dramaE, popcorn-and-soda7, suspense3, thriller2

# posted by gail @ 15:15    0 comments    email......this post