Sunday Matinee (Feb. 16 - Feb. 22)

Tonight I'll be live-blogging the Oscars, bringing an end to a two months' flurry of 2008 reviews and analysis. Immediately after the show, Screen Savour will revert back to its roots — classical cinema,the National Film Registry, etc. I'll be touching on contemporary works wherever it's appropriate, and as always I'll have a timely blend of links in the Sunday Matinee.

Here's this week's required reading:

• Movie Dearest has surprising trivia about this year's Oscar nominees.

• An essential essay on Nuit et Brouillard from Allan Fish.

• Jim Emerson discusses exactly what I went through with Revolutionary Road in an essay called "The Watchmen dilemma": to re-read, or not to re-read, before the show? (Your thoughts in the comments section here would be much appreciated!)

• The Flick Chick, in her lead-up to the Oscars, has been reviewing previous winners, including one of my favorite films from the decade, The Lives of Others.

• Roger Ebert pens a touching remembrance of Gene Siskel, who died ten years ago this past week.

• An assessment of Burn After Reading at Film for the Soul.

• Cursory Oscar predictions from:
¶ Daniel at Getafilm
¶ Nick at Fataculture
¶ Matthew at From the Front Row
¶ The Hatter at The Dark of the Matinee
¶ Kirby at Movie Dearest
¶ Sam Juliano and Alexander Coleman at Wonders in the Dark (ongoing series run by Noirish City)

• A.O. Scott in the Times: "Underlying both the sighs of the art lovers and the grumblings of the democrats is a shared fantasy, a cloudy, rose-tinted memory of the days when good movies were popular and popular movies were good, and the Academy Awards floated serenely in the cultural mainstream."

• "I don't want to kill you! What would I do without you? ... You—complete—me." (Very cool poster, via LikeCool)

Continue reading »

Sunday Matinee (Feb. 9 - Feb. 15)

Programming Notes: Thanks to the miracle that is the Internet (specifically Hulu), I'll be adding an essay on Alfred Hitchcock Presents to my retrospective of the director, which may be published before my review of Psycho. Due this week: my favorite films of 2008 and Oscar picks and predictions, which lead up to next Sunday when, against my better judgment, I'm going to attempt to live-blog the Oscars.

My reading picks for the week are:

• Now, That's How You Open A Movie, Part 12: Letter from an Unknown Woman.

• Tony at Cinema Viewfinder is contributing to an M.I.A. on Region 1 DVD Tribute series, with new necessary essays: The African Queen and Roman Polanski's Cul-de-Sac.

• Daniel at Getafilm writes of Waltz with Bashir: "Ari Folman has turned the stereotype of the war-traumatized soldier on its head, introducing us to himself in one of the most personal films of the year."

• The Mad Hatter, doubling back on unseen Oscar nominees, looks at The Visitor and Frozen River.

• A triple-play on Coraline:
¶ The Film Doctor
¶ Farzan
¶ Getafilm

• Andrew at The Stop Button reviews John Ford's classic war film, They Were Expendable.

• Although the publish date falls outside this week's window, last week I missed this tremendous essay over at the Bright Lights Film Journal blog, "Deliver Us From Craftsmanship." Now seriously, with a title like that, how can you not to go over and read that right now?

• Andrew Stanton says of all the Oscar nominations Wall•E picked up, "I am prouder to be in writing more than anything else." Amen.

• And finally, the most bizarre and avant-garde YouTube video I've ever seen. Warning: It gets better with multiple viewings.

Continue reading »

Sunday Matinee (Feb. 2 - Feb. 8)

• In a discussion of Frost/Nixon and Milk, Dean Treadway not only takes off his gloves but slides on a pair of brass knuckles. Meanwhile, Jon Lanthier also sharpens the knife and goes after Frost/Nixon.

• Marilyn at Ferdy on Films pens an exquisite essay on pain and The Bridge, a 2007 documentary about suicide and the Golden Gate Bridge.

• Shawn at Deadpan reviews The Wrestler and what it has to say about loneliness and detachment.

• The venerable Out 1 publishes its list of the year's best films, with individual critics providing their own. As a companion piece, behold Brandon Colvin's review of Wendy and Lucy and the case for American neo-realism.

• Revisiting Badlands leaves Andrew at The Stop Button a little tongue-tied, but "it just begs to be watched over and over" really says it all.

• Sam Juliano and The Dame are discussing the Oscars at Noirish City this month; that, of course, includes her usual monthly giveaway contest open to LAMB members.

Continue reading »

Sunday Matinee (Jan. 19 - Jan. 25)

Not half the price, just half the work.

• Wisely noting "If a picture is worth a thousand words then a number is worth one million," Jon Lanthier looks at the dimensions of the best-of list in a really, really great essay called The Gist of Lists.

• Tony at Cinema Viewfinder has his list of the year's 10 best films.


• Daniel at Getafilm examines Trouble the Water, an Oscar nominee for best documentary.

• Sam Juliano writes lovingly about How Green Was My Valley.

• Out 1 has been on a David Lynch kick this past week.

• Reviews of The Wrestler from Farzan and The Dark of the Matinee.

• Reviews of Slumdog Millionaire from The Film Doctor and YDKS Movies.

• Dean at Filmicability has a run-down of the 101 greatest horror films of all time.

Continue reading »

Sunday Matinee (Jan. 5 - Jan. 11)

Not half the price, just half the work.

Busy weekend for film for me. I'm finishing some Hitchcock reviews and readying more Chaplin. I also caught up with some Oscar-bait, including The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, and Slumdog Millionaire. (My thoughts on each are forthcoming in the next week or so.) But on to what rest of the world is thinking and writing about.

• Movie Viewing Girl, in an attempt to battle the cold and dreary month of January, has launched into a Month O' Musicals. You'll have to head over to the site to catch up, but skip on over there with this review of The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.

• The Stop Button reviews Boogie Nights and wisely notes it's a combination of American Graffiti, Goodfellas, and Saturday Night Fever.

• The Film Doctor is keeping a blog of a video production class he's teaching. Read the first entry here.

• Daniel at Getafilm distributes high marks for Revolutionary Road.

• Ibetolis at Film for the Soul reviews last year's Oscar winner for foreign language film, The Counterfeiters, and finds it "the sort of film that ticks all the right boxes for the Academy" – which, of course, shouldn't be read as much of a compliment.

• Three reviews of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: one from Tony at Cinema Viewfinder, one from Fletch at Blog Cabins, and one from Shawn at Deadpan (make sure you start at the end and read up).

• Alexander Coleman notes that while Cadillac Records may have its flaws, at least it's got soul.

And in case you haven't seen them...
This week on Turner Classic Movies:

• The Good Earth (1937), Jan 12
• Annie Hall (1977), Jan 14
• Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), Jan 14
• Sabrina (1954), Jan 15
• Naked City (1948), Jan 15
• He Walked By Night (1948), Jan 15
• Killer's Kiss (1955), Jan 15
• Double Indemnity (1944), Jan 16
• Shaft (1971), Jan 16
• The Big Sleep (1946), Jan 16
• Freaks (1932), Jan 17
• Sounder (1972), Jan 17
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969), Jan 17
• Only Angels Have Wings (1939), Jan 18

Continue reading »

Sunday Matinee (Dec. 21 - Jan. 4)

Not half the price, just half the work.

Sorry I'm a few days late, folks, but I just don't have it in me to call this "Tuesday Matinee." I put the feature on hold, not because I thought there would be a lack of good writing – the holidays are golden for film lovers – but because of my vacation. Now the movie-obsessing can begin again. Here's a collection of what I enjoyed reading from the last two weeks.

So without further ado, a super-sized fortnight edition broken into three parts for your convenience...

The Lists

• It's list-mania at the end of the year for film writers, and we kick it off with Ibetolis at Film for the Soul, who has a top ten list for 2008, except it's the ten best films from any year that he finally saw in 2008.

• Shawn at Deadpan has an extraordinarily comprehensive best of '08 list.

• Nick at Fataculture has a list of his favourite (that U's for you) films of 2008.

• Dean at Filmicability has a bold list of great films from '08.

• A stellar look back on the year in film at Doodad Kind of Town.

• From the Front Row has the rundown on favorite '08 films and, for a bonus, fills out a hypothetical Oscar ballot.

• Top ten films of 2008 from James Berardinelli.

• Slate is in the process of their annual Movie Club. This time, it's all female film critic discussion, and I'm really excited to read their thoughts.

• And finally, New York Times blogger and un-film-critic Stanley Fish weighs in on his top ten American films of all time. Make sure you take the time to read the comments section – if there's one thing I never tire of, it's the utter insanity of someone saying "there is no way you can take any list seriously that doesn't have (insert movie title here)."

The Writing

• Marilyn wisely esckews film lists (and apparently lacks the O.C.D. gene the rest of us filmaholics have), but submits a superb review of The Madwoman of Chaillot (1969) as the film that most represents this moment in time.

• The Dancing Image examines the collaboration of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

• Alexander Coleman will be doing a month-long guest stint at the impeccable dame's Noirish City.

• Raquelle at Out of the Past, a classic film blog, bares her thoughts on The Naked City.

• In a list that hearkens back to my friend MovieMan's 12 "Holy Grail" Movie Meme from August 2008, the AV Club compiles their picks for 23 great movies not available on region-1 DVD.

Gone Fishin' (with Oscar Bait)

• Revolutionary Road is assessed of its un-Sirkness at Self-Styled Siren.

• Cinema Viewfinder has a triple play you must run over and read: A Christmas Tale, Synecdoche, New York, and Milk.

• The world keeps going up and down on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (I'm dying to see it to weigh in on the matter). Read up on what these fine critics have to say:
¶ Getafilm;
¶ The Dark of the Matinee;
¶ Coleman's Corner; and
¶ Bowen's Cineamtic.

• And one last catch-all: Fetch at BlogCabins reviews Gran Torino; The Dark of the Matinee reviews Rachel Getting Married; The Stop Button has a take on Slumdog Millionaire; Coleman's Corner reviews Doubt; and Bowen's Cinematic reviews Milk.

Finally, in case you haven't seen them...
This week on Turner Classic Movies:

• The Crowd (1928), Jan 6
• Hallelujah (1929), Jan 6
• Citizen Kane (1941), Jan 6
• The Third Man (1949), Jan 7
• The Dark Past (1948), Jan 7
• Mister Roberts (1955), Jan 7
• King Creole (1958), Jan 8
• The Big Sky (1952), Jan 9
• Cimarron (1960), Jan 9
• Key Largo (1948), Jan 9
• The Old Dark House (1932), Jan 10
• Little Caesar (1930), Jan 10
• Marty (1955), Jan 11
• Harold and Maude (1971), Jan 11
• Niagara (1952), Jan 11

Continue reading »

Sunday Matinee (Dec. 15 - Dec. 22)

Not half the price, just half the work.

The holidays are here, and I have some links to a few mainstream best-of lists below. I have yet to read anything from non-mainstream, independent bloggers, but I'll link to those whenever they show up. I'll be traveling the next few weeks, but still posting, so check back for new content, including: It's a Wonderful Life, a new installment of Sound Savour, and an essay of what to expect here in '09.

So without further ado...

• There's a great debate over at Cinema Viewfinder on style versus substance in cinema (or is that just a stylistically superficial way to describe the debate?).

• Nick at Fataculture has a review for Wendy and Lucy.

• Coleman's Corner discusses Barbara Stanwyck and Christmas in Connecticut.

• Over at Wonders in the Dark, Allan Fish has a conversational essay about what it means to be noir and how we can step outside the box when it comes to style definitions.

• The Stop Button and From the Front Row both have exultant reviews of Gran Torino.

• In the wake of Yes Man, The Film Doctor examines The Truman Show.

• The Dancing Image has a string of "Quick One" reviews of several recently seen films. (Also: while you're over there – because you really should be – check out his essay in response to Newsweek's recent feature on art under the Bush administration.)

• Farzan reviews Milk and finds it to be "easily one of the year's best."

• A flurry of Best-Of Lists:
¶ Manohla Dargis;
¶ A.O. Scott;
¶ Roger Ebert's top ten foreign films;
¶ The AV Club's compendium (and individual lists);
¶ Peter Travers;
¶ Glenn Kenny; and
¶ Kris Tapley.

And if you haven't seen them already...
The next two weeks on Turner Classic Movies:

• Celebrate Humphrey Bogart's birthday (Dec 25) with a marathon. Casablanca (1942), The Big Sleep (1946), The Maltese Falcon (1941), The African Queen (1951), and High Sierra (1941).
• Annie Hall (1977), Dec 27
• Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1953), Dec 29
• Stagecoach (1939), Dec 31
• It Happened One Night (1934), Jan 1
• King Kong (1933), Jan 1
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), Jan 3
• Modern Times (1936), Jan 3

Continue reading »

Sunday Matinee (Dec. 8 - Dec. 14)

Not half the price, just half the work.

I plan to get through Alfred Hitchcock's 1950s films by Christmas Eve, and am in the process of planning a long series in the new year looking back on my favorite films of the decade. One minor cosmetic change: on the advice of my sage wife, I'm adding "Continue reading »" expandable post tags to the bottom of my longer reviews. Short entries will not be affected.

So, on with the show...

• There's a must-read review of Milk at From the Front Row.

• The Film Doctor does what I don't have the will to do and takes on the new version of The Day the Earth Stood Still, which he calls an "overbaked Christmas turkey." I love the 1951 version too much to subject myself to a remake, and taking his advice, will continue to avoiding it.

• And speaking of avoiding films, don't miss the Doctor's list of 10 disliked films from 2008.

• Tony at Cinema Viewfinder has a must-read review of Doubt.

• The Stop Button examines Jean Renoir's Grand Illusion.

• Jason at YDKS Movies is really pissed at Stephen King's taste in film. I mean, really pissed.

• The Dancing Image gets inside The Conversation.

• Allan Fish at Wonders in the Dark has been counting down his top fifty films of the 1940s. Today's entry is Notorious, but you should peruse the rest up until now.

• Shawn has new digs. Also, while you're over there, vote in his poll about which film form he should study first in the new year. (I voted for silent comedies. Can I say that?)

• Jim Emerson takes a look at the "If you don't honor The Dark Knight, there will be consequences" crowd. Repeat after me: We do not negotiate with terrorists.

And in case you haven't seen them already...
This week on Turner Classic Movies:

• Das Boot (1981), Dec 15
• Hamlet (1948), Dec 15
• Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Dec 16
• Gaslight (1944), Dec 16
• The Third Man (1949), Dec 17
• The Apartment (1960), Dec 17
• The Great Escape (1963), Dec 17
• 12 Angry Men (1957), Dec 18
• Paths of Glory (1957), Dec 19
• The Bishop's Wife (1947), Dec 19
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Dec 20
• The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), Dec 20 (Fun fact of the week: The Bells of St. Mary's is the film showing at the Bedford Falls movie house in Frank Capra's 1946 classic It's a Wonderful Life.)

Continue reading »

Sunday Matinee (Nov. 24 - Dec. 7)

Not half the price, just half the work.

I only realized after the holiday last week that I wasn't planning on writing a Sunday Matinee, and then realized I hadn't alerted anyone to the fact. My apologies. So here is a double-stuffed Sunday Matinee for your reading pleasure. Also, no more teaching for a while, so things to look for this week: at least three (count 'em, three) Hitchcock films and maybe a Christmas movie or two.

But without further ado...

• I'm excited to see Roger Ebert breaking the silly tradition of ten and giving us twenty favorite films from 2008, mercifully listed in alphabetical order.

• The classic film blog Out of the Past runs down ten enjoyable things about old movies, including but not limited to: men using matches; women's silk robes; and art deco.

• The AV Club has a run-down of the worst items ever given as gifts in the movies.

• Fletch at Blog Cabins reviews Synecdoche, New York and Slumdog Millionaire.

• Nick at Fataculture calls Rachel Getting Married, flaws and all, "one of the most wholly original films I have seen all year."

• Shawn at Deadpan writes Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist "seems to live or die on how truly hip it can be."

• John Dickerson thinks President Bush should go see Frost/Nixon to cheer himself up.

• With their Top Films of the 1930s poll complete, Wonders in the Dark launches a Top Films of the 1940s poll. Get out the vote.

• Daniel at Getafilm has reviews of Slumdog Millionaire, which he gives an A+, and Milk, which is a wonderful read alongside the marvelous discussion in the comments thread.

• A few silent comedies for you to consider at The Dancing Image: Buster Keaton's Seven Chances and a double feature of Harold Lloyd with The Kid Brother and The Freshman.

• Silence is golden at PopMatters, too, with DVD reviews of F.W. Murnau's The Last Laugh and Keaton's The General.

• Tony at Cinema Viewfinder is underwhelmed at Slumdog Millionaire and calls Valkyre "one solid thriller that could help launch [Tom] Cruise back into critical favor if not necessarily commercial success."

• Dark City Dame fulfilled my challenge to submit recommendations for the National Film Registry. Also: this month at her blog Noirish City she'll be interviewing self-proclaimed "Alfred Hitchcock geek" Joel Gunz.

• Over at The Stop Button, Andrew pans Baz Luhrmann's Australia but notes it's "actually not the worst modern three-hour vanity project I’ve seen." Meanwhile, Roderick Heath at Ferdy on Films calls it "pure, unadorned, interminable, elephantine kitsch."

• Christopher Orr presents the worst cinematic trend of the year: men who write, direct and star in films and then sing the song that plays over the credits.

• The Onion: "Can anyone give me one good reason why they haven't made a second Godfather movie?"

And in case you haven't seen them...

This week on Turner Classic Movies:
• Out of the Past (1947), Dec 9
• The Bad and the Beautiful (1952), Dec 9
• Lust for Life (1956), Dec 9
• Cat People (1942), Dec 10
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Dec 10
• High Noon (1952), Dec 10
• The Bishop's Wife (1947), Dec 10
• The Spiral Staircase (1945), Dec 11
• Gigi (1958), Dec 11
• 3:10 to Yuma (1957), Dec 13
• Singin' in the Rain (1952), Dec 14

Continue reading »

Sunday Matinee (Nov. 9 - Nov. 23)

Not half the price, just half the work.

I'm playing catch-up this week, and Sunday Matinee encompasses the last fortnight's worth of material (and there was a lot of it). I should also note this week I received a very nice email from the Library of Congress, thanking me for my nominations for the 2008 National Film Registry. There's still time to submit your films (up to fifty). Track back and I'll collect nominees here.

Without further ado...

• The film that prompted the most reviews in the last few weeks is Quantum of Solace, which should be no surprise to those who caught the LAMB's "who we are poll." (Really, it's hard to believe the majority of the poll respondents who run film blogs are straight white men, ages 26 to 35.) Catch up on what the community thinks of Bond22 with:
¶ Farzan
¶ Bowen's Cinematic
¶ Cinema Viewfinder
¶ Coleman's Corner
¶ The Dancing Image
¶ Getafilm
¶ MovieZeal
¶ YDKS Movies

My wife isn't a big Bond fan, so I'll probably wait until DVD.

• Meanwhile, the Famous Firsts series at Ferdy on Films takes a look at the film that started off the Bond series, Dr. No.

• Fletch has a rundown of all the blogs that participated in the Alphabet Meme. (Read mine here.)

• The Wonders In The Dark Poll for Greatest Film of the 1930s is ... well, I won't give it away. But go here and find out! Then read my review of this essential film.

• Bowen's Cinematic examines Rachel Getting Married.

• By way of Dark City Dame and Alfred Hitchcock Geek, we have information on the new version of The Lodger, which was Alfred Hitchcock's breakthrough film. I'm not sure if I'd call this a remake, since it seems more in line with re-adapating Marie Belloc Lowndes's novel than re-interpreting a specific film. (Anyone have an opinion on whether a re-adapted book is technically a remake?) There's a trailer out too.

• I'm dreadfully envious of this: Cinema Viewfinder takes on The Godfather trilogy. You can read reviews of the first film, Part II, and Part III.

• Assessments of Tex Avery and Stanley Kubrick at The Dancing Image, with reviews of three Avery shorts and Kubrick's The Killing.

• Shawn at Deadpan has a new meme – the ultimate movie man-crush meme – to which I've been invited to participated. I'll see if I can get something up here soon, but hop on over and come up wit your own list, A.S.A.P.

• Daniel at Getafilm and Nick at Fataculture both have reviews of Synecdoche, New York.

• The Film Doctor has some good notes on Twilight and takes some enjoyment at "the vampish humor in its Gothic excess."

• Andrew at The Stop Button has reviews of Ed Wood and Trouble in Paradise.

• Alexander Coleman has reviews of Slumdog Millionaire (which everyone on NPR couldn't stop raving about) and Synecdoche, New York.

And in case you've never seen them...

This week on Turner Classic Movies:
• Witness For The Prosecution (1957), Nov 24
• Rio Grande (1950), Nov 25
• The Westerner (1940), Nov 26
• High Noon (1952), Nov 26
• The African Queen (1951), Nov 26
• West Side Story (1961), Nov 26
• Fiddler on the Roof (1971), Nov 27
• Mildred Pierce (1945), Nov 28
• Sergeant York (1941), Nov 28
• The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), Nov 29
• Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Nov 29
• The Bishop's Wife (1947), Nov 30

Continue reading »

Sunday Matinee (Oct. 26 - Nov. 1)

Not half the price ... just half the work.

Well. It's been a week (!). How about that? My apologies for my limited (re: nonexistent) posting lately. I never planned for Screen Savour to come to a screeching halt, but I can say that this week I'll return to my Hitchcock reviews and also possibly begin reviewing some of my favorite films (so far) from the 2000s. Thanks for the patience and well wishes and all that jazz.

But without further ado...

• First off, because its scope and magnitude make it one of the most exhilarating reads I've come across in awhile, Dean Treadway counts down 150 Great Climactic Movie Moments. (Warning? Spoiler alert? Obviously?) Additionally, Dean is the subject of this month's interview at Noirish City.

• YDKS Movies reveals its pick for Top 5 Greatest Horror Movies Ever, all fine picks as well. (I just re-watched The Shining with my wife on Halloween night.)

• Ferdy on Films pauses to reflect on the late Studs Turkel, who passed away this week at the age of 96. He was a preeminent writer and, as Marilyn notes, a consummate Chicagoan.

• Andrew at The Stop Button has reviews of Halloween (about which he and I could probably argue for weeks) and Sansho the Bailiff.

• Rachel Getting Married, one of the current releases I'd still love to see, has a relatively warm reception from Daniel at Getafilm.

• Film for the Soul publishes a great review of Sweet Smell of Success.

• In a great non-film entry, The Film Doctor lists a few notes of someone new to blogging, so many of which are eerily familiar that I almost felt like he had tapped into my psyche and transcribed my thoughts and fears.

• Deadpan assesses W. and finds it "an exercise in saying a whole lot without saying anything at all."

• Documentaries skewed toward foreign policy and the international landscape were the topic of the week at The Dancing Image, whose pre-election series is ongoing, including some fine reviews of No End in Sight and Taxi to the Dark Side.

• Jerry Gerard, the director of Deep Throat, passed away this week. Roger Ebert posts his review of the 1972 porn flick. (In case you're wondering: there was a time when professional film critics were actually reviewing these films; it was the same era in which anonymous informants were named after porn.)

• My critic hero of snark and smarts, Anthony Lane, reviews Synecdoche, New York and High School Music 3.

• Andrew O'Hehir at Salon.com has just made me want to abandon everything I have to do this week and do anything possible to see see One Day You'll Understand, "a Holocaust movie you've never seen before."

• I'm still extremely pissed that they're producing a remake of Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still – with Keanu Reeves in the Michael Rennie role, no less. I'm not sure I'll see the new version, but the fact that it now exists gives J. Hoberman, writing for The New York Times, an excuse to revisit the 1951 classic.

And if you haven't seen them already...

This week on Turner Classic Movies:
• The Man From Laramie (1955), Nov 3
• The Howards of Virginia (1940), Nov 3
• The Desperate Hours (1955), Nov 4
• Psycho (1960), Nov 4
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), Nov 5
• Rope (1948), Nov 5
• The Awful Truth (1937), Nov 6
• Force of Evil (1948), Nov 6
• West Side Story (1961), Nov 7
• Ace in the Hole (1951), Nov 7
• A Streetcar Named Desire (1951), Nov 7
• La Jetée (1962), Nov 8
• Exodus (1960), Nov 8
• The Spiral Staircase (1945), Nov 8
• Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1967), Nov 9
• Sunset Boulevard (1950), Nov 9

Continue reading »

Sunday Matinee (Oct. 19 - Oct. 25)

Not half the price ... just half the work.

So Hitchcock month will definitely not be finished by Oct. 31, but that's okay. I'm enjoying the extra minutes in a day when I'm not worried about posting two reviews just to meet an arbitrary deadline. Besides: as I get into the 1950s, I'll be reviewing many of the director's masterpieces, and I don't want to rush myself through the reviews of some of my favorites.

But now, without further ado, Sunday Matinee – in many respects a Halloween and Election edition.

• YDKS Movies continues counting down the 25 Greatest Horror Movies (and for the record, Wesley, I'm on board with you in regards to Scream).

• As lead-in to the election, The Dancing Image continues a great series on films about politics. Installments from the last week include the rise and fall of Camelot in Primary and Four Days in November, the encouraging idealism of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, and a documentary about Barry Goldwater in the words of his granddaughter called, appropriately enough, Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater.

• The Hustler – "arguably Newman's best film," The Film Doctor writes – gets a fine analysis.

• Allan Fish at Wonders in the Dark examines one of the best films of the 1990s, L.A. Confidential. (And don't forget: Wonders is still taking submissions for 25 Favorite Films from the 1930s. My list is forthcoming, Sam.)

• Farzan delves into the strange world of W.

• The Stop Button dissects The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner.

• Dana Stevens pronounces Synecdoche, New York as both emotionally depressing in its content (a movie about failure) but depressing in its reality (a movie that fails).

• Christopher Orr at The New Republic announces Changeling to be not only a candidate for worst movie of the year, but also "the worst domestic tragedy, the worst conspiracy thriller, the worst serial killer flick, and the worst courtroom drama."

And if you haven't seen them already...

This week on Turner Classic Movies:
• Sweet Smell of Success (1957), Oct 26
• The Birds (1963), Oct 26
• Vampyr (1932), Oct 27
• Guess Who's Coming To Dinner (1967), Oct 27
• Roman Holiday (1953), Oct 27
• To Be or Not to Be (1942), Oct 27
• Sunset Boulevard (1950), Oct 28
• Ace in the Hole (1951), Oct 28
• Sabrina (1954), Oct 29
• Some Like It Hot (1959), Oct 29
• Notorious (1946), Oct 29
• Out of the Past (1947), Oct 29
• They Live By Night (1949), Oct 30
• The Thing From Another World (1951), Oct 30
• I Walked with a Zombie (1943), Oct 30
• Cat People (1942), Oct 31
• Freaks (1932), Oct 31
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Nov 1
• Forbidden Planet (1956), Nov 1
• All About Eve (1950), Nov 2
• The Mortal Storm (1940), Nov 2
• All the President's Men (1976), Nov 2

Continue reading »

Sunday Matinee, Oct 12 - Oct. 18

Not half the price ... just half the work.

Thanks for the traffic and comments this week. I hope everyone hasn't tired of Alfred Hitchcock, I'm still aiming to be finished by Oct. 31 (although I might need a few extra days). When I'm finished with Hitchcock's filmography, I'll be adding a new feature to the side bar to allow for quick access to a director's films once a majority of reviews are available.

But without further ado ...

• Dean's Shoulda-Won Oscar Meme elicits responses from the web: Best Picture selections at The Dancing Image, Out1, and Cinema Viewfinder. (My own list is forthcoming, I promise!)

• Wonders in the Dark has begun an awesome new feature that should create Best-Of lists for every decade. Nominations for Best Films of the 1930s may now be submitted, and then they'll be synthesized into a master list. Rush over and nominate your 25.

• With only about a fortnight remaining until Election Day, the season of politics is here. The Dancing Image begins a new series devoted to political films. Coleman's Corner looks at Oliver Stone's director's cut of Nixon, and Getafilm looks at Stone's W.

• And while door-to-door politicking is frightening, we mustn't forget we're also nearing Halloween. YDKS Movies continues an assessment of the greatest horror films of all time and provides an illuminating look into Tim Burton's masterful Ed Wood.

• Farzan gives his detailed take on Body of Lies.

• Dean at Filmicability gives a list of the best films to experience in an altered state. From personal experience, I'll add that the first fifteen minutes to The Fellowship of the Ring were trippy as hell until I fell asleep.

• Roger Ebert debates whether it's fair to review a movie after only watching eight minutes and then walking out, like he did with Tru Loved.

• Smashing Magazine runs down the 50 Most Beautiful Movie Posters of all time. My personal favorite, and not necessarily because I love Alfred Hitchcock, is this gorgeous poster for The Birds.

And if you haven't seen them already...

This week on Turner Classic Movies:
• Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Oct 19
• The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), Oct 19
• Rio Grande (1950), Oct 21
• White Heat (1949), Oct 22
• Suspicion (1941), Oct 22
• The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), Oct 22
• Citizen Kane (1941), Oct 22
• Cat People (1942), Oct 23
• I Walked With A Zombie (1943), Oct 23
• The Big Sleep (1946), Oct 23
• D.O.A. (1950), Oct 23
• 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Oct 23
• Touch of Evil (1958), Oct 23
• The Red Shoes (1948), Oct 24
• The Lady Vanishes (1938), Oct 24
• The Circus (1928), Oct 24
• Bang the Drum Slowly (1973), Oct 24
• Kiss Me Deadly (1955), Oct 25
• Harvey (1950), Oct 25
• Psycho (1960), Oct 25
• Peeping Tom (1960), Oct 25
• Sweet Smell of Success (1957), Oct 26
• The Birds (1963), Oct 26

Continue reading »

Sunday Matinee, Sept 28 - Oct 11

Not half the price ... just half the work.

Whew. I had to postpone Sunday Matinee from last week because I was on the road, and, committed reader that I am, promised to do a double-loaded Matinee. What I did not expect was that there would be so much quality material from you guys in this last fortnight. (I mean, I know you produce quality, but the quantity is so spectacular.)

So without further ado...

• Dean at Filmicability publishes a fantastic look at what should have won Best Picture from 1927 onward. I think we've officially got a meme going, too, and I'll try to publish my own as soon as possible. Suffice it to say now, I wholeheartedly agree with Dean on many, many, many of his selections, but still: I'll take issue with The Graduate, Brazil, and 1999 through 2007. Ha. More to come...

• Film review four-play #1: Assessments of Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist at Blog Cabins, MovieZeal, The Film Doctor, and Getafilm.

• Film review four-play #2: Assessments of Religulous at MovieZeal, Deadpan, Blog Cabins, and The Stop Button.

• Tony Dayoub at Cinema Viewfinder has reviews from the NY Film Festival of Steven Soderbergh's Che and Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler.

• Memoriams to Paul Newman in the last two weeks continued. Bowen's Cinematic has a great essay on two moments with the actor. Meanwhile, The Dancing Image looks at Newman in The Verdict and Coleman's Corner looks at Newman in Cool Hand Luke.

• Joseph at Cinexcellence publishes a wonderful look at Errol Morris's Gates of Heaven.

• Two takes on two versions of 3:10 to Yuma: The Dancing Image on the Yuma '57 and Cut, Print, Review on Yuma '07.

• Deadpan's examination of Alfred Hitchcock continues, including a great look at Strangers on a Train.

• The Film Doctor has 11 thoughts on A Streetcar Named Desire on DVD.

• Ibetolis at Film for the Soul has seven words for Un Chien Andalou: "Now that's how you open a movie."

• The Dancing Image continues "hating Hollywood" – hooray! – with Sunset Boulevard.

• Allan Fish at Wonders in the Dark has a miniature masterpiece collection with reviews of The Magnificent Ambersons, To Be or Not To Be, and Vertigo.

• Andrew at The Stop Button slams Peter Jackson's King Kong. I couldn't agree more that the film is a boat of stink, but the review is a joy to read. (His take on the 1933 King Kong can be read here.) On the awesome-film front, Andrew also has reviews of Casablanca (of course) and The Ow-Bow Incident.

• YDKS Movies starts a countdown of the 25 Greatest Horror Movies Ever.

• Dana Stevens at Slate is lukewarm to Body of Lies. (As the editors at Metacritic say: "If Gladiator and The Departed got married and adopted a baby, that baby would be Body of Lies.")

• Finally: I don't believe in intentionally avoiding politics because this is a movie blog. I wear my politics on my sleeve and on the right column of this web page, and you can take it or leave it as you will. Most of the time I also don't see much of a reason to comment beyond necessary thoughts in relevant reviews and the little endorsement tag; however, something disturbing developed this week. Many citizens – reeling perhaps for the first time in their lives at the prospect of a roundly defeated agenda – were explicitly given permission by major political figures to channel their frustration, disappointment, anger, and xenophobia in an aggressive, hate-filled mob mentality that is profoundly unsettling to the majority of Americans. These citizens have screamed "traitor!" and "kill him!" and "off with his head!" and "terrorist!" at the mention of a man who is the presidential nominee of a major American political party. What's worse is that days went by where two national political figures and their surrogates callously and selfishly roused this fear and anger, fervidly stoking the burning embers of a dying fire – days when these figures should have shown what real leadership entails and put an end to this downright disgraceful demagoguery. Their actions are dangerous, irresponsible, and possibly felonious, and while they have pulled back from their nasty politicking, I nonetheless sit disappointed. Those people should sit ashamed. (Frank Rich has more thoughts on the matter.)

And if you haven't seen them already...

This week on Turner Classic Movies:
• Hud (1963), Oct 12
• Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956), Oct 12
• Cool Hand Luke (1967), Oct 12
• My Man Godfry (1936), Oct 13
• The African Queen (1951), Oct 14
• Singin' in the Rain (1952), Oct 14
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (1988), Oct 15
• Harvey (1950), Oct 15
• Shall We Dance (1937), Oct 15
• Swing Time (1936), Oct 15
• Bringing Up Baby (1938), Oct 15
• Gaslight (1944), Oct 16
• The Thief of Bagdad (1940), Oct 16
• Gilda (1946), Oct 17
• A Night at the Opera (1935), Oct 18
• Dr. Strangelove (1964), Oct 18
• The Great Escape (1963), Oct 18
• Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Oct 19

Continue reading »

Sunday Matinee (Sept. 21 - Sept. 27)

Not half the price ... just half the work.

I would be remiss to begin with anything other than the news that Paul Newman died this weekend at 83. Manohla Dargis says his baby blues came in many shades of gray. Roger Ebert also has an in memoriam.

I have only this to say: Newman was a consummate Actor – intentionally with a capital A – whose instant familiarity in both his dashing appearance and his clear, crisp talent contributed to making him one of the last great film stars of the 20th century. We often prematurely canonize the celebrities we love in their deaths, but I think long ago we were able to see Newman was a fundamentally good man worthy of our kind words. In an age of the musical chairs of celebrity romance, he and his second wife, actress Joanne Woodward, celebrated their fiftieth anniversary in January. He led a prolific and astounding film career, but he had a second career of sorts with his equally impressive humanitarian work, starting with the Newman's Own natural food company. After taxes, his foundation distributed all of the proceeds to charitable organizations; in his lifetime, that amounted to more than $250 million worldwide. He will be missed.

• YDKS Movies counts down the top five favorite jet-propelled characters.

• James Whale's Frankenstein and Ernst Lubitsch's Design For Living get a thorough review at The Stop Button.

• Daniel at Getafilm calls In Search of a Midnight Kiss "frankly, the kind of old-school independent film that has been noticeably absent from movie theater screens in recent years."

• The Dancing Image, who began a 12 "holy grail" movie meme last month, assembles a master list of the participants' 332 would-love-to-see films

• Novelist Jonathan Lethem, writing in The New York Times, puts The Dark Knight under a cultural microscope. (Hat-tip: The Film Doctor.)

• CageFest ends at Blog Cabins with the film that won Nicolas an Academy Award for acting, Leaving Las Vegas.

• Farzan reviews United 93, a film I haven't had the courage or stomach to bring myself to watch. (Yet I still will probably try to watch it before assembling a Best-Since-2000 list for November.)

• A.O. Scott declares Miracle at St. Anna is "the movie someone should have had the guts or the vision to make" back in the '50s.

• Finally, my look into the filmography of Alfred Hitchcock begins this Wednesday. Noirish City interviewed me about the project and my admiration for the director. It might be a way to whet your palate for what's to come over the course of 31 frenetic days.

And if you haven't seen them already...

This week on Turner Classic Movies:
• Rebecca (1940), Sept 28
• The African Queen (1950), Sept 28
• In the Heat of the Night (1967), Sept 29
• West Side Story (1961), Sept 30
• The Apartment (1960), Sept 30
• Rio Grande (1950), Sept 30
• The Quiet Man (1952), Sept 30
• High Noon (1952), Oct 1 and Oct 4
• Psycho (1960), Oct 1
• King Kong (1933), Oct 2
• A Night at the Opera (1935), Oct 2
• Vertigo (1958), Oct 2
• Brute Force (1947), Oct 3
• The Awful Truth (1937), Oct 3
• Force of Evil (1948), Oct 3
• White Heat (1949), Oct 4
• Touch of Evil (1958), Oct 4
• Casablanca (1942), Oct 5

Continue reading »

Sunday Matinee (Sept. 14 - Sept. 20)

Not half the price ... just half the work.

Well, this past week was rather demanding and thus the slowest since I launched Screen Savour. My apologies for that. This coming week I'll have at least three Chaplin reviews. Also, I still haven't seen Burn After Reading, so, again, my apologies for no links to those reviews, all of which I'm sure are very insightful and well written.


But without further ado...

• My head has been so firmly rooted in the films of Alfred Hitchcock this past month that I haven't been paying much attention to new films. Fortunately, Nick at Fataculture has stirred my interest in contemporary cinema with his review of a new Norwegian film, Reprise.

• The Dancing Image reviews two Nicholas Ray films this week, In a Lonely Place and Bigger Than Life. (Loyal readers will recognize Bigger Than Life as an entry on his list of 12 most desired movies unavailable on DVD, so scurry on over and check it out.)

• Evan at MovieZeal re-posts his exuberant review of Speed Racer, just in time for its DVD release. I heartily recommend this review because I find it so pleasurable to read wholehearted defenses of discarded films. (Note: I haven't seen Speed Racer, so I can't speak to the actual film; just the review.)

• Roger Ebert laments that people think "critic" is a four-letter word.

• Programming alert: This week, PBS's American Masters series looks at the 85th anniversary of Warner Bros. Studios in a four-hour documentary dubbed You Must Remember This. Check your local listings, and stay tuned because these public television shows are often available for live streaming after their premiere.

• Deadpan begins a look at the heavy-hitting films of Hitchcock next week.

And if you haven't seen them already...

This week on Turner Classic Movies:
• The Seventh Seal (1957), Sept 22
• Interiors (1978), Sept 22
• The Man from Laramie (1955), Sept 23
• He Walked By Night (1948), Sept 23
• Forbidden Planet (1956), Sept 23
• Some Like It Hot (1959), Sept 24
• Bringing Up Baby (1938), Sept 27
• Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959), Sept 27
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Sept 27
• The Maltese Falcon (1941), Sept 27

Continue reading »

Sunday Matinee (Sept. 7 - Sept. 13)

Not half the price ... just half the work.

There was a lot of talk on movie blogs this week about Burn After Reading, the first film for the Coen Brothers after their Best Screenplay/Director(s)/Picture Oscars. However, having not seen it yet and desperately wanting to, I haven't read any of the reviews so none will be posted in the Sunday Matinee feature this week. Sorry.

So without further ado...

• The Stop Button calls Frank Capra's 1944 comedy Arsenic and Old Lace "one of the finest–if not the finest–film adaptations of a stage production."

• After the Large Hadron Collider was turned on this week, YDKS Movies runs down the best movies about the end of the world.

• And speaking of the apocalypse, Farzan reviews what I think is Steven Spielberg's most troubled great movie of the new millennium, War of the Worlds.

• Tony at Cinema Viewfinder has a review of the special edition DVD release of Cool Hand Luke.

• An excellent assessment of what Rear Window can tell us about living in New York at Self-Styled Siren. (Hat-tip: The Film Doctor)

• I've fallen behind in my schedule to review a few of Buster Keaton's films before Hitchcock Month, but fortunately I've been able to read The Dancing Image for selected Keaton. This past week's installment: The Navigator.

• As part of CageFest at Blog Cabins, Daniel at Getafilm recounts how he found National Treasure and learned to stop hating and love Nicolas Cage as treasure hunter Ben Gates.

• Dean at Filmicability examines Catch-22.

• A few posts this week had the courage to address the anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and of particular note: Getafilm has clips of somber reflection and The Dancing Image reviews the Naudet documentary 9/11.

• Film Studies For Free links to a fascinating look at the history of Pan's Labyrinth.

• In honor of The Big Lebowski's tenth anniversary DVD release, Slate examines its prescient neoconservative politics.

• Roger Ebert discusses the presidential candidates' favorite movies.

• Finally, something unrelated to film for a moment. David Foster Wallace was found dead at his home Friday. He was a writer who proved literary writers and essayists could still become celebrities in contemporary America. His style of sprawling digressions and comprehensive footnotes was inimitable, although he had throngs of imitators, most of whom were part of M.F.A. programs years before I enrolled in mine. I'm not sure he still attracted the high intensity fawning in programs and literary circles today that he once did, but I can speak for myself and many of my peers in saying we had great respect for his talent. He was 46.

If You Haven't Seen Them Already...

This week on Turner Classic Movies:
• The Red Balloon (1956), Sept 15
• The Red Shoes (1948), Sept 15
• Force of Evil (1948), Sept 15
• The Women (1939), Sept 15
• Terms of Endearment (1983), Sept 16
• Saboteur (1942), Sept 17
• The Lady Vanishes (1938), Sept 17
• The President's Analyst (1967), Sept 17
• Four Days in November (1964), Sept 18
• The Westerner (1940), Sept 20
• Anatomy of a Murder (1959), Sept 20
• Witness for the Prosecution (1957), Sept 20
• Annie Hall (1977), Sept 21

Continue reading »

Sunday Matinee (Aug. 31 - Sept. 6)

Not half the price ... just half the work.

I compiled Sunday Matinee early this week, just in case Tropical Storm Hanna caused power outages in my area. The outage was only a few hours, so I tried to update it with new links I found yesterday. If I missed anything, it might turn up in next week's installment.

Without further ado...

• James Berardinelli thinks Oscars should not be given posthumously. I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments section.

• Fletch unloads on the devolution of American Movie Classics.

• Nick at Fataculture posts two absolutely great pieces of movie news this week: Bruce Springsteen's original song for Darren Aronofsky's upcoming film The Wrestler; and a link to the new trailer for Gus Van Sant's new film Milk.

• Getafilm – which turned one year old this week! – has 300 words on Elegy.

• The newest addition to my blogroll, The Stop Button, examines King Kong (1933).

• LAMB members vote for their top ten westerns. Individual lists here.

• Roger Ebert says he's always asked, "What's your favorite movie?" So he gives an answer, yet something makes me think people are going to continue asking.

• The Observer of London gives its list for the 50 Greatest Arts Videos on YouTube. The list spans all of the arts, but of interest to film-fanatics might be a six-minute documentary by Martin Scorsese; Samuel Becket's Film; screen tests from Marlene Dietrich, Marlon Brando, and James Dean and Paul Newman. Oh, and Kurt Russell's audition for Star Wars. (Hat Tip: Brian)

And If You Haven't Seen Them Already...

This week on Turner Classic Movies:
• Becket (1964), Sept 7
• Psycho (1960), Sept 7
• Dr. Strangelove (1964), Sept 8
• Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939), Sept 8
• Gigi (1958), Sept 11
• Trouble in Paradise (1932), Sept 11
• The Misfits (1961), Sept 13
• Rear Window (1954), Sept 14
• The Country Girl (1954), Sept 14
• In the Heat of the Night (1967), Sept 14

Continue reading »