by Sandy | Mar 1, 2009 | Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Film, Movies
Are you still lucky enough to live in a 2 + newspaper town? Local papers are folding, no pun intended, all over the country. My San Francisco Chronicle is supposed to be on its last legs (but, true, this is being reported by T.V. news anchors) and the Colorado Rocky Mountain News just closed its doors. Many papers are choosing other options to daily publishing, like becoming internet only.
This sad scenario is being repeated everywhere. Has the “daily” become obsolete due to technology? Is it because of short attention spans, due to video games, to all day cable news talking heads, to just plain lack of interest? Well, if newspapers go the way of the 8 track, we still have movies that show “newspapering” as not only necessary and vital, but sometimes a very noble profession. I’m sure there are tons more, but I’ve seen and liked the films below:
”His Girl Friday”, 1940 – Editor tries to keep ace reporter from leaving (film adaptation of 1930’s comedy by MacArthur & Hecht)
”The Front Page”, 1974 – same plot, but this time with Jack Lemmon & Walter Mathau, directed by Billy Wilder
”Call Northside 777”, 1948 – .James Stewart and Richard Conte in a true story, told in documentary style, about a newsman racing to save an innocent man on death row.
“Deadline – USA”, 1952 – Humphrey Bogart as a crusading editor, of a closing newspaper, on a mission to expose a local gangster
“All The President’s Men”, 1976 – Robert Redford & Dustin Hoffman (Watergate and the Washington Post reporters Woodward & Bernstein)
I like newspapers – I like turning pages and getting ink smudges on the tips of my fingers.
by Sandy | Feb 24, 2009 | Actors, Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Directors, Film, Movies
I sometimes forget how good some actors are until I see them again in a well done film.
Al Pacino, Russell Crowe, and Christopher Plummer are excellent in – “The Insider”, 1999. (Not to be confused with Spike Lee’s “The Inside Man”, which I also enjoyed)
Based on a 1996 Vanity Fair magazine article “The Man Who Knew Too Much“, by Marie Brenner, the movie was directed by Michael Mann and stars Crowe as Jeffrey Wigand, an employee of a large tobacco company, who has a juicy story to tell.
He has secret documents in his possession that reveal that top executives of major cigarette companies perjured them selves before a congressional inquiry – all knew that tobacco was addictive, even while telling the public that nicotine was harmless.
After he sought out Mike Wallace to offer up the smoking gun, Wigand found himself in the midst of a game of hard ball – the players being the tobacco company, the U.S. government and CBS’ “60 Minutes”.
His attack of conscience catches him up in a giant publicity shredder, his personal life unravels, he is threatened with bodily harm, but, he’s still got information that can affect the health of thousands and cost big tobacco millions.
Our whistle blower discovers that sometimes the raw truth is not enough. It often depends upon how deep your pockets are and how much money you’re willing to lose.
Great performances by all – this “docudrama” is a very entertaining movie.
by Bob Martin | Feb 23, 2009 | Art, Directors, Film, Photograhy
Could it be because this movie is French that it is ignored by politicians? Or at least very few seem to mention it. That is about as far as I am willing to go in a political debate.
“The Battle of Algiers” is a powerful film, made not long after independence was achieved. It’s grainy black and white footage suggest documentary (more difficult to do in the 1960’s) and not “Gone with Wind”. War is an ugly experience, there is no melancholy or heroic music being played. Real gun fire does not sound as big as it does in the movies and when you are shot on screen you are still able to go home at the end of the day. Real war is sort of a gray, bleak and worthless execise in misery. When the war is about an occupation, you can figure the misery will increase exponentially.
I found this quote, attributed to Jean-Paul Sartre, which are his views about this particular conflict and referenced in the film. “This rebellion is not merely challenging the power of the settlers, but their very being. For most Europeans in Algeria, there are two complementary and inseparable truths: the colonists are backed by divine right, the natives are sub-human. This is a mythical interpretation of reality, since the riches of the one are built on the poverty of the other. In this way exploitation puts the exploiter at the mercy of his victim, and the dependence itself begets racialism. It is a bitter and tragic fact that, for the Europeans in Algeria, being a man means first and foremost superiority to the Moslems. But what if the Moslem finds in his turn that his manhood depends on equality with the settler? It is then that the European begins to feel his very existence diminished and cheapened.”
War is a violent game of tag – somebody is always “it”. This movie should be mandatory viewing for politicians, it is already a dietary supplement for Military in this country.
by Bob Martin | Feb 22, 2009 | Creativity, Directors
Sometimes people want to see a film that is entertaining, joyous and uplifting. My regrets to the New York Times and The New Yorker.
“Slumdog Millionaire” and its director, Danny Boyle, with their modern-day fairy tale about hope and hard times in the slums of Mumbai, pushed aside big-studio contenders to sweep top honors at the 81st annual Academy Awards on Sunday. NYtimes
by Sandy | Feb 13, 2009 | Actors, Arts, Entertainment and Music, Blogroll, Events, Film, Movies
I rented it again. This is a good movie! “Children of Men” (Released in 2006, now on DVD).
Set 20 years into the future, women are no longer able to bring a fetus to full term. A 17 year old, the youngest person in the world, dies suddenly and there is universal mourning. Perhaps as a result of air and earth toxins new life stopped being created and supported by the universe. Based on results, mankind is on a slippery slope.
Enter the “miracle” – a sole pregnant woman is discovered in England and she must be saved if the human race is to go on.
A reluctant savior, Clive Owen, at his craggy faced/ 2 day stubble best, is enrolled by his ex-wife in taking the young woman to safety. Thru bullets, treachery and strange, fierce characters, he must get the mother-to-be to an outlawed group called the” Human Project”. They search for doctors that can keep her and the baby alive – and so the adventure begins.
The movie is both dark in atmosphere and premise, the film’s city scenes are mostly sepia and gray contrasting greatly with the few lighter, green country locations. The director, Alfonso Cuaron, wrote the screen play based upon a 1992 novel by P. D. James, famous for the Inspector Adam Dalgliesh mysteries. Her vision of a barren future was translated by Cuaron into a cramped, desperate city filled with angry, lonely people.
While on the run, the fugitives do get a chance to experience the lush greenness of the countryside, but, the pastoral is slowly being encroached by the urban insanity. Huge betrayal and huge amounts of violence is encountered while trying to escape those who wish to use the baby for propaganda and gain. In the midst off all this dreck, there is a possibility of “future”.
The baby represents “hope” and many are enlisted to assist in preserving the miracle, keeping it alive and getting it to a haven, even at great risk to themselves.
A totally engrossing film. The actors are all terrific, regardless of the length of their scenes or dialogue. Owen is wonderful, and so is Michael Caine. (He makes an appearance as a kind eccentric.) The actress who plays the mom to be, Claire-Hope Ashitey, makes you believe that she would be a great mother – even though her character only remembers seeing children on television. The ending is both triumphant and tragic.
“Children of Men”– this is a good movie!
by Bob Martin | Feb 11, 2009 | Actors, Art, Film
Films can paint a comprehensive picture about a time that we are not very familiar with. Woody Allen‘s “Radio Days” deals with a period in history that we are now being told is similar to what we are experiencing at this moment. What the characters in this movie hold onto, so they can get by, is family. This, in my opinion, is a great movie, amusing, silly, charming, well acted and more.
There are lessons to be learned and they are not Woody’s views on religion and God, but more down to earth issues. This is a well crafted tale, a fantasy without the need for overwhelming special effects. The Post Depression and Pre-Second World War years weren’t much fun. “Radio Days” says it wasn’t all bad. There was some good stuff as well, like families and community interest. There is a lot to see and enjoy in watching this movie.
Twenty years from now will someone want to make “Internet Days” about families with headphones and IPhones?
Image via Wikipedia
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