Here’s what I watched and read last week…
I am now adding a spoiler alert.
MOVIES
Niagara (1953), directed by Henry Hathaway. I have been watching Criterion’s “Murderous Melodramas” this month. The Technicolor cinematography of Niagara Falls is beautiful, with some great performances from Marilyn Monroe, Joseph Cotten, and Jean Peters. Similar to my review of Leave Her to Heaven, Niagara’s dark themes of deception and murder clash with the film’s luscious colors.
Bigger Than Life (1956), directed by Nicholas Ray. Another excellent noir melodrama that is streaming on Criterion. One of the first things I teach in my television course is to challenge the perception of the 1950s, and the idea of life for many Americans was not The Donna Reed Show. Bigger Than Life underscores this notion. I was shocked by the topics it takes up, such as underpaying teachers and drug addiction—all shot in CinemaScope and Technicolor!
Married to the Mob (1988), directed by Jonathan Demme, is a fun screwball comedy with a good cast. But Mercedes Ruehl steals the show. I can see why she was later cast in The Fisher King, the film for which she won the Academy Award. Even though I enjoyed Michelle Pfeiffer playing a Long Island wife of a mobster, her New York accent sounded forced - a pet peeve of mine.
‘Round Midnight (1986), directed by Bertrand Tavernier. I knew nothing about this film but was interested in seeing it because of Dexter Gordon. I bought the Criterion Blu-ray during the 50-percent off sale. I hardly ever purchase a movie that I do not know anything about. I’m so glad I did! This is an amazing film with a great soundtrack by Herbie Hancock, who won the Academy Award. Gordon is also very good and funny. This is a must-see for jazz lovers.
Hud (1963), directed by Martin Ritt, is an amazing film and a must-see if you are interested in studying movies, particularly cinematography. James Wong Howe’s black-and-white photography beautifully captures the open landscape in wide shots and deep focus. I particularly love the opening scene in which Lonnie traverses the empty town. The wind blowing is haunting and ghostly, especially if we consider how the tragic death of Hud’s brother lingers over the film. My favorite scene is when Homer and Lonnie go to the movies and then out to eat. You get a sense of how much Lonnie loves his grandfather. But it also reveals his loneliness and how he is stuck between Homer, a principled man, and the thrill-seeker Hud, who lacks a moral compass.
TV
I am re-watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I started with the second season and am up to episode seven. The introduction of Spike and Drusilla is a classic episode. But it is the Halloween episode where the series starts to find its voice. I think it is the first time we start to learn about Rupert Giles’s past, when he was known as “Ripper.”
BOOKS
Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square by Arthur La Bern. (Spoiler alert). I am currently finishing my book on Alfred Hitchcock and horror, and wanted to read La Bern’s novel for research purposes. Anthony Shaffer did a great job of adapting the novel, which would become Frenzy. The movie is much better than the novel. For example, they shortened the unnecessary long trial of Richard Blamey (Blaney in the film). They added a funny subplot involving the Chief Inspector’s wife, who is a terrible cook. And the ending of the movie is much more suspenseful than the novel’s, where Blaney is finally proven innocent.
No comments:
Post a Comment