SPY GAMES: The Looking Glass War (1969)
One of the best films I saw last year was Tomas Alfredson’s TINKER TAILOR SOLIDER SPY (2011) based on John Le Carré’s novel of the same name. It stars Gary Oldman in a career defining performance...
View ArticleWorld on Fire: Four Favorite 2020 Film Releases
For whatever reason (Pandemic fatigue? Regurgitated film plot fatigue?) I wasn't very impressed with most of the new releases I watched this year. Halfway through screener season I just gave up and...
View ArticleTunes & Tombs: Favorite 2020 Albums & Books
Some favorite albums from 2020 Tami Nelison – Chickaboom! Tami Nelison is a Canadian powerhouse of talent. Stumbled on a track from this album last year while scrolling through Youtube and was hooked....
View ArticleTELEFILM TIME MACHINE: THAT CERTAIN SUMMER (1972)
Just three short years after the Stonewall riots took place in New York ABC made television history when they aired THAT CERTAIN SUMMER (1972), the first gay-themed made-for-TV movie. This landmark...
View Article10 GREAT CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER PERFORMANCES
My favorite moment of this year’s Oscar telecast occurred when a sprightly 82-year-old Christopher Plummer took the stage in a beautiful velvet suit to accept his Best Supporting Actor award. He was...
View ArticleScreen Sorcery: Belladonna of Sadness (1973)
Belladonna of Sadness (1973) begins with a joyful wedding. We first meet the lovely Jeanne, our guide through this strange fairy tale, and her beau Jim as they exchange marriage vows. When the couple...
View ArticleJewel Thieves & Giant Monsters: DOGORA (1964)
After reading and writing about Peter H. Brothers’ book Mushroom Clouds and Mushroom Men: The Fantastic Cinema of Ishiro Honda recently I was motivated to watch Dogora (1964), which is one of Honda’s...
View ArticleTOKYO GONE GAGAGA: OTAKU (1994)
Otaku: In Japan a young person who is obsessed with computers or particular aspects of popular culture to the detriment of their social skills. (definition from The Oxford Dictionary) Otaku: Obsessed...
View ArticleWHEN INSECTS ATTACK: GENOCIDE (1968)
Springtime has arrived in California and do you know what that means? BUGS! During the past week I’ve battled a couple of spiders in my kitchen, wrangled with a beetle that invaded my bathroom and took...
View ArticleART MEETS ARTIFICE IN SHOHEI IMAMURA’S A MAN VANISHES (1967)
“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.” – William Shakespeare (from As you Like It)...
View ArticleEveryone’s Gone Crazy: VIOLENT COP (1989)
“Beat” Takeshi Kitano has been making headlines recently. Late last year the 70-year-old Japanese filmmaker, actor, author and entertainer was awarded France’s coveted Legion of Honor for his...
View ArticleNIPPON NOIR: I AM WAITING (1957)
In recent years I’ve seen a critical push to apply familiar terms like Film Noir to all manner of Japanese crime films made during the 1950s and 1960s. The term has even been applied to the culturally...
View ArticleSpies Among Us: ANOTHER COUNTRY (1984)
“And there’s another country, I’ve heard of long ago, Most dear to them that love her, most great to them that know; We may not count her armies, we may not see her King; Her fortress is a faithful...
View ArticleTHE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS YET TO COME
I have a soft spot for just about every film version of A Christmas Carol. This is partially due to the fact that one of my first and last acting roles was in a stage adaptation of Charles Dickens’...
View ArticleA few words about my 10 Favorite Films of 2021
I spent most of 2021 watching older films and discovered some real hidden gems but I thought I’d share a list of my Top 10 Favorite new releases before the Academy Awards show next month. If you’re...
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