tarzan among the apes

The education crisis is not just in America

michael — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 01:18:25 +0000

City schools are city schools, L.A., NY, or Paris. We’re not alone.

A treasure trove of Hollywood gold

michael — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 04:53:29 +0000

Tony Macklin, former editor of Film Heritage journal, has made available his tape recorder interviews from the 1970s, with everyone from Howard Hawks, Leigh Brackett, to Bloody Sam and Hitch himself.

They will make you cry. And laugh. And remember why you loved the movies in the first place.

Immigration debates, a dysfunctional Senate, one man heroically trying to bring people together…

michael — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 04:58:03 +0000

The Fall Of The Roman Empire

A movie for our times.

The junior Paul Simons

michael — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 20:49:25 +0000

Let them bite you.

Whoever runs the CIA, runs the world

michael — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 05:01:43 +0000

The Very Best Men: The Daring Early Years of the CIA by Evan Thomas

Spies aren’t supposed to be enthusiastic idealists, brimming with optimism. Ah, but this is 1950′s America, when everything is possible…and no story ends as happy as it begins.

Does Orson Welles have the creepiest smile in cinema?

michael — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:55:13 +0000

Poor Joe, tired of writing pulps, he just wants a job. But who can resist the Chesire cat–especially when he has the girl?

A fantastic release from Criterion, chock full of documentaries, including a 1968 BBC Omnibus programme on writer Graham Greene, who refuses to show his smile on camera.

Brian De Palma made the same film twice in the late 1970s.

michael — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:19:42 +0000

Both have buckets of blood and are about girls with strange telekinetic powers, but Carrie [Blu-ray] speaks about what it is to grow up in the Darwinian world of female adolescence, while The Fury lollygags it way through pure 70′s bioplasmic mumbo-jumbo to one of the great anatomical explosions of all time.

vs.

My Top 3 Blockbusting Films

michael — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 01:32:36 +0000

From the book, George Lucas’s Blockbusting:

1. The French Connection, 1971. Why? While trailing the crooks in cold, cold New York, Gene Hackman makes sure to get his daily nutrition of pizza. A favorite scene in a film full of favorites.

2. Vertigo, 1958. Why? Is Kim Novak real? Or is she a phantasy? One of the greatest romantic movies is also Hitchcock’s greatest horror film.

3. Double Indemnity, 1944. Why? Dangerous liaisons in well-stocked grocery stores show just how little has changed since 1944.

For the rest of my selections, check out the official website!

If we all just loved one another…

michael — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 07:07:24 +0000

These Eyes…Aren’t Crying.

michael — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 08:10:49 +0000