I’d never heard of Holiday Affair until my husband rented the DVD from Netflix. I’m sure most others haven’t either, except for dedicated TCM viewers (It’s an RKO release) or hardcore Janet Leigh and Robert Mitchum fans. It’s a little movie. It was a disappointment at the box office, and it doesn’t have the hook that makes a movie a cult fave, yet it’s a reliable and entertaining programmer that whiles away the time pleasantly, and its predictable ending doesn’t marr the proceedings.

Janet Leigh stars as Connie Ennis, the worst secret comparison shopper I’ve ever seen captured on film. Connie works hard, but not well at her job to support her son Timmy. She’s a war widow who’s almost alone with him. Wendell Corey as Carl Davis has been wooing her patiently for two years, and he’d like to become spouse to Connie and father to Timmy.  Connie can’t quite get over her husband, and Carl is too nice to push her.

And then Robert Mitchum’s Steve Mason enters the film. He’s a toy salesman, and he spots Connie for the fake she is. She buys an extremely extravagant toy train set from him without any questions, and she has the exact change including tax in hand. When she goes back to the store the next day to return the set, he’s made her and he’s obligated to report her, but doesn’t out of kindness. He ends up fired and tags along with Connie for the day and romantic complications ensue.

Janet Leigh embodies Connie with nervous energy. She’s in denial about living in the past, and Steve is the catalyst that stirs her up. She’s believable in not being able to help herself around Steve, she somehow keeps getting entangled with him, but she does not understand the obvious until the very end. She somehow dresses fantastically on her small budget.

Carl is suitably nice. He’s not too handsome, but not too plain. He’s just too understanding. There’s a scene that underscores how too comfortable he and Connie are. He calls her from bed underneath a pretty, shiny comforter. That instance reminded me of that scene in Sleepless in Seattle when Bill Pullman lies in bed with Meg Ryan. He’s got her and his tissues. They’re dropped any romantic pretensions of coupledom. They just are. Carl and Connie don’t have any big romance either, but Carl does present emotional and financial stability.

Gordon Gebert’s Timmy doesn’t want change. He’s been the verbalized man of the house, and his mother constantly compares him to his father. A husband wouldn’t be replacing not only his father, but also him. The sciptwriters  and actor show how intelligent Timmy is without making him sickeningly precocious while making him seem like a real kid, sweet at times and manipulative at others. Timmy understands that Carl is a good man, but he prefers Steve.

Steve fought in the war and took up a conventional life when he returned. He meets Connie when he’s preparing for another life change. He wants to build boats, and he’s going to follow his dream. Maybe his enthusiasm rubs off on Connie, who tells him a lot about herself in one afternoon. He teaches Timmy to dream, too. Connie’s trained Timmy not to dream because she doesn’t want him disappointed, but Timmy can’t help himself, and Steve calls her to task for not fulfilling any of Timmy’s dreams ever.  Steve’s the kind encouraging paternal figure Timmy’s been needing. Mitchum’s scenes with Timmy work because Mitchum talks to Timmy like a person.

There’s a lot of humor in this romantic Christmas comedy where no one is the bad guy. All the male characters are much more self aware and straightforward than confused Connie. They say and do what they mean. There’s a funny scene where Steve and Carl accidentally meet. Connie hasn’t informed either of the other, and their introduction is awkward. Connie abandons them at one point, and they don’t come to blows; their talk goes from competitive to begrudgingly mutually respectful. TCM has that scene available for viewing here.

Like a lot of Christmas movies, Holiday Affair actually ends on New Year’s Eve. Connie finally makes a decision about her lovelife that may not surprise any viewer, but feels deserved for all the characters, and leaves us on an up note–an important trait for any holiday film.

Director – Steve Miner

Cast – Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett, Adam Arkin, Michelle Williams, LL Cool J, Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, Adam Hann-Byrd, Janet Leigh

Release Year – 1998

Reviewed by John of the Dead

Being an avid fan of the “Halloween” franchise that was so expertly created by John Carpenter, I have a love for these films. Watching Michael Myers with his emotionless gaze and creepy stalk bring back many memories of when I was a young child sitting in my room and imagining myself being confronted by “The Shape” and how I would react. Call me crazy…but it’s true. Some fans of the franchise highly despise the last 3 or 4 “Halloween” films, and although they may not be as intense and spooky as the original, I still have mad love for the masked killer from Haddonfield, Illinois who so passionately displays his hate in the most suave of killing styles.

The film starts off with the late Dr. Loomis’s nurse coming home and realizing that not only has her home been broken into, but Dr. Loomis’s old files on Laurie Strode are missing. A brief and ill fated encounter with Michael Myers then answers her questions of who stole the files. Fast forward a bit and the rest of this film takes place on Halloween night in 1998, 20 years after Michael Myers first tried murdering his sister, Lourie Strode(Jamie Lee Curtis) back in 1978(Halloween I and II; They took place on the same night). Jamie Lee Curtis reprises her role as Laurie Strode, and is now the head-mistress of a very nice private school on the hills of northern California. Laurie Strode has since changed her name to Keri Tate, and even went so far as to fake the death of “Laurie Strode” in order to make sure that her deranged brother can never find her again. Aside from dealing with her rebellious 17 year old son John(Josh Hartnett in his debut role), who is tired of hearing her nightmares and complaints about her “dead” brother, she is turning to “the bottom of a bottle” to help ease her anxiety. However when her son John and three of his friends decide to skip out on a class trip and have their own Halloween fun in the abandoned school, Michael makes his way in, and the bodies start to hit the floor(Insert overrated Drowning Pool song reference). Instead of running, and hiding this time, Laurie Strode AKA Keri Tate is going to stay and face her brother, in an epic battle to end her nightmares once and for all.

This film basically disregards the events of Halloween 3-6 and focuses on the story of Laurie Strode, without once mentioning the infamous Jamie Lloyd character from Halloween 4, 5, and part of 6, or Tommy Doyle from Halloween 1, 2, & 6(his character is also in the 2007 Halloween remake). Although most franchise fans will gawk at the idea of this bad continuity between the previous films and H20, I find the story behind Laurie Strode to still be quite interesting and liked the idea of Jamie Lee Curtis coming back to reprise her role instead of another actress. Jamie Lee Curtis doing her role brings back memories from the first two Halloween films and adds more credibility to the “20 Years Later” concept as she really is 20 years older than she was when she was first dueled with her infamous brother.

Director Steve Miner is no stranger to the horror genre, given that he directed another famous uber-slasher, Jason Vorhees in Friday the 13th II and III. I really like how he did not stray away from showing us some pretty gory stuff and awesome kills. There were a few kills where I would have preferred to see them happen instead of the aftereffect, mainly because they were pretty sweet, but it would have more than likely detrimented from the creepiness and stealth of Michael Myers. This is another one of those films where I really liked the setting. The fact that this film took place in a dark, empty school without anyone having an idea that Michael Myers is lurking just around the corner really set the mood for this positive addition to the Halloween franchise. It’s not the strongest of the series, but it does deliver an enjoyable product to fans of the franchise.

I really wish there would have been more scenes involving Michael throughout the film. Of course the last segment of the film has a good amount of Michael doing this thing, however I felt that there were sections of the film that went too long without Michael hacking someone up! Haha! Instead we were just given some shout outs to the first film with someone looking, seeing Michael staring at them, then turning away and looking back a few seconds later and somehow Michael pulled a Criss Angel and disappears. I know this won’t sound right…but my biggest complaint for this film would have to be Michael Myers himself. I was not a fan whatsoever of Chris Durand playing Michael Myers in this film. He did not have the usual smooth, creepiness we are used to seeing Michael have in previous films. Mr. Durand simply moved too fast during some scenes, and quite honestly looked “dopey” a lot of times. Shame on Steve Miner for not seeing this or bringing in George Wilbur, who is the only actor to play Michael more than once(twice) and has done quite possibly the best portrayal of Michael so far.

Overall, this is a positive addition to the Halloween franchise. It is not the strongest in the series, but will surely please fans of the franchise who just want to see Michael do his thing. Those who are into the Laurie Strode aspect of the franchise will especially enjoy this addition to the series.

Rating: 6/10

Alfred Hitchcock and Billy Wilder will never be mistaken as optimists.

In fact, their movies reflect the thoughts of famous crime writer
Raymond Chandler. The Big Sleep author was a fan of writers that “gave murder back to the people who committed the crime.”

He respected writers like Dashiell Hammett because they created a
world without hope and without elements of synthetic uplift. He probably wouldn’t have enjoyed the screenplay to Freedom Writers. But an era of film grew out these ideas and began to represent a darker image of the great depression: film noir.

The genre lasted roughly from 1940 and 1960 and was synonymous with murder, passion, revenge, sex, cigars and fedoras (think Humphrey
Bogart and not Jason Mraz).

Here are my top 10 favorite film noir pictures.

1. Double Indemnity (1944) — This might be the best fast-paced screenplay ever written. Chandler and Wilder wrote the script together, and even though they hated working with each other, they created a timeless piece. Fred McMurray delivers his lines with sexual arrogance that wasn’t seen in his family pictures prior to the film, Barbara Stanwyck is the perfect femme fatale and Edward G. Robinson is phenomenal. The unsubtle sexuality in this film is awesome, and it’s surprising that Wilder got away with the shot of McMurry and Stanwyck ready to get busy.

2. Strangers On A Train (1951) — This is my favorite Hitchcock picture. Robert Walker is very creepy and awesome. The homosexual undertones of his character probably went over everyone’s head in 1951. Farley Granger is very good, but not as good as in Rope — and some might argue his adult films in the late 70s. I’d give to much away if I gave plot details. This is a must-see.

3. Sunset Boulevard (1950) — I know, it’s boring to have two Wilder films in the top three, but what other movie starts with William Holden floating in a swimming pool? Exactly.
Aging Gloria Swanson is perfect for the role of a psychotic movie star who is … well, aging.
Also, it’s a great film for one liners like “Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up,” and “I am big! It’s the pictures that got small.”

Raising Kane: Orson Welles is as bad as they come in the extremely underrated Touch Of Evil.

4. Touch Of Evil (1958) — Orson Welles at it again. This movie goes in about 20 different plot directions much like The Big Sleep, which makes it chaoticly cool. Janet Leigh is hot, which is somewhat awkward to say. Charlton Heston rocks a classic ’stache and plays a Mexican (I’m not making this up). Supposedly, there was a lot of tension between Heston and Welles behind the scenes.

5. The Maltese Falcon (1941) — This is just a movie where Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) walks around San Francisco and says cool things. It’s also a film where it’s as good as the book. Anyone who says otherwise is the type of person who wants Hooper to die at the end of Jaws. John Huston did a great job recreating Hammett’s novel.

6. Notorious (1946) — A classic Hitchock film where you see Cary Grant actually playing an unpleasant character. In fact, his character (T.R. Devlin) is kind of a dick. Personally, Ingrid Bergman has always annoyed me, but the movie is fantastic anyway. The Master of Suspense does is again.

7. The Big Sleep (1946) — This time Bogart walks around L.A. and says cool things. This is a great adaptation of Chandler’s novel by Howard Hawks. Bogart and Bacall have awesome chemistry here.

Here's Looking at You: Humphrey Bogart was a film noir icon

8. Angels With Dirty Faces (1938) — This is clichéd James Cagney here, but what else do you want from him? Don’t miss the ending of this one.

9. Out of the Past (1947) — This might be Robert Mitchum’s best role, and Jane Greer rivals Stanwyck for best noir femme fatale. The plot is Hitchcock, like where a gas-station owner has an extremely shady past. But if you think about it, isn’t that most gas-station workers?

10. The Killers (1946) — This classic noir flick is based on a short story by Ernest Hemingway which is perfect for the genre’s bleak view — mainly because Hemmingway shot himself. This is the screen debut of Burt Lancaster, who is a personal fave.

Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress. Although she was initially known as a “scream queen” because of her starring roles in many horror films early in her career such as Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night and Terror Train, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that covers many genres. Her 1998 book, Today I Feel Silly, and Other Moods That Make My Day, made the best-seller list in The New York Times. She is married to actor Christopher Guest (Lord Haden-Guest) and, as the wife of a lord, is titled Lady Haden-Guest, but she chooses not to use the title when in the United States. She is currently the spokeswoman for Activia. She is also a blogger for The Huffington Post online newspaper.

Trivia:

During the 1980s she was engaged to Hollywood production designer J. Michael Riva, the grandson of screen legend Marlene Dietrich. Her godfather was MCA-Universal CEO Lew Wasserman.

Saw her future husband Christopher Guest in the issue of Rolling Stone magazine with Cyndi Lauper on the cover. Guest appeared in a promotional photo for the film This Is Spinal Tap (1984) in full costume and makeup as a rock star. She fell in love at first sight of the photo and gave her telephone number to his agent.

Adopted two children with Christopher Guest: Annie Guest (b. December 1986) and Thomas (b. March 1996).

Daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh.

Became formally known as Baroness Haden-Guest of Saling in the County of Essex (or, less formally, Lady Haden-Guest), when her husband, Christopher, inherited the barony in 1996 on the death of his father.

Graduated from Choate Rosemary Hall private school in 1976.

It was on her suggestion that Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) was made.

Her deleted scene from The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984) is included on the MGM Special Edition DVD, 2001, as the “Alternate Opening”.

Was asked to cameo in Scream 3 (2000), but declined.

Won a 2003 Grammy nomination in the Best Spoken Album for Children category for her recording of the children’s books she has written.

Measurements: 34C-22-32 (wardrobe on Forever Young (1992)) (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)

Attended University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.

When making reservations in exclusive London restaurants at short notice, she gives her name as Lady Haden-Guest, which apparently works better than Jamie Lee Curtis.

She told a German magazine that she will retire from making movies and that Christmas with the Kranks (2004) will be her last work as an actress. (November 2004)

Said in an interview on Good Entertainment, with Michael Medved (2001) (TV) that, ironically, horror films terrify her and she prefers not to watch them.

Member of jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1992

Was one of the guests at Sandra Bullock’s and Jesse James’ wedding.

Godmother of Jake Gyllenhaal.

Two of her earliest roles make reference to roles played by her father. She appeared in the television series “Operation Petticoat” (1977), based on the movie that had starred her father, Tony Curtis. While on hiatus from that show, she was cast in Halloween (1978), in which the detective “Sam Loomis” was named after a character from Psycho (1960), which had starred her mother, Janet Leigh. Also, her father imitated Cary Grant’s voice for his role in Some Like It Hot (1959), and worked with Grant himself in Operation Petticoat (1959). Grant’s birth name, Archie Leach, was used as the name for John Cleese’s character in A Fish Called Wanda (1988).

Once said that Dan Aykroyd was the best on-screen kisser she ever worked with.

John Cleese found it amusing that her father, Tony Curtis’s real name was Bernard Schwartz. To tease her about this, during the production of A Fish Called Wanda (1988), he had the call sheets refer to her as “Jamie Lee Schwartz.”.

Around the time True Lies (1994) was released, Jamie appeared in a series of commercials for L’Eggs Pantyhose. The company also took out an insurance policy for her legs.

Amazon Specials!

Respirando e transpirando cinema noir.

Max Reinhardt was the most tremendous and important person to have ever influenced my career and my work. - Bob Ryan provando que Reinhardt não fora apenas um dos pais do teatro moderno e do cinema alemão, mas dele também.
Sem Reinhardt não existiria Lang, Murnau, Lubitsch e outros desocupados, por consequência não existiria todo expressionismo alemão e cinema noir norte-americano. Sem Reinhardt não haveria o curso de teatro que fundou nos EUA, Ryan não teria encontrado um rumo para sua vida neste mesmo curso e todos perderíamos um ator estupendo imortalizando uma quantidade incalculável de grandes cenas do cinema, boa parte delas fazendo parte daquele mesmo cinema noir supracitado.
Mas Ryan era diferente de outros ícones noir, gente como Bogart, Ladd, Lancaster e Mitchum possuíam um tipo de aura heróica e dignidade que prevalecia mesmo nos mais profundos esgotos, Ryan não, ele ia mesmo fundo na podridão humana, se mesclamava na escória, rastejava nos dejetos e é aí que entra a influência de Reinhardt, ao abster-se da vaidade do astro de cinema para dar vazão à necessidade do ator, numa quase-versão sexy de Peter Lorre. Robert Ryan é pulp cinema em suor, sangue, penumbra, músculos, pistolas, cigarros e câncer no pulmão.

RR tem tanto filme excelente no currículo que dá impinge pensar em fazer um top de sua filmografia.

1- Meu Ódio Será Tua Herança (The Wild Bunch, Sam Peckinpah, 1969)

2- Cinzas que Queimam (On Dangerous Ground, Nicholas Ray/Ida Lupino, 1952)

3- Punhos de Campeão (The Set-Up, Robert Wise, 1949)

4- A Quadrilha Maldita (Day of the Outlaw, André De Toth, 1959)

5- Casa de Bambu (House of Bamboo, Samuel Fuller, 1955)

6- Homens em Fúria (Odds Against Tomorrow, Robert Wise, 1959)

7 -O Preço de um Homem (The Naked Spur, Anthony Mann, 1953)

8- Rancor (Crossfire, Edward Dmytryk, 1947)

9- O Menino dos Cabelos Verdes (The Boy With Green Hair, Joseph Losey, 1948)

10- O Homem que Surgiu de Repente (La Course du Lièvre à Travers les Champs, René Clement, 1972)

11- Ato de Violência (Act of Violence, Fred Zinnemann, 1948)

12- Os Que Sabem Morrer (Men in War, Anthony Mann, 1957)

Nem só de sombras viveu um dos maiores motherfuckers do cinema, mais do que noir, Robert Ryan exalava testosterona. Desde os anos 40 Mr Ryan poderia entrar em qualquer antologia de cinema-de-macho, o homem trabalhou com Peckinpah, Fuller, Aldrich, Walsh, Boetticher, Winner, Frankenheimer, Anthony Mann, John Flynn e Sturges – ele também trabalhou com o resto da galera sem talento do outro lado como Lang, Tourneur, Losey, Ray, Ophuls, Lupino, Renoir, mas isso não tem a mínima importância. O que quero mesmo dizer é que o senhor Ryan tem todo direito de estar naquele seleto hall onde estão inclusos Clint Eastwood e Charles Bronson, com a diferença que Bob Ryan já era motherfucker antes que esse povo tivesse sonhado em ser tal coisa.
Apesar de RR ter sido separado de seu siamês Sterling Hayden logo após o nascimento, dessa galera macho-pra-dedéu o único ator páreo para ele no cinema americano era Lee Marvin – foram dois dos mais intensos, versáteis e talentosos atores evindeciados no pós-guerra – vai ver por isso fizeram quatro filmes juntos e Bloody Sam queria Marvin ao lado dele no Wild Bunch, em vez disso Marvin foi cantar com o Eastwood naquele outro filme… A verdade é que o duo Marvin-Ryan formam uma espécie de objeto transitório de anti-heróis com testosterona acima da média entre a geração Cagney-Bogart para o ciclo Eastwood-Bronson.

Eu sei que meus bíceps são irresistíveis, mas tenha respeito, Bronson!

Top “resto”:

13- Coração Prisioneiro (Caught, Max Ophüls/Robert Aldrich, 1949)
14- Só a Muher Peca (Clash by Night, Fritz Lang, 1952)
15- Os Doze Condenados (The Dirty Dozen, Robert Aldrich, 1967)
16- A Mulher Desejada (The Woman on the Beach, Jean Renoir, 1947)
17- O Mais Longo dos Dias (The Longest Day, Ken Annakin/Andrew Marton/Bernhard Wicki, 1962)
18- A Quadrilha (The Outfit, John Flynn, 1973)
19- Expresso Para Berlim (Berlin Express, Jacques Tourneur, 1948)
20- Billy Budd – O Vingador dos Mares (Peter Ustinov, 1962)
21- Rastros do Inferno (Inferno, Roy Ward Baker, 1953)
22- Conspiração do Silêncio (Bad Day at Black Rock, John Sturges, 1955)
23- The Iceman Cometh (John Frankenheimer, 1973)
24- Rei dos Reis (King of Kings, Nicholas Ray, 1961)
25- Uma Batalha no Inferno (Battle of the Bulge, Ken Annakin, 1965)
26- Os Profissionais (The Professionals, Richard Brooks, 1966)
27- Nas Garras da Ambição (The Tall Men, Raoul Walsh, 1955)
28- O Pequeno Rincão de Deus (God’s Little Acre, Anthony Mann, 1958)
29- A Batalha de Anzio (Lo Sbarco di Anzio, Duilio Coletti/Edward Dmytryk, 1968)
30- À Borda da Morte (The Proud Ones, Robert D. Webb, 1956)
31- Os Bravos Não se Rendem (Custer of the West, Robert Siodmak, 1967)
32- A Hora da Pistola (Hour of the Gun, John Sturges, 1967)
33- A Estrada Dos Homens Sem Lei (The Racket, John Cromwell/Nicholas Ray/Mel Ferrer, 1951)
34- Alma Sem Pudor (Born to Be Bad, Nicholas Ray, 1950)35- Mulheres de Ninguém (Tender Comrade, Edward Dmytryk, 1943)
36- Império do Pavor (Horizons West, Budd Boetticher, 1952)
37- O Assassinato de um Presidente (Executive Action, David Miller, 1973)
38- De Volta da Eternidade (Back from Eternity, John Farrow, 1956)
39- Escravo de Si Mesmo (Beware, My Lovely, Harry Horner, 1952)
40- Lonelyhearts (Vincent J. Donehue, 1958)
41- Tudo Por Ti (The Sky’s the Limit, Edward H. Griffith, 1943)
42- A Guerra Secreta (The Dirty Game, Christian-Jaque/Klingler/Lizzani/Terence Young, 1965)
43- O Homem da Lei (Lawman, Michael Winner, 1971)
44- Cidade Abaixo do Mar (City Beneath of Sea, Budd Boetticher, 1953)
45- Selvas Indomáveis (Escape to Burma, Allan Dwan, 1955)
46- O Melhor dos Homens Maus (The Best of the Badmen, William D. Russell, 1951)
47- Cada Vida… Seu Destino (The Secret Fury, Mel Ferrer, 1950)
48- Caçada ao Pistoleiro Escondido (Un Minuto per Pregare un Instante per Morire, Giraldi, 1968)
49- Horizonte de Glórias (Flying Leathernecks, Nicholas Ray, 1951)
50- A Volta dos Homens Maus (Return of the Bad Men, Ray Enright, 1948)
51- Capitão Nemo e a Cidade Submarina (Captain Nemo and the Underwater City, J. Hill, 1969)
52- Bombardeio (Bombardier, Richard Wallace/Lambert Hillyer, 1943)
53- Sem Deus e Sem Lei/O Passo do Ódio (Trail Street, Ray Enright, 1947)
54- Os Homens da sua Vida (Her Twelve Men, Robert Z. Leonard, 1954)
55- Marine Raiders (Harold D. Schuster, 1944)
56- Nuvens de Tempestade (The Woman on Pier 13/I Married a Communist, R. Stevenson, 1949)

Nota 1: Ninguém chuta a bunda de Deke Thornton, mas se não fosse pelo final, On Dangerous Ground seria talvez o primeiro dessa lista. O filme de  Ray sofreu exatamente a mesma coisa que The Magnificent Ambersons na década anterior, onde o final original foi refeito porque o estúdio assim quis e apesar do final imposto não ser uma tragédia, a situação original desejada por Ray era amplamente superior. Robert Ryan foi queridinho dos filmes B durante o reinado de terror de Howard Hughes na RKO, um bom motivo para que ele e Nicholas Ray se tornassem tão unidos no período, trabalhando juntos em quatro filmes seguidos (mais tarde tiveram um quinto filho temporão) – enquanto Hughes entrava de cabeça no macartismo, Ryan e Ray batiam o pé como notórios liberais, o que gerou todo aquele entrevero com John Wayne durante as filmagens de Flying Leathernecks, um filme cujo conteúdo belicista e de direita nada tinha a ver com suas visões.

Nota 2: Só as participações com no mínimo uma fala entraram no top, filme com participação ínfima deixei de fora, como é o caso de sua estréia em O Castelo Sinistro (The Ghost Breakers, George Marshall, 1940) onde fez figuração carregando uma maca (é, eu reconheço alguém com dois segundos em cena e praticamente de costas)Nota 2: O maior choque que tive seguindo a carreira de Ryan foi quando assisti O Pequeno Rincão de Deus (God’s Little Acre, Anthony Mann, 1958) foi alí que me dei conta que estava diante de um dos maiores atores do mundo. Quando vi a cena em que sua personagem resolve raptar um albino não sabia se gritava, gargalhava ou chorava de emoção por estar diante de um gênio em sua arte. Mann havia começado essa tranformação de Ryan em Zé Buscapé já em O Preço de um Homem (The Naked Spur, 1953), onde em meio a uma atmosfera leoniana Ryan praticamente cria o pai do Tuco de Três Homens em Conflito.

Nota 3: O top é por qualidade geral dos filmes, mas se fosse eleger as 12 melhores atuações de RR, seriam estas: Odds Against Tomorrow, Billy Budd, Caught, God’s Little Acre, Custer of the West, Clash by Night, The Iceman Cometh, The Set-Up, Born to Be Bad, The Naked Spur, Inferno e On Dangerous Ground.

Nota 4: Presumo que o “Patch Pack” tinha uma queda pelo senhor Ryan – Walsh, Ray, De Toth e Lang trabalharam com ele, o único maldito de tapa-olho com quem não trabalhou foi o John Ford.

Nota 5: É fato – Ryan tem os melhores bíceps e tenho dito. É por isso que recomendo com veemência filmes em que aparece sem camisa ou de camiseta, também por isso Ed Dmytryk disse certa vez: Bob hit like a mule.

Nota 6: A minha “fase Jeff Bridges” do último semestre me levou, por consequência, a ver alguns filmes onde Robert Ryan esteve presente. JB tem RR como ator favorito e impusionou-me a ver o porquê foi tão importante como muso inspirador, além do fato de dois dos últimos filmes com Ryan terem sido também dois dos primeiros filmes com a presença de Bridges. Só depois de ter trabalhado ao lado de Ryan, Lee Marvin e Fredric March em The Iceman Cometh (John Frankenheimer, 1973) é que JB resolveu ser ator de verdade, coisa que até então ele só levara na brincadeira, tamanho o peso que tais homens tinham em cena, algo fácil de se perceber já que Ryan e Marvin jogam ping-pong com JB naquele filme, onde o então guri fica na função de bolinha. Também pudera, The Iceman Cometh é o último momento de Ryan no cinema, o câncer em estado bastante avançado acabou tornando sua personagem ainda mais melancólica do que dramaticamente já era e presumo que nenhum outro ator de qualquer montagem da peça de Eugene O’Neill tenha sido mais efetivo durante o final do terceiro ato.

Nota 7: Robert Ryan foi o único ator que vi eclipsando James Mason. Vi Mason de igual para igual com Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers e John Gielgud, mas a única presença que esteve um degrau acima de Mason numa cena foi o Robert Ryan em Caught – *Medo. Em compensação o Nemo de Ryan não chega aos pés do de Mason.

Você é fodão, mas eu sou mais alto. mimimi

Hughes called Ryan in and said “It’s okay if you play me, I don’t want them to put some other actor in there” – Robert Parrish, então editor de Caught (Max Ophüls, 1949) sobre o fato de Howard Hughes achar que apenas Robert Ryan seria digno de interpretá-lo - como se já não fosse suficientemente estranho o patrão deixar que uma personagem pouco lisongeira fosse inspirada nele.

Nota final: Hoje comemora-se cem anos do nascimento de RR, oras.

*Da série: Este post foi programado, eu não estou aqui!

Sentada en su mecedora junto a la ventana, la madre observa la violencia de la lluvia que golpea contra el tejado del bungalow y encharca la tierra demasiado reseca. Son las luces del porche en forma de ele las que iluminan la cortina de agua; más allá, a lo lejos, sólo oscuridad, el rumor de un mar embravecido que se vierte sobre el desierto, la única fuente que nutre la laguna cenagosa que tantos secretos esconde tras la casa. Son tan pocas las ocasiones en que el cielo se muestra clemente en aquellas áridas latitudes que a la madre no le cuesta ningún esfuerzo rememorar otra noche de lluvias torrenciales muchos años atrás, en los últimos días de su lucha por conservar la última juventud. Una nube ensombrece su corazón al recordar la mirada de su hijo, todavía un niño, allí de pie, en la entrada de ese mismo dormitorio, clavada en James, fría, inexpresiva, tras la que cree adivinar ahora, quizá por un imaginado casi imperceptible tic sobre la refleja inclinación de su ceja izquierda, una ira desbocada a duras penas contenida. Vuelve a escuchar su propia voz chillándole airada, ordenándole que se vaya, que los deje solos, que se encierre en su habitación y que no vuelva a salir hasta que ella vaya a buscarlo a la mañana siguiente. Y de nuevo ve al niño allí, inmóvil, desviando su atención hacia ella, la mandíbula en tensión y los puños apretados, luchando con todas sus fuerzas por no dejar entrever su odio. Escucha la voz de James rogándole que no le grite así al niño, mientras se incorpora en la cama para dedicarle una sonrisa y un ademán conciliatorio ante los que su única reacción es dar media vuelta y caminar por el pasillo hacia su habitación, resignado, como repentinamente ausente.

Cree revivir la embriaguez del amor, los besos de sal de James, el sueño reparador y el despertar envuelto en un esbozo de algo que reconoce como parecido a la felicidad que nunca había tenido ni ha vuelto a tener jamás. Y tras el desayuno de café y tostadas, y los últimos besos y caricias, se desata el horror: el ahogo, la fiebre, las convulsiones; ve desplomarse a James sobre la cama revuelta, el nudo de la corbata a medio hacer, sus ojos desencajados, su cara hinchada, su sudor empapando la ropa y confiriéndole a su rostro un brillo de muerte. Y de repente, mientras ella empieza a sentir el frío ascendiendo desde las profundidades de su alma y lo nota escapar como una erupción de calor a través de su piel, ve a su hijo entrar plácidamente por la puerta del dormitorio con una sonrisa cruel en los labios. Ella no se sostiene en pie, cae de rodillas y tose compulsivamente. Su vista empieza a nublarse, se arrastra como puede hasta la cama y se acurruca junto al desplomado James. Lo último que recuerda de aquella mañana es la tierna y dulce sonrisa de satisfacción de su hijo y la mano firme que sostiene el frasquito en cuyo letrero se lee una única palabra: arsénico.

Los tambores de la tormenta acompañan las ensoñaciones de la madre sentada en su mecedora junto a la ventana. Súbitamente, más allá de las luces del porche, unos focos potentes irrumpen desde la oscuridad para detenerse junto al bungalow. Una mujer se apea del vehículo y mira hacia el interior a través de los cristales. La madre la observa girarse hacia la casa y se da cuenta de que la ha descubierto al trasluz de la ventana. Se aparta de ella y va a parar ante el espejo del armario: al principio no se reconoce, ve los juveniles y delicados rasgos de su hijo bajo su pelo recogido al estilo decimonónico. Un instante después se queda atónita al ver cómo su cara va cambiando frente a ella, como si la imagen hubiera empezado a envejecer vertiginosamente, surgen arrugas, vello facial, un gesto adusto y malhumorado, la piel cada vez más repleta de grietas y pliegues, hasta, de manera aterradora, romperse, cuartearse, para revelar los músculos y nervios que la pueblan, y, finalmente, la desnuda calavera que hay bajo ella…

El claxon de un coche la libra de su alucinación. Vuelve a verse en el espejo como es, joven y bella, y eso la tranquiliza. Escucha descender por la vieja escalera de madera los pasos de su amado hijo, siempre tan atento y servicial, y cuando se acerca a la ventana lo ve salir de casa bajo un destartalado paraguas y bajar los escalones de cemento que llevan hasta el motel para atender a la recién llegada. De lejos la ve juvenil y atractiva; seguro que es una de esas mujeres fáciles y vividoras que van camino de California para ganarse la vida en trabajos indecentes, actriz, bailarina o quién sabe si algo peor. No los ve bien, pero le da la impresión de que ambos charlan animadamente y se sonríen. Pobre muchacho, tan ingenuo, tan fácil de impresionar. Esa chica no es para ti, hijo mío, no has aprendido nada de lo que te he enseñado. No es una mujer respetable y decente como tu madre.

Antes de apartarse de la ventana ve iluminarse el viejo letrero de neón, el mismo que su hijo olvida encender tan a menudo porque por la carretera vieja hace tiempo que no pasa casi nadie, sólo algún vecino de Fairbale camino de Phoenix o alguna buscona en ruta hacia Hollywood. Mientras se acomoda de nuevo en su mecedora, piensa que va a tener que hablar con su hijo Norman muy seriamente. Al fin y al cabo, la mejor amiga de un muchacho es su madre…

Truly the definitive horror film that will never get old.

When larcenous real estate clerk Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) goes on the lam with a wad of cash and hopes of starting a new life, she ends up at the notorious Bates Motel, where twitchy manager Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) cares for his housebound mother. The place seems quirky but fine … until Marion decides to take a shower.

What could possibly be said about Psycho that hasn’t been said before? It certainly must be one of the most famous movies of all time. Having heard so much about it, I really doubted if the movie could live up to my expectations. Amazingly, it actually exceeded my expectations.

Psycho is basically a horror film that was the first to ever come out, and it might as well be one of the greatest. I’m not a huge fan of those gore-fest films with over excessive nudity, blood, and violence. So because this film was basically made back in the 60’s there really is none of what we get nowadays with these horror films.

The one amazing thing about Psycho that not many other films do is that it really is a timeless film that really has aged perfectly. It isn’t corny nor is it dumb now that we look at it, it is still a great thrilling horror film.

Alfred Hitchcock really is one of the greatest director’s of all-time. I’m not talking in the horror genre, I’m talking of all film. He uses these camera angles and looks during each scenes to really have us capture the essence that something just isn’t right. The famous shower scene that almost everyone knows is great, and really is worth, just to see.

Anthony Perkins shines in this film as the creepiest mo fo in the whole film as Norman Bates. He creates one of the first great creepy characters on film, and he actually does make this person seem creepy as he talks more and more.

Consensus: Alfred Hitchcock shows he is the greatest director of all-time with Psycho. A film that has aged really well, and is an amazing watch of how much it’s influence in the horror genre that we see all today is in.

10/10=Full Pricee!!

Pour la conclusion de ce fantastique Horreur-o-thon, j’ai visionné ma “trilogie” d’horreur préféré soit Halloween, Halloween II et Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later. Oui, je sais qu’il y a 4 films qui séparent les deux derniers, mais pour une expérience optimale de frissons, de satisfaction et de résolution, ceci est mon choix. J’ai bien aimé regarder tous ces films, j’ai fait de belles découvertes. Par contre, je vais définitivement splitter la job avec mes collègues Bipolaires l’année prochaine!  Joyeuse Halloween!

15 ans après que Michael Myers âgé de 6 ans ait tué sa grande soeur le 31 octobre ‘63, il s’évade de l’hôpital psychiatrique où il était et revient à Haddonfield où il traque une jeune fille nommée Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis).  Seul son docteur, Sam Loomis (Donald Pleasence), semble pouvoir l’arrêter.

Il est inutile de dire que ce film de John Carpenter est un classique. En effet, il a pavé la voie au slasher movies, mettant en vedette une brochette d’adolescents se faisant trucider par un maniaque masqué.  Par contre, ce qui différencie ces imitations de l’original Halloween est le suspense constant, l’atmosphère d’inévitabilité et le minimum de sang.  Ainsi, l’horreur vient du momentum qui s’installe tout au long du film, accompagné d’une musique inquiétante instantanément reconnue.  La cinématographie est superbe, les personnages attachants…mon film d’horreur préféré.

Note finale: 10/10

————-

Meilleure citation: “I met him, fifteen years ago. I was told there was nothing left. No reason, no conscience, no understanding; even the most rudimentary sense of life or death, good or evil, right or wrong. I met this six-year-old child, with this blank, pale, emotionless face and, the blackest eyes… the Devil’s eyes.” (Dr. Loomis décrit son ancien patient. Mr. Pleasence est hypnotisant.)

Meilleure mort: Bob (le gars avec les plus grosses lunettes du monde) empalé sur un mur de cuisine.

Y’as-tu des tits?!: Oui, dans la célèbre scène “See anything you like?”.

Saviez-vous que..: Le masque de Michael Myers est un masque de William Shatner (Capitaine Kirk!) modifié? C’étaitle plus cheap.

Commencant tout de suite après les événements du premier film, Laurie Strode est amenée d’urgence à l’hôpital. Mais elle ne sait pas que Michael Myers la poursuit toujours…

Écrit par John Carpenter, Halloween II bénéficie d’avoir largement la même équipe de tournage que le premier, permettant une presque parfaite cohésion.  En effet, j’ai “collé” les deux films ensemble à l’aide d’un peu de montage et cela donne un mega-film Halloween de 3h.  Par contre, malgré une atmosphère tout aussi sombre, Laurie passe la majorité du temps dans le coma et les autres personnages sont plutôt 2 dimensions.  Le gore est aussi augmenté pour compétitionner avec les autres slashers de l’époque.

Note finale: 8/10

———-

Meilleure citation:

Voisin: “Is this some kind of joke? I’ve been trick-or-treated to death tonight!”
Dr. Loomis :”You don’t know what death is!”

Meilleure mort: Une infirmière se fait noyer dans un bain d’eau bouillante. Ouch.

Y’as-tu des tits?!: L’infirmière qui se fait noyer dans un bain d’eau bouillante (et ils sont assez excellents permettez-moi de dire.)

Saviez-vous que…: Le seul film de la série à montrer le matin du 1er Novembre. Les autres se terminent pendant Halloween.

20 après la nuit fatidique du premier film, Laurie Strode vit maintenant sous le nom de Keri Tate, directrice d’une école privée de Californie.  Elle tente tant bien que mal de laisser son ancienne vie derrière elle, mais son frère psychopathe la retrouve pour une dernière confrontation…

Notez bien que dans ma tête (et celle de plusieurs fans), Halloween: Resurrection n’existe pas.  En effet, la fin de H20 où **SPOILERS**

Laurie prend enfin le dessus sur ses peurs, confronte Michael et le décapite

**FIN DES SPOILERS**

est une fin sublime est parfaitement satisfaisante.  Ca boucle la boucle comme on dit.  La transformation de jeune adolescente apeurée à mère divorcée,  alcoolique et névrosée à héroine courageuse est très intéressante à voir. Quant au film, bien qu’inspiré par le succès de Scream sorti l’année d’avant, H20 réussit tout de même à rendre hommage au film de Carpenter (moins de morts, lente montée dramatique, etc).  Une fin très forte à MA trilogie d’horreur favorite.

Note finale: 9/10

———

Meilleure citation:

“Oh. Miss Tate. I didn’t mean to make you jump. It’s Halloween. I guess everyone’s entitled to one good scare.”

“Oh, I’ve had my share.”

Meilleure mort: Michael s’acharne sur Sarah! Poursuivie dans un monte-charge, il lui tombe sur la jambe et il finit par la poignarder 3-4 fois!

Y’as-tu des tits?!: Nah…

Saviez-vous que: Janet Leigh, qui incarnait Marion Crane dans Psycho (et un rôle dans h20), est la mère de Jamie Lee Curtis? Ca reste dans la famille.

The Strange World of Coffin Joe at the Cinefamily all this month …
CDOT
susan finkelstein philadelphia
james harrison
reginald kenneth dwight
ticket factory
Watch Smallville Season 9 Episode 6
collage board
Crystal Renn Inspires Women Of All Sizes

VERDICT:
9/10 Mama’s Boys

Might just be my favorite Hitchcock movie right behind North by Northwest.

Psycho is about a woman that jacks $40,000 from her boss at the bank she works at and gets the hell out of dodge so that she can run away with her lover and get married. One the way to meet her hubby, she books a room at The Bates Motel for the night, has dinner with the hotel’s weirdo owner/resident taxidermist – one Mr. Norman Bates -she smiles politely while he yaks about his mom all night, then she decides to take a shower…

You probably know what happens next, but just in case you’re one of the few who’s never even heard of Psycho, I’m gonna play it safe and let you see it for yourself.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen this, but it’s also one of those movies that’s pretty hard to forget. Can’t think of too many horror movies from 1960 that don’t feel dated fifty years later and still manage to scare the wits out of people without the use of special effects or stupid teens having sex in an abandon cabin in the woods. Well, maybe not that second part, but definitely that first part.

The reason the story works so well here is because it plays into the human psyche. It’s not about your worst nightmares coming to life, nor does is it just trying to scare you by grossing you out which seems to be an all-too-common misunderstanding with many a horror director nowadays (listen up, Eli Roth), it’s scary because it’s about how that otherwise normal-looking guy sitting to next to you on the bus may very well have the potential to chop your damn head off. Screw hockey masks and machetes, screw claw gloves and bad dreams, the idea that any one of us, the countless number of people we all walk by every single day, might be a psycho waiting to snap, now that’s some scary shit.

But the story isn’t the only thing thing that makes Psycho scary. I truly appreciate horror movies that don’t just blare loud crashes and bangs over the audio whenever something jumps on screen just to get a cheap scare out of the audience, and even though there aren’t many scenes here that’ll make your heart skip a beat like so, holy hell does this movie have one effective horror score. Even though it only really boils down to some guy scratching away on the highest note of his violin over and over and over, there aren’t a whole lot of sounds that scream “AAAAHHHHHH!” like this simple little ditty. Jaws is the only other movie I can think of that uses the same kind of technique, but even then you’re already pretty much aware that the Orca is soundly effed by the time the music rolls around.

Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates is also another big reason this movie will creep you right out. I don’t know how this guy got any acting gigs after this that weren’t for movies called Psycho 2. Again, doing my best not to spoil anything, but the point is that he’s a damn good.

And come on, it’s Alfred Hitchcock we’re talking about, the legend himself. Film buffs can go to freakin’ town on this movie analyzing all the brilliant little subtleties that speak volumes about things most people watching this movie could give a two shits about and all the groundbreaking directing techniques he used that had never been done before (and he was responsible for a lot of them), but luckily for the casual moviegoer, Hitchcock is also famous for being one of cinema’s best storytellers and he tells one crazy riff here.

Don’t write this off because it’s in black-and-white, doesn’t matter if it was made before you were born or that you don’t know who any of the actors are, Psycho is one of the all-time great thrillers and one of the all-time great horror movies. I was totally shocked at how much this movie freaked me out the first time I saw it and I’m pretty confident in saying that you’ll end up having a similar reaction.

So give it up for Psycho, folks. What better time to revisit this sinister mofo than now.

Oh, and don’t see the ’90s remake. I’ve only caught bits and pieces, but it doesn’t take much to recognize unnecessary movies when you see one.

5) Susan Backlinie in “Lo Squalo” (1975)

Un nome che forse non vi sarà particolarmente familiare, quello della stuntwoman Susan Backlinie, chi sarebbe costei? La prima vittima, nuda, in notturna, del primo capitolo de lo Squalo, ovvio no? L’importanza della Backlinie è testimoniata dalla sua presenza in locandina, mentre nuota tranquilla inconsapevole del terrore che si cela al di sotto di lei: Nessun barbuto Richard Dreyfuss, nessun Roy Scheider o Robert Shaw…. Solo una ragazzetta nuda…

4) Kari Wuhrer in “Anaconda” (1997)

La sua ultima, vana, possibilità di fama mainstream prima di sprofondare nel mare magnum degli show notturni in topless dei canali via cavo Americani. Kari Wuhrer abbandona I sogni di gloria con un’apparizione, al fianco di Jennifer Lopez, Owen Wilson e Ice Cube nel capolavoro “Anaconda.”

La sua scena sexy di morte è una collaborazione artistica con un certo Jon Voight, che la soffoca a morte con una mossa di karate (Tipico dell’agilissimo John!) prima di gettare il suo corpo senza vita nel fiume (Dove vive, placido e beato, l’anaconda del titolo). Dopo quest’apparizione in un capolavoro dedicato ad un serpente gigante, argomento attualissimo e amato dalla critica, la Wuhrer non apparirà mai più sullo schermo con qualcuno più famoso di David Arquette, combattendo la sua battaglia nel mondo degli C-Movies.

3) Salma Hayek in “Dal tramonto all’alba” (1996)

Al contrario dei suoi personaggi successivi, più avvezzi alla parola, come in “Fools Rush In” e “Frida,” Per Salmuccia il ruolo di Santanico Pandemonium in “Dal tramonto all’alba” fu straordinariamente adatto allo scopo:

La Hayek balla in modo seducente in un minuscolo bikini per qualche minuto con un serpente abbarbicato addosso, si trasforma in un vampire e nel giro di pochi secondi riceve una pallottola in faccia da George Clooney, semplice, lineare ed efficace.

2) Sandahl Bergman in “Conan il Barbaro” (1982)

Ripensando fra sè e sè ad un grande classico come “Conan il Barbaro”, in genere si ricordano solo 2 cose: primo, la scena in cui l’attuale governatore della California e la sua compagna statuaria (La Bergman, appunto) fanno a pezzi tutti i partecipanti ad un’interessantissima orgia cannibalistica, avanzando nella stanza a colpi di spada, secondo la scena in cui Valerie mure fra le nerborute braccia di Arnold dopo esser stata colpita a morte da  una freccia-serpente. (Conan è un capolavoro, non ci sono cazzi…)

Ripensando alle logiche cinematografiche non c’era possibilità per lei di sopravvivere dopo essersi mostrata nuda e aver fatto sesso con il protagonista…

P.S. purtroppo la scena tratta da youtube è tagliata prima della triste dipartita della Bergman

1) Janet Leigh in “Psycho” (1960)

Nel 1960 non era cosa commune andare al cinema ed assistere ad un omicidio, da parte di un travestito (Ommioddio! Spoiler!!) di una splendida donna nuda in una doccia. Almeno non fino all’avvento delle Grindhouse e della loro programmazione creativa. Forse non sarà la scena più sexy della storia del cinema, per gli standard dell’epoca e l’impatto sugli spettatori si guadagna senza fatica il primo posto. Seminale.

Ok,  so I’m sitting here alone in the dark scaring myself crazy for the umpteenth time watching Hitchcock’s masterpiece Psycho.

It reminded me of a Saturday night in the early 1960s when my parents left my sister and I home for the evening — I think we were 11 and 12 — and one of the television networks actually broadcast the film. We were terrified and our parents came home to us whimpering and cowering in the corner of the living room.

The reason I stopped the film for a moment, though, is that yet again I am marvelling at the musical score by the extraodinary Bernard Herrmann.

Have a film and a musical score ever fit together so well, with such extraordinary and terrifying results? In fact, have a director and composer ever been so indispensable to each other?

Don’t laugh, but it just might be a little too dark and little too late and a little too rainy here on the east coast to turn it back on. Janet Leigh is about to be stopped by THE POLICEMAN and, if you’ve never seen the film and never seen THE POLICEMAN’S sun glasses,  get some friends to keep you company and do so immediately.

Or maybe I could fast-forward past THE POLICEMAN. Let me go get a Mallomar while I decide.  In fact, I think that unfinished barbecued chicken leg is still in the fridge.

Of course it is the original I watched! No need to get into explaining the story here, I am sure everyone has seen what is a true classic in movie mythology….and if you haven’t, I am sure not going to ruin it for you here. This is one of the all time greats in horror movie history, and probably in film history in general. Even the ones that have yet to discover this film are usually familiar with the character Norman Bates, made classic by Anthony Perkins. (The Black Hole, Catch 22)

After watching this again, for I don’t know how many times, the only thing that really stood out was Dr. Richmond’s medical speech at the end. Not there was a thing wrong with it, it was played great by Simon Oakland (West Side Story), but I think if this film were shot today, there would be no need for the long explanation. The speech did offer some insight, but today’s audiences would have put most of that together. Not to mention it would have made a great cut or transition going from the shot of the skull to shot of Norman Bates. Oh well, I am not going to criticize greatness too much.

Of course there is Janet Leigh (Little Women, Angles in the Outfield), who was made famous for the shower scene in this movie, and flush the first toilet in screen in a motion picture. (Just another piece of useless trivia.) Martin Balsam (All The President’s Men, Tora Tora Tora, Best Supporting Actor in A Thousand Clowns) is perfect as the inquisitive detective, especially in his interview scene questioning Norman Bates.

If you haven’t seen this film, don’t miss an all time classic. And what  perfect time to watch it with Halloween coming up. (Speaking of Halloween, Dr. Sam Loomis played by Donald Pleasence was named for the character Sam Loomis in Psycho….ok, that’s two worthless pieces of trivia in one review.) I recommend you see this one sometime soon, if not this weekend. Shot in glorious black and white, this is an american icon of a movie!

Kerry’s ordeal comes when she is stripped away from all the exterior trappings of young professional society and reduced to unemployment.

Her life converges with Jerry when he returns home as a young professional in the publishing industry and looks at a parallel of himself in her, thrown back onto her own resources, reduced to the passive voyeurism of unemployment. Kerry Cerberus has now turned into the old Jerry Downing.

The hidden energy at work below the surface of his relationship with his flatmates culminates in Jerry’s ordeal – eviction from the house. But who is responsible? Jerry Downing is now a drifting soul with no roots in search of a home.

It’s been a long time since every minute of the waking day was taken up with watching flicks. Saturday was such a day. rather than write about them I’ll let them speak for themselves in all their poster glory. It’s better that way…….

They look pretty cool together I think, it was a fantastic day in.

Data
Title: Touch of Evil
Year: 1958
Length: 112 minutes [1998 "director's" cut]
Director: Orson Welles
Writer: Orson Welles, based on a novel by Whit Masterson
Starring: Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Orson Welles
Music: Henry Mancini
Distinctions: currently #101 on IMDb’s Top 250

My reaction
Synopsis: a Mexican cop stalked by a crime family gets involved in a US border town’s investigation of a car bombing
How I saw it: on video (rented from Netflix), yesterday
Concept: Good.
Story: Good. I don’t care for the plot, personally, although it’s well written and engaging.
Characters: Great.
Dialog: Great.
Pacing: Good.
Cinematography: Great.
Special effects/design: Good.
Acting: Good.
Music: Great.
Subjective Rating: 7/10 (Good). Very well made. As classic noir crime thrillers go, it’s certainly one of the best.
Objective Rating: 9/10 3.4/4 (Very good).

I’m trying something new with my “objective rating,” a sort of averaging. An explanatory post will follow.

Psycho 1960
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writer: Joseph Stefano
Starring Janet Leigh, Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam, John McIntire and Simon Oakland

When one says psycho, the first thing that comes to most peoples minds is Norman Bates, it has made such a indelible impression in our brains that we cannot think of slasher films in the horror genre without this film being one of the first films that comes to mind. It is still a film that every time I watch, that I still get goosebumps. The sense of doom that pervades this film just permeates throughout your entire core while you are experiencing this film. It just shows what a master of the craft Hitchcock was that his film can still hit all your nerves in just the right way, no matter how many times you see it. This is just a case of everything coming together perfectly to make one of the greatest horror films ever made.
The plot basics are this, Marion Crane (Leigh) is a bank secretary who is in love with Sam Loomis (Gavin) a Hardware store owner and has financial issues so they are unable to get married and Marion wants that to change. She goes to work and a situation comes up where she gets her hands on 40,000 dollars and instead of depositing it, she runs off with it. She comes to her senses and plans to return the money, but she is tired and finds a motel on a little use highway and stops for the evening before she decides to go back and face the results of her action. The motel is run by a slightly bizarre and sheltered young man, Norman Bates (Perkins) who lives at a house behind the motel with his invalid mother. Marion has a light dinner with Norman and they have a strange conversation and she then leaves to her room to take a shower and the mother attacks her in the shower and brutally kills her in the shower and Norman discovers the body and cleans it up. Soon, Marion is noticed missing and a private investigator (Balsam) comes to investigate and meets a bad end as well. This leads to Marion’s sister Lila (Miles) and Sam come to investigate themselves and it all ends with a rather shocking twist ending.
This is a film that still amazes me every time I see it. Hitchcock does a excellent job setting up the story, for the first 3rd of the film you just think it is a personal drama. But, then he pulls the carpet out from under you and it is now a murder mystery. The shower scene is probably one of the most famous film scenes and it still amazes me how well it works. The script by Stefano based on Robert Bloch’s book is very tightly written with great emphasis on the character and some great dialogue for the character of Norman Bates. The acting is great, especially Perkins as Bates, he really commands the screen with his presence every moment he is on screen. Leigh is also quite good and you really feel for her during her predicament and you are quite shocked and saddened when she is killed. The SFX are great for the time, the blood in the shower scene feels very realistic. I cannot finish talking about the film without mentioning the score by Bernard Herrmann, his score is evocative and chilling. When you hear the first few chords you know that this will be a creepy film and the music cues all the dastardly acts that happen in the film. This is one of the best horror films and for me Hitchcock’s best film.
This one gets 5 out of 5

September 17 is Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. Since the Election of 2008, we seem to be returning to traditional constitutional government, but we are not out of the woods yet.

Within the last decade we have had two suspect presidential elections, 2000 and 2004.  Before that, from 1995 to 2001, a Republican majority in Congress essentially attempted to replace our constitutional system with a parliamentary system by trying to get rid of a Democratic president for political reasons.Then, the Republican majority in Congress, while a Republican occupied the White House (2001-2007), reneged on its constitutional duty to defend the system of checks and balances.  George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were essentially given a blank check to do whatever they wanted.

For a while, terrorism  replaced communism as the stimulus for creating fear among the American public. Now, because of the incompetence and irresponsibility of the past eight years, there is a current need for government responses to contend with health care reform, global warming, two wars in the Middle East ( one – Iraq – totally unnecessary) , and the multiple crises of the Great Recession. Unfortunately, the Republican minority is resurrecting the fear of socialism and communism to attempt to prevent action.

The following four films celebrate our system and remind us how fragile it is.  All of these films matter, and they should be seen often.

1. Advise and Consent (1962) with Henry Fonda, Charles Laughton, Don Murray, Walter Pidgeon, Peter Lawford, Gene Tierney, Franchot Tone, Lew Ayres, Burgess Meredith, Eddie Hodges, Paul Ford, and George Grizzard: Inspired casting by director Otto Preminger has a lot to do with the success of this film about the workings of the U.S. government.

The President, played with authority by Franchot Tone, is ill (secretly dying) and appoints a controversial figure to be Secretary of State, who will continue the implementation of the President’s policies. The nominee is Robert Leffingwell, played by Henry Fonda, who has opposition within the President’s own party.

Charles Laughton and Walter Pidgeon

Walter Pidgeon plays the Senate Majority Leader who has the responsibility of getting the Senate to advise and consent to the President’s appointment. He appoints a young senator (Don Murray) to chair the committee which will hold confirmation hearings. Charles Laughton plays the Southern senator who leads the opposition to his own party’s nominee. He brings in a witness (Burgess Meredith) who accuses Leffingwell of being a communist.

Note 1: Lew Ayres, who was a popular actor in the 1930’s as Dr. Kildare, plays Vice President Harley Hudson. This is interesting because he ruined his career as a leading man by being a conscientious objector during WWII. Will Geer, who later played the grandfather on TV’s The Waltons, plays the Senate Minority Leader. This is also interesting because he had been blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. Two actors whose personal patriotism had been challenged in the 40’s and 50’s were allowed to play national leaders in 1962.

Note 2: This was filmed one year before the assassination of JFK. You will see the vice president traveling on a commercial airliner and otherwise “coming and going” without secret service protection.

Note 3: This was filmed years before the Republicans controlled the Senate from 1981 to 1987 and before Newt Gingrich and (what I have always considered) his gang of thugs took over the House in 1995. In Advise and Consent, you will see the Senate minority and majority leaders socializing and playing cards together – this used to be the norm. However, the Republican control of both houses of Congress from 1995 until 2007 led to the end of civility and bipartisanship in the nation’s capital. Dale Bumpers, a former senator from Arkansas, once noted that if the current crop of Republicans ever gained a two-thirds majority in Congress, you could kiss the Constitution goodbye. It will probably be many more years before we see bipartisanship and camaraderie return between the members of the two major political parties. 

The main problem with this movie is this: How could anyone not want Henry Fonda to be Secretary of State?

2. The Best Man (1964) with Henry Fonda, Cliff Robertson, Edie Adams, Margaret Leighton, Kevin McCarthy, Gene Raymond, Lee Tracy, Shelley Berman, John Henry Faulk, and Ann Southern: A superb cast and a brilliant screenplay by Gore Vidal bring life and meaning to this film about the maneuverings required to get the presidential nomination at a political convention.

We have a convention unlike any we have seen in recent years. There are five potential candidates and not one them has enough votes to win on the first ballot. Each is staking his hopes on getting the endorsement of the party’s previous winner, former President Art Hockstader (a Harry Truman-type played by Lee Tracy).

The two front runners could not be further apart. Henry Fonda plays William Russell, a liberal-intellectual-statesman not unlike Adlai Stevenson. Cliff Robertson plays Joe Cantwell, a conservative-opportunist-hypocrite-mudslinger clearly patterned after Joe McCarthy and Richard Nixon.

Interestingly, John Henry Faulk appears as one of the other contenders, Gov. T.T. Claypoole. Faulk had been a radio superstar until he was blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. Faulk had been falsely accused of communist sympathies, and here he is playing a presidential candidate only a few years after the blacklist was broken in 1960.

Comedian Shelley Berman gives a rare dramatic performance as Sheldon Bascomb, who shows up at Russell Headquarters with information about Cantwell’s past that would destroy Cantwell’s career: information that was probably true but was irrelevant. Russell’s dilemma is reminiscent of John Kennedy’s realization of his awesome position of responsibility in 1960: JFK was the only man standing between Richard Nixon and the White House! Russell tells Cantwell, “I can’t let you be President.” But how will he prevent his nomination? Will he use the methods of the man he is trying to stop by using a personal smear, or will he take the high road and find another option?

The only problem with this movie is this: How could anyone not want Henry Fonda to be President?

3. The Manchurian Candidate (1962) with Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, Angela Lansbury, James Gregory, John McGiver, James Edwards, and Henry Silva: This film, by directorJohn Frankenheimer, is about a communist plot to assassinate a presidential candidate at a party convention and use the tragedy to get a demagogue nominated and elected president. If the plan succeeds, he would be given extraordinary powers because the American public and Congress would be terrified of a communist conspiracy.

In an incident during the Korean War in 1952, an American squad is led into an ambush. They are taken as prisoners into Manchuria and brainwashed by specialists from Russia’s Pavlov Institute. When they are released, every surviving member of the squad believes that Sgt. Raymond Shaw saved them, and he is awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

However, Raymond Shaw (Laurence Harvey) has been programmed by the Soviets to be the assassin at a presidential nominating convention. His step-father is Senator Johnny Iselin (James Gregory), who has made a name for himself as an anti-communist, stirring up fear by claiming there were 57 or more communists in the US Defense Department. He’s clearly based on Sen. Joe McCarthy; however, Sen. Iselin is an undercover communist agent groomed to become an American “dictator.” And he gets the vice presidential nomination in 1960!

Senator Gordon (John McGiver) says prophetically, “There are people who think of Johnny as a clown and buffoon, but I do not. I despise John Iselin and everything that Iselinism has come to stand for. I think if John Iselin were a paid Soviet agent, he could not do more to harm this country than he is doing now.”

Major Bennett Marco (Frank Sinatra), the commander of the brainwashed squad, has recurring nightmares of his captivity and cannot accept that Raymond Shaw is “the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I’ve ever known in my life.” It is he who begins to uncover the fiendish plot.

Angela Lansbury plays Shaw’s mother and Johnny Iselin’s wife, and it is she who is the key American operative behind the communist scheme. She explains to her son what will happen after he assassinates the presidential nominee. Johnny will dramatically pick up the slain victim and address the convention. “The speech is short, but it is the most rousing speech I’ve ever read. It has been worked on here and in Russia on and off for over eight years. I shall force someone to take the body from him; and Johnny will lead those microphones and cameras, with blood all over him, defending America even if it means his own death, rallying a nation of television viewers with hysteria to sweep us into the White House with powers that will make martial law seem like anarchy.”

The unforgettable trigger mechanism to activate Shaw is “Why don’t you pass the time by playing a little Solitaire?” Look out when the Queen of Diamonds shows up!

4. Seven Days in May (1964) with Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Frederic March, Edmond O’Brien, Martin Balsam, Hugh Marlowe, John Larkin, Whit Bissell, Andrew Duggan, John Houseman, and Ava Gardner: This is another masterpiece by director John Frankenheimer, and it’s written by Rod Serling of The Twight Zone fame. This one is about a military plot, led by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to overthrow the government of the United States.

Gen. James Mattoon Scott (Burt Lancaster) disapproves of the nuclear disarmament agreement with Russia that has been arranged by President Jordan Lyman (Frederic March). Scott has the joint chiefs behind him, as well as a key senator (played by Whit Bissell), a goose-stepping colonel (John Larkin), and a right-wing commentator (Hugh Marlowe). There are even protest marchers picketing the White House. The protesters call the President’s supporters “Lyman Lovers.”

Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster

The chairman’s chief aide, Col. “Jiggs” Casey (Kirk Douglas), is left out of the loop. He begins to get suspicious: he learns of a  secret military base called ECOMCON; a weird Preakness horse racing bet among the military brass; and there’s a special military exercise on Sunday in which the President will be isolated from the public, the press, and congressional representatives. He takes his fears to the President, and the President’s most trusted allies begin a desperate investigation. This all takes place within seven days in May.

Lyman eventually decides to ask for General Scott’s resignation to avoid a scandal that could traumatize the nation. A top advisor agrees, “It is time we face the enemy.” President Lyman corrects him: “He is not the enemy. Scott, the Joint Chiefs, even the very emotional, illogical lunatic fringe – they’re not the enemy. The enemy is an age, a nuclear age. It has killed man’s faith in his ability to influence what happens to him. And out of this comes a sickness, a sickness of frustration, a feeling of impotence, helplessness, weakness. And from this, this desperation, we look for a champion in red, white, and blue. Every now and then a man rides by on a white horse and we appoint him to be our god for the duration. For some men, it was a Senator McCarthy. For others, it was a General Walker. And now it is a General Scott.”

by David Offutt, October 2006 (revised September 12, 2009)

I’m of an age now that I can say, with some pride, that I’ve enjoyed a couple of careers.  All of them have involved writing and one even combined my writing skills with my passion for art.  One of those careers was as a newspaper reporter.  An aspect of that job that I truly enjoyed was the interview.  I have a curiosity for knowing why people do what they do…why they make the choices they do…what gives them joy in this life.  Back in the day I had the joy of being able to interview actress Janet Leigh [who can forget that famous scene from the movie "Psycho?"] on a day when she was visiting the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA – she had attended there.  I was working for a small newspaper in a nearby town and I argued with the editor that this would make a great human interest story.  It was great fun and I have a photo of myself standing with her taken by our paper’s staff photographer in my keepsake box.

I’d like today to introduce The Interview as a feature of Linda’s Business Blog. From time-to-time I will introduce people I find interesting and especially who have interesting things to say.

Susan Gunelius

Today please welcome Susan Gunelius, CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a full service marketing communications provider; owner of Women On Business, online destination for the news and information you need to be successful in the business world from today’s thought leaders; writer and author of several books: (Harry Potter: The Story of a Global Business Phenomenon through Palgrave Macmillan, Kick-Ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps through Entrepreneur Press, and Google Blogger for Dummies through Wiley. Her fourth book, Building Brand Value the Playboy Way will hit book stores (through Palgrave Macmillan) in Fall 2009.

Q: What is it about marketing that you like so much? What do you like about writing?

Susan: I love the creative side of marketing.  Print advertising and marketing communications are my favorites.  I’ve always had a natural ability to write persuasively, so transitioning into copywriting early in my career happened organically.  I hate to go so far as to say I’m ‘anti-numbers’ but I much prefer the creative thinking process than the analytical thinking process.  I was too practical in my late teens and early twenties to have the guts to study art, so I studied marketing.  Today, I can combine my creative side with my practical side through my work at KeySplash Creative, Inc., so it worked out very well for me.

Q:  Do you see yourself as a storyteller? Couldn’t a marketing professional be described as someone who helps others to tell their stories [about products/services/companies] to the public?

Susan: I wouldn’t call myself a storyteller when it comes to marketing.  For example, one of the things I write about in my book, Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps, is that no one cares about you or your story.  They want to know what your product or service can do for them to make their lives better or easier.  That’s why copywriting is such a unique style of writing.

Q:  What inspired you to write and publish your first book?

Susan: I had an idea to write a book to help small and mid-size business owners learn to write copy that is actually effective.  The last straw for me was when I watched a commercial for a local car dealership featuring the owner and his parrot.  My stomach turned as I imagined how much money the dealership invested into such an ineffective ad that would not drive the ROI they wanted or needed.  That’s when I decided to write a book to teach business owners and beginner copywriters how they can follow a simple 10-step process that applies to any copywriting project to craft great copy that would actually drive results.  With that idea in mind, I started researching how to sell a book to a publisher, and the rest is history.

The interesting part of the story is that my copywriting book was not the first book I wrote that was published.  In the summer of 2007, I was approached by a publisher to write a book about the Harry Potter brand for a college academic audience based on a blog post I wrote.  That book, Harry Potter: The Story of a Global Business Phenomenon, was actually published a month or so before Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps, and then Wiley approached me to write Google Blogger for Dummies, which came out in February 2009.  My next book is coming out in October 2009, Building Brand Value the Playboy Way, and I’m writing my fifth book right now, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies, which will be published through Wiley in May 2009.

Q:  Looking back 20 years, at what point did you see the viability of the internet and recognize that you might be able to utilize it?  At what point did you actually embrace the internet as part of your business?

Susan: I wouldn’t say that I completely embraced the Internet as part of my business until 3 years ago, but that’s because I come from a corporate background.  When you work for some of the largest companies in the world, the corporate bureaucracy can make it next to impossible to get anything done.  My interactions with online marketing prior to starting my own business was a hodge-podge of navigating the insane number of layers and politicking that went on within the walls of Corporate America where the chasm between people who understood the value of the Internet and those who did not was wide with no signs of closing until leadership turned over.  Suffice it to say, I’m a social media evangelist these days and I’ve built my entire business 100% through the tools of the Internet.  In fact, it’s safe to say I would not have a business without the Internet.

Q:  If a young entrepreneur were to ask you the value of writing a blog, what would be your advice?

Susan: If you’re serious about expanding your knowledge, your relationships, and your career, then a blog is a great place to start, because it gives you a place to position yourself within your area of expertise.  It allows you to build an online presence, network with peers around the world, get on the radar screens of key influencers, and differentiate you from the hundreds of other people applying for the same jobs or pitching to the same clients that you are.

Q:  Do you think there are major businesses that are not yet on board with social media that are doing themselves a disservice by this omission?  If yes, what do you think they are afraid of?

Susan: Yes, just about all of them.  I think the problem is fear of control and a gap in thinking between the “this is the way we’ve always done it” mentality and the “we need to get on the social Web because everyone else is.”  There has to be a middle ground between those two schools of thought.  The best marketing plan leverages an integrated strategy where all touch points consistently communicate the same brand message, but the key to maximizing the opportunity of the social web is giving up control and letting consumers experience the brand in their own ways.

Furthermore, a social media strategy is best created to optimize a long-term brand-building plan supported by short-term tactics that feed into that long-term strategy.  That’s a scary thing for executives who have been conditioned to think in the short-term to meet their annual goals and receive their bonuses, not to mention the uproar from the legal team that inevitably ensues when people start talking about your brand online and making it their own.  Put it this way, cease and desist letters are the death of social media marketing.

Q:  Would you agree that the internet has been a leveler for women in business?  Do you think the internet has allowed the business playing field to become genderless in some regards…giving women a greater opportunity to succeed in whatever their desired endeavor?

Susan: I’m not sure I’d give that much credit to the Internet.  In reality, the Internet is just a tool, and users choose how they want to leverage the power of that tool.  If women feel more confident and more accepted using the Internet to further their careers, then they should certainly pursue it, just as some people pursue speaking engagements or other avenues to success.

Q:  As a marketing professional who, I’m sure, keeps tabs on this sort of thing…have you noticed the huge proliferation of independent business consultants and life coaches “out there?”  Is that market niche a good one for a young entrepreneur to go into?  Also, can you predict what the next great opportunity will be for women entrepreneurs?

Susan: The whole ‘life coach’ industry is a tough nut to crack, because the reach of the social web has invited everyone to the party regardless of their actual experience and expertise.  The key to success is finding the niche you’re passionate about and have knowledge of and experience with, and then using the Internet as a tool to network, build relationships, and position yourself as such.  However, you need to be able to back up those claims, so people understand that you’re a true authority vs. the self-proclaimed experts that lurk across the Internet.  That’s where a blog can be extremely helpful in building an online platform and positioning yourself within your field.

Q:  Finally…you are a busy person: business, blogs, books…what do you do for fun?

Susan: I like to spend time with my husband and our 5-year old triplets.  We moved to Florida from New Jersey several years ago for better weather, so we enjoy going to Walt Disney World, visiting all the great local beaches, and taking advantage of the amazing family activities around Central Florida.  There is never enough time to do everything that we want to do!

I’ll second that sentiment!  Thank you Susan for your time and sharing your thoughts and insights.