“We still feel that color is hard on the eyes for so long a picture." Gone With the Wind, The New York Times, 1939.
 |
:: On the Telly - February :: Sleepless in Seattle (dr. Nora Ephron, 1993, PG13) |
Comments: Go on, admit it, you love this movie ... |
 |
:: At the Pictures - February :: Volver (dr. Pedro Almodovar, 2006, R) |
Comments: That Almodovar and his women, jeez. |
 |
:: On the Telly - October :: Some Like It Hot (dr. Billy Wilder, 1959, PG) |
Comments: Named by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts as the best movie-comedy ever made. Perhaps, perhaps, not - whatever, it's certainly in the top three! Grab your maracas, its time to snag an oil-millionaire... |
 |
:: At the Pictures - October :: The Queen (dr. Billy Wilder, 2006, PG 13) |
Comments: To have one of Britain's sexiest women play one of Britain's most, well, refined, is a glorious casting choice - and the fact that Helen Mirren is such a ringer for the Queen is positively spooky. A dark satire, with a sympathetic core. |
 |
:: On the Telly - July :: Network (dr. Sidney Lumet, 1976, R) |
Comments: I watched this recently in conjunction with an article I'm writing about democracy and it blew me away. If you think our news media have recently lost their marbles, according to screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky, they started rolling away in the 1970's.... |
 |
:: At The Pictures - July :: The Devil Wears Prada (David Frankel, 2006, PG) |
Comments: Meryl Streep gives an outstanding comedic performance as the boss from hell, who, nevertheless, managed to make me feel quite nostaligic for my old life in the fashion industry. Would we find Miranda as heartless if she were a man? I think not. And the clothers, girlfriends, the clothes....! |
 |
:: On the Telly - May :: The Big Lebowski (dr. Coen,1998, R) |
Comments: A film to make you feel good, aside from the 'tragedy' at its core. It's so good to know that in these difficult times, you can still go bowling and mix a few White Russians, and that the Dude Abides, man.... |
 |
:: At The Pictures - May ::Thank You For Smoking (dr. Reitman, 2006, R) |
Comments: Labelled both smart and soulless by critics, how can you resist a movie that satirizes the tobacco lobby? |
 |
:: On the Telly - March :: The Battle of Algiers (dr. Pontecorvo, Montaldo, Solinas, 1967, PG) |
Comments: A film that revolutionised the docu-drama style - using a mixture of trained actors and amateur extras in cinema verite style, to explore the reasons why and how terrorist organisations are formed and the methods armed forces employ to defeat them. A few years after the events portrayed in the film, the Algerian freedom movement successfully liberated their country from the French. History since then, has not been so kind. Up until recently, the Pentagon still used this film as a training tool for understanding civilian militias. Guess they've got new footage by now. Absurdly contemporary. |
 |
:: At The Pictures - March ::Syriana (dr. Gaghan, 2005, R) |
Comments: A complicated movie about a complicated subject - the nasty machinations of governments to maintain the status quo, and the brutal acts of voilence adopted by the disaffected and pliable. All you really need to know is that folks will do anything to ensure the oil supply. |