So many movies thrust you into a simple, black-and-white world of good and bad, of pure moral certainty. So few dare to show you the world as it is and let you make up your own mind – the way Bob Rafelson’s classic “Five Easy Pieces” does.
May 6 of this year marked the hundredth anniversary of Orson Welles' birth. But despite the name recognition and the wide film-school reverence for “Citizen Kane”, it sometimes seems as if Welles is still being neglected, even posthumously.
Ten days ago, we lost iconic comedian, writer and director Mike Nichols. His was a career rife with triumphs in theatre, film and TV, and he was one of only twelve people who'd made it into the esteemed EGOT club (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony).
Could present-day Hollywood produce a satire as bold and subversive as Stanley Kubrick's 1964 masterpiece, “Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb”? Not bloody likely. And there are several reasons for that.
When modern movie viewers hear the name Frank Capra, chances are high that only one title (if any at all) comes to their minds. No Christmas cookie for guessing that I refer to “It's a Wonderful Life”, a beloved holiday tradition for some.
San Francisco -
As staff and volunteers prepare for the upcoming Noir City film festival in January and the mini-festival prelude Noir CIty Xmas on Dec. 18, fans and patrons of the festival show their enthusiasm by dressing up in 1940's and '50's fashion.
San Francisco -
No doubt the recent cold snap that has swept across the U.S. even to California, will add to the mood of the upcoming Noir City Film Festival which will start selling tickets on Dec. 18 the day of its 'mini-fest' called Noir City Xmas.
Every December, TV bombards us with holiday movies and specials, some old, some great, most forgettable. And the unofficial “holy trinity” of Christmas movies is “It's a Wonderful Life”, “A Christmas Story” and the 1951 version of “Scrooge".
Toronto -
It's easy for us to laugh at the panic that Orson Welles' “War of the Worlds” broadcast caused in 1938. We have an extra three-quarters of a century of media exposure. The Art Of Time Ensemble pulls off a tough job: making us feel the hoax's effect.
Toronto -
Canadian movie theatre chain Cineplex Odeon is putting on a monthly series that showcases some of the best American motion pictures ever made. Its Classic Film Series will be on the silver screen in cinemas across Canada.
Mr. Baron will be in attendance to introduce his legendary cult classic, and at the intermission will be signing copies of his new book, Blast of Silence: A Memoir.
