tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42364805268388638932024-03-13T21:04:28.629-04:00"It's not the years honey, it's the mileage."- Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones Jr.Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-20472055898116453372009-02-28T01:53:00.019-05:002009-03-10T02:01:02.802-04:00Spring Training<meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 11"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CTim%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtml1%5C01%5Cclip_filelist.xml"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:smarttagtype namespaceuri="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" name="place"></o:smarttagtype></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" latentstylecount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]><object classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id="ieooui"></object> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; 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margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Hey all you regulars checking out my site (Mom, Dad and other <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">McGonagle</span>s who stumbled upon this site using Google to find a distant Irish relative from County <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Donegal</span> while you were simultaneously cross searching for information about <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001847/">Richard <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Widmark</span></a>.) It's been months since I've posted to the blog and things are really heating up here at good ole "It's Not The Years, It’s The Mileage." First off I've discovered the most amazing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">empanada</span> place here in my beloved neighborhood of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Sunnyside</span>, <st1:place st="on">Queens</st1:place>. It's called "Mira Cali" and their beef <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">empanadas</span> are so amazing, you may consider consuming them as your sole source of sustenance for the rest of your life (as long as that mint green colored spicy sauce is included with each take-out batch.) This reporter has pondered such a life of devouring nothing but their fried deliciousness, a dollar fifty at a time. That said, the discovery credit of the aforementioned <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">empanadas</span> must go to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Shaunna</span>, her boyfriend B and their fantastic website “<a href="http://shaunaeatssunnyside.tumblr.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Shaunna</span> Eats <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Sunnyside</span></a>.” It's an informative, charming and well written site that does the gustatory fan's legwork for Sunnyside. Here’s hoping those kids get back on their feet and start devouring the fantastic edibles here in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Sunnyside</span> as quickly as possible so people like me can use their knowledge for their own taste bud gain.
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Time for a little shameless self-promotion. I started writing for a website called <a href="http://www.newyorkology.com/index.php"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">NewYorkology</span>.com</a> a few months ago and I’m enjoying it tremendously. My editor lets me choose and write about the films playing here in the city that are exclusively unique to NYC as opposed to say the mainstream ones playing at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">megaplex</span> in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Terre</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Haute</span>, Indiana (sorry latest Adam <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Sandler</span> vehicle, some other hack blogger will have to cover your amusing cinematic romp that’s rife with fart jokes, Sandler getting a football in the nuts and a touching lesson at the end.) <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">NewYorkology</span>.com is a great site full of stellar information with fantastic contributors that want to get the word out on events happening here in the greatest city on earth. It's advertised as a New York travel site, but it's not hard to see it's just as geared toward the NYC locals. Aesthetically it may be no great shakes (the candid part of this entry), however, my editor Amy tells me the site is going to be visually re-hauled very soon and that will only buttress the<span style=""> </span>truly solid content of the site. Type in “New York Travel Guide” into Google and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">NewYorkology</span>.com comes up second on their list. That’s like a silver medal in the Olympics if I’m not mistaken. Anyway here are just a couple of the links for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">NewYorkology</span>.com pieces I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">ve</span> done in the past few months.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.newyorkology.com/archives/2009/02/cinema_file_bro.php">http://www.newyorkology.com/archives/2009/02/cinema_file_bro.php</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.newyorkology.com/archives/2009/01/needle_park.php">http://www.newyorkology.com/archives/2009/01/needle_park.php</a><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.newyorkology.com/archives/2009/01/cinema_file_god.php">http://www.newyorkology.com/archives/2009/01/cinema_file_god.php</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Also coming here the second week of March, I will be reviewing Billy Wilder’s classic <span style="font-style: italic;">Ace In the Hole</span> for the <a href="http://www.noiroftheweek.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Noir</span> of the Week</a> site. The way Kirk Douglas smokes in that movie makes me want to run out and buy a carton right now (Of course I would never do that Mom and distant cousin McGonagle reading this.)</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">-T.J.M.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-32989546207733228152009-01-04T17:44:00.011-05:002009-01-11T14:13:35.967-05:00Sweet Smell of Success (1957)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwXm8SaxtxWOVHtNMdO_HnaLddwTgGEDPKTbdoWq1-HSjCDEDkDhaXqTi5f1ReINbZDGAf9nDiRFyixlG8Wq4N4XWcEye2K73W93Map1OedQARNPTLvABV9X6gvM2T5SVAMur4c7JWDAg/s1600-h/ssos.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwXm8SaxtxWOVHtNMdO_HnaLddwTgGEDPKTbdoWq1-HSjCDEDkDhaXqTi5f1ReINbZDGAf9nDiRFyixlG8Wq4N4XWcEye2K73W93Map1OedQARNPTLvABV9X6gvM2T5SVAMur4c7JWDAg/s400/ssos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287585437243270466" border="0" /></a>The vicious hierarchy of the animal kingdom is sometimes difficult to fully grasp as we humans are thoughtful creatures with characteristics exclusive to humanity such as compunction and empathy. Conversely there is another side to man that may mirror the the bestial ruthlessness of the animal kingdom. This alternate aspect transcends beyond the animal’s savagery to a darker dimension of mercilessness. Where the hostile law of the wild may seem brutal, it is instinctual genetic programming that’s essential for animal survival in such an environment. With humanity, the cruel and inhumane treatment of others are conscious choices made from dark recesses of the mind; often fueled by greed and malice. In Director <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0533241/">Alexander Mackendrick’s</a> 1957 film <i style="">Sweet Smell of Success</i>, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">New York City</st1:place></st1:city> is the jungle and intoxicating success in the entertainment industry is the game to be hunted and devoured by the kings of this food chain. Only predators with the sharpest teeth, the loudest roar and the greatest cunning will successfully catch and devour their prey, feeding off its fresh carcass till the next warm blooded meal comes along. <i style="">Sweet Smell of Success </i>follows two such carnivores, one of whom is trying to claw his way to the top, the other making sure he remains leader of the pack and nowhere within the landscape they prowl is clemency found or wanted.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9eYYisPURKJ4Ibl9pDtwnQGKXjHrJnrE4WSE8XjyPil16D-5cDguNBV7dG_RhVw-xMNB1n1VXdUR-Zm89-KU1vsElGg4ldxM0NCTMn_qR5QksypU_d8D3CiPCVJPcSPlFoRJhy-vj79s/s1600-h/r2_5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9eYYisPURKJ4Ibl9pDtwnQGKXjHrJnrE4WSE8XjyPil16D-5cDguNBV7dG_RhVw-xMNB1n1VXdUR-Zm89-KU1vsElGg4ldxM0NCTMn_qR5QksypU_d8D3CiPCVJPcSPlFoRJhy-vj79s/s400/r2_5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287585761439928114" border="0" /></a> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sidney Falco (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000348/">Tony Curtis</a>) is a <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">New York City</st1:place></st1:city> based entertainment press agent whose success is marginal judging from the cheap sign “Sidney Falco – Publicity” crudely taped to his office door. We first observe <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> on the streets of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">New York City</st1:place></st1:city> anxiously awaiting the latest edition of the fictional <i style="">New York Globe </i>newspaper. <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city></st1:place>’s bread and butter comes from his clients garnering favorable PR: the best type being a mention in J.J. Hunsecker’s (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000044/">Burt Lancaster</a>) nationally syndicated newspaper column titled “The Eyes of Broadway.” From this famous column, and his weekly national radio show, careers are launched, sustained or destroyed due to Hunsecker’s potent influence. For someone in Sidney’s profession, having J.J. Hunsecker bestow some positive words in his column about a client will eventually garner fame, respect and money for publicist and client alike. At one point <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> did have some favor with Hunsecker, but <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city>’s clients haven’t received one mention in J.J. column for nearly a week (practically years in publicist time.) <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> had done his best to help out the newspaper columnist with some dirty work involving Hunsecker’s little sister Susan. The young Susan Hunsecker (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0365893/">Susan Harrison</a>) has fallen hard for a promising young jazz guitarist named Steve Dallas (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0590398/">Martin Milner</a>.) Her controlling older brother J.J. recently demanded <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> break the two love bird’s nest in half. Unsuccessful first, the film follows <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city>’s manipulation of a cast of predators to keep the two apart by resorting to pandering, blackmail and character assassination. <span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Falco manages to get a competing columnist of Hunsecker to smear <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city>’s name in print (which also insulates J.J. Hunsecker from the appearance of having a hand in the deed) by insinuating he’s a marijuana smoking, card carrying commie. The dirty rumor gets <st1:city st="on">Dallas</st1:city> fired from his gig at a prominent night club, but <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> sniffs the stench of Hunsecker’s lapdog Sidney Falco clandestinely orchestrating the public sullying of his name. He confronts Sidney, who denies any part in the smear, however, <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Dallas</st1:city></st1:place> is simply walking into the tiger trap Falco and Hunsecker have laid for him. Hunsecker confronts Susan about <st1:city st="on">Dallas</st1:city> and she belays the truth to her brother that <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> is none of the things he’s being accused of. In front of Susan, J.J. Hunsecker then calls the night club owner who fired <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> and wields his influence to get his job back and repair his reputation. This maneuver now puts <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> in a position of owing Hunsecker, who he despises due to his creepy possessiveness and impossible standards for Susan. Hunsecker knows <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city>’s self-respect and ill feelings toward him will get the best of the young musician. A meeting arranged by Dallas’s agent between the two men right before Hunsecker’s weekly radio program goes poorly as Hunsecker’s integrity is questioned by Dallas in lieu of the obsequious gratitude he is used to receiving from everyone. Hunsecker forbids Susan to see Steve Dallas again and she breaks up with her paramour to protect him from inevitable retaliation by her brother. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKpiR1shKogpVJHwZn28KGEgDU8YGkb0L_At8wdXfWpDuofQX0L84m_Xt7lnMANBTaOddxrf8IlX9rz1L-fLaW6BJlHk8TnNdK2TkwyAvJsnJMS0_fsL81_lV_jXtoGjuVKVcV407nAI/s1600-h/success9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 360px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKKpiR1shKogpVJHwZn28KGEgDU8YGkb0L_At8wdXfWpDuofQX0L84m_Xt7lnMANBTaOddxrf8IlX9rz1L-fLaW6BJlHk8TnNdK2TkwyAvJsnJMS0_fsL81_lV_jXtoGjuVKVcV407nAI/s400/success9.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287586751573610194" border="0" /></a></p><textarea style="display: none;" name="postBody" rows="17" cols="47" id="textarea" wrap="soft" tabindex="5" dir="ltr">The vicious hierarchy of the animal kingdom is sometimes difficult to fully grasp as we humans are thoughtful creatures with characteristics exclusive to humanity such as compunction and empathy. Conversely there is another side to man that may mirror the the bestial ruthlessness of the animal kingdom. This side of man transcends beyond the animal’s savagery to a darker dimension of mercilessness. Where the hostile law of the wild may seem brutal, it is instinctual genetic programming that’s essential for animal survival in such an environment. With humanity, the cruel and inhumane treatment of others are conscious choices made from dark recesses of the mind; often fueled by greed and malice. In Director <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0533241/">Alexander Mackendrick’s</a> 1957 film <i style="">Sweet Smell of Success</i>, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">New York City</st1:place></st1:city> is the jungle and intoxicating success in the entertainment industry is game to be hunted and devoured by the kings of this food chain. Only predators with the sharpest teeth, the loudest roar and the greatest cunning will successfully catch and devour their prey, feeding off its warm carcass till the next warm blooded meal comes along. <i style="">Sweet Smell of Success </i>follows two such carnivores, one of whom is trying to claw his way to the top, the other making sure he remains leader of the pack and nowhere within the landscape that they prowl is clemency found or wanted.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Sidney Falco (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000348/">Tony Curtis</a>) is a <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">New York City</st1:place></st1:city> based entertainment press agent whose success is marginal judging from the cheap sign “Sidney Falco – Publicity” crudely taped to his office door. We first observe <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> on the streets of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">New York City</st1:place></st1:city> anxiously awaiting the latest edition of the fictional <i style="">New York Globe </i>newspaper. <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city></st1:place>’s bread and butter comes from his clients garnering favorable PR: the best type being a mention in J.J. Hunsecker’s (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000044/">Burt Lancaster</a>) nationally syndicated newspaper column titled “The Eyes of Broadway.” From this famous column, and his weekly national radio show, careers are launched, sustained or destroyed due to Hunsecker’s potent influence. For someone in Sidney’s profession, having J.J. Hunsecker bestow some positive words in his column about a client will eventually garner fame, respect and money for publicist and client alike. At one point <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> did have some favor with Hunsecker, but <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city>’s clients haven’t received one mention in J.J. column for nearly a week (practically years in publicist time.) <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> had done his best to help out the newspaper columnist with some dirty work involving Hunsecker’s little sister Susan. The young Susan Hunsecker (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0365893/">Susan Harrison</a>) has fallen hard for a promising young jazz guitarist named Steve Dallas (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0590398/">Martin Milner</a>) . Her controlling older brother J.J. recently demanded <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> break the two love bird’s nest in half. Unsuccessful first, the film follows <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city>’s manipulation of a cast of predators to keep the two apart by resorting to pandering, blackmail and character assassination. <span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Falco manages to get a competing columnist of Hunsecker to smear <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city>’s name in print (which also insulates J.J. Hunsecker from the appearance of having a hand in the deed) by insinuating he’s a marijuana smoking, card carrying commie. The dirty rumor gets <st1:city st="on">Dallas</st1:city> fired from his gig at a prominent night club, but <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> sniffs the stench of Hunsecker’s lapdog Sidney Falco clandestinely orchestrating the public sullying of his name. He confronts Sidney who denies any part in the smear; however <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Dallas</st1:city></st1:place> is simply walking into the tiger trap Falco and Hunsecker have laid for him. Hunsecker confronts Susan about <st1:city st="on">Dallas</st1:city> and she belays the truth to her brother that <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> is none of the things he’s being accused of. In front of Susan, J.J. Hunsecker then calls the night club owner who fired <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> and wields his influence to get him his job back and repair his reputation. This maneuver now puts <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> in a position of owing Hunsecker, who he despises due to his creepy possessiveness and impossible standards for Susan. Hunsecker knows <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city>’s self-respect and ill feelings toward him will get the best of the young musician. A meeting arranged by Dallas’s agent between the two men right before Hunsecker’s weekly radio program goes poorly as Hunsecker’s integrity is questioned by Dallas in lieu of the obsequious gratitude he is used to receiving from everyone. Hunsecker forbids Susan to see Steve Dallas again and she breaks up with her paramour to protect him from inevitable retaliation by her brother. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">When the payoff from Hunsecker’s devious manipulation could have endured, his pride gets the best of him as he decides to ruin <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> against the advice of Sidney Falco. He orders <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> to plant marijuana on <st1:city st="on">Dallas</st1:city> and tip off corrupt police detective and Hunsecker goon Harry Kello (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0583093/">Emile Meyer</a>) to arrest <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city>. This subversion of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> destroys his reputation while simultaneously alienating Susan from her brother and leaving her in a state of utter despair. She gleans <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> is somehow behind the plot to sully <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> and she summons Falco to the Hunsecker penthouse where she attempts suicide. <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> successfully stops her from killing herself, but the scene looks dubious to J.J. as he arrives home to see <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> with the sobbing Susan sprawled on her bed in a revealing nightgown. J.J. Hunsecker believes <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> has taken advantage of Susan and when <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> begs her to tell J.J. what actually happened, she chooses spiteful silence instead. J.J. Hunsecker begins beating Falco who in turn sprays some desperate verbal venom by blurting out to Susan it was her brother who ordered him to plant the pot on Dallas. <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> flees the penthouse and Hunsecker calls Detective Harry Kello informing him it was Falco who planted the pot on <st1:city st="on">Dallas</st1:city> and tells him to arrest <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city>. Susan has dressed and packed a bag while J.J. is making the call and decides to leave her brother for Steve Dallas. She tells her brother she pities him and walks out into the street where <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city></st1:place> has just been roughed up by Kello and arrested. <span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The film is raw and unmerciful in its depiction of lead characters of Sidney Falco and J.J. Hunsecker. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> is a creature that has an insatiable appetite for the type of fame and power that J.J. Hunsecker possesses. Falco is like an animal (even his name sounds awful close to a particular bird of prey) whose eyes are always scanning its surroundings looking for opportunity and danger. “The best of everything is good enough for me” is the inexorable motive for <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city>’s seemingly instinctual drive and using others to achieve such is done without a trace of remorse or thought to others. His pandering of buxom cigarette girl/former prostitute Rita (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0629539/">Barbara Nichols</a>), who owes him a favor, to the womanizing columnist that will smear the reputation of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> quid pro quo is simply a means to advance his place in the food chain. He does so by reminding Rita of her 10 year old son in military school and this being an opportunity for her to indirectly help him. Rita reluctantly goes along with this arrangement, but not before telling <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city>, “You’re a snake Falco.” <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city></st1:place> is a somewhat clever manipulator and his hunger for success stems from his younger years when he interpreted his confessed pool-hall lackey status as being a “mouse.” </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The film is rife with references to animals. From the “dog eat dog” entertainment business they live within, to Steve Dallas telling Sidney (who is sniffing around for information on the relationship status between Dallas and Susan Hunsecker) that if he wants to know he should just ask like a man and not, “scratch for it like a dog.” Even Susan tells <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city></st1:place> that he resembles a, “trained poodle jumping through flaming hoops” for her older brother. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> is at one point assessed as having, “the scruples of a <em><span style="font-style: normal;">guinea pig</span></em> and the morals of a gangster.” Aside from the numerous inverted <span class="query">anthropomorphic allusions, the film visually captures <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> as constantly on the prowl. The camera work (beautifully shot by cinematographer <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002146/">James Wong Howe</a>) dexterously tracks him as he quickly moves from one glitzy nightclub hunting ground to the next. Never content to rest for a moment, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> seems to be constantly scanning his environment and assessing where his next figurative meal is coming from.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Lancaster</st1:place></st1:city>’s J.J. Hunsecker is a stoic and commanding presence. Loosely based on famed columnist and entertainment gossip pioneer Walter Winchell, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Lancaster</st1:place></st1:city> plays Hunsecker as an automaton with little indication of humane qualities. His only hint of humanity is his apparent affection for his sister Susan. Even so, this sentiment reads as more of a creepy obsession with her (Hunsecker keeps an unsuitably large framed picture of her on his desk). J.J. is devoted to protecting the insular world he has contained her within: not unlike a caged bird he wants at his side to look pretty, but never let loose. Hunsecker is the lion king of this show business Serengeti in which every creature respects his power as trumping all others. J.J. is incredibly shrewd in his assessment and dealings with others, yet he only surrounds himself with powerful people looking for scraps from the latest show business carcasses he devours. In a sense he has penned himself in with his seemingly omnipotent column and radio show as the people he has contact with only respect the power of his media influence and not necessarily the man behind it. J.J. seems okay with that however and he never lacks insight into the selfish and fame mongering motives of the players that clamor to be in his presence (or better yet his column.) Hunsecker reminds everyone he comes into contact with his position in the entertainment kingdom. From a waiter fussing with his condiments who he tells, “Stop tinkering pal, that horseradish won’t jump a fence,” to a sycophantic U.S. Senator that may become President one day, “My big toe would make a better President” he tells <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city>, J.J. relishes his rule and the environment in which he operates. The jungle of <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">New York City</st1:city></st1:place> is a harsh one and J.J. Hunsecker affectionately notes, while watching a drunk being kicked out of nightclub on to the street, “I love this dirty town.”<span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The characters considered weak in the context of this predatory terrain would be Dallas and Susan. Steve Dallas is possibly (and most humorously) one of the least hip jazz musicians ever captured on film. While he has talent in spades, he can’t bring himself to respect the hierarchy of the pack and thereby facilitating his own exile via the influence of J.J. Hunsecker. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> has principles, but it smells of frailty and naiveté in the business for which he is trying mark a territory of his own. <st1:city st="on">Sydney</st1:city> describes <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Dallas</st1:city></st1:place> as having “Integrity - acute, like indigestion.” Susan Hunsecker is pathetically passive, but like her brother she has a keen enough eye for assessing the motives and capabilities of others; especially J.J. and <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city>. What Susan doesn’t realize is the capacity her brother has for cold malevolence when his integrity is called into question by <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Dallas</st1:city></st1:place>. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">When J.J. could have let the confrontation with <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> end at forbidding Susan to see him, she would have obeyed. Afterwards J.J. takes it a step farther and orders <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> to frame <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> with the help of his crooked cop Harry Kello. This scene is a revealing apex in the film as both Falco and Hunsecker show their first signs of vulnerability. J.J. lets his integrity being rightfully questioned by <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> stick in his craw. His pride is agitated due to this lowly Jazz musician rattling his indomitable influence over Susan and the insult Hunsecker sustained from <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> is too egregious for him to handle. More so, the perceived endangerment of what Steve’s defiance represents is in dangerous opposition to all others who bow before Hunsecker. The thought of anyone disrupting J.J.’s structure of power and respect is too much for him to bear. <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> understands that going after <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Dallas</st1:city></st1:place> further will drive Susan and him back together. He begs J.J. not to pursue crushing Dallas for this reason by catering to Hunsecker’s ego, “Why go after a mosquito with an elephant gun?” he asks J.J., but Hunsecker’s mind is made up and he orders <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> to put the fix in for <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city>. The weakness <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> shows is two fold at this crux in the story. <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> refuses to go along with J.J.’s command of framing <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> saying it’s going too far. While it may be the only glimmer of humanity we’ve seen from Falco up to this point in the film, it’s incongruous to the savage laws of Hunsecker’s jungle. More likely though, Sidney’s reluctance of doing this dark deed for Hunsecker is derived from fear of his own hide being skinned if the truth ever got out, or as he tells Hunsecker, “It’s one thing to wear your dog collar J.J., when it turns into a noose I’d rather have my freedom.” <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> vows to J.J. that nothing would make him do this for him, “I swear on my mother’s life, not even if you gave me a column would I do it for you.” Hunsecker slowly cranes his head at <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city></st1:place> and gives him a Cheshire cat grin at this revealing statement: Falco would in fact do anything for a column of his own like Hunsecker. Sensing this exposed soft spot in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city>, Hunsecker tells him that he will be taking a three month steamship cruise with the distressed Susan and would need someone to write his column while he’s away. Such an enticing offer is too much for <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city>’s refusal and he gets back in line with the rest of the Hunsecker pack by framing <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city>. The alpha male Hunsecker has reestablished his position with <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> and the pack, but it’s achieved at the price of exiling his sister and his one possible nook of humaneness. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="">Sweet Smell of Success </i>is a beautifully photographed film integrating infamous landmarks like The 21 Club to many exterior location scenes shot in the urban wild of New York City. From Flat Iron to <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">54<sup>th</sup> Street</st1:address></st1:street>, Mackendrick and Howe shoot the characters surroundings by adroitly incorporating the lighting and danger of the streets in which they dwell. Adding to the film’s pedigree is the fantastic score by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000930/">Elmer Bernstein</a>. Its jazz routed feel and occasional discordant mix of sounds is done deftly without a heavy hand. Bernstein’s musical and aural choices provide the film with added tension and a distinct sense of its era and urban setting. Another pleasant aspect for jazz aficionados is screen time with the wonderful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chico_Hamilton">Chico Hamilton</a> and his quintet. The casting and performances are solid all around with the most notable belonging to Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster. Their malign symbiotic relationship is a dark and gripping pleasure to watch during every frame they share.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>The screenplay, by legends <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0644048/">Clifford Odets</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0499626/">Ernest Lehman</a>, is a wonderfully layered and complex piece of writing. Ahead of it’s time, <i style="">Sweet Smell of Success</i> shows a revealing side to the manipulation of the public through the media and the unscrupulous people who control it by force feeding the flavor of the month to the public’s insatiable maws. The theme mirrors the feral predators of the wild that simply devour one meal only to forget the preciousness of the once living sustenance for the short time their bellies are full - until it is time to ravage and consume the next. It’s remarkable that this film and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001415/">Elia Kazan’s</a> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050371/"><i style="">A Face in the Crowd</i></a> both came out in the same year with their shared motifs and each depicted so unflinchingly. The standout aspect of the script is the crackerjack dialogue that has more electricity coursing through it than the lights in <st1:place st="on">Times Square</st1:place> and as many razor sharp teeth as the mouth of a great white shark. At its heart, the script is a dark study of the requisite ruthlessness needed for success in a savage business where people of values and humaneness are perceived as weak yet toothsome sustenance for the strongest predators. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p></textarea> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">When the payoff from Hunsecker’s devious manipulation could have endured, his pride gets the best of him as he decides to ruin <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> against the advice of Sidney Falco. He orders <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> to plant marijuana on <st1:city st="on">Dallas</st1:city> and tip off corrupt police detective and Hunsecker goon Harry Kello (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0583093/">Emile Meyer</a>) to arrest <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city>. This subversion of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> destroys his reputation while simultaneously alienating Susan from her brother and leaving her in a state of utter despair. She gleans <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> is somehow behind the plot to tarnish <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> and she summons Falco to the Hunsecker penthouse where she attempts suicide. <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> successfully stops her from killing herself, but the scene looks dubious to J.J. as he arrives home to see <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> with the sobbing Susan sprawled on her bed in a revealing nightgown. J.J. Hunsecker believes <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> has taken advantage of Susan and when <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> begs her to tell J.J. what actually happened, she chooses spiteful silence instead. J.J. Hunsecker begins beating Falco who in turn sprays some desperate verbal venom by blurting out to Susan it was her brother who ordered him to plant the pot on Dallas. <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> flees the penthouse and Hunsecker calls Detective Harry Kello informing him it was Falco who framed Dallas with the marijuana<st1:city st="on"></st1:city> and tells him to arrest <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city>. Susan has dressed and packed a bag while J.J. is making the call and decides to leave her brother for Steve Dallas. Susan tells her brother she pities him and walks out into the street where <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city></st1:place> has just been roughed up by Kello and arrested. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3qiVaTwBQ6BPPov_rvj2Fo3wVVHGGGcu-qoVFUWfAr0FzQU-Hb-KoNsxvGEwBuwulRdwR_Dn1tLofn2KaHBUrAFIMhM3h9P3H1I4A98v20Gfvje2q3qQZEJd5OA9ELlPHcBtrEwuLWM/s1600-h/89.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 395px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk3qiVaTwBQ6BPPov_rvj2Fo3wVVHGGGcu-qoVFUWfAr0FzQU-Hb-KoNsxvGEwBuwulRdwR_Dn1tLofn2KaHBUrAFIMhM3h9P3H1I4A98v20Gfvje2q3qQZEJd5OA9ELlPHcBtrEwuLWM/s400/89.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287587906067075538" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The film is raw and unmerciful in its depiction of lead characters of Sidney Falco and J.J. Hunsecker. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> is a creature that has an insatiable appetite for the type of fame and power that J.J. Hunsecker possesses. Falco is like an animal (even his name sounds awful close to a particular bird of prey) whose eyes are always scanning its surroundings looking for opportunity and danger. “The best of everything is good enough for me” is the inexorable motive for <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"></st1:place></st1:city>this seemingly instinctual drive of Sidney's and using others to achieve such is done without a trace of remorse or thought to the people's lives he manipulates. His pandering of buxom cigarette girl/former prostitute Rita (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0629539/">Barbara Nichols</a>), who owes him a favor, to the womanizing columnist that will smear the reputation of <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> quid pro quo is simply a means to advance his place in the food chain. He does so by reminding Rita of her 10 year old son in military school and this being an opportunity for her to indirectly help him. Rita reluctantly goes along with this arrangement, but not before telling <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city>, “You’re a snake Falco.” <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city></st1:place> is a somewhat clever exploiter and his hunger for success stems from his younger years when he interpreted his confessed pool-hall lackey status as being a “mouse.” </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The film is rife with references to animals. From the “dog eat dog” entertainment business they live within, to Steve Dallas telling Sidney (who is sniffing around for information about the relationship status between Dallas and Susan Hunsecker) that if he wants to know he should just ask like a man and not, “scratch for it like a dog.” Even Susan tells <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city></st1:place> that he resembles a, “trained poodle jumping through flaming hoops” for her older brother. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> is at one point assessed as having, “the scruples of a <em><span style="font-style: normal;">guinea pig</span></em> and the morals of a gangster.” Aside from the numerous inverted <span class="query">anthropomorphic allusions, the film visually captures <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> as constantly on the prowl. The camera work (beautifully shot by cinematographer <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002146/">James Wong Howe</a>) dexterously tracks him as he quickly moves from one glitzy nightclub hunting ground to the next. Never content to rest for a moment, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> seems to be constantly scanning his environment and assessing where his next figurative meal is coming from.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Lancaster</st1:place></st1:city>’s J.J. Hunsecker is a stoic and commanding presence. Loosely based on famed columnist and entertainment gossip pioneer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Winchell">Walter Winchell</a>, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Lancaster</st1:place></st1:city> plays Hunsecker as an automaton with little indication of humane qualities. His only hint of humanity is his apparent affection for his sister Susan. Even so, this sentiment reads as more of a creepy obsession with her (Hunsecker keeps an unsuitably large framed picture of her on his desk.) J.J. is devoted to protecting the insular world he has contained her within: not unlike a caged bird he wants at his side to look pretty, but never let loose. Hunsecker is the lion king of this show business Serengeti in which every creature respects his power as trumping all others. J.J. is incredibly shrewd in his assessment and dealings with others, yet he only surrounds himself with powerful people looking for scraps from the latest show business carcasses he devoures. In a sense he has penned himself in with his seemingly omnipotent column and radio show as the people he has contact with only respect the power of his media influence and not necessarily the man behind it. J.J. seems okay with that however, and he never lacks insight into the selfish and fame mongering motives of the players that clamor to be in his presence (or better yet his column.) Hunsecker reminds everyone he comes into contact with his position in the entertainment kingdom. From a waiter fussing with his condiments who he tells, “Stop tinkering pal, that horseradish won’t jump a fence,” to a sycophantic U.S. Senator that may become President one day, “My big toe would make a better President” he tells <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city>, J.J. relishes his rule and the environment in which he operates. The jungle of <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">New York City</st1:city></st1:place> is a harsh one and J.J. Hunsecker affectionately notes, while watching a drunk being kicked out of nightclub on to the street, “I love this dirty town.”<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWF8tnAiSWlzqCgNmmGV8KU1Q0FO3tnWkC0QSWMH4aqI0iV6j6lA7ARiWpucq1-pN4jFnQC-0CWVvCUc4J5edoz7RqfTokeZgaXby8npcknz0L33hhJtt8xKB_JTroSSsjuppvbYI4MvU/s1600-h/sweet_smell_of_succe_22361t.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWF8tnAiSWlzqCgNmmGV8KU1Q0FO3tnWkC0QSWMH4aqI0iV6j6lA7ARiWpucq1-pN4jFnQC-0CWVvCUc4J5edoz7RqfTokeZgaXby8npcknz0L33hhJtt8xKB_JTroSSsjuppvbYI4MvU/s400/sweet_smell_of_succe_22361t.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287586099336698258" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">The characters considered weak in the context of this predatory terrain would be Dallas and Susan. Steve Dallas is possibly (and most humorously) one of the least hip jazz musicians ever captured on film. While he has talent in spades, he can’t bring himself to respect the hierarchy of the pack and thereby facilitating his own exile via the influence of J.J. Hunsecker. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> has principles, but it smells of frailty and naiveté in the business for which he is trying mark a territory of his own. <st1:city st="on">Sydney</st1:city> describes <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Dallas</st1:city></st1:place> as having “Integrity - acute, like indigestion.” Susan Hunsecker is pathetically passive, but like her brother she has a keen enough eye for assessing the motives and capabilities of others; especially J.J. and <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city>. What Susan doesn’t realize is the capacity her brother has for cold malevolence when his integrity is called into question by <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Dallas</st1:city></st1:place>. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal">When J.J. could have let the confrontation with <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> end at forbidding Susan to see him, she would have obeyed. Afterwards J.J. takes it a step farther and orders <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> to frame <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> with the help of his crooked cop Harry Kello. This scene is a revealing apex in the film as both Falco and Hunsecker show their first signs of vulnerability. J.J. lets his integrity being rightfully questioned by <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> stick in his craw. His pride is agitated due to this lowly Jazz musician rattling his indomitable influence over Susan and the insult Hunsecker sustained from <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> is too egregious for him to handle. More so, the perceived endangerment of what Steve’s defiance represents is in dangerous opposition to all others who bow before Hunsecker. The thought of anyone disrupting J.J.’s structure of power and respect is too much for him to bear. <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> understands that going after <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Dallas</st1:city></st1:place> further will drive Susan and him back together. He begs J.J. not to pursue crushing Dallas for this reason by catering to Hunsecker’s ego, “Why go after a mosquito with an elephant gun?” he asks J.J., but Hunsecker’s mind is made up and he orders <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> to put the fix in for <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city>. The weakness <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> shows is two fold at this crux in the story. <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city> refuses to go along with J.J.’s command of framing <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city> saying it’s going too far. While it may be the only glimmer of humanity we’ve seen from Falco up to this point in the film, it’s incongruous to the savage laws of Hunsecker’s jungle. More likely though, Sidney’s reluctance of doing this dark deed for Hunsecker is derived from fear of his own hide being skinned if the truth ever got out, or as he tells Hunsecker, “It’s one thing to wear your dog collar J.J., when it turns into a noose I’d rather have my freedom.” <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> vows to J.J. that nothing would make him do this for him, “I swear on my mother’s life, not even if you gave me a column would I do it for you.” Hunsecker slowly cranes his head at <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city></st1:place> and gives him a Cheshire cat grin at this revealing statement: Falco would in fact do anything for a column of his own like Hunsecker. Sensing this exposed soft spot in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city>, Hunsecker tells him that he will be taking a three month steamship cruise with the distressed Susan and would need someone to write his column while he’s away. Such an enticing offer is too much for <st1:city st="on">Sidney</st1:city>’s refusal and he gets back in line with the rest of the Hunsecker pack by framing <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Dallas</st1:place></st1:city>. The alpha male Hunsecker has reestablished his position with <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Sidney</st1:place></st1:city> and the pack, but it’s achieved at the price of exiling his sister and his one possible nook of humaneness. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><i style="">Sweet Smell of Success </i>is a beautifully photographed film integrating infamous landmarks like The 21 Club to many exterior location scenes shot in the urban wild of New York City. From Flat Iron to <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">54<sup>th</sup> Street</st1:address></st1:street>, Mackendrick and Howe shoot the characters surroundings by adroitly incorporating the architecture, lighting and danger of the streets in which they dwell. Adding to the film’s pedigree is the fantastic score by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000930/">Elmer Bernstein</a>. Its jazz routed feel and occasional discordant mix of sounds is done deftly and without a heavy hand. Bernstein’s musical and aural choices provide the film with added tension and a distinct sense of its era and urban setting. Another pleasant aspect for jazz aficionados is screen time with the wonderful <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chico_Hamilton">Chico Hamilton</a> and his quintet. The casting and performances are solid all around with the most notable ones belonging to Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster. Their malign symbiotic relationship is a dark and gripping pleasure to watch during every frame they share.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40NstkbDOnDYW2yXkKFhwlwtbE3eDX_8sdoYx9Ayt8Nf-HB89OAbMB31A5hVQF7YFrx4C0_y3QHVJaUUkWWQx6Zl0THvwuwTClj3wXWCiwTP0xt_FX8bTUoowX3laC7VVVd8F2XYCG5I/s1600-h/sweet03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40NstkbDOnDYW2yXkKFhwlwtbE3eDX_8sdoYx9Ayt8Nf-HB89OAbMB31A5hVQF7YFrx4C0_y3QHVJaUUkWWQx6Zl0THvwuwTClj3wXWCiwTP0xt_FX8bTUoowX3laC7VVVd8F2XYCG5I/s400/sweet03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287587205064156770" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span>The screenplay, by legends <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0644048/">Clifford Odets</a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0499626/">Ernest Lehman</a>, is a wonderfully layered and complex piece of writing. Ahead of it’s time, <i style="">Sweet Smell of Success</i> shows a revealing side to the manipulation of the public through the media and the unscrupulous people who control it by force feeding the flavor of the month to the public’s insatiable maws. The theme mirrors the feral predators of the wild that simply devour one meal only to forget the preciousness of the once living sustenance for the short time their bellies are full - that is until it is time to ravage and consume the next. It’s remarkable that <span style="font-style: italic;">Sweet Smell of Success</span> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001415/">Elia Kazan’s</a> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050371/"><i style="">A Face in the Crowd</i></a> both came out in the same year with their shared motifs and each depicted so unflinchingly. The standout aspect of the script is the crackerjack dialogue that has more electricity coursing through it than all the lights in <st1:place st="on">Times Square</st1:place> and as many razor sharp teeth as the mouth of a great white shark. At its heart, the script is a dark study of the requisite ruthlessness needed for success in a savage business where people of values and humaneness are perceived as weak yet toothsome sustenance for the strongest predators. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-50201473890368893172008-11-11T12:14:00.033-05:002008-11-23T13:23:17.986-05:00T - Men (1947)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIzxiuZdfEBVzJVF8hgMyTXVe0C-ZBa9EC1d9WNDu5-uIyGN9v1WxsYwM8PEFncsnuofNgWPAMkk24c_nsRre-flSmQfR_OvJOiAH3IYxlTmMt8xBfvu1GczihYCXgp6llTYvsQR-RUs/s1600-h/T-men.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 304px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiIzxiuZdfEBVzJVF8hgMyTXVe0C-ZBa9EC1d9WNDu5-uIyGN9v1WxsYwM8PEFncsnuofNgWPAMkk24c_nsRre-flSmQfR_OvJOiAH3IYxlTmMt8xBfvu1GczihYCXgp6llTYvsQR-RUs/s400/T-men.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267469466190300802" border="0" /></a><br />Director <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0542649/">Anthony Mann’s</a> 1947 breakout film <i style="">T-Men</i> duped me, but that’s what he had in mind. Deception is the theme that resonates throughout the story of Mann’s film and he cleverly delivers that premise of duplicity right into the lap of the audience. Mann sets up the viewer from the opening frames of the film by showing a stern and official statement from the Secretary of the Treasury regarding the money filmed, under their permission, in the movie. Mann then introduces wide shot of the <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on">Washington</st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Monument</st1:placetype></st1:place> which pans to the Treasury Department building. A narrator gives a brief historical background of the Treasury Department over these images which eventually lead into the office of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_Lincoln_Irey">Elmer Lincoln Irey</a>. Responsible for bringing down Al Capone with Frank J. Wilson and Elliot Ness, Irey was also one of the lead investigators on the Lindberg kidnapping case among other high profile ones in a long illustrious career as a Treasury Agent (T-Man), coordinator of the Treasury Department's law enforcement agency and U.S. Secret Service operation overseer. Filmed sitting at his giant desk with the Washington D.C. skyline in the window behind him, Irey stoically explains that the case we are about to see is a composite of several counterfeiting cases the Treasury Department cracked over the years. With such a beginning we’re set up for all the makings of a by the book documentary style film. <i style="">T-Men</i> however is a surprisingly gritty and suspenseful work containing some of the most striking and impressive visuals in film noir history.<br /><br />From Irey’s office we cut to <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Los Angeles</st1:place></st1:city> where a man in a trench coat lurks in black slabs of shadow. Human forms are dwarfed by asymmetrical shots of stark buildings shrouded in the dark of night. A nefarious figure in an alley is uniquely framed by the camera between the legs of a man who guns him down. These sets of dynamic shots are beautifully jarring compared to the formal introduction of the film and also a key indicator that what we are about to watch unfold is certainly not a dry documentary style film. The murdered man, we later learn, was a Treasury Department informant set to turn over a paper sample used by a top counterfeiting ring. This opening sequence sets the stage for our story of a mafia counterfeiting operation and two T-Men going undercover to bust it up before their true identities are discovered and they wind up deader than Presidents on dollar bills.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0r2V_XNOC9Pe7WRrO7YSsnCz0pzVaDc33rHtDYpVZ1jOtJss05VvDa6d8223Lhk-LwWMvlNkuWRhtoxLrDaWRLpu8bBm-Bq6wayTIPWe9t34uooifzfWOFp1FpR_qhJZohAitGW4Ia8/s1600-h/tmen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 281px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji0r2V_XNOC9Pe7WRrO7YSsnCz0pzVaDc33rHtDYpVZ1jOtJss05VvDa6d8223Lhk-LwWMvlNkuWRhtoxLrDaWRLpu8bBm-Bq6wayTIPWe9t34uooifzfWOFp1FpR_qhJZohAitGW4Ia8/s400/tmen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267470397160056978" border="0" /></a>Treasury Agents Dennis O’Brien (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0641454/">Dennis O’Ke</a><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0641454/">efe</a>) and Tony Genaro (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0753086/">Alfred Ryder</a>) are put on the case of cracking the major counterfeiting ring that spans between the mob in Los Angeles and Detroit. O’Brien and Genaro are assigned to begin in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Detroit</st1:place></st1:city> where they research the local crime history and create their undercover identities of two hoods from a defunct motor city gang. With their new identities, flashy suits and help from the local police (who “legitimize” their criminality with the local hoods), O’Brien and Genaro sell their parts convincingly enough to get in on the ground floor of the Vantucci mob. This crew directly benefits from the <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">L.A. based counterfitting production among other illegal enterprises.<br /></st1:place></st1:city><br /><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">After getting the lowdown on the Vantucci mob’s operation, O’Brien goes to Los Angeles to track down a man named The Schemer (<span style="font-size:100%;"><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"></st1:place></st1:city><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0285922/">Wallace Ford</a>) who coordinates the fraudulent currency between L.A. and Detroit while Genaro stays behind keeping tabs on the Vantuccis. O’Brien tracks down The Schemer and infiltrates the counterfeiting ring in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Los Angeles</st1:place></st1:city> with a counterfeit bill of his own supplied by the Treasury Department. The engraving on O’Brien’s phony bill is of the highest quality but the paper is sub par. The Schemer’s counterfeiting connections have aesthetically inferior photoengraved bills but their paper is nearly indistinguishable from real U.S. currency. O’Brien uses these elements to bargain with </span></st1:place></st1:city><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span style="font-size:100%;">the counterfeiters: his superior engraved plates coupled with their high quality paper to make t</span></st1:place></st1:city><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span style="font-size:100%;">he best fake bills possible. O’Brien gets to meet with the higher ups in the ring with their expectations being he will deliver them his superb plates. At that time O’Brien and his fellow T-Men will stop the presses on the fraudulent operation.<br /><br /></span></st1:place></st1:city><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9kKaDq9mMt5LWd2rar5fheAG18cNFzsNs6DGIJo6yEBOiizM2NG_uG9A5Kb_1dboU0dEQy01Hr0mS99D5W4fkvAV7eyKJXve65G2qUhyphenhyphenh0x0-Of5QwZX3LjcqiyFcUpTtuNnygO_ab0/s1600-h/tmen3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 305px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9kKaDq9mMt5LWd2rar5fheAG18cNFzsNs6DGIJo6yEBOiizM2NG_uG9A5Kb_1dboU0dEQy01Hr0mS99D5W4fkvAV7eyKJXve65G2qUhyphenhyphenh0x0-Of5QwZX3LjcqiyFcUpTtuNnygO_ab0/s400/tmen3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267470656744145474" border="0" /></a><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span style="font-size:100%;">O’Brien and Genaro’s undercover operation is jeopardized on several occasions as their true identities are repeatedly on the verge of being discovered by the mob. Both men play their parts well, but The Schemer becomes suspicious after he</span></st1:place></st1:city><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span style="font-size:100%;"> and Genaro run into the agent’s wife and her friend at the market one day. Genaro and his wife (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001478/">June Lockhart</a>) awkwardly pretend not to know one another. The Schemer however detects the strange exchange between the two and tells the mob bosses there’s something fishy about Genaro. The Schemer is partially motivated to do so for self preservation as he has somewhat fallen out of favor with the mob and believes they may kill him. His paranoia was also the impetus for him keeping a coded book in which he recorded all the mob’s illegal activities. This book was a potential bargaining chip for The Schemer in case he got into dire straights with the mob or the authorities. Genaro and O’Brien learn of The Schemer’s book and exploit his paranoia in an attempt to get their hands on the book and the invaluable information it contains. The plans however go awry for our undercover T-Men and bodies on both sides of the law start dropping as the stakes increase.<br /></span></st1:place></st1:city><br /><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span style="font-size:100%;">For much of the film Anthony Mann focuses on the characters of O’Brien and Genaro; specifically each embracing their new identities. While deceit and duplicity are necessary means to breaking the case and keeping them alive, O’Brien and Genaro seem to adopt their roles so thoroughly, the viewer begins to question their lives outside of their undercover characters. When we’re first shown O’Brien he’s on an airplane headed to a briefing in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Washington</st1:city> <st1:state st="on">D.C.</st1:state></st1:place> The woman beside him, wearing a feathered hat, falls asleep on his shoulder. The feathers keep tickling his face and a stewardess quietly questions him if he wants her to wake up the woman beside him. O’Brien shakes his head no and humorously pantomimes a request for a pair of scissors to supposedly clip the feathers that are bothering him. Showing an affable side, the brief scene is placed as a stark juxtaposition to the O’Brien we see fo</span></st1:place></st1:city><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span style="font-size:100%;">r the rest of the film. The undercover O’Brien is a tough, streetwise, cunning and violent force. Mann seems to practically deny their humanity outside of their undercover identities. Our introduction to Tony Genaro’s character takes place on a train (heading to the same briefing as O’Brien) as he carefully sets a small standing frame containing a picture of his wife before beginning his paperwork. His wife is not an extension or indicator of Tony’s humanity. She simply becomes a plot device, adding to the sum of duplicity, double-crossing and corruption in the underworld in which they now operate and <i style="">live</i>. At times Genaro and especially O’Brien seem to relish the perversity of their lives as mobsters. Mann’s purpose in this approach leaves the viewer unsettled, anxious, and feeling hoodwinked without any stock or convenient emotional connections to the protagonists. Mann however keeps the audience off-balance not only by his narrative choices, but his stellar visuals helmed by the director of photography <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0023003/">John Alton</a>.<br /></span></st1:place></st1:city><br /><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlYkNAnl7wtbykI8FCsQ71PWvUN76YanbpLqlWqFDPTDClLjyowFKtAg4yNRkh-WC_UMqvjeKSdQ9mYXHnn4lRFcHGDmny-3PUZKwu7q32Om-dG7RgXq7IzJSSIQsCBzqH6GoMKv5C38/s1600-h/tmen+silouette.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 359px; height: 269px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitlYkNAnl7wtbykI8FCsQ71PWvUN76YanbpLqlWqFDPTDClLjyowFKtAg4yNRkh-WC_UMqvjeKSdQ9mYXHnn4lRFcHGDmny-3PUZKwu7q32Om-dG7RgXq7IzJSSIQsCBzqH6GoMKv5C38/s400/tmen+silouette.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267456162130188866" border="0" /></a></span></st1:place></st1:city><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><p class="MsoNormal"><br /><br />The overall look of the film is the real standout star. John Alton had a true gift for incorporating a tense dichotomy of light and dark in the same frame. His use of shadow often changes men into menacing silhouettes. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Alton</st1:place></st1:city> also integrated daring strokes of light against these black figures giving us just glimpse enough of their eyes, for example, to be reminded of their humanity (or lack of it). <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Alton</st1:place></st1:city> was truly a master of the fast fall-off lighting effect. His expertise in this area yields stunning contrasts from the precisely lit characters to the near all-encompassing atmosphere of shadow in which they maneuver. Mann and <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Alton</st1:place></st1:city> continue to keep the audience off guard by using oblique and unusual angles to film the action. John Alton excels in framing and positioning characters inside the natural landscapes of the city and other surroundings resulting in dynamic shots. He also had unique ways of creating tension simply by positioning the camera in low and unorthodox angles. One such instance occurs when O’Brien is quickly trying to recover one of the counterfeit plates he’s stashed under a bathroom sink while one of the mob cronies is at the same basin washing up. Time is of the essence as he literally has minutes to recover it, but if the goon sees him grab the plate his cover will be blown. Instead of perhaps a conventional medium shot depicting the action, <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Alton</st1:place></st1:city> places the camera at the feet of the men pivoted up to reveal the bottom of the sink. This angle shows the plate’s hiding spot and O’Brien’s hands nervously fumbling to grab the plate while the casual banter between the two is taking place off camera. The anxiety and stress of the situation is exponentially magnified by <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Alton</st1:place></st1:city>’s simple yet brilliant decision of camera placement. He also utilizes deep focus shots, reflective surfaces, camera movement and many other techniques masterfully. If someone asked me to choose one example of what film noir looked like, I would likely sit them down and show them <i style="">T-Men</i>. Aesthetically it’s simply astonishing.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WowZFd7nYqLant-STwJN3EHgo_3HIo6obuujV3Yz_dN1JKIbCE-RTuduKGBxhuS0l_VIeJ8gNtJCjkpxRM-H3ZQ1lC3fKJxsoiHR7d73gcBUga-Mpq17IVJlNEVu5lrXCwK8OhG2fQY/s1600-h/tmenx.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 144px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WowZFd7nYqLant-STwJN3EHgo_3HIo6obuujV3Yz_dN1JKIbCE-RTuduKGBxhuS0l_VIeJ8gNtJCjkpxRM-H3ZQ1lC3fKJxsoiHR7d73gcBUga-Mpq17IVJlNEVu5lrXCwK8OhG2fQY/s400/tmenx.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267469567168102402" border="0" /></a><i>T-Men</i> however isn’t flawless. There are a few holes in the plot and I found the narrator’s voice-overs distracting toward the finale just to name a few. Despite some shaky areas in the story, Dennis O’Brien’s standout performance truly helped to compensate for the detractions. Despite the aforementioned weaknesses, director Anthony Mann adroitly stays on task with a nice narrative pace and quality exposition. What puts <i style="">T-Men</i> in a whole different stratosphere is <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Alton</st1:place></st1:city>’s photography. The man had a true gift for visual composition, lighting and of course camerawork. If anything the visuals alone secure <i style="">T-Men</i> among the elite titles in the film noir cannon. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p></st1:place></st1:city>Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-60101386733276643792008-11-10T23:57:00.021-05:002008-11-23T13:29:58.018-05:00Hangover Square (1945)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKaRXQPNmj_C5s3g-Bvb52EONRP4gZ_pOUjN8OfJlicg4CmJjpELOuEdpYP7rlQWLRE8XdB5AxlbdzPm4W245EgVmydMe45thyphenhyphenQvmY3GcpR3wlrIg0tvuqJojb51n9q0Uv04nHJew6mmY/s1600-h/hangover-square.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 241px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKaRXQPNmj_C5s3g-Bvb52EONRP4gZ_pOUjN8OfJlicg4CmJjpELOuEdpYP7rlQWLRE8XdB5AxlbdzPm4W245EgVmydMe45thyphenhyphenQvmY3GcpR3wlrIg0tvuqJojb51n9q0Uv04nHJew6mmY/s320/hangover-square.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267266874622661138" border="0" /></a><br /><br />As I was going down the list in my head to confirm that <span style="font-style: italic;">Hango</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ve</span><span style="font-style: italic;">r</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> S</span><span style="font-style: italic;">quare</span> indeed met the proper criteria to be considered a film noir, on paper it seemed like a sure thing: adequate ice water running through the veins of a prominent femme fatale character – check, male lead character unable to resist devious charms of said femme fatale – check, crazy blackout and flashback sequences – check, murders occurring during said blackout sequences – check, lead character experiencing overwhelming sense of dread from events beyond his control – check, cinematographer being far from stingy with shadows and chiaroscuro lighting – check, detectives on the hunt for a killer - check. Sounds like we got all the fixings for a classic film noir right? Not so fast, <span style="font-style: italic;">Hangover Square</span> isn’t your run of the mill noir. I’d say it’s more like a cousin to the conventional film noir. It contains much of the same DNA, but it’s not in the immediate family. <span style="font-style: italic;">Hangover Square</span>, despite its surface appearance being incongruous to the film noir category, is a beautifully shot and overlooked thriller that merits a view through the noir lens.<br /><br />George Harvey Bone (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0187284/">Laird Cregar</a>) is a dull, sad sack type of figure, but he possesses a bright future as a music composer. He’s on the verge finishing a concerto that carries great potential for international recognition according to his sponsor Lord Henry Chapman (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0621002/">Alan Napi</a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkiM35EhjcD0HoUmS3uzDpXB9o5LNhc4T_JW7ldUewPqM03I6zA3o6KvKttAMXiu-mjQDVejEq2S6NErNRMoluxc9Cwz1kHc85N5CTH1ezX4G2fTDCgTzUhCzqOLoHhOnLk2IxlUAsYQ0/s1600-h/hangover+square+1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 153px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkiM35EhjcD0HoUmS3uzDpXB9o5LNhc4T_JW7ldUewPqM03I6zA3o6KvKttAMXiu-mjQDVejEq2S6NErNRMoluxc9Cwz1kHc85N5CTH1ezX4G2fTDCgTzUhCzqOLoHhOnLk2IxlUAsYQ0/s200/hangover+square+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267272813052632818" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0621002/">er</a>) and his talented pianist daughter Barbara (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0549273/">Faye Marlowe</a>). Things would be looking pretty well for George if it wasn’t for those pesky blackouts he occasionally experiences. When he comes to from them, he has the sneaking suspicion that he has committed some bad deeds under their influence. We know George’s foreboding is valid as contained in the opening scene of the film where George stabs a London shopkeeper in his store and then flees the crime scene after setting it ablaze. George commits these crimes without conscious knowledge, but he has grave concern as to the nature of his blackouts and conveys these anxieties to Barbara. She tells him not to be burdened due to his gentile nature. George however decides to speak to Dr. Allan Middleton (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001695/">George Sanders</a>), an acquaintance at Scotland Yard who is not a police officer but a psychiatrist figure of sorts. He allays George’s fears after checking out his latest blackout story (he can’t find any evidence to link George to the shopkeeper stabbing and fire) and tells him to relax as the stress of completing his concerto may be triggering these blackouts. These spells don’t cease however and neither does the George Bone blackout violence that ensues as the movie progresses.<br /><br />To distract himself from his worries, George decides to take in a show at a local beer hall. This is where he first sees dazzling songbird Netta Longdon (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001105/">Linda Darnell</a>) performing a bawdy musical number in front of a bunch of drunken blokes. After the set George goes back stage and tells Longdon he admires her singing. She’s unimpressed with the compliment until her man<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfeCUH8KTaSYr6235-HB9Cpv3rmHbhgE5xjbEUZtsX3Bb-2X-3QQk1QXqTPvE0kRFJFJ19FjxhP4T4ilpca5kx_XWWUnSHO6FHOCiq4NdYb6x4B5w_2wEsr_ykizUf3nxjAETIu1QFBQ/s1600-h/hangover+square+2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 153px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEfeCUH8KTaSYr6235-HB9Cpv3rmHbhgE5xjbEUZtsX3Bb-2X-3QQk1QXqTPvE0kRFJFJ19FjxhP4T4ilpca5kx_XWWUnSHO6FHOCiq4NdYb6x4B5w_2wEsr_ykizUf3nxjAETIu1QFBQ/s200/hangover+square+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267272567639387474" border="0" /></a>ager, who has heard of George's talents, properly introduces her to him with the intention of George possibly writing some new material for Netta. George spot composes a tune for her, amalgamates her lyrics into it and the result is a very catchy number. It’s so good her manager sells the song for 50 guineas soon after. Netta realizes that with George’s talents at her disposal, he would make an ample stepping stone for her career. George falls hard for the gorgeous Netta and is hopelessly wrapped around her finger. She exploits his affections and musical talents for her career gain and then tries to discard him when he gets wise to her plan. Unfortunately this wisdom came after George had just sprung an engagement ring on her. His moment of clarity, in realizing Netta’s opaque motives, happened after learning of her pending engagement to a successful promoter that could shoot Netta’s star much higher into the stratosphere than George’s talent ever could.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREOYnBbenCDxEiXVfHCRmMCdiZonBZ0XWB6L9sUZzSmKmatmwLELJJEghOh578oRjWgEGvSOXv7T14ab7JCSfoxSvN0al31m7gT5BzA5XS4FsJsROcxETBR6p6eqcU_-5NwlFEvqyIYI/s1600-h/hangover+square+PDVD_027.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREOYnBbenCDxEiXVfHCRmMCdiZonBZ0XWB6L9sUZzSmKmatmwLELJJEghOh578oRjWgEGvSOXv7T14ab7JCSfoxSvN0al31m7gT5BzA5XS4FsJsROcxETBR6p6eqcU_-5NwlFEvqyIYI/s400/hangover+square+PDVD_027.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267276289955219266" border="0" /></a><br />George is devastated at this development. Upon returning to his apartment he furiously throws Netta’s sheet music against the wall where a number of his instruments are leaning up against it. The violins, cymbals and other instruments come crashing down together and the loud discordant sound (we finally learn) is the catalyst for George’s murderous blackout spells. He immediately becomes thrown into a trance and is off to Netta’s place in a state of murderous somnambulism. He strangles Netta and his subsequent disposal of her body leads to the most striking and uncannily creepy scene of the film.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYDfDTz1-2OSTLXcooMDo1MAWLukjayGx8iPthSbE70jKxaTMlLFSklm_ALdPPlxv1XQ4uv8gDY1NVSim6D9vbsv0QjKVLi1lTK0HVT_IBo-HN5f5YAGEUleq9VvR23pg64xqYTD23MU/s1600-h/hangover+strangle2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimYDfDTz1-2OSTLXcooMDo1MAWLukjayGx8iPthSbE70jKxaTMlLFSklm_ALdPPlxv1XQ4uv8gDY1NVSim6D9vbsv0QjKVLi1lTK0HVT_IBo-HN5f5YAGEUleq9VvR23pg64xqYTD23MU/s400/hangover+strangle2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267287772301231842" border="0" /></a><br />George formulates a clever plan (he’s apparently capable of doing such even under these homicidal spells) to destroy Netta’s fresh corpse out in the open, in front of hundreds of witnesses. Serendipitously the evening he snuffs out Netta is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes_Night">Guy Fawkes Nig</a><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes_Night">ht</a> in England. The ceremonial burning of Guy Fawkes effigies in the center of the neighborhood square happens with a towering bonfire. Before the giant pyre is lit ablaze, people pile on the e<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7O-oTkMIPXi1KKNxe0vGEDUPM8Ru3UXymJmMDF_OMD3iyhbxLvjjgsCBlhSY2ZeLHsPevf5eSKFm_4CJbMF_6WlmgzX5hr4ADU4Bqph6clu1spiA8xotbVa9fYs6QN81emKuxGv57Qg/s1600-h/hangover+square+PDVD_028.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR7O-oTkMIPXi1KKNxe0vGEDUPM8Ru3UXymJmMDF_OMD3iyhbxLvjjgsCBlhSY2ZeLHsPevf5eSKFm_4CJbMF_6WlmgzX5hr4ADU4Bqph6clu1spiA8xotbVa9fYs6QN81emKuxGv57Qg/s320/hangover+square+PDVD_028.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267272367048683330" border="0" /></a>ffigies and George is the last to contribute his own “Guy.” George climbs up the long ladder with Netta’s wrapped body slung over his shoulder and a Guy Fawkes mask over her face. George slowly inches his way up the mammoth mound and simultaneously we see the mask starting to slip off Netta’s face; it’s becoming exposed to the sizable crowd below at the base of the pile. The tension increases as the crowd eggs on George to hurry up. They even begin to light the base of the pile on the opposite side as George climbs down the ladder after depositing Netta at the top. At the very least it’s an extremely suspenseful and powerful scene. Not only is the entire sequence beautifully shot and edited, it concludes with people dancing in a circle around the bonfire. Their huge shadows cast against buildings and streets from the fire’s light makes for chillingly effective cinema. The scene is even more unsettling however when considering Linda Darnell’s real life demise came from a domestic house fire in which she suffered extensive burns and died the next day.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMDvw9-fGFPWKgJr0b4Q8rnUchGKmKV-mQQqWahxxczkCQwXEBctq1JOt0_51g0xLoNe88Cn1lheHgHdSlVXYAhppLdviOKA_ND7mPvclLAUwuskQV3bGloJtGkqY-trSMm0iDIQ8xwk/s1600-h/hangover+pyre.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 239px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfMDvw9-fGFPWKgJr0b4Q8rnUchGKmKV-mQQqWahxxczkCQwXEBctq1JOt0_51g0xLoNe88Cn1lheHgHdSlVXYAhppLdviOKA_ND7mPvclLAUwuskQV3bGloJtGkqY-trSMm0iDIQ8xwk/s320/hangover+pyre.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267286552123157602" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Hangover Square</span> concludes with a distinctly dramatic, but very well filmed scene where George finally gets to have his concerto played in a concert hall with full instrumentation backing him. This finale has some truly impressive sweeping camerawork that’s well coordinated with the stellar soundtrack. The police and Dr. Middleton are on to his uncontrollable homicidal ways at this point in the film. George literally goes down in flames and concludes the films trio of fiery scenes that serve as narrative cruxes for George and the viewer. Tragically, George finally gets to hear his concerto, but the price of the ticket is his descent into all consuming madness. The insanity he once grappled with now totally engulfs him like the flames that claim his body in the timeless, haunting final shot.<br /><br />Much of this description may sound like a film noir, but the twist to consider is the setting: 1903, turn of the century London. The street lamps are gas powered and not electric as were used to seeing in noir, but cinematographer <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005766/">Joseph LaShelle</a> does a fantastic job with lighting, framing and camera movement. He especially exceeds in choosing some great low and high camera angles along with some textbook noir shots such as George showing up at Netta’s door with new song in hand for her. LaShelle and director <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0103975/">John Braham</a> made some clever visual choices along the way. In one sequence near the finale, Dr. Middleton (who now believes George is a killer) questions George (who now knows he’s a killer) in his flat as he prepares for his concerto debut. Braham films Middleton in near darkness while positioning George in well lit areas of the room in a nice contrast to symbolic visual conventions. Another clever touch in the scene is Dr. Middleton querying George about a particular type of knot identified as used upon some of the victims that were strangled while getting plenty of close-ups of George tying the knot on his bow-tie in tandem with all the strangulation chat.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxhRZwG4BVNy9sxcFJcpggny5uTL4kU0qK4Xdv0KpZynjknCTsbIoluZhSOVpCZoyCotLSerOEmLukMI4IdyS4o0XsxPU7U5pN4tguLc9VmXaOAxZREdXObLOtC8yi2fEFpEMihPfEnU/s1600-h/Hangover_photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 255px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAxhRZwG4BVNy9sxcFJcpggny5uTL4kU0qK4Xdv0KpZynjknCTsbIoluZhSOVpCZoyCotLSerOEmLukMI4IdyS4o0XsxPU7U5pN4tguLc9VmXaOAxZREdXObLOtC8yi2fEFpEMihPfEnU/s400/Hangover_photo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267287222301033458" border="0" /></a><br />One aspect of <span style="font-style: italic;">Hangover Square</span> that stands out is the fantastic musical score by the legendary composer <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005766/">Bernard Herrmann</a>. He’s able to deliver a superior suspenseful score for the film, but he also does a very impressive piece of composing with the concerto finale performed at the end. Herrmann did a similar task a decade later with Hitchcock’s <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049470/"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Man Who Knew</span></a><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049470/"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></a><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0049470/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Too Much</span></a> by writing a composition that served as the centerpiece of the films dramatic climax. While it doesn’t hinge on something as specific as the cymbal crash in Hitchcock’s film for example, the concerto is a device that drives the plot in the film. Hermann’s concerto piece sounds spectacular and for the story to have some weight, it had to be such. The concerto is what drives and motivates George Henry Bone to potential greatness, but ends up delivering him into actualized madness.<br /><br />There is a ridiculous aspect to the film that sticks in the logic craw: the inexplicable homicidal trances that George undergoes when hearing loud discordant noises. Not only do we not know how this petite peccadillo began, but also why these types of sounds trigger this behavior in George Harvey Bone. It’s somewhat reminiscent of the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000904/">William Bendix</a> character in <a href="http:///"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Blue Dahlia</span></a> that is driven crazy when he hears jazz “monkey music.” It does serve a purpose in that it facilitates the noir trope of the criminal as sympathetic victim. Its unaccountability is not so unforgivable as to completely undermine the many positives of the film. What bothered me most about the way it was not explained or handled was that John Braham didn’t seem to know how to do so in the first place. There’s a difference between being artfully kept in the dark and feeling like you’ve simply been left behind there.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNkk7zW9kq80_mr8_5BoBVCS3Qb0rJ9zGwejsEiE6IdwK14zpIRJQkafIBDrX348K7escDo0Gvusxtp97VlO2Rze3a1gjyNEhRto-imFFyNGYi9O8dRvrr0sU9lSmW2-mSqtIQnr1kzw/s1600-h/hangover+square+PDVD_023.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrNkk7zW9kq80_mr8_5BoBVCS3Qb0rJ9zGwejsEiE6IdwK14zpIRJQkafIBDrX348K7escDo0Gvusxtp97VlO2Rze3a1gjyNEhRto-imFFyNGYi9O8dRvrr0sU9lSmW2-mSqtIQnr1kzw/s200/hangover+square+PDVD_023.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267272481356559026" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The casting is strong all around with Laird Cregar turning in a truly fine (albeit slightly over the top during his wild eyed flashbacks) performance. Linda Darnell is fantastic however in the devious femme fatale role of Netta Longdon. Darnell lends enough credibility to Netta by not going overboard and hard selling her character’s selfish motives to the audience. She lets Netta’s self-centered ways show themselves in a seemingly organic fashion and unfold at a believable pace. Darnell’s less than consistent number of appearances in film over the years, before her demise, is a true loss for her fans of which I am certainly one.<br /><br />While turn of the century gaslight Victorian London may not seem like an obvious setting for a film noir, at the very least it becomes a surprisingly serviceable one under the direction of Braham and the camerawork of LaShelle. The essential film noir elements are there, but more so it’s a well-crafted and finely acted thriller that deserves some recognition and kudos. At the very least it warrants viewing for the combination of Laird Cregar, Linda Darnell, the score of Herrmann and those fantastic scenes combining infernos and insanity.Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-56438722045123183322008-02-18T10:59:00.014-05:002008-11-23T13:33:38.003-05:00Du rififi chez les hommes a.k.a. Rififi (1955)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEq6pWXtDOKyAQ1p2KPvsggrFwLcTHJvdwWkK9Y4qn__MwI1BTWYcESM5J83Z0muHrEIH31m79EtFFapy3xQBxNH_ot-cU3XR3l3wjmyDzoKlPRYMed55SvzS293k0gTO4gpUo4JS5Heg/s1600-h/rififi+criterion+poster.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168371094906863506" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEq6pWXtDOKyAQ1p2KPvsggrFwLcTHJvdwWkK9Y4qn__MwI1BTWYcESM5J83Z0muHrEIH31m79EtFFapy3xQBxNH_ot-cU3XR3l3wjmyDzoKlPRYMed55SvzS293k0gTO4gpUo4JS5Heg/s320/rififi+criterion+poster.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p align="left"><strong></strong><br />Adversity is the touchstone of friendship.</p>-French Proverb<br /><p align="left"><br />While not a clear-cut case of art imitating life, director <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0202088/">Jules Dassin’s </a>1955 film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048021/"><em>Rififi</em> </a>is a strong example of a tumultuous life event serving as muse. Bearing Dassin’s unmatched ingenuity in the study of duplicity and devotion under the guise of a film noir heist movie, this inspiration came from a burdensome and pathos filled experience for Dassin. A talented Hollywood director and writer in the 1940s, Dassin was eventually named as a communist sympathizer to the HUA committee by friend and fellow director <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0229424/"><em>Edward Dymtryk</em></a> in 1952. This led to Hollywood blacklisting for Dassin and eventual exile from the United States. The trauma afforded <em>Jules Dassin</em> the opportunity to understand profound dimensions of loyalty and betrayal. This same understanding remarkably paved the way for <em>Rififi</em>‘s themes to resonate in a manner that still wields power today as it did over fifty years ago.</p><em>Rififi</em>’s opening shot is a card table filled with poker chips, cash and hands being played. Through this visual establishment we understand risk, chance and big stakes set the tone of this film. Taking part in this back room game is <em>Tony le Stephanois</em> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0785771/"><em>Jean Servais</em></a>). Tony is an older <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9BxQG59j5qAD9NLCK0HZTvmMfSanih_49yZJOrMeLQ6jjbvINiERwyE78_eyDNI6pmrV_V_QpYKJW2Va_oAj3CvWdlDs8csIViruoko9gBkkb6LDHClo3c-34blFGjpVKyP2DxIJQok/s1600-h/jo+and+tony.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168365567283953506" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic9BxQG59j5qAD9NLCK0HZTvmMfSanih_49yZJOrMeLQ6jjbvINiERwyE78_eyDNI6pmrV_V_QpYKJW2Va_oAj3CvWdlDs8csIViruoko9gBkkb6LDHClo3c-34blFGjpVKyP2DxIJQok/s320/jo+and+tony.jpg" border="0" /></a>Parisian con just out of the joint after a five-year stint in which he took a pinch for his pal <em>Jo le Suedois</em> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0617846/"><em>Carl Mohner</em></a>). When a caper they tried to pull went awry, the inexperienced Jo could easily have been the one incarcerated, but Tony was solid and took the fall for his cohort. The time in prison has taken its toll on “Le Stephanois” as he’s known, looking haggard and also nursing a deep malign chest cough. Jo gravely realizes the effects five years on the inside had on Tony; he understandably feels indebted to him because his sacrifice. Not to be discounted there is also a genuine affection between the two men. Jo’s wife <em>Louise</em> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0201009/"><em>Janine Darcey</em></a>) and son have also embraced Tony as family, as he was the inspiration for their boy’s name ‘Tonio’ and also serves as the tyke’s Godfather.<p></p>Fresh out of prison and Reliant on Jo for money, Tony takes a meeting regarding a job Jo has planned with friend and fellow heist man <em>Mario Ferrati</em> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0544275/"><em>Robert Manuel</em></a>). Jo and Mario’s plan is to smash and grab some rocks in the window of the infamous <em>Mappin and Webb Ltd.</em> Jewelry store located in the film’s setting of Paris. Tony dismisses the idea and declines the offer by interjecting, “Mappin and Webb, you’re nuts. Why not the bank of France?” adding, “I don’t run so fast anymore.”<br /><p align="left">While passing on the prospect of some new business, Tony has the unfinished kind with his old flame <em>Mado les Grand Bras</em> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0754878/"><em>Marie Sabouret</em></a>). She quickly hooked up with another underworld player, and nightclub owner, named <em>Pierre Grutter</em> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0526990/"><em>Marcel Lupovici</em></a>) after Tony was incarcerated. Mado had also pawned all of Tony’s possessions ‘to survive’ before meeting Pierre. As much as Tony feels betrayed by her, Mado is equally surprised when Tony unexpectedly shows up at her door. Mado was unaware of his release and nervously asks about his new freedom. With a foreboding nod to what will happen next Tony tells Mado, “They let me out, for good behavior.” Motivated by Mado moving on with her life while his stagnated in the pen, Tony orders Mado to strip out of her clothing, jewels and furs she claims some of which she earned. Most likely though we glean Pierre provided her with the lion’s share. Tony forces her in the bedroom, grabs a belt off the door and we hear him quickly beat her with it while the camera zooms in on a picture tacked to the wall. The photo shows Mado and Tony in happier times, drinking champagne at a nightclub, looking suave and unaffected; a lifetime away from this present scene of brutality. There seems to be no joy for Tony in giving Mado five belt lashes on her back judging from his wrought look afterward while throwing her clothes back at her. Dassin is sure to interject ambiguity as he consciously contains the act of violence off screen. Tony strongly feels he was not only robbed, but is owed something and leaves the marks on Mado’s back as a violent symbol for Pierre Grutter and Mado to fathom his rancor. </p>Tony’s acrimonious action functions as a catalyst: immediately he tells Jo that he’s in on the Mappin and Webb caper. “A mans gotta live” he reasons when asked why he changed his mind. Tony agrees to the Mappin and Webb job with Jo and Mario but the conditions must change: he wants the big haul, namely the safe inside the store full of millions in diamond jewelry. For the specialty work the safe requires they call in Mario’s friend <em>Cesar le Milanais</em> (Played by Jules Dassin himself under the pseudonym <em>Perlo Vita</em>) from Italy. Mario concisely attests to Cesar’s strengths and weaknesses by informing Tony and Jo, “They say there’s not a safe that can resist Cesar, and not a woman that Cesar can resist.”<p></p>When we are finally introduced to Pierre Grutter at his nightclub, he is smacking around his younger brother <em>Remi</em>, a junkie who is so desperate for heroin he pulls a straight razor on his older brother in a feeble attempt to threaten him for some. A hardened Pierre doesn’t seem fazed at the sight of the blade. Pierre’s unyielding manner stems from having his hands in many nefarious pies; the night club is merely a front for his other lucrative illegal activities. Tony, still carrying a chip on his shoulder for Grutter, goes to his club to confront him. Jo, Mario and even Cesar show up to watch Tony’s back. Anticipating a confrontation with Pierre after leaving his calling card all over Mado’s back, Tony initially scoffs at his three friend’s protectiveness. Mario tells Tony, “He says (Cesar) we should stick together on everything.” Tony calls him a St. Bernard, alluding to his loyalty but ironically foreshadowing Cesar’s eventual betrayal. The confrontation with Pierre is a dud. Pierre is in the dark as to Mado’s whereabouts. Perplexed, Tony learns Mado left town the previous night after being ‘marked’ by Tony and didn’t run to Pierre for protection. At this development Jo states that Tony, “Just learned some women have guts.”<p></p>Before the previously described scene unfolds, a musical number by the club’s leading attraction <em>Viviane</em> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000019/"><em>Federico Fellini</em> </a>favorite <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0637649/"><em>Magali Noel</em></a>) is performed. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEoUrS0Kvt21ISP6r96Df_Pj8OEna4HQA2jtt2wrXPsmEbQfNFGAqz_G5i9nunZ7TQtSCW_wAlwB9VzV-bTtBG5ec0yf7iLOK912SDNSS-Vikc9ygOmq6ZIWq9GuxidYh4eKpDfoJ8Co/s1600-h/vivianne+gun.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168365146377158482" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinEoUrS0Kvt21ISP6r96Df_Pj8OEna4HQA2jtt2wrXPsmEbQfNFGAqz_G5i9nunZ7TQtSCW_wAlwB9VzV-bTtBG5ec0yf7iLOK912SDNSS-Vikc9ygOmq6ZIWq9GuxidYh4eKpDfoJ8Co/s320/vivianne+gun.jpg" border="0" /></a>Viviane sings about her ne’er-do-well gangster boyfriend being so “rififi” as the song she sings is the basis of the film’s title (the word “rififi” in Parisian slang translates to ‘rough n’ tumble’). She performs the fantastic number in front of a stage of silhouetted figures: noir archetypes in suits, fedoras, brandishing guns, smoking cigarettes, while slapping their molls around and so forth. The number serves not only as a point where an enraptured Cesar falls hard for Viviane, but the accompanying exaggerated visuals to Viviane’s number are a clever meta-noir moment and wink from Dassin.The second act of the film consists of the four men preparing and executing the heist. Our four protagonists manage to get a hold of the same alarm system Mappin and Webb uses in order to study it in their underground ‘workshop.’ The four spend a bit of time testing its limits (slight levels of sound set it off for example) and figuring out how to neutralize it. This scene not only shows their ingenuity, but also gives us a tantalizing idea of how they plan to break into the jewelers and execute the job; the meticulous teamwork we will witness during the heist is being cultivated.<em><br /><br />Rififi</em>’s infamous heist scene is nothing short of a masterpiece second act for an entire thirty-three dialogue free minutes. Our men break in to the apartment above Mappin and Webb, where Webb himself lives, chloroform him and tie him up. The crew then proceeds to chisel their way down into the jewelry store through the apartment floor. All this is done with near utter silence as to not trip the alarm or alert any outside variables. With the nerve wracking exception of Jo accidentally touching a piano key on the baby grand in Webb’s flat, Dassin opts for sans music during this extended sequence. The effect draws the viewer in closer to the physicality of<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFf4XTbZBrYitcs7kD7T5KbbBDGlG9eUU3mWkNO3jOLC95Uj-6W7608CFitnTQJjmj2-H9D3Bqzse4R8PbACpMwGmUPs7QwT7Gma3n4QN8-vf0sWOCaVzEVZsE_OQdnD9xsxS0i7wFZA/s1600-h/safe.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168364729765330754" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqFf4XTbZBrYitcs7kD7T5KbbBDGlG9eUU3mWkNO3jOLC95Uj-6W7608CFitnTQJjmj2-H9D3Bqzse4R8PbACpMwGmUPs7QwT7Gma3n4QN8-vf0sWOCaVzEVZsE_OQdnD9xsxS0i7wFZA/s320/safe.jpg" border="0" /></a> the heist, as if they were in the room with the thieves themselves. The little touches Dassin incorporates for the robbers to remain stealthy are ingenious (placing a thick sock over a hammer’s head to reduce the clanking between it and the chisel used to go through the floor) and humorous (Dassin’s recherché character Cesar ops for ballet slippers instead of his crew’s preferred tennis sneakers when they clandestinely move about the store). The heist must be seen to be appreciated for not only Dassin’s wonderful choices in filming the process, but the wit in which our larcenous leads execute the robbery. One noteworthy aspect Dassin conveys so well is the amount of physical labor and eventual exhaustion the caper demands from these men. By the end of the sequence the audience feels they too may have sweat a liter and are drained from the amazing pressure they witnessed the protagonists operate under for hours. We, as the audience, bond with Tony, Jo, Mario and Cesar because we’ve shared an extraordinary experience together; like combat or childbirth. We’re all much closer now through their sustained felonious toil.<br /><br />The haul is spectacular, netting them millions of francs worth of jewelry which they stash at Mario’s apartment. Of course human fallibility will impede this as Cesar’s Achilles heel is women, namely Viviane. A brilliant diamond ring Cesar noticed earlier while casing the Mappin and Webb store was irresistible. After the loot was obtained, Cesar quickly goes back for the ring unbeknown to the rest of his crew. Post caper, he places the ring on Viviane’s finger as an opulent way of wooing her. A rock worth a million francs is hard to miss however and her boss at the club, Pierre Grutter, is no exception. After asking her some questions about where she obtained such a ring, he learns Viviane is Cesar’s paramour. Pierre also determines Cesar works with Mario who in turn runs with Jo and Tony. As the heist has become all the news in Paris, Pierre realizes the four did the job. Determined to find and keep the jewels for himself, he tortures Cesar and murders Mario and his girlfriend. Mario’s girlfriend Ida (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0843163/"><em>Claude Sylvian</em></a>) warns Tony just before Pierre snuffs her out that Pierre is on to him and looking for the loot.<br /><br />The ethics of <em>Rififi</em>’s underworld and the people operating within develops into an integral part of the narrative at this point, transcending the foundation of this theme Dassin had been establishing during the film. Despite the unsavory business these people practice, there is a code of honor between our anti-hero thieves. When Pierre and his goons hold Mario and his girlfriend Ida captive in an attempt to get the diamonds, the scene is heart wrenching as the couple both know that they will die. Their loyalty to Tony however, is paramount over the drowning fear they must have experienced in the fatal moment. They give up their lives instead of the diamonds while simultaneously protecting Tony and Jo with their sacrifice. Tony later recovers the diamonds from Mario’s when the coast is clear and stashes them with Jo. Le Stephanois then heads to Grutter’s nightclub to exact revenge from the man who murdered his friend. The club is empty with the exception of a tied up Cesar who asks Tony about Mario. Tony informs him he’s dead. Cesar’s strained expression tips Tony off: Cesar gave up Mario to Grutter.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dwHH-hoAt7hQqgFq12p2NYcnrA2CgZXM9x9OdnNpeo6KrSS4CiGiNqWEk7dQk40XHe7YlFde_EtewOy6R5dpjF3MgGS4g_LSuEmV9Cu7JneChqQEB5y7acou-lU7boYSr05SsQv4lvQ/s1600-h/ceasar+tied+up.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168364321743437618" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dwHH-hoAt7hQqgFq12p2NYcnrA2CgZXM9x9OdnNpeo6KrSS4CiGiNqWEk7dQk40XHe7YlFde_EtewOy6R5dpjF3MgGS4g_LSuEmV9Cu7JneChqQEB5y7acou-lU7boYSr05SsQv4lvQ/s320/ceasar+tied+up.jpg" border="0" /></a> Pained at this development, Tony explains to Cesar while raising his gun, “I liked you, I really liked you Macaroni, but you know the rules.” In an exceptionally emotional twist due to Dassin casting himself, Cesar (Dassin) barely manages his solemn explanation, “Forgive me. I was afraid” just before Tony backs up and deposits several slugs in him. In an interview on the <a href="http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=115">Criterion edition </a>of the DVD, when describing his thought process while writing this scene, Dassin said, “I was just thinking of all my friends who at that moment during that McCarthy era, betrayed other friends.” Dassin being one of the aforementioned betrayed and playing the betrayer in his film gives the scene an eerie and tangible power.<br /><br /><p align="left">Meanwhile the tension of this last act is ratcheted up even further as Pierre and little brother Remi kidnap Jo’s son Tonio as ransom for the jewels. The desperation of Jo and his wife Louise mounts as they cannot inform the police of the kidnapping as per Grutter’s instructions (and obviously the fact they have stolen 240 million francs worth of diamonds), but they’re willing to hand over the loot to Pierre. Tony le Stephanois knows better and puts the kibosh on that idea. The kid is a witness and Grutter won’t let him live as soon as they get the jewels. Tony knows the only option is to go after Grutter and his goons to snatch the kid back before they know what hit them. Tony calls upon his network of hoods and their streetwise knowledge to find Grutter’s hideout. Mado eventually returns and plays the most crucial role in helping Tony find and recover little Tonio. Despite what Tony put Mado through, she is faithful to a moral benchmark above her ambivalent feelings toward Tony. Lines of loyalty continue to fortify in this third act as Jo must trust Tony to get back his son even when he has the capability to give up the loot as ransom while Tony is out chasing down leads as to his son’s whereabouts. Solidarity is paramount between these characters and when it is broken (Cesar) chaos ensues and innocence along with weakness is exploited by the morally devoid. These motifs are a wise guy’s credo in the film but also beliefs straight from Dassin’s own heart.</p>The film ends in a violent flurry and race against time. Dassin conveys this in a beautifully edited, stylistically staccato way that I would bet inspired <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000419/"><em>Godard</em></a>’s jump cuts when he made <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053472/">Breathless</a></em> five years later. Visually the conclusion is a departure from the rest of the film where his use of the gorgeous Parisian streets at night and overcast damp sidewalks during th<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wXIwkAgzgwy129mTOIafTTiibnCX8FS8mJ26t-sgWVTk-qlMdOoUiTbyqVY_KK0iK6D4CAF0xVzsagXLq00MwAcqdku6d_TLDnyoedcA6fs89lS_phnF9v9lGIIQ2C1D3fOdtMWZ00g/s1600-h/paris+depth.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168363935196380962" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8wXIwkAgzgwy129mTOIafTTiibnCX8FS8mJ26t-sgWVTk-qlMdOoUiTbyqVY_KK0iK6D4CAF0xVzsagXLq00MwAcqdku6d_TLDnyoedcA6fs89lS_phnF9v9lGIIQ2C1D3fOdtMWZ00g/s320/paris+depth.jpg" border="0" /></a>e day make for a cohesive and memorable aesthetic. The Director of photography <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0013221/"><em>Philippe Agostini</em> </a>also had a knack for framing the wonderful streets, bridges and staircases of Paris in such a way that from the camera’s perspective, produce an elongated effect giving the shots a wonderful stylized depth. The film looks amazing and is assembled in a crisp, intelligent and daring fashion.<br /><p align="left"><em>Rififi</em>’s cast is very solid overall with Jean Servais as Tony leading the memorable ensemble. His worn and sorrowful look is perfect as he is also able to convey a steely toughness when necessary. The standouts are the actors playing Italians namely Robert Manuel as Mario and I would argue that Dassin nearly steals his own film as Cesar le Milanais. He’s quite good in the role as he is able to mix in humor and sell the dramatic final scene between Cesar and Tony (Dassin however is not as good in a straight man comedic role in his otherwise charming 1960 film <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054198/">Never on Sunday</a></em>)</p><em>Rififi</em> is bold, imaginative and near flawless filmmaking. The exposition and characters are so well crafted that Dassin’s many subtle and daring directorial touches only contribute to the aggregate of an outstanding work of art. <em>Rififi</em>’s heist scene has been copied and imitated repeatedly over the years and is the jump-off point in most discussions regarding the film, but surrounding that brilliant nucleus is a network of wonderful acting, cinematography, music, editing and writing which make the overall cell of <em>Rififi</em> fortified and resilient to time. But beyond the biology of the film its turbulent emotional content of loyalty and betrayal is what makes <em>Rififi</em> truly sing. Like the lyrics from the film’s song declares, “All it means is rough n’ tumble” and you will not want the ride any other way.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tOtC1uZfs5IBj7MsLUMy4hf3w58P2OJmG2VeibdhrKVl_b3mkVTTfgwEC5h17l3etXuLBiBIijeowJvK06sJ5mKcl0YLcI1ZBakUs2VLX4bkCs3ZhP-Qi_RiPwpSnwGEvvSFEW4I8qw/s1600-h/poster.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5168366134219636610" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7tOtC1uZfs5IBj7MsLUMy4hf3w58P2OJmG2VeibdhrKVl_b3mkVTTfgwEC5h17l3etXuLBiBIijeowJvK06sJ5mKcl0YLcI1ZBakUs2VLX4bkCs3ZhP-Qi_RiPwpSnwGEvvSFEW4I8qw/s400/poster.jpg" border="0" /></a><p align="left"><br /></p><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-49873712174184513612007-11-30T01:06:00.002-05:002008-11-23T13:36:21.469-05:00Pickup on South Street (1953) <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyodv1AwHw3YEffEMfcJKBUXWeHzrqzeQyUeFGrPhaL4P6AXnkF2QrBZid1ccpD8qltQGyuUlvFeowNuC7Opiy7pDEBzsJSNqz5aBchzuvGyi0-l5LF0eKRn3H-YftU6KjNBIUrHJp48/s1600-r/pickuponss1yr2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9mZDlxAwCsXQznBJHoBv-hC9KjhKgMvjO6qIZj1bzepr6XQ8JO0uFlO4kTUfTJ4uhn6RSHRJ_UzyrrIKh22XuItjpDCUuia1YEj5zV1CvabwnalQO1uP8ajuygSZGMZ563al0ICBxPlo/s400/pickuponss1yr2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138517715914336258" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="display: none;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal">Skip McCoy is a sleazy, thieving, smart-ass. He has a gift for the grift and he’s not hesitant to use it on easy and innocent prey. If he has a middle name it may be “recidivism” as he’s been pinched by the police on many occasions for picking pockets and done jail time in three separate stints. Because of his three strikes, one more conviction for Skip and he’s going to the slammer for life. Candy on the other hand is a B-girl who has been “knocked around a lot” and seems to think its status quo for a girl like her. A svelte, good looking dame whose white dress worn in the film is so tight, she may need turpentine at the end of the night to peel it off. Candy gets these taut threads namely from guys with dough who want to see her in them. One could speculate that she most likely does more than simply bat her eyelashes at these same mooks to keep the duds they put her in. Lastly Moe Williams is a sub-contractor stool pigeon to the cops plain and simple. She resents the stoolie label however stating that she, “was brought up to report any injustice to the police authority.” Despite this rationalization, when the price was right she dropped a dime on Skip’s modus operandi and whereabouts to the cops when they were looking for his neck to hang a collar on. It may not seem too strange for a professional canary to sing about a lowly pickpocket, but unusual when one considers Moe has known Skip since he was a kid and genuinely professes to love him. While this triumvirate of two-bit hoods and hustlers may sound like the kind of scene you’d want to avoid at all costs, it’s these same characters you can’t afford to miss in director Sam Fuller’s<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span>masterpiece <span style="font-style: italic;">Pickup on </span><st1:street style="font-style: italic;" st="on"><st1:address st="on">South Street</st1:address></st1:street>.<br /><br />The film opens on a NYC subway car where Candy (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0676492/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Jean Peters</span></a>) is carrying an envelope given to her by ex-boyfriend Joey (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0453006/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Richard Kiley</span></a>). As a last favor to him she is to deliver the envelope to a man at a rendezvous point and she’ll be done with Joey once and for all. Candy is unaware that the contents inside the envelope (we later learn) are strips of microfilm consisting of classified <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> government secrets that the Russians are dying to get their pinko paws around. Joey is working for the commies and looking for a big pay day with the delivery of the film. Candy is his unknowing buffer and potential fall-gal in case the deal goes sour. The <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region> government is aware of the breach and G-Men have been following Joey and the people he associates with for six months hoping to land the big players above him. We observe J. Edgar’s agents tailing and keeping a close eye on Candy in the subway car. Unexpectedly, while the car is in motion, they witness a man position himself next to Candy in the crowded car and adroitly pluck the wallet from her purse right under her oblivious nose. Before they can react the thief is off the train at the next stop with Candy’s wallet containing the envelope and microfilm. One of the G-Men continues to tail Candy while the other visits NYC police <span style="font-style: italic;">Captain Dan Tiger</span> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0904531/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Murvyn Vye</span></a>) to try and find out who this “cannon” is that lifted the microfilm. To expedite the process of finding out whom the pickpocket’s identity, Captain Tiger calls in one of his informants; a little old lady named <span style="font-style: italic;">Moe Williams</span> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0728812/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Thelma Ritter</span></a>). Moe looks like she’s as altruistic as Florence Nightingale, but in reality the only pulse Moe has her finger on is the seedy underbelly of the NYC grifter element. This inside knowledge, coupled with the cops hitting a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtjgs905Cew6Wf_M-q-seyOKOOESl_hDXbPph_zB0vJscMkb_OH4iOQ3Y1v3w72hWd-X6iXk3KvFwgA2oM2puhP1ypUJiEQvss5CoSgvMUAIP7nKUmC3UomZQHI95OSJFo5WfH-J7GS4M/s1600-r/pickupvhscover1dc2f53fev7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRbIALa1d_ibVMD6Kya9JjAkJiOSv071doCHxAnRZkaE-JZcttQP9rWa-XD-9COYLHSY_b26nGi5eaErVpIKWYufk5JoG9b-rh3wFB6sPiWq_Ys3ifVsGPWN88kgm811HIvvWoQMpyR_s/s320/pickupvhscover1dc2f53fev7.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138517986497275922" border="0" /></a> dead end, allows her to drop a dime on the hoods to earn a dollar. She expertly identifies the pickpocket as <span style="font-style: italic;">Skip</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> McCoy</span> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001847/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Richard Widmark</span></a>) by the G-men’s eyewitness description of his uniquely individual thieving technique. Both the G-Men and Captain Tiger’s police force know he has the microfilm and they haul in Skip attempting to pry it out of him. Skip won’t cop to possessing it, as one more conviction, added to his three, will ensure they throw away the key on him. From here on out Candy tries to use Moe to get the microfilm back from Skip. Moe tries to milk Candy’s desperation to find Skip for her own financial gain. Skip discovers the microfilm and tries to grift Candy for a big payday from Joey and the commies. I’m just scratching the surface as the story has more wonderfully crazy angles and twists than an Escher drawing. Fortunately the tale never gets convoluted in its complexity and continues to build toward a gripping third act that stands up to any noir history.<br /><br />While the screenplay (written by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002087/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sam Fuller</span></a> from a story by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0852313/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Dwight Taylor</span></a>) is rich in dialogue, narrative, and story, the cast elevates it to a plateau of excellence that few movies in film noir<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBKQv576V2f7ATPaMfrfBdBnfasU3EX3KY_blxrXx9B8Ylu4YcCiO7xg_mJDf1oBOEYKmYtBA90cPx3AzLVDXGvIhc4_A6cSuahWHGzQJ8PEPN5F4Rv0YpIhpiLzqsnfQkMJX5dcVV9E/s1600-r/pickup-screen5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLeSvGb3E-_Pg8lASSbN5KBizIRaPa9TSZNAbCN2zCt3TaF41-rXuYd9-ildLK05W9K5xSzRlUFaEBz9UDvp6Q6DSkL3rOsInXEZ-QjDGpQ3-gY2yd6FKhVy57wSMLPi8YCx5PsxUxM3k/s320/pickup-screen5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138518390224201762" border="0" /></a> reach. Widmark is outstanding as the anti-hero and gives arguably his best performance from an impressive ‘cannon’ of work. Jean Peters gives a solid performance as the manipulated moll Candy. While she may not have the otherworldly chops of Widmark or Ritter, she sells the part well enough to keep up with her co-stars. Without a doubt though, Thelma Ritter is soul of this film. Her ability to convey the vulnerability, charm, and guile of a complex character like Moe is a feat I can picture no other actress accomplishing the way she did in<span style="font-style: italic;"> Pickup</span>. It’s a brilliant performance that belongs in the pantheon of film. Seriously.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">Visually there is plenty to appreciate and enjoy with <span style="font-style: italic;">Pickup on </span><st1:street style="font-style: italic;" st="on"><st1:address st="on">South Street</st1:address></st1:street> but Fuller’s use of the close-up is the visual element that resonates deepest with me. He judiciously uses tight facial framing but maximizes its effectiveness when he does. Each main character gets a notable close-up during points in the film where a significant aspect of their character is revealed and we get a better understanding of the people occupying Fuller’s world. During Thelma Ritter’s introductory scene in Captain Tiger’s office, the camera is kept at bay until Tiger asks Moe about the status of her “kitty” (her savings which is simply a big wad of cash). Moe has been saving up scratch from her legitimate business front of selling men’s neck–ties on the street and also her informant money so she can buy herself a top of the line funeral and all the trimmings. She tells Tiger that she’s almost has enough for the headstone and the exclusive plot on <st1:place st="on">Long Island</st1:place> where you have to be screened before they “let you in there.” Tiger warns her that she better be careful about carrying around such a large wad of cash, especially with the ne’er-do-wells she associates with otherwise she’ll end up in Potter’s Field. Tiger’s words act as a vacuum to the feisty and energetic flame in Moe’s eyes. Her face drains only to be refilled quickly with a grave look of concern that comes over her as the camera gets to an intimate distance with her face. She confides to the police Captain, “Look Tiger, if I was to be buried in Potter’s field… It’d just about kill me.” There are several moments in the film like this where such a small aspect reveals so much about the different character’s desires, fears and motivations.<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">As if the fantastic story isn’t enough, <span style="font-style: italic;">Pickup</span> has many complex and fascinating themes permeating the film. One I discovered on a recent viewing is the interesting dichotomy between reliance on the male dominated world in which Moe and Candy operate to survive and their struggle with maintaining independence and autonomy. Moe needs men to buy her neck-ties<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGu_xE_-NhDj2r9ATRnEj3HePE1rMxaRCNctvWhwagD-ybUA_5O0w_IY4GVotFXHtQ0St4o-So130uR85AqPY8lDHuUdJrGlQWYoAYivjX9FWm2EGR2xJu-hz0XJEmpMO-vAjk9SNu40s/s1600-r/PickupSouthStreetthelmaandjean.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjItDjAzE_2U6A6rxpB092XSUO9yyUpARIBa-d47pZugzPSj_jOFueZCNogdkiAqUMcYwC4uj0DMJV6aqgJF8m7D-66fe6_dzkNyFThknVU37aDYqDg3Ggff8I9b7VwqIIO2ZO0OvhN9Gc/s400/PickupSouthStreetthelmaandjean.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5138518845490735154" border="0" /></a> and Captain Tiger to help feed her kitty. Candy needs men to earn a living by being the “eye” type of her namesake. The viewer gleans that Candy floats from the arm of one guy to the next but it’s not something she’s particularly proud of. When his tail is on the line and he needs a lead as to who lifted the microfilm from her purse, Joey asks Candy, “You’ve knocked around a lot. You know people who know people.” Candy’s face tenses up and Fuller gives the audience another telling close-up as she snarls, “You gonna throw that in my face again?” Due to the nature of their professions Moe and Candy can’t afford to get too close to anybody, yet simultaneously they have a pragmatic need for connecting with people. But beneath these same necessary connections of survival stirs an emotional longing to unite with others on a human level. Unexpectedly and briefly, Candy and Moe seem to find this commonality with each other via Skip acting as an inadvertent catalyst. It’s an interesting dynamic and brief exploration of such between these two women, especially for the patriarchal and straight-laced era in which the film was made.<br /><br />There are so many little touches to <span style="font-style: italic;">Pickup on </span><st1:street style="font-style: italic;" st="on"><st1:address st="on">South Street</st1:address></st1:street> that help make it one of the finest film noirs I’ve ever seen. I love the way a streetwise character named <span style="font-style: italic;">Lightning Louie</span> uses chopsticks in a Chinese restaurant to pocket cash on the table. I adore Moe as she’s working angles as an informer and simultaneously trying to sell her ties or as she calls them “a complete line of personality neck-ware.” I never tire of the scene where Moe deduces that Skip is the microfilm thief by the individual method in which he lifts Candy’s wallet because Moe knows each pickpocket’s methods are as distinct and unique as a fingerprint. I crack up over the way Skip keeps his beer cold in his unconventional hideout and offers a cop one by nearly hurling the bottle at him from across the room. I love it when Candy realizes her wallet has been lifted while she’s inside the lobby of a building and somewhere outside the sound of an alarm goes off. I love the existential acceptance shown by Skip when he realizes that Moe told Candy where he was hiding out and he embraces her being a stool-pigeon by quipping “Moe’s alright, she’s gotta eat.” These are just a few samples of many, many details and nuances in <span style="font-style: italic;">Pickup</span> that make up an aggregate of mesmerizing and near flawless filmmaking. One viewing of <span style="font-style: italic;">Pickup on South Street</span> is not enough to fully appreciate its genius, but one viewing will certainly whet the thirst of any true film-lover enough to continue going back and drink from this refreshing well, again and again.</p><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-31147155721419495732007-10-02T22:40:00.000-04:002007-10-12T16:05:57.267-04:00Red Sox Regular Season Wrap-upWhen you end up tied for the best record in baseball it's fair to say you had a pretty good year. Well that's just what the <span style="font-style: italic;">2007 AL East Champion</span> <a href="http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=bos"><span style="font-style: italic;">Boston Red <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Sox</span></span></span></a> did this season. While things got a little dicey there at the end (sorry <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sox</span> fans who got that one, I'm addicted to puns) with the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">yankmees</span></span> playing insanely great ball after the all-star break and whittling down the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Sox</span></span> game lead in the east from 14 and a half to just a couple, the old <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">towne</span></span> team pulled through. We also clinched home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Not too shabby. In fact, one may say it's <span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">pissah</span> (</span>if one was a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Masshole</span><span style="font-style: italic;">).</span><br /><br />As someone who followed them quite closely, watched about half of their games, and attended half a dozen of them in person, I feel somewhat qualified to state a few observations and thoughts on some of the players this season. Here are the starting nine...<br /><br />1) <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=7906"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Daisuke</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Matsuzaka</span></span></span></a> - I called it when I told many fellow friends that he would end up with about 15 wins and an ERA around four and a half (15-12 with a 4.40 ERA). I have to pat myself on the back on this prediction as I'm usually mediocre at best in that department. I was at his first game he pitched at<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq82RMaC4iiZCWHohG3AChBJi8eY4113rHpom902rI_3M4vzABbAMuld-ZV6sVXiJhP2Dm5Naa6enYwfCNHAAtjoWJ2Hzl_4s-IfQchN__yX0mbPZZhzjEO3bTXuj5nZ8l3HZCzfEYa24/s1600-h/070514_diceK_vmed_8p.widec.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq82RMaC4iiZCWHohG3AChBJi8eY4113rHpom902rI_3M4vzABbAMuld-ZV6sVXiJhP2Dm5Naa6enYwfCNHAAtjoWJ2Hzl_4s-IfQchN__yX0mbPZZhzjEO3bTXuj5nZ8l3HZCzfEYa24/s400/070514_diceK_vmed_8p.widec.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117105227364287666" border="0" /></a> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Fenway</span></span> where he had decent stuff but the performance was overshadowed by <span style="font-style: italic;">Felix Hernandez</span> of Seattle throwing a one-hitter in the match-up (the best live pitching performance I've ever seen at the major league level). Dice-K obviously had some serious consistency problems this season as his walks (80) and giving up the long ball (25) seemed to be confined to a particular inning during each start. The rest of the start he would pitch anywhere between pretty well to lights out. I think that the numerous adjustments to pitching in the U.S. (along with the many cultural and language challenges) perhaps had more to do with his numbers than anything else. I believe he also hit a wall at the end of the season where his endurance ran out. He was acclimated to a shorter schedule and six days between games in Japan. That must have played a significant part. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Sox</span></span> were apparently quite hands off with his physical training and workout regime; the Sox brass allowed him near full autonomy in that department. I imagine that will change next year to prevent the abysmal last month and a half he had (with the exception of the night they clinched the East on Friday the 28<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">th</span></span> when he went 8 full innings, giving up only two runs). I think he will improve next year, but I don't think he will be an ace or anything more than a solid number three or possibly two starter. Over 200 innings and 15 wins this year is nothing to sneeze at however.<br /><br />2) <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=6403"><span style="font-style: italic;">Josh Beckett</span></a> - Should win the <span style="font-style: italic;">Cy</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Young Award</span> if that tells you anything.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8D9bqGncaR_jF_PScJjnAMM7X2c54-5X411siBxXMRGXsDzIP8g4tRarP5F0NWN_upWpoBNlSzduxjJHACDD-RTHvRKETPBlr1cHBZCzhkUdt3vgWfvbOJq1sTdzCRJQWpKlqkvQUzmo/s1600-h/beckett.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8D9bqGncaR_jF_PScJjnAMM7X2c54-5X411siBxXMRGXsDzIP8g4tRarP5F0NWN_upWpoBNlSzduxjJHACDD-RTHvRKETPBlr1cHBZCzhkUdt3vgWfvbOJq1sTdzCRJQWpKlqkvQUzmo/s400/beckett.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117105360508273858" border="0" /></a><br /><br />3) <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=6133"><span style="font-style: italic;">Mike Lowell</span></a> - You'd have to be a serious douche-bag (yes I have a Bachelor's in English) not to love this guy. Not only has he torn the cover off the ball all season long, but especially in the second half quieting the naysayers that expected another late season drop off in production. He's been clutch, a leader, a producer, defensively solid (although with an<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQNnQU7fkPrVY7k5RCZZyxr7He2seAsrcQo8V87PkHBb9nGbE9Tu9m4MQNnRP_1GDj3UM-tG4j6gibMK12wu1UglKPD-cZZ4z8LLsVCn6PChKNWF5t1NaBai5VhuSF1H3mz_bJ-Let-k/s1600-h/lowell+red-sox.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQNnQU7fkPrVY7k5RCZZyxr7He2seAsrcQo8V87PkHBb9nGbE9Tu9m4MQNnRP_1GDj3UM-tG4j6gibMK12wu1UglKPD-cZZ4z8LLsVCn6PChKNWF5t1NaBai5VhuSF1H3mz_bJ-Let-k/s400/lowell+red-sox.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117105592436507858" border="0" /></a> anomalous year for this former gold <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">glover</span> with 15 errors) and a liaison between the English and Spanish speaking players with his bilingual fluency. Mike Lowell is also a very articulate and class-act. My favorite Mike Lowell moment from this year were his thoughts about the inside-the-park home run <span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Ichiro</span></span></span> hit in the All-Star game. A reporter asked him to comment on it and Lowell said something to the effect of "He got out of the box pretty quickly but when he rounded second he really poured it on and was blazing down the paths the rest of the way to home plate...it reminded me of a young Mike Lowell." Hilarious. I'm secure enough in my heterosexual masculinity to admit that I have a huge man-crush on the guy.<br /><br />4) <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=5103"><span style="font-style: italic;">Julian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Tavarez</span></span></span></a> - I was not a<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNRrDAFFc-A4T1mEEwP_D1XzdaPPuh8okd5I2cYZ4s4xF5vNKB4gxB5XB_qx2F0KBx656KyaN5ll_JBb2mb7qHeCWNm1YPTa2lqb36i5oA_8O_085Sb9_43rLqVFsIR9lwoJZrzzviIY/s1600-h/BDD_JTdet_5.17.07.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifNRrDAFFc-A4T1mEEwP_D1XzdaPPuh8okd5I2cYZ4s4xF5vNKB4gxB5XB_qx2F0KBx656KyaN5ll_JBb2mb7qHeCWNm1YPTa2lqb36i5oA_8O_085Sb9_43rLqVFsIR9lwoJZrzzviIY/s400/BDD_JTdet_5.17.07.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117105953213760738" border="0" /></a> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Tavarez</span></span> fan before this year. I couldn't stand the guy with his <span style="font-style: italic;">Freddy Kruger</span> rugged looks, psycho temper, and proclivity toward self-destructing (although I didn't mind his punching the dugout phone in 2004). Last year he seemed to blow every game he was put in. However, the first three months of the season this year he really came through with some great wins and strong outings that picked up the club when Beckett had his blister and was out for a couple of weeks. He was 5-5 during those three months with a 4.60 ERA. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Sox</span></span> were also 3-1 in his no-decisions he pitched in that span giving generally solid outings. His contributions seem to be overlooked because of his 7-11 record with a 5.15 ERA for the season. He took the ball and the mound when asked and was glad to do so. He also made me laugh with his <span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">candlepin</span></span> bowling</span> looking technique of getting the ball to first base for the out on one occasion.<br /><br />5) <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHwTlSgoQD0AnGkCW6bBAGq9sQL-HGbSxaElOtuTtL8pJQMvUqeA9kegqxd0QH21viTV7kf4ObFZry1YXmrBmRZc23qZBram-aA0w8kF0c15Jr0KK0kRVHP5Gew-lHCGZ6uBqf0sXDt4/s1600-h/stridehideki_okajima2.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQHwTlSgoQD0AnGkCW6bBAGq9sQL-HGbSxaElOtuTtL8pJQMvUqeA9kegqxd0QH21viTV7kf4ObFZry1YXmrBmRZc23qZBram-aA0w8kF0c15Jr0KK0kRVHP5Gew-lHCGZ6uBqf0sXDt4/s200/stridehideki_okajima2.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117109668360471890" border="0" /></a><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=7905"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Hideki</span></span> </span></a><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=7905"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Okajima</span></span></span></a><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=7905"> </a>- Anybody think we should pick up his third year option for less than two million?<br /><br />6) <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=7912"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Jacoby</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Ellsbury</span></span></span></a> - Hands down the fastest Red <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Sox</span></span> player I've ever seen. I believe it was one of his first games he was called up for in the beginning of July against Texas where he singled, stole second, and then scored from second on a wild pitch. Did I mention it was from second base? I was a mouth breather for a <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5W7ylw3bKSr_hyTkJ5kRppFC65x4UXlQtXRL96oqCGNMG4uNLpBag93xyq4lwKwx7sL20c4HN5e9QQN99LbMj_ycB8851oQ2MCNgBbjNYP6LAGrvwx4mFis_tUzlR2JTQAsTlyw1zF-I/s1600-h/large_ellsbury_from2nd.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5W7ylw3bKSr_hyTkJ5kRppFC65x4UXlQtXRL96oqCGNMG4uNLpBag93xyq4lwKwx7sL20c4HN5e9QQN99LbMj_ycB8851oQ2MCNgBbjNYP6LAGrvwx4mFis_tUzlR2JTQAsTlyw1zF-I/s200/large_ellsbury_from2nd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117107052725388562" border="0" /></a>minute straight after that play. My boss Sully says that <span style="font-style: italic;">Ellis Burks</span> was the fastest <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Sox</span></span> player back when he first debuted in 1987 and before he bulked up. While he has a legit argument there, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Ellsbury</span></span> seems quicker out of the box and around the base paths. Interestingly enough both men were/are <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Sox</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">centerfielders</span></span> and have the same birthday of September 11<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">th</span></span> (I sometimes can retain the most irrelevant of knowledge.)<br /><br />7) <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=6117"><span style="font-style: italic;">J.D. Drew</span></a> - Like one more person needs to bitch about this <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0hl_Ez2mE9-aHAFhALxCiq2RpkgKe-IrghFgp2o8NnFUl_pif9-jMF0ILDw-7ZjA8clz8CU6MQ0C1Sg45VSBlGQF89JGggNZU5UTDkVGSnyoVhkGvD-e6vnRs0gzI0yxyE320HyFB_Q/s1600-h/jd_drew_gm2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI0hl_Ez2mE9-aHAFhALxCiq2RpkgKe-IrghFgp2o8NnFUl_pif9-jMF0ILDw-7ZjA8clz8CU6MQ0C1Sg45VSBlGQF89JGggNZU5UTDkVGSnyoVhkGvD-e6vnRs0gzI0yxyE320HyFB_Q/s200/jd_drew_gm2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117107439272445218" border="0" /></a>guy. He's been super hot the past several weeks so if he continues to hit like he has in that span, during the playoffs...it still won't make up for this first season in Boston. A <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">walkoff</span></span> and two dozen RBIs in the playoffs may lessen the sting of his atrocious 1st year with the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Sox</span></span>. The bar has been set J.D.!!!<br /><br />8) <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=7631"><span style="font-style: italic;">Dustin <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Pedroia</span></span></span></a> - isn't big, fast, powerful or intimidating. But he can play ball really, really well. He's gutsy and attacks the game with fire and determination. How can you not root for the guy? When I saw the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Sox</span></span> play a few games at <span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Fenway</span></span></span> against Kansas City in July, I was sitting pretty close on the first base side and saw <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Pedroia</span></span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">David Ortiz</span> stretching and talking next to each other before the game. I haven't seen that kind of size discrepancy side by side since<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwhEOSQVQMAYa551IDWZTbCRFf-5-fZw05cjMCEWqPgZFHYIJ9-Ct7IVRs-Le_wwyCMZfSWqkI5oeDQhCQV_WfGNPV4giXCRaEsXDAVfCQWcdwdhMGbtRrzPC3u2jQva94iTtt3Mu_rk/s1600-h/pedroia_dp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwhEOSQVQMAYa551IDWZTbCRFf-5-fZw05cjMCEWqPgZFHYIJ9-Ct7IVRs-Le_wwyCMZfSWqkI5oeDQhCQV_WfGNPV4giXCRaEsXDAVfCQWcdwdhMGbtRrzPC3u2jQva94iTtt3Mu_rk/s320/pedroia_dp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117108495834400050" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-style: italic;">Billy Crystal </span>and <span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Gheorghe</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Muresan</span></span></span> teamed up to not make me laugh. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Pedroia</span></span> has proved everyone wrong his entire life before this season that said a 5'6" guy couldn't play ball . This year was no exception either. He will most likely win the Rookie of the Year with his .317 batting average and great defense. My <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">favorie</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Pedroia</span></span> moment of the season was the amazing diving stop and throw to first in the 7<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">th</span></span> inning during <span style="font-style: italic;">Clay <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">Bucholtz</span></span></span>'s no-hitter. The play itself was phenomenal; robbing <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">Tejada</span></span> and saving the no hitter. But I loved the slow-mo replay where they zoomed in on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">Pedroia</span></span> when <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">Miggy</span></span> was called out at first. You didn't have to be a lipreader to see when he got the call, he slapped his glove against his hand and yelled "FUCK YEA!" Fuck yea indeed Dustin.<br /><br />9) <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=5132"><span style="font-style: italic;">Manny Ramirez</span></a> - Is he back yet? I'm even more <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTGnV56fYr-OaJj624pIwPpMslQ46bNz12jgp67Q7rGnX6DeiaermTqg1gSWR3wgU-e976xmdIzK9X11dYVkZmcwRB_y5l3qZ0cClUDwZWyCcqK21Km94_vu9XjlLdOTcZVCbkxdpXJQ/s1600-h/BDD_MR_grill_3.20.07.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTGnV56fYr-OaJj624pIwPpMslQ46bNz12jgp67Q7rGnX6DeiaermTqg1gSWR3wgU-e976xmdIzK9X11dYVkZmcwRB_y5l3qZ0cClUDwZWyCcqK21Km94_vu9XjlLdOTcZVCbkxdpXJQ/s400/BDD_MR_grill_3.20.07.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117108787892176194" border="0" /></a>convinced now that Manny is not chewing tobacco but a giant cud of hashish instead. What else would explain him hocking his neighbor's grill on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">ebay</span></span>?<br /><br />More <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">Soxtober</span></span> comments to come as the playoffs get underway but until then just a few stats to think about...<br /><br />...Jared Weaver's ERA facing the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">Sox</span></span> is 6.97 this year and over 12 at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">Fenway</span></span>, and he starts game 3 of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">ALDS</span>. The only thing worse if you're an Angels fan is John Lackey is 0-2 against the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">Sox</span> this season with a 8.38 ERA, and from 2004-2006 he was 1-2 with a 5.60 ERA versus them. Oh, and he's your game 1 starter Wednesday...at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">Fenway</span>. Have fun playing golf next week Angels.Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-41273898936103984702007-10-01T07:22:00.002-04:002008-11-28T06:22:21.857-05:00The Narrow Margin (1952)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNMYDswDhHV0z-3GY0NJino895zyAMQDzJqjI1iGf1Lyhk8fjBKE4eDve67pLWTgxxLiaGPReE4l87Qr1Fkho910tqDNjxLFUwhA7BrhOHCanspfQXX7mrqvedq0bpZ9nejR7VvIKbRc/s1600-h/narrow+margin.jpg"> </a><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNMYDswDhHV0z-3GY0NJino895zyAMQDzJqjI1iGf1Lyhk8fjBKE4eDve67pLWTgxxLiaGPReE4l87Qr1Fkho910tqDNjxLFUwhA7BrhOHCanspfQXX7mrqvedq0bpZ9nejR7VvIKbRc/s1600-h/narrow+margin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXNMYDswDhHV0z-3GY0NJino895zyAMQDzJqjI1iGf1Lyhk8fjBKE4eDve67pLWTgxxLiaGPReE4l87Qr1Fkho910tqDNjxLFUwhA7BrhOHCanspfQXX7mrqvedq0bpZ9nejR7VvIKbRc/s400/narrow+margin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116917060552082594" border="0" /></a>Landscapes and environment were undeniably integral aspects of many classic film noirs. They seemed nearly as important in conveying the crucial noir elements of suspense and dread as the actors starring in them. From the cobblestone streets of Vienna in <span style="font-style: italic;">The Third Man</span>, the seedy underworld of London in <span style="font-style: italic;">Night and the City</span>, the sprawling metropolis of Los Angeles in <span style="font-style: italic;">Double Indemnity</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Sunset Boulevard</span>, and of course the concrete jungle of Manhattan in <span style="font-style: italic;">Scarlett Street</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Naked City</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Pickup on South Street</span> are just few of the numerous possible match-ups. These environments breathed aesthetic life into these films and literally set the stage for the players to interact, investigate, pursue, be chased, live and die on their streets. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">But what if our film noir protagonist didn’t have the streets of New York City to hide from his pursuers? What if he was a cop, who had no expansive boulevards of Los Angeles to elude the mob trying to rub out his star witness he was assigned to protect? What if our cop and his witness were confined to small, narrow compartments in a passenger train speeding along at 60 mph? What if that same mob had goons, bent on killing the witness, inside that same train and outside keeping pace with them in a car traveling alongside on the highway? If you’re that cop the preceding picture sounds about as appealing as being a diver in a shark cage during a feeding frenzy. Only these sharks are inside the cage with the diver. In <span style="font-style: italic;">The Narrow Margin</span> this scenario comes to life in this expertly executed thriller, with even more twists piled onto the wonderfully contorted premise (warning, spoilers are a comin’). </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Our film opens with a pair of L.A. detectives arriving in Chicago with an assignment to protect a widowed mob wife. She’s holding a list of names and the knowledge to put away L.A. Mafia heavies in a graft investigation. The detectives, Walter Brown (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0569902/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Charles McGraw</span></a>) and Gus Forbes (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0065975/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Don Beddoe</span></a>) arrive at the Chicago safe house (which is a not so safe, nor private, boarding house) where the mob widow Mrs. Frankie Neall (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0065975/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Marie Windsor</span></a>) is being protected by the local cops. Brown and Forbes must get Mrs. Neall back to L.A. safely so she can deliver the incendiary list of names and testify to the grand jury awaiting her arrival. The transfer goes awry as one of the mob button men kills Forbes and flees before Brown can apprehend him. Brown grabs Mrs. Neall and makes a b-line to the train station with two, one-way tickets to L.A. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Mrs. Neall turns out to be a real firecracker of a shrew. Previously, on the cab ride from the train station to the safe-house, Forbes and Brown wonder what kind of a woman would become a mobster’s wife also adding the crucial (yet implausible) plot element that “nobody’s seen her.” Brown interjects a profile of the unseen moll, speculating that she “is a dish… a 60 cent special. Cheap, flashy and strictly poison under the gravy.” Forbes counters with foreshadowing insight that “all kinds” of women could potentially marry a Mafia racketeer, not just the stereotypical portrait Brown has painted. However, Marie Windsor’s Mrs. Neall seems to be closer to Brown’s estimate with her sharp tongue and curvaceous body. After their harrowing escape and during the cab ride to the train station with Brown, Windsor expresses zero sympathy for Forbes and the bullet he just took for her. She even begins to flirt with Brown mere minutes after his partner of six years takes the big one for the team. Brown puts the kibosh on her advances saying that she is just a job in his eyes and she quickly backs off by snarling, “I wouldn’t want any of that nobility to rub off on me.”<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMKnFgnnUxW4FYdL1vmHuPpTjIi1JJ5w2yActQBgmlTkh0aWvgcSymVjAwlLtI_1W22dVqlTDezf33xnPKZPRHRR0X9SaJeFcbk6CBvzJpIh3BRg3I1uWjNo_yfIa8J3lnx0RmA1yTDlE/s1600-h/a+The+Narrow+Margin+windsor+and+mcgraw.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMKnFgnnUxW4FYdL1vmHuPpTjIi1JJ5w2yActQBgmlTkh0aWvgcSymVjAwlLtI_1W22dVqlTDezf33xnPKZPRHRR0X9SaJeFcbk6CBvzJpIh3BRg3I1uWjNo_yfIa8J3lnx0RmA1yTDlE/s320/a+The+Narrow+Margin+windsor+and+mcgraw.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117481737082357090" border="0" /></a><span style=""> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Brown gets Windsor on the train unseen but moments later on the platform, is spotted by mob goon Joseph Kemp (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0164727/"><span style="font-style: italic;">David Clarke</span></a>). Kemp follows Brown on the train and the wheels are set in motion for this claustrophobic cat and mouse chase about to take place on a passenger locomotive. Brown has bought two compartments on the train for him and Mrs. Neall and they initially elude Kemp’s snooping around both rooms. But Kemp knows Brown has her stashed somewhere on the train. In addition to Kemp, a mafia liaison by the name of Vincent Yost is also on the train. He confronts and attempts to bribe Brown for the list and the whereabouts on the train of Mrs. Neall (remember the mafia apparently doesn’t know what she looks like). Brown is momentarily tempted, but he can’t be bought and also can’t arrest Yost as he has a squeaky clean record as a sales executive for one of the mob’s legitimate company fronts. Windsor’s Mrs. Neal eavesdrops at the door from the adjoining compartment to the attempted bribery by Yost. She later tells Brown that he is a sucker for not taking the bribe and tells him that they could split the money and take off. Brown tells Windsor she makes him sick to his stomach to which she replies, “Well use your own sink, and let me know when the target practice starts.”</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">While the cat and mouse goes on between him and Kemp, Brown keeps bumping into the attractive, Mrs. Sinclair (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0924916/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Jacqueline White</span></a>) and her son Tommy around the train. She looks the part of a wholesome woman with a precocious boy who if Ritalin was around in the early 50s, I’m sure he would be receiving the maximum daily dose. It’s no coincidence (kind of) however that Mrs. Sinclair and Brown keep meeting up. As it turns out she is the real Mrs. Neall, traveling clandestinely (as much as one can with a hyperactive eight-year old child and nanny in tow) after the D.A. instructed her to get to the coast undetected. This twist is revealed shockingly after Marie Windsor’s character is finally discovered and bumped off by Kemp and another hit man who boarded the train in Albuquerque named Densel. Equally surprising is Windsor was an internal affairs policewoman, posing as Mrs. Neall and trying to ensnare the seemingly un-bribable Brown in a payoff from the mob.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSyq_ciU4dCiRoEqo1KtyWV6N94OlHilPO6iYWPoSgLhhEohhCSttcijbIW3Z3eOb_OPHyomFdgXzE2oEpoVTaEXdYEjPu4IdZZle5qkebnJIzZbq404TuURXPEwu_EsCtdYttgGsmsdo/s1600-h/narrow-margin2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSyq_ciU4dCiRoEqo1KtyWV6N94OlHilPO6iYWPoSgLhhEohhCSttcijbIW3Z3eOb_OPHyomFdgXzE2oEpoVTaEXdYEjPu4IdZZle5qkebnJIzZbq404TuURXPEwu_EsCtdYttgGsmsdo/s400/narrow-margin2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117482995507774850" border="0" /></a> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">Now that the tables have been turned the tension is ratcheted up as McGraw’s Detective Brown must protect the real Mrs. Neall (who didn’t know her husband was tied to the mob and turned state’s evidence once she found out), her son Tommy and thwart Kemp and Densel (who we learn is also his partner Forbes’s killer). All of that on a speeding train with the only possible stops left on the line being death or Los Angeles.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">While there are some suspect plot holes one could drive a-you-know-what through, director <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0281507/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Richard Fleischer</span></a> keeps the pace moving so quickly that time to dwell on them is not allotted. Clocking in at a lean 71minutes, there isn’t a trace of gristle in this thriller that’s as juicy and satisfying as a thick sirloin steak. Fleischer made a beautiful looking film with near perfect lighting and camera work. The latter aspect comes into play in many scenes but especially the fantastic fistfight between Kemp and Brown in a train washroom. Using a handheld camera (unusual for the time and especially fist fights), the principle actors, low angles and tight shots, make for an amazingly gritty scene of fisticuffs in such a confined, ‘narrow’ space. Fleischer expertly plays with the claustrophobic and restricted space of the train throughout the film and as the tension increases, the shots seem to get tighter and tighter. Another extraordinary aspect and bold choice on Fleischer’s part is the omission of a music soundtrack. In place of a score, Fleischer prominently features the sounds of the train and its workings to audibly add to the mood. From the loud banging together of boxcars forewarning gunplay, to a nice sound match scene transition between Windsor nervously filing her nails and the wheels of the train rhythmically churning, the film is full of these interesting plays of sound and story.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEb9yhEsr1qHVXs_crNHsi0J8mY3ynRqmceIVVbqGgFIW-70fAqzU7p6KqO5PljmTLOVgZ55xc8anQiXp8psh3-71I7rfNIfnUWDyz9__hOcPTy7i_0NeBkFWddtBqxm-tzNcZUO1xjyA/s1600-h/windsor+nail+filing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEb9yhEsr1qHVXs_crNHsi0J8mY3ynRqmceIVVbqGgFIW-70fAqzU7p6KqO5PljmTLOVgZ55xc8anQiXp8psh3-71I7rfNIfnUWDyz9__hOcPTy7i_0NeBkFWddtBqxm-tzNcZUO1xjyA/s320/windsor+nail+filing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5117482269658301810" border="0" /></a> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">The cast is a well-assembled one, each giving superb performances. Charles McGraw’s Detective Brown is the quintessential hard-nosed cop; played so tough by McGraw he could sleep on kegs and spit nails as my grandfather used to say. He convincingly conveys the fallibility of temptation (when offered the bribe) adding a nice dimension to the role he’s perfectly suited to play. The scene-stealer however is undoubtedly Marie Windsor. Not only is she easy on the eyes, as hers are strictly bedroom, but Windsor executes the role with moxie and flair, without overdoing it. It also helps that she gets the best lines in a dynamite script by <span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0271641/">Earl Felton</a> </span>from a story by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0326107/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Martin</span></a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">Detour</span>) <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0326107/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Goldsmith</span></a>. <span style="font-style: italic;">The Narrow Margin</span> isn’t a perfect film but once conductor Fleischer takes your ticket, it’s a trip you won’t regret riding right to the end of the line.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="">NOTE: “The Narrow Margin” is being shown tomorrow (10/01/07) at 6:45 pm on TCM. </span></span>Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-86005574380825943882007-09-05T15:52:00.000-04:002007-10-06T13:14:49.358-04:00Blog neglectTo those that have asked about it, sorry I haven't posted anything since June but it's been a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">topsy</span>-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">turvey</span> summer and I've been slaving away on a ginormous paper for my professor that I just completed. However the blog will have some new entries coming soon (which I may even edit for errors this time) with such exciting subjects as....<br /><br />1) Five Shows That <span style="font-weight: bold;">Should</span> Be Part of Discovery Channel's <span style="font-style: italic;">Shark Week.<br /><br /></span>2)<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span>Film Review: <span style="font-style: italic;">The Narrow Margin<br /><br /></span>3) Boston Red <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Sox</span> regular season wrap-up and post-season preview (yea I'm confident about us getting there).<br /><br />In the mean time enjoy Jerry Lewis's <span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRIsnHJ-YqY">hilarious homophobic comment</a> during this year's <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">MDA</span> telethon...<br /><br />What a antiquated cut-up! As atonement I think he should sing "Never Walk Alone" at the conclusion of the NYC gay pride parade next year.<span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span>Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-57825968536263157202007-06-02T11:05:00.000-04:002007-10-08T19:41:13.832-04:00KISS OF DEATH (1947) - Film Review<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iO_PSHGOGf97DoWXatPReBW-QtPyNuaLq-7an6omaGLk-ChJ_y7cZQaXPi4VB329afZnW6oQOnnQ8o85gpXaYqrlo3VXg7BL5YjtPEpkFTaZruJ5RtIQTXDmOTyHOrwiOWK6d0Z1xlE/s1600-h/a+Henry+Hathaway+Kiss+of+Death+DVD+Review+Victor+Mature+PDVD_003.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071490838137627218" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7iO_PSHGOGf97DoWXatPReBW-QtPyNuaLq-7an6omaGLk-ChJ_y7cZQaXPi4VB329afZnW6oQOnnQ8o85gpXaYqrlo3VXg7BL5YjtPEpkFTaZruJ5RtIQTXDmOTyHOrwiOWK6d0Z1xlE/s400/a+Henry+Hathaway+Kiss+of+Death+DVD+Review+Victor+Mature+PDVD_003.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />As our film begins a narrator speaks over the opening shots of a bustling Manhattan informing us, “Christmas eve in New York a happy time for some people; the lucky ones. Last minute shopping, presents for the kids, hurry home to light the tree and fill the stockings…for the lucky ones. Others <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">aren</span></span>’t so lucky.” Here we are introduced to Nick <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Bianco</span></span> (<em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001514/">Victor Mature</a></em>) a former jail-bird, now trying to fly the straight and narrow. After a year of his prison record impeding his efforts to get a legit job, we see Nick and a few cohorts enter a jeweler’s office and rob them because, as we're told, “this is how Nick goes Christmas shopping for his kids.” At the conclusion of this scene, Nick is mere seconds away from eluding the police who have been tipped off to the burglary. He is attempting to escape their grasp by running into the crowded streets of New York. But before he is able to make his flight, a cop in pursuit shoots him in the leg, dropping him to the ground and ensuring his Christmas will be spent at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">graybar</span></span> hotel. The narrator informs us this event mirrors the fate of Nick’s father who died twenty years earlier with a policeman’s slug in his back. As the sob story goes, the old man was escaping from a robbery he just committed when young Nick witnesses his father’s death and sadly enough it was one of his earliest memories. When the violins die down Nick is looking at plenty jail time but he does have a way out.<br /><br />Assistant D.A. Louis D’Angelo (<em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002046/">Brian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Donlevy</span></span></a></em>) is a family man who tells Nick that if he sings about the failed heist, he can get out of serving time in the big cage. But <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Bianco</span></span> is no canary and refuses to chirp about his crew. Not even when D’Angelo tries to push his guilt buttons about his two young daughters growing up without their dad does Nick show signs of budging. The Assistant D.A. believes that Nick is a good guy at heart and attempts to give him a means to avoid incarceration. We see Nick’s wheels turn at this prospect and persuasion put forth by D’Angelo, but Nick is old school and decides to do his time with his beak shut.<br /><br />Three years into doing his bit in the joint, Nick finds out that his wife has killed herself by sticking her head in a gas oven because of assorted woes: Nick in jail, financial hardship, single motherhood and her penchant for hitting the bottle too hard. Upon hearing this news Nick wants to get out and take care of his kids who have landed in an orphanage with nobody to care for them. In prison he gets a visit from Nettie (<em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0336531/">Coleen Gray</a></em>) a young lady who once nannied his daughters when Nick was on the outside and things weren't quite so grim. Nettie subsequently quit the nanny gig and moved away long before Nick’s wife did herself in by treating her melon like a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">bundt</span></span> cake. A minute into her visit with Nick it's obvious that he and Nettie have a connection. Additionally he asks her to keep tabs on his daughters which she agrees to do out of fondness for them, and of course Nick.<br /><br />Beside himself with guilt and concern for his daughters, Nick is motivated to cut a deal with D’Angelo and give up his crew. Unfortunately this is where Nick must cross paths again with <em>Tommy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Udo</span></span></em> (<em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001847/">Richard <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Widmark</span></span></a></em>). Tommy and Nick had met before during Nick's sentencing sentenced, winding up in the same holding cell for little while. Tommy expressed to Nick his surprise at being behind bars noting, “Imagine me in here. Big man like me <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">gettin</span></span>’ picked up just for shoving a guy’s ears off his head. Traffic ticket stuff.” With that statement we understand Tommy’s idea of a moving violation differs drastically from yours and mine. Tommy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Udo</span></span> proves it later in the film when he silences a potential informer by lashing the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">stoolie</span></span>’s mother to her wheelchair with an electrical cord and proceeds to push her tumbling down a flight of stairs. Cementing his dark disposition, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Udo</span></span> gives his legendary creepy cackle at the sight of his maternal manhandling.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIqH4yjgVMtzFIP6xlyBlbng-6gcrZ5Jpzyj_kwRHZ0_pof4U6R9ovEe9Ga3Xkg7Rx1Gir6EuCRECTO1NT-rWjHoD1X1TuDGMOZPKmMYwHqizL_HIw_LbzmVyVc2tffkKZA40-vOyY60/s1600-h/kiss+of+death.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071488926877180466" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeIqH4yjgVMtzFIP6xlyBlbng-6gcrZ5Jpzyj_kwRHZ0_pof4U6R9ovEe9Ga3Xkg7Rx1Gir6EuCRECTO1NT-rWjHoD1X1TuDGMOZPKmMYwHqizL_HIw_LbzmVyVc2tffkKZA40-vOyY60/s400/kiss+of+death.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Under the guidance of D’Angelo, Nick "accidentally" bumps into and pretends to be pals with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Udo</span></span> to get some dirt on him for the Assistant D.A. The plan works and the D.A.’s office is taking Tommy to trial for murder, Nick testifies against him and everything seems rosy. Nick and Nettie have gotten married, he has a regular job and a new identity. His daughters are finally out of the orphanage, living with the newlyweds and happily improving their roller-skating skills on a daily basis. The picture can’t get any more perfect until the frame they try to hang on Tommy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Udo</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">doesn</span></span>’t take and his slick shyster manages to get Tommy acquitted of the charges he faced. Now Nick has the psychopath Tommy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Udo</span></span> gunning for him and his family. While he wants to help Nick, the assistant D.A. can only wait for Tommy to violate his parole in order to get him off the streets. That may be too little too late for Nick, Nettie and the girls with a lunatic like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Udo</span></span> looking for payback. Nick sends Nettie and the girls packing to the country and decides to take care of Tommy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Udo</span></span> himself. At this point the cat and mouse game between Nick and Tommy plays out with both parolees having to tread carefully under the watchful eye of D’Angelo.<br /><br />This movie is entertaining overall but not much else in terms of the film as a whole. I don’t feel like director <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0368871/">Henry Hathaway</a></em> covered any unique ground or brought anything original to the table with this picture. He had already incorporated filming in actual locations and utilizing a quasi-documentary style with his previous work <em>The House on 92<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">nd</span></span> Street</em> and would do the same (with more effectiveness) a year after <em>Kiss of Death</em> with <em>Call <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Northside</span></span> 777</em>. The movie looks fine and there is some nice editing in several key scenes such as the opening heist, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Udo</span></span>’s wheelchair pushing scene and the ending which nicely bolster the tension. The script is solid but lacks some flair or panache leaving it seeming a little flat in places. While there are some great lines, I honestly expected more from writers <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0372942/">Ben <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Hecht</span></span></a></em> and <em><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0496468/">Charles <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Lederer</span></span></a></em> who between them have penned such gems as <em>Notorious</em>, <em>Spellbound</em>, <em>His Girl Friday</em>, <em>Mutiny on the Bounty</em>, <em>The Thing from Another World</em> and <em>Oceans Eleven</em> just to name a few (Even more impressive is <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Hecht</span></span>’s uncredited contributions to many scripts over several decades. Check out his <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">imdb</span></span> page and be in awe). All that being said, the performances of Mature and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">Widmark</span></span> are the elements that make this movie stand out from the pack.<br /><br />Victor Mature is highly effective in his role as Nick <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Bianco</span></span>, balancing a believable hood with a genuine guy who is motivated by his kids to straighten up from his crooked ways. It could have been played very sappy (especially in the scenes with the saccharine sweet little girls) but Mature nicely acts out the role and not the dramatic story. The result is a performance that elicits just the right mix of sympathy and compassion for his character. His wistful eyes also seal the deal when necessary too. Perfect casting and acting combined for the crucial role of our protagonist Nick.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmXYxywNmit3fMxUnvHbwRAdwdeQgElHbFvydIWnKLUuTscpnQoch0M8okKYvcsIAwc46DUGQRk4j7-6QnsHj4wERkwNGXadkpHkboToB1GvaqqCfD28qMriva9nbQAn5BPgt4I7iwFM/s1600-h/a2+Henry+Hathaway+Kiss+of+Death+DVD+Review+Victor+Mature+PDVD_001.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5071490696403706434" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZmXYxywNmit3fMxUnvHbwRAdwdeQgElHbFvydIWnKLUuTscpnQoch0M8okKYvcsIAwc46DUGQRk4j7-6QnsHj4wERkwNGXadkpHkboToB1GvaqqCfD28qMriva9nbQAn5BPgt4I7iwFM/s400/a2+Henry+Hathaway+Kiss+of+Death+DVD+Review+Victor+Mature+PDVD_001.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />If I had to choose one reason to recommend watching this film it’s definitely the screen debut of Richard <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Widmark</span></span> as Tommy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Udo</span></span>. His performance is outstanding, as he <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">doesn</span></span>’t so much give you the creeps as he force-feeds them to you. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Udo</span></span> is a perfect storm of menace, sadist and sociopath. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">Widmark</span></span> commands every scene he’s in with such a forceful presence and performance that as the film continues, you find yourself just waiting for him to appear. He also gets some classic lines such as telling a cop fishing for info that he <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">wouldn</span></span>’t give him “the skin off a grape.” Without Victor Mature’s understated performance <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Widmark</span></span>’s <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Udo</span></span> may have lost some of his effectiveness by seeming too over the top or out of place contrasted by a less convincing Nick <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Bianco</span></span>. The two portrayals, however, balance each other perfectly and create a solid foundation of tension and excitement for this otherwise moderate <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">noir</span></span>Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-75677935548876646642007-05-07T06:55:00.000-04:002007-10-12T16:21:06.407-04:00Rocket in Pinstripes<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_tuOc8pDlMbiGQHDLyvBHV8VhFBUnP7TGIgSLNSm_aKL0ucHsfmiMmn1yjsE78cHlRrjq-Yk-8IuqZ40Sr4VoCj6-JsXNL5gdX7qP8sFCcFRd4TqryAcki48CfrXuATDHYUfd3N4X-E/s1600-h/roger-clemens.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062263607488509522" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_tuOc8pDlMbiGQHDLyvBHV8VhFBUnP7TGIgSLNSm_aKL0ucHsfmiMmn1yjsE78cHlRrjq-Yk-8IuqZ40Sr4VoCj6-JsXNL5gdX7qP8sFCcFRd4TqryAcki48CfrXuATDHYUfd3N4X-E/s400/roger-clemens.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /><div>So <span style="font-style: italic;">Roger Clemens</span> decided to go with a <span style="font-style: italic;">World Series</span> contender (New York's record is 14 and 16 as of 5/8/2007 in the afternoon) and sign with the <em>New York</em> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><em>yankees</em> Sunday. Apparently, according to the Rocket, <span style="font-style: italic;">George <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Steinbrenner</span></span> whispered <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">something</span> magical in his ear that made him decide to sign with the yankees. My guess as to the aural incantation sounded something like, "We'll pay you 28 million pro-rated Roger." His comeback to the Bronx announcement was done in very anti-climatic fashion during the 7<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span> inning stretch at the stadium Sunday where he made a very uninspired "speech" from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Steinbrenner's</span> luxury box (if you haven't seen it, check it out as it was like someone just handed him the mic and told him that he was playing for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">yankees</span> 10 seconds before he had it in his hand. My friend Matt, who is a yanks fan, aptly said 'Lou Gehrig he's not'). What was really hilarious was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">yankee</span> radio color analyst <span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Suzyn <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Waldman</span></span> </span>absolute <a href="http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/ny-spmedia085204122may08,0,6538801.column?coll=ny-sports-columnists">freak-out </a>on air after the announcement, which you have to <a href="http://www.wcbs880.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=695991">listen</a> to in order to believe it (she’s from Newton, MA too…shame, shame)</span>. </div><div></div><div><br />Would I have liked to see Clemens in a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Sox</span> uni again? Yes and no. As a <span style="font-style: italic;">Red <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Sox</span></span> fan that wants to win another championship I would say yes. An addition to the already solid pitching staff, Clemens would have been a boost that would have translated as some pricey insurance. Do I think we needed him? Absolutely not. Our starting rotation and bullpen have been stellar so far this season and I’m happy with the horses we’re going to war with. Having Clemens would have given us a bit more of a cushion in case a starter gets injured and essentially assure that we would get a fairly decent quality start most times he would take the ball as a fifth starter. Objectively I’d rather see him in a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Sox</span> hat mainly to keep him out the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">yankee</span>’s hands. </div><div><br />All that said let’s look at the numbers (I’ll get to the ‘no’ part of my previous paragraph’s opening later). Roger has pitched in the effete hitting <span style="font-style: italic;">National League</span> central for the past few years since his “retirement” in 2003 (remember that?). That being said we won’t look at his wins and losses because he never got any run support from the <span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Astros</span></span>. His ERA however was an impressive average of 2.38 between 04’ and 06’ in 55 games. There is a dramatic drop off in the number of innings pitched: in 2004 he pitched 214 innings, in 2005 he pitched 211 and in 2006 he pitched 113. While the amount of games he started dropped off in 2006 the numbers are as follows for average amount of innings pitched per start: 2004 –6.48 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">IP</span>, 2005 – 6.59 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">IP</span>, 2006 – 5.94. This is a guy who on average may get you into the 6<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">th</span> inning but most likely will not get you past the 7<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">th</span>. Now if you total up the batting averages and slugging percentage averages of the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">NL</span> central in 2006 the BA was .256 and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">SLG</span> was .401. In the AL east where, Clemens will be pitching again, the average BA for the 2006 season for the four teams (I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">ve</span> excluded the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">yankees</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Astros</span> in both cases obviously) was .274 and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">SLG</span> percentage average was .436. So there is a noticeable difference in just those two divisions. As everybody who has an inkling of baseball knowledge is aware the AL bats are much more potent then the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">NL</span> ones. The last two years the Rocket pitched in the AL in 2002 and 2003 his ERA averaged 4.13. and he was 4 years younger in 2003 (he will turn 45 in August). Clemens will make a little over 20 starts this season and maybe, if he is lucky, he will win 10 of those games. But with the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">yankees</span> bullpen in absolute shambles I can only imagine what kind of over taxed shape they will be in by August.<br />However I think he will help the Yankees and will add some spice to the Boston/New York rivalry. It will make it that much more sweet when we beat them in the post season.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOU8gztnh31EbS7-vVXJ8GnIO-eBFXGhiux4A25uOaN81u3SRevr3sYS06UwV3nVCyKzJ9nz2xYoNvGeKcWrQMRSo8lVv_7z2v8xtoSFYtHXfDWfB_o-kV7OC9oioDx_YtqTum94CEX3Q/s1600-h/t1_bat_ap.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062262576696358466" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOU8gztnh31EbS7-vVXJ8GnIO-eBFXGhiux4A25uOaN81u3SRevr3sYS06UwV3nVCyKzJ9nz2xYoNvGeKcWrQMRSo8lVv_7z2v8xtoSFYtHXfDWfB_o-kV7OC9oioDx_YtqTum94CEX3Q/s400/t1_bat_ap.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div><br />Personally I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">didn</span>’t want to see Clemens in a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Sox</span> uniform again because of a close encounter my friend Dave and I had with Roger in 1990. This story is absolutely true and I will swear on my beloved grandmother's grave to the following. Dave lived near the Fens and we were walking on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">Boylston</span> St. on a late Sunday afternoon. Clemens had pitched that day and I believe he got shelled. Regardless we were stopped at the crosswalk and sure enough a black Porsche with the vanity license plate “ROCKET” pulls up to the light. Dave and I were all psyched because, well there was THE Roger Clemens. He had already won three <span style="font-style: italic;">Cy Young</span> awards, had the 20 strikeout game and was a legend in Boston. I used to love watching him pitch just like most everyone in Boston and here he was just a few yards away in his sweet ride. Just then two little African-American kids about 9 or 10 years old pull up to the Porsche on their <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">BMX</span> bikes. They started leaning against the car with their hands and also started knocking on the tinted driver side window saying "Roger, Roger can we have your autograph?" a few times over. Still stuck at the red light, Clemens rolls down the electric window and proceeds to tell the kids “Don’t touch the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">fuckin</span>’ car!” and he then peeled out as the light turned green immediately after uttering those words. It was a movie moment to say the least. The kids, Dave and myself stood there with our jaws on the pavement. I said to one of the kids “He’s a jerk don’t feel bad about it.” One of the kids said trying to be tough, “He’s an asshole.” Yet you could see the disappointment in their eyes. I figured that many celebrity athletes are douche bags but it was one thing to see it firsthand at the expense of those kids. From that day on I never liked Clemens and was secretly happy whenever he got rocked in an outing. It was tough to support the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">Sox</span> and hate the ace of the staff. I felt I got a real glimpse into his character and that said, 17 years later, he’s a perfect fit for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">yankees</span>. See you in Boston the first weekend in June Roger (unless you aren't pitching because you don't have to travel with the rest of your team.)</div></div>Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-72765112903143794362007-04-30T21:41:00.000-04:002007-10-12T17:21:17.753-04:00 PANIC IN THE STREETS (1950) - Film Review<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-_wwK_-HkqZYCwuheF_u8Bf8VwR8pLW3VxCGKfhGGSzK67gf2zor12ioCau8rTfHr5RvqnJ-xhXTfp3EMrsyHeBLjWJu7VvEN4FNddCuW69nrx3tqBnKR85aJ-KsX_ZeGJpTrvoiETw/s1600-h/Picture59.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW-_wwK_-HkqZYCwuheF_u8Bf8VwR8pLW3VxCGKfhGGSzK67gf2zor12ioCau8rTfHr5RvqnJ-xhXTfp3EMrsyHeBLjWJu7VvEN4FNddCuW69nrx3tqBnKR85aJ-KsX_ZeGJpTrvoiETw/s400/Picture59.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059406784221771266" border="0" /></a><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">In the dark shadows above a dingy restaurant in the French quarter of <span style="font-style: italic;">New Orleans</span> a card game is being played. One of the players is an illegal immigrant, fresh off the boat and riding a winning streak that’s netted him a nice little stack of bills at the table. Now he says he wants out of the game. His unlucky opponent Blackie (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001588/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Jack Palance</span></a>) craves a chance to win his money back and is not going to let him go so easily. Oddly enough the player anxious to call it quits doesn’t want to leave the game because he’s up in winnings and wants to walk away with a wad of cash. He is sweating profusely, looks like hell and is complaining of being very ill. He says he’s so sick, that he has to go home to lie down. He breaks away from the game under heavy protest from the other players. Palance, his crony Raymond (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0609216/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Zero Mostel</span></a>), and another cohort follow this man out into the streets, across a train yard and outside a warehouse, demanding his money (in an amazingly shot, single long-take). The card game winner starts to defend himself from Raymond and the other Blackie henchman but his hand is folded for good with a couple of slugs from the piece of Palance. As his money is pocketed by Blackie, the audience may think that the movie they’re about to watch involves a murder by some street hoods in the Big Easy. However, what is about to unfold is an unconventional noir set in the New Orleans underworld that touches on social and moral issues stemming from the possibility of a global disaster with origins at the microscopic level.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">Cut to the next day and our card game winner is fished out of the harbor and brought to the morgue. The man performing the autopsy notices the copious amount of white blood cells coming from this man’s bullet wounds. Something doesn’t look right and he notifies the Feds. Next we see a nice domestic scene with our lead man Clint Reed (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001847/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Richard Widmark</span></a>) and his son played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0720568/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Tommy Rettig</span></a> (“Laaaaasie!”) doing some painting in the front yard. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000895/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Barbara Bel Geddes</span></a> (as Widmark’s wife) calls him in to the house to tell him that his boss called and he is needed downtown. Widmark changes into his uniform as we learn his professional identity is Lt. Commander/Dr. Clinton “Clint” Reed, U.S. Public Health Service. While he's changing, Bel Geddes gently prods him that their tab at the local grocery store has become an astronomical 42 dollars. Reed says he’ll figure out a way to pay it and we are made aware that this man is not making a great living as a doctor for the government yet we will also find out he has duties and responsibilities for which no salary may be adequate.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">Widmark shows up to the morgue and determines that while the bullets may have killed our unlucky card player, he was infected with pneumonic plague. Whomever has come into contact with the John Doe with will be dead within 48 hours without serum inoculation. While Dr. Reed does a fine job of inoculating everyone who has come into contact with the body including police, morgue workers and so forth, the one man likely carrying the plague they have not discovered is the murderer (Jack Palance) of the dead card player. The tricky part being they have to find the killer without letting anyone know that they are looking for him. The reasoning behind this tact is mentioning the plague could set off a panic in the population as generally the word “plague” seems to put people on edge and take sudden long unexpected vacations. If that wasn’t difficult enough they have yet to identify the body itself. It’s obviously much harder to find a killer when you don’t know who has been bumped-off. The mayor assigns New Orleans police Captain Tom Warren (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0007222/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Paul Douglas</span></a>) to help Widmark find their man to incarcerate a killer and, more importantly, contain a pandemic. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">From this point Widmark and Douglas begin an unconventional type of investigation for the noir genre. As it turns out many people have come into contact with the murdered, card playing, plague carrier. Instead of roughing up plague exposed uncooperative suspects, Widmark threatens to hold out inoculating them until they cough up pertinent information about their investigation (is it a Hippocratic suggestion or oath that doctors take?). Eventually they narrow down the investigation and what ensues is a fantastic cat and mouse game between Widmark and Palance to the very end of the film. Within this dynamic exist intriguing moral and social issues brought to the attention of the viewer by the director.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGaRykgPtCRZwSEMjjSWsuHxek4f6Hl3tMkGrGA3LeKQDOevtQa2csE8WgSfvP6awSMDQ4RUfjbFep6M_nqkqrp5PLLZxpGw4GKE52WO7jcD7fw0A-ivJ_LOiGrpwDrIwYR5Mr3ms7xEY/s1600-h/protectedimage.php.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGaRykgPtCRZwSEMjjSWsuHxek4f6Hl3tMkGrGA3LeKQDOevtQa2csE8WgSfvP6awSMDQ4RUfjbFep6M_nqkqrp5PLLZxpGw4GKE52WO7jcD7fw0A-ivJ_LOiGrpwDrIwYR5Mr3ms7xEY/s400/protectedimage.php.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059412664031999538" border="0" /></a> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">Director <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001415/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Elia Kazan</span></a> was no stranger to making pictures with social messages and moral dilemmas (<span style="font-style: italic;">Gentleman’s Agreement, </span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Pinky</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">A Tree Grows in Brooklyn</span> just to name a few) and <span style="font-style: italic;">Panic in the Streets</span> was no exception. Widmark gives a great speech about this potential epidemic not being just about New Orleans, but the world and how we as humans are all interconnected. May not sound like much today, but this type of progressive speech was uncommon for 1950 I’d wager. The issue of freedom of press vs. public safety is a theme also touched upon as a reporter character named Neff (<span style="font-style: italic;">Double Indemnity</span> nod?) is thwarted by Widmark and Douglas from scooping the story. Their reasoning is they don’t want to cause a panic and also have the killer flee town, but does the public have a right to know about this potential plague to protect their families and themselves? This plague is also a metaphor for crime as a disease and how it poisons principles and may infect many who come into its contact regardless of their moral constitution.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35AJeEQzi9wzGDZkyEfzCu3dX2IeejNGgwN43hywa7a_uMP5EevZgxxIsKVN4y1U_jTX7lIkAtP39N1ZivZk__qxdc0TKyhcv4AjxF39tiQimqKurWNycY53T0yW7TjtESPV5UprqVL0/s1600-h/panic_in_the_strets_PDVD_008a01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj35AJeEQzi9wzGDZkyEfzCu3dX2IeejNGgwN43hywa7a_uMP5EevZgxxIsKVN4y1U_jTX7lIkAtP39N1ZivZk__qxdc0TKyhcv4AjxF39tiQimqKurWNycY53T0yW7TjtESPV5UprqVL0/s400/panic_in_the_strets_PDVD_008a01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059411242397824530" border="0" /></a> </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">The shining aspects of the film manifest in several areas and the casting and acting are certainly included. Paul Douglas is solid as the police captain who reins it in from his usual comedic relief parts and Barbara Bel Geddes is fine as Widmark’s wholesome wife. She works well in some key, unconventional love scenes with Widmark where they are both longing to be close to one another but she must keep at a physical distance because he may be contaminated. Zero Mostel is perfectly cast as Blackie’s sleazy and degenerate underling and Jack Palance (in his motion picture debut) is fantastic as the heavy. He has just the right balance of menace, and believability as an underworld player who may explode with violence at any moment. This young Palance has a very swarthy, gaunt and creepy look going for him, which adds to his presence as a nefarious element one wouldn’t want to cross. Richard Widmark earns serious kudos in my book for this film, as I believe it may be his finest role. He maintains a balance of controlled distress at the potential cataclysmic events that may unfold and passionate determination in his quest to stop both a human and microscopic killer alike. Dr. Clint Reed comes off in a believable and compelling fashion because Widmark brings so much to the table as an empathetic and tough leading man protagonist that when watching him in <span style="font-style: italic;">Panic in the Streets</span>, one forgets all about Tommy Udo (<span style="font-style: italic;">Kiss of Death</span>), Harry Fabian (<span style="font-style: italic;">Night and the City</span>), Skip McCoy (<span style="font-style: italic;">Pickup on South Street</span>) and his other villain or anti-hero roles for which he is associated. </p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">The aspect of this film that shines the most is Kazan’s use of the camera. In many of the shots characters are constantly moving about in the frame creating an edginess to the scenes but Kazan makes the dance between the actors and the camera seem effortless. He incorporates these amazing long takes that may begin on a group of characters and several minutes later we have moved about them and end on a close up. Many of these extended single takes are sans dialogue and remind me of some of the silent <span style="font-style: italic;">Fritz Lang</span> films in their mastery of telling a story with only the camera. <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Kazan</st1:place></st1:city> moves the film’s story along visually in a way that is so impressive it must be seen to be appreciated. This was all photographed under the masterful hand of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0531796/">Joseph McDonald</a> who does a fantastic job of capturing the visual flavor of New Orleans with help from the gritty, authentic locations. He and Kazan also use real New Orleans people as extras and in small parts that give the film a neo-realist quality and genuine look that Hollywood couldn’t replicate.</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Panic in the Streets</span> is a true gem that deserves more credit that perhaps it has received over the years. Apparently at the end of his career, Kazan felt it was one of his most well crafted and important films amongst his very impressive body of work. The script (<span style="font-style: italic;">Edward</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Edna Anhalt</span> of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Sniper</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">The Young Lions</span>), filming, acting and direction that comprise <span style="font-style: italic;">Panic in the Streets</span> are of the highest calibers across the board. The ending chase scene through the coffee warehouse is worth the price of admission alone; however, I practically guarantee one viewing will only make you concur with Kazan’s self-appraisal of his stellar film.</p><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-67180558587943906652007-04-17T00:41:00.000-04:002007-10-08T19:33:40.691-04:00RED SOX OPENING DAY AT FENWAY 2007<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrcqaRm_zZcruMIL2XzLGAjWyhgkLf7IMPYt0C92urq0ndpAYAhZ9PsPjprSHCaVAkGc2mVfgflWeH7bnY3B3cU1C8GpeEBmj7SizJLSrs8tgmFw0iMDzGkOdmdBLLqWrSMjDZj0D2OI/s1600-h/DSC00156.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054254045017810098" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqrcqaRm_zZcruMIL2XzLGAjWyhgkLf7IMPYt0C92urq0ndpAYAhZ9PsPjprSHCaVAkGc2mVfgflWeH7bnY3B3cU1C8GpeEBmj7SizJLSrs8tgmFw0iMDzGkOdmdBLLqWrSMjDZj0D2OI/s320/DSC00156.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><p class="MsoNormal">One of my best friends Jefferson informed me several months ago that he and his fiance would be coming to <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Boston</st1:place></st1:city> so she could see some friends who live in the hub and Jeffy figured it was a great opportunity to see me. He lives in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">L.A.</st1:place></st1:city> so needless to say I never see him. <st1:place st="on">Jefferson</st1:place> is a baseball fan so I managed to get us tickets for the day after opening day at <em><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Fenway</span></span></em></em>. My boss Sully later won the ticket buying lottery at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">redsox</span></span>.com, was able to score some tickets for opening day and offered to sell me two of the four he got because he knew my buddy was coming into town. Seeing as though he could have sold the $23 bleacher tickets for $150 a piece (at least, easily), to say it was a very nice gesture would be quite an understatement. So me and my friend were lined up to see opening day April 10<sup><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">th</span></span></sup> and, as it turned out, the day after which was the debut of the biggest <em>Red <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Sox</span></span></em> acquisition of the off-season: <em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Daisuke</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Matsuzaka</span></span></em>. What we saw during that two day period was entertaining to say the least. The following entry contains notes, observations and commentary about the first day.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:0;"></span><b><u><a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=270410102"><em>Tuesday April 10 2007</em> : <em>Opening Day at <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Fenway</span></span></st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Park</st1:placetype></st1:place></em></a><o:p></o:p></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:0;"></span>We had an amusing run-in with a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Sox</span></span> “fan” when we were parking the car before the game. Decided to park on a side street off <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">Beacon St.</st1:address></st1:street> and St. Mary’s area where <st1:city st="on"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Brookline</span></span></st1:city> ends and <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Boston</st1:city></st1:place> begins. This guy was in his 50s driving a brand <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">spankin</span></span>’ new Explorer, parks on the street in front of us. He was with his son who was about 11 years old and wearing one of those really nice <em>2004 World Champion Red </em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10"><em>Sox</em></span></span> all leather jackets that go for about $400 (I’m not exaggerating). Needless to say I don’t think he was worrying about paying the electric bill this month. The guy then asks me if it’s okay to park here. I tell him that the ticket here in the residential area is only $15 which compared to $50 (at the lots next to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Fenway</span></span>) is a deal. He then asks me if I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">ve</span></span> been to “any games so far this year?” Uh…it is opening day dude and I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">didn</span></span>’t make the trek to <st1:city st="on">Kansas City</st1:city> or <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Texas</st1:place></st1:state> when the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Sox</span></span> were on the road before today so no, I haven’t been to any so far. He then asks me “should we bring jackets to the game?” I tell him maybe it’s not a bad idea because of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">temperature</span> and then he says “yea I think it may get pretty cold in the park because of it getting all the wind right off the water.” At this point I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">wouldn</span></span>’t have been surprised if he said that a Unicorn collected his toll getting off the Mass Pike because he was so far away from my reality he was sounding crazy as a soup sandwich. Right off the water? Are you thinking San Francisco and not Boston? Are you thinking of the water in the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">troth</span> urinals in the men's rooms at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Fenway</span></span>? Hardcore fan this guy was not. The sad thing is that these types of people are so much more prevalent at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Fenway</span></span> these days because they have money, connections and the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Sox</span></span> have become such a status event to attend. My girlfriend and I went to a game in 2004 where the group of people in front of us (a bunch male and female “suits”) spent at most an inning actually watching the game and the rest of the time going to get beer, getting up and down, switching seats, talking in the aisles, standing in their seats during non standing moments and my personal favorite; calling everyone they possibly know to tell them (or yell into their cell phones) that they are at the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">Sox</span></span> game. To me that’s like going to <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on">Paris</st1:city></st1:place> and spending the entire time in the hotel room. It makes me sad to see this type of thing because I think of the poor blue collar dad living in <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">Charlestown</span></span> who can’t afford to take his kids to see the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">Sox</span></span> yet he’s a truly devoted and loyal fan who was “born into it” and proud as they say. My father grew up in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">Somerville</span></span></st1:place></st1:city> and told me that my grandfather used to take my dad, uncle and aunt to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">Sox</span></span> games when they were kids. Because they were so poor they would all walk to <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">Fenway</span></span></st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on">Park</st1:placetype></st1:place>…FROM <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">SOMERVILLE</span></span>! That' s well over a 3 mile walk. My dad also said my grandfather took turns with each his siblings carrying them on his shoulders during the long trek across town, over the Charles River and into <st1:place st="on">Kenmore</st1:place> square. My dad and my uncle pestered my grandfather about 1000 times, on these walks over to Fenway, about who would hit a home run, <em>Ted Williams </em>or <em>Bobby <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">Doerr</span></span></em> (my dad's favorite player). Now that’s devotion and a far cry from the pink hats and people making the “scene” at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">Fenway</span></span> instead of watching and rooting for the <em>Boston Red <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">Sox</span></span></em>. I’ll hop off the soap box for now.</p><p class="MsoNormal">Went into an Irish bar on <st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on"><st1:street st="on"><st1:address st="on">Beacon St</st1:address></st1:street>.</st1:address></st1:street> for Jeffy to have a few non-ballpark priced beers before the game and a seltzer for myself (I don’t drink anymore after ending a long, ugly and dysfunctional affair with lady liquor). We then headed for the ballpark and got to our seats. They were in the bleachers but we were only a dozen rows back from the visitor bullpen. The wind was blowing our way pretty hard so the potential for <em>David Ortiz </em>sending one our way was good. The first thing I’ll say about the game is it was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">freakin</span></span>’ cold, really chilling and windy to boot. That said, I kept warm by dressing appropriately and help from a few choice pharmaceuticals to counter the cold. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">Finally got to our seats (which were great) and met up with Sully and his wife Laurie. The <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTJOj3KlfIKO0LvCLZoXi9iCyEu6_cWDNBR42_zPaTbLIUjh6T5hfRCsJMC0EHKKa-7_P50R3v5PPxSxXbSVw-bto39Ps2tzOzbRvGESGRHHo6Z2k9cOXrLzUGF7aFFlBErTDJCUEFY0/s1600-h/DSC00159.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054253774434870434" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTJOj3KlfIKO0LvCLZoXi9iCyEu6_cWDNBR42_zPaTbLIUjh6T5hfRCsJMC0EHKKa-7_P50R3v5PPxSxXbSVw-bto39Ps2tzOzbRvGESGRHHo6Z2k9cOXrLzUGF7aFFlBErTDJCUEFY0/s320/DSC00159.JPG" border="0" /></a>opening ceremony was amazing. First we had the unveiling of the huge American flag over the <em>Green Monster </em>and then 4 of the “Green Mountain Boys” Vermont Air National Guard F-16s, did a fly-over directly above us in the bleachers. Still a very cool part of opening day that gives me goose bumps thinking about it. Then <em>Harry <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">Connick</span></span> Jr</em>. was trotted out and sang “<st1:place st="on"><st1:country-region st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place> the Beautiful” which prompted many “Where’s <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">fuckin</span></span>’ the national anthem?” from Jeffy. I don’t know and I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">didn</span></span>’t understand the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Connick</span></span> Jr./Boston Red <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">Sox</span></span> connection either (many <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">Sox</span></span> fans in <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">New Orleans</st1:place></st1:city>?). Is that the best celebrity we could get? I’d rather have a mediocre local celebrity than a more famous national one (I looking at you <em>Gary <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">Cherone</span></span></em>). The next part of the opening ceremonies was the highlight. This year marks the 40<sup><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">th</span></span></sup> anniversary of “The Impossible Dream” Red <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">Sox</span></span> of 1967 who went from finishing in last place in 1966 to winning the pennant in ’67. All the old players of that amazing team came out on the field in their unis and took their old positions. They all looked much greyer and heavier but Jesus when <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39"><em>Yaz</em></span></span> came out from the Monster I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">couldn</span></span>’t help but scream at the top of my lungs like I was 12 years old which I was when I last saw <em>Captain Carl </em>take the field in person. Not to mention that they brought in THE <em>Robert <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">Goulet</span></span></em> who sang “The Impossible Dream” (his signature tune) during the ceremony. Not too shabby at all I’d say<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGtY9XMgfejzGwDyjJ3IEx9pY4XI3m11gbKIbCa8ZVb_8r4s6sUz8ZNzjoh6uyf0pb-7KjOJRula3AItginYf9MfGFtxa78XP18kjM-0PkacrEimgp-xHQyF8jYsk2c3cUMzf7sWGk4Y/s1600-h/pesky+tear.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054268214114919634" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGtY9XMgfejzGwDyjJ3IEx9pY4XI3m11gbKIbCa8ZVb_8r4s6sUz8ZNzjoh6uyf0pb-7KjOJRula3AItginYf9MfGFtxa78XP18kjM-0PkacrEimgp-xHQyF8jYsk2c3cUMzf7sWGk4Y/s320/pesky+tear.jpg" border="0" /></a>. If that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">didn</span></span>’t tug on my aortic strings enough, they got yanked when <em>Johnny Pesky </em>was introduced to the crowd, stepped up to the mic and said the true magic words “Play Ball!” Johnny was <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">squeezin</span></span>' out a few tears at the outpouring of applause and support he received from the fans after his introduction. It was a difficult year for him in which he lost his wife. You’d have to be a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">fuckin</span></span>’ robot not to mist up just a little bit. I won’t even get started about <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=mlb&id=2819439"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">MLB</span></span> kicking Pesky out of the dugout. </a>Way to take a stand, Bud(Selig)!</p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:0;"></span>The game itself was pretty great. The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">Sox</span></span> started teeing off the pitching of 2006 World Series darling <em>Jeff Weaver </em>in the first. I won’t go through the entire game but some of the most notable things during the game were as follows: 1) <em>Josh Beckett</em> was absolutely dominating. All his pitches seemed to be working well and most pleasing to me was that he rarely shook off <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47"><em>Varitek</em></span></span>’s pitch calls (better late than never I guess). Seven innings, one run, 8Ks and only two hits. Speaking of the Captain he had a good game with three hits and three RBIs. I’m hoping this season his bat will be much more potent than last year. 2) <em>J.D. Drew </em>had a good game including his first homer in a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">Sox</span></span> uniform and 3 RBIs. He also made a great running catch as well. All in all everyone batting for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">Sox</span></span> looked pretty good with the exception of <em>Coco Crisp</em>. He drove in two RBIs that day, BUT…I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">ve</span></span> been watching him for the past two weeks and he looks so completely lost at the plate. Taking strikes down the middle, swinging at ball fours and having the uncanny ability to hit the ball directly at any one of the infielders when he does make contact. I’m not ready to bring up <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51"><em>Ellsbury</em></span></span> from AA Portland yet. I think we have to give him (<st1:place st="on">Coco</st1:place>) two or three more weeks (as opposed to the doom and gloom guys that call into <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">WEEI</span></span>) but boy he better get it going soon (He is batting .111 as of 4/16). As for the bullpen not too bad with the exception of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53"><em>Timlin</em></span></span> coming in to pitch the ninth and giving up 2 runs (he left the game with a hearty 18.00 ERA). He just got off the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">DL</span></span> so I’m not too worried. I’m also much quicker to forgive him as he and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">Varitek</span></span> are the only players who are still sporting the old school look of red socks pulled up high to the knees. I'm a traditionalist at heart. Final score: <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=bos">Red <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">Sox</span></span></a> 14 <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=sea">Seattle</a> 3<br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJj-wl1M0rHzv8Gp9Nv6Cwbyrs2RDWBjQHJtkus35AhtWfuF7IHtqm3uZmupjlruc3sYrV4GKQgCkmVS4cNc3epSKrSpOqTXhejQs7HQHQvNwaOMlJecoJxiYtqzWWrTCyBdW5zsDyB8/s1600-h/sullyjeffyme.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054255239018718402" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZJj-wl1M0rHzv8Gp9Nv6Cwbyrs2RDWBjQHJtkus35AhtWfuF7IHtqm3uZmupjlruc3sYrV4GKQgCkmVS4cNc3epSKrSpOqTXhejQs7HQHQvNwaOMlJecoJxiYtqzWWrTCyBdW5zsDyB8/s320/sullyjeffyme.jpg" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">Left the</span></span> park and we all went back to the Irish bar which had cleared out considerably since before the game. Still better than waiting a half hour to get into a few of the bars on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58"><em>Brookiline</em></span></span><em> Ave</em>. or <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59"><em>Lansdowne</em></span></span> <em>St</em>. before the game started (I'm not joking. We checked and I don't wait in lines for a bar, even when I was drinking). I was feeling pretty good after the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60">Sox</span></span> trouncing of Seattle and was looking forward to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61">Matsuzaka</span></span> San's start the next day. My first opening day in 12 years was as close to perfect as you can get in 42 degree baseball weather. At least it wasn't rain. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-51799132537857907032007-04-15T23:39:00.000-04:002007-10-03T02:47:58.049-04:00GUN CRAZY (1950) - Film Review<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOOJUBB0swLTec2JN9WfMUjzZTL4ZofbphyySiFAICz95JiJ5cfsYciuqJphbBYjke0e-bLGDUWJqKX7j2VpQXn1Doc9AymrpArTmsMHBLkoRbkpWQ8MjyTj-Y0DXz4BMUrSLb-2_XIA/s1600-h/Gun-Crazy-Posters.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054275159077037314" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOOJUBB0swLTec2JN9WfMUjzZTL4ZofbphyySiFAICz95JiJ5cfsYciuqJphbBYjke0e-bLGDUWJqKX7j2VpQXn1Doc9AymrpArTmsMHBLkoRbkpWQ8MjyTj-Y0DXz4BMUrSLb-2_XIA/s400/Gun-Crazy-Posters.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0507390/">Joseph H. Lewis’s</a> film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042530/"><span style="font-style: italic;"><em>Gun Crazy</em></span></a> is not a film noir. Gun C</span><span style="font-size:100%;">razy is an</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> existentialist film disguised as</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> a film noir. It could also be classified as a two person crew gangster film, lovers on the lam picture, or possibly even a criminal psychology flick. It defies a simple definition as its two main characters and their story may comprise some or all of these elements. I’m far from the type of person who over-intellectualizes or reads too much into films (especially 1950s B-Movies) however, the philosophical dark waters of <span style="font-style: italic;">Gun Crazy </span>run deep below its turbulent surface. Fortunately for the viewer, the story we watch unfold on that surface is gripping, dangerous and crackerjack filmmaking at its best. The core of the film however consists of two characters who are questioning what they are, if they were created that way, or if their actions define their identity.<br /><br />We first meet young adolescent <em>Bart Tare </em>(<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0848560/"><em>Russ Tamblyn</em></a>) on a miserable night of pouring rain and unsatiated desire. Bart is stopped on the street outsid</span><span style="font-size:100%;">e the shop window of a small town hardware store, fixated on its display case prominently presenting an ornate</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> revolver. From inside the store we watch him heave a rock through the front window, creating a big hole just above the gun. He turns himself around and attempts to obstruct the view of the hole in case anyone about is looking to see where the sound of the crash came from. He does this by blocking the hole with his torso and outstretching his arms perpendicular to his vertical body. This ends up looking eerily like he is about to be crucified rather than slyly covering his vandalism. He grabs the gun, a few small boxes of ammo and begins to run away. Bart trips and falls dropping the gun. The camera follows the gun skidding across the street where it stops in front of the boots of a man. The camera tilts up and we see the figure of the local sheriff. The lust for guns, we later discover, is Bart’s cross to bear.<br /><br />Cut to a court room where we get a glimpse into Bart’s life as this juvenile’s crime is being weighed by the judge before sentencing. Bart’s parents are absent but his sister informs the judge that Bart has always had an obsession with guns but he wouldn’t harm a fly. One flashback later reveals that as a young boy he accidentally killed a baby chick with his BB gun and was deeply traumatized and regretful of this action. Since then he has refused to kill anything. His friends Dave and Clyde attest to this by recounting a story to the judge that one day, while they were exploring the local mountains, they had an opportunity to kill a mountain lion they spotted while hiking. Bart (never without his rifle apparently) is goaded into shooting</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> the lion by his friends but he purposely misses. His friends chide him for his inaccuracy but Bart proceeds to throw his canteen high in the air and pump it full of several rounds before it hits the ground to prove a point: Barton Tare is a dead eye marksman. He is not however, a killer. A</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> former teacher testifies about Bart bringing in a gun to school a year prior and refusing to give it to her after she catches him showing it off to his classmates at his desk (ah, the good old days). </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqRNhCD_NAe37lZYMBuKwMVMNIwa8r_d48tS_bk9d0NK-hASoO6HHJU49ipkfBDQ0qHWJ5p_XiTF7AlIWSaJ4THfInbi6rGCr9N7A0KjVtT_FaituG2_27MeRbD-6yDUXylUGitZvutk/s1600-h/gun+crazy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053869907437823122" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRqRNhCD_NAe37lZYMBuKwMVMNIwa8r_d48tS_bk9d0NK-hASoO6HHJU49ipkfBDQ0qHWJ5p_XiTF7AlIWSaJ4THfInbi6rGCr9N7A0KjVtT_FaituG2_27MeRbD-6yDUXylUGitZvutk/s320/gun+crazy.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;">The judge wisely decides that Bart must go to reform school as his actions must have consequences. Bart however feels misunderstood as he tells the judge that shooting guns is the only thing he’s good at, it’s what he wants to do when he grows up and, “I feel good when I’m shooting them. I feel awful good inside like I’m somebody.”<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">A dozen years later we are re-introduced to Bart now played by <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0197982/"><em>John Dall</em></a>. He has come back to town and is taking some leisurely target practice in the mountains while drinking beer (ah, the good old days) with his same old friends Clyde (now sheriff) and Dave. Bart has just gotten out of the army and is unsure what he will do next in life. For kicks his friends suggest they all go to the traveling carnival in town that evening. Little does Bart know that by going to the carnival his fate is about to change faster than a speeding bullet.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;">They enter a tent where a gun demonstration is being held by one <em>Miss Annie Laurie Star</em> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0192033/"><em>Peggy Cummins</em></a>). Beautiful and dressed to the nines in a cowgirl outfit and tight slacks, Laurie comes out with guns blazing and then points and fires one straight at Bart. The gun, it turns out, is filled with harmless blanks, but her effect on Bart however is like a .38 caliber slug from</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> cupid’s gat right through his heart. She proceeds to demonstrate her prowess with the</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> six-shooter by blasting a cigarette out of her assistant’s mouth at twenty paces and so forth. Bart is mesmerized by Laurie as if his dream woman has been droppe</span><span style="font-size:100%;">d from the sky before him. The carnival host then challenges anyone in the audience to match bullet for bullet the deadly accuracy of Annie Laurie Star. Naturally Bart accepts and what happens next is one of the most ludicrous and amazing seduction scenes ever filmed. As the two take turns back and forth shooting dangerously close to each other in a deadly William Tell like competition, Laurie has noticeably become interested in Bart. Here the two meet for the first time in their purest forms: deadly accurate marksmen who love the tools of their trade and the rush they provide.<br /><br />Bart takes a job at the carnival to be close to Laurie and they begin falling hard for each other and eventually leave the carnival. They decide on a shotgun wedding but before tying the knot Bart confesses his stint in reform school and Laurie confides that “I’ve never been much good but I want to be good. I don’t know, maybe I can’t but I’m going to try.” Despite the confessions of being outcasts they pull the trigger on their nuptials and travel around the countr</span><span style="font-size:100%;">y honeymooning like a typical happy couple. They honeymoon ends as the money runs out and Laurie becomes discontented. Bart suggests that he take a job at Remington (guns not electric shavers) for 40 dollars a week. That kind of dough isn’t enough for Laurie bec</span><span style="font-size:100%;">ause she wants t</span><span style="font-size:100%;">o</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> do “a little living” so she suggests a lifestyle of crime where they can earn easy money with their guns by stealing from others. Bart expresses his concern at this proposal by stating that he doesn’t want, “to look in the mirror and see nothing but a stickup man staring back at me.” Laurie on the other hand believes she is entitled because, “I’ve been kicked around all my life and from now on I’m going to start kicking back.” Faced with the ultimatum of Laurie leaving him or seeing that stickup man in the mirror, Bart caves and they begin robbing everything from gas stations to banks.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br />While what comes next is a series of exciting crime scenes, the most interesting aspect of the film is the characters of Bart and Laurie. As the</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> viewers, we wonder what makes them tick and we see that they are trying to figure that out for themselves as well. Their identities are nebulous entities that they never quite know where they begin or end. Is Laurie rotten to the core even though she honestly tries and wants to be good for Bart? She reminds Bart she told him from the beginning that, “…I was no good. I didn’t kid you did I?” yet she demonstrates moments of real tenderness, concern and love for Bart. Is Bart nothing</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6fe_IqCRfOdJq7dqYv3zc4W47ad8EcnHmk4n6SF32raT3-wzNhANb6ocI3SeOovNv-PYw-2Pp7O7EFhxrwhXLckelwrufedbE1I4vjiGuvkT3jRA0_etUdrwd4ub_BoDu5m9gW1nZYg/s1600-h/guncrazy.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054274828364555506" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6fe_IqCRfOdJq7dqYv3zc4W47ad8EcnHmk4n6SF32raT3-wzNhANb6ocI3SeOovNv-PYw-2Pp7O7EFhxrwhXLckelwrufedbE1I4vjiGuvkT3jRA0_etUdrwd4ub_BoDu5m9gW1nZYg/s400/guncrazy.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:100%;"> but that criminal he sees in the mirror even though he is essentially good at heart? Keep in mind that Bart can’t bring himself to shoot anyone if the need arises whereas Laurie has an over itchy trigger finger when she gets scared and stressed. Most would argue that’s not conducive makeup for the life of being successful armed robbers, but Bart and Laurie are misfits and walking contradictions. Bart comments that “It’s all going so fast it doesn’t seem like me.” This elusive selfdom both share is further evidenced by their crime spree where they are literally and figuratively trying on different identities, disguises and role-play while pulling jobs and being on the lam. They impersonate a bookish straight couple, Army officer and wife, beret and sunglasses wearing 50’s hipsters and finally “disguise” themselves in full on cowboy and cowgirl costumes during the infamous single take bank robbery scene shot from the back seat of their car (there’s plenty written about it this deservedly classic part so I will refrain). Despite all these various guises and roles, at their core Bart and Laurie are rare birds that have never quite found nests to call their own. Yet they look for validation and comfort in each other as they are united in their existence as square pegs. Bart tells Laurie “We go together Laurie, I don’t know why, like guns and ammunition go together.”<br /><br />The two decide to pull one last big heist which goes awry, produces two corpses (thanks to Laurie’s hair trigger finger) and sends them running back to Bart’s home town for a confrontation with his past. Here he faces his sister, Clyde and Dave who beg for their surrender but it’s too late for the two. They have finally established their identities in the form of outlaw robbers; and like their predecessors Bonnie and Clyde, they can run for only so long before he law catches up with them.<br /><br />Director Joseph H. Lewis makes the <span style="font-style: italic;">Gun Crazy</span> script jump off the page and crackle with dazzling energy. Lewis has a very strong sense of patience and payoff when it comes to visually narrating a scene. For example, he knows when to finally give the audience a close-up for maximized emotional impact at just the right time in the context of the entire scene, whereas another director may give one to the audience too soon. They would expect the close-up to create significance, just because of our viewer's conditioning to register it as such. Lewis does it with impeccable timing and feeling. Overall the film looks fantastic with great camerawork bolstering its visual strength. Lewis also paces the action at a brisk clip yet knows when to slow down to let the viewer savor the fantastic characters of Bart and Laurie. He lets them breathe and come to life without too heavy a hand and too broad a brush. The only flaw I find with the film is the pace lags for a brief time at the very end but otherwise <span style="font-style: italic;">Gun Crazy</span> is a lean, streamlined movie from start to finish. I’ve barely scratched the surface of this film as it has so many great nuances, qualities and themes that are all worthy of exploration. I will say (and go out on a biased limb) that <span style="font-style: italic;">Gun Crazy</span> is one of, if not, the most underrated film noir (okay it is a film noir) from the classic period of 1940 to 1958. Truly a must see for any fan of film noir or great filmmaking in general. </span>Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-9217646107350386042007-04-15T13:50:00.004-04:002013-01-24T13:12:30.235-05:00SCHLOCK AROUND THE CLOCK - 15 HOUR MOVIE MARATHON<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<em>Brattle Theater </em>– <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on"><em>Cambridge,</em></st1:city> <span style="font-style: italic;">MA</span></st1:place></div>
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<st1:place st="on"><st1:state st="on"></st1:state></st1:place> 2/17-2/18 2007</div>
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I was quite excited for the bad food, bad hygiene, bad posture, and especially the bad movies Saturday night at the <a href="http://www.brattlefilm.org/brattlefilm/index.html"><em>Brattle Theatre</em></a> in <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on" style="font-family: arial;"><st1:city st="on">Cambridge</st1:city></st1:place>, <st1:state st="on"><st1:state st="on">Massachusetts</st1:state></st1:state></st1:city></st1:place>. When I was in high school one of my best friends Nick used to host, which he then dubbed, “<em>Cheezeathons</em>.” Essentially they consisted of inviting his friends over and having an all night movie marathon where he would show us the finest <em>schlock</em>, exploitation, and horror films he could dig up. While some of the films were of decent quality considering the Cheezeathon moniker (the first time I saw <em>The Hills Have Eyes for example,</em> was shown at one in 1986 if I remember correctly), others were wonderfully atrocious (<em>Invasion of the Blood Farmers</em> is for my money one of the best, worst films ever made that Nick introduced us to during a Cheezeathon). I still have a particular soft spot in my blood pumper for the <em>schlock</em>, <a href="http://www.psychotronicvideo.com/wow/vestibule.shtml"><em>Psychotronic</em></a>, <em>B-movie</em> or whatever you want to call them. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Nick introduced me to many masters of schlock which served as a catalyst for my interest and appreciation of the genre. I have continued to be a fan and discovered many auteurs of schlock on my own in the past several decades. In the late eighties Nick, myself and a few friends would venture to the Somerville Theatre where once a year the 24 hour Science Fiction/Horror movie marathon would be held (still is I believe). The quality of the films shown was very much to our tastes. For the science fiction category there was no chance of seeing <em>Tarkovsky</em>’s <i><em>Solaris</em></i> at the marathon. You could however expect to see gems like <i><em>The Hideous Sun-Demon</em></i> or <i><em>The Crawling Eye</em></i> instead of something the critics would faun over (which is rare for the two aforementioned genres anyway). The marathon was a true test of physical endurance and devotion to the films. Trying to stay up for twenty four hours straight in a dark theatre is not an easy task. The crowd, copious amounts of coffee, and the films shown made the marathons easier to endure but more than anything , fun. I was excited to try and relive the old glory days when I read about the 15 hour schlock marathon at the Brattle. This event would be easier to handle than the sci-fi marathon as it was a measly 15 hours straight (9:30pm Saturday to 12:30pm Sunday). I was excitedly anticipating a few titles I have not seen such as the <i><em>Terror of Tinytown</em></i> among other gems being shown. </div>
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The people responsible for the <i><em>Schlock Around the Clock</em></i> at the Brattle deserve a big hand for their choice of films, providing refreshments, overall friendliness and just for doing it in the first place. I’ll try to give you the best account of the films I saw but some of it is pretty hazy because of sleep deprivation among other factors. The films are as follows in the order they were shown at the S.A.T.C.</div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060968/"><b><i><u><em>Shanty Tramp</em></u></i></b></a> (1967)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkk8HJQj3Ng4LfHA8SvvkQisEdD5kbYtiSgIvvOKXgo36aU55BMtzhTIBhRqi0_aWKntEJ9GoC_B71eVMQOhxzOrl1HiZPfSoXflbYG3Xnd3jLgmp6P1ciHEee1MH9Sjk7o3wPdgnha5M/s1600-h/shanty+tramp.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053714816168764354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkk8HJQj3Ng4LfHA8SvvkQisEdD5kbYtiSgIvvOKXgo36aU55BMtzhTIBhRqi0_aWKntEJ9GoC_B71eVMQOhxzOrl1HiZPfSoXflbYG3Xnd3jLgmp6P1ciHEee1MH9Sjk7o3wPdgnha5M/s320/shanty+tramp.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a></div>
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Amazingly this was co-written by <a href="http://www.kgordonmurray.com/"><em>K. Gordon Murray </em></a>who was known in the fifties, sixties and seventies for producing and distributing low-budget saccharine kiddie films, imported dubbed <em>Mexican horror films</em>, <em>exploitation</em> and horror films made in the good old U S of A. <i><em>Shanty Tramp</em></i> has to be one of the best of his stable. As an opening for the marathon it was perfect. Just the right amount of violence, horrendous acting, lame dialogue, and morally bankrupt characters to get the audience in the mood for the cheese that would be flowing for the next 15 hours. </div>
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The story centers on the dubious “Shanty Tramp” Emily who is the bimbo belle of the Bayou. Her father is a pathetic drunk and mommy is apparently nowhere to be found. The fact that the actress playing Emily looks like she is in her mid-thirties doesn’t jive with the script that portrays her as a spry hussy. Every scene she's in seems to be the least favorable take the director could have possibly included in the final cut; it’s as if the director had a beef with her and was purposely trying to torpedo her stock as an actress. While this theory is absolutely ridiculous, it may not seem so far fetched when one sees actress <em>Lee Holland </em>(the Shanty Tramp) perform. At a sleazy bar early in the film, she tries to seduce a young man with an alluring dance that’s derivative of that one kid in the <em>Charlie Brown Christmas Special</em> who dances by leading with her head. I found the result such a sexy turn on that I shot the soda I was drinking through my nose. </div>
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Brecht There is also some interracial seduction exercised by the Shanty Tramp. A local African-American guy keeps giving Emily the eye and his mother tells him to avoid her (Emily has a bit of a reputation in case you didn't understand from the movie's title). He can’t seem to stop lusting after her even though he knows she's trouble. Emily doesn't disappoint as she cries rape to the local rednecks after she purposely seduces and sleeps with him. This ploy generates a posse of crackers looking to lynch him as apparently, tramp trumps African-American in the creditability department of this bizarre world. Her motivation for doing this seems to stem from her being an unbelievably despicable person because it's simply her nature. A little Bertoltcharacterization nod <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Murray</st1:place></st1:city> had in mind I’m sure. There is also a money grubbing preacher who fleeces the local townsfolk of their cash and also offers Emily some private late night “spiritual guidance.” The preacher (played by <em>Hershel Gordon Lewis </em>favorite <em>Bill Rogers</em>) sounds uncannily like actor <em>Greg Holliman </em>(<em>Principal Onyx Blackman</em>) of <em>Strangers with Candy</em> fame.</div>
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<b><i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105643/"><u><em>Troll 2</em></u></a> </i></b>(1990)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMSRC4jMg6J1z8EpR1rsF69f4x7IcmXgbkqLUE0b1yo9_fD3FY6lfbw43fVQmLFw684IWzXKL_s16R4bSPE7BxJBmnIe17phvPbVrOHQYw7NsTggbwqbrecdQTCgonaQHRCdGmDMZg4Y/s1600-h/joshua_green_goo+troll+2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053714966492619730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUMSRC4jMg6J1z8EpR1rsF69f4x7IcmXgbkqLUE0b1yo9_fD3FY6lfbw43fVQmLFw684IWzXKL_s16R4bSPE7BxJBmnIe17phvPbVrOHQYw7NsTggbwqbrecdQTCgonaQHRCdGmDMZg4Y/s320/joshua_green_goo+troll+2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a><b><i><o:p></o:p></i></b></div>
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Apparently every human character in this movie is color blind or embraces a Seussian philosophy of tolerance toward the aesthetically unappetising. The protagonist family of the film is constantly being offered various strange colored foods to eat by the evil residents of the town of <st1:place st="on"><st1:city st="on"><em>Nilbog</em></st1:city></st1:place>. Some of the questionable food items are bagels with bright green cream cheese and corn on the cob smothered with turquoise blue frosting. They nearly consume them all without a second glance at the bizarrely colored food. Unbeknownst to them these foods will make them dissolve via some sort of chlorophyll process that will somehow provide nutrients to the aforementioned vegetarian "people" of Nilbog (spell the town name backwards and appreciate the cleverness that is <em>Troll 2</em>). The film itself is pretty atrocious and difficult to make sense of, not so much what is happening, but why it’s happening. There are some very strange homosexual undertones that are treated with blasé indifference (some teen boys in the film sleep together in a camper, in the same small bed shirtless.) The kid who stars in the film is horribly annoying and had me rooting for the Nilbogians (?) to turn him into Miracle Grow. The Wonder bread father looked strikingly like the love child of <em>Craig T. Nelson </em>and <em>Henry Rollins</em>. The Nilbogians are defeated by the power of meat, specifically a bologna sandwich. Yes that’s right the antagonist's evil plans are thwarted by the cornerstone of Oscar Meyer’s lunch meats and children’s palates. Like I could make this stuff up? A truly fine, bad movie. </div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072419/"><b><i><u>Wonder Woman</u></i></b></a> (TV pilot film 1974)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tkhb_VcE_dW6mNM3_gjwH-i-BSW7u_rEYv5eKlt6YgkBn7fS8copnkZUxAx4eqj9bL2tnqztYGohQARj1gnpMdlwJTH7enl2716J5Aj8AXyiQRI5f4hLhOcwUqQ7DWElex1jxwBGFzc/s1600-h/wonderwoman+clc.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053718385286587426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9tkhb_VcE_dW6mNM3_gjwH-i-BSW7u_rEYv5eKlt6YgkBn7fS8copnkZUxAx4eqj9bL2tnqztYGohQARj1gnpMdlwJTH7enl2716J5Aj8AXyiQRI5f4hLhOcwUqQ7DWElex1jxwBGFzc/s320/wonderwoman+clc.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a> </div>
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If you’re like me and grew up in the 70s, when you think <em>Wonder Woman</em>, you think <em>Linda Carter</em>. Apparently before her the TV executives at ABC were thinking the same thing and not thinking <em>Cathy Lee Crosby </em>who starred in this TV pilot film. Cathy Lee Crosby’s Wonder Woman is quite a bit different from the iconic one we all know. The costume she wears shows much less skin, no golden lasso or bracelets, and C.L.C. has blonde hair. It seemed that this version of Wonder Woman didn’t really have any super powers to speak of, just keen gymnastic abilities and a great cardio regiment. <em>Ricardo Montalban </em>plays the heavy in the film but we never see his face for the first half of the film, though we hear him talk while he is filmed from behind giving orders to his goons. The mystery surrounding the true identity of this villain is pretty lame because unless you grew up a Pygmy in the rain forest you’re going to recognize Ricardo Montalban’s distinct voice. Additionally in the last half of the film there is a donkey in just about every scene. Yes a donkey. I’d try to explain what it’s doing in there but I’m short a few hits of acid of figuring it out myself. Advantage Linda Carter.</div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115624/"><b><i><u><em>Barb Wire</em></u></i></b></a> (1996)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGR3rsxmHo7VdHZQ3MNEh7bPrzyCz_km1klxKtdHE_uquotDcG916gjtexHCHoGNZ5SGG8kFK93e_gCa2G8MdoBoPVDnCFwjo88WN5PMDBLv7N74YamFW0aOwagf_go2dyFVGir8CcToU/s1600-h/barbwire.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053718638689657906" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGR3rsxmHo7VdHZQ3MNEh7bPrzyCz_km1klxKtdHE_uquotDcG916gjtexHCHoGNZ5SGG8kFK93e_gCa2G8MdoBoPVDnCFwjo88WN5PMDBLv7N74YamFW0aOwagf_go2dyFVGir8CcToU/s200/barbwire.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a></div>
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It stars Pamela Anderson and her breasts. It’s like a sci-fi <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on"><i>Casablanca</i></st1:place></st1:city> with tits and gun fights. Pretty awful film and not very much fun to boot. The story really is ripped off from <st1:city st="on"><i><em>Casablanca</em></i></st1:city> so you have to admire the writers for having the huevos mas grandes to use one of the most beloved American films as a blueprint for the <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Anderson</st1:place></st1:city> vehicle. I wonder if the <em>Dark Horse Comic </em>upon which the filmed is based is any good? Oh I almost forgot, Barb’s Rottweiler bites some dude on the nut-sack. Hilarious! Here’s looking at you Kid (Rock’s ex)!</div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060968/"><b><i><u></u></i></b></a><b><i><u><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085764/">Joysticks</a> </u></i></b>(1983)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJdKaHHYdAFDM_qKC4VR9tE40uG1qnKKnPiZYPnBvvdWkAzCf3X5g5RyFRu2HpVrSh3aEc6VGW-4N3Cv7pieyniQ8cmUisQBy8znttr4g-0qq95Ia-7k4t4yMc74ZZ4KbLLaqi9vgKlo/s1600-h/joysticks34dg.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053718926452466754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJdKaHHYdAFDM_qKC4VR9tE40uG1qnKKnPiZYPnBvvdWkAzCf3X5g5RyFRu2HpVrSh3aEc6VGW-4N3Cv7pieyniQ8cmUisQBy8znttr4g-0qq95Ia-7k4t4yMc74ZZ4KbLLaqi9vgKlo/s320/joysticks34dg.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a></div>
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Like <i>Porky’s</i> but with videogames. What <i><em>Joysticks</em></i> has in abundance 1) Breasts, 2) fart jokes, 3) <em>Pac-Man </em>scenes wipes. That’s right almost every time a scene ends, as the audience we know it because a huge animated Pac-Man moves across the screen complete with gobbling sound effects and transitions into the next scene. After the first few dozen times it gets pretty unbearable. As for the highlights there is a young topless woman playing Pac-Man, <em>Joe Don Baker </em>as the film’s heavy and some 80’s street punks acting out a Pac-Man game. The movie’s big climax is a videogame duel that has lots of girl onlookers cooing at the two guys playing Pac-Man against each other, complete with lots of close-up shots of the guys grunting, sweating and hands furiously manipulating joysticks. Read into it as much as you want. </div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070556/"><b><i><u>Black Vengeance</u></i></b></a> (aka “Poor Pretty Eddy” 1975)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTHkQHhw1wYPqR4FVIDpq9nWFnKZP5gcL5HyKUe4pC-yvKsCDNVFc5ABohQAWatPx-FNhyYj51pMlYUH78Lhj_0nE7VG3E8RKGrawa-bspxwKTzNs6aakyUzFqU0CA9bBUSlFqkRlzgU/s1600-h/ppe13.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053719214215275602" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikTHkQHhw1wYPqR4FVIDpq9nWFnKZP5gcL5HyKUe4pC-yvKsCDNVFc5ABohQAWatPx-FNhyYj51pMlYUH78Lhj_0nE7VG3E8RKGrawa-bspxwKTzNs6aakyUzFqU0CA9bBUSlFqkRlzgU/s320/ppe13.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a></div>
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Truly indescribable. Academy Award winner <em>Shelly Winters </em>turns in a role as an old burlesque performer, heading a group backward hicks indulging her bizarre fantasies. <em>Leslie Uggams</em> is tortured and enslaved in this bizarre southern setting that’s like a cross between a <em>Bergman</em> dream sequence, “<em>Hee-Haw</em>” and <i><em>Deliverance</em></i>. She also screams about sixteen-hundred times during the film. At one point in the movie Uggams' character is raped and the scene is intercut with one of the local inbred hicks watching two dogs in heat going at it while an upbeat county tune plays in the background (it’s a long way from “Hollywood Squares” and the Tony award ain't it Leslie). <em>Slim Pickins </em>makes an appearance as a Sheriff who is shall we say unsympathetic to Uggam’s rape testimony as he interrogates her (he tells her to “suck on one'a these tomatoes” during the questioning). To say that this movie is tasteless is like stating that outer space is big. I am still pretty fuzzy on many parts of this movie (thanks vicodin). If you ever get the chance to see this gem, do so. It’s dazzlingly atrocious. </div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061936/"><b><i><u>The <st1:place st="on"><st1:placename st="on"><em>Magic</em></st1:placename> <st1:placetype st="on"><em>Land</em></st1:placetype></st1:place> of <em>Mother Goose</em></u></i></b></a> (1967)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjByoZ84jp3JOWQ9IUdw_rAnngiSE_bsldjilBLsRLCtWLBG8wSWd4vTWSdYPWx7rEUIKeKCWORfPnC3DDl1ogL8x5HRarsV0iWHXeK0XJPtbNrXvEeUiWKS9JgElDNb0qD4_j4IxpoNMY/s1600-h/mothergoose.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053719686661678178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjByoZ84jp3JOWQ9IUdw_rAnngiSE_bsldjilBLsRLCtWLBG8wSWd4vTWSdYPWx7rEUIKeKCWORfPnC3DDl1ogL8x5HRarsV0iWHXeK0XJPtbNrXvEeUiWKS9JgElDNb0qD4_j4IxpoNMY/s320/mothergoose.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://www.herschellgordonlewis.com/films.htm"><em>Hershell Gordon Lewis</em></a> brings us one of his only forays into producing a children’s film. This movie is as close to unwatchable as you can get. Essentially horrible actors portray characters from Mother Goose and act out the stories on a stage (it’s like you’re sitting in the audience of a horrible children's play). They also perform magic tricks just when you think it can’t get any worse. This was the only H.G.L. movie I've seen that didn't have one drop of fake blood. A real let-down. Upon the movie's completion the gentleman who ran the S.A.T.C. provided assorted sweet cereals, milk, plastic bowls and spoons for all patrons to enjoy. Generic brand Coco-Puffs never tasted so delicious. It was also time to change over to the 16mm projector at this point for the final two movies.</div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047898/"><b><i><u><em>Bride of the Atom</em></u></i></b></a> (aka <i><em>Bride of the Monster</em>,</i> 1955)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxyi9OcfidmVsrQbUz6joTuFaAVrWXkjAbniIC406-Cyqpi4v5PFlzB1RZcVG0_29kOgSicBA5C4jqiG43bbAyQpamSAU0pSi4K8E3pQPcivaag6tERDbF6eQrOVsFSAgTSXgWvookiY/s1600-h/torjohnson3.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053720554245071986" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxyi9OcfidmVsrQbUz6joTuFaAVrWXkjAbniIC406-Cyqpi4v5PFlzB1RZcVG0_29kOgSicBA5C4jqiG43bbAyQpamSAU0pSi4K8E3pQPcivaag6tERDbF6eQrOVsFSAgTSXgWvookiY/s320/torjohnson3.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a></div>
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What can you say about <em>Ed Wood Jr.</em> that hasn’t already been covered? <span style="font-style: italic;">Bride</span> was a good one to show as I had never seen it in a theatre before and it came in at just a little over an hour running time. 16mm print wasn’t too bad. Always good to see <em>Bela</em> and <em>Tor</em> on the big screen no matter what the context. In all honesty this is for my money the least “bad” Ed Wood Jr. film he made in the 1950s. Very watchable and fun (of course I was sleep deprived and high at the time.)</div>
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<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061936/"></a><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030845/"><b><i><u><em>The Terror of Tiny Town</em></u></i></b></a> (1938)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCe6y8EQM5AgVsjNcgLeXwdgshw9OByu7Siw7XuhUBwgOa9pefcSbIsvPK_OWAh2FaH99abV1t7lNK5JwIFebDAIiq_hzQZ558ezP8F6z8vu1j_UKWzKureOZC-zLVLWRrhClpRH6fkIo/s1600-h/tinytown.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053720970856899714" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCe6y8EQM5AgVsjNcgLeXwdgshw9OByu7Siw7XuhUBwgOa9pefcSbIsvPK_OWAh2FaH99abV1t7lNK5JwIFebDAIiq_hzQZ558ezP8F6z8vu1j_UKWzKureOZC-zLVLWRrhClpRH6fkIo/s320/tinytown.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px;" /></a></div>
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This was the final film of the marathon and hands down the best all midget cast, western movie ever made. Yes, in case you have not heard of this infamous film it’s chock-full-o little people, which is a term preferred by them, in a simple western/cowboy plot. T.O.T.T. is very strange. There is a little person saloon chanteuse that has a Shirley Temple look going on with her hair and voice. Unfortunately she has a Rocky from the movie <i>Mask</i> look going on with her face. There are some fine examples of just how small midgets (ahem)…little people really are. The heavy in the film smokes a cigar that looks like it's the size of a banana compared to his head. The hero’s love interest at one point picks up a six shooter that may be a .38 or something but in her hands resembles Dirty Harry’s .44 Magnum hand cannon. To be honest I was fading at this point and I also had a nearly two hour drive back to western <st1:state st="on"><st1:place st="on">Massachusetts</st1:place></st1:state>. I found the perfect opportunity to leave when in one scene all the bad guys are sitting around and plotting nefarious little people deeds to be done. The head villain tells one of his cronies who’s smoking a cigarette near a crate of dynamite “What are you stupid?!? You shouldn't smoke that.” I had to chime in aloud “Yea it will stunt your growth!” On that lame joke exclamation, I left the S.A.T.C. having too much coffee, sweet cereal, sleep deprivation, and especially guilty pleasure.</div>
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Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-61442670403449421512007-02-22T23:07:00.000-05:002007-10-08T19:50:26.678-04:00DePalma makes a turd that sure doesn't smell like a flower<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSUswsh004EdDu23UJrZnq3_nvVEk7Pjqpq_27zAQ6U3jYgSefFVvdZ3TJ9k7YLE04Lqad2559P39zXYz6idcDUl_gjvh8CuCPQoltotAe78OCKNM32GGNwhtOFcVpLMbJ7fTAdxQ8QlE/s1600-h/black+dahlia+POSTER+3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSUswsh004EdDu23UJrZnq3_nvVEk7Pjqpq_27zAQ6U3jYgSefFVvdZ3TJ9k7YLE04Lqad2559P39zXYz6idcDUl_gjvh8CuCPQoltotAe78OCKNM32GGNwhtOFcVpLMbJ7fTAdxQ8QlE/s320/black+dahlia+POSTER+3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053297358232495010" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I just watched <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387877/"><em>The Black Dahlia</em></a> this evening and boy does it suck for lack of a better word. I have enjoyed <em>James <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Ellroy</span></em>’s books very much but this film isn't anywhere near the caliber of his fine novel of the same name. Of course the main difference is one of them you read and the other you watch (I’m not a big fan of directly comparing a book to its film version). However, the film is not even close to capturing the flavor and feel of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Ellroy</span>’s book. Obviously because of the novel’s length and complexity, attempting a straight adaptation of the book would have kept me watching till breakfast. The story was cut to hell, a necessity I understand, but it seems the cuts in narrative, background story and dialogue were for establishing an atmosphere or mood. Unfortunately the atmosphere created an urge to look at the clock every two minutes, wondering when it would end. The mood and narrative was distant to the centerpiece of the story; the Dahlia murder itself. That aspect of the film seemed quite secondary to everything else on the celluloid. Sure <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><em>DePalma</em></span>’s films can give your eyeballs cavities because of the way they look, and this one was no exception. It was probably his most visually stunning film to date. The actors are quite easy to gaze at as well (My friend Matt met <em>Scarlett <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Johansson</span></em> and said that she is even more beautiful in person than she is on screen, and he is not one for hyperbole). Johansson is much too young for the Kay role and the same goes for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><em>Hartnett</em></span> as Bucky. Maybe in ten years they could have genuinely looked the part but they both looked like they were playing dress up with stuff they raided from grandpa and grandma's closet.<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000361/"><em><br /></em></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000361/"><em>Brian <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">DePalma</span></em></a> ultimately, is just not a very good storyteller. Never has been. I like only a few of his films (<em>Blow Out</em>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6"><em>Carlito</em></span><em>’s Way </em>and <em>Scarface</em>). Even those I just mentioned I realize are far from great, but do have their merits. The big question is why do people keep giving this guy millions of dollars to make these really mediocre to poor quality films?<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""> </span></p>Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-86191585573442444732007-02-22T13:43:00.000-05:002007-10-17T00:20:46.859-04:00Schilling as a free agent?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4dNH7AhQgtz0EkuBWFjawH0rbAnDIMd10Ttzf11806ojb8TKkwmwe7nF1JYxjHq0scAbIWbHMerg3NclSh7We9zhyphenhyphenWP5I_enxXkR7pCjsfMA7cl1OP1Q5XVGJxuz3y4MBTocfeIs3WY/s1600-h/1020_foot_1024768.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb4dNH7AhQgtz0EkuBWFjawH0rbAnDIMd10Ttzf11806ojb8TKkwmwe7nF1JYxjHq0scAbIWbHMerg3NclSh7We9zhyphenhyphenWP5I_enxXkR7pCjsfMA7cl1OP1Q5XVGJxuz3y4MBTocfeIs3WY/s320/1020_foot_1024768.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5034442231727053250" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Apparently the <em>Red <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Sox</span></em> brass have decided to wait until the end of the season to sit down with <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/schilcu01.shtml"><em>Curt Schilling</em></a> and try to hammer out a deal. Schilling on the other hand has decided to file for free agency. Of course he can't do this till NOVEMBER. Distractions gravitate to the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sox</span> like <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Sizemore</span> to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">meth</span> (Hollywood's Tom, not Cleveland's Grady). This will be no exception as every start by Curt this year will inevitably have some sort of reference/discussion by the media as to whether this will be his last year for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">oldetowne</span> team and so forth. I'm really on he fence about this one. My gut tells me to sign him as 13 million seems paltry (what Curt was asking) when someone like <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/m/mechegi01.shtml"><em>Gil <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Meche</span></em></a> who has never pitched over 200 innings in a season and has a lifetime ERA of 4.65 gets 11 million a year? I do however see Theo's view that they want to see how he pitches in 07' before they commit to a 40 year old dude. He did put his career on the line for the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Sox</span> in 04' and obviously has enormous pride in his work so we know he won't slack off. On the other hand I think that waiting and seeing how he pitches is a good move when people like <a href="http://www2.blogger.com/www.baseball-reference.com/z/zambrca01.shtml"><em>Carlos <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Zambrano</span></em></a> will be available at the end of the season. Regardless of the distractions (see <span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/r/ramirma02.shtml"><em>Manuel Aristides Ramirez</em></a>) this year, I'll still be in the bleachers on opening day</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> (thanks to my boss)</span><span style="font-size:100%;">, April 10 supporting my dysfunctional family as I do every year. They're the only one I've got. </span></div>Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-63910582226328724972007-02-19T12:56:00.000-05:002007-04-22T10:27:15.507-04:00Alloy Orchestra - Live Performance Review<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1w4wakHahrprx_eImDIuUbMJA7vuYN_69IlHO4kLcFgKxNUs3cPZMrhDtz-FC2oMJLJ2HqqvIcnZqVmlTEhQaFY1-S5H44fhVEmF8tLwlx0TJ3jUbW2zOnBV6RCUpC98UpHrbRJOCqGU/s1600-h/Alloy+new+2006+lowrez620x42.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1w4wakHahrprx_eImDIuUbMJA7vuYN_69IlHO4kLcFgKxNUs3cPZMrhDtz-FC2oMJLJ2HqqvIcnZqVmlTEhQaFY1-S5H44fhVEmF8tLwlx0TJ3jUbW2zOnBV6RCUpC98UpHrbRJOCqGU/s400/Alloy+new+2006+lowrez620x42.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5056258769230160242" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><em><br /><br /><a href="http://www.alloyorchestra.com/"><em>Alloy Orchestra</em></a> playing their original score live, for <em>Alfred Hitchcock's </em>non-talkie * "Blackmail" (1929)</em><span style="font-style: italic;">. This event took place at the </span><a href="http://www.massmoca.org/"><span style="font-style: italic;" class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0"><em>Mass MoCA</em></span></span></a><span style="font-style: italic;"> gallery in October 2006.</span><br /><br />The enormous galleries here have some eye-popping stuff lurking in almost every room (especially artist <em>Huang Yong Ping's </em>giant, suspended, serpent skeleton). There's plenty to feast on including a great <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Pixilated</span></span> Lo-<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Fi</span></span> computer animation by Paul Chan, that had my girlfriend Fifi and I hypnotized for nearly half an hour. At an eight dollar admission (student rate, regular adult is $10), it's quite a bang for your buck too, if it's even possible to refer to a museum in that colloquial context. If you live anywhere between Boston and New York it's worth the trip.<br /><br /><em>Alloy Orchestra's</em> score to <em>Blackmail</em> was intelligent, humorous and most importantly, for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Hitch's</span></span> sake, gripping. The Alloy Orchestra playing it live on stage with <em>Blackmail</em> behind them on the big screen was special to say the least. This collaboration fit nicely together with Alloy Orchestra’s creativity exercised via using the film as its canvas. If you are able to find <em>Blackmail</em> it’s absolutely worth viewing. This silent film (there was a sound version by <em>Hitchcock</em> as well) demonstrates Hitchcock’s mastery at propelling narrative via “showing” as opposed to “telling” which we unfortunately get entirely too much of these days in movies. If you ever get a chance to see the <em>Alloy Orchestra</em> live (and they play all around the country) by all means enjoy the experience at least once. Some trivia regarding The Alloy Orchestra… One of its members, <em>Roger Miller</em>, is the guitarist in the most underrated band in the past 30 years (That’s just this reporter’s opinion), <a href="http://www.missionofburma.com/"><em>Mission of Burma</em></a>. Less important, apparently they are <em>Roger Ebert’s </em>contemporary favorites for composing and performing silent film scores.<br /><br />* Hitchcock shot two <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">versions</span> of this film, a sound and a silent one.Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-27335475448464913132007-02-19T12:18:00.000-05:002007-06-22T09:13:02.153-04:00Why the blog, dog?<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I decided to take advantage of the free blog service Google has to offer because I thought it might be entertaining to have discussions about a few specific subjects, or whatever else, with whomever via a blog. My main motivation is that it will keep me writing on a fairly consistent basis. My girlfriend is an Economics major with a math minor at a very fine (and therefore demanding) school. Not only does she have little time to watch movies and baseball (my big obsessions) with me, but do much of anything else except for studying. My other friends locally are mostly into music and enjoy playing the “<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">rawk</span>” music or have families with children. So that leaves me high and dry (in terms of film/Red <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sox</span> friends, not Def <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Leppard</span> albums). I used to have a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">myspace</span> page but that site smacks of being an electronic popularity contest. Wow you have 567 friends? Your value as a human being must be extraordinary. I have many friends too but I don’t collect or have the urge to put them on display, not unlike an old lady may with <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4"><em>Hummel</em></span><em> figurines</em>. I’m also a horrible correspondent so I find myself infrequently spending time composing letters and email. This does not seem to be conducive to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5"><em>myspace</em></span> where there appears to be a requisite 6-7 hours a day of one’s time devoted to emailing but more so (creepily) browsing the profiles of complete strangers. To me that’s about as much fun as Carrie White had at the prom</p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">I’<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">ve</span> just recently finished my last semester at <em>U-Mass </em>where I’m a 36 year old undergrad English major. Perhaps I’ll get my graduate degree when I’m simultaneously collecting social security and Medicaid benefits. Regardless the reason I mention this is because I have more free time and that means more time to feed my celluloid addiction. This also means more time to devote to the <a href="http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=bos"><em>Boston Red <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Sox</span></em></a>, a lifelong passion of mine. I would ideally like to have some people to discuss the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Sox</span> and film with in an intelligent, lively and most importantly fun manner. I’m not interested in putting other people’s tastes or opinions down, or promoting my own as somehow better. It’s obviously subjective. How you feel about a film is not the most important reaction you can have. I think that the intent, the result and the reasoning behind the film is where discussion is merited and interesting. So you ‘loved’ “<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375679/"><em>Crash</em></a>” and ‘hated’ “<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0375679/"><em>Turner and Hooch</em></a>.” So what? I’m more interested in figuring out what the filmmakers are trying to say and how they say it, or show it (<em>Crash</em>- anything that happens in southern California is racially motivated, <em>Turner and Hooch</em> – a giant dog’s drool and poop is hilarious.) I’m also a big fan of film <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">noir</span> and there is a great website called <a href="http://filmnoir.suddenlaunch3.com/index.cgi">Back Alley <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Noir</span></a> which hosts a cast of very knowledgeable and friendly people. It’s a good place to chew the fat about <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">noir</span> with some fine people.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;">For the most part I want to keep the blog focused on three subjects: <em>Film</em>, <em>Boston Red <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Sox</span></em> and <em>sharks</em>. Yes I've got a thing about (which is a euphemism for obsession) sharks. They are the only real monsters we have left on planet earth. They are man-eating cold blooded killers which kill more humans every year than we are led to believe. I'll save my wacky conspiracy theories about the Australian and South African tourism bureaus and <em>shark attack cover-ups </em>for another day. I've found that that the majority of blogs out there are a real hodgepodge of subjects people seem to feel qualified to comment about. That's the beauty of the blog, the voice of the common person writing about what they want to write about in a forum that anyone in the world can read. However, in practice it can make for such exciting entries as a bored housewife in Corvallis, Oregon writing about the cutest little fern candle holder she found in the Lillian Vernon catalog when she should be writing about her take on today's episode of <a href="http://www.nbc.com/Passions/">Passions</a>, or some hipster tool in Brooklyn talking about how much the President sucks when he should be writing about some obscure band that only he and a few others have listened to play. My point is; stick with what you know and keep it simple. Therefore it's movies, sharks and Red <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">Sox</span> on this blog. I may throw a changeup entry on occasion too. Enjoy.<br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4236480526838863893.post-13116353753445533662007-02-19T11:54:00.000-05:002007-10-12T13:37:33.608-04:00The Big Clock (1948) - Film Review<div>If there is one thing I <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVeuTYVNDqzQK8YEB4GWt7I7IOdYUpY2yql69ORFw4PsYViBN1ImI6LPcqJfwAJNmf56DI50X4qu-R7YnCrd1944sl_dos8Jqr7l8doARkrpiHweFPdbMjgSUysN1Ir8WoMkAHNfmWmBw/s1600-h/BigClock99.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054749000178957906" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVeuTYVNDqzQK8YEB4GWt7I7IOdYUpY2yql69ORFw4PsYViBN1ImI6LPcqJfwAJNmf56DI50X4qu-R7YnCrd1944sl_dos8Jqr7l8doARkrpiHweFPdbMjgSUysN1Ir8WoMkAHNfmWmBw/s400/BigClock99.jpg" border="0" /></a>learned from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001537/"><em>Ray Milland’s </em></a>most famous performance, it’s that a booze bender makes for a great narrative. Milland’s Oscar winning role in <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037884/"><em>The Lost Weekend</em> </a>was as one of film history’s most memorable and voracious alcoholics. Battling his personal bacchant demons, as well as the people trying to sober him up, made for a great movie (especially when flying bats are hallucinated). In director <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0268513/">John Farrow’s</a> <em>The Big Clock</em> we know that Milland may find himself in trouble again because of lady liquor after he is fired from his job and confides that the first thing he is going to do is “have a good stiff couple of drinks.” In this film he ties one on with the wrong woman, in the wrong place and as the title may allude, at the wrong time. The fatal result is a murder committed in the heat of passion. What follows is an unconventional cat and mouse story that pits Milland and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001452/">Charles Laughton </a>against each other and the stakes are a reserved seat at the state penitentiary’s electric chair. Using a phony murder suspect as the bait to get the drop on one another, Farrow, Laughton and Milland deliver the suspense goods in spades. As the seconds tick away and the tension is ratcheted up, the film’s big question is which character will walk away with their life, and which will take the long walk to the chair.<br /><div><br />Ray Milland’s character <em>George Stroud </em>is the lead editor of Janoth Publication’s most popular weekly periodical titled “Crimeways.” This magazine is renowned, as Milland’s dubs it, for being “the country’s police blotter.” This magazine’s success is due largely to George Stroud’s uncanny knack for finding criminals who don’t want to be found. This method Stroud innovates is called the “System of Irrelevant Clues” where the suspect of the investigation du-jour is essentially profiled as to their likes, dislikes, proclivities and other tendencies that could aid in their apprehension (as the moniker suggests, apparently the Police believe these same clues are irrelevant!?) This is indeed a handy skill for a criminal investigative journalist and Stroud has parlayed it into a very successful career. His success however comes with a steep price and the tag reads: marriage on the rocks. Due to his numerous hours spent at the “Crimeways” office, Stroud is rarely available for his wife and five year old son. Georgette Stroud (<em>Maureen O'Sullivan</em>) later tells her husband that she thinks that he married the magazine instead of her.<br /><br />George Stroud’s marital discord is of no concern to <em>Charles Laughton’s </em>character of media giant <em>Earl Janoth</em>. Janoth’s only concerns seem to be making money, having his employees under his thumb and his obsession with clocks and punctuality. His mistress <em>Pauline York </em>(played by <em>Rita Johnson</em>) is on very shaky terms with Janoth and we glean that she is using him for his money. In return she is a nice bit of eye candy he can dangle on his arm. Laughton is fantastic as the automaton mogul, who is equally concerned with how to increase readership by the tens of thousands and micromanage his business by ruthlessly pinching pennies. This is hilariously demonstrated when Janoth tells his assistant that, “On the fourth floor, in a broom closet, the bulb has been burning for several days. Find the man responsible and dock his pay.” George Stroud however is fed up with his family taking a back seat to the magazine and Laughton. He is determined to finally take a long overdue vacation with his wife and son. Janoth has other ideas for Stroud and gives him an ultimatum; either he stays and helps with a big story he just broke, or is fired and blackballed by Janoth. Stroud has reached his limit and chooses the latter. Before he goes to the train station to meet his wife and son for their belated honeymoon/vacation he decides to celebrate his new found freedom by enjoying cocktails with Pauline, his now ex-employer’s mistress.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCNL04bFH0NtMy7TedxV9kr6-Vz9abJfuqZ7RZdbn-VnsvgcLaPSCkegKWliaLWlajZHvLbzuXNgLJ0XHYNezqoJIFVUdZFJj_rMEiKzTyVuKNI_bLDBNJrglwdtmR1I6PCcY8irxuQU/s1600-h/clockp2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5054749343776341602" style="margin: 0px 0px 10px 10px; float: right;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXCNL04bFH0NtMy7TedxV9kr6-Vz9abJfuqZ7RZdbn-VnsvgcLaPSCkegKWliaLWlajZHvLbzuXNgLJ0XHYNezqoJIFVUdZFJj_rMEiKzTyVuKNI_bLDBNJrglwdtmR1I6PCcY8irxuQU/s400/clockp2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Her invitation for drinks is under the pretence of pooling their collective dirt on Janoth for some payback. Several dozen Stingers later, the evening has degenerated into quite a drinking binge. George misses his train and he wakes up in Pauline’s apartment on the couch later in the evening after passing out (no husband of the year award for him). With a hearty hangover he’s quickly pushed out the door by Pauline as she sees Janoth on his way up to her apartment for an unexpected visit. George goes down the building’s stairway but not before Janoth steps off the elevator and notices someone (Milland) leaving her apartment. Earl Janoth questions Pauline as to the identity of the person leaving her apartment and she makes up a phony name of “<em>Jefferson Randolph</em>.” Janoth keeps pressing her, and still tipsy, she levels some very scathing words at him. Her words inflame him and in the heat of the moment, he brains her upside the head with a sundial paperweight and kills her. Janoth flees the scene and soon after confides the murder to his loyal lead crony Steve Hagen (George Macready). <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Hagen</st1:place></st1:city> takes charge and decides to go back to the scene of the crime. He eliminates Pauline’s apartment of any clues his boss left and begins laying the groundwork to frame this mysterious Jefferson Randolph for the murder, who in fact is Ray Milland’s character George Stroud. Janoth calls Stroud on his vacation the next day and tells him he needs his skills and the “Crimeways” reporters to track down this Jefferson Randolph, seen leaving Pauline’s apartment the night of her murder as he is a chief suspect. George knows that this is person is in fact himself. He must return to <st1:state st="on">New York</st1:state> to obscure the trail to the fictional <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Randolph</st1:place></st1:city> as it will definitely lead him into a world of trouble with the authorities and his wife.<br /><br />This implausible scenario sets up the movie’s real goods which consist of an unconventional cat and mouse game where the lines between prey and predator are crossed and re-crossed by Laughton and Milland. George Stroud is using his profiling technique of tracking down people to theoretically track down himself. Not only does he have to foil this process and thwart his magazines staff employing it, he also must appear to be helping this process when in reality he is trying to stay one step ahead of everyone, especially Janoth. His bender with Pauline has left behind a long trail of clues and witnesses that saw them together during her final evening. In particular Elsa Lanchester (Charles Laughton’s real life spouse) gives a great performance as a daffy artist who is one of these witnesses that Milland must keep away from Laughton and the “Crimeways” investigative team. As the noose tightens around George Stroud, Janoth and Hagen begin to piece together that the mysterious Jefferson Randolph is Stroud. Stroud knows that Janoth must have been the one to kill Pauline but he can’t point the finger just yet as the clues point to Jefferson Randolph, and in turn, himself.<br /><br />The plot (which I have whittled down believe it or not) is fairly intricate and has some nice twists throughout the film to keep it interesting. Screenwriter Jonathan Latimer (“The Glass Key” “Nocturne”) also punches up the script with some crisp and clever dialogue keeping the film feeling brisk and not bogged down by the complex plot. Milland’s performance is great as he runs the spectrum of behavior from a sort of affable cockiness in the beginning, to severe anxiety as the suspense builds. Charles Laughton is simply amazing as always. His Janoth character is a detestable autocrat, yet his rakish behavior coupled with a vermouth dry sense of humor makes him the core delight of the film.<br /><br />The most impressive visual aspect of the film is by far the camerawork. The camera moves about the characters and their surroundings with flair and grace but does so without making the viewer too conscious of its presence. Upon our introduction to Charles Laughton’s character, the camera follows him around his executive boardroom table where he slowly encircles his seated sycophantic executives pitching ideas to him on how to increase readership. As he dismisses their ideas one by one he sits down at the head of the enormous table only to soon after get up and leave the meeting. Through Farrow’s tracking shot of Laug<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOM8sz1B6_Ri3c5uztyVxFte3-llIH55A_wdFjfRRiJopmouRiz_dzINSeDQJlNAx0BiBJcZ7n_NvCVza8shP2tMUAJ2uNGj2hSNcPXcVB97OO-4dlaiuw6A25VLdyYcnVGF19-sSL84/s1600-h/big+clock+milland.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053296323145376658" style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvOM8sz1B6_Ri3c5uztyVxFte3-llIH55A_wdFjfRRiJopmouRiz_dzINSeDQJlNAx0BiBJcZ7n_NvCVza8shP2tMUAJ2uNGj2hSNcPXcVB97OO-4dlaiuw6A25VLdyYcnVGF19-sSL84/s320/big+clock+milland.gif" border="0" /></a>hton, we follow his every move in this scene as if the camera was mimicking the eyes of his underlings, examining the every move of their exacting executive. Farrow’s selection of shots are stylish and keep the viewer visually engaged, however, he ultimately respects the potency of the script and the cast’s ability to deliver its dramatic goods. Because of these strengths, the director is able to interject visual verve to the film through his tasty camerawork, yet it never feels like a crutch or a distraction.<br /><br />“The Big Clock” is a taught, lean little thriller which has the right mix of suspense, humor, action and twists to keep your eyes on the screen. Much more enjoyable upon second viewing as I appreciated the screenplay’s cleverness more where as the first time I was really involved in the solid performances. It’s worth taking in when you get the opportunity.<br /><br />-Tim<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">“The Big Clock” Tidbits</span>: Harry (Henry) Morgan plays Laughton’s muscle in the film but never utters a line…It was nominated for an Edgar Allen Poe award for Best Motion Picture in 1949…The film was remade in 1987 and re-titled “No Way Out.” It starred Kevin Costner, Sean Young and Gene Hackman as the heavy. I have no idea if the remake was good as I refuse to loose any more time in my life watching Costner "act".<br /></div></div>Tim McGonaglehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03637830255390002247noreply@blogger.com0