Everything about this movie is 1st-rate. The cinematography is simply stunning. The musical score is perfect for the progress of the story. The casting is spot on- Anna Paquin truly shines, and has the best support possible. And the story- oh... well, you just have to see it. There's something for everyone here, young and old- sorrow, inspiration, humor, hope, redemption, injustice, and a thrilling race against time. It's infused with characters that are real, but it's when the geese take wing that this film really soars. That the flight scenes are done almost exclusively without special effects will open your eyes, and you can get lost in the clouds! No matter your age, you should see this movie.
Reviews
6 Reviews
The Stalking Moon
(1968)
Before There Was Jaws, There Was Salvaje
28 December 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Prior to the vastly overblown and disappointing Greg Peck western, McKenna's Gold, was this quiet gem of humanity, romance, redemption, and terror. Its two stars, Peck and Eva Marie Saint, carry the film beautifully. There is little dialog, but such fine actors don't really require it to make their parts human and believable. The story is original and timely. There are stunning locations, lushly photographed by the great Charles Lang, and the sure directorial hand of Robert Mulligan (To Kill A Mockingbird.) Fred Karlin's music, like the rest of the movie, is understated and effective. Underscoring it all, is the invisible predator, Salvaje, who carries them all- and us- inexorably, to a hold-your-breath conclusion. Like a good Hitchcock film, The Stalking Moon is rooted in the familiar, juxtaposed with the extraordinary.
Very highly recommended.
Very highly recommended.
Up the Down Staircase
(1967)
Excellent on every level
11 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
And there are many levels....
The late Sandy Dennis gave a tour de force performance as the rookie teacher who not only enters where angels fear to tread- New York's inner city Calvin Coolidge High School- but also has the guts to retain her compassion against overwhelming odds and even fight a system that would crush her students into urban oblivion. Her Sylvia Barrett is portrayed with nuance and grace that is a real pleasure to see.
The large supporting cast is equally fine: Jeff Howard, as the tragically wasted Joe Ferone; Sorrell Booke, as the wryly humorous school principal, Dr. Bester; Jose Rodriguez, as Jose Rodriguez, the shy boy who quietly soaks in the value his new teacher has to offer. Patrick Bedford, as the frustrated writer, who breaks free of the trap he finds himself in. And there are many, many more.
Tad Mosel's script, based on the best-selling novel by Bel Kaufman, touches a wide range of human situations, dramatic, romantic, humorous. One of my favorite lines: Pupil: (As Miss Barrett instructs her class on taking mid-term exams.) "If you're standing at the back of the room, how do we know who you're watching?" Miss Barrett: (Correcting his grammar.) "Whom. '....Whom I'm watching.'"
Robert Mulligan is a very underrated director with a long string of wonderful films, including To Kill A Mockingbird and The Stalking Moon, but Up The Down Staircase may be his best achievement. He brings together a microcosm of society- people, processes, authority, and the struggle against ignorance- all embodied in one small New York City neighborhood, and offers it up with wisdom and love.
Fred Karlin's highly original musical score provides whimsical counterpoint to the stark realism of the settings (all filmed on location) and reinforces the optimistic theme of the story, and yet retains a funky edginess to underscore the more serious moments of the film. I catch myself humming his tunes now and then.
Sylvia Barrett is just a woman, an individual swept up- and nearly swept away- by the complexities of modern city life. But more than anything else, this movie is about courage- hers and that of her students.
I first saw Up The Down Staircase in '67, when I was in high school, and it's stayed with me ever since. If only I had had a teacher like Syl Barrett! For all its realism, adversity, bureaucracy, and pessimism- and while not epic in scale- Up The Down Staircase remains one of the most inspiring, uplifting shows I know of. A triumph of the human spirit. Very highest rating.
The late Sandy Dennis gave a tour de force performance as the rookie teacher who not only enters where angels fear to tread- New York's inner city Calvin Coolidge High School- but also has the guts to retain her compassion against overwhelming odds and even fight a system that would crush her students into urban oblivion. Her Sylvia Barrett is portrayed with nuance and grace that is a real pleasure to see.
The large supporting cast is equally fine: Jeff Howard, as the tragically wasted Joe Ferone; Sorrell Booke, as the wryly humorous school principal, Dr. Bester; Jose Rodriguez, as Jose Rodriguez, the shy boy who quietly soaks in the value his new teacher has to offer. Patrick Bedford, as the frustrated writer, who breaks free of the trap he finds himself in. And there are many, many more.
Tad Mosel's script, based on the best-selling novel by Bel Kaufman, touches a wide range of human situations, dramatic, romantic, humorous. One of my favorite lines: Pupil: (As Miss Barrett instructs her class on taking mid-term exams.) "If you're standing at the back of the room, how do we know who you're watching?" Miss Barrett: (Correcting his grammar.) "Whom. '....Whom I'm watching.'"
Robert Mulligan is a very underrated director with a long string of wonderful films, including To Kill A Mockingbird and The Stalking Moon, but Up The Down Staircase may be his best achievement. He brings together a microcosm of society- people, processes, authority, and the struggle against ignorance- all embodied in one small New York City neighborhood, and offers it up with wisdom and love.
Fred Karlin's highly original musical score provides whimsical counterpoint to the stark realism of the settings (all filmed on location) and reinforces the optimistic theme of the story, and yet retains a funky edginess to underscore the more serious moments of the film. I catch myself humming his tunes now and then.
Sylvia Barrett is just a woman, an individual swept up- and nearly swept away- by the complexities of modern city life. But more than anything else, this movie is about courage- hers and that of her students.
I first saw Up The Down Staircase in '67, when I was in high school, and it's stayed with me ever since. If only I had had a teacher like Syl Barrett! For all its realism, adversity, bureaucracy, and pessimism- and while not epic in scale- Up The Down Staircase remains one of the most inspiring, uplifting shows I know of. A triumph of the human spirit. Very highest rating.
Riverdance: The New Show
(1996 Video)
This is the one to see.
16 March 2007
In my opinion, Flatley ruined the first show with his ridiculous ego. He was disrespectful to his dancing partner, tried to upstage everyone and had no awareness of the spirit of Riverdance. It's well he left the show. Colin Dunne, the new male lead, is superb, and when he and Jean Butler dance together, magic happens! Eileen Ivers' fiddling is astonishing (as is Noel Eccles' percussion,) and Maria Pages' "Fire Dance" is worth the price of admission! When Pages and Ivers get together, near the end of the show for a musical duet, well, it's a genuine treasure. I agree, the editing isn't complimentary, but no technical shortcoming can quell this extraordinary tour de force. This is the one to get. There's never been anything like Riverdance! This is the real one!
The Scalphunters
(1968)
The only thing wrong is the title.
19 February 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Superficially, it's about a gang of white men who take Indian scalps for money, but the title doesn't really convey the spirit of the film. Maybe, "They Trade Beaver Pelts, Don't They?" would be better. (I'm reminded of Runaway Train, which, while set on a runaway train, was about so much more.) This is one of my favorite films from the late '60s, and there were a lot of great movies from that time. Lancaster and Davis are amazing together. Their dialog is witty, surprising and literate. Winters and Savalas are one of the most hilarious screen couples I've ever seen. The Scalphunters, because of its 19th-century setting, cannot supply a definitive answer to the question of race-relations, but it does convey a real sense of the stupidity of bigotry. The beauty of this film is, it takes a serious timely topic, looks at it from a nostalgic point of view, and then shares a wink with us. Very highly recommended.
The War of the Worlds
(2005 Video)
It looks like it might have been made at the turn of the 20th-century. Spoilers
18 February 2007
I didn't mind all the walking. People really did walk places back then. It loaned an air of authenticity to this period piece and some perspective on the technology of the Martians. I too was disappointed by the effects, in particular the "Thunderchild" scene, which I regard as one of the most exciting in the book. But I can't praise this film enough, for its faithfulness to Wells's story! It's about time. The actors are likable and the performances are charming. Also this film is very much worth seeing just to hear Jamie Hall's truly great musical score. It was interesting to see the same actor play both the writer and his brother in London.
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