the prisoners

We're all aware of this one:

Sidious: "Lord Vader..."
Vader: "Yes, Master?"
Sidious: "Rise."
- Star Wars Episode III Revenge of the Sith (05)

but see if this doesn't sound familiar:

Caligari: "Wake up, Cesare!
I, Caligari, your Master,
Command you!"
- The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919)

Now, I could be stretching a bit, but coincidence? I am certain that the Annakin/Vader character is drawn from many cinematic sources, and perhpas I'm not the first to point to Robert Wiene's timeless tale of madness, sleepwalking and "blind obedience" to one's Master. Of course, Wiene was commenting on aspects of German society, and that's only the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it comes to the comparisons between the Star Wars films and this magnum opus of German expressionism (as well as many other films). Even Vader's angular face-plate is reminiscent of early German expressionism. But do we truly feel sorry for Cesare, the somnambulist (until his secret is revealed) the same way that we do for Annakin/Vader? Are they just victims to be commanded like puppets by nefarious and all-powerful beings - or are they ultimately responsible for their own actions every step of the way? You see the films - you be the judge...

"At last I recognize his mania. He believes me to be the mystical Caligari. Astonishing! But I think I know how to cure him now." (title card) - last lines from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

12xCrowe


Sonny Jim: "We came to smash everything and ruin your life. God sent us."
Russell Crowe as Hando in Geoffrey Wright's lost classic, Romper Stomper (92). This is Russell Crowe's best early performance (and his least talked about), and the one most responsible for getting him to Hollywood. He re-defines the word "intense" in this film. A small, dark little Australian drama, it tells the story of a group of Nazi skinheads who become alarmed at the way their neighbourhood is changing. I have never changed sides so many times with characters in a movie before than I had while watching this incredible low-budget masterpiece. The "racially impure" people are the local Vietnamese, who at first are portrayed as complete victims of their "strong" opressors. But once they've had enough, they set out to destroy Crow and his gang, and then it becomes a true reversal of power. The skinheads are now "weak" and you actually feel sorry for them as they relentlessly get the shit kicked out of them by their once-victims. This film was banned in Canada for many years until Crowe gained popularity. It is very violent and very visceral. A film (and central performance) that you will not easily forget.



Bud White: "you'll be out in a year and a half. I'll get cozy with your parole officer. You touch her again, I'll have you violated on a kiddie raper beef...You know what they do to kiddie rapers in Quentin, don't ya?"

Crowe as Officer Wendell 'Bud' White in Curtis Hanson's L.A. Confidential(97). Curtis Hanson cast Russell Crowe after seeing his performance in Romper Stomper (1992). Studio execs were adamantly against the idea of casting two Australians (Russell Crowe and Guy Pearce) in an American period piece.


Jeffrey Wigand: "You fought for me? You manipulated me! Into where I am now - staring at the Brown & Williamson building, it's all dark except for the tenth floor. That's the legal department, that's where they fuck with my life!"

Crowe as Dr. Jeffrey Wigand in Michael Mann's The Insider (99). The real Jeffrey Wigand asked for two concessions from the filmmakers: that they change the names of his daughters, and that there be no smoking anywhere in the film. Both requests were granted (except for one shot of smoking by a Hezbollah guard). In one scene Lowell asks Jeffrey, "Are you talking to me or did someone else walk in the room?" James Caan used the same line in Mann's under-rated, Thief (1981). Crowe recieved his first Oscar nomination (Supporting Actor) for this riveting performance.




Terry Thorne: "What are you guys celebrating?"
Dino: "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of the clitoris."

Crowe as Terry Thorne, professional hostage negotiator, in Taylor Hackford's under-rated Proof of Life (00). This is not a bad film. In fact, it's one of the best perfromances I've seen Crowe give. He plays a "real guy" in this one, who's just doing his job - it just so happens that his job ends up involving war paint, machine guns and heavy explosives. I don't think the public knew what to expect from this film. Frankly, the studio did not know how to promote it. Was it an action/adventure tale? A love story? A buddie film?...The point is, you can't judge a book by it's cover, and the real "star" of the film is David Caruso as Crowe's old friend and eventual partner, Dino. When the two of them start blowing shit up together and the body count starts to rise - you'll understand why all the confusion in the marketing department. Also, actor David Morse should have been nominated for an Academy Award for this one - he is that good. Taylor Hackford is the director of the new Jaime Foxx film, Ray. He is married to actress Helen Mirren.


Capt. Jack Aubrey: "Would you call me an aged man-o-war, doctor? The Surprise is not old; no one would call her old. She has a bluff bow, lovely lines. She's a fine seabird: weatherly, stiff and fast...very fast, if she's well handled. No, she's not old; she's in her prime."

Crowe as Capt. Jack Aubrey in Peter Weir's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (03). Despite the Academy Award nominations, I still think this was the most under-rated film of last year. I am glad that Peter Jackson won the Best Director Oscar for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but Weir's film (probably his masterpiece after Gallipoli, 81) deserved the Best Picture nod. Crowe's on-screen chemistry with co-star Paul Bettany was one of the most surpirsing and delightful things I have seen in quite a while. In any case, it is a tour-de-force on just about every level, and Crowe proves once again that he can slip into any character's skin and seem believable. He even did most of the violin playing himself on camera.

coming soon:

Crowe plays Depression-era fighter and folk hero Jim Braddock, who defeated heavyweight champ Max Baer in a 15-round slugfest in 1935, in Ron Howard's The Cinderella Man, set for release in 2005. This is a re-teaming of Howard, Crowe, (producer) Grazer and (writer) Akiva Goldsman - the creative team behind the Academy Award-winning A Beautiful Mind (01). Crowe dislocated his shoulder while training for the film's boxing sequences, which delayed the filming for two months. Do I predict another Academy Award nomination in his near future? You bet your ass.

other memorable Crowe performances:

A Beautiful Mind (01) - nominated for Best Actor

Gladiator (00) - for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor

Virtuosity (95) - not as bad as one would think (his most over-the-top performance to date)

The Quick and the Dead (95) - he is undisputedly the best thing about this bad movie

The Sum of Us (94) - in which he played the gay son of a very accepting father (played by fellow Aussie Jack Thompson in a beautiful performance)

Proof (91) - (with an Oscar-worthy Hugo Weaving) a little-seen gem

space tragedy


Sidious: "Lord Vader..."
Vader: "Yes, Master?"
Sidious: "Rise."

While there are still few if any pictures from the film available (as ordered by Darth Lucas) at this time, you can still read Lucas' own "plot summary" for Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith here
as well as access the script (this is the last scene):

INT. IMPERIAL STAR DESTROYER - NIGHT

Vader exit’s the medical facility and walks through the bridge of the star destroyer, joining his new master Darth Sidious, the emperor of the galaxy, and an imperial officer named Tarkin. The evil trio stare out the window at their ultimate weapon, the Death Star which has begun construction. Vader breathes evilly, now more machine then man, his life a horrible tragedy.

After watching the teaser trailer, I too felt like I was 8 years old again. It will be dark and extremely violent (thank God) and more disturbing to younger kids than the other films in the whole saga. While I do not feel like ROTS will live up to it's over-all promise - I do think that it will be the best film of the new series (which ain't sayin' much). Hearing Vader breathe and then speak (thank you, James Earl Jones!) was exhilerating - even if the feeling came and went as quickly as the trailer. While I'm not living for the moment that the film is finally released, I can honestly say that this will still be the film event of the decade. Like it or not.

"That's no moon..."

Redemption Song

This is it. The whole thing had been leading up to this moment. We didn't need three prequels to spell it all out for us - it came down to just this: a father protecting his child. It happens right after The Emperor enrages Luke, to the point of nearly killing Darth Vader, whom he knows is the man who bore him (and his sister, Leia), and to take his place on the Dark Side. Luke stops just short of killing Vader and proclaims to The Emperor: "Never. I'll never turn to the Dark Side. You've failed, your highness. I am a Jedi, like my father before me," just as The Emperor unleashes the full power of the Dark Side of the Force on him. As Vader rises, badly beaten and already nearing death, he stands by his Master and watches as his son is quickly being electrocuted to death. He only has moments to decide what to do: to stand by and watch his son be killed, or to reach out and help. It's a decision that we will never forget - because it means taking his own life to save his child. It may just be one of the single greatest moments of acting that I have ever witnessed - and it all happens behind a mask.

We are so familiar with Darth Vader's image that by this time, in the context of the story, we are praying that he will do the right thing. It has been building up that way throughout the whole film. Even his voice is just a little different throughout the last three quarters of the film. He is old, and tired. He is a prisoner within his own shell. As he watches Luke being killed, he turns from one side to another, maybe just a couple times - it's a slight movement, but that's all it takes. It builds unbearably, until we can stand the tension no more, then he grabs The Emperor, lifting him over his head and plunges him down a shaft to his death. This is his final act of repentance. The physical manifestation of his Master's evil charge is thrust upon him during this final act, and he has only moments left to live. The unmasking scene that follows is one of the most touching moments in cinema history - but it is the decision Vader has to make, and the way he makes it - that makes him whole again, and completes the circle. It will stay with me forever.

Darth Vader: "Luke help me take this mask off."
Luke: "But you'll die."
Darth Vader: "Nothing can stop that now. Just for once let me look on you with my own eyes."
[Luke takes off the mask one piece at a time]
Anakin: "Now go my son. Leave me."
Luke: "No, you're coming with me. I'll not leave you here. I've got to save you."
Anakin: "You already have, Luke. You were right. You were right about me. Tell your sister, you were right."
[Anakin slumps down in death]
Luke: "Father, I won't leave you."
- Return of the Jedi (83)

When the last bit of Darth Vader's theme softly plays out here (for the last time) over Anakin Skywalker's death, I still weep like a baby...

Top 30 War films
A collection of personal favorite films that relate to the nature of war.

1. Apocalypse Now (79)

2. Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (64)

3. The Bridge on the River Kwai (57)

4. Gallipoli (81)

5. Black Hawk Down (01)

6. The Battle of Algiers (65)

7. Hearts and Minds (74)

8. Good Morning, Vietnam (87)

9. Patton (70)

10. The Best Years of Our Lives (46)

11. Breaker Morant (80)

12. The Deer Hunter (78)

13. Saving Private Ryan (98)

14. MASH (70)

15. Glory (89)

16. Platoon (86)

17. Zulu (64)

18. From Here To Eternity (53)

19.Paths of Glory (57)

20. 1941 (79)

21. The Sand Pebbles (66)

22. Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (83)

The Big Red One (80)

23. Twelve O'Clock High (49)

24. The Dirty Dozen (67)

25. The Great Escape (63)

26. The Guns of Navarone (61)

27. La Grande illusion (37)

28. Born on the Fourth of July (89)

29. Attack (56)

30. Full Metal Jacket (87)


Honorable Mention or The Rest of the Best: The Story of G.I. Joe (45), Mister Roberts (55), Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison (57), The Enemy Below (57), Sahara (43), Stalag 17 (53), Objective, Burma (45), The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (71), Sergeant York (41), The Thin Red Line (98), The Boys in Company C (77), Das Boot (81), Hell Is for Heroes (62), The Longest Day (62), Schindler's List (93), All Quiet on the Western Front (30), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (02), A Bridge Too Far (77), Salvador (86), The halls of Montezuma (51), The Killing Fields (84), The Caine Mutiny (54), She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (49), The Blue Max (66), Judgment at Nuremberg (61), The Year of Living Dangerously (82), King Rat (65), The Hill (65), Kelly's Heroes (70), King and Country (64), The Dam Busters (54), Forrest Gump (94), Casualties of War (89), Empire of the Sun (87), A Midnight Clear (92), The Bridges at Toko-Ri (55), Battle of Britain (69), The Anderson Platoon (67), Shoah (85), Lifeboat (44), Seven Days in May (64), A Walk in the Sun (45), Kuroi ame (Black Rain 89), Three Kings (99), Battle of the Bulge (65), Pork Chop Hill (59), Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie (88), Cross of Iron (76), Sands of Iwo Jima (49), Come and See (85), Mother Night (96), Europa, Europa (90), Run Silent, Run Deep (58), Action in the North Atlantic (43), Mrs. Miniver (42), Gettysburg (93), Guandalcanal Diary (43), The Sorrow and the Pity (69), A Soldier's Story (84), Hope and Glory (87), Force 10 from Navarone (78), Lacombe Lucian (74), Au revoir les enfants (87), The Devil's Disciple (59), The Quiet American (02), Amen (02), Life is Beautiful (97), When Trumpets Fade (98), Gardens of Stone (87), The Steel Helmet (51), The Train (65), Bat 21 (88), Heaven and Earth (93), 84 Charlie MoPic (89), Coming Home (78), The Pianist (02), The Year of the Quiet Sun (84), Go Tell the Spartans (78), the Devil's Brigade (68), Castle Keep (69), Hamburger Hill (87), Catch-22 (70), The Red Badge of Courage (59), Under Fire (83), The Bridge at Remagen (69), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (03), The Hanoi Hilton (87), Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (44), On the Beach (59), Beau Geste (39), Tora! Tora! Tora! (70), Gone With the Wind (39), Heartbreak Ridge (87), The Last of the Mohicans (92), Rob Roy (95), Battleground (49), The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (66), Gunga Din (39), Dances with Wolves (90), Biloxi Blues (88), The Young Lions (58), We Were Soldiers (02), The Charge of the Light Brigade (36), Braveheart (95), The Wannsee Conference (84), The Cranes Are Flying (57)...

and the Immortal: Battleship Potemkin (26), Alexander Nevsky (38), Ran (85), War and Peace (68), The African Queen (51), The Manchurian Candidate (62), In Which We Serve (42), Night and Fog (55), Fail-Safe (64), The Shop on Main Street (65), Reds (81), Lawrence of Arabia (62)...

"What do we do now?"
- The Candidate (72)

Bill McKay: "Oh boy. Here comes Smokey the Bear."

George McGovern: "I think we both have a lot in common."
Bill McKay: "I don't think we have a shit in common."


The Candidate was directed by Michael Ritchie (Smile, 75) and starred Robert Redford as Bill McKay, a candidate for the U.S. Senate from California. A virtually forgotten about classic from the seventies, this is regardless, one of Redford's best films - and a powerful statement about our country that's more relevant today than ever. Warners needs to go back and re-visit this title on DVD and put it out in the proper special edition it deserves (at the very least, the proper aspect ratio would be nice) but I can't help thinking that there are some films that the industry does not want us to see, for whatever reasons there are. You would think that releasing The Candidate in a new version, during an election year, would have been a wise business choice. But maybe this film would have made some people think about present-day politics. Oh well, I guess in the end, it really doesn't matter what the "American People" think - the system is just not set up that way. So, you just go about your business of being a good, responsible human being - no "politician" despite any level of office - has any power over that.

Senator Jay Billington Bulworth: "All we need is a voluntary, free-spirited, open-ended program of procreative racial deconstruction. Everybody just gotta keep fuckin' everybody 'til they're all the same color."

Bullworth: "Have a drink, Murphy. Live your life."
- Bulworth (98)

gun men

Anthony Quinn (as Craig Belden) appeared with Carolyn Jones (as Linda, Craig's Girl) in John Sturges' Last Train from Gun Hill (59). The film starred Kirk Douglas (as Marshal Matt Morgan) out to get revenge on the men who raped and murdered his wife. When the trail leads to an old friend, Craig Belden (Quinn), now the cattle baron of Gun Hill, well - you can guess what happens next...only the thing is - if you've never seen this film before, you might be in for more of a surprise than you think. In a complex and compelling plot twist, Belden is sympathetic with Morgan until he realizes that his own son is responsible for the killing of his friend's wife. Determined to protect his child, Belden becomes locked in a battle of wills with Morgan, who only wants justice - the cold, hard way. Paramount is releasing this western gem on DVD this month.

Sturges also directed the westerns: Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (57), The Magnificent Seven (60), The Hallelujah Trail (65), Hour of the Gun (an under-rated masterpiece 67), Joe Kidd (72), and Chino (74). He was also the director of the The Great Escape (63) starring Steve McQueen and one of my top 5 favorite films of all-time: Bad Day at Black Rock (55) with Spencer Tracy. Check out Last Train from Gun Hill - you wont be sorry. Anthony Quinn won his second Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Vincente Minnelli's Lust For Life (56), as artist Paul Gauguin opposite Kirk Douglas' Vincent Van Gogh. Quinn was only on screen for a mere 8 minutes as the real-life painter. He won his first Supporting Actor Oscar in 1952 opposite Marlon Brando for Elia Kazan's Viva Zapata!. It's incredible to note that Douglas has never won a single competitive Oscar to date in his long and memorable career, but he did turn down 2 Oscar winning roles: Lee Marvin's role in Cat Ballou (65) and William Holden's role in Stalag 17 (53).

Favorite Kirk Douglas quotes:
"In order to achieve anything you must be brave enough to fail."

"I've finally gotten away from Burt Lancaster. My luck has changed for the better. I've got nice-looking girls in my films now."

Peter Seamus O'Toole



The immortal Peter O'Toole (74 years young) had this to say about his most recent film, Troy (04) and his director, Wolfgang Petersen:

"Ugh, what a disaster. The director, that Kraut, what a clown he was. When it
was all over, I watched 15 minutes of the finished movie and then walked out. At least I had one good scene."

It's hard to believe that Irish born Peter O'Toole was a complete "unknown" when he appeared in his first major role: David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia. Of course, after that performance, the rest was history. O'Toole will next be seen in Roger Christian's Gilgamesh. Christian won an Oscar for Set Decoration for Star Wars (77), and he directed the under-rated Nostradamus (94) with Tchéky Karyo and F. Murray Abraham. Unfortunatley, he also directed the worst film of all-time: L. Ron Hubbard's Battlefield Earth (aka Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000) (00) with John Travolta and Forest Whitaker. O'Toole may just wish he would have done another Petersen film after Gilgamesh is released. But, who knows...

There's also Richard Attenborough's Closing the Ring, a TV film called Casanova, set for release next year, and the most promising one appears to be Antony J. Bowman's WWII romance, Romeo and Me, starring the incredible Janet McTeer and Stephen Rea. Any way you cut it, O'Toole is still one of the greatest living actors of our generation - no matter what role he takes. See any of the films he appears in and you are sure to experience a true professional doing a dedicated job. My favorite of all his films to date is still My Favorite Year, and even though his greatest role was Lawrence of Arabia, The Lion in Winter eclipses them all.

Essential O'Toole:

Lawrence of Arabia (62) *****
Becket (64) *****
Lord Jim (65) ****1/2
What's New, Pussycat (65) ****1/2
How to Steal a Million (66) ****
The Night of the Generals (67) ****
Casino Royale (uncredited, 67) ****
The Lion in Winter (68) *****
Goodbye, Mr. Chips (69) ****
Murphy's War (71) ***1/2
Under Milk Wood (72) ****
The Ruling Class (72) *****
Man of La Mancha (72) ****
Man Friday (75) ****
Zulu Dawn (79) ****
Caligula (79) ***1/2
The Stunt Man (80) *****
Masada (81) ****1/2
My Favorite Year (82) *****
Supergirl (84) ***1/2
Creator (85) ***
Club Paradise (86) ****
The Last Emperor (87) *****
The Dark Angel (87) ****
High Spirits (88) ***1/2
FairyTale: A True Story (97) ***1/2
Coming Home (98) ****
Molokai: The Story of Father Damien (99) ****
Bright Young Things (03)

He is the only actor to be nominated for an Oscar twice for playing the same role in two separate films. He was nominated as Best Actor for Henry II in Becket (64) and for Henry II in The Lion in Winter (68). After a staggering 7 nominations for Best Actor and no wins (a record tied by his late friend and colleague, Richard Burton) O'Toole finally recieved an honorary statue from the Academy in 2002. Upon accepting his award, he said: "Always a bridesmaid never a bride my foot!"

"I can't stand light. I hate weather. My idea of heaven is moving from one smoke-filled room to another." - O'Toole

T.E. Lawrence: "Nothing is written." - David Lean's incomparable Lawrence of Arabia

critical mass

Donald Sutherland (X) and Kevin Costner (Jim Garrison) from Oliver Stone's JFK (91) written by Jim Marrs and Jim Garrison

One of my top five favorite film scenes of all time. Don't ask me whether I think it's fact or fiction - all I know is that everytime I see it, not only is it like I'm seeing it for the first time all over again, but it still makes every hair on my body stand at attention. It's more than just a good scene, (and movie for that matter) it's simply one of the greatest moments in movie history. It's not what Sutherland's character is saying - it's the way he says it. He could have been talking about a Chicken McNugget conspiracy and I would have still felt the same. Stone's command of the material, and his approach to this scene, are so remarkable - that I almost wanted to include it here in it's entirity. Instead I just posted high-lights. Some of X's dialogue was not used in the final film, but most of it was preserved from page to screen. If you want to read the entire scene (or the whole screenplay), just click here...


Is JFK the best political film of all time? I still happen to think that the greatest film about politics is Otto Preminger's Advise and Consent (62), but it's gotta be right up there. Sutherland's role in JFK just might me the greatest "cameo" appearance in a film of all-time (even if his scene lasts nearly 15 minutes). You may not like what Stone has to say, but the truth is: no one can put together a film the way he does. The editing, the music and the way he mounts the tension on a scene are incredible. JFK is almost a "horror" film, the way that it's shot - made all the more horrific because the characters in it are real. If you have never seen the film, try to at least watch it in the original widescreen aspect ratio. Robert Richardson's cinematography is one of the main reasons to experience it. The way he drapes the light on the characters, and creates shadows from any angle, makes me think that JFK is one of the only black and white film noir's actually shot in color. One thing is for sure - this movie will stir something inside of you. After all, isn't that what a "politcial" film is supposed to do?

X: "Jim Garrison?"

JIM: "Yes."

X: (shakes hands) "I'm glad you came. I'm sorry about the precautions."

JIM: "Well, I just hope it was worth my while, Mr..."

X: "I could give you a false name, but I won't. Just call me X."

X: "I'm not with the Agency, Mr. Garrison, and I assume if you've come this far, what I have to say interests you. But I'm not going to name names, or tell you who or what I represent. Except to say - you're close, you're closer than you think..."

X: "We'd have arrived days ahead of time, studied the route, checked all the buildings...We never would've allowed all those wide-open empty windows overlooking Dealey...never...We would have had our own snipers covering the area. The moment a window went up they'd have been on the radio. We would've been watching the crowds - packages, rolled up newspapers, a coat over an arm, never would have let a man open an umbrella along the way - Never would've allowed that limousine to slow down to 10 miles per hour, much less take that unusual curve at Houston and Elm. You would have felt an Army presence in the streets that day, but none of this happened. It was a violation of the most basic protection codes we have. And it is the best indication of a massive plot in Dallas. Who could have best done that? People in my business, Mr. Garrison."

JIM: "I never realized Kennedy was so dangerous to the establishment. Is that why?"

X: "That's the real question, isn't it - "Why?" - the "how" is just "scenery" for the suckers...Oswald, Ruby, Cuba, Mafia, it keeps people guessing like a parlor game, but it prevents them from asking the most important question - Why? Why was Kennedy killed? Who benefitted? Who has the power to cover it up?..."

X: "The Joint Chiefs of Staff would be wholly responsible for all covert paramilitary action in peacetime. This basically ended the reign of the CIA - 'splintered it', as J.F.K. promised he would, into a 'thousand pieces', - and now was ordering the military to help. This was unprecedented. I can't tell you the shock waves this sent along the corridors of power in Washington."

X: "You know how many helicopters have been lost in Vietnam? About three thousand so far. Who makes them? Bell Helicopter. Who owns Bell? Bell was near bankruptcy when the First National Bank of Boston approached the CIA about developing the helicopter for Indochina usage. How 'bout the f-111 fighters? General Dynamics in Fort Worth. Who owns that? Find out the defense budget since the war began. $75 going on a hundred billion...$200 billion'll be spent before it ends. In 1950 it was $13 billion. No war, no money. The organizing principle of any society is for war. The authority of the state over it's people resides in it's war powers."

X: "Kennedy wanted to end the Cold War in his second term. He wanted to call off the moon race in favor of cooperation with the Soviets. He signed a treaty with the Soviets to ban nuclear testing, he refused to invade Cuba in '62, and he set out to withdraw from Vietnam. But that all ended on November 22, 1963. Only four days after J.F.K. was shot, Lyndon Johnson signed National Security Memo 273, which essentially reversed Kennedy's new withdrawal policy and gave the green light to the covert operations against North Vietnam that provoked the Gulf of Tonkin incident. In that document lay the Vietnam War."

JIM: "I don't...I can't believe it. They killed him because he wanted to change things. In our time - in our country?"

X: "Kings are killed, Mr. Garrison. Politics is power, nothing more. But don't believe me. Don't trust me. Do your own work, your own thinking."

JIM: "The size of this is...beyond me. Testify?"

X: "No chance in hell, Mr. Garrison. I'd be arrested and gagged, declared insane and hospitalized...maybe worse. You, too. I can only give you background, you got to find the foreground, the little things...Keep digging. Y'know you're the only person to ever bring a trial in the murder of John Kennedy. That's important - it's historic."

JIM: "I haven't yet. I don't have much of a case."

X: "But you don't have a choice anymore. You've become a significant threat to the national security structure. They would've killed you already, but you got a lot of light on you. Instead, they're gonna destroy your credibility; they already have in many circles in this town...Be honest - the best chance you got is come up with a case, something, anything, make arrests, stir the shitstorm. You gotta hope to reach a point of critical mass where other people will come forward and the government will crack. Remember, fundamentally people are suckers for the truth, and the truth is on your side, 'bubba. I hope you get a break..."

"What's Past is Prologue" - William Shakespeare, The Tempest. Act II, scene 1

true blue

I recently watched Michael Moore's "documentary" Fahrenheit 9/11 (04). I had no vested interest really except to see the film that not only won the coveted Palm d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, but was given what has been called "the longest standing ovation in the history of the festival" (15 to 20 minutes). So, as I do not wish to turn this blog into a political forum, I will say that Moore's film is a very moving experience (to say the least). I also feel that it may just be his best film (running a very close race with his debut feature, Roger & Me, 89). I will not call it a "documentary" however. It will be interesting to see if he gets nominated this year for "Best Picture" (or wins for that matter) since he took himself out of the running for "Best Feature-Length Documentary" (which he won the Oscar for in 2002 with Bowling for Columbine - and made history with his out-spoken acceptance speech). Moore's new film (due out next year) is called Sicko, and will focus on the American healthcare system. Whether you agree or disagree with him, appreciate him as a film-maker or not - it does not appear that he is going away anytime soon. In any case, I would like to post a very funny (and deadly accurate) commentary from actor, writer and comedian, George Carlin (from Jammin' In New York, 90), who had this to say about the first Gulf War:

"Let’s not forget George Bush’s obligation to protect the oil interests of his family and friends. There was another, more important, consideration at work. Here’s what really happened.

The simple fact was that America was long overdue to drop high explosives on helpless civilians; people who have no argument with us at all. After all, it had been awhile, and the hunger gnaws. That’s our specialty: picking on countries that have marginally effective air forces. Yugoslavia (this has been updated a little) is another, more recent, example.

One reason that we’re good at war is that we practice a lot. We’re a 200-year-old democracy, and we’ve had ten major wars. That’s a war every twenty years. We’re good at it, because we practice. We can’t make a TV anymore, can’t make a cellphone, can’t make a VCR, we got no steel industry, no textile industry, we can’t educate our young people, can’t fix our old people and their problems with health, but we can bomb the shit out of your country.

Especially if your country is full of brown people. We like that. That’s our hobby. That’s our new job in the world, bombing brown people. Iraq, Panama, Grenada, Libya. You got some brown people in your country? Tell them to watch the fuck out!

Who were the last white people that you can remember that we bombed? The Germans. That’s it. They’re the only ones, because they were trying to cut in on our action! They wanted to dominate the world. Fuck you, that’s our job!

That’s ancient history. Even those Serbs in Yugoslavia aren’t really white, are they? They’re down there near the swarthy end of the white scale – just brown enough to bomb! I’m just waiting for the day we bomb the English people. They fuckin’ deserve it!

And you notice that I don’t feel about that war the way I’ve been instructed to feel. There’s this real moron thing I do; it’s called "thinking." I’m not a good American because I form my own opinions, I won’t roll over when I’m told. I look at war a bit differently. I see it as an exercise in dick-waving, primarily. A bunch of men standing out in a field waving their dicks at one another. That’s what all that moron athlete strutting around stuff is. It’s called "dick fear." Men are insecure about the size of their penis, and choose to kill one another. It’s called "fucking with people," actually.

As far as I am concerned, the whole thing in the Persian Gulf was one big dick-waving cockfight, and it was because Saddam Hussein had questioned the size of George Bush’s dick. And George Bush had been called a wimp for so long that apparently, he felt the need to act out his manhood fantasies by sending America’s white children in to kill other people’s brown children. Clearly, the worst kind of wimp.

Bush, the name, is related to the genitals, without actually being the genitals. Bush is just sort of a passive secondary sex characteristic. It’s even used as a slang term for women: "Hey, pal, how’s the bush in this area?" I can’t help thinking, if this president’s name had been George Boner...he might have felt a little better about himself, and he wouldn’t have had to go and kill all those children.

When he got right down to it, he even used teenage slang to describe his foreign policy, saying that, "This will not be another Vietnam – We’re going all the way!" That is an actual quote of Bush’s. Of course, when it came right down to it – he didn’t. Faced with going into Bagdad, he punked out. No balls. Just Bush, okay? He applied sanctions, so that an extra half a million brown children would die, so that his oil buddies could continue to fill their pockets.

You wanna know what happened in the Persian Gulf, just remember the first names of the two men who ran that war: Dick Chaney and Colin Powell. Dick and colon. Someone got fucked in the ass."

Comedian or prophet?...

Order 66

Someone has seen a "rough cut" of the new, Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, and they have spilled the proverbial beans. This is the real deal folks (as originally posted on theforce.net). I have tried to piece it all together for you coherently - since it is a disaster in it's original form. Everything in this post comes directly from the article. The comments in bold are direct responses from the "rough cut" viewer (there may be a little more that I left out, but you can view the whole thing plus the first "official" poster at the site too - it's also pictured here below) so in any case - here we go:

There is another Darth: DARTH PLAGUEIS. Can you give any little nugget of information on the disappearing Jedi/Jedi spirit issue? "Totally explained in Episode III. Palpatine tells the whole story about Darth Plagueis during the ballet scene."

Saleucami, Cato Neimoidia, Mygeeto. All 3 are planets, but one of them is very different. We all know that GL (George Lucas) likes to use mythology and all that good stuff. I noticed that Mygeeto sounds very close to Megiddo. If I'm not mistaken, the second word is a word used in the bible that refers to Armageddon. The birth planet of the twins (Luke and Leia) is not on that list. The events on the planets are what is different. Think montage. This montage is in the middle of the film. On Cato Neimoidia the bad guys win, on Mygeeto the bad guys win but at Saleucami, the Jedi win. Polis Massa is "the birth planet." Utapau: "it is a sinkhole planet." Will the individual planets be pretty memorable, visually? Star Wars landscapes have always had very distinctive characteristics. "Yeah, Utapau is memorable ... the landing platform is in the middle of a sinkhole." Will we see any unique outer space scenery other than the usual SW stuff? "Well, there's an upper atmosphere opening battle, which includes the upper layer of the sky and the beginning of space. It is sweet, in the far distance below you can see the cityscapes and everything."

Yoda hitches a ride on a dragonfly creature called a Can-Cell. There is also a toy coming out with Yoda riding the Can-Cell, too. Confirmation: Yoda and Sidious duel. Impressive enough of a sequence that he did not wish to give any additional details. Shots of the Yoda vs. Sidious fight have been completed, so it seems unlikely the scene will be cut. Yoda again does the karate pose to begin like in Episode II.

Order 66 is the directive Palpatine gives to wipe out the Jedi. The Clones turn at this point. We have "no idea" of the power of the Dark Side. You have no idea how bad Sidious is going to get. I didn't think George had it in him - HE DOES. When you say, "You have no idea how BAD Sidious gets" do you mean that in terms of his actions....and if so, does that come across in the dialogue too? "BOTH." Speaking of the dialogue, how is it this time around? "MUCH BETTER. There's a few dumb lines between Anakin and Padme, but other than that ... YEAH."

Delegation of 2000 is the united Senators and politicians against Palpatine. They are concerned about his powers. This is the start of the Rebellion, before the Empire even takes shape.

Confirmation of Anakin choking Padme? I'd bet he chokes her so hard her feet leave the ground. In the original cut, Anakin even threw her against the wall (deleted scene!). Did you mean Anakin threw Padme against the wall while choking her? Or that he threw her against the wall after he was done? "After."

Cin Drallig is played by Nick Gillard and he is an old Jedi lightsaber teacher. Suited Vader will not be seen killing off the remaining Jedi. Note that there is still a surprise at the end. Dooku gets owned, I can tell you that. Mace falls a long way down. Kit Fisto is in this scene as well. Yes, Mace goes through the window. Anakin's murder of the Younglings is not on-screen but implied (in fact, none of it is, from a certain point of view. Dead bodies everywhere). The end of the Clone Wars, the Separatists were hoping a frontal assault (on Coruscant) would catch the Jedi weak and thin. Odd Ball is a clone pilot that defends Obi-Wan's crippled ship after he is hit by flak. There is FLAK in the movie. Obi-Wan flys through it and gets hit. Is R2 with Anakin the whole film? If not, when do they part ways? "R2 is with Anakin during the crash landing."

When asked about Tarkin's role in ROTS Josh replied: "He's in it for about a second. Tarkin is in. There is a cool unpublished tidbit about him though... " Is Tarkin's role in the film in any sort of capacity or just a cameo? "At best a cameo."

Ewan finally gets to act in this one. There's more emotion in 10 minutes of ROTS than all of the prequels combined. When asked about Boba Fett's role in ROTS and the pictures floating around the net Josh stated: "All fake. Lucas doesn't waste time with this stuff this time." Is Boba Fett in Episode III at all? "Nope." Are the performances in Ep. III amped up? In other words, from what you've seen, are we getting good stuff from the actors...(say by comparison to the previous two)? "Yes 100% improved." Will Owen tell Obi-Wan "He should of stayed out of it and not gotten involved?" If not, then how does Obi-Wan know Owen's opinion on Anakin's involvement in the Clone Wars? "More that he was impatient, cocky, etc. than anything else."

I can tell you that Bene is a teenage Jedi apprentice that is killed in the Temple raid. I was told the other day the most or all of the "fuel" scenes were cut from ROTS. For whatever that is worth. BOGA is the name of Obi-Wan's lizard. I've been messing that name up I think. The BARC is the clonetrooper's speeder, right? Are there any scenes so far which are disappointing or not up to snuff? "The BARG is a bit odd."

The immortal Peter Cushing and his counterpart Christopher Eccleston (from ROTS) both pictured as Grand Moff Tarkin. For more info on Tarkin, click here...

Your reaction has been this strong WITHOUT an accompanying score. How much more drama will the music add to these scenes? "A+ I hope." I've seen that now you rank it just below Empire...which is encouraging, given you've not seen a final product yet. That being said, if the final product is that much better, might it surpass ESB in your mind? And also, if you think not, why not? What does ESB have right now that is lacking in Sith....(other than nearly 25 years of reverence behind it)? "ESB is an icon."

What specific elements might make this PG-13? Anakin's body? The "scare" factor if it's more intense? Name some broad-but-specific reasons. "EVERYTHING. Especially Sidious." Can you give me a little hint or clue about Grievous? "He hunches more than you would think. He is very different from the Clone Wars cartoon. Titi Jukassa is a young Jedi apprentice seen in the raid on the Temple." When asked about Grievous' role and his sinister smart-ass attitude: "He only speaks a little, and honestly in the big story arc of the movie he plays a footnote. Also, he is one of the last pieces of the SW3 puzzle to be completed, so most people will actually 'see him' late in the game." Obi-Wan gets knocked out on the TF ship and later luckily beats Grievous with a blaster? "Yup."

Does Yoda really fart in the movie? "In the rough cut, he did."

In The final duel between Anakin/Vader and Obi-Wan, are the two blue lightsabers the only ones used throughout the whole thing, or is a third (possibly red) saber thrown into the mix? Twelve minutes seems like an awful long time to go with just two lightsabers. "Hmmm ... let me just tell you this. Most of the marketing from Frito Lay will be red vs blue." Does Anakin/Vader use a Red Lightsaber at anytime during ROTS? "Yes." During the Duel on Mustafar does the fight go through the beginning stages of the structures of the Death Star? "I'd prefer to not answer that." Could you give a rough estimate as to how long the Mace vs Sidious fight is going to be? How much screen time do you think this fight will get? Will it be a very brief confrontation or will it span several minutes? "It isn't much of a fight, but those moments are central to the whole rest of the film. It will satisfy."

If Anakin is wiping the floor with everybody and then suddenly Obi-Wan is lasting against him, how will that be believable? "It is. Obi-Wan is passionate about stopping Anakin once he realizes he can't be turned. Perhaps Anakin is weak or distracted, too." Is Obi-Wan going to be seen as powerful enough to last around 12 minutes against Anakin? "Actually THE DUEL is a misleading term. Maybe it should be THE DUELS." What did you mean by Duels? "The basic journey of the movie, once the dark side is unveiled, is to send Yoda to find Sidious and Obi-Wan to find Vader." In terms of screen time, what are the approximate lengths of the ROTS duels? "More than any other SW movie to date for sure." Will we see Yoda use his lightsaber any time beside the fight with Sidious? "Heck, yes. Yoda even cuts someone's head off!"

Any hint/tidbit about Palpy's revelation about being Sidious/a Sith Lord? Like, is his "transformation" literal? A literal physical transition the audience sees on screen? Maybe during the Mace duel? "You have no idea about what you are about to see. The simple answer is YES. Heck, yes ...when you SEE this, you'll understand my energy in loving this scene. Almost shockingly cool ..." Will Darth Sidious use a lightsaber? "Heck Yeah." Can you say anything at all about what causes Sidious's look to change? "He gets pissed at Mace and the confrontation squad." In the big "reveal" scene, is it Sidious that takes off his hood to reveal he is really Palpatine, or is it Palpatine who somehow reveals he is sidious? Also when he fights, does he fight in his Chancellor clothes or his sith robes as Sidious? "Sidious=Palpatine will be cemented once and for all...by Yoda of all people."

So, are you saying that he reveals who he really is during the yoda duel? or are you saying that Yoda figures it out earlier in the film? I thought Pablo said in one of his hyperspace chats that we would see Sidious without his hood on. Is there still a scene were Sidious reveals who he really is to Mace or whoever? "The answer is yes." What exactly is Sidious hiding under that hood? Is it something out of the ordinary or just a bald Palpatine? "Palpatine is shockingly evil looking. We've seen him old and evil, but never this way."

Is the whole Sifo-Dyas/erasing of the Jedi archive file that important or that surprising? "Nah, it isn't important. Sidious should have erased the survelliance tapes!" Any hint on the number of ships in the duel? "Lots and lots. You can even see them in the background of Anakin - Dooku duel."

Will Qui-Gon appear in any form in ROTS? "Nope."

Do I bring my children to see EPISODE III? "There are 2 versions (or more) of EPISODE III filmed, one PG version."

Is Anakin 'Darth Vader' before the suit? "Yes." Will we feel remorse for Anakin when he meets his "demise" or is he just the bad guy at this point we want to see taken out? In other words, is there ever a spark of uncertainty in Anakin during the duel, that perhaps he made a big mistake? A moment where he might BEGIN to see the light? "You DEFINITELY see this in the Mace/Sidious deal. AWESOME. By the lava, he's pretty much gone." Do Obi-Wan and Yoda still believe that Anakin is redeemable by the very end of ROTS? That he can be brought back to the light side through either of his children. Do they still believe in the Prophecy by movie's end? "Yoda and Obi-Wan are DESTROYED at the end of the prequels. If the twins can't save them, no one can. He is truly the last hope. By the end, I would say they have all but given up."

Are there any sequences (you mentioned Yoda vs. Sidious) that we'll want to refrain from knowing about before we see ROTS? "Yoda vs Sidious is this. There's several more, actually. I was BLOWN AWAY when I saw the parts of the film that these rumors have been circulating for a while. They got it SO right."

Well, boys and girls, since that is so much to digest, I'm going to hold off on my ROTS and George Lucas commentary (for now) - except to say: "Does Yoda really fart in the movie?" I don't fucking believe this guy...

All Hallow E'en

Jack Clayton's "Lost Classic" The Innocents

Alright, I told myself I wasn't going to do an obligatory "Horror" film list for Halloween - but since one of the many themes of this blog is essentially a refuge for Peter Cushing devotees (like myself), and I only really find true comfort in the genres of horror and science fiction film - I thought it would only be appropriate that I come up with at least a few recommendations of (my personal favorite) entries into this holiest of holy genres. Please note: I do not intend for this is to be as massive and all-encompassing as my 365 Directors List (under archives) nor do I intend for it to represent the entire genre (some of the films I consider "Horror" could fall into other genre classification). They're just a few films that I always come back to for one reason or another, most of which just happen to be considered "horror" films. Some are traditional, and others have always just left me feeling a bit uneasy.

Above all, they are all haunting films. If you want one of those "standard" monster/slasher movie lists (which there are plenty of great ones out there) - I would have to put alot more time into it, but considering it's Halloween, and I still have to prepare my Peter Cushing "Arthur Edward Grimsdyke" costume (complete with live Beagle) from Freddie Francis' Tales from the Crypt (72), I only have time for my essentials list. So, here it is (and remember Moms and Dads: Feed your kids a healthy meal prior to going trick or treat. Your children will be happier, and it will help reduce the temptation of kids wanting to devour candy from the first trick or treat stop - and if someone answers a door bearing even a slight resemblance to Bette Davis or Frank Langella, get the fuck out of there):

1. The Innocents (61) - Jack Clayton
2. The Silence (64) - Ingmar Bergman
3. Poltergeist (82) - Tobe Hooper/Steven Spielberg
4. Deliverance (72) - John Boorman
5. Session 9 (01) - Brad Anderson
6. Eraserhead (77) - David Lynch
7. The Exorcist (73) - William Friedkin
8. Dead Ringers (88) - David Cronenberg
9. Cronos (93) - Guillermo del Toro
10. The Devil's Backbone (01) - Guillermo del Toro
11. Repulsion (65) - Roman Polanski
12. Don't Look Now (73) - Nicolas Roeg
13. The Virgin Spring (60) - Ingmar Bergman
14. Day of Wrath (43) - Carl Theodor Dreyer
15. Unbreakable (00) - M. Night Shyamalan
16. Deep Red (75) - Dario Argento
17. Rosemary's Baby (68) - Roman Polanski
18. Spoorloos (88) - George Sluizer
19. Blue Velvet (86) - David Lynch
20. The Devil Rides Out (68) - Terence Fisher
21. Eyes Without a Face (60) - Georges Franju
22. Aguirre: The Wrath of God (77) - Werner Herzog
23. Lady in White (88) - Frank LaLoggia
24. The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (74) - Tobe Hooper
25. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (78) - Philip Kaufman
26. The Dead Zone (83) - David Cronenberg
27. The Hitcher (86) - Robert Harmon
28. The Omen (76) - Richard Donner
29. Begotten (91) - E. Elias Merhige
30. The Exorcist III (90) - William Peter Blatty
31. Freaks (32) - Tod Browning
32. Dawn of the Dead (78) - George A. Romero
33. What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (62) - Robert Aldrich
34. The Masque of the Red Death (64) - Roger Corman
35. Hour of the Wolf (68) - Ingmar Bergman
36. Peeping Tom (60) - Michael Powell
37. I Walked with a Zombie (43) - Jacques Tourneur
38. The Thing (82) - John Carpenter
39. Diabolique (55) - Henri-Georges Clouzot
40. Manhunter (86) - Michael Mann
41. The Honeymoon Killers (70) - Leonard Kastle
42. Witchfinder General (68) - Michael Reeves
43. Altered States (80) - Ken Russell
44. Videodrome (83) - David Cronenberg
45. Carnival of Souls (62) - Herk Harvey
46. Dressed to Kill (80) - Brian De Palma
47. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (86) - John McNaughton
48. Irréversible (02) - Gaspar Noé
49. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (92) - David Lynch
50. The Green Room (78) - François Truffaut

Special Mention: The Silence of the Lambs (91), Alien (79), Jaws (75), The Shining (80), Aliens (86), Young Frankenstein (74), Island of Lost Souls (33), The Golem (15, 20), Faust (26), Waxworks (24), Night of the Hunter (55), Onibaba (64), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (56), The Birds (63), Suspiria (77), The Picture of Dorian Gray (45), The Haunting (63), Gaslight (40, 44), Kwaidan (1965), Halloween (78), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (31), Mystery of the Wax Museum (33), Evil Dead II (87), The Thing From Another World (51), The Devil and Daniel Webster (41), Picnic at Hanging Rock (75), The Uninvited (44), The Phantom of the Opera (25), House on Haunted Hill (59), Tales from the Crypt (72), The Evil Dead (81), House of Wax (53), House of Usher (60), The Pit and the Pendulum (61), The Tomb of Ligeia (65), Night of the Demon (Curse of the Demon, 57), The Abominable Dr. Phibes (71), Dr. Phibes Rises Again (72), Salem's Lot (79), The Bad Seed (56), Audition (00), The Last House on the Left (72), The Sentinel (77), Deranged (74), Coma (78), The Fury (78), Quatermass and the Pit (67), Rabid (77), Fright Night (85), Dracula (79), The Creeping Flesh (73), Cat People (42), The Howling (81), Jacob's Ladder (90), The Company of Wolves (84), It's Alive (74), Gremlins (84), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (90), Crimewave (85), The Lost Boys (87), Bram Stoker's Dracula (92), The Hunger (83), Firestarter (84), The Frighteners (96), Misery (90), From Dusk Till Dawn (96), Village of the Damned (60), The Prophecy (95), Q: The Winged Serpent (82), A Return to Salem's Lot (87), Carrie (76), Army of Darkness (93), Dead Alive (92), Dark City (98), Frailty (01), 28 Days Later (02), Battle Royale (00), The Green Mile (99), The Sixth Sense (99), Shaun of the Dead (04), The Tenant (76)...

The great Federico Luppi in Guillermo del Toro's masterpiece, Cronos

Extra Special Mention:
Art: [chants] "I want to kill everyone. Satan is good. Satan is our pal."

Joe Dante's The Burbs (89) starring: Tom Hanks, Bruce Dern, Rick Ducommun, Henry Gibson, Carrie Fisher, Wendy Schaal, Brother Theodore, Courtney Gains, Dick Miller, Rance Howard and Corey Feldman.
Ray Peterson: "I've been blown up, take me to the hospital."

Richard Franklin's under-rated cult masterpiece, Road Games (81).
Stacy Keach in easily the best performance of his life (along with John Huston's Fat City 72, Robert Ellis Miller's The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter 68, and William Peter Blatty's The Ninth Configuration 80) plays Quid, a truck driver travelling down a highway across the desolate Australian outback. He practically gives a virtuoso performance as most of the dialogue in the picture is between him and a dingo. Jamie Lee Curtis is in this film and there are some truly terrifying moments involving a relentless serial killer, but I never would have gave it the spotlight, if it weren't for Keach and for Franklin's unusual ability to create complex and little-seen gems. This is the closest modern horror has ever gotten to caputring the true essence of Hitchcock. Seriously.

Franklin was one of the first film students in the sixties and seventies who was directly responsible for the Hitchcock revival we know today. He struck up a relationship with the master director and later even directed Psycho II (83) with Anthony Perkins reprising his legendary role as Norman Bates. I am glad that cult directors such as Larry Cohen (who wrote the brilliant screenplay to Phone Booth 02, in the seventies and sent it to Hitchcock who expressed serious interest in directing it before he died) are finally getting the long over-due respect they deserve. Some talents however, like Franklin, are still left in the dark. Oddly enough, that's probably where they prefer to be. Road Games is availabe on DVD from Anchor Bay. Do not hesitate any longer.

Some films are simply above any type of categorizing: Psycho (60), Nosferatu (22), Frankenstein (31), Bride of Frankenstein (35), Dracula (31), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (20), Dracula (The Horror of Dracula, 58), The Curse of Frankenstein (57), King Kong (33), The Wolf Man (41), The Invisible Man (33), Night of the Living Dead (68), The Wicker Man (73), Dead of Night (45) and (Dan's number one favorite film of all-time) Ghostbusters (84)...

Hedy Lamarr for President!

Hedley Lamarr: "That's Hedley."

Bart: "Stampeding cattle."
Hedley Lamarr: "That's not much of a crime."
Bart: "Through the Vatican?"
Hedley Lamarr: [smiling] "Kinky. Sign here."

Hedley Lamarr: "Unfortunately there is one thing standing between me and that property - the rightful owners."

Hedley Lamarr: "My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives."

Hedley Lamarr: "I want rustlers, cut throats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, Indian agents, Mexican bandits, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswogglers, horse thieves, bull dykes, train robbers, bank robbers, ass-kickers, shit-kickers and Methodists."

Hedley Lamarr: "My mind is aglow with whirling, transient nodes of thought careening thru a cosmic vapor of invention."
Taggart: "Ditto."
Hedley Lamarr: "'Ditto?' 'Ditto,' you provincial putz?"

Hedley Lamarr: "Here sir, play with this."
[Hands the governor a rubber ball and paddle set]

Hedley Lamarr: "You will be risking your lives, whilst I will be risking an almost-certain Academy Award nomination for the Best Supporting Actor."

Hedley Lamarr: "Where's my froggy?"

Harvey Korman as Hedy Lamarr in Mel Brook's Blazing Saddles (74)
Hedley Lamarr: "It's not Hedy, it's Hedley. Hedley Lamarr."

Classic scene: Lamarr is driven to Grauman's Chinese Theatre [in downtown Hollywood - famous for the cement footprints of film celebrities] where the marquee flashes the current film Blazing Saddles. To hide and escape from Bart, he pays for one full admission to the film after failing to convince the attendant that he is a student (Lamarr: "one please...student?"). A female tourist remarks to her husband as she tries out the footprints of actress Hedy Lamarr: "Look, Herman, I'm in Hedy Lamarr's shoes!" Hedley corrects her as he hurries by: "Hedley."

underdog

Brooklyn-born actor Mos Def is an incredible artist. He has not yet recieved the recognition he deserves from the industry, or the movie-going public. He is an accomplished musician and one worth exploring if you haven't already. What does it mean when people talk about: "the next big thing?" Is it an insult to devoted followers or long-time admirers of an artist's work? Or is it a compliment of the highest form to a person's neglected treasure? Is Mos Def the next big thing - who most people have never heard of?

Most definitely. If you haven't noticed him in these films, take another look: Where's Marlowe? (the first film I ever saw him in, 98), Bamboozled (00), Monster's Ball (unforgettable in a small role - but he made the entire movie for me, 01), Brown Sugar (02), The Italian Job (03), The Woodsman (04), Something the Lord Made (04) and he's about ready to become a household name when he plays Ford Prefect in the upcoming, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (05). Also, on tap for 2006: The Italian Job II. The thing to really watch out for is David Gordon Green's new film, A Confederacy of Dunces (05) which is in production now.

Green is an incredible director. Go out and buy his film, George Washington (00) right now (if you haven't already). It's on Criterion and there is a Charlie Rose Show interview on the DVD with Green that is enlightening to say the least. It's amazing to hear a young film-maker list Lindsay Anderson's If.... (68) and O Lucky Man! (73) as two of the most influential films of all-time. Dunces is based on the Pulitzer-Prize winning novel and stars Mos Def along-side Will Ferrell, Drew Barrymore, Olympia Dukakis and Lily Tomlin of all casts. It's going to be interesting to say the least. It also takes place in the sixties. Green is also going to be adapting Sue Monk Kidd's The Secret Life of Bees for release in 2006. No word on whether Mos Def will star or not. If Green ever makes the western he talks about in the Charlie Rose interview, it would be very interesting to see Def in that one. I believe he's just one of those guys who can do anything.

He recieved rave reviews for his performance in Pulitzer Prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks' Topdog/Underdog on Broadway, alongside another under-rated heavy-weight, Emmy-winner Jeffrey Wright (for Angels in America, 03). It is good to know that there are some truly talented actors out there who are still giving worldly performances despite their relatively unknown status. Whenever I see a name like Def, or Wright attached to a project - I usually buy first and ask questions later.

Essential Wright:
Basquiat (96) *****
Ride with the Devil (99) ****1/2
Hamlet (00)
Shaft (00) **** (10 stars for Wright's performance)
Boycott (01) ****
Ali (01) ****1/2
Angels in America (03) ****1/2
The Manchurian Candidate (04)
coming soon:
Syriana (04), Lord of War (05), Fellowship (05), Expats (05) and 1001 Nights (06) for Angels' director, Mike Nichols.

Topdog/ Underdog tells the story of two brothers, Lincoln and Booth. Their names, given to them as a joke, foretell a lifetime of sibling rivalry and resentment. Haunted by the past and their obsession with the street con Three Card Monte, the brothers are forced to confront the shattering reality of their future.

Larry: "Did he actually refer to himself as "the talent"?"

Phil: "You want a prediction about the weather, you're asking the wrong Phil. I'll give you a winter prediction: It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be grey, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life."

Phil: "I've been stabbed, shocked, poisoned, frozen, hung, electrocuted, and burned."
Rita: "Oh, really?"
Phil: "Every day I wake up without a scratch on me, not a dent in the fender... I am an immortal."

Phil: "I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster and drank pina coladas. At sunset we made love like sea otters. That was a pretty good day. Why couldn't I get that day over and over and over..."

Okay, I just couldn't let Halloween roll around without doing at least one tribute to a horror film. So, I chose one of the most over-looked horror films of all-time: Harold Ramis' Groundhog Day (93) starring Bill Murray, because let's face it - to be stuck in the same day over and over (especially having to spend it in Punxsutawney, PA and with Chris Elliott to boot) might be one of the worst things imaginable (after you get over doing all the fun stuff). Plus, it's a classic and one of the best film-fantasies ever made. I know, I know, it's not really a horror movie...but then again...

Rita: "Would you like to come to dinner with Larry and me?"
Phil: "No thank you. I've seen Larry eat."

Nurse: "Sometimes, people just die."
Phil: "Not today."

Phil: "Ned, I would love to stay here and talk with you... but I'm not going to."