My Life In Film: Part 38

Just when you thought it was safe to open your internet browser… #MyLifeInFilm is back, back, back!  It hasn’t all been wasted time, though, as you were ‘treated’ to my regular Halloween and Christmas specials.  But now it’s time to get things going again, sharing those films that I’ve loved, or that mean something special to me.  This time around there will be swords & sandals, psychos & psychics and at least one mermaid!

 

BLUE STEEL (1990)

Here’s a truly underrated gem of a thriller from writer/director Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break, The Hurt Locker) and starring the fabulous Jamie Lee Curtis.  Megan Turner (Curtis) is a rookie cop who, on her first day with NYPD shoots and kills a supermarket robber.  When it subsequently transpires that the robber had no weapon and the witnesses couldn’t corroborate Turner’s story, she is suspended from active duty.  She is temporarily reinstated, this time as a homicide detective, when a bullet turns up at another scene with her name on it.  Enter commodities broker Eugene Hunt (the magnificent and much-missed Ron Silver) who shared a date with Turner when she was suspended and has developed a dangerous obsession with her.  Silver plays the bad guy so well and is the perfect foil for Curtis’ rookie cop.  Sure, it’s a pretty paint-by-numbers thriller but the performances elevate it above the mundane.

WATCH IT FOR: Trailer

 

TRON (1982)

Tron is one of those films that, while gloriously failing at the box office, has since gone on to become a cult classic.  Most of that can probably be traced back to the ground-breaking special effects combined with the boom in computer games.  Jeff Bridges plays arcade owner/computer hacker Flynn who is transported into the world of computer games by the villainous software pirate, Master Control (David Warner).  Whilst there, Flynn, along with his friend, Alan (Bruce Boxleitner), must participate in gladiatorial games in order to escape.  As you’d expect for a film that is almost forty years old, it has dated quite a lot but there’s no denying the film’s appeal, so much so that a sequel was made in 2010 with Bridges and Boxleitner reprising their roles.

WATCH IT FOR: Light Cycle Battle

 

THE LOST WORLD: JURASSIC PARK (1997)

After the monster successes of Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List, director Steven Spielberg took a rare break from making movies.  Four years later and we are treated to a Jurassic sequel.  But how do you follow a behemoth like that?  Answer: with more dinosaurs!  Yes, The Lost World is everything you could want from a sequel, complete with at least one returning character, double the action and roughly 50% more dino action than the original.  Jeff Goldblum returns as Ian Malcolm and joins Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn and Pete Postlethwaite on an island eight-seven miles away from the original site to research and document the liberated animals.  Unfortunately, the greedy types at InGen have sent a separate team to capture and transport the creatures to San Diego.  What could possibly go wrong?  While not on the same level as the first film, The Lost World has plenty going for it including some fine set pieces and, of course music by John Williams.

WATCH IT FOR: Over The Cliff

 

SINGLE WHITE FEMALE (1992)

In the early nineties there were a number of films classed as ‘psycho thrillers’.  Depicting damaged characters as crazy killers.  Single White Female portrays a very broken young woman, played by Jennifer Jason Leigh, who infiltrates the life of Bridget Fonda leading to all manner of dangerous situations.  Allison (Fonda) places an ad in the paper for a Single White Female to share the rent now that she’s ditched her boyfriend.  When Hedra (Leigh) answers the ad, all seems perfect.  Until it isn’t.  For the most part this is your average run-of-the-mill ‘psycho thriller’ but if it weren’t for the two leads, this would be a made-for-TV affair.  Both Fonda and Leigh are magnetic together in a film that will make you think twice about renting a room to a stranger!

WATCH IT FOR: Worried Sick

 

SPARTACUS (1960)

It seems fitting that Spartacus should appear in this edition as we say farewell to a true cinematic icon, Kirk Douglas, who passed away recently at the grand old age of 103!  This is, perhaps, his most famous role among dozens of outstanding performances and its not hard to see why people love it so.  Stanley Kubrick‘s monumental epic follows the rise of Douglas’ slave, Spartacus as he leads a revolt against the Roman Republic including Charles Laughton and Laurence Olivier.  Douglas is superb as the reluctant hero alongside Tony Curtis and a gallery of who’s who in Hollywood.

WATCH IT FOR: I’m Spartacus!

 

BLITHE SPIRIT (1945)

After the success of his play in the West End and on Broadway, Noel Coward was inundated with offers from Hollywood to turn it into a film.  Instead, Coward took the project to his friend, David Lean, who made some alterations to the original play to which Coward was not best pleased.  For this big screen adaptation, Charles (Rex Harrison) and his second wife, Ruth (Constance Cummings) are being haunted by the spirit of his first wife, Elvira (Kay Hammond).  They soon decide to enlist the help of local medium, Madam Arcati (Margaret Rutherford) to try and exorcise Elvira from their lives but things don’t go to plan.  It’s a wonderfully witty and wry comedy with a stand-out turn by Rutherford. Its hard to believe that, on its initial release, this film tanked on both sides of the Atlantic!

WATCH IT FOR: Trailer

 

DEAD CALM (1989)

Here’s another example of a damaged character being used as the villain in this stylish thriller from Philip Noyce.  John (Sam Neill) and Rae (Nicole Kidman) are taking a sailing trip in the Pacific in order to escape a terrible tragedy.  While out on the open sea they discover a ship in distress with one survivor, the disturbed Hughie (Billy Zane), who is not all that he appears to be.  What follows is a tense game of cat and mouse with all the claustrophobia of the best of Hitchcock.

WATCH IT FOR: Trailer

 

SPLASH(1984)

Director Ron Howard brings us a modern-day fable starring the soon-to-be-worldwide-treasure, Tom Hanks.  As a kid, Allen (Hanks) is rescued from drowning by a young mermaid.  Years later and he finds himself back in the same spot and, after falling into the water, is rescued once again by the mermaid, Madison (Daryl Hannah).  They go their separate ways but Madison sets out to find him in New York City.  Once they meet up again, they fall for each other but the course of true love never runs smooth.  Featuring support from John Candy, Splash is one of those delightful romantic comedies with a fishy twist.

WATCH IT FOR: What’s Your Number?

 

FRANTIC (1988)

This is a stylish mystery thriller in the vein of the classic film noirs of old.  Harrison Ford stars as Dr Richard Walker who, along with his wife, Sondra (Betty Buckley) are in Paris to attend a medical conference.  When Sondra disappears in mysterious circumstances, Walker is plunged into the murky underworld of drugs and espionage.  Director Roman Polanski cranks up the tension while Ford is at his best as the distraught husband caught up in a web of intrigue.

WATCH IT FOR: Trailer

 

VERTIGO (1958)

I’ve made mention this edition of Hitchcockian moments in modern thrillers, well here’s the man himself doing what he does best.  James Stewart stars as former San Francisco police detective John ‘Scottie’ Ferguson who becomes dangerously obsessed with Kim Novak in a suspenseful tale of betrayal and deception.  While the story takes a backseat, the real treat for the viewers (apart from Stewart and Novak) is the visual style, the use of the camera and, of course, Bernard Hermann’s atmospheric score.  Rightly regarded as one of Hitch’s classic thrillers, Vertigo may feel a little leaden at times but in the reliable hands of Jimmy Stewart, it almost zips along.

WATCH IT FOR: Scottie’s Nightmare

 

And there you go, another fine batch of cinematic classics that have, in one way or another, made some sort of impact on me.  It’s good to be back and I’m looking forward to bringing you plenty more examples of celluloid gems very soon.  If you’ve enjoyed what you’ve seen here today, feel free to get in touch, I’m always open to chatting with new people, especially with a love of film.  Until the next time…

“Oh, yeah. Oooh, ahhh, that’s how it always starts. Then later there’s running and um, screaming”

 

My Life In Film: Part 37

As the dust settles on The Academy Awards for another year, it’s time, once again, to take another trip into my cinematic archive.  I know I say this every time but this edition of My Life In Film… really is quite eclectic.  Disasters, epics, romance and yutes all convene to bring such varied movie treats.  So, without further ado, let’s get down to business…

 

MY GIRL (1991)

After the huge global success of Home Alone, Macaulay Culkin was one of Hollywood’s hottest properties.  In the space of just a couple of years he made some of the biggest well-loved films including this one where he plays Thomas, best friend to Anna Chlumsky‘s Vada Sultenfuss, a bright, intelligent girl prone to being a hypochondriac.  When her mortician father, Harry (Dan Aykroyd) hires a new secretary in the form of Shelly (Jamie Lee Curtis) life in their small town will never be the same again.  The two young leads are superb as they navigate their tricky early adolescence in a film that could quite easily have turned into a sickly melodrama.  Be warned, though, there may be tears by the end.

WATCH IT FOR: She’s My Best Friend

 

THE FISHER KING (1991)

Jeff Bridges plays Jack, a popular New York talk radio DJ who, during one of his shows raging against the rise of the Yuppie, inadvertently inspires a man to go on a rampage in a local bar. Feeling dreadful remorse for the incident, Jack descends into a spiral of drink and pity where he strikes up an unlikely friendship with Parry (Robin Williams), a former professor who became mentally unbalanced and homeless after witnessing his wife being gunned down in the bar attack.  Parry believes himself to be on an important quest to track down the Holy Grail, a quest that Jack finds himself assisting with as a way of seeking his own redemption.  Director Terry Gilliam brings his dazzling visual style to this modern fable and delights us with fine performances from the two leads as well as an Oscar-winning turn from Mercedes Ruehl as Jack’s girlfriend.

WATCH IT FOR: Grand Central Station

 

EMPIRE OF THE SUN (1987)

Based on the autobiographical novel by J.G. Ballard, Empire of the Sun is the story of Jim Graham (Christian Bale) who has his life turned upside down with the Japanese invasion of December 1941.  Living a privileged life, Jim soon finds himself separated from his parents, captured and interred in a concentration camp where he finds a new way of living and surviving.  Steven Spielberg has expertly crafted a stunning visual epic that takes a different look at the war and the people involved.  With a supporting cast that features the likes of John Malkovich, Nigel Havers, Leslie Phillips and Miranda Richardson, this is one of Spielberg’s more underappreciated films that, given the scale and depth of it, should really be given more love.

WATCH IT FOR: Cadillac Of The Sky

 

THE CHINA SYNDROME (1979)

In this slice of seventies paranoia Jane Fonda plays Kimberly Wells, an opportunistic television reporter who stumbles across a huge cover-up at a nuclear power plant. While covering a story on the use of alternative energy sources at the plant Wells, and her cameraman Richard Adams (Michael Douglas) are witness to an accident.  Keen to publicise the incident, Wells and Adams come up against the full weight of corporate power in the shape of Richard Herd‘s Evan McCormack who wants to silence the whole thing.  With Jack Lemmon and Wilford Brimley as workers at the plant providing solid support, The China Syndrome is as bleak and relevant today as it was back then.

WATCH IT FOR:  Trailer

 

AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)

It’s the end of summer, 1962 in a small town in Southern California.  A group of friends gather for one last night before they each head off to college.  Director George Lucas brings us a love letter to a golden age of Americana with drag racers, drive-ins and the end of the rock ‘n’ roll era.  Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams and a then unknown Harrison Ford remind us of a happier, more carefree time when the only problem a kid had was finding a way out of their dead-end town.  Add in to the mix a spectacular soundtrack of classic hits and you’ve got yourself a bona fide cult smash.

WATCH IT FOR: “Must Be Your Mama’s Car”

 

THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972)

In the 1970s there was a wave (pardon the pun!) of big budget epic disaster movies including this absolute classic.  Concerning the final voyage of a majestic cruise ship on New Year’s Eve that takes a different route thanks to an undersea earthquake, The Poseidon Adventure throws everything at you.  Of course, you’d expect nothing less from producer extraordinaire Irwin Allen.  A huge, all-star cast that includes Gene Hackman, Shelley Winters, Red Buttons, Ernest Borgnine and Roddy McDowall must battle against the elements as the ship is turned upside down in the middle of the ocean and the remaining passengers strive for power and survival.

WATCH IT FOR: The Ballroom Floods

 

MY COUSIN VINNY (1992)

In this courtroom comedy from director Jonathan Lynn, Joe Pesci stars as Vincent LaGuardia Gambini, an inexperienced lawyer who has never been to trial, who is called upon to represent his cousin, Bill (Ralph Macchio) and Bill’s friend, Stan (Mitchell Whitfield) when they are arrested for murder in rural Alabama.  Vinny clashes with the locals as well as Judge Haller (the brilliant Fred Gwynne in his final screen role) as he desperately tries to get to the bottom of the case.  Aided by his brash girlfriend Mona Lisa Vito (an Oscar-winning Marisa Tomei), Vinny soon finds that he might need some help.

WATCH IT FOR: Two “Yutes”

 

GROSSE POINTE BLANK (1997)

Martin Q. Blank (John Cusack), a freelance hitman who has recently developed a conscience, is advised to attend his high school reunion in Grosse Pointe, Michigan.  Coincidentally, he has been contracted to kill someone in this very suburb.  As he tries to justify not killing, he is pursued by the FBI, one assassin who wants to kill him and another assassin who wants to recruit him.  All the while trying to reconnect with the girlfriend he left behind.  It’s sharp, funny and has a brilliant soundtrack to boot.  This film (and, indeed Cusack) deserves more love and appreciation.  Get on it, people!

WATCH IT FOR: Work Less, Make More

 

THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS (1978)

There may be some that would disagree with this particular version of John Buchan‘s classic novel being included, especially when Hitchcock‘s (perhaps) definitive version has already been featured.  I say to you, that I don’t care.  It’s my list and I do what I want!  That being said, it is far from being the best-loved of Richard Hannay’s adventure through wrongful arrest, murder, intrigue and espionage but I love it.  Robert Powell takes the reins as the hero fighting his way through the quagmire of lies and deception that takes him to the highlands of Scotland and ends with a spectacular denouement in London.  Featuring a veritable who’s who of British acting greats, this is great fun for a rainy Sunday afternoon.

WATCH IT FOR: Big Ben

 

ON HER MAJESTY’S SECRET SERVICE (1969)

If you’re only going to play James Bond once, you might as well make it one of the best films in the franchise.  George Lazenby takes over the role in one of the most Bondian of Bond films as he travels to Switzerland to face off against Blofeld (Telly Savalas) one more time.  Going undercover, Bond discovers the real reason behind Blofeld’s allergy clinic high above the mountains and even falls in love with Tracy (Diana Rigg).  The action zips along and there are some spectacular set pieces but it is the romance between Bond and Tracy that really ignites this film.  A romance that, we know, is doomed but is, ultimately, worthwhile.  For whatever reasons Lazenby only made this one film, it remains a titan among the fold and still holds up today, fifty years on.

WATCH IT FOR: Blofeld

 

And that, as they say, is that.  Another fine batch of films for your viewing pleasure and, once again, quite eclectic.  I hope that this blog inspires you to seek out some of these films to watch, maybe for the first time or, perhaps, for the hundredth.  Whatever your feelings, I’d love to hear from you.  Feel free to get in touch and let me know what you think.  My door is always open.  Until the next time…

“This never happened to the other fella”