Two Lists, Ten Favorites: Films of Alfred Hitchcock
by HELEN GEIB and NIR SHALEV
An occasional feature where Helen and Nir compare their five favorite films by some of the greats of world cinema.
Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980)
DVD of the Week – Review of Jane Eyre (2011)
by NIR SHALEV
Jane Eyre is the classic, Gothic tale of an orphan that was born in misfortune. Jane (Mia Wasikowska) grew up with a family that detested her and was eventually sent to a boarding school where she finally made a friend. But the school was hell, the children were beaten, and her best friend died of illness. This was before Jane was even a teenager. Read more
Rewind: Films of the 60s, 70s, 80s – The Bliss of Mrs. Blossom (1968)
by RICHARD WINTERS
This wacky film nicely exemplifies the mod, experimental wave of filmmaking that permeated the era of the late ’60s. The story takes place in London and is about a clothing manufacturer’s wife named Harriet Blossom (Shirley MacLaine) who one day calls her husband Robert (Richard Attenborough) while he is at work to tell him that her sewing machine has broken down. Robert sends a lowly assistant named Ambrose Tuttle (James Booth) over to their house to help her fix it. Harriet is a bit bored with life and feels neglected by her husband who is tied up with his job. She not so subtly seduces Ambrose when he comes over and then hides him in the attic, where he soon takes up residence. He comes out only when the husband is away, but the unexplained strange noises that Robert hears and the many close calls make him think he is going insane and lead him to a nervous breakdown. Read more
My Life As an Indy Moviegoer – August, 2011 Recap
by HELEN GEIB
A monthly series in which I relate my reflections on life as an independent-minded moviegoer in Indianapolis, Indiana.
I’m not confident enough in my definitions to say if indie comedy-dramas about misfit high-schoolers are a genre, a category, or a trend, but whatever they are Terri fits the bill. The bill includes a cast of (mostly) unknowns, natural lighting, unobtrusive camerawork, and on the story front, an open-ended ending after piling on (the difficult home life, the bullying at school, the weirdo best friend, the physical differentness, the etc., etc.). I enjoyed it even though that’s not really my cup of tea; you’ll definitely want to catch it on DVD if it’s yours. Jacob Wysocki, the young actor who plays the title character, is natural and appealing, but the main attraction is the unusual, truthful, and delicately handled friendship between Terri and his principal, played wonderfully by headliner John C. Reilly. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana (August 26, 2011)
by HELEN GEIB
Several new films open in Indianapolis and there’s a good lineup of holdovers and special screenings around the state. Since I’ve never seen Scarface I can’t let the opportunity pass by. What’s on your moviegoing agenda? Read more
Film Buff Movie of the Month: Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
by HELEN GEIB
Short posts on my film club’s “movie of the month” series.
This post is a week late. It didn’t go up last week because I had writer’s block. I still have writer’s block, and the only thing I can think of to write is the reasons I can’t write about Singin’ in the Rain. Read more
DVD of the Week – Back to School with the Classics
by HELEN GEIB
To mark back to school season, here are three films adapted from literary or cinematic classics. These movies are not just entertaining and educational, but instructive too: how-to guides to navigating the social pitfalls of high school.
10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Heath Ledger (before anyone knew who he was) and Julia Stiles star in this high-school set re-working of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, but it’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt who steals the show as the younger sister’s suitor. Read more
Rewind: Films of the 60s, 70s, 80s – Dirty Dancing (1987)
by RICHARD WINTERS
Some of my women friends at the office were surprised to hear that I had never seen this film and suggested that I watch and review it for my next column. Since Hollywood is now planning on remaking this movie and several websites have already started up protesting it, as fans of the original feel it can’t be duplicated, now more than ever seems to be a good time to give this movie a look. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana (August 19, 2011)
by HELEN GEIB
One quick note about this week’s column and two quick notes about listing changes:
First, I’m writing this from a room in a Red Roof Inn in Milwaukee. I’m in Milwaukee for Irish Fest. Irish Fest is an absolutely amazing annual music festival held at the city’s lakeside festival grounds with over a dozen stages showcasing all kinds of traditional and tradition-influenced or inflected music, plus great food and shopping, but that’s beside the point. The reason I mention it is that my being on vacation is why this week’s column is going up a little late, and if I’ve missed anything, that’s also why. Read more
DVD of the Week – Review of I Saw the Devil (2010)
by NIR SHALEV
Choi Min-sik (of Oldboy fame) plays a psychopathic killer and his latest, random victim is the fiancée of a special agent played by Lee Byung-hun (The Good, the Bad, the Weird). After her body is found, the agent’s superior offers him a month off work to recover from his grief but he claims to only need two weeks. He immediately sets off to find the killer using info provided by his fiancée’s father and ex-chief of police. Within a matter of days, the agent finds the killer in a greenhouse and a terrific fight ensues. The killer is beaten to unconsciousness, his right hand is crushed on a rock and he awakens to the sight of an envelope that’s full of money. Why, you ask? Because while the killer was unconscious, the agent slipped a GPS pill into his mouth and made him swallow it. That way, wherever he goes the agent could find him. And then beat him up and torture him further. And he does. Read more
