DVD of the Week – Review of The Thing (1982)
by NIR SHALEV
In 1951, Howard Hawks (Scarface, 1932; Rio Bravo, 1959) directed a horror classic called The Thing from Another World. It featured a slew of American Air Force officials and scientists at an arctic station who encounter a hostile alien creature. The film kept the monster’s appearance hidden until the end, ratcheting the suspense up to 11. The reason for the film’s enduring popularity is that, just like in Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), there’s a the huge metaphor embedded in the story’s center: communists hiding in plain sight inside the US. They looked just like everyone else and spoke just like everyone else and were virtually impossible to detect. A nationwide scare was in progress and the fluoride scare was soon to follow. America in the mid-20th century was a particularly interesting country. Read more 
Rewind: Films of the 60s, 70s, 80s – The Verdict (1982)
by RICHARD WINTERS
Frank Galvin (Paul Newman) is a lawyer who has hit rock bottom. He has lost his last four cases and become an alcoholic in the process. His associate Mickey (Jack Warden) hands him what appears to be an open and shut case dealing with a woman who was put into a permanent comatose state after being given the wrong type of anesthesia during the delivery of her child. Both parties are willing to settle out of court and Frank is initially happy to accept the settlement as he is hard up for funds, but after seeing the sad condition of the patient in the hospital he changes his mind and decides to take it to court. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana (October 14, 2011)
by HELEN GEIB
Two American indies and a South African drama are the limited release films opening this week- and unusually, one of them isn’t playing in Indianapolis (at least not yet). Be sure and read through to “next week and beyond” if you’re a horror film fan. There’s a good amount of special programming for you to enjoy this week and even more coming in the next two. Myself, I’m so excited about the opportunity to see Sunrise with live accompaniment that I’m driving to Bloomington for the privilege. What’s on your moviegoing schedule? Read more
A Few Good Blog Posts (October, 2011)
by HELEN GEIB
A monthly round-up of recent blog posts I enjoyed reading.
Writing about Drive at…
MONDO 70: A Wild World of Cinema
DVD of the Week – Terri (2011)
by NIR SHALEV
Terri (Jacob Wysocki) is an overweight high-schooler who wears pajamas to school because they’re comfortable. He lives in a small house with his uncle James (Creed Bratton), who suffers from dementia or possibly Alzheimer’s, and both of their lives are rather quiet and melancholy. Terri slowly descends into boredom, which can be seen in the slower pace in which he walks and the way in which everything seems like a chore to him. Read more
Rewind: Films of the 60s, 70s, 80s – The Mackintosh Man (1973)
by RICHARD WINTERS
Joseph Reardon (Paul Newman) is a spy recruited by British Intelligence to infiltrate a secret spy ring in order to expose a traitor from a high-ranking government office. In order to do so he must assume the identity of an Australian criminal and allow himself to be caught and imprisoned. He is able to escape using the help of an inside organization that arranges the escapes for high profile prisoners. He is taken to an isolated mansion at an unknown location and trained to be a part of the criminal spy ring, but he unwittingly gives out his true identity, which forces him to make a daring escape and go on the run in the middle of nowhere. Read more
Movie Review – The Ides of March (2011)
by HELEN GEIB
A fashionable cynicism substitutes for nuance in George Clooney’s political drama The Ides of March. In addition to co-starring as the candidate du jour, a governor running for the Democrat nomination for president, Clooney directed and co-wrote the script (with Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon, from Willimon’s play Farragut North). Ryan Gosling has the lead role as a seasoned political operative whose idealism is crushed during the Ohio primary campaign. Read more
Thinking Outside the Multiplex in Indiana (October 7, 2011)
by HELEN GEIB
In the movie world, October = horror. Let’s just say it took quite a bit longer than usual to write this week’s column, a lot of that due to just how much is “coming soon” for horror film fans- and people who generally enjoy the Halloween season. Also this week: the Heartland Film Festival and new indie dramas Machine Gun Preacher and Restless. Read more
Hollywood Releases Preview – October, 2011
by HELEN GEIB
Another Visual Edition of the Hollywood Releases Preview, but this time grouped by category. Jump to the end for the full releases list (title links lead to the films’ IMDb pages). I see three or four movies I might like coming up in October. What looks good to you?
To start off, this month’s sequels, prequels, remakes, adaptations, and otherwise serial entries (fidelity to the source material: optional):
The Big Year
DVD Double Feature Challenge
by HELEN GEIB
Recently Nir and I have had fun with “DVD of the Week” posts where we proposed double features from our personal DVD collections. The themes for our fantasy double bills ranged from competing visions of the city of the future to old-fashioned melodramas about fathers and sons.
Now it’s your turn to play! Leave a comment with three double features from your DVD collection. Read more
