Peter Schilling The Americanization of Emily, 1964. Directed by the hack Arthur Hiller, written by the decidedly unhackneyed Paddy Chayefsky. Starring James Garner, Julie Andrews, James Coburn, Melvyn Douglas, Joyce Grenfell and one of the great character actors, Keenan Wynn (most famous as Major Bat Guano in Dr. Strangelove). When Paddy Chayefsky died in 1981 of cancer … Read more
“Water”, 2005. Written and directed by Deepa Mehta; music by Mychael Danna and the famous (and unbelievably prolific) A.R. Rahman. Starring Sarala, Lisa Ray, Seema Biswas, John Abraham, Manorama, Raghuveer Yadav, Vidula Javalgekar, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, and Bollywood stalwart Waheeda Rehman (in a small role). Now showing at the Uptown Theater. Once upon a time, in … Read more
Question: what are you doing tonight? It’s Tuesday, it’s going to rain, the Twins are going to lose, there’s nothing on cable or at the theaters, and you don’t have tickets or money to go to the big shows in town, whatever they may be. Or perhaps you do. Doesn’t matter, because the best thing … Read more
“Mr. Arkadin–the Comprehensive Version”, 1955 (restored and cobbled together from five different versions in 2005). Written and directed by Orson Welles. Starring Robert Arden, Orson Welles, Patricia Medina, Paola Mori, Akim Tamaroff, and Michael Redgrave. “Mr. Arkadin is a bad film such as only a great and self-consciously wayward artist could make, and only then … Read more
Mission: Impossible III, 2006. Directed by J. J. Abrams, written by Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, and Abrams. Starring (and that’s all you can call it) Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ving Rhames, Laurence Fishburne, Billy Crudup, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Maggie Q, Michelle Monaghan, Simon Pegg, future Dracula Michael Berry Jr., and Saginaw, Michigan’s own Ty … Read more
Item: I received in my inbox (not the Rake email, but my personal address for friends and family) this little note from the folks at Motive Entertainment, the good people who helped make Mel Gibson’s S and M Undead Masterpiece The Passion of the Christ such a big hit. These folks have set up a … Read more
United 93 and Akeelah and the Bee “United 93”, 2006. Written and Directed by Paul Greengrass. With a cast of unfamous actors and actresses and many of the grounds crew, air traffic control, and, perhaps the star, Ben Sliney. Now showing at theaters throughout town. Around the turn of the last century, the Coney Island … Read more
“La Jetee”, 1962. Written and directed by Chris Marker. Starring Davos Hanich, Helene Chatelain, and Jacques Ledoux. Narrated by Jean Negroni. From the files of street critic Sandoth “Guy” Fresno, recorded on fourteen postcards that arrived in chronological order this January, waterstained (or so he claimed) from Hurricane Katrina. Each postcard was identical, of the … Read more
Doodle by Steve Willis (scroll down link for bio). For a year that includes a new Mission: Impossible, a big-budget Robin Williams comedy, a remake of one of the 70s worst disaster films (Poseidon Adventure) and yet another slate of comic books flicks, it is with great pleasure that I am able to point you, … Read more
Kinky Boots, 2006. Directed by Julian Jarrold, written by Geoff Deane and Tim Firth. Starring Joel Edgerton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Sarah-Jane Potts, Ewan Hooper, Linda Bassett, Nick Frost and Jemima Rooper. Now showing at the Uptown Theatre. The Notorious Bettie Page, 2006. Directed by Mary Harron, written by Harron and Guinevere Turner. Starring Gretchen Mol, Chris … Read more