Greetings Film Fiends and welcome to John Doe's Film Blog. 30 years of dedicated celluloid obsession has meant that I have seen a few films. Drawing attention to some of the lesser discussed gems that I love. Cult classics, obscure curios and quality genre pictures. This blogs purpose is to translate some of my passion for these films and with luck, inspire you the reader to go check em out.
Darth Plainview and the Revenge of the Tycoon
Daniel Plainview Drainage! Drainage, Eli, you boy. Drained dry. I'm so sorry. Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that's a straw, you see? You watching? And my straw reaches across the room, a...
From Kerr to Eternity
Each year as part of the Sydney Film Festival they show a selected filmography from a legend of cinema. In 2007 it was hard line Director John Huston, in 2008 the spotlight shines on the recently deceased Deborah Kerr.
The red headed Scottish born Kerr had vibrant...
Pushing Daisies Coming to DVD this September.
Creator: Bryan Fuller
Starring: Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Jim Dale, Chi McBride, Kristin Chenoweth, Swoosie Kurtz, Ellen Greene,
Reading the Daily Orble stats today John Doe noticed that, despite not posting on a TV related topic in over 6 months h...
The People Mover that Did
Director: Joseph Sargent
Starring: Robert Shaw, Walter Matthau, Martin Balsam, Hector Elizondo, Lee Wallace, Jerry Stiller, Earl Hindman
Were going to kill one passenger a minute until New York City pays us a million dollars. Mr Blue
Back in 1974 this mercile...
Ore Mined and Polished
The nice people at Paramount sent John Doe a press invite for Iron Man on Monday night and he just has to thank them for their kindness. It is admittedly fun seeing a super-hyped movie before the global release and geek boys spoil the surprises.
Director: Jon Favreau
St...
Meet James Franco - Acting Teacher
"Acting is an art form and you want to take roles that are challenged and it's more of a challenge I think to play dark characters. Not that I want to always play those, but it is a challenge and challenges are rewarding and fun." James Franco
James Fra...
The Unseen Villiany Within
WriterDirector: Frank Darabont
Based on the Novella by: Stephen King
Starring: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, William Sadler, Sam Witwer, Toby Jones, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher, David Jensen
As a species we're fundamentally insane. Put more than two of us in ...
Frank Miller becomes a Celluloid Artist.
John Doe has always been a fan of Frank Millers (Hardboiled, Ronin) edgy graphic novels. His comics raised the bar on what was possible from the medium reinventing Batman for the new era.
In the last few years his Hollywood stocks have raised with...
The Nature of the Beast, The Beauty of the Innocent
WriterDirector: Billy Bob Thornton
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Lucas Black, Robert Duvall, Dwight Yokam, J.T Walsh, John Ritter,
Some folks call it a sling blade, I call it a kaiser blade. Karl Childers
To try and distil the essen...
Truth or Dare, Come Inside Suburbia
WriterDirector: David Lynch
Starring: Dennis Hopper, Isabella Rossellini, Laura Dern, Kyle MacLachlan, Dean Stockwell, Brad Dourif, Hope Lange, George Dickerson
See that clock on the wall? In five minutes you are not going to believe what I've told you...
The Companions of Death
Original Director: Richard Siodmak
Original Cast: Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmond OBrien, Charles Levine, Vince Barnett, Albert Dekker
Remake Director: Don Siegel
Remake Cast: Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, John Casavettes, Ronald Reagan, Claude Akins, Clu Gulager...
Charlton Heston (1924-2008)
Another week and another cinema icon passes into the big chariot race in the sky. This time its Charlton Heston, the Greco jawed epic presence that exuded a vibrant intelligence and stoic dignity.
Though many remember the actor from his sword and sandal adventur...
The films of John Cassavetes: Part 5
Review By JDM Guest Writer: Shaun Katz
Last week I wrote about Faces, Cassavetes first crowning achievement.. This week in the 5th part of my series on Cassavetes films I get to the film which simultaneously gives me the most amount of thrill and frustr...
Tom Hank's startling confession.
Riddled with guilt and unable to keep quite anymore, multiple Academy Award winner Tom Hanks has admitted that the ceremony is a complete fraud in an interview published today.
For years now the Oscars have seemed to Award the most generic performances and...
Akira is one of my favourite films of all time. Released in 1988, its an achievement not just in Japanese animation of its time, but continues to demonstrate a quality of animation that equals that of modern cartoon animation.
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Daniel Plainview – “Drainage! Drainage, Eli, you boy. Drained dry. I'm so sorry. Here, if you have a milkshake, and I have a milkshake, and I have a straw. There it is, that's a straw, you see? You watching? And my straw reaches across the room, and starts to drink your milkshake...I, drink, your, milkshake!”
Occasionally a cinema mash up video comes along that leaves John Doe with aching sides and an appreciation for the wit of the editor, this is one of those videos.
Posted about a year ago on youtube.com, “There Will Be Vader” takes classic scenes from the Star Wars sectology. Redubbing the Dark Lord of the Sith’s lines with Daniel Plainview from Paul Thomas Anderson’s tale of American greed There Will be Blood.
Annakin Plainview
The wheezing and all the other character dialogue is intact, but anytime Darth Vader’s cued its Daniel Day Lewis’ voice reciting some already classic script bytes from his Oscar Winning role.
Starting off slow, a couple of minute in and its time to grab a milkshake, bathe yourself in freshly tapped oil then draw your red lightsaber and prepare for Annakin’s reincarnation.
Each year as part of the Sydney Film Festival they show a selected filmography from a legend of cinema. In 2007 it was hard line Director John Huston, in 2008 the spotlight shines on the recently deceased Deborah Kerr.
Between shots on From Here to Eternity
The red headed Scottish born Kerr had vibrant presence and a versatile talent for giving controlled characters an emotional vulnerability. Wether standing toe to toe with Yul Bryner in The King and I or opposite Richard Burton for Tennessee Williams Night of the Iguana Deborah had a gift for drawing our eye and making us feel her pain, yearning and sexuality.
The Innocents
The highlight of “From Kerr to Eternity” for John Doe is the 1961 Gothic horror called The Innocents. Engulfed in atmosphere, this is a truly creepy slice of tightly wound terror Directed by Jack Clayton. (Something Wicked This Way Comes) In the film Deborah plays Victorian reserve that is painful to watch because we are helpless, cursed to voyeurs. She is a governess Miss Giddens, in charge of caring for two children when possibly supernatural forces come knocking. Based on the Turn of the Screw by Henry James and co scripted by Truman Capote this is a must for those in need of a spine tingle.
A clip to spark curiousity from The Innocents - Original Trailer
After The Innocents JD recommends
Black Narcissus
Black Narcissus (1947)
Black Narcissus is a melodrama Directed by the mistreated genius Michael Powell (The Red Shoes, Peeping Tom) who began a torrid affair with his leading lady off set. As a nun who is helping to care for a community in the Himalayas Deborah Kerr is pushed to emotional breaking point by the climate, locals, politics and members of the order.
The Sundowners (1960)
Several times over the course of this site John Doe has listed this film as a favourite. Personally he considers it one of the most enjoyable Australian films ever made by Americans, the quality Director is Fred Zinnemann (Day of the Jackal, High Noon, From Here to Eternity). Based on the book by Jon Cleary, leading man Robert Mitchum (Heaven Knows Mr Allison) nails the ocker accent and Deborah Kerr stands tall against the harsh Aussie outback. Refusing make up and delivering one of the most naturalistic performances of her career.
The dust and heat of The Sundowners for which Deborah Kerr was nominated for an Oscar
Tea and Sympathy (1956)
Directed by Vincente Minnelli (The Bad and the Beautiful, The Cobweb, Some Came Running), Tea and Sympathy is an interesting postcard to the repressed sexual mores of the 1950’s. It’s an interesting film for its themes and importantly for Kerr’s recreation of her own broadway success adapted to the big screen.
A scene from Tea and Sympathy
Johnny D can’t fault any of the Sydney Film festival’s Deborah Kerr shortlist, but if you can’t attend them all, these are the 4 Johnny D strongly recommends assuming you have seen From Here to Eternity!
Deborah holds all the cards
Here are the screening times for “From Kerr to Eternity”
Creator: Bryan Fuller Starring: Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Jim Dale, Chi McBride, Kristin Chenoweth, Swoosie Kurtz, Ellen Greene,
Reading the Daily Orble stats today John Doe noticed that, despite not posting on a TV related topic in over 6 months he is ranked number “1” in the TV Blogs category.
This seems unfair to all the brilliant TV writers floating around the Orbtastic community. Dedicated Telephiles like Nina’s delicious TVbabble, Meggie on TVchitchat, and the newest member of the bunch Mike Wheeler at Extremecritic all deliver quality copy. So today is the start of incorporating a little more regularity with small screen contributions in order to earn the accolade.
At home in the Pie-Hole
Amongst the wave of new shows that launched pilot episodes last season the shiny sunflowered plaything of choice in this house has been Pushing Daisies.
Coming to DVD September 2008, Pushing Daisies is like a paisley Tim Burton vision that’s penned as if Edgar Allen Poe had a sunny disposition. Funny, touching and twisted, again Creator/Producer/Director Bryan Fuller (Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls, Heroes) tackles the macabre and unexplained with a sly humour that illuminates it’s morbid darker edges.
Quirky and luminous, “The facts were these”…Ned the Pie Maker (Lee Pace) is different. He has always been different. As a child young Ned discovered that he could bring the dead back to life by touching them. As these things go, there is a balance, this no miracle without a price. Once his flesh has come in contact with the deceased a second time they immediately return to eternal slumber. If Ned tries to tempt fate and let someone live beyond their minute reprieve from expiry, then someone close by die’s instead.
Ned is NOT touched by an angel
The adult Ned now owns a pie shop and assists Private Investigator Emerson Cod (Chi McBride) in solving mysterious murders. One day the pair stumble upon a girl named Chuck. “Well, it's pretty much I bake pies and wake the dead. I live a very sheltered life.” - Ned
Ned on the case with Emmerson Cod and a primate
Charlotte Charles aka Chuck (Anna Friel) was Ned’s youthful sweetheart and after years of separation Ned still has the bug, so of course once he reanimates her pre rigamortuous limbs, he refuses to obey the rules. Someone close by dies. “You said you wanted to know who killed me so that justice could be served. See, I don't think that "Justice" was on the menu. Maybe as a side dish, but not as an entrée.” - Chuck
Anna Friel as Chuck
Unable to hold hands, kiss or do the other their’s is a uniquely complicated relationship. Olive Snook (Kristin Chenoweth) is the singing waitress whose flame burns bright for Ned, emotions that will never be reciprocated. That’s the character introductions as of the first episode, so no spoilers.
Kristen Chenoweth is Olive
To look directly at the delectable cinematography exploding with a vibrant palette of colour widens the orbs of the iris. The synthetic atmosphere bolstered by the exaggerated sincerity of the narrator’s solemn voice (Jim Dale) forms a sweet peach tone that’s tasty on the buds and delectable to digest.
The riddled screenplay of quick minded, snappy banter toys with vocabulary and character emotions are invariably phrased to remember.
The cast are a chemical concoction, a Neapolitan flavour of bubbly, spontaneous and cynical behaviour. Expanding on what he bought to the screen as Jaye’s brother in Wonderfalls, Lee Pace (Infamous, The Good Shepard) as the always playing-catch-up Ned is likeable and charming.
Anna Friels (Me Without You, Goal) is sweet without annoying, optimistically avoiding the pitfalls of her Chuck love interest character type. It doesn’t hurt that she is cute in a Zooey Dreschnel way because of freedom from stereotype.
See what Johnny means about Anna Friel?
For John Doe it’s Chi McBride (Narc, The Frighteners) as Emmerson Cod that manages to garner the most laughs aside from the narrator. His tough as nails without the heart of gold matter of factness is unwavering in amusement levels.
As Chuck’s grieving paternal Aunt’s Lillian and Vivian Charles, Ellen Green (Leon: The Professional,The Cooler) and Swoosie Kurtz (Huff, Rules of Attraction) deliver there dry sardonic lines with aplomb.
Not as saccharine as it may first appear there is an abundance of wit and originality to be found in every episode. Each chapter has a cinema quality to it’s inception that guarantees JD follows every new story with joyful eagerness.
Pushing Daisies Trailer
An impromptu musical number, Olive Swoon covers Olivia singing "Hopelessly Devoted to You"
The nice people at Paramount sent John Doe a press invite for Iron Man on Monday night and he just has to thank them for their kindness. It is admittedly fun seeing a super-hyped movie before the global release and geek boys spoil the surprises.
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