Even the most die-hard 007 fans know that James Bond movies don’t always hit. There’s the yellow face of You Only Live Twice, the pigeon double-take in Moonraker, the surfing in Die Another Day. But never has the franchise done worse than when a certain Louisiana police officer bumbles into the otherwise solid Live and Let Die.
Yes, I’m talking about Sheriff J.W. Pepper, a loudmouth distraction who sort of makes sense in the American-set Live and Let Die, but then he somehow also shows up in Thailand to further drag down The Man With the Golden Gun.
Modern viewers meeting the character for the first time today will likely be confused by Pepper’s shtick. But to the viewers of the early 1970s, Pepper not only hit as a funny joke, but he was very much in line with Bond’s history of pop culture Johnny-come-latelyisms.
Yes, I’m talking about Sheriff J.W. Pepper, a loudmouth distraction who sort of makes sense in the American-set Live and Let Die, but then he somehow also shows up in Thailand to further drag down The Man With the Golden Gun.
Modern viewers meeting the character for the first time today will likely be confused by Pepper’s shtick. But to the viewers of the early 1970s, Pepper not only hit as a funny joke, but he was very much in line with Bond’s history of pop culture Johnny-come-latelyisms.
- 2/23/2024
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
Back in March, Amazon officially acquired MGM. The company whose logo bears Leo the lion was once a Hollywood powerhouse, a premiere studio of the Golden Age, but has now become something of a smaller production company that has, as of late, chosen to put their name behind some really wonderful, auteur-driven work like "Licorice Pizza," "Cyrano," and "Three Thousand Years of Longing." Of course, when Amazon chose to spend 8.5 billion on the company, they weren't doing it because of their commitment to MGM's motto "Ars Gratia Artis (Art for Art's Sake)." No, that money goes to MGM's dizzying back catalogue of films, and most importantly, this means they now have the deal with Eon Productions for the James Bond franchise.
For Bond fans who have not gone in and bought a bunch of Blu-rays or DVDs of the series, they have been patiently awaiting the day that the 25 pictures...
For Bond fans who have not gone in and bought a bunch of Blu-rays or DVDs of the series, they have been patiently awaiting the day that the 25 pictures...
- 9/29/2022
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
This big screen, big star crowd-pleaser is a whopping entertainment yet too disjointed to satisfy as a gangster movie. It can ignore history to make its points, but what is gained by killing off the only characters we really love? Audiences didn’t feel shortchanged: Sean Connery and Robert De Niro deliver strong characterizations and Ennio Morricone’s music is ideal. Brian De Palma’s visual instincts are at full strength too; the show is marvelous to look at. It’s a real winner, at least when its not running in knee-jerk Scarface overkill mode.
The Untouchables 4K
4K Ultra HD + Digital
Paramount
1987 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 119 min. / Street Date May 31, 2022 / Available from Amazon / 25.99
Starring: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro, Richard Bradford, Jack Kehoe, Brad Sullivan, Billy Drago, Patricia Clarkson, Steven Goldstein, Del Close, Clifton James.
Cinematography: Stephen H. Burum
Art Director: William A.
The Untouchables 4K
4K Ultra HD + Digital
Paramount
1987 / Color / 2:40 widescreen / 119 min. / Street Date May 31, 2022 / Available from Amazon / 25.99
Starring: Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Charles Martin Smith, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro, Richard Bradford, Jack Kehoe, Brad Sullivan, Billy Drago, Patricia Clarkson, Steven Goldstein, Del Close, Clifton James.
Cinematography: Stephen H. Burum
Art Director: William A.
- 6/4/2022
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Another unexpected comic treasure from the mid ’70s! Jeff Bridges and Sam Waterston make an irresistible pair of would-be outlaws in a tale of the modern West — high-country Montana, actually — where a gentleman rancher from New Jersey owns all the land and making an honest living is just too boring. Thomas McGuane’s hilariously laid-back dialogue pits our slacker cattle rustlers against society — but only in the pursuit of having a good time. Frank Perry’s beautifully directed show gives choice roles to a fistful of actors: Clifton James, Elizabeth Ashley, Harry Dean Stanton, Slim Pickens, Charlene Dallas, Richard Bright, Joe Spinell, Patti D’Arbanville. Call it ‘literate’ country comedy, with musical accompaniment by Jimmy Buffett. The extras include a great new interview with star Jeff Bridges.
Rancho Deluxe
Blu-ray
Fun City Editions
1975 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 93 min. / Street Date July 19, 2021 / Available from Vinegar Syndrome /
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Sam Waterston, Elizabeth Ashley,...
Rancho Deluxe
Blu-ray
Fun City Editions
1975 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 93 min. / Street Date July 19, 2021 / Available from Vinegar Syndrome /
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Sam Waterston, Elizabeth Ashley,...
- 8/21/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
In his first Broadway appearance since his widely acclaimed, Emmy-winning TV performance as serial killer Andrew Cunanan, Darren Criss will join the previously announced Laurence Fishburne and Sam Rockwell in the upcoming revival of David Mamet’s American Buffalo, producer Jeffrey Richards announced today.
The production, directed by Neil Pepe, will mark Criss’ return to Broadway after starring in 2015’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch revival, and his first since winning the Emmy last year for his performance in FX’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
American Buffalo will begin previews on March 24, 2020, at the Circle in the Square Theatre, with an official opening on Tuesday, April 14.
Criss will play Bobby, the youngest in the play’s triumvirate of small-time hustlers looking to make a big score. Fishburne, last on Broadway in 2008’s one-man play Thurgood, will play the character Donny. Rockwell, returning to Broadway after 2014’s...
The production, directed by Neil Pepe, will mark Criss’ return to Broadway after starring in 2015’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch revival, and his first since winning the Emmy last year for his performance in FX’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.
American Buffalo will begin previews on March 24, 2020, at the Circle in the Square Theatre, with an official opening on Tuesday, April 14.
Criss will play Bobby, the youngest in the play’s triumvirate of small-time hustlers looking to make a big score. Fishburne, last on Broadway in 2008’s one-man play Thurgood, will play the character Donny. Rockwell, returning to Broadway after 2014’s...
- 10/24/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Laurence Fishburne and Sam Rockwell will return to Broadway this spring in a revival of David Mamet’s American Buffalo, lead producers Jeffrey Richards, Steve Traxler and Stephanie P. McClelland announced today.
Directed by frequent Mamet collaborator Neil Pepe, American Buffalo will begin previews in March 2020 with an official opening on Tuesday, April 14. The theater has not been announced.
Fishburne, last on Broadway in 2008’s one-man play Thurgood, will play the character Donny. Rockwell, returning to Broadway after 2014’s Fool For Love by Sam Shepard, will play Teach.
The duo’s casting leaves the play’s third character, Bobby, as yet unfilled or unannounced.
After Chicago and Off Broadway productions in 1975 and ’76, American Buffalo premiered on Broadway in 1977, with Ulu Grosbard directing Robert Duvall as Teach and Kenneth McMillan as Donny. John Savage played Bobby. In a 1981 Off Broadway production at Circle in the Square starred Al Pacino, Thomas Waites and Clifton James.
Directed by frequent Mamet collaborator Neil Pepe, American Buffalo will begin previews in March 2020 with an official opening on Tuesday, April 14. The theater has not been announced.
Fishburne, last on Broadway in 2008’s one-man play Thurgood, will play the character Donny. Rockwell, returning to Broadway after 2014’s Fool For Love by Sam Shepard, will play Teach.
The duo’s casting leaves the play’s third character, Bobby, as yet unfilled or unannounced.
After Chicago and Off Broadway productions in 1975 and ’76, American Buffalo premiered on Broadway in 1977, with Ulu Grosbard directing Robert Duvall as Teach and Kenneth McMillan as Donny. John Savage played Bobby. In a 1981 Off Broadway production at Circle in the Square starred Al Pacino, Thomas Waites and Clifton James.
- 9/17/2019
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Joseph Wambaugh’s breakthrough novel went through a blender to fit George C. Scott into the narrative, but it’s still a great cop show with terrific work from Stacy Keach and Scott Wilson, not to mention Jane Alexander and Rosalind Cash. The pro-cop agenda has a definite tone of personal experience, and the grim finish is anything but feel-good puffery.
The New Centurions
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1972 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date March 20, 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: George C. Scott, Stacy Keach, Jane Alexander, Scott Wilson, Rosalind Cash, Erik Estrada, Clifton James, James Sikking, Isabel Sanford, Carol Speed, William Atherton, Ed Lauter, Dolph Sweet, Stefan Gierasch, Roger E. Mosley, Pepe Serna, Kitten Natividad.
Cinematography: Ralph Woolsey
Film Editor: Robert C. Jones
Production Design: Boris Leven
Original Music: Quincy Jones
Written by Stirling Silliphant, Robert Towne (uncredited) from the book by Joseph Wambaugh
Produced by Robert Chartoff,...
The New Centurions
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1972 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 103 min. / Street Date March 20, 2018 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95
Starring: George C. Scott, Stacy Keach, Jane Alexander, Scott Wilson, Rosalind Cash, Erik Estrada, Clifton James, James Sikking, Isabel Sanford, Carol Speed, William Atherton, Ed Lauter, Dolph Sweet, Stefan Gierasch, Roger E. Mosley, Pepe Serna, Kitten Natividad.
Cinematography: Ralph Woolsey
Film Editor: Robert C. Jones
Production Design: Boris Leven
Original Music: Quincy Jones
Written by Stirling Silliphant, Robert Towne (uncredited) from the book by Joseph Wambaugh
Produced by Robert Chartoff,...
- 3/27/2018
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
A big welcome to UK disc purveyors Indicator, or Powerhouse, or how does Powerhouse Indicator sound? Savant’s first review from the new label is a favorite from the Columbia library. The extras are the lure: they company has snagged long-form, in-depth interviews with James Fox and director Arthur Penn. Everybody’s written about The Chase but here Penn tells his side of the story.
The Chase (1966)
Blu-ray + DVD
Powerhouse: Indicator
1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 134 min. / Street Date September 25, 2017 / Available from Amazon UK / £14.99
Starring: Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, E.G. Marshall,
Angie Dickinson, Janice Rule, Miriam Hopkins, Martha Hyer, Richard Bradford,
Robert Duvall, James Fox, Diana Hyland, Henry Hull, Jocelyn Brando, Clifton James, Steve Ihnat
Cinematography: Joseph Lashelle
Production Designer: Richard Day
Art Direction: Robert Luthardt
Film Editor: Gene Milford
Original Music: John Barry
Written by Lillian Hellman from the novel by Horton Foote
Produced by Sam Spiegel
Directed by Arthur Penn
Yes,...
The Chase (1966)
Blu-ray + DVD
Powerhouse: Indicator
1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 134 min. / Street Date September 25, 2017 / Available from Amazon UK / £14.99
Starring: Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, E.G. Marshall,
Angie Dickinson, Janice Rule, Miriam Hopkins, Martha Hyer, Richard Bradford,
Robert Duvall, James Fox, Diana Hyland, Henry Hull, Jocelyn Brando, Clifton James, Steve Ihnat
Cinematography: Joseph Lashelle
Production Designer: Richard Day
Art Direction: Robert Luthardt
Film Editor: Gene Milford
Original Music: John Barry
Written by Lillian Hellman from the novel by Horton Foote
Produced by Sam Spiegel
Directed by Arthur Penn
Yes,...
- 9/26/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Mark Harrison Sep 19, 2017
Kingsman pulls the leg of the James Bond series - but how have the 007 films put across the relationship between Britain and the USA?
When Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman: The Secret Service exploded into cinemas in 2015, it gave the iconic James Bond franchise much the same irreverent treatment that the director's previous Mark Millar adaptation, Kick-Ass, gave to comic book movies. Reviews focused on how the film recontextualised the familiar 007 tropes of guns, girls and gadgets through the lens of class, identity and that notorious final bum note.
In the sequel, Eggsy and the Kingsmen run up against a crime syndicate known as the Golden Circle with a little help from their American cousins, the Statesmen. It neatly shows us that American iconography plays much the same role for their opposite numbers, that liquor-themed codenames will stand in for Arthurian monikers, and most accurately of all, that...
Kingsman pulls the leg of the James Bond series - but how have the 007 films put across the relationship between Britain and the USA?
When Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman: The Secret Service exploded into cinemas in 2015, it gave the iconic James Bond franchise much the same irreverent treatment that the director's previous Mark Millar adaptation, Kick-Ass, gave to comic book movies. Reviews focused on how the film recontextualised the familiar 007 tropes of guns, girls and gadgets through the lens of class, identity and that notorious final bum note.
In the sequel, Eggsy and the Kingsmen run up against a crime syndicate known as the Golden Circle with a little help from their American cousins, the Statesmen. It neatly shows us that American iconography plays much the same role for their opposite numbers, that liquor-themed codenames will stand in for Arthurian monikers, and most accurately of all, that...
- 9/16/2017
- Den of Geek
By Lee Pfeiffer
Few would argue that George C. Scott was one of the greatest actors of stage and screen. His presence in even a mediocre movie elevated its status considerably and his work as the nutty general in "Dr. Strangelove" was described by one critic as "the comic performance of the decade". When Scott won his well-deserved Oscar for Best Actor in "Patton" (which he famously refused), he seemed to be on a roll. His next film, the darkly satirical comedy "The Hospital" predicted the absurdities of America's for-profit health care system in which the rich and the poor were taken care of, with everyone else falling in between. The film earned Scott another Best Actor Oscar nomination despite his snubbing of the Academy the previous year. From that point, however, Scott's choice of film roles was wildly eclectic. There were some gems and plenty of misfires that leads...
Few would argue that George C. Scott was one of the greatest actors of stage and screen. His presence in even a mediocre movie elevated its status considerably and his work as the nutty general in "Dr. Strangelove" was described by one critic as "the comic performance of the decade". When Scott won his well-deserved Oscar for Best Actor in "Patton" (which he famously refused), he seemed to be on a roll. His next film, the darkly satirical comedy "The Hospital" predicted the absurdities of America's for-profit health care system in which the rich and the poor were taken care of, with everyone else falling in between. The film earned Scott another Best Actor Oscar nomination despite his snubbing of the Academy the previous year. From that point, however, Scott's choice of film roles was wildly eclectic. There were some gems and plenty of misfires that leads...
- 7/9/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Unsung actress Beverly Garland becomes TV’s first lady cop, in what’s claimed to be the first TV show filmed on the streets of New York City. This one-season wonder from 1957 has vintage locations, fairly tough-minded storylines and solid performances, from Bev and a vast gallery of stage and TV actors on the way up.
Decoy
(Policewoman Decoy)
TV Series
DVD
Film Chest Media
1957-’58 / B&W / 1:33 flat full frame (TV) / 39 x 30 min. / Street Date May 30, 2017 / 19.98
Starring: Beverly Garland
Art Direction (some episodes): Mel Bourne
Original Music: Wladimir Selinsky
Written by Lillian Andrews, Nicholas E. Baehr, Cy Chermak, Jerome Coopersmith, Don Ettlinger, Frances Frankel, Steven Gardner, Abram S. Ginnes, Mel Goldberg, Saul Levitt, Leon Tokatyan
Produced by Arthur H. Singer, David Alexander, Stuart Rosenberg, Everett Rosenthal
Directed by Teddy Sills, Stuart Rosenberg, David Alexander, Michael Gordon, Don Medford, Arthur H. Singer, Marc Daniels
How did I experience...
Decoy
(Policewoman Decoy)
TV Series
DVD
Film Chest Media
1957-’58 / B&W / 1:33 flat full frame (TV) / 39 x 30 min. / Street Date May 30, 2017 / 19.98
Starring: Beverly Garland
Art Direction (some episodes): Mel Bourne
Original Music: Wladimir Selinsky
Written by Lillian Andrews, Nicholas E. Baehr, Cy Chermak, Jerome Coopersmith, Don Ettlinger, Frances Frankel, Steven Gardner, Abram S. Ginnes, Mel Goldberg, Saul Levitt, Leon Tokatyan
Produced by Arthur H. Singer, David Alexander, Stuart Rosenberg, Everett Rosenthal
Directed by Teddy Sills, Stuart Rosenberg, David Alexander, Michael Gordon, Don Medford, Arthur H. Singer, Marc Daniels
How did I experience...
- 5/16/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: Armie Hammer, who starred in The Man From U.N.C.L.E., says that a script for a sequel is being written by Lionel Wigram, who produced and cowrote the original. As of yet, however, there is no official confirmation that Warner Bros. is funding or developing a sequel. [Slashfilm] Clifton James: Perhaps best known for his role as Sheriff Pepper in the James Bond adventures Live and Let Die (above) and The Man With the Golden Gun (below), Clifton James enjoyed a long and varied career as an actor stretching over more than 50 years, making other memorable appearances in movies like Cool Hand Luke and Superman II. Now he has passed away, aged 96. [BBC] Back Roads: Alex Pettyfer (Elvis & Nixon, above) will star in murder mystery...
Read More...
Read More...
- 4/17/2017
- by Peter Martin
- Movies.com
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: Armie Hammer, who starred in The Man from U.N.C.L.E., says that a script for a sequel is being written by Lionel Wigram, who produced and cowrote the original. As of yet, however, there is no official confirmation that Warner Bros. is funding or developing a sequel. [Slashfilm] Clifton James: Perhaps best known for his role as Sheriff Pepper in the James Bond adventures Live and Let Die (above) and The Man with the Golden Gun, Clifton James enjoyed a...
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Read Comments...
- 4/17/2017
- by affiliates@fandango.com
- Fandango
By Lee Pfeiffer
Clifton James, the respected character actor who rose to fame as the bumbling southern Sheriff J.W. Pepper in two James Bond films, has passed away at age 96. James, a decorated veteran of WWII, appeared in many prominent films and TV series. Among his feature films: "Cool Hand Luke", "The Bonfire of the Vanities", "The Untouchables", "Juggernaut", "The Last Detail", "Will Penny" and "Something Wild". The portly James often portrayed lawmen and judges. His most prominent role came in Roger Moore's 1973 debut film as James Bond, "Live and Let Die". The character of Pepper as a comical racist lawman named Sheriff J.W. Pepper undoubtedly made audiences laugh. But to die-hard Bond fans his presence represented the increasing amount of slapstick that characterized some of Moore's Bond films. The producers brought the character back in the 1974 007 film "The Man with the Golden Gun" in which he coincidentally...
Clifton James, the respected character actor who rose to fame as the bumbling southern Sheriff J.W. Pepper in two James Bond films, has passed away at age 96. James, a decorated veteran of WWII, appeared in many prominent films and TV series. Among his feature films: "Cool Hand Luke", "The Bonfire of the Vanities", "The Untouchables", "Juggernaut", "The Last Detail", "Will Penny" and "Something Wild". The portly James often portrayed lawmen and judges. His most prominent role came in Roger Moore's 1973 debut film as James Bond, "Live and Let Die". The character of Pepper as a comical racist lawman named Sheriff J.W. Pepper undoubtedly made audiences laugh. But to die-hard Bond fans his presence represented the increasing amount of slapstick that characterized some of Moore's Bond films. The producers brought the character back in the 1974 007 film "The Man with the Golden Gun" in which he coincidentally...
- 4/16/2017
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Actor preferred stage work but role as redneck officer opposite Roger Moore in Live and Let Die led to a reprise in The Man with the Golden Gun
Clifton James, an actor who was best known for his indelible portrayal of a southern sheriff in two James Bond films but who was most proud of his work on the stage, has died. He was 96.
Related: Bond director Guy Hamilton: a career in clips
Continue reading...
Clifton James, an actor who was best known for his indelible portrayal of a southern sheriff in two James Bond films but who was most proud of his work on the stage, has died. He was 96.
Related: Bond director Guy Hamilton: a career in clips
Continue reading...
- 4/15/2017
- by Associated Press
- The Guardian - Film News
Clifton James, best known for his indelible portrayal of a Southern sheriff in two James Bond films but who was most proud of his work on the stage, has died. He was 96.
His daughter, Lynn James, said the actor died Saturday at another daughter's home in Gladstone, Ore., due to complications from diabetes.
"He was the most outgoing person, beloved by everybody," Lynn James said. "I don't think the man had an enemy. We were incredibly blessed to have had him in our lives."
James often played a convincing Southerner but loved working on the stage in New York...
His daughter, Lynn James, said the actor died Saturday at another daughter's home in Gladstone, Ore., due to complications from diabetes.
"He was the most outgoing person, beloved by everybody," Lynn James said. "I don't think the man had an enemy. We were incredibly blessed to have had him in our lives."
James often played a convincing Southerner but loved working on the stage in New York...
- 4/15/2017
- by the Associated Press
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Clifton James, a longtime character recognizable from as a Southern sheriff type in films and TV shows from Cool Hand Luke and Dukes of Hazzard to a pair of James Bond movies, died today of complications from diabetes at 96. James’ death was reported by the Associated Press, with his daughter Lynn James confirming he died at another daughter’s home in Gladstone, Oregon. The actor played Sheriff J.W. Pepper in the Bond films Live and Let Die (1973) and The Man with the Gold…...
- 4/15/2017
- Deadline TV
Clifton James, a longtime character recognizable from as a Southern sheriff type in films and TV shows from Cool Hand Luke and Dukes of Hazzard to a pair of James Bond movies, died today of complications from diabetes at 96. James’ death was reported by the Associated Press, with his daughter Lynn James confirming he died at another daughter’s home in Gladstone, Oregon. The actor played Sheriff J.W. Pepper in the Bond films Live and Let Die (1973) and The Man with the Gold…...
- 4/15/2017
- Deadline
Something Wild
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 850
1961 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen 1:37 flat Academy / 113 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date January 17, 2017 / 39.95
Starring: Carroll Baker, Ralph Meeker, Mildred Dunnock, Jean Stapleton, Martin Kosleck, Charles Watts, Clifton James, Doris Roberts, Anita Cooper, Tanya Lopert.
Cinematography: Eugen Schüfftan
Film Editor: Carl Lerner
Original Music: Aaron Copland
Written by Jack Garfein and Alex Karmel from his novel Mary Ann
Produced by George Justin
Directed by Jack Garfein
After writing up an earlier Mod disc release of the 1961 movie Something Wild, I received a brief but welcome email note from its director:
“Dear Glenn Erickson,
Thank you for your profound appreciation of Something Wild.
If possible, I would appreciate if you could send
me a copy of your review by email.
Sincerely yours, Jack Garfein”
Somewhere back East (or in London), the Actors Studio legend Jack Garfein had found favor with the review. Although...
Blu-ray
The Criterion Collection 850
1961 / B&W / 1:66 widescreen 1:37 flat Academy / 113 min. / available through The Criterion Collection / Street Date January 17, 2017 / 39.95
Starring: Carroll Baker, Ralph Meeker, Mildred Dunnock, Jean Stapleton, Martin Kosleck, Charles Watts, Clifton James, Doris Roberts, Anita Cooper, Tanya Lopert.
Cinematography: Eugen Schüfftan
Film Editor: Carl Lerner
Original Music: Aaron Copland
Written by Jack Garfein and Alex Karmel from his novel Mary Ann
Produced by George Justin
Directed by Jack Garfein
After writing up an earlier Mod disc release of the 1961 movie Something Wild, I received a brief but welcome email note from its director:
“Dear Glenn Erickson,
Thank you for your profound appreciation of Something Wild.
If possible, I would appreciate if you could send
me a copy of your review by email.
Sincerely yours, Jack Garfein”
Somewhere back East (or in London), the Actors Studio legend Jack Garfein had found favor with the review. Although...
- 1/10/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Veteran’s Day is November 11. While we all try to escape from the most exasperating Presidential Campaign in our history let me pay tribute to the Men and Women who have served in the military to insure we keep our electoral process and our freedoms.
Having served in the Navy four years (there he goes again!) I have a keen interest in any movie about the military, especially the sea service. I did serve during peace time so had no experience with combat but still spent most of my tour of duty at sea on an aircraft carrier, the USS Amerca CV66. Among other jobs I ran the ship’s television station for almost two years. Movies have always been important to me and so providing a few hours of entertainment every day when we were at sea was just about the best job I could have had.
The author...
Having served in the Navy four years (there he goes again!) I have a keen interest in any movie about the military, especially the sea service. I did serve during peace time so had no experience with combat but still spent most of my tour of duty at sea on an aircraft carrier, the USS Amerca CV66. Among other jobs I ran the ship’s television station for almost two years. Movies have always been important to me and so providing a few hours of entertainment every day when we were at sea was just about the best job I could have had.
The author...
- 11/11/2016
- by Sam Moffitt
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Horton Foote, Lillian Hellman and Arthur Penn's All-Star vision of an Ugly America found few friends in 1965; now its overstated scenes of social injustice and violence are daily events. Marlon Brando leads a terrific cast -- Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Angie Dickinson, Robert Duvall! -- to endure the worst Saturday ever to hit one cursed Texas township. The Chase (1966) Blu-ray Twilight Time 1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 134 min. / Street Date October 11, 2016 / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 29.95 Starring Marlon Brando, Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, E.G. Marshall, Angie Dickinson, Janice Rule, Miriam Hopkins, Martha Hyer, Richard Bradford, Robert Duvall, James Fox, Diana Hyland, Henry Hull, Jocelyn Brando, Clifton James, Steve Ihnat Cinematography Joseph Lashelle Production Designer Richard Day Art Direction Robert Luthardt Film Editor Gene Milford Original Music John Barry Written by Lillian Hellman from the novel by Horton Foote Produced by Sam Spiegel Directed by Arthur Penn
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson...
- 10/29/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
In the early '70s Walter Matthau excelled in three powerful cops 'n' robbers movies; the second sees him as a tough, laconic San Francisco detective charged with an impossible task -- running down a machine gun mass murderer, with no clues and no living witnesses. The Laughing Policeman Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1973 / Color / 1:85 enhanced widescreen / 112 min. / Street Date October 18, 2016 / available through Kl Studio Classics / 29.95 Starring Walter Matthau, Bruce Dern, Louis Gossett Jr., Albert Paulsen, Anthony Zerbe, Val Avery, Cathy Lee Crosby, Mario Gallo, Joanna Cassidy, Shirley Ballard, William Hansen, Paul Koslo, Louis Guss, Clifton James, Gregory Sierra, Warren Finnerty, Matt Clark, Joseph Bernard, Leigh French, Anthony Costello. Cinematography David M. Walsh Film Editor Bob Wyman Original Music Charles Fox Written by Thomas Rickman from the novel by Maj Sjowall, Per Wahloo Produced and Directed by Stuart Rosenberg
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Viewers that like Walter Matthau in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Viewers that like Walter Matthau in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three...
- 10/17/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Doris Roberts' death is causing turmoil for a movie she was set to headline ... because she's the third big name attached to the flick who has died. One of the last movie roles Doris signed on for was the female lead in "Old Soldiers" ... which is still securing its last bit of financing before it starts production. Problem is ... 2 of the other major roles belonged to Mickey Rooney and James Best ... who died in 2014 and 2015 respectively.
- 4/19/2016
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Jack Nicholson found his personal favorite role in this fine road picture: Navy signalman Buddusky, charged with escorting sad-sack prisoner Randy Quaid to prison. Hal Ashby's direction and Robert Towne's script pitches the story at the human scale favored by '70s director-driven filmmaking. The Last Detail Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition 1973 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 104 min. / Ship Date January 19, 2016 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Jack Nicholson, Otis Young, Randy Quaid, Clifton James, Carol Kane, Michael Moriarty, Luana Anders, Kathleen Miller, Nancy Allen, Gerry Salsberg, Don McGovern, Pat Hamilton, Michael Chapman, Jim Henshaw, Derek McGrath, Gilda Radner, Jim Horn, John Castellano. Cinematography Michael Chapman Film Editor Robert C. Jones Original Music Johnny Mandel Written by Robert Towne from the novel by Darryl Ponicsan Produced by Gerald Ayres Directed by Hal Ashby
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Bring up the 'golden age' of director-driven movies in the 1970s and the...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Bring up the 'golden age' of director-driven movies in the 1970s and the...
- 1/30/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
It is no secret that Roger Moore holds the record as the actor who played James Bond the most, his tally an impressing 7. There are a bevy of reasons why this was the case, the most obvious being that each one of his films were massive financial successes, the only bump in the road being his second outing, The Man With the Golden Gun, which itself speaks to the immense stature of the franchise when the film that earns 97 million dollars is the ‘bump in the road.’ There was a shift in tone that permeated in the Bond films once Roger Moore took over the mantle from Sean Connery. Whereas the latter brought toughness and grittiness to his interpretation of the famous super spy all the while proving to be as smooth as butter, the former injected some light comedic flair. It was definitely still James Bond on the screen,...
- 11/5/2015
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
The Man with the Golden Gun
Written by Richard Maibaum & Tom Mankiewicz
Directed by Guy Hamilton
UK, 1974
One hallmark of the venerable Bond franchise is its willingness to change with the times. Sometimes the changes feel organic, like the shift to a more brutish Daniel Craig after international terrorism took center stage in the early 2000’s. Other times, however, you can smell Bond’s desperation to stay relevant. Such is the case with 1974’s middling entry, The Man with the Golden Gun.
Guy Hamilton’s fourth turn as Bond director (Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die) is a study in uncertainty. As Bond, Roger Moore is still searching for the debonair persona he would find in the upcoming classic, The Spy Who Loved Me. Surrounding Moore’s tentative performance are a collection of unfocused action set pieces, a less-than-formidable duo of Bond girls, and the most repugnant character in the series’ history.
Written by Richard Maibaum & Tom Mankiewicz
Directed by Guy Hamilton
UK, 1974
One hallmark of the venerable Bond franchise is its willingness to change with the times. Sometimes the changes feel organic, like the shift to a more brutish Daniel Craig after international terrorism took center stage in the early 2000’s. Other times, however, you can smell Bond’s desperation to stay relevant. Such is the case with 1974’s middling entry, The Man with the Golden Gun.
Guy Hamilton’s fourth turn as Bond director (Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die) is a study in uncertainty. As Bond, Roger Moore is still searching for the debonair persona he would find in the upcoming classic, The Spy Who Loved Me. Surrounding Moore’s tentative performance are a collection of unfocused action set pieces, a less-than-formidable duo of Bond girls, and the most repugnant character in the series’ history.
- 11/3/2015
- by J.R. Kinnard
- SoundOnSight
Live and Let Die
Written by Tom Mankiewicz
Directed by Guy Hamilton
UK, 1973
1973’s Live and Let Die unleashed a new kind of Bond upon the world, a Bond whose bland propriety and vacuous quips would dominate the screen for another twelve years. Roger Moore, taking over for Sean Connery, the third different Bond in three films, had enjoyed popular success as a television star on mystery series “The Saint.” He had originally tested for the role prior to inaugural series entry Dr. No, but was deemed “too pretty” by Bond producers Harry Salzman and Albert “Cubby” Broccoli. Sean Connery had only grudgingly agreed to return for 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever, and had no interest in continuing further due to tension with the producers. Salzman was not a fan of the choice of Moore, but was overruled by Broccoli, who saw in the TV star the opportunity to create an...
Written by Tom Mankiewicz
Directed by Guy Hamilton
UK, 1973
1973’s Live and Let Die unleashed a new kind of Bond upon the world, a Bond whose bland propriety and vacuous quips would dominate the screen for another twelve years. Roger Moore, taking over for Sean Connery, the third different Bond in three films, had enjoyed popular success as a television star on mystery series “The Saint.” He had originally tested for the role prior to inaugural series entry Dr. No, but was deemed “too pretty” by Bond producers Harry Salzman and Albert “Cubby” Broccoli. Sean Connery had only grudgingly agreed to return for 1971’s Diamonds Are Forever, and had no interest in continuing further due to tension with the producers. Salzman was not a fan of the choice of Moore, but was overruled by Broccoli, who saw in the TV star the opportunity to create an...
- 11/3/2015
- by Gabriel Bucsko
- SoundOnSight
Steve McQueen spent most of the 1960s avoiding lightweight movie roles -- only to do well with his winning comedy-drama performance in William Faulkner's most cheerful tale of old Mississippi. Get set for music by John Williams and an exciting climactic horse race. In storytelling terms this show would seem to have given Steven Spielberg a few ideas. The Reivers Blu-ray Kl Studio Classics 1969 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 106 min. / Street Date August 25, 2015 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95 Starring Steve McQueen, Rupert Crosse, Mitch Vogel, Sharon Farrell, Will Geer, Ruth White, Michael Constantine, Clifton James, Juano Hernandez, Lonny Chapman, Diane Ladd, Ellen Geer, Dub Taylor, Allyn Ann McLerie, Charles Tyner, Burgess Meredith. Cinematography Richard Moore Film Editor Thomas Stanford Original Music John Williams Written by Irving Ravetch, Harriet Frank Jr. from the book by William Faulkner Produced by Irving Ravetch, Robert Relyea Directed by Mark Rydell
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
What? This...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
What? This...
- 9/15/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
"You see, Mr Bond, like all great artists I want to create one indisputable masterpiece: the death of 007."
Roger Moore's second outing as Jams Bond showed off the character's marksmanship skills and prowess as a martial artist. As was often the case for Bond during the 1970s, adjustments were made for Bond to compete against the movie trends of the day, with 1974's The Man With the Golden Gun attempting to take advantage of the martial arts genre that was surging in popularity.
Based on Fleming's ninth novel in the James Bond series, The Man With the Golden Gun takes Bond to the Far East to track down an assassin named Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee). Aiding Bond in his mission is Louisiana Sheriff J.W. Pepper (Clifton James, reprising his role from 1973's Live and Let Die) and Bond's assistant, Mary Goodnight (Britt Ekland). It may seem strange to think of Bond having an assistant,...
Roger Moore's second outing as Jams Bond showed off the character's marksmanship skills and prowess as a martial artist. As was often the case for Bond during the 1970s, adjustments were made for Bond to compete against the movie trends of the day, with 1974's The Man With the Golden Gun attempting to take advantage of the martial arts genre that was surging in popularity.
Based on Fleming's ninth novel in the James Bond series, The Man With the Golden Gun takes Bond to the Far East to track down an assassin named Francisco Scaramanga (Christopher Lee). Aiding Bond in his mission is Louisiana Sheriff J.W. Pepper (Clifton James, reprising his role from 1973's Live and Let Die) and Bond's assistant, Mary Goodnight (Britt Ekland). It may seem strange to think of Bond having an assistant,...
- 2/24/2013
- by Ryan Gowland
- Reelzchannel.com
DVD Release Date: Dec. 11, 2013
Price: DVD $24.95
Studio: Vsc
The controversial 1964 racial drama Black Like Me stars the late James Whitmore as a white journalist who darkens his skin and passes for a black man in the deep South, where he encounters a great deal of racism from both white and black people.
Co-written and directed by Carl Lerner, the film is based on the landmark memoir of the same name by John Howard Griffin, who used pigment dyes and sun lamps to blend into “negro” society and gain a true perspective on what it was like to live as a black in the deep Jim Crow south.
Co-starring alongside Whitmore are Roscoe Lee Browne, Clifton James and Will Geer.
Restored from its original negative for this release (it was available previously in an inferior edition but has long been out of print), the DVD of Black Like Me wil include...
Price: DVD $24.95
Studio: Vsc
The controversial 1964 racial drama Black Like Me stars the late James Whitmore as a white journalist who darkens his skin and passes for a black man in the deep South, where he encounters a great deal of racism from both white and black people.
Co-written and directed by Carl Lerner, the film is based on the landmark memoir of the same name by John Howard Griffin, who used pigment dyes and sun lamps to blend into “negro” society and gain a true perspective on what it was like to live as a black in the deep Jim Crow south.
Co-starring alongside Whitmore are Roscoe Lee Browne, Clifton James and Will Geer.
Restored from its original negative for this release (it was available previously in an inferior edition but has long been out of print), the DVD of Black Like Me wil include...
- 12/11/2012
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
It is no secret that Roger Moore holds the record as the actor who played James Bond the most, his tally an impressing 7. There are a bevy of reasons why this was the case, the most obvious being that each one of his films were massive financial successes, the only bump in the road being his second outing, The Man With the Golden Gun, which itself speaks to the immense stature of the franchise when the film that earns 97 million dollars is the ‘bump in the road.’ There was a shift in tone that permeated in the Bond films once Roger Moore took over the mantle from Sean Connery. Whereas the latter brought toughness and grittiness to his interpretation of the famous super spy all the while proving to be as smooth as butter, the former injected some light comedic flair. It was definitely still James Bond on the screen,...
- 11/13/2012
- by Edgar Chaput
- SoundOnSight
Live and Let Die
Written by Tom Mankiewicz
Directed by Guy Hamilton
UK, 1973
1973′s Live and Let Die unleashed a new kind of Bond upon the world, a Bond whose bland propriety and vacuous quips would dominate the screen for another twelve years. Roger Moore, taking over for Sean Connery, the third different Bond in three films, had enjoyed popular success as a television star on mystery series “The Saint.” He had originally tested for the role prior to inaugural series entry Dr. No, but was deemed “too pretty” by Bond producers Harry Salzman and Albert “Cubby” Broccoli. Sean Connery had only grudgingly agreed to return for 1971′s Diamonds Are Forever, and had no interest in continuing further due to tension with the producers. Salzman was not a fan of the choice of Moore, but was overruled by Broccoli, who saw in the TV star the opportunity to create an...
Written by Tom Mankiewicz
Directed by Guy Hamilton
UK, 1973
1973′s Live and Let Die unleashed a new kind of Bond upon the world, a Bond whose bland propriety and vacuous quips would dominate the screen for another twelve years. Roger Moore, taking over for Sean Connery, the third different Bond in three films, had enjoyed popular success as a television star on mystery series “The Saint.” He had originally tested for the role prior to inaugural series entry Dr. No, but was deemed “too pretty” by Bond producers Harry Salzman and Albert “Cubby” Broccoli. Sean Connery had only grudgingly agreed to return for 1971′s Diamonds Are Forever, and had no interest in continuing further due to tension with the producers. Salzman was not a fan of the choice of Moore, but was overruled by Broccoli, who saw in the TV star the opportunity to create an...
- 11/7/2012
- by Gabriel Bucsko
- SoundOnSight
The darkness of the modern Bond is foreshadowed in what has come to be seen as one of the runts of the 007 litter
Received wisdom says that Roger Moore was the worst 007, the one who turned James Bond into a caricature. Rubbish, of course. How do you turn a character with no hinterland, no interests beyond bedding women and killing villains – and sometimes killing women – into a caricature? He already is a caricature. Bond is empty: Moore's treatment of him as a bored playboy, for whom the sex and violence are beads of sensation in a mundane world, is the only filmic reading of the character as written in the screenplays that makes any sense.
Like albums by the Fall, the first Bond film you see is the one that leaves its residue upon you. This was mine: an unimaginably thrilling experience at the time, though less so from a distance of more than 35 years.
Received wisdom says that Roger Moore was the worst 007, the one who turned James Bond into a caricature. Rubbish, of course. How do you turn a character with no hinterland, no interests beyond bedding women and killing villains – and sometimes killing women – into a caricature? He already is a caricature. Bond is empty: Moore's treatment of him as a bored playboy, for whom the sex and violence are beads of sensation in a mundane world, is the only filmic reading of the character as written in the screenplays that makes any sense.
Like albums by the Fall, the first Bond film you see is the one that leaves its residue upon you. This was mine: an unimaginably thrilling experience at the time, though less so from a distance of more than 35 years.
- 10/3/2012
- by Michael Hann
- The Guardian - Film News
By Lee Pfeiffer
Released in an obvious attempt to capitalize on Norman Jewison's racially-charged 1967 Oscar winner In the Heat of the Night, MGM's 1969 suspense drama tick...tick...tick... attempts to emulate the smoldering tensions in a small southern town that permeated the earlier film. The MGM release is not on the caliber of the Jewison production but it is a consistently engrossing, well-acted drama that calls to mind just how relatively recently the civil rights battle had to be fought in the American South. By 1969, integration may have been the law of the land, but in fact, there were many places where attempting to implement the law would have been a death sentence. The story takes place in small Southern town where the only thing hotter than the broiling summer temperatures is the barely-concealed rage of the local population. Seems that while the apathy of white voters resulted...
Released in an obvious attempt to capitalize on Norman Jewison's racially-charged 1967 Oscar winner In the Heat of the Night, MGM's 1969 suspense drama tick...tick...tick... attempts to emulate the smoldering tensions in a small southern town that permeated the earlier film. The MGM release is not on the caliber of the Jewison production but it is a consistently engrossing, well-acted drama that calls to mind just how relatively recently the civil rights battle had to be fought in the American South. By 1969, integration may have been the law of the land, but in fact, there were many places where attempting to implement the law would have been a death sentence. The story takes place in small Southern town where the only thing hotter than the broiling summer temperatures is the barely-concealed rage of the local population. Seems that while the apathy of white voters resulted...
- 6/12/2012
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
To mark the 50th Anniversary of one of the most successful movie franchises of all time and with filming well underway on James Bond’s 23rd official outing in Skyfall due for release later this year, I have been tasked with taking a retrospective look at the films that turned author Ian Fleming’s creation into one of the most recognised and iconic characters in film history.
With Roger Moore well and truly established in the lead role after just one film, work began on a follow-up to Live And Let Die almost as soon as it was released into cinemas. Keen to capitalise on the renewed success of the character, producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman chose Fleming’s final Bond novel, The Man With The Golden Gun as their ninth film featuring the British secret agent.
With the novel taking place largely in Jamaica, it was felt...
With Roger Moore well and truly established in the lead role after just one film, work began on a follow-up to Live And Let Die almost as soon as it was released into cinemas. Keen to capitalise on the renewed success of the character, producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman chose Fleming’s final Bond novel, The Man With The Golden Gun as their ninth film featuring the British secret agent.
With the novel taking place largely in Jamaica, it was felt...
- 3/15/2012
- by Chris Wright
- Obsessed with Film
DVD Playhouse—February 2012
By Allen Gardner
To Kill A Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Edition (Universal) Robert Mulligan’s film of Harper Lee’s landmark novel pits a liberal-minded lawyer (Gregory Peck) against a small Southern town’s racism when defending a black man (Brock Peters) on trumped-up rape charges. One of the 1960s’ first landmark films, a truly stirring human drama that hits all the right notes and isn’t dated a bit. Robert Duvall makes his screen debut (sans dialogue) as the enigmatic Boo Radley. DVD and Blu-ray double edition. Bonuses: Two feature-length documentaries: Fearful Symmetry and A Conversation with Gregory Peck; Featurettes; Excerpts and film clips from Gregory Peck’s Oscar acceptance speech and AFI Lifetime Achievement Award; Commentary by Mulligan and producer Alan J. Pakula; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS 2.0 mono.
Outrage: Way Of The Yakuza (Magnolia) After a brief hiatus from his signature oeuvre of Japanese gangster flicks,...
By Allen Gardner
To Kill A Mockingbird 50th Anniversary Edition (Universal) Robert Mulligan’s film of Harper Lee’s landmark novel pits a liberal-minded lawyer (Gregory Peck) against a small Southern town’s racism when defending a black man (Brock Peters) on trumped-up rape charges. One of the 1960s’ first landmark films, a truly stirring human drama that hits all the right notes and isn’t dated a bit. Robert Duvall makes his screen debut (sans dialogue) as the enigmatic Boo Radley. DVD and Blu-ray double edition. Bonuses: Two feature-length documentaries: Fearful Symmetry and A Conversation with Gregory Peck; Featurettes; Excerpts and film clips from Gregory Peck’s Oscar acceptance speech and AFI Lifetime Achievement Award; Commentary by Mulligan and producer Alan J. Pakula; Trailer. Widescreen. Dolby and DTS 2.0 mono.
Outrage: Way Of The Yakuza (Magnolia) After a brief hiatus from his signature oeuvre of Japanese gangster flicks,...
- 2/26/2012
- by The Hollywood Interview.com
- The Hollywood Interview
I was looking forward to seeing Juggernaut on TCM not too long ago when I saw it show up on the classics channel’s schedule. Even in this cable/download/Netflix age of constant program recycling, the movie rarely shows up on TV, maybe because it had been such an instant and complete flop when released theatrically in 1974. Still, this UK-produced film has always been one of my pet favorites, a flick I have long felt died an undeserved death, and I was psyched at the chance to see it again.
In synopsis, I admit the movie doesn’t sound like much. Or perhaps I should say it sounds way too familiar. A nutcase has put seven bombs on an ocean liner and threatens to sink the ship unless he’s given a ransom of £500,000. The ship is far from land, no other vessels are close enough to render assistance,...
In synopsis, I admit the movie doesn’t sound like much. Or perhaps I should say it sounds way too familiar. A nutcase has put seven bombs on an ocean liner and threatens to sink the ship unless he’s given a ransom of £500,000. The ship is far from land, no other vessels are close enough to render assistance,...
- 11/28/2011
- by Bill Mesce
- SoundOnSight
Our report on the upcoming remake of Sam Peckinpah's Straw Dogs has united Cinema Retro readers in opposition to the project. Bob Collins, subscriber and voice-over artist extraordinaire, vents his opinion, which is typical of the reaction we've seen.
Lee,
One more log on the fire that Hollywood has lost all creativity. Even if they wanted to set this in England, why remake it at all Of course we know the answer. No talent hack writers. As a Yankee transplanted in the south, this does offer some possibilities:
Max Baer stars in the David Warner role as Jethro Bodean actually becomes the village idiot.
Morgan Freeman can star as the movie is retitled, "Driving Miss Daisy To Trencher's Farm"
Best,
Bob Collins
bobvox.com and bobcollins.voice123.com
Retro responds: Right you are, Bob. I wonder if someone is getting Clifton James to reprise his Sheriff J.W. Pepper character...
Lee,
One more log on the fire that Hollywood has lost all creativity. Even if they wanted to set this in England, why remake it at all Of course we know the answer. No talent hack writers. As a Yankee transplanted in the south, this does offer some possibilities:
Max Baer stars in the David Warner role as Jethro Bodean actually becomes the village idiot.
Morgan Freeman can star as the movie is retitled, "Driving Miss Daisy To Trencher's Farm"
Best,
Bob Collins
bobvox.com and bobcollins.voice123.com
Retro responds: Right you are, Bob. I wonder if someone is getting Clifton James to reprise his Sheriff J.W. Pepper character...
- 4/27/2009
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
It's so rare to find a film that offers juicy roles for veteran (i.e. old) actors that one goes in rooting for Raising Flagg. Alan Arkin, who won a long-overdue Oscar for Little Miss Sunshine, tops a cast that includes his former wife, Barbara Dana, as well as Austin Pendleton and Clifton James in vivid portrayals. The codgers are a pleasure to behold, though the movie lets them down.
Flagg begins with a legal battle between Arkin's Flagg Purdy and Pendleton's Gus Falk over water rights in a small town in Oregon that stirs up long-simmering resentments. Having violated the air of neighborliness in the town, Flagg is quickly ostracized by his fellow residents. Feeling slighted, he takes to his bed and declares that he is dying. He sends for all of his grown children, and they descend on the family homestead to reopen old wounds.
Most of the confrontations play out tepidly and predictably. There isn't much drama at stake in the children struggling to win their father's approval, partly because his original sins don't seem all that dastardly; he neglected to take one son fishing, for example. So the conflicts are easily overcome. Because much of the action takes place in the old man's bedroom, one wonders if Flagg might have been more effective as a play. It unfolds too statically under Neal Miller's direction.
Given the inherent limitations of the material, all of the actors work diligently and quite effectively. Arkin's son Matthew demonstrates some of his father's warmth in the role of an itinerant minister. Dana gives a multidimensional performance as Flagg's long-suffering but flinty wife, while Pendleton and James have fun with their roles as Flagg's onetime cronies. Glenne Headly, Lauren Holly, Richard Kind and Vana O'Brien contribute deft portrayals. Papa Arkin is a joy to watch. Even when he's lying prone on his "deathbed," he manages to find a self-conscious wheeze that is quite droll. He highlights the character's cantankerousness while also revealing the man's hidden intelligence and decency.
Erich Roland's striking cinematography would register even more strongly if the movie spent a little more time outdoors. The town is skillfully evoked by production designer David Sicotte. Flagg turns out to be a specialty item with a very limited audience, which is a shame given the superlative acting on display.
RAISING FLAGG
Cinema Libre Studio
A Rubicon Film Prods. and Oregon Creative production
Credits:
Director: Neal Miller
Screenwriters: Neal Miller, Nancy Miller, Dorothy Velasco
Based on the story by: John D. Weaver
Producers: Neal Miller, Nancy Miller
Director of photography: Erich Roland
Production designer: David Sicotte
Music: Alan Barcus, Les Hooper
Costume designer: Ron Leamon
Editors: Paul J. Coyne, Ken Morrisey
Cast:
Flagg Purdy: Alan Arkin
Ada Purdy: Barbara Dana
Ann Marie Purdy: Glenne Headly
Rachel Purdy: Lauren Holly
Gus Falk: Austin Pendleton
Bill Reed: Richard Kind
Travis Purdy: Daniel Quinn
Eldon Purdy: Matthew Arkin
Jenny Purdy: Stephanie Lemelin
Linette Purdy: Dawn Maxey
Aunt Edith: Vana O'Brien
Running time -- 102 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Flagg begins with a legal battle between Arkin's Flagg Purdy and Pendleton's Gus Falk over water rights in a small town in Oregon that stirs up long-simmering resentments. Having violated the air of neighborliness in the town, Flagg is quickly ostracized by his fellow residents. Feeling slighted, he takes to his bed and declares that he is dying. He sends for all of his grown children, and they descend on the family homestead to reopen old wounds.
Most of the confrontations play out tepidly and predictably. There isn't much drama at stake in the children struggling to win their father's approval, partly because his original sins don't seem all that dastardly; he neglected to take one son fishing, for example. So the conflicts are easily overcome. Because much of the action takes place in the old man's bedroom, one wonders if Flagg might have been more effective as a play. It unfolds too statically under Neal Miller's direction.
Given the inherent limitations of the material, all of the actors work diligently and quite effectively. Arkin's son Matthew demonstrates some of his father's warmth in the role of an itinerant minister. Dana gives a multidimensional performance as Flagg's long-suffering but flinty wife, while Pendleton and James have fun with their roles as Flagg's onetime cronies. Glenne Headly, Lauren Holly, Richard Kind and Vana O'Brien contribute deft portrayals. Papa Arkin is a joy to watch. Even when he's lying prone on his "deathbed," he manages to find a self-conscious wheeze that is quite droll. He highlights the character's cantankerousness while also revealing the man's hidden intelligence and decency.
Erich Roland's striking cinematography would register even more strongly if the movie spent a little more time outdoors. The town is skillfully evoked by production designer David Sicotte. Flagg turns out to be a specialty item with a very limited audience, which is a shame given the superlative acting on display.
RAISING FLAGG
Cinema Libre Studio
A Rubicon Film Prods. and Oregon Creative production
Credits:
Director: Neal Miller
Screenwriters: Neal Miller, Nancy Miller, Dorothy Velasco
Based on the story by: John D. Weaver
Producers: Neal Miller, Nancy Miller
Director of photography: Erich Roland
Production designer: David Sicotte
Music: Alan Barcus, Les Hooper
Costume designer: Ron Leamon
Editors: Paul J. Coyne, Ken Morrisey
Cast:
Flagg Purdy: Alan Arkin
Ada Purdy: Barbara Dana
Ann Marie Purdy: Glenne Headly
Rachel Purdy: Lauren Holly
Gus Falk: Austin Pendleton
Bill Reed: Richard Kind
Travis Purdy: Daniel Quinn
Eldon Purdy: Matthew Arkin
Jenny Purdy: Stephanie Lemelin
Linette Purdy: Dawn Maxey
Aunt Edith: Vana O'Brien
Running time -- 102 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 9/27/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In a small Deep South town in 1942, "The Summer of Ben Tyler" was a tough summer -- even if liberating.
Another of those involving Hallmark Hall of Fame tales on CBS, "Tyler" covers two anguishing problems, at least for this town at that time.
One is the adoption of a newly orphaned black boy, Ben (Charles Mattocks), by the loving and white Rayburns (James Woods and Elizabeth McGovern). The other is the domination of the town in general, and lawyer Temple Rayburn specifically, by slyly munificent Spencer Maitland (Len Cariou), owner of town employer Maitland Mills.
The town, at least the gossipy old marms, fuss over Ben's presence in the Rayburn home; Maitland, desiring to extend his power base, urges Rayburn to run for the state Senate and pays the bills. But then Maitland's drunken son kills a black woman in a rainy hit-and-run and looks to get away with it, enveloping Rayburn in moral dilemmas.
It's a warm, wise script by Alabama native Robert Inman, and director Arthur Allan Seidelman has a solid cast, including the can-do-everything Woods as the laid-back lawyer and Cariou as the deceptive town tyrant. Two newcomers deserve special mention: Julia McIlvaine as the Rayburns' spunky daughter and Mattocks as the mildly retarded Ben, who is "a fine fellow" and wise well beyond his supposed capabilities.
THE SUMMER OF BEN TYLER
CBS
Hallmark Hall of Fame Prods.
Executive producers Richard Welsh,
Ronnie D. Clemmer, Bill Pace, Richard P. Kughn, Sharon Cicero
Co-executive producer Brent Shields
Producer Dan Witt
Co-producer Jeffrey R. Coates
Line producer Timothy M. Bourne
Director Arthur Allan Seidelman
Writer Robert Inman
Director of photography Neil Roach
Production design Jan Scott
Costume design Helen Butler
Casting director Lynn Kressel
Editor Toni Morgon
Music Van Dyke Parks
Cast: James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Len Cariou, Charles Mattocks, Julia McIlvaine, Kevin Isola, Clifton James, Anita Gillette, Gregory Perrelli, Jack Gilpin, Novella Nelson, Millie Perkins, Ronn Carroll, Ed Grady, Phil Loch, Richard Olsen
Airdate: Sunday, Dec. 15, 9-11 p.m.
Another of those involving Hallmark Hall of Fame tales on CBS, "Tyler" covers two anguishing problems, at least for this town at that time.
One is the adoption of a newly orphaned black boy, Ben (Charles Mattocks), by the loving and white Rayburns (James Woods and Elizabeth McGovern). The other is the domination of the town in general, and lawyer Temple Rayburn specifically, by slyly munificent Spencer Maitland (Len Cariou), owner of town employer Maitland Mills.
The town, at least the gossipy old marms, fuss over Ben's presence in the Rayburn home; Maitland, desiring to extend his power base, urges Rayburn to run for the state Senate and pays the bills. But then Maitland's drunken son kills a black woman in a rainy hit-and-run and looks to get away with it, enveloping Rayburn in moral dilemmas.
It's a warm, wise script by Alabama native Robert Inman, and director Arthur Allan Seidelman has a solid cast, including the can-do-everything Woods as the laid-back lawyer and Cariou as the deceptive town tyrant. Two newcomers deserve special mention: Julia McIlvaine as the Rayburns' spunky daughter and Mattocks as the mildly retarded Ben, who is "a fine fellow" and wise well beyond his supposed capabilities.
THE SUMMER OF BEN TYLER
CBS
Hallmark Hall of Fame Prods.
Executive producers Richard Welsh,
Ronnie D. Clemmer, Bill Pace, Richard P. Kughn, Sharon Cicero
Co-executive producer Brent Shields
Producer Dan Witt
Co-producer Jeffrey R. Coates
Line producer Timothy M. Bourne
Director Arthur Allan Seidelman
Writer Robert Inman
Director of photography Neil Roach
Production design Jan Scott
Costume design Helen Butler
Casting director Lynn Kressel
Editor Toni Morgon
Music Van Dyke Parks
Cast: James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Len Cariou, Charles Mattocks, Julia McIlvaine, Kevin Isola, Clifton James, Anita Gillette, Gregory Perrelli, Jack Gilpin, Novella Nelson, Millie Perkins, Ronn Carroll, Ed Grady, Phil Loch, Richard Olsen
Airdate: Sunday, Dec. 15, 9-11 p.m.
- 12/12/1996
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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