Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Newman's Own

Sometimes I detour from my usual auteurist bent -- more attuned to directorial vision on film than to the players who come and go – and really focus on an actor’s career.  A while back I fixated on Barbara Stanwyck, and lately I’ve been buddying up to Paul Newman, hanging out with him night after night.  Quite a guy, always fun to be with, pretty to look at, quite the craftsman but not too serious about himself. 

Making my way through Newman’s five-decade filmography is not just a longitudinal study of his illustrious career, but also the phases of Hollywood moviemaking, touching all the various genres as they wax and wane.  Mr. Newman’s presence is no guarantee of a film’s quality – as a bankable star he appeared in a lot of tinseltown cheese – but his personality is always appealing, even in its darkest shades or flimsiest vehicles.

[click through for mini-reviews of three dozen Paul Newman films]

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

Film club update

In quick summary, with links to further information, here are our coming attractions:

Friday Jan. 18:  In the Clark auditorium, I will show a double feature of Hitchcock films, 1:00 pm Strangers on a Train (1951) and 3:00 pm Rear Window (1954), to tie in with Images Cinema screenings the previous week of new docudrama Hitchcock. 

Sunday Jan. 20:  After the 3:00 pm screening at Images Cinema, I will lead a discussion of David O. Russell’s new film, Silver Linings Playbook. 

Friday Jan. 25:  For a Cinema Salon screening at the Clark, I'll show William Wyler's post-WWII epic The Best Years of Our Lives (1946, 170 min.) at 1:00 pm. 

Saturday Jan. 26:  At 2:00 pm the Widescreen Wonders film series continues at the Clark with Wyler’s 1959 blockbuster Ben-Hur.

Friday Feb. 1:  For Cinema Salon at the Clark, I'll show a double feature of classic David Lean adaptations of Charles Dickens, 1:00 pm Great Expectations (1946) and 3:00 pm Oliver Twist (1948), in anticipation of Widescreen Wonders screening of Lawrence of Arabia on Sat. Feb. 9 at 2:00 pm.