Getting its Canadian release this month from Anansi Press, Smile of the Wolf by Tim Leach is a powerful Icelandic tale set against a backdrop of ice and revenge, where honor is the only law. Kjaran is a poet, and spends winters in the homes of those who would take him and hear his songs…
Tag: law
Miami Vice (1985) – The Dutch Oven, and Buddies
It’s back to the glitzy yet dangerous streets of Miami as Sonny Crockett (Don Johnson) and Ricardo Tubbs (Philip Micheal Thomas) continue delving into the world of vice. First up this week is Ditch Oven, written by Maurice Hurley. This story first debuted on 25 October, 1985. When Trudy (Olivia Brown) has to take a…
The 400 Blows (1959) – Francois Truffaut
The next big title in DK Canada’s The Movie Book may be my new favourite Truffaut film, and his first full length feature. The story, partially created by Truffaut, follows young Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Leaud) a boy living in Paris, where his parents are having problems, and they all feel trapped in their tiny apartment….
The Wild One (1953) – Laslo Benedek
It’s time to dig into the What Else to Watch list of DK Canada’s The Movie Book following its recommendation of A Streetcar Named Desire, and it’s time for another Marlon Brando film. Over a career that includes tons of iconic roles, this one must be near the top, and yet, it’s still not enough…
The Reader (2008) – Stephen Daldry
The final recommendation from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book following my screening of Schindler’s List, is this moving, and thoughtful film based on the novel by Bernhard Schlink. Kate Winslet stars as Hanna Schmitz, a role for which she won an Oscar for Best Lead Performance. Set in Post World War…
The Running Man (1982) – Stephen King as Richard Bachman
Despite being a fan of the 87 Schwarzenegger flick, I’d never read the original source material, so being long past due, I dug into it and was delighted to find that the novel was a completely different experience, and worthy of a cinematic adaptation in its own right. Ben Richards lives in the slums, a…
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) – Tay Garnett
The first title on the What Else to Watch list following my screening of Ossessione for The Movie Book, from DK Canada, is the first U.S. adaptation of James M. Cain’s novel, which also served as the basis for Ossessione. The film stars Lana Turner and John Garfield as Cora Smith and Frank Chambers. Frank…
Ossessione (1943) – Luchino Visconti
DK Canada’s The Movie Book brings me a tale of love and jealousy as I settled in to take in Visconti’s Ossessione. When a drifter named Gino (Massimo Girotti) arrives at a restaurant, he finds himself caught up in a romance with the repugnant owner, Giuseppe’s (Juan de Landa) wife, Giovanna (Clara Calamai). Both characters…
The Maltese Falcon (1929) – Dashiell Hammett
Sam Spade. Almost some ninety years on, the name still conjures images. One can see Bogart, fedora atop his head, overcoat hanging on his frame, cigarette dangling from his lips while he has a heater in one hand, and a dame on the other. No matter your experience with Spade, brought to life incredibly in…
The Trial (1962) – Orson Welles
I return now to DK Canada’s The Movie Book, where their next big title recommendation is Orson Welle’s opus, Citizen Kane. Having previously reviewed it, I moved right along to the What Else to Watch section, and discovered a Welles film that I hadn’t watched or reviewed before. Based on Kafka’s novel, The Trial features…
The Mind Reels 