As we return to the drama genre in the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book, I settled in for the next title to have a look at, this classic Bertolucci film starring Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider. In turns dark, morose and sensual, Bertolucci has crafted a film about loss, sex turning to desire…
Tag: suicide
Crimes of the Heart
In the tiny, intimate space of The Theatre Machine, Toronto’s Sterling Theatre Company is presenting a production of Beth Henley’s Crimes of the Heart. Under the able direction of Miriam Laurence, the audience is transported back to the 1970s, and the lives of the Mississippi born and raised MacGrath sisters. We were interested in…
The Rockford Files (1979/1980) – Just a Coupla Guys and Deadlock in Parma
After 6 seasons, I’m now on the final two episodes of this landmark series. And while the first episode is a bit of a let-down in terms of a story for Rockford (James Garner), you can definitely see a blueprint for a show that helped define 21st century television (though it started in 1999)….
Shooting the Musical (2014) – Joel Ashton McCarthy
At 7pm this evening the next round of features for the Canadian Film Fest starts at the Royal Cinema on College St. The first feature, Shooting the Musical, is preceded by the fantastic short She Sings For Me directed by Rebecca Davey – a fun little love story with a wonderfully quirky and completely adorable…
Radio On (1979) – Chris Petit
The recommendations from the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book continue with the road movies following my screening of Easy Rider. This time out, we take on the British road movie with this black and white drama from 1979. Robert (David Beames) is a radio announcer, who gets new tapes of cool…
The Rockford Files (1979) – With the French Heel Back, Can the Nehru Jacket be Far Behind? and The Battle-Ax and the Exploding Cigar
Private investigator Jim Rockford has his hands full again with this week’s dual installment. First up is With the French Heel Back, Can the Nehru Jacket be Far Behind? which aired 5 January, 1979 and was written by Rudolph Borchert. The phone gag this time around features a phone call from Coop (Bo Hopkins) about…
Kings of the Road (1976) – Wim Wenders
The next road movie following my viewing of Easy Rider for the Great Movies – 100 Years of Film book is this German road film. It definitely falls into the road movie category, but there is a somberness to it, that doesn’t seem to be reflected in its North American counterparts, no matter what…
The Last Policeman (2012) – Ben H. Winters
This week’s perusal of the Book Shelf brought me this, the first in a trilogy, that combines a whodunnit with some light science fiction. Not too long from now, an asteroid, Maia, is discovered, way too late to do anything about it, on a direct collision with Earth. They have until the beginning of…
Magnum, P.I. (1981) – No Need to Know & Skin Deep
The new year starts off with a bang for Thomas (Tom Selleck). First off, he ends up tangling with the IRA in No Need to Know. This episode originally aired 8 January, 1981, and was written by Frank Lupo. It seems Robin has offered the estate to be used by one of Higgins’ (John…
Night Film (2013) – Marisha Pessl
This week’s book shelf brought me a book that was dark, troubling, steeped in film, murder, the occult, interactive elements, and evil. I loved it! It came to me via my sister at Christmas, and reading the inside of the jacket, I was duly interested. Who doesn’t like a good mystery, especially when it’s…
The Mind Reels 