No CineVerse meeting on Jan. 2

CineVerse will not meet on Wednesday, Jan. 2 due to the Oak View Center building being closed. We will meet instead on Jan. 9. Happy New Year!

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January/February 2019 CineVerse schedule posted

There are exciting things afoot at CineVerse in the first 2 months of the new year. Check out the all-new CineVerse January/February 2019 calendar, available here.

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No CineVerse meeting on Dec. 26

It would be downright cruel to ask anyone not to enjoy the day after Christmas with their families. So stay home Dec. 26, folks--there will be no CineVerse meeting that day. We'll see you back at your friendly neighborhood film discussion group in early January 2019. Happy holidays!

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The ABCs of entertainment: Astaire + Berlin + Crosby

Irving Berlin's tune "White Christmas" was, for more than 50 years, the biggest selling song of all time. That makes it all the more fascinating to go back and rediscover an often forgotten and overlooked Christmastime film, "Holiday Inn," in which the song made its debut. "Holiday Inn" may not be as fondly remembered as its remake, "White Christmas," but thanks to the collaboration of its three titan entertainers--Bing Crosby, Fred Astaire and Berlin--it's got too much talent to tank. Here's our recap of this movie, as discussed at CineVerse yesterday:

WHAT DID YOU FIND MEMORABLE, NOTEWORTHY OR UNEXPECTED ABOUT THIS PICTURE?

• This film features a rare teaming of two heavyweight talents of this era: Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, both top in their respective fields for singing and dancing. This was the first movie Astaire had to take second billing for. 
• It’s often shown at Christmastime, but Holiday Inn arguably isn’t much of a Christmas movie; it covers many other holidays and times of the year, and the plot doesn’t have much to do with Christmas. 
• Speaking of plot, there really isn’t much “story” here at all. The narrative seems more like a bare skeleton on which to hold up 14 different Irving Berlin tunes and watch Astaire and Crosby do their thing. 
• The movie plays like a wartime propaganda film, as was the case with many Hollywood movies released during World War II. We get a montage during one number that uses stock footage of FDR and military aircraft and naval ships meant to inspire patriotism and remind viewers of the serious context going on behind the scenes. 
• This film includes a very dated minstrel show sequence, in which white actors appear in blackface to perform. Today, this number can stop the movie cold and stand out like a racist anachronism. 
• It’s meta: Here, you have a movie within a movie, a song-and-dance show within a song-and-dance show. 

DOES THE “ABRAHAM” SONG, SHOWCASING WHITE CHARACTERS IN BLACKFACE, SPOIL THIS MOVIE FOR YOU? DO YOU THINK THAT THIS NUMBER SHOULD BE EDITED OUT OF THE FILM TODAY, AS SOME TV STATIONS DO, OR DO YOU BELIEVE IT SHOULD REMAIN INTACT, AND IF SO, WHY?

• It’s important to consider this sequence in context. Blackface characters and minstrel show numbers were common and acceptable in many Hollywood musicals and films from the silent era through the 1950s; examples include Birth of a Nation, The Jazz Singer, Swing Time, Everybody Sing, and more. 
• Some believe we shouldn’t gloss over our history, even the unpleasant parts or periods; instead, it’s better to know the truth, warts and all, and to use dated instances of racism and racial stereotyping as a lesson we can learn from or a teaching point to enlighten others about. 
• Reel Club blogger Kate Bellmore wrote: “Films are like allegories; they reveal messages about value systems from the historical moment they are created in. Films tap into culture, capturing everything from the fashion to the ideology of the people who make it. Holiday Inn reflects its time, and its time was full of racial injustice. The film does not intend to call attention to race, but it does because race is a part of 1940’s culture. The film does not try and suggest a pro-white mentality, but it does because that was the mentality of the 1940’s culture. At its surface, the film intended to be a holiday treat for audiences, with a little pro-Allie support sprinkled in; however, consistently situated between the taps dances and the fallings in love, is the unequal treatment between the races in America during the 1940s.” 

FILMS SIMILAR TO HOLIDAY INN:

• White Christmas, a 1950s remake 
• Blue Skies, which also features Bing singing “White Christmas” 
• Easter Parade, which also features that song 

OTHER MOVIES DIRECTED BY MARK SANDRICH

• Several all-time classic Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers musicals, including: 
• Top Hat 
• The Gay Divorcee 
• Shall We Dance 
• Follow the Fleet 
• Carefree

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No rust on this bike

In episode six of the Cineversary podcast, we put the pedal to the metal and ramp up our affection for "Bicycle Thieves,” Vittorio De Sica’s masterpiece of Italian neorealism, originally released 70 years ago in 1948. Host Erik Martin interviews Jacqueline Reich, professor and chair of the Department of Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University and a renowned scholar of Italian cinema. Together, they explore why "Bicycle Thieves" is worth celebrating all these years later, its cultural impact and legacy, what we can learn from the picture today, how it has stood the test of time, and more.

You can stream, download or subscribe to the Cineversary podcast using Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Anchor, Breaker, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Google Play Music, Overcast, Pocket Casts, PodBean, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn.

Learn more about the Cineversary podcast at www.tinyurl.com/cineversarypodcast, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cineversarypodcast, and email show comments or suggestions to cineversegroup@gmail.com.

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We ain't talking 'bout the hotel chain, neither...

You've seen the remake ("White Christmas") but it's probably been eons since you've watched “Holiday Inn” (1942; 100 minutes), directed by Mark Sandrich, chosen by Danealle Kueltzo. That film will get our CineVerse crowd in the mood for Christmas on December 19. Plus: stick around for a trailer real preview of the January/February 2019 CineVerse schedule.

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"Dames are always pulling a switch on you..."

Long considered a noir masterpiece, “Laura” (1944) has a different kind of noir pedigree than most films of this subgenre. Parsing through these differences was part of the fun of last night’s CineVerse meeting. Here are the notes from that discussion:
HOW IS “LAURA” DIFFERENT FROM OTHER NOIR FILMS YOU’VE SEEN?

• It doesn’t always use established noir conventions or characters: 
• Typically, a noir has a femme fatale, a spider woman who seduces and leads men into peril deliberately. Laura would appear to have these qualities based on the descriptions and memories of the men and women who recall her, but she actually turns out to be rather innocent, naïve and ordinary. 
• The lead male in many of these movies is often a private eye investigator, not an actual police detective (the cops are often depicted as untrustworthy foils for or enemies of the gumshoe private eye or lead male character in many films noir). Points of view alter as the picture progresses: we get POVs from McPherson to Lydecker back to McPherson and then to Laura. 
• Arguably, the secondary actors and the characters they play steal the show here: Dana Andrews as McPherson and Gene Tierney as Laura may be attractive, intriguing as a potential romantic couple, and generate our sympathies, but it’s Clifton Webb as Lydecker, Vincent Price as Shelby, and Judith Anderson as Ann Treadwell who are the most interesting and memorable. 

“LAURA” ALSO HAS SOME QUIRKS, HOLES, AND UNEXPECTED ELEMENTS. CAN YOU CITE ANY EXAMPLES?

• Per A Sharper Focus blogger Norman Holland: “McPherson behaves as no detective would, taking first one, then two suspects along while he questions other suspects. He leaves the murder weapon overnight in a potential victim’s apartment.” 
• Ponder the fact that the narrator is actually dead—he’s telling a story in flashback, yet how is this possible if he’s been gunned down by McPherson? 
• Consider that Lydecker is suggested as gay, yet is so possessive and jealous of Laura that he kills her. 
• Roger Ebert posited: “Laura has a detective who never goes to the station; a suspect who is invited to tag along as other suspects are interrogated; a heroine who is dead for most of the film; a man insanely jealous of a woman even though he never for a moment seems heterosexual; a romantic lead who is a dull-witted Kentucky bumpkin moving in Manhattan penthouse society, and a murder weapon that is returned to its hiding place by the cop, who will “come by for it in the morning.” The only nude scene involves the jealous man and the cop.” 
• Additionally, the dead woman comes back to life a little over halfway in the movie, and herself becomes a murder suspect—very unusual. 
• We also get Vincent Price in a memorable non-horror role, also unusual; Price said this was probably the best film he ever acted in. 

THEMES BUILT INTO “LAURA”:

• Necrophilia: an unhealthy attraction for a dead woman 
• Being controlled by fantasy or illusion: McPherson and Lydecker build up Laura in their minds as a kind of idealized form of female perfection; in reality, she’s not a femme fatale who purposely leads men into danger or an unapproachable sexual dynamo ice queen beauty; she’s rather normal and innocent. 
• Pygmalionism: being in love with an object of one’s own creation, and the objectification of people into objects of art. 
• Consider all the objets d’art littered throughout the film: the clock, sculptures, paintings, vases, and décor. These objects are beautiful but inanimate, exquisite but lifeless, like the supposedly dead Laura is. 
• Holland wrote: “In creating Laura, Lydecker becomes Pygmalion, the sculptor-creator of classical myth. A worshipper of Venus (beauty), Pygmalion sculpted a Galatea so beautiful and wonderful that he himself fell in love with her. Venus graciously gave the statue life…Laura is Lydecker’s creation—a beautiful objet d’art. The thought of another man’s handling her drives him crazy.” 

MOVIES OR WORKS OF LITERATURE THAT “LAURA” MAKES US THINK OF:

• Vertigo (also about a man who falls in love with a beautiful dead woman or illusion) 
• Rebecca (also featuring characters haunted by a beautiful dead woman) 
• Sunset Boulevard (also including a voiceover narration by a dead man) 
• Pygmalion (a man crafting a woman to his idealized vision) 
• Several classic films noir, including The Big Sleep, Where the Sidewalk Ends, Fallen Angel, the Maltese Falcon, and others 

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY OTTO PREMINGER

• Anatomy of a Murder 
• Carmen Jones 
• The Man With the Golden Arm 
• Angel Face 
• Fallen Angel 
• Daisy Kenyon

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Off off off off off off off Broadway

Christopher Guest has a knack for lampooning wannabes, hacks, washed-up talents and struggling artists, as evidenced in his multiple mockumentaries. He showcases these deft skills quite impressively in his directorial debut, "Waiting for Guffman," which flew well under the radar on its initial release but has since become a cult classic that even spawned, ironically enough, an off-Broadway musical (!). Last evening, CineVerse evaluated this picture and came away with the following thoughts:

WHAT TOOK YOU BY SURPRISE ABOUT THIS FILM OR DEFIED YOUR EXPECTATIONS, GOOD OR BAD?

• This isn’t a laugh riot knee-slapper with a high yuks quotient. Instead, the comedy is more spaced out, often subtle or chuckle-inspiring versus guffaw-inducing. 
• Roger Ebert wrote: “Guffman'' is not as insistently funny (as “This is Spinal Tap”), perhaps because it has a sneaking fondness for its characters ("Spinal Tap'' ridiculed its heroes with true zeal). The movie doesn't bludgeon us with gags. It proceeds with a certain comic relentlessness from setup to payoff, and its deliberation is part of the fun (as when it takes its time explaining the exact nature of the travel agent's plastic surgery). Some of the better laughs are deadpan.” 
• The dialogue was often improvised, and that comic spontaneity benefits the movie. 
• There isn’t one lead star or comedian; director Christopher Guest builds his mockumentary comedies with a stock company ensemble cast that often includes himself, Eugene Levy, Parker Posey, Catherine O’Hara, and Fred Willard. 
• Unlike other comedies and mockumentaries, the tone of the humor is less sarcastic, caustic, offensive or outrageous. There are no body humor jokes, and we get no crude, lowbrow humor. And the characters are sympathetic and relatively down to earth. 
• Critic James Berardinelli wrote: “Where Spinal Tap, like many parodies, relied upon acid humor and vicious barbs to generate laughter, Waiting for Guffman is a much gentler creation. This movie can be considered an affectionate satire, because, while it pokes fun at small-town America and high school stage productions, it also offers up a heartfelt homage to them.” 
• On the other hand, you could make a case that Guest delights in humiliating his characters here. Bluray.com reviewer Michael Reuben wrote: “Guest specializes in characters so wrapped up in personal obsessions, and so lacking in self-awareness, that they can't see how ridiculous they've become. There's a streak of cruelty running through his work, as characters routinely reveal too much for their own good on camera, but in his later efforts.” 
• The title is a riff on the Samuel Beckett play “Waiting for Godot,” a name that makes you possibly think you’re about to see some pretentious, intellectual, elitist entertainment. 
• It feels like an insider’s story; the characters, as well as the filmmakers, convey a knowledge and passion for off-Broadway theatrical life and the politics of putting on a play. Put another way, although this is a fictional and exaggerated comedy, it feels credible and plausible. 

THEMES PRESENT IN THIS MOVIE

• Serendipity and parallelism: Corky is like the town’s founder in that both, it is suggested, follow the wrong path; the 150th anniversary musical is akin to the East-to-West expedition; the community thespians are like the earlier travelling settlers; and “California’s promise of riches has become Mork Guffman- Broadway producer and embodiment of a life outside of Blaine,” according to the blog Little Kicks Dance. 
• Redemption: Corky, a washed-up Broadway wannabe, is getting his second chance. 
• Small-town America can be both worthy of ridicule and charming thanks to its real everyday people. 
• Unrealized dreams, which is a hallmark theme of Guests’ films 

OTHER MOCKUMENTARIES, MOVIES, AND TV SHOWS THAT WAITING FOR GUFFMAN BRINGS TO MIND

• This is Spinal Tap 
• Best in Show 
• Take the Money and Run and Zelig 
• Borat 
• What We Do in the Shadows 
• The Producers, especially the “Springtime for Hitler” musical 
• The SCTV television program 

OTHER FILMS BY CHRISTOPHER GUEST

• Best in Show 
• A Mighty Wind 
• For Your Consideration

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Femme fatale fantastico

Film noir fans get a special treat on December 12, the date that CineVerse spotlights “Laura” (1944; 88 minutes), directed by Otto Preminger, chosen by Nick Guiffre. Plus, we'll watch “The Obsession” (12 minutes), a short piece featuring interviews with several film historians, critics, and filmmakers, discussing the story of Laura, its characters, and Otto Preminger's direction.

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The Guff-man cometh

Don't miss CineVerse on December 5: That's when we'll be treated to “Waiting for Guffman” (1996; 84 minutes), directed by Christopher Guest, chosen by Bob Johnson. Plus: We’ll play a movie trivia game prior to the film for a chance to win DVD prizes.

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Concerto for a conflicted genius

"Amadeus" nailed the major maestro biopic subgenre back in 1984. Ten years later, a group of filmmakers would attempt the same feat with "Immortal Beloved," spotlighting perhaps the greatest musical genius in classical music history, Ludwig Van Beethoven. The critical reception was spotty, and box-office receipts weren't stellar. But this picture has a lot going for it, foremost because the soundtrack (solely consisting of Beethoven's own music) is masterful, the casting of Gary Oldman in the lead role is spot-on, and the cinematography is sumptuous and robust. CineVerse analyzed this movie last night and came away with these conclusions:

MOVIES SIMILAR TO IMMORTAL BELOVED

• Amadeus 
• Citizen Kane (with its flashback framing and investigative catalyst character) 
• Mahler and Lisztomania by Ken Russell 
• The Devil’s Violinist 
• Copying Beethoven 
• Chopin: Desire for Love 
• The Phantom of the Opera (the unmasking scene) 

HOW DOES THIS FILM DEVIATE FROM EXPECTATIONS, PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS, AND OTHER FILMS ABOUT FAMOUS COMPOSERS?

• It’s not meant to be historically accurate; the movie was criticized at the time of its release for being liberal with the known facts of Beethoven’s life. But instead of aiming for historical precision, the filmmakers try to make a more entertaining, even impressionistic, biopic that arguably lets the music take center stage and the true life events fall into the middle ground and background. 
• It’s structured almost as a mystery whodunit. And it uses an investigator type character as its audience surrogate, who attempts to learn the identity of the titular personality. In this way, the filmmakers hoped to build intrigue and keep the viewer more engaged. 
• Interestingly, the three women who are all “immortal beloved” candidates/suspects are entrusted to narrate this story. Instead of letting the tale unfold organically, we have three assigned storytellers. 
• It tells its tale in flashback instead of as a linear narrative. Unlike “Amadeus,” it doesn’t delve much into Beethoven’s early years as a child prodigy or his rise to renown playing for royalty. This story is primarily focused on his middle to later years, when his deafness became increasingly problematic. 
• The movie also veers into fantastical, cerebral, stream-of-consciousness territory. 
• Roger Ebert wrote that this is a “film that imagines the mental state of Beethoven with a series of images as vivid and convincing as a dream…(Bernard Rose) has created a fantasy about Beethoven that evokes the same disturbing, ecstatic passion we hear in his music.” 
• Janet Maslin of the New York Times wrote: “Think of this as an extremely ambitious classical music video, with visual ideas that merely echo the moods of the music. The music tells its own story, and the music is glorious.” 
• Some have criticized Gary Oldman of being a scenery chewer, an overacting thespian at times. But here, many critics have lauded his performance as being both “powerful and restrained,” nuanced and sensitive as well as turbulent and revealing. 

THEMES AT WORK IN THIS PICTURE

• Frustration and cosmic irony—Beethoven loses a priceless gift central to his art, his hearing; he also encounters challenges in the form of his sister-in-law, who thwarts his efforts at custody of Beethoven’s nephew. 
• Passion—for art, music, love 
• The power of music to evoke memories, fantasies, and passionate emotions 
• Mystery: the central yarn here is trying to uncover who the composer’s “immortal beloved” is 
• Unpredictability—the man himself was known as volatile, brooding, and capable of wild mood swings. 

OTHER FILMS BY BERNARD ROSE

• Paperhouse 
• Chicago Joe and the Showgirl 
• Candyman 
• Ivans Xtc

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Ode to Ludwig

On November 28, CineVerse will feature “Immortal Beloved” (1994; 121 minutes), a biopic about Beethoven directed by Bernard Rose, chosen by Marce Demske.

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No CineVerse meeting this week

Just a reminder that, as is tradition this time of year, CineVerse will not meet on the day before Thanksgiving (Nov. 21). The Oak View Center building will be closed. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

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"He used to be a big shot"

"They don't make 'em like they used to" is an axiom that is appropriately applied to any of the classic Warner Brothers gangster flicks the studio churned out in the 1930s, many of which starred James Cagney. The only thing that could top a Cagney picture was one in which he was paired with Humphrey Bogart, as was the case with "The Roaring Twenties" (1939). CineVerse took a trip back to the bootlegger era and watched this picture last night; not a single attendee gave a thumbs down. Here are our reflections on the movie:

WHAT DID YOU FIND INTERESTING, UNIQUE OR UNEXPECTED ABOUT THIS FILM?

• The interplay and dynamics between James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart is notable. 
• It can be strange to see Bogart playing a supporting character in a gangster movie; truth is, he had not quite yet become a top-billed star. 
• This was actually the third and final movie that the two would appear in together, the others being Angels With Dirty Faces and The Oklahoma Kid. 
• The movie has, a somewhat “pseudo-documentary feel,” according to Genevieve McGillicuddy with Turner Classic Movies. Evidence of this is that it incorporates “newsreel clips and popular music from the period, and a voiceover by an omniscient reporter who assures the audience that what they are about to see is based on true events.” 
• Be mindful that the gangster and his moll are based on real-life figures Larry Fay and Texas Guinan. 
• It’s also imbued with an epic feel and scope, considering that it traces the rise and fall of a man from World War I through the Great Depression. 

WHAT THEMES OR SYMBOLS STAND OUT IN THIS MOVIE?

• Karma, cosmic destiny, hubris, and the sense of a life squandered: Bartlett is due for a comeuppance by the end of the film and gets it. 
• Exploiting the American dream: Bartlett capitalizes on America as the land of opportunity by being an opportunist whose lawlessness eventually catches up with him. 
• Life in the fast lane, and the fleeting nature of time: this story covers many years in the life of a man, but passes at a quick pace. Quotes from Bartlett in this film include “I didn’t have time to think about them,” and “I’m in too much of a hurry to worry about somebody getting sore at me.” It helps that Cagney has a quick, energetic nature to him in his physical movements and speech. Consider, as well, the fast-moving camera work, relatively short shots and scenes, and brisk pace of the story being told. 
• The end of an era, sentimentality, finality and romanticizing the past. This story and this movie seem to be wistful for a bygone time, warts and all; it also plays as an elegy for and concluding statement on the gangster picture cycle, which dominated the 1930s but arguably came to an end here. 
• Panama Smith’s line, “He used to be a bigshot,” resonate as a final statement that draws the cycle to a close. 
• Martin Scorsese said of the movie: “The Roaring Twenties shows a gritty reality that romanticizes the dark side of human nature.” 
• Circles: from the plate of spaghetti and the portholes on the boat to the spinning globe and nightclub stools, this film is replete with spherical shapes and circular patterns. 

OTHER MOVIES OR WORKS OF LITERATURE THAT THE ROARING TWENTIES REMIND US OF:

• The Great Gatsby 
• Gangster pictures of the 1930s by Warner Brothers and other studios, including: Little Caesar, The Public Enemy, Scarface, Lady Killer, G Men, and Angels With Dirty Faces 

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY RAOUL WALSH:

• White Heat 
• High Sierra 
• The Big Trail 
• They Died With Their Boots On 
• The original The Thief of Baghdad 
• They Drive By Night

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Touch of Welles

In episode five of the Cineversary podcast, the spotlight shines on Touch of Evil, Orson Welles' 1958 film noir classic, which marks a 60th anniversary this year.

Host Erik Martin interviews Jonathan Rosenbaum, former head critic of the Chicago Reader, author of several books on cinema, and consultant on the 1998 re-editing of Touch of Evil and on the 2018 completion of Welles’ movie The Other Side of the Wind. Together, they discuss why Touch of Evil is worth celebrating all these years later, its cultural impact and legacy, what we can learn from the picture today, how it has stood the test of time, and more.

To listen to this episode, click the play button below.

You can stream, download or subscribe to the Cineversary podcast using Apple Podcasts, iTunes, Anchor, Breaker, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Google Play Music, Overcast, Pocket Casts, PodBean, RadioPublic, Spotify, Stitcher, and TuneIn.

Learn more about the Cineversary podcast at www.tinyurl.com/cineversarypodcast, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cineversarypodcast, and email show comments or suggestions to cineversegroup@gmail.com.

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Love finds a way

Nowadays, homosexual characters are much more accepted and prevalent in mainstream films. But it wasn't that long ago that this wasn't the case. One film that wasn't afraid to depict a gay love story, at a time when gays were more criticized, scrutizined, parodied, caricatured and marginalized (1987), is "Maurice," a lesser-known Merchant/Ivory gem that portrays how difficult it was to hide and maintain a homosexual relationship in Britain's repressive pre-World-War I era. CineVerse had much to talk about last night, including the following:

WHAT DID YOU FIND INTERESTING OR UNEXPECTED ABOUT THIS FILM? 

• Its long runtime. It supposedly stays faithful to the source material novel by E.M. Forster, but cinematically this could be a long sit and a slow burn for many viewers. 
• Its happy ending. According to the director James Ivory: “The thing that marks Maurice as a gay film is that its story has a happy ending. Forster always wanted that. He wrote about it and said that. Most gay stories, at least back then, ended with some very bad thing. In that way, it was maybe ahead of its time.” 
• The timing of its release—1987. A homosexual love story wasn’t as widely accepted or tolerated by moviegoers at this time. Consider that the world was still grappling with the growing AIDS crisis, and many gays were being blamed, shamed or castigated because of it. 
• Its impressive cast, including Hugh Grant, Rupert Graves, Ben Kingsley, Simon Callow, Denholm Elliott, and James Wilby. 
• The debatable message of the film. Per Roger Ebert, who gave the movie a positive review: “By arguing that (Maurice and Scudder’s) decision to stay together was a good and courageous thing, ‘Maurice’ seems to argue that the most important thing about them was their homosexuality. Perhaps in the dangerous atmosphere of homophobia in the England of 75 years ago, that might have seemed the case. But this film has been made in 1987 and shares the same limited insight.” 
• The movie surprisingly features full-frontal male nudity, which could have been more controversial in 1987. 

WHAT THEMES STAND OUT IN MAURICE?

• Love vs. lust—physical attraction contrasted with deep emotional affection 
• Love conquers all 
• Betrayal 
• Secrets 
• Class differences 
• The classic love triangle 
• The challenge of trying to live a lie and not be true to yourself 

FILMS OR WORKS OF LITERATURE THAT REMIND US OF MAURICE

• Brokeback Mountain 
• Howards End 
• A Room With a View 
• Beautiful Thing 
• Parting Glances 
• Shelter 
• My Beautiful Laundrette 
• Sunday Bloody Sunday 

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY JAMES IVORY

• A Room With a View 
• Mr. and Mrs. Bridge 
• Howards End 
• The Remains of the Day 
• The White Countess 
• Call Me By Your Name

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Farewell to a charter member of CineVerse

Sad news to report, CineVerse followers: Len Gornik, one of the charter members of the CineVerse film discussion group when it formed in 2005, has passed away after a yearlong battle with multiple myeloma. He was 70 years old.

Len prided himself on being a lifelong learner and inquisitive personality who loved movies, sports and science. He was an engaged and enthusiastic participant at CineVerse meetings, especially during the group's first several years, when he attended more regularly.

Len's favorite film was "The Shawshank Redemption," a quote from which he took inspiration: "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies." Some of his personal movie picks viewed and discussed at CineVerse over the years included "8 1/2," "The Pride of the Yankees," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," "West Side Story," "The Good The Bad and The Ugly," "Field of Dreams," "The Devil and Daniel Webster,"  and "Blade Runner." He said his favorite snack to enjoy while watching movies was Junior Mints.

A wake and funeral mass will be held this coming weekend in Burbank, Ill. For full details, click here.

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No CineVerse meeting on October 31

Take your young'ns trick-or-treating, carve a Jack-o-lantern, toilet paper your neighbor's house, or tremble in fear over the midterm elections, but DON'T come to CineVerse on October 31, as there is no meeting that night. Happy Halloween!

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CineVerse November/December 2018 schedule is live

Eager to learn what's on tap at CineVerse in November and December? Check out the new 2-month calendar, available here.

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A clash of technology and biology

Horror films bug some viewers enough to the point where they can't watch them. Others embrace the creepy-crawly aspect of fright films and are willing to let a good scary movie get under their skin--a movie like David Cronenberg's remake of "The Fly" (1986), for example. Our CineVerse science experiment last night was to examine this picture close under a group discussion microscope. Here are our study findings:

WHAT DID YOU FIND UNEXPECTED OR REFRESHINGLY DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS FILM, ESPECIALLY COMPARED TO THE 1958 ORIGINAL?

• It’s not a pure remake; it doesn’t recycle the same plot or characters. Instead, it employs the same basic teleportation conundrum concept but completely changes the experimental scientist character and his love interest as well as the horrors that they endure. 
• Here, the focus is on more realistic science, and with more modern concepts like gene splicing. Consider that Brundle doesn’t come out of the teleport machine instantly with a fly’s head. Instead, it’s a gradual transformation that the filmmaker’s attempt to depict plausibly, simulating how real housefly characteristics would take over. 
• Unlike so many horror films, this one benefits from quality character development and, at its heart, a tragic romance, which gets us more emotionally invested; we care more about these people and their plights, and the sympathetic nature of these situations take on more poignancy. 
• It helps that Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum were a romantic couple off set at this time; their onscreen chemistry is believable. 
• Cronenberg has insisted that The Fly is more of a tragic romance than a horror film. 
• Many critics and fans believe it stands as a cut above several other 1980s remakes of classic sci-fi movies or TV shows from the 1950s, including Invaders From Mars, The Thing, Godzilla 1985, Twilight Zone: The Movie, and Little Shop of Horrors. 

THEMES EXPLORED IN THIS FILM

• The classic love triangle 
• Betrayal: not by a loved one or friend, but by your body 
• Death, disease and mutation—themes prevalent in many Cronenberg pictures. 
• Many interpreted this film as an allegory for AIDS, which was gaining attention in the media at the time. 
• The battle between the brain and the body; the mind-body connection and conundrum. Consider how the body relies on the mind and the mind relies on the body, but can fail to function properly without the other. 
• Deep Focus Review essayist Brian Eggert wrote: “Cronenberg attempts to assess humanity through dissection, in metaphorical terms and otherwise. His mind-body dichotomy literally fleshes-out how anatomy and psychology remain unable to integrate and successfully coexist, and yet remain unwaveringly connected. The Fly offers a horrifying possibility: the body revolting against the mind with the mind unable to assemble any control. Brundle deflowers human arrogance over the flesh, with the mutating Brundlefly an allegory for our own physical woes, awakening us to the body’s often ignored wealth.” 
• Reviewer Richard Scheib posited the following: “The film seems to echo and mirror Cronenberg’s peculiar Manichean fascinations with the body as a battleground where the will can operate in one direction but the body can frequently rebel or be taken over by other forces – like the images of people being turned into human VCR’s in Videodrome (1983) or psychological repressions forcing themselves into expression in human flesh in The Brood (1979).” 
• Technology’s effect on the body, the melding of biology and technology. 
• Science run amok: the hubris of human beings trying to play God or meddle in affairs outside their realm of control. 
• Metamorphosis—of Brundle, of his relationship with Veronica, of the character of the unsympathetic old boyfriend to suddenly heroic and sympathetic, etc. 
• Life is fragile and finite. 

FILMS OR STORIES THAT “THE FLY” MAKES US THINK OF:

• Frankenstein 
• Kafka’s Metamorphosis 
• Beauty and the Beast 
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 
• Eraserhead 
• Alien and The Thing 
• An American Werewolf in London 
• Re-Animator 
• Hollow Man 

OTHER FILMS BY DAVID CRONENBERG

• The Brood 
• Scanners 
• Videodrome 
• The Dead Zone 
• Dead Ringers 
• Crash 
• A History of Violence 
• Eastern Promises

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Bzzzzzz...

The curtain (and the flyswatter) falls on Shocktober Theater on October 24, when we'll conclude our Out-of-this-world Horror Quick Theme Quartet with “The Fly” (1986; 96 minutes). Plus, stick around for a trailer real preview of the November/December 2018 CineVerse schedule.

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Wielding new weapons of terror: biology and sexuality

Ridley Scott's "Alien" set the bar high for sci-fi horror, introducing a terrifying new extraterrestrial creature into the pop culture lexicon, plumbing the depths of body horror, and incorporating elements from the slasher subgenre to heighten the scare factor. The movie was a radical departure from audience expectations for horror/science-fiction, infusing fascinating thematic elements that leave a lot to think about long after the credits roll. Here's CineVerse's take on this late 1970s fright film gem:

HOW WAS THIS FILM DIFFERENT AND SURPRISING FROM OTHER SCIENCE-FICTION, HORROR AND ACTION FILMS THAT CAME BEFORE IT?

• Its crew is quite different from other spaceship human crews depicted in other films; these folks aren’t clean cut, young, adventurous or scientifically curious; most are middle-aged, and they’re blue collar types concerned about getting paid and going through the routines of doing their jobs. 
• It caught audiences off guard in that the handsome captain, played by top-billed Tom Skerritt, isn’t the final survivor; instead, a woman is. This movie continued the trope of “the final girl” who outlasts all other victims and eventually vanquishes the villain, a trope earlier established in horror movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Black Christmas, and Halloween. 
• It deviated from the clean and antiseptic look of Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Reviewer Richard Scheib wrote: “The pristine technologism that dominated interstellar interior decoration since 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) gave way to a raw grittier view, with the ship being designed as all dark corridors and exposed, dripping conduits. Ridley Scott loves this textural bombardment and the ship’s look is one of the most exciting works of junk fetishism to grace the postmodern science-fiction movement. The look was influential – after Alien, the design schema of interstellar travel forever left behind the 2001 look of clean, white antiscepticism where technology would triumph over humanity, and took place in a gritty, rundown world inhabited by working stiffs.” 
• It plays as both science fiction film that embraces plausible realism (consider the sequence featuring documentary-style live video footage) as well as slasher horror film conventions in which the monster picks off the cast one by one with shocking kills. 
• This was a completely new and unique kind of extraterrestrial creature—one that stood as a biosexual monstrosity and aberration of nature, thanks to its inspired design by H.R. Giger, an artist known for his disturbing blend of the sexual and the mechanical. 
• Roger Ebert wrote: “’Alien’ uses a tricky device to keep the alien fresh throughout the movie: It evolves the nature and appearance of the creature, so we never know quite what it looks like or what it can do…the alien is capable of being just about any monster the story requires. Because it doesn't play by any rules of appearance or behavior, it becomes an amorphous menace, haunting the ship with the specter of shape-shifting evil. Ash (Ian Holm), the science officer, calls it a "perfect organism. Its structural perfection is matched only by its hostility," and admits: "I admire its purity, its sense of survival; unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality.” 
• This kind of alien stood in stark contrast to the benevolent aliens shown in Spielberg films like “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” and, later, “E.T.” 
• The suspenseful pacing is superb, forcing us to get acquainted with the crew and the ship for 30 minutes before any real action transpires. 
• Like Jaws and Halloween before it, it doesn’t reveal what the monster looks like or show it in full form until we’re well past Act 1. 

THEMES AT WORK IN ALIEN:

• Dehumanization: consider how the Weyland-Yutani corporation values alien life forms over its own human crew, and how humans are used as reproductive fodder for the aliens. 
• Biological and sexual fears: The film is replete with symbols and acts suggesting how terrifying male and female reproductive organs are. Consider how: 
• The alien’s head and inner jaws, as well as a newborn chestburster alien serve as threatening phallic symbols 
• The strange ship the crew explores looks like two open legs and its interiors resemble a body cavity or uterus 
• Many creatures and characters seem to be committing substitute forms of rape or biological violation, including the facehugger alien that forces entry inside the mouth; the chestburster that emerges from the torso; the fully formed alien that kills Veronica Cartwright (we see his tail pointed between her legs, insinuating a rape of sorts); Ash the android attacking Ripley in a rape-like action, wherein he uses a porno magazine to try to kill her; and the last scene where the alien attacks Ripley after she strips off her clothes. 
• Male fears about the female body and childbirth: Kane becomes “feminized” and symbolically raped when he is impregnated by the facehugger, and later he exploits anxieties about the pain and viscera of birth when the alien pupa bursts from his chest. 
• Primal fears: Slate critic Michael Agger wrote: “The staying power of Alien lies in the way it dredges up primal fears. Scott's long shots emphasize the vastness of space, the sense of being marooned in a hostile environment. The spaceship interiors were designed for maximum claustrophobia. And the alien itself, created by the Swiss surrealist H.R. Giger, is not completely foreign. It's a corruption of nature—an intelligent insect—both comprehensible and terrifyingly unknown. Then there's the way many scenes play like a sophomore biology-lab experiment gone awry: Ian Holm poking at the glistening organs of the alien body or Skerritt cutting one of its fingerlike appendages with a laser saw, releasing a spring of acid blood.” 
• Birth: There are several symbolic depictions of birth or conception in the picture: (1) when the crew rises from hypersleep; (2) when the ship untethers from its “umbilicas”; (3) when the crew explores the alien ship, entering through tunnels designed to resemble the female reproductive system; (4) the chestburster scene. 
• The theory of the “abject”: Knoji essayist wrote: “The film represents the female as horrific and abject” (the theory of the abject refers to “the state of being cast off” and “marks the moment when we separate ourselves from the mother, when we first recognize a boundary between the self and the other”). “Birth is depicted as a horrifying process. The process of a male being impregnated with a creature that gestates in a being that has no womb and rips itself free in a shower of blood is one way in which this film abjectifies female roles. Alien is about humans being forced to confront the abject which they have tried to suppress. The scene in the hypersleep vault suggests that in the future birth has been sanitized and sterilized. Technology has been used to banish the abject. However, the alien, with its monstrous reproductive cycle and horribly visceral nature, forces us to confront the true nature of humanity as abject and organic.” 

MOVIES THAT MAY HAVE INSPIRED ALIEN:

• The Thing From Another World 
• It! The Terror Beyond Space 
• The Quatermass Xperiment 
• Jaws 
• Halloween 
• 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars 

MOVIES THAT WERE LIKELY INFLUENCED BY ALIEN:

• Species 
• Event Horizon 
• Mimic 
• The Relic 
• Deep Rising 
• Virus 
• Supernova 
• Pandorum 
• Apollo 18 

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY RIDLEY SCOTT

• Blade Runner 
• Thelma and Louise 
• Gladiator 
• Blackhawk Down 
• Matchstick Men

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At CineVerse, everyone can hear you scream

It's been called a haunted house movie in space. And one of the scariest films of all time. Don't miss CineVerse on October 17, when Shocktober Theater returns with “Alien” (1979; 117 minutes), directed by Ridley Scott, part 3 of our Quick Theme Quartet we call Out-of-this-world Horror.

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Cineversary podcast carves up "Halloween" for its 40th birthday

For its fourth episode, the Cineversary podcast celebrates the 40th anniversary of John Carpenter's classic horror film "Halloween." Host Erik Martin interviews two guests: the film's production designer/editor Tommy Lee Wallace, who spills his guts about how the movie was made--including his important role in creating the look of Michael Myers; and Southern Utah University film professor Kyle Bishop, who performs a film analysis autopsy on "Halloween" with Erik. Listen or download this latest episode by clicking here or on the play button below.

Learn more about the Cineversary podcast at www.tinyurl.com/cineversarypodcast, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cineversarypodcast, and email show comments or suggestions to cineversegroup@gmail.com.

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Reliving the night zombie culture was born

It might be easy today for some to dismiss George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead" as schlocky, dated and amateurish. But these folks would be missing the big picture. Because, truth is, this film was enormously influential on the horror genre and pop culture. It also remains an effective chiller five decades following its release. Here's further evidence of these claims, as discussed yesterday at CineVerse:

WHY IS THIS FILM IMPORTANT AND WORTH CELEBRATING 50 YEARS LATER?

• It’s arguably the first truly modern horror film in its amplified, random violence, gore, documentary visual style realism, and dark tone (consider that everyone we care about dies at the end, and there is no accepted rationale for why the zombies attack or what created them); this film was truly shocking upon initial release.
• It created the zombie film subgenre and established the modern conventions for zombie monsters—that they eat human flesh, that they infect others, that they attack mindlessly and not necessarily energetically.
• Night of the Living Dead was well-timed to exploit the fears and emotions of teenagers and young adults who were distrustful of our government and its involvement in the brutal war in Vietnam, traumatized by the political assassinations and unrest of the time, and mindful of racist attitudes of that era.
• It features an African American male as its main protagonist, which was bold and revolutionary for a 1968 movie of any genre, but especially a horror movie. The fact that this character, the lone final survivor, is ironically gunned down at the conclusion, helps this film rise from exploitative B-picture material to a deeper sociopolitical statement.
• It demonstrated that a lot of creativity and ingenuity, despite a low budget and lack of major studio involvement, could reap significant box-office and critical rewards for the genre; this film’s success paved the way for other independent small-budget filmmakers to release their horror magnum opus works, like Wes Craven’s Last House on the Left, Tobe Hooper’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and John Carpenter’s Halloween.
• At a time when color films were much more prominent, it was shot on cheap black-and-white film, which helps to bridge the gap between old school horror movies and the new wave of increasingly violent and adult scary fare. Using black and white allows us to focus on the characters and the action and not see the flaws or low-budget deficiencies as much.
• This movie lacks the sex and nudity that would have attracted horror audiences at this time to drive-in theaters and midnight showings. Instead of tawdry thrills, it’s all about stark, abject, senseless terror.
• There was nothing like this at the time—no precedent for audiences to grasp onto; they had never seen a film about zombie flesh eaters, about monsters who looked like everyday men, women and children. This would have put viewers off guard, made them vulnerable and therefore more frightened and disturbed.
• Blogger Brian Eggert wrote: “Night of the Living Dead was not another pulpy B-movie wrought with space aliens, monsters from the abyss, and atomic-era mutations. Romero’s film turned people, among them our friends and family members, into flesh-eating ghouls.”
• Interestingly, the filmmakers reportedly forgot to put a copyright notice on the movie, which meant that it was considered in the public domain; film pirates duped and exhibited it, which ironically led to greater exposure for the film, helping to cement its popularity.

WHAT THEMES STAND OUT IN THIS FILM?

• Zombies as stand-ins for whatever currently ails society; in 1968, they could have been symbols for bigots, counterculturalists, Americans deadened by the violence around them, consumers, etc.
• Eggert theorized: “Other described the film’s cannibalism as humanity’s irrational compulsion for violence, our seemingly embedded need to destroy one another. Elsewhere, viewers saw the film as a reaction to anti-war protests of the current Vietnam conflict, a critique of the media, an indictment against familial and governmental establishments, and a severe blow to civil defense.”
• Irony: the fact that the black hero of the movie outlasts everyone else thanks to cunning and instincts, but is tragically shot to death by white men who, presumably, think he’s a zombie.
• Senseless violence, which viewers would have been used to by the late 1960s due to the war, police brutality, assassinations, racist actions, the Manson family murders, and other current events.
• The breakdown of society and civilization that is inevitable when human beings don’t work together to solve problems.

WORKS AND EVENTS THAT MAY HAVE INSPIRED NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD:

• The Last Man on Earth (I Am Legend)
• Carnival of Souls
• Goya’s painting Saturn Devouring His Son
• The Vietnam War and the rising counterculture of the late 1960s
• The Civil Rights movement and black power movement

LATER WORKS INFLUENCED BY NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD:

• The Return of the Living Dead movie series
• 28 Days Later and its sequels
• Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland
• The Walking Dead TV series
• World War Z

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY GEORGE ROMERO:

• The Crazies
• Martin
• Five Dead sequels, including Dawn of the Dead and Day of the Dead
• Creepshow

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The night when zombies turn golden

Three different themes converge on CineVerse on October 10: Shocktober Theater part 2, Quick Theme Quartet: Out-of-this-world Horror part 2, and Cineversary: a celebration of the 50th anniversary of “Night of the Living Dead” (1968; 97 minutes), directed by George Romero. Plus: we'll watch "Light in the Darkness," a 24-minute retrospective on the legacy of "Night of the Living Dead."

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"They're here already! You're next!"

It's interesting that some of the greatest horror movie classics of all time were B-pictures often made on shoestring budgets (consider, for instance, the original "Halloween," "Night of the Living Dead," and "Cat People"). Slotting nicely within this formula is arguably the best scary movie of the 1950s, Don Siegel's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," which works across many subgenres, including the paranoid political thriller and the alien invasion sci-fi flick. Over 60 years later, the original continues to hold us tight in its suspenseful grip. Here are some of the reasons why, as discussed yesterday at CineVerse:

WHAT DID YOU FIND DIFFERENT, REFRESHING OR UNEXPECTED ABOUT INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS?

• The story moves along at a fast clip, building tension with a quickening pace and unrelenting directorial style. 
• The opening and ending feel tacked on and forced, as if the filmmakers were bowing to pressure from censors and popular thought that the film was too bleak and frightening. There seems to some hope at the conclusion, as if suggesting that we need to wake up and begin to fight back; the last words are “it’s an emergency!” 
• There isn’t much “sci-fi” here; lots of fiction, but not much science. In other words, the aliens look just like us, and there aren’t many special effects and no spacecraft or otherworldly technology shown. 

WHAT THEMES ARE AT WORK IN THIS MOVIE?

• Fear of infiltration from outside forces—including infiltration of political forces like communism. This film examines “society’s fear of the things that lie outside its rigid conservative confines,” according to reviewer Richard Scheib. The subtext explores Americans’ paranoia about communist infiltration into our society (with the pod people being conformist, non-emotional, unthinking communist clones). 1950s America was absorbed with the McCarthy communist witch hunts and was also fretful about the bomb. 
• The peace and sanctity of small town suburbia is a myth; fear, anarchy and corruption can occur in a town with white picket fences. 
• The survival of the nuclear family is under threat. 
• The mind can figure out everything except itself, as the psychiatrist character says in the film; this reinforces the notion of the mysteries of human existence, and the existential dilemma of never being able to truly know yourself—which suggests that we are vulnerable to infiltration by outside forces. 
• The value and sanctity of being an authentic human being who has his/her own mind and emotions. 

WHAT OTHER FILMS COME TO MIND AFTER VIEWING THIS REMAKE?

• They Live 
• Seconds 
• Conspiracy/political thrillers from the 1970s (e.g., Parallax View, All the President’s Men, Three Days of the Condor, etc.) 
• A Nightmare on Elm Street (terror of falling asleep) 
• Alien and The Thing (remake): two other films featuring gross-out effects depicting aliens infiltrating the human body 

OTHER FILMS BY DIRECTOR DON SIEGEL

• Dirty Harry 
• Escape From Alcatraz 
• The Killers 
• The Shootist

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The pod people formally invite you to Shocktober Theater

It's that time of year again. Shocktober Theater returns to CineVerse, this time in the guise of a Quick Theme Quartet we call "Out-of-this-world Horror." Once a quarter (every third month), CineVerse will explore four movies tied together by a theme. Our fourth quartet will focus on four horror films with science fiction elements.

Part 1 happens October 3, with “The Invisible Man” (1933; 71 minutes), directed by James Whale; and “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956; 80 minutes), directed by Don Siegel.

Note: due to the long combined runtime of both films, we will start CineVerse promptly five minutes earlier, at 6:55 PM.

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Singing the Black Rock blues

How do you build an effective action film without much action? Turn it into a whodunit western thriller and cast Spencer Tracy in the lead role as a deceptively strong and resourceful protagonist on a mystery mission in a small town where nobody wants him around. That's the recipe at work in "Bad Day at Black Rock," and it cooks up a pretty tasty stew for audiences to savor. For further proof, here's a summary of our major CineVerse discussion points from last night:

THEMES BUILT INTO THIS FILM INCLUDE:

• The ugly legacy of xenophobia and racism 
• Our civic duty to stand up for the oppressed, bullied and outnumbered 
• The dangers of crowd conformity and not thinking for yourself. 
• This film is considered by many to be a subtextual criticism, like High Noon was, of the McCarthy communist witch hunts years earlier that resulted in many people being unfairly ostracized and blacklisted to little public objection. 
• The movie also represents one of the earliest indictments by Hollywood of the way Japanese Americans were interred and unfairly treated during World War II. 
• The Riding the High Country film blog suggested a further theme: the nature of the west itself. “When Smith points out that suspicion of the unfamiliar is just a natural throwback to the old days, Macreedy observes that he always thought the old west was characterized by hospitality. And there’s the point, that the myth of the old west was subverted through time into the kind of small-minded defensiveness represented by Black Rock. To Smith, this new west has been neglected and forgotten, of interest only to academics or businessmen seeking a quick buck. Although it’s never explicitly stated, the inference is that the responsibility for the death of an innocent Japanese doesn’t rest merely on the shoulders of the bunch of ignorant rednecks who dealt the final blow. The suggestion is that these people have been bypassed by progress (the train that never stops) and abandoned to their own prejudices – an embarrassing by-product of the apathy in wider society.” 

WHAT MAKES BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK MEMORABLE AND DISTINCTIVE?

• It’s essentially a contemporary western, in which you have the man in the white hat who vies against men in black hats within a very small, undeveloped frontier-like town. 
• It’s also essentially an action film, yet there’s not much action or violence to speak of. 
• It’s interesting to see, during the postwar 1950s, considered by many nostalgic types to be a golden era for America, a movie that isn’t afraid to point the finger at deeper social issues, like racism, morality and guilt for our nation’s past actions. 
• The movie ratchets up the tension effectively by limiting the viewer’s knowledge and by establishing a whodunit thriller: we don’t know why, until later, Macreedy has arrived at Black Rock, and we don’t know what’s happened to the man he seeks or who is responsible for him disappearing. 
• Arguably, the film is effective because it’s lean and brisk; it’s only 81 minutes long, and the filmmakers don’t waste time on superfluous subplots, romances, flashbacks, or otherwise. 
• You could make a case that Spencer Tracy is miscast here due to his older and pudgy appearance and the fact that he’s not known as a tough guy action hero. 
• Others would contend, however, that this is nice casting against type that’s both refreshing and unexpected. 
• Also, Tracy’s visage is considered by many to be one reflective of our nation’s collective morality and conscience. Consider how Tracy’s characters are often imbued with higher moral authority in movies like “Boys Town,” “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner,” “Inherit the Wind,” “Judgment at Nuremberg,” and others. With this admirable baggage, he’s ideal to play this role. 
• The widescreen aspect ratio was a smart choice to demonstrate visually how desolate this Bad Rock setting is and how isolated Macreedy is within any given shot he appears in. Note that this was one of the first pictures by MGM to be photographed in CinemaScope, so it was a relatively new format. 

BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK CAN ALSO MAKE US THINK OF THESE MOVIES:

• High Noon—another film featuring a solitary man pitted alone against formidable foes and another veiled allegory for the Hollywood blacklist and the McCarthy communist witch hunts 
• Platinum High School—which revamps the basic story as a cautionary tale about juvenile delinquents 
• Yojimbo 
• Billy Jack 
• Conspiracy 

OTHER MOVIES DIRECTED BY JOHN STURGES

• The Magnificent Seven 
• The Great Escape 
• Gunfight at the O.K. Corral 
• The Eagle Has Landed 
• The Old Man and the Sea 
• Last Train From Gun Hill

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A Bad Day at Black Rock, but a good day for CineVerse

Even a silver-haired Spencer Tracy can whoop some ass, as proven in “Bad Day at Black Rock” (1955; 81 minutes), directed by John Sturges, chosen by Mike Bochenek, slated for CineVerse on September 26. Plus: prior to the film, join us for a movie trivia game, with a chance to win DVD prizes,

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Cineversary podcast honors "Vertigo"

For its third episode, Cineversary pays homage to one of the greatest movies of all time: Alfred Hitchcock's "Vertigo," originally released in 1958. Host Erik Martin interviews USC film professor and world-renowned Hitchcock film scholar Drew Casper to get at the heart of what makes "Vertigo" so memorable. They discuss why the picture is so revered 60 years later, ways it inspired countless filmmakers, what it can teach us today, and more. To listen, click play below.

Learn more about the Cineversary podcast at www.tinyurl.com/cineversarypodcast, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cineversarypodcast, and email show host Erik Martin with a comment, question or suggestion at cineversegroup@gmail.com.

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From red to red, white and blue

A good "fish-out-of-water" story, when told well, can be satisfying to movie watchers. "Mao's Last Dancer" is that kind of tale, told from the perspective of a Chinese dancer-turned-dissident who discovers the wonders and possibilities of America while never forgetting his homeland and the family he left behind. Here's a recap of our group discussion of this film last night at CineVerse (to hear the full recorded discussion, click here):

WHAT DID YOU FIND INTRIGUING, REFRESHING, OR UNEXPECTED ABOUT “MAO’S LAST DANCER”?

• You don’t have to be a ballet or dance enthusiast to enjoy or appreciate this movie. The story themes and various genre elements—including action, music, romance, and political thriller—are compelling enough to appeal to all kinds of viewers. 
• The film isn’t necessarily centered on politics, and it doesn’t try to preach, such as a movie like “Rocky IV” does (consider that film’s ending, where Rocky tells the Russian sports spectators and Soviet leaders in attendance, “if I can change, and you can change, everybody can change!” 
• There are a lot of flashbacks employed here; instead of following a linear narrative, from childhood through modern day, the filmmakers bounce around a lot, perhaps suggesting that Li is reflective and deeply contemplative of his past. 
• It’s likely many viewers didn’t see the failure of Li’s first marriage coming, or the surprise that he later marries the new female dancer he’s suddenly paired with toward the end of the film. When that new dancer is first revealed to Li, by his teary-eyed former dancer (Mary) who’s been replaced, the expectation is that, perhaps, this new dancer will serve as a late act villain and present an intriguing subplot. But that doesn’t happen. 

SOME CRITICS CONTEND THAT “MAO’S LAST DANCER” USES ASIAN AND IDEOLOGICAL STEREOTYPES THAT ARE CLICHED. DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE?

• Ella Taylor from NPR wrote: “I wish that Beresford had not fallen into the familiar trap of dividing Chinese characters into two roles: brutal, ideology-spouting apparatchiki; or parable-spouting, salt-of-the-earth proletarians, the better to show off by contrast the open society of the West.” 
• Cinema Autopsy blogger Thomas Caldwell wrote: “The representation of ideology in Mao’s Last Dancer is incredibly shallow and crude. The exploration of racial and cultural differences are also very clichéd and reducing Li’s early dialogue to pigeon-English is simply embarrassing.” 
• One could argue that these approaches used in the film were necessary to tell this kind of story, where you have to contrast the politics and culture of the East versus the West and depict Li’s struggles and challenges—including language barriers and political pressure felt—in order to better sympathize and understand his situation. 

THEMES AT WORK IN THIS FILM:

• Culture clash—the movie contrasts Li’s repressive native land, China, with the land of plenty that he experiences, America. 
• Commitment—Li demonstrates bravery in choosing to defect, and must remain determined and focused in his goal of becoming a great dancer. 
• Transition—we see many shifts, evolutions and conversions as the movie progresses, including the transition from boyhood to manhood and maturity, from East to West, from repression to artistic expression, from rags to riches, from unimportant to renowned, from single to couple, etc. 
• Fables and parables—like the story of the frog and toad, and the tale of the archer 
• A fish out of water, or stranger in a strange land 
• Art as an expression of freedom. While Li performs ballet in his native China, he isn’t able to perfect his craft and dance the way he wants to on his terms until he comes to America, a land of democracy and independence. 
• Art knows no boundaries. Consider the different nationalities present in this film and its making; you have a multicultural love story, and the movie was shot by an Australian filmmaker on location in Australia, China, and Texas. 

MOVIES SIMILAR TO “MAO’S LAST DANCER”:

• White Nights 
• Moscow on the Hudson 
• Center Stage 
• The Last Emperor 
• The Turning Point 

OTHER PICTURES DIRECTED BY BRUCE BERESFORD:

• Driving Miss Daisy 
• Tender Mercies 
• Breaker Morant 
• Crimes of the Heart 
• Mister Johnson 
• Black Robe

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Save the last dance for Mao

World Cinema Wednesday returns to CineVerse on September 19 with a sleeper from Australia: “Mao’s Last Dancer” (2009; 118 minutes), directed by Bruce Beresford, chosen by Carole Bogaard.

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A rally-round-the-flag film

They just don't make films like "Sergeant York" anymore. Truth is, who would swallow the sincerity and genuine patriotism today? That would be some heavy lifting for a contemporary filmmaker and a modern audience. Yet it's fascinating to examine the propagandistic power and forthright folksiness of Howard Hawks' 1941 picture, which wears its heart--and its love of country in a time of war--on its sleeve. These thoughts made for a compelling conversation last night at CineVerse, during which time we discussed the following:

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY HOWARD HAWKS:

• Scarface
• Bringing Up Baby
• Only Angels Have Wings
• His Girl Friday
• To Have and Have Not
• The Big Sleep
• Red River
• Gentlemen Prefer Blinds
• Rio Bravo

HOW DID THIS MOVIE DEFY YOUR EXPECTATIONS, GOOD OR BAD?

• While capably directed by Howard Hawks, this picture doesn’t showcase as many of Hawks’ signature traits or hallmarks.
• For example, Hawks often liked to focus on the dynamics and power of a group working together; this movie concentrates mostly on one person’s heroic journey. 
• Critics often praise Hawks for his ironic wit and cynical sensibilities, but here he has to treat the character and subject matter with sincerity and reverence.
• Film critic Robin Wood said: “It is precisely these factors that work consistently against the film’s artistic success. One feels Hawks continually hampered by having to ‘stick to the facts’; an intuitive artist, he is ill-equipped to handle big issues on any but a superficial level.”
• Interestingly, three-quarters of the movie depicts Alvin York’s life before combat; only about a quarter of the film—most of the last third—depicts his wartime heroics; consider that the latter is what York is famous for. Yet it’s important to flesh out his backstory to invest us more in his personal crisis of conscience and to get us to care about the man and what he values.
• It feels like the America of York’s time is very different from the America of today.
• Then, we were rallying round the flag in a show of support for our country, which was just about to enter World War II; this film was unashamedly propagandistic in trying to encourage patriotism and military enlistments. The sentiments and religious convictions are sincere, and there’s no trace of irony or cynicism. 
• Today, these factors may make the film appear sappy and far outdated, in an era where viewers are skeptical about patriotism, spirituality and trust in government.
• Glenn Erickson, DVD Savant reviewer, wrote: “Sergeant York pulls out all the stops to get Americans behind its message. It almost shamefully reconstructs the Frank Capra populist formula of 'Mr. Deeds', the naive innocent, staying noble and pure while taking on the evils of the outside world. Instead of asking America to understand what's happening, it keeps its arguments simplistic and personal.”
• Erickson continued: “Sergeant York doesn't do what we expect it to, condescend to the hillbillies. Hawks and his writers use an hour to paint a warm and fair image of God-fearing, quick-to-fight mountain folk, with understatement and tact. The Tennessee'uns are neither Bible thumping saints nor Dogpatch yokels, and except for York, none are presented as being inherently noble in their ignorance.”
• It also helps that, even though it’s a war that happened 25 years earlier, the enemy, Germany, is the same.
• The film has been criticized by some for glorifying war. Consider how York employs his “gobble” turkey tactic to flush out German soldiers, which some say suggests that combat is a sport that rewards the clever. 

THEMES BUILT INTO SERGEANT YORK:

• Love of God versus love of country—and the reconciliation between these two convictions.
• Love of country and unabashed patriotism as priority. This film was meant to serve as wartime propaganda during WWII and stir viewers into supporting our country’s involvement in it.
• Redemption and conversion—both a spiritual conversion and a conversion from a pacifist to a person who believes that war and combat are justifiable. We see York as a kind of Saul to Paul biblical character who is transformed on the road.
• The meek shall inherit the earth: York comes from simple country folk and uses his skills and values as a farmer to succeed in combat and rise above others’ expectations of him.
• Honor, bravery and sacrifice.
• The love of a good woman can inspire any sacrifice.

SIMILAR MOVIES THAT COME TO MIND AFTER WATCHING THIS PICTURE:

• All Quiet on the Western Front
• Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
• This Is the Army
• To Hell and Back (the Audie Murphy story)
• Hacksaw Ridge (the true story of Desmond T. Doss, who won the Congressional Medal of Honor despite refusing to bear arms during WWII on religious grounds)

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Tryin' hard to look like Gary Cooper...

Gary Cooper won his first Best Actor Oscar for "Sergeant York” (1941; 134 minutes), directed by Howard Hawks. Join CineVerse on September 12 for this movie, chosen by Tom Nesis.

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The simple bear necessities of "Life"

Pairing up Morgan Freeman with a popular and respected A-list actor (like Jessica Tandy in "Driving Miss Daisy," Tim Robbins in "Shawshank Redemption," Brad Pitt in "Se7en," and Clint Eastwood in "Million Dollar Baby") and having him serve as the "Jiminy Cricket conscience" of the duo has worked wonders over the past three decades. Would casting Freeman alongside Robert Redford in "An Unfinished Life" repeat that magic and elevate the film as a cut above? The jury was split on this one, as evidenced by the reception (mostly positive) to the film last evening at CineVerse. Here's a recap:

HOW DOES THIS MOVIE RISE ABOVE THE TRAPPINGS OF A TYPICAL PAINT-BY-NUMBERS, OVER-SENTIMENTAL MELODRAMA – OR DOES IT FIT THAT DESCRIPTION?

• You can make a case that the story is fairly predictable: Redford’s crusty old codger simply has to thaw once he gets to know his granddaughter better; Jean will almost certainly escape the clutches of her abusive boyfriend somehow; and Mitch is destined to either find healing and peace or die an inspirational death. 
• Yet, the solid casting of beloved veterans like Redford and Freeman ensure that this picture will be a cut above the norm, based on sheer acting talents alone. 
• Redford, in particular, is memorable here, as he is freed from the shackles of having to be the romantic lead. 
• On the other hand, many critics found fault with the casting of Jennifer Lopez in her role, feeling that she isn’t up to par with Freeman and Redford. 
• Also, the way the bear subplot is resolved could take many viewers by surprise, especially those who expected the bear to be shot down or to maul someone else. 

WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE FILM – AN UNFINISHED LIFE – REFERRING TO, AND YOU FEEL THIS IS A FITTING TITLE?

• It could be referring to Einar’s dead son and the fact that there are unresolved threads and unfinished business left behind after his passing. 
• Consider that Einer’s granddaughter, who he didn’t know existed previously, could represent the unfinished part of the dead son’s life – she continues his story by continuing the family lineage. 
• Or, it could be referencing the father, who has unfinished business of his own before dies – namely, making peace with his daughter-in-law and overcoming his bitterness. 

MORALS AND MESSAGES WOVEN INTO AN UNFINISHED LIFE:

• The power of forgiveness and redemption 
• The unpredictability of predators and the damage they can inflict – think of both the abusive boyfriend and the bear 
• Recovering from grief and overcoming bitterness 
• Blood is thicker than water, and family is forever 
• Don’t cage up your rage: Like the bear, you have to let go of your bottled-up anger. 

WHAT METAPHORS ARE EMPLOYED IN THIS FILM?

• The bear = anger/raw emotion 
• Teaching/entrusting the granddaughter to drive and forgiving her accidental hitting of the gearshift = Einar forgiving his daughter-in-law and accepting that his son’s death was an accident 
• The treehouse = Einar’s family tree; at first he tells his granddaughter to get down from there (suggesting she doesn’t belong and isn’t part of his family), but later he tells her to stay there 
• Honey on the meat = treating others with kindness can be a lot more successful

OTHER MOVIES THAT AN UNFINISHED LIFE REMINDS US OF:

• Ulee’s Gold 
• Million Dollar Baby and Unforgiven – two films by Clint Eastwood featuring Eastwood playing a grizzled older character paired with Morgan Freeman 
• Films in which respected actors, previously considered handsome romantic leads, aren’t afraid to show their warts and all older sides, such as Paul Newman and Nobody’s Full, Michael Douglas in Wonder Boys, and Jack Nicholson in About Schmidt 
• On Golden Pond 
• The Horse Whisperer, directed by Redford 
• Rabbit Hole 
• Still Walking 
• Moonlight Mile 
• Journey 

OTHER FILMS DIRECTED BY LASSE HALLSTROM:

• What’s Eating Gilbert Grape 
• Chocolat
• The Cider House Rules 
• My Life As a Dog

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Robert + Morgan + JLo = a finished movie

On September 5, CineVerse will present “An Unfinished Life” (2005; 108 minutes), directed by Lasse Hallström, chosen by Brian Hansen. Make plans to join us for this highly acclaimed film.

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I know all there is to know about the crying game...

Not many motion pictures take as many left turns as Neal Jordan's "The Crying Game" from 1992, which starts out as a political thriller, shifts into a strange love story, then meshes these two elements into a gripping third act. Of course, there's a shocking twist along the way (SPOILER! Dil, a love interest of the main protagonist, is revealed to be transgender) that created much buzz and controversy 26 years ago. The film still has the power to provoke robust thought and discussion, as shown last night at CineVerse. Here's a summary of our talking points:

WHAT DID YOU FIND FASCINATING, UNEXPECTED OR EVEN OFFPUTTING ABOUT THIS FILM?

• The film turns in different directions that you don’t see coming. Consider that the first third leads you to believe this will be a gripping political thriller. But after 30 minutes, the focus shifts to more of a mystery/love story. 
• We come to identify more with a character we didn’t expect we would as the movie progresses. In this way, and others, this film is like Hitchcock’s “Psycho”; recall how in that film, the main character, Marion, was killed halfway through the movie and then we are forced to identify with Norman Bates. 
• According to Roger Ebert: “Jordan's wonderful film does what Hitchcock's "Psycho" (1960), a very different film, also did: It involves us deeply in its story, and then it reveals that the story is really about something else altogether. We may have been fooled, but so was the hero, and as the plot reveals itself we find ourselves identifying more and more with him.” 
• The film plays with gender roles and gender expectations in many ways. Think about how the female love interest is actually not the top-billed actress Miranda Richardson – instead, it’s a person who’s either a transvestite or a transgender woman. Ponder, as well, how some characters names are often associated with the opposite gender, like Jude and Jody. 
• The movie also defies casting expectations. The filmmakers cast a Brit (Miranda Richardson) to portray an Irishwoman and an American (Forest Whitaker) to portray a Brit. 
• Jaye Davidson, who plays Dil, doesn’t let the character become a stereotype. If you’ve not previously seen the movie or heard anyone talk about it, it’s likely that you, along with the vast majority of folks who first saw the movie in 1992, don’t guess prematurely that Dil is not who she appears to be. 
• “Jordan never allows Davidson to be portrayed as an absurdist caricature, as characters in cross-dressing films such as Some Like it Hot or Tootsie often are. Davidson may be dark humored, witty and ironic, but never farcical. His inscrutability is convincing enough so the character’s gender shifts (from feminine to masculine then back to feminine) are each persuasive, layering the character’s many dimensions,” wrote essayist Brian Eggert at the Deep Focus Review. 
• The picture could be seen as a pro-IRA statement, which caused controversy at the time. Director Neil Jordan tried to defuse these criticisms by saying:” “The IRA has done terrible things. But what’s important about the way the film approaches that reality is that they’ve become people they didn’t want to be. That doesn’t mean the cause is wrong.” 

THEMES AT WORK IN THE CRYING GAME

• People stay true to their natures, as echoed in the story of the scorpion and frog. 
• Things are not what they seem, people are often not who they appear to be, and life is unpredictable. Recall Dil’s quote: “Funny the way things go, never the way you expect them.” 
• Love transcends the boundaries of gender, race and politics. 
• A bizarre love triangle in which one third of the triangle is dead. Triangles are also a motif in the film: Fergus, Dil and Jody; Fergus, Dil and the bartender; Fergus, Dil and her bald boyfriend; Fergus, Jody and Jude; and Fergus, Dil and Jude. 
• The quest for redemption 

FILMS THAT THE CRYING GAME REMIND US OF:

• While many other films have surprise twists, there are actually very few movies like The Crying Game – which supports the notion that this is a one-of-a-kind original film with few imitators 
• Vertigo and Psycho 
• Boys Don’t Cry 

OTHER FILMS BY NEIL JORDAN:

• The Company of Wolves 
• Mona Lisa 
• Interview with the Vampire 
• Michael Collins 
• The End of the Affair

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