Tag Archives: movies

Otto Preminger’s Exodus

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The Jacob Burns Film Center, March 29 at 12:15: A special Sunday afternoon screening with an intermission of Otto Preminger’s adaptation of the Leon Uris novel about the founding of modern Israel is a must-see on the big screen. With Paul Newman as a Jewish freedom fighter and a teeming cast led by Sal Mineo, David Opatoshu, Eva Marie Saint, and Jill Haworth, this extraordinarily moving epic remains the rousing account of the founding of Israel. Composer Ernest Gold won both the Oscar and the … Continue reading →

Jazz Sessions: The Greats on Camera

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On April 16, at 7:00, The Jacob Burns Film Centerwill be showing the classic film, “Paris Blues”. Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Sidney Poitier, and Diahann Carroll – romance blossoms on the screen (as it had in real life) when two American tourists meet a pair of expatriate jazz musicians eking out a living in the Left Bank’s club scene. Filmed in luscious black and white and set to Duke Ellington’s Oscar-nominated score, this rarely screened 1961 feature captures Louis Armstrong’s virtuosic trumpet in a thrilling … Continue reading →

Theater Thursday: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

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A Tree Grows In Brooklyn is a novel by BettySmith first published in 1943. It relates the coming-of-age story of its main character, Francie Nolan, and her Irish-American family struggling against poverty in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City. The novel is set in the first and second decades of the 20th century. The book was an immense success, a nationwide best-seller that was distributed to servicemen overseas. It was also adapted into a popular motion picture, the first feature film directed by Elia Kazan,  starring … Continue reading →

Movie 08/22/08: Reefer Madness

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Does anyone remember this movie ? I saw it on a date and laughed my ass off ! I can’t believe this film was made in 1936 ! Reefer Madness (aka Tell Your Children) is a 1936 exploitation film revolving around the tragic events that ensue when high school  students are lured by pushers to try “marihuana“: a hit and run accident, manslaughter, suicide, rape, and descent into madness all ensue. The film was directed by Louis Gasnier and starred a cast composed of mostly … Continue reading →

Theater 09/04/08: The Paper Chase

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Does anyone remember this movie ? It was one of my favorites because John Houseman reminded me of so many of the arrogant teachers I had going to school. The Paper Chase is a 1973 film starring Timothy Bottoms, Lindsay Wagner, and John Houseman and directed by James Bridges. Based on John Jay Osborn, Jr.’s 1970 novel, The Paper Chase, the film tells the story of Hart, a first-year law student at Harvard Law School, and his experiences with Professor Charles Kingsfield (played by John … Continue reading →

Cadillac Records

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Cadillac Records is an upcoming biographical film and a musical drama written and directed by film directorDarnell Martin. Exploring the 1950s musical era, the film chronicles the life of the influential Chicago-based record-company executive Leonard Chess, and the singers who recorded for Chess Records. The film stars American actors Adrien Brody as Chess, Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon, Mos Def as Chuck Berry, Columbus Short as Little Walter, Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters, and Beyoncé Knowles as Etta James. The film has been rated … Continue reading →

Poetry Wednesday 12/03/08: Seven Poems by Pablo Neruda

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Left: Mossimo Troisi as Mario Ruoppolo and Phillippe Noiret as Pablo Neruda in the Italian film: Il Postino. Il Postino was an 1994 Italian film that was recommended to me by my sister, Sans Souci. It was originally released in the United States as The Postman, but it was later changed to Il Postino because of the release of Kevin Costner’s film of the same name. The film is a fictional story in which the real life Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda, forms a relationship with … Continue reading →

Poetry Wednesday 05/27/09: Ode on Intimations of Immortality

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They say that no matter how old you get, you never forget your first love. One of my favorite movies growing up was Splendor in the Grass. It was made in 1961. This intriquing play is a tragic, coming-of-age melodrama from Pulizer Prize winning playwright William Inge’s original screenplay. It was Inge’s first story written directly for the screen and he received a nomination (and the film’s sole Oscar) for the best original story and screenplay for his work. The time period for the story … Continue reading →

Movie: Glengarry GlenRoss

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This film has an all-star cast that you don’t see everyday: Al Pacino, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin, Ed harris, Alan Arkin, and Jack Lemmon, create a unique drama that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Glengarry GlenRoss is a 1992 independent film, based on the acclaimed 1984 Pulizer Prize and Tony winning play of the same name by David Mamet, who adapted it into a screenplay for the film. The title refers to Glengarry Highlands and Glenross Farms, two properties represented in … Continue reading →

The Attack of the 50 Foot Woman

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Attack of the 50 Foot Woman is a 1958Americanscience fictionfeature film produced by Bernard Woolner for Allied Artists Pictures. It was directed by Nathan H. Juran (credited as Nathan Hertz) from a screenplay by Mark Hanna, and starred Allison Hayes, William Hudson and Yvette Vickers. The original music score was composed by Ronald Stein. The film was a take on other movies that had also featured size-changing humans, namely The Amazing Colossal Man and The Incredible Shrinking Man, but substituting a woman as the protagonist. … Continue reading →