Tag Archives: reviews

Theater Thursday 03/24/08: The Three Faces of Eve 50th Anniversary

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The Three Faces of Eve is a 1957 book and film, loosely based on the true story of a woman (Chris Costner-Sizemore) who had dissociative identity disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder). The film stars Joanne Woodward, David Wayne, Lee J Cobb, Nancy Kulp, and Alistair Cooke. It was filmed at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, Georgia. Eve White is a quiet, self-effacing wife and mother who has headaches and occasional blackouts. Eventually she is sent to see psychiatrist Dr. Luther, and while under hypnosis … Continue reading →

Theater Thursday 03/27/08: Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

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Death of a Salesman is a 1949 play by Arthur Miller and is considered a classic of American theater. Viewed by many as a caustic attack on the American Dream of achieving wealth and success without regard for principle, Death of a Salesman made both Arthur Miller and the character Willy Loman household names. The play raises a counterexample to Aristotle’s characterization of tragedy as the downfall of a great man, whether through (depending on the translator) a flaw in his character or a mistake … Continue reading →

Theater Thursday: Broadcast News (1987)

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The film revolves around three characters who work in television news. Jane Craig (Holly Hunter) is a talented producer who tries to conceal how important it is for her to be found sexually attractive by a handsome man (William Hurt) who epitomizes everything about television news that appalls her. Jane’s best friend and frequent collaborator, Aaron Altman (Albert Brooks), is a gifted writer and reporter ambitious for on-camera exposure, who is secretly in love with Jane, and embittered by her rejection of him. Tom Grunick … Continue reading →

Theater Thursday 07/10/08: Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner ?

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Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner , directed by Stanley Kramer, is a 1967 comedy-drama film starring Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier, Katharine Hepburn, and Katherine Houghton. The movie concerns Joanna “Joey” Drayton, a young white American woman (Houghton) who has had a whirlwind romance with Dr. Prentice (Poitier), an African American man she met while on a holiday in Hawaii. Prentice plans to fly to New York later that night then on to an assignment in Switzerland. Joanna plans to join him there, soon to be … Continue reading →

Theater Thursday: Children of a Lesser God

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Children of a Lesser God is a love story about a speech teacher who falls for a beautiful yet distant deaf girl in a small New England school for the deaf, and the obstacles that they face due to their differences. William Hurt plays James Leeds, a renegade teacher with an unconventional approach to education and a resume that includes stints as a bartender and a disk jockey. Upon his arrival, he is warned by school administrator Dr. Franklin Philip Bosco not to get creative … Continue reading →

Theater Thursday: Philadelphia

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Philadelphia is an Academy Award-winning 1993 drama film revolving around HIV/AIDS. It was written by Ron Nyswaner and directed by Jonathan Demme. The film stars Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Joanne Woodward, Jason Robards, Antonio Banderas, Lisa Summerour, Chandra Wilson, and Mary Steenburgen. It was partly inspired by the story of Geoffrey Bowers, an attorney who in 1987 sued the law firm Baker & McKenzie for unfair dismissal in one of the first AIDS discrimination cases. Andrew Beckett is a young up-and-coming lawyer who has just … Continue reading →

Theater Thursday: 2001: A Space Odyssey

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The Dawn of Man At the dawn of man, a primitive tribe lives by hunting and gathering in a desert. The tribe discovers a black monolith, which they approach and examine. The implication is that the monolith is of extraterrestrial origin, and it imparts the knowledge of tools on members of the tribe. After the discovery, one of the tribe members scavenges a bone from a pile and uses it as a club, discovering the first tool. After the discovery, one of the tribe members … Continue reading →

Theater Thursday 08/14/08: Rebel Without a Cause

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One of my favorite films growing up was the classic, “Rebel Without a Cause”. James Dean was awesome, but there was always something wonderfully haunting about Natalie Wood. She was made for this film. As a matter of fact, she was made for any film she was in. The story goes like this: Rebel Without a Cause (1955) is a film directed by Nicholas Ray that tells the story of a rebellious teeager played by James Dean, who comes to a new town, meets a … Continue reading →

Theater Thursday: A Town Without Pity (1961)

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This movie was the most controversial and intense courtroom drama in the history of cinematography. This movie was originally a story written by Manfred Gregor, and it was made into a film in 1961. It was filmed in black and white. The story takes place in postwar Germany in the village of Neustadt. The story goes like this: A group of four drunken American soldiers that are stationed in this town come upon a teenage girl, Karin Steinhof in the woods outside of town. She … Continue reading →

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams

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A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) is a subversive, steamy film classic that was adapted from Tennessee Williams’ 1947 Pulitzer Prize-winning play (his first) of the same name. [Early working titles for the play included The Moth, Blanche’s Chair on the Moon, and The Poker Night.] Playwright Williams adapted his own play for the screen version. This film masterpiece was directed by independent director Elia Kazan (his first piece of work with Williams), a socially-conscious director who insisted that the film be true to the play … Continue reading →