Strangers on a Train: RIP Farley Granger

Farley Granger (1925-2011)

Sixty years ago, Farley Granger blessed us with what is probably his most famous and memorable role, that of the innocent stranger to Robert Walker's psychotic stranger who met each other on a train in Alfred Hitchcock's 1951 thriller   aptly titled   Strangers on a Train.  Though one must admit, Walker walks away with the film, Granger nevertheless mastered the stoic hero role with grace and precision.  It's the sort of invisible role which Christian Bale praised Mark Walhberg for doing in The Fighter, and that Bale himself has done numerous times.  In Hollywood, unfortunately, such strong roles aren't given much praise, but Granger never seemed to bore of them.

Granger with the
Master of Suspense

It's certainly sad when a celebrity dies, sadder more when most general film-goers don't know the name.  But I find whenever a star like Granger passes, it reminds me how much quality work they've done, and I inevitably begin returning to their work and discovering hidden gems.  I can only hope I get the opportunity to do this with Granger (I've embarrassingly never seen the likes of Rope or Senso, but now they've turned into priorities).

If anything, maybe Granger's passing will get people to discover his work, and especially Strangers on a Train, which is far and away one of Hitchcock's most underrated works (sure, people recognize it, but sadly not on the level of Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window, Rebecca, or North by Northwest).  It's a brilliant film, his most suspenseful and complete with a circus-inspired climax only rivaled in the Hitchcock cannon to Vera Miles de-wigging a rotting corpse.



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Couch Time with Sheldon

It's ironic really. At least I think it is. I'm not always so sure about that though so how about you tell me? Yesterday, when I was supposed to be posting the COUCH TIME WITH SHELDON feature on its regularly scheduled day, I spent most of the day on the couch with a bad headache. Hence the reason I'm a day late. I'm pretty sure that counts as irony.

Instead of focusing on some of the big blu-ray title announcements this week, I want to highlight something altogether different instead. Barnes & Noble, an American retailer that focuses mostly on books, is having a sale. This isn't just any sale though. This is 50% off Criterion sale. Criterion, in case you don't already know, is committed to restoring and honouring some of the greatest films of all time for our consumption. They are also infamous for being a little pricey. Now you can get great titles like HUNGER and the just released THE DARJEELING LIMITED for 20 bucks! (Click either film title for the full Black Sheep review.) Titles are available in both DVD and BD format and the sale runs until November 21. Click here for more details.

And now let's take a look at what Sheldon watched in the last week ...

PSYCHO

It may seem simplistic to suggest that Alfred Hitchcock's PSYCHO is one of the greatest films of all time but it really is. 50 years after its initial release, this masterpiece is sure to captivate even modern audiences. There is something inherently addictive about PSYCHO for me. I've seen the film four or five times now and I can never take my eyes off the screen. The twisted Joseph Stefano screenplay, the all new remastered Bernard Hermann score and the constantly captivating camera work transcend time. Sure, it isn't as shocking to see a toilet on screen as it would have been in 1960 but when the action is this engaging, who cares. PSYCHO, released through Universal Pictures, is simply a must see for anyone who wants to call themselves even a loose fan of narrative filmmaking.

WINTER'S BONE

This 2010 title is no Hitchcock but I assure you that the plight suffered by WINTER'S BONE heroine, 17-year-old, Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence), is no less captivating than what Vivian Leigh goes through in the Bates Motel. Ozark Moutain resident, Ree has a few days to find her deadbeat, crackhead dad and make sure he shows up for his court date. If she fails, she loses her family home, which essentially amounts to everything for her. At 17, she takes care of everything but herself - from her two younger siblings to her mentally unfit mother. Lawrence is absolutely brilliant in this Debra Granik film. It is a competitive year for lead actresses but Lawrence deserves to hear her name amongst the nominees come awards season. WINTER'S BONE itself, from Maple Pictures, is so compelling and engaging that it too deserves its place on many year end lists. Do not miss this original, harrowing thriller. Click here for the full Black Sheep review.

ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST

Sometimes I don't understand how I manage to go so long without seeing certain titles. I knew after about five minutes of this Milos Forman Best Picture winner that I was going to love it. Sometimes you can just tell. Jack Nicholson is R. P. McMurphy, a criminal who has been sent to a mental institution for observation. The question at hand is whether he is crazy and should be institutionalized or whether his defiant behaviour is just a way to get out of his work duty sentence. The question then becomes, as McMurphy shakes up the daily operations of this facility and all who inhabit it, what is crazy really? The tete-a-tete between McMurphy and head nurse, Nurse Ratched (Louise Fletcher), is what takes this film from an insightful look at the definition of insane to the brilliant mind game it is. Warner Brothers has just released an amazing collector's edition that comes with a commemorative book and playing cards with Nicholson's face on them.

PREDATORS

I would ordinarily never see this film but my friend, Naqeeb, was coming over to watch a movie and he and I have distinctly different tastes in film. He thinks BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN is unwatchable and I've seen in six times. Somehow, we both loved this sci-fi franchise thriller, from director, Nimrod Antal. A bunch of seemingly unrelated individuals are dropped in the middle of a jungle without any knowledge as to how they got there. From there, it is as much a mystery to us as it is to them as to how to get out of their predicament. I didn't fully buy Adrian Brody as an action hero and I wasn't entirely certain whether Lawrence Fishburn was acting crazy or just drunk but ultimately, I was fully into this thriller. Thanks to the folks at 20th Century Fox for sending over this screener. I may never have seen it otherwise.

The holidays are coming so plenty of high profile titles will be coming your way on Blu-ray in the weeks to come. This week sees the biggest hit of 2010 hit shelves, TOY STORY 3. The Pixar hit is the biggest animated movie of all time and with good reason. Click here for the Black Sheep review ... In other Tom Hanks news, his collaboration with Steven Spielberg, HBO miniseries, THE PACIFIC, is now available to own from Warner Brothers. WB also puts out the 25th anniversary edition of THE GOONIES, for the first time on BD. Also making its first appearance on BD is the 45th anniversary edition of THE SOUND OF MUSIC, from 20th Century Fox. The hills are alive with the sound of movies apparently.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you next week on the couch.

Source: blu-ray.com

Favorite Films, Part VII

Part seven of my 100 favorite films in chronological order. We’ll go up to 1960 with this group.

“The Ten Commandments” (1956). I love Cecil B. DeMille epics and this is DeMille at his best. Sure it’s as corny and kitschy as all get out, but it sure is fun to watch and even at four hours, it’s never, ever boring. I actually prefer the early scenes and its evocative images of Ancient Egypt at its most lavish. Charlton Heston takes Moses, pretty much an unplayable role, and infuses it with his special brand of charisma. (But why does Moses have to be so dour in the second half, I always wondered.) The film also contains one of my favorite dialogue exchanges ever, after Baka, Master Builder (Vincent Price) is scolded by Prince Moses for allowing an old woman (who turns out to be Moses’ birth mother) to almost be buried in a tomb. Baka tells Moses he can’t stop the work to save the life of one slave woman. Moses asks him: “Are you a master butcher or a master builder?” Oddly, the special effects used in the parting of the Red Sea are more convincing in DeMille’s 1923 silent version than here.

“Peyton Place” (1957). Soap opera on a grand scale. Lots of subplots centered around a young, exceptionally bright girl Allison MacKenzie (Diane Varsi) struggling to come to terms with herself and her life at the start of World War II. There’s her uptight mother (Lana Turner) who has a few secrets she’s desperate to keep her daughter from learning; Allison’s best friend Selena (Hope Lange), the protector of her home from a sleazy stepdad (Arthur Kennedy); shy boy Norman Page (Russ Tamblyn) stifled by an overprotective mother; flirty Betty Anderson (Terry Moore) from the wrong side of the tracks, in love with Rodney Harrington (Barry Coe), from the richest family in town; and Dr. Swain (Lloyd Nolan), the decent town’s physician who knows where all the bodies are buried. Peyton Place represents every town, big or small. This holds up very well today and is a favorite among some friends of mine who normally wouldn’t be caught watching anything from earlier decades. The New England locales are gorgeous, as is the Franz Waxman score. Lana Turner leads a very strong cast, with special kudos to Arthur Kennedy and the great Lloyd Nolan.

“12 Angry Men” (1957). Twelve jurors argue the fate of a young man accused of murder, with seemingly all the evidence weighted against him. Based on Reginald Rose’s TV drama, this takes place in one setting, a cramped, hot, sweaty juror’s room, and each actor is given a moment to shine. Henry Fonda excels as the initial lone hold out. He’s not convinced of the boy’s guilt, as much as he wants to at least talk it through. Magnificent performances all around. Sidney Lumet is not one of my favorite directors, but he’s masterful here, making us forget we’re stuck in one room for the movie’s duration.

“Horror of Dracula” (1958). It’s Hammer Time! Probably my favorite vampire film and Hammer’s finest hour. Ideal casting of Christopher Lee as Dracula and Peter Cushing as his nemesis Van Helsing and taut direction by Terence Fisher means there’s nary a wasted frame. After two decades of relatively toothless vampire action, the shocking scenes here of gushing blood in the best British Technicolor fashion re-wrote the horror genre forever. Cushing and Lee co-starred in well over a dozen films together, usually as adversaries though they were very close in real life. Would young audiences today consider seeing a horror movie with middle-aged leads? Probably not. Their loss.

“Ben-Hur” (1959). It’s rather fashionable to look down on this today, but this remains superior entertainment. One of the greatest spectacles ever made, with a very literate script. The 1925 silent version is good, and the sea battle is superior there, but strikes me as more a “Classics Illustrated” version of the famous book. This version exhibits much more character development and motivation. Charlton Heston well deserved his Best Actor Oscar here; a strong physical presence is needed to anchor these mammoth productions and Heston fit the bill perfectly. Director William Wyler wanted the challenge of never repeating himself, and wanted to tackle a huge epic. No one has done it better before or since. The landmark Miklos Rozsa score is beyond sublime, one of the great symphonic achievements of the 20th century.

“North by Northwest” (1959). It’s on TCM seemingly every month, but that’s OK, because it’s one of the most entertaining movies ever made. Loaded with equal parts wit and excitement, it’s probably my favorite Hitchcock movie of the 1950s, arguably his peak decade. Business executive Cary Grant finds himself mistaken for a spy and gets caught in a whirlwind of international intrigue. It starts in New York City and ends with that memorable chase sequence at Mt. Rushmore, with stops in between in Chicago and a certain crossroads in the middle of an Indiana cornfield.

"Inherit the Wind” (1960). A stunning (albeit fictional) dramatization of the famous Scopes trial, with the idea of teaching evolution put on trial. I would love to say this movie is dated, but unfortunately it’s just as relevant today as when it was made. Powerhouse performances by Spencer Tracy and Fredric March in the faux Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan roles, and when these two clash in the courtroom time seems to stand still.

“Psycho” (1960). The first time I saw this was in high school on a Saturday night on WGN. It was the night of the Turnabout dance (aka Sadie Hawkins) and being somewhat of an uber nerd, I stayed home that night. The following Monday morning I talked to a tableful of guys who also had not gone to Turnabout and it turns out they also watched “Psycho” that night. Talk about a communal viewing experience! (Much more common in those pre-cable days of only five or six television channels). Kinda reminds me of Valentine’s Day 1994. I had nothing to do that night so I went to the gloriously seedy Villa Park Theater to see “Death Wish V.” There were about a dozen people there, all guys, all by themselves.

“School for Scoundrels” (1960). An underrated and unknown British comedy gem. Mild mannered Ian Carmichael is tired of being walked on in life, with the final straw being a supremely obnoxious Terry-Thomas waltzing off with his girlfriend. He enlists in the title institution (run by Alastair Sim), to learn the art of one upmanship and turn the tables on Thomas. There’s a car that a couple of huckster salesmen sell Carmichael that is the damndest thing you’ve ever seen. I could never bring myself to see the Billy Bob Thornton remake.

“Sink the Bismarck!” (1960). Another British film, and a great favorite of a generation of boys who caught it every year on Sunday afternoons on Family Classics during the 1970s. A look at the British operation to find and destroy the massive, supposedly unsinkable German battleship at the beginning of World War II. There’s something very intimate about black and white Cinemascope productions that really reach out and bring you into the story. Good acting here, with a strong cast led by Kenneth More, Dana Wynter and Geoffrey Keen. The model work is amazing in this, courtesy of Howard Lydecker, responsible for all those great miniatures in the Republic serials of the 1930s and 1940s.

Top Ranked Horror Films on the Net

Top ranked horror films from our internet survey, listed from over 1280 film, 43 horror films were mentioned, with 35 making the top 1000. This is probably my least favorite genre, as its like cooking hamburgers, there's only so many ways to kill people, and the best of these go beyond that. Unfortunately directors and filmgoers do NOT, preferring the simple slasher films over anything creative.