Thursday, August 11, 2011 3:00PM - By Damon Houx
Racism is still a hot button issue in America, and though the civil rights movement was a previous generation’s struggle, it’s hard to address those issues cinematically and still make an entertaining film. 2011′s The Help comes at a time when issue pictures are out of fashion, and so it seems slightly fresher than it might have had it come out in any other decade. And yet, it’s the same sort of empowerment movie as we’ve seen before. The bottom line is that the film is fun and has good performances from performers like Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Bryce Dallas Howard. But as a commentary on the issues of race in America, it’s decidedly lacking. Check out our review…
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Monday, August 8, 2011 3:37PM - By Damon Houx
Tate Taylor’s The Help offers a number of great roles for women, which is somewhat rare, and a number for older actress, which is rarer these days. Allison Janney and Sissy Spacek play the mothers of the two leads, and the two got on immediately, both while making the film (they don’t have any scenes together, though) and in our interview, where the two often overlapped and played off each other. It was a fun interview. Check it out…
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Monday, May 16, 2011 7:08PM - By Damon Houx
With the upcoming release of Tree of Life, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art is having a Terrence Malick retrospective. We’ve been attending, and up until the release of Tree of Life (review on May 26), we’ll be reviewing and talking about his movies, with comments from contributors who were at the LACMA screenings. Sissy Spacek was there for Badlands, and she noted that her casting was simple: “I met Terrence Malick, and shortly thereafter I was buying a baton.”
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Monday, March 22, 2010 6:50PM - By Krystal Clark
Oscar winner Sissy Spacek has been bitten by the television bug and taken a role as the lead character in a new CBS drama. According to THR, the actress will star in a medical based show that will be produced by John Wells and Warner Bros. This will mark her first TV gig as a series regular.
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Thursday, October 23, 2008 9:00AM - By Tom von Logue Newth
- Fri 24 at 7.30: The Leopard (1963)
Sumptuous decadence, decomposing aristocracy and emotional bankruptcy as only Marxist nobleman Luchino Visconti can conjure. The source novel is a sweeping encompassment of modern Italian history but despite the lavishness of presentation and setting, Burt Lancaster (an unlikely but, as it turns out, perfect choice) matters remain focused on a personal level. Burt Lancaster seems unlikely casting but is magnificently imperious. Cold of heart yet lovely and sad, and virtually not worth watching unless on a big screen, so don’t miss the chance.
- Sat 25 at 7.30: West Side Story (1961) in 70mm!
West Side Story is worth watching any time, but a 70mm opportunity is a rare treat to see those wonderful dances and colours in their most magnificent form. On the face of it, a strange movie, but the stylisation of story, form and decor are gloriously cohesive, with just enough trace of reality to imply violence, emotional and physical. Plus the songs are super!
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