Knight at HOME at the Movies
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SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Three DVD releases with nothing in common -- except that they're all terrific and worth adding to your collection.
Three DVD releases with nothing in common -- except that they're all terrific and worth adding to your collection.
I liked Nicole Holofcener’s Friends With Money a great deal. With a cast that
featured Catherine Keener, Frances McDormand, and Joan Cusack, what’s not to
like? Add to that a performance by Jennifer Anniston that didn’t drive me crazy,
hunky Scott Caan and a subplot that revolves around the gay/straight sexuality of
one of the leading characters husbands and you have my attention.
Now Sony Pictures has released the DVD of this thoughtful little relationship picture
that really digs into that tricky issue of money and friends – the ones who have it
and the ones who don’t and the mess that it can make. I don’t want to make too
much of a fuss over this movie because it’s not a film that can live up to that kind of
praise (like Capote or Finding Neverland could, for example). But it’s sensational in its
own little way and that’s a remarkable achievement. The disc includes a nice little
making of doc, insightful commentary track from Holofcener and her producer, Los
Angeles premiere footage and a short feature on the film’s wonderful reception at
Sundance (where it was chosen to be the opening night feature). And for the lesbian
gals and straight men, there’s the pleasure of seeing Anniston wearing a French
maid’s uniform! Finally, mention must be made of the soundtrack -- which has
great new songs Rickie Lee Jones wrote for the picture and Craig Richey's score which
percolates along in that ersatz-ironic-Muzak like fashion so popular in film scoring
these days.
It’s generally agreed by film historians that Double Indemnity was the movie that
created what came to be known as film noir. This delicious, dark genre was in turn
inspired by the literature from which it sprang. The greatest practitioner of this was,
in my estimation, James M. Cain. Cain’s little novels (most less than 200 pages)
are the literary equivalent of a slap in the face and are so tersely written that they
seem at times to be devoid of all ornamentation. But Cain’s writing also reveals an
artistry and frankness that is as refreshing today as when his books were first a
sensation, almost 70 years ago. The Postman Always Rings Twice, Mildred Pierce
and Double Indemnity are the best known of his works. But Serenade (which has a
main character trying to forget about the illicit pleasure of a gay affair), Galatea (in
which the main character is reborn when she loses over a hundred pounds), and The
Butterfly (in which incest is a central theme), along with other Cain novels are
definitely worth checking out.
Cain was too hot for the studios until director Billy Wilder decided to attempt the
impossible by bringing the illicit Double Indemnity to the screen in 1944. This is
the first of Wilder’s lasting masterpieces and Universal Studios has just delivered a
welcome Special Edition 2-disc DVD that showcases the picture in all its black and
white glory. The story focuses on an Everyman, an insurance salesman named
Walter Neff (played by Fred MacMurray cast against type) involved with a femme
fatale, Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck in a cheap blonde wig and ankle
bracelet) who wants him to kill her husband for his money. Edward G. Robinson
plays Keyes, the insurance investigator who smells murder when the deed is done.
All three spout the witty, terse dialogue by Wilder and Raymond Chandler and give
Oscar worthy performances. Universal's new transfer of the film is superb and the
extras are a honey. First, there’s “Shadows of Suspense,” an in-depth documentary
on the making of the film that includes an overview of Cain’s writing career and the
film noir genre. Then there are two commentaries by film scholars (my favorite is
the one with Richard Schickel though both are good). On a second disc is the 1973
TV remake of the film which pales, naturally, against the original, but has its merits
(and an interesting side note: Richard Crenna plays Walter Neff the lover who does
the bidding of Samantha Eggar but later played the victim-husband of Kathleen
Turner and her lover, William Hurt in 1981’s Body Heat, Lawrence Kasdan’s obvious
homage to Indemnity). The packaging also resembles a book – a nice nod to Cain.
This is a must have for any classics movie fan.
Finally, after the success of the midnight movie staple The Rocky Horror Picture Show,
Fox ordered up a sequel. Gay writer and musician Richard O’Brien (Riff Raff in
RHPS) whipped up Shock Treatment in 1981, a sorta sequel in which the originals
Brad and Janet were now married though going through, er, rocky shoals. The plot
revolves around the duo becoming unwilling participants in a non-stop television
show involving everyone from their hometown of Dentonvale (actually a madhouse)
while Janet is being pursued by the hospital administrator (Dame Edna – out of
drag). Filled again with O’Brien’s kooky, witty rock songs (though this time with a
new wave influence), the film has the candy colored, neon look and feel of the early
80s MTV music videos and a decided gay sensibility. But though O’Brien and Patricia
“Magenta” Quinn from the original are on hand, Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon
are MIA and replaced by Cliff DeYoung and Jessica Harper who aren’t quite up to the
originals. The film’s finally getting a home entertainment release via a 25th
anniversary disc from Fox. Though the movie has plenty of detractors it also has a
rabid fan base and an interesting backstory – all of which are detailed in the discs
making of documentaries. The film can also be had as part of a new gift pack of
both wacky movies.
featured Catherine Keener, Frances McDormand, and Joan Cusack, what’s not to
like? Add to that a performance by Jennifer Anniston that didn’t drive me crazy,
hunky Scott Caan and a subplot that revolves around the gay/straight sexuality of
one of the leading characters husbands and you have my attention.
Now Sony Pictures has released the DVD of this thoughtful little relationship picture
that really digs into that tricky issue of money and friends – the ones who have it
and the ones who don’t and the mess that it can make. I don’t want to make too
much of a fuss over this movie because it’s not a film that can live up to that kind of
praise (like Capote or Finding Neverland could, for example). But it’s sensational in its
own little way and that’s a remarkable achievement. The disc includes a nice little
making of doc, insightful commentary track from Holofcener and her producer, Los
Angeles premiere footage and a short feature on the film’s wonderful reception at
Sundance (where it was chosen to be the opening night feature). And for the lesbian
gals and straight men, there’s the pleasure of seeing Anniston wearing a French
maid’s uniform! Finally, mention must be made of the soundtrack -- which has
great new songs Rickie Lee Jones wrote for the picture and Craig Richey's score which
percolates along in that ersatz-ironic-Muzak like fashion so popular in film scoring
these days.
It’s generally agreed by film historians that Double Indemnity was the movie that
created what came to be known as film noir. This delicious, dark genre was in turn
inspired by the literature from which it sprang. The greatest practitioner of this was,
in my estimation, James M. Cain. Cain’s little novels (most less than 200 pages)
are the literary equivalent of a slap in the face and are so tersely written that they
seem at times to be devoid of all ornamentation. But Cain’s writing also reveals an
artistry and frankness that is as refreshing today as when his books were first a
sensation, almost 70 years ago. The Postman Always Rings Twice, Mildred Pierce
and Double Indemnity are the best known of his works. But Serenade (which has a
main character trying to forget about the illicit pleasure of a gay affair), Galatea (in
which the main character is reborn when she loses over a hundred pounds), and The
Butterfly (in which incest is a central theme), along with other Cain novels are
definitely worth checking out.
Cain was too hot for the studios until director Billy Wilder decided to attempt the
impossible by bringing the illicit Double Indemnity to the screen in 1944. This is
the first of Wilder’s lasting masterpieces and Universal Studios has just delivered a
welcome Special Edition 2-disc DVD that showcases the picture in all its black and
white glory. The story focuses on an Everyman, an insurance salesman named
Walter Neff (played by Fred MacMurray cast against type) involved with a femme
fatale, Phyllis Dietrichson (Barbara Stanwyck in a cheap blonde wig and ankle
bracelet) who wants him to kill her husband for his money. Edward G. Robinson
plays Keyes, the insurance investigator who smells murder when the deed is done.
All three spout the witty, terse dialogue by Wilder and Raymond Chandler and give
Oscar worthy performances. Universal's new transfer of the film is superb and the
extras are a honey. First, there’s “Shadows of Suspense,” an in-depth documentary
on the making of the film that includes an overview of Cain’s writing career and the
film noir genre. Then there are two commentaries by film scholars (my favorite is
the one with Richard Schickel though both are good). On a second disc is the 1973
TV remake of the film which pales, naturally, against the original, but has its merits
(and an interesting side note: Richard Crenna plays Walter Neff the lover who does
the bidding of Samantha Eggar but later played the victim-husband of Kathleen
Turner and her lover, William Hurt in 1981’s Body Heat, Lawrence Kasdan’s obvious
homage to Indemnity). The packaging also resembles a book – a nice nod to Cain.
This is a must have for any classics movie fan.
Finally, after the success of the midnight movie staple The Rocky Horror Picture Show,
Fox ordered up a sequel. Gay writer and musician Richard O’Brien (Riff Raff in
RHPS) whipped up Shock Treatment in 1981, a sorta sequel in which the originals
Brad and Janet were now married though going through, er, rocky shoals. The plot
revolves around the duo becoming unwilling participants in a non-stop television
show involving everyone from their hometown of Dentonvale (actually a madhouse)
while Janet is being pursued by the hospital administrator (Dame Edna – out of
drag). Filled again with O’Brien’s kooky, witty rock songs (though this time with a
new wave influence), the film has the candy colored, neon look and feel of the early
80s MTV music videos and a decided gay sensibility. But though O’Brien and Patricia
“Magenta” Quinn from the original are on hand, Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon
are MIA and replaced by Cliff DeYoung and Jessica Harper who aren’t quite up to the
originals. The film’s finally getting a home entertainment release via a 25th
anniversary disc from Fox. Though the movie has plenty of detractors it also has a
rabid fan base and an interesting backstory – all of which are detailed in the discs
making of documentaries. The film can also be had as part of a new gift pack of
both wacky movies.
