Thursday, May 1, 2014
By MICHAEL WALSH
April did not go according to plan. Postings scheduled for April 24 and 26 had to be postponed. One event that Reeling Back really wanted to mention was the April 29 Canadian Film Day celebration. As sports fans are fond of saying, there's always next year . . .
On Sunday (May 4), this little site of mine begins its seventh month in cyberspace. With its tech troubles a thing of the past, it will recall May the Fourth from a long time ago in a galaxy far away.
In the meantime, though, Reeling Back's April features were . . .
LAURENCE KEANE and CHRIS WINDSOR interview — The producer and director of the innovative 1982 cult feature Big Meat Eater discuss independent film making on the eve of their picture's premiere, an event that would change Keane's life. (Posted April 30)
UP 'N' COMING — To mark the anniversary of actress Marilyn Chambers's birth, Reeling Back recalls the 1983 film in which she demonstrated her singing talent. Also offered is the interview that she did with me during her visit to Vancouver to publicize its premiere. (Both posted April 22)
HITLER: THE LAST TEN DAYS — The coincidence of Easter Sunday with the birthday of historical villain Adolf Hitler brought to mind the 1973 film in which actor Alec Guinness channeled the dark side of The Force to play the title role. Also offered is a movie quiz based on the films in which the Fuhrer is the driving force. (Both posted April 20)
HITLER: THE LAST TEN DAYS — The coincidence of Easter Sunday with the birthday of historical villain Adolf Hitler brought to mind the 1973 film in which actor Alec Guinness channeled the dark side of The Force to play the title role. Also offered is a movie quiz based on the films in which the Fuhrer is the driving force. (Both posted April 20)
EARTHQUAKE — One result of the global warming phenomenon is the increase of natural disasters in the news, a reality that makes one nostalgic for the days when you had to go to the movies to experience something like the destruction of Los Angeles. (Posted April 18).
CHAPLIN — On the occasion of the Little Tramp's 125th birthday, Reeling Back recalls the great respect director Richard Attenborough accorded the British-born film pioneer in his 1993 biography, a Chaplin-estate approved telling of the tale that starred a pre-Iron Man Robert Downey, Jr. in the title role. (Posted April 16)
NOT A LOVE STORY: A FILM ABOUT PORNOGRAPHY — Courting controversy, the National Film Board's Studio D produced this less-than-objective 1981 feature documentary, looking at an issue that divides feminists and their sympathizers to this day. (posted April 14)
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY — Yes, the Russians made it into outer space first, but Anglo-American filmmaker Stanley Kubrick won the race for inner space with his 1968 trip to Jupiter under the all-seeing electronic eye of the HAL 9000 computer. (posted April 12)
SAVAGE MESSIAH — The premiere of Vancouver playwright Joan Bryans' Rebel Women, a celebration of the suffragette movement, reminded me of Ken Russell's 1972 feature, and Helen Mirren's portrayal of fictional women's rights protestor Gosh Boyle. (posted April 10)
2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY — Yes, the Russians made it into outer space first, but Anglo-American filmmaker Stanley Kubrick won the race for inner space with his 1968 trip to Jupiter under the all-seeing electronic eye of the HAL 9000 computer. (posted April 12)
SAVAGE MESSIAH — The premiere of Vancouver playwright Joan Bryans' Rebel Women, a celebration of the suffragette movement, reminded me of Ken Russell's 1972 feature, and Helen Mirren's portrayal of fictional women's rights protestor Gosh Boyle. (posted April 10)
APOCALYPSE NOW — Two reviews — a first and second consideration — of one unique motion picture experience, together with my interview with director Francis Ford Coppola the day after the film's New York premiere. (both posted April 7)
INSATIABLE — From 1980, a film that attempted to blend "elegant erotica" with "porno chic," and my interview with actress Marilyn Chambers, in which she discusses working with David Cronenberg on his 1977 feature, Rabid. (both posted April 3)
INSATIABLE — From 1980, a film that attempted to blend "elegant erotica" with "porno chic," and my interview with actress Marilyn Chambers, in which she discusses working with David Cronenberg on his 1977 feature, Rabid. (both posted April 3)
THE AVENGERS — In the search for something to like about Joss Whedon's super-successful superhero movie, I discovered Cobie Smulders, a Vancouver-born actress with a connection to the VCON convention. (posted April 3)
(Working title) STAR TREK — The story of a leaked memo, dated April 1, 1977, that detailed studio plans to explore the final frontier in a movie that would include none of the original television show's cast. (posted April 1)
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