Saturday, March 22, 2014
By MICHAEL WALSH
STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER — Marking Canadian acting icon William Shatner's 83rd birthday, Reeling Back recalls his feature film directorial debut, and adds a 1973 interview with him in Vancouver. (both posted March 22)
SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT - PART 3 — A celebration of the sidekick, the third (and last) Smokey and the Bandit feature reunited most of the cast in a movie that starred Jerry Reed, elevating his Snowman character to full Bandit status.(posted March 20)
TOMMY — Recognizing the rock opera as a revolutionary opportunity, director Ken Russell turned The Who's concept album into a 1975 movie that reinvented the idea of the screen musical.(posted March 18)
STATE OF SIEGE — As protests continue on the streets of Venezuela, director Costa-Gavras's 1972 thriller reminds us that the U.S. has a history of meddling in Latin American affairs. (posted March 8)
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THE COMMITMENTS — In adapting the first of Roddy Doyle's Barrytown novel's, director Alan Parker introduced "Dublin soul" to the musical playlist appropriate for a St. Patrick's Day celebration. (posted March 16)
THE PLAYER — Director Robert Altman's 1992 satire is a movie about movie-making that opens with an eight minute homage to Orson Welles and the cinema's most famous long take. (posted March 14)
THE NOTORIOUS BETTIE PAGE — Director Mary Harron's 2006 interpretive biography of the most influential photographers' model of the 1950s is the subject of a newly written review, exclusive to the Reeling Back website. (posted March 12)
THE ROCKETEER — Created by comics artist Dave Stevens as a tribute to the great pulp fiction heroes, an all-American icon came alive in director Joe Johnston's 1991 fantasy feature. (posted March 10)
STATE OF SIEGE — As protests continue on the streets of Venezuela, director Costa-Gavras's 1972 thriller reminds us that the U.S. has a history of meddling in Latin American affairs. (posted March 8)
REDS — With Ukraine in the news, we recall director Warren Beatty's 1981 epic telling the story of John Reed, an American reporter who covered the Russian Revolution. (posted March 6)
HERO — On the 40th anniversary of People Magazine, director Steven Frears' 1992 feature has much to tell us about the workings of celebrity culture. (posted March 4)
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