Monthly Archives: February 2011
Cinematic Pugilism: The Chaplin v. Keaton Debate
“Yeah, but they’re both great, aren’t they?” –Anonymous friend of mine, whom I guess is right. Gary Cooper v. John Wayne. Bette Davis v. Joan Crawford. Robert DeNiro v. Al Pacino. Adam Sandler v. Jim Carrey. Those battles never existed, … Continue reading
Five Film Favorites: Charles Bronson
Hollywood first knew Charles Bronson as Charles Buchinsky. Beginning in 1951, a string of uncredited roles eventually led to memorable turns in a few well known pictures, among them Andre de Toth’s House of Wax (which I’ve had the good … Continue reading
Five Film Favorites: Westerns set in the 20th Century
When I first began writing for the James River Film Journal, the first article I came across was F.T. Rea’s “Five Film Favorites: Westerns.” Rea’s list spanned from Stagecoach (1939) to Unforgiven (1992) and contained films from the ’40s, ’50s, and … Continue reading
Shades Of Grey: In A Lonely Place
I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks when she loved me. Nicholas Ray’s film noir IN A LONELY PLACE has the unique distinction of being less about a murder … Continue reading
What the Oscars Do Well: John Hawkes and Jacki Weaver
Regular readers of this journal will already recognize the futility of railing against the Oscars and how and whom they nominate. The Oscars will not change, nor are they the necessary guideposts that lead us to great cinema and wonderful artistic performances. … Continue reading
This Week’s Birthday: Thelma Ritter
Jorge Luis Borges once wrote that we mistake the peace of the cemetery for death, when “what we long for is sleep and indifference.” This longing, to let go of the world’s troubles and finally taste some of that sweet … Continue reading
Screening Recommendation: The Cove (and the REFF)
I am encouraging everyone to do something that I know I will not (or cannot) do: attend the Richmond Environmental Film Festival‘s (REFF) showing of The Cove (2009) at 5:00 p.m. at the Byrd Theatre. In fact, attend as much … Continue reading
The Devils & the Details
My first good look at what was to become the Biograph Theatre was in July of 1971. Having gotten a tip from a friend that the DeeCee-based owners were considering the hiring of a local manager, I went to the … Continue reading
Five Film Favorites: Foreign Films
As you know from last week, F.T. Rea has handed off his Five Film Favorites column. For the foreseeable future, we’re inviting a different person each week to offer their list of five favorites. The beauty of the Five Film … Continue reading
James River Film Society
James Parrish
F.T. Rea
Ward Howarth
Jacob Dodd
Peter Schilling
Michael Jones
Ted Salins
Todd Hunter Starkweather
anubhavbist
Ann Henderson
Jere Kittle
