Cinematic Panic

Feb

2024

Book Review: “Hollywood: The Oral History” by Jeanine Basinger and Sam Wasson

In my January 2024 recap post, I wrote a paragraph about the book “Hollywood: The Oral History” written by Jeanine Basinger and Sam Wasson. A few weeks after finishing reading it, I wanted to expand a bit on what I already said.

The title is quite ambitious. “The” oral history of Hollywood. The book doesn’t live up to that as it should have been the first volume of, at least, a three-volume collection. However, I’ve already read multiple books about the beginnings of the industry and this one had some unique views to add to the common takes on the subjects.

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Feb

2024

Discovering Cary Grant: 10+ Movies To Watch

First stop on our road to the stars with the one and only Cary Grant. If you don’t know what that series of articles is about, it’s me searching for what are the movies I am supposed to watch starring specific movie stars. The goal is to help me find which movies I have to discover yet and share all of this with other movie lovers.

To begin with Cary Grant, here is a short introduction. Born Archibald Alexander Leach on January 18, 1904, Grant was an English-American actor known for his debonair charm, timeless elegance, and versatile performances. He began his movie career in Hollywood in the 1930s and quickly rose to stardom.

His on-screen persona often embodied sophistication and wit, making him a popular leading man in romantic comedies–but he also did action-adventure films, thrillers, and drama. Grant received two Academy Award nominations during his successful career spanning decades with over 70 films and was honored with an Honorary Oscar in 1970 for his outstanding contributions to the film industry. He passed away on November 29, 1986.

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Feb

2024

The Road to the Stars starts here

Recently, I watched All About Eve (1950) and loved it. Why didn’t I watch it sooner? Probably because there are so many movies to watch, many are just waiting to be selected. The thing is, how do I select the movies I watch?

I’m working on building for myself a solid film culture. I have been at it for a long time, but I never did it thoroughly. I’m always distracted. I want to watch a movie but it is just one more added to the pile. Recently, I destroyed the pile. I’m starting over in a way, and I finally choose how I’m going to go at it. The bonus point of this idea is that I finally know what to do with my blog, as all the great ideas I had never took form.

I’m launching a new series of articles titled “The Road to the Stars” (obviously, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and Dorothy Lamour will be part of it at some point). Each article will focus on one movie star. The idea is to list their more famous movies, the ones you are supposed to watch as a curious movie buff searching to know his classics.

The goal is for me to do a little bit of research and find my blindspots to fill them. This will provide me with a roadmap in a way, and maybe others will find it useful. I’m going with movie stars, but I’ll probably also launch another series of articles soon to focus on directors. Naturally, there will be crossovers between the lists, but that’s part of the fun.

I intend to build the articles in a way that will allow me to go beyond the primary list because even if I want to watch those classics, I also like to look beyond. Anyway, I’ll make sure to update those articles if I find some less-known movies that I think deserve to be seen.

I could use Letterboxd to do that, you may argue, but I’m not always satisfied with the way they organize their data. Take Robert Redford. You click on his actor pages and the first movie listed is Avengers Endgame, then Captain America: The Winter Soldier. You decide to sort by “Average Rating” and they still are in the top 10, with a Jane Fonda doc and La Classe américaine. No disrespect to all these movies, but I’ll never watch them for Robert Redford. The system works better than IMDB though.

Anyway, we are starting with Cary Grant, and we will see how all of this takes form in the coming weeks and months (and years).

Feb

2024

Alfred Hitchcock wrote kid detectives books (but not really)

I’m in my forties now and, lately, I’m going through some kind of cultural drought in the sense that I have the feeling that I have a hard time being excited by new movies, books, or TV shows. This led me to think that I’m probably touching the end of the first half of my life (who knows really?) and it may be good to take a look back at what constitutes what I’m calling my personal cultural canon–those works of art that were important to me during all those past decades and became somewhat part of my identity. I’m not sure where this exploration of the past will lead me, but I think I will chronicle part of it here and I hope it will reignite some enthusiasm in me.

A few months back, I found two books of the “Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators” series in a free library. Growing up, I used to read those stories again and again. It was what I had in my tiny personal library–that, and my comics collection, but we’ll talk about Tintin and Asterix another time.

So, I reread those two books. They were quick reads, which doesn’t surprise me as I’m a much faster reader now. I remember devouring them as a child and I must admit that they are still quite fun and well-crafted.

From what I gathered, the Three Investigators books were published from the mid-sixties throughout the last half of the 1980s. Even if I thought that Hitchcock Himself wrote them, it was not the case (he still appeared in the books). The first author was Robert Arthur Jr., other took over after as there are more than forty books (only 37 were published where I lived). Hitchcock’s name was still on the cover.

Anyhow, the books focused on Jupiter “Jupe” Jones, Pete Crenshaw, and Bob Andrews, three young friends and junior detectives living in Rocky Beach, a fictional coastal town between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. They operated from their headquarters described as being in an old house trailer hidden among piles of junk at the edge of the Jones’ scrapyard. To go in, they had to use secret roads.

When they finished with the chores at the scrapyard, they investigated pretty captivating mysteries, complex cases that sometimes flirted with the supernatural (but were not) like haunted houses, but some were also missing person cases, mummy mysteries, scientific conundrums, a bit of spying, and–with Hitchcock in the mix–a few movie business-related investigations. The dangers were real though, and the fact that they were kids didn’t help them when faced with adult criminals, for sure.

What surprised me the most when I revisited the Three Investigators was how not childish the stories were. I expected them to be a bit ridiculous and immature, but they were serious mysteries. Yes, the main protagonists are kids and the prose is not too elaborate, but they are not dumbed-down plotlines full of goofy characters. The suspense worked pretty well, the plot twists could be quite dark, and there are enough adult characters to make the world of Rocky Beach feel authentic.

I can’t judge beyond the two books I reread. They were entertaining, but I’m not in the attended demographic anymore, and this has been the case for a long time. Nevertheless, I don’t have to feel ashamed to say that I grew up reading them. They certainly helped shape my taste for strange mysteries and adventures in a good way.

At the end of the day, I certainly put Alfred Hitchcock and his Three Investigators in my personal cultural canon. If you’re searching for some good reading for your kids (I’d say middle grade), I can only recommend it.

Feb

2024

My January 2024 Recap. What did I Watch and Read?

This January, I started to write again on my Letterboxd account. As a result, doing this blog post felt a bit redundant. I think I’ll not doing it again soon. I may write about my readings from time to time to cover that part. Also, I don’t watch a lot of TV, so if there is something of note that happens in that domain, I’ll also write about it.

Ringu. The original 1998 J-Horror classic was a bit scary back then, but I didn’t rewatch it until the opening of this new year and it was still a fine movie, but not that scary. It’s a good supernatural thriller.

The Spirit by Darwyn Cooke. I’m a big fan of Darwyn Cooke’s comics (RIP) but I totally skipped the fact that he did a short run on a revival of the Spirit.

I fixed that and was happy to read those fun stories full of action, mysteries, humor, and drama. And obviously, I spent a lot of time just looking at the art, because it’s always that gorgeous.

All About Eve. Some movies are classics and, when you watch them, you immediately understand why. This is one of them, of course. One that I probably should have watched earlier, but I’m still alive, I have time to watch a lot of those classics, I hope.

Anyway. Great movie, a great Bette Davis performance, great dialogs, and great directing. You know, it’s great.

Can You Ever Forgive Me? A rewatch of this almost unusual Melissa McCarthy vehicle, a movie that makes you feel sad and alive about small people who just wanted to feel seen. I understand Lee Israel more than I should probably admit publicly, that’s maybe why I connected with her story.

Letterkenny Season 12. The show probably should have ended a few seasons ago, it seems that it was just a tired formula on autopilot. But for the last one, they went back to try things and introduced a little theme and a recurring subplot.

Even on the technical part, it was almost a renaissance. Also, there were some really hilarious moments. A good way to say goodbye. Yes, a nice ending. Happy to have watched it.

Hellboy. The 2019 live-action movie adaptation is a mess. There were a lot of references for the readers, but that was not enough to save the over-bloated script, the odd writing choices with the characters, the flat direction, and the bad CGIs. David Harbour was good though.

From All Mankind Season 4. Nowadays, TV seasons are short, 10 episodes here, but it still takes 5 of them to set up the story properly.

By the end, there were some good ideas, but it was not that captivating–and too many characters were underdeveloped. For a show that was at one time quite thrilling, it felt a bit mundane.

Sabrina. The 1954 Billy Wilder version is a good-looking movie with a great cast full of charm and wit. Another classic.

The Old Man & the Gun. Strange for a movie about a bank robber to be this feel-good, but it’s mostly about Robert Redford being happy by doing what he loves most in life.

It makes you think about your own life and, yes, Robert is probably living it to the fullest, unlike me. Those charming criminals!

The Thing. This is my favorite movie, so I rewatched it once again. Still a perfect movie.

Hollywood: An Oral History by Jeanine Basinger and Sam Wasson. It’s a big volume, a nice, heavy 750-page hardcover, the kind you need to sit comfortably to read. Two-thirds of it is dedicated to the studio era of Hollywood, from silent movies to the New Hollywood.

It’s not about the movies, but about how they are made. I find some parts fascinating, others not so much. But if you want to know how those big studios worked, from the establishment of the system to the impact of CGIs on the industry, this book is for you.

I thought it was going to be more about the movies, that I’ll maybe be tempted to watch some I never heard about, but that’s not the case. The goal was clearly to establish some truths about this business, how those classics were made, and why, but also what changed and how we ended up where we are right now.

It was a big read to start the year, not a bad one, but it took me more time to go through it than I’d thought. No regret though. Time well spent.

The Killing. Stanley Kubrick’s 1956 noir is an entertaining movie with a well-executed concept, but not much of a story. The non-linear narrative is what makes it stand apart. Good enough.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The 2011 movie adaptation. I wanted to rewatch this one for a long time and was not disappointed by this second viewing. It’s subtle, beautiful, and intelligent. A great spy film that treats you as an adult with a few brain cells.

Charade. Another rewatch. This time, it’s the classic spy/rom-com with Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn. It’s fun, tense, and charming. An extremely good time at the movies! (well, in my living room, but who cares?).

Walt Disney’s Uncle Scrooge “Trick or Treat.” Carl Barks was apparently censured by his editors, but this led him to produce more work (unpaid!). The bright side is more Halloween fun for us.

This book also delivers some Easter fun, a bit of Christmas, and a Thanksgiving tale. Also, a bit of Scrooge being Scrooge, and a few more stories. A particularly amusing book.

And Then There Were None. The 1945 movie version of Agatha Christie’s classic story is like the book, but different. The end is a bit different and the whole vibe is globally lighter. It’s fun to watch in fact.

The Beekeeper. An always fun Jason Statham doing his thing, but The Beekeeper is only watchable for the moments where he kicks ass. The rest of the movie is stupidly dull and the direction is sometimes strangely amateurish.

Jan

2024

My December 2023 Recap. What did I Watch and Read?

I “relaunched” the blog a few months ago and didn’t post anything. With the new year, I decided to change that. I wanted to find a good editorial line to follow, but I failed to think of something interesting (and lacked the time to try anything). I stopped blogging years ago, so returning to a functioning routine may take some time. Anyway, for now, I will post at least a monthly recap of what I watched and read.

Let’s begin with the end of the year. Sadly, I didn’t take any notes, so I’m certainly forgetting many things.

The Gentlemen. Felt like Guy Ritchie wanted to remake The Long Good Friday. It’s quite fun, but the potential for something a bit more ambitious is hard to miss. B

Oppenheimer. I didn’t like that much what Nolan did in recent years, so I went in with not a lot of expectations. As a result, it was a good surprise. The movie is a bit too loud and the editing is not always satisfying–some part looks too much like montages for my taste–but it was an interesting movie. B+

Remote Control. A 1988 sci-fi movie about Kevin Dillon working for a Video rental shop who just got a VHS of a schlocky 50s sci-fi movie that pushes people to murder. It mixes homage to the 50s with 80s silliness (and a lot of fun costumes). I wanted to rewatch it for some time for some reason. So I did it and was not disappointed. Not a highlight of its era, but an entertaining little movie. B-

Mr. Monk’s Last Case: A Monk Movie. I used to watch Monk back in the day and this movie proved that Tony Shalhoub is still the best. Nice to see most of the cast come back, but it’s Monk’s show and Shalhoub delivers the laughs and the tears (with the help of the great Héctor Elizondo). Made me feel nostalgic. B+

The Holdovers. It’s partly a Christmas movie, but it’s also more than that. This story is about three lonely people forced to be with each other during the Holidays is a touching look at how you can get stuck in life. I like that it’s sad, funny, and honest. A

Violent Night. David Harbour is the John McLane of the Santa Clauses in this fun but mostly forgettable action Christmas movie that has the good idea of not taking itself seriously. C+

Walt Disney’s Uncle Scrooge “Only A Poor Old Man.” I love this Fantagraphics collection. Those Carl Barks stories didn’t age, they are fun, full of great ideas, with a lot of humor. This volume is the first dedicated to Uncle Scrooge’s adventures and didn’t disappoint. It was even more epic than I thought it would be. A+

The Empty Man. This 2020 dark fantastic thriller is becoming a new cult classic from what I understand. It’s solid, ambitious, and disturbing, and James Badge Dale is great in it, but it went hard with its cosmic horror angle to the point of losing me before the last act. It may require another watch. B-

Top Secret! It’s a ZAZ movie, so it’s full of nonsense and it made me laugh even more than the last time I watched it. Val Kilmer is a great comedic actor and this crazy war movie is a non-stop gag machine. A

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. I heard it was a really entertaining movie. It was. But it was also a bit thin on a lot of things. A good fun for the family. B-

Stir of Echoes. A supernatural horror movie from 1999 in which Kevin Bacon starts to see the ghost of teenage Jennifer Morrison and his life becomes agitated, to say the least. It’s part murder mystery, part family drama with a touch of fantastic. A bit predictable, but still enjoyable. B-

What We Do In The Shadows Season 5. I almost totally stopped watching TV shows this year, but I’m starting to catch up on what I missed. WWDITS is one of my favorite comedies, but this season started without a lot to offer. I even checked out to see if this was a new writing team. The second half of the season was much better, but overall it was not on par with what the show used to offer. They put Guillermo in a difficult decision because they clearly didn’t have any desire to change him in the first place and the overall story suffers from that. Matt Berry is still the MVP. C+

Time Bomb Y2K. This HBO doc felt like a good way to end the year, a look back at the Y2K craziness. It brings back some memories, but it’s a montage of all interviews and reports of the time. It’s a bit dry. I was hoping for something a bit more reflective with people looking back at what happened and what didn’t happen. C+

The Net. Watching that HBO doc made me want to rewatch The Net, the techno-thriller with Sandra Bullock from 1995 in which she works as a programmer who stumbled on a conspiracy and runs for her life. It’s a bit silly at times, but I always found it quite enjoyable and I like to rewatch it (ah, nostalgia). It’s still a lot of fun. B

Jun

2023

What is a Gremlin? Roald Dahl’s The Origin of Monsters to Joe Dante’s film

Gremlins is a film that could be a time capsule, yet it passes the years with very few wrinkles. On the other hand, as viewers, we grow older, understanding more and more what it was all about with each new viewing. The satire is explicit, too, as Billy Peltzer’s mother watches It’s A Wonderful Life on TV at the start of the film, shortly after Joe Dante has shown us Billy on his way to work, driving through a town that closely resembles the one where George Bailey (Bedford Falls!) lives in Frank Capra’s Christmas classic. In many ways, Gremlins is also a Christmas film.

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Jun

2023

Charters & Caldicott, a pair of British cricket lovers

To occupy my December 31st while waiting for the festivities to begin, I put in my player the recently acquired Blu-ray of The Lady Vanishes, one of my favorite Hitchcocks. If you’re not familiar, it’s about a group of travelers in a remote corner of Europe who are on a train back to England.

There, young Iris (Margaret Lockwood) realizes that the sympathetic Miss Froy (Dame May Whitty) she’d just met and sympathized with has disappeared. No one believes her, and with the help of a musician named Gilbert (Michael Redgrave), she sets out to find Miss Froy.

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Jun

2023

Welcome to Cinematic Panic

Hello Friend!

Welcome to Cinematic Panic.

Having a passion for movies, TV shows, comics, and books (Sci-Fi and Hardboiled mostly), I’ve always been a bit too all over the place to really explore the classics. I’ve been trying to fix that for a few years now, but I’ve reached a point where I’m a tad frustrated. My explorations are primarily directionless. I’ve decided to fix that.

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