Movies We Like: ‘White Heat’ (1949)

Acting’s in the eyes and regardless of the role Jimmy Cagney’s eyes always screamed “caged.” Whether playing George M. Cohan or some middle-aged Coca-Cola executive, watching Cagney is like watching the lit fuse of a firecracker and whether it was with an explosion of song, dance or violence, Cagney never disappointed — he went off. In “White Heat,” director Raoul Walsh’s magnificent closing chapter in a magnificent two-decade series of Warner Brothers’ gangster pictures, Cagney again explodes …only this time, literally.

Jimmy Cagney in the early 1930s

Produced in 1949, within just a few minutes “White Heat” announces itself as something unlike anything that came before starting with the introduction of Verna Jarrett (29 year old Virginia Mayo), a striking, almost regal beauty shown fast asleep in a close up. Walsh immediately knocks the bark off his perfectly groomed leading lady by having her snore like a sailor after a three day bender. The message is clear: don’t believe everything you see. In just a few more minutes things will move even further beyond normal and straight into disturbing.   (more…)

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Tags: Cody Jarrett, Edmond O'Brien, gangster, James Cagney, Jimmy Cagney
Posted Aug 26th 2009 at 9:10 am in Reviews, Today's Pick | 21178635 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/08/26/movies-we-like-white-heat-1949/Movies+We+Like%3A+%27White+Heat%27+%281949%292009-08-26+16%3A10%3A46John+Nolte

Breitbart on Hannity’s Great American Panel

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Tags: breitbart, Hannity, healthcare, Obama, stimulus
Posted Jul 21st 2009 at 9:09 pm in Media Criticism, Politics, Today's Pick | 18936273 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/07/21/breitbart-on-hannity%e2%80%99s-great-american-panel/Breitbart+on+Hannity%E2%80%99s+Great+American+Panel+2009-07-22+04%3A09%3A56Big+Hollywood

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Tuesday, March 31st

8pm PST - The 27th Day (1957) – Aliens give five people from different nations the power to destroy their enemies. Cast: Gene Barry, Valerie French, George Voskovec, Arnold Moss Dir: William Asher BW-76 mins, TV-PG

What makes the “The 27th Day” unique from the more renowned 1950s sci-fi flicks is how the story takes a few wild philosophical turns you never expect, especially if you’re familiar at all with the genre. Everything starts out like “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” with one of those morally superior aliens coming to tsk-tsk mankind for our warlike ways as though the reasons behind the Cold War didn’t matter, but then ends in a surprising but emotionally satisfying fashion that avoids all that cynical moral relativism which is not only unjust but cliche. (more…)

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Tags: 27th Day, Day the Earth Stood Still, Gene Barry
Posted Mar 30th 2009 at 4:51 pm in Today's Pick | 93178No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/03/30/tcm-pick-o-the-day-tuesday-march-31st/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Tuesday%2C+March+31st2009-03-30+23%3A51%3A47John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Monday, March 30th

11pm PST – Bugsy (1991) The famed gangster running the mobs in Los Angeles tries to turn Las Vegas into a vacation paradise. Cast: Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Harvey Keitel, Ben Kingsley Dir: Barry Levinson C-136 mins, TV-MA

Warren Beatty and Annette Bening smolder like Bogie and Bacall in a superb film that only gets better with each passing year. “Bugsy” is one of those rare period pieces made over the last 20 years where the casting’s so perfect no one looks silly in a fedora. Real grown ups placed in a beautifully designed production that never breaks the spell of time and place. (more…)

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Tags: Annette Bening, Barry Levinson, Bugsy, Harvey Keitel, Warren Beatty
Posted Mar 29th 2009 at 9:27 am in Today's Pick | 91610No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/03/29/tcm-pick-o-the-day-monday-march-30th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Monday%2C+March+30th2009-03-29+16%3A27%3A22John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Sunday, March 29th

7pm PST - You’ll Never Get Rich (1941) A Broadway dancing team splits up when the male dancer is drafted. Cast: Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Robert Benchley, John Hubbard Dir: Sidney Lanfield BW-89 mins, TV-G

Those 63 seconds say more about this charming film than any number of words ever could. Astaire and Hayworth were giants because in a simple scene with simple choreography, simple costumes, a simple setting and simple dialogue they still somehow managed to completely win you over. The way Hayworth looks at Astaire for those first few seconds is absolutely priceless. You can’t write chemistry and you can only barely direct it. What you need are movie stars, and Fred and Rita are immortals.

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Tags: "You'll Never Get Rich", Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Robert Benchley, Sidney Lanfield
Posted Mar 28th 2009 at 4:30 pm in Today's Pick, Video | 91234One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/03/28/tcm-pick-o-the-day-sunday-march-29th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Sunday%2C+March+29th2009-03-28+23%3A30%3A12John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Sunday, March 22nd

9pm PST - Sunrise (1927) – In this silent film, a farmer’s affair with a city woman almost destroys his life. Cast: George O’Brien, Janet Gaynor, Margaret Livingston, Bodil Rosing Dir: F. W. Murnau BW-94 mins, TV-PG

Set your TiVo and prepare yourself for a silent film for those who don’t think they like silent films — what you might call a gateway drug.

Studio chief William Fox brought F.W. Murnau to Hollywood and practically handed his entire studio over to the German director, promising him anything he needed to make the film he wanted. The result was a commercial disappointment, but a pure masterpiece, easily one of the five best films ever made, and something so emotionally haunting it will stay with you for days afterward, or in my case, forever. (more…)

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Tags: "Sunrise", Frank Borzage, Howard Hawks, john ford, MGMmusical
Posted Mar 21st 2009 at 5:14 pm in Today's Pick | 8643025 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/03/21/tcm-pick-o-the-day-sunday-march-22nd/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Sunday%2C+March+22nd2009-03-22+00%3A14%3A22John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Tuesday, March 17th

11:15am PST -  Alamo, The (1960) – Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie join the fight for Texas’ independence from Mexico. Cast: John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Laurence Harvey, Frankie Avalon Dir: John Wayne C-203 mins, TV-14

John Wayne felt it was important enough to tell the story of the brave men of the Alamo that he nearly went bankrupt to fund this dream project he produced, directed, and starred it. This was something he willed into existence, forced into being using every ounce of juice he had as the biggest movie star in the world. Still, for the most part, he was out there on a limb, all on his own and it would take more than a decade of re-releases before the film would earn enough to call itself profitable. The film was popular enough, just too expensive. It was also nominated for 6 Oscars, including Best Picture. (more…)

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Tags: Alamo, john ford, john wayne, Santa Ana
Posted Mar 16th 2009 at 6:21 pm in Today's Pick | 8197880 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/03/16/tcm-pick-o-the-day-tuesday-march-17th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Tuesday%2C+March+17th2009-03-17+01%3A21%3A58John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Saturday, March 14th

3:15pm PST - Hell is for Heroes (1962) – A small U.S. squadron holds off the Nazis in a desperate last stand. Cast: Steve McQueen, Bobby Darin, Fess Parker, Harry Guardino Dir: Don Siegel BW-90 mins, TV-PG

No classic, but damn close and certainly a tough, engrossing WWII actioner, as though director Don Siegel teamed with Steve McQueen could come up with anything else. My favorite scenes involve a very young Bob Newhart putting the telephone bit that made him famous to good use as he fakes phone calls he knows the enemy is listening to in order to create the impression just a few guys, cut off and badly out-numbered, are something just a tad larger. (more…)

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Tags: Bob Newhart, Don Siegel, Hell is for Heroes, steve mcqueen
Posted Mar 13th 2009 at 4:27 pm in Today's Pick | 7932628 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/03/13/tcm-pick-o-the-day-saturday-march-14th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Saturday%2C+March+14th2009-03-13+23%3A27%3A21John+Nolte

TCM Star O’ the Month: Ronald Reagan

There’s much to love about TCM’s Mighty Robert Osborne. His introduction to an evening’s film will frequently offer up an insight that makes a repeat viewing essential, and his summation after the fade is always a perfect capper. Osborne’s warm dignity, passion for classic cinema and film knowledge is second to none, but that wouldn’t mean a thing if he lacked the class required to keep politics out of it.  

Reagan, Jane Wyman, and Wayne Morris in Brother Rat

One of the primary elements that makes Turner Classic Movies so special is its lack of politics. Regardless of the film he’s introducing, Osborne keeps everything within a historical context even if what’s on that night’s schedule is political in nature. TCM is one of the great sources of pleasure in my life, and were it to go off on some ideological deep end… I don’t even want to think about it. (more…)

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Tags: Brother Rat, Eddie Albert, Priscilla Lane, Robert Osborne, ronald reagan
Posted Mar 10th 2009 at 3:27 pm in Today's Pick | 7712625 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/03/10/tcm-star-o-the-month-ronald-reagan/TCM+Star+O%27+the+Month%3A+Ronald+Reagan2009-03-10+22%3A27%3A54John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Tuesday, March 10th

10pm PST - Bridge On The River Kwai, The (1957) – The Japanese Army forces World War II POWs to build a strategic bridge in Burma. Cast: William Holden, Alec Guinness, Jack Hawkins, Sessue Hayakawa Dir: David Lean C-162 mins, TV-PG

Every time I re-watch David Lean’s Best Picture winner, the film’s cynicism always surprises. It shouldn’t. After all, William Holden carried cynicism as comfortably as an overcoat, but the film’s theme is duty and Shears (Holden) wants no part of his, in a fit of pride, Col. Nicholson (Alec Guinness), loses complete sight of his, and in order to do his, Col. Saito — the Japanese P.O.W. camp commander – must forfeit his own pride. (more…)

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Tags: Alec Guinness, CGI, David Lean, P.O.W., William Holden
Posted Mar 9th 2009 at 4:32 pm in Today's Pick | 7640268 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/03/09/tcm-pick-o-the-day-tuesday-march-10th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Tuesday%2C+March+10th2009-03-09+23%3A32%3A21John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Friday, March 6th

10:45am PST – Runaway, The (1961) – A priest and a dog help a young delinquent find a new lease on life. Cast: Cesar Romero, Nacho Galindo, Chick Chandler, St. Mike (A Greyhound) Dir: Claudio Guzman BW-85 mins, TV-G

A four decade delay in getting your film before the public has to be frustrating, but you could do worse than having The Mighty Robert Osbourne be the first to present it to the world. After forty-plus years of languishing in some vault, “The Runaway” finally premiered last November on Turner Classic Movies. A friend of mine who knows the filmmaker alerted me, and I was glad he did because the film is charming and as an added bonus casts star Cesar Romero in a rare straightforward, subdued role as a Priest. (more…)

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Tags: Cesar Romero, Haskell Wexler, Roger Mobley, The Runaway
Posted Mar 5th 2009 at 5:47 pm in Today's Pick | 7357013 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/03/05/tcm-pick-o-the-day-friday-march-6th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Friday%2C+March+6th2009-03-06+01%3A47%3A23John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Wednesday, February 25th

5pm PST - Dark Victory (1939) – A flighty heiress discovers inner strength when she develops a brain tumor. Cast: Bette Davis, George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Geraldine Fitzgerald Dir: Edmund Goulding BW-104 mins, TV-PG

Classic Bette Davis melodrama filled with too many story twists to count, a miscast Humphrey Bogart and perfectly cast Ronald Reagan as a playboy drunk all too aware of his own shallowness. Davis puts all she has into her role (one she fought for) as a rich socialite thrown on an emotional rollercoaster after receiving a death sentence due to one of those movie tumors which allows for maximum dramatic impact and the all important ticking clock. (more…)

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Tags: Bette Davis, Dark Victory, George Brent, ronald reagan, TCM
Posted Feb 24th 2009 at 3:16 pm in Today's Pick | 6620211 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/24/tcm-pick-o-the-day-wednesday-february-25th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Wednesday%2C+February+25th2009-02-24+23%3A16%3A50John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Sunday, February 22nd

5pm PST - Stage Door (1937) – Women at a theatrical boarding house try to make their big break happen. Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Adolphe Menjou, Gail Patrick Dir: Gregory LaCava BW-92 mins, TV-G

Because it conflicts with Big Hollywood’s live-blogging of the Academy Awards, under penalty of our disapproval and no small amount of pouting, you’ll have to set the DVR for this classic gem containing more bona fide female stars than you’re likely to see during all nine hours of tomorrow night’s Oscar telecast. (more…)

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Tags: Eve Arden, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Katherine Hepburn, Stage Door
Posted Feb 21st 2009 at 1:03 pm in Today's Pick | 5687410 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/21/tcm-pick-o-the-day-sunday-february-22nd/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Sunday%2C+February+22nd2009-02-21+21%3A03%3A27John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Friday, February 20th

7:30am PST - Battle Of Algiers, The (1965) – Algiers revolts against the French Foreign Legion. Cast: Jean Martin, Yacef Saadi, Brahim Haggiag, Tommaso Neri Dir: Gillo Pontecorvo BW-121 mins, TV-14

I’m embarrassed to admit I’ve never seen this. I have seen attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion and C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate, but somehow this one got past me.

Good thing, then, we have our own Robert Avrech, who wrote a masterful two-part deconstruction of the film just last month titled, “Learning From the Real Battle of Algiers.” Here’s the opener: (more…)

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Tags: Battle of Algiers, Gillo Pontecorvo, Robert Avrech
Posted Feb 19th 2009 at 4:37 pm in Today's Pick | 5550221 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/19/tcm-pick-o-the-day-friday-february-20th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Friday%2C+February+20th2009-02-20+00%3A37%3A09John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Wednesday, February 18th

Noon PST – Anatomy Of A Murder (1959) – A small-town lawyer gets the case of a lifetime when a military man avenges an attack on his wife. Cast: James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O’Connell Dir: Otto Preminger BW-161 mins, TV-PG

Mature, very well-acted, classic courtroom drama, painstakingly directed by Otto Preminger and just as watchable a second time because knowing the outcome of a great film, even one that climaxes with a verdict, takes nothing away from well-crafted characters, top-notch dialogue, and individual scenes that become living things all on their own. (more…)

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Tags: Arthur O'Connell, George C. Scott, James Stewart, orson bean, Otto Preminger
Posted Feb 17th 2009 at 6:11 pm in Today's Pick | 5369829 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/17/tcm-pick-o-the-day-wednesday-february-18th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Wednesday%2C+February+18th2009-02-18+02%3A11%3A28John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Monday, February 16th

9am PST - Boomerang (1947) – A prosecutor fights to prove the defendant in a scandalous murder case is innocent. Cast: Dana Andrews, Jane Wyatt, Lee J. Cobb, Cara Williams Dir: Elia Kazan BW-88 mins, TV-PG

Here’s a treat for you. Elia Kazan directs this tough, little tightly-paced (88 mins!) hickory knot of a docu-drama starring The Mighty Dana Andrews and just as Mighty Arthur Kennedy. No time is wasted in getting to it. The story opens in broad daylight on a busy street and before you can say, “What a lovely little town,” a Priest has his brains blown out and the manhunt is on. Kennedy, at his sneering, contemptuous best, confesses and is prosecuted by State’s Attorney Henry Harvey (Andrews), but something’s amiss and soon, all instincts for what’s good for him to the contrary, Harvey finds himself in the awkward position of having to prove the man’s innocence. (more…)

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Tags: Arthur Kennedy, Dana Andrews, Elia Kazan, Fox Movie Channel, Turner Classic Movies
Posted Feb 15th 2009 at 11:35 am in Today's Pick | 515905 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/15/tcm-pick-o-the-day-monday-february-16th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Monday%2C+February+16th2009-02-15+19%3A35%3A27John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Sunday, February 15th

2:30pm PST - Agony And The Ecstasy, The (1965) – Michelangelo fights censorship and an autocratic pope to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. Cast: Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison, Diane Cilento, Harry Andrews Dir: Carol Reed C-134 mins, TV-PG

When will you make an end?

When I am finished!

History shmistory. It doesn’t matter how true this beautifully realized story of the painting of the Sistine Chapel is. What director Carol Reed wants is to explore the human toll paid by the artist and those around him as the internal and external forces necessary to create timeless art play themselves out.    (more…)

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Tags: agony and the ecstasy, carol reed, charlton heston, rex harrison
Posted Feb 14th 2009 at 9:15 am in Today's Pick | 5082220 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/14/tcm-pick-o-the-day-sunday-february-15th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Sunday%2C+February+15th2009-02-14+17%3A15%3A19John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Saturday, February 14th

7:30am PST - A Place in the Sun (1951) – An ambitious young man wins an heiress’s heart but has to cope with his former girlfriend’s pregnancy. Cast: Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters, Anne Revere Dir: George Stevens BW-122 mins, TV-PG

When you hear the word “nuanced” from Hollywood today, dollars to donuts they mean “immoral,” as in, we’re going to appease some terrorists and sexualize young children and call it “sophisticated.” Whether they know it or not (and I think they do), those particular plot points don’t represent “subtle shades of meaning,” they represent appeasing terrorists and sexualizing young children. (more…)

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Tags: A Place In The Sun, Elizabeth Taylor, George Stevens, Montgomery Clift, Shelley Winters
Posted Feb 13th 2009 at 11:23 am in Today's Pick | 5017417 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/13/tcm-pick-o-the-day-saturday-february-14th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Saturday%2C+February+14th2009-02-13+19%3A23%3A41John+Nolte

TCM Pick of the Day: Friday, February 13th

7am PST - Elmer Gantry (1960) – A young drifter finds success as a traveling preacher until his past catches up with him. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, Arthur Kennedy, Dean Jagger Dir: Richard Brooks C-147 mins, TV-PG

Smart, sophisticated and complex look at religion and those who spread it. Honest, but never cynical, critical, but never unfair, “Elmer Gantry” is as satisfying a look at faith, the faithful and their shortcomings as has ever been depicted on the big screen. (more…)

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Tags: Arthur Kennedy, burt lancaster, Elmer Gantry, Jean Simmons, Richard Brooks
Posted Feb 12th 2009 at 12:37 pm in Today's Pick, Video | 4920640 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/12/tcm-pick-of-the-day-friday-february-13th/TCM+Pick+of+the+Day%3A+Friday%2C+February+13th2009-02-12+20%3A37%3A58John+Nolte

Top 5: Best Moments From Tomorrow’s TCM Pick

A two-fer today: A Top 5 and a pick for tomorrow when TCM airs “The Guns of Navarone” at 2:15pm PST.

Director J. Lee Thompson’s epic 1961 World War II adventure is my favorite Men on a Mission film. “The Great Escape” might have more star power and “The Dirty Dozen,” The Mighty Lee Marvin and The Mighty Chuck Bronson, but “Navarone’s” complex and realistic look at the emotional toll of war, and more specifically, the killing of another human being, on the noble warrior makes it something much more than a series of suspenseful and exciting set pieces. [some spoilers ahead] (more…)

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Tags: Anthony Quinn, David Niven, Gregory Peck, Guns of Navarone, J. Lee Thompson
Posted Feb 11th 2009 at 1:30 pm in Today's Pick, Top 5 | 4812639 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/11/top-5-best-moments-from-tomorrows-tcm-recommendation/Top+5%3A+Best+Moments+From+Tomorrow%27s+TCM+Pick2009-02-11+21%3A30%3A17John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Monday, February 9th

12:45pm PST – Mildred Pierce (1945) – A woman turns herself into a business tycoon to win her selfish daughter a place in society. Cast: Joan Crawford, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, Eve Arden Dir: Michael Curtiz BW-111 mins, TV-PG

An interesting exercise would be to watch a double feature of the just released “He’s Just Not That Into You” and today’s pick as example number 11,283 of what’s wrong with Big Hollywood. Liberals dominate Big Hollywood and more women are in positions of power than ever before, and yet “Into You,” like most female driven films today, alternately portrays its five female leads as home wreckers, one-dimensional neurotics, or pathetically needy near-stalkers — but all are as emotionally dependent on men as is possible. Compare that to Hollywood 64 years ago when men (many of them conservative) dominated the film industry and created a slew of top-shelf melodramas populated with complicated, flawed, but very human and usually very strong (at least at the fade) women like Mildred Pierce. (more…)

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Tags: He Just Not That Into You, Joan Crawford, Woman's picture
Posted Feb 8th 2009 at 4:03 pm in Today's Pick | 4526222 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/08/tcm-pick-o-the-day-monday-february-9th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Monday%2C+February+9th2009-02-09+00%3A03%3A36John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Sunday, February 8th

5pm PST – Tree Grows in Brooklyn, A (1945) – A girl in the slums tries to find her way with the help of her devoted mother and alcoholic father. Cast: Dorothy McGuire, Joan Blondell, James Dunn, Lloyd Nolan Dir: Elia Kazan BW-129 mins, TV-G

Watch in awe as you realize this lyrical, timeless family drama was Elia Kazan’s feature film directorial debut. There was nothing this extraordinary explorer of the human condition couldn’t do and his work will survive as long as there’s a civilization, and much longer than anything made by those who refused to stand when the 89 year-old was awarded an honorary Oscar in 1999. Of course, that’s me being generous and assuming we haven’t already forgotten the classic canon of Nick Nolte and Amy Madigan. (more…)

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Tags: amy madigan, Elia Kazan, honorary oscar, nick nolte
Posted Feb 7th 2009 at 4:00 pm in Today's Pick | 4483414 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/07/tcm-pick-o-the-day-sunday-february-8th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Sunday%2C+February+8th2009-02-08+00%3A00%3A02John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Thursday, February 5th

4am PST - Time Machine, The (1960) – A turn-of-the-century inventor sends himself into the future to save humanity. Cast: Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux, Sebastian Cabot Dir: George Pal C-103 mins, TV-G

George Pal’s take on the classic story by H.G. Wells is further proof that story triumphs CGI. Even as a kid watching this on a fourteen inch television, the special effects looked cheesy. But it takes more than bad costumes and cheap models (the stop-motion photography remains impressive, however) to undermine imagination and a great story. You get so wrapped up in the drama and ideas the bad effects barely hit the radar. The remake came out in 2002 (directed by Wells great-grandson Simon, no less) and enjoyed all the latest technical movie magic available, and still it laid there like poorly written, PC-infected roadkill. (more…)

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Tags: george pal, H.G. Wells, late show, rod taylor, yvette mimieux
Posted Feb 4th 2009 at 9:36 am in Today's Pick | 4103834 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/04/tcm-pick-o-the-day-thursday-february-5th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Thursday%2C+February+5th2009-02-04+17%3A36%3A01John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Tuesday, February 3rd

5pm PST – The More the Merrier, The (1943) – The World War II housing shortage brings three people together for an unlikely romance. Cast: Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, Charles Coburn, Richard Gaines Dir: George Stevens BW-104 mins, TV-G

The logline may sound simplistic and a lot like a bad sitcom, but the execution was smart enough to win Oscar nominations for screenplay, actress (Jean Arthur), and director George Stevens. Fittingly, however, it was character actor Charles Coburn who went home a winner for his warm and hilarious support work. (more…)

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Tags: Charles Coburn, Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, The More The Merrier
Posted Feb 2nd 2009 at 12:30 pm in Today's Pick | 3915418 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/02/02/tcm-pick-o-the-day-tuesday-february-3rd/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Tuesday%2C+February+3rd2009-02-02+20%3A30%3A48John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Sunday, February 1st

8pm PST - Ace In the Hole (1951) – A small-town reporter milks a local disaster to get back into the big time. Cast: Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Bob Arthur, Porter Hall Dir: Billy Wilder BW-111 mins, TV-14

Billy Wilder’s blistering look at the dark underside of journalism is just starting to get the recognition it deserves. When released it probably came off a little cynical, but in this era of Big Media undermining our troops at every opportunity, watching a reporter risk a man’s life to get back in the big time, doesn’t feel at all far-fetched. (more…)

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Posted Jan 31st 2009 at 10:51 am in Media Criticism, Today's Pick | 3752616 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/01/31/tcm-pick-o-the-day-sunday-february-1st/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Sunday%2C+February+1st2009-01-31+18%3A51%3A41John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Saturday, January 31st

Match me, Sidney.

8pm PST - Sweet Smell Of Success (1957) – A crooked press agent stoops to new depths to help an egotistical columnist break up his sister’s romance. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, Susan Harrison, Marty Milner Dir: Alexander Mackendrick BW-96 mins, TV-PG

You could fill pages about the complete greatness of this film, but when all is said and done what impresses most is how so much character and so many plot turns all fit into 96 minutes. As Burt Prelutsky points out in this essay, the all important art of pacing has pretty much vanished in Big Hollywood. When raunchy sex comedies start clocking in at 126 minutes, the canary in the coalmine to warn you something’s gone horribly wrong is long, long dead. (more…)

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Tags: burt lancaster, burt prelutsky, dark knight, gary oldman, tony curtis
Posted Jan 30th 2009 at 7:42 am in Today's Pick | 3611028 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/01/30/tcm-pick-o-the-day-saturday-january-31st/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Saturday%2C+January+31st2009-01-30+15%3A42%3A01John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Friday, January 30th

9:45pm - Night Of The Hunter, The (1955) – A bogus preacher marries an outlaw’s widow in search of the man’s hidden loot. Cast: Robert Mitchum, Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, James Gleason Dir: Charles Laughton BW-93 mins, TV-PG

Absolutely brilliant chiller anchored by Robert Mitchum’s larger-than-life performance as a psychotic preacher chasing two children for a doll stuffed with money. Equally good is former silent screen star Lillian Gish, as the children’s protector. The testament to her abilities as an actress is the dialogue she gets away with, especially near the end. (more…)

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Tags: cape fear, charles laughton, lillian gish, robert mitchum
Posted Jan 29th 2009 at 4:00 pm in Today's Pick | 3495420 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/01/29/tcm-pick-o-the-day-friday-january-30th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Friday%2C+January+30th2009-01-30+00%3A00%3A25John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Thursday, January 29th

1:00am PST - Clock, The (1945) - A G.I. en route to Europe falls in love during a whirlwind two-day leave in New York City. Cast: Judy Garland, Robert Walker, James Gleason, Keenan Wynn Dir: Vincente Minnelli BW-90 mins, TV-PG

There are few actors more interesting than Robert Walker. A double feature of today’s pick and “Strangers on a Train” will reveal just what an extraordinarily talented and intriguing screen presence he was. In both roles, Walker’s about a half-measure off the rest of the world and quite capable of aw-shucks charm. From there they separate into the boy next door and a cold, psychotic killer. Which leads me to a larger point… (more…)

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Tags: Meryl Streep, robert walker, strangers on a train, willy wonka
Posted Jan 28th 2009 at 5:28 pm in Today's Pick | 343668 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/01/28/tcm-pick-o-the-day-thursday-january-29th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Thursday%2C+January+29th2009-01-29+01%3A28%3A18John+Nolte

TCM Pick O’ The Day: Wednesday, January 28th

7pm PST - Prisoner of Second Avenue, The (1975) – A suddenly unemployed executive and his understanding wife must adapt to their new life. Cast: Jack Lemmon, Elizabeth Wilson, Anne Bancroft, Gene Saks Dir: Melvin Frank BW-98 mins, TV-PG

TCM’s Star of the Month is the irreplaceable Jack Lemmon, who died in 2001, and I’m still not over it.

“The Prisoner of Second Avenue” ranks among Neil Simon’s finest works thanks to his dynamite script, Lemmon’s central performance played perfectly on a knife edge of comedy and tragedy, the marvelous Anne Bancroft as his understanding wife, and Manhattan in the mid 70s, when the city was a vibrant character all on its own. (more…)

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Tags: anne bancroft, jack lemmon, prisoner of 2nd avenue
Posted Jan 27th 2009 at 5:14 pm in Today's Pick | 3290215 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2009/01/27/tcm-pick-o-the-day-wednesday-january-28th/TCM+Pick+O%27+The+Day%3A+Wednesday%2C+January+28th2009-01-28+01%3A14%3A39John+Nolte