Sunday 16 December 2018

Talkie Talk # 42 - Adam Bowen notes the appearance of COLETTE at the movies and classics THE MALTESE FALCON, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (original) and THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS on TV

IN CINEMAS THIS WEEK

Colette– Pretty biopic in which music-hall actress, Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (Keira Knightley) divorces her exploitative husband (Dominic West), and becomes one of France’s greatest literary talents. Charlton Heston once impersonated Michelangelo, so why not?




Bumblebee –  In this Transformers spinoff (aided by a lack of Michael Bay), a troubled teenager, Charlie, (Hailee Steinfeld) discovers Bumblebee, a battle-scarred Volkswagen, in a junkyard. CGI-enhanced adventures ensue.

Enai Noki Paayum Tota (2017) Bollywood thriller, Tamil-language, written, directed and produced by Gautham Vasudev Menon.



ON THE TELLY


10.45pm Tuesday & 1.40pm Wednesday on Fox Classics:The Maltese Falcon (1941) – John Huston’s directorial debut is an excellent noir, in which detective Humphrey Bogart tussles with a fascinating collection of villains (Mary Astor, Sidney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre), who are backstabbing each other over a priceless sculpture. Wordy, but rich in sub-text and character complexity.

8.30pm Friday SBS: The Pianist (2002) – Roman Polanski (a former Warsaw ghetto inmate) directs this haunting, factual story of a Polish pianist (Adrien Brody), who escapes from the Warsaw ghetto. The absence of emotional manipulation in the storytelling makes its impact all the more powerful.


10.30pm Friday & 1.40pm Saturday on Fox Classics: Invasion of the Bodysnatchers(1956) – a small town is taken over by aliens. Creepy, well directed (Don Siegel) thriller in Superscope. Not to be confused with the 1978 re-make.

12.45am Sunday Fox Classics: The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946) Aussie tragedienne, (Dame) Judith Anderson, doesn’t last long in this film noir,Barbara Stanwyck (at her best) sees to that. Complicit in the crime is Stanwyck’s hubby, whining Kirk Douglas. Then Van Heflin turns up. The triangular melodrama is underscored by composer, Miklos Rozsa, at his most purple.

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