MY TWO OBSESSIONS THIS WEEK ARE ODDLY ENOUGH RICHARD NIXON AND SHERLOCK HOLMES.
I can't tell you why these two now in this week -- things just happen like this sometimes. I've recently re-watched the superb AMERICAN EXPERIENCE dvd on Nixon, I'm listening to the Smithsonian Folkways 5 volumes of WATERGATE albums (featured soon on Nov. 12th at my sister blog "THE DARK FOREST") and am reading Stanley Kutler's "THE WARS OF WATERGATE". That's Tricky Dick spoken for. But as for the world's greatest consulting detective, I've been re-listening to some of the exquisite 1950s radio series THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES starring Sir John Gielgud and Sir Ralph Richardson as well as re-watching the complete Granada TV series of THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES starring Jeremy Brett. In that spirit, I thought it would be fun to find out what Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's favourite Sherlock Holmes stories were. And we can by consulting the 1927 issue of THE STRAND MAGAZINE in which the author tell us his opinion that the best Sherlock Holmes stories were:
- THE ADVENTURE OF THE SPECKLED BAND
- THE ADVENTURE OF THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE
- THE ADVENTURE OF THE DANCING MEN
- THE FINAL PROBLEM
- A SCANDAL IN BOHEMIA
- THE ADVENTURE OF THE EMPTY HOUSE
- THE FIVE ORANGE PIPS
- THE ADVENTURE OF THE SECOND STAIN
- THE ADVENTURE OF THE DEVIL'S FOOT
- THE ADVENTURE OF THE PRIORY SCHOOL
- THE ADVENTURE OF THE MUSGRAVE RITUAL
- THE ADVENTURE OF THE REIGATE SQUIRE
In an aside to this article, Sir Arthur also notes that it's a shame he cannot choose stories from the not-yet-published CASE-BOOK OF SHERLOCK HOLMES or else he'd have included THE ADVENTURE OF THE LION'S MANE and THE ADVENTURE OF THE ILLUSTRIOUS CLIENT. Author Peter Haining has suggested that the mention of these two might be an attempt to boost the sales of the forthcoming book. Either way, these are the stories the creator of Sherlock Holmes himself picked.
And what are MY favourite Sherlock Holmes stories? Hmmm, that's a good question. Perhaps if I re-familiarise myself with the "Canon", I'll be able to get back to you with an answer to that. I can say without fear of contradiction that quite a few of those mentioned above will be on my list as well. Watch this space.
FIRSTLY, I must thank those who recommended movies for my "TELL RICKSTER WHAT TO WATCH" challenge.
And you can still make suggestions; there's no real cut-off date. Just leave your suggestions in the comments and I'll see them. But I must first announce that, due to circumstances beyond my control, it'll probably be about a week before I can begin digging into some of your viewing suggestions. A slight hiccup but there you are. However, I'd like to post here the suggestions that have been made thus far and, while I cannot promise to watch EVERYTHING (some are just not available, frankly), I'll give it the ole college try. The following are the lists provided by my good friends and neighbours in the order I received them -- and the films I've already seen are in red:
First out of the gate was Rama who now resides over on that west coast thingy. As Rama's list is being read, in order to put us all in the right frame of mind, please put on a Chet Baker record of your choosing. Rama commands the following films: ANDREI RUBLEV, HIGH AND LOW, TWO LANE BLACKTOP, PARIS TEXAS, IN A LONELY PLACE, MY DARLING CLEMENTINE, SEVEN BEAUTIES, UGETSU, MEAN STREETS, BARAN, CHAPPAQUA, MINNIE & MOSKOWITZ, JUNIOR BONNER, PERSONA, and HANNAH AND HER SISTERS.
The second person to respond was my brother of another culture Weaverman: proprietor of the blog FLEAPIT OF THE MIND over there in England. Very few people have been as instrumental in bringing fantastic films to my attention so I was anxiously anticipating this list: VAN HELSING, GIGLI, GLITTER, UNDER THE RAINBOW . . . oh, I'm sorry. I've got the wrong list. Ah, here it is -- by command of Weaverman: LES ENFANTS DU PARADIS, HAMLET (Russian), DRIVE, HOTEL DU NORD, SECOND BREATH, LE CERCLE ROUGE, QUAI DES BRUMES, LA GRANDE ILLUSION, THE LOST MOMENT, and LE TROU.
Next up is my dear wife Ilsa better known as Lisa Star: the proprietrix of the blog THE SEASON OF PLUM AND COBBLESTONE. We too have sent film recommendations back and forth over the past decade or more and some of my new all-time favourite films were on her recommendation. She knows a good deal of what I've seen already so she's steared fairly clear of them and also she happily declares a fondness for documentaries (which I SO share). And just off the top of her head she's come up with a substantially chunky list. So Lisa* commands: SAVANNAH SMILES, WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, LOVELY STILL, BLUE VALENTINE, CHRIS & DON: A LOVE STORY, THE FUTURE, BAGHEAD, GIGANTIC, LA PIEL QUE HABITO, LIFE DURING WARTIME, BOUND, CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS, DEAR ZACHARY, VOLVER, STEPHEN TOBOLOWSKY'S BIRTHDAY PARTY, HERB & DOROTHY, THE BRIDGE, THE WAY WE GET BY, JACK GOES BOATING, MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY, MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM, RETURN TO ME, JEFFREY, and CATFISH.
The next person to respond to my challenge was Australia's favourite son Terry Frost who, in his capacity as master podcaster of the Paleo-cinema podcast and The Martian Drive-In spends much of his time recommending great films for me to watch. Terry actually responded to my request verbally on his last MDIP podcast. In addition to all the fine films he's already recommended on Paleo-cinema, Terry commands I watch: THE 49th PARALLEL, I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING or any other Powell & Pressburger film I haven't seen yet (which probably just leaves TALES OF HOFFMANN), A FOREIGN AFFAIR and CREATION OF THE HUMANOIDS.
And finally (so far) we have James over at the "Well You Say That" blog whose exquisite taste commands me to watch the following films: BRONCO BULLFROG, ORDER OF DEATH, THE GETTING OF WISDOM, THE DREAM TEAM, TONY: LONDON SERIAL KILLER, NIGHTHAWKS, THE ARSENAL STADIUM MYSTERY, MARTIN, THE BIG BUS, THE NAVIGATOR, MY SUMMER OF LOVE, A BITTERSWEET LIFE, HAWKS, A HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA, JUBILEE, and THE CHANT OF JIMMIE BLACKSMITH.
AN INTERESTING ADJUNCT TO THE "MOVIES RICKSTER HASN'T SEEN" POST BELOW.
While not actually a personal friend of mine, Martin Scorsese is of course a patron saint of this blog: we are a member of the Holistic Order of St. Martin of Scorsese. In a four hour interview with Rick Tetzeli for a recent issue of "Fast Company", the Oscar-winning director and avowed film nut gave an informal list of "85 Films You Need To See To Know Anything About Film". So in addition to my friends and neighbours who read this blog and have already made film recommendations (per my request in the post below), I thought I'd pretend ole Marty has responded as well and is talking to me when he recommends the following films (those which I've already seen are in red):
- ACE IN THE HOLE (1951)
- ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS (1955)
- AMERICA, AMERICA (1963)
- AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
- APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
- ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (1944)
- THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL (1952)
- THE BAND WAGON (1953)
- BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989)
- CAPE FEAR (1962)
- CAT PEOPLE (1942)
- CAUGHT (1949)
- CITIZEN KANE (1941)
- THE CONVERSATION (1974)
- DIAL M FOR MURDER (1954)
- DO THE RIGHT THING (1989)
- DUEL IN THE SUN (1946)
- THE FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE (1921)
- EUROPA '51 (1951)
- FACES (1968)
- THE FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (1964)
- THE FLOWERS OF ST. FRANCIS (1950)
- FORCE OF EVIL (1948)
- FORTY GUNS (1957)
- GERMANY YEAR ZERO (1948)
- GILDA (1946)
- THE GODFATHER (1972)
- GUN CRAZY (1950)
- HEALTH (1980)
- HEAVEN'S GATE (1980)
- HOUSE OF WAX (1953)
- HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY (1941)
- THE HUSTLER (1961)
- I WALK ALONE (1948)
- THE INFERNAL CAKEWALK (1903)
- IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
- JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS (1963)
- JOURNEY TO ITALY (1954)
- JULIUS CAESAR (1953)
- KANSAS CITY (1996)
- KISS ME DEADLY (1955)
- KLUTE (1971)
- LA TERRA TREMA (1948)
- THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (1947)
- THE LEOPARD (1963)
- MACBETH (1948)
- THE MAGIC BOX (1951)
- M*A*S*H* (1972)
- A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH (1946)
- MCCABE AND MRS. MILLER (1971)
- THE MESSIAH (1975)
- MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
- MISHIMA (1985)
- MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN (1936)
- MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
- NASHVILLE (1975)
- NIGHT AND THE CITY (1950)
- ONE, TWO, THREE (1961)
- OTHELLO (1952)
- PAISA' (1946)
- PEEPING TOM (1960)
- PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET (1953)
- THE PLAYER (1992)
- THE POWER AND THE GLORY (1933)
- STAGECOACH (1939)
- RAW DEAL (1948)
- THE RED SHOES (1948)
- THE RISE OF LOUIS XIV (1966)
- THE ROARING TWENTIES (1939)
- ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS (1960)
- ROME OPEN CITY (1945)
- SECRETS OF THE SOUL (1912)
- SENSO (1954)
- SHADOWS (1959)
- SHOCK CORRIDOR (1963)
- SOME CAME RUNNING (1958)
- STROMBOLI (1950)
- SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS (1941)
- THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957)
- TALES OF HOFFMANN (1951)
- THE THIRD MAN (1949)
- T-MEN (1947)
- TOUCH OF EVIL (1958)
- THE TRIAL (1962)
- TWO WEEKS IN ANOTHER TOWN (1962)
ABOUT A YEAR AGO, FILMMAKER EDGAR WRIGHT (WHO GAVE US "SHAUN OF THE DEAD" AND "HOT FUZZ") ASKED HIS FRIENDS TO RECOMMEND FILMS HE HADN'T SEEN.
Of course, Wright's friends include the likes of Quentin Tarantino, Guillermo del Toro, Josh Whedon and Joe Dante. While I cannot call on such "famous" people, I can call on my friends and readers of this blog who demonstrate exquisite taste -- because they read this blog, naturally! On Edgar Wright's blog, he has posted the films and had organised screenings of them up on the movie screen in a real theatre. I, however, will have to muddle through with my TV and DVD player and a busy rental service.
I have already put out the call on my facebook page as well as via e-mails but, now that the Countdown to Halloween is over, I'm inviting my faithful readers of this blog to recommend some movies I haven't seen. Simply give me a list of some of your favourite films that you think I should see -- at least 10 or 15 titles but hey give me 50 if you're so inclined. Naturally, there will be films I have seen already on your lists but there will also undoubtedly be films I haven't seen which I will add to my "queue" to watch as soon as I can. I've already gotten quite a large number of film titles already so the task is beginning to look daunting; however, I will get them watched somehow! Just leave me your list of recommendations in the comments. Sometime probably around the end of November or the beginning of December, I will post again with all the recommendations I've received and what progress I'm making. From one movie buff to another, many thanks. This is your chance so TELL ME WHAT TO WATCH!!!!
SINCE 2005, I'VE WRITTEN ABOUT A LOT OF MOVIES & TV SHOWS. And as a public service to readers of this blog, I'm going to provide links to each and every one of them.
That's a tall order but it should make it a little easier finding a specific movie or TV programme I've reviewed. All the films are in alphabetical order and clicking on the title will take you via link to that review. Also, in the future, you can find this list (which will be continuously updated) by looking at the list of "labels" on the right hand column over there and clicking on the label "A Doorway to All Movie Reviews". So here we go -- Enter the Doorway if you dare!
P.S. I have no idea why some of these links are grey instead of red. It a 'blogger being dumb' thing and won't let me fix it. But hey, the links still work fine.
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ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948)
