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Category Archives: Video
Saturday Matinee: The Straight Story
“The Straight Story” (1999) is a road film directed by David Lynch depicting elderly disabled veteran Alvin Straight’s multi-state journey by lawnmower to make amends with his estranged brother who suffered a stroke. Based on an actual journey which made headlines in 1994, the film is one of Lynch’s most overlooked films because as his only G-rated feature and having been distributed by Disney, many Lynch fans never gave it a chance. Though not as intense or unsettling as other David Lynch films, there’s nevertheless periodic dark and surreal undercurrents throughout the narrative. What elevates the film (in addition to Lynch’s idiosyncratic touches and fine soundtrack by Angelo Badalamenti) are great performances by Richard Farnsworth as Alvin, Sissy Spacek as his daughter and Harry Dean Stanton as his brother. The Straight Story is also notable for its beautiful cinematography from Freddie Francis, which ended up being his final project before his death in 2007 due to complications resulting from a stroke.
Two for Tuesday
Saturday Matinee: Once Upon a Time in the West
“Once Upon a Time in the West” (1968) is one of Sergio Leone’s most beloved epics for good reason. It tells a powerful tale of a widow landowner’s struggle against a railroad tycoon intertwined with a conflict between men with an archaic code of honor. The film is well known for arguably the greatest soundtrack of Ennio Morricone’s career and iconic performances from Claudia Cardinale, Henry Fonda, Charles Bronson, Jason Robards and a memorable cameo by Woody Strode.
Two for Tuesday
Saturday Matinee: A Bullet for the General
“A Bullet for the General” (1966) was directed by Damiano Damiani and tells the story of a group of bandits who form an alliance with an American mercenary until their differing motives prove to be incompatible. It’s a notable cult film among the subgenre of spaghetti westerns with more overt political themes known as Zapata Westerns and features a soundtrack supervised by Ennio Morricone.
Two for Tuesday
Saturday Matinee: Haxan (Witchcraft Through the Ages)
“Haxan” was originally a Swedish-Danish silent film written and directed by Benjamin Christensen in 1922 but was later re-released in an abbreviated form in 1968 as “Witchcraft Through the Ages” with a soundtrack including Jean-Luc Ponty and Daniel Humair and narration by William S. Burroughs. Though the film was a documentary about how superstition and misunderstanding of mental illness led to the hysteria of the witch-hunts, recreations of occult rituals and torture made it banned in the US upon initial release.
After the Crash 