Released: 1959 Dir. Bernhard Wicki Impressions from First-time Viewing Movies come and go, and sometimes there are movies that stay with us for a while. Perhaps longer. This is the case with the West German film The Bridge. Made in 1959, The Bridge tells the story of a small group of teenage boys who are left to defend a small bridge from the advancing American army at the very end of World War 2. When I was much…
Released: 1959 Dir.: Robert Wise Growing up I’d been led to believe that Touch of Evil (1958) was the end of the film noir era. Then I saw Odds Against Tomorrow. Directed by noir legend Robert Wise, Odds Against Tomorrow is the story of three desperate men, from three distinctively different backgrounds, who all have the same goal. To make some quick money, and just maybe a fresh start. Johnny Ingram (Harry Belafonte) is a jazz musician with a gambling…
Released: 1939 Dir. Raoul Walsh I remember seeing The Roaring Twenties for the first time on a Sunday afternoon, courtesy of our local PBS station just across the border. During the winter months WNED was airing the classic Warner Brothers films, and if I remember correctly, the focus was mainly on the films of James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. As luck would have it The Roaring Twenties starred both. I’d of course seen films from the golden age…
Released: 1969 Dir. Dennis Hopper First-time viewing reaction I’ve seen bits and pieces of Easy Rider over the years, heard lots about it, I know how it ends, but I’ve never seen the whole movie in order to feel the full impact of one of the most influential films of its generation. I stumbled across Easy Rider on the CTV app, and decided to give it a go. It was quite an uncomfortable journey. After a very successful…
Released: 1965 Dir.: Ishiro Honda As someone who suffers from insecurity, not to mention anxiety and depression, it can be difficult watching movies that none of your friends and family like or are even remotely interested in. So rather than face embarrassment and ridicule, you either change the channel when someone walks into the room, or you face the music, wipe the sweat off your brow and say, ‘It’s a guilty pleasure.’ I started to think about the term, guilty…
Released: 1958 Dir.: Louis Malle First time viewing. Deep in my gut, which can be a dark and foreboding place, I knew Elevator to the Gallows was going to be good. What I didn’t realize was how good it was going to be. It’s not just good, it’s great, especially if you like seeing Hollywood formulas turned on their head. Elevator to the Gallows is a French film noir/new wave crime story that reimagines the classic story of…
Released: 1943 Dir. Raoul Walsh Northern Pursuit is my favourite film about Canada, and it makes me feel proud to be a Canadian. It has action and adventure. Evil Nazis up to some devious shenanigans. A perilous journey through the Canadian north. Errol Flynn as a Mountie. And snow, lots of it. This is a propaganda film, and as someone who is fascinated and has seen many war films made during the second world war, Northern Pursuit is…
