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Captains of the Clouds: Hollywood Comes to Canada.

Captains of the Clouds: Hollywood Comes to Canada.

Released: February 1942 Directed by: Michael Curtiz Cast: James Cagney, Dennis Morgan, Brenda Marshall, Alan Hale, George Tobias, Reginald Gardiner, W.A.(Billy) Bishop, Reginald Denny, Russell Arms, Paul Cavanagh, and Clem Bevans as Sam ‘Store-Teeth’ Morrison. Being Canadian, I’m a little biased when it comes to Captains of the Clouds. Released in 1942, it is one of several Warner Brothers films produced during World War 2 that showcased the Allied contributions to the European war. Films like Edge of Darkness, Passage…

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Casablanca: Monsieur Rick, Signor Ugarte, and the Fine Art of World Building.

Casablanca: Monsieur Rick, Signor Ugarte, and the Fine Art of World Building.

Released: January 1943 Directed By: Michael Curtiz Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Conrad Veidt, Sydney Greenstreet, Peter Lorre. By the time we meet Richard Blaine (Humphrey Bogart) in the first act of Casablanca, two German couriers have been murdered and two valuable letters of transit have been stolen, Capt. Louis Renault (Claude Rains) has rounded up the usual suspects, Major Strasser (Conrad Veidt) of the Third Reich shows up ahead of the impending arrival of Victor…

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All Through the Night: ‘This is Broadway, Not Berlin!’

All Through the Night: ‘This is Broadway, Not Berlin!’

Released: 1942 Dir.: Vincent Sherman How can you not like a movie that pits Humphrey Bogart against Conrad Veidt? Better still, gangsters versus Nazis! All Through the Night has this, and more. Add William Demarest, Frank McHugh, Judith Anderson, Jackie Gleason, Phil Silvers, and the always awesome Peter Lorre, and you have a great night’s entertainment. Gloves Donahue (Humphrey Bogart) is a popular Broadway sporting figure and man about town, in other words a gambler. And when Gloves’ friend, and…

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Juke Girl: ‘Sure She’s Easy to Meet… but Try and Forget Her!’

Juke Girl: ‘Sure She’s Easy to Meet… but Try and Forget Her!’

Released: 1942 Dir.: Curtis Bernhardt I have a weakness for classic Warner Brothers films. There is nothing overly extraordinary about Juke Girl, it was just another picture on the production rooster, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a good film for your viewing pleasure. For an average run of the mill film, you still get caught up in its story, with a climax that can make your blood boil if you allow it to. By 1942, it’s the kind of…

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The Gumball Rally: Bringing Back Memories of the Drive-in Movie.

The Gumball Rally: Bringing Back Memories of the Drive-in Movie.

Released: 1976 Dir.: Chuck Bail First viewing in over 40 years. Every decade or so, a movie comes along with the power to inspire, motivate, even change the course of one’s life. The Gumball Rally is not one of those films, it is, however, what most movies should be: good, escapist entertainment. The Gumball Rally also brought back some fun memories. Growing up in the 1970s we were lucky enough to have a drive-in theatre in our neighborhood, I could…

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The Treasure of the Sierra Madre-opening title.
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre: Tampico, the Perfect 1st Act.

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre: Tampico, the Perfect 1st Act.

Released: 1948 Dir.: John Huston               I first saw The Treasure of the Sierra Madre while I was studying film production in the late 1980s. It wasn’t part of the course, it just happened to be on TV, so I recorded it and watched it when I had some free time. It struck me during that first viewing how distinct the first act of the film is, and with further study how beautifully it establishes the characters and foreshadows events…

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The Roaring Twenties: More Fun Than the 2020s.

The Roaring Twenties: More Fun Than the 2020s.

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…

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Northern Pursuit: Errol Flynn of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

Northern Pursuit: Errol Flynn of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police

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…

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I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang: Still Powerful After All These Years

I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang: Still Powerful After All These Years

Released: 1932 Directed By: Mervyn LeRoy Mentioning movies like I Was a Teenage Werewolf, or I Married a Communist, or I Was a Brooklyn Gorilla for the FBI, usually evokes a smile, or a laugh, or both. And while working at a video store for 15 years the same could be said whenever I recommended I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang. However, you cannot judge this film solely by its title, Chain Gang is a serious and powerful…

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