Category: The Deacon’s Mind of Movies
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Friday Foster: A Reversal of Genre Fortunes
Starring: Pam Grier, Yaphet Kotto, Godfrey Cambridge, Thalmus Rasulala, Ted Lange, Eartha Kitt, Scatman Crothers, Carl Weathers and Julius Harris. Based on the syndicated newspaper comic strip of the same name, 1975’s Friday Foster stars Pam Grier in what would be her final film with American International Pictures. Directed by blaxploitation veteran Arthur Marks, Friday…
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DeaconsDen Classic Reaction – Wyatt Earp
This is my first watch of Wyatt Earp. I’ve owned the dvd for years because I love westerns and never watched it. I know of it’s reputation and I always had to wonder is it that bad? The answer is no. Wyatt Earp is well directed by Lawrence Kasdan. Kevin Costner does serviceable work as…
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Reacting to the Short Films of Melvin Van Peebles
2021 saw the loss of Melvin Van Peebles. A trailblazer in cinema who came into the art with his own voice and style. His cinematic language was unfiltered and this was unquestioned in every facet of his work which was not only film, but music, theater and literature. I acquired the Melvin Van Peebles: Essential…
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NO TIME TO DIE: A Reaction and a Confessional
I do agree with the consensus that NO TIME TO DIE is a fitting farewell to Daniel Craig as James Bond. Craig is the first Bond actor who gets such a moment as the others in the past simply said they weren’t coming back. Since Craig is the one actor who’s tenure consists of a…
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Exploring the Television Career of Alfred Hitchcock: Episode Two – Breakdown
We’re back with another episode of television directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Last time we took a look at the very first episode of the series, a gripping tale called “Revenge.” You can check out that piece to get an understanding of the Hitchcock formula’s first opportunity on the small screen as well as some of…
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DeaconsDen Classic Reaction – To Catch a Thief
To Catch a Thief is Alfred Hitchcock on vacation. If you are watching the works of the Master of Suspense, whether it’s Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window, Rebecca and so forth, you have expectations to be on the edge of your seat. Although it has moments of suspense, We pretty much spend our time in the…
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DeaconsDen Classic Reaction – WATERSHIP DOWN
WATERSHIP DOWN does absolutely no holding of hands. It’s naturalist, it’s visceral and it showcases the absolute fleeting idea of nature. Death is quick and sudden most of the time and when it isn’t, like a scene where a rabbit is caught in a snare it’s brutal because it’s a slow process of dying. In…
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DeaconsDen Classic Reactions – Carol Reed’s The Third Man
The Third Man is a movie that is in between identities and views. It’s a film that even if you’ve never seen it before, you think you’ve seen it one way and it ends up being another. It’s meant to disorient you. It achieves this at the earliest possible moment with the shot of the…
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DeaconsDen Classic Reactions – The War of the Worlds (1953)
Although science fiction films of the 1950 tend to have a reputation for being cheesy and cheap, there are a few that presented some form of perspective. The Thing From Another World for instance can be read as a warning of communism already being here. Forbidden Planet is a look at man’s unwillingness to be…
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Exploring the Television Career of Alfred Hitchcock: Episode One – Revenge
The films of Alfred Hitchcock are certainly frequent subject here on DeaconsDen. I’ve written about a few of the Master of Suspense’s works. These include PSYCHO, MARNIE, DIAL M FOR MURDER, REAR WINDOW, THE LADY VANISHES, SUSPICION, THE BIRDS, FRENZY, TOPAZ AND ROPE. I have always found Hitchcock’s work to be extremely entertaining and due…
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