Ten Films Worth Watching on DVD

Those of us who are dedicate cinephiles will be happy to learn that "Film Comment" magazine announced in its dvd section that the rare, hard-to-see cult classic "Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment" with Vanessa Redgrave is available. Though many films like "Pretty Poison" (1966) with Tuesday Weld and Anthony Perkins that were very difficult to see for years are now available through Netflix several others, such as the cinematic version of "The Subject Was Roses" (1969) are still hard fish to put in the net.

Here is a list of ten films I recommend at the moment. We are including the spaghetti western "Bullet for the General" (1969) since J.Hoberman wrote a great piece about the subgenre in the same current issue of "Film Comment."

Here is the list:

1. Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966. Dir-David Mercer)

2. A Bullet for the General (Italy. 1969. Dir-David Damiani. w/Klaus Kinski)

3. Blow Out (1981. Dir-Brian DePalma)

4. Contagion (2011. Dir- Steven Soderbergh)

5. Bal (Turkey. 2010. Dir- Semih Kaplanoglu)

6. Trollhunter (Norway. 2010. Dir.-Andre Ovredal)

7. Being There (1979. Dir-Hal Ashby)

8. Senna (doc. 2011. Dir-Asi Kapadia)

9. A Dangerous Method (2011. Dir-David Cronenberg)

10. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011. Dir-Tomas Alfredson)http://www.filmlinc.com

Quote of the Day/Week- John Ford

Today, in honor of the Oscars broadcast in late February, we are quoting Oscar-winning film directors, and we start with John Ford (1894-1973). Though he was known primarily for his westerns, none of the record four Oscars that Ford won came from films within that genre. And, only one of those films, "The Quiet Man" (1952) featured his frequnet collaborator John Wayne.

The other three films Ford Oscared for include "The Informer" (1935), "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940) and "How Green Was My Valley" (1941).

Ironically, Ford did not win for his two most acclaimed films "Stagecoach" (1939) and "The Searchers" (1956). Many film historians also consider his film "How Green Was My Valley" which also won an Oscar for Best Picture to be the most dubious in Oscar history since "Citizen Kane" also came out in 1941. But, Orson Welles, who directed "Citizen Kane" considered Ford to be both a major influence and one of his favorite film directors.

We also highly recommend two BFI books by Ed Buscombe (full disclosure: he taught a class on westerns that I took at Hollins University in Roanoke, Va.) on "The Searchers" and "Stagecoach."

Here is Ford's quip:

"How did I get to Hollywood? By train?"

SIDEBAR: For some reason, both former American Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes and country singer Dolly Parton, who were both subjects of entries on this blog, are among are hot links this week!

The Best and Worst Films of the Coen Bros

We had the most trouble getting images for this entry! Whew!

First of all, we must admit that the idea for this blog came from a "Washington Post" article by Ann Hornaday, who is the paper's film critic. Like her, I was surprised that former arch-conservative House Speaker Newt Gingrich also thinks "Fargo" is the best Coen Brothers film (since when do Republicans watch art house movies?!).


But, here are my own choices from best to least favorite Coen Brothers films. Their most current film "True Grit" also made my top 20 films of 2010 list on our other blog "The Daily Vampire."


It's hard to believe that I saw one of these films in Paris, France, (O Brother, Where Art Thou?) in Paris, France, and another one of these films (The Ladykillers) at a second-run multiplex in Lynchburg, Va.!


Here is the list:

1. Fargo (1996)

2. Barton Fink (1991)

3. The Big Lebowski (1998)

4. Miller's Crossing (1990)

5. Raising Arizona (1987)

6. Blood Simple (1984)

7. No Country for Old Men (2007)

8. O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000).

9. A Serious Man (2009)

10. True Grit (2010)

11. The Ladykillers (2004)

12. The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

13. The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)

14. Burn After Reading (2008)

15. Intolerable Cruelty (2003)

Happy New Year from Lucky Luke/Red Kit

Today, we are taking a brief hiatus from blogging about our family trip to Washington, DC, which had elements of both "National Lampoon's Vacation" and "Taxi Driver" to send holiday greetings via our favorite French cowboy Lucky Luke, whom I still refer to as Red Kit since that was his name in the Turkish translations of his adventures.

Surprisingly enough, even though Lucky Luke's stories all took place in the American west, and featured such real-life figures as Billy the Kid, who Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico did not pardon yesterday, the comic book was never popular in America. Though, Lucky Luke did develop a loyal following in Canada, Turkey, Italy, Germany, the former Yugoslavia and even Vietnam.

The first Lucky Luke comic books arrived in 1946, and his rivals were the Dalton Brothers, a Keystone Kopsesque bunch of numb-skulls who were based loosely on the real-life Dalton Gang.

The books were drawn by the Morris (1923-2001) and the stories were written by the late French icon Rene Goscinny, who also worked on the adventures of Asterix the Gaul.

Red Kit rode a white horse named Jolly Jumper and he was accompanied by a stupid dog Rantanplan, who was a satire of Rin Tin Tin. In fact, the dog was called Rin Tin Tin in the Turkish versions.

Lucky Luke was criticized for using cigarettes, and Morris defended the character using the tobacco product in the children books up until 1988 when he decided it was time for the French cowboy to go cold turkey.

New English-language versions made by Cinebooks can be found at considerably more retailers here in les etats unis than in years past. One of them is my personal favorite comic book shop Chapel Hill Comics in Chapel Hill, NC, where one can also see a Tom Waits octopus!

SIDEBAR: Kudos to the following New Years Day babies who were among the first born in their areas: Colton Jackson Rodenhauer of Richmond, Va., Sean-John Arruda of Fall River, Mass. and Jasmine Bessou of Winston-Salem, NC.

Today's GeoQuiz- Chile

The capital of Chile which features this mural (pictured here) is the subject of today's GeoQuiz, which we dedicate to students at Fairview High School in Boulder, Colo.,-admittedly one of our favorite college towns.

This city has had a bit of a dark history in recent years as Chile was ruled by dictator Augusto Pinochet from 1974-1990 after he toppled Marxist leader Salvador Allende with the assistance of the CIA. These events were profiled in the epic French documentary "The Battle of Chile" (1975-79) from Chilean emigre Patricio Guzman.

My late uncle Ilhan Gokbudak, who died in 2000, was actually a Turkish diplomat in Chile during the 1970s and 1980s, and he told me many stories about his life there. And, I actually inherited an autograph from Pinochet from him, which felt a bit strange since...well, he was a dictator!

But, today, this city and Chile is back on its proverbial feet as many tourists come to this capital which has also been sister cities with the likes of other capitals ranging from Ankara, Turkey, to Manila, Philippines. This mystery city is also currently a sister city with Miami.

Is this capital city:

A) Asuncion

B) Montevideo

C) Lima

D) Santiago

SIDEBAR: We want to wish a happy birthday to fellow Radford University (Va.) alum Jayma Mays of tv's "Glee" (a show that my friend Moviezzz really, really likes) who turned 31 on Friday. She is originally from the coal-mining town of Grundy, Va., which is not to far away from Wise, Va., where the late actor George C. Scott ("Patton") was born. Many people are surprise to find out that far southwestern Virginia town of Grundy is close to three hours away from Roanoke, Va., my hometown which is the largest city in the region.

SIDEBAR TWO: Spaghetti western movie fans will be happy to learn that TCM is airing the Sergio Leone film "For a Few Dollars More" with Clint Eastwood tomorrow at 5:30 p.m., EDT. It is the sequel to "A Fistful of Dollars." My favorite spaghetti western is another Leone film "Once Upon a Time in the West."

PS-The answer to last week's GeoQuiz was "B," Valencia.

My Ten Favorite Films of Henry Fonda

Henry Fonda (1905-1982) would have turned 105 on Sunday. One might assume he was the most famous actor to ever hail from Omaha, Nebraska, but so did (surprisingly!) Marlon Brando.

Brando never co-starred with the elder Fonda in any films, but he was in "Apocalypse Now" with Dennis Hopper, who is the subject of a similar entry on our sister blog "The Daily Vampire."

We are also hoping to have a similar entry for Jane Fonda soon.

Here are our ten favorite (not in order of how good they are cinematically) films featuring Henry Fonda:

1. "Once Upon a Time in the West" (Pictured.Italy. 1968, Dir-Sergio Leone)
2. "The Ox-Bow Incident" (1943. Dir-William Wellman)
3. "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940. Dir-John Ford)
4. "The Wrong Man" (1956. Dir-Alfred Hitchcock)
5. "My Darling Clementine" (1946. Dir-John Ford)
6. "Young Mr. Lincoln" (1939. Dir- John Ford)
7. "Drums Along the Mohawk" (1939. Dir- John Ford)
8. "12 Angry Men" (1957. Dir-Sidney Lumet)
9. "The Tin Star" (1957. Dir- Anthony Mann)
10. "Madigan" (1967. Dir- Don Siegel)