Words and Movies

Two Movies…One Theme

  • Reel 72: Films Based on John LeCarré

    Reel 72: Films Based on John LeCarré

    Our look at spy films takes a decidedly more serious turn, as we go from the wackiness of The In-Laws and Top Secret! to the Cold War grittiness of today’s films based on novels by John LeCarré. We begin with The Spy Who Came In From The Cold, from 1965. This film, directed by Martin…

  • Top Secret! (1984) – Review

    In addition to being a fan of rock music, as I’ve made clear, I’m also a fan of movies that are musicals that use rock, though not all; I’m not, for example, a big fan of Elvis Presley’s movies, even the ones that are considered his better movies (Michael Curtiz’s King Creole). I am also…

  • The In-Laws (1979) – Review

    “I’m being irrational. I sit there listening to stories about the Guacamole Act of 1917 and tsetse flies carrying off small children and I’m being irrational?” “I have flames on my car! I HAVE FLAMES ON MY CAR!” “You’re dead, right? Good!” “Are you interested in joining (the CIA)? I tell you, the benefits are…

  • Cold War (2018) – Review

    Along with film, two subjects that interest me very much are history and music. Both of these subjects have fascinated me in my life in general, as well as when they’ve been the subjects of films I’ve liked. Both subjects are placed front and center in Cold War, Pawel Pawlikowski’s follow-up to Ida (my favorite…

  • The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988) – Review

    1968, of course, was a year where it seemed like the world was on fire. After the Tet Offensive that happened during the Vietnam War, while the North Vietnamese lost the battle, the battle itself convinced many in the U.S. the war could not be won, and the protests against the war increased significantly, not…

  • One Night in Miami (2020) – Review

    On February 25, 1964, Muhammad Ali, when he was still being called Cassius Clay, defeated Sonny Liston in Miami, Florida to win the heavyweight championship of the world. Malcolm X, one of the most prominent voices at the time in the U.S. Nation of Islam, was there that night for support, and had talked to…

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Marie Smith

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