"THE HOUR" Season One (2011) Photo Gallery

 

Below are images from Season One of the BBC series, "THE HOUR". Created by Abi Morgan, the series starred Ben Whishaw, Romola Garai and Dominic West:

"THE HOUR" SEASON ONE (2011) Photo Gallery

 

"SUPERMAN RETURNS" (2006) Review

 

"SUPERMAN RETURNS" (2006) Review

The 2006 Summer movie season was a memorable one for me. I never got around to review movies like"MISSION IMPOSSIBLE III", "PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:  DEAD MAN'S CHEST", "THE DaVINCI'S CODE", and "X-MEN 3: THE LAST STAND". I had just started on my first blog and never really bothered to put much effort into a movie review. However, I did managed to write a few words about "SUPERMAN RETURNS".

I supposed one could say that "SUPERMAN RETURNS" is almost a direct sequel to the 1980 film. It begins with Superman aka Clark Kent's return to Earth five years after his journey to a location where astronomers believed they had discovered the remains of Krypton. During those five years, his nemesis Lex Luthor served time in prison before his release, which coincided with Superman's return. Upon the latter, Clark resumes his old job as a journalist for Metropolis' The Daily Planet. He also learns that the love of his life, Lois Lane, is now engaged to Perry White's nephew Richard, with whom she has a five-year-old son named Jason. Lois also won a Pulitzer Prize for her article "Why the World Doesn't Need Superman".

While Clark deals with this personal drama, Luthor and a new group of minions steal Kryptonian crystals from the Fortress of Solitude and Kryptonite from the Metropolis Museum of Natural History. These thefts set in motion Luthor's plan to utilize a combination of both to to grow a new landmass in the Northern Atlantic Ocean that will supplant the continental United States. In other words, Luthor has plans for another land swindle that might cost the lives of millions of people.

I wish I could say that I had loved "SUPERMAN RETURNS". I wish I could say that I found it very original. I wish I could . . . but I cannot. Because I would be lying if I had said so. Do not get me wrong . . . "SUPERMAN RETURNS" was a pretty good movie. Well . . . it was entertaining. And the movie featured a first-rate performance from leading man Brandon Routh as Clark Kent aka Superman. I also enjoyed performances from Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, Frank Langella, a young Tristan Lake Leabu, Eva Marie Saint, and Sam Huntington. I was especially impressed by Kevin Spacey's witty take on the villainous Lex Luthor and Parker Posey's hilarious performance as Luthor's ditzy henchwoman, Kitty Kowalski. Unfortunately, the movie also turned out to be something of a disappointment for me. It possessed a plot that failed to support its roster of talent.

First of all, I felt that it was a big mistake on director Bryan Singer's part to continue the story, following 1980's "SUPERMAN II". It was bad enough that he had re-used John Williams' score and Marlon Brando's image as Jor-El. But he also used plot lines from the 1978 film, "SUPERMAN"(1978). He re-hashed the following:

*Lois' rooftop meeting with Superman, followed by a flight over Metropolis

*Some of Chris Reeves' dialogue

*Lex Luthor's plot to destroy part of the U.S. for a land swindle (which was not handled very effectively).

Singer also borrowed the love triangle from Marvel's 2004 movie, "SPIDER-MAN 2" . . . but with only a few twists. And the movie's final action sequence seemed to drag forever.

In the end, I could not tell whether the movie was a sequel to "SUPERMAN II" or a remake of "SUPERMAN". Very confusing and very disappointing. Although I believe the movie proved to be pretty good with a first-class cast, it also proved to be one of the most unoriginal comic book hero flicks I have ever seen. Singer could have done better. I rated the movie a "B-".

"HEAVEN AND HELL: NORTH AND SOUTH BOOK III" (1994) - EPISODE ONE Commentary

 

"HEAVEN AND HELL:  NORTH AND SOUTH BOOK III" (1994) - EPISODE ONE Commentary

If there is one chapter in John Jakes' NORTH AND SOUTH saga that is reviled by the fans, it the television adaptation of the third one, set after the American Civil War. First of all, the theme of post-war Reconstruction has never been that popular with tales about the four-year war. More importantly, fans of Jakes' saga seemed to have a low opinion of "HEAVEN AND HELL", the 1994 adaptation of Jakes' third North and South novel, published back in 1987. 

My opinion of the 1994 miniseries slightly differs from the opinions formed by the majority of the saga's fans. The three-part miniseries failed to achieve the same level of production quality that its two predecessors had enjoyed. But unlike the second miniseries, 1986's "NORTH AND SOUTH: BOOK II", this third miniseries was more faithful to Jakes' original novel - as I had pointed out in a previous article. And to my surprise, I discovered that some aspects of the miniseries were an improvement from the novel.

Episode One of "BOOK THREE" struck me as a solid return to John Jakes' saga. Not only did it re-introduce some of the old characters from the previous two miniseries, but also introduced new characters. Ironically, one of the new characters turned out to be the oldest Main sibling - Cooper Main. As many fans know, his character was left out of the first two miniseries. Why? I do not know. But Cooper was introduced as a humorless man, embittered by the South's defeat. And Robert Wagner gave one of the best performances in the miniseries in his portrayal of Cooper. Another praiseworthy addition turned out to be Rya Kihlstedt, who portrayed Charles Main's new love interest, actress Willa Parker. Not only did Kihlstedt did a great job in portraying the idealistic Willa, she had great chemistry with Kyle Chandler, who took over the role of Charles Main. Many fans had howled with outrage over Chandler assuming the role of Charles, following Lewis Smith's portrayal in the previous miniseries. So did I. But after seeing Chandler do a superb job of conveying Charles' post-war angst and desperation to find a living to support his son. James Read gave a solid performance as a grieving George Hazard, who seemed to be having difficulty in dealing with the death of his best friend, Orry Main, at the hands of their former enemy, Elkhannah Bent. Cliff De Young made a surprisingly effective villain as Gettys LaMotte, the manipulative and vindictive leader of the local Ku Klux Klan.

Unfortunately, there were performances that failed to impress me. I got the feeling that director Larry Peerce harbored an odd idea on how a 19th century upper-class Southern woman would behave. This was quite apparent in the performances of Lesley-Anne Down as Madeline Fabray Main and Terri Garber as Ashton Main Huntoon. The performances of both actresses struck me as unusually exaggerated and melodramatic - something which they had managed to avoid in "BOOK I" and "BOOK II". Fortunately for Garber, she occasionally broke out of her caricature, when portraying Ashton's more sardonic nature. Down only got worse, when her voice acquired a breathless tone. Being a fan of character actor Keith Szarabajka from his stint on "ANGEL" and other television and movie appearances, I was shocked by his hammy performance as a vengeful Kentucky-born Union officer named Captain Venable, whose family had been ravaged by Confederate troops. His performance was one of the most wince-inducing I have witnessed in years.

Episode One possessed some bloopers that left me scratching my head. Cooper's sudden appearance in the miniseries was never explained by the screenwriters. Neither was the introduction of former slave Isaac, who was portrayed by Stan Shaw. And I am still curious about how Gettys LaMotte learned about Madeline's African-American ancestry, let alone the other neighbors in the parish. I do not recall Ashton or Bent telling anyone.

Fortunately, Episode One was filled with excellent scenes and moments. One of the scenes that really seemed to stand out featured George and Madeline's argument about the state of post-war Mont Royal. Charles' hilarious introduction to a Cheyenne village involved marvelous acting by Chandler and Rip Torn, who portrayed mountain man Adolphus Jackson. One other scene that had me on the floor laughing featured Ashton, who became a prostitute in Santa Fe, kicking a smelly would-be customer out of her room. The episode featured very chilly moments. One of them featured Gettys LaMotte's creepy rendition of the KKK theme song (I forgot that De Young was also a singer). Another was the murder of Adolphus Jackson and his nephew Jim by a Cheyenne warrior named Scar. But the best scene in the entire miniseries (and probably the entire trilogy) was Elkhannah Bent's murder of Constance Hazard, George's wife. I found it subtle, creepy and beautifully shot by Peerce. Also, Philip Casnoff and Wendy Kilbourne acted the hell out of that scene.

Despite some bloopers that either left me confused or wincing with discomfort - including some hammy performances by a few members of the cast - I can honestly say that "HEAVEN AND HELL:  BOOK III" started off rather well.  Better than I had originally assumed it would.

"IRONCLADS" (1991) Photo Gallery

 

Below are images from "IRONCLADS", the 1991 made-for-television movie about the Battle of Hampton Roads during the U.S. Civil War. Directed by Delbert Mann, the movie starred Virginia Masden, Reed Diamond and Alex Hyde-White:

"IRONCLADS" (1991) Photo Gallery

"TAP ROOTS" (1948) Review

 

"TAP ROOT" (1948) Review

I am sure that many are aware of Mississippi-born Confederate soldier-turned-Unionist Newton Knight and his formation of the "Free State of Jones", which opposed Confederate forces during the U.S. Civil War. I first heard about Knight and his men while watching Ken Burns' 1990 documentary, "THE CIVIL WAR". But I had no idea that knowledge of this little corner of Civil War history went back even further.

Recently, Hollywood released a movie version about Knight and his followers in the 2016 historical drama, "FREE STATE OF JONES". However . . . some seventy-four years earlier, a novel titled "Tap Roots", which had been written by James H. Street, hit the bookstores. It told the story of a cotton planter, his family and a newspaper publisher; who had decided to remain neutral during the first year of the Civil War. Unfortunately, their decision to remain neutral led to disastrous consequences for the planter and his family, along with other local men who decided to follow them. Six years later in 1948, Universal Pictures made a movie adaptation of Street's novel.

In a nutshell . . . "TAP ROOT" begins in the fall of 1860. Northern Mississippi plantation owner Big Sam Dabney and his son Hoab express concern over Abraham Lincoln's election as the 16th president and the possibility of Southern states seceding from the Union. Both men begin to consider having Levington County in Lebanon Valley, location of the family's cotton plantation, remain neutral if a civil war breaks out. Meanwhile, Hoab's older daughter, Morna Dabney, becomes engaged with Army officer, Clay McIvor. Younger sister Aven is jealous, due to also being in love with Clay. As for Morna, local newspaper owner Keith Alexander becomes attracted to her.

Before 1860 ends, Big Sam dies, leaving Hoab in full control of the family's neutral stance. And poor Morna has a riding accident, leaving her physically disabled and her engagement to Clay in jeopardy. Apparently, the latter is unable to maintain interest in a disabled woman and transforms his sexual interest to Morna's younger sister, Aven. This gives Keith the opportunity to court Morna and help her recover from Clay's rejection. However, Mississippi secedes from the Union, driving Hoab, Keith and the Dabney family's Choctaw friend, Tishomingo, to organize Levington County's neutral stance and secession from Mississippi.

There are aspects of "TAP ROOTS" that I found admirable. Alexander Golitzen's production designs for a Northern Mississippi community between 1860 and 1861 struck me as pretty admirable, if not mind blowing. I could say the same about Yvonne Wood's costume designs. However, there were some signs of 1940s fashions getting in the way, especially in the men's costumes. The shoulders for Van Heflin's jackets struck me as so wide that I found myself wondering if he had portrayed a time traveler from the 1940s. On the other hand, I found Winton C. Hooch and Lionel Lindon's photography of the Southern California and North Carolina locations rather beautiful, thanks to its sharp color. And I thought director George Marshall did an admirable job with the film's action scenes. I was especially impressed by the final conflict between Levington County's "rebels" and the local Confederate forces. Between Marshall's direction, Hooch and Lindon's photography, and Milton Carruth's editing, that final action sequence proved to be one of the film's finer aspects.

If I must be honest, I did not have any problems with the performances featured in "TAP ROOTS". Well . . . with most of the performances. Van Heflin gave an entertaining, yet commanding performance as the cynical newspaper editor Keith Alexander. Susan Hayward was equally commanding as Southern belle Moana Dabney, who endured her own trials while her own personal life fell apart. I did not care for the character of Clay McIvor, who struck me as something of a jerk; but I cannot deny that Whitfield Connor did a solid job in bringing his character to life. A very young Julie London really held her own as Moana's younger sister, Aven Dabney, who managed to win Clay's love from Moana, following the latter's riding accident. Russell Simpson gave a entertaining performance as Moana's colorful grandfather, Big Sam Dabney. Ruby Dandridge, mother of Dorothy Dandridge, gave a solid performance as the Dabneys' housekeeper, Dabby. And I can say the same about Richard Long's portrayal of Moana's younger brother, Bruce Dabney; Arthur Shields as Reverend Kirkland; and Sondra Rogers as Shellie Dabney.

Despite the solid performances that permeated "TAP ROOTS", two of them proved to be problematic for me. First, there was Ward Bond's portrayal of Hoab Dabney, the Mississippi planter who not only inherit the family's cotton plantation following his father's death, but also the latter's plans for a neutral Mississippi. I might as well say it. I found Bond's performance to be an exercise in histrionics. I found this surprising since Bond has never struck me as a hammy acting. I wish that director George Marshall had found a way to rein in his acting - especially in one scene in which Hoab came into conflict with Moana over her past relationship with Clay McIvor. Alas, I thought Bond gave his hammiest performance in that one scene. The other problematic performance came from Boris Karloff, who portrayed the Dabney family's Choctaw friend and retainer, Tishomingo. Mind you, Karloff gave a competent and subtle performance as one of the few sensible characters in this movie. And although many may have been put off by a British actor portraying a Native American, I was surprised to discover that Karloff had possessed both English and East Indian ancestry from both of his parents. I do not know if that gave the actor a pass, considering he still lacked any Native American ancestry. But if I really had a problem with Karloff's performance is that he had portrayed Tishomingo as if the character was an Englishman. Even if Karloff had been portraying a white American, I still would have found his performance slightly problematic.

And what about the narrative for "TAP ROOTS"? Did I like it? Honestly? No. For me, the 1948 movie had failed to impress me. And this is a pity. I believe the problem stemmed from the movie's original source, the 1942 novel. Author James H. Street had claimed he was inspired by the life of Newton Knight, when he wrote his novel. However, out of fear that Knight's life was too controversial - namely his common-law marriage to former slave Rachel Knight - Street changed the nature of Knight's story. The leading characters of "TAP ROOTS" were portrayed as members of Mississippi's planter class. They opposed slavery - at least one or two characters had claimed this - but also owned slaves. But aside from the Dabneys' "faithful" housekeeper Dabby, all other slaves were minor characters who barely spoke. If a movie is going to have its main characters claim to be anti-slavery, why ignore the topic for the rest of the film? Newton Knight's grandfather was a major slave owner in northern Mississippi during the early 19th century. But Knight and his father had opposed slavery and became yeoman farmers who never owned slaves. Knight had been an Army deserter and managed to successfully oppose the Confederate authority in Jones County between 1863 and 1865. The Daubey family and Keith Alexander had no such success in "TAP ROOTS". And I never understood this. Why did Street and later, the movie's writers fail to follow Knight's Civil War experiences? What was the point of creating this story if they were not willing to closely follow Knight's conflict with the Confederate authorities? Why not allow the Daubey family to be yeoman farmers who opposed slavery? Street and the filmmakers could have still kept out Newton Knight's relationship with Rachel Knight.

Instead, I found myself watching a movie in which the main protagonists claimed they opposed slavery yet practiced it and barely touched upon the subject for most of the film. The movie literally dragged its feet between Abraham Lincoln's election in November 1860 and the outbreak of the Civil War in April 1861. And although I disliked Moana Dabney's romance with the unworthy Clay McIvor, I found Keith Alexander's "courtship" of her rather troubling. In Keith's attempt to get Moana to forget about Clay, he resorted to bouts of manhandling her that seemed to border on sexual assault. For some reason, this reminded me of the Scarlett O'Hara/Rhett Butler relationship from "GONE WITH THE WIND". And not in a good way. I also had a problem with the film's portrayal of Lebanon Valley's citizens. I noticed that the film seemed to portray them as mindless citizens who followed the Dabneys' anti-Confederate stance without any real explanation. Like the Dabney slaves, Hoab's followers lacked any real agency. Did author James Street, along with the filmmakers of this movie really lacked the courage to convey a story about how a Southern-born yeoman farmer and others from his class had successfully fought against the Confederacy? Or even exploring his anti-slavery stance? Back in the 1940s?

In the end, this is my real problem with "TAP ROOTS". James Street and producer Walter Wanger took a historical event from the Civil War and used fiction - a novel and its Hollywood adaptation - to render it toothless. Its main historical figure Newton Knight had been transformed into a borderline hysterical and controlling cotton planter and member of the elite. The story failed to explore what led many of the planter's combatants to follow him. The story barely touched upon the topic of anti-slavery, while including slaves as minor and background characters. And the movie dumped some tepid attempt at a "GONE WITH THE WIND" clone romance to keep movie goers interested. The movie had some virtues. But in the end, the movie's vague adaptation of Newton Knight's Civil War experiences simply fell flat. I hope and pray I am never inclined to watch this film again.

The Charlotte

 

THE CHARLOTTE

I first heard about the Charlotte or one of its variations in the 1992 movie, "HOWARDS END". One of the supporting characters seemed to have a real enthusiasm for the dessert being served to him by his family's maid. I have never forgotten that particular scene. And when I came across some information on the Charlotte, I found myself inspired to post an article about it.

The Charlotte is a type of dessert that can be served hot or cold and was believed to be created in the late 18th century. It can also be known as an 'ice-box cake'. Bread, sponge cake or biscuits/cookies are used to line a mould, which is then filled with a fruit puree or custard. It can also be made using layers of breadcrumbs. Classically, stale bread dipped in butter was used as the lining, but sponge cake or sponge fingers may be used today. The filling may be covered with a thin layer of similarly flavored gelatin.

Many different varieties have developed. Most Charlottes are served cool, so they are more common in warmer seasons. Fruit Charlottes usually combine a fruit puree or preserve with a custard filling or whipped cream. Some flavors include strawberry, raspberry, apple, pear, and banana. Other types do not include fruit but use a custard or Bavarian cream. A citrus curd is a more contemporary choice.

There is a lot of doubt surrounding the origins of the name Charlotte. Despite the fact that Charlottes are served across Europe, one etymology suggests it is a corruption of the Old English word charlyt meaning "a dish of custard." Meat dishes that were known as charlets were popular in the 15th century. Some claim that the charlotte had its origin in the dessert, Charlotte Russe, which was invented by the French chef Marie Antoine Carême (1784-1833). Apparently, he named it in honor of Charlotte of Prussia, the sister of his Russian employer Czar Alexander I (russe being the French word for "Russian"). Other historians say that this sweet dish originated with the Apple Charlotte, which took its name from Queen Charlotte (1744-1818), wife of George III - patron of apple growers in Britain.

The various types of Charlotte desserts include:

*Charlotte Russe - a cake is which the mold is lined with sponge fingers (Ladyfingers) and filled with a custard. It is served cold with whipped cream.

*Apple Charlotte - a golden-crusted dessert made by baking a thick apple compote in a mold lined with buttered bread. This dessert was originally created as a way to use leftover or stale bread.

*Chocolate Charlotte - a cake that uses chocolate mousse within its layers

*Charlotte Malakoff - a cake with a lining of ladyfingers and a center filling of a soufflé mixture of cream, butter, sugar, a liqueur, chopped almonds, and whipped cream. It is decorated with strawberries.

*Cold charlottes - made in a ladyfinger-lined mold and filled with a Bavarian cream. For frozen charlottes, a frozen soufflé or mousse replaces the Bavarian cream.

Here is an old American recipe for Apple Charlotte:

"Cut as many very thin slices of white bread as will cover the bottom and line the sides of a baking dish but first rub it thick with butter. Put apples, in thin slices, into the dish, in layers, till full, stewing sugar between and bits of butter. In the meantime, soak as many thin slices of bread as will cover the whole, in warm milk, over which lay a plate, and a weight to keep the bread close on the apples. Bake slowly three hours. To a middling-sized dish use a half pound of butter in the whole." - "A New System of Domestic Cookery, Formed Upon Principles of Economy, and Adapted to the Use of Private Families" by Maria Rundell, 1807

Here is a more modern recipe for the same dish:

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter 1 (1 pound) loaf white bread, crusts trimmed 8 apples - peeled, cored and chopped 1/3 cup white sugar 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon lemon juice 2 tablespoons butter, cubed nonstick cooking spray.

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9x5 inch bread pan with 1 tablespoon butter. Press bread slices onto the bottom and sides of pan, making sure there are no gaps.

In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and 2 tablespoons cubed butter. Place apple mixture in bread lined pan. Cover top with bread slices and coat with nonstick cooking spray. Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes in pan, then invert onto serving dish. - allrecipes.com

"OTHER MEN'S WOMEN" (1931) Photo Gallery

 

Below are images from the 1931 melodrama, "OTHER MEN'S WOMEN". Directed by William Wellman, the movie starred Grant Withers, Mary Astor and Regis Toomey: 

"OTHER MEN'S WOMEN" (1931) Photo Gallery