Happy Kwanzaa:

Merry Christmas:

 

Wishing family and friends far and near

a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Lena Dunham, on reading:

Let's be reasonable and add an eighth day to the week that is devoted exclusively to reading.

- Lena Dunham. 

On this day in movie history - Open Your Eyes (1997)

Open Your Eyes

Spanish title: Abre los ojos,

directed by Alejandro Amenábar,

written by Alejandro Amenábar and Mateo Gil,

was released in Spain on December 19, 1997.

Music by Alejandro Amenábar and Mariano Marín.

Cast:

Eduardo Noriega, Penelope Cruz, Chete Lera, Fele Martinez, Najwa Nimri, Gerard Barray, Jorge de Juan, Miguel Palenzuela, Pedro Miguel Martinez, Ion Gabella, Joserra Cadiñanos, Tristan Ulloa, Pepe Navarro, Jaro, Walter Prieto, Carola Angulo, Fanny Gautier, Luis Garcia, Javier Martin, Jose Angel Egido, Ricardo Cruz, Raul Otegui, Pepe (cat), Alejandro Amenábar, Luis Fernandez de Eribe, Isabel Serrano.

Richard Francis Burton, on books:

Home is where the books are.

- Richard Francis Burton.

On this day in movie history - A Beautiful Mind (2001)

A Beautiful Mind

directed by Ron Howard,

written by Akiva Goldsman,

based on the book by Sylvia Nasar,

was released in the United States on December 13, 2001.

Music by James Horner.

Cast:

Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer, Paul Bettany, Adam Goldberg, Josh Lucas, Anthony Rapp, Jason Gray-Stanford, Judd Hirsch, Austin Pendleton, Vivien Cardone, Jillie Simon, Victor Steinbach, Tanya Clarke, Thomas F. Walsh, Jesse Doran, Kent Cassella, Patrick Blindauer, John Blaylock, Roy Thinnes, Anthony Easton, Cheryl Howard, Rance Howard, Jane Jenkins, Darius Stone, Josh Pais, Alex Toma, Valentina Cardinalli, Teagle F. Bougere, David B. Allen, Michael Esper, Eva Burkley, Amy Walz, Tracey Toomey, Jennifer Weedon, Yvonne Thomas, Holly Pitrago, Isadore Rosenfeld, Tommy Allen, Dave Bayer, Brian Keith Lewis, Tom McNutt, Will Dunham, Glenn Roberts, Ed Jupp Jr., Christopher Stockton, Gregory Dress, Carla Occhiogrosso, Matt Samson, Lyena Nomura, Kathleen Fellegara, Betsy Klompus, Stelio Savante, Logan McCall, Bob Broder, Michael Abbott Jr., Liche Ariza, Michael Arthur, Reggie Austin, Fileena Bahris, Lloyd Baskin, Sean Bennett, Cade Bittner, James Thomas Bligh, Peter Bonilla, Rich Bryant, Dan Chen, Phil Cirincione, Scott Addison Clay, Ty Copeman, Sean Dillon, Berly Ellis, Jonah Falcon, Fabrizio Fante, Scott Fernstrom, Michael Fiore, Mike Fitzgerald, Todd Fredericks, Seth Gabel, Russell Gibson, Gregory Gordon, Evan Hart, Jason Horton, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron Howard, Vivian Kalinov, Alex Lorre, Monique Marissa Lukens, Dory Manzour, Tiffany Marz, Charles McClelland, Jon M. McDonnell, Arnold Montey, Robert Myers, Ryan O’Connor, Nick Oddo, Charles Pendelton, Reed Penney, Michael C. Pierce, Mills Pierre, Deborah Rayne, Sean Reid, Colby Ryan, Brian Smyj, Ned Stuart, Dave Sweeney, Alessandro Tanaka, Douglas Taurel, John H. Tobin, Jeffrey Todd, Michael Tota, Jarred Treiber, Ryan Tygh, Erik Van Wyck, James Whalen, Warner Wolf.

On this day in movie history - Magnum Force (1973)

Magnum Force

directed by Ted Post,

written by John Milius and Michael Cimino,

based on a story by John Milius,

was released in the United Kingdom on December 13, 1973.

Music by Lalo Schifrin.

 

Cast:

Clint Eastwood, Hal Holbrook, Mitchell Ryan, David Soul, Tim Matheson, Kip Niven, Robert Urich, Felton Perry, Maurice Argent, Margaret Avery, Richard Devon, Tony Giorgio, Jack Kosslyn, Bob March, Bob McClurg, John Mitchum, Russ Moro, Clifford A. Pellow, Albert Popwell, Christine White, Adele Yoshioka, Clarence 'Buzz' Anderson, Don Anderson, Susheela Asregadoo, Nina B. Blake, Kenneth Boyd, John Bracci, Marcia Brandwynne, Christopher Brooks, Art Brown, Jeff Carter, Willie Carter, Al Cingolani, Reuben Collins, Cab Covay, Paul D'Amato, Michael L. Davis, Brenda Dennis, Cash Earley, Aaron Edwards, Drew Eshelman, Debra A. Estok, Robert Feero, Peter Fitzsimmons, Ray K. Goman, Joseph Gostanian, Nicholas Grabien, Wayne Grace, J. Peter Hanson, Lisa Herman, Barbara Herring, Will Hutchins, Jay Jacobus, George R. Kalange, Gwyn Karon, Craig Kelly, Edgy Lee, John Lester, Lucy Lowry, Bruce Mackey, Ron Magers, Angela May, Linda McClure, Ricci McGee, Terence McGovern, Janet McGrath, Don Michaelian, Joe Miksak, Lynn Mortensen, Niels Mortensen, Bruce Neckels, Eugene A. Nelson, Ben Niems, Tom O'Neill, Rudy Ortega, Tony Piazza, Charles Raino, George Reading, Jack Rosenblaum, Ray Saunders, Jack Schmidt, Robert E. Simpson, Karna Small, Melvina Smedley, Windrim Smith, Suzanne Somers, Owen Spann, William Swan, Steve Treacy, Robert Trebor, Ed Vasgersian, Conni Venturi, John Vick, Robert V.R. Ware, Carl Weathers, Johnny Weissmuller Jr., Joseph Whipp, William L. Williams, Phil Wilson, Jeff Wynne.

The Telephone Box (1972) - it’s enough to give you phone phobia!

Review by Jack Kost

Shortly before New Year, we watched Phone Booth (2002) again, a great thriller starring Colin Farrell, Forest Whitaker, Katie Holmes, Radha Mitchell, and Kiefer Sutherland.

Farrell plays an unscrupulous New York publicist who answers a ringing phone in a booth he’s standing next to.

The caller warns him he’ll be killed if he attempts to leave the booth … and … the story develops from there.

The claustrophobic atmosphere of Phone Booth reminded me of a 1972 Spanish short movie I saw on TV during the mid-‘80’s called La Cabina (aka The Telephone Box).

A unfortunate guy (José Luis López Vázquez), in a world long before the invention of the cell phone, attempts to make a call in a street booth.

The door closes on him as he discovers the phone doesn’t work.

He tries to leave, but the door is locked tight.

He’s trapped in there a long time as a crowd of onlookers gather … and … the story develops from there.

La Cabina is quirky and dated, but still worth the half-hour to watch, with an original story that delivers a surreal and scary twist.

Although street booths have mostly disappeared, La Cabina is a great reason to own a cell phone … but then you have to consider what happened in Stephen King’s novel: Cell.

Yikes!

I read that folks in Spain, shortly after La Cabina was released on December 13, 1972, took to preventing the door in phone booths from shutting completely by keeping their foot in the gap.

I can’t imagine why.

On this day in movie history - Le Doulos (1962)

Le Doulos

a.k.a.The Finger Man,

directed and written by Jean-Pierre Melville,

based on the novel by Pierre Lesou,

was released in Italy on December 13, 1962.

Music by Paul Misraki.

Cast:

Jean-Paul Belmondo, Serge Reggiani, Jean Desailly, René Lefèvre, Marcel Cuvelier, Philippe March, Fabienne Dali, Monique Hennessy, Carl Studer, Christian Lude, Jacques De Leon, Jack Leonard, Paulette Breil, Philippe Nahon, Charles Bayard, Daniel Crohem, Charles Bouillaud, Michel Piccoli.

Born on this day – Michael Clarke Duncan:

Actor

December 10, 1957 – September 3, 2012

Happy Hanukkah:

 

Happy Thanksgiving

 

On this day in music history - The album Freak of Nature, by Anastacia (2001)

Freak of Nature

by Anastacia

was released on November 23, 2001.

Ernest Hemingway, on writing:

 

I belong to this notebook and this pencil.

- Ernest Hemingway.

On this day in music history - The album Many Paths, by Lorrie Sarafin (2010)

Many Paths

by Lorrie Sarafin

was released on November 19, 2010.

Born on this day – Hermione Baddeley:

Actress

November 13, 1906 – August 19, 1986

Happy Diwali - Wishing you peace, prosperity, and happiness:

Bringing light to all dark places...

Kurt Cobain, on inspiration:

Thank you for the tragedy.

I need it for my art.

- Kurt Cobain.

Author humor.... the Twilight version:

 

Geraldine Brooks, on writing:

I swim in a sea of words.

They flow around me and through me and, by a process that is not fully clear to me, some delicate hidden membrane draws forth the stuff that is the necessary condition of my life.

– Geraldine Brooks.

Jacob’s Ladder (1990) – A nightmarish final struggle:

Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

A nightmarish final struggle

Review by Jack Kost

Jacob’s Ladder (1990), directed by Adrian Lyne, released in the United States on November 2, 1990, and based on the screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin, is a rarity of the genre: an intelligent horror story.

Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is a traumatized Vietnam veteran.

He works for the Post Office and shares a cramped apartment with his girlfriend and co-worker, Jezebel (Elizabeth Peña), in a dilapidated block in Brooklyn, New York, during the 1970s.

Suffering from PTSD, Jacob is haunted by flashbacks from his time in the war, his pain compounded by the grief of losing his son in an accident.

His waking hours are invaded by bizarre and terrifying hallucinations of a locked underground subway station, and demons that stalk him wherever he goes.

He has disorientating periods when he awakes to find himself in an alternate reality where he is still married to his wife, Sarah (Patricia Kalember).

In these sections, his son Gabe (Macaulay Culkin) is still alive.

Jacob attempts to discover the truth about his condition and uncovers a conspiracy involving a failed drug experiment.

The title: Jacob’s Ladder, is a Biblical reference, from Genesis 28:10-21, in which a spiritual staircase, flanked by angels, provides a bridge between Heaven and Earth.

In the latter part of the movie, the chemist, Michael Newman (Matt Craven), describes the enhanced drug as: The Ladder.

Afflicted with back pain, Jacob visits his Chiropractor, Louis (Danny Aiello).
Louis is also his friend and confidante.

When Jacob confides his hallucinations, Louis offers solace and reassurance by quoting the 14th-century German theologian and philosopher, Meister Eckhart:

LOUIS:
Eckhart saw Hell, too. You know what he said? He said: ‘The only thing that burns in Hell, is the part of you that won't let go of your life, your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you,’ he said. ‘They're freeing your soul’ … So, the way he sees it: ‘if you're frightened of dying and – and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But, if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth.’ It’s just a matter of how you look at it, that’s all.

Bruce Joel Rubin’s screenplay, available in paperback, is an essential read for anyone who appreciates the movie.

It provides a wealth of insight and background information on the development of the story, including the inspiration and meaning behind some of the movie’s most stunning and disturbing images, particularly the visions of the “vibrating” men Jacob glimpses.

The book includes deleted scenes, with reasons why they didn’t make the final cut of the movie.

The acting is understated and flawless.
The strong supporting cast includes excellent character actors: Jason Alexander, John Capodice, Matt Craven, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Eriq La Salle, Ving Rhames, Brian Tarantina, Anthony Alessandro, Brent Hinkley, S. Epatha Merkerson, and John Patrick McLaughlin.

Adrian Lyne, like Ridley Scott, knows how to use light to powerful and atmospheric effect.

Maurice Jarre’s soundtrack sets a melancholic and haunting tone.

So many movies rely too heavily on the jump-shock moment to compensate for lack of plot, or character development.
Jacob’s Ladder doesn’t make that mistake.
The script and plot structure have been carefully thought out.

Jacob Singer is the main character, but in no way heroic.
We feel Jacob’s pain, bewilderment, and terror.
He fights when he has to, particularly in the scene where he is abducted from the street and forcibly strong-armed into the back of a car.
Jacob’s demeanor is, for the most part, quiet, friendly and affable, making his mounting fear and vulnerability more believable.

The quieter sections of the story are emotionally involving enough to make the moments of jarring horror nightmarish and chilling, with a final reveal that is both subtle and moving.

Jacob’s Ladder succeeds on many levels: as part war story, tragedy, drama, horror, mystery, hallucinatory nightmare, and theological thriller, giving the viewer much to think about and discuss.

It’s a disquieting and unforgettable experience that improves with repeat viewings, compelling the viewer to examine reality, existence, and the question of what comes after.

Life is fleeting.
Death is a certainty.
One day, we all have to climb that spiritual ladder.
Ascend … or descend?
Heaven … or Hell?
Which direction and destination will be yours?