Midnight Oil: Movies and More - SNAM Video Trailers Alphabetical Listing

The Shipping News (2001)

In “The Shipping News” Kevin Spacey plays Quoyle, a long-time loser with a complicated family history who unexpectedly returns to Newfoundland as a desperate act of self-preservation for himself and his family. The ties that bind are a deep mystery, deeper than the wild blue ocean that itself plays a major role in the film.

Along the way, Quoyle meets an wonderful array of “colourful characters” that include Judy Dench playing his convoluted Aunt Agnis, Gordon Pinsent as his unanticipated mentor, Scott Glenn as his second-sighted boss, and Cate Blanchett as his predatory mate. As he sets about making a new life for himself in rural Newfoundland, Quoyle discovers a new set of interests that he never anticipated. He tries his hand at journalism for the local paper. He goes out on the water in his own boat. He catches up with his daughter’s daycare owner, Wavey Prowse (Julianne Moore), and finds out that she’s even more interesting than her name suggests. Quoyle isn’t especially good at any of these things, but he at least gives it a try, and that’s what it’s all about at this stage of his rather stagnated existence.

I can’t tell you that the local accents in this film are wonderfully accurate (they’re not). I can’t say whether very many people still use outhouses in Newfoundland or whether anyone has dragged his house across the ice from the outer islands lately. I can’t really recommend the foul tasting Seal Flipper Pie alluded to in the film. (I’ve never had the pleasure.) I don’t know if it’s true that every other inhabitant on the island has run into a moose on the road or had a relative drowned at sea. I don’t know about the second-sight that some claim to have or whether tying mysterious string knots will protect the family or expose them to some terrible other-worldly curse. Wake: The Shipping News (credit Moviescreenshots)I’ve never heard of wakes that really wake the dead, but I would not be totally taken aback to see a house chained to the ground for fear of blowing away in a place like Newfoundland. What I do know is that all the displaced Newfoundlanders I’ve ever met were friendly folk with hearty appetites for this life and the next. I trust that the scenery is every bit as dramatic as shown in this film and that the weather is every bit as bad (when it is bad).

Spacey & Dench (credit Moviescreenshots) It’s enough to make one want to run off to Newfoundland (at least for a visit . . . at least for a visit in the summertime.) So much in this film is only half remembered and half spoken. It makes you long for more. I think that this is perhaps one of the primary virtues of the film. It is as evocative as its hauntingly beautiful musical score (see the video below). Maybe the film does not deliver on all levels, but I think it has credit: Moviescreenshotsat least this going for it. It opens a window that hints at the “something more” that you can’t quite see from the vantage point of the movie itself. Perhaps the something more is the Pulitzer Prize winning book by Annie Proulx from which the film is derived. Supposedly, the novel is a much better work than the film rendition. Perhaps I should read it some time. Perhaps that would be a more realistic venture than running off to Newfoundland in mid-January on a sight-seeing jaunt.

See the TVOntario Interviews for The Shipping News(2001): Life Anew. It looks at second chancesand issues of renewal through discussions with actors, directors and screenwriters.

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See the trailer for "The Shipping News" (2001)

Hear part of the magical movie score by Christopher Young.

Posted on Saturday, January 15, 2011 at 04:02PM by

Catherine Savard in 2000s movies, Drama, Saturday Night at the Movies 2010, Video Trailers |

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The Snake Pit (1948) Video Trailer

The%20Snake%20Pit%20De%20Havilland%20Stevens.jpg “The Snake Pit” (1948) IMDb has Olivia de Havilland play the part of Virginia Cunningham, a young woman who finds herself locked up in a mental asylum. The film, taken from a novel by Mary Jane Ward and directed by Anotole Litvak, combines the point of view of the disoriented and harassed patient, Virginia, with external elements that keep the film firmly grounded in reality. In spite of the efforts of her loving husband (Mark Stevens) and Dr. Mark Kik (Leo Genn) to reach her, The%20Snake%20Pit%20de%20Havilland.jpg the harrowing experiences of the mental patient continue for a full two hours. “The Snake Pit” is an unusually honest film about mental illness for 1948 even if it does enter the realms of the melodramatic and over the top psycho-analysis at times.

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Catch the TVO video trailer for "The Snake Pit" (1948)

Posted on Friday, June 20, 2008 at 09:53AM by

Catherine Savard in 1940s movies, Drama, Saturday Night at the Movies 2008, Video Trailers |

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The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)

In “The Spy Who Came In From The Cold” (1965), John le Carré’s influential novel of cold war espionage comes to life with Richard Burton playing the central character. Alec Leamas is a far cry from the super suave super-spy, James Bond. There’s none of the gadgetry and high gloss finish for the ordinary agent Leamas who gets to visit such exotic destinations as a forest hut, a cement cell and an austere courtroom in nowhere town, East Germany thanks to his exciting chosen profession as a spy. The enduring points of interest from the film (and the novel) do not come from glamourous locations, steamy sex scenes or fantastic special effects that accompany the adrenalin pumping pursuits of the secret agent. This black and white film features things that are a little more low key (not to mention low budget). Complex dialogue, interesting character development and moral dilemma sustain one’s attention and actually leave one with something to think about after it’s all over. Move Mr. Bond. No matter what worthy actor they get to play the eternally youthful 007, he won’t be a match for Burton’s rather gritty Alec Leamas à la le Carré.

See a very interesting SNAM “Interview” that includes material on John le Carré’s spy novels. “The Deadly Affair" (1966), screened on the same evening on Saturday Night at the Movies is also reviewed on Midnight Oil.

You can try listening to the original novel on audiobook.

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>>Real Life Story: Priscilla escaped oppression while living in an Eastern block country under Communist rule.

See the trailer for "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold" (1965)

Posted on Friday, November 20, 2009 at 06:34AM by

Catherine Savard in 1960s movies, Claire Bloom, Drama, Martin Ritt, Oskar Werner, Richard Burton, Saturday Night at the Movies 2009, Video Trailers |

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The Straight Story (1999)

David Lynch gives us “The Straight Story” (1999) IMDb starring Richard Farnsworth and Sissy Spacek. If you don’t mind the lawn tractor pace of the rhythm of this movie, it’s a wonderful ride. There’s lots to see about life when you’re obliged to stop and look from atop Alvin Straight’s John Deere lawnmower. Alvin gains perspective about his past and wisdom along the way as he engages in an amazing personal journey in order visit his estranged brother. Sissy Spacek also turns in a great performance as Alvin’s troubled daughter with a speech impediment. I’ve seen it twice now on SNAM. I wouldn’t mind going for a third time around. Sometimes I just need to slow down. (Don’t we all!)

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Catch the video trailer for "The Straight Story" (1999) here.

Posted on Saturday, November 1, 2008 at 08:52AM by

Catherine Savard in 1990s movies, Drama, Saturday Night at the Movies 2008, Video Trailers |

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The Three Musketeers (1973)

The Three Musketeers (1973) IMDb from the classic Alexandre Dumas novel sports an all-star cast befitting a sprawling swashbuckler that spans over two feature-length films. Included in the line-up are Michael York, Richard Chamberlain, Oliver Reed and Frank Finlay. Also on display with an abundance of frillyness and silliness are Raquel Welch, Faye Dunnaway, Geraldine Chaplin, Christopher Lee and Charlton Heston. Saddled with a plot that doesn't matter and awkward costumes that do (there's something to do with the Queen's honour - or was it a love affair entangled with a diamond necklace and a conniving cardinal?) the actors work hard to offer us un grand spectacle, as Michael York reminds us in his TVO interview. If you're into frills and spills and not too much mental work, this may be the very film for your viewing pleasure.