Screening Log

This new site feature is a collective effort to summarize our viewing habits. Occasionally, you will find titles here that are coming to a theater near you, in addition to films viewed on television, and even films viewed in piecemeal. The screening log is archived each month; to view past entries select a month in the menu below.


July 2006 activity

Total Log Entries: 71

Total Comments: 23


Full Archive



Ace in the Hole / The Big Carnival / USA / 1951

Billy Wilder at arguably his most cynical. Decades ahead of its time, the movie centers around an ambitious reporter exiled in a small New Mexico town. Eager to return to the big leagues, he stumbles upon what appears to be a golden ticket in the form of a local man trapped in a mine rumored to be haunted by Indian spirits. Knowing that the public’s interest in the man’s misfortune will only grow as the saga continues, the reporter circumvents a proposed early rescue strategy, convincing local authorities that it is in their best interest to let the drama stretch on for a week. Aided by a sheriff eager for re-election, a contractor looking to raise his profile, and the trapped man’s calculating wife, who plans to hop on the first bus out of town once the profits are divided, the reporter orchestrates a media 3-ring circus that makes all of them a household name. What he doesn’t consider, however, is that things might not go exactly according to plan.

The reporter is played by Kirk Douglas in full sleaze mode, and watching him I couldn’t help but wonder if his performance in this film at all influenced his son’s portrayal of Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. Film Forum screened a new print of this as part of their Essential Wilder series , so here’s to hoping this movie will come to a theater near you.

by Beth Gilligan | Source: 35mm print
20 Jul 2006 11:28 PM | Submit Comment


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