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.


December 2007 activity

Total Log Entries: 47

Total Comments: 12


Full Archive



Mildred Pierce / USA / 1944

A real one-off, combining the bleakness of noir with the homely dilemmas of the nascent women’s picture to create something completely unique. Most of what’s great about the film comes straight from James M. Cain’s fabulous source novel: the rags-to-riches plot, the sharp dialogue and the devilish critique of the American dream. But it’s in the characters that both book and movie really come alive- Joan Crawford works wonders in the central role, and she’s surrounded by a raft of talented bit players (though the squeaky voiced Mammy does feel awkward). But it’s Cain’s villain, the insanely self absorbed Veda, who really makes an impression, one of the most cold blooded and frightening child characters in cinema, desperate to climb the social ranks and crushing anyone who gets in her way, even her own mother, whom she takes a brutal delight in tearing to shreds.

by Tom Huddleston | Source: DVD
20 Dec 2007 9:04 AM | Submit Comment


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