This episode approaches dark comedy in a way that Medium rarely does. There are two murders, but both are treated lightly--even humorously. The basic plot is that an attractive young woman has killed her ancient husband for his money. We learn that her lover, a computer hacker, is stealing people's identities and cleaning out their bank accounts in order to buy off a juror in her trial. Everywhere Allison looks she sees these people whose identity was stolen as the identity thief, Fred Rovick. Diedrich Bader does a wonderful job playing all of the characters, both male and female--even channeling Joe Dubois and Lee Scanlon. In the end, we even see him in a bikini. The psychological trauma of that experience aside, it is an unusual and entertaining episode.
Reviews
4 Reviews
Age of Consent
(1969)
A sweet and likable middle-age fantasy
26 November 2007
Age of Consent, from the novel of the same name by Norman Lindsay, is essentially a middle-aged man's fantasy -- but a sweet and likable one.
James Mason plays Bradley Morahan, a successful New York painter who has become tired of turning out the same old commercial tripe. He longs for home (Queensland, Australia) and the chance to experience life first hand, again. He rents a shack on a small island off the Great Barrier Reef and moves in with his dog Godfrey, stocking it with food, drink and oil paints.
The island is a tropical paradise, inhabited by fruit bats and several other characters content to have left the world behind. The granddaughter of one of the residents is a young girl named Cora, played by Helen Mirren. She supports her alcoholic grandmother by selling crayfish and oysters to the store on the mainland and dreams of getting away and becoming a hairdresser. Morahan is charmed by her and agrees to help her see her dream come true by paying her to model for him. She proves to be just the inspiration he needed and he begins to paint -- and live -- with renewed energy.
The film is easy-paced, amusing, and despite a few upsets along the way, leads to a fantasy conclusion. If you want to spend a pleasant couple of hours getting away from it all, I recommend seeing this film.
Directed by Michael Powell, it is now available on the Films of Michael Powell DVD along with A Matter of Life and Death (Stairway to Heaven), starring David Niven.
James Mason plays Bradley Morahan, a successful New York painter who has become tired of turning out the same old commercial tripe. He longs for home (Queensland, Australia) and the chance to experience life first hand, again. He rents a shack on a small island off the Great Barrier Reef and moves in with his dog Godfrey, stocking it with food, drink and oil paints.
The island is a tropical paradise, inhabited by fruit bats and several other characters content to have left the world behind. The granddaughter of one of the residents is a young girl named Cora, played by Helen Mirren. She supports her alcoholic grandmother by selling crayfish and oysters to the store on the mainland and dreams of getting away and becoming a hairdresser. Morahan is charmed by her and agrees to help her see her dream come true by paying her to model for him. She proves to be just the inspiration he needed and he begins to paint -- and live -- with renewed energy.
The film is easy-paced, amusing, and despite a few upsets along the way, leads to a fantasy conclusion. If you want to spend a pleasant couple of hours getting away from it all, I recommend seeing this film.
Directed by Michael Powell, it is now available on the Films of Michael Powell DVD along with A Matter of Life and Death (Stairway to Heaven), starring David Niven.
A Christmas Carol
(1951)
The definitive Christmas story
20 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Scrooge is the definitive Christmas story. Ebenezer Scrooge is a wealthy businessman in Victorian London and a miser. One Christmas Eve he is visited by the ghost of his ex-partner Jacob Marley, as well as three Christmas spirits who gradually convince him of the error of his ways. As a result, he awakens on Christmas morning transformed into a veritable champion of the season and all that it stands for.
This 1951 version of A Christmas Carol (Scrooge) remains the best for an important reason: of all the versions made before or since, this is the only one that got it absolutely right.
The story--as so many have misread it--is not about an evil tightwad who hates everything and is suddenly scared into being a saint by the spirits of Christmas. It is, instead, about a good man whose life has turned him in on himself--made him bitter and miserable--primarily through the death of his beloved sister, Fan. He is not, therefore, changed in the end, but rather, restored to himself, his innate good nature emerging renewed from its cocoon of self-imposed misery.
Of course, the Spirits of Christmas must do the job for him since Scrooge can't rely on his own sense of reason and fair play to save him from himself; his position is technically valid. The opening scenes demonstrate how everyone is expecting something from him in the name of Christmas, but not in the name of what's fair: A debtor wants more time to pay--in the name of Christmas. A charity wishes him to donate money--in the name of Christmas, and Cratchit wants the day off , with pay--in the name of Christmas. As Scrooge points out, if he were to dock Cratchit's pay half a crown for a day without work, Cratchit would feel ill-used, but it's perfectly alright to ask for a day off--with pay--from Scrooge. That it is all done in the name of Christmas hardly counts as an argument, either, since Scrooge has lost sight of what Christmas is all about.
That is Scrooge's illness, and A Christmas Carol recounts this classic Dickens tale of the cure.
Thanks to Alastair Sim's wonderful performance, we can almost feel sorry for Scrooge. He suffers more from his miserly nature than anyone else. We are introduced to a reasonable man who simply wants to be left alone and we can empathize with him--in part at least. We see him, a man of great wealth, deny himself a piece of bread simply because it would cost an extra half-penny. Lit by a single candle and warmed by a meager fire, he sits alone and lonely on Christmas Eve in his large and empty house. Sim also adds a wonderfully droll sense of humor to his portrayal, thus making Scrooge more of a character than a villain, and therefore much more sympathetic from the outset.
Come Christmas morning, we celebrate with Scrooge because we know him. In spite of ourselves, we liked him even before his rebirth, and now are delighted that he is finally happy. His acts of humility and generosity come from a familiar soul and we are touched by them.
I first watched this film in 1955 on television, Christmas day. I have not missed a Christmas in the fifty-plus years since then and always find it wonderfully entertaining and inspirational. Aided by a wonderful cast and careful adherence to Dickens' original dialogue and concept, it has deservedly become a Christmas classic. I can't imagine that there is someone who hasn't seen it, but if you haven't, I certainly recommend it.
This 1951 version of A Christmas Carol (Scrooge) remains the best for an important reason: of all the versions made before or since, this is the only one that got it absolutely right.
The story--as so many have misread it--is not about an evil tightwad who hates everything and is suddenly scared into being a saint by the spirits of Christmas. It is, instead, about a good man whose life has turned him in on himself--made him bitter and miserable--primarily through the death of his beloved sister, Fan. He is not, therefore, changed in the end, but rather, restored to himself, his innate good nature emerging renewed from its cocoon of self-imposed misery.
Of course, the Spirits of Christmas must do the job for him since Scrooge can't rely on his own sense of reason and fair play to save him from himself; his position is technically valid. The opening scenes demonstrate how everyone is expecting something from him in the name of Christmas, but not in the name of what's fair: A debtor wants more time to pay--in the name of Christmas. A charity wishes him to donate money--in the name of Christmas, and Cratchit wants the day off , with pay--in the name of Christmas. As Scrooge points out, if he were to dock Cratchit's pay half a crown for a day without work, Cratchit would feel ill-used, but it's perfectly alright to ask for a day off--with pay--from Scrooge. That it is all done in the name of Christmas hardly counts as an argument, either, since Scrooge has lost sight of what Christmas is all about.
That is Scrooge's illness, and A Christmas Carol recounts this classic Dickens tale of the cure.
Thanks to Alastair Sim's wonderful performance, we can almost feel sorry for Scrooge. He suffers more from his miserly nature than anyone else. We are introduced to a reasonable man who simply wants to be left alone and we can empathize with him--in part at least. We see him, a man of great wealth, deny himself a piece of bread simply because it would cost an extra half-penny. Lit by a single candle and warmed by a meager fire, he sits alone and lonely on Christmas Eve in his large and empty house. Sim also adds a wonderfully droll sense of humor to his portrayal, thus making Scrooge more of a character than a villain, and therefore much more sympathetic from the outset.
Come Christmas morning, we celebrate with Scrooge because we know him. In spite of ourselves, we liked him even before his rebirth, and now are delighted that he is finally happy. His acts of humility and generosity come from a familiar soul and we are touched by them.
I first watched this film in 1955 on television, Christmas day. I have not missed a Christmas in the fifty-plus years since then and always find it wonderfully entertaining and inspirational. Aided by a wonderful cast and careful adherence to Dickens' original dialogue and concept, it has deservedly become a Christmas classic. I can't imagine that there is someone who hasn't seen it, but if you haven't, I certainly recommend it.
The Devil's Hairpin
(1957)
Solid entertainment
8 July 2004
The Devil's Hairpin was one of the more exciting racing movies from the 50's. It is also a compelling story of the conflict within the main character, played by Cornel Wilde.
Wilde (who also directed) plays retired race car champion Nick Jargin. Jargin owns a nightclub and lives on past glory, never missing an opportunity to boast that he could still beat anyone on the track. What his legion of fans doesn't know is that he is, in fact, afraid to race again. In his last race he caused an accident which severely injured his younger brother. He had a decision to make between backing off at "The Devil's Hairpin" which might have allowed his brother to win, or jeopardizing his brother's life by not letting him pass. He chose the latter, and although his brother doesn't blame him for the resulting accident, he has always blamed himself.
A local columnist finally goads him into racing again, and together with some cronies, he builds a race car. In the final race, he is faced with the same circumstance that caused his brother's accident.
Wilde knew a great deal about how to tell a story. There is personal conflict, romance (his wife Jean Wallace plays Jargin's girlfriend) and of course the inevitable showdown both on the track and with his own past. The story is told in flashback, beginning on the starting grid for this final, defining race.
It ain't "Grand Prix" as far as racing realism is concerned, but still solid entertainment. I have often wished this film were available on video or DVD. It is one of my favorites from the 50's.
Wilde (who also directed) plays retired race car champion Nick Jargin. Jargin owns a nightclub and lives on past glory, never missing an opportunity to boast that he could still beat anyone on the track. What his legion of fans doesn't know is that he is, in fact, afraid to race again. In his last race he caused an accident which severely injured his younger brother. He had a decision to make between backing off at "The Devil's Hairpin" which might have allowed his brother to win, or jeopardizing his brother's life by not letting him pass. He chose the latter, and although his brother doesn't blame him for the resulting accident, he has always blamed himself.
A local columnist finally goads him into racing again, and together with some cronies, he builds a race car. In the final race, he is faced with the same circumstance that caused his brother's accident.
Wilde knew a great deal about how to tell a story. There is personal conflict, romance (his wife Jean Wallace plays Jargin's girlfriend) and of course the inevitable showdown both on the track and with his own past. The story is told in flashback, beginning on the starting grid for this final, defining race.
It ain't "Grand Prix" as far as racing realism is concerned, but still solid entertainment. I have often wished this film were available on video or DVD. It is one of my favorites from the 50's.
Tell Your Friends