Fosse’s ‘Lenny’ offers intimate look at controversial comic

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

LENNY (1974)

With “Lenny,” his third film as director, Bob Fosse was on a role – one that almost led to his own self destruction dramatized five years later in the autobiographical musical “All That Jazz.”

“Lenny” from 1974 cemented Fosse’s reputation as a daring, visionary film maker. Fosse’s biographical drama stars Dustin Hoffman in a standout performance as comedian, satirist and social critic Lenny Bruce.

Fosse won the Best Director Oscar for “Cabaret” in 1972. “Lenny” proved the award was no fluke.

Filmed in semi-documentary style, “Lenny” is based on the stage play of the same name and tells the rise, fall and death of Bruce – one of the most controversial comics of all time who saw himself as a crusader for free speech.

Hitchcock’s classic ‘Psycho’ still scares more than 50 years later

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

PSYCHO (1960)

Shortly after “Psycho” settles into its story, Alfred Hitchcock does the unthinkable: He knocks off one of the film’s top-billed stars in a scene that still frightens today.

The infamous “Psycho” shower scene is a technical tour de force, an intricately designed and meticulously filmed sequence that remains one of  many highlights of Hitchcock’s lengthy film career. The sequence is so effective that film scholars still study it in-depth.

More than 50 years after “Psycho” opened in 1960, the movie still packs significant scares and suspense into a small, intimate story. A year after helming the hit comic thriller “North by Northwest” in 1959, Hitchcock went for something totally different: a scaled-down, low-budget, black-and-white thriller filmed with the crew from his hit television show.

With strong performances from Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins, a lean script from writer Joseph Stefano and taut direction from Hitchcock, “Psycho” is in a class all its own. “Psycho” jolted film-goers in much the same way that “The Exorcist” did 13 years later. Audiences had never seen anything quite like Hitchcock’s film.

Warners unveils teaser trailer for ‘The Dark Knight Rises’

Warner Bros. has just released a teaser trailer for next summer’s certain blockbuster, “The Dark Knight Rises.” The film is the final installment of Christopher Nolan’s successful resurrection of the “Batman” film franchise. Enjoy.

Friedkin returns to the streets with ‘To Live and Die in L.A.’

TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. (1985)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

By winning the Oscar for “The French Connection” in 1971 and following it two years later with “The Exorcist,” William Friedkin made a name for himself as one of the best, most successful young film directors of his time.

Then came a string of misses. A long string of misses. In fact, Friedkin’s spotty career has produced a host of disasters that include the killer tree film “The Guardian” and a so-so cable television remake of “12 Angry Men.”

Friedkin recently finished his first film in five years, “Killer Joe,” set for release later this year; the film is about a man in debt who decides to kill his mother for the insurance. With a cast that includes Matthew McConaughey and Emile Hirsh, Friedkin hopefully will regain his voice.

Until then, you have go back almost 26 years to find the last great film Friedkin directed. “To Live and Die in L.A.” hit movie screens in November 1985 – the first Friedkin crime drama since “The French Connection.” While the action this time is on the West Coast, “To Live and Die in L.A.” is just as riveting and exciting.

Robert Duvall does justice to Pat Conroy’s ‘The Great Santini’

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

THE GREAT SANTINI (1979)

Robert Duvall has had an impressive film career playing a key role in many classic American motion pictures, including a memorable three from Francis Ford Coppola: “The Godfather,” “The Godfather, Part II” and “Apocalypse Now.”

But one of Duvall’s best performances, and a wonderful film in its own right, almost never was released to theaters. Duvall played the title role in the 1979 film “The Great Santini” – but the movie sat on the shelf for months.

Based on the best-selling autobiographical novel by Pat Conroy, Duvall played the main role of Bull Meechum, “The Great Santini,” a gruff, bull-headed, hard-nosed Marine colonel who had a complex relationship with his family – especially his son.

The film, adapted by director Lewis John Carlino, remains faithful to Conroy’s book. As the Meechum family settles into their new home in Beaufort, S.C., son Ben struggles to build a relationship with his overbearing father.

Sondheim’s ‘Sweeney Todd’ bloodies its way to big screen

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON
 BARBER OF FLEET STREET (2007)

From the minute Johnny Depp appears on screen, gazes toward the distant skyline and sings in a deep voice “No, there’s no place like London,” the movie had me hopelessly hooked.

For two hours, “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” didn’t let go. The acting, the direction from Tim Burton, the music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim – all were perfect.

I sat in the Grandview Theater in Madison, Miss., with my wife one night in January 2009 glued to the seat and screen watching what she and I knew instantly was one of the greatest and strangest filmed musicals ever made.

Last week, I wrote about my love of movie musicals [click here], about how they often touch deep emotional chords as the story’s characters suddenly burst into song to express feelings they might not be able to otherwise.

Redford, Dunaway headline thrilling ‘3 Days of the Condor’

THREE DAYS OF THE CONDOR (1975)

By TERRY R. CASSREINO

Robert Redford was at his best in the 1970s when he used his box-office drawing power to make a series of well-crafted, well-acted films that showcased his talent and on-screen charisma.

Besides “The Sting,” “The Way We Were” and “All the President’s Men,” one of my all-time favorite Redford films from that period is “Three Days of the Condor” – a tightly-wound, paranoia-laced thriller from 1975.

Redford teamed with actress Faye Dunaway a year after her critically-acclaimed performance in “Chinatown.” Under Sydney Pollack’s precise direction, the three turned a so-so novel into a crackling suspense film.

The movie’s timing was perfect. By building a thriller around an man caught in a CIA web of deceit, “Three Days of the Condor” appealed to the cynical beliefs of a nation still recovering from Watergate and Vietnam.