365 Days of Cinema: The June report

A look back at the May reviews and ratings in my Facebook fan page project, “365 Days of Cinema II: Electric Boogaloo.” (For the full explanation, see my column or this blog entry .) Monthly and year-long stats are at the end.

Day 152 – The Wicker Man (1973) – The original, remade in 2006. This version is as scary (particularly psychologically) as the Nicolas Cage version is silly. Amazing performances by Edward Woodward, Christopher Lee, and probably the best Britt Ekland ever was. (4 stars on a scale of four)

Day 153 – Stone (2010) – Had anyone suggested a film starring Edward Norton and Robert DeNiro would have me aching for a fast-forward button, I’d have argued intensely. And my intense arguing would have been more dramatic than anything either of them did in this paycheck vehicle. (1 star on a scale of four)

Day 154 – Day for Night (1973) – This French movie was the first look many got at what it’s really like behind the scenes of a film. Plenty of movies have been devoted to this topic, but this one – with romantic entanglements, a boozy actress, improvising to make the best of bad situations – is among the best. (3 1/2 stars on a scale of four)

Day 155 – The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965) – Richard Burton (one of his seven Academy Award nominations) and Claire Bloom shine in this intellectual Cold War spy story. Intense, but largely a story told by talking heads sitting in rooms. (2 1/2 stars on a scale of four)

Day 156 – Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) – The comic book-meets-video game world here is a little out of my realm, but the movie looks cool and there’s enough wit in the script to appeal to most, even those of us who are really weary of Michael Cena. (2 1/2 stars on a scale of four)

Day 157 – By Love Possessed (1961) – What “Peyton Place” hath wrought. (This also stars Lana Turner.) Predictable soap opera about lawyers and ne’er-do-wells (sometimes the same people) in a point-and-shoot flick. Features a cute young Yvonne “Batgirl” Craig. (1 star on a scale of four)

Day 158 – Visioneers (2008) – Zach Galifianakis stars in a tale of a dystopia where citizens are literally exploding. The very definition of a dark comedy for two acts, it turns brutal (and unfortunately starts to lag when it should be its most powerful) in the final half-hour.

enticz: Antique Electric Fan

Like other collectibles, vintage electric fans appeal to different people for different reasons. Many prize them as nostalgic reminders of growing up in an era before home air-conditioning became affordable. Others regard antique fans as enduring examples of American industrial technology, as iron-and-steel embodiments of art and design trends. Still, others like me view them as retro interior decorating items.

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