Well Done Movies & TV

The moral implications of a movie like "Shortcut to Happiness" are not lost on me. I am someone who writes (not a writer, not yet anyway, see movie for relevant quote), and like any artist worth their salt – am well aware of the pitfalls of 'selling your soul to the devil'.

It means to; sacrifice substance for style, quality for quantity, and to prize mainstream success above all else. Which is one of the gravest errors you can make as a writer – this film's execution accomplishes the conveyance of the theme of humility - very well.

1. The first role in Jeffrey Wright's filmography is a picture titled Presumed Innocent – (1990) a procedural crime drama helmed by Alan J Pakula – Jeffrey played a prosecuting attorney.

2. Jeffrey Wright has been nominated for 36 awards to recognize his work in film, television, and theatre and has won 11 of them – a monumental accomplishment. The most prestigious of these awards - an Emmy (for his performance in HBO's Westworld), a Tony Award for his role in the Broadway musical ‘Angels in America: Perestroika’, A Golden Globe, A Toronto Film Critics Association Award & an AFI (American Film Institute) Award.

'The Evil Dead', what a movie!

It's fun, it's wacky; it's horribly violent – the film that cemented director Sam Raimi as the pioneer of a sub-genre known as Splat-stick, a combination of the words slapstick and splatter. It's actually a very accurate description of the director's style. 

There have been many imitators of Raimi's unique vision, thus this type of filmmaking has emerged as a niche genre, adored by fans all around the globe. Films that fall into this category 'Shaun of the Dead', 'John Tucker Must Die', and 'Tusk' - plus a whole host of others. Hell, even the hit TV show 'The X-files' borrows heavily from the director of 'The Evil Dead's' repertoire. If you haven't watched Sam Raimi, now's a good time to start!

1. "The Shining" (1980) - Based on Stephen King's novel, this psychological horror film follows a writer and his family as they become isolated in an eerie hotel. Directed by visionary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, this film helped to cement Jack Nicholson as the Hollywood legend he is today.

2. "The Woman in Black" (2012) - Adapted from Susan Hill's novel, this ghostly horror movie features a young lawyer investigating a vengeful ghost haunting in a small town.

3. "Cujo" A large St. Bernard is possessed by the soul of a serial killer and it threatens the life of a mother and her son, trapping them in a car.

(Stars: Jim Carrey, Mathew Broderick, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, and Leslie Mann)

Producer(s) Judd Apatow, Andrew Licht, Jeffery A. Mueller

The Cable Guy is about the pervasiveness of media in a post-modern world. It is an exploration of anti-social tendencies, and a meditation on the disintegration of the nuclear family - after the fall of the USSR, and the subsequent end of the cold war.

This is the first role that Jim Carrey chose to step outside his comfort zone, playing Chip Douglas - a character that is more disconcerting than funny. Although he does provide some comic relief – on the whole Carrey's performance is more akin to a stalker in a psychological-thriller, a la` Single White Female (1992) or The Roommate (2011) [1]

1. Jamie Lee Curtis did not grow up wanting to be an actor. In fact, even though she came from a family of actors she thought from a young age that she would be a police officer.

(Click here for The New Yorker article & her quote.)

2. Her mother happens to be Janet Leigh - the star of Alfred Hitchcock's titular film “Psycho”. So, both Jamie Lee Curtis and her mother have held the title of Hollywood scream-queen.

Neat, huh?

3. Jamie Lee Curtis once auditioned to play the part of Nancy Drew in a film. Ironically she later guest-starred in an episode of the Nancy Drew TV series. The episode was titled “Mystery of the Fallen Angels” [2]

Is it possible that Pam Greer being in Ghosts of Mars is both the best thing it has going for it – and somehow, the worst? This question (and a myriad of others), need to be posed to filmmaker John Carpenter. Of course, it would still be mandatory to heap uber-amounts of praise on him for his many other successful and groundbreaking projects. Then I would demand an in-depth explanation on the filmmaking process of Ghosts of Mars. Like a car-wreck, it’s hard to not want to know how it happened.