Check Into This HOTEL For A Good Time

A truly good movie drama takes you to a place of interesting people and intrigue.  You only get to stay in that special place for a couple of hours, so you want the trip to be fulfilling and memorable.  Check into the Arthur Hailey inspired Hotel and you will meet a diverse cast of characters, each with a unique story in transition as events unfold at the Hotel.  An important feature of an Arthur Hailey story is the physical environment in which the characters act and react in relation to one another (Airport, a later Hailey inspired movie was good for three sequels).  After your two-hour stay the Hotel, you will have a new curiosity for what is happening around you when you next become a lodger.  What is going on with that interesting looking couple?  What's the story with that single person checking in without luggage?  Are the staff really as happy as they act? Karl Malden's portrayal of a professional thief will have you wondering--- Is my property safe in my room?  Best of all, the movie comes to a reassuring conclusion that justifies your stay at the Hotel and gives you the sense of a very nice sojourn.                           John Greanias, Copyright 2013

A drama, a comedy, a dramedy?

People Will Talk is a 1951 film which addresses numerous societal issues including out-of-wedlock pregnancy, alternative medicine and murder.  There is even a veiled discussion of abortion.  The film was released during the height of the power exercised by the Production Code Administration.  If there had been an Academy Award in 1951 for "Best Screenplay Negotiations with the Administrators of the PCA," the Oscar would certainly have been given to People Will Talk.  The Writers Guild of America nominated the screenplay for Best Written American Comedy. Certainly the movie has its light-hearted moments (well played by Cary Grant and Walter Slezak), but a comedy it is not. Was the nomination part of an effort to disguise a thoughtful morality play and to provide necessary "cover" for the PCA approval?   This film is a unique opportunity to see how a movie can be produced and directed in a manner which allows the audience to reflect on important moral issues without being overpowered by the subject matter.  People Will Talk is a movie to talk about!                 John Greanias, Copyright 2013.

Do You Ever Feel Like An Outsider?

The Outsider is a 1961 film based on the life of Ira Hayes, a Native American who became a war hero as a result of the fortuitous circumstance of being in the famous photograph of the raising of the American flag on Iwo Jima.  More than 40,000 Native Americans served in the armed forces during World War II.  For many, it was a unique opportunity to break free from poverty-level life on a reservation and transition to improved post-war employment and education opportunities.  For Ira Hayes, the post-war transition was not triumphant.  Was the regrettable outcome engendered by the fact that his country used him as both a combatant and economic resource during wartime and, after the war, failed to recognize his needs and provide appropriate services?  Or, was it something else entirely?  That is a question for you to decide.  A really good film is one that gives you an honest view of the world, and compels you to reflect upon how our lives are impacted by the circumstances of nature, nurture, and statecraft.  This is an AMERICAN story, and a good one.
John Greanias  Copyright 2013

Heavens! A Marine And A Beautiful Nun Alone On An Island!

Wow, what a storyline!  A Marine and a beautiful Nun are stranded alone on a Pacific island during WW II. They may not have long to live.  How will this all end?  Answer: it ends in a very entertaining movie.  Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison mixes equal parts of sexual tension, religious morality, and wartime adventure to deliver a superb John Huston film (Huston was the director and co-screenplay writer).  Deborah Kerr was nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress, and the film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. This 1957 film is an excellent example of working within the boundaries of the Production Code Administration to create an adult themed film.
John Greanias Copyright 2013

John Greanias and Scott Bakula in "The Informant!" Courtroom

The scene in which Matt Damon (Mark Whitacre) was sentenced by Dick Smothers (Judge Harold Baker) was filmed on a Saturday in the courtroom of John Greanias so as not to disrupt regular court proceedings.  Scott Bakula (FBI Agent Brian Shepard) was also featured in the courtroom scene.

A Big Year For The Red Planet

In 1953 two movies told the same story:  "The Martians have landed, and it is US vs. THEM for possession of Earth."  War of the Worlds was made on a budget of $2,000,000.  Invaders From Mars was produced on a budget of less than $300,000.  War had the advantage of being based on the H. G. Wells novel, and the novelty of the public panic resulting from the Orson Welles Halloween radio broadcast simulating the Mars attack.  However, Invaders is also an excellent film.  Actually, it is my favorite.  It could well be classified as a psychological thriller instead of simply being labeled as a science fiction film.  It has an ending that makes you think of Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone.  I do not think that I am spoiling your enjoyment of either movie if I reveal that the Martians lose.
John Greanias Copyright 2013

The Guns of Navarone Saved My Wife

No, it is not a typo.  The Guns of Navarone saved my wife, not my life.  Here is the short version of the true adventure.  The film (it won the Golden Globe for Best Picture, Drama, in 1961) spawned a children's toy consisting of a plastic mountain with large guns inside.  The toy was stored in our attic.  My wife was in the attic, and home alone.  The attic door closed behind her, and it became blocked by a loose cabinet drawer that slid open while she was working in the attic.  She could only open the door one-half of one inch. It would be hours before anyone would be home to rescue her.  What to do!  With the same kind of creative planning that went into the successful Navarone attack, my wife removed a plastic gun from the mountain and used the thin barrel to probe through the narrow opening and gradually push the offending drawer back into the cabinet.  Without the movie, there would be no toy; and without the toy, who knows how badly the attic misadventure might have ended!  Of course, ever since my wife's grand (mis)adventure, The Guns of Navarone has been a special film for my family.  Even without such a special relationship, Navarone is a pleasurable viewing adventure for everyone.  It garnered not only the Golden Globe for Best Picture, but also seven Academy Award Nominations.  For a good adventure, get your Guns!
John Greanias Copyright 2013

Laugh Out Loud

     There is only one movie that made me laugh so much that I could hardly take a breath.  The movie is Cat Ballou.  It is a comedy-western film featuring a young Jane Fonda (7 years before she became "Hanoi Jane") and Lee Marvin.  If you need an endorsement before deciding whether to view this film, how about this: Lee Marvin won the Academy Award for Best Actor, beating out (among others) Richard Burton and Laurence Olivier.  Adding to the overall excellence of this film is the clever weaving of the title song (featuring Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye) into the story line. The film received Academy Award nominations for Best Scoring of Music and for Best Original Song.  If you want a good time, call Cat Ballou!
John Greanias Copyright 2013

Matt Damon and John Greanias

Matt Damon was nominated for a Golden Globe award for his performance in The Informant! which was filmed in the courtroom of John Greanias.

John Greanias Perceives Continuing Film Gift

The John Greanias Film Review finds that the Christmas week release (December 21, 1949) of Twelve O'Clock High was a gift that keeps on giving.  Produced just four years after the end of World War II, it was timely and meaningful to theater patrons in 1950.  The fictional story is factually based on the catastrophic losses suffered by U.S. Army B-17 Flying Fortress crews in 1942-43.  Gregory Peck was the perfect choice for the somber and determined commanding officer imported to be the agent of change, and he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role.  The competition was keen (Kirk Douglas, John Wayne, Richard Todd, Broderick Crawford and Peck).  Broderick Crawford won Best Actor for All the King's Men.  However, Dean Jagger won Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Twelve O'Clock, and the film was one of five nominated for Best Motion Picture.
     Great movie, right!  But here's the thing.  This film is a must see for anyone and everyone who has, or will have, the responsibility to walk into an organizational environment and do whatever it takes to turn failure into success.  The hostility, tough calls, uncertainty of success, allies and opponents, are all on display.  If you are the guy or gal in the center of the turnaround storm, viewing this film will give you a sense of companionship as you watch Gregory Peck struggle with the great weight of his responsibility, and perhaps you will come away with a comforting perspective regarding your demanding work.
     Finally, just for fun count the number of females appearing in the film, their minutes on screen, and their words spoken.  Remember, almost all of this story takes place in England, at an airbase located in a civilian community.  Such a focus on the primary storyline!
John Greanias Copyright 2013

JOHN GREANIAS FILM REVIEW-----THE PRODUCTION CODE YEARS

The John Greanias Film Review will be limited to the critical evaluation of films released during years 1934 through 1967.  Commencing in 1934, the Production Code Administration (PCA) initiated a formal process for self-regulation of the film industry to promote high moral standards in films released for public viewing.  After many years of strict enforcement, the morality displayed in films began to change significantly in the early 1960s, and the PCA self-regulation process finally ended with the adoption of the Motion Picture Association of America film rating system in 1968.  Films released during the PCA years were restricted to narrow boundaries when dealing with violence, drugs, sex, coarse language and other conduct deemed to be inconsistent with good moral behavior.  Did the endeavor to promote high moral standards result in a plethora of lackluster films or, instead, did the actors, directors and screen writers achieve exceptionally high artistic standards during the PCA years?  WE SHALL SEE!