Sean Connery goes to space and John Waters goes mainstream as we wrap up May 1981
Plus who is that masked man, and why did James Keach dub him?
Here we go with our final batch of May 1981 titles. I am so happy to be back at work on this project. If you would like a little more of me (and a whole lot of other smart folks) talking about the ‘80s, check out the four-part limited series 1982: The Greatest Geek Year Ever that is airing this month on the CW. It airs on Saturday nights, and you can also see it on the streaming app. I’m in the first episode a little bit, but I think I may be featured more in the other three. Whatever the case, if you’re reading this newsletter, you sound like the exact right audience for the show.
I just spent the weekend sharing a grand total of 11 films with Toshi as part of his 18th birthday celebration. We’ve always done these movie marathons, and this one was special. One of the films I showed him was Excalibur, and I am always curious how some of these movies are going to land on him. It sounds like he loved the movie, and he brought it up a few more times over the rest of the weekend. I’d love to see Warner give us a beautiful new 4K transfer of this film. These are not old dusty relics. These are movies that should be shared anew, and the ones that work still work. I am deeply frustrated by the way the studios treat the vast majority of their history and their deep catalog titles, and I think there are hundreds and hundreds of films that deserve better, that are essentially non-existent at this point. When even the giant studios start burning their history down, it becomes even more essential that we pass along the things we love in whatever way we can.
At least one of today’s movies could also use a little TLC and a new re-release, but it’s certainly not our first film…
MAY 22 (continued)
Improper Channels
Alan Arkin, Mariette Hartley, Monica Parker, Harry Ditson, Sarah Stevens, Danny Hingham, Leslie Yeo, Richard W. Farrell, Martin Yan, Ruth Springford, Tony Rosato, Philip Akin, Harvey Atkin, Richard Blackburn, Jessica Booker, Ken Camroux-Taylor, Leslie Carlson, Eugene Clark, Eric Clavering, Gillie Fenwick, Vanya Franck, Paul-Emile Frappier, Angelo Fusco, Benjamin Gordon, Joyce Gordon, Luba Goy, Lynda Mason Green, Tim Henry, Alf Humphreys, Sandy Kovack, Sylvia Marie Llewellyn, Kate Lynch, David Main, Al Maini, Jane Mallett, Kate McDonald, Marianne McIsaac, Harry McWilliams, Patrick Patterson, Wayne Robson, Patrick Rose, Stephanie Shouldus, Ted Turner, Linda Verry, Mary Charlotte Wilcox, Elias Zarou
cinematography by Anthony Richmond
music by Micky Erbe and Maribeth Solomon
screenplay by Morrie Ruvinsky & Ian Sutherland & Adam Arkin
original story by Morrie Ruvinsky
produced by Alfred Pariser and Morrie Ruvinsky
directed by Eric Till
Rated PG
1 hr 32 mins
After a minor accident, a father takes his daughter to the hospital, setting off a chain of misunderstandings that almost ruin his life.
I feel bad that this is the first time I’m writing about Alan Arkin since his recent death. I think Arkin is a legend, a remarkable actor who was equally adept at comedy and drama and understood just how thin the membrane between the two really is. If you want to read me raving about his work, check out either my review of Simon from our February 1980 issue, or my Freebie and the Bean piece over at Formerly Dangerous. I have much love for Mr. Arkin and his legacy. But this thing? Oooooooof.
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