Director Robert Aldrich disciplines actor John Cassavetes for arrving late to the set of The Dirty Dozen while stern (but not quite so stern as Aldrich) taskmaster Lee Marvin takes notes...Just a subtle kick-in-the-head reminder that Monday after next, October 16, is the day designated for The Robert Aldrich Blog-a-Thon. If you’re planning on participating and haven’t already done so, please contact me by e-mail and/or in the comments section here and give me a heads-up if you will contributing, and perhaps even an idea of what you will be writing about, if you have a mind to. This will help me compile an initial blogroll of links to all the satellites in the Aldrich universe, which hopefully will expand throughout that day. I’ve already gotten the green light for contributions from David Lowery, Girish, Matt Zoller Seitz, Steve Carlson and Peter Nellhaus, so if you want to join in the fun, you are invited! I'm hoping for at least a (dirty) dozen individual links, but I'd be even happier if we ended up overshooting that mark.
The Robert Aldrich Blog-a-Thon is coming October 16, just a little over a week from now. Mark your calendars!
At DVD Panache, I'll contribute an Opening Shots-type post for "Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte."
ReplyDeleteExcellent, Adam. You're signed up. I know I won't be the only one looking forward to that!
ReplyDeleteI'll be there, for sure.
ReplyDeleteDennis, I'm looking forward to it! Not sure what I'll do just yet, but most likely something on Hustle.
ReplyDeleteIf the good Lord is willing and the creek don't rise . . . there's every chance I'll be posting an entry on Aldrich's Attack.
ReplyDeleteLet's just hope that, two paragraphs in, it doesn't morph into an article on Big Leaguer.
Gosh, i'd really love to contribute, but will unfortunately have to bow out as my laptop finally decided to die on me. I'll be back online in two weeks, one week after the Aldrich deadline, but I'll be sure to do a belated post once i'm back on the 'net again.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read everyone's posts!
Time to wax poetic on "The Choirboys" ... or "All the Marbles," perhaps...
ReplyDeleteOkay, now I'm officially excited. Less than a week to go, and the titles being thrown around are all ones I'd hoped would get some time in the spotlight.
ReplyDeleteChase, I haven't seen The Choirboys or ...All the Marbles since they were first released (1977, 1981), but I've always hoped/suspected they were more interesting than I gave them credit for at the time. I don't know what I'd think of them now, but I'm really looking forward to your fresh perspective.
Matt Seitz is lined up behind another rarely seen Aldrich, Ulzana's Raid, and I'm really glad to see, Adam, that you're going to be taking a look at Baby Jane's redheaded stepsister (figuratively speaking only, of course) Sweet Charlotte.
Tom, Attack! is next on my list to see for this week, so I'll be fresh for your piece too. Thanks so much for taking part! You too, Steve! I look forward to your thoughts on The Big Leaguer.
MGM, sorry we're gonna miss you, but I do hope you'll check in when your piece is ready. I'll link to it whenever it is. TLRHB, you're playing your cards close to the vest-- excellent! So is David Lowery, who's planning his return to the blog-a-thon with Aldrich, although he hasn't committed to a title yet. Surprise is almost never underrated, unless we're talking about a sledgehammer to the skull cap-- which serves to remind me, I've got Emperor of the North on tap for myself.
All that to look forward to, and I still cannot wait to see what Girish and Peter Mellhaus come up with. I just saw Hustle last night. Talk about surprises. Gentlemen, I eagerly await your assessments. (For an excellent example of useless reductivism, check out the capsule evaluation of Hustle, rated BOMB on a scale of BOMB to four stars, in Leonard Maltin's book. I like Leonard Maltin's books a lot, but did the person who submitted this review even really see the movie?)
Still plenty of Aldrich left to go around, though, folks! Anyone for The Killing of Sister George? How about The Grissom Gang? Do I hear an Apache? Or a Vera Cruz?
Well, at the time I sent the earlier message, I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I'm definitely doing 4 FOR TEXAS and THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX. Possibly more. It's going to be a look at Aldrichs I've never seen before.
ReplyDeleteSo.....nobody wants to tackle Aldrich's greatest work, Kiss Me Deadly? Well, fine, then, I'm up for a big challenge.
ReplyDeleteAlex, your thoughts on Kiss Me Deadly will be most welcome. There may be others who do write on this one, and others may be duplicated as well-- I'm anticipating two runs at Hustle-- but don't let that dissuade you. The more views on a movie as rich as Kiss Me Deadly, the better off we'll all be!
ReplyDeleteI'm new around these parts, but I thought I'd contribute to my first blogathon even if I've never actually read one -- I promise to read this one, however! Hope I don't accidentally break any rules!
ReplyDeleteAs it happens, "Baby Jane" has been sitting on DVR queue for some time and I've shockingly made this far without seeing it, so that seems like a natural.
I take it, we just write about the movies, right? No benzadrine or nudity required?
Also, is there a particular time of day it's due?
Hi, Bob. Welcome! There are no rules as such-- even benzadrine and nudity are allowed, if you find them integral to your writing process and the flow of ideas. You've picked Baby Jane as your focus, but if the spirit moves you on to other titles in the Aldrich canon, be so moved. In other words, anything is fair game in the Aldrich Blog-a-Thon as long as it pertains to the filmmaking career of Robert Aldrich.
ReplyDeleteYou've already completed job one by contacting me and letting me know that I can post a link to your site on blog-a-thon day, October 16. You can post your Baby Jane piece anytime during the day, but I'd encourage putting it up as early as possible, just so I can provide lots of linkage right out of the starting gate on Monday.
I'm looking forward to your post, Bob. Thanks for jumping in. Though this be your first blog-athon, I hope it won't be your last. There are at least three more that I know of coming up before the end of the year!
Sounds like a plan...as for other movies, I'll probably sneak in a reference to "The Dirty Dozen" at least, as it's a favorite and maybe "Kiss Me Deadly" -- which for me is not a favorite at all, actually -- though I'm obviously not an Aldrich expert.
ReplyDeleteI do have to say that I've been tryin to see "Ulzana's Raid" for years now without success. Grr.
Ulzana's Raid is available on DVD, but, as you can see, only in a UK PAL format that won't do you any good unless you have a region-free DVD player. You can also order a VHS copy on eBay too, but you won't get it in time for the Blog-a-Thon, I'm afraid.
ReplyDelete