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2 items from 2011

15 August 2011 8:00 PM, PDT | Alt Film Guide | See recent Alt Film Guide news »

Joanne Woodward on TCM: Rachel, Rachel; Summer Wishes, Winter Dreams Schedule (Et) and synopses from the TCM website: 6:00 Am Count Three And Pray (1955) A Westerner turns preacher to overcome his shady past. Dir: George Sherman. Cast: Van Heflin, Joanne Woodward, Phil Carey. C-102 mins. 7:45 Am Rally Round The Flag, Boys! (1958) The arrival of an Army missile base shatters the peaceful life of a suburban town. Dir: Leo McCarey. Cast: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Joan Collins. C-107 mins, Letterbox Format. 9:45 Am Paris Blues (1961) Two jazz musicians deal with romantic problems in Paris. Dir: Martin Ritt. Cast: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Sidney Poitier. C-99 mins, Letterbox Format. 11:30 Am Signpost To Murder (1964) A convicted murderer, who escaped from a mental institution, hides out in the home of a woman whose husband is missing. Dir: George Englund. Cast: Joanne Woodward, Stuart Whitman, Edward Mulhare. Bw-77 mins, Letterbox Format. 1:00 Pm »

- Andre Soares

20 June 2011 3:35 AM, PDT | The Guardian - Film News | See recent The Guardian - Film News news »

Even Mel Gibson and a puppet that talks like Ray Winstone can't lift unmitigated misery into big-screen magic

Is it faintly conceivable that "a hopelessly depressed individual" would outsource his psyche to a garrulous glove puppet to distance himself from "the negative aspects of his personality"? Not really. Depression isn't like that.

The Beaver gets it right in its first few minutes, when Mel Gibson's Walter has yet to place his trust in rodent therapy. Then, all he does is stare vacantly at the ceiling from the marital bed or lie comatose on a lilo or a couch. That's pretty convincing. For depression doesn't prompt weird and imaginative behaviour; its manifestations are as dreary as its impact on the lives of its victims.

We frequently hear the complaint that cinema perpetuates "myths and stereotypes" about mental illness. Its "pervasive negative portrayals" are accused of having "harmful effects". Well, the »

- David Cox

2 items from 2011