BLIND PICK: "The Quiller Memorandum" (1966)

People love to shop online, but for me, nothing beats rummaging through the bins at my local video store. It's a voyage of discovery every time, and not something I'm likely to give up for the convenience of a mouse click. BLIND PICK is a feature where I grab an interesting title that I've never seen and do a quick review.

The Quiller Memorandum (1966)
Released by 20th Century Fox
Dir: Michael Anderson
Starring: George Segal, Alec Guinness, Max Von Sydow, Senta Berger

Why did I buy it?
I have to admit not having seen many George Segal movies, but I love Alec Guinness and Max Von Sydow. Plus, I'm a sucker for a good spy yarn, so I was psyched to check this one out.

What's the story?
1960's West Berlin. After a British spy is murdered, a brash American agent is enlisted to help track down the nazi organization that is responsible. Segal is Quiller; Guinness is his British contact, a man called Pol; von Sydow is Oktober, the nazi leader; Berger is a school teacher who becomes involved with Quiller.

Non-spoilery thoughts?
In 1966, every studio in Hollywood was making spy movies to compete with, or perhaps more accurately, to capitalize on, the mega-success of James Bond. There was a non-stop glut, with productions as varied as Our Man Flint, Casino Royale, and The Spy Who Came In From The Cold; there's something to appeal to any type of viewer. Quiller is on the more serious end of the spectrum, and it played into the real-world fears of a nazi resurgence -- something that I suspect would have made the stakes seem higher and the end of this film even more powerful for audiences of the day.

It's easy to see why Segal was groomed for stardom; he's good-looking and charismatic, and he does a terrific job playing the cocksure secret agent. As the plot twists and turns, Quiller is put through the wringer, and Segal neatly transitions from arrogance to desperation by the end. More screen time would have been nice for Guinness and von Sydow, but they each have a few good moments. Unfortunately, Berger isn't particularly memorable, but I'd have to admit that the script gives her little to do.

There are two standout sequences in the film. The first is an interrogation scene between Oktober and a captured Quiller, which begins in a playful manner, but quickly turns sinister. The other is a 14-minute sequence where Quiller has been given just a few hours to make a very difficult decision. It's a no-win situation that completely strips him of the American bravado that defined him early in the film. Impressively, it plays out nearly dialogue free.

Final verdict?
While the film is lacking that extra "something," which would make it great, The Quiller Memorandum features a couple memorable sequences and is anchored by a strong central performance by George Segal. Anyone who loves post-war espionage pictures should check it out.

STF Episode 10 - "X-Men: Days of Future Past," "Maleficent," & "Edge of Tomorrow"

We're back with a new episode that covers Bryan Singer's return to the X-Men franchise, Days of Future Past; Robert Stromberg's Maleficent, a revisionist take on Sleeping Beauty; and Doug Liman's action-packed Edge of Tomorrow, a sci-fi second cousin to Groundhog Day, starring Tom Cruise.

This is pretty loose, but there's still some good stuff. I wasn't feeling well (you can hear me sniffling, clearing my throat, and chewing on ice -- sorry about that), but since we had to postpone the recording a week so I could attend a bachelor party, I didn't want to push it any further down the road. I hope you enjoy it, in spite of that. Thanks to Cesar Alejandro from Film Smash for joining me and for carrying the conversation at some points.

Here's the breakdown:

00:00:01 Introduction
00:01:42 X-Men: Days of Future Past (mild spoilers)
00:42:44 Maleficent (major spoilers)
01:10:13 Edge of Tomorrow (mild spoilers)

You can also listen to this episode on Podbean by clicking here, or check us out on iTunes. Don't forget to comment below and share STF with your movie-loving friends!

New Trailers: "Kingsman: The Secret Service" and "Guardians of the Galaxy"

Keeping up with the Hollywood Marketing Machine isn't easy sometimes, and in the last few days there have been a lot of new trailers released, including two high-profile comic book adaptations which will hit theaters later this year.

First up is the latest from Marvel Studios, Guardians of the Galaxy, which stars Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, and the voices of Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper. Described as "A group of intergalactic misfits who will need to band together in order to save the universe," Guardians has the potential to take the science fiction elements we saw in Thor: The Dark World and expand them into outright Star Wars territory. Director James Gunn (Slither, Super) also seems to have added a dash of 80's camp to the formula; there are moments here that hark back to films like Ice Pirates and The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai. I personally view that as a good thing, but it's a gamble when you're dealing with the success of a huge franchise film. This will be a good test to see how strong the Marvel brand truly is.





Next up, is Kingsman: The Secret Service, which is an adaptation of the comic series by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons. Directed by Matthew Vaughn of Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class fame, the film stars Colin Firth as a veteran spy who recruits a resourceful young street punk (Taron Egerton) for his agency's training program. The film co-stars Michael Caine, Mark Strong, and a lispy Samuel Jackson.





I like Vaughn's movies. I really do. But, he's been hired to direct three different X-Men movies and has bailed on two of them (The Last Stand and Days of Future Past) very close to production, which in my book makes him fickle as hell. He was also in the running for the new Star Wars, a gig which later went to JJ Abrams, but his history of dropping big productions late in the game could certainly have been a factor in Disney's decision not to hire Vaughn for Episode VII.

When he does follow through on a project, however, it is hard not to argue that the finished products are stylish and entertaining. Layer Cake, Stardust, Kick-Ass, and X-Men: First Class is a pretty strong resume, and Secret Service looks polished and poised to deliver the goods. I like the cast, and the movie has that "John Steed Meets James Bond" appeal. Looks fun.

What do you think? Be sure to drop a comment here or on Facebook. You can also now tweet them to me @settingtheframe.

STF Episode 9 - "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" & "Godzilla"

With the summer movie season already upon us, there's a lot to talk about! Cesar Alejandro from Film Smash joins me to discuss Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Gareth Edwards' Godzilla -- two films with so much riding on their nine-figure budgets that it's turning their respective directors prematurely gray.

This was a great conversation; even though we mostly agree on Godzilla, I was much tougher on Spider-Man than Cesar. Below is a breakdown of the content, just in case you want to avoid the spoiler-filled portions. This episode clocked in at just over 90 minutes, which is where I'd like to keep these as we move forward. Enjoy!

00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:26 Maryland Film Festival
00:13:47 The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Heavy Spoilers!)
00:48:02 Godzilla (Light Spoilers)
01:22:37 Wrap-Up includes talking about the new X-Men and Eat Drink Man Woman

One other thing to note: During our discussion about my time at the Maryland Film Festival, I forgot to mention that you should look into their Friends of the Festival program. This is a year-round membership that gives you access to special screenings, VIP ticketing, discounts on MFF merchandise, and more! Definitely check it out if you live in the Maryland/D.C. area.

You can also listen to this episode on PodBean by clicking here, or check us out on iTunes. Don't forget to comment below and share STF with your movie-loving friends!