The Silver Screen Oasis

Thanks to ChiO's timely headsup on some other thread, we can now all be duly
alreted to TCM's showing of BRAINSTORM, William Contrad's electrifying 1965
film noir that goes about as deep as any Hollywood film goes in its exploration
of madness and what it all means. William Conrad? The portly actor who has
acquitted himself so well in a string of brilliant noir performances as one of Hollywood's
premier charactor actors? Same guy. He directed a handful of feature films, some
downright great, others merely interesting. 1965? That's right, a half-dozen years
after someone decided that film noir was a style of filmmaking that no longer existed,
this thing comes rolling down the track. Watch out everyone, BRAINSTORM is a stick of
dynamite. Check it out!! August 29th on TCM.
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I had no idea that Conrad directed. This is probably obvious but the clip made me think of John Frankenheimer.

Is Ray Liotta Jeffrey Hunter's long lost son?

For good reason, JF. BRAINSTORM could very well be counted as MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE's
closest blood cousin. Both seemingly cut from the same very dark cloth. Ray Liotta? Yes, of course!
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Speaking of "the same very dark cloth," insanity, and lookalikes --

DEMENTIA (aka Daughter of Horror) with Conrad's doppelganger, Bruno VeSota.
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Bingo!! The winner of today's Classic Esoteric Double Feature Programming Challenge--
Film Noir Division!! Congrats and exploit your bragging rights judiciously!

Thank you, thank you.

First I want to thank the members of the Classic Esoteric Double Feature
Programming (Film Noir Division) Academy for this honor.

Thanks also goes to my family who, instead of trying to heal this obsession,
have acted as enablers.

To my mentor and judge, Dewey, the cash is in the band of the fedora that
I'll slip through the transom.

A shout-out to the great Bruno VeSota, without whom this couldn't
have happened.

And finally, to all of the Losers in film noir -- there are too many to name,
but you know who you are -- the honor is not in the winning...it's in the losing.
Maybe you'll get lucky sometime.
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Holy Frank Cannon! I had no idea the Matt Dillon of radio was a film director. You guys are starting to scare me. How can you know so much and still sleep occasionally? I've never heard of this obscure movie. Sadly, I almost never watch TV on schedule. I turn it on when I have nothing else to do. Watch whatever happens to be on. But BRAINSTORM sounds like it's worth an appointment.

Miss Hathaway!

You guys are starting to scare me. How can you know so much and still sleep occasionally?

Thank goodness someone else feels the same way I do....do you think maybe they are actually pods from another planet???? just sayin'.......

That must be it!

You mean......?
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Some...of...us...do...not...believe...in...pods....
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yup, that's what I'm talkin' about....pods.....AND YOU'RE NEXT


Timothy was the ORIGINAL pod person......

No, NO, NO!

He was the original non-pod person. We...are...pods.... But...that's...fine...with ...me..... Isn't...it...fine...with...you?

you've been watching too much noir...Next, you'll be using SMILEYS.....then I'll know for sure....

that CEDFP(FND) Award has gone to your pod..er, head....

Speaking of Frankenheimer...and nightmares and insanity and the absorption of our
very souls by forces we can not comprehend and all things black and white...
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