FilmJerk Favorites

A group of unique directors and the essential works that you've got to see.

||| Alfred Hitchcock |||
Alfred Hitchcock

This is perhaps an obvious choice, however, most people tend to overlook the Master of Suspense’s early work as well as the relevancy of his last film as a key element in the continuing transition and development of the genre he defined.

One of Hitchcock's early triumphs, this predecessor to the mistaken identity man on the run scenario Hitchcock turned to time and again, stars Robert Donat as the innocent wrongly accused of murder and pursued by both the police and enemy spies. This is the first example of Hitchcock’s mastery over the suspense tale, giving us a glimpse of the greatness to come.

Considered to be one of Alfred Hitchcock's greatest works, this story of two men who meet by chance on a train and frivolously discuss swapping murders is a prime example of a common Hitchcock theme of the man who suddenly finds himself within a nightmare world over which he has no control. You can easily see how this film lays the ground work for the more popular “North by Northwest”.

Alfred Hitchcock's final film is a light-hearted thriller involving phony psychics, kidnappers and organized religion, all of which cross paths in the search for a missing heir and a fortune in jewels. Here, Hitchcock has brilliantly developed his signature form to include the now common, and often overused, device of plot twist, after plot twist, after plot twist. Widescreen!

Recommended by CarrieSpecht

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Ice Princess

By BrianOrndorf

March 18th, 2005

The charming lead performance from Michelle Trachtenberg elevates “Ice Princess” away from its formulaic nature. A small, pleasant Disney release, “Princess” might not always be the most engaging or original film around, but it tries to avoid a complete cliché bonanza, and that’s a nice change of pace.


Casey Carlyle (Michelle Trachtenberg, "EuroTrip") is a high school physics geek looking for a summer project that will help her win a scholarship to Harvard. She decides to explore figure skating for its scientific properties, but soon falls in love with the sport. Under the demanding tutelage of her coach (Kim Cattrall), and behind her education-obsessed mother's back (Joan Cusack), Casey begins to show great promise on the ice. Her skating gifts soon take precedence over her educational goals, threatening her tight relationship with her mother and the quality of her future.

Watching "Ice Princess," I couldn't help but wonder what happened to that old Disney formula. You mean the popular girl (Hayden Panettiere) is actually decent and kind? The mother isn't some harping quack, but an educated and humane individual? The "cute guy" (Trevor Blumas) isn't a jock? And the ice princess of the title doesn't come from out of nowhere and start scooping up gold medals, but is prone to falling and anxiety? "Ice Princess" doesn't exactly reinvent the wheel, but under the direction of Tim Fywell ("I Capture the Castle"), the picture is an agreeable, unexpected charmer. It cannot snap cliché in two, but at least it has the desire to bend formula a little.

Though oddly billed third, it's Michelle Trachtenberg's dependable performance that carries "Ice Princess" for the entire running time. Trachtenberg is an unquestionably natural on screen presence, and she gives the material an honest reading, restraining herself from giving in to the melodramatic moments of the screenplay, but still fully aware that this is a G-rated affair for Disney. Trachtenberg knows what to give to the camera, whether it's WB style silliness in the film's conventional teen party sequence, or steely-eyed determination for the skating set pieces, which, through her own abilities and the magic of special effects, she sells incredibly well. "Ice Princess" is nothing without Trachtenberg's performance, for she is the glue that holds the film together when the drama gets to be cyclical, when the camera-work creeps into "NYPD Blue" territory, and when Disney decides to include Bjork's "It's Oh So Quiet" on the soundtrack, but has someone else sing it. Those are pretty big cinema sins that Trachtenberg has to compensate for.

Incidentally, it must be noted that both Trachtenberg and co-star Kim Cattrall ("Sex and the City") are both coming off of highly sexual acting jobs, bused right here to this gentle, all-ages dramedy. It really shows the range of these actresses, particularly Trachtenberg, who in "EuroTrip" plunged headfirst into some hilarious but profoundly un-Disney material, only to show up here like nothing ever happened.

The film skirts convention throughout, but only rarely gives in and follows its melodramatic leanings. These moments are saved by the ice skating sequences, which show off the beauty of the sport along with the harsh realities of competition. While not an authoritative, barn-burning production, "Ice Princess" does what it does very well, and by not giving into every last studio whim, sets itself apart from a horde of similar product.

My rating: B