Category Archives: Home Video

“Coherence” – No Exit

Posted on June 18, 2014 by Ted Hicks

Coherence, an impressive first feature from writer/director James Ward Byrkit, begins with eight long-time friends gathering for a dinner party on the night a comet is passing near the Earth. What follows is a fascinating, maddening mix of The Twilight … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Home Video | 6 Comments

Washroom Attendant to the Stars: My Technicolor Years

Posted on June 11, 2014 by Ted Hicks

When I graduated from the University of Iowa in the summer of 1973 (with an awesome “General Studies” degree), I moved to Minneapolis. Not long after arriving I managed to land a job with a motion picture lab that did … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Film, Home Video, TV | 14 Comments

Christopher Walken & Talkin’ (& Dancin’)

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Ted Hicks

Everyone knows Christopher Walken, or thinks they do. He is a singular presence in American film, largely due to his uniquely eccentric line readings and vocal mannerisms, filtered through a frequently deadpan affect. Walken has cultivated this over the years, … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Home Video, Music, TV | 2 Comments

On the Radio — Movies, Zombies & “Homecoming”

Posted on April 8, 2014 by Ted Hicks

Two weeks ago I traveled to New Jersey with Mark Svenvold, a published author of non-fiction and poetry who teaches creative writing and literature courses at Seton Hall University. Mark, who I’ve known for many years, also co-hosts a half-hour … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Fiction, Film, Home Video, TV | 1 Comment

“The Departed” – Shoot ’em in the Head

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Ted Hicks

It seems that my “Best of 2013” recaps keep getting pushed back by films that jump in my face and demand to be dealt with. That’s definitely the case with this one. Last Thursday through Saturday the Ziegfeld Theater here … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Home Video, Music | Leave a comment

“The Broken Circle Breakdown” – Beauty, Sadness & Bluegrass

Posted on February 9, 2014 by Ted Hicks

The Broken Circle Breakdown has been playing in New York since last November, and though initial write-ups made me very interested, mainly because of the bluegrass-in-Belgium angle, I didn’t get around to seeing it until a week ago. I went … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Home Video, Music | 3 Comments

Gunfights at the O.K. Corral

Posted on January 31, 2014 by Ted Hicks

John Ford’s My Darling Clementine (1946) just ended a one-week run at Film Forum here in New York, presented in a stunning digital restoration, clean and crisp, like the first time anyone had seen it. I’d seen the film only once, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Film, Home Video, TV | 14 Comments

Friction Fiction #5 — “Missing Vietnam”

Posted on October 20, 2013 by Ted Hicks

Bobby Olay was chasing a pig in the clearing when a shot knocked his helmet from his head and he dropped to his knees with blood spurting from his temple. I saw this as I came out of the hootch … Continue reading →

Posted in Comics, Fiction, Film, Home Video, TV | Leave a comment

Superman at 75

Posted on October 19, 2013 by Ted Hicks

Superman, created by two Jewish kids in Cleveland, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, first appeared in the June 1938 issue of  Action Comics #1. In the 75 years since then, this “strange visitor from another planet” has gone through many … Continue reading →

Posted in Comics, Film, Home Video, TV | 3 Comments

New York Film Festival Diary – #1

Posted on October 1, 2013 by Ted Hicks

Since moving to New York in 1977, the New York Film Festival has been the big annual film event for me. At my first festival, the 15th NYFF in ’77, I remember seeing Handle with Care (d. Jonathan Demme), The … Continue reading →

Posted in Film, Home Video | 1 Comment