Forgotten Film Friday: The Paper

A review by Brooks Rich

I love movies about journalism. All the President's Men. Spotlight. His Girl Friday. The Front Page. The journalist is a fantastic character, always striving for the truth no matter what he or she might be up against. Today we highlight a journalism film from 1994 that has slipped through the cracks and has been relegated to the forgotten corner of cinema.

Michael Keaton is Henry Hackett, the metro editor of a small New York City newspaper called the New York Sun. His wife is pregnant and due in two weeks and the paper is facing the embarrassment of having been outscooped the day before. With the city wrapped up in a double murder, Henry attempts to get the paper an exclusive while also balancing his personal and professional life.

The cast in this is outstanding. Michael Keaton always makes a good journalist, whether it's a fiction one like Henry or real journalist, like Walter Robinson in Spotlight and Robert Wiener in Live From Baghdad. Henry's main antagonist is the managing editor Alicia Clark, played wonderfully by Glenn Close. The two butt heads constantly and one of the main themes of the movie is the two of them forgetting their journalistic integrity for the sake of a petty rivalry. Robert Duvall plays the editor in chief and Randy Quaid, in the middle of his big turn in the '90s before he lost his mind, plays a columnist in the middle of a feud with a city worker.

Director Ron Howard makes us feel the frenetic energy of a newspaper. We track through the main newsroom as we follow Henry to his office, watching as every other reporter and editor in the building comes up to him. Howard always has a solid visual eye and while The Paper isn't his most cinematic work, it's still a solid effort from him.

I love this movie even though it's played mostly for laughs and it focuses on a borderline sleazy newspaper. all the characters take pride in reporting the truth. Nothing gets printed unless it's true. That's the heart and soul of a good movie about journalism.... at the end of the day, nothing matters but the truth. No matter how uncomfortable it may be and no matter how much it might compromise their careers it’s the truth that counts.

Comments

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)

A retrospective by Brooks Rich Let's kick off the spooky season with a bona fide classic. I love the horror genre, but not much really scares or creeps me out. Most horror films I just watch and enjoy. However, 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' is one of those that really gets under my skin, and not just because the Sawyer family are eating people. The way Tobe Hooper shoots the film gives it an almost documentary feel. If you have never seen 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre,' you should probably fix that immediately. Do I need to explain what it's about? A group of '70s kids is driving across Texas in a van and runs afoul of the Sawyer family, including the man himself, Leatherface. It's a classic of the horror genre and one of the pioneers of the '70s and '80s horror boom. The film has a reputation for being sickeningly bloody and violent, but that is not true. It's essentially a bloodless film, which makes it even more horrifying. Most of the violence...

Forgotten Film Friday: Absolute Power

Clint Eastwood stars as Luther Whitney, a jewel thief who works in the Washington DC area. One night while he is stealing from a mansion he is forced to hide in a secret compartment with a two way mirror. From there he observes a sexual rezendevous with the wife of a powerful man and the President of the United States Alan Richmond (Gene Hackman) Suddenly the president gets aggressive and while defending herself the woman is shot to death by two Secret Service agents. Luther manages to get away with a letter opener the woman stabbed the president with. At first Luther plans to flee the country. But when he is disgusted by a statement the president makes, Luther decides to expose the crime. I miss these kind of films. The nineties was a great time for thrillers exactly like this. They are not the flashiest films but they are also not obsessed with big action scenes. It's all plot and character with them. Sure this plot might be a little out there but Eastwood makes it work. He's...

John Candy month: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

A retrospective by Brooks Rich I decided to extend John Candy month for a bit as I had some personal issues come up. So just wrapping up some film I wanted to cover. Works for me. Just an excuse to keep talking about a master like Candy. Steve Martin is Neil Page, a marketing executive who is flying from New York to Chicago for Thanksgiving. While trying to hail a cab he trips over a large trunk and has his taxi stolen by Del Griffith, the immortal John Candy, who ends up being one of Neil's seat mates on the plane. Bad weather in Chicago strands them in Wichita. Determined to make up for ruining Neil's travel plans, Del swears to get Neil home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving. Hilarity ensues. I mean come on. Who doesn't love Planes, Trains, and Automobiles? This is Candy's best film and I don't think that's a hot take. Sure some people might vote for Uncle Buck but not me. My vote is for this masterpiece of '80s comedy. It is also John Hughes best fi...

Cinema Basement

Search This Blog