Kudos to the TFH gurus for labeling this week's selections with the title of the Mad Magazine feature, Spy vs Spy. It was a favorite part of the mag for me, something I would flip through the pages to find before reading anything else. The good spy in white didn't always defeat the bad spy in black as they confronted each other. But were they really good guy and bad guy? Only their bosses know for sure, and even they may be in the dark.
The Amateur, from Canada in 1981, shows us the danger of taking up terrorist assassination as a hobby. John Savage plays a CIA code specialist whose wife is murdered. This turns him from mathman to madman, and he has information which allows him to blackmail the agency into sending him to Czechoslovakia to hunt down and kill the murderers. All goes surprisingly well for him until his blackmail information becomes useless. Uh oh. No more company man.
The movie poster claims that "the first 11 minutes will absolutely shock you," and "the last 11 minutes will rivet you to your seat." I'm in a bit of a time crunch here, so can I just watch those 22 minutes and fast forward through the 90 in the middle? Thanks.
Spy Valley Wines, from New Zealand's Marlborough region, has a good variety of wine for under $20, but check their dessert bottlings. Operation: Late Harvest has sweet Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc for $35, with code clearance required.
A Cold War Classic written and directed by Samuel Fuller, Pickup on South Street is not an ad for an F-150 for sale in Cerritos. It is the story of a small-time hood who picks the wrong pocket and ends up with microfilm secrets intended for the Commies. Okay, Richard Widmark. You're in the spy business now.
An earlier version of the script was titled Pickpocket, but Darryl Zanuck thought that sounded too European. I don't know why that makes me laugh, but it does. The movie drew criticism from none other than J. Edgar Hoover, who claimed he didn't like the film's politics. Maybe he just wanted a better look at Jean Peters' wardrobe.
Sans Liege Winery of Paso Robles makes a 100% Grenache called The Pickpocket. Aged for two years in French oak, we hope it doesn't taste too European for you. It's a $50 bottle.
The 1970s brought a new kind of spy movie to us - the kind where the government wears the black hat. Robert Redford may not be the spy in Three Days of the Condor, but he sure has the thrill-a-minute life foisted upon him. This guy can't pick up the mail without dodging bullets. Don't watch this movie if you skipped giving your mailman a holiday tip.
It would happen this way: You may be walking one day and a car will slow down beside you. A door will open and someone you know - perhaps someone you trust - will smile and offer you a bottle of wine...
Redford's character - code name Condor - wants to come in from the cold, only to find he's already in, and the air conditioning is stuck on 32 degrees. It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you, and it's especially chilling if you don't even know why. The tactics the government uses to try and keep him quiet sure have him feeling like an endangered species. Max Von Sydow has that effect on people. Things do heat up a bit for Condor when Faye Dunaway realizes things could be worse than playing hostage to a guy who looks like Redford.
Now the car slows down, and the smiling man offers a refreshing drink of wine.
Condor's Hope Vineyard is named for its location in Santa Barbara County where condors are released into the wild. The winery releases big Zinfandels and Shiraz into the wild, but only 400 cases at a time. Most of their wines sell for under $20. They could be a little hard to find, but that's how condors are. If you order some, you may want to get it sent by FedEx.
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