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Post by delon on Mar 16, 2019 17:44:59 GMT
Comments/ratings/recommendations/film posters are welcome and much appreciated
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Post by wmcclain on Mar 16, 2019 17:48:46 GMT
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Post by mikef6 on Mar 16, 2019 18:22:51 GMT
The Crime Of Helen Stanley / D. Ross Lederman (1934). Columbia. This is the second in a four film series starring Ralph Bellamy as Insp. Frank Trent. All four were released within a ten month period. This part is notable for a behind-the-scenes look at filming on a studio sound stage and a couple of brief looks at a Los Angeles residential neighborhood 85 years ago (it doesn’t look much different from residential neighborhoods today). Movie star Helen Stanley (Gail Patrick), who is hated by everybody she works with, is shot to death while filming a scene where another actor is firing an gun at her. Suspects abound. Insp. Trent sorts it all out in just under an hour. A young 31-year-old Ward Bond is one of the suspicious characters. Gail Patrick, Ward Bond, Ralph Bellamy Sky Murder / George B. Seitz (1940). MGM. Another short lived series. Nick Carter had been a pulp fiction figure in hard-boiled detective magazines dating from the late-19th century and into the twenty-teens. MGM tried for a low budget mystery series of its own, perhaps to compete with The Saint which had just started up over at RKO, and so revived the Nick Carter name, and turned Carter into a Saint rip-off. What they did right was to cast Walter Pigeon as Nick Carter. The series only ran for three pictures of which “Sky Murder” was the last. Tom Conway has a brief role. The next year Conway would go to RKO and take over The Saint series there but calling himself The Falcon. Meanwhile, back at “Sky Murder,” Nick is asked by a U.S. Senator (back in the day when they were respected) to investigate a Nazi propaganda cell and uncover the identity of the cell’s leader. To do so, he must solve a locked room murder that takes place on a small private aircraft. This is pretty negligible stuff which, I think, was even obvious when first released. However, it is entertaining, fast moving, and short (72 minutes) so for a moviegoer in 1940 – before television – films of this sort would be a light evening out. There would probably be two of them on the program. Donald Meek is Carter’s sidekick, Kaaren Verne (Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon) is the damsel in distress. Dorothy Tree and Tom Neal (Detour) are also featured. Apache Drums / Hugo Fregonese (1951). Universal International. Val Lewton, the producer auteur of black & white horror/suspense (“The Body Snatcher” “Isle Of The Dead,” “Cat People”) ended his producing days with, of all things, a western. In color. And a pretty good one, too. Sam Leeds (Stephen McNally) is a gambler and gunfighter who has been run out of the small desert town of Spanish Boot by the town’s mayor because Sally (Coleen Gray), who runs the eatery in town, has fallen in love with him. The town’s mayor (Willard Parker, The Tales Of The Texas Rangers) also has a Thing for Sally. A Madam and her household of Naughty Ladies had left town just a little earlier. In the desert, Leeds finds the women all massacred by Apaches. He returns to Spanish Boot to warn them but is not believed. It looks like the Apaches are going to get the usual Hollywood treatment of the time especially with the preacher (Arthur Shields) rating about savagery, devils and soullessness but is schooled by an Army officer (James Griffith) on the Native Americans’ personal honor, despair at facing genocide, and fighting spirit. The cinematographer is Charles P. Boyle who had plenty of westerns under his gunbelt already and would go on later in the decade to shoot several Disney features such as “Old Yeller,” “Johnny Tremain,” and “The Great Locomotive Chase.” NOTE: Val Lewton died on March 14, 1951, about 6 weeks before “Apache Drums” opened on May 5 of that year. A Simple Favor / Paul Feig (2018). This recent comedy/mystery could have been very enjoyable if it had been edited more tightly and its reveals had not been telegraphed so far ahead. Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) is a professional mom. She has a vlog with parenting tips that has a large following. She also has a child that she does everything with. When the PTA posts a sign-up for a potluck, Stephanie has to be told not to put her name in for every job on the list. Stephanie is surprised when Emily (Blake Lively), a talkative, foul-mouthed, alcoholic mother of a young boy, befriends her. Soon Steph is getting tipsy on afternoon martinis and revealing her sexual secrets to Emily, who laughs uproariously. One day, Emily calls to ask if Steph can pick up both boys from school. She does but then worries when Emily drops out of sight. There are nice performances from Kendrick, Lively, and Bashir Salahuddin as the police detective on Emily’s case but these are about the only satisfactions to be found in this drawn out story.
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Post by OldAussie on Mar 16, 2019 20:46:32 GMT
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Post by teleadm on Mar 16, 2019 22:24:43 GMT
This was it: Nothing spectacular, but the two aging stars carries it through, variation of angry man gets soft story, that works on a lazy Sunday Sadly it could have worked, but it didn't, mixing High School movies clichés and 1940s noirish detective stories. Could have worked but not this time. Good movie based on a true story, and in capable hands one follows, or it could have been a forgettable movie-of-the-week. Julia is offcourse great in an powerhouse performance, lifted by the late great understatesments of Albert Finney. The small fragemnets of Disco dancing is what I remembered, outside of the Disco places is a very dark and unpleasant world, That I had totaly forgotten about. While the Disco scenes are offcourse well staged, but how could that generation handle the world outside whenthey grow up, dreams are lost. It's the magic moments we want to remember, not the real life interupting all the time. Kiss Them for Me is a bad excuse of a movie as a whole. Tirered WW!! heroes just want a 4 day leave, but get's interupted all the time. Mansfield isn't Grant's love interest. It waves between the horrors of war, sentimentality and broad comedy, but never finds the right balance. Manfield's part flunders through the movie, but at least gets an explanation later. Grant is too old (something he admitted himself). Not one of director Stanley Donen's brighter moments. Inspired by my own Jennifer Jones thread I watched this: “For those who believe in God, no explanation is necessary. For those who do not believe, no explanation is sufficient", and since I belong to the latter I see it as a fantasy, and not just that, one of the best of it's kind, nearly 150 minutes just flew away, it's that good! It's never preachy, it's the way it's done that so fascinating, and all those supporting actors each get's their share in the light. Poking fun at local politics and politicians, and showing the panic of the established church. Little details that makes a great whole. Well, That was my week
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Post by politicidal on Mar 16, 2019 22:26:21 GMT
Point Break (1991) 7/10
The Sisters Brothers (2018) 6/10
Scent of a Woman (1992) 8/10
Hawaii (1966) 7/10
Oklahoma Crude (1973) 5/10
Kit Carson (1940) 6/10
The Iron Mistress (1952) 4/10
The Rains of Ranchipur (1955) 5/10
Hunter Killer (2018) 4/10
Firefox (1982) 5/10
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Mar 16, 2019 22:39:42 GMT
How did you find the time spent with the Lone Wolf & Cub to be,Wm?
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Post by wmcclain on Mar 16, 2019 22:47:38 GMT
How did you find the time spent with the Lone Wolf & Cub to be,Wm? This is the second and I'm liking them well enough. I'll continue with the series. In Japanese costume pictures I started with the prestige titles and am now getting into the more action-oriented genre pieces, like these and the Lady Snowblood pictures.
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Post by petrolino on Mar 17, 2019 3:16:46 GMT
'A Pact With The Devil' (1967 - Jozef Zachar)
A satirical satanic fantasy.
'Porcelain Girls' (1975 - Juraj Herz)
Factory floor musical.
'Time To Leave' (2005 - Francois Ozon) A meditation on death. Thanks.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 17, 2019 6:19:19 GMT
The Killing (1956) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0049406/referenceThis is a bad joke without a punch line. The Killing is directed by Stanley Kubrick who co-adapts to screenplay with Jim Thompson from the novel Clean Break written by Lionel White. It stars Sterling Hayden, Marie Windsor, Elisha Cook Jr, Vince Edwards, Jay C. Flippen and Coleen Gray. Music is by Gerald Fried and cinematography by Lucien Ballard. Ex-con Johnny Clay (Hayden) has a plan to make a killing at the racetrack, with some special inside help he plots to nab $2 million in an intricate robbery. It looks a good thing, the right people are in place, but there's a potential spanner in the works in the shapely form of Sherry Peatty (Windsor), the unfaithful and devious wife of one of the robbers. Cheaply made by Kubrick and his producer partner James B. Harris, The Killing is a lean and mean mid 50's film noir. Poorly received at the box office and met with indifference by critics upon release, it's a film that has come to be noted as hugely influential - more so as Kubrick's reputation has grown over the passing years. Clocking in at under 85 minutes, film is told in a fractured narrative structure that at the time was viewed as an oddity. Story is constructed around crosscut flashbacks as the robbery is planned and then executed, with Kubrick's direction as meticulous as the actual robbery itself. It's not hard to understand why confusion was an issue back upon its release, but this is something that now comes off as something of a masterstroke, and this even if Kubrick was forced to tinker with the final product where it was decided to add in a voice-over to aid those troubled by the nonlinear narrative (which the director despised). In spite of some problems, such as the cheapo sets and some stiff performances from secondary characters, The Killing is quintessential film noir. Kubrick thrives on filming his characters in cramped surroundings, the use of angles very effective, and Ballard photographs superbly for the low-key interiors, thus the mood is perfectly set. Story is filled out with hapless characters, where destinies are defined by greed, betrayal and the devils trump card - that of bad luck. As is normally the case with the best film noir, it's a dame who holds the key to the misery here. Sherry Peatty (Windsor excellent) is cold and utterly bitch like. She has a hold over her cuckolded husband George (Cook Junior never better) that would be easy to detest, that is were it not for the fact George is so pitifully weak! From that coupling bursts a doom and bleakness that underpins the story, rendering the film with a fatalistic sheen. The Killing does have a dated feel to it, but only slightly (and not remotely irritatingly) so. While there's no denying that the budgetary restrictions - the voice-over and some less than good performances - stop this being the masterpiece of the crime genre some of us want it to be. However, it's a damn fine film, that's tense, exciting and very compelling, and it does deserve to warrant a place on a favourite list of any self respecting film noir fan. 8/10 The Horse Soldiers (1959) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0052902/referenceThey'll catch up to you and cut you to pieces, you nameless, fatherless scum. Colonel John Marlowe (John Wayne) is asked to take his Union cavalry troop deep into Confederate territory to destroy the railroad and depot at Newton Station. Much to Marlowe's chagrin, regimental surgeon Major Henry Kendall (William Holden) is also along for the mission. With both men completely at odds with each other as regards adherence to duty and the execution of war. Things are further complicated when the brigade rests at Greenbriar Plantation, because Miss Hannah Hunter (Constance Towers), the plantation's mistress, and her slave Lukey (Althea Gibson) eavesdrop on a staff meeting thus hearing the plans about the raid. To protect the mission, Marlowe is forced to take the two women with him. John Ford's venture into the American Civil War is adapted from Harold Sinclair's novel of the same name. The story is based around the true story of Grierson's Raid and the climatic Battle of Newton's Station, which was led by Colonel Benjamin Grierson who, along with his men, rode hundreds of miles behind enemy lines in April 1863 to blow up the railroad between Newton's Station and Vicksburg, Mississippi. Thus giving Confederate General John C. Pemberton a whole heap of problems. What is at first the most striking thing about The Horse Soldiers is the chemistry between Holden and Wayne, friends in real life they were and my how does it show here. It gives the film a real sense of believability, the characters may be at odds as the ideological conflict between the military and the medical professions shows its hand, but a respectful, almost friendly rivalry shines thru from the two icons of machismo. Tho often described as one of the lesser lights in the John Wayne/John Ford partnership, The Horse Soldiers contains all the stock features that make up the best of Ford's Oaters. The Duke, Holden and bright eyed Constance Towers are obviously well framed in gorgeous settings, William Clothier working his photography magic in Louisiana and in and around Natchez, Mississippi. The lead song is a rousing one as Stan Jones warbles 'I Left My Love,' and the piece is chocked full of interesting characters fleshed with Ford thematics. Respect, strength, a love of your country, all given an observational, and customary, sheen from the master director. Ford even takes time to vent his spleen at cowards, courtesy of an engrossing sequence involving Strother Martin, while a running theme of surgery, particularly the legs, gives the piece a dramatic and honest historical core. The battle scenes are as to be expected, handled with skill, with a poignant moment as Confederate Cadettes are sent out to fight by the besieged superiors being as sad and indicative of the War as it is important in the context of Ford's story telling. Off camera the shoot was not without problems, Ford was battling the bottle and was making everyone's life a misery, particularly The Duke. Things were further darkened when Ford's friend, Fred Kennedy, a retired stuntman, asked for a job in the film on account of being broke financially. Reluctantly agreeing he allowed Kennedy to perform a basic stunt of falling off a horse, but tragically Kennedy broke his neck during the stunt and was dead before reaching the hospital. Ford was shattered, closing down the location site and returning home. The final battle scenes were eventually finished at San Fernando Valley, from where Ford headed to Hawaii and hit the bottle big time. 7.5/10 Les yeux cernés (1964) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0217895/referenceTypewriter Terror and Hill Rolling Rumbles. Les yeux cernés (Marked Eyes) is directed by Robert Hossein and Hossein stars and co-writes the screenplay with Claude Desailly, André Tabet and Georges Tabet. Starring with Hossein are Michèle Morgan, Marie-France Pisier and François Patrice . Music is by André Hossein and cinematography by Jean Boffety. We open with the murder of a timber baron, the perpetrator is unseen by us, but spied by a pair of eyes peeping through the crack of a wooded slat. When said timber baron's estranged wife travels to the Austrian alps for his funeral, she begins to receive typewritten blackmail letters demanding money with a sinister angle . Choosing to put faith in Franz, a man she's just met, instead of Friedrich, the local police inspector, she is soon treading in fearful waters... From the off it should be noted that this kind of comes off as a softer blend of two Clouzot greats in Les diaboliques and Le Corbeau. The writing here is merely ok, a steady whodunit mystery with noirish overtones, the screenplay is only really saved by the denouement. However, where Hossein fails as a writer he doesn't as a director. Pic is full of smart camera ticks, low level shots, close and personal frames and fluid roams, while he rarely misses a chance for some noir visuals aided by Boffety's moody monochrome. The location is cold and isolated, which is perfect for the shady shenanigans unfolding, while André Hossein's (Robert's father) scores it in his customary schizophrenic way (supernatural, jolly, quirky and threatening plonks). Odd ball sequences such as the wonderfully sensual Pisier (excellent) rolling down a grassy hill, cheekily blend in with edgy scenes like classical beauty Morgan (trying hard with the weak script) navigating her way through a stoney labyrinth hunting the tappity tap of the typewriter that is tormenting her psyche. And with Hossein his usual solid as a rock noir protagonist self, there's a lot of technical goodness on show to enjoy. Plus there is of course some twisters to seal the deal. Robert Hossein is a Frenchman that lovers of film noir should be familiar with, his work in that style of film making is of considerable interest to fans of such fare. Les yeux cernés is not one of his highpoints, mind, but once again you get a picture thats strengths far outweighs its weaknesses. 7/10 Kill Me Again (1989) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0097662/referenceThe first of John Dahl's neo-noir forrays. Kill Me Again is directed by John Dahl and Dahl co-writes the screenplay with David W. Warfield. It stars Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Michael Madsen, Pat Mulligan and Nick Dimitri. Music is by William Olvis and cinematography by Jacques Steyn. Detective Jack Andrews (Kilmer) becomes involved with a beautiful woman on the run from the mob and her psychopath boyfriend. John Dahl loves film noir, we know that now after all these years. He would direct the superb Red Rock West and The Last Seduction, two bona fide greats from the neo-noir splinter of film making. Kill Me Again (classic film noir title right there) is his fist directorial feature film venture, it is like a lot of debuts from directors who have a kink for a certain genre or style of film making, in that it only hints at better things to come. Unfortunately, in spite of being solid enough within the noir parameters, it's all a bit too derivative for its own good. Standard noir tropes are adhered to, male protag led into the murk by a femme fatale, a bruising psycho, some twists and turns, and some stylistics via camera and photographic lenses. Plot relies on the salty machinations of Whalley's femme for its intrigue, and for the most part her character is the dominating factor, but later on the film sort of bypasses her character and it begins to sag as Kilmer's weary P.I. plods onwards. Fans of the actors do have interest value (though Kilmer is a little miscast and a world away from great neo-noir films he would later do; Heat, The Salton Sea, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang). Really the performances are neither good or bad - though Madsen holds court every scene he is in - and although the screenplay and script are merely serviceable as pot boilers, there's just enough to keep you watching till the culmination of proceedings. Fans of noir can grab enough from the pic to warrant time investment, but it doesn't linger long afterwards. While casual film fans are warned to use this only as a time filling exercise. 6/10
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Post by claudius on Mar 17, 2019 10:17:35 GMT
DARK SHADOWS (1969) “Episodes 706-710” 50TH ANNIVERSARY. MPI Video DVD.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (1979) “Gary Busey/Eubie Blake & Gregory Hines.” Read how Busey's absence in the two minutes before airing time caused some discomfort. Universal DVD.
ZORRO (1958) “Agent of the Eagle/Zorro Springs A Trap” ZORRO 100TH ANNIVERSARY. Disney DVD.
ANNE OF GREEN GABLES (1979) “Anne Plays With Her Best Friend” 40TH ANNIVERSARY. Youtube.
A STAR IS BORN (1937) UNITED ARTISTS 100TH ANNIVERSARY. David O. Selznick’s original film of “Star Rises/Star Falls’ Hollywood tale. First saw this on AMC back in December 1989 (although I might have seen the boxing scene in an episode of MAD MOVIES, more on that later). Kino DVD.
THE JEWEL IN THE CROWN (1984) “Traveling Companions” 35TH ANNIVERSARY PBS Video DVD.
FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST (2004) “Created Human” 15TH ANNIVERSARY. Funimation DVD.
DATELINE 20/20 “Murder At Sea.” (2017)
THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1921) 3M 175TH ANNIVERSARY and UNITED ARTISTS 100TH ANNIVERSARY. The first major American film version of Alexandre Dumas Pere’s swashbuckler (there were adaptations in 1911 and 1916), and Douglas Fairbanks Sr. fully embracing the adventure formula (and adding the mustache to his characters). Like the adaptations that would follow, this version adapts the first 21 chapters concerning the Queen’s Diamonds, avoiding the tragic resolutions. First saw this on Easter Vacation back in 1997 on American Movie Classics. This is the Kino DVD release, with a score based on the film’s original 1921 composition, which includes Charles Gonoud’s “Funeral March of a Marionette” now known as the Alfred Hitchcock theme.
A DIFFERENT WORLD (1989) “High Anxiety” 30TH ANNIVERSARY. TV One recorded VHS.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (1999) “Enemies” 20TH ANNIVERSARY. FoxVideo DVD.
DRAGON BALL SUPER (2017) “The Power of Love Explodes! The 2nd Universe’s Witchy Warriors!” Cartoon Network Premiere Broadcast.
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Post by wmcclain on Mar 17, 2019 11:50:31 GMT
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Mar 17, 2019 17:19:03 GMT
wmcclain Dragonwyck (1946), I initially came for Gene Tierney, but I stayed for Vincent Price's great performance! He names it as his personal favorite of all his movies too.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Mar 17, 2019 17:47:00 GMT
How did you find your time in Camelot to be Aussie? Finding out about this filmed production when talking to a friend about the film, (which I think is actually underrated)I found Harris to give a mesmerising performance as Arthur, and that director Marty Callner,(who went on to direct stand-up specials of big name comedians) does very well putting the viewer in the middle of the show with a very good use of close-ups.
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Mar 17, 2019 18:23:19 GMT
Oh wow, you guys! I've seen 21 movies this week! I may need an intervention! I've been home all week from work, trying to watch whatever I can get my paws on! Teen Titans Go! To The Movies (2018) A fun DC Comics movie, plenty of laughs here, at their own expense and others. Nicolas Cage finally fulfills his dream of playing Superman! Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018) More Marvel goodness. I love Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Douglas and cannot believe we haven't ever seen them in a movie together, until now. Incredibles 2 (2018) Just as great as the first and worth they long wait. Jack-Jack easily steals the movie. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) A sweet but sad tale told from a young girl growing up in Brooklyn in the early part of the 20th century. Joan Blondell just lights up everything she's in though, don't she? Eighth Grade (2018) A brilliant look at what it's like to be in the 8th grade, such an awkward time as an adolescent. Seems almost real and not like a movie at all, sometimes. To All The Boys I've Loved Before (2018) A John Hughes movie for the millennial generation, with an Asian twist! Filmed in Vancouver, BC, making me homesick. Colossal (2016) Anne Hathaway is somehow connected to a gigantic, Godzilla like creature that continually attacks Seoul, South Korea. This was a weird but original idea, to say the least. Spectral (2016) There was obviously some money spent on this but it doesn't completely come together the way you want it to. Captain Marvel (2018) Brie Larson is badass! An important chapter of the Marvel story is here, and it has a great sense of humor too. Everything would be made better by having Samuel L. Jackson involved. Captain Kidd (1945) Charles Laughton is the main reason to even see this. Randolph Scott is on hand too. Captain Blood (1935) Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland and Basil Rathbone in a pirate movie? Why did it take me this long to see this? Swashes many a buckle, and then some! The Scalphunters (1968) I'm not sure I even had heard of this movie before hitchcockthelegend posted about watching it last week. That cast and setting, I had to see it, so I did. Lancaster is great, but Ossie Davis is phenomenal! Telly and Shelley do good work here too. A fun afternoon viewing. Take Shelter (2011) Wasn't sure what to make of this movie, is he crazy or can he predict the future? The actors are very, very good. Nice Boardwalk Empire reunion with Michael Shannon and Shea Whigham in the cast. Jessica Chastain is always easy on the eyes. Slender Man (2018) A creepy little horror movie about the "boogeyman" and all that entails. Searching (2018) A thriller movie that plays out online. Could have been annoying to watch, but the twists keep you involved. The Brighton Strangler (1945) A stage actor bumps his head and thinks he's actually the Brighton Strangler, his role on the stage. Murder ensues! 300 (2006) Had to rewatch this before I viewed the sequel for the first time. Stylish and violent, what's not to love? 300: Rise of an Empire (2014) I've had this movie for ages, but wanted to find time to watch the original first. Finally, I've seen it. Was not sure how a sequel would work, but it really does work hard to match the first movie. Doesn't quite look like a graphic novel as much as the first, but there is plenty of story to keep things chugging along nicely. Triple Frontier (2019) A Netflix movie with a big screen feel to it. Five men in the jungle on a heist mission. Naturally, things don't go as planned. A great cast of leading men all together in one movie, like The Dirty Dozen meets Sorcerer. The Strangers: Prey at Night (2018) A sequel, a decade later? Yeah, okay. It continues the creepy vibe of the first with masked psychos quietly stalking a family. Feral (2017) Zombies in the woods. Kinda dumb, but the spider movements by the zombies get an extra "A" for creepiness.
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Post by delon on Mar 17, 2019 18:34:51 GMT
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Post by OldAussie on Mar 17, 2019 18:45:23 GMT
How did you find your time in Camelot to be Aussie? Finding out about this filmed production when talking to a friend about the film, (which I think is actually underrated)I found Harris to give a mesmerising performance as Arthur, and that director Marty Callner,(who went on to direct stand-up specials of big name comedians) does very well putting the viewer in the middle of the show with a very good use of close-ups. Camelot is one of my favourite musicals - I was amazed it didn't even make the short list of the AFI'S 100 YEARS OF MUSICALS which included 180 titles! As for the Broadway show, one thing which struck me was how much this Guinevere sounded like Julie Andrews when singing. Harris may have been too old but he was better as Arthur than in the film. All up, well worth catching.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Mar 18, 2019 0:33:36 GMT
Hi all,for the first time last week I went with a friend to visit Liverpool via train. The time listed was 40 minutes for the return trip. After just 5 minutes or so of moving, the return train broke down at a rural station (where there was no audio announcements.) Given no info but getting told to get off the train,which everyone did. Shortly after, the train staff got off,and instead of giving info, ran to train going pass on other side and legged it! (For being bloody Scousers,I'm surprised they did not take the train wheels with 'em.) Left for an hour with no info on what was happening,I joined all the other passengers in getting on the first train spotted, that took the longest possible route back,and turned a simple 40 min return into taking over 2 and a half hours (3 and a half when including being left stranded on platform. ) Along with this,I watched: Sister Street Fighter (1974) 10 Kicking the set off at a high standard, Arrow present a flawless transfer of the first film, with the colours being pin-sharp and the audio remaining clean throughout the various fights. Spinning the series open with a kaleidoscope of Koryu's fighting moves, director Kazuhiko Yamaguchi & cinematographer Yoshio Nakajima go full-on for a Grind-House ultra-stylised Pop-Art Martial-Arts tale. Splashing waves of red, greens and blues on the screen to create the appearance of a pulp Comic-Book, Yamaguchi gives each gang Koryu faces (who are each given their own name cards!) strange headgear fitting that of end of level bosses in video games. Wisely avoiding any attempt at realistic violence,Yamaguchi makes the action scenes be incredibly animated,from splattering of red paint drizzled on the screen, to rapid-fire panning-shots cleanly displaying each fighting move and Koryu training up mountain tops. Backed by the delicious hard Funk score by Shunsuke Kikuchi, Yamaguchi and Nakajima transform this flick into a dazzling living cartoon, by stepping into the Grind-House with gallons of Dutch angles, the hard-thump of rah-rah sound effects, and lightning fast zoom-ins and slow-motion on Koryu handing out killer moves to the baddies. Setting the series up, the screenplay by Masahiro Kakefuda and Norifumi Suzuki unleash a strong foundation in the mystery of Koryu's brother disappearance being the force which pulls Koryu towards having to go beyond the law and take on the underworld. Given the lead role after being suggested by Shin'ichi Chiba, Etsuko Shiomi gives an absolutely thrilling performance as Koryu, thanks to Shiomi display a softer side in concern for Koryu's brother, whilst handing out deadly fighting moves with an infectious enthusiasm for the sister street fighter. Cinema of France: (Leslie Charteris's The Saint) The Dance of Death (1960) 8 Slapped with the name "Stewart Thompson", (despite Leslie Charteris getting credited on screen) Felix Marten still captures the class of The Saint/ Simon Templar,with not a drop of sweat on the man as he karate-chops thugs, and Marten having Templar act in a polite manner towards the baddie, even telling the person to stay in and wait for the police to turn up. Introduced with a close-up on her chest (so classy) Nicole Mirel gives a sweet, flirting turn as Gina, whose welcoming manner has Templar and Pellmann both taking a fancy to her. Looking very sexy draped in jackets, Michele Mercier gives a terrific performance as Dany, with Mercier pressing on Dany's frostiness to bring out an ambiguity over if Templar can trust her. Adapting the Leslie Charteris story "Palm Springs", the screenplay by co-writer/(with Albert Simonin and Yvan Audouard) director Jacques Nahum neatly carries the spirit of The Saint in their Krimi- inspired take, thanks to firmly drawing up doubts in the murder-room mystery mansion set-up by scattering clues between the inhabitants, which are finely pieced together by Templar, in between chatting up the ladies. Filling every corner of the screen with mysterious dames, Nahum & cinematographer Roger Hubert brew a rich Gothic atmosphere in stylishly panning shots slighting along to each of the ladies hiding in the shadows, as The Saint performs the dance of death. Melo (1932) 6 Filling his heart with a love of performing music and a love for Gaby, Pierre Blanchar gives a very theatrical performance as Pierre, whose over flamboyance for his loves Blanchar makes grating,and when despair hits,avoiding any subtle touch for loud agonising screams and moans. Joined by a fittingly world-weary Victor Francen as Marcel,Gaby Morlay carries the film with her wonderful performance as Gaby, thanks to Morlay initial keeping Gaby in a light-hearted, playful state, which Morlay turns to down-cast melodrama as the tune fades. Based upon Henri Bernstein's play, co-writer/(with Carl Mayer) director Paul Czinner disappointingly never fully breaks away from the foundation, as brush strokes of style in overhead shots of Gaby embracing her lover and side angles of the music performances, which are wiped by dead-end pans into black, and stilted wide-shots as the romantic entanglements are twisted. Composing the Gaby/ Pierre's relationship, the writers give the first half a merry line in light comedy, via the interplay in the couple trying to balance romance with Pierre's music. Falling into Melodrama for the final, the writers attempt to use various passages of time to give this the impression of a tragic, epic romance, but miss the mark due to having failed to develop the bond between the couple beyond the lightly comedic, as the melody plays out. The Golden Claws of the Cat Girl (1968) 7 Looking so fit in her figure-hugging outfits,Daniele Gaubert, (who was only 44 when she died from cancer in 1987) steals the film with her groovy turn as Tilmont. Performing her own impressive acrobatic stunts, Gaubert gives Tilmont a pulpy, sophisticated thief charm, with Gaubert capturing Tilmont's long-con mind-set. As she steals whilst others are distracted by her looks. Although the flick is in French, the moments that co-writer/(with Marcel Jullian and Jean-Paul Guibert) director Edouard Logereau & cinematographer Roland Pontoizeau make the most stylised to Comic-Book colours leans towards Italian cinema, via the stop-start zoom-ins on Timont's beautiful face,and optical, sniper-vision pans, letting the viewer follow Timont's eye on the next target. Presented with chances to make this adaptation of Albert Sainte-Aube's novel a franchise starter, the writers badly miss the mark by holding Timont's eye-catching humorous thieving skills, in order for a plodding espionage plot to dominate proceedings, and trim the golden claws of the cat girl. Le révélateur (1968)6 Featuring no official score, no subtitles,and with the exception of a title card,no intertitles (not even a cast/crew list) editor/writer/director/producer Philippe Garrel marks the fading light of the Paris Revolution with a starkly black and white avant-garde tale. Filming the adult members of the cast on LSD, Garrel and cinematographer Michel Fournier sips the film into minimalism light caked in rows of shadows which linger on in long takes. Staying at a distance in giving outlines, but not clear viability to a plot, Garrel skids on the lines with startling manipulation of two film speeds running within the same frame, and the long,lingering takes being abrasively clipped by long tracking shots running along with the developing family. Le Doulos (1963) 10 Shuffling round quietly as his hands become covered in blood,Jean-Paul Belmondo gives a spectacular performance as Noir loner Silien. Holding to his heart a samurai loyalty to Maurice, Belmondo pulls Silien's clipped dialogue towards his sunken eyes, with Belmondo keeping his face hollow and eyes low as he crawls at the dirt of the underworld to get his friend freed. Locked away unaware of Silien's moves, Serge Reggiani gives a a great, brittle turn as Faugel, whose time spent behind bars and backstabbing has Reggiani feed into this Noir loner a mistrusting abrasiveness, which creates cracks when rubbed against Silien's sincere belief to get Faugel free. Later calling this "My first real policier", writer/directing auteur Jean-Pierre Melville's adaptation of Pierre Lesou's novel brilliantly continues an expansion on Melville's recurring themes of an impossibility to remove doubts over mistrust and deceit from the bonds between friends and lovers. Sending Silien out on the streets as a lone Film Noir samurai,Melville brilliantly has Faugel's opening diamond heist reverberate to the bitter end, as a paranoia over who informed of the theft pulls Faugel, Silien and the rest of the underworld into an unwavering mindset of retribution for the sparkling diamonds. Reuniting with Two Men in Manhattan (1959) cinematographer Nicolas Hayer, Melville picks up a doulos (a type of hat) and pulls out a mesmerising Film Noir atmosphere of ultra-stylised shadows running across every murky side street Melville tracks down, and in startlingly bare close-ups looks into the soulless gaze Silien commits each killing with. Clouding trust in deep black and white, Melville splinters the violence with expertly handled lone drips of blood running down the coats of loners across the screen and covering the doulos.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 18, 2019 0:34:51 GMT
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Post by wmcclain on Mar 18, 2019 0:40:23 GMT
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