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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 18, 2019 0:50:40 GMT
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.
Apache Drums (1951)
The Devil's Creatures.
Produced by Val Lewton, Apache Drums is directed by Hugo Fregonese and adapted for the screen by David Chandler from the book "Stand at Spanish Boot" written by Harry Brown. It stars Stephen McNally, Coleen Gray, Willard Parker and Arthur Shields. Music is by Hans J. Salter and cinematography is courtesy of Charles P. Boyle. It was shot on location at Red Rock Canyon State Park, California & it's a Technicolor production. Plot sees McNally as notorious gambler Sam Leeds, who after shooting a man in self defence, is forced to leave the town of Spanish Boot. However, outside of town Sam happens across a terrible scene that forces him back into town to warn the folk of an impending attack by the Mescalero Apaches.
The name Val Lewton is synonymous with atmospheric horror, the likes of Cat People, The Body Snatcher, I Walked With a Zombie and Bedlam have carried the brooding Lewton production stamp. For this, his last film before he sadly passed away, we find him entering the realm of the Western. An odd coupling without doubt, yet as odd as that seems, the oddest thing of all is that the film manages to rise above its budget restrictions and come out just about on top. Working with his director Fregonese (The Raid), Lewton has produced a final movie that whilst not oozing those eerie atmospherics he's known for, does have enough about it to make it of interest to Lewton completists.
Plot and narrative are simple, where on the surface it appears to be a run of the mill Western where the Indians are the bad guys, and the white man stands up to repel them. Yet to dismiss this as solely being formula fodder is unfair, for it has interesting characters, plenty of tension, a grand piece of action and a couple of genuinely haunting images. There's also some smarts in the writing, where racism and ethical principals are scrutinised. While the work involved for the final third of the film, as our group are holed up in a church awaiting Apache incursion, is of a very high standard. Here Fregonese and camera never leaves the room, as the town burns and the Apache chant and bang the drums, we along with the characters are left to our own imaginations, awaiting a savage death in semi darkness. It's a fine claustrophobic set up that's executed admirably. So why isn't the film better known and regarded then?
To get to the good stuff you have to suffer the bad, quite a bit of bad in fact. Running at only 75 minutes the film just about gets away with its drawn out periods of chatter, much of which is mundane - especially where the love triangle is concerned. And the acting ranges from the effective - McNally (Winchester '73/ Criss Cross) & Gray (Red River/Nightmare Alley) - to the solid - Shields (The Quiet Man/She Wore a Yellow Ribbon), but away from those three it's pretty wooden fare. Problems also exist with the colour, with low budget comes very basic Technicolor lensing, Red Rock Canyon is reduced to being a dull observer on proceedings and the fiery flames during the finale lack colourful snap. There's also the bizarre use of the song "Men of Harlech". Zulu aficionados (and I'm one of them) know the song well, and the use here in Apache Drums is the same as in Cy Endfield's film, only here it's performed in native Welsh - with the actors dubbed! It's a poor fit all round. History tells us, though, that the defenders of Rorke's Drift did not sing the song, so it's a distinct possibility that the film Zulu owes a debt of gratitude to is in fact Apache Drums. Thank you Lewton and Co.
Good and bad every where you look in the film, but the final third swings it well above average in my book. A generous 7/10 rating to my fellow Western movie fans, 6/10 to the casual Sunday afternoon lounge lizard.
A Simple Favor a drag, shame, Kendrick looks positively ravishing on the cover!!
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 18, 2019 1:43:23 GMT
Alien: Resurrection (1997). I laughed out loud at the Albino Baby Alien when I first watched the film in the theatre, then I booed! It still rankles me even today. Subsequent revisits to it have me shrugging my shoulders in acceptance that it's really just a cover version.
Let sleeping dogs lie?
Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the makers here basically stick safe to the formula of the series. This time it's a space station with space pirates and a cloned Ripley (Siggy Weaver of course) - yes! A cloned Ripley, only this time she's devoid of human compassion - kind of... The gore quota is significantly upped, which makes for some serious sci-fi terror, and some of the imagery crafted is outstanding (a clone lab sequence is shatteringly unforgettable). A tip top cast featuring Ron Perlman, Michael Wincott, Brad Dourif, Dan Hedaya and Winona Ryder, all give good shows, whilst the photography (Darius Khondji/Se7en) and art design (Steve Cooper, Andrew Neskoromny and John M. Dwyer) takes the breath away. Yet come the final straight it loses its way, sinking into a mire of over confidence, topped by a crown of thorns involving an albino baby alien hybrid. Shame that. 6.5/10
First Blood (1982) - Still great I think. Have to wonder how it would have panned out with Kirk Douglas getting his way...
It was a bad time for everyone, Rambo. It's all in the past now.
First Blood is directed by Ted Kotcheff and adapted by Michael Kozoll, William Sackheim and Sylvester Stallone, from the novel written by David Morrell. It stars Stallone, Brian Dennehy, Richard Crenna, Bill McKinney and Jack Starrett. Cinematography is by Andrew Laszlo and the music scored by Jerry Goldsmith. Locations for the shoot were in British Columbia.
John Rambo (Stallone), ex Vietnam war veteran, wanders into small town Oregon and is met with hostility by Sheriff Will Teasle (Dennehy). Arrested for a trumped up charge of vagrancy, Rambo is subjected to rough house treatment by Teasle and his staff. Fuelled by the haunted images of his time in Vietnam, Rambo breaks out of custody and makes for the hills, with Teasle and the force in hot pursuit. But this is terrain made for Rambo, an expert soldier trained to survive and kill, it's a war, Rambo versus the rest.
The character of John Rambo would slip into pop culture and forever be associated with cartoon excess. By his own admission, Stallone himself felt they dropped the ball after the original film, and he's right. However, First Blood is often wrongly lumped in as part of that excessive package, because it's a film well worthy of revisits to see just how well it holds up as a taut and tense thriller. A film led by the bold theme of showing just how badly some of America's soldiers were received upon returning from Vietnam. First Blood delves deeper into the psyche of one such soldier whilst casting a caustic eye over small town Americana. The makers rarely let up on the troubling thematics at work, developing Rambo with clinical strokes as the plot unfolds, the trick in the tail being that the audience are firmly on his side as he goes about bringing his Vietnam to the picturesque place the locals call home. By 1982, it seems, America was on the side of the soldier.
Stallone is a perfect fit for the role, his physicality unquestionable, he brings the brood and pain to Rambo like few actors of his ilk ever could. The sarcastic may point to his lack of dialogue hardly constituting a great acting performance, that's rot, because this is a fine character portrayal by Stallone. Dennehy is on fine form as the brutish bully Sheriff who just couldn't leave Rambo alone, while in the support ranks McKinney and Starrett leave good impressions. The interesting casting comes with Crenna as Rambo's "maker", Col. Samuel Trautman. The role was Kirk Douglas' hook line and sinker, but he wanted a different script and insisted that the film end the same way as the novel. In the end the makers just couldn't give in to his requests and he walked at the last minute. In stepped Crenna to put a bit of father figure pathos into Trautman, and subsequently earning himself a three picture deal and a place in pop culture in the process.
It's also a film that's photographed with great skill by Lazlo. He captures the British Columbia mountains and forests with beautiful scope, but in keeping with the tone of the film his colour palette is suitably grey and green. Goldsmith provides an effective score, particularly when the narrative is focusing on Rambo's alienation, while the stunt work is very impressive. Even if we drift away from the theme of the piece, it still works extremely well as an action movie drama, be it motorcycle/helicopter pursuits, or jungle warfare, First Blood pumps the blood frequently. All neatly constructed by the director of Weekend at Bernie's! On release it grabbed the attention and became a monster box office hit Worldwide, today it still stands as a damn great movie, and you know what? Stallone and co were right and Kirk Douglas was wrong. 9/10
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 18, 2019 1:55:21 GMT
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. 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. Yep, agree about all you say about Erin Brockovich.
Cary is my favourite actor, but even I can live without Kiss Them For Me as a whole, but I think he's great in it, the saving grace in fact.
Hmm, just about sails out on to safe enough waters.
Three Navy pilots earn themselves a four day break in San Francisco and rent a swanky suite in a hotel. Commander Crewson (Cary Grant) promptly arranges for the suite to be a party venue for like minded adults, but stumbling blocks come thick and fast, the pilots are requested to make speeches to rally the home front at shipyard magnate Eddie Turnbill's yards, but the boys don't want to do it, they wish to forget the war. Crewson also starts to fall for Turnbill's lady, Gwinneth Livingston, while scatter brained but demur blonde, Alice Kratzner is stirring the passions of all she comes across, most notably Lieutenant McCann.
Directed by the very talented Stanley Donen, and adapted by Julius J. Epstein from Luther Davis' less than successful play, Kiss Them For Me is something of an oddity. It's an uncomfortable splice of comedy and drama and never fully satisfies in either department, with the cast being a very mixed bunch that has divided opinions right across the board. Its satire heart is fine, and to a degree it works, nobody in their right mind could fail to not emphasise with members of the armed forces being fed up with the grind of war, especially since the guys here are not bluffers who haven't done their bit for the war effort. The film also has a bit to promote as regards self promoting tactics of business men not engaged in the forces themselves, but these little proposed edgy slants are asked to sit side by side with sexy comedy and the inevitable romantic plot strands, thus the film almost sinks within its attempt at genre fusion.
After reading a number of reviews as regards the cast, I too find myself having a very different view of things, but the one thing I'm adamant about is that Cary Grant most certainly isn't miscast here, he's actually the films one true saving grace, some of his delivery of the barbed wired dialogue is first class. Suzy Parker (Livingstone) appears to get the most stick that is flailing around, but she really isn't that bad, no trees being pulled up but she is tidy enough working off Grant, looks fantastic (definitely giving Jean Simmons a run for her money in the gorgeous bone structured face department), and crucially she's far better than the annoyingly dull Jayne Mansfield (Alice Kratzner). Mansfield has her marker in cinema history, her shtick has worked in a couple of decent movies (The Girl Can't Help It & Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?), but it doesn't here, and it's one of the main reasons the film doesn't quite make it as a rewarding watch. Too much effort is made to shoehorn Mansfield's mugging into the equation, almost usurping the decent efforts of Ray Walston as McCann.
So the film to me is pretty much a mismatched effort all round, some good moments are offset by meandering dull ones, the play failed, and really the film is just about watchable fare without being recommended as a marker for all involved. 5/10
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 18, 2019 1:56:41 GMT
Scent of a Woman (1992) 8/10
Hoo-Hah!
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 18, 2019 2:29:58 GMT
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 Brighton Strangler (1945) A stage actor bumps his head and thinks he's actually the Brighton Strangler, his role on the stage. Murder ensues!
Captain Kidd (1945) is just safe entertainment I feel.
In days of old when ships were bold, just like the men that sailed them.
Captain Kidd is directed by Rowland V. Lee and adapted to screenplay by Norman Reilly Raine from a story by Robert N. Lee. It stars Charles Laughton, Randolph Scott, Barbara Britton and John Carradine. Music is scored by Werner Janssen and cinematography by Archie Stout.
The late 17th century and ruthless pirate Captain William Kidd (Laughton) is the scourge of the seas and attempts a double cross of King William III (Henry Daniell). His dastardly scheming, however, is in danger of falling apart when he hires ex-convict Adam Mercy (Scott) to be his master gunner. For Mercy has a secret and he also has his own mission to complete.
The most ruthless of them all, Captain William Kidd.
Forget history and try to enjoy Captain Kidd for its light hearted piratical touches. Running at 90 minutes the film is surprisingly short on blood pumping action, with much of the screenplay given to draggy verbose passages. Yet there is an overriding sense of fun throughout, with a cast of highly watchable actors making it very much an acting 101 picture.
Particularly striking is Laughton who seems to be enjoying himself royally as he gets to pout, stomp and dally in villainy. However, there's not enough of the excellent Daniell and the very pretty Barbara Britton is a token offering who is reduced to a near walk on part late in proceedings. Janssen's score is suitably full of high seas bluster, and plot has enough skullduggery, back stabbing and treasure plundering to at the least keep one interested to the finale. 6/10
Captain Blood (1935) . It goes hand in hand with The Sea Hawk, which I hope you have seen? If not do so at your earliest convenience.
What a creature must sit on the throne who lets a man like you deal out his justice!
Captain Blood is directed by Michael Curtiz and adapted by Casey Robinson from the Rafael Sabatini novel. It stars Errol Flynn, Olivia de Haviland, Basil Rathbone, Ross Alexander and Lionel Atwill. Music is scored by Erich Wolfgang Korngold and photography is shared between Ernest Haller and Hal Mohr.
1685, England, and Dr. Peter Blood (Flynn) is unjustly convicted of treason against the King. Escaping the death penalty, Blood and the other supposed rebels are sold into slavery at the English colony of Port Royal. Bought by kindly Arabella Bishop (de Havilland), Blood settles down to work as physician to the local governor. But when the town comes under attack from the Spanish, Blood and his friends seize the opportunity to commandeer the Spanish ship and escape
..
And Thus Captain Blood Began His Career Of Piracy. . . With A Ship, A Handful Of Men, And A Brain. . .
It could all have been so different had Robert Donat not turned down the role of Captain Blood. In came Flynn at the last minute, a swaggering superstar was born and classic cinema got a handful of truly rousing swashbucklers that continue to delight millions today. Not to mention it also brought further notice of de Havilland's ability, with this picture the first of 8 she would make with Flynn. Even though it was seen of something of a gamble for Warner Brothers at the time, the film actually isn't that big in budgetary terms, all the remarkable then, that Curtiz and his team have fashioned such an entertaining picture.
Although Flynn gleefully dominates proceedings, and in the process gives the film its only real flaw by rendering much of the other characters to being like awe-struck observers, much of the credit for Captain Blood's success is down to Robinson's screenplay. Running at just over two hours in length, film is chocked full of action, plot and asides to the British monarchy of the 17th century, deftly split into two halves by the wily Curtiz. First half establishes the major players and incidence, taking a good honest man in a hot political climate and forcing him to go rogue. This then fills the second part as Blood becomes the feared pirate of the high seas, and ultimately his journey back to a life of normality and love flecked happiness.
In amongst this journey to piracy and back, film is decked out with moments of spectacle. Be it Flynn swishing and swashing with blade, or swinging in on a rope; or the sight of cannons blasting away in a tall ship duel, Curtiz ensures the pace is brisk and the adrenalin is often stirred. In the mix is the chemistry between Flynn and de Haviland, which obviously hits the ground running, and two deliciously shifty turns from Messrs Atwill and Rathbone. Stunts are aplenty and although the sets are at times at the bare minimum, Curtiz and his photographers get maximum impact by going for a near Expressionist style. All of which is scored with thunderous verve by master composer Korngold.
Flynn would better this with both The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) and The Sea Hawk (1940), but Captain Blood is undeniably the influential template. 9/10
How nice to see The Brighton Strangler crop up!
You shall not see in the New year.
During WW II as one of the Luftwafte air raids hits London, Reginald Parker, a successful actor, is knocked out and heavily concussed. Upon awaking he believes himself to be Edward Grey, the notorious Brighton Strangler he has been portraying on the stage!
Clocking in at just 67 minutes, The Brighton Strangler just about has enough time to get in and do it's job excellently.
Something of an under seen gem, it's a film that has enough creepy menace about it to reward the black and white thriller film fan. Boasting excellent sets, some very neat camera work from director Max Nosseck, and a fabulous lead performance from John Loder, I personally feel that it deserves to be seen by more people. Typically it's a picture that rarely gets aired on British TV, and when it does it's sadly tucked away on BBC 2 at some ungodly hour in the AM.
Until films like this get decent exposure from our TV schedulers then they are going to remain criminally under seen. So keep your eyes out for this one, the formula may now be seen as old hat, but transport yourself back to 1945, get out in the London smog and be wary of that hatted man coming towards you... 8/10
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Post by politicidal on Mar 18, 2019 2:45:29 GMT
Scent of a Woman (1992) 8/10
Hoo-Hah!
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Mar 18, 2019 16:33:43 GMT
hitchcockthelegend Well done, old sport! Great reviews, there's no way I could have said it better, for sure! I HAVEN'T seen The Sea Hawk, but I do plan to see it someday, soon! Captain Blood gave me a real taste for more of these older pirate pictures, and Errol Flynn seems to be leading the pack in this department. The Brighton Strangler was recommended on this board awhile back, someone had listed it as being on YouTube, which is where I found it. I randomly chose it because of it's shorter running time, but it turned out to be quite entertaining.
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Post by vegalyra on Mar 18, 2019 21:32:29 GMT
Some nice write ups everyone! Wish I had something to contribute. My kids were on Spring Break (as well as my first grade teacher wife) so movie watching was a no deal for me. Back to normal this week. I've been binge watching the American version of the Office on Netflix with my wife. It's pretty funny, we're into the 4th season now.
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Post by marianne48 on Mar 19, 2019 1:54:32 GMT
Two films, one better than expected, one worse: Sleeping Dogs Lie (2006)--Director Bob Goldthwait gives new meaning to the term "guilty pleasure films." His films are not so bad that you're reluctant to admit that you like them; they tend to be quite good, but their subject matter is often so bizarre that you may be reluctant to talk about them. Too bad, because they're often overlooked and underrated (Goldthwait's IMDb profile picture doesn't help him get taken too seriously, by the way). This film, about the reaction a respectable woman gets from her fiance and her adoring parents when she reveals the "worst thing" she ever did (once in college, in a weird, impulsive moment, she performed a certain act on her dog). As icky as the premise sounds, it's not a gross-out comedy in the vein of American Pie; it's actually a thought-provoking story that begins as a comedy but turns serious, even tragic. Recommended (as are Goldthwait's uncomfortable-but-entertaining films God Bless America and World's Greatest Dad.)
Her Cardboard Lover (1942)--George Cukor directed this would-be screwball comedy with a bland Norma Shearer being pursued by stalker Robert Taylor, whom she hires to protect her from being tempted by her suave lover, George Sanders. Everybody tries to hard to be funny, and they're not; George Sanders doesn't get to do much of anything. Skip it.
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Post by wmcclain on Apr 26, 2019 15:36:39 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. Dragonwyck (1946)
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