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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on May 17, 2020 16:45:20 GMT
13 Cameras (2015) Creepy (and I mean CREEPY) landlord spies on his tenants and enters their house to taste their toothbrushes when they're not home. There are several references to his bad odor, so glad this was not available in smellevision! The actor playing the landlord never blinks and never closes his mouth, and he just gives off the creepiest vibe I can recall seeing in a movie in recent memory. I was (un)pleasantly surprised by this movie, it gave me the weird heebie-jeebie feels, and I can't see how it couldn't do the same for anyone who chooses to watch it. 14 Cameras (2018) Gerald the skeezy landlord is back and still at it, only now he's pimping on the internet. Just as creepy as the first, and picks up the story and runs with it hard. Future Travel Tip: Keep your toothbrushes with you at all times, just saying! Downhill (2020) As someone who can find the funny in any and all everyday situation, I found this funny. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is the queen of simmering, awkward comedy, and Will Ferrell's odd style mixing with hers was great fun to watch. Don't expect obvious Anchorman-level humor, it's a dramatic comedy, the laughs are in the inbetween places. This is a remake of a Swedish movie, Force Majeure (2014), which is also an awkward comedy. There was no need to remake it so soon, necessarily, but it's what Hollywood has always done, and will continue to do. Both movies are good, the advantage here being familiar faces with the expectation of making it better. They don't make it better, just different. Dude Bro Party Massacre III (2015) The best trilogies come in one singular dude bro party movie...bro! Spoofing low-rent 80's horror movies and dude bros in general, this was a goofy good time. There's some really great moments (that beer keg scene), but a lot of filler that's just stupid too. Don't be concerned if you haven't seen the first or second movies, they don't exist, this is covered within the first five minutes. On a scale of Scary Movies (with Scary Movie being 5/5 and Scary Movie V being -0/0) I give this a 3.5. Pushover (1954) Fred MacMurray and Kim Novak in a noir-ish tale of double-crossing and intrigue. Who wouldn't want to watch that? Kim Novak made her film debut here, but already looks and acts like a huge star. Maybe it's just my love for Vertigo talking, but she really has her ducks in order! Several familiar faces and some interesting style choices (that silent opening sequence, cool!) made for an enjoyable afternoon couch-time cinematic viewing session. I Am Mother (2019) I think I've just found the perfect woman for Chappie... Turned out to be the perfect movie selection for Mother's Day during a pandemic. This was an intriguing sci-fi story, the whole quarantine aspect was not lost on me at this time. The robot looked great, and had the sexiest voice ever (Rose Byrne)! Nice to see Hilary Swank again, seems like it's been years since I saw her in anything. She seems to win Oscars every time she leaves the house, probably not gonna get many during the global pandemic, just saying... That's My Boy (1951) An alright Martin & Lewis comedy. Most of the laughs come from Lewis, in full-on nerd-mode, pratfalling and shrieking, and thirty-four year old Martin playing a college-age boy. Jerry's dad was a college football hero and wants his son to follow in his footsteps. This ticked me off a little. Parents forcing their children into things is a personal pet peeve of mine. Children are not clones, they are individuals. Anyway, after I put my own obvious mental issues aside (anyone know a good psychiatrist?), this was an enjoyable movie, but not the greatest moment on screen for either star, who would go on to greater things. Barney's Version (2010) I really enjoyed this movie and all of Barney's ups and downs. It's really a comedy/drama because at times I was laughing and then the sad feels would switch on too. Paul Giamatti is in top form as Barney, so is Dustin Hoffman, whose role is way too small. Tons of familiar Canadian actors in this that I recognize. It was mostly ignored by the Oscars but came home with a ton of the Canadian equivalent, well deserved. Bruno (2000) Oh Shirley, this is a sloppy mess! Directed by and starring Shirley MacLaine, I guess it was well intentioned, but it's all over the place. Seems like it might be for kids but then there's the N-word and some derogatory terms regarding homosexuals, all uttered by school kids. Not that I'm sheltered enough to think the little rugrats don't know these words, but maybe you don't want them to watch it in a kids movie either. It seemed like a John Waters movie if John Waters was hungover for the entire shoot. Pretty sure hospitals aren't serving chocolate cake to heart attack patients either. Brüno (2009) "It was worse than cancer!" Sasha Baron Cohen is so daring and crazy! Who else is doing this kind of topical, dangerous, envelope-pushing comedy these days? If you only see stereotypes then you're not looking deep enough. "You're like a latino Paul Giamatti!" Maybe some of the people spewing hate in this, and people similar to them, will see themselves and realize how bad they appear to the rest of us. "I'm committing carbicide!" I know I laughed more now than I did the first time I saw this. The laughs are still fresh, what with this being sooo 2009 and all. Some great lines that made me roar, even more impressive knowing it was mostly improvised. This is comedy with balls, no pun intended. It forces you to consider your own possible prejudices and those of others, and how it can cause so much futile fear and distrust in society as a hole...also, no pun intended. Sullivan's Travels (1941) I knew this was a beloved classic, but really knew very little else going in. A fun adventure with heart and insight. And Veronica Lake looks very refreshing. That was one wild and crazy bus ride! Johnny Skidmarks (1998) A late entry into the 90's noirish genre that was a thing for awhile there. This movie lacks the energy to get where it wants to go though. And don't even get me started with that title that makes my mind think of brown-tinted underwear and not whatever the filmmakers had in mind instead! There's a really great cast assembled here, so I assumed it would be worthwhile. But the script and direction leaves them all swinging in the wind. Jack Black, in a pre-stardom role, is the only one who succeeds in making a mark, he's hilarious. I don't want to scare anyone away from this, it's watchable, and worth seeing for this cast, just don't expect too much. Manhunt: Unabomber (2017 TV Series) If anything good has come from being sequestered in one's home for weeks at a time, it's having the time to binge movies and TV shows you have put off or ignored in the past. This is one such show. The Unabomber did some awful things and remained a mystery for a long time. Finding out who he was, he still remained mysterious. This show offers up several fascinating answers for anyone interested. Paul Bettany, an actor I am very familiar with, absolutely vanishes into the role of Ted Kaczynski. So much so, that I could not recognize him or his voice. Great job by Sam Worthington as the FBI linguist who tries to decipher the clues left by the Unabomber. I assumed this was a mini-series but apparently it's an anthology series and this was simply season one. The first season aired on Netflix, who passed on the season two, which was about Richard Jewell and the Atlanta Olympic bombers. Netflix felt that Clint Eastwood stole their thunder with Richard Jewell (2019) so it will be aired elsewhere, not sure where. Waco (2018) Another Netflix mini-series based on a true story. It seems like some effort was definitely put forth to portray both sides fairly, but it doesn't help with the cloud of doom hanging over every character in this true story. It left me sad and angry. That final episode especially is a downer. It's probably instances like this and Ruby Ridge that make the gun people so certain their own government is coming for them one day, and in a way, I kind of agree with them after witnessing this. Enjoy your movies this week!
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Post by morrisondylanfan on May 17, 2020 18:37:57 GMT
Green Pastures-1936 Stories from the bible with an all black cast The Big Sleep-1946 Bogie and Bacall doing what they do best The Bed Sitting Room-1969 post apocalypse British style Attack-1956 It's Curly vs Oliver Wendell Douglas with Uncle Jed and Frank Ballinger along for the ride Boomerang-1947 a noir true story of a man's search for innocence with some help from a great cast Pitfall-1962-Japan A different type of Japanese ghost story Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet-1940 Edward G. Robinson can cure what ails ya' Equinox Flower-1958-Japan father and daughter at odds over marriage My Life as a Dog-1985-Sweden boy sent to live with his uncle while his mom is sick The Green Room-1978-France a man's obsession with death News From Home-1977 Experimental film with scences of New York Gozu-2003-Japan searching for a man leads a guy on a bizzare journey Lion-2016 agter being lost as a boy a man searches for his family after 25 years Wings of Desire-1987-Germany an angel takes the plunge and meets Columbo Mother-2009-South Korea a boy jailed for murder and a mom who doesn't accept that On Body and Soul-2017-Hungary 2 lonely people dream the same dream every night Submarine-2010 a teenager looking for love It looks like you had a incredible week of viewings Opus, (Bong,Miike & FT,all in one week!) How did you find The Bed Sitting Room to be? I really like the rough,homemade edges it had when I saw it in 2018: 8. Dusting down the film,the BFI present an excellent transfer, with a real attention to detail in keeping the various tints with the various grains they were each given during production. Adapting Spike Milligan and John Antrobus's stage play, the adaptation by Antrobus and Charles Wood throws Goon Show word-play curve-balls at the end of the world,with hilarious mutters in an attempt to avoid saying the word "nuke" and the survivors desperately trying to give a normality to their dire situation. Breaking from the stage origins, the writers smartly use the dark humour to bring a real sense of danger to the main family travelling across the destroyed landscape-facing a mad nurse handing out death certificates,and The Tube continuing to rumble along the silent stations. Offered the chance to do any project he wanted after the smash hit Beatles movies, director Richard Lester reunites with The Knack and Help! Cinematographer David Watkin to end the flower power decade with a doomsday. Incredibly filmed completely at real locations, Lester & Watkin's give their post-apocalypse a proto- Steam Punk twist,via the mountains of twisted metal covering the screen. Dipping into surreal fantasy, Lester splinters the film with melting tints that colourfully create an otherworldly atmosphere that knocks down the walls of the bed sitting room.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on May 17, 2020 18:43:24 GMT
9/10
I hope you are having a good weekend Bell. Until I recently got the Criterion Blu, this HGC title was at the top of my "most wanted" list,to the point I imported a DVD from France,which despite Amazon's claims, did not have Eng Subs. With it waiting on my shelf to be opened for a special occasion,how did you find it to be?
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cschultz2
Freshman
@cschultz2
Posts: 91
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Post by cschultz2 on May 18, 2020 1:07:07 GMT
“Alpha” Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing and Columbia Pictures, 96 Minutes, Rated PG-13, Released August 17, 2018:
There’s a visual purity about the movie “Alpha” that hasn’t been seen in too many motion pictures since Stanley Kubrick departed the scene in 1999. During its opening scenes “Alpha” resembles nothing so much as the first twenty minutes of Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey,” depicting the Dawn of Man. And despite the characters’ sometimes smearing themselves with mud, paint, or another semi-solid liquid in preparation for a hunt or a ceremony, the movie looks almost as if it was produced in an airless and sterile environment,
Set 20,000 years ago during the Ice Age, in “Alpha” young Keda, the adolescent son of the tribal leader Tau, is badly mauled and ravaged by a marauding bison during his first hunt. Thrown over an impossibly steep cliff by the rampaging beast and landing on a narrow ledge, the boy is presumed dead by the other hunters and deserted by his heartbroken father and the rest of the tribe. But after a few days, Keda regains consciousness and sets about the business of survival.
While defending himself against a roaming wolfpack a few days later, Keda badly injures one of the attacking animals. And in their mutual quest for survival, the boy and the wolf form a bond and begin to instinctively aid and protect each other in both recovery and endurance as they begin an odyssey together back to Keda’s tribe.
Directed by Albert Hughes, one-half of the Hughes Brothers filmmaking team responsible for movies as diverse as “Menace II Society,” “From Hell,” and the somewhat similar “The Book of Eli,” “Alpha” combines an elemental A Boy and His Dog story with 1971’s “Man in the Wilderness” and 2016’s “The Revenant,” and produces a beautifully-realized and deeply moving mini-epic of a motion picture.
Hughes’ magnificent cinematic storytelling in “Alpha” is augmented by Martin Gschlacht’s breathtaking photography of remote earthly vistas, displayed with a clarity reminiscent of science fiction, and making the British Columbia and Alberta filming locations seem almost eerily otherworldly and ethereal instead of earthbound during prehistoric times. This is truly a picture which will be enhanced with a television equipped with high definition capabilities.
As the young Keda, Kodi Smit-McPhee contributes to “Alpha” a wonderfully evocative performance in a difficult and challenging role. The actor’s open and infinitely expressive face communicates clearly every nuance of the boy’s hopes and fears, his insecurities and loneliness, his hunger and cold. Despite his appearances as the character Nightcrawler in the Marvel comics “X-Men” pictures, the Australian Smit-McPhee hasn’t received much of an opportunity for film acting since his performance as the lonely, bullied schoolboy who befriends a young girl with startling abilities in the often-overlooked 2010 horror masterpiece “Let Me In.”
Keda’s bonding with the wolf, whom he names Alpha, is both eminently believable and warmly touching. When toward the end of the picture, the now-experienced wilderness survivor Keda communicates to the wolf in the colloquial language of his people the subtitled sentiment “You are my tribe,” you might be surprised to find yourself wiping away a tear. For animal lovers especially, “Alpha” might even be a movie you’ll want to download for your video library.
At the time of its release, “Alpha” attracted some controversy for its failure to earn the customary disclaimer that “no animals were harmed during the making of this picture.” Allegedly, four Canadian bison were killed during the picture’s production for a scene depicting the removal of hides after a hunt. According to the filmmakers, the bison were already marked for slaughter, and were harvested in a humane manner by (no kidding) experts from Canada’s Longview Beef Jerky Company.
“Alpha” received respectable notices from critics at the time of its 2018 release, including an approval rating of 84% from Rotten Tomatoes and an average score of 62% from the less-enthusiastic Metacritic. Exit audiences polled by CinemaScore at the time assigned “Alpha” an average grade of…well, Beta.
Although a movie like “Alpha” is likely not going to be anyone’s first choice in TV entertainment, occasionally it pays to take the road less travelled, and this is a movie you’ll definitely want to check out. During these troubled times, while many of us are locked down or even quarantined, “Alpha” has some interesting insights into the nature of solitude, loneliness, isolation, and companionship. And afterward, try to think of something nice you can do for your pets. They probably deserve it.
Alpha himself is actually played in the picture by a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog identified in the closing credits as Charlie. Containing some scenes of intense peril, “Alpha” has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America.
“Fighting with My Family” Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and United Artists Releasing, 108 Minutes, Rated PG-13, Released February 14, 2018:
In 2019, actress Florence Pugh enjoyed the kind of year most young performers pray for.
With an exceptional ability as an actress, the 23-year-old Pugh began the year as a relatively unknown young talent. And through breathtaking performances in three critically-acclaimed and financially successful pictures, the young actress ended the year with a career that suddenly seemed to be on the lips of practically everyone...and the solitary Academy Award nomination for a movie which also contained performances from such heavyweights as Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Laura Dern, Chris Cooper, and Meryl Streep.
The first of Pugh’s three 2019 pictures, “Fighting with My Family,” is the kind of picture movie fans pray for--one that with zero expectations and virtually no advance notice seemingly comes out of nowhere and ends up blowing the roof off and soaring among the classics. Which, come to think of it, is also a pretty good synopsis of the film itself.
Based on the 2012 BBC documentary “The Wrestlers: Fighting with My Family,” the 2019 motion picture “Fighting with My Family” depicts the formative years of professional wrestler Saraya-Jade Bevis, who rose to international fame as the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) champion known as “Paige.”
Raised in her native Norwich, England by loving and supportive but...well, unconventional parents, Saraya and her brother Zak from childhood forward desire nothing from life so much as careers in professional wrestling. But when only Saraya is offered the golden opportunity to travel to the United States and undertake extended training for a coveted spot in the WWE, she learns to her surprise that her most formidable opponent is not inside the ring, but in the mirror, in her own sense of insecurity.
Professional wrestling has long occupied some weird entertainment netherworld between show business and professional sports, combining the violence of boxing with the raw power of football and the grace of ballet, but existing somewhere on the periphery of each. Since its rise in popularity during the early days of live television in the 1940s and 1950s, the question has persisted: Is wrestling real, or fake?
“Fighting with My Family” finally answers that eternal question: It’s a little of both. But more importantly, the picture takes the viewer inside the ring, and reveals the sense of dedication and self-discipline required of the select few who succeed in an attraction which each week draws the interest and dedication of millions of fans.
Florence Pugh with her superb, and superbly persuasive, performance in the supremely unconventional role as Saraya/Paige gives the viewer a glimpse inside the soul of an insecure young girl so repressed and defensive of her humble background that she feels that nearly everyone else in the world is her enemy. So intimidated by the more glamorous rookie wrestlers that she instinctively rejects their friendship, Pugh as Saraya/Paige begins to triumph in professional wrestling only when she learns that both her colleagues and her opponents often possess circumstances even more desperate than her own, and pursue in wrestling not a life of luxury but a means of escape...and survival.
But “Fighting with My Family” is not about revealing the tricks or secrets of the pro wrestling trade any more than a movie about magicians might reveal how a rabbit gets into a hat. Rather, the genius of the picture is that in depicting Paige’s struggle with self-doubt and simultaneous drive toward success, the movie recognizes another central truth: We all share with Paige that same sense of insecurity and self-doubt…as well as the drive to succeed. Some of us just better refine the desire, through persistence and ambition.
Florence Pugh’s ability as an actress is such that even when her physical appearance is more or less the same, as was the case with her subsequent 2019 performances as the hapless Dani Ardor in the brilliant and controversial horror picture “Midsommar” and as the determined Amy March in the critically-acclaimed remake of “Little Women,” her characterizations are so unique that she’s virtually unrecognizable from role to role. Had Pugh’s subsequent 2019 pictures not come along, based on her virtuoso performance in “Fighting with My Family” a lot of viewers would likely still have been looking forward to this young actress’ next movie.
Also featuring a supremely effective Vince Vaughn as the American WWE trainer who goads, taunts, provokes and insults Paige toward success, “Fighting with My Family” becomes as much of an entertainment hybrid as pro wrestling itself: Part biography, part comedy, and part inspirational drama. And the picture succeeds as each, and excels at all.
Everybody has a dream. And toward the end of the picture, as Paige is finally pushed beyond her limit but still finds within herself enough courage, stamina, and raw and undiluted adrenaline to climb the ropes and bellow with primal, savage fury, “Tonight I own this ring!” you’ll want to jump to your feet and cheer. And if in that moment you’re asked if WWE wrestling is real or elaborately rehearsed theatrical entertainment, you might be surprised by your own answer.
Written and directed by the British comic and actor Stephen Merchant and produced on a miniscule budget of $11 million, “Fighting with My Family” is a genuine triumph of the spirit for all concerned, and a real pleasure to watch. This is unapologetically a formula film...but the formula works as beautifully and effectively as in the very best of the “Rocky” pictures. This movie might not turn you into a fan of the WWE, but it’ll certainly teach you to learn to respect those who spend their lives in pursuit of success in the profession.
Wrestling superstar turned movie superstar Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was the executive producer of “Fighting with My Family,” and appears fleetingly throughout the picture as himself, as does fellow wrestler-turned-actor John Cena. You might remember writer-director Stephen Merchant from his role on television’s popular “The Big Bang Theory” as the awkward scientist who briefly dates Mayim Bialik’s Amy Farrah Fowler following her breakup with Sheldon. Merchant also plays a small role in the picture as the socially-repressed father-in-law of Paige’s brother.
“Fighting with My Family” is rated PG-13 for sexual material and mild crude behavior, language concerns, scenes depicting violence, and some drug use.
“Fast & Furious Presents Hobbs & Shaw” Distributed by Universal Pictures, 135 Minutes, Rated PG-13, Released August 02, 2019:
When the fast-moving crime adventure picture “The Fast and the Furious” was released during the summer of 2001 and quickly earned over $200 million in box office dollars on a budget of $38 million, plans were quickly made for a sequel. Seven installments later, the “Fast & Furious” films have earned well over $5 billion globally at the box office.
Now embracing video games, toys, and even theme park attractions, the “Fast & Furious” phenomenon continues to earn money faster than additional sequels can be produced. To accommodate the overflow of incoming cash and develop means of making even more, Universal Pictures decided to create a second series of films, related to the original series but not “officially” part of the continuing “Fast & Furious” storyline...sort of like “Solo” and “Rogue One” are not “official” Star Wars pictures.
The first “Fast & Furious” spinoff is the $200 million “Fast & Furious Presents Hobbs & Shaw,” starring action film superstars Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham in their peripheral “Fast & Furious” roles. Dwayne Johnson is Luke Hobbs, a federal agent working for the CIA, and Jason Statham is his longtime rival Deckard Shaw, a former Special Forces assassin now working for Britain’s MI6.
When Hobbs and Shaw are forced by their respective government services to team up and recover a genetically modified virus stolen by bionic superman Idris Alba, the two spend the next couple of hours of screen time in a Bob Hope and Bing Crosby adventure of globetrotting bickering and mayhem, with Shaw’s sister Vanessa Kirby tagging along in more or less the old Dorothy Lamour part.
Thankfully, co-producers Johnson and Statham had the good sense to surround themselves with an unusually-capable production staff, including director David Leitch and screenwriters Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce. Between them, the writers and director have toiled on the “John Wick” and “Mission: Impossible” pictures, as well as “Atomic Blonde” and “Iron Man 3.”
The end result is a rollicking, exciting and enormously entertaining Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoon of a movie, a seamless blend of action, comedy, adventure, and bloodless car crashing violence that aims for the sweet spot where exhilaration and silliness intersect, and scores a direct bullseye. Johnson’s in-your-face insouciance and Statham’s slow-burn competence might not be exactly Stan & Ollie or even Abbott & Costello, but they’ll do nicely until something better comes along.
As an added bonus, superstars Johnson & Statham have invited along a few of their superstar friends to appear in small supporting roles. There are also a couple of mid-credit scenes. In the end,“Fast & Furious Presents Hobbs & Shaw” is like a ride on a Ferris Wheel--after it’s over, you might still be in the same place as before you got on, but you’ve enjoyed enough excitement, thrills and laughter to last the rest of the week.
“Fast & Furious Presents Hobbs & Shaw” is rated PG-13 for prolonged sequences of action and violence, suggestive material, and some strong language.
“Gone With the Wind” Distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, 221 Minutes, Rated G, Released December 15, 1939:
No other motion picture in history has ever equaled the impact on American popular culture of “Gone With the Wind.”
The mammoth 221-minute historical romance epic from 1939 became a phenomenon in its era, and over time earned more box office dollars than any other picture in history. It’s a distinction the picture retains to the present day--with gross profits adjusted for economic factors such as inflation, “Gone With the Wind” beats its closest rival, 1977’s “Star Wars,” by over $200 million.
The winner of a then-record ten Academy Awards--a distinction the picture held until 1959, when “Ben-Hur” won eleven--”Gone With the Wind” was withheld entirely from television broadcast until 1976. Instead the picture was re-distributed to theaters periodically throughout the second half of the twentieth century roughly once per generation until it’s eventual debut on home video in 1985.
The picture was so exalted at the time of its release that the title itself was never revealed onscreen in its entirety, instead “sweeping” across across the credits one word at a time at the beginning of the film, a means of fabled producer David O. Selznick’s emphasizing that his production was bigger and grander than the motion picture medium itself.
Adapted from Margaret Mitchell’s best-selling 1936 novel, the American film classic in which a manipulative woman and a roguish man conduct a turbulent romance during the Civil War and Reconstruction eras was in 2019 celebrating its 80th year in release, and was re-released to movie theaters in limited engagements on the big screens of selected theaters in major cities around the United States.
And while the picture retains even on DVD and Blu-ray much of its impact as an “event” picture--with the inclusion of its overture, intermission, and exit music, “Gone With the Wind” runs just shy of four hours in length--the movie’s historical accuracy and narrative content have over the years become more than a little...well, problematic. In fact, certain of the film’s issues might ultimately prove as harmful to the picture’s legacy as the burning of Atlanta was to the Confederate Army.
The difficulties begin with the picture’s screenplay, no real surprise in a movie adapted from a 1037-page novel. The script itself was the result of the work of about a dozen writers, including F. Scott Fitzgerald, coalesced into a disjointed, barely-coordinated whole by the Pulitzer Prize-winning dramatist Sidney Howard. The plotline of Margaret Mitchell’s novel mostly survives intact, but the film never successfully manages to flow smoothly as a narrative, appearing instead to be a selection of well-known scenes, sort of a “greatest hits” collection of sequences adapted from the book.
Of the picture’s content, less said is probably better. The movie’s famous prologue--a contribution of writer Ben Hecht--speaks volumes to the film’s accuracy to historical events. Presented as an opening “crawl” similar to the customary opening the “Star Wars” pictures, Hecht’s words describe “...the last ever to be seen of Knights and their Ladies Fair, of Master and of Slave,” where “gallantry took its last bow.” It remains unsaid that this “land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields” existed mostly in the imagination of the filmmakers.
In its depiction of some rose-tinted notion of benevolent slavery, “Gone With the Wind” is silent on the issue of human subjugation and indifferent to human suffering. The Emancipation Proclamation is mentioned not at all. While never as jaw-droppingly insensitive as D.W. Griffith’s similar “The Birth of a Nation” from 1915--another “event” picture once considered a classic but excoriated and reviled more than a full century after its original release--the racial stereotypes presented in “Gone With the Wind” are more representative of Hollywood during the 1930s than the American South during the 1860s. In a way, "Gone With the Wind" is a sort of "The Birth of a Nation"-lite. As such, it makes little sense to vilify one and venerate the other.
Sidney Howard’s adaptation of Mitchell's sweeping novel is skillful enough to camouflage some of the more objectionable content. A scene in the picture’s third hour refers to the picture’s “heroic” male characters taking refuge in a brothel after being ambushed by Union soldiers following a clandestine nighttime raid on a shantytown of displaced slaves. The men were avenging a rogue attack by one of the slaves on the picture’s “virtuous” central female character. Howard’s skillful writing deftly downplays the detail that the men were collectively members of an incarnation of the outlaw Ku Klux Klan terrorist organization.
The film’s inconsistency of tone is also a result of multiple filmmakers contributing to the picture during its production. Original director George Cukor was summarily dismissed from the production at the insistence of actor Clark Gable for his preferential treatment of the film’s female stars, Vivien Leigh and Olivia DeHavilland. Cukor’s replacement was Gable’s own favorite director, Victor Fleming, who eventually suffered a nervous collapse as a result of the studio’s merciless production schedule (Fleming also directed the equally-troubled “The Wizard of Oz” for MGM that same year).
During his convalescence, Victor Fleming was temporarily replaced on “Gone With the Wind” by MGM staff director Sam Wood, primarily remembered today as the director of the Marx Brothers’ 1935 comedy classic “A Night at the Opera.” While Fleming alone receives the director’s credit on “Gone With the Wind,” Cukor receives a separate onscreen acknowledgment for his contributions to the picture: At nights and on weekends, the dismissed filmmaker had continued to privately coach Leigh and DeHavilland in their roles as Scarlett O’Hara and Melanie Hamilton.
Of the film’s leading performers, Vivien Leigh probably fares best as the picture’s central character, Scarlett O’Hara, cast in the film after a highly-publicized nationwide talent search had led to over 1400 actresses being interviewed for the part. Coquettish in demeanor during the film’s opening scenes, Leigh’s manner as Scarlett disguises an unshakable inner resolve and steely determination, making the character surprisingly contemporary when viewed today, if never sympathetic or even likable.
It’s a virtuoso performance. The British-born Leigh contributes an impressive interpretation of the quintessentially American role, allowing Scarlett O’Hara to transition persuasively from an irresponsible teenager during the picture’s opening scenes to a cynical middle-aged tycoon by the end, a feat the actress accomplishes mostly without the aid of makeup effects.
Toiling less successfully in “Gone With the Wind” is actor Clark Gable as the dashing blockade runner Rhett Butler, presented in the film as a sort of Civil War version of “Star Wars” hero Han Solo. Ironically, Gable originally refused to participate in “Gone With the Wind.” His resistance to the role actually delayed the production for some two years, until after producer Selznick had negotiated a complicated distribution deal for the picture with Loews Incorporated--parent company of MGM, and Gable’s employer--and the actor was effectively ordered into the set by MGM studio chief Louis B. Mayer.
Gable’s enormous popularity at the time had led the American public to virtually insist on his casting in the role over such contenders as Gary Cooper, who refused the part, and even Basil Rathbone, who sought the role of Butler but was eventually rejected in favor of Gable. In the end, Gable succeeds in the role of Rhett Butler not because of any particular ability he possesses as a performer, but because he’s Clark Gable, and is therefore able to retain his heroic image even after his character drunkenly threatens and then either ravishes or rapes Leigh’s Scarlett O’Hara (offscreen) during the picture’s third act.
Given the film’s embodiment of offensive racial stereotypes, the picture’s most impressive performance might be that of actress Hattie McDaniel as the slave Mammy. Belying the subservient nature of the role, McDaniel’s authoritative characterization even transcends slavery. A valued member of the household, the film’s most consistent character, McDaniel’s Mammy is the solitary character in the picture who’s present during every major scene, and whose opinion is always heeded and whose directions are invariably followed.
McDaniel’s contribution to “Gone With the Wind” resulted in the actress winning the 1939 Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress, a first for an African-American performer. McDaniel herself was seated far from the rest of the “Gone With the Wind” contingent during the awards ceremony, and was compelled by MGM to deliver a humiliating acceptance speech, scripted by studio publicist Russell Birdwell and later repeated for newsreel cameras, in which the actress pledged to continue to be “a credit to (her) race.”
"Gone With the Wind" is probably best viewed from an historical perspective, to show contemporary audiences how we once saw ourselves and how we once viewed history. Despite its sometimes seamy content, “Gone With the Wind” has been assigned a G rating by the MPAA.
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Post by dirtypillows on May 18, 2020 3:05:19 GMT
"The Letter" - I thought it was pretty good. And Bette Davis always delivers. A solid ***1/4
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2020 4:20:30 GMT
@opus “Attack” (directed by Robert Aldrich) is a movie that made a huge impression on a 7th grade me when it was released in 1956 and so is important to me. In an age where movies like “Platoon” unsparingly portray the military, it’s sometimes difficult to recall that was not the case in the fifties. Many movies based on novels bitter toward the military, like “The Naked and the Dead” and “From Here to Eternity,” had their anti-military bias watered down in order to obtain Department of Defense cooperation. I have seen it claimed that “Attack” was the first Hollywood war film to be denied such official cooperation (and released anyway). It was produced by Aldrich’s own independent company but distributed by United Artists. This is a brutal and unstinting picture of war and the performances of Jack Palance and, especially, Eddie Albert drive that point home. All great points. Attack is one of my favorite war movies for those very reasons. Realism in war movies was difficult to find in those times. Films like this and The Steel Helmet show frankness and the hypocrisies of war. Also notable is Paths of Glory came out the following year and follows a similar story line regarding the break downs in the chain of command. It must have been hard for Eddie Albert to play the character he did since he was an actual war hero.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2020 4:51:57 GMT
It looks like you had a incredible week of viewings Opus, (Bong,Miike & FT,all in one week!) How did you find The Bed Sitting Room to be? I really like the rough,homemade edges it had when I saw it in 2018: 8. Dusting down the film,the BFI present an excellent transfer, with a real attention to detail in keeping the various tints with the various grains they were each given during production. Adapting Spike Milligan and John Antrobus's stage play, the adaptation by Antrobus and Charles Wood throws Goon Show word-play curve-balls at the end of the world,with hilarious mutters in an attempt to avoid saying the word "nuke" and the survivors desperately trying to give a normality to their dire situation. Breaking from the stage origins, the writers smartly use the dark humour to bring a real sense of danger to the main family travelling across the destroyed landscape-facing a mad nurse handing out death certificates,and The Tube continuing to rumble along the silent stations. Offered the chance to do any project he wanted after the smash hit Beatles movies, director Richard Lester reunites with The Knack and Help! Cinematographer David Watkin to end the flower power decade with a doomsday. Incredibly filmed completely at real locations, Lester & Watkin's give their post-apocalypse a proto- Steam Punk twist,via the mountains of twisted metal covering the screen. Dipping into surreal fantasy, Lester splinters the film with melting tints that colourfully create an otherworldly atmosphere that knocks down the walls of the bed sitting room. Yeah, I did have a good week. lol The only movie I planned on watching was Wings of Desire since it's one of my absolute favorites. Some I had seen before but a good chunk were for the first time and I was pleasantly surprised. As far as Bed Sitting Room, I didn't know quite what to make of it. Knowing absolutely nothing about the film I jumped in. Some aspects of the film I enjoyed and could see what Lester was doing. It seemed to get more and more dire as the movie went on. Which I'm sure was the point. It was a great cast, which is the reason I watched it to begin with. I do think I picked the wrong time to watch it. I was hoping for something a little more Month Python and a little less dark so it wasn't what I was expecting. I'm sure I'll watch it again in a different frame of mind.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on May 18, 2020 17:13:59 GMT
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on May 18, 2020 17:22:27 GMT
Deep Rising - I love it, a proper creaky creature feature with everybody having a great time of things -plus there's Famke - www.imdb.com/review/rw2076004/?ref_=tt_urv 7/10 Waterloo - On my rewatch list - Always felt it should have been better with the material to hand, and Steiger, even by his standards, is on scenery chewing overdrive - I have it at 7/10
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on May 18, 2020 17:29:39 GMT
The Night Walker 1964, a horror thriller chiller from William Castle with dependable veteran stars, Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck in her last cinema movie. Barbara's blind husband dies in a freak accident in his laboratory, or did he, since he keeps on scaring her in her dreams, and are her dream's dreams? or is someone trying to drive her insane? Well you will know after seeing this movie. It has some damn good scary effects, and I can always enjoy a good chiller. Not perfect, but I liked it, and Barbara never let's me down, not even in her only (?) horror movie. Fourteen Hours 1951, another great movie by Henry Hathaway that I've never seen before. It's St Patrick's Day in New York and a man is spotted outside on a ledge on a tall building, maybe planning to commit suicide by jumping. A simple traffic police who happened to be nearby could the one who stops the eventual suicide... Richard Basehart is the young troubled man out on the ledge, and Paul Douglas is the traffic cop who happens to be the link, both terrific, in fact all actors are terrific, and putting in their own little bit. Grace Kelly made her screen debut here, while for others, Howard Da Silva for example it was the end for nearly ten years thanks to McCarthy's witch hunt. The Night Walker - Not seen so I must track it down. I was very miffed that it wasn't in the William Castle Box Set I purchased a few years back. I have 14 Hours here, so will watch when I slip back into film noir mode.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on May 18, 2020 17:37:36 GMT
The Big Sleep-1946 Bogie and Bacall doing what they do best Attack-1956 It's Curly vs Oliver Wendell Douglas with Uncle Jed and Frank Ballinger along for the ride Bogie & Bacall - Indeed! - www.imdb.com/review/rw1833211/?ref_=tt_urv 10/10 Attack - Well it does have one almighty goof at the critical ending of the movie, where Palance is laying dead with mouth fully open, and he then does the biggest blink in cinema history! - but a great film it be - www.imdb.com/review/rw2527546/?ref_=tt_urv 9/10
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on May 18, 2020 17:41:52 GMT
9/10
8/10 Well just like mdf, I'm always interested in a HGC movie, so thanks for that. The Woman in the Window - Well I have to ask, how you find the ending, cheat or fine? - It has proven most divisive over the decades - www.imdb.com/review/rw2397396/?ref_=tt_urv 8/10
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on May 18, 2020 17:45:12 GMT
THE LONG RIDERS (1980) 40TH ANNIVERSARY The story of the James Gang with four sets of brothers: the Keaches (Jason and Stacy) the Carradines (Keith, David, and Robert), the Guests (Christopher and Nicholas), and the Quaids (Randy and Dennis). This is my first full viewing of the film. MGM/UA VHS (the 1983 Silver Case). The Long Riders - Did you like it mate? - www.imdb.com/review/rw1833326/?ref_=tt_urv 9/10
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on May 18, 2020 17:57:07 GMT
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on May 18, 2020 18:11:15 GMT
13 Cameras (2015) Creepy (and I mean CREEPY) landlord spies on his tenants and enters their house to taste their toothbrushes when they're not home. There are several references to his bad odor, so glad this was not available in smellevision! The actor playing the landlord never blinks and never closes his mouth, and he just gives off the creepiest vibe I can recall seeing in a movie in recent memory. I was (un)pleasantly surprised by this movie, it gave me the weird heebie-jeebie feels, and I can't see how it couldn't do the same for anyone who chooses to watch it. Pushover (1954) Fred MacMurray and Kim Novak in a noir-ish tale of double-crossing and intrigue. Who wouldn't want to watch that? Kim Novak made her film debut here, but already looks and acts like a huge star. Maybe it's just my love for Vertigo talking, but she really has her ducks in order! Several familiar faces and some interesting style choices (that silent opening sequence, cool!) made for an enjoyable afternoon couch-time cinematic viewing session. Sullivan's Travels (1941) I knew this was a beloved classic, but really knew very little else going in. A fun adventure with heart and insight. And Veronica Lake looks very refreshing. That was one wild and crazy bus ride! 13 Cameras - Sorry buddy, I thought it was terrible - www.imdb.com/review/rw3643158/?ref_=tt_urv 3/10 - Can't believe there is a sequel! Pushover - www.imdb.com/review/rw2635459/?ref_=tt_urv 8/10 Sullivan's Travels - I have read both of Preston Sturges' biographies, I'm a big fan. Veronica Lake was a notorious pain in the arse on film sets. She compounded this on Sullivan's Travels by announcing after filming started that she was pregnant! - Sturges was furious and had to film her accordingly and the pic went badly over schedule.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on May 18, 2020 18:15:35 GMT
"The Letter" - I thought it was pretty good. And Bette Davis always delivers. A solid ***1/4 I have this one here so it's on the list of to sees!
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Post by dirtypillows on May 18, 2020 18:38:36 GMT
Here is the Tele week that was: Max 2015, war torned troubled german shepherd dog is saved by the family of their now dead master, but why did he die, the dog knows. A black marketeer didn't like that the dog was saved. Strangely they come from the same small town in America, could have been a thousand other places. Troubled brother of Master (Josh Wiggins, who has exactly one face expression the whole movie) takes care of dog and solves a mystery. Okey if one is in the right mood on a lazy Sunday Strangely not the only war dog german shepherd movie this week. Shout at the Devil 1976, I remember this one since it used to fill up the summer seasons on Swedish cinemas low seasons. I don't really understand why this was such a sure movie to run, OK Roger Moore was still Bond at the time. For such a thin story that it actually tells, it's way too mega long (nearly 2 and a half hours), and it waves between being an action movie, a brawling burlesque comedy, and a few serious hints, never finds a style. Takes place in East Africa before and during first World War, and states that it's based on real events, a gin-drinking adventurer and an English gentleman try to smuggle Ivory of what was once German East Africa (more or less Tanzania). At one moment people are killed, next moment it's drunk's party, next a young baby is slaughtered, next it's beeing drunk and brawl is funny... and so on it never finds a style. Marvin and Moore could have been interesting, but they somehow missed that opportunity. Not a movie for me, but as they say, it's better to have seen it... The Night Walker 1964, a horror thriller chiller from William Castle with dependable veteran stars, Robert Taylor and Barbara Stanwyck in her last cinema movie. Barbara's blind husband dies in a freak accident in his laboratory, or did he, since he keeps on scaring her in her dreams, and are her dream's dreams? or is someone trying to drive her insane? Well you will know after seeing this movie. It has some damn good scary effects, and I can always enjoy a good chiller. Not perfect, but I liked it, and Barbara never let's me down, not even in her only (?) horror movie. The Informers 1963 aka Underworld Informers. British crime movie, Scotland Yard Chief Inspector (Nigel Patrick) knows his way around the underworld of London, but new boss stops use of informers, the future belongs to spying via electronic devices. A reliable informer is killed, and a daring bank robbery takes place, Patrick uses his old methods and traces the robbery, but is also framed for taking bribes... Very good British crime movie, there is a fistfight that takes a few minutes too long, but besides that it's a good British crime movie, and I've always liked Nigel Patrick (who did too few movies)! Salvatore Giuliano 1962, Sicily during the Allied invasion was apparently a mess in different fractions, nationalists, mafia, seperatists, communists, Mussolini supporters, farmers liberationalists and there once was a promise that once WWII was over, Sicily was promised to be a free state either inside Italy or on it's own, and amnesty was promised and quickly forgotten to anyone opposing Italy as it remained under Italy, with it's juridicial system, their police force, their military and their carabineri (privatly financed police force). I wish I had knew all this before I watched the movie, because it suddenly made more sense. Giuliiano was by some locals seen as a modern Robin Hood, and by others as a freaky terrorist. Though he is that main character, he is never seen until he is dead, but still is the spur of all actions and tragedies. Director Rosi takes a sidestep, and let's us the viewers make up our own minds. I haven't decided what I thought yet...it's one of those movies! Author Mario Puzo saw this movie and researched and wrote the novel "The Silcilian". The Great Impostor 1961, a sort of Catch Me If You Can 2002, but with another person, with Tony Curtis as Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr. (who looked nothing like Curtis) who was bright but never interested in the long time it takes to actually get a degree, and bluffed his way being a marine, a monk, a prison warden, a Canadian navy surgeon (and actually saving many lives) and so on. The subject is handled in a light manor, and Curtis does a good job changing between dramatics and comedy, and I might even say that it's a bit overlooked on the Curtis CV. Director Robert Mulligan keeps a good pace so it never slows down, most of the time. Donovan's Brain 1953, I wonder if those who made this poster even knew what Lew Ayres looked like. Remember seeing pics from this movie in my old Horror movie books, so offcourse interested. Ayres plays a brain scientist using ape brains in his experiments (they always live far beside the main roads in this kind of movies), one day a small private plane crashes nearby. One of the dead persons is a billionaire named Donovan, and Ayres sees an opportunity to experiment on a human brain, but Donovan begins to send out brainwaves onto Ayres, and as it turns out Donovan was a bully business tyrant who uses blackmail on officials to get his own ways, and now Ayres acts under Donovan's command with a plan to build a mausoleum in Washington DC and control all USA... a little thing called weather stops those plans though... It's a well made little movie, and quite enjoyable during it's 85 minutes, if one doesn't ask too many questions. This was Ayres last cinema movie until 1962, and his wife was played by Nancy Davis, yes the one who became America's First Lady for Eight years. You Never Can Tell 1951, the other German Shepherd movie this week and it's also war torned. But this is a comedy fantasy detective story. The German shepherd in this movie is murdered by poison, but in this movie it has a chance to find it's murderer but only to return a human (in this case looking like Dick Powell) as private dick Rex Shephard and though now a human he still likes dog snacks. Somehow Dick and the other actors keeps this on the right side of becoming ridiculous, and keeps it amusing all along it's short running time. At the time when I write this, both leading ladies Peggy Dow and Joyce Holden are still with us. Fourteen Hours 1951, another great movie by Henry Hathaway that I've never seen before. It's St Patrick's Day in New York and a man is spotted outside on a ledge on a tall building, maybe planning to commit suicide by jumping. A simple traffic police who happened to be nearby could the one who stops the eventual suicide... Richard Basehart is the young troubled man out on the ledge, and Paul Douglas is the traffic cop who happens to be the link, both terrific, in fact all actors are terrific, and putting in their own little bit. Grace Kelly made her screen debut here, while for others, Howard Da Silva for example it was the end for nearly ten years thanks to McCarthy's witch hunt. Terrific movie that is so much more than a nailbiter! Well that was my week, and I hope your week was interesting too! South Swedish Gold, skaunsk spittekage (tastes absolutely nothing, it's like chewing chewy air). Now I will read what interesting movies all others here have seen! I love "Night Walker". Along with "I Saw What You Did!" and "Strait Jacket", these are the quintessential horror cozies!
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Post by MrFurious on May 19, 2020 18:22:24 GMT
Lion(16) Uncut Gems(19) ^^ Moonlight(16)
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on May 19, 2020 18:34:24 GMT
I love "Night Walker". Along with "I Saw What You Did!" and "Strait Jacket", these are the quintessential horror cozies! I would be adding the rather great Sardonicus (1961) to that list as well
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on May 20, 2020 14:49:12 GMT
13 Cameras (2015) Creepy (and I mean CREEPY) landlord spies on his tenants and enters their house to taste their toothbrushes when they're not home. There are several references to his bad odor, so glad this was not available in smellevision! The actor playing the landlord never blinks and never closes his mouth, and he just gives off the creepiest vibe I can recall seeing in a movie in recent memory. I was (un)pleasantly surprised by this movie, it gave me the weird heebie-jeebie feels, and I can't see how it couldn't do the same for anyone who chooses to watch it. Pushover (1954) Fred MacMurray and Kim Novak in a noir-ish tale of double-crossing and intrigue. Who wouldn't want to watch that? Kim Novak made her film debut here, but already looks and acts like a huge star. Maybe it's just my love for Vertigo talking, but she really has her ducks in order! Several familiar faces and some interesting style choices (that silent opening sequence, cool!) made for an enjoyable afternoon couch-time cinematic viewing session. Sullivan's Travels (1941) I knew this was a beloved classic, but really knew very little else going in. A fun adventure with heart and insight. And Veronica Lake looks very refreshing. That was one wild and crazy bus ride! 13 Cameras - Sorry buddy, I thought it was terrible - www.imdb.com/review/rw3643158/?ref_=tt_urv 3/10 - Can't believe there is a sequel! Pushover - www.imdb.com/review/rw2635459/?ref_=tt_urv 8/10 Sullivan's Travels - I have read both of Preston Sturges' biographies, I'm a big fan. Veronica Lake was a notorious pain in the arse on film sets. She compounded this on Sullivan's Travels by announcing after filming started that she was pregnant! - Sturges was furious and had to film her accordingly and the pic went badly over schedule.
Veronica Lake seems to have cut her own career shorter by acting like a diva. Also, it sounds like her personal life was forever in turmoil.
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