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Post by ellynmacg on Jun 18, 2019 1:18:06 GMT
Scandal Sheet An excellent example of a sub-genre known as "newspaper noir". Broderick Crawford is suitably gruff and monomaniacal as the editor of a sensationalistic tabloid... but is that all he is? Donna Reed serves as the incorruptible conscience for the journalistic team, while John Derek spends most of the movie being a shallow, headline-hungry, cynical smart-aleck...until a tragic turn of events forces him to change his tune. (Too bad Derek looks better in this than he acts...gads, that guy was disgustingly pretty--even prettier than Donna Reed, who was certainly not homely! But she could act.) Two stand-outs in the supporting cast are Henry O'Neill, as a broken-down, drunken, some time Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, now reduced to peddling information for drink money...who stumbles on a story too hot for him to handle, and Rosemary DeCamp, as an understandably embittered abandoned wife, whose murder starts the ball rolling on this "closed" mystery that still packs a lot of suspense into its 82 (!) minutes.
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Post by louise on Jun 18, 2019 15:57:05 GMT
Curtain Up (1952). A mildly amusing comedy about a theatrical company putting on a play by an eccentric lady (Margaret Rutherford) with Robert Morley as the bombastic producer.
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Post by kijii on Jun 19, 2019 5:51:14 GMT
The Happy Ending (1969) / Richard Brooks Viewed from DVD
Written and directed by Richard Brooks, with a great score and song by Michel Legrand, this movie takes a bitter look at the difference between love and marriage. The movie earned two Oscar nominations: Jean Simmons for Best Actress and Michell Legarnd for Best Music, Original Song, "What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life?" And the song fairly well relates the story of the movie set and filmed in, my hometown of Denver--of all places.
The married couple, Jean Simmons and John Forsythe (Mary and Fred Wilson) try to put on a happy face to their 16-year marriage. However, Mary feels she has grown old and has a hard time filling her days with nothingness by using alcohol, pills, and activities. Her husband has her on a tight financial leash and hires a companion, Agnes (Nanette Fabray) to look after her. As in The Actress (1953), Teresa Wright plays Jean Simmons' mother (Mrs. Spencer) but, try as I may, it was hard for me to recognize her as the actress who performed in The Little Foxes, Mrs. Minver, Shadow of a Doubt, The Best Years of Our Lives, and The Pride of the Yankees. If one tries very hard, one may recognize a certain tone in her voice that sounds like Teresa Wright, but that is about all.
With the help from Agnus, Mary does manage to escape to the Bahamas where she finds a elegant kept woman, Flo Harrigan (Shirley Jones) and even comes across a phony gigolo played by Bobby Darin.
There is some great dialogue here but the viewer is left with a empty feeling about both love and marriage:
Mary Wilson (Jean Simmons) : I've found the secret formula: IF you look and smell right, IF your hair is the right color, if you drive the right car, smoke the right cigarette, if your bosom is big, and firm, and fully packed, and your breath is sweet and your teeth are bright, then you'll find love, marriage, and be happy forever... if - IF - you promise never, but never, to grow old. Sam (Lloyd Bridges): Why not? It's the American Dream. Mary Wilson : I thought that was money? Sam : Love and money are related by marriage. Flo (Shirley Jones) : Daddy, what's marriage? Sam : Business. BIG business. The U.S. economy depends on marriage. Mary Wilson : Not U.S. Steel? Sam : Marriage. Once, people saved up to get married. Now, there's credit. Credit means buying. That means stores, shipping, buildings, factories... Marriage means sex. Beauty. Luxury. Diamonds. Furs. Perfumes. Cars. Gifts for her. Gifts for him. Gifts for Them. Marriage means a home. That means painters, plumbers, carpenters, furniture, rugs, curtains, linens, silver, dishes, electric washers, driers, mixers, fixers, stoves, clocks, radios, T.V.'s - thirty billion dollars every year, just to get married... If marriage is made in heaven, a broken marriage is financial blasphemy. Bachelors, divorcees, widows and homosexuals are unprofitable... and that makes them Un-American.
Mary Wilson : What's the secret formula? Why do you look 28, and I'm afraid to look in the mirror? Flo : Power, baby. There's white power, green power, black power, electric, horse, and man-power! Flo : [they both laugh] I've got staying power. I've been massaged, barraged, creamed and reamed with every slop and goo on the market. I've tried the Yogi bit. Ying and yang, biff and bang, the works. You name it, I've done it. All in the name of youth and beauty. God knows, I've even prayed for it. Flo : Baby, there's one big difference between us: *you* got married.
Wikipedia Plot Synopsis with SPOILERS: Through the course of a Colorado autumn and winter, Mary Spencer (Simmons) and Fred Wilson (Forsythe) lead an idyllic existence. Mary drops out of college (with 6 months to go) to marry Fred. Their perfect wedding mirrors the happy endings of the films Mary loves.
1969: It is the Wilsons' 16th wedding anniversary. On his way to work, Fred, a successful tax consultant, tells their maid Agnes (Nanette Fabray) that he has found vodka hidden in Mary's wardrobe and asks Agnes to keep an eye on his wife. Mary sets out for the beauty parlour. At an airline office, however, Mary buys a one-way ticket to Nassau, Bahamas, looking for an escape from her dull and unhappy suburban life.
On the flight she recalls the horrors of last year's anniversary party, when Fred had drunkenly flirted with a blond divorcee, and she had taken refuge in the bottle and a rerun of Casablanca. At a stop-over, she calls home and learns this year's anniversary party has been a different sort of disaster. Her teenage daughter Marge (Kathy Fields) is scared by Mary's call, as it reminds her of the time she had found her mother unconscious after an overdose.
En route to Nassau, Mary meets Flo (Jones), an old college friend she has not seen since 1953. While Mary settled down to married life, Flo has been the mistress of a series of married men and lives a rather carefree and hedonistic lifestyle and has fully embraced the sexual revolution. She is on her way to Nassau to meet her latest beau, Sam (Bridges). Mary tells her she has had to get away from Fred, so Flo promises to look after her.
In the Bahamas, Mary enjoys the sun and long, empty stretches of beach. At a casino, she meets Franco (Bobby Darin), a hustler from Los Angeles who is down on his luck. Franco mistakenly assumes that Mary is wealthy. He affects an Italian accent and tells Mary he is a journalist who writes about film stars. She agrees to go to "his" boat, but Franco quickly loses interest when it transpires Mary is not wealthy, confessing his scam.
Walking by the ocean, Mary recalls the occasion of her suicide attempt—she had returned from having a face lift to learn that Fred was in Reno with a girl. Marge had found her and rushed her mother to hospital. After that, Mary resumed drinking, recklessly spent a lot of money, and crashed her car while driving drunk.
In the present, Sam proposes to Flo, who accepts. Mary flies back home. Agnes helps her move into rooms she has rented away from Fred and Marge. She takes a job and enrolls in night classes at the university. It is here that Fred finds her, one evening. "What went wrong?" he asks. "All our friends are married, and they're happy."
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Post by louise on Jun 20, 2019 12:37:22 GMT
Take a Girl Like You (1970). Hayley Mills and Oliver Reed in a rather laboured comedy-drama about a beautiful young schoolteacher trying to hang onto her virginity. It has some entertaining moments though.
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Post by teleadm on Jun 20, 2019 18:04:00 GMT
Fantômas se déchaîne aka Fantomas Unleashed 1965, directed by André Hunebelle, based on the novels by Pierre Souvestre and Marcel Allain, starring Jean Marais, Louis de Funès, Mylène Demongeot, Jacques Dynam, Robert Dalban, Albert Dagnant, Olivier De Funès, Jacques Marin and others. French supervillain action with comedy and slapstick. When Professor Marchand (Dagnant), a famous scientist, mysteriously disappears, the commissioner, Juve (De Funès), immediately suspects Fantomas (Marias), and he is right. Once again he collaborates with jornalist Fandor (also Marais) and his girl friend Helene (Demongeot). This time they are going to catch Fantomas when he has plans to kidnap another famous scientist, Lefèvre (also Marais), at a scence convention in Rome, Italy. One can't keep a good supervillain down, so this is number two in this Franch serial. This time it's about the hunt for a hypnotic ray-gun that might fall into the wrong hands. Marias plays Fandor and Fantomas, but also three versions of Professeur Lefèvre, one is the real Lefèvre, one Fandor masking himself as Lefèvre, and Fantomas masking himself as Lefèvre, it sounds more complicatied when written out. While this movie has a better constructed storyline than the first installment in this series of three movies, it is sadly also a bit slower, and is missing some good action scenes, though action there is in the form of fist fights, explosions and chases, but none as good as in it's precursor. Entertaining if taken for what it is, and nothing else.
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Post by teleadm on Jun 21, 2019 15:43:35 GMT
The Three Weird Sisters 1948, directed by Daniel Birt, based on a novel by Charlotte Armstrong, starring Nancy Price, Mary Clare, Mary Merrall, Nova Pilbeam, Anthony Hulme, Raymond Lowell, Edward Rigby, Hugh Griffith. British Welsh Gothic drama. A whole village litarally collapes down a ill-advised minshaft (This is low budget, so we ony hear the rumble), the three sisters of past glory living in a decaying huge castle like house promises with philaqntropy to rebuild the whole village. Their younger half-brother won't hear of such nonsense, so he travels to the village with his new secretary to staright out his half-sisters ludicious ideas, since the sisters ludiciuos ideas has cost fortunes in the past, their Granddads fortunes is gone... Interesting movie I stumbles over, those sisters are played by Grand Dames of English Theatre, but I have to admit I have never heard of them, the only names sounding familiar was Nova Pilbeam since she did a few Hitchcocks, and future Oscar winner Hugh Griffith (Ben-Hur) Those sisters seems to have used philantropy as a sort of blackmail to keep a heavy thumb on every citizen. Their Brother and his secretary coming rumbles their world, but an "accident" keeps him from finishing his business and have to stay a a night. The Assurance the sisters show when they wan't to get of their brothers secretary, they have done this many times before Interesting British low-budgeter based on an American Novel, with a script co-written by poet Dylan Thomas, no less. Well even a genius needs to earn money. Well worth seeing at least onece, as a curiosity of a great poet and mixed with old decaying houses gothic.
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Post by maya55555 on Jun 21, 2019 20:24:29 GMT
"The Blue Max"
I LOVE FLYING!!
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Post by kijii on Jun 22, 2019 15:30:57 GMT
A Ticket to Tomahawk (1950) / Richard Sale Seen on DVD
I have often thought of watching the comic western filmed in South Western Colorado where I grew up. It has its moments...as a comedy, with Dan Dailey playing a drummer passing through Colorado on a narrow gauge railroad about the time that Colorado became the 38th state in 1876. Anne Baxter plays the sharp shooting sheriff's daughter who had never learned the "facts of life until Daily had come along....
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Post by Prime etc. on Jun 23, 2019 8:10:57 GMT
THE BURGLAR--1957 Dan Duryea is a jewelry robber who isn't interested in Jayne Mansfield but is interested in Mickey Rooney wife #3 (or is it 4?) Martha Vickers. But she is only interested in the jewels he stole. There's a discussion about how difficult it is to fence stolen jewelry--you need to get the items melted down or re-cut by an expert. Crime might pay but it can cost you.
THE CAREY TREATMENT- 1972 I figured this would be a comedy with Blake Edwards involved but in fact it is a mystery thriller and pretty good. Never thought a scene where James Coburn is getting a massage could be so creepy.
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Post by OldAussie on Jun 23, 2019 8:23:30 GMT
Ninotchka
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Post by kijii on Jun 23, 2019 17:58:58 GMT
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) / Sidney Lumet DVR'd from TCM
As I get ready to wrap up my Sidney Lumet quest, I had the chance to see this movie one more time (about my 3rd time, I think). Based on a true story, this has to be one of Lumet's most bizzare high-action New York City movies. I starts with action and never lets up.
As one watches this movie, one gets the idea of how truly difficult it is to rob a bank without being willing to hurt anyone. The problem with robbing a bank is that there are real people in the bank and real situations that were unplanned. Sonny (Al Pacino) wants to accommodate everyone while pulling off the robbery. First, he lets one of partners back out of the robbery before it even starts; then he wants to act tough while not hurting anyone--employees, cops, TV newsmen, his partner, Sal (John Cazale), his lover, his Leon (Chris Sarandon), his mother (Judith Malina), his wife Angie (Susan Peretz), or his children. When the news media, police and FBI agents surround the building, they are held off by Sony and Sal from taking any actions that may hurt anyone. What we have here is unplanned chaos which leads to a lot of high-intensity inaction and one does not know when or how it will end.
It is hard to know how to rank Sidney Lumet's great movies, but this one has to be near the very best!
Sonny (Al Pacino) : I don't wanna talk to some flunky pig trying to calm me man. Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti (Charles Durning): Now you don't have to be calling me pig for... Sonny : [notices other officers moving toward him] What is he doing? Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti : [shouts at officers] Will you get back there! Sonny : What are you moving in there for? Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti : [runs toward closing officers] Will you get the fuck back there! Get back there will you! Sonny : [to the other officers moving toward him] What's he doing? Go back there man! He wants to kill me so bad he can taste it! Huh? ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA! ATTICA! [yells to cheering crowd] Sonny : ATTICA! ATTICA! REMEMBER ATTICA?
Full Wikipedia Plot Synopsis with SPOILERS:On August 22, 1972, first-time crook Sonny Wortzik, his friend Salvatore "Sal" Naturale, and Stevie attempt to rob the First Brooklyn Savings Bank. The plan immediately goes awry when Stevie loses his nerve and flees, and Sonny discovers they have arrived after the daily cash pickup, finding only $1,100 in cash.
Sonny takes the bank’s traveler's cheques and burns the register in a trash can, but the smoke raises suspicion outside, and the building is surrounded by police. The two panicked robbers take the bank employees hostage.
Police Detective Sergeant Eugene Moretti calls the bank, and Sonny bluffs that he is prepared to kill the hostages. Sal assures Sonny that he is ready to kill if necessary. A security guard has an asthma attack, and Sonny releases him as a sign of good faith. Moretti convinces Sonny to step outside. Using the head teller as a shield, Sonny begins a dialogue with Moretti that culminates in his shouting "Attica! Attica!" to invoke the recent Attica Prison riot, and the crowd begins cheering for Sonny.
Sonny demands a vehicle to drive him and Sal to an airport to board a jet. He also demands pizzas for the hostages, and that his wife be brought to the bank. Sonny's wife, Leon Shermer, a trans woman, arrives and reveals that the robbery was intended to pay for his sex reassignment surgery. He divulges that Sonny has an estranged wife, Angie, and children.
As night sets in, the bank’s lights are shut off as FBI Agent Sheldon takes command of the scene. He refuses to give Sonny any more favors, but when the bank manager Mulvaney goes into diabetic shock, Sheldon lets a doctor inside. Sheldon convinces Leon to talk to Sonny on the phone; he reveals that she attempted suicide to escape the abusive Sonny, and was hospitalized at Bellevue Hospital when police found him. Leon turns down Sonny's offer to join him and Sal in their escape. Sonny tells police that Leon had nothing to do with the robbery.
Sonny agrees to let Mulvaney leave, but he refuses to leave his employees. The FBI calls Sonny out of the bank to talk to his mother, who unsuccessfully tries to persuade him to give himself up. Back inside, Sonny writes out his will, leaving money from his life insurance to Leon for his surgery and to Angie.
When the requested limousine arrives, Sonny checks for hidden weapons or booby traps, and selects Agent Murphy to drive himself, Sal, and the remaining hostages to Kennedy Airport. Sonny sits in the front beside Murphy with Sal behind. Murphy repeatedly asks Sal to point his gun at the roof so Sal won't accidentally shoot him.
As they wait on the airport tarmac for the plane to taxi into position, Sal releases another hostage, who gives him her rosary beads for his first plane trip. Murphy again reminds Sal to aim his gun away. Sal does, and Sheldon seizes Sonny's weapon, allowing Murphy to pull a revolver hidden in his armrest and shoot Sal in the head. Sonny is immediately arrested, and the hostages are freed.
The film ends as Sonny watches Sal's body being taken from the car on a stretcher. Subtitles reveal that Sonny was sentenced to 20 years in prison, Angie and her children subsisted on welfare, and Leon, who changed her name to Elizabeth, had the surgery.
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Post by Feologild Oakes on Jun 23, 2019 23:57:53 GMT
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Jun 24, 2019 2:54:46 GMT
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). I enjoy the majority of this movie. The only parts I’m not too fussed on are Mickey Rooney as Mr. Yunioshi and near the end when poor Cat is left out in the rain. I’m glad she found him at the end, but that was still a pretty sad moment.
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Post by kijii on Jun 25, 2019 5:14:54 GMT
Battle Circus (1953) / Richard Brooks Rented for streaming
I watched this movie after playing the recent GG about Humphrey Bogart and also since I am focusing in on Richard Brooks movies. This movie is only a fair love story about two members of a MASH (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) unit during the Korean War with the leads played by Humphrey Bogart and June Allyson. Here, Lt. Col. Hilary Walters (Robert Keith) plays the commanding officer or the MASH unit and Sgt. Orvil Statt (Keenan Wynn) plays an important role as the guy who is responsible for breaking down the unit in one location and setting it up in another. This movie stresses that the MASH unit was constantly on the move while treating wounded soldiers and dodging enemy attacks. There was some heroism displayed in the movie as they did have to move while under attack. Yes, I did think about Robert Altman's movie, MASH (1970) while watching this one since they were both movies on a common theme. But, Altman's was a comedy and this one is certainly a romantic war movie. In 1953, the Korean War was much more a current event to show heroism than the comedy of 1970.
Wikipdia Plot Synopsis with SPOILERS: A young Army nurse, Lieutenant Ruth McCara (June Allyson), is newly assigned to the 8666th MASH, a mobile field hospital constantly on the move during the Korean War. Ruth's personal mission is to serve suffering humanity. She initially experiences an uncomfortable welcoming by the unit's hard-drinking, no-nonsense chief surgeon, Major Jed Webbe (Humphrey Bogart). Jed engages in a helicopter rescue of army casualties while under fire. He is a much-tried doctor by the continual movement of the outfit due to the changing battle lines. Responsible for the dismantling and re-pitching of the tent hospital is Sergeant Orvil Statt (Keenan Wynn), a former circus roustabout.
At first, Ruth is a bumbling addition to the nurse corps, but she attracts the attention of Jed immediately because of the needless risks she takes. Against her resilience, he continues with sequential passes. After seeing that he is beloved by the unit, she agrees to his advances. He later cautions her that he wants a "no strings" relationship. Ruth is warned by the other nurses of his womanizing ways, and that he is probably married. When she asks him if he has someone else back home, he refuses to answer, and they separate.
When a young Korean child needs special care, Ruth entreats Jed to perform an open-heart operation, despite the reservations of the unit commander, Lieutenant Colonel Hilary Whalters (Robert Keith). Jed ends up saving the life of the child. Jed is a relentless taskmaster, demanding Captain John Rustford (William Campbell) to fly desperately needed blood supplies at night, even in the teeth of a fierce storm. After the helicopter lands safely, Jed goes on a binge, forcing Whalters to make his chief surgeon either straighten up or ship out. When a now more assured Ruth treats some North Korean prisoners, a frightened prisoner (Philip Ahn) with a concealed grenade is calmly disarmed by her soothing words and manner.
After a North Korean advance forces the MASH unit to escape through enemy lines, the lovers are temporarily separated. When the unit's commander is wounded in an attack, Jed has to take command to lead the unit out of danger. Traveling cross-country, he sets out on a perilous journey, attempting to meet up with the nurses who have gone on ahead by rail to a preset rendezvous. Eventually the two caravans safely negotiate the battlefield, and Jed and Ruth are reunited.
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Jun 25, 2019 17:14:23 GMT
Someone remarked how DW Griffith-despite pioneering many of the conventions we take for granted in cinema, and Riefenstahl, a woman who also pioneered many filmmaking conventions herself--are constantly vilified for their politics while Sergei Eisenstein, a devout comrade of Stalin and the Soviet mass-murdering system, is never painted with the same brush and his contributions to film are far less significant! Where is the criticism of him? Likewise, how come no one questions the racist depiction of Sam in CASABLANCA? He is Rick's servant-he spends the movie being told to play a song he is forbidden to perform-and he is obviously afraid of the reaction from "Boss." The other employees call him Mr Rick. When he gets a job offer Rick insists that Sam give his answer in front of him. The reason this film gets a pass for its overt racism is because it was anti-fascist. This is such obvious Orwellian wrongthink. I haven't seen Birth of A Nation -I saw Intolerance in school and it had some memorable parts--4 hours is a long time to sit through a silent movie. It seems unfair to condemn Griffith for casting whites for the black parts. How many professional black actors were around in 1915? Given the increasing race relation problems in America (and other countries) I suspect Birth of a Nation will endure if it depicts elements that are truthful. Ultimately that is the real test of art-does it contain enduring truth. Othello can still be appreciated on many levels because it depicts truths of human behavior. By modern standards it is a very unPC work--since it suggests a black man might get so angry about the alleged infidelity of his white wife that he might kill her in a rage. www.filmsite.org/birt.html"Its pioneering technical work, often the work of Griffith's under-rated cameraman Billy Bitzer, includes many techniques that are now standard features of films, but first used in this film. Griffith brought all of his experience and techniques to this film from his earliest short films at Biograph, including the following: -special use of subtitles graphically verbalizing imagery -its own original musical score written for an orchestra -the introduction of night photography (using magnesium flares) -the use of outdoor natural landscapes as backgrounds -the definitive usage of the still-shot -elaborate costuming to achieve historical authenticity and accuracy -many scenes innovatively filmed from many different and multiple angles -the technique of the camera "iris" effect (expanding or contracting circular masks to either reveal and open up a scene, or close down and conceal a part of an image) -the use of parallel action and editing in a sequence (Gus' attempted rape of Flora, and the KKK rescues of Elsie from Lynch and of Ben's sister Margaret) -extensive use of color tinting for dramatic or psychological effect in sequences -moving, traveling or "panning" camera tracking shots -the effective use of total-screen close-ups to reveal intimate expressions -beautifully crafted, intimate family exchanges -the use of vignettes seen in "balloons" or "iris-shots" in one portion of a darkened screen -the use of fade-outs and cameo-profiles (a medium closeup in front of a blurry background) -the use of lap dissolves to blend or switch from one image to another high-angle shots and the abundant use of panoramic long shots -the dramatization of history in a moving story - an example of an early spectacle or epic film with historical costuming and many historical references (e.g., Mathew Brady's Civil War photographs) -impressive, splendidly-staged battle scenes with hundreds of extras (made to appear as thousands) -extensive cross-cutting between two scenes to create a montage-effect and generate excitement and suspense (e.g., the scene of the gathering of the Klan) -expert story-telling, with the cumulative building of the film to a dramatic climax I know there were few black actors back then, but what really offends me in The Birth of a Nation (1915) is the depiction of black people as moronic and wild. They might not have been educated, since they were slaves, but the movie implies that they were out of control savages, and it was up to the good guys, the KKK to save the poor hard-done-by white folks. That doesn't seem entirely believable to me, or fair.
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Jun 25, 2019 17:19:25 GMT
Tarzan Triumphs (1943) Maureen O'Sullivan (Jane) was released from her role when the Tarzan series moved from MGM to RKO and she remained at MGM. So this was the first movie in the Weissmuller Tarzan series without her. It is explained that Jane is visiting relatives in England. Meanwhile, Tarzan and Boy battle Nazis in the jungle, and Cheetah shoots and kills a Nazi! Dark!
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Post by Prime etc. on Jun 25, 2019 17:59:17 GMT
I know there were few black actors back then, but what really offends me in The Birth of a Nation (1915) is the depiction of black people as moronic and wild. They might not have been educated, since they were slaves, but the movie implies that they were out of control savages, and it was up to the good guys, the KKK to save the poor hard-done-by white folks. That doesn't seem entirely believable to me, or fair.
There is a difficulty with generalizations--i.e. how often Italians are presented as being connected to the mafia. They don't complain, but they certainly would be in their right to be upset about what amounts to a constant negative stereotype. And most of us never even blink an eye at how offensive these depictions are. We accept that it is not a generalization even though it amounts to one.
My guess is that the Birth of a Nation will remain relevant as long as there are things in life that mirror what is in the film. Or, there is a total replacement of heritage and culture that makes the artwork irrelevant. I.e. the black student society in the school that demanded the Gish names be removed from a theater. They are probably not aware that by protesting her, they are reinforcing what may be a core message of The Birth Of A Nation. Griffith's film appears to argue that racial heritage/tribalism is a pillar of a society--and their opposition to her is an example of that!
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Post by teleadm on Jun 26, 2019 17:58:09 GMT
The Meaning of Life 1983, directed by Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam, starring Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, Michael Palin and others. Comedy Parody Satire. Why are we here, what's it all about? The Monty Python-team is trying to sort out the most important question on Earth: what is the meaning of life? They do so by exploring the various stages of life, from birth to death. But first we see a short. The Crimson Permanent Assurance, were old employees take over an old old insurance firm and sails away to fight high risk capitalists. 1983? Wow, is it really that long ago? As expected this movie takes big swipes at the church, the military, the upper classes and other posh persons and other British institutions, and it's absulotely politically incorect in every possible aspect. Some is outragiously funny, some is just funny and some is tastless. Tasteless and disgusting is the whole fat man vomiting in the posh restaurant scene. Some catchy songs too, like the Oliver Twist parody "Every Sperm Is Sacred", the "Galaxy Song" and the deliciously overdone "Christmas in Heaven". The song "Every Sperm Is Sacred" was actually nominated for a BAFTA award. Even more incredible is that Terry Jones got the Grand Prize of the Jury at the Cannes Film Festival.
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Post by Prime etc. on Jun 26, 2019 18:39:11 GMT
THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY 1965 -- Finally watched an HD version of it--one of my favorites, intriguing character study on the trials and tribulations of artistic passion. In less capable hands could have been a dull affair but I think they provided enough melodrama to sustain what amounts to the story of a ceiling being painted. Charlton Heston, Rex Harrison, Diane Cilento, Harry Andrews, Tomas Milian, Adolfo Celi, Rosalba Neri (uncredited).
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Jun 27, 2019 23:49:23 GMT
Captain Marvel (2019). After a nice acknowledgement of the late Stan Lee (and all his cameos throughout the Marvel films) in the MARVEL opening logo and a special tribute to him, the film begins with us introduced to Brie Larson's Carol Danvers (currently going by the name Vers), who has a blue nosebleed, has clearly been in a fight and/or accident, and as a result is suffering fragmented memories of her previous life. First thing you'll have to adapt to with this film is its non-linear storytelling. We shift between past and present, which gives you an idea of just how confused Carol must be feeling. She's a Kree, which are 'noble warrior heroes' who fight against green aliens called Skulls. She's part of a team led by Yon-Rogg (Jude Law). They have an interesting relationship, trading jabs at one another, but clearly respecting each other too. Also of note in the film are the relationships between Larson's Carol and the other characters. When something happens that leads to Carol crash-landing into a Blockbuster video store on Earth, it's not long before she encounters a younger version of Nick Fury (a de-aged Samuel L. Jackson, who's actually *likeable* here thankfully, as I'd been getting tired of him appearing in everything and pretty much playing himself every time). Their relationship is pretty much the 'heart' of the movie. Fury starts off wary of her, but eventually comes to respect/admire her and a trust forms between them. One reason why Fury's so likeable in this film is his dynamic with Carol, but another reason is his love for the scene-stealing not-cat named Goose, who got the biggest laughs, though isn't the only source of humour in the movie. It also comes from the 90's being...the 90's (slow typing and loading on computers, movie/TV show/music references, etc) and Carol herself. Despite what certain others have said, Carol is NOT 'unlikeable'. Claims of her trying to make snarky comments like Tony Stark and coming off as a worse person than him couldn't be further from the truth. I personally have had enough of Mr. Snark and his mumbled speed-talking. Carol has a wry sense of humour and comes off as a pretty cool person you'd actually *want* to hang with (five minutes spent with Tony and I'm fairly sure most people, even his 'fans', would be punching him like Carol punches a Skrull disguised as an old lady in this film. And to those who watched the trailer and didn't realise she was a Skrull and dumped on Carol for doing her job...get a clue). Speaking of Skrulls, Ben Mendelsohn's Skrull character, Talos, starts off as your typical villain. He looks alien, but acts quite 'human' with his line deliveries/references/etc. However, he actually proves to be not quite what he seems and it allows for interesting character development. Another important relationship Carol has is with her former fellow fighter pilot, Maria Rambeau, and her daughter. Their friendship proves crucial to the story. The movie really hits its stride once all these^ characters come together. Carol surrounds herself with a good group of characters who prove useful, but who don't take away from her. The story of Carol Danvers is about what makes her who she is. Those against her try to make her a 'better'/'the best' version of herself, but we're shown that what makes her special isn't her powers, but rather her humanity and who she is as a person. Having said that, when she finally lets loose with her powers in all their glowing, gravity-defying-hair glory...it's quite something to behold (and set perfectly to classic 90's music). Some will claim she's 'overpowered', but she's no more 'overpowered' than Superman or various other male superheroes. This is a 'different' sort of Marvel film...but in no way 'bad'. It's about time they shook things up a bit and gave us something new, as it prevents things from getting 'stale' (the only expected thing here is two credits scenes, one in the middle and one at the end...both of which are worth sticking around for). And if Captain Marvel is to eventually take over from Tony Stark as head of the Avengers...I, for one, welcome our new alien DNA-infused leader.
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