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Post by louise on Jul 23, 2019 16:30:07 GMT
The Owl and the Pussycat (1970). Quite amusing but overlong romantic comedy.
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Post by Prime etc. on Jul 23, 2019 17:13:19 GMT
RITUALS 1977- Another Canadian Film Development Fund effort (the Canadian government literally would buy a movie from the production company--giving them back 100% of their production costs-which accounts for why there were so many of these films between 1969 and 1985). This one gives Hal Holbrook a rare leading role as a doctor who, along with 4 others, are stalked by a mysterious killer in the woods. Dismissed as a Deliverance-wannabe, it is most unfair since the story is far deeper than that. Each of the doctors is in some way violating his oath--Holbrook being the only one who shows any remorse over it. The killer's motives, we assume, have to do with his anger about what army doctors did to him after WW 2, but there are quick glimpses of newspaper headlines in a scrapbook referring to government indifference to Japanese treatment of Canadian POWs. The film has a strong Gothic atmosphere thanks to the landscape--the terrain goes from forest to burned out hills and an abandoned dam. Like SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY, far more than a simple revenge exploitation film.
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Post by kijii on Jul 24, 2019 5:21:26 GMT
The Blob (1958) / Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr. DVR'd from TCM
Yes, I really saw this B-rated Horror, Sci-Fi movie that gave Steve McQueen his first leading role. ....And, it was in color too.
Steve Andrews (Steve McQueen) : [trying to get everybody's attention] Listen, now listen to me, everybody, this town is in danger. Now, several people have been killed already! Now we - we had to make this noise so you would listen to us, so we could warn you! Man : If we're in trouble, where're the police? Sgt. Jim Bert : [sees Steve] You, boy, this time you really hanged yourself. Steve Andrews : Now, look, Sarge. Just give me a chance to talk to them, that's all. Sgt. Jim Bert : I don't know what kind of stunt it is you're pulling here, but whatever it is, it's going to stop right now! Officer Ritchie : Here comes Dave! Lieutenant Dave : What's going on here, Jim? Steve! Steve Andrews : Dave, make them listen to me. There IS a monster! We saw it again at dad's store, and it's bigger now! Sgt. Jim Bert : Your story's gotten bigger now, kid. Steve Andrews : Dave, look at me! Do I look like somebody's playing a practical joke? Am I laughing, or am I scared stiff? Lieutenant Dave : He's telling the truth.
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Jul 25, 2019 7:21:38 GMT
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Post by teleadm on Jul 25, 2019 18:34:36 GMT
Executive Action 1973, directed by David Miller, screenplay by Dalton Trumbo, starring Burt Lancaster, Robert Ryan, Will Geer, Gilbert Green, John Anderson, Ed Lauter, Dick Miller and others. Conspiracy theory drama. A dramatization about how the high level covert conspirators in the JFK assassination might have planned and plotted the assassination based on the data and facts of the case. It posits that a covert group of rogue intelligence agents, ultra-conservative politicians, unscrupulously greedy business interests, and free-lance assassins become increasingly alarmed at President Kennedy's policies, including his views on race relations, winding down the Vietnam War, and ending the oil depletion allowance. They decide to terminate him through an "executive action" utilizing three teams of well-trained snipers during JFK's visit to Dallas and place the blame on supposed CIA operative Lee Harvey Oswald as the lone assassin. The first film to openly question the veracity of the Warren Commission's report into the death of John F. Kennedy. Too controversial for some cinema-owners who didn't dare too screen it and didviding movie critics at the time of it's release. I can believe the part that many of the persons described above were very afraid or scared that the Kennedy's were trying to monopolize the Presidential seat in America at the time, starting with John, followed by Robert, then by Ted and having the post for 24 years in a row, and by then one of John's sons would take over, and so on. I can also believe that those same people were very happy and pleased when John F. Kennedy was assasinated. The movie states very clear in the beginning that this movie is based on theories and some obvious facts. As a movie it's rather economical, using very much news-reel footage, tight matter of fact approach acting. One can't call it a thriller, since the outcame is known. It doesn't try to be sensationalistic though the subject is controversial. An interesting movie that is at least worth a look. Robert Ryan died of cancer four months before its release.
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Post by teleadm on Jul 26, 2019 17:07:14 GMT
The High and the Mighty 1954, directed by William A. Wellman, based on a novel Ernest K. Gann, starring John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Laraine Day, Robert Stack, Jan Sterling, Phil Harris, Robert Newton, David Brian, Paul Kelly, Sidney Blackmer, John Howard and many other familiar faces. Aero drama. When a commercial airliner develops engine problems on a trans-Pacific, between Hawaii and San Franciso, flight and the pilot (Stack) loses his nerve, it is up to the washed-up co-pilot Dan Roman (Wayne) to bring the plane in safely or not. This was one of my mothers favorite movies, who offcourse said it was a great movie. For once I've actually read the book it's based on. So when I finally got to see it in a beautiful restored Warner Colour version, I thought it was long and boring. Seeing it again without that big build-up, it's not a boring movie, I still think it's a bit too long though, it's a Grand Hotel on a comercail flight. It's not an action movie, it's a character driven movie that builds tension, sadly a lot of flashbacks though neccesary, they also destroys the flow of the main story Without embracing it, it's old fashioned polished entertainment, and I like that. Dimirti Tiomkin won an Oscar for Best Music Scoring (not for his composing) Claire Trevor and Jan Sterling was Oscar nominated in the Best Actress in a Supporting Role The colours are not restored in the above trailer
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Post by Prime etc. on Jul 26, 2019 22:39:53 GMT
A minus with Executive Action and JFK and any Kennedy documentary I have seen is that there is no exploration of how communism could benefit (or lose) from JFK's assassination. This is always glossed over or completely ignored. The default position is "communists could not possibly have done it but will be blamed" and then it proceeds from there.
Would JFK have changed the immigration laws like LBJ did?
I watched
THE BIG BLUFF--with Martha Vickers as a rich widow who is told she will die in a year--she meets a deadbeat lothario who decides to play her for her money. The ending is like a SUSPENSE radio story.
BLACK JACK 1968--one of the more cruel spaghetti westerns I have seen--and I think it crosses over into Eerie Western or Gothic territory a fair bit as well. The ending felt a bit rushed but it had interesting visuals and score.
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Post by QueenB on Jul 27, 2019 4:10:31 GMT
My Cousin Vinny (1992) - I was channel surfing and it was on one of the Starz channels. Although I've seen it maybe like 100 times, it's the first time I've seen it in a long while and I still love this movie.
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Post by Prime etc. on Jul 27, 2019 7:34:32 GMT
ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET THE KILLER, BORIS KARLOFF 1949 Finally. Been wanting to check this out again after decades. Didn't remember Lenore Aubert followed them from Frankenstein--appropriate since she gets scenes with Karloff. And it has "Briggs" from King Kong! I had completely forgotten he was in this. Some funny scenes--and back then transgendering was so mild.
SPHINX - 1981 Back in the old days of VHS, this film was featured prominently in the catalogue of movies available yet I never got around to it despite being intrigued. The inclusion of a couple of Raiders of the Lost Ark cast members especially had me curious. I wonder if Leslie-Anne Down was chosen because she resembles Eleanor Parker (who was in Valley of the Kings). Just one of those things you wonder. She does a lot of screaming here. The film is too much of a muddled affair despite the extensive locations.
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Post by ZolotoyRetriever on Jul 27, 2019 23:46:05 GMT
Fail Safe (1964). Directed by Sidney Lumet, with Henry Fonda, Dan O'Herlihy, Walter Matthau and Frank Overton. (Larry Hagman, Fritz Weaver, Dom DeLuise, Dana Elcar and Sorrell Booke appeared in early film roles.) Watched on TCM today.
I've seen this rather dark and depressing film before - several times, actually - so there was no compelling reason for me to see it again. But I had the channel on TCM, and it was on, so I decided to sit and watch it. Only thing is, I've got a bit of a headache today and I don't want to listen to any noise whatsoever, so I had the TV on mute the whole time (CC was turned on). It made for an interesting watch of the film. Certain visuals - facial expressions, lights and darks, even shadows - seemed more noticeable and more evocative. The ending is a good example of this: one doesn't need any sound at all to be very moved, even disturbed, by the film's final images.
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Post by louise on Jul 28, 2019 13:14:52 GMT
Colette (2019). Highly enjoyable film about the marriage of French writer Colette (keira Knightley) and Willy (Dominic West) Very well made, sticks very closely to the true story on the whole and looks wonderful. Knightley and West both very good.
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Post by louise on Jul 28, 2019 15:48:19 GMT
Brandy for the Parson (1952). Cheerful comedy about a young couple on a boating holiday who unwittingly get mixed up with a smuggler (Kenneth More). Very pleasant.
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Post by kijii on Jul 28, 2019 16:51:45 GMT
$ / Richard Brooks Rented for Streaming
This was written and directed by Richard Brooks, but other than that, I don't find too much interesting or new about this heist movie. There seems to be more action than plot here.
Dawn Divine (Goldie Hawn) : He could have killed me too, you know? Joe Collins (Warren Beatty) : That's right. Dawn Divine : I hate him! Joe Collins : Waste of time! Dawn Divine : I don't care! I could kill him! Joe Collins : Hey, stealing's a business, not a crusade.
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Post by kijii on Jul 28, 2019 17:00:35 GMT
My Cousin Vinny (1992) - I was channel surfing and it was on one of the Starz channels. Although I've seen it maybe like 100 times, it's the first time I've seen it in a long while and I still love this movie. I'm glad to hear that this is streaming on Starz since I was going to rent it and probably already have it through Amazon Prime.
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Post by louise on Jul 28, 2019 17:39:17 GMT
Whistle Down the Wind (1962). Alan Bates as an escaped criminal who is mistaken for Jesus by Hayley Mills.
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Post by louise on Jul 28, 2019 20:08:32 GMT
The Halfway House (1943). A variety of different characters all with problems go to stay at a hotel in Wales, where their various issues are resolved with the help of the mysterious landlord (Mervyn Johns) and his daughter (Glynnis Johns). Charming comedy-drama with some interesting characters and a touch of the supernatural.
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Post by Prime etc. on Jul 28, 2019 20:53:28 GMT
NEW ORLEANS UNCENSORED 1955 -- Procedural crime story about shenanigans in the docks with organized crime.
BOBBIE JO AND THE OUTLAW 1976 -- Marjoe Gortner and Lynda Carter rob banks and shoot cops. Was surprising to see future Wonder Woman in such a law-breaking part (she does get to sing--I remember she did a tv special around 1980 just to focus on her singing). Thanks to the cast and the HD transfer it felt less trashy than you would expect.
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Post by Prime etc. on Jul 29, 2019 19:24:58 GMT
RACE WITH THE DEVIL 1975 -- holds up so well. Imagine if the main cast had been teenagers--would it have been so effective?
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Jul 29, 2019 21:19:19 GMT
The Company of Wolves (1984). Or, as it's titled on TV here, A Company of Wolves (though when the film starts, the title that comes up onscreen has 'The' in place of 'A'. I don't know why anyone would object to the word 'The'). This is probably my favourite werewolf movie ever. Though I never did realise that the lead character’s name was Rosa leen, as when anyone said her name, it always sounded to me like Rosa lee. It wasn’t until sometime later when looking at the IMDB page for the movie I discovered what her name actually was (or maybe I discovered it when watching the end credits. I forget). What I love about this movie first and foremost is the ‘atmosphere’. It’s downright unsettling throughout. I first watched this movie when I was quite young-ish, so that’s probably why it had such an impact on me. There were quite a few truly disturbing moments in the film – the most obvious one being the face-ripping-off werewolf transformation. That was fairly disturbing when I first saw it, plus it was totally unexpected that it was going to get so gruesome (the movie was on during the middle of the day when I first watched it on TV, so not exactly the time to be expecting to see something like that). Another disturbing moment (not so much now, but still somewhat unnerving) was Angela Lansbury getting decapitated and her head shattering like a vase. That was certainly ‘WTF’-worthy. On rewatch, though, it was just sort of morbidly amusing. I remember when I watched the movie for the first time, I found Sarah Patterson pretty alluring as Rosaleen. She had this quality about her that made her almost seem ‘otherworldly’ (which, given all the other strangeness in the movie, was probably appropriate). She'd sometimes act a certain way that made me wonder what was going through her head (nevermind the fact that she was told repeatedly by Granny to stick to the path and avoid men whose eyebrows met in the middle...and she kind of ignored that advice in the end and got cozy with one such creepy unibrowed dude). When I first watched the film, I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for the young guy who clearly had the hots for Rosaleen in the movie. She wasn’t overly nice to him. However, on rewatch, I found him to be rather irritating (and he just wouldn't take 'no' for an answer/take the hint that she just wasn't that into him. I guess there's a reason he was credited as 'Amorous Boy'. The scene where Rosaleen (or rather, some other version of her) arrived in the white limo, dressed in white and sporting a blonde wig, along with Terence Stamp as the Devil, I found rather unsettling when I first watched the movie. The way the kid practically unhinged his jaw as he was yelling "Noooo!" over and over was particularly weird. I also much preferred that they went for ‘normal’ wolves with glowing eyes than trying to create some sort of monstrous beasts that simply did not work. It was probably cheaper just to add the ‘glowing effect’ to the eyes of them anyway. This was also the first time I’d ever seen a werewolf transformation done where the wolf snout emerged from the human mouth. It wasn’t until much later in time that the TV series Hemlock Grove came along and did this as well, having somewhat ‘refined’ the effect (and added even more grossness), though I’ll always remember this movie as being the first (that I know of) one to do it (then again, I haven’t seen that many werewolf movies, so maybe others beat them to it. I wouldn’t know). I liked that the movie was just basically made up of big sets. I’ve grown so tired of CGI settings/scenery in things now, that I really appreciate how ‘real’ the sets felt in this movie. If done right, they can make you buy into the world which the characters inhabit (even if, on closer inspection, you might be able to see the ‘fakeness’ of it all). I never saw ‘sets’, just this world in which Rosaleen was part of – and what a strange/scary world it was. I also liked that there were separate little stories within the main story of the film. They added to what was already an unsettling feeling to the movie, I thought. The wedding scene was kind of creepy, but at the same time sort of had a ‘lightness’ to it as well (might’ve been the music). Regarding the music/score used - I thought it added SO much to the film. It helped give an 'eerie' feeling throughout...but especially at the end. Speaking of the ending...I think it could be debated whether the entire film is 'all a dream' or not, but the first question asked on the movie's IMDB page in the FAQ section has a really good, solid answer that I think explains the narrative structure of the film and what is/isn't a dream. www.imdb.com/title/tt0087075/faqAll I know for sure is the ending always kind of freaked me out. Yes, it may 'just' be wolves busting through glass and paintings to enter Rosaleen's room as she's asleep, but the whole atmosphere throughout the film is unsettling - and that, combined with the music playing as the pack of wolves run up to her room and Rosaleen's bone-chilling scream, are why I find the ending so effectively creepy. Up until this point, Rosaleen had seemed pretty 'chill'/rather calm around wolves...although that may have been because she thought it was a dream up until the end where the dream seemed to bleed into actual reality. Anyway, I just find the ending very effective with its eeriness (it gives me shivers every time) and I like how the film plays around with dreams and reality, blurring the lines between the two - that's why it remains my favourite werewolf film.
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Jul 30, 2019 17:09:21 GMT
A double-feature of Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965) and Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs (1966), both starring Vincent Price. Back in the 90's, I used to watch those 60's beach movies when TBS would have marathons on during the summer. This movie I assumed was more or less one of those, being from the same studio and featuring some of the same actors. Dwayne Hickman and Frankie Avalon (as secret Agent 00 1/4) star, and yes, Annette Funicello makes a brief cameo appearance. In another American International Pictures production, Ski Party (1965), Avalon played Todd Armstrong and Hickman played Craig Gamble. In this movie, Avalon plays Craig Gamble and Hickman plays Todd Armstrong! Not sure if the movies are related or if they just reused the names, I never saw that ski movie. To my surprise, it was more of a 60's spy spoof. It's easy now to spot where Mike Myers drew a lot of his inspiration for the original Austin Powers movie. Female robots, evil doctors, poking fun at the 007 series, it's all in there. I actually liked it more than I thought I would, I was expecting a lesser version of the beach party movies, that title didn't inspire confidence at all. Vincent Price should have done more comedies, he is funny and appears to really be enjoying himself. Susan Hart is very beautiful and makes for a great leading lady! The sequel goes international. The first movie was such a hit in Italy, so the producers set the sequel there and filmed it there too. Not as much fun as the first, but comes close. It does seem as though the budget got a little bigger though. Vincent Price is still having fun with it all, appearing in various disguises. They didn't have Frankie Avalon this time, so they threw in another 60's pop star, Fabian! These movies are just mindless fun, not meant to be dissected for deeper meaning, because there isn't any.
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