|
Post by Prime etc. on Aug 16, 2019 8:39:43 GMT
HELLFIGHTERS 1968 -- John Wayne, Jim Hutton (the Tom Hanks of the 60s?), Katherine Ross, Vera Miles, Bruce Cabot... I wanted to see this for the oil fire stuff (and Katherine Ross). Not bad--I am not fond of Wayne and most of his films just don't come on my radar--this was an interesting subject. I understand several of his co-stars appeared with him in other films--this felt like a family reunion and unusually benign for the era--there's no hidden themes on oil pollution or Wayne's failures as a father or husband. I was expecting a death count and didn't get it. Maybe it's because oil was so $$$special$$$ they wanted to leave a good impression so others could take up the task of fighting the fires. Nuclear power was never treated so well.
|
|
|
Post by teleadm on Aug 16, 2019 16:56:47 GMT
Calendar Girls 2003, directed by Nigel Cole, starring Helen Mirren, Julie Walters, Penelope Wilton, John Alderton, Linda Bassett, Annette Crosbie, Philip Glennister, Ciarán Hinds, Celia Imre, Geraldine James, Graham Crowden and others. Drama with comedy based on real events. A Women's Institute chapter's fundraising effort for a local hospital by posing nude for a calendar becomes a media sensation. A warm and nice movie were some local women tries to do something different, than the local calendars usual themes of beautiful bridges or post boxes. A sort of opposite calendar to those car or tool manufacturers used to give their costumors in December, and I remember those since even we in the office building were thrown those on our working tables. Out of one woman's tragedy when her husband died in Leukemia, this fantastic idea was born. As it is in life both happy and sad things happenes over the years, and this movie transforms this into the story, while it is light and comedic, it also dares to be tragic, dramatic, serious and tearfull, and blends it well without beeing cloying. On the DVD extra we meet a few of the real women, and seeing those gutsy ladies, what an experience it must have been. Surpriced that this movie was made by Touchstone, a Disney company, but there was a time when they didn't remake their old movies every other month. I liked this move, because of the story, and because 50+ actresses shows they can still kick ass, given an interesting story and characters to portray, and it's entertaining. While this movie contains some nudity it doesn't promote porn.
|
|
|
Post by BATouttaheck on Aug 17, 2019 4:07:43 GMT
teleadm Wonderful movie that deserves to be seen by many more = Calendar Girls !
|
|
|
Post by BATouttaheck on Aug 17, 2019 4:15:19 GMT
Intense … perhaps a tad too intense ! Terrific performances by one and all. Renee Russo should be in more movies! The most heinous mind game playing villain since Nurse Ratched … plus HE has a gun !
|
|
|
Post by Prime etc. on Aug 17, 2019 7:45:04 GMT
KILLER MCCOY 1947--wow! I knew Mickey Rooney was talented and versatile but I didn't realize he was also a song and dance man and a boxer! This was really good. Strange how few Ann Blyth movies I have seen actually. This may only be my second. Riveting boxing movie.
|
|
|
Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Aug 17, 2019 21:21:07 GMT
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010). The only thing ‘Deathly’ about this movie is how slow it moves...like someone cast an ‘Arresto Momentum’/Slowing Charm. This slog of a movie starts with the most ‘minimalist’ version of the HP theme yet, as we float through the rusted WB logo. At this rate, we won’t even hear the HP theme AT ALL in the final movie’s beginning. And while we’re at it, can we please put a moratorium on floating through company logos/film titles at the start of movies? It’s SO over-used. Bill Nighy close-up alert! He brings his own particular style of speaking to the opening scene, though not even he can make the scene particularly interesting. Surely Ralph Fiennes’ Voldemort will liven things up, right?! Not exactly. Maybe the book moves at a similarly glacial pace, but not being a reader of the HP series, it came as quite a surprise to me that things seemed so dragged out, despite the fact that it was a scene full of villains! A big deal is made of Voldemort commandeering Lucius Malfoy’s wand...but non-book readers probably won’t get WHY so much time is devoted to seemingly very little happening onscreen. About the only thing of note is some Hogwarts teacher, who was apparently Snape’s ‘friend’, becoming snake chow (would’ve had more impact had it been a teacher we *knew*. I thought it was Trelawney for a minute). It’s a relief to get to the main trio, and there’s a memorable scene featuring seven Harrys (thanks to Polyjuice Potion turning his friends into identical copies of him, though still with their own voices), but this attempt at creating decoys doesn’t work so well and they’re attacked, with casualties. Hedwig’s death upset me, while Mad-Eye’s offscreen demise (delivered flatly with one line by Ron’s heretofore unseen eldest brother, Bill, who’s shown up to marry Fleur Delacour from the 4th film) sadly lacked any impact for something that should’ve been pretty emotional. Nighy’s Scrimgeour shows up to deliver the trio’s inheritance from Dumbledore’s will, allowing for a few callbacks to the early films. Instead of spending time with characters we actually KNOW at the wedding, we get a clunker of an info-dump from two characters we don’t know delivering exposition, grinding things to a halt, before picking up again with a Death Eater attack and the trio escape. Things screech to a halt once more when there’s a needlessly convoluted plot involving what looks like Dobby the house-elf after he’s become old and crotchety (though that’s a different house-elf, actual Dobby *does* turn up), another Polyjuice escapade to get the real Horcrux locket from Umbridge at the Ministry (apparently the centaurs *didn’t* ‘take care’ of her like a half-horse Mafia in the 5th film, useless jerks. WHY couldn’t that pink b!tch have been one of the casualties in this film?!), and a case of mistaken identity over Ron’s assumed form (leading to awkward snogging). Thankfully, we eventually move away from that messy situation and focus on the trio as they attempt to destroy the locket, which makes funny noises every time they zap it, with little success. Things then take a turn for the Lord of the Rings-esque when they alternate between who’s going to wear the Horcrux to keep it ‘safe’ (great idea...except for making those who wear it go all Frodo-wearing-the-One-Ring-style angry/paranoid, with Ron being the most susceptible, which leads to him looking like a homeless person and arguing with Harry/Hermione, who he thinks have been having late night rendezvous with each other, then abandoning them in a huff). At this point it must be mentioned that all three main actors have come far with their characters in terms of development and performances. They’ve ‘matured’ a lot, and Rupert Grint shows he’s highly capable of portraying a weary, mad, downright unlikeable version of Ron who hits Harry where it hurts. Meanwhile, Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson prove what great chemistry they have by carrying a good percentage of the film on just their shoulders. A particular bright spot amongst all the doom/gloom is when Harry dances with Hermione to cheer her up. They’re just friends...but, oh, what might’ve been. A Potter gravesite visit and snake attack later, they figure out that Gryffindor sword from film #2 is the key and a mysterious doe Patronus the way to it in frozen pond, where Harry (naturally) goes near-nakedly swimming for it and consequently gets nearly choked by the locket...which shockingly doesn’t want him gaining the one thing that can kill it. Ron finally returns to save the day and help destroy the Horcrux...but not before it is opened and unleashes his worst fears (which isn’t just spiders). If you wish to see creepy silver Harry and Hermione snogging seemingly naked together, then this is the movie for you! For the rest of us, it’s both an exciting AND CREEPY scene. It’s then determined that Luna’s dad is the person to go see. Unfortunately, Luna is nowhere to be found and her father proves much less interesting/entertaining than his daughter (though they both dance amusingly at weddings). He’s just a weirdo (and NOT the ‘fun’ variety). He does reveal, though the film’s title refers to three items – the Elder Wand, Resurrection Stone and Cloak of Invisibility. We learn the origins of these items via what I thought was one of the few stand-out moments from the movie: a story narrated by Hermione told through a beautifully animated sequence. The film’s climax is where things get REALLY dark, with Bellatrix Lestrange torturing poor Hermione (it’s hard to listen to her screaming in pain, since we’ve gotten to know her/feel close to her character) and an unexpected death (though right before that is the funniest line the character who winds up dead has ever uttered). It’s all very depressing by the end. The movie obviously had a lot of ground to cover, but it felt like it kept stop-starting, almost causing whiplash. The film ends on more of a “That’s it??...Huh.” note than one leaving you anxiously awaiting Part 2 (which’ll hopefully be better).
|
|
|
Post by BATouttaheck on Aug 18, 2019 5:40:41 GMT
Thanks to Svengoolie:
|
|
|
Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Aug 19, 2019 22:39:10 GMT
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011). Harry Potter pulls his wand out for the last time... I was right! The Harry Potter theme’s pretty much non-existent at the beginning of this final film in the series (though we still float through the WB logo/film title). Unfortunately, we have to trudge through a recapping of where the previous film finished and some painfully slow exchanges with Olivander and a backstabby goblin. Yes, let’s waste time on slow-talking/pointless moments of silence, movie (especially when you have the shortest runtime of the whole series)! Thankfully, things improve when Hermione assumes Bellatrix Lestrange's form so they can break into her vault. Wonderful Helena Bonham Carter doesn't get much to say/do in this film, but she makes up for it by perfectly capturing the facial expressions/demeanor of Hermione awkwardly pretending to be the complete opposite of herself. It’s some nice humour in an otherwise pretty serious film. There’s a memorable scene involving a ‘Gemino Curse’, which causes anything that’s touched to double. I felt sorry for the poor dragon that was trained by those nasty goblins to expect pain when it heard a certain sound, so I was happy to see Hermione not only rightfully call that out as ‘barbaric’, but also set it free, as the trio hitched a ride (and it paid back its tormentors with fire!). The trio eventually reunites with their fellow Gryffindors (an actual *fitting* time for the HP theme), looking for a Horcrux at Hogwarts, but don’t know what it actually *is*/where it’s located (there’s a funny line acknowledging how little they have to go on). Kelly MacDonald’s role as Helena Ravenclaw, a ghost who’s less annoying than Moaning Myrtle (but still angry...and only vaguely helpful with finding the Horcrux), is small but important/memorable. It’s good to see Luna again (even losing her ‘cool’ at one point, raising her voice to Harry…not that he didn’t deserve it), and apparently Neville has a thing for her. Luckily, Neville’s grown more confident over the course of the films and not proves himself worthy of someone as cool as Luna, but also that he’s as much a hero as Harry. Ron and Hermione finally express their true feelings for one another...using their tongues, while other characters are lucky to get a line here or there and simply stand around, saying nothing. At least McGonagall had some stand-out moments, both funny (remarking on a spell she’s always wanted to use) and showing she means business (putting Slytherin House in its place…namely the dungeon, which felt a bit harsh, lumping an entire House together for the actions of some. Unless it’s assumed everyone in Slytherin is a jerk. Seems a tad counterproductive to stick all the ‘bad’ ones together, doesn’t it? This question could’ve been addressed at the very end of the movie with the discussion of the Sorting Hat’s placement of students. Alas, we’ll never know). Draco, who I’d originally thought was going to be a bigger enemy to Harry than he ended up being, doesn’t seem to have ‘grown’ much as a person, remaining his ‘foul loathsome evil little cockroach’ self (thanks for that description, Hermione...and for punching him in the face that one time) to the end. His best moment here is when Voldemort gives him the most awkward hug ever. While Narcissa plays an important part, in the end the Malfoys scurry away (as you’d expect). One wonders how students are even still getting sent to school considering what a hellhole the place is under Snape’s control as Headmaster. We find out that this whole time he hasn’t been quite what he seemed...but I still question WHY he had to be such a JERK (even if flashbacks revealing how much he cared for Harry’s mother/how much he and Dumbledore knew about what would happen is intended to explain/excuse his behaviour). His ending is somewhat surprising and quite nasty, but the ‘reveal’ of his true allegiances will probably elicit more of a “Huh.” reaction than anything else from non-book readers. There’re some mighty big battles (Slytherin’s probably thanking McGonagall for sending them to the safety of the dungeon, since Hogwarts takes major damage. Goodbye, Quidditch pitch!), which are quite memorable and result in casualties on both sides. I was most sad to lose Bellatrix (HBC was SO awesome in the role and I found it disappointing/unsatisfying that she got taken out by...Ron’s mum. At the very least it should’ve been Neville who did her in, considering what she did to his parents) Tonks (we hardly knew ye!) and Lavender (might be an unpopular opinion, but I found her entertaining at least). I guess I should’ve felt sadder about Fred Weasley dying, but didn’t they learn anything from how little impact Mad-Eye’s off-screen demise had in the last film? There’s a point where Voldemort seems to have won and Harry has a spiritual meeting with Dumbledore (gross Voldemort fetus-looking thing alert!), but you *know* Harry will triumph. Harry/Voldemort’s ‘epic battle’ amounts to little more than lightsaber clashing with wands (speaking of, Harry snapped the ‘all-powerful’ Elder Wand pretty easily). When the films started, the actors chosen were somewhat awkward in their roles, but they’ve proven themselves to be the right choices. Radcliffe, Grint and Watson grew up onscreen with these characters and the most effective/emotional moments are with them together, especially at the end. Speaking of, we get an epilogue (that apparently some weren’t fond of) where the actors are ‘aged up’, and I’m glad they did this. Having actors we’d never seen before to play the trio as parents in the final scene of the movie would’ve been the wrong move, in my opinion, as we would’ve felt no ‘connection’ with them. This was an epic movie series with more ‘hits’ than ‘misses’, that had so many great British actors/actresses assembled together (the likes of which we’re unlikely to see again), and it’s nice to get a proper conclusion to a teen movie franchise (when others aren’t so lucky). So long, Harry, Ron and Hermione...thanks for the magical memories (and all the obvious ‘wand’ jokes you inspired).
|
|
|
Post by Feologild Oakes on Aug 22, 2019 9:32:36 GMT
|
|
|
Post by teleadm on Aug 22, 2019 17:57:56 GMT
Nevada Smith 1966, directed by Henry Hathaway, based on a character and a chapter in Harrold Robbins novel "The Carpetbaggers", starring Steve McQueen, Karl Malden, Brian Keith, Arthur Kennedy, Suzanne Pleshette, Raf Vallone, Janet Margolin, Pat Hingle, Howard Da Silva, Martin Landau, Paul Fix, Gene Evans, Josephine Hutchinson and others. Western. When his (McQueen) father and mother are killed by three men (Malden, Kennedy, Landau) over gold, Nevada Smith (called Max Sand most of the movie) sets out to find them and kill them. The young man is taken in by a gun merchant (Keith). The gun merchant shows him how to shoot, to shoot on time, and to shoot straight. Everything that Nevada does goes to killing those three men. He learns to read and write just to learn their location. He pays people to tell him where they're at. He even goes to prison to kill one of them. This is a good character driven western that divides it's time telling linked stories how Max Sand transforms into the more mature Nevada Smith, and the both good and the bad people he meets on the way. I've read some objections about McQueen's age as the character was supposed to be 16 y/o, though in the movie his age is only refered as "so young", but as the whole revenge probably takes several years to conclude, he ages gradually. He is indeed illiterate and immature, and don't know much about the world outside his mother and father's territory, in the beginning. Director Hathaway was such a seasoned director he had no problem moving forward at a reasoble speed, taking time for the dramatic stops needed for the story to develop further. McQueen is surrounded by a great cast of actors and actresses, that only hightens the entertainment vallue. Good solid entertaining western, that is just that, entertainment. I had some problem in placing this tale in time, since some music sounded a bit too modern, in an early saloon scene a female unseen singer sings "Careless Love", a song I thought was written by W.C. Handy. In the movie's middlepart that takes place in Louisiana, some Dixieland music can be heard that sounded like it belonged to the 1910s. Those are just minor matters I sometimes notices that amuses me, that doesn't take away anything from the movie in itself.
|
|
|
Post by teleadm on Aug 23, 2019 16:43:07 GMT
The Roaring Twenties 1939, directed by Raoul Walsh, based on the memories of Mark Hellinger, starring James Cagney, Priscilla Lane, Humphrey Bogart, Gladys George, Jeffrey Lynn, Frank McHugh, Paul Kelly and many others. Gangster drama action. After the WWI Armistice Lloyd Hart (Lynn) goes back to practice law, former saloon keeper George Hally (Bogart) turns to bootlegging, and out-of-work Eddie Bartlett (Cagney) becomes a cab driver. Eddie builds a fleet of cabs through delivery of bootleg liquor and hires Lloyd as his lawyer. George becomes Eddie's partner and the rackets flourish until love and rivalry interfere. I liked the touch that the story is told in a newsreel fashion in some parts to move the story forward. Cagney does a variation of is familiar gangster persona, he's an opportunist who doesn't think he is doing anything wrong, but he's also bad in reading other people, he think's the world is for him to grab, and sadly misses out towards the people who actually cares about him. After the WWI scenes the movie takes a lighter tone for nearly half the movie as Cagney/Bartlett rises to power, but once he merger his bussiness with Hally/Bogart the movie slowly takes a darker tone, and from there it's downhill for Cagney/Bartlett. Gladys George, an actress I know too little about, plays a variation of the famous night-club hostess Texas Guinan, here called Panama Smith, functiontions as something of a conscience of the Cagney character, she sees what he doesn't see, and she does a marvelous job, in the role that is. Bogart wasn't Bogart yet, but he had sort of developed his on screen character by then, though the scene were he have to look scared I must admit wasn't a good expression, looked like he had seen a giant spider or something. Lane and Lynn as the young lovers just sort of disappears among such strong competition of actors. This is a solid great character driven movie, the kind Warner Bros were very good at back in those days. Classic ending with church, stairs and snow.
|
|
|
Post by louise on Aug 31, 2019 18:27:18 GMT
The Constant Husband (1955) Very amusing comedy about an amnesiac (Rex Harrison) who finds out to his horror that he is a serial bigamist. Cecil Parker is the psychiatrist who helps him to uncover the mysteries of his past.
|
|
|
Post by Prime etc. on Aug 31, 2019 21:00:58 GMT
TASTE FOR KILLING 1966 -- Interesting spaghetti western which re-uses sets from For A Few Dollars More.
THE MAD ROOM 1969 -- the weirdest thing about this is Severn Darden as a construction worker. Stella Stevens has the main part as sister to a boy and girl who are believed to have killed their parents and smeared images on the walls in their victims' blood (this came out a couple of months before the Manson murders btw). The movie loses its way after Shelley Winters is out of the picture-it should have had a better conclusion which just feels limp-although Beverly Garland contributes some life to the back end.
I also watched "the Jail" episode of Abbott and Costello with the famous "Niagara Falls" skit.
"I wasn't always a filthy unfortunate bum, like you."
"Niagara Falls! Slowly I turned..."
|
|
|
Post by louise on Sept 1, 2019 13:05:21 GMT
The Love Lottery (1954). Very silly comedy about a film star (David Niven) who goes to stay in a village in Italy to get away from all his adoring fans, but is manipulated into becoming the prize in a lottery - the winner gets to spend a week with him. Not as funny as it could have been, memorable mainly for a brief final scene with Humphrey Bogart.
|
|
|
Post by louise on Sept 1, 2019 15:09:58 GMT
The Lady Vanishes (1979). Fairly entertaining remake of the 1938 film. Angela Lansbury very good as Miss Froy.
|
|
|
Post by louise on Sept 2, 2019 16:36:53 GMT
Steaming (1985). Rather slow drama set in a ladies steam bath. It said at the beginning of the film there was going to be nudity, but mostly the women are wrapped in towels, to my husband's disappointment.
|
|
|
Post by kijii on Sept 2, 2019 18:53:55 GMT
Sweet Charity (1969) / Bob Fosse Recorded from on TCM
Although I had often associated Shirley MacLaine with the song, "If they could see me now," (her introduction song on talk shows) and the movie, Sweet Charity, I had never seen this movie until last week. The movie, based on Federico Fellini's screenplay, Nights of Cabiria and Cy Coleman's great songs, had already had a very successful Broadway run with Bob Fosse's wife, Gwen Verdon, in the title role. But, she gave the role to Shirley MacLaine for the movie.
This is the first feature film that Fosse directed and is a great introduction to his dancing style and choreography, later seen in movies such as Cabaret and All That Jazz. I would describe the choreography as angular and jazzy with arms and legs emphasized.
I recently heard an NPR interview with Christina Applegate who later played the role of Charity Hope Valentine on stage. She said that the late Cy Coleman was very exacting when directing her. After seeing All That Jazz, and what a perfectionist Bob Fosse was, one can only imagine that working for Coleman and Fosse was like.
This is a pure musical; don't expect a great story line in this movie. (But, I guess one could say that with most musicals. Right?)
|
|
|
Post by teleadm on Sept 3, 2019 7:21:22 GMT
Goodbye Bafana 2007, directed by Billy August, based on a book by James Gregory and Bob Graham, starring Joseph Fiennes, Dennis Haysbert, Diane Kruger, Patrick Lyster, Shiloh Henderson, Tyrone Keogh, Faith Ndukwana and others. Drama history biography. The story of a white South African racist (Fiennes) whose life was profoundly altered by the black prisoner he guarded for twenty years. The prisoner's name was Nelson Mandela (Heysbert). A German-French-Belgian-South African-Italian-British-Luxembourgian co-production, with location shots from the real prisons where Mandela was kept, like Robben Island. The truthfullness in James Gregory's book about his life as a prison-guard have lately been questioned, as of his importance in Mandela's life. Because Gregory himself passed away in 2003, he has not been able to defend his book's truthfullness. With that in mind, it's still a very well-made production that at least I had never heard of before. It shows the attitudes of the white population that I guess was very common in it's full glory, or racism, against the black population. Political propaganda machines working hard to scare the white minority that the blacks were terrorists that wanted to throw the whites to the sharks. If as Gregory at one point shows some small humanity it can spiral out of proportions and his social status rumble, but since he could speak Xhoxa he still had some status among the higher brass. A well-made production that is worth searching out, even if it might not be totally truthfull.
|
|
|
Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Sept 3, 2019 19:43:00 GMT
Clambake (1967) Currently viewing Clambake, Elvis' least favorite of his own movies, and the last one for which he was paid one million dollars. Unbelievably, this is not the movie in which Elvis sings "Do The Clam," that would be Girl Happy (1965). He does, however, sing the theme song of the same name, "Clambake." This makes two songs about clams that Elvis sang. Keep this useless information under your hats, for it may be useful to you someday! It has Gary Merrill, Bill Bixby and Shelley Fabares (again). Lee Majors, Teri Garr and Corbin Bernsen all have small cameos. Elvis movies are such interesting trivia treasure troves. The plot? Something to do with rich boy Elvis swapping identities with poor boy water skiing instructor at a Florida hotel. Hijinx ensue and there's a pretty girl.
|
|
|
Post by teleadm on Sept 4, 2019 17:50:47 GMT
The Man from the Alamo 1953, directed by Budd Boetticher, based on a story by Niven Busch and Oliver Crawford, starring Glenn Ford, Julia Adams, Chill Wills, Hugh O'Brian, Victor Jory, Neville Brand, Jeanne Cooper, Guy Williams and others. Western. During the Alamo siege, John Stroud (Ford) is sent to Ox Bow to protect the townsfolk but, following a massacre, he infiltrates Jess Wade's (Jory) gang of turncoat renegades supporting the Mexicans. But before he joins the renegades, he had been branded a coward, and survived a lynching. A short and tight western, running under 80 minutes. It has a few interesting touches, though feels a bit routine. The interesting parts are how they recreated The Alamo, up until Ford rides away. The small town Ford rides into also shows how quick mob mentality grows, so far as they want to lynch him, without any willingness to actually hear him out, why he rode out of Alamo, not because he was a coward, but to save families and farms, including his own. There is enough of gunplay and fistfights to please western fans. Jory and Brand are good as the main villains.
|
|