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Post by delon on Jun 1, 2019 14:48:48 GMT
Comments/ratings/recommendations/film posters are welcome and much appreciated
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Post by wmcclain on Jun 1, 2019 14:56:21 GMT
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Post by politicidal on Jun 1, 2019 15:34:48 GMT
The Drowning Pool (1975) 4/10
Alone We Fight (2018) 3/10
Dead Reckoning (1947) 6/10
Serenity (2019) 5/10
Kiss of Death (1995) 4/10
Aladdin (2019) 6/10
The Ghost Writer (2010) 7/10
Smoking Aces (2006) 5/10
The Man from the Alamo (1953) 6/10
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Post by mikef6 on Jun 1, 2019 18:14:24 GMT
Charlie Chan #10: Charlie Chan In Paris / Lewis Seiler (1935). Twentieth Century Fox. “Kindness in heart better than gold in bank.” Even though Warner Oland’s successor as Chan, Sidney Toler, had some very good entries in the series, I have to say that the earliest Chans with Oland are my favorites. “CC In Paris” is a case in point. It is considerable closer to noir than most other Chan accounts in its lighting, camera angles, and danger. The mystery and its conclusion are satisfactorily complex. Chan travels to the City of Lights under the guise of a vacationer, but is really investigating a case of bank fraud. Murder rears its head as an innocent young woman becomes a suspect and a mysterious man on crutches seems to be stalking Chan. But “Perfect case, like perfect doughnut, has hole.” A wonderful time at the flickers. NOTE: Keye Luke makes his debut as Number One Son, Lee Chan. In his first case with his Pop, he is a lot more help than he would be in subsequent stories. Charlie Chan #14: Charlie Chan At The Circus / Harry Lachman (1936). Twentieth Century Fox “Question without answer, like faraway water, no good for nearby fire.” Charlie, with his wife and 12 children (it varied from 10 to 14 kids during the series), are touring the U.S., next stop: the Grand Canyon. But while taking in a circus, a murder occurs. After local cops ground the circus, Chan is asked to stay and solve the case so the circus can go on the road and the performers will not lose their jobs. Because he is asked by Tiny (Olive Brasno), one of the Little People couple attached to the side show, Chan’s entire family votes to cancel the rest of their trip. He has plenty of suspects as most of the circus people have a motive and secret agenda of their own. But which is willing to kill for what they want? And who has stolen the extra key to the lock on the gorilla’s cage? Charlie Chan proves that “One grain of luck sometimes worth more than whole rice field of wisdom.” The Falcon #6: The Falcon And The Co-Eds / William Clemens (1943). RKO. The third in the Falcon series to star Tom Conway as Tom Lawrence, The Falcon. A student at the Blue Cliff Seminary For Young Ladies convinces the Falcon to look into the death of a faculty member. Lawrence, not needing much convincing, poses as an insurance investigator. He quickly comes to the conclusion that the victim, whose death had been ruled heart failure, was actually murdered. He has a bevy of suspects: the Drama teacher (Jean Brooks), the psychology teacher (George Givot), the music teacher (Isabel Jewel), a psychic student (Rita Corday), and the Falcon’s own client (Amelita Ward). Light and airy but more of a detective mystery than many of the Falcon films. TRIVIA: Amelita Ward was married to Leo Gorcey. They had two children before their divorce. Step Down To Terror / Harry Keller (1958). Universal International. A man (Charles Drake) lives in a shabby apartment house. When two other men come looking for him, he escapes after a chase. A few days later, the man arrives in a small town in California, near San Francisco, where his family lives. They haven’t seen him for years. After a couple of displays of temper, he quite obviously tears out a story from the daily newspaper. Sound familiar? It should if you have ever seen Hitchcock’s “Shadow Of A Doubt.” There are some detail changes, like the family dynamics. The man we have been seeing, Johnny Walters, has returned to his ill mother (Josephine Hutchinson) who lives with Helen (Colleen Miller) the widow of Johnny’s brother, and Helen’s young son, Doug. Johnny is taken with his brother’s widow but, in spite of his usual friendliness, Helen is disturbed. When an undercover policeman (Rod Taylor, just a couple of years from a breakout and adding some oomph to this picture) arrives, Helen finds herself in peril. Not a bad little forgettable time passer on its own merits, the movie it has cribbed from looms over it and dooms “Step Down To Terror.” NOTE: “Shadow Of A Doubt” was given a direct re-make for TV in 1991 with Margaret Welsh as Charlie and Mark Harmon as Uncle Charlie. Destroyer / Karyn Kusama (2018). Nicole Kidman de-glams again and why not? The last time she won an Oscar. Her ravished face is that of LAPD detective Erin Bell. She is a washed up, burned out, binge-drinking shell of a person who has some kind of botched investigation in her past which had cost lives and which she has not recovered from. She is barely functional and hardly ever speaks above a husky whisper. We get small doses of what happened by short flashbacks throughout the story but don’t get the whole story until the end. When she suspects that a criminal from that past has returned, she goes rogue to find him. The plot itself is pretty routine. The story of the cop after revenge who resorts to beating people and threatening to kill them is old hat. I have just within a month or so revisited Fritz Lang’s “The Big Heat.” This expertly done film shows up “Destroyer” pretty completely. On the plus side, in the second half there is an exciting bank robbery gunfight and a Big Reveal to finish. But that Reveal is shown and explained and gone back to until I was saying, “Ok, Ok, I get it! I get it!” Not only that but Kidman has a scene where she yells “N-o-o-o-o” three times in a row. Not recommended. WHAT’S ON THE TV? Mission: Impossible Encore. S.2, Ep.1 and Ep. 2. “The Golden Serpent” First broadcast September 21 and September 28, 1989. The last new episode of the classic “Mission: Impossible” TV series had been shown in February 1973. Since then, ABC had been looking for a way to bring it back. The long Hollywood writers’ strike of 1988 (which lasted 150 days) gave them that opportunity. The producers got the green light for 13 stories from scripts used in the classic series. The Encore series would also be taped in Australia using that country’s talent and locations to avoid strike trouble. Peter Graves returned as Jim Phelps but other cast members were new. The new counterpart to tech whiz Barney Collier (Greg Morris) went to Morris’ son, Phil, who played Grant Collier, Barney’s son. In spite of lower than expected ratings, the show was renewed for a second (and final) season. The two-part “The Golden Serpent” opened the second season. The mission is to cause a breach in – and bring an end to - the titular South Pacific drug smuggling ring. It was good to have the IM team back but the writers, possibly discerning a precipitous drop in IQs and attention spans since the ‘60s, now has Phelps explaining everything before it happens (“This is where we go in and make the switch”), which the original show certainly did not. Anyway, nostalgia carried me through this viewing. The IM Force cast. Phil Morris. Thaao Penghlis, Peter Graves, Jane Badler., Tony Hamilton
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Post by teleadm on Jun 1, 2019 18:24:38 GMT
Here are my week: Not an easy movie to watch, sold as a rom-com, romantic it is, comedy it ain't, and I dislike Bradley's smug smile, but as I hang along, damn, this wa a riveting movie with family uproars, the not picture perfect family, I'm glad I watched it to the end, it was worth it, seing a non perfect family find joys, and more importantly, the one you love might not be the right one to live with for the rest of your life with. Made me question my own choices over the years. I love Robin Williams, but this movie was a mess. A popular TV host suddenly get's elected as next USA President, and wind thatnks to a computer glitch. It tries to be so much at the same time, it never clicks. A TV host would never be an America President anyway, but the movie spits out a few dangers that is relevant. Admitting that I haven't seen the Jane Fonda-George Segal version, while it has some undeniably comic moments, as a whole it felt too familiar. I once broke the line myself running, OK it was the other five kids that was never chosen I competed with, but still I broke the line! I wish I had heard Vangelis great score and music at that moment. The human story of the movie is very interesting, and so is the persons, but somehow I felt like I was in a fragmentary bubble. Vangelis score I love! Throw all pretentions away, and this was an entertaining Mexica Western, well actually French, since it was directed by Henri Verneuil . (I Watched the English Speaking version). Outlaw Quinn on the run is mistaken for being a savior in a remote Mexican village, were a miracle accidentaly happens. So the bad guy did good. Quinn is touching, resourceful, and comic all at once, and some action scenes are very impressive. Very entertaing movie filled with snappy one-liners. Wayne is named third because the other two was under contract, Wayne was "loaned" from Republic. Wayne and Scott has a long fist fight near the end as a climax, said to be the longest in movie history at that point. I love how Dietrish handles obstacles and that she handles her coloured maid as a friend and not as lower person. Last movie of silent superstar Richard Barthelmess. Nominated for Best Art and Set Decorations. Haven't seen any of the other 4 versions of the same story. ...and that concludes my week!
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Post by mikef6 on Jun 1, 2019 18:28:41 GMT
politicidal The Drowning Pool (1975) 4/10 - agree entirely Dead Reckoning (1947) 6/10 - might up it to 7 just for Bogart's presence Kiss of Death (1995) 4/10 - one of the worst movies of the '90s The Ghost Writer (2010) 7/10 - again, I would probably go with 8/10 The Man from the Alamo (1953) 6/10 - still remember seeing this at the drive-in with my parents way back when and liking it. A Glenn Ford western can't miss. Gotta find it again.
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Post by teleadm on Jun 1, 2019 18:53:49 GMT
politicidal The Drowning Pool (1975) 4/10 - agree entirely Dead Reckoning (1947) 6/10 - might up it to 7 just for Bogart's presence Kiss of Death (1995) 4/10 - one of the worst movies of the '90s The Ghost Writer (2010) 7/10 - again, I would probably go with 8/10 The Man from the Alamo (1953) 6/10 - still remember seeing this at the drive-in with my parents way back when and liking it. A Glenn Ford western can't miss. Gotta find it again. In retrospect it's a bit tough to remember that a legend like Paul Newman had a very dry spell during the 1970s (except Sting), I remember the bad reviews of Drowning Pool. Man from Alamo, I see it as an old fashioned matine, when bad guys died and heroes lived.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Jun 2, 2019 2:55:27 GMT
Hi all,I hope everyone is having a good weekend,and I this week celebrated on May 27th being 14 years since I joined IMDb by watching: The Witch (1952) 8 Taking a traditional Horror set-up of a supernatural being possibly coming back from the dead to terrify the locals who killed them centuries ago, co-writer/(with Kaarlo Nuorvala) director Roland af Hällström twists this into a quirky, humorous tone,where instead of being horrified, the locals largely open their arms to the suspected witch, with some soon developing romantic feelings. Although the ending “message” (high lighting the still visible scars of WWII) is delivered too bluntly by a character looking down the camera, the writers make up for it in their adaptation of this 1945 play, (which explored themes of scapegoats and persecutions ) by keeping the rest of the dialogue flowing with curiosity,not only of the alleged witch, but by the battle of the sexes horror bubbling underneath the surface, as the women in the town become weighed down by a suspicious mind-set,and all the men become transfixed by this mysterious woman. Passing away at just 44 in 1974 after a short illness, Mirja Mane gives an utterly mesmerising turn as Birgit Suomaa/ “The Witch.” Playing on the ambiguity and spending most of her screen time naked, Sumomaa unwinds experimental dance moves giving Suomaa a supernatural appearance, neatly balanced by Mane holding Suomaa in a wide-eyed enticing state when welcomed to the home of the locals. Set against the mountains of Finland, director Hallstrom & cinematographer Esko Töyri brew an imposing, off-beat Gothic atmosphere of elegant shots following each man falling under her “spell” in their homes, which rise up to hauntingly stark wide-shots of the muddy wildness from which has emerged a bewitching figure. 1972 duo: Jess Franco's Robinson and His Tempestuous Slaves 7 Made at the time when German Sex Comedies were joining the countless genres he took on, directing auteur Jess Franco sends his Robinson Crusoe to a jungle covered with the vines of a Sit-Com atmosphere, as Uncle Jess plays his distinctive trombone zoom-ins across the leafy Portugal location brushing against the leaves,and the smoking hot fit ladies joining Robinson on the island. Backed by a rattling jungle score from regular composer Daniel White, Jess & cinematographer Gerard Brisseau (their first of several team-ups) take great delight in their free-flowing Sit-Com surroundings,which allows them to throw in funny talking animals (!) and a slap-stick fight for Robinson to prove himself to be the god of the jungle. Featuring a cameo by Uncle Jess as a abusive film director who causes Robinson to save a woman called "Linda", the screenplay by regular collaborator Artur Brauner, (born in 1918,still alive and working!) and newcomer to the Jess world Ken Globus take great delight in following Jess's groove in taking Sit-Com staples to the jungle,as Robinson struggles to leave his libido feeling satisfied, whilst fearing his nagging wife reaching the island! Although it does not press too heavy on a "message", the final image the Uncle Jess and the writers knit is one where Robinson can't escape his responsibilities by running off into his own fantasy. Joining Yehuda Barkan's merry take on Robinson, Andrea Rau and regular Jess duo Anne Libert and Ingeborg Steinbach give playfully sexy turns as fellow jungle guests Linda, Samantha and Peper,with each of them fanning the frustration of Robinson being the only man in Uncle Jess's jungle. Hussein Yavari 7 Playing out in a thick bronze tint, director Khosrow Sinai glowingly uses the colour styling to capture the 200 years history of the instrument and of player Hussein Yavari, via winding panning shots over photos of Yavari's childhood curling to the outdoors with narration from Sinai over how the sound of the ney continues to be heard with each passing decade. The lone person in the movie, Yavari is a captivating figure, who opens up that the instrument has been the one thing that has stayed with him his whole life, and beautifully plays the ney. Other flicks: Anita (1974) 9 Making remarkable progression from the plodding The Language of Love, (1969-also reviewed) co-composer/(with Lennart Fors)/production designer/ writer/director Torgny Wickman takes the naturalism displayed within the sex scenes of Language to the kitchen sink Drama of Anita, as Wickman & cinematographer Hans Dittmer cram the camera into cramped real locations, where the restrained tracking shots reflect Anita's inability to become freed from the tight grip of her obsession. Whilst Anita looks sexy, Wickman subtly clips the erotic with fading,dour colours and icy close-ups on Anita's face left feeling unfulfilled. Having Anita sleep with anyone with a pulse, the screenplay by Wickman presents a thoughtful examination of nymphomania, via each "partner" Anita has drifting away anonymously, leaving Anita alone with her consuming obsession, which Anita goes increasingly to the outskirts of to get a hit for her craving, that ends up leaving any attempt family/friends make to build a bond ruined. In the midst of all the sex, Wickman is impressively able to find a young innocence in Anita's relationship with Erik,thanks to Erik being given an open, compassionate stance, which remains firm even when running into Anita being in the moment of trying satisfy her craving. Revealing decades later he had fallen deeply in love with the actress on set,but kept it quiet due to "Her being out of my league",Stellan Skarsgard gives a outstanding turn as Erik, who Skarsgard avoid from looking like a push-over by gradually building his empathic mind-set to helping Anita, and also capturing in his open body language Erik falling in love. Looking incredibly alluring, Christina Lindberg gives a fantastic performance which balances a erotic sensuality with a psychological awareness of everything else in her life crumbling, and Anita grinding down to the risk of the only company she will have left in her nymphomania. William Dieterle's Man Wanted (1932) 7 The first of 6 (!) films he made in 1932,director William Dieterle fluidly blends the depth of field vision of cinematographer Gregg Toland, via delicate,ultra-stylised framed deep-focus close-ups on Ames and Sherman placing their heads side by side. Cracking open an atmosphere of Pre-Code Rom-Com glamour, Dieterle layers on dissolves of the couple changing into various eye-catching costume, and in a calculated, subtle motif, Dieterle & Toland use the framing of doors to shadow the friendship between Sherman and Ames,and to key into the final meet cute. Taking the elements of the Rom-Com and twisting them, the screenplay by Charles Kenyon and Robert Lord wonderfully play against type in the Pre-Code era. Ames is sharply established as a newspaper editor who is good at her job, (which she does not leave for her love) and respected by her fellow workers,whilst Sherman dives in with the traditional woman role of being the one head over heels in love. Not having a "Code" to face, the crisp dialogue keeps the Rom-Com sparks flying,while also being empathetic towards Ames attempting to save her marriage to a cheating husband, whilst she becomes charmed by Sherman. Joined by a terrific Andy Devine hitting Screwball targets as pal Doyle, David Manners gives a warm turn as Sherman,who Manners keeps steeping in time to still having feelings for his current fiancé,but dancing towards falling for his new boss. Her first film at WB, Kay Francis makes an entrance with a excellent performance as Ames, whose senior role at work is held by Francis with an enticing confidence,which is crossed with a breezy eye for romance,as Sherman becomes the man wanted. Two Gun Goofy (1952) 8 Sending Goofy in to take on a outlaw, director Jack Kinney quick-fires with a lush parody of the classic American Western,via the pale blue sky and burning pink being scattered across the walls of the town. Bouncing off of Kinney's Western backdrop,the screenplay by Dick Kinney & Brice Mack draws rapid-fire zany gags of Goofy unknowingly trying to save the town from the two-gun welding Pistol Pete.
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Post by OldAussie on Jun 2, 2019 5:06:04 GMT
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Post by delon on Jun 2, 2019 9:00:48 GMT
Z(1969) : 9/10 Secrets & Lies (1996) : 8/10 Fat City (1972) : 7/10 Beat the Devil (1953) : 5/10 Wise Blood (1979) : 9/10 - brilliant discovery All the King's Men (1949) : 8/10 The Misfits (1961) : 6/10
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jun 2, 2019 9:49:26 GMT
Quai des Orfèvres (1947) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0039739/reviews?ref_=tt_ql_op_3 Hark the herald angels sing. Quai des Orfèvres is directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot and Clouzot co-writes the screenplay with Jean Ferry. It is based on the novel Legitime defense written by Stanislas-André Steeman . it stars Louis Jouvet, Suzy Delair, Bernard Blier and Simone Renant. Music is by Francis Lopez and cinematography by Armand Thirard. When high profile business man Georges Brignon is found murdered all evidence points to jealous husband Maurice Martineau - Inspector Antoine takes up the case. Following the backlash and fallout from Le Corbeau in 1943, Henri-Georges Clouzot wasn't allowed to make a film for four years, his return brought about Quai des Orfevres. Although a highly respected master of his craft, Clouzot was frowned upon for the dark approach to human nature in some of his films, whilst his treatment of the actors under his direction is legendary in a bad way. So how interesting to find that his comeback picture is actually one of his most accessible, very much thriving on human interest factors for literally everyone in the picture! This a traditional police who done it procedural in core essence, one that does come with coincidences and contrivances, and yet the characters are so richly drawn, their lives so compelling, that the simplicity of plot is actually irrelevant. We are in post war Paris and the back drop is the world of theatre and nightclubs. Clouzot offers up in the fist instance some film noir staples, a possible femme fatale, gay love from afar, cuckold husband and a grotesque murder victim. Even the acts on the stage have a weirdness to them, Wheeling Winos - one with a paper mache head! Dogs that walk on their hind legs! How wonderful. The clubs are smoky, the streets dimly lighted for menacing atmosphere, Clouzot and Thirard have created a splendid moody world from which to spin the tale. I'll take him for a ride, and what a ride! Pitched at the front is Jenny Lamour (Delair), who is not beyond using her sexuality to further her stage career, which of course doesn't sit well with her highly jealous husband Maurice (Blier), a man clearly punching above his weight with Jenny. Ah but Clouzot is a crafty devil, he has let us into a secret that undermines us the viewer's expectations and that of Maurice. This keeps the question of who is the murderer - and the motive - as a constant intrigue. There's little slices of sexy sauce to tantalise, and the whole play developes into a sort of tragic comedy, but always the characterisations of the key players are earthy and dealing in foibles. Then Inspector Antoine (Jouvet excellent) holds court, a grumpy but stoically deceptive man of his work, film noir has itself another policeman of note. Visually there's some treats, such as the dark shadowy walk that Maurice takes to Villa St Marceaux, arriving at the house which instantly looks like a noir nightmare. Better still is a sequence as we get towards the denouement, Maurice in a holding pen, a sexy lady in the pen next door, as bells ring out she is framed in shadowed bars whilst Maurice's mind begins to fracture. The craft on show is sublime at times, visually and on the page. I'm not over enamoured with Delair as an actress, but conversely Renant is quality and gorgeous into the bargain, while I think the ending should have really gone into black hearted territory. All told though, and this is Clouzot's least suspenseful film that I have seen, this is well worthy of time investment for lovers of classic French cinema. 7.5/10 The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0066249/referenceSherlock Holmes the Man Vs Sherlock Holmes the Legend. The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes is directed by Billy Wilder who co-writes the screenplay and story with I. A. L. Diamond. Based on characters created by Arthur Conan Doyle, it stars Robert Stephens, Geneviève Page, Colin Blakely, Christopher Lee & Irene Handl. Miklós Rózsa scores the music and cinematography is by Christopher Challis. There were cases that Sherlock Holmes worked on that were deemed of a "scandalous nature" and not for public knowledge. But Dr. Watson made journals, and as Watson's private deposit box is opened some 50 years later, one such journal now sheds light on one particular tricky case, and one that also delved deep into the private life of the greatest of sleuths. Billy Wilder film's rarely need an introduction, with a CV that contains Stalag 17, The Apartment, Sunset Boulevard and Some Like It Hot, his output, it's safe to say, is mostly remembered and quite rightly is often praised. The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes is not forgotten by Wilder fans, but it most certainly is his most underrated. Originally made as a three hour movie, the film was taken from Wilder and snipped to a two hour picture. So where once there was a four story narrative, weaved together as an episodic humanisation of the "consultant detective", now sits a two story movie. That's it's still a fabulous movie is a towering credit to Wilder and his long time associate, I. A. L. Diamond. With Wilder declaring his displeasure at the final cut of the film, it promptly bombed at the box office. Further lending weight to its reputation as something of a stinker. But time has been kind to it, where the advent of various home format releases and internet discussion forums has seen its stock rise considerably. And rightly so. Wilder deals an irreverent take on Sherlock Holmes, but one that is not disrespectful to the world created by Arthur Conan Doyle. It's a loving recreation that simply portrays the man as a flawed, yet still genius like, human being: one with his own hang ups and insecurities. Once this has been established in the first third of the movie, and hopefully accepted by the audience, Wilder and co then take us into familiar "case to be solved" territory. Once a bedraggled Geneviève Page turns up at 221B, suffering from amnesia and clearly in need of help, we are whisked along with our intrepid duo on a journey involving canaries, midgets, Trappist monks, Queen Victoria and the Loch Ness Monster. With Sherlock's mysterious brother, Mycroft (Lee), front, centre and very involved too. It may not be a mystery to appease purists of the Holmes literature, but it's real good fun and contains one or two twists and revelations along the way. Robert Stephens plays Holmes as fey yet articulate, intelligent yet complex, but always with a nod and a wink that surely pleased his knowing director. Colin Blakely is pure effervescence as Watson, excitable and exuberant and perfect comic foil for his more mannered partner. Lee is utterly splendid as the straight laced Mycroft, Page adds a simmering sexuality to the proceedings and Handl is joyously sarcastic as Housekeeper Mrs. Hudson. Look out, too, for celebrated stage and screen actor Stanley Holloway as a gravedigger. Rózsa's score is very upbeat, even for the more reflective moments, further evidence of Wilder having tongue nicely nestled in cheek, and the score sits snugly with Challis' pleasing photography around the Scottish Highlands. Major bonus here is the marvellous sets by Alexandre Trauner, particularly the recreation of Baker Street, for here be a sometimes forgotten cinema art at its grandest. A crisp script is crisply executed by all involved, this film deserves the credit that is now finally coming its way. 8.5/10 Vanishing Point (1971) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0067927/reference The last American hero to whom speed means freedom of the soul. Vanishing Point is directed by Richard Sarafian and written by Guillermo Cain. It stars Barry Newman, Cleavon Little and Dean. Jagger. Car delivery driver Kowalski (Newman) tasks himself to get a Dodge Challenger from Denver to San Francisco in a seemingly impossible time. His journey will see him constantly pursued by the police and come into contact with a number of interesting characters. By definition a cult film, Vanishing Point baffled many a critic upon its release but continues to gain fans as each decade passes. It operates out of the counterculture sphere of film making that surfaced in the late 60s and early 70s. On the surface it's a very simple picture, the speedster aspect of the car chases appear to render it as purely a car junkie thrill piece. Yet much conjecture and analysis has occurred over the years to give it mythical status, with some maintaining it's a masterpiece of a message movie. It certainly has an ethereal quality about it, to the point where those invested in more than just the brilliant car stunts et al will find themselves beguiled by Sarafian's tantalising piece. Kowalski doesn't say much, even as he meets odd people and ends up in odd situations, this positions him as a true cinematic anti hero. His backstory is revealed to us in flashbacks, so we do get to know about him, understand where his skills came from and why his psychological make up is the way it is. His contact with the real world as it were, is via a blind radio DJ known as Super Soul (Cleavon Little excellent), who Sarafian has smartly put up as an almost physic companion during Kowalski's journey, with him crucially warning of policeman perils. It's one of a number of intriguing shards in a fascinating movie. The makers have remained vague as to exactly what everything in the film means, which is fine, for this is a picture that each individual viewer should decipher as they see fit. More than just a thrilling car chase movie? You bet. 8/10 The Hired Hand (1971) - Thread here > imdb2.freeforums.net/post/2922276/thread
Time After Time (1979) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0080025/reference
Ninety years ago I was a freak. Today I'm an amateur.
Time After Time is directed by Nicholas Meyer who also adapts the screenplay from a story written by Karl Alexander and Steve Hayes. It stars Malcolm McDowell, David Warner and Mary Steenburgen. Music is by Miklos Rozsa and cinematography is by Paul Lohmann.
How delightful, a wonderful idea is given an equally wonderful presentation. The makers have come up with the idea of pitching Jack the Ripper against H.G. Wells, in the present day of 1979. This after the Ripper (Warner) used Wells' (McDowell) time machine to escape the Whitechapel police back in 1891, thus forcing Wells to track the infamous killer to San Francisco in the future.
There have been so many fish-out-of-water based movies over the years, it's so refreshing to find one that has a genuinely original premise to work from. In the Ripper's case he sees all the violence around the streets of San Fran and believes it's his calling to be in this company. On the flip-side, Wells is perturbed to find that this is not the Utopia he had envisaged, but yet the science lover in him is fascinated by what he finds. Helps, too, that he has caught the attention of a very horny Amy Robbins (Steenburgen), who is equally fascinated by his genteel mannerisms.
Naturally the fun has to stop at some point to let the suspense and darker aspects of the story come to the surface. Meyer gets the blend right, dropping in little snippets of evil as Jolly Jack, resplendent with waistcoat and money belt, goes about his bloody business, and then switching to the Wells/Amy axis as they try to build a relationship whilst trying to convince the authorities that a nutter is very much in their midst. It builds nicely, ramping up the tension considerably, and there's always the pertinent question hanging in the air of if there is any hope for H.G. and Amy?
Such is the rich characterisations and quality of story telling, we most assuredly care about the outcome to this splendid piece of time travelling cake. 8.5/10
Murder by Decree (1979) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0079592/reference
Elementary my dear Ripper!
Murder by Decree is directed by Bob Clark and adapted to screenplay by John Hopkins from the novel The Ripper File written by Elwyn Jones and John Lloyd. It stars Christopher Plummer, James Mason, David Hemmings, Susan Clark, Frank Finlay, Anthony Quayle, Donald Sutherland, Geneviève Bujold & John Gielgud.
Film pitches Sherlock Holmes (Plummer) and Dr. Watson (Mason) into the hunt for Jack the Ripper in Whitechapel, London 1888...
I've been exploited old fellow, by the very people for whom we are searching.
The greatest of detectives searching for Britain's most notorious serial killer, it's a killer pitch that had already had a film made in 1965 called A Study in Terror. That was a film that couldn't quite get it right, here, 14 years later, there's a bigger budget and "A" list gloss to help tell the tale. And boy does it work! In the cannon of Sherlock Holmes, Murder by Decree is to Holmes films what On Her Majesty's Secret Service is to the James Bond franchise. Appertaining to the great detective himself, it's the odd one out, a divisive picture, not because it's rubbish or technically shy, but because the main man protagonist dares to be human, a man of conscious; politically, socially and ethically. He's still the same charming, clever and complex character most have come to know and love, but Murder by Decree fronts him out as a human being, with Watson alongside him as a non buffoon bloke doing his bit for the case whilst remaining sensitive about the last pea on his plate! It's these characterisations, splendidly played by two actors of considerable talent, that are at the core of the film's success.
If she dies and you come under my hand? Expect no mercy.
Period production value is high, it has to be for a Jolly Jack based movie. Bring the dark, bring the smog and bring the Victorian costumes (Judy Moorcroft). Then play it out amongst shadowy lamp lighted cobbled streets and let the sets drip with slum London sweat and tears. All that is required then is to have a source story of compelling interest, of which Murder by Decree scores greatly as well. It's fanciful for sure, but the most spectacular of all Ripper theories. From a secret love child to the Freemasons, and up to Royalty itself, it's a potent notion put forward. That is of course conjecture as a solution, but the makers are to be applauded for taking that idea and successfully combining the Arthur Conan Doyle creations with historical reality, something that A Study in Terror fell considerably short on.
Rest of the cast is filled out with some quality as well, where Hemmings, Quayle, Finlay, Gielgud and Bujold don't disappoint, the latter of which gets to really perform with substance in the pivotal scene set in an Asylum. Only real let down is Sutherland, or more like what the makers did (didn't do) with him. His psychic Robert Lees crops up for a couple of small scenes for what we expect will be a telling contribution to the plot, but they aren't. It seems like just an excuse to do Sutherland up like he had just awoken from the grave, and to give the picture some ethereal sheen moments. For the finale and the big reveal of the Ripper, Plummer is simply magnificent. He holds court in front of his peers, including the Prime Minister (Gielgud), and unfurls the explanation with impassioned fortitude, it's then that we realise this was always a Sherlock Holmes movie, and not a Jack the Ripper piece. With that, it's one of the best featuring the Deer Stalker wearing fellow. 9/10
King Kong (2005) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0360717/reference
They just couldn't leave him on his island could they...
King Kong is directed by Peter Jackson and Jackson co-writes the screenplay with Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens. It's based on a story by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace. It stars Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Colin Hanks, Andy Serkis, Evan Parke, Jamie Bell and Kyle Chandler. Music is by James Newton Howard and cinematography by Andrew Lesnie.
After completing the hugely successful Lord of the Rings trilogy, Peter Jackson turned his attentions to a reimaging of that daddy of classic creature features, King Kong. With all the new tools of the trade to hand, Jackson set about making a Kong film full of love and respect for the original from 1933, whilst obviously making his own beast as it were. Story remains the same, mankind sets off to a fabled place known as Skull Island, there they find beasties not of this world, not least a gigantic mountain of a gorilla. They stupidly bring him back to America for money making exercises and things go really bad. The End.
I have personally found it most interesting re-watching the film nearly 15 years since its release, especially given we have not long had a different Kong reboot with "Kong: Skull Island" in 2017. For the differences, for better or worse depending on your proclivities in Kongdom, are enormous. Kong: Skull Island is a no brain adventure yarn, high on action but low on intelligence, but it does know it. Jackson's Kong aspired to be much more cerebral, and for the most part it achieves it. Sadly it takes a whopping 3 hours to reveal its intentions, which was a problem to many back in 2005, and is still a hindrance sitting down to watch it these days - this even knowing and preparing once again for how long it is. Frustratingly there's a great film in the mix just crying out for an hour of extraneous filler and clunky dialogue to be jettisoned.
Once set up has been achieved in the first hour, we finally get to Skull Island and it's an absolute technical treat. The look is fantastic, the turn of events as Kong and his acolytes have been introduced is terrific. From here it's creature feature mayhem, the beauty and the beast aspect kicks into gear, and it's all very comforting, thrilling even - with one exception. A dinosaur stampede looks ridiculous, the blend of human actors and CGI is so poor it belies the money spent on the effects for this production. That aside, though, the action sequences are electric, particularly the monster mash ups. Yet the quite reflective periods on Skull Island really strike a chord as well, just sections where Kong and Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) are chilling out together, taking in the landscape that money mad men want to take Kong away from...
Then it's back to The States and carnage ensues, culminating in a brilliantly staged last quarter of film, where all that superb period detail gets obliterated during the battle between man and beast, and where even now I'm rooting for Kong to win! As the tenderness of the Beauty and the Beast arc subsides - and it is beautiful - it's then that you once again know that Jackson was too indulgent. His cast were on form, Serkis as Kong a revelation, this is a great picture at times, a real treat in High Definition, if only someone had fronted him up to not over indulge. For then we might have a 9/10 movie as opposed to a bloated 7/10 one.
Whip It (2009) - www.imdb.com/title/tt1172233/reference
Be your own hero! Go Babe Ruthless!
Whip It is directed by Drew Barrymore and adapted for the screen by Shauna Cross from her own novel, Derby Girl. Barrymore also co-stars alongside Ellen Page, Alia Shawkat, Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig, Juliette Lewis, Jimmy Fallon, Daniel Stern and Landon Pigg.
Bliss Cavendar (Page), is a bored teenage girl stuck in a rut in Bodeen, Texas. Her life consists of working at the "Oink Joint" restaurant and entering beauty contests to please her mother (Harden). Along with her friend Pash (Shawkat), she dreams of escaping to a better life. Then one day during a trip out to Austin, the girls get wind of Roller Derby, a sport for girls played on roller-skates. Intrigued they go and take in a match and Bliss is hooked straight away, it's tough, competitive and even edgy. Telling a lie about her age, Bliss decides to try out for the "Hurl Scouts" and gets a place on the team as "Babe Ruthless". Thanks to her ability the "Scouts" start to turn around their season, however, with a new boyfriend on the scene and her parents unaware of her secret life, Bliss' new found happiness could come crashing down around her.
In spite of some favourable critical assessments, Drew Barrymore's directing debut barely made a dent at the box office. Just about making its money back on World gross, the figures would lend you to believe that the film simply isn't very good. Plot synopsis doesn't suggest anything out of the ordinary, yet another coming-of-age teenager picture, and one that is sports based, and even more formulaic than that, the sports team at the centre of proceedings is an underdog too! Throw into the equation that it's a female based movie and it's not really a film crying out for all demographics: or is it? Barrymore herself was very disappointed with the marketing for her movie, the general feeling being that it was sold as a girls sports love story type picture. She's absolutely right, it was marketed badly, and it barely had a run on the big screen in most countries. Which is a shame because Whip It is a smashing film, a picture that's vibrant, funny and not without dramatic worth; and yes, it's accessible for any age, sex or gender persuasion. Cross' script is fresh and free of filler and the cast all turn in jolly good shows, ranging from the excellent (Page/Gay Harden) to the engaging (Shawkat/Lewis/Wiig) and the funny (Stern/Fallon). OK, so it's not perfect, Barrymore is no Tony Scott when it comes to shooting action (some of the actual derby matches are confusing and not flowing), and maybe a bit more back-story flesh for the other "Hurl Scouts" wouldn't have gone amiss? But these are minor itches at the beginning of what is hoped to be a long career in directing for Madame Barrymore.
With names like Jabba the Slut, Smashley Simpson and Iron Maven, it's evidently a film full of fun vim and vigour. But as great as that is (girls in skirts on skates belting each other around a track), the coming-of-age drama at its core should not be understated either. 8/10
Done!
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Post by OldAussie on Jun 2, 2019 10:48:07 GMT
Dear Hitch,
I've had Murder By Decree, Time After Time, and Private Life of Sherlock Holmes lined up for a marathon for a while, just waiting for the time to rewatch 3 of my favourites. Great viewing!
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jun 2, 2019 10:52:56 GMT
Dear Hitch, I've had Murder By Decree, Time After Time, and Private Life of Sherlock Holmes lined up for a marathon for a while, just waiting for the time to rewatch 3 of my favourites. Great viewing! I didn't plan it as such, one just led to another. Started with TAT which led me to Ripper, so MBD went in the player next. Which invariably led me to another Sherlock as I hadn't seen it for way too long. Delightful viewings indeed!
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Jun 2, 2019 11:36:15 GMT
Quai des Orfèvres (1947) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0039739/reviews?ref_=tt_ql_op_3 Hark the herald angels sing. Quai des Orfèvres is directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot and Clouzot co-writes the screenplay with Jean Ferry. It is based on the novel Legitime defense written by Stanislas-André Steeman . it stars Louis Jouvet, Suzy Delair, Bernard Blier and Simone Renant. Music is by Francis Lopez and cinematography by Armand Thirard. When high profile business man Georges Brignon is found murdered all evidence points to jealous husband Maurice Martineau - Inspector Antoine takes up the case. Following the backlash and fallout from Le Corbeau in 1943, Henri-Georges Clouzot wasn't allowed to make a film for four years, his return brought about Quai des Orfevres. Although a highly respected master of his craft, Clouzot was frowned upon for the dark approach to human nature in some of his films, whilst his treatment of the actors under his direction is legendary in a bad way. So how interesting to find that his comeback picture is actually one of his most accessible, very much thriving on human interest factors for literally everyone in the picture! This a traditional police who done it procedural in core essence, one that does come with coincidences and contrivances, and yet the characters are so richly drawn, their lives so compelling, that the simplicity of plot is actually irrelevant. We are in post war Paris and the back drop is the world of theatre and nightclubs. Clouzot offers up in the fist instance some film noir staples, a possible femme fatale, gay love from afar, cuckold husband and a grotesque murder victim. Even the acts on the stage have a weirdness to them, Wheeling Winos - one with a paper mache head! Dogs that walk on their hind legs! How wonderful. The clubs are smoky, the streets dimly lighted for menacing atmosphere, Clouzot and Thirard have created a splendid moody world from which to spin the tale. I'll take him for a ride, and what a ride! Pitched at the front is Jenny Lamour (Delair), who is not beyond using her sexuality to further her stage career, which of course doesn't sit well with her highly jealous husband Maurice (Blier), a man clearly punching above his weight with Jenny. Ah but Clouzot is a crafty devil, he has let us into a secret that undermines us the viewer's expectations and that of Maurice. This keeps the question of who is the murderer - and the motive - as a constant intrigue. There's little slices of sexy sauce to tantalise, and the whole play developes into a sort of tragic comedy, but always the characterisations of the key players are earthy and dealing in foibles. Then Inspector Antoine (Jouvet excellent) holds court, a grumpy but stoically deceptive man of his work, film noir has itself another policeman of note. Visually there's some treats, such as the dark shadowy walk that Maurice takes to Villa St Marceaux, arriving at the house which instantly looks like a noir nightmare. Better still is a sequence as we get towards the denouement, Maurice in a holding pen, a sexy lady in the pen next door, as bells ring out she is framed in shadowed bars whilst Maurice's mind begins to fracture. The craft on show is sublime at times, visually and on the page. I'm not over enamoured with Delair as an actress, but conversely Renant is quality and gorgeous into the bargain, while I think the ending should have really gone into black hearted territory. All told though, and this is Clozot's least suspenseful film that I have seen, this is well worthy of time investment for lovers of classic French cinema. 7.5/10
Terrific review of Quai,Spike,which I found to be a strong companion piece to HGC's feature directing debut,with this being what I wrote in 2016. "It's his upbringing,his parents were bourgeois,he sees vice everywhere." Returning to the champagne opened from his 1942 movie The Murderer Lives at Number 21,co-writer/(along with Jean Ferry) director Henri- Georges Clouzot and cinematographer Armand Thirard cloud the bright sparks of the past with the clouds of Film Noir.Going backstage,Clouzot gives the title a touch of old Hollywood glamour,by treating the Cabaret songs (!) and slap-stick antics with an elegant shine. Tearing away at the dazzle with Film Noir blades,Clouzot superbly aims for a stylish depth of field which pulls the darkness over the Lamour's into the limelight,which cracks the backdrop into dazzling shadows seeping Film Noir blood over the decadence. Adapting Stanislas-André Steeman's (then) out of print book from memory (!) the screenplay by Clouzot & Ferry strikes the murder mystery with a brittle Film Noir edge. Firmly placing the Martineau's in a light and fluffy showbiz world,the writers brilliantly criss-cross the "caper" genre into Film Noir,by cleverly cracking the Martineau's "caper" mind set with short,sharp shots of Film Noir reality.Finishing on a Christmas final,the writers thankfully make the path a far from merry one,due to the snow by swept away by Antoine tents investigation shattering the Martineau's pristine image. Enchanting everyone on stage, Suzy Delair gives a glorious performance as Femme Fatale Jenny Lamour,whose thirst for the bright lights Delair drinks up,with a delicacy to keep everyone else coiled round Jenny's fingers,which is displayed by Delair keeping Jenny fixated on the lights,even as Brignon's blood bleeds across the stage.Trying to break the silence, Louis Jouvet gives a great performance as Antoine,thanks to Jouvet pilling Film Noir tension on Antoine's shoulders to make cracks appear in the Martineau's icy relationship.Cast out into the wilderness, Bernard Blier gives an amazing performance as Maurice,who Blier locks into a pressure cooker of rage and doubt,as Maurice tries to keep Jenny in the limelight. 10.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Jun 2, 2019 11:45:40 GMT
Hi Wmc,I hope you are having a good weekend,and how did you find the 1937 Hound to be? This is how I found the Germans using the famous British character (and surprisingly not mocking him) when I saw it: Neine Holmes! 8 Withholding Holmes and Watson for the first 30 minutes,director Carl Lamac and cinematographer Willy Winterstein build a chilling Gothic Noir atmosphere brick by brick,with the Baskerville mansion being surrounded by decaying tress and merciless moors,which close the mansion off from the outside world.Along with the haunting backdrop,Lamac covers the mansion in stark shadows,which along with allowing for the Supernatural Horror mood to light up,also reveals the doubt that Holmes and Watson have over Baskerville and the other residences of the household keeping things hidden in the dark corners of the mansion. Although the ending ties things up far too quickly, Carla von Stackelberg's adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle book superbly mixes intelligently written police protocol with restrained Horror barks and chilling Film Noir loners.Keeping the Baskerville family at the front of the title, Stackelberg hangs the supernatural myth over the household,as Henry Baskerville (played by an amazing,unsteady Peter Voß) finds himself suffering with a deep sense of mistrust,which femme fatale Beryl Vendeleure (played by an alluring Alice Brandt) subtly takes advantage of.Gaining a reputation over the following decades of being a bumbling fool, Stackelberg pulls Watson back to his roots,thanks to Watson showing a real zest for spotting the smallest clue,and also perfectly complimenting the quick-witted aspects of Holmes. For the first Germen sound version of Baskerville, (after 2 Germen Silent versions had been made) Bruno Güttner gives a terrific performance as Holmes,with Güttner really bringing out the calculating side of Holmes,as he pushes aside all of the deadly howls.Closely following Holmes, Fritz Odemar gives a great performance as Watson,who Odermar brilliantly makes the focus of the title,thanks to Odermar giving Watson a gripping energy over following each clue to its solution,as Holmes & Watson put down the hound of the Baskerville.
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Post by wmcclain on Jun 2, 2019 12:04:06 GMT
Hi Wmc,I hope you are having a good weekend,and how did you find the 1937 Hound to be? Lovely weather where I am, finally! Those posters are actually for the 1914 and 1929 silent Baskervilles. Once thought lost they were discovered in different locations and are now available on the same Blu-ray from Flicker Alley. The later has some striking photography, as you would expect from a German film at the end of the silent era. As for the stories: they are "much adapted" and I didn't follow them closely because I was marveling at being able to see the films at all. Each is about 1h5m. The dogs are a problem in both movies: big happy hounds, not very menacing.
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Post by claudius on Jun 2, 2019 12:13:41 GMT
hitchcockthelegend, I'll get to PRIVATE LIFE soon, because of its United Artists connection, as well as next year for the 50th Anniversary. A nice connection to the other two films is that one of the deleted scenes had a depressed Holmes turning down a request to solve the Ripper case.
DARK SHADOWS (1969) “Episode 761-765” 50TH ANNIVERSARY. MPI Video DVD.
CHARMED (1999) “Déjà vu Over Again” 20TH ANNIVERSARY. The conclusion to the first season, and the end for T W King’s Andy. I always thought of this as my favorite season, when the theme was still fresh (The ‘Three-San-Fran-women-who-happen-to-be-witches’ plot before it became the reverse in the latter seasons). Paramount DVD.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (1979) “Buck Henry/Bette Midler” Buck Henry once again hosts the season finale, the last episode for Dan Akroyd (who gets to do Richard Nixon one last time) and John Belushi (who gets his last Samurai and ‘Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger’). Universal DVD.
ROBIN OF SHERWOOD (1984) “The King’s Fool” For almost two decades Richard the Lion-Hearted’s reputation had taken a descent. The noble king of Robin Hood legends is shown as a neglectful monarch more interested in wars then governing, and a rather cruel warrior. THE LION IN WINTER showed him to be ruthless but with massive mommy and daddy issues. ROBIN AND MARIAN had him as a degenerate warrior obsessed with pillaging a castle of children for a gold treasure, only to find it stone with a ‘Oh well’ reaction. THE DEVIL’S CROWN has Richard lauded as the crème de le crème of chivalry but actually a hollow person lacking a stick-to-it-ness in his many plans, selling off anything (“You’re a whore” quote the ghost of his father). And now this episode gives a revisionist twist to the conventional conclusion of past Robin Hood stories and films. Richard has returned, Robin is pardoned, only to find the King’s return won’t mean an end of persecution and taxation but an increase for another out-of-town war (with Richard patronizing Robin as a ‘pet’, aiding his enemies, and secretly signing off his death warrant). Like DEVIL'S CROWN, it plays to the legend of the Plantagenets being of witch (devil) blood, which doesn't set right with me due to my being a descendant of the family via John. from Acorn Media DVD.
THE INCREDIBLES 2 (2018) Netflix Broadcast.
CARRIE (1976) UNITED ARTISTS 100TH ANNIVERSARY. May 27 marks the 40th Anniversary of the fictional event- as told by Stephen King’s novel- of Prom Night, when Carrie White laid waste to the school and the town. First read about the story- mostly Carrie’s revenge- and saw it on TBS in the mid-90s (however, I think I heard something of it earlier- Piper Laurie’s “They’re all going to laugh at you” chant on an Adam Sandler CD), read the book in 1997. Shout Factory BluRay.
GASLIGHT (1944) 75TH ANNIVERSARY (this month) Inspired by a previous thread, I decided to watch this George Cukor thriller with Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman (whose autobiography’s picture of this film- Bergman’s persecuted wife threatening her tied up killer husband- was my intro to this film), and Angela Lansbury in her movie debut. Warner DVD.
FLEABAG (2016) “Episode 3” & “Episode 4” Acorn Media Broadcast.
THE THREE MUSKETEERS (1967) “At Night All Cats Are Gray” 3M 175TH ANNIVERSARY. Koch Video DVD.
THE PARTY (1968) UNITED ARTISTS 100TH ANNIVERSARY Blake Edwards and Peter Sellers’ only non-Closeau outing. Celebrated its 50th Anniversary last year. Olive Bluray.
TO BE OR NOT TO BE (1942) UNITED ARTISTS 100TH ANNIVERSARY. Ernst Lubitsch’s satire of actors vs Nazis in Poland. Carole Lombard’s final film. Criterion DVD.
THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (1984) “The Speckled Band” Knew the title of this case, mainly that it was Raymond Massey’s film debut in a 1931 adaptation. But watching this episode (on A & E in the 1992) was when I learned the full story, especially the memorable moment when the villain tries to intimidate Holmes by bending a poker, with Holmes joyfully bending it back. MPI Video DVD
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN (2012) “Angelic Herald of Death” Viz Media DVD.
TOPPER RETURNS (1941) UNITED ARTISTS 100TH ANNIVERSARY. Third in the Topper series, here a murder mystery with Joan Blondell the ghost asking for Roland Young’s Cosmo Topper to help her find her murderer. I first saw this in the mid-80s on NICK AT NITE MOVIES (Public domain films like HIS GIRL FRIDAY and IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE- back in its ‘On every friggin channel!’ days) and having watched CLUE and HAUNTED HONEYMOON, I found it's ‘Old Dark House’ theme welcome. This is the Colorized version released on Hal Roach Pictures VHS.
DRAGON BALL Z (1989) “Even Yami-Sama is Surprised! The Battle Continues into the Next World!” 30TH ANNIVERSARY (Next month). Funimation DVD
STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK (1984) 35TH ANNIVERSARY. Continuing where STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN ended, the film resolves the predecessor’s ending. Back in the mid-1980s, this was the first STAR TREK film I watched that my child mind kept a memory of (I had snippets of KHAN- the torpedo loading, the Ceti eels scene that put me off the film for a while), watching it constantly when my dad rented it. Remembered the escape, offputted by Kirk's grief, saw the destruction of the Enterprise, and got my first intro to James Horner's music (which will develop once I got over my fear of KHAN and fully watched it about a year later). I did not get a full- post-nostalgic childhood watching of it until 1995 (when I was sharing time with watching A GOOFY MOVIE for the first time). Paramount DVD.
THE WIND IN THE WILLOW (1984) “Mole’s Cousin” 35TH ANNIVERSARY A&E DVD.
DRAGON BALL SUPER (2017) “With Great Joy! The Fighting Freak Saiya-jins’ Battle Rejoined!” Cartoon Network Broadcast.
Earliest Film this month: A TALE OF TWO CITIES (1917) Middle: THE PARTY (1968) Latest Film this month: AVENGERS: ENDGAME (2019)
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jun 2, 2019 13:03:31 GMT
Quai des Orfèvres (1947) - www.imdb.com/title/tt0039739/reviews?ref_=tt_ql_op_3 Hark the herald angels sing. Quai des Orfèvres is directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot and Clouzot co-writes the screenplay with Jean Ferry. It is based on the novel Legitime defense written by Stanislas-André Steeman . it stars Louis Jouvet, Suzy Delair, Bernard Blier and Simone Renant. Music is by Francis Lopez and cinematography by Armand Thirard. When high profile business man Georges Brignon is found murdered all evidence points to jealous husband Maurice Martineau - Inspector Antoine takes up the case. Following the backlash and fallout from Le Corbeau in 1943, Henri-Georges Clouzot wasn't allowed to make a film for four years, his return brought about Quai des Orfevres. Although a highly respected master of his craft, Clouzot was frowned upon for the dark approach to human nature in some of his films, whilst his treatment of the actors under his direction is legendary in a bad way. So how interesting to find that his comeback picture is actually one of his most accessible, very much thriving on human interest factors for literally everyone in the picture! This a traditional police who done it procedural in core essence, one that does come with coincidences and contrivances, and yet the characters are so richly drawn, their lives so compelling, that the simplicity of plot is actually irrelevant. We are in post war Paris and the back drop is the world of theatre and nightclubs. Clouzot offers up in the fist instance some film noir staples, a possible femme fatale, gay love from afar, cuckold husband and a grotesque murder victim. Even the acts on the stage have a weirdness to them, Wheeling Winos - one with a paper mache head! Dogs that walk on their hind legs! How wonderful. The clubs are smoky, the streets dimly lighted for menacing atmosphere, Clouzot and Thirard have created a splendid moody world from which to spin the tale. I'll take him for a ride, and what a ride! Pitched at the front is Jenny Lamour (Delair), who is not beyond using her sexuality to further her stage career, which of course doesn't sit well with her highly jealous husband Maurice (Blier), a man clearly punching above his weight with Jenny. Ah but Clouzot is a crafty devil, he has let us into a secret that undermines us the viewer's expectations and that of Maurice. This keeps the question of who is the murderer - and the motive - as a constant intrigue. There's little slices of sexy sauce to tantalise, and the whole play developes into a sort of tragic comedy, but always the characterisations of the key players are earthy and dealing in foibles. Then Inspector Antoine (Jouvet excellent) holds court, a grumpy but stoically deceptive man of his work, film noir has itself another policeman of note. Visually there's some treats, such as the dark shadowy walk that Maurice takes to Villa St Marceaux, arriving at the house which instantly looks like a noir nightmare. Better still is a sequence as we get towards the denouement, Maurice in a holding pen, a sexy lady in the pen next door, as bells ring out she is framed in shadowed bars whilst Maurice's mind begins to fracture. The craft on show is sublime at times, visually and on the page. I'm not over enamoured with Delair as an actress, but conversely Renant is quality and gorgeous into the bargain, while I think the ending should have really gone into black hearted territory. All told though, and this is Clouzot's least suspenseful film that I have seen, this is well worthy of time investment for lovers of classic French cinema. 7.5/10
Terrific review of Quai,Spike,which I found to be a strong companion piece to HGC's feature directing debut,with this being what I wrote in 2016. "It's his upbringing,his parents were bourgeois,he sees vice everywhere." Returning to the champagne opened from his 1942 movie The Murderer Lives at Number 21,co-writer/(along with Jean Ferry) director Henri- Georges Clouzot and cinematographer Armand Thirard cloud the bright sparks of the past with the clouds of Film Noir.Going backstage,Clouzot gives the title a touch of old Hollywood glamour,by treating the Cabaret songs (!) and slap-stick antics with an elegant shine. Tearing away at the dazzle with Film Noir blades,Clouzot superbly aims for a stylish depth of field which pulls the darkness over the Lamour's into the limelight,which cracks the backdrop into dazzling shadows seeping Film Noir blood over the decadence. Adapting Stanislas-André Steeman's (then) out of print book from memory (!) the screenplay by Clouzot & Ferry strikes the murder mystery with a brittle Film Noir edge. Firmly placing the Martineau's in a light and fluffy showbiz world,the writers brilliantly criss-cross the "caper" genre into Film Noir,by cleverly cracking the Martineau's "caper" mind set with short,sharp shots of Film Noir reality.Finishing on a Christmas final,the writers thankfully make the path a far from merry one,due to the snow by swept away by Antoine tents investigation shattering the Martineau's pristine image. Enchanting everyone on stage, Suzy Delair gives a glorious performance as Femme Fatale Jenny Lamour,whose thirst for the bright lights Delair drinks up,with a delicacy to keep everyone else coiled round Jenny's fingers,which is displayed by Delair keeping Jenny fixated on the lights,even as Brignon's blood bleeds across the stage.Trying to break the silence, Louis Jouvet gives a great performance as Antoine,thanks to Jouvet pilling Film Noir tension on Antoine's shoulders to make cracks appear in the Martineau's icy relationship.Cast out into the wilderness, Bernard Blier gives an amazing performance as Maurice,who Blier locks into a pressure cooker of rage and doubt,as Maurice tries to keep Jenny in the limelight. 10. I read your review last week, excellent and gave it a well deserved tick. You love it clearly, it's a great film but you know me, I'm a miserable git with my noir and want bleak endings. The ending here does the film down for me, but that's just a personal preference and the pic deserves the praise it gets.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Jun 2, 2019 15:06:27 GMT
Terrific review of Quai,Spike,which I found to be a strong companion piece to HGC's feature directing debut,with this being what I wrote in 2016. "It's his upbringing,his parents were bourgeois,he sees vice everywhere." Returning to the champagne opened from his 1942 movie The Murderer Lives at Number 21,co-writer/(along with Jean Ferry) director Henri- Georges Clouzot and cinematographer Armand Thirard cloud the bright sparks of the past with the clouds of Film Noir.Going backstage,Clouzot gives the title a touch of old Hollywood glamour,by treating the Cabaret songs (!) and slap-stick antics with an elegant shine. Tearing away at the dazzle with Film Noir blades,Clouzot superbly aims for a stylish depth of field which pulls the darkness over the Lamour's into the limelight,which cracks the backdrop into dazzling shadows seeping Film Noir blood over the decadence. Adapting Stanislas-André Steeman's (then) out of print book from memory (!) the screenplay by Clouzot & Ferry strikes the murder mystery with a brittle Film Noir edge. Firmly placing the Martineau's in a light and fluffy showbiz world,the writers brilliantly criss-cross the "caper" genre into Film Noir,by cleverly cracking the Martineau's "caper" mind set with short,sharp shots of Film Noir reality.Finishing on a Christmas final,the writers thankfully make the path a far from merry one,due to the snow by swept away by Antoine tents investigation shattering the Martineau's pristine image. Enchanting everyone on stage, Suzy Delair gives a glorious performance as Femme Fatale Jenny Lamour,whose thirst for the bright lights Delair drinks up,with a delicacy to keep everyone else coiled round Jenny's fingers,which is displayed by Delair keeping Jenny fixated on the lights,even as Brignon's blood bleeds across the stage.Trying to break the silence, Louis Jouvet gives a great performance as Antoine,thanks to Jouvet pilling Film Noir tension on Antoine's shoulders to make cracks appear in the Martineau's icy relationship.Cast out into the wilderness, Bernard Blier gives an amazing performance as Maurice,who Blier locks into a pressure cooker of rage and doubt,as Maurice tries to keep Jenny in the limelight. 10. I read your review last week, excellent and gave it a well deserved tick. You love it clearly, it's a great film but you know me, I'm a miserable git with my noir and want bleak endings. The ending here does the film down for me, but that's just a personal preference and the pic deserves the praise it gets. Thanks for the tick Spike (I've also given your review a tick!) With the ending, I get what you mean about it,but it clicked for me as HGC placing this in the divide between his Caper beginnings and bleak Noir's.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Jun 2, 2019 15:09:22 GMT
Hi Wmc,I hope you are having a good weekend,and how did you find the 1937 Hound to be? Lovely weather where I am, finally! Those posters are actually for the 1914 and 1929 silent Baskervilles. Once thought lost they were discovered in different locations and are now available on the same Blu-ray from Flicker Alley. The later has some striking photography, as you would expect from a German film at the end of the silent era. As for the stories: they are "much adapted" and I didn't follow them closely because I was marveling at being able to see the films at all. Each is about 1h5m. The dogs are a problem in both movies: big happy hounds, not very menacing. The two posters you shared are so cool looking Wmc! If you are interested in the '37 version,it is on YT with Eng Subs:
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