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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jul 8, 2019 21:51:00 GMT
This is my groovy week:  Entertaining slam-bang action, done when Bruce Willis was still a fresh name. You can't hold a good man down, even in a dirty undershirt.  This movie I like! Seen it before and it's one of those movie I like to watch from time to time. Character driven thrills. Powerhouse actors that delivers. Bogart and Bacall was a match made in Heaven, they are like two teens checking each others out not saying a word while walking to look after the boats before the hurricane scenes. . Still one of the action template movies after all these. One seized tower block, one sweaty vest and one big set of action cojones.Based on ex cop Roderick Thorpe's 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, Die Hard, directed by John McTiernan, changed the face of the action movie. Starring Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald Veljohnson, Alexander Godunov, William Atherton & Paul Gleason, McTiernan's movie went on to make over $100 million in profit at the box office alone. Spawning three equally successful sequels (at the time of writing), it began a franchise that showed that if done well, the action movie could be a dominant force in the world of cinema. The set up is relatively simple, Willis plays New York cop John McLane who during the Christmas holidays is in L.A. to visit his estranged wife Holly (Bedelia). She works for the Japanese Corporation of Nakatomi, and currently she's attending the company Christmas party up on the 30th floor of the humongous Nakatomi Plaza tower block. Bad day at the office because a group of apparent German terrorists, led by the charismatic Hans Gruber (Rickman), take the whole building hostage: with one exception; McLane, who evades capture and launches a one man war against the terrorists. What follows is just over two hours of high octane action, smart dialogue and technical smarts. McTiernan had already endeared himself to the action movie fan with the ball busting beef stew that was Predator in 87, a fact not lost on Die Hard's co producer Joel Silver, who clearly knew that McTiernan could smoothly shift the action from the Val Verde jungle to the urban jungle of L.A. And he did. Next was to get the right man for McLane. Richard Gere was first choice but passed, so the makers took a gamble on Willis, whose career was at a standstill after his leap from TV show Moonlighting on to the big screen with the likes of Blind Date & Sunset barely making a ripple in Hollywood. The rest for Willis, as they say, is history. McLane is an everyman hero, streetwise, even slobbish, but identifiable to many with his work ethics, desperate heroics and emotional vulnerability. Willis attacks the role with a hunger rarely seen from the big male earners in filmdom. During the two hours and ten minute running time of Die Hard, Willis as McLane changed the face of the action hero for ever; even making a dirty white vest iconic in the process; the latter of which couples nicely with the hero being bare footed throughout for a nifty bit of writing. Across the board the casting is flawless, Bedelia is spunky and driven, a woman worth fighting for. Veljohnson as beat copper Al Powell-McLane's walkie-talkie buddy and only link to the outside world-is memorable because it feels real, he has his own issue gnawing away at him, but his exchanges with Willis keeps the humanity grounded as the carnage unfolds. Gleason & Atherton are wonderfully anal as Deputy Police Chief and TV Reporter respectively, while Hart Bochner as Ellis dishes out one of the best weasel turns to have ever graced a movie featuring corporate suit types. But as Die Hard resembles the great Westerns of yesteryear, much like the great Oaters, Die Hard could only be as good as its chief villain. As Willis' McLane ushered in a new action hero to copy, Rickman's uber intelligent villain set a new benchmark. Snappily dressed, well versed and as charming as they come, Gruber in Rickman's hands is a villain you could quite easily root for! That's further testament to Willis' turn that Rickman doesn't walk away with the movie, both men are from different sides of the fence, good and evil, yet both are characters you can hang your hat on. Quite a trick from McTiernan that. Rickman is ably supported by the scary Godunov as right hand man Karl and Clarence Gilyard Jr. as the cold hearted Theo. Elsewhere the impact of Robert Davi & Grand L. Bush as the two cocksure FBI agents Johnson & Johnson (no relation) should not be underestimated. All the actors, of course, are indebted to the sizzling script by Steven E. de Souza & Jeb Stuart. So to is praise due to photographer Jan de Bont, who in collaboration with McTiernan, produces a camera work lesson for action movies, as the camera swoops in and around the tower, down elevator shafts and up tilt to roofs; with the fight scenes afforded a spatial sheen not expected in the confines of a tower block setting (the film was actually shot at 20th Century Fox's own 2121 Fox Plaza). Even the scoring from Michael Kamen and the sound tracking are of a high standard; check out the various "mood" uses of Beethoven's Ode to Joy from Symphony No.9 and Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 In G Major: Brilliant. The 80s was well served by action movies with the likes of Lethal Weapon and Beverly Hills Cop proving massively popular. But just as Raiders Of The Lost Ark changed the game for action/adventure, so too did Die Hard. It's now the benchmark movie for action, a film that unlike Hills Cop & Lethal Weapon remarkably shows no signs of ageing either. It's no monkey in the wrench or a fly in the ointment, it's the daddy, and the one that all other action movies have to answer to. 10/10  Key Largo. I so agree with you! Intense classic showcasing many wonderful artists. Frank McCloud is in the Florida Keys to visit the widow and father in law of an old war buddy, whilst at the hotel they run, he finds it has been taken over by gangster Johnny Rocco and his thugs. The cast, the performances, the screenplay, tight direction, the photography and on it goes to give us a bona fide entry into 1940s classics. It never ceases to amaze me how well Key Largo stands up on repeat viewings, each viewing bringing something new to my ever keen eye. This latest viewing brought me abundant joy in observing the background acting of the supporting players, not one of them looking on waiting for the director to shout CUT, each adding greatly with intense facial mannerisms - check out some of the background stuff Thomas Gomez does for example. Ah intense, what a truly befitting word to use as regards John Huston's direction here, perfectly capturing the stifling heat of Largo and coupling it with the sweltering tension inside this run down hotel. Key Largo is often thought of as the lesser film from the Bogart/Bacall production line, which in fairness is against some pretty special opposition. Maybe we do lose the sexual chemistry of the mighty duo here? but in its place is a mano-mano face off teetering on the brink of explosion, Edward G Robinson's weasel Rocco in danger of becoming a loose cannon to McCloud's staid drifter, the atmosphere is palpable as this room full of hate and mistrust starts bubbling towards boiling point. Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Edward G Robinson, Lionel Barrymore, Claire Trevor (Academy Award Winner Best Supporting Actress), Thomas Gomez and Harry Lewis are all excellent, all benefiting from master director Huston molding them together. Whilst Karl Freund's deep focus photography perfectly encapsulates the mood of the piece. I just love Key Largo so much, from a heart tugging singing for your drink scene, to a retreating in the shadows shot of Bacall, Key Largo is one of the reasons I became a cinema obsessive. 9/10 
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jul 8, 2019 22:32:34 GMT
Caged Fury / William Berke (1948). Pine-Thomas Productions / Paramount. Serviceable enough programmer running about an hour. This a circus thriller with romantic lion tamers, treacherous clowns, and a lot of beautiful animals being abused. The stars are young lovers Blaney and Kit (Richard Denning and Sheila Ryan) who develop a lion taming act together when star attraction Lola (Mary Beth Hughes) is killed by the ornery lion, Samson. What nobody knows is that Lola’s death was engineered by the clown Smiley (Larry “Buster” Crabbe) to make way for the promotion of Kit who he loves. It is actually Buster Crabbe in a rare villain role who is the main attraction in the center ring. He is the actor with screen presence and charisma who holds the movie together through a lot of standard fist fights, fires, and car crashes. “Caged Fury” only has 26 votes and one user comment at the database so, if you see this you are among an elite few [sarcasm alert].  The Las Vegas Story / Robert Stevenson (1952). RKO. A good cast is wasted on a slack story line from the Howard Hughes run RKO Studio. A high spending couple, Lloyd and Linda Rollins (Vincent Price and Jane Russell) are on their way to L.A. but Lloyd decides to stop in Las Vegas and do some gambling. Vegas is where Linda used to live and sing at the Last Chance Casino. Her old flame Dave Andrews (Victor Mature) is now a Lieutenant with the Clark County Sheriff's Department. He is still bitter for being dumped by Linda years ago. About half of the film’s 88 minute run time is taken up by Linda having to deal with Lloyd’s sudden gambling urge and memories of her time with Dave. A murder occurs at about 46 minutes in. The mystery is solved after only 15 minutes and the remainder of the time involves a drawn out car / helicopter chase and shoot-out. The extended action finale was something of a Hughes trademark. Also in the cast is Hoagy Carmichael, Brad Dexter, and Syd Saylor.  The Scarlet Hour / Michael Curtiz (1956). Paramount Pictures. Revered director Michael Curtiz (The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Wolf, Yankee Doodle Dandy, Casablanca) could tackle successfully just about any genre. In this late film of his (he also produced, the last of only five films where he got that credit), he brings home a typical noir plot (at least on the surface) of a love sick dupe of a man who gets dragged into a crime scheme by a manipulating femme fatale. But there is more going on than is immediately revealed. Pauline (Carol Ohmart) is unhappily married to real estate tycoon Ralph Nevins (James Gregory). She is carrying on a hot affair with her husband’s top seller, “Marsh” Marshall (Tom Tyron). He is head-over-heels for her but Pauline wants a monetary cushion before leaving her husband. While necking in a car on a mountain road one night, the couple overhears some men plotting a jewel robbery at a nearby home of some rich people who are on vacation. Against Marsh’s better judgment, he agrees to pull a hijack and rob the robbers. What could possibly go wrong? Well first, there is a jealous husband who is on their trail. And what about the secretary back at the office (Jody Lawrance) who seems to have a Thing for Marsh? What does she know? And who is the well-dressed gentleman who planned the robbery in the first place? Interesting script full of surprises from three credited writers including Frank Tashlin, better known as a director of comedy films. The only element I feel that could have been bettered are the lead players. This was the film debut of both Ohmart and Tyron. Ohmart attempts to put a little fire into her character even though she can’t quite get there. Tyron, on the other hand, even though his career lasted into the 1970s on his square-jawed classic leading man looks, was always a pretty dull actor. Supporting players Jody Lawrance, James Gregory, and Elaine Stritch show us how it should be done. Recommended late noir from the late output of an important classic film director.  The Big Circus / Joseph M. Newman (1959). Irwin Allen Productions / Allied Artists Pictures. My second circus movie of the week and one too many. The setting is contemporary. Henry Whirling (Victor Mature) is one of the last of the big circus entrepreneurs. He needs a loan and investment from a big bank. The bank agrees as long as he accepts a bank account (Red Buttons) and press agent (Rhonda Fleming) to accompany him. He objects strongly but has not choice. During the course of the movie we see many roadblocks to success crop up to threaten Whirling. The weather is a big one but there is the growing suspicion that a saboteur is among his trusted crew (the traitor is not all that hard to spot). The worst work of the hidden villain is a train wreck that causes the death of one half of the world’s most famous high wire act, the wife half of the Flying Colinos, leaving Zach Colino (Gilbert Roland) alone and despondent. Acting, for the most part, is amateurish and obvious, like the stars weren’t even trying (Roland is the best of the bunch and Buttons is not noticeably bad, either). The rest of the cast includes Vincent Price and the Ringmaster, Peter Lorre as Skeeter the Clown and David Nelson (Ozzie and Harriet) as a trapeze performer. There was a personal reason for watching “The Big Circus.” When My Lovely Wife was in her teens growing up in Wisconsin, she and her family attended the ceremonies in Baraboo, Wisconsin surrounding the opening of the Ringling Bros. Circus Museum. Part of the celebration was the premiere of this movie under review. She got in to see the premiere showing. After it was over, and they were getting ready to leave, Rhonda Fleming appeared on the grounds signing autographs. Her father got a couple of good snaps of Fleming, one which had his daughter in the foreground and the actress in the background. Last summer, she got her pictures and story of the movie and museum published in a popular national magazine of nostalgia for old people (I hate the magazine but am very proud of her publishing achievement). She had not seen “The Big Circus” since that day so we took the opportunity to view it together. - you not submit your reviews Mike? You should, especially in this case. Amateur write ups really help film fans, especially when it's a case like this and there's almost nothing written. Pretty sure I have The Las Vegas Story recorded or on a disc somewhere, your review doesn't inspire confidence. I'll get to it at some point and share with you then. So cool we have done a film noir swap around this week, and positive results both. Thought you would like The Scarlet Hour, just enough there for noir heads to feast on without it being a top draw must see. Just to point out it's Tryon and not Tyron, just in case you submit your writings anywhere else and would want it correctly written. I do it all the time myself, I need folks to point out my errors  What a wonderful story you have attached to The Big Circus  I think it's a pleasing time filler. Big-Top melodrama that's rich with easy on the eye formula. The Big Circus is directed by Joseph M. Newman and jointly written by Irwin Allen (who also produces) and Charles Bennett. It stars Victor Mature, Red Buttons, Rhonda Fleming, Kathryn Grant, Vincent Price and Peter Lorre. Plot sees Mature as Hank Whirling, the owner of The Whirling Circus, where, having seen his partner break away to form his own show, he finds he has to beg a loan off the bank to keep the Whirling show going. The bank agree to the loan but on condition that their financial whizz Randolph Sherman (Buttons) travels along with the show to keep an eye on the finances. He in turn hires publicity agent Helen Harrison (Fleming) to professionally sell the product, but both of them are not wanted by Whirling. However, there are more pressing concerns for the show, there is a saboteur at large and it seems whoever it is will stop at nothing to finish off the Circus. Looking for a Sunday afternoon time filler full of colour, vibrancy and delightful circus sequences? Then look no further than Irwin Allen's The Big Circus, an entertaining and tidy picture that seems to have been forgotten in the wake (fall out) of The Greatest Show On Earth. Making no bones about it, Allen follows the formula of the Cecil B. DeMille behemoth pretty much all the way, only the budget is considerably smaller so it obviously isn't as gargantuan as the 1952 Best Picture Winner. Fair to say there's some overacting, notably from Mature, but the mystery element is played close to the chest, with pretty much everyone under suspicion, and the high wire/trapeze antics are joyous. Nice cast, nice film and easy to recommend to the undemanding crowd. 6.5/10
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jul 8, 2019 22:39:12 GMT
My viewings :
'Canyon Passage' (1946 - Jacques Tourneur)
Pastoral western.
'Dirty Computer : [Emotion Picture]' (2018 - Andrew Donoho & Chuck Lightning)
Science fiction musical.
Thanks. Hope you liked Canyon Passage, one of Tourneur's unheralded diamonds. Gets better on repeat viewings as well. Any man, I suppose, who believes as I do that the human race is a horrible mistake. Canyon Passage is directed by Jacques Tourneur and is adapted by Ernest Pascal from the novel written by Ernest Haycox. It stars Dana Andrews, Brian Donlevy, Ward Bond, Susan Hayward, Lloyd Bridges & Patricia Roc. In support is Hoagy Carmichael who offers up ditties such as the Oscar Nominated "Ole Buttermilk Sky". Music is by Frank Skinner and cinematography by Edward Cronjager. More famed for his moody black & white pieces (a year later he would craft one of film noir's best pics in Out of the Past), Canyon Passage finds Tourneur operating in glorious Technicolor on Western landscapes, the result of which is as gorgeous as it is thematically sizzling. The story follows Andrews' Logan Stuart, a former scout turned store & freight owner who has landed in Jacksonsville, Oregon. Also residing here is the girl he is courting, Caroline Marsh (Roc) and his friend George Camrose (Donlevy) who plans to marry Lucy Overmire (Hayward). However, there are problems afoot as George has a serious gambling problem, one that will send this tiny town into a vortex of turmoil. Affairs of the heart also come under great pressure, and to cap it all off, the Indians are on the warpath after the brutish Honey Bragg (Bond) kills an innocent Indian girl. The first thing that is so striking about Canyon Passage is the town of Jacksonville itself, this is a vastly different Western town to the ones we are used to seeing. Built in a sloping canyon that helps to pump up the off kilter feeling that breathes within the picture, it's also green, very green, but in a most visually interesting way. The greenery and red flowers give a sense of harmony, a sneaky way of diverting the viewer from the smouldering narrative, for we find that Tourneur is delighting in not only painting a pretty picture that belies the trouble bubbling under the surface of this apparent place of prosperity, but he's also revelling in using various camera shots to embody the unfolding story and the characterisations of the principals. This really is a film that begs to be revisited a number of times, for then you find with each viewing comes something new to appraise, to pore over to see just why Tourneur did something in particular. The host of characters are varied and have meaning, each given impetus by the uniformly strong cast - the latter of which is also a testament to the supreme direction from the Parisian maestro. I honestly feel that if this was a John Ford film it would be far better known & appraised accordingly. At time of writing this review it's still something of an under seen and vastly under rated Western, and this in spite of it garnering praise over the last decade or so from some big hitters in the directing and film critic circles. Cronjager's Technicolor photography is rich and piercing, where Tourneur and himself expertly utilise the Diamond Lake and Umpqua National Forest exteriors to expand mood of the story. Skinner's score is excellent, as is Carmichael's (wonderfully creepy characterisation) musical input, while the costuming is top dollar. Now widely available on DVD, there's hope that more people will seek this out. With the number of finely drawn sub-plots, and the wonderful visual delights and directorial tricks, Canyon Passage is essential viewing for Western and Tourneur purists. For sure this is a film that rewards more with each viewing, so just keep your eyes and ears firmly on alert and enjoy. 9/10
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jul 8, 2019 22:52:17 GMT
Gaslight we have covered. Truly great film. Union Pacific. There's nothing like hearing an engine whistle in the still night. Union Pacific is directed by Cecil B. DeMille (aided by others due to illness) and based upon the novel Trouble Shooter, written by Ernest Haycox. It stars Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea, Robert Preston, Brian Donlevy, Akim Tamiroff and Lynne Overman. Story is a fictionalised account of the building of the railroad across the American West, encompassing the trials, tribulations and rivalries that formed as history was being made. "The legend of Union Pacific is the drama of a nation, young, tough, prodigal and invincible, conquering with an iron highroad the endless reaches of the West. For the West is America's Empire, and only yesterday Union Pacific was the West". A big production that went down a storm at the box office upon release, Union Pacific, in spite of its overt patriotic bluster, is an entertaining and important part of the Western movie story. Alongside John Ford's Stagecoach, which was released a couple of months previously, DeMille's movie helped take the Western to a new and more adult level. It wouldn't be until the 50's that the Western truly found its mojo, but the influence of both Stagecoach and Union Pacific was firmly felt through each passing decade. Film manages to be literate whilst puncturing the plot with doses of action, the story underpinned by a love triangle between McCrea, Stanwyck and Preston. The former as the stoic troubleshooter brought in to keep order, the latter as the charming villain with a heart. Cast all work well with the material to hand, and if one is not bothered by the historical tampering involved in the story? Then it's an easy film to recommend to Western movie seekers. 7/10
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Post by mikef6 on Jul 9, 2019 2:51:57 GMT
Caged Fury - you not submit your reviews Mike? You should, especially in this case. Amateur write ups really help film fans, especially when it's a case like this and there's almost nothing written. Pretty sure I have The Las Vegas Story recorded or on a disc somewhere, your review doesn't inspire confidence. I'll get to it at some point and share with you then. So cool we have done a film noir swap around this week, and positive results both. Thought you would like The Scarlet Hour, just enough there for noir heads to feast on without it being a top draw must see. Just to point out it's Tryon and not Tyron, just in case you submit your writings anywhere else and would want it correctly written. I do it all the time myself, I need folks to point out my errors I do sometimes submit my reviews to the database but maybe should be more consistent. I will be sure to put up my Caged Fury musings. Thanks for catching my gaff on Tom Tryon/Tyron's last name. Got that all squared away.
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Post by vegalyra on Jul 10, 2019 1:20:07 GMT
 Battle Beneath the Earth (1967) One of the sillier films I've seen in awhile, the film definitely reminds me of those films that used to regularly play on Saturday mornings on the local UHF stations back in the '80s (probably '70s too but I was too young to remember that). Apparently a rogue band of Communist Chinese soldiers have invented a laser boring machine that is capable of tunneling quickly and easily through the earth's crust and has managed to make its way under the Pacific Ocean to the United States to plant atomic weapons under key American cities. A scientist has been studying underground vibrations that weren't typical mine operations and is arrested by the local Las Vegas police for disturbing the police (the film opens with him making a scene near all the casinos by keeping his ear to the ground and yelling loudly "they are under us already, these ants!" He ends up in the local mental asylum but is friends with Kerwin Mathews who works for US Naval Intelligence. Apparently the military has been dealing with some odd coincidences of seismic disturbances and Mathews had been the lead on a naval project with deep sea submersibles, one of which was destroyed by falling underwater rocks caused by seismic activity. The activities by the Chinese draw attention to an old abandoned mine which Mathews is tasked with investigation and an odd Chinese medallion is found along with a passage underground that is too perfectly cut to have been done by conventional methods. Eventually the Chinese are discovered and the scientist that was arrested at the beginning is tasked by the US government to develop a way to detect where all the Chinese boring activities are occurring and also to develop a laser boring machine as well to find the main passage to the single tunnel that the Chinese dug that runs under the Pacific Ocean. Mathews leads another team (after having disarmed quite a few of the atomic bombs) including a beautiful local geologist (who doesn't know not to step on hot molten rocks) to locate the main passage and after some Chinese induced hypnotism and most of his team getting killed manage to destroy most of the Chinese forces underground and set off an atomic bomb that destroys the passage and ends the threat to the US. The film ends with a nuclear blast going off in the distance and Kerwin Mathews and the beautiful geologist sitting outside of a cave entrance viewing the blast. A silly film, but the story is fun enough and the acting played so straight that it's worth a late night view. . Can't believe I have never seen this one, I do have a kink for these silly sci-fi cheese sandwiches - prefer them to have strange creatures in them though  I'll stick it on my radar. I presume you got the WB Double Pack to watch this and the Brynner? Yes, I picked up the WB Double Pack, it's definitely a good value. The transfers are excellent for some relatively obscure films and are in the proper widescreen format. I actually picked up the double pack for this film, I've always liked Kerwin Mathews and his filmography is relatively small so it's been fairly easy to collect most of his films, although I'm missing a few. The one I never thought would see a release is the Killer Likes Candy but it came out on DVD, albeit in a fairly poor transfer (4:3 pan scan). This double pack is worth the price of admission, I think you'll enjoy it if you like this sort of film and know going into it it's cheese!
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jul 11, 2019 5:18:47 GMT
Battle Beneath the Earth. Can't believe I have never seen this one, I do have a kink for these silly sci-fi cheese sandwiches - prefer them to have strange creatures in them though I'll stick it on my radar. I presume you got the WB Double Pack to watch this and the Brynner? Yes, I picked up the WB Double Pack, it's definitely a good value. The transfers are excellent for some relatively obscure films and are in the proper widescreen format. I actually picked up the double pack for this film, I've always liked Kerwin Mathews and his filmography is relatively small so it's been fairly easy to collect most of his films, although I'm missing a few. The one I never thought would see a release is the Killer Likes Candy but it came out on DVD, albeit in a fairly poor transfer (4:3 pan scan). This double pack is worth the price of admission, I think you'll enjoy it if you like this sort of film and know going into it it's cheese! . Yes, when he died I did a thread on the old IMDb and was pleased to find others who were fans. I mean come on! the bloke was not only the best Sinbad but also Jack the Giant Killer.
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Post by MrFurious on Jul 12, 2019 14:53:57 GMT
Actually watched loads of movies on Sunday June 30th Jungle(17) The Girl on the Train(16) The Lego Ninjago Movie(17)(3D) and the 2 I really loved The Equalizer 2(18) gotta be one of my favourite directors now, himself + Denzil always entertain. And great doc he made about Ali recently too. Upgrade(18) Lovely surprise. and one on Wednesday Little Lord Fauntleroy(36) and Saturday Labyrinth(86) rewatch Three Days of the Condor(75) rw |
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