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Post by friendofmilhouse on Apr 17, 2017 0:05:58 GMT
One Hour With You (US-1932) dir. Ernst Lubitsch
"When I married her, she was a brunette.
Now, you can't believe a word she says."
Maurice Chevalier is happily married to Jeanette MacDonald, but then his wife's best friend sets her sights on him.
Of all the Lubitsch pre-code musicals, his last is also one of the best.
Consistently witty and consistently saucy, it is a joy from start to finish.
Now, take it away, Maurice!
****
Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (US-1943) dir. Roy William Neill
After being recruited into the war-effort and chasing German spies in the previous three films, Sherlock Holmes returns to his roots with a whodunit in an old mansion. The only reference to the war being that one wing of the mansion is now being used to treat convalescing soldiers. Indeed that's nearly the only reference to modern day, as the movie, based on Conan Doyle's The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual, could have easily been set in Victorian times, with a plot that delights in throwing together as many Gothic murder mystery tropes it can think of: creaky old houses, dark family histories, sinister butlers, secret passageways,... all making for a fun instalment in the series.
***
King of Kings (US-1961) dir. Nicholas Ray
Hollywood giving the life of Jesus the full Technicolor wide-screen 6-track stereo treatment.
Predictably, it favours spectacle over spirituality. The film pits the teachings of Jesus against the actions of Barabbas, here not a common criminal, but the leader of an armed uprising against the Roman occupation. And while the filmmakers want it to be known they side with Jesus, they are clearly much more comfortable with scenes of violence than with portraying divinity.
The third act especially, from the Last Supper to Christ's death and resurrection lacks a certain, shall we say, Passion, devolving into little more than a series of pious tableaux.
Jeffrey Hunter plays his blue-eyed Jesus with that permanently zoned out look that is supposed to suggest deep religiosity, the international cast provides a plethora of European accents and fake beards, and while Miklós Rózsa's decidedly unsubtle score is overwrought, it fits the film perfectly.
**
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (US-2016) dir. Edward Zwick
For hundreds of years, people have ran with clenched fists. Then one day, Tom Cruise figured out that he could run with hands straight and promptly became a Hollywood mega-star.
Jack Reacher: Never Say Never Again is a movie that exists solely to demonstrate Cruise's revolutionary running technique.
Like a porn movie, the plot in Jack Reacher: Never Stop Stopping only exists to take us from one money-shot to the next: Tom Cruise running in the streets, Tom Cruise running on an airfield, Tom Cruises running through a parade.
Jack Reacher: Never Give a Sucker an Even Break will go down in cinema history as the greatest Tom Cruise running film ever made.
*1/2
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Post by howardschumann on Apr 17, 2017 0:14:33 GMT
SONG TO SONG
Directed by Terence Malick, U.S., (2016), 130 minutes
Observing, feeling, thinking, day dreaming, or simply throwing up your hands in exasperation. You may be engaged in all or none of the above when watching Terence Malick’s (“Knight of Cups”) Song to Song, a dreamlike exploration of love and betrayal. Whatever does come up for you, however, and whether or not you have any idea where the film is going, the ride is never less than fascinating. Malick’s films will never be to everyone’s liking, yet like other directors whose work shattered boundaries and were not fully appreciated until after their death, the totality of his work may take time to fully assess.
Similar to Malick’s recent films “To the Wonder” and “Knight of Cups,” Song to Song is a film of mood, memories, and impressions that examines our disconnection from the sacred in our quest for sex, power, and money. Set in Malick’s old stomping grounds of Austin, Texas, the film opens as budding musicians, singer Faye (Rooney Mara, “Lion”) and songwriter BV (Ryan Gosling, “La La Land”) meet at a party thrown by high-living record producer Cook (Michael Fassbender, “The Light Between Oceans”), a man of considerable power in the industry who they look to for a foothold.
Faye and BV begin a relationship that is playfully erotic, and, in typical Malickian fashion, replete with voice-overs, whispering, introspection, and philosophizing. “I was desperate to feel something real. I wanted to be free the way he was,” Faye says and “Any experience was better than no experience,” a dubious proposition at best. BV teases her with such pronouncements as “Just tell me a complete lie. You can say anything you want to me. That's the fun about me.” Seeking something “real,” she shows houses for a living - suburban homes and high rise apartments in Austin that become the background set for her romantic trysts.
Since Faye admits that she feels nothing and is open to various kinds of pleasures, she becomes involved with both BV and Cook, (a reality that takes BV a long time to discover) as well as taking part, albeit half-heartedly, in a Lesbian affair with French artist Zoey (Bérénice Marlohe, ”Skyfall”). When he learns about Faye’s “betrayal”, he fends off his ex-wife Lykke’s (Lykke Li) overtures and hooks up with the older Amanda (Cate Blanchett), who may remind him of his overbearing mother Judy (Linda Emond, "Indignation").
Cook meets and eventually marries Rhonda (Natalie Portman, “Jackie”) a waitress in a local coffee shop, but it doesn’t turn out well as Cook turns to prostitutes to maintain his freedom from the captivity of marriage. The film meanders from theme to theme and song to song in which Malick embraces the music scene in Austin in an eclectic soundtrack. Featured are the music of Patti Smith, Iggy Pop, Bob Dylan and Bob Marley as well as classical composers Maurice Ravel, Gustav Mahler, and Arvo Part. While the characters realize that their lives have been inauthentic, there is still little joy.
Malick depicts relationships in terms of fleeting moments that constantly move in and out of our consciousness, never quite tangible enough to grasp or provide satisfaction. Continually seeking their heart’s desire, the characters only slowly realize the emptiness of the promise. Underneath their search for connection, there is a spiritual longing that can be sensed but not understood. One character says that something is out there that is trying to find us, but the “something” remains obscure. While passion does exist in Malick’s visions of nature captured by cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (“Birdman”), and the film exudes grace in the Leonardo drawing of the Virgin Mary and the painting of the Madonna on a building wall, Song to Song brings us close to the edges of spirituality without fully trusting us to come to grips with something larger than ourselves.
GRADE: B+
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Post by howardschumann on Apr 17, 2017 0:16:00 GMT
HIDDEN FIGURES
Directed by Theodore Melfi, U.S., (2016), 124 minutes
Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson are not household names. In fact, they were not even on the radar until Theodore Melfi’s film Hidden Figures told their story. Based on the book of the same name by Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures is about three African-American women working at NASA in the 1960s who broke through barriers of race and gender to become essential contributors to the U.S. space program and without which, famous astronauts such as John Glenn and Allan Shepard would probably have never flown. All three were employed by NASA but only as “computers,” people who worked for the engineering and flight sections performing manual calculations.
As the space program pushed through boundaries to match the Russian man in space program, barriers had to be broken on the ground as well to complete a successful mission. Though it was 1961 and the civil rights movement had already begun under the leadership of Martin Luther King, restaurant lunch counters, water fountains in public parks, libraries, and bathrooms were still segregated. In the film which was nominated for Best Picture at the 2017 Oscars, the three women, Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) have to deal with humiliating incidents of racial prejudice they repeatedly encounter on the job though they were as brainy and qualified as their male counterparts.
What they lacked was the title of engineer and mathematician and the respect of equal pay for equal work. Dorothy is denied the title of supervisor by her boss Vivian Mitchell (Kirsten Dunst) even though she is already doing supervisor’s work. Mary wants to become an engineer and work in the engineering section, but she requires college courses which can only be taken at a school that denies entry to people of color. Katherine, a mathematics genius, works on a Special Task Force for Al Harrison (Kevin Costner), but her main job is to check the calculations of her white male co-workers, including that of the coldly disdainful Paul Stafford (Jim Parsons). They all feel the pressure to do their jobs without complaining unless they are labeled as troublemakers.
This means the indignity of Katherine putting up with having to walk a half mile to go to the nearest “colored” rest room, Mary having to go to court just to be able to take night classes at the local high school, and Dorothy having to plead her case to her boss to be given the title of Supervisor. Hidden Figures is more than an entertaining feel-good movie, though it is that. It is a long overdue recognition of what life was like for African-Americans under segregation and the special burden that women had to face. While the film is a hard-edged depiction of racial prejudice, it is not preachy or one-dimensional but treats its protagonists as human beings who deserve our respect and admiration.
Melfi cares for his characters, showing Katherine’s courtship by Colonel Jim Johnson (Mahershala Ali) and the women’s family and church life with warmth and humor. Granted the film is not notable for its depth of characterization or its subtlety and Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughn, and Mary Jackson were not saints, yet the truth is that saints are not necessarily those who perform miracles, but are also those who stand up for human dignity. In that respect, the three women deserve the title.
GRADE: B+
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Post by manfromplanetx on Apr 17, 2017 4:02:14 GMT
In memoriam of the recent passing of Croatian actor Relja Bašić (14 February 1930 – 7 April 2017) we had a re-watch of the marvellous Yugoslavian Black Wave Classic... Rondo (1966).
Zvonimir Berković director and screenwriter was also a musician,
Rondo is a musical form with a recurring leading theme that is played with slight variations. Mozart's Rondo in A-Minor is repeatedly played throughout the film.
Every Sunday afternoon a chess party is repeated but with small variations. A lonely bachelor and judge Mladen (Stevo Žigon) comes to play chess with his friend, the sculptor Fedja (Relja Bašić), gradually he falls into an affair with Fedja's wife Neda (Milena Dravić).
The chess board is the dynamic centre of the film, the moves mirroring the emotional developments of the three main characters who are slowly drawn into a triangular and moral crisis.
Set in a cosy middle-class environment, Rondo was very different from previous Yugoslav film traditions, it introduced an aesthetic of a modernist psychological novel for the first time into Croatian cinema.
An Excellent film in every aspect ....
L'invitation (1973) Sweden/France, Director Claude Goretta
After the death of his mother, middle-aged insurance employee inherits her small cottage . Selling the cottage which is situated on unexploited ground near the centre of the city makes him a rich man, he buys a mansion in the countryside. and decides to throw a big garden party, inviting all his colleagues from the office, his only friends. Aided by alcohol, the guests gradually lose all their inhibitions and reveal personality traits, their true natures, normally keep hidden in their office environment.
An entertaining Excellent film, an incisive, clever and cruel social satire.
Kuro no tesuto kâ , Black Test Car (1962) Japan , Directed by Yasuzô Masumura
Two car manufacturers spy on each other to try to find out details and prices of a new sports car each is about to launch. The dark tale depicts the moral and ethical failures along the cut-throat road to corporate dominance.
Classed as a Neo-Noir this is a thoroughly engaging & Excellent drama film ...
Pyat vecherov , Five Evenings (1979) Russia, Directed by Nikita Mikhalkov
Set in the late fifties a compelling melodramatic story of past love, re-connected after years of absence.. Confined to apartment settings, filmed in a sepia tone until colour lightens the world, driven by a standout cast..
Another great cinematic art work from the wonderful directorial craftsmanship of Nikita Mikhalkov.
El dependiente , The Dependent (1969) Argentina, Directed by Leonardo Favio
Fernandez is a lonely man leading a lonely life. All Fernandez does is work for an old man in a hardware store while he patiently awaits the nagging old mans death, so that he can inherit the business which has been promised .
He meets the girl of his dreams and becomes increasingly involved with her and her eccentric family.
An intriguing and dark drama plays out an Excellent oddity from Classic Argentine cinema
Oi kynigoi , The Hunters (1977) Greece, Directed by Theodoros Angelopoulos
It is New Year's Eve. 1976. On a Greek island a party of bourgeois hunters comes upon a body buried in the snow, miraculously preserved by the cold. By his uniform, he appears to be one of the thousands of communist partisans killed during the civil war of 49. Merging poetic metaphor and historic reconstruction each member of the hunting party representative of the ruling elite, Greece's post-war Right, are placed symbolically on trial.
The film becomes a biting commentary, an extraordinary allegory for the persistence of the guilt of the past, which has shaped the contemporary political landscape.
An Excellent film, at times is not easy going as the time frame jumps back across the decades to highlight significant political moments in post WW11 Greek history,
Some interesting background research since has given a greater depth of understanding.
John og Irene, John & Irene (1949) Denmark, Directed by Asbjørn Andersen/ Anker Sørensen
A Danish Film Noir.... John is driven to distraction by partner Irene who desires greater things in her life, he becomes entangled in a dark crime which is replayed in a flashback story .
An Excellent highly atmospheric, sombre noir melodrama...
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Post by Matthew the Swordsman on Apr 17, 2017 6:35:48 GMT
I watched 2 features, 39 shorts (ranging from 1897 to 1974), 5 TV episodes, over a dozen vintage "News Brief" segments, 3 TV excerpts, various newsreel segments, plus various old TV commercials.
FILM:
Shades of Puffing Billy (1967, Australia, 10 minutes) - 7.5/10. A documentary, without narration, showing the heritage railway known as Puffing Billy, an old steam train. This is actually somewhat near where I live, so this film was extra cool to me. You could probably do the same film today and it wouldn't be that different.
La petite fille et son chat (1899, France, 40 seconds) - 7/10. Just a cute little film depicting a child feeding a cat. Who doesn't love cat videos? There's nothing outstanding about this, but there is something charming about seeing a 19th century child, so happy and carefree.
Adelaide Advances (1954, Australia, 10 minutes) - 7.5/10. Short documentary (with odd narration), showing the Australian city of Adelaide. Unfortunately, the city has gone downhill since this film was made (cars aren't made there any more, for example). Fun fact: In 1955, when this short was shown in Sydney at the Hoyts Regent, it accompanied the Clark Gable film "The Tall Men", along with the short subjects "Volcano Violence" (not on IMDb), "Bearly Asleep" (with Donald Duck), and a Movietone newsreel. Sounds like a fun evening!
Play Safe (1936, USA, 8 minutes) - 8/10. Simple in storyline, but beautifully done, this is a wonderful cartoon short.
Christmas Comes But Once a Year (1936, USA, 8 minutes) - 7.5/10. An interesting cartoon, very much of its era.
Inquest (1939, UK, 58 minutes) - 7/10. Courtroom drama with a twist ending. A bit repetitive, but enjoyable. This film was based on a play, which during 1939 was also adapted for TV (yes, the British had TV in the 1930s).
Night Was Our Friend (1951, UK, 59 minutes) - 6.5/10. Odd that the rating on IMDb is relatively positive (6.1/10), yet the reviews are extremely negative. I thought this film was somewhat better than mediocre, although I admit the pacing is far too slow. But I don't mind slow pacing that much....it actually felt more like a live TV play than a film, which I don't think is a bad thing....
Egyptian Fakir with Dancing Monkey (1903, USA, under 2 minutes) - 7/10. Hard to rate this short, which depicts an entertainer. But it was interesting.
A Scrap in Black and White (1903, USA, Slightly over 1 minute) - 6/10. An odd little film. It depicts a boxing match between two kids, one of them white and the other black. Strangely there doesn't seem to be any racial tensions in this film, despite the violent subject matter and the period it was made.
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1903, USA, 19 minutes) - ?/10. An impossible to rate film. Everything about it is too far removed from our present-day world. But it is very interesting.
The Gay Shoe Clerk (1903, USA, slightly over 1 minute) - 8/10. It's the world's first sex comedy! Well, not exactly. We do get to see an ankle covered with a sock. But the humour is still funny, strangely enough.
West Country Journey (1953, UK, 26 minutes) - 7.5/10. Basically a travelogue showing the countryside. Filmed in colour. Not bad at all. From the DVD set "British Transport Films Collection One: A Future on Rail".
Under the River (1959, UK, 21 minutes) - 7.5/10. A documentary about the building of a train tunnel during the 19th century. From the DVD set "British Transport Films Collection One: A Future on Rail".
Holiday (1957, UK, 17 minutes) - 8/10. Wow. Scenes of a vacation in Blackpool, with little narration, a jazz soundtrack, and it's in glorious Technicolor! (well, more likely Eastmancolor, but it's still vibrant 1950s colour film). Very entertaining travelogue, better than most. From the DVD set "British Transport Films Collection One: A Future on Rail".
Turning the Tables (1903, USA, slightly over 1 minute) - 6/10. Poorly filmed comedy. With better direction this could have been a lot better. Is it just me, or do cops always have a bad time in silent film?
What Happened in the Tunnel (1903, USA, about 1 minute or so) - 7/10. Even with its racial stereotyping, the joke somehow works...the gender relations are interesting, and it is two women who get the last laugh on the man.
The Great Train Robbery (1903, USA, 12 minutes) - 7.5/10. Simplistic by today's standards, but for 1903, quite good. It still remains action-packed. The copy I viewed is from the "Edison: Invention of the Movies" DVD set, which featured a moderate amount of hand-tinting.
Rector's to Claremont (1904, USA, slightly under 4 minutes) - 7/10. This film is wrong, The ending is unsatisfactory, the pacing is too slow, the editing is bad, and it runs for too long (yes, a 4 minute film can run for too long!). One reviewer on IMDb suggests this film never saw release. That wouldn't surprise me at all. But I give it 7/10 for its views into a place back in the early 1900s.
I Am a Litter Basket (1959, UK, 6 minutes) - 8/10. A litter bin at a train station is greatly saddened by the fact that people refuse to put their rubbish in him. Instead these awful people keep dropping their rubbish all over the train station floor. The litter bin is hungry, and wants some rubbish. The litter bins then decide to travel across the train station, frightening people, in an effort to get them to put their trash in the bin. Yet no matter what, people keep refusing their put their trash in the bins. The litter bins are greatly saddened and depressed because of this. (yes, I am actually describing the plot of this film, which is truly one of the oddest things I've seen so far this year).......I watched this short via the DVD release "British Transport Films Collection: Volume One". There's also a copy on YouTube, but it is in fake widescreen. Ugh. I hate fake widescreen.
Designed in Britain (1959, UK, 14 minutes) - 8/10. If you like mid-century design, then you'll love this documentary short. There's little narration, just a rapid seres of shots depicting everything from cups to buildings, accompanied by music. Even the tower blocks look good. In glorious colour. The film can be viewed on the DVD set "The COI Collection Volume Two: Design for Today".
Danse fleur de lotus (1897, France, 1 minute) - 8/10. The "serpentine dance" film was a popular genre in 19th century cinema. This particular example is no better and no worse than most others. But this is such a delightful type of film that I really enjoyed it anyway. This film was directed by Alice Guy, the world's first female film director.
Parke Davis' Employees (1899, USA, under 1 minute) - 7.5/10. Although produced in 1899, it wasn't copyrighted until 1903, hence the date at the start of the film. I love seeing 19th century scenes of life. In this case, we see workers leaving a factory. Some of them are well-dressed women on bicycles, wearing simple hats. The film exists as a "paper print", a type copyright record which unintentionally preserved the films. In the 1950s the Library of Congress transferred these paper prints to film, and these new copies began circulating, at a time when interest in old films was increasing. I believe some of the paper prints have been re-transferred again, with improved picture quality compared to the 1950s transfers.
Train Time (1952, UK, 29 minutes) - 8/10. A documentary (with dramatised sequences) depicting the work at keeping trains on time. A lot more interesting than it sounds, with some beautifully filmed footage of trains in black-and-white. According to the DVD I watched it on, this short did receive a mainstream theatrical release. It's hard to imagine a documentary short getting a theatrical release these days. From the DVD set "British Transport Films Collection One: A Future on Rail".
Designing Women (1948, UK, 22 minutes) - 7.5/10. IMDb describes this as a "documentary", but is isn't, although it was intended to be educational. It features a married couple, moving into their new apartment, and trying to decide what furniture to use. Two women, "Miss Design" and "Miss Arty", magically appear and can make furniture appear from nowhere. Miss Arty's layouts for the rooms are too fussy, with showy furniture which is poorly made and impractical. Miss Design shows the furniture and decorations must be practical, well-made and pleasant to look at.....this short film was intended to show post-war housewives how to decorate their houses. I must admit, I don't know how it was distributed. I do know that it was shown on BBC TV in 1948, but I am certain it wasn't produced for TV (BTW, one of the broadcasts was on 19 July 1948, on a schedule which also included the classic feature film "Made for Each Other"). The film can be viewed on the DVD set "The COI Collection Volume Two: Design for Today".
Fully Fitted Freight (1957, UK, 19 minutes) - 7.5/10. A documentary about freight trains, beautifully filmed in black-and-white. From the DVD set "British Transport Films Collection One: A Future on Rail".
Watched a bunch of 1920s newsreel clips from British Pathe, including: "Le Mans Grand Prix" (1921), "Inside The Gates Of Soviet Russia" (1921), "Germany To New York Non Stop" (1924), "Motorcycle Trials" (circa 1920-1924), "Will The Tango Come Back?" (1925). "With Eve At Blackpool" (1926), "Paris Motor Show - 1926", "Morocco's Sultan Mohammed V In Procession" (1927), "Irish Dog Show" (1928), "Express Train Disaster" (1927), "In Fashion's Train" (1925), and "Parking Problem Solved" (1927).
IBM at the Fair (1965, USA, 7 minutes) - 7/10. Amusing little film using time-lapse photography, and filmed at the IBM Pavilion at the World's Fair. This was not a theatrical release, but shown to IBM employees for their amusement.
A Computer Glossary (1968, USA, 8 minutes) - 8/10. A non-theatrical release, this was shown at the 1968 World's Fair, and was produced for IBM. It takes common computer terms of the period and explains what they mean, and in the process explains how a computer works. This is done using a series of amusing animations.
Design for Today (1965, UK, 15 minutes) - 7.5/10. A short subject showing footage of all sorts of things, many of them with typically 1960s design. There's little narration, and the footage consists of very brief clips accompanied by a nicely dated soundtrack. Everything from vehicles to office equipment to interior design is covered. The film can be viewed on the DVD set "The COI Collection Volume Two: Design for Today".
Watched a bunch of "British Pathe" newsreel stories from 1957, including: "Malaya's New Era", "The Motor Show", "Hair Styles By Steiner", "U.S.S.R. - Satellite Dog", "Triple Crash In Grand Prix", "Alpine Rescue", "Tornado Havoc", "German Motor Show - Frankfurt", "Miss Europe Contest", "4th Boy Scout Jamboree In USA", "The Refugee Situation", "Hearing Aids", "Assassination Of President Armas Of Guatemala", "Britain's H-Bomb", and "Moscow - May Day Celebration". I posted links to these on the 50s TV board, even though they aren't TV clips.
Snowdrift at Bleath Gill (1955, UK, 10 minutes) - 7.5/10. Documentary about a train which is stuck in the snow. From the DVD set "British Transport Films Collection One: A Future on Rail".
The Masquerader (1914, USA, 12 minutes) - 7.5/10. Nothing outstanding, just an enjoyable one-reel comedy short. Charlie Chaplin was improving rapidly during this period.
His New Profession (1914, USA, 12 minutes) - 7/10. Another Charlie Chaplin comedy.
Watched a bunch of 1963 newsreel items from "British Pathe", including: "Motor Show", "Academy Awards", "Active Volcano Mount Agung Erupts", "Kennedy in Ireland", "Semi-Finals Leicester V Liverpool", "The Girl from Space", "A New Miss World", "Tragic Canadian Aircrash", "Canada Likes Hovercraft, "Cold War Ending?", and "Roulette Fashions".
Watched Australian Cinesound newsreel item from 1963: "36 Ince Water Pipe New Australian Invention Gets World Acclaim".....yes I really will watch anything!!
Watched a bunch of 1947 news items from the "British Pathe" series of cinema newsreels. These news items included "Latest Fur Fashions", "Travel Fashions", "People in Camera - Skirt Battle" (and some other story on the same YouTube upload), "Paris Fashions", and several of the "Fashion Feature" segments. I viewed these on YouTube, and posted links to them on the 40s TV board (although they aren't TV clips).
Watched a segment from a 1947 Australian Cinesound newsreel, "Australian Spring Fashions". I also posted this on the same thread as the above clips.
Watched yet more newsreel items from "British Pathe". These include: "Motor Show Opens" (1950), "Motor Show" (1951), "The Paris Motor Show" (1952), "Motor Show" (1953), "Britain's Cars On Parade Aka Britain's Cars On Show" (1954), "Italian Motor Show Aka Italy - Motor Show" (1955), "French Auto Show" (1956), "Motoring News - New York" (1956), "France's Motor Show" (1957), "Dutch Hold International Car Show" (1958), "Commercial Motor Show" (1958), and "Motor Show" (1959). I viewed these on YouTube, and posted links to them on the Automobiles board.
The Great Highway (1966, UK, 20 minutes) - 7.5/10. A documentary about the history of the British railway system. From the DVD set "British Transport Films Collection One: A Future on Rail".
The Heart Is Highland (1952, UK, 20 minutes) - 7/10. Another documentary (in this case a travelogue, showing scenes of Scotland. A rather dated film at times, but benefits from being filmed in colour (the credits mention Technicolor, but unfortunately it isn't three-strip). From the DVD set "British Transport Films Collection One: A Future on Rail", although it doesn't have the slightest thing to do with trains.
The Heart of England (1954, UK, 19 minutes) - 7.5/10. Another travelogue, showing off the English countryside. The narration tries a bit too hard to be poetic. Enjoyable though. From the DVD set "British Transport Films Collection One: A Future on Rail", although it doesn't have the slightest thing to do with trains. It was however produced by the British Transport Commission, and this is not unusual, since companies like Shell and BP also produced films without any trace of advertising.
Kepler's Laws (1974, USA, 3 minutes) - 6/10. Dated educational film of no note.
The Rounders (1914, USA, 13 minutes) - 8/10. Hilarious comedy featuring Charles Chaplin and Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle. It’s a rough film (in both content and production style), but it’s very enjoyable.
The New Janitor (1914, USA, 12 minutes) - 7.5/10. Another Charlie Chaplin short, this time with a good plot.
Cyclists Special (1955, UK, 15 minutes) - 7.5/10. A bunch of cyclists take a train ride, and then ride their bicycles in the English countryside. Beautifully dated in ways you’d never expect. From the DVD set "British Transport Films Collection One: A Future on Rail".
Danse du papillon (1900, France, Under 1 minute) - 7/10. Not a great dancing film, but the hand-tinting makes it special.
The Taming of the Snood (1940, USA, 16 minutes) - 7/10. Starring Buster Keaton. Although this isn't a great film by any stretch of the imagination, I don't think it is as bad as some reviewers make it out to be. I think it would have been a lot funnier if it was done at Keystone circa 1914......somehow, this kind of rough comedy doesn't work in the context of 1940.
Sixty Years of Fashion (1960, UK, 18 minutes) - 7/10. A breezy look into the history of British fashion from 1897 to 1960. A bit too breezy, to be honest. But hey, I was tired and bored, and this proved easy to watch.
TELEVISION:
Eames Lounge Chair (1956, USA, 2 minutes) - 7/10. Stop-motion film depicting a chair being assembled, sat in, and then disassembled. This was produced as a segment for an episode of "Home", a short-lived series that didn't quite do for midday TV what "Today" had done for morning and "The Tonight Show" had done for late-night. I presume the episode this segment was produced for is lost (daytime TV broadcasts were usually junked after broadcast back then).
John Betjeman Goes by Train: King's Lynn to Hunstanton (1962, UK, 10 minutes) - 8/10. This is something you really don't see anymore these days, the "television short", something the BBC used to do fairly often at the time. It has a more casual approach than is usually the case for the period, the narrator speaking naturally. Some people would prefer it to have been filmed in colour, but I love the black-and-white photography in short, which provides some atmosphere.
"This Week in Britain" - Episode titled "Men's Fashions" (1973, produced in UK but not shown there, 5 minutes) - 7.5/10. This was a "filler" series, produced in the UK for showing elsewhere. In this episode, men's fashions are discussed. There is an interview with Tommy Nutter (whose clothes are nuts), and some models trying to dance on a flat-bed truck to some stock music while wearing some really silly 1970s fashions. The episode can be viewed on the DVD set "The COI Collection Volume Two: Design for Today".
"This Week in Britain" - Episode titled "Savile Row" (1976, produced in UK but not shown there, 5 minutes) - 7.5/10. Another episode of this filler series, which was shown around the world in order to promote Britain to other countries. Some men's fashions are shown, there's another interview with Tommy Nutter, and there's also a fashion show. All this in just 5 minutes. The episode can be viewed on the DVD set "The COI Collection Volume Two: Design for Today".
"This Week in Britain" - Episode titled "The Mary Quant Show" (1974, produced in UK but not shown there, 5 minutes) - 7/10. Some of the ugliest film stock I've ever seen. The episode can be viewed on the DVD set "The COI Collection Volume Two: Design for Today".
"BBC Television Newsreel" - circa 1951, UK - 7.5/10. An excerpt from a BBC TV newscast of 1951, showing the introduction of a new train:
"ABC News Brief" (various dates, USA, 45 seconds or so) - Cannot be rated. I watched various "ABC News Brief" segments from 1981, including those from the following dates: 21 May, 24 May, 11 July, 1 November, 8 November, and 22 November. It's like an ADHD version of the news! Plus the YouTube uploads of them include some fun vintage commercials.
"ABC News Brief" (various dates, USA, 45 seconds or so) - Cannot be rated. Watched yet more of these brief news reports, including those from 16 September 1977, 4 December 1977, 8 October 1978, 22 October 1978, 17 December 1978, 15 January 1979, 17 February 1979, 2 November 1979, 26 December 1979, and other dates (need these confirmed). Those late-1970s sure were troubled...also on the YouTube uploads were yet more fun vintage commercials!
Tops (1957, USA, 3 minutes) - 7.5/10. This is a segment produced for the TV series "Stars of Jazz”. It appears the episode it was used in is lost. This segments consists of beautifully filmed footage of spinning tops, accompanied by jazz music.
"Mary Mungo and Midge" - Episode titled "Toy Shop" (telecast 25 November 1969, UK, 15 minutes) - 7.5/10. An episode of this cartoon series.
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Post by Salzmank on Apr 19, 2017 16:02:12 GMT
One Hour With You (US-1932) dir. Ernst Lubitsch "When I married her, she was a brunette.
Now, you can't believe a word she says."Maurice Chevalier is happily married to Jeanette MacDonald, but then his wife's best friend sets her sights on him. Of all the Lubitsch pre-code musicals, his last is also one of the best. Consistently witty and consistently saucy, it is a joy from start to finish. Now, take it away, Maurice! **** Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (US-1943) dir. Roy William Neill After being recruited into the war-effort and chasing German spies in the previous three films, Sherlock Holmes returns to his roots with a whodunit in an old mansion. The only reference to the war being that one wing of the mansion is now being used to treat convalescing soldiers. Indeed that's nearly the only reference to modern day, as the movie, based on Conan Doyle's The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual, could have easily been set in Victorian times, with a plot that delights in throwing together as many Gothic murder mystery tropes it can think of: creaky old houses, dark family histories, sinister butlers, secret passageways,... all making for a fun instalment in the series. *** King of Kings (US-1961) dir. Nicholas Ray Hollywood giving the life of Jesus the full Technicolor wide-screen 6-track stereo treatment. Predictably, it favours spectacle over spirituality. The film pits the teachings of Jesus against the actions of Barabbas, here not a common criminal, but the leader of an armed uprising against the Roman occupation. And while the filmmakers want it to be known they side with Jesus, they are clearly much more comfortable with scenes of violence than with portraying divinity. The third act especially, from the Last Supper to Christ's death and resurrection lacks a certain, shall we say, Passion, devolving into little more than a series of pious tableaux. Jeffrey Hunter plays his blue-eyed Jesus with that permanently zoned out look that is supposed to suggest deep religiosity, the international cast provides a plethora of European accents and fake beards, and while Miklós Rózsa's decidedly unsubtle score is overwrought, it fits the film perfectly. ** Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (US-2016) dir. Edward Zwick For hundreds of years, people have ran with clenched fists. Then one day, Tom Cruise figured out that he could run with hands straight and promptly became a Hollywood mega-star. Jack Reacher: Never Say Never Again is a movie that exists solely to demonstrate Cruise's revolutionary running technique. Like a porn movie, the plot in Jack Reacher: Never Stop Stopping only exists to take us from one money-shot to the next: Tom Cruise running in the streets, Tom Cruise running on an airfield, Tom Cruises running through a parade. Jack Reacher: Never Give a Sucker an Even Break will go down in cinema history as the greatest Tom Cruise running film ever made. *1/2 Some great little reviews there, Friend. I'm fond of anything of Lubitsch's--he and Hawks are my favorite directors--and of the Universal Holmes series. Your Jack Reacher review (I've never seen the movie) is, by the way, hilarious. A movie that exists solely to demonstrate Cruise's revolutionary running technique! (Is that what he got from Scientology?  ) |
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