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Post by bravomailer on Nov 10, 2019 16:52:44 GMT
Syriana (2005) – 9/10. Directed by the writer of Traffic (Stephen Gaghan), Syriana uses multiple characters and locations to show the interconnection between businesses, governments, intelligence outfits, and terrorists. The film packs a great deal of information into it which isn't easily absorbed on one viewing. Some of the observations, such as rising Chinese power, hostility toward Iran, and Saudi ambitions, lurk in most scenes.
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Post by Feologild Oakes on Nov 10, 2019 17:17:24 GMT
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Post by Feologild Oakes on Nov 10, 2019 20:21:47 GMT
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Nov 10, 2019 22:40:58 GMT
Here comes the Tele week of wonders: Two seasoned comedians helps this otherwise trite story to be more entertaining than it actually is. Perfect lazy Sunday movie. I watched that^ movie quite a few times when I was younger. I wish they'd put it on TV here again (we recently got Hocus Pocus on TV, which I was thrilled about, but more 90's movies like this^ would be appreciated). You described it perfectly, teleadm. hitchcockthelegend - I both kind of like and kind of dislike Van Helsing (it's one of those weird movies that I have conflicting opinions/feelings on), I thought Easy A was a really good movie (much better than your average teenager/high school-set film), and I thought Ex Machina was excellent, with a performance from Alicia Vikander which I felt should've garnered quite a few awards. As mentioned elsewhere, she's a master of the 'micro expression'. I also didn't have a problem with the ending. I thought it fit the film and its overall message well.
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Post by Feologild Oakes on Nov 11, 2019 0:44:25 GMT
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Nov 11, 2019 1:14:19 GMT
Greetings you boopers,hope everyone had a good weekend,I had the best weekend I've had in ages! On Friday I travelled to the Electric in Birmingham for the "Cine-Excess" Horror film festival, where the Rapid remake and Prey (1978) were being shown,with the Soska sisters and Norman J. Warren attending to receive awards. Sitting all together on stage, the Soska's and Warren spent a fascinating opening hour sharing their histories of in the film industry (from Warren getting his foot into the industry, to the Soska's starting to look for none-film related jobs, due to struggle to get funding after a rather negative reaction from studios to American Mary. A few mins after being given their glass trophies awards, one of the Soska's had the award slip out of hand,it crashed on the ground and broke in two! After the screening,I got the chance to meet the Soska's, who (and this was all for free) took a pic with me,answered some questions I had about their films, and when I asked if they could sign 2 Mary DVD's I'm giving to pals for X-Mas, wrote long, inspirational notes on them (thanks ladies!) To wrap up the weekend,I went back to Electric today for a screening I had booked a ticket for ages ago. Hearing the music from the flick being played at the box office, I crossed my fingers they were screening the original cut of the title which only came out on video,( with a lesser "Director's Cut" being the only one on disc in the UK)I was happy to find they were! From Cine-Excess: Now the movies: Cinema trio: Rapid (2019)7 Mentioning in the pre-screening intro that before this project had landed on their desk they had actually started looking for none-movie related jobs, due to the "gross" factor of American Mary (2012-also reviewed) putting studios (such as The CW) off from hiring them, co-writers/(with John Serge) co-directors Jen and Sylvia Soska make a welcomed return to the big screen with a blend of gory Body Horror,and the clinical body modification art of American Mary. Closely working with cinematographer Kim Derko, the Soska's brush Rose's altered face with close-ups on the excellent practical effects. Changing the setting to the fashion industry, the Soska's & Derko stylishly use glass to reflect the pristine appearance of the fashion industry being torn to ribbons by gashes of pulpy gore seeping across the screen. Touching on American Mary's theme of people trying to be comfortable in their own skin, the screenplay by the Soska's and Serge twirl the rapid hunger of Cronenberg's Body Horror with a wonderfully rich cynical line of the fashion industry, where Rose (a terrific, breezy Laura Vandervoort) finds herself forced to having to dress to impress, even when a excellent sound design by Paula Fairfield crunches on the consuming infection rapidly changing Rose. Prey (1977)8 Mentioning in the intro before the screening that after making Loving Feeling/ Her Private Hell (both 1968) back to back that he always tried to make each of his following films different from each other, directing auteur Norman J. Warren reunites with regular collaborator art director Hayden Pearce, and takes the Sexploitation thrills of his early creations into a new erotically charged direction, fused to Gothic Horror driven in with a Sci-Fi spike. Given just 5 weeks to put a production together which got shot in 10 days, Warren and debut cinematographer Derek V. Browne keep tight production time and limited to one location location troubles impressively off-screen, thanks to Warren's distinctive hand-held tracking shots dividing the country house between Josephine and Jessica's love nest, and the outer space of alien Anders outdoor lair. Allowed to display more skin than his earlier titles, Warren skilfully alters film speeds to slow down the passionate sex between Josephine and Jessica, which dips into erotic horror rage between the trio for the skinny dipping final. Proving that three's a crowd, the screenplay by Max Cuff and Quinn Donoghue keep the anxiety of Anders Sci-Fi Horror outbursts breaking down the walls as a foundation to the psychological chiller vibes from Jessica and Josephine's relationship breaking down within Anders sight. Embracing each other in great steamy scenes, fitties Sally Faulkner and Glory Annen give terrific turns digging into the brittle, broken state of Jessica and Josephine's romance, whilst Barry Stokes keeps Anders lingering in the background as a psycho waiting for his prey. The Warriors: 40th Anniversary Original Cinema Cut Screening (1979)10 Last having caught this version on video, the new (?) is one of the most outstanding film transfers/remastering I've seen, replacing the VHS fuzz with crystal clear clarity on the faces and gang costumes, along with the balance between the sounds levels of score and dialogue being kept at a perfect pitch. Riding on the subway with The Warriors backed by Barry De Vorzon's super catchy dark synch Sci-Fi styled score, co-writer/(with David Shaber) directing auteur Walter Hill & his regular cinematographer Andrew Laszlo bask in a hard-edge pulpy atmosphere. Thankfully lacking the misjudged gimmicky "Comic Book transitions" shoved into the Director's Cut, Hill and Laszlo attack The Warriors in purest Comic-Book ultra-stylisation, punching each of the gangs The Warriors must take on to survive with waves of primary coloured face paint and gang outfits. Filmed on the turf of actual gangs, Hill pens his anti-(super) heroes with a continuation of building the underlying "Western" theme, with Laszlo's push for the action to take place over one wet night leading to reflections in puddles of these gang-ruled ghost towns, and quick-draw whip-pans on other gangs attempts to pistol-whip Warriors. Loosely based on Sol Yurick, these boppers Hill and Shaber jump from a study of gang culture with the starter pistol of a assassination at a multi-gang gathering, running to a lightning fast survive the night adventure fuelled by wonderfully ripe comedic one-liners , pit stopping the gang at knife-welding lesbian and baseball player-dressed gangs pitching to defeat The Warriors. Away from the big screen: Film Noir: Le faux pas (1965) 8 "When I was a little girl,I stood in front of a mirror and I imagined myself dead." Zooming over the white cliff edges to what appears to be Robert Langerot falling to his death, co-writer/(with Bernard Thomas) director Antoine d'Ormesson & cinematographer Georges Barsky climb a brittle Film Noir mountain made of stylish zoom-ins on Elisa fearing that she is losing her sanity, whilst keeping Morcot's suspicions cool under white chalk coloured black and white. Reaching the top of the mountain to give the audience a full view of what has taken place, d'Ormesson reveals the Noir daggers with a outstanding skilfulness of eerie, sparse wide-shots touching on the impenetrable state the cliffs are from the touch of man, along with loosening grip Elisa is feeling on her sanity. Almost having Morcot drive into Elisa, the screenplay by d'Ormesson and Thomas refreshingly keeps the hints at a rising romance between Morcot and Elisa low-key, and instead carve into a delightful switch in the Film Noir tradition of it being the man who becomes obsessed, as Elisa lies about being a English teacher in her first encounter with Morcot, whilst wrestling with a fearful obsession that she has seen her husband go over the edge, and due to there being no one else around, could get accused of murder. Although the twist ending leans on Hitchcock's Vertigo, along with a sheer slice of incredible luck with timing, the writers keep the twists running downstream smoothly, thanks to a macabre sting of Elisa seeing her Noir fears swimmingly enter reality. Whilst sounding a bit out of place in not even trying to put on a fake British accent, Yori Bertin still gives a great, anti-Femme Fatale turn as the shredded nerves of Elisa, who is supported by Dominique Paturel's holding Morcot with a zestful, calming determination on stopping Elisa from making the false step. Argentina Noir with Nicole Maurey: Section des disparus (1956) 8. Finishing a run in the country he had fled to during the Occupation with a opening embrace between Juan and exotic dancer Lander, co-writer/(with Agustin Cuzzani and Domingo Di Nubila) director Pierre Chenal gives a farewell bear hug to Argentina, by closely working with cinematographer Americo Hoss to reflect a Film Noir atmosphere. Dancing Juan between Lander and Mendy, Chenal nicely crisps the Melodrama up with stylish high-end camera angles above the lavish Milford household, which Chenal cracks with a ferocious scratch across the screen. Originating as a un- produced script about the LA Missing Persons Bureau, led by Captain Paul Ballard trying to calm Myra Nichols suspicions her “dead” hubby is alive, which got turned into a novel, the writers wisely spend their adaptation of David Goodis’s novel out of the office until the very end, in exchange to expand on the “Myra Nichols” suspicions, flame-grilled in viper snaps between Lander and Myra (here called Mendy.) Making Juan disappear as a entrance for Ballard, the writers pen a Noir affair with a ill-judged Film Gris ending, made up for via each step closer Ballard (here called Uribe) takes to finding Juan, the more he uncovers of Juan’s lovers toxic relationship. Drawing the lines of lust, Maurice Ronet gives a great, rugged Noir loner turn as Juan, whilst alluring Inda Ledesma uncoils Mendy’s fury around cheating Juan. Catching Juan in her web, beautiful Nicole Maurey gives a sizzling Femme Fatale turn as Lander, thanks to Maurey reflecting Lander’s lust for Juan with the venom she and Mendy drip onto the mirror. The Glass Tomb (1955) 6 Left to sit on the shelf for a year before getting taken out of the tomb, Richard H. Landau's adaptation of A.E. Martin's novel keeps this Film Noir fresh despite the delays made on it, thanks to a quirky edge. Holding the Noir mystery under a carnival tent of The 70 Day Starving Man act, who from being locked in a glass cell which the public gawk at, that brings in other strange carnival folk and murders slammed on top of the tomb. Entering this public gallery freak show lit in raw low-lighting by director Montgomery Tully & cinematographer Walter J. Harvey, John Ireland gives a fine, hard-nose turn as Pelham. Joining Pelham,Sid James and Honor Blackman give fun turns,along with cheerful cameos by Frank Williams and Bernard Bresslaw, who all join in locking up the tomb. Paid to Kill (1954) 6 Pushing Nevill into a deep hole of debt, the screenplay by Paul Tabori takes a off-beat path in bringing the traditional hired killer/ money issues plot threads of Film Noir, by Nevill deciding that the one way he can get out of this debt, is to hire a hit man to kill him, so that Nevill's wife can then use the insurance pay out to cover the bills! Although the tale does disappointingly become more straight forward after Nevill makes a arrangement, Tabori lines this Noir with a black comedy streak, powered by Nevill getting a cash windfall, and now being desperate to cancel his deal. Desperate to find his hired helper, Dane Clark wonderfully captures the wide-eyed panicking of Nevill desperately trying to cancel his payment. The Girl in the Picture (1957) 6 Despite the audio on Simply Media's transfer sounding like it was recorded in a tin can, the first screenplay by Paul Ryder grabs some snappy headlines in a mad-dash Noir mystery for cop George Keefe (a fittingly frantic Tom Chatto) being desperate to find the name of a woman in a photo taken the day his brother was killed. Matching Ryder's printing, director Don Chaffey & cinematographer Ian D. Struthers joining Keefe chasing the killer in rapid whip-pans, which whilst sadly not closing in for headline grabbing close-ups, do catch the girl in the picture. Other movies: American Mary (2012) 7 Filmed in 15 days and supported by their parents re-mortgaging their home to fund the project, co-writers/co-director Jen and Sylvia Soska closely work with cinematographer Brian Pearson in avoiding the lashings of gore usually found in "Mad Scientist"/ "Mad Doctor" movies, by instead slicing into a clinical Body Horror atmosphere, where the limited sets are lit with a stylish neon glow over Mary's operations. Whilst the Soska sisters do drill into welcomed gory body modifications, they keep the tone of the film distinctly respectful, rather than repulsed, with real life members of the body modification community playing Mary's patients, whose requests are clearly shown as being treated with utmost professionalism by Mary. Keeping everyone else in the film in the background, the screenplay by the Soska's dissect a low-key indie character study of struggling student Mary. Although they make Mary's progression to being completely at ease over doing operations move a little too fast, the Soska's sow over this with a real care in drawing Mary going from a struggling, nervous outsider, to a completely at ease with herself confidence. Bringing revenge into the room with a rape on Mary, the Soska's display a excellent thoughtfulness in staying away from the Grindhouse slime of Rape/Revenge, by keeping the script and camera solely focused on Mary's face during the horrific attack, with the Soska's taking a step back when raising Mary's head as she maps out a operation of revenge. Appearing in every scene, Katharine Isabelle gives a excellent turn as Mary, thanks to Isabelle balancing her sexy leather-clad covered in blood Scream Queen image with a growing care Mary has on the professionalism of her operations, for all those who make a booking for American Mary.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Nov 11, 2019 1:44:22 GMT
Terrific review of Amsterdamned, Spike. You touch on a good point about how " It's a bold choice from Mass not to go overtly Giallo Slasher on his audience" if this had been made by a Italian film maker in this era, I can easily see that they would have been less delicate, and have gone full on with skin & gore. From when I saw it in July this year. Damned in Amsterdam 7 Turning down the chance to make a Elm Street sequel (which he later said he regretted,due to missing his chance to get his foot in the door in Hollywood) to instead target his own auteur vision, writer/director/composer Dick Mass reunites with cinematographer Marc Felperlaan to dive into a Action-Crime Giallo/Slasher hybrid! Inspired by the Slasher influenced third and final wave of Gialli, Mass holds on a knife edge a balance in the murder set-pieces between the drizzled in red Slasher slayings, (complete with jump scares) with more suggestive, foreboding tension in the long first-person tracking shots and the black scuba diving outfit-wearing psycho bubbling under the waters swimming towards the Giallo. Although featuring a surprising lack of skin, Mass, (who mentions in the making of his love for US crime films) brings the thrills in superb,off-beat Action show-stoppers. Taking full advantage of the unique location, (and backed by his own rumbling synch score) Mass connects slick tracking shots and sharp whip-pan views with a gritty edge which digs in during nail-biting boat chases down the canales,and tight car/motorbike races down the narrow, blue tint burning, streets of Amsterdam. Setting Eric Visser's (played by a terrific, aggressive Huub Stapel) murder investigation round the canales, the screenplay by Mass keeps the murders wickedly unpredictable, thanks to spending a little time with each possible victim, building fear of the psycho coming up for air at any moment. Holding Visser out as the lone cop not convinced the case is solved until the bitter end, Mass makes the unveiling of the killer after rough and tumble exchanges, (including a intense fight in a submerged boat) go off the boil, due to a last minute twist feeling out of place from being more in keeping with US Slashers, instead of the murky waters of Amsterdamned. Although we still have a bit of 2019 left, when it comes to the 2010's,Ex Machina is easily in my top 5 of the decade. On the ending,I agree with Chalice_Of_Evil post,I found it totally fitting with the rest of the film. From their first meeting, the guys have been the ones looking from the outside into Ava. Learning psychopathic traits such as false empathy and gaslighting on Caleb, Ava manipulates the power-play between the guys,and slowly twists it so they are the ones trapped to on the inside handing out screams which will never be heard, as Ava walks off to the outside. From when I saw it in June 2015. "They thought search engines were a map of what people were thinking.But actually they were a map to how people are thinking." 10. Making his directing debut,writer/director Alex Garland & cinematographer Rob Hardy set the title in a future which looks eerily close to reality,with Nathan's secluded location being the ultimate Silicon Valley,as Garland and Hardy cover the outdoors in lush greens and blues. Withholding any light from entering the Nathan's villa,Garland and production designer Mark Digby cover the building in metallic glass, which along with giving the film an ultra stylised appearance,also subtly reveals the disconnection in Ava,Nathan & Caleb relationships.Avoiding the boom boom pow of Sci- Fi Action flicks,Garland displays a real precision in keeping the extraordinary effects rooted to the psychological aspects of the movie,by keeping Ava's face non-robotic,Garland shows Ava's increased covering up of her android features to lead to a deep blurring between Ava's wires & mainframes and Caleb's flesh and blood. Limiting the film to a handful of characters,the screenplay by Garland takes advantage of the limitations,by exploring each thread of mistrust that Ava,Nathan and Caleb are tied to.Whilst Garland does have an interest in showing the technology of the near- future,Garland brilliantly transforms the film from a Sci-Fi Thriller into a fascinating study of a psychopathic culture. Giving the 3 main characters biblical names, (Ava is a form of Eve, Nathan was a prophet in the court of David, and Caleb was a spy sent into a new land by Moses) Garland opens up Nathan's narcissism,which explodes across the screen,as Nathan declares himself a god,who is unable to see the side effects that his creation may have. Introducing Caleb with underlying hints to his fate,Garland peels away Caleb skin to reveal the isolation Caleb is engulfed in,which goes from computer lights being the only object/person that Caleb surrounds himself with,to Caleb losing control of his "sessions" with Ava,as Ava begins to realise that she is more human than the almost-robotic,lacking in emphatic understanding Caleb.Despite being the only non-human out of the trio,Garland frighteningly wires Ava into being an extremely intelligent psychopath,thanks to Ava making the "Turing tests" being ones where she gets to explore her empathy,sexuality and a manipulative self-awareness. Digging deep into the heart of the machine,the alluring Alicia Vikander gives a fantastic performance as Ava,with Vikander's expressive face bringing the additional special effects roaring to life,due to Vikander gradually revealing Ava to get a keen grip on knowing when to emphasis the robotic elements of her appearance,and when to highlight the more humanistic aspects."Winning" the opportunity to meet Nathan, Domhnall Gleeson gives a wonderful performance as Caleb,who Gleeson shows as being incredibly uncomfortable in his own skin,and also unaware about the micro- expressions info that he is slipping to Ava & Nathan,whilst Oscar Isaac gives a great ego-tripping performance as Bluebook (a reference to philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein's "The Blue Book,") CEO Nathan,who soon discovers the Deus Ex-Machina's Ex Machina. Before the boards got wiped,I actually saved a bit of a exchange I had with Funkyfry on the film: Funky (in response to my review: I thought it was some kind of feminist allegory, but hard to say exactly what the film's point was. It was a good film, I suppose, not boring even though it was very slow and the plot was obvious. I'm not going to automatically assume that a movie is bad, just because I wasn't sure about the message. Perhaps it was more of a film that was intended to start (or, for some of us old sci-fi hacks, continue) a conversation rather than provide the answers.
I think that the actual sci-fi content is somewhat of a distraction, perhaps at best an entree and not the main course. The film doesn't really advance the debate about artificial intelligence beyond something you could have read in a paperback sci-fi novel in the 1970s. Unless I missed something, which is always possible. Also, it's a "near future" sci-fi -- it takes place in a future that's so close to ours it seems it could almost be a parallel but contemporary universe rather than a futuristic universe -- that's almost always a tip-off that we're dealing with allegorical content directed at present/real-world situations rather than scientific or social speculation. It's impossible to completely separate those because you can't speculate without a basis in actual or present reality, but nevertheless there's a difference between George Orwell and Stanislaw Lem.
Take a step back, and your "ultimate Silicon Valley" is also just a stand-in for the mad scientist's secret laboratory. Replace your alcoholic alpha-male internet tycoon with a sulking beta-male junkie/chemist and you've got "Bride of the Monster." Or perhaps better still, "Bride of Frankenstein." Mary Shelley was right on the money (there's a reason she's known as the mother of science fiction, and I do not use the term "mother" lightly when I'm talking about Mary Shelley) -- men trying to create life without women is a paradigm shift, not to be taken lightly or passed without notice. When they "play God", they leave woman out of the picture just as surely as they left woman out of their God.
It's impossible not to note the fact that these two men are poised in judgment over the value of every female-bodied person in the film, for the entire film's running length. Their names aren't important; let's call them the Creator and the Judge. The Creator's character is best summarized in what is perhaps the film's most brazen, hilarious, and satirical scene, when he starts disco dancing with one of his female creations, reassuring the nervous Judge "she loves to dance." Later we see him "seduce" or "rape" the same android -- our value judgments will tend to incline towards the latter, since we're essentially being placed in a position of sympathy with the Judge and with his perspective rather than of course the self-obsessed Creator's.
However, the film is admirably devoid of its own moral perspective for the most part. An intelligent viewer is constantly reminded in this case that he or she is being given enough information to make the judgment oneself; again this increases our empathy for the Judge, who the film-makers have cleverly positioned as our stand-in. When, in the film's daring conclusion, the Judge is abandoned and his judgments and decisions rendered meaningless, we're left feeling either betrayed by the film or re-evaluating our identifications and judgments. Why did we, the audience, identify so easily with the Judge? Are we conditioned to anticipate and accept a male hero rescuing the female victim in every film? And if that's the case, just how intelligent or just how mechanical does that make us?My reply: I found your take on the dance scene to be very interesting,due to your take on the scene being different to the one I have,with my take being that The Judge is attempting to turn The Creator into his own self-image,as The Creator forces the android to try & seduce The Judge,who turns down the opportunity to join The Creator and the abused on the dance floor. Looking at the films ending from a feminist angle,I notice that when Ava goes to kill The Creator,that instead of asking Ava not to kill him,The Creator tries to keep a grip on the male-dominance by telling Ava to "Go back to your room."I also want to say that I really enjoyed reading your take on the ending,which has led me to wonder if there was any time when Ava cared about The Judge's judgement,or if she had seen him as a means to an end since the very beginning. Funky: Yes, absolutely... if the moment wasn't so charged with drama, the audience would laugh when he says "go to your room!" because it's such a stereotype thing to say, like something that a father says to a little girl. Which, there's another scene in the film where he says that he considers himself a father to them. So we can call him Father/Creator which fits into how he sees himself in patriarchy basically. He's definitely trying to get the Judge to join him, in the scene when he's disco dancing; or, he knows or expects the Judge's response and it is part of his game to make the Judge side against him with Ava.
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Post by Feologild Oakes on Nov 11, 2019 13:34:06 GMT
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Nov 11, 2019 14:37:18 GMT
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Nov 11, 2019 14:53:54 GMT
Hi Leb,I hope you had a good weekend,with you having seen a run of them, which was the best "I Am" movie?
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Nov 11, 2019 15:40:10 GMT
Hi @
It's probably a tie between the Richard Pryor doc and the MLK Jr. doc. Both were fascinating and emotional.
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Post by Feologild Oakes on Nov 11, 2019 19:16:30 GMT
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Post by marianne48 on Nov 12, 2019 3:07:40 GMT
Not all old movies are classics, and a lot of early talkies probably weren't intended to be much more than "quickies," as in quickly forgotten. But Warner Brothers put out a lot of "swell" programmers which still retain their charm and can be regarded as classics, for example:
The Millionaire (1930)--George Arliss was a great stage actor of his era, and made only a few films. Maybe it was his broad stage acting that hindered him from having a more prolific movie career, or maybe it was his resemblance to Lon Chaney's Phantom of the Opera character. This film shows him off in one of his more endearing roles, as that of the CEO of a car company forced into early retirement after a health scare, resulting in his being treated as a frail invalid. Depressed and bored, his outlook on life changes after meeting with an eager life insurance salesman (James Cagney in a small part, making it a big part), and he decides to go incognito as a partner in a gas station. David Manners is his business partner and falls for the millionaire's daughter, unaware of his real identity. Charming comedy with a nice message about not being too old to reinvent oneself.
The Doorway to Hell (1930)--Gritty gangster melodrama which didn't get the recognition of classic status of Little Caesar and The Public Enemy, but deserves a little more attention. Lew Ayres seems a little young to be a mob boss, but he tries hard, and he's got a lot of help from the surrounding character actors. Lots of elements which became cliches in later gangster flicks--the coin flipping, the guns stored in violin cases, the 1930s slang, all add up to a template for the genre, and WB was the best at the time for this type of film. As a pre-code film, it got away with some situations that later films of the era didn't--Ayres' wife spending the night with his closest friend (Cagney again); the sketchy police chief; the threat to Ayres' little brother, etc. Good early crime drama.
The Mayor of Hell (1933)--Gang of boys winds up in trouble with the law and faces reform school, where they're ruled by an iron fist by sadistic, perpetually snarling head warden Dudley Digges. James Cagney is chosen as deputy-commisioner-or-something of the school as a reward for being a ward heeler; he becomes a champion for the boys after meeting up with the compassionate reform school nurse (Madge Evans), who smacks him after he tries to make advances on her but falls in love with him anyway. Some parts of this film seem to have been refashioned into the 1938 remake, Crime School, with Humphrey Bogart and the Dead End Kids, but this original is darker, tougher, and more entertaining. Frankie Darro is memorable as the toughest of the gang, which also includes Allen Hoskins, best known as "Farina" from the original Our Gang shorts. The fiery ending is memorably violent; the kids do learn a lesson, though (besides how to quickly improvise torches--movie mobs always seem to have those).
and a newer film--
The Carer (2016)--Brian Cox plays a celebrated stage and screen actor, specializing in Shakespearean roles, who is incapacitated with Parkinson's disease. His overprotective daughter hires a series of caregivers for him, most of whom don't last very long because of his terrible temper, but one young woman, a Hungarian refugee who has theatrical aspirations, forms a rapport with him. Cox manages to make an angry, embittered, pompous actor sympathetic, and, like Arliss' The Millionaire, the film gives an elderly character more to do than just fade away. Good performances.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Nov 12, 2019 10:37:39 GMT
Ruthless / Edgar G. Ulmer (1948). Eagle-Lion Films. Cinematography by Bert Glennon (Drums Along The Mohawk, Stagecoach). One of only two films directed by Edgar Ulmer that was given decent funding - the other being “The Strange Woman,” a historical costumer with noir overtones and starring Hedy Lamarr. “Ruthless” opens at a party thrown by aging multi-millionaire Horace Vindig (Zachary Scott) at his mansion. Vindig announces to the guests that he is establishing a Foundation to work for world peace. He will be donating several million dollars as an endowment for support and also his mansion as a headquarters. But several people among the guests doubt his motives. In a series of flashbacks, we learn how, as a boy, Vindig saved the life of the young daughter of a rich family. They gave Vindig a new home and an education but he found his true calling on Wall Street. He also recognizes in himself a coldness, an inability to care for anyone but himself. The film charts his rise as he ruins other business people, betrays his friends, and discards fiancés and wives as needed. Louis Hayward co-stars as Vic, a boyhood friend who joins Vindig in business until he can’t take the man’s methods any more. Diana Lynn plays a duel role as Martha, the grown-up version of the rescued daughter and as Mallory, a Martha look-a-like, who Vic brings as a date to the mansion party. Others players doing very good work are Sidney Greenstreet, Lucille Bremer, Martha Vickers, Dennis Hoey and Raymond Burr. “Ruthless” was not well received upon release but, like most of Ulmer’s work, it has been re-evaluated. A recommended (by me) viewing. Road House / Jean Negulesco (1948). 20th Century Fox. Cinematography by Joseph LaShelle (Oscar winner for Laura, nine other nominations, also The Apartment, Marty). Pete Morgan (Cornel Wilde) has a job he likes as manager of Jefty’s, the title road house. The business is owned by Pete’s old friend Jefferson “Jefty” Robbins (Richard Widmark in his fourth feature film). When Jefty books singer Lily Stevens (Ida Lupino) without Pete knowing about it, he tries to fire her but Jefty overrules him. Lily’s voice had been blown out during training for operatic singing but her musicality sold the songs. As head cashier Susie (Celeste Holm, only two years away from an acting Oscar) says, “She is the best singer I know with no voice.” Eventually, Jefty decides he wants to marry Lily but, of course, he doesn’t mention this to her. When he goes away for a week’s hunting trip with buddies, Pete and Lily fall in love. When Jefty returns and learns what has happened, his revenge is swift but subtle. Pete doesn’t know the half of it until later. The two female actors lead the cast with fine performances. Of the men, Wilde is OK, sort of the strong, stoic type, while Widmark in places seems to still be channeling Tommy Udo from his film debut, “Kiss of Death” (1947). The director and cinematographer are seasoned noir veterans who know how to chronicle a story of people’s lives spinning out of control. Ida Lupino Gunsmoke / Nathan Juran (1953). Universal International. Fairly interesting Audie Murphy shoot-‘em-up. The more Murphy westerns I see, the more I recognize tropes that are reused two or more times. In “Gunsmoke,” we get 1) the inexperienced trail boss trying to take a herd to market, recreated in “Cast A Long Shadow” from 1959. 2) his character falling in love with a woman already engaged to be married until her fiancé is revealed to be a part of the criminal gang, reused the next year in “Ride Clear Of Diablo” and 3) Murphy’s last ditch plan to defeat the outlaws is very similar to his plan at the end of “Sierra” made 3 years earlier in 1950. This is not to say that the films are cookie-cutter or anything like that. There is always wide-screen Technicolor vistas and furious action. Audie Murphy himself always gives value to anything he is in – a very charismatic actor - at least for me. In “Gunsmoke,” Reb Kittredge (Murphy), a known gun slinger, rides into town after a summons from wealthy land owner Matt Telford. Telford is buying up all the ranches in the area but can’t close on the last one. The one holdout is Dan Saxon (Paul Kelly) and his daughter Rita (Susan Cabot) who Reb is smitten with. Reb decides to take Saxon’s side and, though a little slight of hand by Dan, ends up owning the ranch and needing to get the cattle to the railroad in a month. Question: can he do it? Answer: Shut up. You (mostly) can’t go wrong with Audie Murphy on horseback in the out-of-doors. Audie Murphy A Blueprint For Murder / Andrew L. Stone (1953). Twentieth Century Fox. Cinematographer Leo Tover (The Day The Earth Stood Still, The Heiress). Whitney “Cam” Cameron (Joseph Cotton) is a good uncle to Polly and Doug, his niece and nephew, children of his diseased brother. But when he arrives for a visit, his niece has been taken to the hospital having a seizure and screaming “Don’t touch my feet!” She dies the next day. Cam goes to comfort Polly’s and Doug’s stepmother Lynn Cameron (Jean Peters) who everybody sees as a loving generous guardian to the children and who Cam has always had a crush on. He visits his brother’s former lawyer Fred Sargent (Gary Merrill) and his mystery writing wife Maggie (Catherine McLeod). Maggie, having done poison research for her books, identifies Polly’s symptoms with strychnine poisoning. When it is proved that Polly did, indeed, die from strychnine, the obvious culprit is Lynn. More evidence is gathered and then facts turn up to cast doubt on her guilt. Not a whodunit but a did-she-do-it. Cam, now worried about young Doug, concocts a dangerous plan to clear up the case once and for all leading to a powerful confrontation that leaves matters open until the final couple of minutes. I liked this one. Cotton and Peters play off each other very well in fine performances. Merrill and McLeod are underused. Joseph Cotton and Jean Peters Glad you got around to Ruthless. I can't find the post where I reviewed it a few months back but I think you commented on it. Known as Citizen Kane's baby brother, that's fair enough but it is its own entity. Smart film, I'd have liked some more noirish photography, but yes it's definitely a strong Ulmer picture. Road House - Great Widmark, great dialogue. The Dark Love Road House is directed by Jean Negulesco and adapted to screenplay by Edward Chodorov from a story by Margaret Gruen and Oscar Saul. It stars Ida Lupino, Cornel Wilde, Celeste Holm and Richard Widmark. Music is by Cyril J. Mockridge and cinematography by Joseph LaShelle. When Jefty Robbins (Widmark) brings new torch singer Lily Stevens (Lupino) to the Road House he owns, it causes friction between Jefty and his boyhood pal Pete Morgan (Wilde). So much so it will have dire consequences for some... I guess this is a moose trap all around. Love triangle noir that comes away from the city and out to the sticks, Road House rises above the clichéd storyline to become engrossing entertainment. Narrative stays straight and true, two pals from way back are divided by the appearance of a woman on the scene, it's going to end bad for someone and the audience knows this, and they know who it's going to be, which sadly nullifies the mystery element. But the characters are well drawn and well performed, with Negulesco (The Mask of Dimitrios) able to paper over the cracks without using pointless filler. The big rewards here come in Widmark's coiled spring performance and the script which is full of acid tongued barbs and sardonic observations. The backdrop is most unusual in terms of genre conventions, the Road House of the title is an out of the way bar with a bowling alley out in back country Americana. This is a bar that reeks of moose hunting and forests, it's all very rustic and rural, with the fashions adorned by the principals reflecting their surroundings, but LaShelle's photography keeps us in the noir frame of mind with classic isolated lighting. There's also some musical numbers performed by Lupino, she has a husky voice that while it isn't exactly musical grace, it conjures up a feeling of too many cigarettes and bourbon, with a sadness befitting the mood of the songs, particularly where the standout "One For My Baby (And One More For The Road)" is concerned. Unusual at times and not as "drastic" as the source story hints it could have been, but very much one for the noir faithful to enjoy. 7/10 Gunsmoke - Yep, recycled rawhides, it's a genre full of them, no less entertaining though, mostly. I never did like to shoot my friends. Gunsmoke is directed by Nathan Juran and adapted to screenplay by D.D. Beauchamp from the novel Roughshod written by Norman A. Fox. It stars Audie Murphy, Susan Cabot and Paul Kelly. Music is supervised by Joseph Gershenson and cinematography by Charles P. Boyle. A safe recommendation to Western fans who just want to be entertained by an Audie Murphy picture of no pretensions. Nicely filmed out of Big Bear Valley, San Bernardino National Forest, it's an unassuming film that follows familiar B Western plotting. Bad guy has reform in him and finds it when he ends up fighting for the underdog and falling in love with the daughter of said underdog. Characters are well defined, pace is brisk and the action is well constructed by Juran (latterly 7th Voyage of Sinbad/Jack the Giant Killer). Enjoy the shoot-outs, the cattle drive, the wagon down the hill sequence (those stunt workers rock!), and get on board with the devilishly handsome Murphy and the heart achingly sexy Cabot (check out how she carries off a red number during one scene as she gets the boys all hot and bothered). It's not original and it doesn't bring any psychological smarts to the narrative, but it plays the clichés well and all involved deliver a professional and good looking picture. 7/10 A Blueprint for Murder - I'll track it down, thanks for the review.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Nov 12, 2019 10:49:18 GMT
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Nov 12, 2019 10:56:20 GMT
Key Largo – 7/10 A play turned into a film. Bogie, Bacall, and Barrymore are held hostage by Edward G and his Milawaukee-based hoods while a counterfeit deal goes down amid a hurricane. There's a Native American element worked in as Barrymore is friendly toward local indigenous people and two of them are tragically killed. Barrymore laments how badly they've been treated here. A reason to love classic film. 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 Nov 12, 2019 11:03:21 GMT
Here comes the Tele week of wonders: Two seasoned comedians helps this otherwise trite story to be more entertaining than it actually is. Perfect lazy Sunday movie. I watched that^ movie quite a few times when I was younger. I wish they'd put it on TV here again (we recently got Hocus Pocus on TV, which I was thrilled about, but more 90's movies like this^ would be appreciated). You described it perfectly, teleadm. hitchcockthelegend - I both kind of like and kind of dislike Van Helsing (it's one of those weird movies that I have conflicting opinions/feelings on), I thought Easy A was a really good movie (much better than your average teenager/high school-set film), and I thought Ex Machina was excellent, with a performance from Alicia Vikander which I felt should've garnered quite a few awards. As mentioned elsewhere, she's a master of the 'micro expression'. I also didn't have a problem with the ending. I thought it fit the film and its overall message well. Ex MachinaYou don't find it strange that the helicopter brought Caleb to the place, but then picks up a foxy babe on the return journey? Surely the pilots were expecting to pick up Caleb ? Unless there's some bigger conspiracy at work that I don't think was hinted at in the narrative. Great film though.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Nov 12, 2019 11:06:34 GMT
The Snake Pit - Did you like it? Me > I'll tell you where it's gonna end, Miss Somerville... When there are more sick ones than well ones, the sick ones will lock the well ones up. The Snake Pit is directed by Anatole Litvak and adapted to screenplay by Frank Partos, Millen Brand and Arthur Laurents from the novel written by Mary Jane Ward. It stars Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn, Celeste Holm, Glenn Langan, Helen Craig, Leif Erickson and Beulah Bondi. Music is by Alfred Newman and cinematography by Leo Tover. Olivia de Havilland plays Virginia Stuart Cunningham, and film chronicles Virgina's time and treatment in the Juniper Hill Mental Institution. "It was strange, here I was among all those people, and at the same time I felt as if I were looking at them from some place far away, the whole place seemed to me like a deep hole and the people down in it like strange animals, like... like snakes, and I've been thrown into it... yes... as though... as though I were in a snake pit..." It's still today one of the most potent and important screen explorations of mental illness and its treatment. Backed by an astonishing performance by de Havilland, Litvak and an initially sceptical Darryl F. Zanuck (20th Century Fox supremo), led the way in bringing to the masses the subject and to treat it with stark realism. Quite often it's harrowing as entertainment, with Virgina's fractured mind laid bare under duress of treatments now seen as antiquated. It's true enough to say that some of the story features simplistic motives and means, these come as a product of the time the picture was made. But with Litvak (Sorry, Wrong Number) and his principal crew members researching the subject thoroughly, the end result is an incredible blend of dramatic heartfelt suspense and rays of humanistic hope. As Virginia weaves her way through this maze of psychological discord, with flashbacks constantly adding layers to the character's make up, Litvak presents a fascinating portrait of asylum life and the people who resided there, both as patients and staff. Some scenes are brilliantly crafted, either as visual expansions of the story or as shards of light in a dark world. One sequence sees Litvak track "dancing" silhouettes on a wall, and to then do a pull away shot upwards to reveal Virginia in the snake pit, the impact is stark in its magnificence. Another sequence takes place at a dance for the patients, where a rendition of Antonín Dvorák's "Goin' Home" turns into something quite beautiful, a unison of profound optimism that strikes the heart like the calm after a storm. Leo Tover's (The Day The Earth Stood Still) crisp black and white photography is perfectly in sync with the material, and Newman's (Wuthering Heights) magnificent score bounces around the institution like a spectral observer. With de Havilland doing her tour de force, it could be easy to forget the great work of Genn and Stevens, the former is a bastion of assured calmness as Dr. Mark Kik, the latter as Virgina's husband Robert underplays it to perfection and he gives us a character to root for wholesale. It has to be viewed in the context of the era it was made, but its influence on future movies and awareness of mental health treatments in the real world should not be understated. A brilliant production that demands to be seen. 9/10
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Post by Feologild Oakes on Nov 12, 2019 11:34:41 GMT
The Snake Pit - Did you like it? Yes i liked it. I rated it 9 the first time i watched it like 10-12 years ago and i still rate it 9 Its in my top 10 of favorite movies of all time.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Nov 12, 2019 18:29:46 GMT
I watched that^ movie quite a few times when I was younger. I wish they'd put it on TV here again (we recently got Hocus Pocus on TV, which I was thrilled about, but more 90's movies like this^ would be appreciated). You described it perfectly, teleadm. hitchcockthelegend - I both kind of like and kind of dislike Van Helsing (it's one of those weird movies that I have conflicting opinions/feelings on), I thought Easy A was a really good movie (much better than your average teenager/high school-set film), and I thought Ex Machina was excellent, with a performance from Alicia Vikander which I felt should've garnered quite a few awards. As mentioned elsewhere, she's a master of the 'micro expression'. I also didn't have a problem with the ending. I thought it fit the film and its overall message well. Ex MachinaYou don't find it strange that the helicopter brought Caleb to the place, but then picks up a foxy babe on the return journey? Surely the pilots were expecting to pick up Caleb ? Unless there's some bigger conspiracy at work that I don't think was hinted at in the narrative. Great film though. Hi Spike,at the start of Ex Machina it is made clear that the pilot is not allowed to enter the building,only to follow the orders of a reclusive millionaire to turn up and do as the were told. With Ava having just manipulated a wiz-kid to lock himself in, and outmanoeuvring a tech millionaire to the point where the creature kills the master, giving a off the cuff excuse to a driver (who has no idea what has happened) is a walk in the park in comparison. Trivia: In the original script, it was a car with a chauffeur that picked her up: movies.stackexchange.com/questions/35081/how-did-ava-get-on-the-helicopter
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