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Post by wmcclain on Jan 5, 2020 19:53:17 GMT
was Life Of Crime good keep meaning to watch. I give it a recommendation because (1) Elmore Leonard story, (2) characters from Jackie Brown when younger, (3) John Hawkes. As a quirky crime story it is a B or a C. Seems largely unknown.
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Post by hi224 on Jan 5, 2020 20:00:36 GMT
was Life Of Crime good keep meaning to watch. I give it a recommendation because (1) Elmore Leonard story, (2) characters from Jackie Brown when younger, (3) John Hawkes. As a quirky crime story it is a B or a C. Seems largely unknown. I want to know why its so hard to adapt Leonard novels.
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Post by RiP, IMDb on Jan 5, 2020 21:55:10 GMT
Adventures of Rusty (1945) and A Dog's BEST Friend (1959).
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Post by MrFurious on Jan 6, 2020 14:55:09 GMT
Galveston(18) John & Yoko: Above Us Only Sky(18)(doc) ^^ Fortress of War(10) The Drummer and the Keeper(17) White Boy Rick(18) The Old Man & the Gun(18) Silence(16) Glass(19) City of Ghosts(17)(doc) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society(18) Cobain: Montage of Heck(15)(doc) Chasing Happiness(19)(doc) Once Upon a Christmas Miracle(18) Housewife, 49(06) Dangerous Beauty(98) The Glass Castle(17) Busy start to the year. One more week of Amazon movies and then it'll be quieter
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jan 7, 2020 3:15:04 GMT
Son of Frank - Very good sequel, bit of a let down to find "the Monster" has become more of a silent lumbering robot, but still it's a well worthy addition to the series. Baron Wolf von Frankenstein. Son Of Frankenstein, directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Basil Rathbone as Baron Frankenstein, Boris Karloff as The Monster (his last turn as the creature), Lionel Atwill as Inspector Krogh and Bela Lugosi as Ygor. That's quite a cast list, add in a sharp script from Willis Cooper and the stunning sets from Russell Gausman, and you got a sequel that's well worth its salt. Following on from Bride Of Frankenstein (25 years later), the film sees son of Frankenstein Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (Rathbone) return to the family home and scene of his fathers monstrosities. Receiving a less than lukewarm reception on arrival, Wolf is presented with a box containing his fathers papers. After being told in no uncertain terms that continuing his fathers work will not be tolerable, Wolf laughs off the notion. However, the next day he's out wandering in the ruins and comes across Ygor, his dead fathers assistant. Where it's revealed that "The Monster" is still alive but very much comatose. Wolf then becomes obsessed with bringing the monster back to full life, thus to prove his father had the right intention but not the right execution of his ideas. It's a ripper of a sequel is this, perhaps lacking in the humour that James Whale brought to the first two films, it is however a well constructed feature boasting great performances from Rathbone (the part was originally planned for Peter Lorre), Lionel Atwill (having a riot with his false arm) and Lugosi (possibly a career high in terms of substance). Lee stamps his own marker on the piece and I think the nicest thing one can say is that his film sits well along side Whale's classics. The only let down is actually Karloff's monster, stripped of voice at Karloff's insistence, the monster is now reduced to being a lumbering robot. It's not a fitting farewell to the great work that Karloff did with this quite brilliant creation on page and screen. 8/10 The Long Good Friday - class! It's not about safety, it's about honour. It's the early 1980s, it's Good Friday, and Harold Shand is waiting to entertain some powerful American muscle. He hopes to get them to help fund his dockside development, but someone is murdering his men, and although Harold has a good idea who is responsible, he isn't quite prepared for the events that follow. Plot wise, The Long Good Friday is a lesson in under taxing the audience, simplicity in structure and forgoing thunder in the name of telling a solid story. The Long Good Friday is a British gangster picture that owes more to the Paul Muni and Edward G Robinson pictures from the golden age than something like "The Godfather". Where the characters are men of the street, working class villains who literally could be living around the corner from us, their respective antics giving them a reputation as infamous stars to be feared - and grudgingly admired. What many modern day film lovers may not be aware of is that "The Long Good Friday" had its release delayed, held back a year as Margaret Thatcher and her merry men frothed at the mouth due to the film's portrayal of the Irish Rebublican Army. This was at a time when the Irish troubles were reaching new and terrifying heights, and here in this film, the government sensed a fall out that could have sent wrong message shock waves across the British Isles. This is one of the chief reasons that lifts the pic high above many of its contemporaries, it may be a simple story, but it's not merely about two gangs striving for power on one manor!. Barrie Keeffe's script positively bristles with a hard bastard edge, some of the set pieces play out as true Brirtish greats, once viewed they are not to be forgotten. Some of the dialogue has an air of timeless bravado about it, delivered with cockney brashness from Bob Hoskins' Harold Shand. Hoskins is on fire, seemingly revelling in the role and fusing menace with a genuine sense of earthiness, one moment Harold is the bloke you want to have a pint of beer with, the next he's one step from rage induced retribution. Helen Mirren is fabulous as Harold's wife, Victoria, loyal and unerringly calm in the face of the madness unfolding, while the supporting cast are also highly effective, with a cameo from Pierce Brosnan that is icy cold in making a point. Perhaps now it feels like it's only of its time, and it may well be that it's only British viewers of a certain age that can readily embrace the all encompassing thread of gangland London at risk from insurgents? But I will be damned should I ever choose to love this film less with each passing year, for to me it only just stops shy of being a British masterpiece, bristling with realism at a troubled time, and cheesing off Margaret Thatcher in the process, hell it works for me, always. 9/10 Mummy Returns - Well, Fraser himself said they remade the first movie, and he's right, but that doesn't stop it being great fun. Yeah, right, and no harm ever came from reading a book. You remember how that one went?After the financial success of "The Mummy" two years earlier, the sequel was inevitable. The big players from the first film are back, Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo and Oded Fehr. Stephen Sommers once again directs (and writes), Patricia Velasquez comes in to be a main player after her cameo in the first film, and young Freddie Boath plays the son of Rick and Evelyn who are now married. This time the cameo goes to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson who plays The Scorpion King and who is replaced by a very bad CGI version of himself at film's finale. When the second sequel, "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" (2008), was released, Brendan Fraser went on record as saying that for "The Mummy Returns" they basically remade the film they had already made in 1999! This is absolutely true, some new characters and an expansion on the O'Connell romance have been put in to beef it up, while some Zombie Pygmies are around to add extra monster factor, but yes! It's a re-tread only with more money spent, more effects (and better effects apart from Scorpion King) and more noise. This actually is OK for those who enjoyed the first film immensely, because "Returns" is every bit as enjoyable as family blockbuster entertainment. The Worldwide box offices rang to the tune of over $330 million in profit. That's a lot of happy families you would think!. So yes, it's a bit of a cheat, but much like the film before it, it gets away with it because the makers do everything they can to entertain the action/adventure loving crowd. With legions of Anubis warriors, those awesome Pygmies and the all round funny by-play between a cast comfortable with the material (again), "The Mummy Returns" delivers exactly what can reasonably be expected of it. 7/10
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jan 7, 2020 3:45:32 GMT
Background To Danger / Raoul Walsh (1943). Warner Bros. Cinematography by Tony Gaudio (Adventures of Robin Hood, The Letter, Juaraz). This was George Raft’s last picture for Warner and in Jack Warner’s opinion it was Good Riddance. The movie is based on an Eric Ambler novel about a business man traveling in Turkey who falls into trouble with spies and espionage. Raft, as-per-usual, demanded changes in the script to turn him into an American intelligence agent working undercover. W.S. Burnett (Scarface) is credited with the screenplay but William Faulkner, Daniel Fuchs, and John Collier also worked on it. Raft plays Joe Barton, going through Turkey, a neutral country during WWII. A Nazi plotter, Col. Robertson (Sidney Greenstreet, as fascinating to watch as ever), wants to plant fake evidence in Turkish newspapers that Russia is planning an immediate invasion of Turkey in order to sway public sentiment into throwing in with Germany for protection. Barton runs into a woman who has stolen the fake plans. She gives them to Barton for safe keeping but she is later killed and Barton loses the plans to a mysterious brother/sister couple played by Peter Lorre and Brenda Marshall. The movie is quite watchable, a Raoul Walsh action adventure, with a lot of talent in front of and behind the screen. But Raft, more and more, seems to me a black hole in the middle of some otherwise good movies. Gaslight / George Cukor (1944). Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Cinematography by Joseph Ruttenberg (The Women, Mrs. Miniver, Random Harvest). This is a truly classic film with a couple of truly great performances. Paula Alquist (Ingrid Bergman) as a young person suffered the trauma of finding her beloved aunt, a famous opera star, strangled to death in her London home. She is whisked away to the continent where she grows up and meets the charming pianist Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer). They marry and return to London to Paula’s former residence but move all the old furniture to the attic to avoid bad memories. Then strange things start to happen. Pictures disappear from the wall and are found hidden. Some of Paula’s jewelry is lost and she can’t remember having it. There are strange noises at night from the locked attic that no one but Paula can hear. Gregory begins to suggest that she is losing her mind. A ray of light is seen in the person of Scotland Yard detective Brian Cameron (Joseph Cotton) who suspects that something is going on in that house which is closed to visitors. And boy, is he right, even though giving us a rather weak character, at least compared to the powerhouse acting by Bergman and Boyer. And speaking of great acting, this is Angela Lansbury’s Oscar nominated screen debut as Nancy the new maid who walks the thin line between deference and impertinence. She is quite brilliant. At the very end, as Boyer and Cotton are leaving, the little sarcastic curtsy she gives has got to elicit a laugh. Well deserved Academy Awards went to Ingrid Bergman and to four men for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White. Ingrid Bergman Charles Boyer and Angela Lansbury Fear In The Night / Maxwell Shane (1947). Pine-Thomas Productions/Paramount Pictures. Cinematography by Jack Greenhalgh. I really liked this cheaply made thriller based on a short story by Cornell Woolrich, a master of knotty mysteries. Wisely, the script hews closely to Woolrich’s story. The film opens in the midst of a dream of Vince Grayson (DeForrest Kelley, his screen debut). Vince dreams that he is in a room of mirrors. There is also a man and woman there. The man attacks him and they fight. Vince kills the man and woman flees. Then,,,he wakes up. He is in his own bed in his own room. But he sees finger marks on his throat and finds in his pocket a key and button that also were in his dream. Did it really happen? How could it? He goes to his brother-in-law Cliff, a homicide detective but Cliff (Paul Kelly) is of no help, citing Vince’s overwork. Later, on the road with Cliff, his sister, and girlfriend, Vince seems to be familiar with places he knows he has never been before. Is something supernatural at play here? Can there be a logical explanation for what is happening? This is a terrific little movie – shot in 10 days – and is endlessly entertaining. The Hotel Commodore at the intersection of 7th Street and Lucas St. in Los Angeles served as the exterior of the hotel where Vince had his apartment. Paul Kelly’s ride. He says it’s his new second hand car that he traded his old second hand car for. It’s a 1941 Plymouth De Luxe Four-Door Sedan, Killer’s Kiss / Stanley Kubrick (1955). Minotaur Productions/United Artists. Cinematography by Stanley Kubrick. This was Kubrick’s second directorial production (he also wrote, produced, and was his own cinematographer). Kubrick himself called it a “student” attempt but critical opinion has been mostly positive. It definitely falls into the film noir category and features some innovative camera work and decisions such as a zoom down a city street projected with negative film during a dream sequence. Country boy Davey Gordon (Jamie Smith) is trying his hand as a professional boxer. The only problem is: he has a glass jaw. In the early going we see him take a serious beating in a match, so much so that he decides to give up the game and go back the family ranch in Wyoming. But through his apartment window, he can see into the apartment of Gloria Price (Irene Kane). Gloria works in a dime-a-dance establishment. The owner, an older man named Vinnie Rapallo (Frank Silvera), decides he is in love with Gloria and can’t live without her. When she rebuffs him a work, he shows up at her apartment and tries to rape her. Jamie sees it and rushes through corridors to reach her room and save her. Vinnie is humiliated so vows a terrible revenge on both of them. “Killer’s Kiss” is now near the top of my favorite noirs of the 1950s. An essential. Ooh, some spicy George Raft opinion/tid-bid - not seen it myself though. Gaslight is a personal fave, as is the British original. I knew from the first moment I saw you that you were dangerous to her. Gaslight is directed by George Cukor and is adapted to screenplay from Patrick Hamilton’s play by John Van Druten, Walter Reisch and John L. Balderston. It stars Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Joseph Cotton, May Whitty, Barbara Everest and Angela Lansbury. Music is by Bronislaw Kaper and cinematography by Joseph Ruttenberg. Years after her aunt was murdered in her London home, Paula Alquist Anton (Bergman) moves back there with her new husband, Gregory Anton (Boyer). However, what at first seems to be an idyllic marriage begins to crumble as Paula appears to be losing her mind… You really have to put into context just how great Gaslight is as per the time it was released. For it holds up now as something of a torch igniter for what has followed over the decades. The psychological thriller – specifically that of a spouse being tormented by their partner – has been mined for all its worth - and will continue to do so. Even the terminology of very real life instances such as Gaslighted/Gaslighting have been born out from the pic, so if it is thought of being dated or old hat, its influence is still quite considerable. It’s still a terrific atmospheric thriller anyway, played out to a magnificent backdrop of Victorian London, of fogs and cobbled streets, and of course gas lights and eerie shadows. Pic is split into two halves, first half is the set-up of a whirlwind romance that leads to marriage, then the move to the marital home and support characters - nosy neighbour (Whitty), housekeeper (Everest), tart housemaid (Lansbury on debut) - are introduced to proceedings. Deft psychological touches are being played out, though wonderfully we never actually see the misdirection machinations actually being done. Then as the second half happens upon us it really hits the diabolical straps, the methodical manoeuvres of Gregory Anton really start to gnaw away at our senses. We witness Paula come apart, her mind fractured, so vulnerable and confused, you would have to have a heart of stone not to have your very core ache. It’s here where Bergman, in the first of her three Best Actress Oscar wins, excels without duff histrionics. Boyer also is superb, where guided by the astute Cukor he makes Gregory a dashing dastard, only given to subtle clues about his devious and wicked doings. Cotton doesn’t try to do a British accent, which is fine as he holds his end up well as Brian Cameron, the man getting to grips with what’s actually going on in the Alton home. Brian is our hero in waiting, giving us something to hang onto as the pic reaches revelations point. With Ruttenberg (Oscar Nominated) drifting what would be known as noirish contrasts over the piece, and Kaper’s music unobtrusively subtle, Gaslight hits high marks for tech credit substance. All told it’s a truly great film, and one that’s well worth going back to if you become jaded with the more slick and polished production line genre pieces that follow in its wake. 9/10 Fear in the Night - Yes I can back you up here. Some critics took it a bit too seriously, but definitely one that noir heads should give a whirl. Then I saw the room, a queer mirrored room. Fear in the Night is directed by Maxwell Shane who also adapts from Cornell Woolrich's (AKA: William Irish) story titled "Nightmare". It stars Paul Kelly, DeForest Kelley, Ann Doran, Kay Scott & Robert Emmett Keane. Music is by Rudy Schrager and photography by Jack Greenhalgh. Plot finds bank teller Vince Grayson (Kelley) awoken from a nightmare where he kills a man in a mirrored room. Disorientated and sweaty, Grayson is further startled to find bruises on his neck and items about him that suggest that his nightmare was real. After confiding about the events to his brother-in-law, detective Cliff Herlihy (Kelly), it's presumed he's under stress and a good day out with the girls will do him wonders. But once the picnic with the girls is interrupted by a storm, Grayson finds himself leading the group to a house in the country. A house he doesn't know and a house he's sure he's never been to, but upon the discovery of a mirrored room it becomes evident that something very strange is going on. Low budget across the board but not suffering too much for it, this is a cracking little film noir mystery neatly condensed into 72 minutes. Maxwell Shane's film is dealing in dreams and a protagonist caught in a circumstance without understanding, that's out of his control. Tormented not only by the events of what appears to be in his "dream", but also by the heavy cloud of befuddlement that follows him during daylight hours. He himself ponders if he is going insane? It's a good question, and one which Shane and Woolrich do well to not answer for the first half of the film as the atmosphere deliberately stays hazy. The tone of the narrative is aided considerably by Greenhalgh's photography, Schrager's music and also Shane's box of cheap, but hugely effective, tricks. Much of the film relies on visuals to make points, even as we get a cool pulpy voice over from Grayson, the blurry shifting images say much more. So too does the use of mirrors, very Hitchcockian - with the actual mirrored room at the core of the story very disambiguation like. There are shadows involved for practically every interior shot - and even for much of the outdoor sequences as well, while the music comes from the realm of the haunted house pictures. The cast give variable performances, but there's nothing to hurt such a short movie. Lets just say that Kelley (in his first main role) fits the dazed requisite well and it's no bad thing that Doran & Scott don't get a lot of screen time. Kelly (Crossfire) is good value, making a believable copper, while Keane is wonderfully sedate and creepy (check out the candle sequence). True enough there's problems that stop it being a "B" noir classic, such as the back screen shots and the afore mentioned less than stellar acting. Whilst the film would have benefited more by having a Gothic designed house as opposed to the white picket fence type that is used. But considering the budget and the time frame of the production, it's an admirable film that's easily recommended to noir and murder mystery fans. Shane liked the story enough to remake it as "Nightmare" in 1956 with Edward G. Robinson & Kevin McCarthy as cop and protagonist respectively. A bigger budget and name actors it has, but the jury is still out on its actual worth. I'm happy with this version, thanks, even if the DVD print is old and scratchy. 7.5/10 Killer's Kiss - Sorry, can't share your enthusiasm. I like it enough but have found it wildly over praised by Kubrick worshippers. Classy, Feverish, a Mess? The second feature film directed by future critical darling Stanley Kubrick, Killer's Kiss isn't a particularly good film. With its very basic "B" film noir plot, choppy editing, post-dubbing and "interesting" acting from the unknown cast, the film should really be a chore to get through. However, it represents a worthwhile investment of our time for two main reasons. One is of course to witness the early work of a most revered and talented director. The other is because of some indelible images that exist within the piece, images crafted around authentic New York locations. The plot revolves around Davey Gordon (Jamie Smith), a 29 year old New York boxer at the end of his career, and his relationship with a dancer and her violent employer. Love, violence and revenge all crammed into one sweaty New York weekend. Kubrick co-wrote the screenplay with Howard Sackler, he also edited, co-produced and photographed the picture himself. All financed by cash generated from friends and family of the novice director. While there is nothing to write home about in the writing, certainly there is no hint of the creative writing flair Kubrick would show later in his career, it's with the visuals - and to a lesser extent - the sound work, that this shows that the powerful director was quick out of the traps. The whole film comes across as some feverish fairy-tale, one which at frequent moments shifts to some sort of surrealistic nightmare. The effects are aided by the use of negative film stock and the tilting blend of opposing character scenes. Sexual aggression segues with a brutal boxing match, and a ballerina dancing sequence takes one away from the hustle and bustle of the loud streets. Streets where bizarre fez wearing musicians prance about gaily and where shadowy figures follow men down alleyways to enact a brutal crime. All distorting, memorable stuff, capped off by an axe fight in a mannequin factory, the dismembered parts used not only a weapons, but also as a point of reference to the weird thematics laid down by Kubrick. With stark black and white imagery augmented by the harsh music, and Kubrick dallying with close ups and low angle camera shots, Killer's Kiss is never less than engrossing from a technical viewpoint. Think of it like that weird dream you had when you had taken too much cough syrup that one time, and you will then be half way there... 6/10
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jan 7, 2020 4:02:10 GMT
Far-fetched but entertaining adventure in the old 12-chapter universe. More pleasant than the second Indy movie. With a great later performane of the now retired Sir Sean Connery and kudos too to Denholm Elliott, since those two makes this far more entertaining that it should have been. An entertaining way to spend an evening! Bold outlaws and George Sanders as a crook, great day to spend a lazy New Years Day with. This is a gem! It's a very serious dark and horrible story, managed by the great director George Stevens, who keeps the story light when it needs to be and very dark when it needs to be, mixing comedy and drama. Cary Grant is on the run for a crime he didn't commit, who hides out in a house owned by an old school friend (Jean Arthur), that is soon hired by a very celebrated law professor (Ronald Colman) who might soon be appointed to USA supreme court, and must stay out of "local" troubles. Highly recommended! I must get around to watching Wonder Woman again and then reviewing it, I loved it, one of my favourite super hero films of the decade. Indy 3 - I will not post my review again as it has been up for discussion a lot recently. They remade Raiders only with Indy's dad, but nothing wrong with that. My dad and I watched it again the other day over the holidays, still love it. Ivanhoe - Buckle my swash! Before me kneels a nation divided - rise as one man, and that one, for England! Out of MGM, Ivanhoe was spared no expense and became the costliest epic produced in England at the time. Though the studio millions that were tied into English banks is more telling than any sort of love for the project one feels. It's directed by Richard Thorpe and produced by Pandro S. Berman. The cast features Robert Taylor, Elizabeth Taylor, Joan Fontaine, George Sanders, Emlyn Williams, Finlay Currie and Felix Aylmer. The screenplay is by Æneas MacKenzie, Marguerite Roberts, and Noel Langley who adapts from the novel Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. The score is by Miklós Rózsa and Freddie Young is on Technicolor cinematography duties with the exterior location work at Doune Castle, Stirling, Scotland. Though the pacing is far from perfect and there's some saggy bits in the script, Ivanhoe remains arguably one of the finest and most under appreciated of MGM's historical epics. Naturally there's some differences from Scott's novel (a given in most genre pieces of this type), but Thorpe and his team come through with the material given and deliver a rousing treat. It looks tremendous courtesy of Young's lensing, where he brilliantly brings to life Roger Furse's costumes and Alfred Junge's majestic sets. Taylor (R), Fontaine and Taylor (E) look delightful, (especially Liz who can easily take you out of the movie such is her beauty here) and their romantic triangle makes for an ever watchable romantic spectacle. The action is on the money, with the attack on Front de Boeuf castle adroitly constructed (and not skimped on time wise), a jousting competition that vividly comes to life, and a Mano-Mano fight between Taylor's Ivanhoe and Sanders' De Bois-Guilbert that is grisly and adrenalin pumping in equal measure (check out the sound work here too). It's also worth acknowledging the anti-semitic part of the story, with the MGM suits thankfully deciding to not ignore this part of Scott's literary source. The three handsome lead stars are backed up superbly by a robust Williams, while the trio of villains played by Sanders, Robert Douglas and the excellent Guy Wolfe as weasel Prince John, deliver the requisite quota of boo hiss villainy. It made big money for MGM, setting records for the studio at the time. It's not hard to see why. It's a beautiful production across the board, and while it's not without faults per se, it holds up regardless as it firmly engages and stirs the blood of the historical epic loving fan. What a year 1952 was for MGM! 8/10 The Talk of the Town - Smart! What is the law? It's a gun pointed at somebody's head. All depends upon which end of the gun you stand, whether the law is just or not.
The Talk of the Town is directed by George Stevens and Stevens co-produces with Fred Guiol. It's adapted by Dale Van Every, Irwin Shaw and Sidney Buchman from a story by Sidney Harmon. It stars Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Ronald Colman, Rex Ingram and Edgar Buchanan. Leopold Dilg (Grant), a radical and political thinking man, is accused of burning down a mill and causing the death of a foreman in the subsequent fire. On trial for his life, he decides to escape from jail and makes his way to the home of his school day friend Nora Shelley (Arthur). However, his timing couldn't be worse, for Nora has taken in a tenant for the summer, a law professor, Michael Lightcap (Colman). Passing him off as the gardener, Nora has to hope that Lightcap doesn't cop on to Dilg being an escaped prisoner. But with both men feeling each other out, and both having designs on Nora, something is going to have to give. Though nominated in seven Academy Award categories, "The Talk of the Town" won none. Perhaps more surprisingly is that of those seven nominations, none were for acting or direction. Surprising because the film is impeccably acted and smoothly directed. It was, however, rightly nominated for Best Picture (it lost out to William Wyler's "Mrs. Miniver") and was a big smash at the box office. The public quickly warmed to the blend of comedy with intelligent politico musings. The set up is safe, a potential love triangle - with the three leads playing off each other sublimely - is nicely played out whilst the two men partake in discussions about the law, the applications of such and its moral worth. The comedy that comes in fits and starts is not so much of the screwball variety, but more that of ebullience born out of beautifully written sequences. Some argue that the plot is heavily reliant on contrivances (how many 1940s comedies aren't?), but ultimately that is easily forgiven given the quality on show across the board. 8/10
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jan 7, 2020 4:16:17 GMT
High quality package there Aussie! That said, I'll start with the one I was disappointed with... Pony Express Almost, nearly... Directed by Jerry Hopper and starring Charlton Heston, Forrest Tucker and Rhonda Fleming, Pony Express is adapted from a story written by Frank Gruber. It revolves around the birth of the Pony Express and how it linked California to the rest of the United States, thus preventing it from becoming a separate republic. Buffalo Bill Cody (Heston) and Wild Bill Hickok (Tucker) are the principal characters in the formation of the St Joseph-Sacramento speed run that has long since passed into folklore. Very much a fictionalised account of the "Express" and its principals, this tale deals in an attempt to form a separatist movement from the Union and the trials and tribulations that Cody & Hickok go thru in order to successfully launch the "Express". Cue Indian attacks, with the Indians being armed by corrupt business men, and sinister plotting by the seemingly affable Hastings siblings (Michael Moore & Fleming). A loose remake of the 1924/25 silent film of the same name, Hopper's movie suffers from being overlong and for spending too much time with the Hastings sub-plot. It's only when we get to the last quarter that the film gathers apace, until then we are left with only Heston's gusto and Fleming's sexuality to hold our attention. Director Hopper struggles to craft any energy from the number of dialogue driven set-ups, and even a Mano-Mano fight to the death between Cody and Yellow Hand (Pat Hogan) is undeniably flat. Thank god then for Heston giving it brio. A few years away from career defining roles, he seems to be enjoying himself and puts ebullient life into the film when it starts to sag. Fleming too is a highpoint. When not asked to lead off awful films like Bullwhip, Fleming was a more than capable actress, helped enormously by her sexiness and ability to own her scenes. She raises temperatures here considerably with one particular scene as both Jan Sterling (as Tomboy Denny) and herself each take a bath. Thankfully the finale doesn't follow suit with what has gone before it, with Hopper gaining a little redemption with this action quarter. The momentum is built up as we approach the first "Express" run, a gunfight is well staged and the shots of the horses bolting along the plains are a joy; in particular one shot as man and beast speed off under a blood red sky (well done cinematographer Ray Rennahan). Then it's the inevitable showdown where Heston flexes his gun toting muscles and a surprise development earns the picture an extra plaudit. So a real mixed bag for sure then. Well worth a watch for Heston purists and Fleming lusters. And indeed for Western fans who are versed in the lower grade genre entries so prominent in the 1950s. But it clearly doesn't fulfil its potential and the snippets of good only further make one feel a touch annoyed once the end credit booms out from the screen. 5.5/10 I love both Yuma movies and recently posted my review of the remake so I'll just add my support for the original. Room 207 and the 3:10 To Yuma. Van Heflin plays rancher Dan Evans whose family and livelihood is at breaking point due to a devastating drought. Needing money fast, Evans gets thrown a financial lifeline when a reward is offered to escort a recently captured outlaw, Ben Wade (Glenn Ford), on to the 3:10 train to Yuma prison. But as Wade's gang closes in to free the shackled outlaw, and the clock starts to tick down, Evans finds himself torn between a sense of social duty and an easy option courtesy of Wade's mind game offer. Based on a story by Elmore Leonard, this is a tight and tense Western that harks to the wonderful High Noon five years earlier. Directed by Delmer Daves, 3:10 to Yuma sees two of the Western genre's most undervalued performers come together in perfect contrast. Heflin's Evans is honest, almost saintly; but ultimately filling out his life with dullness and too much of a safe approach. Ford's Wade is the other side of the coin, ruthless (the opening sequence sets it up), handsome and very self-confident. This coupling makes for an interesting story-one that thankfully delivers royally on its set-up. As Wade's gang closes in, led by a sleek and mean Richard Jaeckel, Wade toys with Evans, offering him financial gain and gnawing away at him about his abilities as a husband, the tension is palpable in the extreme. Nothing is ever certain until the credits role, and that is something that is never to be sniffed at in the Western genre. The comparison with High Noon is a fair one because 3:10 to Yuma also deals with the man alone scenario. A man left alone to deal with his adversaries and his own conscience; money or pride indeed. Daves' direction is gritty and suitably claustrophobic, with close ups either being erotically charged {watch out for Felicia Farr's scenes with Ford in the saloon} or tightly wound in room 207 of the hotel; where Heflin & Ford positively excel. His outdoor work, aided by Charles Lawton Jr's photography, also hits the spot, particularly the barren land desperate for water to invigorate it. While the piece also has a tremendous George Duning theme song warbled (and whistled by Ford in the film) by Frankie Laine. Great acting, great direction and a great involving story; essential for fans of character driven Westerns. 8.5/10 Footnote: The film was very well remade in 2007 with two of the modern era's finest leading men, Russell Crowe & Christian Bale, in the dual roles of Ben & Dan respectively. One hopes, and likes to think, that they remade it purely because it was such a great premise to work from. Because Daves' film didn't need improving, it was, and still is, a great film showcasing how great this often maligned genre can sometimes be. The Mummy - great fun - www.themoviedb.org/review/5d8b3651d9f4a600185112b1?language=en-USThe Fly - Also covered recently so will not bore everyone again with my fawning review. Candidate for one of the best remakes ever? Hell yes! Red River - One of the true genre greats and one that I shall be re-watching again soon and then editing my old review.
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Post by mikef6 on Jan 7, 2020 5:01:39 GMT
hitchcockthelegend Great reviews and insights as usual. Thanks so much. Of the ones you saw last week, I either haven’t seen (or not for ages), with a one exception. My Fair Lady is a charmer but I agree with one critic I read who said that, although a good and watchable musical, it is not the Ideal My Fair Lady that so many have in their minds. I do remember seeing it when first released. I was in college and went with a couple of buddies. Sitting in the row behind us were parents and a teenage daughter who was complaining about how her ‘rents had dragged her along against her will. I was glad when the movie started so she would shut up. However, at intermission, the girl had undergone a change of heart. She was happy and thrilled with what she had seen. She spoke very enthusiastically to Mom and Pop. Any movie that can do this is all right by me. I have “Blast Of Silence” on my find and watch list.
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cschultz2
Freshman
@cschultz2
Posts: 91
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Post by cschultz2 on Jan 7, 2020 5:18:53 GMT
“Bombshell” Distributed by Lionsgate Pictures, 108 Minutes, Rated R, Released December 13, 2019:
Strong performances and a sharp, incisive script by “The Big Short” co-writer Charles Randolph are among the strengths of “Bombshell,” a mostly-factual account of the genesis of the #MeToo Movement, turning what might’ve become a lurid, routine and forgettable docudrama into intelligent and compelling motion picture entertainment.
It’s 2016, and life at the partisan and controversial Fox News Channel is anything but tranquil. Engaged in a war of attrition with leading GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, fighting the larger and more balanced news networks for a share of the national audience, the “nostalgia machine for lost America” fires its premier newscaster, former Miss America Gretchen Carlson, for being out of step with the channel’s ultra-conservative agenda and practices.
Prohibited by her contract from filing a lawsuit against the network, Carlson instead sues Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment--enduring Ailes’ swinish abuse is practically a professional rite of passage for female employess at the network. But the success of Carlson’s lawsuit depends on the courage of other Fox News employees, including rising star Megyn Kelly, to place their own professional careers at stake by coming forward with their own accounts of gender-based mistreatment at the network.
Briskly directed by Jay Roach, best known as the filmmaker behind such comedies as the Austin Powers pictures and “Meet the Parents,” “Bombshell” scores a bullseye by explaining to its audience the nuances of a transformative era in history. While much of its publicity and advertising suggest “Bombshell” is a political satire or a topical social comedy in the tradition of 1970’s “M*A*S*H,” the picture instead turns out to be a brilliant human drama, of enormous importance to practically every American during a time of change.
In the pivotal role of Gretchen Carlson, the Academy Award-winning Nicole Kidman opts away from performing an impersonation of the well-known author and television journalist, electing instead to portray her in more-human terms as a professional woman in a modern workplace, juggling career responsibilities with a personal life as a wife and mother. In filing the lawsuit against Ailes, Kidman’s performance illustrates clearly that the payoff is not career prestige or a megabucks payoff, but the look of approval and pride in her young daughter’s eyes.
As the fictional rookie Fox News employee Kayla Pospisil, Margot Robbie crafts another vividly effective characterization in a career which already has ranged in scope from roles as diverse as Queen Elizabeth I in 2018’s “Mary Queen of Scots,” actress Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” earlier this year, and an over-the-top turn as comic book villain Harley Quinn in 2016’s “Suicide Squad.” During the heartbreaking scene when Robbie’s Kayla is forced to stand before the smarmy Ailes and lift the hem of her skirt as a means of promoting her onscreen television career, any viewer who’s not simultaneously sickened, outraged, and deeply offended must be devoid of a soul.
Buried in mountains of prosthetic makeup and a fat suit as Roger Ailes, John Lithgow contributes the most uncharacteristic performance of his career. Usually cast as the sunniest personality in ten counties, Lithgow portrays Ailes as a subhuman oil slick, a loathsome slug unburdened by morality or conscience. At one point, Lithgow’s Ailes tells an employee he’s been unfavorably compared with Jabba the Hutt, but in reality Lithgow’s characterization is closer in spirit to Charles Laughton’s performance in 1935’s “Mutiny on the Bounty,” a Captain Bligh with kinks in his cable.
But Charlize Theron’s performance as Fox News’ rising star Megyn Kelly does beyond acting and solidly into territory usually described with the word “alchemy.” To say Theron nails the characterization is insufficient praise. Aided by prosthetic makeup that’s nothing short of astonishing, Theron inhabits Kelly so fully that by all appearances the actual television personality is onscreen, playing herself. One small criticism: Does Megyn Kelly really speak that way all the time? Employing her “news voice” when she’s at home with her family becomes a distraction in an otherwise brilliant performance, more reminiscent of a drill sergeant barking orders to a platoon of Marine recruits.
“Bombshell” is earning respectable but disappointing reviews from the critics, including an approval rating of 67% from Rotten Tomatoes, against a similar weighted average of 65% from Metacritic. The consensus at Rotten Tomatoes reads that the picture “benefits from a terrific cast and a worthy subject, but its impact is muffled by a frustrating inability to go deeper than the sensationalistic surface.” The actual Megyn Kelly following a private screening acknowledged that viewing the picture was “an emotional experience,” but noted some inaccuracies.
With cameo appearances by Malcolm McDowell as media mogul Rupert Murdoch, familiar comedy actor Richard Kind as a toadying Rudolph Giuliani, and an unrecognizable Allison Janney as author and legal scholar Susan Estrich, “Bombshell” is rated R for sexual material and language throughout.
“Little Women” Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, 135 Minutes, Rated PG, Released December 25, 2019:
The March sisters--Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth--are closer than most sisters, living with their sensitive and supportive Marmee in 1860s New England during the era of the American Civil War while their father’s away supporting Mr. Lincoln’s Republic as a member of the Union Army. But during a time when a woman’s station in life is determined by how well she marries, the headstrong and obstinate Jo wants to accomplish the unthinkable--to forge an independent path in life and establish a career...as a writer.
The eighth film version of Louisa May Alcott’s seminal 1868 novel is arguably the best, with strong performances from a veritable who’s who of the best and brightest talent currently working in American film. Besides strong and imaginative direction from Greta Gerwig and a cast which is practically perfect, the picture benefits from realistically overlapping dialogue, a sweeping musical score by Alexandre Desplat, and an unconventional narrative structure which augments the emotional impact of formative moments in the lives of the sisters by switching back and forth between scenes depicting them as children living together and seven years later, as adults living apart.
“Little Women” might seem at first thought an unusual choice of material for writer/director Greta Gerwig, generally acknowledged as the vanguard of modern independent film, especially since the cutting-edge “Lady Bird” in 2017 established her firmly on the map of mainstream popular culture. But Louisa May Alcott’s original novel was considered radical and revolutionary when it was first published shortly after the American Civil War, and has influenced and inspired entire generations of young people. “Little Women” has never been out of print. Writers who cite Alcott’s novel as a major influence on their careers include Simone de Beauvoir, J.K. Rowling, performance artist Patti Smith, and Gerwig herself.
A brilliant Saoirse Ronan stands out in the picture as the definitive Josephine “Jo” March--charismatic, passionately impulsive, playing within the expectations of contemporary society but firmly pursuing her own path just the same. Jo is necessarily the tale’s main character--it’s her reminiscences which form the narrative foundation of the story. But in Gerwig’s retelling, all the sisters have more or less equal parts...and equal opportunities to shine for the performers playing them. Emma Watson and Eliza Scanlen are just as persuasive as Ronan in the less-showy roles as Meg and Beth, as is Laura Dern in the key supporting role as their wise, loving, and patient mother, affectionately called Marmee.
Among the men in their lives, the fey Timothee Chalamet is equal parts loyal, indolent, and noble as Teddy “Laurie” Laurence, the spoiled rich kid conducting an unconventional romance with the reluctant Jo. A bemused Bob Odenkirk appears late in the tale as the girls’ father, and a kindly and crinkly-eyed Chris Cooper seems to be channeling Mark Twain as Laurie’s megarich curmudgeonly uncle, who lives next door to the Marches. Actor and playwright Tracy Letts is also caustically funny as the jaded Mr. Dashwood, Jo’s publisher, during the scenes which frame the picture’s main narrative.
But if there’s a breakout star of this “Little Women,” it’s Florence Pugh. A solid and dependable presence in international film since her performance in “Lady Macbeth” put her on the map in 2016, Pugh enjoyed a formative year in 2019 with breakout performances as WWE professional wrestler Saraya “Paige” Bevis in the delightful “Fighting With My Family” and as the troubled Dani Ardor in Ari Aster’s controversial and polarizing horror film “Midsommar.” As the temperamental and artistic sister Amy in “Little Women,” Pugh consolidates her success and confirms her place as a premier character actor of this generation. Look for this performance in particular to be prominently mentioned during awards season.
Equal parts poignant, happy, heartbreaking, funny, and always moving, to call “Little Women” a labor of love for Gerwig tells only part of the story. Alcott’s brilliant novel is as vivid and timely as ever when read in 2019. And the highest praise for Gerwig’s brilliant new film version is not that the picture is one of the best movies of the year and the definitive motion picture version of the classic tale, but that it’s among the very best American films of all time, and deserves a place on the bookshelf alongside Alcott’s novel.
Meryl Streep contributes a customarily studied character performance to the film as the girls’ Aunt March. She’s as brilliant as always, but her presence here feels more like a blessing over the project than a real characterization. Beautifully filmed by French cinematographer Yorick Le Saux on authentic locations in Concord, Boston, and Harvard, Massachusetts (actress Liv Ullmann receives a credit at the end for the use of her home as a filming location), with Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum standing in for Paris, “Little Women” is rated PG for adult situations and thematic elements.
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Post by OldAussie on Jan 7, 2020 6:57:03 GMT
hitchcockthelegendPony Express was the week's weakest.....saw it many years ago and when it turned up on the telly I couldn't resist another look. passable time waster but not worth searching out. 3:10 To Yuma - original 8.5/10, remake pretty good but the altered ending was a bit hard to swallow 7/10
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jan 9, 2020 18:22:20 GMT
Thanks for the kind words buddy - you simply HAVE to see Blast of Silence!
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Jan 9, 2020 18:30:11 GMT
“Bombshell” Distributed by Lionsgate Pictures, 108 Minutes, Rated R, Released December 13, 2019: Strong performances and a sharp, incisive script by “The Big Short” co-writer Charles Randolph are among the strengths of “Bombshell,” a mostly-factual account of the genesis of the #MeToo Movement, turning what might’ve become a lurid, routine and forgettable docudrama into intelligent and compelling motion picture entertainment. It’s 2016, and life at the partisan and controversial Fox News Channel is anything but tranquil. Engaged in a war of attrition with leading GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, fighting the larger and more balanced news networks for a share of the national audience, the “nostalgia machine for lost America” fires its premier newscaster, former Miss America Gretchen Carlson, for being out of step with the channel’s ultra-conservative agenda and practices. Prohibited by her contract from filing a lawsuit against the network, Carlson instead sues Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes for sexual harassment--enduring Ailes’ swinish abuse is practically a professional rite of passage for female employess at the network. But the success of Carlson’s lawsuit depends on the courage of other Fox News employees, including rising star Megyn Kelly, to place their own professional careers at stake by coming forward with their own accounts of gender-based mistreatment at the network. Briskly directed by Jay Roach, best known as the filmmaker behind such comedies as the Austin Powers pictures and “Meet the Parents,” “Bombshell” scores a bullseye by explaining to its audience the nuances of a transformative era in history. While much of its publicity and advertising suggest “Bombshell” is a political satire or a topical social comedy in the tradition of 1970’s “M*A*S*H,” the picture instead turns out to be a brilliant human drama, of enormous importance to practically every American during a time of change. In the pivotal role of Gretchen Carlson, the Academy Award-winning Nicole Kidman opts away from performing an impersonation of the well-known author and television journalist, electing instead to portray her in more-human terms as a professional woman in a modern workplace, juggling career responsibilities with a personal life as a wife and mother. In filing the lawsuit against Ailes, Kidman’s performance illustrates clearly that the payoff is not career prestige or a megabucks payoff, but the look of approval and pride in her young daughter’s eyes. As the fictional rookie Fox News employee Kayla Pospisil, Margot Robbie crafts another vividly effective characterization in a career which already has ranged in scope from roles as diverse as Queen Elizabeth I in 2018’s “Mary Queen of Scots,” actress Sharon Tate in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” earlier this year, and an over-the-top turn as comic book villain Harley Quinn in 2016’s “Suicide Squad.” During the heartbreaking scene when Robbie’s Kayla is forced to stand before the smarmy Ailes and lift the hem of her skirt as a means of promoting her onscreen television career, any viewer who’s not simultaneously sickened, outraged, and deeply offended must be devoid of a soul. Buried in mountains of prosthetic makeup and a fat suit as Roger Ailes, John Lithgow contributes the most uncharacteristic performance of his career. Usually cast as the sunniest personality in ten counties, Lithgow portrays Ailes as a subhuman oil slick, a loathsome slug unburdened by morality or conscience. At one point, Lithgow’s Ailes tells an employee he’s been unfavorably compared with Jabba the Hutt, but in reality Lithgow’s characterization is closer in spirit to Charles Laughton’s performance in 1935’s “Mutiny on the Bounty,” a Captain Bligh with kinks in his cable. But Charlize Theron’s performance as Fox News’ rising star Megyn Kelly does beyond acting and solidly into territory usually described with the word “alchemy.” To say Theron nails the characterization is insufficient praise. Aided by prosthetic makeup that’s nothing short of astonishing, Theron inhabits Kelly so fully that by all appearances the actual television personality is onscreen, playing herself. One small criticism: Does Megyn Kelly really speak that way all the time? Employing her “news voice” when she’s at home with her family becomes a distraction in an otherwise brilliant performance, more reminiscent of a drill sergeant barking orders to a platoon of Marine recruits. “Bombshell” is earning respectable but disappointing reviews from the critics, including an approval rating of 67% from Rotten Tomatoes, against a similar weighted average of 65% from Metacritic. The consensus at Rotten Tomatoes reads that the picture “benefits from a terrific cast and a worthy subject, but its impact is muffled by a frustrating inability to go deeper than the sensationalistic surface.” The actual Megyn Kelly following a private screening acknowledged that viewing the picture was “an emotional experience,” but noted some inaccuracies. With cameo appearances by Malcolm McDowell as media mogul Rupert Murdoch, familiar comedy actor Richard Kind as a toadying Rudolph Giuliani, and an unrecognizable Allison Janney as author and legal scholar Susan Estrich, “Bombshell” is rated R for sexual material and language throughout. “Little Women” Distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing, 135 Minutes, Rated PG, Released December 25, 2019: The March sisters--Meg, Jo, Amy, and Beth--are closer than most sisters, living with their sensitive and supportive Marmee in 1860s New England during the era of the American Civil War while their father’s away supporting Mr. Lincoln’s Republic as a member of the Union Army. But during a time when a woman’s station in life is determined by how well she marries, the headstrong and obstinate Jo wants to accomplish the unthinkable--to forge an independent path in life and establish a career...as a writer. The eighth film version of Louisa May Alcott’s seminal 1868 novel is arguably the best, with strong performances from a veritable who’s who of the best and brightest talent currently working in American film. Besides strong and imaginative direction from Greta Gerwig and a cast which is practically perfect, the picture benefits from realistically overlapping dialogue, a sweeping musical score by Alexandre Desplat, and an unconventional narrative structure which augments the emotional impact of formative moments in the lives of the sisters by switching back and forth between scenes depicting them as children living together and seven years later, as adults living apart. “Little Women” might seem at first thought an unusual choice of material for writer/director Greta Gerwig, generally acknowledged as the vanguard of modern independent film, especially since the cutting-edge “Lady Bird” in 2017 established her firmly on the map of mainstream popular culture. But Louisa May Alcott’s original novel was considered radical and revolutionary when it was first published shortly after the American Civil War, and has influenced and inspired entire generations of young people. “Little Women” has never been out of print. Writers who cite Alcott’s novel as a major influence on their careers include Simone de Beauvoir, J.K. Rowling, performance artist Patti Smith, and Gerwig herself. A brilliant Saoirse Ronan stands out in the picture as the definitive Josephine “Jo” March--charismatic, passionately impulsive, playing within the expectations of contemporary society but firmly pursuing her own path just the same. Jo is necessarily the tale’s main character--it’s her reminiscences which form the narrative foundation of the story. But in Gerwig’s retelling, all the sisters have more or less equal parts...and equal opportunities to shine for the performers playing them. Emma Watson and Eliza Scanlen are just as persuasive as Ronan in the less-showy roles as Meg and Beth, as is Laura Dern in the key supporting role as their wise, loving, and patient mother, affectionately called Marmee. Among the men in their lives, the fey Timothee Chalamet is equal parts loyal, indolent, and noble as Teddy “Laurie” Laurence, the spoiled rich kid conducting an unconventional romance with the reluctant Jo. A bemused Bob Odenkirk appears late in the tale as the girls’ father, and a kindly and crinkly-eyed Chris Cooper seems to be channeling Mark Twain as Laurie’s megarich curmudgeonly uncle, who lives next door to the Marches. Actor and playwright Tracy Letts is also caustically funny as the jaded Mr. Dashwood, Jo’s publisher, during the scenes which frame the picture’s main narrative. But if there’s a breakout star of this “Little Women,” it’s Florence Pugh. A solid and dependable presence in international film since her performance in “Lady Macbeth” put her on the map in 2016, Pugh enjoyed a formative year in 2019 with breakout performances as WWE professional wrestler Saraya “Paige” Bevis in the delightful “Fighting With My Family” and as the troubled Dani Ardor in Ari Aster’s controversial and polarizing horror film “Midsommar.” As the temperamental and artistic sister Amy in “Little Women,” Pugh consolidates her success and confirms her place as a premier character actor of this generation. Look for this performance in particular to be prominently mentioned during awards season. Equal parts poignant, happy, heartbreaking, funny, and always moving, to call “Little Women” a labor of love for Gerwig tells only part of the story. Alcott’s brilliant novel is as vivid and timely as ever when read in 2019. And the highest praise for Gerwig’s brilliant new film version is not that the picture is one of the best movies of the year and the definitive motion picture version of the classic tale, but that it’s among the very best American films of all time, and deserves a place on the bookshelf alongside Alcott’s novel. Meryl Streep contributes a customarily studied character performance to the film as the girls’ Aunt March. She’s as brilliant as always, but her presence here feels more like a blessing over the project than a real characterization. Beautifully filmed by French cinematographer Yorick Le Saux on authentic locations in Concord, Boston, and Harvard, Massachusetts, with Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum standing in for Paris, “Little Women” is rated PG for adult situations and thematic elements. Thanks for taking the time to review these. I like the look and sound of Bombshell - if only to see Lithgow described in your summary. I would disagree with him being known for "sunny" characteristics, one only has to look at Raising Cain and Cliffhanger to see him in glory fruit loop mode. he would have made a great Hannibal Lecter
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Jan 10, 2020 0:37:05 GMT
Black Christmas (1974) Stalkin' around the Christmas tree! What makes this movie work so well is that it's just out to make your skin crawl and nothing else. It digs down to that level where you should feel safe but something trespasses there and you'll never feel safe again. Someone hidden in your house is out to kill you? Yeah, that's just a great concept, and it unfolds masterfully. Not to be lumped in with all the other quickie slashers that followed, this is a legit movie with atmosphere and pure suspense. Very little gore, it relies on creeping terror that builds and builds. It explains almost nothing, which is far more horrifying than having it all explained. You're left to imagine what and why, not having all the answers increases the creepy factor. It's pretty basic filmmaking, and yet, it rarely has been duplicated properly. Obviously there was a lot of imagination, skill and talent involved all at once, people who wanted to make something great, and succeeded. Bob Clark and Roy Moore fought the studio to make this movie the movie it is, and not the movie the studio wanted. True artists. The ending is one of the most terrifying things ever put on film. I can't imagine this movie without it. I can't recommend this movie enough. I saw it only once before, many years ago, so long ago I nearly forgot just how effective it was. I had to increase my rating because it is simply miles ahead of most thrillers made since and impressed me all over again. Black Christmas (2006) Back when I first saw this, I was just taken aback by how insulting it seemed to even attempt to remake a classic that didn't need remaking...and then to go off and make it crazy gory and in the absolute opposite direction of the original. I hated it. Now, after rewatching the original and before seeing the newer 2019 remake (oh, Hollywood ), I find myself being able to separate this from the 1974 movie and just sit back and enjoy this somewhat sillier update for what it is. This movie takes the bare bones of the original and builds on it, like Wile E. Coyote builds his latest Acme contraption. And much like those beloved Warner Bros. cartoons, it moves at a breakneck pace, very unlike the original movie. There's blood flying in the egg nog almost immediately and icicles impaling people left and right. Some of this was intended by the filmmakers, some of it was forced upon the movie by those wascally Weinstein brothers. It served as a nice dessert after an exquisite meal that the first movie was. Nowhere as great a cinematic achievement as the original Black Christmas, but as a fun-loving gorefest for the holidays, it was okay and I now no longer want to return it on Boxing Day. Fragile (2005) Calista Flockhart in a haunted hospital for children in England. An okay time killer. 6 Underground (2019) Michael Bay needs to lay off the caffeine! This movie makes Fast & Furious look like Driving Miss Daisy!! This movie reminded me of a squirrel trying to cross a busy intersection!!! It's crazy but I had a great time, the premise is fun and millions of dollars were spent to make it so you better enjoy it. Red Sparrow (2018) Not the action thriller I was expecting, more of a spy drama, with several scenes of extreme violence here and there. It's long, and I guessed the ending correctly early on, but I would recommend this, it's entertaining. J-Law's bangs were even more distracting than her Russkie accent, but she does carry the movie quite well. Matthias Schoenaerts looked like a mini-Pootin' which surely must have been intentional. Charlotte Rampling as head mistress of the "whore school" was not the kind of teacher who you bring an apple...at all! The dude with the skin shredding device was a great scary baddie straight out of 007! Until next week... Hi Leb,I hope you are having a good week,and it looks like you had a kick-ass viewing week (I keep thinking when seeing it on billboards that the Michael Bay poster is for a spoof of Bay films!) On the first Black Christmas remake,did you watch the making of? With him doing incredibly creative eps of X-Files & Millennium with his regular co-writer James Wong, it's a real shame to see that neither of them got the chances they should have in cinema. From when I saw it in Oct 2018: 4. Disowning the film over the Weinstein brothers forcing more gore to be included, (this was at a time when the starry-eyed press glossed over reports like this as just another good-olde "Bob & Harvey story") writer/director Glen Morgan and cinematographer Robert McLachlan original design remains visible in glimpses, most noticeable in the flashbacks to Billy's grunge-stained childhood, and the unsettling creeping behind the walls recalling the classic X-Files ep Home, written by Morgan and producer James Wong. Visibly unhappy in the Making Of (more interesting than the film!) about having to chuck more gore in, Morgan offers some Christmas cheer in the final, highly stylised set-piece, but before it is only able to scrap together a plodding mess which offers each would-be Slasher set-piece little to stand out from each other. All impressively performing their own stunts, the sexy cast make a good attempt at showing a warm friendship during the X-Mas holidays,but are hurt by the rush for gore not allowing for any build-up in the friendships to take place. Taking the setting of Roy Moore's 1974 script, the screenplay by Morgan attempts to go on a different path by unwrapping killer Billy's grotesque childhood. Pulled apart by studio demands for blood, the film lack all the psychological tension that makes Morgan's work on X-Files and Millennium stand-out, as there is no time given to develop the friendships in the house, due to the unneeded rush for another Slasher slaying on a damp Christmas. In the UK, Bob Clark's A Christmas Story finally came out a few years ago! When I was growing up,my dad picked up a US/NTSC video by chance, which ended up being a title we'd watch every X-Mas,with the dialogue being cracking. Knowing Clark for this,it was a delight to see his dark X-Mas tale for the first time in Oct 2017: 10. Becoming Elvis's favourite horror,the level of care (un- credited) co-writer/(with Roy Moore) director Bob Clark & cinematographer Reginald H. Morris put in,allow this to remain The King of the Slasher genre. Opening in the middle of a holiday party,the screenplay by Clark and Moore impressively alters the image of the pretty young gang with impressive layers of maturity,as Jess goes to the cops to unmask the identity of the caller,and the initial sweet romance image is changed to a frank,adult discussion on abortion (with the writers breaking a big taboo at the time by letting Jess have a free-choice.) Along with the tough personal dramas they each face,the writers unwrap winning Slasher cuts,via each call building anticipation to the next appearance of the stranger, an eerie passage of time between the incredibly macabre killings,that give the final an unpredictable,nail-biting chill. Wisely keeping the identity of the killer vague, (three people dubbed the "voice") Clark and Reginald H. Morris build on the stylisation of the Giallo, via smoothly handled,extended first- person tracking shots that slither in the background of the house,and an ending (which Clark had to fight for) which covers the winters tale in a haunted,ghostly atmosphere,of the mystery being unfinished. Backed by the spine-tingling score of Carl Zitter (who got the sound by playing the strings of his piano with forks, combs, and knives!) Clark melts the snow away with a jet-black comedic strike,as the pile of bodies look out on the Christmas scenery. Only working for the first week of production, (with clever editing making him appear more prominent) Keir Dullea hits icy notes of doubt as Jess's boyfriend Peter,and Margot Kidder pours merry cheer as Jess's close friend Babs. Advised by a psychic to take the role (!) the elegant Olivia Hussey gives an excellent performance as Jess,thanks to Hussey bringing across Jess's thoughtful, rational solutions to closing the book on this bloody Christmas carol. In the mid 2000's the local library had a special rental offer, which led to me randomly picking Fragile. I gave the film a 7,with one of the main parts of the film which has stayed with me being the creepy, creaking noises director Jaume Balagueró (whose Sleep Tight (2011) is a great slow-burn Thriller) gave to the unseen floor. And on Red Sparrows,I was gonna rush out and see it,but The Fappaning had already shown J-Law's red sparrows
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Jan 10, 2020 19:04:10 GMT
morrisondylanfanI have not seen this making of doc about the 2006 version, but it sounds fascinating. Why studios choose to interfere with the creative process so much is beyond me, make the picture yourselves then! Lots and lots of not so nice things being revealed about how those Weinstein brothers used to operate is coming out these days. Olivia Hussey made an ideal and iconic final girl, one of the first. I did question why she chose to run upstairs at one point and not out the front door, but it just further illustrated her bravery. I loved rewatching the 1974 version so much that I'm determined to buy it and make it an annual thing. Jennifer Lawrence did do a shocking amount of nudity for Red Sparrow, considering this was 2018 and she has an Oscar. However, her work was not unappreciated.
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Post by mikef6 on Jan 10, 2020 20:13:41 GMT
Lebowskidoo 🦞 I perceived a reluctance in your recommendation of "Red Sparrow." Mine is even more pronounced.
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Jan 11, 2020 19:32:17 GMT
Lebowskidoo 🦞 I perceived a reluctance in your recommendation of "Red Sparrow." Mine is even more pronounced. It's destined to be a cult classic! Cheesy, but not unbearably so. 🧀😃
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