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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 22, 2020 14:40:59 GMT
Trouble in Store(53)  Norman!
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 22, 2020 14:47:38 GMT
The Gangster-1947-Barry Sullivan, Joan Lorring Another classic King Brothers noir, written by Dalton Trumbo My Cousin Rachel-1952-Olivia de Havilland, Richard Burton Did she or didn't she still remains the question - Thought I had seen, but not so, on to the list it goes - smart cast list. My Cousin Rachael - I'll jump onto your thread now!
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 22, 2020 14:55:24 GMT
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 22, 2020 15:05:10 GMT
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 22, 2020 15:08:38 GMT
THE WAR LORD (1965) Charlton Heston’s titled character deals with Druids, Frisian Vikings, a jealous in-the-shadow brother, and his romantic obsession with a peasant. I remember seeing the ending years ago, recognizing Henry Wilcoxon as the Frisian Chief. Kino Lorber BluRay. It makes a good companion piece with El Cid - www.imdb.com/review/rw2265333/?ref_=tt_urv 7/10
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Post by RiP, IMDb on Mar 22, 2020 20:12:38 GMT
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Post by marianne48 on Mar 22, 2020 21:06:19 GMT
Mostly comedies this week, out of necessity, but a few dramas, too:
My Name is Julia Ross (1945)--Apparently highly recommended on these weekly boards, and it lives up to expectations--a lot of suspense in just over an hour.
I'll admit I'm biased, but I don't think Hollywood has been all that fair to the Polish and Polish-American people. As a kid, I can remember when the sitcom All in the Family revived the tradition of "dumb Polack" jokes, brought to life by Carroll O'Connor's Archie Bunker character. Of course, his jokes were supposed to indicate his own wrongheaded bigotry, but I recall the popularity of those jokes and all the products peddled in gift and novelty stores--T-shirts, posters, bumper stickers, coffee mugs, etc. with anti-Polish slurs and jokes, purchased by the show's fans who embraced Bunker's remarks at face value.
Often, when a slow/dopey/loutish character appeared on a sitcom, he/she had a Polish surname. (Many years later, I happened to read O'Connor's autobiography and discovered that he apparently had some truly nasty things to say about the Polish.) To this day, there's still a lot of animosity towards the Polish over the collaboration of some Poles with the Nazis in WWII--although there were Nazi collaborators and sympathizers in a lot of countries, including the U.S., it sometimes seems as if the Polish are singled out.
It was a nice surprise, then, that after nearly 80 years, not one, but two movies were released in 2018 about the role of Polish fighter pilots during the Battle of Britain--Mission of Honor and Squadron 303. Both focus on the pilots who joined the RAF and had to deal with the prejudice of their British colleagues as well as the actual fighting. Both movies are somewhat flawed--Mission of Honor(aka Hurricane)has some cheap-looking CGI effects; Squadron 303 has some better CGI, but the human drama seems more contrived and the characters often come off as wooden. The first movie has more focus on the human interest parts of the story (and its eye-chart joke is better than that of the other film). Neither movie is destined to become a classic, perhaps, but they deserve a mention for finally acknowledging the exploits of these heroes. No surprise--neither film was a Hollywood production.
An Evening with Fred Astaire(1958)--By the late 1950s, Mr. Astaire was just about done with movie musicals, but he did have this wonderful TV special--taped live and in color! featuring his dancing alone and with Barrie Chase, as well as numbers with the show's dance troupe. The show also features jazz trumpeter Jonah Jones singing "Mack the Knife" and Astaire singing a
medley of his biggest song hits from his movies. A great treat for Astaire fans.
Ten From Your Show of Shows (1973)--This is a compilation of sketches from the early 1950s variety show starring Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca (which was the basis for the fictional variety show featured in the film My Favorite Year). The
clips were taken from TV kinescopes of the time, so the picture quality is not the best. But the skits are still entertaining--Caesar's mugging can sometimes be a bit tiresome, but the ensemble cast is great, and it's nice to see a young Carl Reiner in several sketches. One sketch, "From Here to Obscurity," is a fun parody of the film From Here to Eternity; the studio which released that film reportedly was so unhappy with the rather harmless sketch that they threatened to sue Caesar for presenting it. If you don't like the other sketches, please, please stick around for the very last one--a parody of the TV show This is Your Life. This sketch, "This is Your Story," is probably one of the funniest, craziest sketches in TV history. Carl Reiner plays the unctuous host who picks Caesar out of the audience to be the focus of the show; Caesar's fight with Reiner and the show's staff in the middle of the actual audience is hilarious. But the true highlight of the sketch is provided by Howard Morris--not to give anything away, but once you've seen Morris as "Uncle Goopy," you'll never forget it. This sketch alone makes the entire movie.
The Inspector General (1949) and The Court Jester (1955)--Two silly farces starring Danny Kaye, both fun to watch for pure escapism. Angela Lansbury and Glynis Johns show up in the latter film, as well as Basil Rathbone, who displays his impressive fencing skills. Remember, the pellet with the poison is in the vessel with the pestle--or not.
Blazing Saddles (1974)--A comedy which probably couldn't be made today. Still a lot of fun to watch.
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Post by cschultz2 on Mar 23, 2020 1:45:19 GMT
“Stan & Ollie” Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics and Entertainment One, 97 Minutes, Rated PG, Released December 28, 2018:
“I mean, we were just two-reel comics,” Stan Laurel often said of the remarkable motion picture legacy he shared with longtime partner Oliver Hardy. “That wasn’t art.”
A genuine gold-plated treat for film buffs, “Stan & Ollie” depicts the twilight years of the legendary movie comedy team of Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. In a sort of nirvana for those who enjoy classic films, the picture portrays Laurel and Hardy in both the prime of their Hollywood success in 1937, while filming the comedy classic “Way Out West” at the fabled Hal Roach Studios, and then sixteen years later, during the final days of their comedy partnership during the 1950s.
The delightful surprise of this wonderfully moving picture is that it not only recreates with remarkable accuracy the history and background of the team and the genuine affection the two legendary comics held for each other, but also contains performances in the title roles that are nearly astonishing in the actors’ resemblance to their subjects and the pinpoint precision of their characterizations.
During the ninety or so minutes which portray the team’s final days together, the uncanny exactness of the actors’ performances makes it easy to imagine that “Stan & Ollie” is the one film the fabled comics never made: An extended tit-for-tat war of attrition in which Laurel and Hardy’s opponents are not their usual foils from the silent days, Jimmy Finlayson or Edgar Kennedy, or Lupe Velez in the 1934 all-star extravaganza “Hollywood Party,” but the Grim Reaper himself---mortality, time, and the ravages of age.
Most biographical pictures fail at the box office for an array of reasons. Such films traditionally attempt to fit too much information into the narrative, often trying to recreate the subject’s entire life, and in the process sacrificing accuracy. An actor portraying the primary role in a film biography also generally needs to endure an extraordinary degree of scrutiny from audiences familiar with the subject.
Perhaps most importantly, biographical pictures are usually synonymous in the audience’s mind with documentaries, and many viewers resist parting with entertainment dollars for educational purposes.
“Stan & Ollie” succeeds where most film biographies fail. The picture focuses on only two episodes of the experiences of the beloved comics instead of the entirely of their lives or their career together, and is surprisingly accurate to the facts of their remarkable motion picture legacy. The picture telescopes certain events, mostly for dramatic purposes. But nothing in this genuinely entertaining and eminently moving little picture is either false or inaccurate. It all happened.
As a matter of historical context, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy had been toiling separately in motion pictures since the 1910s. While each was moderately popular with audiences, separately they never achieved anything like stardom. The Georgia-born Hardy in fact for a time was marginally more popular as a motion picture performer than Laurel, appearing as a supporting actor in some 250 pictures, including the 1925 silent film version of L. Frank Baum’s “The Wizard of Oz,” in which the actor played both the Tin Man and film’s romantic lead.
Stan Laurel was an English music hall comic who’d originally come to the United States in 1912 for a vaudeville tour as a colleague, understudy, and roommate of Charlie Chaplin. The young comic followed Chaplin into the fledgling movie business, performing in his first film comedy in 1917.
At the time of his teaming with Oliver Hardy in 1927, Laurel was actually becoming more successful as a writer and director than as an actor or comic. His transition toward a career behind the camera was partly because his pale blue eyes were difficult to photograph on the black-and-white film stock used at the time.
During the 1920s, both Hardy and Laurel were contracted--separately, not as a team--to the Hal Roach film studio, a sort of comedy commune where such later stars as Will Rogers, Thelma Todd, Charley Chase, and “Our Gang” also had their cinematic beginnings. In 1927 producer Roach had the idea of teaming Laurel and Hardy as actors in a short two-reel comedy, with the expectation that the slender Laurel would be an interesting contrast and amusing foil to the taller and more corpulent Hardy.
And as a team, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy made entertainment history. Among the very few silent comics who successfully transitioned into the era of talking films, Laurel and Hardy eventually appeared as a team in 79 two-reel comedies, 34 of them silent, and also in 27 feature-length sound pictures. For most of their career together, Laurel and Hardy were employed under separate contracts with the Hal Roach studios, where their partnership began. After their teaming in 1927, Laurel never appeared in a picture without Hardy.
By 1937, when the movie “Stan & Ollie” begins, Stan Laurel was chafing under the control of producer Hal Roach, feeling underappreciated...and vastly underpaid. While his former roommate and music hall colleague Charlie Chaplin had become enormously wealthy as a result of his ownership and control of his own comedy pictures, Stan was still a jobbing comic actor, drawing a comfortable salary but toiling primarily as an employee of the Hal Roach studio.
Producer Hal Roach for his part felt he was an exceedingly generous employer. In addition to paying his actors enviable salaries, he gave the workaholic perfectionist Laurel free artistic reign over the team’s pictures. During the team’s career with the Roach studios, Laurel often acted as an uncredited writer and director of the Laurel and Hardy comedies.
Roach also felt that in a motion picture industry so plagued by scandal that the major studios had recently agreed to a Production Code that regulated motion picture content and enforced censorship, Laurel was fortunate to be employed at all. At that time, any breath of impropriety or public controversy could be deadly to an entertainer...and harmful to his employer.
Stan Laurel off the screen lived in a state of perpetual domestic chaos which belied his film image as an amiable simpleton. Married five times--six if count as two the one woman he married twice, both before and after his third wife--Laurel in 1937 had not only just endured a noisy divorce, but also was sustaining a legal attack from a woman with whom he’d once lived in a casual common-law arrangement. Attracted by his professional success since they’d separated, the woman was now publicly charging Stan with bigamy, and suing him for financial support. Roach was furious.
Written by Jeff Pope with a film scholar’s eye for historical detail and directed with obvious love and affection by Jon S. Baird, “Stan & Ollie” begins at that point in time. Laurel and Hardy are at the pinnacle of their popularity, on the Roach Studios lot filming the iconic song and dance sequence for 1937’s “Way Out West.” Following a bitter argument with Roach on the picture’s set, the producer angrily releases Stan from his commitment to the studio...but simultaneously refuses to free Oliver Hardy from his.
Expecting his partner to walk out on his legal agreement with Roach and the studio, Laurel is heartbroken to learn that the producer instead is compelling the genial, non-confrontational Hardy to team with faded silent film clown Harry Langdon in a feature-length comedy entitled “Zenobia.” Hardy will star in the picture as a country veterinarian who treats a sickly circus elephant...and then finds the grateful pachyderm following him everywhere he goes.
Sixteen years later, in 1953, the two old comics are embarking on a live appearance tour of the British Isles. Long since reunited as a team and free of their commitments to Hal Roach, Stan and Ollie have been working through years as hired actors for other studios, supplanted in popularity by newer comedy teams such as Hope and Crosby, Abbott and Costello, and Martin and Lewis, enjoying precious little creative participation in their pictures besides their presence.
The team’s most recent picture, the execrable French-Italian co-production “Atoll K,” effectively ended their movie careers. With their stage appearances in Europe they hope to drum up enthusiasm for a Robin Hood script Stan’s been writing as a comeback for the team. Their live performances are beginning to snowball in popularity, and the partners are selling out larger and more prestigious theaters. Still, even after all these years, the delicate topic of “the elephant picture” hangs unspoken between the two old friends, a subject to be avoided at all costs.
“Stan & Ollie” is driven by the astonishing performances of actors Steve Coogan as Stan Laurel and the brilliant, nearly-unrecognizable John C. Reilly as Oliver Hardy. More popular in his native England than in the United States and also noted as both a writer and producer, the 53-year-old Steve Coogan bears a passing resemblance to the iconic Laurel, but otherwise achieves remarkable verisimilitude with his spot-on characterization in the role.
As Oliver Hardy, John C. Reilly disappears so far into his characterization that there’s seemingly no trace of the actor remaining--Reilly becomes Hardy. Initially reluctant to take on the role because “I don’t really do impressions,” Reilly was persuaded to appear in the film by director Baird, who assured the actor that the picture was going to tell the a very human story about the comics’ personal relationship and how they interacted, rather than attempt to simulate their routines.
For a role which required extensive padding and prosthetics, Reilly needed to endure some four hours in the makeup chair each morning of filming. The results are seamless, and almost uncanny. Like Christian Bale as former vice-president Dick Cheney in “Vice,” Reilly as Oliver Hardy achieves something close to symbiosis. If you didn’t know better, you’d swear you’re seeing the actual comic appearing onscreen again.
When the specter of “the elephant picture” finally and inevitably bubbles to the surface during a welcoming reception for the comics at an exclusive London hotel ballroom, the subject causes a furious but outrageously genteel finger-jabbing argument between the two old partners. But the other guests witnessing the bitter quarrel believe it’s a rehearsed comedy routine being performed for their entertainment. It’s a testament to the skill of the filmmakers and performers that the scene is alternately funny, touching, eminently recognizable...and almost heartbreakingly human.
“Stan & Ollie” is by no means a perfect picture. The narrative telescopes certain events and omits others for the sake of dramatic impact. And the movie will necessarily be more enjoyable for fans of classic films, especially the legions of Laurel and Hardy fans who still treasure the team’s classic two-reel comedies, many of which remain easily available on YouTube.
For others the picture will resemble in many ways a more fully-realized version of Neil Simon’s “The Sunshine Boys” from 1975--a real story, instead of a fictionalized account of two old comedy partners reunited for a final performance. Either way, this little picture’s a winner.
The best of the Laurel and Hardy comedies were about social injustice, and human dignity. In their delightful short films from the 1920s and 1930s, Stan and Ollie endure the slights, the petty hostilities, and the casual unfairnesses of mankind, but always eventually come back with smiles on their faces and a renewed sense of trust in the essential decency of society. They are the quintessential symbols of the human comedy, eternal optimists in times of bitter pessimism, then as now, and now as then.
While Laurel and Hardy might’ve relied occasionally on a corny gag or a stale setup, there was never a low blow or a cheap joke. Genuine human affection drove their comedy. And when the team is performing together before an audience for the final time in “Stan & Ollie,” as Ollie smiles over to Stan and whispers, “I’ll miss us when we’re gone,” he speaks for all of us.
The highest praise--this is a film biography truly worthy of its subjects. Watch for it.
“Stan & Ollie” is rated PG for some language concerns, and for scenes depicting the use of liquor and cigarettes.
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Post by MrFurious on Mar 23, 2020 9:56:20 GMT
Trouble in Store(53) Norman! I dont know how he didnt crack the US after that.  It was another one from Talking Pictures.
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🎄😷🎄 on Mar 23, 2020 16:40:56 GMT
The week began in one era, and now, we are ending up in another. One of the good things about everyone being at home now is the chance to watch more movies. I hope everyone reading this is safe and secure. Hang in there!  The Carrier (1988)  "Don't touch me! I don't want to die!"  A virus outbreak in a small rural area causes people to lose their minds and start dressing in garbage bags. Hey, at least they saved money on costumes! I watched this out of curiosity and because of the current worldwide pandemic. I was all on board until they planned to use cats as guinea pigs in an attempt to root out the virus. The acting is not all bad and the idea keeps the thing going nicely, but it's pretty low budget and not overly involving, and just a bit goofy. The Carrier (2015)  A pandemic breaks out worldwide that causes people to grow fleshy globs of skin. At least it's not zombies! The acting is fine, the story moves along quite well, it's just a little low budget. Apparently, according to this movie, Greenland is the place to be during a pandemic....just saying.  Ford v Ferrari (2019)  I'll admit, I was in no race to see this movie, but I'm glad I did.   The story is more or less the same as so many others, but still has it's own interesting moments to make it stand out. I got sucked in by a master filmmaker, James Mangold, and was suddenly immersed before I could stop myself.  Christian Bale and Matt Damon as besties was believable, two great actors just going for it. Bale, especially, is bringing great vigor to his part, and the movie as a whole. He is the reason to see this. Damon is more or less in his shadow the whole time, chewing gum...but no one can chew gum like Matt Damon!  Best scene: Henry Ford II's reaction to have been driven in a race car! Tracy Letts is astounding and truly believable in that scene, allowing his character's veneer drop down and show us what's really in his heart. Brilliant!  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018)  I watched this because I had just seen the Downton Abbey movie and needed more of the same. This movie shares four cast members from that series, so it seemed an obvious choice. However, it was not as light and frothy as I initially assumed it would be.  I guess I can blame my history books focusing mainly on American and Canadian history, but I had no idea that Guernsey had been occupied by the Germans during World War II. I'm embarrassed but thankful to this movie for filling in some blanks. This alone made the movie fascinating to me, but it also has a lot of characterization and story to reveal as well. The scenery is jaw-droppingly beautiful, makes me want to run off to Guernsey.  Lily James carries the movie perfectly, and that final scene on the docks is pretty swoon-worthy, like a scene out of an old classic movie. Highly enjoyable! Framed (1947)  Glenn Ford comes to this noir-ish town and gets mixed up with this double-dealin" dame, see, and there's a few twists and turns you may not see comin". Not a well-loved classic, but still worthwhile and entertaining. Cookie (1989)  Years before Corky Romano, Peter Falk was already in the mob. This was one of several late 80's mob comedies released around the same time, except I'm only getting around to it now.  Not a lot of big laughs, and the story is a little messy, but the cast sells it all so well that I just watched it for their performances. Emily Lloyd was really on the rise for awhile back then, I'd almost forgotten about her. Solid support from Dianne Wiest, Jerry Lewis and Ricki Lake. Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017)  Vince Vaughn is bald and a little bit psychotic and is sent to the absolute worst prison I've ever seen in a movie. Bones are crunched frequently and the violence is shocking. Not a movie for everyone, but a fascinating and wild ride for action movie fans. There are things suggested in this movie I had never heard of or even considered before, a level of depravity I didn't think were possible. Maybe don't let the kids watch, just saying.  Upgrade (2018)  I had heard all the buzz surrounding Upgrade, and am pleased to report that the buzz was indeed correct! Written and directed by Leigh Whannell, the man who wrote and acted in the first Saw movie, I knew this would not be some average sci-fi action movie. Its version of the future feels entirely possible, maybe because we grow ever closer to it. Not a lot of flashy F/X, the budget was minimal, but it more than makes up for it in its need to entertain and surprise the viewer. Plenty of exciting fight scenes!  Logan Marshall-Green, who has suffered countless comparisons to Tom Hardy, really shines here. From this point on, he deserves to stand on his own! His grief and anger are both very palpable and believable, in what could easily have come off as just another Robocop / Death Wish hybrid. The Covenant (2006)  Watched this again, even though I'd recently seen it, because an online friend recorded himself and a friend doing snarky MST3K-style commentary for it. It's hilarious, both the movie itself and their commentary. Anyone wanting to see it with the commentary can message me for it. Satan's School For Girls (1973 TVM)  Charlie's Angels vs. Satan!    Just what you'd expect from a 1970's TV movie on such a subject. Delightfully cheesy but has some cool moments. It's free on YouTube for all you sequestered peeps looking for something else to watch.  Kate Jackson and Cheryl Ladd together, three years before Charlie's Angels, this is a pop culture treasure trove! Satan's School For Girls (2000 TVM)  It's weird how old this movie seems now, even though it was only made in 2000. Seems like a Halloween episode of Beverly Hills, 90210. Differs from the original 1973 version in a few good ways. Still cheesy but who doesn't love cheese?  Loved having Kate Jackson back, this time as the dean of the school. There's an actress we never see much of anymore, and that's too bad.  Breathless (1960)  Clearly influential, and with plenty of genuine 60's atmosphere that could never be fully recreated so well, this was such an illusory environment that completely surrounds you, so that you feel you are inside it and part of it. I think I came away with a French accent for a few hours after seeing this, and I don't even speak French!  And, of course, I fell madly in love with Jean Seberg during the viewing of this movie. Comment ne pourriez-vous pas? Elle était vraiment belle!  Breathless (1983)  Takes the premise of the original 1960 classic and spins it around: The American girl is now the American guy, the French guy is now the American girl, it now takes place in 1983 Los Angeles, USA instead of 1960 Paris, France. Add a little rockabilly obsession and a Silver Surfer reference here and there, and you've got a genuine reimagining on your hands.  It's pretty obvious from the start how and why this movie influenced Quentin Tarantino. It's set in L.A. about two lovers running from the law, and the use of music and cinematography I know I have seen reappear in his own movies. He admits he loves this movie too!  I saw this many years ago on cable and loved it. Still unsure why this was not more of a success at the time. Critics were angry that it was a remake and a never noticed how original it was all on its own. To me, this is the quintessential Richard Gere role. He's a bad boy with great style and bad luck. Perfect early 80's movie time capsule, an era I personally love!  Stay safe and stay away from each other! There's never been a better time in the history of the planet to stay in and watch movies! Hope you all get to escape for awhile in to a movie or twenty!   |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2020 0:07:54 GMT
The Inspector General (1949) and The Court Jester (1955) --Two silly farces starring Danny Kaye, both fun to watch for pure escapism. Angela Lansbury and Glynis Johns show up in the latter film, as well as Basil Rathbone, who displays his impressive fencing skills. Remember, the pellet with the poison is in the vessel with the pestle--or not. The Inspector General is one of my all time favorite comedies. It never gets old. Drink to goodbyes and drink to hellos.
Drink to the open; drink to the closed.
Drink to me only with thine eyes, and I will drink with my nose.
And so we drink!
But first we sing.
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 25, 2020 18:44:05 GMT
The Inspector General (1949) and The Court Jester (1955) --Two silly farces starring Danny Kaye, both fun to watch for pure escapism. Angela Lansbury and Glynis Johns show up in the latter film, as well as Basil Rathbone, who displays his impressive fencing skills. Remember, the pellet with the poison is in the vessel with the pestle--or not. I'm a Kaye fan, I have fond memories of watching his films with my mom. The Inspector General - www.imdb.com/review/rw3229456/?ref_=tt_urv 7/10The Court Jester - www.imdb.com/review/rw1833402/?ref_=tt_urv 8/10
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Post by hitchcockthelegend on Mar 25, 2020 18:59:32 GMT
Framed (1947) Glenn Ford comes to this noir-ish town and gets mixed up with this double-dealin" dame, see, and there's a few twists and turns you may not see comin". Not a well-loved classic, but still worthwhile and entertaining. Brawl in Cell Block 99 (2017) Vince Vaughn is bald and a little bit psychotic and is sent to the absolute worst prison I've ever seen in a movie. Bones are crunched frequently and the violence is shocking. Not a movie for everyone, but a fascinating and wild ride for action movie fans. There are things suggested in this movie I had never heard of or even considered before, a level of depravity I didn't think were possible. Maybe don't let the kids watch, just saying. - www.imdb.com/review/rw3632918/?ref_=tt_urv 7/10Brawl in Cell Block 99 - I actually re-watched Bone Tomahawk last night, which was the debut film for director S. Craig Zahler . I wrote in my review for that one that he might be a director to watch out for - his next film was Cell Block 99, and it doesn't disappoint again on a brutality front. I need to see it again before reviewing it, but I liked it plenty and thought Vaughn superb in it. Zahler has only done one more film so far, Dragged Across Concrete, which I haven't seen, but it has really induced some ferocious division!
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Mar 25, 2020 19:59:56 GMT
Hi Spike,with The Favourite,I was most taken by how it mocks the self-important pompousness of the Costume Drama genre,and what's your take on the ending? From when I saw it in Jan 2019: 9. Signalling the corridor the film will be walking down with the very good Mark Gatiss of The League of Gentlemen and James Smith from The Thick of It and In The Loop being given prominent supporting roles, auteur director Yorgos Lanthimos and cinematographers Robbie Ryan & Stephen Murphy playfully retain the elegance of the Costume Drama, whilst undressing it of the self-importance usually featured in the genre. Incredibly lighting the night time scenes with just candlelights, Lanthimos and Ryan (with Murphy stepping in when Ryan took a break after his dad died) shine a grotesque atmosphere in the darkness, from the pulled faces of Abigail and Lady Sarah eyeing up in the shadows secrets to one-up each-other. Determined to not use Steadicam to follow the trio down the corridors of the lavish Hatfield House location, Lanthimos bask in brisk natural lighting eye the power-play unfolding in ultra-stylised gimbal rigs wide-lensed winding shots spanning the huge rooms and subtly bringing Sarah and Abigail's feud down to size against a regal backdrop. Playing fast and loose with the real events, ( Queen Anne had a husband, who does not feature in the movie) the screenplay by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, (main writer of wonderful Aussie TV series Puberty Blues)flies in with wickedly jet-black comedy dialogue and macabre physical comedy leaving Sarah blood-splattered. Modernising the language used, the writers take great care for it to be a natural fit, as the modern swearing digs into the poisonous state the relationship between Anne, Sarah and Abigail becomes. Surrounding Queen Anne with her rabbits/ "children", the writers gradually place the surrealist fur of Lanthimos's other works (this being the first of his directed films he has not written) by opening the cages to excellent, brittle battle between Sarah and Abigail in who can become top dog/the royal pet. Looking unrecognisable, Olivia Colman gives an outstanding performance as Queen Anne,who Colman has bellow with pain and anger from the minimal power she still holds. Reuniting with Colman and Lanthimos from The Lobster (2015), Rachel Weisz gives an intense, expressive performance as Lady Sarah, whose "friendship" with Anne is captured by Weisz with a plastic smile, and a viper spit towards Abigail's power-play. Hiding her US accent under regal clothes, Emma Stone gives an excellent turn as Abigail, thanks to Stone nailing Abigail's attempt to present a refined image, while ruthlessly fighting to become the new favourite. Btw,good to see Preston protecting himself in that pic from getting the virus.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Mar 25, 2020 20:18:30 GMT
The week began in one era, and now, we are ending up in another. One of the good things about everyone being at home now is the chance to watch more movies. I hope everyone reading this is safe and secure. Hang in there! Upgrade (2018) I had heard all the buzz surrounding Upgrade, and am pleased to report that the buzz was indeed correct! Written and directed by Leigh Whannell, the man who wrote and acted in the first Saw movie, I knew this would not be some average sci-fi action movie. Its version of the future feels entirely possible, maybe because we grow ever closer to it. Not a lot of flashy F/X, the budget was minimal, but it more than makes up for it in its need to entertain and surprise the viewer. Plenty of exciting fight scenes!  Logan Marshall-Green, who has suffered countless comparisons to Tom Hardy, really shines here. From this point on, he deserves to stand on his own! His grief and anger are both very palpable and believable, in what could easily have come off as just another Robocop / Death Wish hybrid. Stay safe and stay away from each other! There's never been a better time in the history of the planet to stay in and watch movies! Hope you all get to escape for awhile in to a movie or twenty! It looks like you had some excellent viewings Leb. Going in with little expectations,I found Ven,I mean Upgrade to be a welcomed surprise: From Feb 2019: 10. Backed by the grinding Trent Reznor-style Industrial hum from composer Jed Palmer,writer/director Leigh Whannell is joined by The Mule (2014-a film co-written/starring Whannell) cinematographer Stefan Duscio in giving the futuristic setting a pristine metallic appearance, lining Trace corridor to revenge with a subtle design on an inability to escape from machinery surrounding him.Slashing at the knife-edge atmosphere over the build up to revenge attacks, Whannell stamps Trace's actions with burning neon reds and purples which simmer down to metallic whites as Trace calculates his next line of attack. Pulling the raw nerves of his Horror past into Action, Whannell carves out incredibly visceral set-pieces, charged by an excellent precision of keeping Trace framed in the middle of the screen, which allow for the fights to pack a real crunch thanks to the smooth visibility of each move, and the move to speed-up footage highlighting Trace gradual loss of control of his own body movements. Set in the near-future, the screenplay by Whannell wires Cyberpunk Sci-Fi anxiety with raw revenge Action and insidious Body Horror at an outstanding upload speed. Taking his wife and the ability to move his limbs within the first 10 minutes,Whannell slams Grey Trace's nose to the grindstone as he is left washed out in the corner with only basic machines. Getting what looks to be a helping hand, Whannell places Grey in a thrilling vice-like grip, with the revelation that his computer body chip "Stem" can talk to him, leading to push and pull battles over how far Grey goes with his revenge. Tapping into Cyberpunk fears of man verses machine, Whannell unleashes a knock-out twist ending, which in a similar move to Saw,changes perspective on what the viewer believes they have seen. Wired in by Harrison Gilbertson's eerie, dead-eyed Eron Keen, Simon Maiden gives a pitch-perfect performance as Stem, whose calm, smoothing tone Maiden slowly snaps at the edges. Left a broken man, Logan Marshall-Green gives a blistering turn as Grey, thanks to Marshall-Green feeding Grey's sorrow into a burning rage which gets twisted into doubt, as Grey begins to regret his upgrade.
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🎄😷🎄 on Mar 26, 2020 11:46:36 GMT
hitchcockthelegend Brawl in Cell Block 99 was even more brutal than Bone Tomahawk, although there is that one scene that was unforgettably horrifying. Pretty tense moviemaking, both movies. Have not seen Dragged Across Concrete, but I'm certain I will at some point.
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🎄😷🎄 on Mar 26, 2020 11:51:39 GMT
morrisondylanfan LMG adds a lot to Upgrade with his fine performance. The action scenes seem inspired and game changing, not too shocking considering what Leigh Whannell accomplished with Saw, a movie that genuinely shocked and surprised me and my friends when we saw it. He's one to watch, definitely.
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