Post by darksidebeadle on Sept 27, 2020 6:22:41 GMT
Welcome back to another week of the BEST & WORST edition of 'what movies did you see last week?' thread. For those who haven't been part of it before, basically your host (me) posts my weekly movies and you can comment on those and list your movie for the same time frame. I will get back to you on yours and you can talk to other users here about their films. It's a great place to talk about film.
FIRST TIME MOVIE VIEWING
Executive Action (1973, David Miller)
This is an interesting early look at the possible behind the scenes set up of the coup d'etat that was the assassination of JFK. It is done in a fairly cold documentary style manner despite the big name actors like Robert Ryan and Burt Lancaster being involved.
7/10
Station Terminus (1953, Vittorio De Sica)
This film has an interesting history with producer David O. Selznick re-cutting the famed Italian directors film without his permission and releasing a far shorter cut in America by the title "Indiscretions of an American Wife". The shorter cut has been the far more accessible version in the decades since but I watched the longer version which is still only 90 minutes long. The film follows a married American woman who tries to break off her affair with a young Italian in Rome
prior to leaving by train for Paris. I enjoyed the movie with its beautiful cinematography and a great performance from Jennifer Jones. Strangely though I did not care as much for the fabled Montgomery Clift who I thought was laying it on even thicker than he normally does.
6.5/10
The Harder they Fall (1956, Mark Robson)
This Noir Boxing film sees an ex-sportswriter (Humphrey Bogart) hired by a shady fight promoter to promote his latest find, an unknown but easily exploitable rising star from Argentina.
This was a pretty easy watch and whilst good, it does not rank with the best Film Noir's, boxing films or Noir boxing films even.
6/10
The Seven-Ups (1973, Philip D'Antoni)
The Seven-ups came just two years after The French Connection and is directed by that films producer and written by the same writer. It also has a lot of the same cast and crew as well as being a similar type of film. All this shows you how William Friedkin was such a vital ingredient to The French Connections success because although The Seven-Ups makes a great companion piece it does not have the soul or vibrancy of its predecessor. Roy Scheider stars in this film playing a character by the same name and similar character traits of his role in The French Connection. Scheider is always good but they saved his most dramatic scenes for the last five minutes so he feels a little wasted here. I think with a better director and a little more money this could have been a semi classic but as it is, it just misses the mark.
6/10
Dark Passage (1947, Delmer Daves)
This film noir is one of the four film noir's starring Humphrey Bogart and then wife Lauren Bacall. over the first half of the film is quite interesting with a lead character point of view gimmick that creates a lot of interesting camera work. The third act is very by the numbers and a bit of a let down.
5.5/10
Flashpoint (1984, William Tannen)
This film has a great premise of looking at the JFK conspiracy decades later in the course of a seemingly unrelated case at the Texas border. Unfortunately despite some good casting with Kris Kristofferson, Rip Torn and Kurtwood Smith the film does not work because of the bland description and an unfocussed script.
4/10
Finding Graceland (1998, David Winkler)
Harvey Keitel plays an eccentric drifter claiming to be Elvis Presley who hitches a ride with a young man and they find themselves on an adventurous road trip to Memphis.
This film could have worked but it didn't because of its cringy sentimentality and unlikeable performance from Johnathon Schaech.
3.5/10
REPEAT MOVIE VIEWING
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975, Milos Forman)
blu ray
Simply one of the greatest films ever made with great performances set in a great story. Deserving of all its accolades and more.
9/10
Manhattan (1979, Woody Allen)
blu ray
Such a stunning black and white film with great performances and maybe my favourite acting turn from Woody Allen.
8/10
Three O'Clock High (1987, Phil Joanou)
blu ray
Inventive High School film with a quirky style that I find super entertaining
7.5/10
Match Point (2005, Woody Allen)
Gave this one another go and whilst I still do not like it as much as others, I did appreciate it more. It is the least Woody Allen styled film Woody Allen has ever made and is pretty strong but I think it could have had a half hour edited out to improve pacing and a more believable actor or performance from the character played by Jonathan Rhys Myers.
6.5/10
WEEKLY FILM AWARDS
BEST FILM: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
BEST ACTOR: Jack Nicholson - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
BEST ACTRESS: Diane Keaton - Manhattan
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Sydney Lassick - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Louise Fletcher - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
BEST EDITING: Susan E. Morse - Manhattan
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Gordon Willis - Manhattan
BEST SCRIPT: Lawrence Hauben, Bo Goldman - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
BEST SCORE: Tangerine Dream - Three O'clock High
BEST DIRECTOR: Milos Forman - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
10/10 - Perfection (or as close to it as possible)
09/10 - An Excellent film
08/10 - A VERY Good film
07/10 - A Good film
06/10 - A Solid film
05/10 - An Average film
04/10 - Below Average film
03/10 - A mostly bad film
02/10 - A mostly terrible film
01/10 - Awful through and through
00/10 - Not only awful but offensive too
FIRST TIME MOVIE VIEWING
Executive Action (1973, David Miller)
This is an interesting early look at the possible behind the scenes set up of the coup d'etat that was the assassination of JFK. It is done in a fairly cold documentary style manner despite the big name actors like Robert Ryan and Burt Lancaster being involved.
7/10
Station Terminus (1953, Vittorio De Sica)
This film has an interesting history with producer David O. Selznick re-cutting the famed Italian directors film without his permission and releasing a far shorter cut in America by the title "Indiscretions of an American Wife". The shorter cut has been the far more accessible version in the decades since but I watched the longer version which is still only 90 minutes long. The film follows a married American woman who tries to break off her affair with a young Italian in Rome
prior to leaving by train for Paris. I enjoyed the movie with its beautiful cinematography and a great performance from Jennifer Jones. Strangely though I did not care as much for the fabled Montgomery Clift who I thought was laying it on even thicker than he normally does.
6.5/10
The Harder they Fall (1956, Mark Robson)
This Noir Boxing film sees an ex-sportswriter (Humphrey Bogart) hired by a shady fight promoter to promote his latest find, an unknown but easily exploitable rising star from Argentina.
This was a pretty easy watch and whilst good, it does not rank with the best Film Noir's, boxing films or Noir boxing films even.
6/10
The Seven-Ups (1973, Philip D'Antoni)
The Seven-ups came just two years after The French Connection and is directed by that films producer and written by the same writer. It also has a lot of the same cast and crew as well as being a similar type of film. All this shows you how William Friedkin was such a vital ingredient to The French Connections success because although The Seven-Ups makes a great companion piece it does not have the soul or vibrancy of its predecessor. Roy Scheider stars in this film playing a character by the same name and similar character traits of his role in The French Connection. Scheider is always good but they saved his most dramatic scenes for the last five minutes so he feels a little wasted here. I think with a better director and a little more money this could have been a semi classic but as it is, it just misses the mark.
6/10
Dark Passage (1947, Delmer Daves)
This film noir is one of the four film noir's starring Humphrey Bogart and then wife Lauren Bacall. over the first half of the film is quite interesting with a lead character point of view gimmick that creates a lot of interesting camera work. The third act is very by the numbers and a bit of a let down.
5.5/10
Flashpoint (1984, William Tannen)
This film has a great premise of looking at the JFK conspiracy decades later in the course of a seemingly unrelated case at the Texas border. Unfortunately despite some good casting with Kris Kristofferson, Rip Torn and Kurtwood Smith the film does not work because of the bland description and an unfocussed script.
4/10
Finding Graceland (1998, David Winkler)
Harvey Keitel plays an eccentric drifter claiming to be Elvis Presley who hitches a ride with a young man and they find themselves on an adventurous road trip to Memphis.
This film could have worked but it didn't because of its cringy sentimentality and unlikeable performance from Johnathon Schaech.
3.5/10
REPEAT MOVIE VIEWING
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975, Milos Forman)
blu ray
Simply one of the greatest films ever made with great performances set in a great story. Deserving of all its accolades and more.
9/10
Manhattan (1979, Woody Allen)
blu ray
Such a stunning black and white film with great performances and maybe my favourite acting turn from Woody Allen.
8/10
Three O'Clock High (1987, Phil Joanou)
blu ray
Inventive High School film with a quirky style that I find super entertaining
7.5/10
Match Point (2005, Woody Allen)
Gave this one another go and whilst I still do not like it as much as others, I did appreciate it more. It is the least Woody Allen styled film Woody Allen has ever made and is pretty strong but I think it could have had a half hour edited out to improve pacing and a more believable actor or performance from the character played by Jonathan Rhys Myers.
6.5/10
WEEKLY FILM AWARDS
BEST FILM: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
BEST ACTOR: Jack Nicholson - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
BEST ACTRESS: Diane Keaton - Manhattan
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Sydney Lassick - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Louise Fletcher - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
BEST EDITING: Susan E. Morse - Manhattan
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Gordon Willis - Manhattan
BEST SCRIPT: Lawrence Hauben, Bo Goldman - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
BEST SCORE: Tangerine Dream - Three O'clock High
BEST DIRECTOR: Milos Forman - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
10/10 - Perfection (or as close to it as possible)
09/10 - An Excellent film
08/10 - A VERY Good film
07/10 - A Good film
06/10 - A Solid film
05/10 - An Average film
04/10 - Below Average film
03/10 - A mostly bad film
02/10 - A mostly terrible film
01/10 - Awful through and through
00/10 - Not only awful but offensive too