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Post by wmcclain on Mar 27, 2021 15:39:49 GMT
Your comments/ratings/recommendations/film posters are welcome and much appreciated! The title says "classics" but we are always interested to know what classic film lovers have been watching, whatever the material.  |
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Post by wmcclain on Mar 27, 2021 16:45:56 GMT
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Post by OldAussie on Mar 27, 2021 17:23:03 GMT
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Post by politicidal on Mar 27, 2021 18:48:37 GMT
Wander (2020) 3/10
The Last Vermeer (2019) 7/10
Foreign Intrigue (1956) 6/10
The Full Treatment (1961) 5/10
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Post by teleadm on Mar 27, 2021 22:54:15 GMT
Well this week wen't into a personal medical hell that didn't turn out well, but I did manage to see a few that might sound interesting in one way or another.  The Nice Guys 2016, directed by Shane Black. Private eye movie taking place in Los Angeles 1970's with two charismatic actors, joining forces to solve a case of a missing child and the death of a porn star. Somehow it lost me with a lot of dead bodies and violence, and the lack of some kind of style. It costed nearly 50M USD to make, but only attracted for 62M USD. Some nice touches here and there, but not for me as a whole.  Fathom 1967 directed by Leslie H. Martinson and based on at the time unpublished novel by Larry Forrester. Swedish title was, translated back to English was The Spy Who Came Down From the Sky. It's all about Raquel and her good looks, and she was indeed ravishing. Lighthearted spy parody stuff, typical of the 1960's. American sky diver in Malaga. Spain is recruited by the Hong Kong Secret Service to help them find a H-Bomb device to fall into the wrong hands (It's not the Soviets this time). Slightly better than I thought it would be, even if that is not saying very much. It's so much Raquel, I nearly forgot the real leading man was Tony Franciosa.  Le Corbeau 1943 directed by Henri Georges Clouzot and based on real events. Poison pen letters are spread in a small French Town, that is trying to destroy as many as possible with false accusations (it was possible before Twitter), some painful truths comes into the light, but still who sends the letters? It's got an eerie feeling as nobody knows who to trust anymore, as the letters keeps coming even after deaths and tragedy. Clouzot was a great visual director so it's easy to follow it with English subtitles, who has only disappointed me once.  Come Live with Me 1941 directed by Clarence Brown. It's a rather bold story, an Austrian girl lives in luxury as a kind of companion to a wealthy publisher, that seems rather okey as long as no sex is involved. But her carefree time in America will soon expire, unless she can find some dope for a marriage of convenience, and the dope is a struggling poor writer she meets by chance, who'll marry her if only for paying weekly bills. The first 30 minutes or so is rather flimsy and unfocused, but as soon James Stewart as the struggling writer comes into the picture it becomes a rather pleasant rom-com, 1940's style.  Souls at Sea 1937, directed by Henry Hathaway and slightly based on real events, that occurred in a trial in Philadelphia in 1841, a man could be charged for manslaughter for not saving all men if a ship sinks, regardless of how many men the charged actually saved (if I understood it right). The story is mostly told in flashbacks, a seafaring saga of tall ships, two buddies (Gary Cooper and George Raft), romancing Dee and Bradna, tracing illegal slave traders undercover, fist fighting and a spectacular fire sequence when a tall ship burns down and sinks. It was nominated for three Oscars, Art Direction, Assistant Director and Music Scoring. Not bad at all, if you like Gary Cooper, and Raft is actually tolerable and even touching in a few scenes. Well that was my week, cut a bit short thanks to bad health. _02.jpg) |
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Post by mikef6 on Mar 28, 2021 0:27:06 GMT
Coup De Torchon (Clean Slate) / Bertrand Tavernier (1981). This is an engrossing, funny, shocking and suspenseful adaptation of a hard-boiled thriller by Jim Thompson (1906-1977). It has been reset from small-town America in the early 1950s to French West Africa (today’s Senegal) in 1938, just before the start of WWII – and the time and location switch works. It is not as wild as it first seems. The “brink of war” undercurrent gives the story an additional layer of texture. Lucien Cordier (Philippe Noiret) is a mild mannered police officer in a small village. His hardest job is avoiding any of the duties of policing. The pimps in charge of the local whorehouse routinely mock and humiliate him in public, a local drunk beats his wife in the street while Noiret pretends not to hear, his wife and the man she says is her brother carry on an open affair and his superiors show a complete lack of respect for him. Even though he remains cheerful and meek on the surface, as the story unfolds, his limitless despair and rage is gradually revealed as he finally takes action against his tormenters. The film also benefits from two fine female actors. Isabelle Huppert is the abused woman (and Cordier’s lover - he shows up after the abuse to comfort her). Stéphane Audran (the title role in “Babette’s Feast”) is Cordier’s wife.    Lat Sau San Taam (Hard Boiled) / John Woo (1992). John Woo created a new kind of action movie for the Hong Kong film industry. Departing from the kung-fu/swordplay action to gun violence, he introduced what came to be known as gun-fu. All of the Woo films, beginning with “A Better Tomorrow” (1986), starred Chow Yun-fat. “Hard Boiled” was the last of the bunch before Woo decamped for Hollywood. Chow plays police inspector “Tequila” Yuen who is on the trail of illegal gun traders. The action begins early with a lengthy shoot-out in a crowed lunch-time restaurant with a considerable number of staff and customers being killed as cops and crooks exchange hundreds of rounds. But that is nothing compared to the extended finale where the criminal gang takes over a hospital. The collateral damage is tremendous as doctors, nurses, cops, and patients are gunned down by the dozens, maybe the hundreds. It is pretty distasteful. Also co-starring Tony Chiu-Wai Leung and Anthony Wong. Gun-fu came to the United States almost immediately. Any film featuring lots of shooting and high body count is showing the influence of John Woo. The John Wick Trio and Bresson's "Anna" are full-blown gun-fu movies in the Woo style.    Coneheads / Steve Barron (1993). One of the few (only two? The other being “Wayne’s World”?) feature films derived from a Saturday Night Live sketch to be a success (instead of a dreary failure). When Beldar and Prymaat Conehead (Dan Aykryod and Jane Curtain) from the plant Remulac crash into liquid hydrogen upon arriving on Earth, they lose everything so are unable to fulfil their mission to subjugate the humans. They decide to blend in and wait for rescue. This they can do by saying “We are from France” whenever anyone questions their cone-shaped heads or mechanical voices or their strange use of the English language (they call eating meals “consumption of mass quantities” or, telling people posing for a photo to “Say ‘lactate extract of hoofed mammal’”). The laughs come thick and fast – although a brief return to Remulac ward the end is not very productive, comically speaking. Needless to say, Aykroyd and Curtain are hilarious as is Michael McKean and David Spade as a couple of over-enthusiastic immigration officers and Chris Farley as the Earth boyfriend that the Conehead’s Earth-raised daughter is in love with.    CSA: The Confederate States Of America / Todd Willmott (2004). Willmott has produced a fake documentary in the Ken Burns style. The announcer at the beginning assures us that we will be seeing it uncut. We also see commercials and promos for upcoming programs. The premise is that during the American Civil War, the South got recognition and support from Britain and France. The introduction of troops from those countries against the United States at the Battle of Gettysburg set the Union forces to rout. The Confederate army moved on to Washington and the resulting rampage laid waste to the big cities of the North. Now, a British Television production company has produced this documentary of the history of the Confederate States Of America – and the history of slavery - from their victory in Northern War Of Aggression (as it came to be known) until the 21st century. Willmott’s well thought out alternate history gives us plenty of room for discussion and is often extremely funny. This may be the movie to show us how far race relations have (and haven’t) progressed in the last century and a half. 
Julius Caesar / Oregon Shakespeare Festival (2017). Video of a live performance from Ashland, Oregon.  
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Post by bravomailer on Mar 28, 2021 3:18:01 GMT
Uncut Gems (2019)
Directors: Josh and Benny Safdie
6/10
Adam Sandler stars as a frenetic jeweler and gambler Howard Ratner who is being hounded by loan sharks and enforcers. He obtains a large opal spirited out of an Ethiopian mine and hopes to get NBA player Kevin Garnett to pay a big sum for it. The action and tension are almost non-stop and this makes for a one-dimensional and annoying film. Attempts to show Howard's human side with family are all too brief. Sandler, whom I loathe, is surprisingly good as Howard but the non-stop maniacal nature wears thin.
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Post by bravomailer on Mar 28, 2021 5:02:26 GMT
For A Few Dollars More (1965) Director: Sergio Leone 8/10 The second entry in the renowned Clint Eastwood trilogy. Two bounty hunters, Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef, join forces to go after El Indio and his gang. Wonderful cinematography and composition. Arguably the best of the trilogy as The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is overlong and meandering. Van Cleef's performance as Col Douglas Mortimer is riveting. Not sure of comparative screen time but to me, he's the center of the film, starting from the beginning when he makes an unscheduled stop at Tucumcari.  |
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Post by claudius on Mar 28, 2021 8:23:11 GMT
And this week’s selection of MASTERPIECE 50 is: UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS Series Three (1973), spanning from April 1912 to August 1914. Gone are Nicola Pagett’s Elizabeth, Pauline Collins’ Sarah (the series’ original protagonist), and (at the end of this season’s introductory episode) Rachel Gurney’s Lady Marjorie. Enter Meg Wynn Owen’s Hazel, Lesley Anne-Down’s Georgina, and Jacqueline Tong’s Daisy. Episodes viewed were “Miss Forrest”, “A House Divided”, “Rose’s Pigeon”, “Distant Thunder” and “Sudden Storm.” Acorn Media DVD.
Also viewed was the fourth LORD PETER WIMSEY Arc “The Nine Tailors” (1974) which begins in a pre-series flashback of Peter before the war (The 50ish Ian Carmichael playing the character in his 20s), his WWII experiences, and his meeting & employment of Bunter (Glyn Houston). Also starring Desmond Llewelyn, Neil McCarthy, and Donald Eccles. Acorn Media DVD.
Sunday 21
TRAMP TRAMP TRAMP (1926) 95TH ANNIVERSARY Harry Langdon’s first feature film about a cross-country walking race (the title refers to walking feet). First saw parts of this around Thanksgiving 1996, seeing his attack on the Cyclone and the epilogue with Baby Harry. Kino Lorber DVD.
ELLEN (1996) “Too Hip to be Cool” 25TH ANNIVERSARY this month. A & E Video DVD.
THE HALLMARK HALL OF FAME (1961) “Give Us Barabbas!” 60TH ANNIVERSARY this week. 1961 had at least three focuses on the Acquitted: This one is a TV-Play with Jim Darly, Kim Hunter, Dennis King, and Leonardo Cimino (also a young Richard Thomas), with the biblical character a thief-rebel questioning his release, rejected by his friends, and finding himself changing. I first saw a glimpse of this play on Arts & Entertainment around Easter 1991, specifically the trip to Golgotha. This and PETER PAN were among my first glimpses of such Studiobound TV-plays (although I thought this was of a later date like maybe the 1970s).
TOPPER RETURNS (1941) 80TH ANNIVERSARY The last of the Roland-Young-Topper films takes up the “Old Dark House” story, as Joan Blondell plays a wisecracking ghost who gets Topper’s help in not only solving her own murder but protecting her heiress friend (Carole Landis) from the masked assailant. I saw this in the mid-1980s, on NICK AT NITE AT THE MOVIES (playing PD films like HIS GIRL FRIDAY, A STAR IS BORN ’37, and IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE). At that time I would soon (or already, memory escapes me) experience similar fare like CLUE and HAUNTED HONEYMOON. I have this on Colorized VHS, but for the anniversary I felt it be true to watch its original Black-and-White condition, so I viewed it on YouTube.
Monday 22
DARK SHADOWS (1971) “Episode 1236” 50TH ANNIVERSARY MPI Video DVD.
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM WING “Takeoff into Confusion” 25TH ANNIVERSARY The penultimate episode has Trieze and Wufei settling their scores (with this series the one and only main character death), the Earth surrendering, a sympathetic side revealed in Dorothy, and Milliardo planning one final act similar to his model character Char from MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: CHAR’S COUNTERATTACK. The last ‘Next Episode’ trailer is narrated by Relena’s VA. Japanese with English Subtitles. Bandai DVD.
DARK SHADOWS (1991) “Episode 12” 30TH ANNIVERSARY The final episode of the Revival, concluding the 1790 storyline with similar but differences (Naomi goes mad instead of suicide, Abigail gets bitten and killed by Barnabas instead of dying by shock). The episode concludes with Victoria Winters returned to 1990, but with the possible recognition of Barnabas’s true identity. Watching part of this series on SciFi Channel back in the summer of 1996 was a good education. At that year, I was watching the original series during the ‘Human Barnabas’ part of, so the revival allowed me to learn the backstory of Barnabas, Josette, Angelique, and Victoria until I got a better idea from the Birthday-acquired-THE DARK SHADOWS COMPANION. MPI Video DVD.
Tuesday 23
DARK SHADOWS (1971) “Episode 1237” 50TH ANNIVERSARY MPI Video DVD.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (1990) “George Steinbrenner/Morris Day and the Time” VHS Recording of its original NBC Broadcast October 20 1990.
Wednesday 24
DARK SHADOWS (1971) “Episode 1238” 50TH ANNIVERSARY I was mistaken; this episode was Kate Jackson’s final appearance on the series, as well as Josette. MPI Video DVD.
THE TRAPP FAMILY STORY (1991) “Mud is Fun” 30TH ANNIVERSARY Japanese with English Subtitles. Bootleg DVD.
THE FLINTSTONES (1961) “The Boy Scouts” 60TH ANNIVERSARY Fred impresses himself into Barney’s Boy Scouts (one of them voiced by Lucille Bliss, who voiced TV’s first cartoon Crusader Rabbit). Warner DVD.
ELIZABETH R (1971) “Sweet England’s Pride” 50TH ANNIVERSARY Written by Ian Thorne, the elderly Elizabeth deals with the antics of the arrogant Earl of Essex and her future destiny. The final episode of the TV-Serial breaks with conventions. Unlike Robson and Davis, Glenda Jackson looks intentionally ghastly as the white-made-up, haggard Queen, and Essex (Robin Ellis) is not the dashing figure like Errol Flynn but a headstrong manchild engineering his own destruction with little help from his enemies (unlike the Bette Davis-Flynn film). Also starring Peter Egan (who will soon appear in other MT productions like LILLIE and A PERFECT SPY) as Earl of Southampton, Hugh Dickson’s Robert Cecil, and Nicholas Selby's Walter Raleigh (the only ones still around are Ronald Hines’ Burghley and Angela Thorne’s Lettice from “The Marriage Game” and “The Shadow of the Sun”). I remember seeing this Serial on five Saturdays on BBC America (as I commented before, I missed most of “The Lion’s Cub”, my noting its broadcast purely by accident). Labelling the VHS, I scribed the title according to signature font advertised. Warner/BBC DVD.
THE 58TH ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS (1986) 35TH ANNIVERSARY Hosted by Robin Williams, Alan Alda, and Jane Fonda. Highlights include F. Murray Abraham announcing Geraldine Page’s winning of Best Actress (Angelina Jolie can be seen in front of her), Kermit and Scooter announcing best Animated short (with Jim Henson helping them open the envelope), Waldrof and Statler snarking at the ceremony, Irene Cara singing “This is for the Losers” (clips of Best Picture Nominees like TOOTSIE, RAGING BULL, STAR WARS, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, CITIZEN KANE, 42ND STREET. What, No THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD?!?), Huey Lewis singing “Power of Love”, Lionel Ritchie singing “Say You, Say Me” (the musical numbers are staged as a movie theater). Howard Keel singing a presentation for the MGM Musical ladies assisted by June Allyson, Cyd Charisse, Ann Miller, Jane Powell, Kathryn Grayson, Marge Champion, Debbie Reynolds, and Esther Williams. VHS Recording of the original ABC Broadcast March 24, 1986.
Thursday 25
DARK SHADOWS (1971) “Episode 1239” 50TH ANNIVERSARY MPI Video DVD.
Friday 26
DARK SHADOWS (1971) “Episode 1240” 50TH ANNIVERSARY MPI Video DVD.
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN (2014) “World of Dreams” English-Dubbed with Subtitles. Viz Media DVD.
Saturday 27
MARY QUEEN OF SCOTS (1971) 50TH ANNIVERSARY A few days after ELIZABETH R aired its final episode, filmdom got another taste of Glenda Jackson’s Elizabeth I in Hal Wallis/Charles Jarnott production (a sequel to their last Tudor success ANNE OF THE THOUSAND DAYS). Thinking about it, considering the Serial didn’t air in the States until 1972, this film was probably America’s first glimpse of Jackson’s Liz. Written by John Hale (who wrote the Serial’s premiere episode “The Lion’s Cub”) and starring Vanessa Redgrave as Mary Stuart with Daniel Massey, Patrick McGoohan, Ian Holm, Timothy Dalton, Nigel Davenport, and Trevor Howard (here the main force in getting Mary executed). I first saw the film (the final half) on Arts & Entertainment in May 1992 when I was writing a Social Studies report on Elizabeth I. When I finally got to see the full film in May 1999, it was shortly after watching ELIZABETH R on BBCAmerica, so it was interesting to see Jackson doing a different treatment of material from “The Marriage Game” (the Amy Dudley incident) and “Horrible Conspiracies.” Back on my first viewings I was on Mary’s side. Nowadays the film has me on Liz’s. Universal DVD.
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION (1995) “The Beast that screamed ‘I’ in the Heart of the World.” 25TH ANNIVERSARY The final episode has Shinji undergo the Instrumentality, learning to accept himself. All that stuff happening outside Shinji will be portrayed in END OF EVANGELION. I first saw the conclusion at my Graduate school’s Rec Center among some Anime Club members in 2004. The order I saw the series was 5-6 (2001), 1-4 (2002), 13-14, 18-19, 24-26, 9-11, 21-23, and the remainder in chronological order. Japanese with English Subtitles. ADV DVD.
WHEN TIME RAN OUT (1980) The last of Irwin Allen’s All-Star Disaster films, this time a volcano at a Hawaiian resort. Paul Newman, Jacqueline Bisset, Barbara Carerra, Veronica Hamel, Burgess Meredith, Red Buttons, James Franciscus, Pat Morita, and William Holden. I first saw the film’s climactic ending one night in the summer of 1989 (I was in Batmania, and my mother informed me that Meredith was the Penguin). I remember most of Mr. Miyagi falling to his death and the fireballs destroying the hotel and its residents (who I wondered didn’t go to safety with the rest of the gang). Betamax Recording of a 1983 HBO Broadcast.
Saw Parts Of:
LATE NIGHT WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (1990) “Chris Elliott (as Marlon Brando), Bob Weir, Jerry Garcia” VHS Recording of NBC Broadcast 1990.
INU-YASHA (2001) “Return to the Place We Both Met” English Dubbed. Viz Media DVD.
THE 63RD ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS (1991) 30TH ANNIVERSARY Hosted by Billy Crystal (not his first, but the first where he gives a special intro- in this case riding a horse in view of his upcoming CITY SLICKERS). Highlights include the opening ceremony musical number celebrating the Centennial of the Motion Picture (danced by Jasmine Guy), Madonna’s “Sooner or Later” number, Sophia Loren getting a special Oscar, Woody Woodpecker (voiced by Mrs. Lantz) introduces the Best animated short Oscar. VHS Recording of its original ABC Broadcast, this is something of a cut up here. My uncle taped the intro near the end of the VHS then taped the remainder at any earlier stage of the VHS, editing out bits and pieces (the musical number to HOME ALONE’s “Somewhere in My Memory”).
THE COSBY SHOW (1986) “An Early Spring” VHS Recording of a syndicated Broadcast 1991.
THE BARBARA WALTERS SPECIAL (1991) 30TH ANNIVERSARY Pre-Oscar show as Walters interviews Oscar nominees Whoopi Goldberg & Jeremy Irons (who both won), Sophia Loren, and the 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (which Walters admits she deserves an Oscar for doing in the first place). VHS Recording of ABC Broadcast, stopping near the end of the TMNT Interview.
THE CHANGELING (1980) Betamax Recording of HBO Broadcast 1981.
WHO’LL STOP THE RAIN? (1978) Betamax.
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE (1967) CBS Fox Video Betamax. The opening teaser is edited to after the credits (although the barrel-hole opening of the space capsule and the Title song intro with Bond’s ‘corpse’ are kept).
EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT SEX (BUT WAS AFRAID TO ASK) (1972) Betamax.
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Mar 28, 2021 10:14:21 GMT
I know this is the second week in a row I've been late with my replying to the 'What classics did you see last week?' thread. Though unlike last time (when I lost half the work I'd done), I don't really have an excuse for my late posting this time around (other than I just didn't have time to put together my collages until now). Anyway, here are the movies I watched this past week... Not Another Teen Movie (2001). Star Trek: Insurrection (1998). Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997). The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996). Red Joan (2018). Charlie’s Angels (2000). |
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Mar 28, 2021 15:17:21 GMT
The Dark and the Wicked (2020)  Happily (2021)  Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)  Superintelligence (2020)  Greed (2019)  Minari (2020)  The Night Clerk (2020)  Angel (1984)  Avenging Angel (1985) 
Angel III: The Final Chapter (1988)  Angel 4: Undercover (1994)  Shithouse (2020)  Yes, God, Yes (2019)  Yes Day (2021)  Wall Street (1987)  Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (2010)  The Block Island Sound (2020)  Escape Room (2019) 
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Post by OldAussie on Mar 29, 2021 1:53:49 GMT
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Post by Prime etc. on Mar 29, 2021 2:58:37 GMT
For A Few Dollars More (1965) Director: Sergio Leone 8/10 The second entry in the renowned Clint Eastwood trilogy. Two bounty hunters, Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef, join forces to go after El Indio and his gang. Wonderful cinematography and composition. Arguably the best of the trilogy as The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly is overlong and meandering. Van Cleef's performance as Col Douglas Mortimer is riveting. I think El Indio is set up to be the most deep character because we get flashbacks and he has a good friend in the guy who stays with him. His sombrero scarred friend. Leone presents Eastwood and Van Cleef as a little distant--we only get a hint of compassion when Mortimer talks about his sister. Looking at the films to follow-Leone moves further from the traditional western lead. True of TGTBATU where Tuco has the most focus. And OUATITW there is no Eastwood-type character in that one. I think Indio is meant to be a tragic figure despite his baby-murdering ways.
This is my favorite of the Dollars films.
Since others add tv episodes viewings I could do that here if I could remember what i watched.
I watched a McCloud episode from season 1 with Richard Dawson and then ONE MORE TRAIN TO ROB which had McCloud's co-star Diane Muldaur in it. I think she should have stayed on ST-TNG even though people compared her to McCoy for some reason but she was more interesting that Dr what's her name--Crusher. The problem that TNG had was that so few of the main crew were charismatic actors. If we are honest.
The most charming are Spiner, Dorn, and Burton--and they are saddled with unflattering makeup/costumes. It gets a little better when Colm Meaney and Dwight Schultz are added, and Michelle Forbes who really brought some intensity to it.
The big classic I watched this week was BROTHER ORCHID which I really liked. Mentioned here so I wanted to check it out.
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Post by marianne48 on Mar 29, 2021 12:15:55 GMT
Broadway to Hollywood (1933)--Clunky, contrived melodrama of a family vaudeville act starring Frank Morgan and Alice Brady. In the same year that the Warner Brothers studio was putting out fast-paced, Busby Berkeley-fueled musicals, and RKO was beginning its series of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers musicals, MGM was still finding its way with this throwback to the early talkies--the few sequences of musical numbers are unremarkable and shot from a distance, as if being viewed from the back of the theater, and the story itself is already hackneyed--the parents' act is overshadowed by the more talented son (although, judging by his lackluster dance routine, that's a stretch). He eventually leaves the act, and tragedy ensues (his eventual disappearance from the story is literally blink-and-you'll-miss-it; it seems to have been partially edited from the print). The grandson left behind becomes
part of his grandparents' vaudeville act, and eventually the same thing happens. The grandson gets into trouble along the way, while the grandparents gradually fade away. Not an enjoyable watch; the film is of interest mainly to old movie fans who get a glimpse of then-current child star Jackie Cooper and future film stars Mickey Rooney, Jimmy Durante, Moe and Curly Howard as clowns before they became 2/3 of the Three Stooges, and Nelson Eddy, who gets to sing about four or five words of a song before the story cuts away to the bickering husband-and-wife team. Not much to enjoy here.
Never Steal Anything Small (1959)--As a James Cagney fan, I was excited to come across this film, about which I'd heard very little. Having seen it, I can guess why. It's as if someone in Hollywood watched On the Waterfront and thought, "Wow, this would make a great musical comedy!" If your idea of a great comedy is watching Shirley Jones and James Cagney narrowly escape serious injury after being splashed with acid, this movie's for you. Otherwise, don't expect anything like Guys and Dolls, West Side Story, or Pocketful of Miracles, because this film isn't fun and it isn't very musical; the three or so musical bits seem inserted into the film as an afterthought. One of Cagney's worst films.
Music Box (1989)--Attorney Jessica Lange learns that her elderly father, Armin Mueller-Stahl, has been accused of being a member of the Hungarian SS during WWII and decides to defend him. Interesting courtroom drama which sometimes stretches credibility--of course there's last-minute evidence, surprise witnesses, and would a defendant's own child be permitted to represent a parent's criminal case in such a way to begin with? Worth watching as a record of how at least some of these accused war crimes defendants were not just the "only-following-orders" pawns they pretended to be.
The Man Who Never Was (1956)--Gripping WWII intrigue, based on a true story, about a plan to fool the Nazis about the Normandy invasion by planting the corpse of a dead man, carrying phony plans about the site of the invasion, where it could be found in order to misdirect defending enemy troops. Clifton Webb, as the commander in charge of the plot, gets to use his suave persona in the role of a
resolute, clever hero instead of the officious, prissy villainous types he usually played. Stephen Boyd is appropriately smarmy as the Irish enemy agent who attempts to undo the plan. A riveting story, with a poignant ending.
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Post by timshelboy on Mar 29, 2021 20:12:19 GMT
Le Corbeau 1943 directed by Henri Georges Clouzot and based on real events. Poison pen letters are spread in a small French Town, that is trying to destroy as many as possible with false accusations (it was possible before Twitter), some painful truths comes into the light, but still who sends the letters? It's got an eerie feeling as nobody knows who to trust anymore, as the letters keeps coming even after deaths and tragedy. Clouzot was a great visual director so it's easy to follow it with English subtitles, who has only disappointed me once. I'll second that one - gripping and visually striking thriller - Preminger remake (Boyer & Darnell) THE THIRTEENTH LETTER in 51 of interest but not this good EDIT hope you feeling better tele
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Post by Deleted on Mar 30, 2021 4:01:27 GMT
The movie that stands out for me this week is Cry Terror!A 1958 film starring James Mason and Rod Steiger.  The movie itself is slightly above average. The sub par writing and overacting comes to mind. The cast is decent but the one thing I noticed was all the Twilight Zone actors in this film. I counted nine that I recognized but there may have been more than that. Also a few actors that I recognized and swore they were in the TZ but they weren't. George Bruggeman Marjorie Bennett William Schallert Jonathan Hole Barney Phillips Carleton Young Neville Brand Inger Stevens Jack Klugman Not much of a review of the film but just an observation. |
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Post by teleadm on Mar 30, 2021 5:45:15 GMT
I'll second that one - gripping and visually striking thriller - Preminger remake (Boyer & Darnell) THE THIRTEENTH LETTER in 51 of interest but not this good EDIT hope you feeling better tele Thanks for asking, I'm still very weak, but it seems to go in the right direction, the antibiotica seems to kill off whatever infection I got. I actually hadn't made that connection between Le Corbeau and The 13th Letter.
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