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Post by wmcclain on Aug 21, 2021 15:10:06 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 Aug 21, 2021 16:11:36 GMT
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Post by jeffersoncody on Aug 21, 2021 16:33:29 GMT
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Post by lostinlimbo on Aug 21, 2021 17:00:15 GMT
     2019 After the fall of New York (1983) Repeat 5/10 Island of the Fishmen (1979) [Italian Cut] Repeat 5/10 Chino (1973) Repeat 6/10 Night of Terror (1933) 6/10 Karate Warriors (1976) 8/10 R.I.P Sonny Chiba  Also got around to rewatching the second season of the children’s 1990s anthology Tv series Are You Afraid of Dark?. Pretty consistent episodes with a polished look compared to Season One. Though this time around I found the early episodes to be stronger than the latter. This season obviously had more money, because the special effects were more frequent & elaborate. Favourite feature of the week; Karate Warriors 1976
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Post by teleadm on Aug 21, 2021 17:55:25 GMT
wmcclain The pic is Angela Lansbury, wild guess Harvey Girls! Here is what Tele have seen lately:  The Kids Are All Right 2010 directed by Lisa Cholodenko Honestly thought that I was going to watch some Kind of bio movie about "The Who", that I never heard about. Instead I got to see a pretty good drama about two kids growing up with two mothers. and one kid searching who donated the sperms once. Once sperm donator is found complicates things, when he becomes too interested in his kids lives.  Big fan of Carol Kane! and following a recommendation. When a Stranger Calls 1979, directed by Fred Walton Babysitter get's call after call "Have you checked the children?" and when she called the police, and the called back "Listen to me. We've traced the call... it's coming from inside the house". That's the best part, then comes a long stretch, while not bad feels uninteresting after watching those first 25 minutes or so.. For being such a well known slasher movie, it's very slasher less, at least visually. Though not to bad in itself.  Serpico 1973 directed by Sidney Lumet and based on based on a book by Peter Maas. This was a damn good movie showing how runned downed New York and vicinities once looked. The once naive policeman get's a lesson in corruption, in a fragmentary story that for once actually works. Lumet was a great craftsman and here is shows it. Great soundtrack from legendary Mikis Theodorakis, who's love theme I think I'v heard a thousand times.  17 million Frenchmen can't be wrong! The most viewed movie in France until Titanic in 1997. La grande vadrouille aka Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At! 1966, directed by Gerard Oury An RAF bomber crew who thinks it's in Calais accidentally lands in Paris instead, and need help by French Resistance during WW II, those who lead them back is an odd couple, played by French legendary comedians Bourvil and Louis de Funès, an the Englishman is played by Terry-Thomas, who for once let's the others do the comedy and be a smart resourceful guy himself. It's very uneven actually.  Man Hunt 1941, directed by Fritz Lang and based on based on a novel by Geoffrey Household. The man who nearly shot Hitler, if only his rifle was loaded. Since Fritz Lang fled the latest German regime it's rather clear were the sympathies are, even if it was a complicated matter before Pearl Harbour and neutralism. It's an old fashioned movie with a very jovial Walter Pidgeon, for being hunted all the time, fled Germany and entered back into good old England, and Nazis pops up on every London fairground, led by George Sanders with a monocle. Joan Bennett's cockney dialect I let others judge... Thanks for the recommendation!  Why Worry? 1923 directed by Fred Newmeyer and Sam Taylor. This was Harold Lloyd's last movie at the old Mack Sennett studio, and his first with new heroine Jobyna Ralston. A naive young fellow with spectacles needs a rest, travels to a south american resort Island conveniently called Paradiso, little knowing that a revolution is going on, and is mistaken for an accountant. Maybe not Lloyd's best, but many funny and ingenious ideas makes it float for it's 63 minutes or so. The Swedish poster says "Blixt och Dunder" it's like "Lightning and Thunder".  Schloß Vogelöd aka The Haunted Castle 1921 directed by F.W. Murnau. Take a good look at the poster if it's still there, since in the movie there has neither hauntings or ghosts whatsoever, but it's still a cool poster. The eventual hauntings is guilt. Happy weekend for hunting at Vogelöd is disrupted by an uninvited guest, who was accused of killing his brother, this weekend he will reveal who killed his brother, who's fortunes other's live on. It's very slow and one needs a lot of patients to watch this movie, and at least I thought that was an interesting experience. Maybe for Murnau completists only. Well that was my week!
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Post by jeffersoncody on Aug 21, 2021 18:36:50 GMT
17 million Frenchmen can't be wrong! The most viewed movie in France until Titanic in 1997. La grande vadrouille aka Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At! 1966, directed by Gerard Oury An RAF bomber crew who thinks it's in Calais accidentally lands in Paris instead, and need help by French Resistance during WW II, those who lead them back is an odd couple, played by French legendary comedians Bourvil and Louis de Funès, an the Englishman is played by Terry-Thomas, who for once let's the others do the comedy and be a smart resourceful guy himself. It's very uneven actually. Hi Teleadm. I saw Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At! - dubbed into English, with my late parents and my younger brother at a wonderful, huge old movie palace called the The Savoy Cinema in about 1967. I was all of seven years old but I vividly remember us sitting in the packed cinema howling with laughter at the crazy wartime antics on the screen. People in the audience were literally screaming with laughter. I thought the film was hilarious and that Louis de Funès was the funniest man I had ever seen in my life. On the way home in the car my mother and father were quoting Terry-Thomas, impersonating his voice, and bursting into fits of hysterical giggling. It's an enduring, happy childhood memory that hasn't faded with time, but I'm not how sure the film - a big hit in South Africa back then, which I haven't seen since, would hold up today. The world was different it those days, it was a simpler time. Perhaps my memories are rose tinted, but your mention of this film brought on a rush of nostalgia for a moment.
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Post by wmcclain on Aug 21, 2021 20:03:34 GMT
wmcclainThe pic is Angela Lansbury, wild guess Harvey Girls! 
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Post by politicidal on Aug 21, 2021 20:12:56 GMT
Repeat viewings:
Captain Horatio Hornblower (1951) 7/10
How the West Was Won (1962) 10/10
First Viewings:
The Robot vs the Aztec Mummy (1957) 2/10
Salting the Battlefield (2014) 6/10
When Strangers Marry (1944) 5/10
Lightning Strikes Twice (1951) 7/10
Raise the Titanic (1980) 4/10
War Arrow (1954) 5/10
Flaming Star (1960) 7/10
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Post by teleadm on Aug 21, 2021 20:14:47 GMT
17 million Frenchmen can't be wrong! The most viewed movie in France until Titanic in 1997. La grande vadrouille aka Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At! 1966, directed by Gerard Oury An RAF bomber crew who thinks it's in Calais accidentally lands in Paris instead, and need help by French Resistance during WW II, those who lead them back is an odd couple, played by French legendary comedians Bourvil and Louis de Funès, an the Englishman is played by Terry-Thomas, who for once let's the others do the comedy and be a smart resourceful guy himself. It's very uneven actually. Hi Teleadm. I saw Don't Look Now... We're Being Shot At! - dubbed into English, with my late parents and my younger brother at a wonderful, huge old movie palace called the The Savoy Cinema in about 1967. I was all of seven years old but I vividly remember us sitting in the packed cinema howling with laughter at the crazy wartime antics on the screen. People in the audience were literally screaming with laughter. I thought the film was hilarious and that Louis de Funès was the funniest man I had ever seen in my life. On the way home in the car my mother and father were quoting Terry-Thomas, impersonating his voice, and bursting into fits of hysterical giggling. It's an enduring, happy childhood memory that hasn't faded with time, but I'm not how sure the film - a big hit in South Africa back then, which I haven't seen since, would hold up today. The world was different it those days, it was a simpler time. Perhaps my memories are rose tinted, but your mention of this film brought on a rush of nostalgia for a moment. Thank you so much for sharing personal memories! In early video days the were a lot of versions around in questionable qualities. The version I watched was with English subtitles when the French spoke, but non when the Germans spoke, but the picture quality was great.
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Post by teleadm on Aug 21, 2021 20:28:16 GMT
wmcclain The pic is Angela Lansbury, wild guess Harvey Girls! Glad I got Angela right! Samson and Delilah! LOL Not even close, I was thinking more in the direction of horse and dog movies.
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Post by mikef6 on Aug 21, 2021 21:30:49 GMT
The Long Goodbye / Robert Altman (1973). Any list of the essential films of the 1970s should include Altman’s tribute to the film noir era, not so long past. Eliott Gould plays Raymond Chandler’s Philip Marlowe as an out-of-sync with the times private eye. While everyone else is in SoCal casual or, in the case of the apartment full of hippie girls near his own, almost no clothes at all, Marlowe is never out of his blue suit and tie. Director Altman has said that, anticipating Austin Powers by 24 years, Marlowe was called Rip Van Marlowe by the production staff as a person who had slept for 20 years and had awakened in 1973 Los Angeles. Indeed, when we first see him, he is being woken up from sleep by his cat (Morris). Marlowe is approached by old friend Terry Lennox (former major league pitcher and author Jim Bouton) to drive him to Tijuana after an argument with his wife. Later, Marlowe is hired by rich Eileen Wade (Nina van Pallandt) to find her husband, an alcoholic, Hemingway brawler sort of author named Roger Wade (an excellent Sterling Hayden). Marlowe thinks it curious that the Wades live in the same gated housing development as Terry Lennox. He is doubly curious in that Lennox’s wife has been murdered and the cops are after Terry. Also, vicious crook Marty Augustine (Mark Rydell) is somehow involved. The ending is still controversial (I don’t like it) but is part of the film’s continuing appeal. Look for former governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in a wordless, uncredited part as one of Augustine’s muscle men.  Ah-nold to Eliott Gould’s right    L.A. Confidential / Curtis Hanson (1997). A richly detailed period (post-war Los Angeles) crime drama which put two Australian actors on the radar. They are Guy Pearce as Ed Exley, a straight-arrow, fast-raising police officer son of a cop father killed on duty and Russell Crowe as Bud White, a take-justice-in-his-own-hands cop that Exley thinks is a thug (and he is). Exley is called to a shocking mass murder that looks gangland related at the Night Owl Diner. One of the eight victims was White’s former partner. Even though four African-Americans get blamed, Exley knows there is a power vacuum at the top of the criminal rackets and competition is fierce and deadly. His investigation leads him to a slimy pornographer and high-class pimp (David Strathairn) who runs a string of call girls who have had plastic surgery to make them look like movie stars. When one of them is a victim of the Night Owl killings, White begins to think in terms of a criminal conspiracy. Also in the mix is Jack Vincennes (Kevin Spacy), a celebrity cop who is technical advisor on a Dragnet-like TV show and who works closely with the editor of Hush-Hush magazine (Danny DeVito), who exposes affairs and drug use of movie actors and whose catchphrase is “Off The Record, On The QT, And Very Hush-Hush.” All these strands come together very carefully and clearly as layer after layer of corruption is peeled back. Kim Basinger won an Oscar for her Veronica Lake look-a-like prostitute who falls in love with Bud White.    Bonhoeffer / Martin Doblmeier (2003). I saw a letter to the editor in my local newspaper recommending the documentary film “Bonhoeffer” as an alternative to Mel Gibson’s “Passion.” The next Saturday, a small story showed up in the Arts section pointing out that “Bonhoeffer” has been playing at the local art theater for three and a half months despite zero hype and advertising. It has become, the article said, a true example of success by word of mouth. For example, My Lovely Wife and I saw it the second week in, she told her pastor the next Sunday, then he saw it and told the entire congregation on Sunday a week later, and so on. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German Lutheran pastor who spoke against the rise of Hitler and especially the deportation of Jewish citizens. He was arrested and executed in 1945, near the end of the war. Still an important figure in religious opposition to war and authoritarian rule. The opposite of today’s American evangelical movement. Highly recommended.    Gunpowder Milkshake / Navot Papushado (2021). The female assassin, revenger, spy has become a profitable industry in the new century and that’s fine with me. I have greatly enjoyed many of them, something of a guilty pleasure. “Gunpowder Milkshake,” however, relies heavily on a male assassin franchise, namely the John Wick movies. So, we have the underground society of criminals with their special places, rules, and codes. In GM there is an office building, a diner, and a library. (Don’t forget the famous scene where Wick kills an opponent with a library book.) Strict rules apply in all of them. There is considerable gunplay and one against many. They even include the bus load of thugs sent against the highly outnumbered protags. So why see this movie? Two words: Karen Gillan. And Lena Headey. And Angela Basset, Michelle Yeoh, and Carla Gugino. Well, more than two words. Gillan plays Sam, a pro-killer for The Firm, an assassin for hire business. Her Control is Nathan (Paul Giamatti, who has put on a lot of weight since I last saw him). Sam’s mother, Scarlet (Headey), has been gone for 15 years and Sam is bitter about it. On one assignment, she encounters a young girl (8 and three quarters years old), some kind of instinct kicks in making her abandon her mission. So The Firm betrays her to a violent mob leader who wants revenge after an earlier encounter. Sam, reunited with Scarlet, go to their “Aunts” (Basset, Yeoh, Gugino) at the Library for help leading to several bloody but stylized shoot-outs. In spite of the plot’s derivative nature, the new female star and the four veterans are worth the price of the ticket.   
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Aug 21, 2021 21:45:27 GMT
Zombieland: Double Tap (2019). Get Smart (2008). A Promise (2013). Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003). The Gift (2015).
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Post by OldAussie on Aug 21, 2021 21:56:38 GMT
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Post by claudius on Aug 22, 2021 9:28:37 GMT
This week’s MASTERPIECE 50 are:
THE CITADEL (1983) 10 part Serial based on A.J. Cronin’s novel, starring Ben Cross. YouTube.
PLAY OF THE MONTH’S “On Approval” (1980) TV adaptation of Frederick Lonsdale’s comedy play, starring Jeremy Brett, Lindsay Duncan, and Penelope Keith. This YouTube presentation appears to be a VHS recording of PBS’ 1991 “viewers request” broadcast for MT’s 20th Anniversary.
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The Mysterious Cities of Gold (1982) “The Olmecs Machine”. The origin of the Olmecs are revealed (sterilized survivors of a massive destructive war eons passed). Capturing Zia and learning the location of the First City of Gold, the Olmecs activate a giant destructive flying machine. During its eruption from the mountain, LaGuerra, Marinche, and Tetiola are killed. English Dubbed Fabulous DVD
OUT OF THE INKWELL (2008) This year marks the 100th Anniversary of the Fliescher Studios, so I thought I’d watch this 2008 docu on the studio’s history. Warner DVD
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THE SLAYERS NEXT (1996) “Disclosure at Last! Xellos’ True Form” and “No Other Choice! Set Forth to Dragon Valley!” 25th Anniversary Japanese with English Subtitles Two episodes this week (the first aired on the 11th) bears many revelations. Xellos the eccentric priest turns out to be a centuries-old monster working for Hellmaster Fabrizzo in his opposition to Dragon Lord Gaav and his plans for conquest. An old woman is a dragon and a golden dragon turns out to take a human form. Lina meets up with a young pickpocket. But he must surely be human? Japanese with English Subtitles. Software Sculptors DVD.
THE TIME OF THEIR LIVES (1946) 75th Anniversary Separate Abbott & Costello comedy in that the duo are rarely together (due to a temporary split at the time). Here Lou and Marjorie Reynolds are banished Revolutionary War ghosts trapped at a Loyalist mansion, haunting the 20th century inhabitants (one of them Bud) to find evidence that will end their exile. Up there with their FRANKENSTEIN film as my favorite A & B film. First saw this on American Movie Classics in the winter of 1991. VHS Recording of a TCM broadcast 2004.
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MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 (1991) “Fugitive Alien” 30th Anniversary The Sandy Frank edit of the Japanese series STAR WOLF is shown. This also marks the debut of Mike Nelson’s Jack Perkins, who will host the syndicated THE MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER HOUR, of which I first saw this episode in December 1993. YouTube presentation of its original Comedy Central Broadcast August 17 1991.
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The Mysterious Cities of Gold (1982) “Aerial Rescue” Esteban uses the Gold Condor to fight the Olmecs’ Machine. He and Tao get aboard the ship with Esteban going badass and escaping with Zia. English Dubbed. Fabulous DVD
THE TRAPP FAMILY STORY (1991) “At the Snow of the Alps” 30th Anniversary Japanese with English Subtitles. Bootleg DVD.
DOUG (1991) “Doug Bags a Nematoad” 30th Anniversary The introduction Episode beginning with Doug moving to Bluffington and meeting the Dinks, Skeeter, Patty Mayonnaise, and Roger. The Nematoad will eventually be proven to be real in the series’ film. I watched most of this on a Bootleg DVD, but viewed the closing credits (a sketch of Doug and Porkchop waving goodbye, until a bored Porkchop puts on some headphones, changing the credits episode theme in the process) on YouTube.
RUGRATS (1991) “Barbacue Story/Waiter, there’s a Baby in my Soup!” 30th Anniversary Amazon Prime.
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The Mysterious Cities of Gold (1982) “The City of Gold” Washed ashore from their escape, Esteban and Zia are found by the mysterious High Priest of the First City of Gold. He tells the history of the Hiva people and their technological accomplishments in solar power before they were destroyed by nuclear war. Then he reveals the First City of Gold. I remember in 1987 drawing pictures of said city. At one point I hoped for a rainbow, believing it would grant my wish to have a city of Gold (I was about 7). Fortunately my interest waned before I had the potential of being disappointed. English Dubbed. Fabulous DVD
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The Mysterious Cities of Gold (1982) “The Great Legacy” The Olmec Machine breaks into the City of Gold. They steal from the main temple a powerful generator, which causes a booby trap that destroys the Machine and 99% of the Olmecs. The survivors escape with the generator. At one point the High Priest recognizes Estaban’s Sun ability. English Dubbed. Fabulous DVD
TENCHI MUYO IN LOVE (1996) Today is the 25th Anniversary of the VHS release of the English Dubbed version of the first film of the TENCHI franchise. Normally I keep my Anniversary viewings of Anime to their native Japanese. But this film was such a memorable effect in my interest (I first saw it six days later on August 26 1996 on the SciFi channel) in the genre that I had to do some recognition of its dubbed premiere, featuring the cast from the Pioneer OVA and TENCHI TV dubs: Matt K Miller as Tenchi, Petrea Bouchard as Ryoko, Jennifer Darling as Ayeka, Sherry Lynn as Sasami and Kiyone, Ellen Gerstell as Mihoshi, K G Vogt as Washu, and Debi Derryberry as Roy-oki (Grace Zandarksi, who voiced both Yosho and the Princess sisters’ mothers in the OVA 2 dub, plays Tenchi’s mother). This dub also marked the final show for the complete original cast. Ellen Gerstell retired and Sherry Lynn found voicing the tonally different Sasami and Kiyone too taxing for her throat so she dropped the latter for future productions. Pioneer DVD.
THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (1986) “The Six Napoleons” 35th Anniversary The finale of RETURN’S season 1; due to Jeremy Brett’s issues with manic depression, it will take two years for season 2. MPI Video DVD
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AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON (1981) 40th Anniversary John Landis’ werewolf film (effects by Rick Baker) starring David Naughton (whose nude scenes cost him Dr Pepper commercials), Griffin Dunne, and Jenny Agutter. First saw parts of this on Comedy Central in the turn of the century. Saw the full film on VHS in 2003 right before taking a trip to London (so I can see the sights depicted, like Piccadilly and Trafalgar Square). Universal DVD.
The Mysterious Cities of Gold (1982) “End of the City of Gold” The finale, as the Olmecs’ misuse of the Solar generator causes disaster. Only the High Priest can stop it, at the seeming cost of his life. Oh, and he’s Estaban’s father. The series ends with the promise of more adventure (although it will take 30 years for a continuation). Thus ends my 35th Anniversary viewing of its English Dubbed weekday broadcast on Nickelodeon from June to August 1986. Special mention to Haim Saban and Shuki Levy’s music score for the dub. English Dubbed. Fabulous DVD
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN (2014) “Obito Uchiha” English Dubbed. Viz Media Dubbed.
BEWARE THE MOON (2005) Documentary on the making of AMERICAN WEREWOLF with interviews by pretty much the cast and crew. Several change of scenes are done by an interrupted freeze frame looking like the DVD was corrupted or something. Universal
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Post by timshelboy on Aug 22, 2021 19:12:52 GMT
One rewatch  Its been probably 35 years since original viewing. Enjoyed it more this time. A melancholy romantic drama about a locum teacher becoming involved with a student. He falls in with the Town's fast set, and discovers the object of his obsession is the girl of a rich gambler... a girl with "lots of past, not much present, and no future"  When the two finally get to do the nasty it's a pretty hot scene. What I really enjoyed this time was the travelogue value - a rainy, foggy off season Rimini is the setting and very beautiful it looks, especially a shabby beach house seen in the final quarter. Delon is solid and Sonia Petrova impressive enough for me to discover she made another 30 or so movies - this was her second) Strong supporting cast (Giancarlo Giannini, Renato Salvatore and a one scene, five minute, intense, scary turn from Alida Valli, as Petrovna's tell it like it is mother).
FIRST VIEWINGS
3 I would recommend:
Francois Ozon is an expert at confounding audience expectations and, does it again very successfully. The opening 5 minutes set us up for a dark murder tale, as our narrator confesses to killing his friend, the shrinks weigh in before court, and the flashbacks to the story leading up to the death unfolds..... but nothing is quite what is appears and we ultimately discover not a murder tale, but the act of a grieving lover who feels culpable for the accidental death of his partner... and the "crime" the survivor's fulfilment of an oath to the deceased. Beautifully filmed in Coastal France (Seine -Maritime area) , with a gloriously 1985 soundtrack... both of which belie the dark emotions at the story's core. It also has possibly Ozon's most upbeat ending... and the advice that we must learn to escape our histories.
 Intense family drama, centring on conservative father with dementia visiting gay son whilst accessing medical treatment. The real treat here is Lance Henriksen getting the role of a lifetime (and he was certainly ready for it) as the foul mouthed intolerant homophobe. Sverrir Goodmason impresses as the younger Henriksen. I would maybe have liked it a bit more if Mortensen (as the son) were not quite so saintly and rose to the bait/needling... and I could have done with a bit more Laura Linney (one scene as the daughter/sister) but it is well worth a watch. Mortensen's first as director... and he's a generous one (ditto co-star - presumably his presence in front of the camera got this made) to helm and appear in something he knows will spotlight someone else.  To Jeffersoncody for recommending this one
 Rock solid Liam Neeson geriactioner, probably not an original frame in it but it delivers the goods. Liam's a rancher protecting Mexican 10 year old hunted by south of the Border drug cartel.
WATCHABLE/OF SOME INTEREST
Richard Egan Festival report
 This one was a real charmer, as robots GOG and MAGOG run amok in a 1954 state of the art "secret Underground laboratory".... I imagine most posters here will find this as difficult to dislike as I did. 
 Never having had savings, the vagaries of financial markets and their manipulation by computers sort of flies over my head - but this moves at such a frenzied pace (with much "busy" camera work) and has a good cast so it held me for the short running time even though I had no real idea what was going on.
You can safely forget about the rest, which range from mediocre to bad
STINKER OF THE WEEK award goes to
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Post by Archelaus on Aug 22, 2021 19:57:49 GMT
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Post by marianne48 on Aug 23, 2021 1:18:51 GMT
The Fabulous Dorseys (1947)-Bandleader brothers Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey play themselves in this "inspired by actual events" film bio. Some basic information about their childhood in Pennsylvania, where they were encouraged by their coal miner farmer to become professional musicians, their early success, their breakup and estrangement, and eventual reunion are embellished with a tacked-on romance between singer Janet Blair and pianist William Lundigan, which is ho-hum and takes up too much of the movie's screen time. Mom and Dad Sara Allgood and Arthur Shields play the usual supportive parents, admiring their sons' careers and making scrapbooks of their musical clippings. The Dorsey brothers' acting skills aren't much, but when they finally get to the musical numbers, the movie shines. There are brief scenes of such legendary musicians as Paul Whiteman and Art Tatum, and a few great musical numbers, especially "Green Eyes" sung by Bob Eberly and Helen O'Connell. Best bet--fast-forward through the romance part to get to the last half of the movie, which showcases the music.
Sid and Nancy (1986)--While I'm familiar with the Dorsey music, I knew nothing about the music of the Sex Pistols or the early lives of the two title characters, and after seeing this, I didn't learn much. Almost the whole movie consists of Gary Oldman as Sid Vicious and groupie/girlfriend Chloe Webb shooting up heroin, stumbling around streets and hotel rooms, and the screeching tirades of Webb as the mentally unbalanced Nancy Spungen. The highlight of the film is Sid and Nancy's visit to Nancy's grandparents and relatives, who politely try to contain their horror while entertaining the pair at their home. By the time Sid is spewing bodily fluids and Nancy is violently flailing and swearing, it's apparent that this is a film for those who like true-crime stories rather than musical bios.
The Last of Robin Hood (2013)--Another horror film, this one about the unsung villains of Hollywood--the ambitious, greedy parents who sell out their own children to questionable Hollywood personalities. In this case, alcoholic mom Susan Sarandon, realizing that her teen daughter (Dakota Fanning) isn't likely to make it in Hollywood on talent alone, signs her over to aging star Errol Flynn (the perfectly cast Kevin Kline), knowing he has a thing for teenage girls, and not telling him until later that she's only 15. Unsavory, ugly--and true--story,
but sadly not so uncommon in Hollywood. Well acted, but icky.
Return of the Hero (2018)-Jean Dujardin is a handsome, charming, unscrupulous jerk who becomes betrothed to the daughter of a local French family, then rides off to war, promptly forgetting all about his fiancee. When she becomes deathly ill from heartbreak, her clever sister decides to write love letters to her, forging them with the name of the captain, with the final one implying that he is soon to be killed heroically in battle. Some years later, with the sister recovered and happily married, the forger (Melanie Laurent) encounters the captain, who had deserted soon after his departure. Now admired as a hero by everyone, he plans to take advantage of them all as well as disrupt his ex-fiancee's happy life, and it's up to the sister to outwit his plans; lots of plot twists make this a cute, entertaining French farce.
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Post by Fox in the Snow on Aug 23, 2021 12:44:56 GMT
One Plus One (1968, Jean-Luc Godard) Joy of Learning (1969, Jean-Luc Godard) Two late 60s experiments from Godard. Even further removed from traditional narrative than Week-end. Found footage, fake interviews, direct addresses to camera about revolution and linguistic theory, primary colors, intertitles. Very engaging, if like me, you’re into that sort of thing.  The Marquise of O (1976, Eric Rohmer) Perceval (1978, Eric Rohmer) Catherine de Heirbronn (1980, Eric Rohmer) More French New Wave. Three period films from Rohmer, usually known for light character studies/romantic dramas. The latter two are pretty much filmed stage performances, but interesting to see him working outside of a contemporary setting.  Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005, Shane Black) Solid Tarantino-esque crime drama, with RDJ and Val Kilmer.  Long Day’s Journey Into Night (2018, Bi Gan) A beautiful and dreamlike cross between Wong Kar-wai and Tarkovsky, ending with an audacious, but arguably unnecessary single hour long take. Definitely worth a look.  Always Be My Maybe (2019, Nahnatchka Khan) Surprisingly decent although still pretty generic rom-com, a few good laughs, two likable leads and a great extended cameo from Keanu Reeves. 
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Post by Fox in the Snow on Aug 23, 2021 12:58:24 GMT
As a massive fan of Lowry's previous film, A Ghost Story, I'm curious about this one. Looks like quite a different beast though.
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Post by jeffersoncody on Aug 23, 2021 15:52:32 GMT
As a massive fan of Lowry's previous film, A Ghost Story, I'm curious about this one. Looks like quite a different beast though. Indeed it is. Not what I expected - which wasn't a bad thing, and it didn't really work for me, but it certainly wasn't boring and I would urge you to see it as it might be more your thing than mine. I enjoyed Ain't Them Bodies Saints very much, and The Old Man & the Gun was pretty cool. I have never seen * A Ghost Story, but I do have a Blu-ray of it; which I bought for a song on the day the Musica in the mall closed it's doors for the last time. Feel free to chide me, or even sell me on it, I just never got around to watching it; did contemplate watching it once or twice, though. What have I missed?
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When the two finally get to do the nasty it's a pretty hot scene. What I really enjoyed this time was the travelogue value - a rainy, foggy off season Rimini is the setting and very beautiful it looks, especially a shabby beach house seen in the final quarter. Delon is solid and Sonia Petrova impressive enough for me to discover she made another 30 or so movies - this was her second) Strong supporting cast (Giancarlo Giannini, Renato Salvatore and a one scene, five minute, intense, scary turn from Alida Valli, as Petrovna's tell it like it is mother).
