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Post by wmcclain on Dec 18, 2021 16:15:46 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 lostinlimbo on Dec 18, 2021 16:40:23 GMT
  Gilda (1946)  The Bedroom Window (1987) Repeat  Peggy Sue Got Married (1986)  The Iron-Fisted Monk (1977)
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Post by wmcclain on Dec 18, 2021 16:49:30 GMT
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Post by jeffersoncody on Dec 18, 2021 19:36:18 GMT
PASSING (2021). My Rating: 9 out of 10. Recommended, Although it's unlikely to find a wide audience, this exquisitely designed, shot, and acted film is one of year's best. Thought-provoking and heartbreaking, it's a nuanced, subtle, affecting film about race, sexuality, class, and culture in the 1920s. The film's stars' Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga will almost certainly receive Oscar nominations for their layered performances here. A remarkable directorial debut from actress Rebecca Hall, who also adapted it for the screen from the novel by Nella Larsen.  THE FRENCH DISPATCH (2021). 7,5 out of 10. Recommended. Dazzling, annoying, pretentious, funny, nostalgic and wonderful, it's a must-see for Wes Anderson fans. The level of detail in this, what some may call, dollhouse film is extraordinary. For me, it's not quite up there with The Royal Tenenbaums or The Grand Budapest Hotel, but it is still a marvelous movie from a one-of-a-kind American filmmaker. And, it's a glorious homage to The New Yorker Magazine and its eccentric journalists of yesteryear. It comes with a heck of a cast as well.   THE KILLING OF TWO LOVERS (2020). 8 out of 10. Cautiously Recommended, this is an intense, devastating Indie film, dark and unsparing with an incredible performance by Clayne Crawford. Not for the fainthearted.    ANTLERS (2021). 7 OUT OF 10. Recommended. Quite the change of pace for director Scott Cooper ( Crazy Heart, Out of the Furnace , Hostiles, Black Mass), who delivers a slick scary creature feature, with strong, believable human characters. Produced by Guillermo del Toro.   LIFE OF CRIME 1984 - 2020 (2021). 9 out 10. Highly Recommended, this searing documentary follows the grim lives of three drug-addicted criminals over a period of 36 years. Candid and explicit, to the point where it has been called exploitative, this takes you on a long, shocking ride through the sleazy streets and prisons of Newark. Some viewers will find this too grim, but it's an eye-opener, offering searing insights into the scourge of drug addiction. There are no happy endings here, and it's bruising fare.   THE LAST SON (2021). 5 out of 10.
MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL (1997). 7,5 out of 10. Recommended.
COLORADO TERRITORY (1947). 8 out of 10. A western reworking of High Sierra, this is Highly Recommended to genre buffs.   
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Post by teleadm on Dec 18, 2021 19:55:11 GMT
Here are the movies Tele has watched, some with subtitles.  Did we really need a gender switch version of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and further back Bedtime Story?. The Hustle 2019 directed by Chris Addison. I might be too old but I don't get Rebel Wilson's kind of humor, she talks a lot and somehow that is funny. Still the movie made a profit and it looked beautiful. From now on we move very back in time.  Édouard et Caroline 1951 directed by Jacques Becker. Daniel Gelin and Anne Vernon plays a young couple in a small apartment with for once a sympathic landlady for a French movie, he plays piano and she likes fashion. An invitation to her posh family uncle party means they have to tidy up their apparences, what they don't know is that the rich uncle is the only reason he invited them is because, so the posh people can laugh, once they have left. There are offcourse a lot of very French complications. So-so but interesting, and Anne Vernon is still with us at age 98!  Wyoming Mail 1950 directed by Reginald Le Borg and based on a story by Robert Hardy Andrews. With all preparations for Christmas musts, it was actually nice to sit down and watch an unpretentious western like this for 85 minutes. Steam locomotives, mail car robberies, beautiful outdoors of America with mountains in the background, and a great cast of villains. 6/10 with a plus. James Arness as a train robber, two Oscar nominees Ed Begley and Richard Jaeckel and one won, always a doctor Whit Bissell, Howard da Silva as a two-face, Former kid actor Frankie Darro... Armando Silvestre plays an important part as a federal agent, and he is still around us at age 95!  So Dear to My Heart 1948 directed by Harold D. Schuster and based on a book by Sterling North. No mix of animation and live action this time, but has some of the most remarkable animation Disney artist ever done. It's a sentimental tale about a a little black lamb and the two kids that takes care of it and takes it to a fair once it becomes a sheep. "Lavender Blue" was Oscar. nominated  It Happened on Fifth Avenue 1947 directed by Roy del Ruth. Never seen this before but recommended by others, and it's a rather sweet, but not too sugary, fairy tale like story, with some actors and actresses that seldom got the chance to shine in other movies. I genuinely liked to have seen it, but won't embrace it as an annual watch.  The Man Who Came to Dinner 1942 directed by William Keighley and based on a play by George S Kaufmann and Moss Hart and based on an experience with having famed critic and author Alexander Woolcott in the house and how he turned a household uppside down. A very frantic farce that I enjoy watching this time of the year. All taking place during the Christmas seasons.  Remember the Night 1940 directed by Mitchell Leisen and based on a story by Preston Sturgess. Also a movie I've been suggested by others to watch, and I'm glad you did! Interesting angle, district attorney falls in love with the one he prosecutes and then feels sorry for her, and bails her out so she at least will have a nice Christmas Season traveling by car to old home in Ohio and meeting his old folks. It could have turned sentimental there, but Stanwyck keeps it on the right side. I'm also glad that it didn't have an obvious happy ending. Enjoyed it very much.  Enjoy the Christmas popovers, it's what Barbara Stanwyck made in the last movie I mentioned. All from Tele this time, and keep up the good work all of you've done! |
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Post by politicidal on Dec 18, 2021 22:52:08 GMT
First Viewings:
Silent Night, Deadly Night (1984) 5/10
Never Too Young to Die (1986) 4/10
Snake Eyes (2021) 6/10
Donovan’s Reef (1963) 7/10
The Night House (2021) 8/10
Ghost (1990) 7/10
They Came to Cordura (1959) 4/10
The Eagle Has Landed (1976) 6/10
Repeat Viewings:
Knights of the Round Table (1953) 7/10
The Adventures of Quentin Durward (1955) 8/10
Tag (2018) 7/10
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Post by Rufus-T on Dec 19, 2021 6:23:35 GMT
Life Is Cheap... But Toilet Paper Is Expensive (1989)  Sorry We Missed You (2019)  Shoah (1985)  Get Carter (1971)  Die Hard (1988)  Nightmare Alley (1947)  Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)  |
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 19, 2021 12:59:37 GMT
REWATCHES Umpteenth viewing of a seminal Noir, Bogart - and Grahame's - finest hour.... and probably one of the saddest movies ever made.  Not sure this Saul Bass effort was used in 1963... but one of his best... and for me 2# in the Hitchcock canon. Watched with mt Dad - we both really like Evan Hunter's script, and the film looks a treat. My Dad commented he'd forgotten what a dish Tippi Hedren was. The FX birds are great, esp the main attack on the town.... it's one or two of the kids being pecked that look a bit clunky. Don't sweat the WHY?.... they do it because they can... and anyway the real thrill here is all those women circling and swooping round Rod Taylor....  +poster+1.jpg) The Teresa Wright thread put me in the mood for her... and this seemed a good place to start....  A Reunion of the stars of SHADOW... He's a bank manager embezzling $1m and she's the (blonde!) and principled wife Andrew Stone wrote and directed.  Probably my 3rd look . ahead of hopefully catching the new one soon. Hmmm. I admire it without being gripped the way I want to be. Good performances and seedy milieu though.  Second look at enjoyable B with Arthur Kennedy wrongly imprisoned. Good support from inmate buddy John Ridgely, evil "screw" Howard Da Silva, and matronly Florence Bates gets to pack heat (see below) as Kennedy's accomplice waiting outside    Ultastylish, very 80s vampire flic - probably my favourite. Catherine Deneuve is modern day vampire scouting for replacement companion when the current one David Bowie passes his sell by date ...... scientist Susan Sarandon looks like she might be a good choice . Excellent sountrack, crowd pleasing lesbian seduction... still my favourite Sarandon performance.  Yes it really is that good - can't recall the last time I saw a modern movie I wanted to rewatch immediately. Campion's stunning tale of sibling rivalry and repressed sexuality was worth the wait ( a decade or more since her last I gather)  Atrocious saga of pop singer - toss up whether the ghastly synth pop rock songs she performs are more awful than the softcore sex scenes. My reason for rewatching ?- Carroll Baker appears. One of her most obscure credits. FIRST VIEWINGSOnly two I'd " Recommend"
 WIFE 1953 Problems in a ten year marriage are exacerbated by trouble involving the couple's lodgers.  Well it is a definite YAY from me. For avoidance of doubt if I had to choose the 1961 version would trump this... although I was kind and decided to rewatch that -unseen in full for more than a decade - AFTER watching the new one......but we can - and now do - have both. I'd also say that the changes - yes CHANGES   -  Spielberg & co have made are actually sensible and work mostly in favour of this new version. Wisest decision was to stage AMERICA not late at night on the roof after the Gym dance, but the next morning as the Sharks wake up... ie it opens act 2 rather than closing act 1) Clever as it feels fresh and isn't directly competing with the 61 versions most iconic scene. The COOL song gets given to Tony and Riff as they squabble over the gun prior to the rumble - in the earlier one it was sung by "Ice" (after the rumble??? assuming leadership of the Jets). The Meet Cute of Tony/Maria is a private affair here... not conducted on the gym dance floor. I FEEL PRETTY is sung by a group of cleaners, not seamstresses (and I think maybe moved to later in story?) . OFFICER KRUPKE was probably the one I missed the most - Russ Tamblyn's ebullience just wasn't there... and in the 61 version I knew who all the Jets were by name - in this one few stand out as individuals. Of the principals Arana DeBose (above) is the standout as Anita - the movie loses heat whenever she isn't around - she is bound to attract some award attention. But the real WOW for me - and I suspect will be for some of you - was what they did with - and for - Rita Moreno - and indeed what she does for the film. I was assuming she'd have a mere bit for old times sake like Chita Rivera in CHICAGO. But not only does she get a proper role as the Doc character - actually Doc's widow, now proprietor of the drug store the Jets hang out at and Tony works in.... but they also give her the most famous song SOMEWHERE (THERES A PLACE FOR US) as a solo!!!!!!!.... she sings it about herself and Doc - in original it is the one Tony & Maria duet on making goo goo eyes at each other after having "Sorry I stabbed your brother to death" make up sex in her bedroom. We still get the goo gooo eyes but intercut with Moreno serenading her departed love - It somehow put a fresh and immensely moving spin on it for me. . Anyway - Go see. WATCHABLE/OF INTEREST
As a comet is spotted hurtling towards earth low level Govt Astronomer nerds Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence have a problem getting anyone to take them seriously. ARMAGEDDON as a comedy (if ARMAGEDDON itself didn't make you laugh enough) and with everyone too busy watching their "devices" to notice or care until it is too late ... with a cast - can a movie be over cast? - that deserves a better movie -Meryl enjoys herself as President with sex scandal skeletons whose ratings improve when she is caught smoking... and Cate Blanchett as smug anchorwoman (Good Lord those teeth!) made me laugh. No idea what Mark Rylance thought he was doing as vaguely Warholesque boffin. Should have been better (and shorter) but not an unpleasant experience. ... and the subtext about climate change not irrelevant  Helen NIGHTMARE ALLEY Walker leads this 1951 B about excon struggling to go straight.  Toshiro Mifune is cop who has his revolver stolen... nicely photographed.  Sentimental but effective autobiographical drama about Protestant Irish family seeking escape from "the Troubles" in late 60s. I'm reading this will be a front runner come awards season and I can see why.  Remake of LES LOUVES .... changes to the Boileau/Narcejac story are not for the better but intriguing premise (escaped POW assumes identity of dead man and presents to the deceaseds romantic pen pal as the author of the letters...  THE BEAST SHALL DIE 1959. Young man becomes a serial killer...  Self referential sequel to the well received drama from 2019, with our heroine now going to film school and making a film called THE SOUVENIR about her experiences.... Richard Ayaode has good role as nitwit film school tutor and Tilda Swinton has more footage as mum.  Corruption related to a land deal... nice atmosphere and strong cast but its not much of a "thriller". YOU CAN SAFELY IGNORE ALL THE REST....
 
   
STINKER OF THE WEEKSPIDERMAN sorely tempted me but in truth it is a rewatch that merits the crown - they don't even spell Carroll's name correctly on the poster.... 
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Post by claudius on Dec 19, 2021 13:41:28 GMT
12
40TH ANNIVERSARY
-THE KWICKY KOALA SHOW “Disguise the Lumit/ Show Biz/ The Great Dirtini” Having finished viewing 12 Saturday Cartoon series from 1981, I still am watching this show due to it having 16 episodes compared to the other’s 13 episode roster. Warner Archive DVD.
-LAVERNE AND SHIRLEY (1981) “The Meanie Genie” Still with this series, due to its premiering three weeks later than the rest. YouTube.
-SPIDER-MAN (1981) “The Hunter and the Hunted” The AMAZING FRIENDS are finished until next season, but this version of the Wall-Crawler remains to be watched. Here Kraven the Hunter captures Zabu the last Sabretooth Tiger, with its partner KaZar the savage in close pursuit. YouTube.
-THE DOUGH NUTS (1981) A collection of animated segments that aired on ABC on Saturday Mornings in 1981. The theme, narrated in Rhyme- warns of buying without proper sense. YouTube.
-PERRY COMO’S FRENCH-CANADIAN CHRISTMAS (1981) If one has noticed, watching 40 year old VHS Recordings of 1981 broadcasts had me watching episodes based on promos of said programs. DAFFY DUCK’S THANKS FOR GIVING SPECIAL had FATHER MURPHY, BERENSTEIN BEARS MEET BIGPAW had me watch THE FACTS OF LIFE and STEVE MARTIN’S BEST SHOW EVER. HERE ARE THE SMURFS had me watching CHIPS, OF MICE AND MEN and LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE. RUDOLPH S SHINY NEW YEAR had me watching BARNEY MILLER, TAXI and this Perry Como special set in Canada, with Debbie Boone, Dorothy Hamill, and Andre Gagnon. YouTube.
BEVERLY HILLS 90210 (1991) “Chuckie’s Back!” 30TH ANNIVERSARY Steve’s actress mother Samantha (making her first physical appearance in the form of Christine Belsfird) is planning to star in a Reunion of her popular show. The problem is Steve has to make nice to that show’s child star, now a teenage diva with a nasty past with Steve. This causes Steve to seek out his real mother. Also, Donna and David finally become official. VHS Recording of SoapNet Broadcast February 2010, although part of it was recorded over. Anyway the broadcast keeps the original music, like The Pretenders’ “2000 Miles” played as the gang see Steve off on his search. When IMDb dropped its message boards, my goodbye to the BH 90210 Board was a clip of this scene.
ER (1996) “Ask Me No Questions, I’ll Tell You No Lies” 25TH ANNIVERSARY Dr Greene, nursing a broken heart, dives himself into his work; an encounter with Mr Boulet causes him to search for the truth about Jeanie’s HIV status. A favorite episode of mine, mainly for a role reversal: Dr Greene becomes coldly by the book, while the control freak Dr Weaver is compassionate and supporting. Warner DVD.
THE BOX OF DELIGHTS (1984) “In Darkest Cellars Underneath” Episode 3 has Kay Harker learn more about Abner’s plans to get the Box of Delights with the help of his Sylvia Pouncer (played by Robert Stephen’s wife Patricia Quinn, the character is mentioned as Kay’s former governess, according to John Masefield’s THE MIDNIGHT FOLK). As the day goes by, people start missing from Kay’s governess to his guest the feisty, air-gun-totting Mariah Jones. Kay has to use the Box’s magic to avoid going missing too. BBC Video PAL DVD.
THE ADVENTURES OF PRINCE ACHMED (1926) 95TH ANNIVERSARY this year. The Earliest Surviving Animated Feature Film. DVR Recording of a Turner Classic Movies Broadcast.
THE LIFE ADVENTURES OF SANTA CLAUS (1985) The final Rankin-Bass Animagic special. Based on L. Frank Baum’s book, this version of the story of Santa Claus takes on darker tones than R-B’s previous work. Here Claus witnesses war, slavery, and poverty, and desires to make something better for the innocents. Warner VHS
FROSTY THE SNOWMAN (1969) The Rankin-Bass classic with Jimmy Durante and Jackie Vernon. Viewed on a VHS recording of a 1992 CBS broadcast with a promo for the ‘new’ series DR QUINN: MEDICINE WOMAN.
13
35TH ANNIVERSARY
-WILDFIRE (1986) The final episode of this magic horse in this Hanna-Barbera fantasyland series (which had contributions from THE LAST UNICORN’S Peter Beagle and Jimmy Webb). This episode involves a rivalry between characters voiced by John Vernon and William Marshall who have both voiced Tony Stark. YouTube.
-THE REAL GHOSTBUSTERS (1986) The season finale is a Christmas themed ep. where the gang timewarp to Victorian England and see an old miser getting haunted by three spirits…you can guess what happens next. The Ghostbusters have to save Christmas now, with Egon doing a rescue mission inside the Containment Unit while the others dress up as Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come for Scrooge. Sony DVD.
-MUPPET BABIES (1986) “Bad Luck Bear” Fozzie breaks a mirror and believes he has bad luck, with Piggy the antagonist. YouTube.
-CASUALTY (1986) “No Future” YouTube.
-SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (1986) “Steve Guttenberg/ The Pretenders” Internet Archive presentation of Comedy Central Broadcast.
THE ALVIN SHOW (1961) “Horse Ranch/ Crashcup Invents First Aid” 60TH ANNIVERSARY Bootleg DVD.
THE WOLF MAN (1941) 40TH ANNIVERSARY Universal’s second Lycanthropy film revived its horror genre and giving Lon Chaney Jr temporary stardom. Like DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN, I learned of the film from a kid-age Scholastic monster book (it’s summary stopped at the biting), then the Crestwood book that covered the full plot with photos and stills (along with the sequels, THE WEREWOLF OF LONDON, and CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF, and a poster for HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN) and like the other two, seeing it in Winter 1989 on a VHS my Late Uncle gave me. It was my introduction to Chaney Jr, Claude Rains, Maria Ouenspayaka, Evelyn Ankers, Ralph Bellamy, Warren Williams, and Patric Knowles. I viewed this on an MCA VHS (the video case has critic Gene Shalit commenting about the film).
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RINGS (2001) 20TH ANNIVERSARY Part 1 of Peter Jackson’s mammoth adaptation of J R R Tolkien’s saga. Starring Elijah Wood, Ian MacKellan, Sean Astin, Ian Holm, Virgo Mortensen, Liv Tyler, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, John Rhys Davies, Orlando Bloom, and Kate Blanchett. First saw this in theaters January 2, 2002, and got it on DVD that summer. Amazon Prime.
A DISNEY CHRISTMAS GIFT (1983) Disney cobbled this special together with scenes of 1983 Disneyland and shorts and film clips. “Once Upon a Wintertime” (from MELODY TIME), PETER PAN'S “You Can Fly” number, the Merlin departure/Tournament/Sword drawing scene from THE SWORD IN THE STONE (with Wart’s dialogue in the major scene silenced), PLUTO'S CHRISTMAS TREE, the ice scene from BAMBI, the Donald Duck short THE CLOCK WATCHER, the “Bibbidi, Babidi, Boo” number from CINDERELLA (with June Foray adding her own voice to Verna Felton’s), and an edited version of THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS (removing Junior’s Blackface moment and adding footage from SANTA’S WORKSHOP). Disney VHS.
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30TH ANNIVERSARY:
-BACK TO THE FUTURE (1991) “Clara’s Folks” The season finale takes a leaf from the source film: Verne, wanting some momento of his grandparents for show-and-tell, takes his brother Jules and Marty McFly to 1850 to get it (remember, their mother Clara is a 19th Century person brought to the present by Doc Brown) despite McFly’s warning of time travel involvement in their direct ancestors’ lives. Sure enough, their maternal grandmother falls for Marty and now the existence of Clara and the boys are endangered. Universal DVD.
-MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 (1991) “The Unearthly” The John Carradine B movie is shown with two kid shorts “Posture Pals” and “Appreciating Your Parents.” YouTube presentation of original Comedy Central Broadcast December 14 1991, including promos for THE LAST BOY SCOUT, FATHER OF THE BRIDE and Comedy Central’s SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE “Merrython” which I remember watching that Sunday December 15 1991.
-THE COMMISH (1991) “No Greater Gift” (this month) YouTube.
20TH ANNIVERSARY
-VANDREAD THE SECOND STAGE (2001) “Paradise” The Majere and Tarak fleet capture their respective genders (save for Hibiki who goes into hiding). But the Harvest is coming. Time for a reunion. Japanese with English Subtitles Funimation DVD.
-ONCE AND AGAIN (2001) “Pictures” Jakes’s ex has her baby. YouTube presentation of Recording of Lifetime broadcast.
BABES IN TOYLAND (1961) 60TH ANNIVERSARY Walt Disney Musical of the Victor Herbert Operetta. Starring Annette Funicello, Tommy Sands, Ray Bolger, Henry Calvin, Gene Sheldon, Ed Wynn, and Tommy Kirk. Saw this on Fox in December 1990. After seeing the Laurel & Hardy 1934 version in 1991, my subsequent viewing of this film (as a St. Nicholas Day present) gave me a better recognition of the Herbert songs. Usually, this would be in the PARTS OF category, with me watching only “I Can’t Do the Sum”, Tommy Sands’ “Floretta” number, and the March of the Toys. But for this anniversary I’m viewing the whole film. Disney DVD.
CHIPMUNK CHRISTMAS (1981) 40TH ANNIVERSARY 1980 saw a revival in the Chipmunks, with Records like CHIPMUNK PUNK and URBAN CHIPMUNK, and a return to Animation in this tv special designed by Chuck Jones. This special also introduces Ross Bagdadarian Jr as the voices of Dave Saville, Alvin, and Simon and his wife Janice Karman as Theodore. Clyde Crashcup also makes an appearance. I think this was my first introduction to the Chipmunks in the early 1980s. YouTube.
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BRIDESHEAD REVISITED (1981) “A Twitch Upon The Thread” 40TH ANNIVERSARY It is now 1939, and Charles and Julia have decided to divorce their spouses and marry despite Julia’s catholic faith. Amazon Prime.
THE TRAPP FAMILY STORY (1991) “Hans’ Secret” 30TH ANNIVERSARY The Nazis pay the Trapps a call, demanding they put up the Nazi flag, an anathema to the nationalistic Captain. Worse is to come when they discover Hans the Butler is a devoted member of the National Socialist Party. On a brighter note, Maria discovers she is pregnant. Japanese with English Subtitles. English Subtitles. Bootleg DVD.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (1976) “Candice Bergen/ Frank Zappa” Candice Bergen reprises her role as host of the Christmas-themed episode, with Frank Zappa performing a rather elaborate (for SNL) music number. Airing on December 11, 1976, sketches include " Consumers Probe" (Candice Bergen interviews shady toymaker Dan Akroyd and his dangerous toys like Johnny Switchblade and Bag of Glass) and ending with a scene of the cast and crew ice-skating at Rockefellers square. Universal DVD.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (1998) “Amends” Something is troubling Angel (more than usual for our tortured vampire with a soul); he is seeing ghosts of his victims, including Jenny Calendar (Robia LaMotte in a role she regretted reprising). Despite reservations, Buffy decides to the get to the bottom of it before Angel either dies or becomes evil again. FoxVideo DVD
MICKEYS CHRISTMAS CAROL (1983) My first experience with Charles Dickens’ oft-told Ghost story. The first major features for Wayne Allwine’s Mickey Mouse, Alan Young’s Scrooge McDuck, and the last for Clarence Nash’s Donald Duck. Viewed on a VHS recording of its Television premiere broadcast on NBC in December 1984, accompanied by three Disney shorts: DONALD’S SNOW FIGHT, PLUTO’S CHRISTMAS TREE, and THE ART OF SKIING. Commercials include a scary promo for PINNOCHIO'S 1984 re-release, Rainbow Brite (with Wizard of Oz music), the promo for the Jane Seymour-Hart Bochner THE SUN ALSO RISES, and a family commercial of my local painting company Brendell (back when it was a family of six).
SANTAS WORKSHOP (1932) Disney SILLY SYMPHONIES about the Elves getting the gifts ready for Christmas. From the Disney short collection A WALT DISNEY CHRISTMAS VHS (1981) which retains the uncut version: when Santa tests “Momma!” Dolls, a blackface doll says “Mammy!”.
BOX OF DELIGHTS (1984) “The Spider in the Web” In the fourth episode, Kay Harker is able to evade getting scrobbled by Abner Brown’s men. Mariah is returned safe and sound, but other people like Peter Jones and the Bishop of Tarchester cathedral get scrobbled. Kay journeys to the Chester Seminary and learns that Cole Hawling is not as old as he thought he was (or more accurately, not as young as he is supposed to be). BBC Video PAL DVD.
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NORTHERN EXPOSURE (1991) “Seoul Mates” 30TH ANNIVERSARY Its Christmas time at Cicely: Jewish Joel considers getting a Christmas Tree, Maurice meets his grown-up Korean son. Saw parts of this on its premiere 30 years ago. Didn’t see the full episode until the turn of the century on Arts & Entertainment, although the network would isolate the episode to the Christmas season, skipping it whenever they broadcast the third season. Universal DVD.
URUSEI YATSURA (1981) “Sleeping Beauty Princess Kurama/ Athletics in Women’s Hell” 40TH ANNIVERSARY Japanese with English Subtitles. AnimeEgo DVD.
THE NUTCRACKER (1977) Mikhail Baryshnikov’s television production of the Tchiakovsky ballet with then-girlfriend Gelsey Kirkland as Clara. The shortest of the three Nutcrackers ballets in my viewing (several pieces were shortened, and the “Arabian Dance” omitted), it is probably the most popular of the three. A Christmas perennial for 25 years; I first saw parts of this on December 23 1989. Kultur DVD
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BEN-HUR (1959) Much has been written about this 11-Oscar winner, so I'll just leave it at that. It has been something of a Christmas perennial for 25-some years (It was Christmas where I first introduced to it). I saw Part 1 today and Part 2 on Saturday. Warner DVD.
TENKO (1981) “Part Nine” 40TH ANNIVERSARY To save their recaptured friends, the women create 500 hats in seven days. Dailymotion.
HOMEFRONT (1991) “Sinners Reconciled” 30TH ANNIVERSARY Gina the Italian GI wife has her baby, and is revealed to be Jewish and a Holocaust survivor. Meanwhile Mrs. Metcalf begins to let her hair down with conventions. Internet Archive presentation of ABC Broadcast (which comes with an afterword from the cast wishing Happy Holidays).
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM WING (1996) “Go Forth Gundam Team!” After skipping it last December, due to the 25th Anniversary viewing from April 2020 to March 2021, I return to my annual viewing of the last six episodes in the final countdown to Christmas. English Dubbed Bandai DVD.
MISTER MAGOO’S CHRISTMAS CAROL (1962) UPA TV Special of the Dickens tale, with Jim Backus' Mister Magoo stepping out of character to play Scrooge, with Gerald McBoing Boing (speaking normally) as Tiny Tim. Music by Jule Styne and Bobby Merill. I usually play this when I decorate the Christmas Tree. ClassicMedia DVD.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1984) And so I have my annual repeat viewing of the George C Scott version on its premiere date. FoxVideo DVD.
PEACE ON EARTH (1939) The first post-apocalyptic cartoon. Hugh Harmon’s anti-war animated short about an old squirrel telling the young ‘uns about the extinction of man. Back when TNT and TBS used to broadcast Turner Entertainment’s ownership of the MGM animated shorts, PoE was among them (I think my first experience with the short was a TBS TOM & JERRY CHRISTMAS special that showed their NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS along with other Christmas-themed shorts. This one was chosen to give some aspect of Jesus). Something that won’t happen again. From the A Christmas Carol (1938) DVD by Warner.
THE CHRISTMAS PARTY (1931) MGM Short has Jackie Cooper hold a kiddie party at the Studio served by its stars: Lionel Barrymore, Ramon Navarro, Clark Gable, Marion Davies, Cliff Edwards, Anita Page, and Charlotte Greenwood. Jimmy Durante plays Santa, Wallace Beery, Marie Dressler, and Polly Moran play lunchpersons, and Norma Shearer appears at the beginning to arrange the whole thing (evidently Gilbert and Keaton were in alcoholic depression, Garbo was uninterested, and Joan probably wanted nothing to do with anything Norma had a part in playing). Saw clips of this on several documentaries, until seeing the whole thing on TCM on December 23 1996. Looked for an attainable version until I discovered it was extra for A CHRISTMAS CAROL ‘38 DVD. Warner DVD.
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50TH ANNIVERSARY
-THE FUNKY PHANTOM (1971) “The Hairy Scary Houndman” Warner Archive DVD
-HEY ITS THE HAIR BEAR BUNCH (1971) “The Diet Caper” The penultimate episode. Warner Archive DVD
-THE PEBBLES AND BAMM BAMM SHOW (1971) “They Went That Away” The season penultimate episode features Pebbles’ great uncle Tex, a character from the OG series. Back then his obsession for an heir had the then-childless Fred disguise Barney as his “son”. Now Fred’s real child gets the friends and family to Tex’s Ranch to handle cattle. Warner DVD.
-THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW (1971) “Ted Over Heels” YouTube.
MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM WING (1996) “Signs of the Final Battle” English Dubbed. Bandai DVD.
HERGE THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN (1991) “The Calculus Affair Part 1” 30TH ANNIVERSARY After three earlier story adaptations, the Ellipse/Nelvana series goes forward after the Unicorn story, with Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus back in the episode. It should be noted that the series had premiered on HBO (where I first saw it). Whereas I’m watching them according to the Canadian airtimes with one episode a week, the HBO broadcasts combined the two parters into an hour. At this point, the two broadcasts have aligned by now. Shout Factory DVD.
SCTV (1981) “Christmas Staff Party” 40TH ANNIVERSARY The title says it all with the sketch comedy's cast appears at their annual party. Highlights include a Liberace Christmas Special, NEIL SIMON'S NUTCRACKER SUITE, and "Dusty Towne's Sexy Holiday Special". John Candy as Johnny LaRue (nearly freezing to death on STREET BEEF), Doctor Tongue, Divine, and Orson Welles. Eugene Levy as Judd Hirsch. Rick Moranis as Bob McKenzie, Richard Dreyfuss, and Elton John. Dave Thomas as Doug McKenzie, Tex Boil, Liberace, and Michael Caine. Joe Flaherty as Guy Caballero, Alan Alda, and Sammy Maudlin. Andrea Martin as Edith Prickley, Ethel Merman, Edna Boil, and Marsha Mason. Catherine O’Hara as Lola Heatherton, Dusty Towne, and Maggie Smith. Shout Factory DVD.
A TALE OF TWO CITIES (1935) A self-destructive lawyer makes the ultimate sacrifice during the French Revolution. David O. Selznick’s follow-up to his Dickens hit DAVID COPPERFIELD, returning Edna Mae Oliver, Elizabeth Allan (again having a fainting scene), and Basil Rathbone (again playing a First Act Villain removed) with Ronald Colman, Blanche Yurka, Henry B. Walthall, Claude Gillingwater, and Isabel Jewell. This film was released in December 1935, with the addition of a Christmas sequence where certain plot points are progressed (Sidney Carton’s nobility, the secret of Charles Darnay). “Adeste Fideles” is used as a theme for Carton’s character arc. From my experience, I first saw it- colorized- on Cinemax Christmas Eve 1991. it was certainly not the film to watch while under a ‘Day after Christmas’ depression (with its reminder of something now over with), so I have decided since 1996 to watch it before Christmas. Warner DVD.
Saw Parts of:
This marks the time to watch a bunch of VHS Recordings from December 1984: THE RACCOONS CHRISTMAS, Kevin Gillis animated special (with the voices of Rita Coolidge, Leo Sayer, and Rupert Holmes) that led to several more specials and an animated series. The CBS Network television premiere of THE GREAT MUPPET CAPER (celebrating its 40th Anniversary this year), with commercials (including a promo for the George C. Scott’s A CHRISTMAS CAROL, premiering December that year). YOGI'S ALL-STAR CHRISTMAS CAPER (1982 the third and final Holiday special involving the Hanna-Barbera stable that follows CASPER'S FIRST CHRISTMAS and YOGI'S FIRST CHRISTMAS), and a Prime-Time showing of MUPPET BABIES ("Gonzo's Video Show").
NUTCRACKER THE MOTION PICTURE (1986) OliveFilms BluRay.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL THE MOVIE (2001) MGM/UA DVD.
A CHRISTMAS CAROL (1938) Warner DVD.
MEET JOHN DOE (1941) The ending. YouTube.
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Post by marianne48 on Dec 19, 2021 22:55:38 GMT
61* (2001)--This is a good movie whether or not you're a baseball fan. For fans, it's a decent drama about the home run race between Yankees Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris in 1961. For those who don't (or, like me, no longer) care about MLB, it's also an interesting watch.
Mantle is the fan favorite to win the race to beat Babe Ruth's record for most home runs in a season. He's charismatic and popular; he's also a raging drunk and womanizer. Quiet, unassuming Roger Maris is the guy everyone's rooting against (even the Yankee fans are booing him, throwing things on the field, and making threats against his family), apparently because he doesn't have star quality. The sportswriters are depicted as National Enquirer-level vultures who try their best to make Maris look bad in order to build up Mantle in the press. For those who think too much is made of professional sports and its hysterical fans, this is worth a watch. The record broken in 1961 would be broken again in 1998 by Mark McGwire; it was visibly obvious to everyone (except the fawning sportswriters of the time) that both McGwire and his chief rival, Sammy Sosa, were seriously into steroids. No one wanted to say it out loud until later, when they finally admitted it. That's when I couldn't watch MLB anymore.
Double Wedding (1937)--William Powell and Myrna Loy made a great team in the Thin Man movies; some of their other MGM pairings weren't so much. This one is more manic than funny; okay for fans of Powell/Loy, who keep the ridiculous plot moving along to the ridiculous finish.
Dean Martin: King of Cool (2021)--TCM's excellent documentary on the singer, actor, TV host, and underregarded straight man for Jerry Lewis is full of great footage from home movies and film and TV performances. The setup for the film--what was Martin's "Rosebud"? seems a little ponderous, but otherwise, it's a nice appreciation of someone who always seemed a little overshadowed by his co-stars, yet never really seemed to care all that much. One of Lewis' sons gets emotional when viewing footage of Martin playing with his kids in the swimming pool; he didn't have such a fun relationship with his own father (not that surprising); and there are stories about Martin's relationship with his family and loyalty to friends. Lewis once joked that he, Lewis, had a better career in TV than Martin; he had lots of TV shows (which were always quickly cancelled), while Martin had one (which was so successful that it ran for years). One of the truest things Lewis ever admitted.
The Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra Family Christmas Special (1967)--PBS has been airing this vintage special, and it's a nostalgic look at the network holiday specials that were a fixture of the Christmas season decades ago. The stars come out and perform a selection of holiday favorites, and their kids join in as one big happy family. (What celebrity families could host such a show today?) Martin's and Sinatra's kids take turns singing and dancing, and the stars pose with their loved ones in front of a holiday-decorated set. Martin's seven kids appear with his wife; Sinatra was divorcing his wife at the time, Mia Farrow, who's a no-show. (As she was younger than two of Sinatra's three children, it might have confused TV audiences who might have taken her for one of the offspring). Martin, interestingly, had been given the assignment of telling Sinatra's kids that he would be marrying Farrow in the first place, so maybe it was just as well. Fellow Rat Pack member Sammy Davis, Jr. makes a brief cameo, but doesn't sing or anything else, which seems like a waste. An otherwise enjoyable special for those old enough to remember TV shows of this type.
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Post by Chalice_Of_Evil on Dec 20, 2021 2:08:49 GMT
Apologies for my late reply to this thread, but I haven't been able to log in for the past couple of days. Today's the first day I've been able to since this problem occurred. Anyway, my movie-watching for the previous week was as follows... Free Guy (2021). Jungle Cruise (2021). Bad Times at the El Royale (2018). |
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Post by jeffersoncody on Dec 20, 2021 5:39:22 GMT
WATCHABLE/OF INTEREST
As a comet is spotted hurtling towards earth low level Govt Astronomer nerds Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence have a problem getting anyone to take them seriously.
I am madly curious as to how you managed to watch Don't Look Up timshelboy, which hasn't been released in cinemas yet and isn't even available as a CamRip on the torrent sites? Likewise, Being the Ricardo's, which hasn't been released to cinemas outside of America and is only available in utterly appalling quality as a sketchy HDCamrip on a few torrent sites? Likewise , the pirate rip of Spider-Man No Way Home - which you also review, is utterly appalling and unwatchable.
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Post by mikef6 on Dec 20, 2021 19:57:01 GMT
Charley Varrick / Don Siegel (1973). The title Charley (Walter Matthau) used to be a crop duster pilot. Now, he with his wife Nadine (Jacqueline Scott) and the dim, impulsive Harmon Sullivan (Andrew Robinson) have turned to robbing small banks in small towns, making it as easy as possible. But the bank they hit in small town New Mexico is holding a cache of mob money which triggers calling in the implacable, seemingly unstoppable, enforcer Mr. Molly (Joe Don Baker). Also worried about his neck is the President of the bank's corporation, Maynard Boyle (John Vernon) because he was one of the few people who knew the money was in that bank. For a former crop duster, Charley proves to be not only scary smart in the ways of crime but also ruthless. He has to be to survive. Also in the cast is William Schallert as the local sheriff, Sheree North, and Felicia Farr. Matthau and Farr have sex together but happily it is off-screen although we do see Walter with his shirt off. Not a pretty sight. Besides, Felicia Farr was married to Matthau’s good friend Jack Lemmon which makes it just a little bit creepy.    Meek’s Cutoff / Kelly Reichardt (2010). Reichardt tells her story with a minimum of dialog and with short but evocative segments that suggest rather than explain or spell out. The film has been shot in a pre-wide screen aspect ration (1.33:1). A 19th century train of three covered wagons with seven people (two couples and a child) is led by Meek (Bruce Greenfield), a boastful guide who is full of tales of his adventures. But doubts are raised about his experience because he has got the little wagon train helplessly lost in a waterless wilderness on the way to Oregon. For much of the first half of the film we see the people more as a group. They walk. They camp. Gather firewood. Sew clothing. Very slowly, individual personalities emerge. This is especially true when they run across a sole Native American (Rod Rondeaux) and take him captive. Debate begins on what to do with him. No verbal communication is possible. Should he be killed or followed? Will he lead them to water and safety or an ambush? Michelle Williams is outstanding as Emily Tetherow, the wife of the most intelligent of the settlers and who grows into leadership herself as the outspoken opponent to Meek. The final shot and a black-out ending only hints at the outcome for this hearty band of pioneers, but little doubt is left about what it will be. I sensed it was coming at the point that it did. Like all the other carefully considered and crafted scenes and shots, it was perfect.    Remember / Atom Egoyan (2015). Atom Egoyan directed two of my favorite films of the 1990s: “Exotica” (1994) and “The Sweet Hereafter” (1997). I have been waiting ever since for him to return to these heights. “Remember” will not do the job, but it is his most purely entertaining film in quite a while. Zev Guttman (Christopher Plummer – wonderful here) is a Senior Assisted Living resident. He has growing dementia – he remembers family and friends - but after sleeping, either all night or just waking from a nap, the events of the last few weeks (which include the death of his wife) have left him. His best friend is Max (Martin Landau) who is confined to a wheelchair and his oxygen tank. Max, who had worked as a Nazi hunter with Simon Wiesenthal, thinks he has tracked down the Blockführer who killed his and Zev’s families at Auschwitz. The Nazi is one of four men in the United States named Rudy Kurlander. In spite of his memory handicap, Zev is dispatched by Max to find the four and kill whoever turns out to be the former concentration camp guard. . As he goes through his journey, he has to frequently refer to a letter from Max detailing where he is supposed to go and what to do when he gets there. Where Egoyan lets down in this film is that the issues of dementia and the Holocaust are not really addressed; they only serve to move the thriller plot forward. BUT, the thriller plot is indeed thrilling and suspenseful, plus Plummer is just so great yet again. At 85-years-old he completely carries a movie. Except for maybe five or six brief scenes, Plummer is present on camera the whole time. Also good to see is Martin Landau and, in virtual cameos, the two fine German language actors Bruno Ganz and Jürgen Prochnow.   
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Post by frankcaprica on Dec 22, 2021 1:27:54 GMT
The Crimson Kimono - hard boiled detective story that gives way to a love triangle.  Miracle on 34th street - I prefer other versions  body and soul - maybe my least favorite boxing noir but still solid  |
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