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Post by wmcclain on Dec 31, 2022 14:03:00 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 Chalice_Of_Evil on Dec 31, 2022 14:23:33 GMT
My final movie-watching week for 2022... Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005). Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III (1993). Elvis (2022). Resident Evil: Retribution (2012). Looper (2012). And to the Classic Film Board...greetings from the future! Due to different time zones, it's already 2023 here in Australia.  |
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Post by wmcclain on Dec 31, 2022 14:26:06 GMT
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Post by lostinlimbo on Dec 31, 2022 14:33:02 GMT
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spiderwort
Junior Member
@spiderwort
Posts: 2,100
Likes: 9,421
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Post by spiderwort on Dec 31, 2022 14:50:14 GMT
First viewings:The Holly and the Ivy (1952):A heartwarming tale of an English minister and his family reunited at Christmas time. Not your standard, bright Christmas film, but still lovely and hopeful despite the problems of its characters. A nice change of pace from the seasonal movie favorites, it’s worth a look, especially for fans of British drama and the film’s stellar cast.  Carl Laemmle (2019):A fascinating, outstanding feature documentary about the extraordinary life story of Carl Laemmle, the German-Jewish immigrant who founded Universal Pictures and saved over 300 Jewish families from Nazi Germany. With lots of prominent contemporary and classic film people a part of the production, it’s a must-see for film-lovers and historians. Available on TCM.  Prancer (1989):A slow-to-start film, it’s nevertheless an enjoyable one with an unsentimental, almost realistic edge. I watched it for the cast (Sam Elliot & Cloris Leachman), but ended up really loving Rebecca Harrell as the young girl who believes that her rescued reindeer, Prancer, is one of Santa’s reindeer. This was her first film, and she’s terrific. Worth a look for those interested in this kind of story.  Arctic Tale (2006):In this nature documentary (called a nature adventure by the filmmakers), the life cycle of a mother walrus and her calf, and the life of a polar bear and her cubs, are used to illustrate the harsh realities of existence in the Arctic, exacerbated by the consequences of global warming. A film that's suitable, even important, for children to see, with stunning cinematography and wonderful narration by Queen Latifah. Highly recommended, despite what the critics say. (Many critics need to reconsider Henry James’ astute assessment of criticism: Judge the work by what the artist set out to do, not what the critic thinks he should have done.)  Re-watches:Meet John Doe (1941):One of my all-time favorite films, with great performances by Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper and superb direction by Frank Capra (one of his best films, in my opinion). A must-see for Capra fans; highly recommended for all.  Our Vines Have Tender Grapes (1945):A Norwegian farmer (Edward G. Robinson) and his wife (Agnes Moorehead) lovingly raise their daughter (Margaret O’Brien) in rural World War II-era Wisconsin. Written by Dalton Trumbo, the film beautifully conveys the goodness of the human spirit. Director Roy Rowland’s best, and maybe Margaret O’Brien’s, too. All the cast is wonderful. Highly recommended.  The Shop Around the Corner (1940):A classic romance by the master director, Ernst Lubitsch. It may even be his masterpiece. Superb performances by all the cast, especially Sullavan and Stewart, and a brilliant script by Samson Raphaelson. A film that’s hard not to love. Highly recommended.  The Cider House Rules (1999):A beautiful, moving film, rich in story, characters and performances. A triumph for the too often underrated director, Lasse Hallström. Received 7 Oscar nominations, including best picture and director, with Michael Caine winning for best supporting actor and John Irving winning for best screenplay, adapting his wonderful novel. Highly recommended.
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Post by teleadm on Dec 31, 2022 19:15:26 GMT
Last week of the year and cheers to everyone, only two so-called classics this week since I recently discovered I have free access to rather modern movies locally in Sweden, one was good and one was a disappointment of the ones seen so far.  Over to the movies:  Sagan om Karl-Bertil Jonssons Julafton aka A Swedish Christmas Tale (it has no English title so I made it up) 2021 directed by Hannes Holm and based on the writings of Tage Danielsson. A story expanded from a short from from 1975, once made as an alternative to the annual Disney show at 3 PM on Swedish TV on Christmas Eves since 1959. Funny enough it became itself an annual every year. Story is about a boy who dreams about being a Robin Hood, take from the rich give to the poor, he himself is from rich parents and while working at the post office decides to make a good deed using a tax-calendar, redistributing gifts to the rich to the poor instead. His father gets furious when he hears about it and forces his son to go and say he's sorry on Christmas Day to all rich people who didn't get their gifts. That tour becomes triumphal instead, since rich people don't care much of what horrible things relatives send and were happy not receiving those gifts. When it keeps to the main story I liked it, the expansion including an orphan home felt like a "Little Orphan Annie" copy cat.  The Personal History of David Copperfield 2019 directed by Armando Iannucci based on the writings of Charles Dickens. I get that that it is a famous tale that needs to be retold to new generations, but instead of traditional storytelling the makers of this version decided to re-thing, re-imagine, dissecting and made it into a sort of frantic farce that changes pace nearly every minute. I didn't like this version at all sorry to say. I didn't mind the colorful cast, and sets and costumes were good.  Goodbye Christopher Robin 2017 directed by Simon Curtis. The story of how A.A. Milne stories about Winnie the Pooh came about. Horrified about what he seen at "The War to End all Wars" writer Milne decides to write about the war, but is distracted by his sons imaginations and stories, that became the world-wide best-seller. I liked the somber and slow way this story develops, even if much of it might not be true.  La Belle Époque 2019 French-Belgian directed by Nicolas Bedos. In a virtual world you are invited to experience what ever you wish, a Napoleonic era dinner or punch Hitler on the nose, everything is possible. Over-60 couple (played by Daniel Auteuil and Fanny Ardant) who has drifted apart, who has a son working at such a virtual company asks his father, who's become a slob since the newspaper he worked for stopped printing and is only on the internet, to request an experience. He wan't to go back to Paris 1974, the last time he was happy... and a Paris he remembered is built. It was very confusing at the start but once I got the hang of it I liked it quit a lot.  You've Got Mail 1998 directed by Nora Ephron and based on a play by Miklós László ParfumerieNothing new if you have seen The Shop Around the Corner 1940 or In the Good Old Summertime 1949. This time it's about bookstores, funny who times change, are there any bookstores left were you live, except the antique ones? The stars and supporting stars keeps this charmer afloat.  The Apartment 1960 directed by Billy Wilder. A nearly annual viewing for me this time of the year. Shirley MacLaine at her most adorable. Jack Lemmon as the sad guy who lends his apartment to higher employees. Fred MacMurray as the boss who promises young employed girls that he will divorce his wife many times. Comical, bittersweet and a near tragedy that becomes a game changer in their lives. One of my own personal favorites this time of the year.
My last movie of the year, I decided to go nostalgic.... and watch the first movie I ever watched at a cinema...  Mary Poppins 1964 directed by Robert Stevenson and based on the stories by P.L. Travers. Watching it again many years later it still have the magic, at least to me. It's simply Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! Julie Andrews, Dick van Dyke, Glynis Jones and Karen Dotrice is still around of the cast at the time of this writing.
Thank you all posters here, I've learned a lot, and hope to learn more next year! A special Thanks to our host wmcclain ! |
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Post by Old Aussie on Dec 31, 2022 19:25:36 GMT
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Post by politicidal on Jan 1, 2023 0:37:55 GMT
First Viewings:
Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972) 2/10
Married Life (2007) 5/10
Ambush (1950) 4/10
Background to Danger (1943) 7/10
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) 4/10
Albuquerque (1948) 5/10
Emily the Criminal (2022) 6/10
Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941) 5/10
Easter Sunday (2022) 4/10
Tarzan Escapes (1936) 6/10
Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. (2022) 5/10
The Hitch-hiker (1953) 6/10
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) 8/10 |
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Post by mikef6 on Jan 1, 2023 2:55:26 GMT
More than half of my time at my weekly screenings have been Star Trek related. The Lone Wolf In Mexico / D. Ross Lederman (1947). Michael Lanyard (Gerald Mohr), a.k.a. The Lone Wolf, reformed international jewel thief and, now, war hero, is on vacation in Mexico but, wherever he goes, no one believes he is not running a con or is planning a caper. When a former grifter, now a croupier, tries to get Lanyard into a scheme to make them both rich he is shot dead before he can speak further. Lanyard now has to clear his name by finding the killer while rounding up a gang running a crooked casino. The Lone Wolf is one of the lesser known of the movie series from the 1930s and 1940s but the films are rather brief, move swiftly, and Lanyard himself is a suave, engaging, devil-may-care detective. There were 24 Lone Wolf features from 1917 to 1949. Warren William was Michael Lanyard in 9 of them. Gerald Mohr in 3. “Mexico” is the second for Mohr and the third from last LW movie. Eric Blore co-stars as Jamison, valet, sidekick, and comic relief in the final 11 films.   Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan / Nicholas Meyer (1980). After the partial disappointment of the first Star Trek theatrical movie (1979), the franchise roared back with what many consider to be THE ultimate Star Trek movie, and it is truly a stunner. Who is Khan, you ask? Well you may. A fan favorite of the Original Series titled “Space Seed” (Season 1, Episode 22, February 16, 1967) introduced Khan as a genetically altered 21st century criminal who, with his whole gang, had been put in cryogenic sleep and shot into space. The Enterprise finds the ship and has to defeat the inhumanly strong and intelligent Khan. He is no match for Captain Kirk (William Shatner, as if you didn’t know), though, so gets exiled to a lifeless desert planet. Jump forward 15 years. We find the Captain of Starship Reliant (Paul Winfield) and his first officer, Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig) encounter Khan on this planet. Khan and crew escape his world and goes looking for the new weapon he has heard of and James T. Kirk for revenge. Can he out maneuver Kirk this time? Shut up. A great deal is made of the aphorism “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few…or the one.” Great action, fine acting, and a super final line from Kirk that also broke me up. I NEVER shed tears but sure came close at that point. The humanity and empathy that characterize Star Trek is very present here.     Star Trek III: The Search For Spock / Leonard Nimoy (1984). The creation of the Genesis Planet gives hope that the Enterprise crew can find Spock alive, but to get back to it, they have to resort to extreme measures: disobeying orders, stealing the Enterprise, and generally going rogue. Meanwhile, Kirk’s son David and Saavik are already on the planet and facing off against a ruthless Klingon commander (Christopher Lloyd). Explosive action ensues leading to yet another killer last line in which the saying “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few…or the one” gets a surprising resolution. Excellent.     The Player / Robert Altman (1992). Robert Altman directs this breezy parody of the movie business in Hollywood. Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins) is a studio executive in charge of reading submitted scripts and listening to pitches for new movies (the credit sees Buck Henry pitching “The Graduate 2: 25 Years Later” to Mill). But his cool and calm existence is interrupted by death threats from an anonymous writer who Mill “never got back to.” He gets into a fight with the man he believes to be sending the threats and ultimately kills him. This sets Pasadena detectives Avery (Whoopi Goldberg) and DeLongpre (Lyle Lovett) on his trail. Altman takes aim at the ways he thought Hollywood was changing for the worse (ways that are still very much with us). The people throwing their pitches describe “concepts,” matching one star with another, and happy endings – there must be a happy ending! Highly recommended.    A Merry Tudor Christmas with Lucy Worsley (December 25, 2019). An hour documentary with the always delightful Luch Worsley as our guide. Using historians, period re-creators, costumes, music, dance, and food, Lucy takes us through the 12 Days of Christmas as celebrated in England during the early days of the reign of Henry VIII. She even eats from a boar’s head prepared just as King Henry liked it. Star Trek – Original Series“The Galileo Seven” Season 1, Episode 18 (January 5, 1967) “The Squire Of Gothos” Season 1, Episode 18 (January 12, 1967) “Arena” Season 1, Episode 19 (January 19, 1967) “The Trouble With Tribbles” Season 2, Episode 15 (December 29, 1967) Star Trek: The Next Generation“The Bonding” Season 3, Episode 5 (October 21, 1989) “Booby Trap” Season 3, Episode 6 (October 28, 1989) “The Enemy” Season 3, Episode 7 (November 4, 1989) “The Price” Season 3, Episode 8 (November 11, 1989) Star Trek: Deep Space Nine“Past Prologue” Season 1, Episode 2 (January 10, 1993) “A Man Alone” Season 1, Episode 3 (January 17, 1993) “Babel” Season 1, Episode 4 (January 24, 1993) “Captive Pursuit” Season 1, Episode 5 (January 31, 1993) Doctor Who“Last Christmas” Christmas Special (December 25, 2014) This the only traditional holiday something to watch that I have. Written by Steven Moffat, fine performance from Jenna Coleman. Endeavour“Nocturne” Season 2, Episode 2 (July 6, 2014) “Sway” Season 2, episode 3 (July 13, 2014) Agatha Christie’s Marple“Why Didn’t They Ask Evans” Season 4, Episode 4 (July 26, 2009) Midsomer Murders“Saints And Sinners” Season 18, Episode 5 (February 10, 2013)
Hamish Macbeth“A Bit Of An Epic” Season 1, Episode 6 (April 30, 1995) |
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Post by jervistetch on Jan 1, 2023 3:00:00 GMT
ANATOMY OF A MERMAID  Just kidding. ANATOMY OF A MURDER  |
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Post by Rufus-T on Jan 1, 2023 4:09:55 GMT
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Post by petrolino on Jan 1, 2023 5:09:46 GMT
First viewings:arl Laemmle (2019):A fascinating, outstanding feature documentary about the extraordinary life story of Carl Laemmle, the German-Jewish immigrant who founded Universal Pictures and saved over 300 Jewish families from Nazi Germany. With lots of prominent contemporary and classic film people a part of the production, it’s a must-see for film-lovers and historians. Available on TCM. Meet John Doe (1941):One of my all-time favorite films, with great performances by Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper and superb direction by Frank Capra (one of his best films, in my opinion). A must-see for Capra fans; highly recommended for all. The Shop Around the Corner (1940):A classic romance by the master director, Ernst Lubitsch. It may even be his masterpiece. Superb performances by all the cast, especially Sullavan and Stewart, and a brilliant script by Samson Raphaelson. A film that’s hard not to love. Highly recommended. The Cider House Rules (1999):A beautiful, moving film, rich in story, characters and performances. A triumph for the too often underrated director, Lasse Hallström. Received 7 Oscar nominations, including best picture and director, with Michael Caine winning for best supporting actor and John Irving winning for best screenplay, adapting his wonderful novel. Highly recommended.
Hi spiderwort, thanks for the exquisite mini-reviews.
I'll look out for the Carl Laemmle documentary, for sure.
'Meet John Doe' and 'The Shop Around The Corner' I find sublime.
I'm so glad you enjoy 'The Cider House Rules', I do too ( .. John Irving's kind of my flawed, imperfect role model as I stagger through life, a guiding light if you will ... I do believe he's a good guy - nobody's perfect - and I love his books ...)
All the best to you and everybody here for 2023.
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Post by petrolino on Jan 1, 2023 5:36:20 GMT
First Viewings:
Silent Night, Bloody Night (1972) 2/10
Married Life (2007) 5/10
Ambush (1950) 4/10
Background to Danger (1943) 7/10
Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988) 4/10
Albuquerque (1948) 5/10
Emily the Criminal (2022) 6/10
Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941) 5/10
Easter Sunday (2022) 4/10
Tarzan Escapes (1936) 6/10
Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. (2022) 5/10
The Hitch-hiker (1953) 6/10
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) 8/10
Sorry you didn't much like 'Married Life'. I love that movie.
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spiderwort
Junior Member
@spiderwort
Posts: 2,100
Likes: 9,421
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Post by spiderwort on Jan 1, 2023 14:00:51 GMT
First viewings:arl Laemmle (2019):A fascinating, outstanding feature documentary about the extraordinary life story of Carl Laemmle, the German-Jewish immigrant who founded Universal Pictures and saved over 300 Jewish families from Nazi Germany. With lots of prominent contemporary and classic film people a part of the production, it’s a must-see for film-lovers and historians. Available on TCM. Meet John Doe (1941):One of my all-time favorite films, with great performances by Barbara Stanwyck and Gary Cooper and superb direction by Frank Capra (one of his best films, in my opinion). A must-see for Capra fans; highly recommended for all. The Shop Around the Corner (1940):A classic romance by the master director, Ernst Lubitsch. It may even be his masterpiece. Superb performances by all the cast, especially Sullavan and Stewart, and a brilliant script by Samson Raphaelson. A film that’s hard not to love. Highly recommended. The Cider House Rules (1999):A beautiful, moving film, rich in story, characters and performances. A triumph for the too often underrated director, Lasse Hallström. Received 7 Oscar nominations, including best picture and director, with Michael Caine winning for best supporting actor and John Irving winning for best screenplay, adapting his wonderful novel. Highly recommended.
Hi spiderwort, thanks for the exquisite mini-reviews.
I'll look out for the Carl Laemmle documentary, for sure.
'Meet John Doe' and 'The Shop Around The Corner' I find sublime.
I'm so glad you enjoy 'The Cider House Rules', I do too ( .. John Irving's kind of my flawed, imperfect role model as I stagger through life, a guiding light if you will ... I do believe he's a good guy - nobody's perfect - and I love his books ...)
All the best to you and everybody here for 2023.
Thank you, Petrolino. I'm glad we have similar likes. And I'm glad to see another John Irving fan, too, and to know that people still read in our media driven world.
As for the new year: I pray that it will be a blessed one for you, for everyone here, and for everyone everywhere. Please, may it be.
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Post by Captain Spencer on Jan 1, 2023 18:01:08 GMT
 Cry Terror! (1958)A criminal mastermind (Rod Steiger) and his gang holds a family hostage and uses bomb threats to exort money from airlines. A nail-bitingly tense thriller made all of the more intriguing by having the husband-and-wife hostages doing their best to outwit the criminals for their survival, resulting in some neat plot twists. Steiger is known for overacting at times with some of his performances (like his hammy acting as a priest in The Amityville Horror), but here he shows restraint and is quite menacing as the mad bomber. James Mason and Inger Stevens also give solid performances. One thing I didn't like was the occasional inner-monologue narrating. Didn't think it was necessary and I thought it was patronizing to the viewer. 7/10 |
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Post by marianne48 on Jan 2, 2023 2:45:46 GMT
Crooked House (2017)--Fairly interesting adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel, although lacking in the usual touches of humor and back-and-forth guessing of possible suspects that are usually found in adaptations of her works. A wealthy businessman is poisoned; his various leeching relatives all suspect his young second wife. All of the relatives snipe bitterly for two hours, but not much suspense is to be found until the very end. Glenn Close is good as the elderly aunt who oversees the whining relatives, and Gillian Anderson, hidden under a wig (I didn't recognize her until I checked the cast list), is entertaining as an obnoxious actress relative. Okay for Agatha Christie fans, although maybe not all that rewatchable.
Soylent Green (1973)--set in the far-off future of 2022, when the Earth is so overpopulated that NYC alone contains 40 million people, the climate is changing due to greenhouse gases, and food is so scarce that most people subsist on rations of "soylent" food, made from vegetation from the sea and processed into crackers. Interesting dystopian sci-fi; Charlton Heston and his fight scenes are a little much, but Edward G. Robinson, in his final film, is touching as an elderly man who still has memories of what real food tasted like, and what nature used to look like before it was eliminated by rampant pollution and global warming. Having heard about the ending that was supposedly such a shock to audiences when the film was released, I knew what to expect, but I have to wonder whether the ending was really that much of a surprise back then--it seemed like a logical conclusion. Good movie, but I would have preferred a little more focus on the future dystopia and less on Heston and Chuck Connors gritting their teeth and trying to punch each other.
Frank Ferrante's Groucho (2021)--Not a movie, but a filmed one-man play broadcast on PBS last week. Like Ferrante, I "discovered" the Marx Brothers in 1974, when I was also eleven years old, and became hooked on their movies, and I remember the "Evening with Groucho" recording that was released back then. It consisted of an elderly and very frail Groucho Marx reminiscing about his career to a live audience, incorporating some of his songs into the show and bantering with Marvin Hamlisch, his accompanist on the piano. Ferrante presents a performance based on that show, appearing as the younger, more energetic Groucho in 1930s makeup and costume. For fans of the Marx Brothers movies, or anyone who remembers those appearances of Groucho Marx in his later years, it's an eerie, but worthwhile, experience to imagine Marx performing a retrospective of his career in his younger mode, and Ferrante succeeds in bringing that image to life.
The Artist (2011)--Because this film is the one I try to watch every New Year's Eve; its "out with the old, in with the new" theme and trying to move with the times to keep going message seems appropriate for the occasion. IMO, it's still one of the Best Picture winners that best deserved the award for its year.
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