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Post by wmcclain on Mar 18, 2023 13:00:17 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 Mar 18, 2023 13:52:37 GMT
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Post by wmcclain on Mar 18, 2023 14:07:55 GMT
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spiderwort
Junior Member
@spiderwort
Posts: 2,101
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Post by spiderwort on Mar 18, 2023 14:30:33 GMT
All re-watches: Johnny Belinda (1948):A beautiful cinematic adaptation of the Elmer Rice play, starring Jane Wyman in her Oscar winning role. It received a total of 12 Oscar nominations including Best Picture. Excellent direction by Jean Negulesco, cinematography by Ted McCord, and score by Max Steiner. Shot on location on the beautiful Monterey peninsula. Highly recommended.  Separate Tables (1958):This film adaptation of Terence Rattigan’s play was nominated for 7 Oscars, including Best Picture, and won two — for David Niven as Best Actor and Wendy Hiller as best supporting actress. And it’s one of Deborah Kerr’s most memorable performances, for which she received a Best Actress nomination. I hadn't seen it in a long time and remember admiring it greatly. Still do, for all the wonderful performances and Delbert Mann’s excellent direction of them. But, unlike Johnny Belinda, I found it to be more stage-bound than I remembered. Still, it’s very much worth seeing for the performances alone — and for its thoughtful and moving story. Highly recommended, especially for fans of the cast.  The Story of G.I. Joe (1945):A gritty realistic war drama, shot during the war, that seems almost like a documentary as it follows the campaign of the 18th Infantry of Company C as seen through the eyes of Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent, Ernie Pyle. Outstanding performances by Burgess Meredith as Pyle and Robert Mitchum, who received his only Oscar nomination for this, with powerful direction by William Wellman. One of the better war films, touching, at times even haunting. Highly recommended.  It Happened One Night (1934):One of Capra’s best and one of my favorites of all his films, history-making in that it was the first film to take home every Oscar in the major categories — Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay. It’s an absolute delight and a must-see for all classic film fans.  The Waterdance (1992):I watched this in memory of writer/director Neal Jimenez, who passed away last November, may he RIP. It’s the autobiographical story of Neal’s recovery after becoming paralyzed in a hiking accident, which put him in a wheel chair for the rest of his life. He wrote the script, then co-directed the film with Michael Sterberg. Sensitive, at times funny, with excellent performances by Eric Stoltz, Helen Hunt and all the cast, it’s an award-winning, meaningful film that deserves to be seen.
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Post by Doghouse6 on Mar 18, 2023 14:54:05 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. "Shh. Don't tell anyone it's a wig." Another of your great Val-Lewton-tines. I love that you're a fan of the imagery of those films. This brief moment from The Seventh Victim is a favorite, in which mysterious and elusive Jacqueline (normally-blonde Jean Brooks) unexpectedly seeks out sister Mary (Kim Hunter), makes only this silent gesture, and then vanishes just as suddenly. She's been talked about halfway through the film, and this cryptic first appearance is a fitting screen introduction to the character. |
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Post by wmcclain on Mar 18, 2023 15:32:12 GMT
The Seventh Victim (1943), produced by Val Lewton, directed by Mark Robson. First review: Schoolgirl Kim Hunter, in her first film role, searches for her missing big sister and runs afoul of devil worshipers in New York City. Tom Conway reprises his role as Dr. Judd, the dapper, cynical and intermittently sinister psychiatrist who was killed in Cat People (1942). Structured as a detective story, this is the most despairing of the Lewton pictures. It anticipates themes from Psycho (1960) and Rosemary's Baby (1968). Somehow they snuck suicide past the Code censors. The DVD also features the documentary Shadows in the Dark: The Val Lewton Legacy, a 50 minute appreciation by directors, writers, family and film historians. This completes my Lewton RKO marathon. Nine pictures in five years, and he did two more non-thrillers that are not on DVD. He is my hero, the patron saint of all those who labor for bosses who don't give a damn, who produce more than was ever expected or required of them. Whenever the phone rang he would say "I'm fired." He was loyal to his friends and the actors gave him their best. Given the choice between a "B" picture he could do his own way, or a project with more money and prestige and studio interference, he stayed with with the low budget quickies with stupid titles. He produced these within budget and on schedule and they made money. Cat People earned 40x its cost the first year. He used darkness and shadows to be suggestive rather than explicit. He used John Donne (1572-1631) for epigrams and William Hogarth (1697-1764) for art design. He realized that the movie lives in the imagination of the viewer. Here they are: Second review: When her big sister goes missing and her tuition is not being paid, a young woman is ejected from her boarding school. She could come back and work, but a kindly member of the staff says: "I did that when I was young. Never come back here". So it is off to forbidding New York City to find the vanished sister. She gets hints and ominous intimations of secrets and warnings to stop looking. The mysteries all seem "female" and the authority figures male. She finally locates an apartment her sister rented but never used. Behind the locked door: a chair and hangman's noose. Finally she is told her sister became involved with a secret cult of devil worshipers and now they are after her. This has great ambiance with Roy Webb's lovely score and Nicholas Musuraca's inspired shadowed photography. As a story you have to meet it halfway. At only 70 minutes long it can only hint at some plot points, and some love triangles confuse us. We have a detection and romance middle of the movie, when what we really want to know is what are the satanists up to? The cultists seem like normal, if upscale and intense, people. They claim to be pacifists except when dealing with traitors, when they aren't. Hints of lesbianism. Else, I'm not sure what choosing evil instead of good means to them. The wikipedia article has details on cuts made; the scholar on the DVD commentary track think those were probably worth cutting. He describes the whole tone as "bleak" and "nihilistic" but I think the romance subplots muddle that. The wayward sister becomes a moral object lesson: apparently a thrill seeker she finally went too far and now must pay the price. Tom Conway is the non-quite-reputable psychiatrist Dr. Louis Judd, the same character he played in Cat People (1942), where he died at the end. A typical episode in the career of producer Val Lewton: he and director Jacques Tourneur had become a productive team but RKO split them up figuring they could make twice as money with them on different projects. Lewton chose Mark Robson, who had edited his previous three films, to be first time director on this one. RKO: we're willing to give you "A" pictures in the future but you can't pick such an inexperienced director. Lewton: I'll stick with "B" pictures and use the directors I want. And he was very happy with Robson's work. Available on DVD with an enthusiastic and helpful commentary track. He says one of the writers researched by visiting a group of devil-worshipers in New York: old people knitting and casting curses at Hitler. Again, I'm befuddled by the whole concept. 
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Post by mikef6 on Mar 18, 2023 15:48:40 GMT
The World Is Not Enough / Michael Apted (1999). 19th Bond movie, 3rd (of 4) for Brosnan. My most recent re-watch of a Brosnan Bond was “Goldeneye” in which I thought that he was pretty lightweight. By the time he reached this one, though, he had toughed up considerably and has a couple of scenes that show just how ruthless James Bond could be. Bond is out for vengeance and to redeem himself after a master criminal, Renard (Robert Carlyle), tricks him into bringing a bomb back to MI6 headquarters. The blast kills a major international oil magnate whose daughter Elektra King (Sophie Marceau) had escaped from a kidnap by Renard. Bond, thinking Elektra is next on Renard’s hit list, travels to Azerbaijan where the company Elektra has inherited is building a pipeline across central Europe. I learned that “The World Is Not Enough” is not that well thought of and, indeed, the action scenes seem more than a little rote. You could watch any one of them and say, “This is from a James Bond movie.” Denise Richards as a nuclear scientist is often coupled with Keanu Reeves as an Englishman in “Dracula” to be the apex of poor casting, but gets points for reeling off her techno babble lines with authority while escaping explosions dressed in a halter top and short shorts. Brosnan brings some darkness to Bond, Sophie Marceau is never less that great in anything, and Carlyle is a serviceable Bad Guy. Judy Dench is back as an authoritative M. I rather enjoyed it.    A Knight’s Tale / Brian Helgeland (2001). A great comedy, one of my favorites, set in the Middle Ages, c.1370. Young William Thatcher (Heath Ledger, quite wonderful) is squire to champion jouster Sir Ector. When the movie opens, William and is fellow squires (played by Alan Tudyk and Mark Addy) go to fetch Sir Ector for his next match, only to find him dead. William decides to go for the loser’s share of the prize money by impersonating Sir Ector. Finding himself liking the sport, William decides to pose as a noble and contend. Happily, the trio runs into newly published writer Geoffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany – my choice for Best Supporting Actor of 2001) who provides William with credentials and becomes his Herald. One of the most striking and creative comedy elements is the many deliberate anachronisms introduced into the story, starting with a soundtrack of 1980s and 1990s hit songs. For example, in William’s first appearance as a jouster, the crowd in the stands is singing and beating out the rhythm to Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” Also, with Shannyn Sossamon as Lady Jocelyn who William falls in love with and Rufus Sewell and the evil Count Adhemar, William’s rival on the field and for the hand of Jocelyn. Very highly recommended.    Heojil Kyolshim (Decision To Leave) / Park Chan-wook (2022). A murder mystery told in truncated scenes, abrupt transitions, sudden flashbacks, flash cuts, and a couple of brief fantasy scenes all to try to pretty up a standard detective story trope which is at least as old as “Laura” (1944) - and probably older – and which was a mainstay to 1980s & 1990s direct-to-cable thrillers, to wit: a detective falls in love with the primary suspect. Dedicated (and married) Busan homicide detective, Jang Hae-joon (Park Hae-il), looks into the death of a mountain climber who fell from a summit. It looks pretty much like an accident or suicide. The victim’s wife, Song Seo-rae (Tang Wei), however, shows no grief at all at the news of his death. Jang is at first fascinated with her non-reaction and then obsessed with her. The movie is overlong (as so many modern films are) with several false endings. You think it is about to finish but goes on to the next scene. When the end finally comes, it is with one of most unique, if not absurd, suicide methods anyone ever thought of. This was a big disappointment.    Midsomer Murders “The Curse Of The Ninth” Season 19, Episode 6 (May 20, 2018) NOVA “The Pluto Files” Season 37, Episode 6 (March 2, 2010) “Ancient Builders of the Amazon” Season 50, Episode 3 (February 15, 2023) Star Trek: TOS “The Naked Time” Season 1, Episode 4 (September 29, 1966)-Spock says he is half human for the first time “The Enemy Within” Season 1, Episode 5 (October 6, 1966)-Written by Richard Matheson; McCoy says “He’s dead, Jim” for the first time; the Vulcan Nerve Pinch is born “The Immunity Syndrome” Season 2, Episode 18 (January 19, 1968) Star Trek: The Next Generation “Transfigurations” Season 3, Episode 25 (June 2, 1990) “The Best Of Both Worlds, Part 1” Season 3, Episode 26 (June 16, 1990) First audiences had to wait 3 months for Season 4 to begin to see the end of this story. Now that’s just mean. …………………Season 3 Completed Star Trek: Voyager “The 37s” Season 2, Episode 1 (August 28, 1995) “Initiations” Season 2, Episode 2 (September 4, 1995) “Projections” Season 2, Episode 3 (September 11, 1995) “Elogium” Season 2, Episode 4 (September 18, 1995)
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Post by politicidal on Mar 18, 2023 16:16:13 GMT
First Viewings:
Nicholas and Alexandra (1971) 5.5/10
In My Country (2004) 6/10
Nope (2022) 7.5/10
Born Free (1966) 7/10
Black Adam (2022) 6/10
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992) 4/10
Repeat Viewings:
S.W.A.T (2003) 6/10
The Lost World (1960) 6.5/10
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Post by teleadm on Mar 18, 2023 19:04:32 GMT
Here are the movies Tele have seen lately...  Little Women 2019 directed by Greta Gerwig and based on a novel by Louisa May Alcott. I'm so very sorry I just coudn't get into this story, I tried since many here loves this version, it's not how it's made, it's the story I can't get into, and how it still ticks hundred years later. I even took the crash course and watched the simplified MGM 1949 version. Now don't get me wrong, this version was a pure pleasure to watch and visually stunning. with no fault in the acting.  All I See is You 2016 directed by Marc Forster. Or how to waste 30m USD on one gimmick and stretch it out for for nearly 110 minutes. A blind married woman get's the opportunity to get her sight back via an expensive surgery (maybe in Thailand), and she starts to see again, but then the body repels. The Gimmick is that we see what she sees, not for a few minutes, but nearly the whole damned movie, dizzy unfocused images. A story that could have been developed much better, as presented it's a snooze feast.  Spider-Man 3 2007 directed by Sam Raimi and based on characters created by Stan Lee (who makes a cameo). Said to be the worst of the Maguire trilogy, for me those Marvel movies more or less are the same and I have a hard time telling them apart, and some parts were underdeveloped like the black matter from outer space. It works without being special, for a lazy Sunday viewing, and it's not boring.  Nel segno di Roma aka Sign of the Gladiators 1959 directed by Guido Brignone (Michelangelo Antonioni re-shot a few scenes on the last days of production). There is no gladiators in this movie, it was the American distributor (AIP) that wanted "gladiator" in the title to make it a better sell, apparently it did well on the double bill markets, especially in Britain. I watched the Italian version that is about 15 minutes longer, with subtitles. It's a rather dull movie that has too few spectacle scenes, the few there are are impressive but short, and no muscleman, but Anita Ekberg whose chest-width might by the same as musclemen of that era. Not worth searching out unless you're desperate.  Jeanne Eagles 1957 directed by George Sidney and based on real persons. As biography movies goes most is made up, but this was a bit different since it doesn't sugarcoat it's subject, she wasn't an angel from the skies, but portraits her as a horrible person. A person who have stars in her eyes to become famous, and once there becomes unreliable, unbearable and vicious against those who try to stop her. Relatives protested against this portrayal, while others said it almost made her human since she was even more horrible than portrayed here. Besides Vertigo probably the best I've seen of Novak. Not a bad movie at all, worth seeing at least once, but take the story with a pinch of salt.  China Girl 1942 directed by Henry Hathaway. That poster actually makes Gene Tierney look like a slut, she's quit the contrary in her role in this movie, reserved and gentle. WWII and Burma prior to Pearl Harbour when USA was neutral, American news photographer (George Montgomery) escapes a Japanese imprisonment maybe a bit too easy, maybe they wanted him to escape and use him as a spy later. Once in Mandalay Burma he checks into a hotel, a really luxury hotel for a man with no money (but this is the movies) and falls in love with a Euroasian woman (Gene Tierney) and falls in love, but she has a few secrets of her own, and so does nearly everyone else at that luxury hotel. Montgomery plays his role brash and devil-may care style a la Clark Gable, but he is not Gable. Tierney is stunningly beautiful, but I don't buy her as euroasian, especially after seeing the actor who played her father who looks like a cliché Chinaman (veteran Philp Ahn) While not a memorable movie, it's still worth the time, as any movie directed by Henry Hathaway, or any movie starring Gene Tierney.  The Crusades 1935 directed by Cecil B. DeMille and based on historical events of the Third Crusade. Except using a few historical names, most of this story is made up. One thing I can say is that DeMille had a great visual eye for big scenes, but a bit lesser for intimate scenes. There are gazillions of historical wrongs with this movie, like crossbows that hadn't been invented yet, but that doesn't take away that it's a rather entertaining movie, the first half is nearly like a chamber comedy, while the second half becomes a bit preachy but spectacular. Enjoy it, but not as a history lesson! Well that was my week! |
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Post by Old Aussie on Mar 18, 2023 20:30:09 GMT
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Post by lostinlimbo on Mar 18, 2023 23:34:11 GMT
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Post by Captain Spencer on Mar 20, 2023 3:09:55 GMT
 Under Fire (1983)American photojournalists cover the turmoil of the last days during the Nicaraguan Revolution in the late 1970s. They take on the difficult task of searching for the leader of a powerful group of rebels. An underrated, sadly forgotten political thriller, one I haven't seen since the good old days of VHS. Director Roger Spottiswoode eschews the typical style of Hollywood filmmaking and instead goes for a more realistic approach by directing in a seemingly documentary-type style, something that is rare in modern movies. In fact, during the more intense scenes it feels like we're watching an actual news reel. Mexico passes as Nicaragua and convincingly so, with set designs displaying war-torn ugliness and dilapidated shanty towns. Winning performances by Joanna Cassidy and especially the always-reliable Gene Hackman. Of course Nick Nolte is solid, too, although at times it feels like he lapses into his 48 Hrs persona; in other words, it's Jack Cates with a Nikon camera. So if you're ever in the mood for some serious, gritty drama this one is highly recommended. 7.5/10 |
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