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Post by Matthew the Swordsman on Sept 4, 2017 0:29:19 GMT
Which classics did you see last week? (modern films are welcome too).
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Post by Matthew the Swordsman on Sept 4, 2017 0:32:07 GMT
I didn't watch any films during the week, but did watch a lot of TV episodes. The shows came from a number of countries, including USA, UK, Australia, and USSR. The episodes range from 1951 to 1993.
Unfortunately, some of the shows aren't in the best condition. The episode I watched of "Your Hit Parade" is a typical saved-from-the-dumpster copy from a private collection (which means some serious damage to the film print). Some of the shows, like "Brian Henderson's Bandstand", are largely lost, while most episodes of "Bod" only exist in incomplete form.
The list:
The Clangers - Episode titled "Chicken" (telecast 30 November 1969, UK, 10 minutes) - 8/10. This was a children's series about some charming aliens who live on a small planet. In this episode, they are visited by a robot chicken, who has to be told how to behave.
The Larkins - Episode titled "Ale and Farewell" (telecast 24 October 1958, UK, 25 minutes) - 8/10. This was an early ITV sitcom about a family living in a terrace house in London. I found it interesting that they used heavy drinking as a source for comedy. I wonder if this show aired live (it exists as a kinescope)
Father, Dear Father in Australia - Episode titled "The Floating Housekeeper" (telecast 1978, Australia, 23 minutes) - 7.5/10. "Father Dear Father" was originally a British sitcom, but it was somewhat common at the time for UK series to tape episodes in Australia (usually after the UK run had ended). This episode is a farce, and is pretty amusing.
Saved by the Bell - Episode titled "Dancing to the Max" (telecast 20 August 1989, USA, 22 minutes) - 7.5/10. Entertaining episode of this sitcom. Corny, but corny is good!
Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog - Episode titled "High Stakes Sonic" (telecast 20 September 1993, USA, 22 minutes) - 7.5/10. Enjoyable episode of this cartoon series based on the video game series.
Nu, pogodi! - Episode titled "City and Beach" (telecast 1969, Soviet Union, 9 minutes) - 7.5/10. Slapstick cartoon series, about a wolf and a hare. The wolf wants to eat the hare. Needless to say, he doesn't succeed. This series was hugely popular in the former Soviet Union.
Brian Henderson's Bandstand - Episode telecast 22 May 1965 (Australia, 47 minutes) - 8/10. Entertaining episode of this pop music series, featuring Bill & Boyd, Merv Benton, Max Merritt, Sandra Lynne, Cheryl Bracken, Marianne Woods, and Sharon Black. The kinescope was generally of good quality, except the final few minutes which was in very poor condition. Given most episodes of this series are lost, we are lucky this survives at all.
Bod - Episode titled "Bod's Dream" (telecast 10 October 1975, UK, 14 minutes) - 8/10. Unexpectedly entertaining episode of this odd children's series, which consisted of several unrelated segments, with the "Bod" segment being accompanied by "Snap" and "Alberto Frog" segments. Unfortunately, most of the master tapes of this series were destroyed in the 1990s (along with many other BBC kids shows), and only five complete mastertapes survive. An additional complete episode survives as an off-air (VHS?) copy. The other 7 episodes only exist in partial form (specifically, the "Bod" segment, which was produced by an outside production company. This means that most of the "Snap" and "Alberto Frog" segments are lost).
Bod - Episode titled "Bod in the Park" (telecast 19 October 1975, UK, surviving footage 4 minutes) - 7.5/10. This is one of the episodes which only exists in incomplete form. The "Bod" segment survives, but the "Snap" and "Alberto Frog" segments are lost. The remaining segment is entertaining, but one wishes the other segments had survived as well.
The Nanny - Episode titled "Smoke Gets In Your Lies" (telecast 10 November 1993, USA, 23 minutes) - 7.5/10. Funny episode of this sitcom. Love Fran's clothes.
The Flumps - Episode titled "Get Your Skates On" (telecast 1976, UK, 13 minutes) - 7.5/10. Cute little episode of this kids show. As I've mentioned in previous posts, this series was shot on really ugly film stock, which is fine with me, as I love ugly film stock.
Welcome Back, Kotter - Episode titled "Basket Case" (telecast 16 September 1975, USA, 25 minutes) - 7.5/10. Funny episode of this sitcom set in a high school. The picture quality is ugly though.
Trumpton - Episode titled "The Printer and the Bill Poster" (telecast 3 January 1967, UK, 14 minutes) - 7.5/10. Filmed on beautiful colour film (but originally telecast in B&W), this stop-motion animation series aired on the BBC and was quite popular with kids.
Your Hit Parade - Episode telecast 15 September 1951 (USA, 25 minutes) - 7.5/10. Entertaining episode of this pop music series. The top songs of the week are sung by the show's cast. Unfortunately, the kinescope is in poor condition, with a break in the film during the song "Come On a My House".
Chigley - Episode titled "Lord Belborough's Secret" (telecast 6 October 1969, UK, 13 minutres) - 7.5/10. Stop-motion animation children's series. This series represented an early example of several TV series sharing the same universe, as it is set in the same setting as "Camberwick Green" and "Trumpton". Several characters from "Camberwick Green" appear in this episode. The episodes of all three series were shown heavily on the BBC.
Executive Stress - Episode five (telecast 17 November 1986, UK, 24 minutes) - 7.5/10. This was a sitcom about a married couple working at the same publishing firm. However, the company has a policy against married couples working together, so they keep their marriage a secret. It sounds like a farce, but it isn't. Unless I'm mistaken, this is an early example of a sitcom which told an on-going, evolving story.
Mr. Benn - Episode titled "Cook" (telecast 8 April 1971, UK, 14 minutes) - 7.5/10. This was a cartoon series, with VERY VERY VERY limited animation. It's really just some drawings with narration. But it's very charming. The premise was simple: Mr. Benn would enter a costume shop, put on a costume, and be transported to another time and place. He would invariably solve some problem that was effecting the people in the place he was at.
Camberwick Green - Episode titled "Peter the Postman" (telecast 3 January 1966, UK, 15 minutes) - 7.5/10. First episode of this 13-episode children's stop-motion animation series, which as mentioned above had later spin-offs "Chigley" and "Trumpton". The plot is very simple (postman has to deliver the mail) but the show is very charming.
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Post by howardschumann on Sept 4, 2017 0:52:48 GMT
THE TRIP TO SPAIN
Directed by Michael Winterbottom, U.K., (2017), 108 minutes
When I visited Spain for the first time many years ago, I immediately felt a sense of foreboding, as if I was being reminded of some long buried event, perhaps in another lifetime. Everything that happened during my stay there did nothing to dispel those feelings either and I have never gone back. Of course, I did not have the amenities available to English actors and comedians Steve Coogan (“The Dinner”) and Rob Brydon (“The Huntsman: Winter’s War”) in Michael Winterbottom’s (“On the Road”) The Trip to Spain. Based on a TV series, it is the third in a series of “trip” films that follows the 2010 film “The Trip” (to Northern England), and the 2014 “The Trip to Italy.” I wish I could say that the movie was a “trip” but, even though I did not experience any foreboding while watching it, I found it to be an essentially empty and only sporadically funny experience.
Master impressionists as well as stand-up comedians, actors and screenwriters, Coogan and Brydon drive through Spain from Santander to Malaga, avoiding the well known tourist spots to visit small town Spain, places such as Getaria, Axpe near Bilbao, Prejano, Sigüenza, Almagro, and Malaga that we never hear about. They eat exquisite looking food, visit historic sites, and, of course, provide a staggering ton of impressions including those of Michael Caine, Mick Jagger, Robert de Niro, Marlon Brando, Roger Moore and many others. It goes without saying that driving a Range Rover for a thousand miles, staying in expensive hotels and eating in posh restaurants is not an experience that is readily available to most people.
Of course, they are good comedians and some of the routines garner a lot of laughs, like the wordplay on the Moors and the family of Roger Moore, a sequence which is funny but unfortunately goes on too long. They also riff on James Bond movies, the Spanish Inquisition, and the character of Don Quixote which leads to their donning costumes and sitting on donkeys for a photo shoot. Playing fictionalized versions of themselves, the rationale for the trip is that Rob is going to write a series of restaurant reviews for The Observer and Steve is gathering notes for a book comparing his trip to Spain when he was younger with this new middle-aged one.
While both men are outward successes, the two remain basically insecure and their prickly banter often has a sharp edge to it. Though Steve adapted the Oscar-nominated film “Philomena” for the screen (a fact he is not hesitant to throw in Rob’s face with sickening regularity), his agent has walked out and he is dismayed by the fact that the studio is bringing in a new writer to “polish” his script for a new film. Steve is in love with Mischa (Margo Stilley, “The Royals” TV series), who is now married, but she turns down his offer to visit him on his trip. Rob, though he recently appeared in a big-budget Hollywood movie, seems to have become reconciled to being a supporting actor but longs for a starring role. One revealing segment takes place when a young busker performing near a restaurant for gratuities is invited by Steve to have a drink with them.
Everything goes well until the musician starts recommending good places to visit in Spain which Steve finds threatening to his self image of being a man of the world and gets up and walks away from the table. While critics have found the repetitious format of the first two films to have become stale, not having seen the first two, I have no basis for comparison. For me, however, The Trip to Spain quickly became stale and tedious all on its own. The only music in the film is the lovely but overdone 1960s song, “The Windmills of Your Mind.” In the land of Flamenco, however, we do not hear or see any, nor is there any more than a passing interest in the food being served.
The world travelers do not meet or talk to any Spaniards other than waiters, bell boys or old girlfriends. There is talk about dinosaurs and we get some history lessons but there is no mention of Goya, Garcia-Lorca, Juan-Ramon Jimenez, Gaudi, Casals, Segovia or the Prado. Spanish poet and mystic San Juan de la Cruz said, “In savoring the finite joy, the very most one can expect is to enfeeble and destroy our taste and leave the pallet wrecked.” The film may showcase the Spain you will find in a National Geographic special, but it is Spain without its heart and its soul.
GRADE: B-
GET LOW
Directed by Aaron Schneider, U.S. (2009), 103 minutes
An outstanding cast that includes Robert Duvall, Sissy Spacek, and Bill Murray carries director Aaron Schneider’s first feature film Get Low, but only up to a point. The rest is inspiration but it is sorely lacking. Loosely or “somewhat” (or not much) based on a true story, the film examines the life of Felix “Bush” Breazeale of Tennessee who, in 1938, arranged a “living funeral” for himself in which 12,000 people are reported to have attended. Breazeale wanted to hear what stories people would tell about him while he was still alive, ignoring the fact that people will rarely say to your face what they will say when you are no longer around.
Set in the 1930s, Duvall is Bush, a hermit who cut himself off from the world and lived alone in the woods for forty years. There are a lot of rumors about him being a killer, kids are scared to death of him, and the sign posted on his property “No Damn Trespassing” does not exactly endear himself to his neighbors, such as they were. When Bush gets an inkling that his days may be numbered, he goes to town to arrange for his funeral with Frank Quinn (Bill Murray), the snarky owner of a struggling funeral parlor. Quinn sees a chance for a fast buck and enlists his “boy scout” young assistant Buddy (Lucas Black) to help Bush realize his plan.
While Quinn is a cynic, Bill Murray’s brand of comedy is so endearing that he never comes off as a true villain. When Buddy says they cannot hold a funeral for someone who is still alive, the deadpan Quinn corrects him quickly, saying, “It’s a detail we can look at.” It soon becomes evident that Bush really could care less about what people might say about him and just wants the chance to reveal the secret that made him turn his back on the world forty years ago. We have to wait for the end to find out what it is, but the film suggests that it involved the sister of an ex-flame Mattie Darrow (Sissy Spacek), who describes Felix as having been the most beautiful man she had ever seen.
Persuaded to speak at Felix’s “funeral,” one of his old friends Reverend Charlie Jackson (Bill Cobbs) says “We like to imagine good and bad, right and wrong are miles apart. The truth is, very often they are all tangled up with each other.” To his credit Bush acknowledges, “I built my own jail and I put myself in it and I stayed there for 40 goddamn years.”While Bush’s great reveal is certainly interesting and very well done, it does not have the impact that it should, maybe because it was a bit too late or too tepid or maybe we just don’t care. In any event, Get Low only underscores the point that acknowledging your misdeeds, taking responsibility for them, and letting go is much preferable to beating yourself up and hiding from your own feelings and the world.
GRADE: B
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Sept 4, 2017 0:52:59 GMT
Hi all,after a quiet time the week before,I finished Summer by catching up with: Musical fest:  Afrita hanem (1949)10 Appearing from a puff of smoke, Samia Gamal gives a magical performance as Kahramana and lookalike Semsema. Giving the genie a very modern sensibility, Gamal shoves the "Yes master" traditions aside to grant Asfour's wishes with a gleeful sass,with Gamal being very funny when Kahramana disapproves of the request. Longing for her love, Gamal strikes transfixing poses in the belly dancing sequences, and expressively shows what Asfour is missing right in front of his eyes. Performing his own songs with a dash of classic movie star glamour, Farid Al Atrache gives a wonderful performance as Asfour,whose love for Aleya springs out with mad-cap energy. Humble before the genie is out of the bottle, Atrache gets Asfour lapping up his new luxuries,whilst prominently keeping all that he is losing in view. Running for an hour and 52 minutes instead of the run time IMDb give, the screenplay by co-writer/(with Abu Seoud El-Ibiary) director Henry Barakat cross sweet Fantasy with smooth Musical,lightly comedic Melodrama. Keeping the genie off screen for the first 30 mins,the writers brilliantly build the friendship between Asfour and Bou'ou, (hilariously played by Ismail Yasseen ) with their humble work life just about keeping Asfour's love for Aleya somewhat grounded. Bringing magic into their lives, the writers do very well at blending Fantasy and Melodrama, via the wishes Kahramana grants, making her love for Asfour more noticeable,and also showing how no matter how many wishes Asfour wants, none of them will grant true love. Giving the dance numbers some Arabian Night riches, director Barakat opens the tale with lavish tracking shots stylishly gathering up all that Asfour has wished. Along with Gamal looking very sexy,Barakat superbly makes each Musical number match Asfour's move from the working class to the elite. Putting on a show for the final, Barakat weaves spells with gliding shots across Asfour's new mansion and fade in/fade outs fading in on Kahramana's disapproval of Asfour's Arabian tale.  Die Frau meiner Träume (1944) 7 Invading the screen as it started to appear that the Nazis were not on the winning side, co-writer/(with Herbert Witt and Johann von Vásáry) director Georg Jacoby (who was married to the leading lady) & cinematographer Konstantin Irmen-Tschet treat the public to lavish,colourfully stylised Musical numbers,miles away from the rubble of their bombed-out homes. Backed by a whimsical score from Franz Grothe, Jacoby vividly displays a shade of the "Golden Age" of Hollywood,from snow-covered lodges and dazzling dresses,to a magnificently bonkers,15 minute "Axis Tour" Musical final. Surprisingly keeping the propaganda limited to aside comments on Koestner being a "pure" star, the writers send Koestner on a breezy, whirlwind romantic adventure,with Koestner running away from all the (rather Camp) guys wanting her giving the movie a light Comedy touch,which is joined by a splash of "Woman's Picture",as everyone looks up to the bright lights of Koestner's stardom. Dancing into a project made just for her, Marika Rökk (who along with her husband were secretly spies for the Soviet Union!) gives a fabulous performance drizzled in charisma as Koestner,whose playful flirting Rökk uses to make Koestner the woman of dreams.  8 femmes (2002) 9 Taking the project after originally planning to remake George Cukor's The Women,co-writer/(with Marina de Van) directing auteur François Ozon & cinematographer Jeanne Lapoirie keep the film rooted to a "Woman's Picture" atmosphere,via Ozon startling colour-coding stylisation unveiling Ozon early use of lush colours that pop on the screen,with each woman being dressed to her most elegant. Keying in on the mystery in one location, Ozon and Lapoirie knock down stage limitation with darting camera moves making the quirky Musical numbers appear from nowhere,and stylish whip-pans closing on the suspicions the eight women have for each other. Gathering the women from an adaptation of Robert Thomas's play, the screenplay by Ozon and Marina de Van break all the household rules with a deliciously dark comedic line underlying the classical Murder Mystery setting, via the dialogue having a peculiar tone,with each of the women revealing their inner challenges as the murder victim lays upstairs.Set against the classical backdrop of the family mansion, the writers turn the setting inside out with a sharp wit peeling away at every clue each family member has, to reveal an ingenious twist ending. Coming from all eras of French cinema from Poetic Realism,New Wave and the 2000's,the ensemble cast each give impeccable performances. Hammering home the family rules, Danielle Darrieux gives a fiery performance as Mamy, whilst François Truffaut muses Fanny Ardant and Catherine Deneuve light each other up as Femme Fatale Pierrette,and the calculating,icy Gaby. Joining in the mystery, Emmanuelle Béart spins a kooky turn as Louise,while Isabelle Huppert superbly makes Augustine the outsider in the family,and Ludivine Sagnier gives a sexy kooky edge as Catherine,in the mystery of 8 women. Faubourg 36 (2008) 7 Going back in time with a dazzling crane/steadicam opening shot, (all done in one take) co-writer/(with Julien Rappeneau/ Pierre Philippe/Frank Thomas/ Reinhardt Wagner and Jean-Michel Derenne ) director Christophe Barratier & cinematographer Tom Stern go back to a rustic Fantasy version of Paris in 1936,with vivid blue and gold filters giving the re-opened Chansonia an atmosphere of wander. Lifting the curtain to go backstage,Barratier makes each Musical number feed into the state of turnaround that the club is in at that point,as a gradual fading of lights and elegant whip-pans uncover the pressure Pigoil and Douce are under to keep the demands of Galapiat hidden backstage. Partly based on Edith Piaf's relationship with nightclub owner Louis Leplee,the writers brilliantly thread an episodic thread around the Chansonia,via the moody Melodrama of Douce romantic heart criss- crossing with Pigoil's playfully funny fights to put his dream shows for the Chansonia on. Paying loving tribute to the "Dream Factory" eras of Hollywood and French cinema,the writers cook up a sweet pastiche,where all of the union strikes and the increased appearances of Fascists can't dim the lights of the Chansonia in putting on an escapist show for a troubled public. Reuniting with Barratier, Gérard Jugnot gives a fantastic "everyman" performance as Pigoil,whose dry, determined wit Pigoil uses for dead-pan punchlines,whilst Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu gives Galapiat a slippery menace/fake charm. Kicking up the footlights, the very pretty Nora Arnezeder gives an exquisite performance as Douce,thanks to Arnezeder balancing the mischievous charisma Douce with the fragile love that Douce can barely keep wrapped in the curtains of the Chansonia. Other films:  The first ever adaptation of The Postman Always Rings Twice: Le dernier tournant (1939) 10 Appearing out of a mirage in the pub, Fernand Gravey gives a magnificent performance as drifting Noir loner Maurice. Stinking of booze,fags and cards,Gravey gives Maurice a shifty presence,which never eases as Maurice's rigid back is constantly up against the wall from the doubting Nick and the ruthlessly seductive Cora. Caught between two deadly lovers, Michel Simon gives a performance bursting with warmth as Nick,who greets Maurice with open arms,that Simon decays into doubt,as all of Nick's kindness gets thrown in his face. Made just before she became a socialite of the Occupation, Corinne Luchaire, (whose dad was Nazi-backing politician Jean Luchaire,whose family enjoyed the good life with the Nazis,until the liberation led to Jean being killed by firing squad,and Corinne being banned from acting,and dying penniless of tuberculosis at 28) gives a magnetic performance as Femme Fatale Cora,with lingering close-ups zoning in on the viper glances Luchaire gives Cora playing all the cards close to her chest. While Luchaire enjoyed the high life,this became director Pierre Chenal last film in France until 1946,with the Jewish Chenal fleeing France with his wife Florence Marly (who along with starring in Film Noir classics Krakatit and The Damned,co-stars here) for Argentine. Delivering the first adaptation of Cain's novel,Chenal & cinematographer Christian Matras strike a winning number with a cracking evil under the sun Film Noir atmosphere,reflecting the life of Maurice,everything is covered in a dust which gives the Marino's entanglement with Maurice a grubby appearance. Keeping Maurice as an outside, Chenal mischievously curses Maurice with ladders and black cats that are joined by ultra-stylised first person shots cornering him,and never giving Maurice the chance to fully embrace Cora. Working from a translation of Cain's novel by Sabine Berritz,the screenplay by Charles Spaak and Henri Torrès strike the trio with jagged dialogue,that in moments of calm barely hides the viper poison about to be unleashed. Handing Nick's trust to Maurice,the writers seep Cora and Maurice's harsh pessimism out into the open of the bitter end,as the postman rings twice for the first time. The first IMDb review this film has been given: Imputato, alzatevi! (1939) 8 Set in France but filmed in Italy, co-writer/ (with 11 others!) director Mario Mattoli & cinematographer Arturo Gallea open the film with a note about how the institutions shown bare no relation to their real life counter parts. Cheekily tearing the note down, Mattoil hit the institutions with immature (but very funny) broadside satire,from ice cream sellers walking up and down the courtroom during never ending trials,to the press getting their snaps for a "show trial." Backed by a whimsical score from Vittorio Mascheroni and Luigi Spaggiari, Mattoli and Gallea glide Duval into hilarious slap-dash Slap-Stick set- pieces of the curtain going down on Duval's trial,and Duval trying to outrun the entire hospital staff from injecting him in the bottom. Put together by a large group of writers,the screenplay is impressively coherent! Placing him in respectable institutions, (hospital, court and the stage) the writers allow Duval to run wild and make a mockery of them all,as Duval tries to woo a nurse,and finds out that being accused of murder opens the door to the stage. Running at lightning speed, Erminio Macario gives a brilliant performance as Duval,thanks to Macario relishing the frantic Comedy Duval hands out in his show trial. |
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Post by OldAussie on Sept 4, 2017 0:58:57 GMT
A pattern may emerge......
1st view -
King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017) Plays out more like an episode of Game of Thrones than something Arthurian. Forgettable. 4/10
Revisits -
Camelot (1967) Despite its flaws my favourite version of the legend. I actually feel for all 3 main characters. Funny and tragic by turns. 8.5/10
Knights of the Round Table (1953) Dull and pedestrian. The only interesting performers are Ava Gardner and Stanley Baker and both are wasted. 5/10
Excalibur (1981) Very nice take on the legend with Nicol Williamson's Merlin and Mirren's Morgana the standouts. 8/10
King Arthur (2004) An attempt to present the legend as history is interesting but fails in this instance. 5/10
First Knight (1995) Some nice scenes mean its not dull but it never feels like the story should (if that makes sense). 6/10
The Last Legion (2007) A prequel of sorts with the origin of Uther Pendragon explained. Unfortunately the plot is insane. 4/10
and.....
Spellbound (1945) 8/10
Stage Fright (1950) 6/10
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Post by wmcclain on Sept 4, 2017 1:26:42 GMT
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Post by politicidal on Sept 4, 2017 1:38:55 GMT
Father Goose (7/10)
Lili (5/10)
An Eye for an Eye (5/10)
Sunset (5/10)
The Stepford Wives (7/10)
Westworld (6/10)
Matewan (7/10)
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Post by claudius on Sept 4, 2017 11:58:51 GMT
And so, Summer ends. 25 years ago, the summer had me understanding Anne Frank (via the Disney Channel’s showcase of Frank-based films (the Melissa Gilbert DIARY, THE WORLD OF ANNE FRANK, THE ATTIC: THE HIDING OF ANNE FRANK); By coincidence, that July was the 50th anniversary of her hiding). TNT had a month-long James Cagney marathon in June, with my first viewings of THE PUBLIC ENEMY, A MIDSUMMER’S NIGHT DREAM, YANKEE DOODLE DANDY, ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES, etc. My interests in MST3K and Monty Python bordered into fandom. American Movie Classics had an Eddie Cantor marathon in late July 1992 (All his Goldwyn pictures save THE KID IN SPAIN). The video release of THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE made me interested in Holmes (helped by the Jeremy Brett series on Arts & Entertainment). I saw films like LITTLE WOMEN (1933), BATMAN RETURNS (1992), ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930), JABBERWOCKY (1977), MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1975), HOOK (1991), THE LODGER (1944), and…HONEY, I BLEW UP THE BABY (where I saw a Trailer to BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER- a precursor to my fanship with the series next decade).
From Late August 27 to September 3, 2017
THE SEVEN PER-CENT SOLUTION (1976) Dir: Nicholas Meyer (adapted from his novel). A revisionist look at the ‘Great Hiatus’ stories (THE FINAL PROBLEM and THE EMPTY HOUSE) with Dr. Watson (Robert Duvall) taking the cocaine-insane Sherlock Holmes (Nicol Williamson) to Austrian Psychiatrist Sigmund Freud (Alan Arkin) for a cure. Being a 1970s Mystery film, there is a cast of well-knowns like Laurence Olivier (A shame he never played a canon Moriarty), Vanessa Redgrave, Joel Grey, as well as Jeremy Kemp and Charles Gray’s Mycroft (both will feature in the Granada-Jeremy Brett series). Image DVD.
THE FORSYTE SAGA (1967) “A Man of Property” Dir: David Giles. 5th episode of the serial has Soames commissioning Bossiney to build a country house to improve his marriage to Irene, who finds a kindred soul in the architect. Meanwhile, Old Jolyon reconciles with his son while the Forsyte matriarch Aunt Ann dies. Warner-Turner-BBC DVD.
MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: THE MAGIC SWORD Dir: Bert I. Gordon. Based on the Legend of St. George and the Dragon, with the exception of a few instances of religious power, the film is rather secular; raised by a witch (Estelle Winwood, whom Crow takes a liking to), romantic George (Gary Lockwood) sets out to prevent Sorcerer Lodac (Basil Rathbone) from fulfilling his revenge promise to feed the Princess Elaine to his dragon. Another MST3K classic- although they admit on screen and text that this is a better film then they imagined being written, special-effected, and directed by Bert. I Gordon. Highlights include a medieval pageant ruined by Tom Servo’s historically cynical lectures, and Crow’s Ode to Estelle Winwood (I wonder what Basil would have thought about the sketch where his name is used as a doggie snack). Viewed this both last week and the 25th Anniversary of its debut on August 29, 1992. Shout Factory DVD.
THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (1986): “The Musgrave Ritual” Dir: David Carson. Holmes (Jeremy Brett) and Watson (Edward Hardwicke), visit a country squire whose treasure-hunting butler turns up missing. Remembered seeing this one on A & E, back in the fall of 1992. To my knowledge, it is the only one to have Holmes in evening clothes. Watching it now, thinking too much on THE SEVEN PERCENT SOLUTION, I was surprised to see the post-Great Hiatus Holmes still getting the needle. MPI Video DVD.
THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (1988): “Wisteria Lodge” Dir: Peter Hammond. A disappointed guest sees Holmes and Watson over the mysterious goings-on with his host. MPI Video DVD.
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN (1974) Dir: Guy Hamilton. James Bond 007 deals with gold sniper Scaramanga (Christopher Lee). Roger Moore’s second Bond film (and the last for producer Harry Saltzman and Guy Hamilton) follows with the ‘Godfinger’ formula of fantastic OTT elements, but it displays probably Moore’s meanest Bond portrayal (one does not imagine the classy actor arm-twisting and slapping ladies or tricking kids), although one could also argue this being the last vestiges of the cold, edgy Bond before Timothy Dalton. Viewed this on VHS by FoxVideo (back when Fox owned the video distribution rights of United Artists).
THE FORSYTE SAGA (1967) “Decisions” Dir: David Giles. Amid a lawsuit between Soames and Bossiney is their relationship with Irene, causing Soames to do his perceived marital right in a scene that caused quite an uproar for television viewers back in the late 1960s. Warner-Turner-BBC Video DVD.
LATE NIGHT LINE-UP (1967) “Talkback” Taped June 16 1967, John Bassey covers the contemporary interest in THE FORSYTE SAGA, centering on the relationship of Soames and Irene, with interviews from the populace and fans discussing their individual opinion of support or disdain of the two characters (ranging from ‘Poor Irene, trapped and raped by that cold, controlling arrogant husband’ to ‘Poor Soames, frustrated by his cold arrogant cheating wife, justified in what he did to her’). From THE FORSYTE SAGA Complete Series DVD.
LATE NIGHT LINE-UP (1967) “Behind the Scenes” Taped on July 4, 1967, Sheridan Morley covers the making of the final episode of THE FORSYTE SAGA, interviewing Kenneth More, Margaret Tyzack, Eric Porter, Nyree Dawn Porter, Susan Hampshire, and Donald Wilson. It is interesting to look at the cast and sets in color. From THE FORSYTE SAGA Complete Series DVD.
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Post by mikef6 on Sept 4, 2017 21:50:02 GMT
The Cocoanuts / Robert Florey and Joseph Santley (1929). Early sound comedy released just under two years after The Jazz Singer and two months before the Stock Market Crash. “The Cocoanuts” was the Marx Brothers’ second hit on Broadway after perfecting their act on the vaudeville stage. It was filmed at an Astoria, Long Island studio during the day and then the Marxes and Margaret Dumont would hurry back to the City to perform evenings in their second big hit, Animal Crackers. After a slow start showing people lounging on a Florida beach and bathing beauties doing a dance routine for their morning exercise, we finally see Groucho who owns a failing hotel. In fact, the staff have not been paid and complain about it. Groucho talks his way out of it (“When I came to Florida five years ago I didn’t have a nickel in my pocket. Today, I’ve got a nickel in my pocket” and “Forget about money because you won’t get it anyway”). Then Harpo and Chico arrive. In a masterpiece of absurdity, the ravenous Harpo plucks buttons off a bellboy’s uniform and pops them in his mouth. He then eats a desk sponge with glue and drinks from the inkwell. He even nibbles on the telephone. The film is outrageously funny. With The Cocoanuts and their film following, Animal Crackers, we can get a glimpse of the Marx’s stage work and how they improvised madly making each night a different play. One ad-lib from a night at Animal Crackers made its way into the script of The Cocoanuts. Margaret Dumont was waiting in the wings for her cue to enter. When it didn’t come because the brothers were off on some tangent, she decided to go onstage anyway. As she walked on, Chico and Harpo ran off, leaving Groucho flat-footed. So Groucho said, “Ah, Mrs. Teasdale…won’t you lie down.” The theater audience went crazy and the line ended up in the film they were making during the daylight hours. Zorro Rides Again / William Witney & John English (1937). Zorro is, perhaps, the oldest of the masked crime fighters who are still known today. Zorro was created for a pulp magazine in 1919 and appeared in his first movie one year later (“The Mask of Zorro” starring Douglas Fairbanks). “Zorro Rides Again” is one of three Zorro cliffhanger serials made by Republic Studio during the 1930s and ‘40s. The milieu of this one is that fantasy era when cars, trucks, and even aircraft exist alongside a movie cowboy culture where everyone rides a horse and each man has a six-shooter on his hip. There seems to be no official law enforcement. That is why, when an evil mogul sets his sites on acquiring the California-Yucatan Railroad, he orders a series of attacks to force the owners to sell. One of the partners, who has not lived in California for many years, is James Vega, the great-grandson of the original Zorro. Just as the owners receive a telegram that James will arrive the next day, a gang of terrorists show up and threaten to kill them if they will not sign over the papers. Miraculously, as if he stepped out of book, Zorro appears to drive off the outlaws. However, when James Vega gets off the train the next day, everyone is disappointed to learn that he is a cowardly weakling. We know, however, that he is really Zorro. 12 thrilling episodes of wall-to-wall action ensue. Sometimes is seems like these serials were just an isolated genre of their times and didn’t have much influence on later movie development. Well, maybe the influence was just a little slow in coming. Take a look at this shot from Chapter 11 and see if you don’t recognize a modern film that references this - one of the most important films of the modern action movie era – a film that very much resembles an old cliffhanger serial. 
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (Director’s Cut) / Steven Spielberg (1977). “Close Encounters” does not have nearly the number of different releases, “cuts,” that, say, “Blade Runner” has but it can still get confusing. What is making the rounds of theaters in this the 40th anniversary year of the film is the third and last version, the 1998 home video release called “The Director’s Cut” (one writer claims that this was the very first use of the term “director’s cut”). It contains the scene of the discovery of the cargo ship on the desert (not in the theatrical) and has the original ending without the scene of Neary inside the mothership (as in the Special Edition). This is such an important and widely seen film that a review is probably not necessary…but what a great masterpiece! So many great set-pieces that raise goose bumps (Roy and Gillian seeing Devil's Tower on the TV and the arrival of the mothership, e.g.), fine acting, wonderful musical score by John Williams triumphing again right after Star Wars, and individual shot set-ups that could be framed and hung in an art gallery. I think this is Spielberg's greatest. There is so much to think about and talk about that I dare not get started on it here!
Colossal / Nacho Vigalondo (2016). Gloria (Anne Hathaway) returns to her boyfriend’s apartment one morning after a night of partying. Just before leaving for work he tells her that he has packed her bags and she should be gone by the time he gets home. She decides to return to the small town where she grew up and where her parents still own a house that stands empty. There, she tries to make new start but quickly falls back into bad habits like getting fall-down blackout drunk. One morning she wakes to TV news that a giant monster is stomping all over Seoul, South Korea. This shakes her to her core but even more so than when she realizes that the monster only appears when Gloria walks over a kid’s playground at a city park. What starts out as a possible wacky comedy (well, except for hundreds of Koreans who lost their lives while Gloria, not realizing, walked around the playground) begins to turn darker and darker as people she thought were close friends try to use her power to their own advantage. While this is an interesting and somewhat disturbing film, all the elements don’t quite come together. There is an almost supernatural explanation for Gloria’s unusual power that leaves a lot of questions unanswered. Spanish director Nacho Vigalondo came to international attention as a writer/director with 2007’s “Timecrimes (Los Cronocrímenes)”, a masterful work that, like “Colossal,” goes from near comedy to a disturbing dark place. He has not reached that height again but “Colossal” is a noble attempt. John Wick: Chapter 2 / Chad Stahelski (2017). Again we find the retired master assassin for Russian mobsters (he’s not the Boogeyman, he’s who you send to kill the Boogeyman) being pulled back into the Life. Again we are in a fantasy underworld criminal society of violent people but who must obey certain rules and formalities. These rules are presided over by Winston (Ian McShane) who is the final arbiter of all disputes. The film opens on one of those rules. If you owe someone your life, you give them a Marker, a medallion with a spot of your blood inside. The person holding the Marker may use it at any time to demand any service. Ambitious crime family leader Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio) has just such a Marker from John Wick. He demands that Wick assassinate his (Santino’s) sister (Claudia Gerini, excellent in her scene with Wick) who has a seat at the Table, which Santino wants. Against his will, Wick must carry out the task. Of course, he is betrayed at the moment of the killing and then must shoot, fight, and stab his way through hundreds of disposable minions led by chief hench-person, Ares (Ruby Rose). As with the first John Wick, I tried to keep tabs on the number of bodies that fell but lost count early on. We even get to see a demonstration of a feat mentioned in the first movie that John Wick once killed three men in a bar with just a #2 pencil. Now, Keanu Reeves as John Wick. Whenever a thread on the old boards-which-we-do-not-name about who is the worst actor, Reeves was always an easy answer. But, especially as he has grown older, his acting, still low-key, has grown with him along with a commanding physical presence. As Wick fights his way thought tunnels and corridors, he leaps, rolls, turns, and kicks with an almost balletic grace – Reeves studied judo and jujitsu for his role. The film does not use a lot of fast cutting to create fight moments. Yes, I liked this very much even though it is not usually the kind of film I appreciate. For the other kind of action film, see the next review. Logan / James Mangold (2017). Four pluses: 1) I always enjoy Patrick Stewart in just about anything; 2) Ditto Richard E. Grant; 3) The young actress who plays the new mutant (Dafne Keen) does very well in a role in which she is entirely (until almost the end) mute; 4) Johnny Cash’s “When The Man Comes Around” plays over the end credits. Other than that, this is a Bad Movie in almost every regard. There is nothing in it that we haven’t seen a hundred times before. In the title role, Hugh Jackman channels Humphrey Bogart as the cynical loner who doesn’t want to get involved, who “sticks his neck out for nobody,” until he goes all-in for the good side (Casablanca, To Have and Have Not, Key Largo, The Harder They Fall). The action/fights are very repetitious: heads roll, arms roll, blades penetrate bodies. Worst of all: it is a Road Trip movie where mis-matched characters have to bond during a long automobile journey. A few years ago, I decided I needed to see more multiplex fare so squirmed my way through “Captain America” and “Thor” before I said “No more comic book super heroes.” But I watched “Logan” because a production team spent six weeks in the New Mexico desert about 4 miles from my house filming the scenes that feature the old factory with the downed water tower that appear in the film’s first half hour. On a morning run, I even saw the battered limousine (if you have seen the movie you know what I am talking about) being transported on a flat bed truck on its way to the filming location. When the set was first constructed, it was covered in the paper and TV news flew over in a helicopter, but that ended coverage so, apparently, there were no Hugh Jackman or Patrick Stewart sightings in Albuquerque. So it is possible – nay, even probable - that everything they did for that month and a half was all for green screen projection and no movie stars ever saw the place in person.
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Post by howardschumann on Sept 5, 2017 3:01:54 GMT
Close Encounters Of The Third Kind (Director’s Cut) / Steven Spielberg (1977). “Close Encounters” does not have nearly the number of different releases, “cuts,” that, say, “Blade Runner” has but it can still get confusing. What is making the rounds of theaters in this the 40th anniversary year of the film is the third and last version, the 1998 home video release called “The Director’s Cut” (one writer claims that this was the very first use of the term “director’s cut”). It contains the scene of the discovery of the cargo ship on the desert (not in the theatrical) and has the original ending without the scene of Neary inside the mothership (as in the Special Edition). This is such an important and widely seen film that a review is probably not necessary…but what a great masterpiece! So many great set-pieces that raise goose bumps (Roy and Gillian seeing Devil's Tower on the TV and the arrival of the mothership, e.g.), fine acting, wonderful musical score by John Williams triumphing again right after Star Wars, and individual shot set-ups that could be framed and hung in an art gallery. I think this is Spielberg's greatest. There is so much to think about and talk about that I dare not get started on it here!
Excellent review. I was never a big fan of this film, however, but there are some things that I do like about it. The main thing is the childlike sense of wonder at the unknown which seems to have disappeared in films. The other is that extraterrestrial intelligent life actually acts intelligently, rather than being the caricatures we often see on our screens. On the other hand, I never found Neary to be a particularly realistic or likeable character and I thought his decision to walk away from his three children was cringeworthy, even though I grant that the venture into unknown has a powerful appeal. Even beyond that, however, literal interpretations of UFOs as physical extraterrestrial objects seem very simplistic to me and, though the film creates a mystery, it dispels it at the end with its literalness, even though it is beautifully realized. The bottom line is we have never really known what the heck these UFO things were and we still don't have a clue, in spite of the industry's (and the media's) concerted effort to reduce the mystery to a box office bonanza. |
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shawshanked
Sophomore
@shawshanked
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Post by shawshanked on Sept 5, 2017 17:34:00 GMT
Cool Hand Luke 8/10
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) 7/10
Both first time viewings.
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Post by vegalyra on Sept 5, 2017 17:48:24 GMT
Rough week for me, but I managed to catch a few films while Hurricane Harvey kept dumping water on the Greater Houston area. Luckily we only lost power for a couple of hours one night during the week. No water came in either which was a great relief.
I watched a few:
The Remains of the Day (8/10)
Comanche Station (7/10)
Seven Men From Now (9/10)
Edge of Eternity (8/10)
Hangover (6/10) - (my wife's selection, I'm just not really into semi-modern and modern film much anymore).
The trend (outside of Remains) was movies set in the desert or very dry locations... The rain kept coming down outside but I could comfort myself with desert on the TV screen.
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