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Post by Matthew the Swordsman on Oct 1, 2017 18:52:23 GMT
What classics did you see last week? (modern films are welcome too).
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Post by Matthew the Swordsman on Oct 1, 2017 18:54:28 GMT
During the week I watched feature films, short films, and TV episodes. Many of the films are documentaries, but there are also two musicals, a comedy, and some drama. A lot of them are re-watches of films I watched in February/March 2017...there's a reason for this, which I'd rather not go into.
Note: the following films on this list can be legally viewed on YouTube, having been uploaded by the copyright holder: Royal Visit Tasmania (1954), No Strangers Here (1950), Mike and Stefani (1952), Presentation Of The Colours (1968), The Home Builders (1960), How Precise is Precise (1975), Ross Bridge (1977), Colour In Industry (1962)
The episodes of "Password" can be viewed on YouTube; these are public domain.
Note: All features on the list are available on DVD except for Royal Visit Tasmania (1954).
I was gonna watch additional films, but suffered from tiredness and exhaustion towards the end of the week.
Films watched:
Live It Up! (1963, UK, 71 minutes) - 7/10. Lightweight rock/pop musical, mostly with acts produced by Joe Meek. This film is very much of the pre-Beatles era....by 1965, this film was already dated. But it is entertaining and a nice time capsule. I needed to relax and this film helped.
A Nation Is Built (1937, Australia, 47 minutes) - 7.5/10....but this is hard to rate! Quite possibly the most dated movie ever made. It is a propaganda piece about the Australian state of New South Wales, showcasing the industries and farming in the state. There are scenes of mining, sheep farms, and various beautiful scenes of Sydney. Constant mention is made of the value of exports.
Royal Visit Tasmania (1954, Australia, 45 minutes) - 7.5/10. I last watched this in June, but was distracted while I watched it. I enjoyed it a lot more on this re-watch. It is a documentary, filmed in Kodachrome, showing the visit of Queen Elizabeth II to the Australian state of Tasmania. It suffers from poor narration and being too long for its subject matter, but overall it is a relaxing way to spend 45 minutes.
It's a Great Day! (1955, UK, 66 minutes) - 7.5/10. This film has an unusual place in film history: it is one of the first times a feature film had been based on a TV series. The series was titled "The Grove Family", and was a soap opera aired on BBC-TV. The film adaptation is more of a comedy than a soap, and concerns a family who excitedly await their opportunity to meet a princess, who is opening a new housing estate. There is a plot involving some stolen floor tiles, which provides the conflict the film needs to remain interesting.
The Golden Disc (1958, UK, 74 minutes) - 7.5/10. Pleasant zero-budget musical film about two people who start a record label and hit the big time. Really this film was just an excuse to show a bunch of music acts lip-syncing their songs. I enjoyed the songs, and I also enjoyed the sets, the clothes, and the general mid-century tone of the film. "Dated" is a term often used in a negative sense, but in this case the datedness is very charming.
No Strangers Here (1950, Australia, 48 minutes) - 7.5/10. I last watched this in March, and decided to watch it again. It is a drama about a family from Europe, displaced by WW2, who move to Australia in 1949. They settle into a quiet town and quickly make friends with others in the community. This film was produced by the Australian government to encourage goodwill towards Europeans moving to the country, and was originally released theatrically as a b-movie.
Mike and Stefani (1952, Australia, 57 minutes) - 8/10. This is a drama, starring real life people portraying real-life events from their life. It is about an Ukrainian couple who become refugees because of WW2. This was one of the few feature films (and even fewer dramas) produced by the Commonwealth Film Unit, who produced many documentary shorts during the 1950s to 1970s.
Presentation Of The Colours (1968, Australia, 10 minutes) - 7.5/10. This short film is a light-hearted look at Tasmanian military history, showing historical buildings, as well as an army ceremony. Filmed using Ektachrome film, which will soon make a comeback!
The Home Builders (1960, Australia, 6 minutes) - 7.5/10. Cute little propaganda film about the building of new suburbs in Tasmania. It benefits from being shot on Kodachrome film.
How Precise is Precise (1975, Australia, 12 minutes) - 7/10. An educational film (probably for classroom use) about precision engineering in Tasmania. Very enjoyable thanks to goofy background music and breezy tone, but I lowered its score due to a disturbing scene involving a dissected frog.
Ross Bridge (1977, Australia, 16 minutes) - 7/10. Documentary about the historic Ross Bridge in Tasmania. It is beautifully photographed, but I thought the narration was a bit over-the-top.
Colour In Industry (1962, Australia, 9 minutes) - 7.5/10. This is an instructional film on how colour can improve workplace safety and make the workplace more pleasant to work in. The film is dull yet interesting at the same time. On the plus side, it was filmed on Kodachrome film.
TV episodes watched:
"Password" - Episode telecast 7 August 1962 (USA, 26 minutes) - 8/10. Enjoyable episode of this light-hearted game show, with celebrity guests Carol Lawrence and Barry Nelson.
"Password" - Episode telecast 14 August 1962 (USA, 26 minutes) - 7.5/10. Poorly played but entertaining episode, with celebrity guests Dina Merrill & Darren McGavin.
"Password" - Episode telecast 21 August 1962 (USA, 26 minutes) - 7.5/10. Fun episode, with celebrity guests Rita Moreno and Bill Cullen.
"Password" - Episode telecast 28 August 1962 (USA, 26 minutes) - 8/10. With celebrity guests Carol Haney & E.G. Marshall. Haney plays the game very well indeed!
"Password" Episode telecast 4 September 1962 (USA, 25 minutes) - 7.5/10. With celebrity guests Joan Fontaine and Jack Carter.
"Brian Henderson's Bandstand" - Episode telecast 18 December 1965 (Australia, 50 minutes) - 8/10. Great episode of this pop music series, featuring singers Normie Rowe, Sandy Scott, Lonnie Lee, Sean & Sonja, George Assang, Bryan Davies, Helen Reddy, Ken Assang, Kathleen McCormack, and The Bee Gees. Bad quality kinescope though.
"The Rifleman" - Episode titled "The Marshal" (telecast 21 October 1958, USA, 25 minutes) - 8/10. Delightfully violent episode of this series.
"Brian Henderson's Bandstand" - Episode telecast 1 January 1966 (Australia, 50 minutes) - 6/10. Clip show with clips from 1965 editions of the show. I'm not a fan of clip shows, to be honest.
"Password" - Episode telecast 16 September 1962 (USA, 26 minutes) - 7.5/10. With celebrity guests Danny Thomas and Marjorie Lord.
"Password" - Episode telecast 23 September 1962 (USA, 26 minutes) - 8/10. With celebrity guests Joey Bishop and Abby Dalton. Funny episode, lots of laughs.
"Dennis the Menace" - Episode titled "Dennis and the Signpost" (telecast 11 October 1959, USA, 25 minutes) - 7.5/10. Enjoyable episode of this light-hearted sitcom. Dennis really was a menace!
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Post by wmcclain on Oct 1, 2017 19:09:21 GMT
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Post by Matthew the Swordsman on Oct 1, 2017 19:17:25 GMT
wmcclain Once again, I love looking at the posters. Someone should create a screensaver featuring 1000s of classic film posters.
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Post by Nalkarj on Oct 1, 2017 19:21:32 GMT
wmcclainHow was Royal Flash? A friend recommended it, but I haven't yet gotten around to seeing it. And I've been meaning to see The Thief ever since it was first recommended around these here parts.
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Post by claudius on Oct 1, 2017 19:40:58 GMT
Late Sept 24 to this hour Oct 1
THE SIMPSONS (1992) “Camp Krusty” Dir: Mark Kirkland. Bart and Lisa go to Summer Camp named after their beloved clown, the brochure failing to mention Bully counselors, horrible conditions, and no Krusty. This 4th Season opener began what I feel is my favorite Simpson season. I viewed this on a VHS recording of its premiere- 25 years ago on September 24, 1992- with commercials of such long lived Fox series like The Ben Stiller Show, The Edge, Woops!, and The Heights.
SADIE THOMPSON (1928) Dir: Raoul Walsh Trapped on an island, a fun-loving femme fatale (Gloria Swanson) matches wits with a fanatical reformer (Lionel Barrymore). Kino DVD
BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES (1992) “Two Face” Dir: Kevin Altieri. DVD It seems DA Harvey Dent (Richard Moll) has some personal demons, problems his nemesis Rupert Thorne (John Vernon) wishes to exploit for his own advantage. Like Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy, this villain gets a redo, with Two-Face’s fall from grace being more than just a disfigurement. Warner DVD.
THE FORSYTE SAGA (1967) “Encounter” Dir: David Cellan Jones. The Serial now adapts TO LET as twenty years pass and Soames’ daughter Fluer (Susan Hampshire) and Irene’s son Jon (Martin Jarvis) find an attraction to each other. Warner/Turner/BBC Video DVD.
ER (1997) “Ambush” Dir: Thomas Schlammae. The medical drama’s 4th Season opener- aired 20 years ago this day of September 25, 1997- does a revival of Live television (in this case, the episode is seen through the eyes of a cameraman shooting footage for a documentary), filming twice for the two coasts of America. I believe this is the West Coast version. I remember watching this episode expecting some goof ups (I mistook a private scene of Ross and Carol joking off as an actual off-character moment), but overall there was no line flubs, falls, or stagehand cameos. I do remember that the traumatized Dr. Greene’s emotional breakdown at the end lingered for his crying. Alex Kingston makes her debut as Elizabeth Corday. Warner DVD.
MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000/TORMENTED Dir: Bert I. Gordon. Joel and the Bots experience a departure from musclemen and magic with this noir-like ghost story of a fiancée being haunted by the ghost of an ex-girlfriend. Aired 25 years ago on September 26, 1992. Shout Factory DVD.
BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES (1992) “Two Face Part 2” Dir: Kevin Altieri. Disfigured physically and mentally, Harvey Dent threatens Rupert Thorne’s businesses. Warner DVD.
WAR & PEACE (1972) ”Name Day” Dir: John Davies. This 20-episode BBC-TV Serial adaptation on Leo Tolstoy’s Napoleonic War novel aired 45 years ago this day. The premiere episode sets up Natasha Rostov’s (Morag Hood) Name Day while Pierre Bezukov (Anthony Hopkins)’s wealthy father wastes away to expectant relatives. I’m just watching this episode, with no intent for an anniversary viewing of the whole series (I already did one for its 40th anniversary in 2012-13). Koch Video DVD.
BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES (1992) “Fear of Victory.” Dir: David Sebast. The Scarecrow returns (with a new mask design) to wreak fear on rising athletes, among them Dick Grayson’s college roommate and Dick himself! Airtime speaking, this was viewers’ introduction to Robin, although I had to miss the most of this episode for my sister’s birthday party 25 years ago on September 29, 1992. Warner DVD.
THE FORSYTE SAGA (1967) “Conflict” Dir: James Cellan Jones. The relationship between Fluer and Jon begins to bother the latter’s parents. Warner/Turner/BBC Video DVD.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (1997) “School Hard” Dir: Jim T Kretchmer. Buffy Summers has to juggle parent-teacher conferences (hoping to make a positive impression for her mother against Principal Snyder) while dealing with vampires celebrating a violent holiday led by one major vampire just visiting. This episode- aired 20 years ago on September 29, 1997- marks the debut appearances of Spike (James Marsters) and Drusilla (Juliet Landau), two characters will become a major part of the Buffy narrative. It also ends last season’s recurring baddie the Anointed One, hinting to this second season’s plotpoint of an ever-changing roster of Big Bads. FoxVideo DVD
BUSTER KEATON: A HARD ACT TO FOLLOW (1987) Dir: Kevin Brownlow/David Gill. The award-winning documentary series (the second part of the triumvirate of Silent comedians, between UNKNOWN CHAPLIN and HAROLD LLOYD THE THIRD GENIUS) separated into three parts: Keaton’s childhood to success as a silent comedian, his highpoints and then his fall via MGM’s authoritative control and alcoholism, to his return back to acclaim (Kevin Brownlow would remake the downfall part in SO FUNNY IT HURTS: BUSTER KEATON & MGM in 2004). Airing 35 years ago this day on September 30, 1987, I am viewing this via a VHS recording from a broadcast on American Movie Classics’ 3rd annual Film Preservation Festival (which had a day-long marathon of recently released Keaton material on the comedian’s 100th Birthday October 4 1995, a day after O.J. Simpson was acquitted). I do have it on PAL DVD, but this version is probably the most complete, which cannot be said for the DVD (omits all the intertitles, replacing several stills with completely unrelated pictures- one pic of Keaton winning a special Oscar is replaced with a pic of deteriorated film stock, and an explanatory scene of Keaton’s SHERLOCK JUNIOR-jump-through-a-peddler’s-case sequence is deleted).
BATMAN THE ANIMATED SERIES (1992) “I’ve Got Batman in My Basement.” Dir: Frank Paur. The Penguin (Paul Williams) makes his debut appearance in the series. Warner DVD.
THE SECRET OF NIMH (1982) Dir: Don Bluth. Nuff said about this Animated classic (to my childhood PoV), celebrating its 35th Anniversary this year. MGM/UA/FoxMedia Blu-Ray.
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Post by wmcclain on Oct 1, 2017 19:58:12 GMT
wmcclainHow was Royal Flash? A friend recommended it, but I haven't yet gotten around to seeing it. And I've been meaning to see The Thief ever since it was first recommended around these here parts. Out of 12 Flashman books it is the only one filmed yet. Screenplay by GM Fraser from his book, much sillier than the text. He and Lester try to recapture the Three/Four Musketeers triumph they had just done, but this is weak tea by comparison. I think they might have been thinking of something like Gene Kelly's Three Musketeers. Very broad comedy. Still, it has Malcolm McDowell, Alan Bates and Oliver Reed, all doing those things they did so well. The Thief is an interesting experiment, a spy thriller without dialogue. They spend a lot of time on tradecraft. |
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Post by howardschumann on Oct 1, 2017 20:43:26 GMT
BRAD’S STATUS
Directed by Mike White, U.S., (2017), 101 minutes
Have you noticed that little voice in the back of your head that keeps chattering all the time? You know, the one that just asked, “What voice?” Only a short time ago, my own voice was telling me about all the people in my life that I had let down and how I had failed to live up to my own expectations. When I was able to quiet that voice, however, I could look and see how the love with which I was surrounded was more meaningful than any perceived failures. In Mike White’s (“Enlightened” TV series) comedy/drama Brad’s Status, 47-year-old Brad Sloan, played to perfection by Ben Stiller (“While We’re Young”), is in the midst of a mid-life crisis, constantly listening to his inner monologue telling him he is a failure because he has fallen short of the material success of his old friends from college.
Brad is not a classic whiner or complainer but a decent and thoughtful person who is more than willing to look at his life and see what has not worked, though his telling us that "the world hated me, and the feeling was mutual” comes close to self pity. Novelist Yann Martel said, “Gloom is but the passing shadow of a cloud,” but the cloud does not pass over Brad. Even his wife Melanie (Jenna Fischer, “The Mysteries of Laura” TV series) becomes frustrated with his neurotic insecurity when he questions her about his possible inheritance when her parents die. On the surface Brad has everything going for him - a comfortable life in Sacramento with a loving wife, a brilliant and talented musician in his son Troy (Austin Abrams, “Paper Towns”), and a satisfying job managing a non-profit company which provides services to others.
To Brad, however, the thought that his accomplishments in life do not measure up to his exaggerated picture of his college friends success haunts him as he and Troy take off to New England to visit elite colleges in the Northeast where his son has a good chance of being accepted. Cluttering Brad’s thoughts and dreams are friends like Billy Wearsiter (Jemaine Clement, “The Lego Batman Movie”) who retired at age forty after selling his hi-tech company and moved to Hawaii where he is living a life of leisure with women around day and night. He also thinks about film director Nick Pascale (Mike White, “The D Train”) whose luxury home received a spread in Architecture Digest magazine.
There is also hedge fund manager Jason Hatifeld (Luke Wilson, “The Girl who Invented Kissing”) who married into wealth and who Brad believes owns a private jet, and of course Craig Wilson (Michael Sheen, “Passengers”), a Harvard lecturer, best-selling author and TV personality for whom Brad saves his most venomous feelings. Although Brad’s emotional distress is the centerpiece of the film, the film also scores in its depiction of the tense but touching father/son relationship, handled with naturalness and sensitivity. In contrast to Brad’s hyper self-critical persona, Troy is easy going and unusually self confident for a teenager, though, like many teens, he expresses his feelings in monosyllables.
When Brad becomes upset with Troy when he forgets the day of his admissions interview at Harvard, the boy seems to take it all in stride. Of course, he is very grateful when dad pulls strings with his “friend” Craig who secures an appointment for Troy with both a prominent music professor at the school, and the Dean of Admissions. With Brad continuing to beat himself up for real or perceived failures, however, Troy asks his dad if he is having a nervous breakdown which seems like a reasonable assumption given Brad’s mental contortions which even extend to imagining being jealous of Troy’s future fame.
Brad’s Status is an honest film that captures White’s incisive deadpan humor and his ability to create characters who talk and act like real human beings, not cardboard caricatures. One of the high points of the film is Brad’s meeting with Troy’s musician friend Ananya (Shazi Raja) during a sleepless night. Without pulling punches, she confronts him about his attitude of white male privilege, asking him directly, "Do you actually know anybody who is poor?” It is a question that never receives an answer. With her admonitions ringing in his ears, he is moved to tears during Ananya’s concert performance of Dvorak’s “Humoresque.”
Brad’s epiphany at the concert may reflect the dawning realization that being alive itself is cause for celebration and that who you are as a person is more important than what you have or what you do. Ultimately, White will leave it up to Brad to discover that, in the phrase of author Charles Eisenstein, “Abundance is all around us…The sky starts where the ground ends; we need only look with different eyes to realize we are already there.”
GRADE: A-
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Post by howardschumann on Oct 1, 2017 20:45:08 GMT
HONDROS
Seen at the Vancouver International Film Festival
Directed by Greg Campbell, U.S., (2017), 86 minutes
When writing about the death of Abraham Lincoln, poet Carl Sandburg said, “A tree is best measured when it's down.” These words more than apply to the life of photojournalist Chris Hondros, a Getty war photographer and two-time Pulitzer finalist, who left a gaping hole in the world of journalism when he was killed by mortar fire in Libya in 2011. Directed by fellow journalist and long-time friend Greg Campbell with Jake Gyllenhaal and Jamie Lee Curtis listed as Executive Producers, the documentary simply called Hondros is a moving tribute to a man who inspired people not only by his iconic war photographs that captured the humanity of people caught in the middle of conflict, but by the dedication and compassion he displayed in his life.
Winner of the Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival, Hondros takes us behind the scenes and sheds light on one of the most risk-taking professions in the world where journalists, who used to have a safe haven while covering conflicts, have become targets of kidnapping and torture over the past decade. Adding to the immediacy of the experience, the film contains footage of Hondros in different periods of his career. Backed by the original score of Jeff Russo and the cinematography of Mike Shum, it is footage that produces in us a visceral reaction to the chaos and insanity that he was part of day after day. While Chris was passionately involved in his work, however, he did not let it run his life.
A lover of classical music and an avid reader, he had a sense of humor that allowed him to keep events in perspective. Beginning in Kosovo in 1999, and continuing in almost every theater of war for the next ten years including Iraq, Afghanistan, Liberia and others, friends and colleagues speak about his unswerving devotion to his craft and his ability to touch people with his sensitivity and humanity. He was there at ground zero on 9/11, the Arab spring in Egypt, and at the brutal civil war in Libya, where an assault by pro-Gaddafi forces ended his life, only a short time before he was to be married. His mother comments in the film that Chris lived a fuller life at age forty one than many who live until one hundred.
The film shows Hondros’ heartbreaking photographs of five Iraqi children left bleeding, their bodies and spirits broken in Tal Afar, Iraq in 2005 when their car was attacked and their parents killed by U.S. soldiers who feared they were suicide bombers. Sadly however, Chris reported the cavalier attitude of many American soldiers, “Almost every soldier in Iraq,” he said, “has been involved in some sort of incident like that or another, I would say. Their attitude about it was grim, but it wasn’t the end of their world. It was, “Well, kind of wished they’d stopped. We fired warning shots. Damn, I don’t know why the hell they didn’t stop. What’re you doing later, you want to play Nintendo? Okay.” Just a day’s work for them. That stuff happens in Iraq a lot.”
The Iraqi photos, however, which received widespread publicity in the U.S., defined the inhumanity of the war and may have helped change public opinion about it. The Army soldier who took part in that bloody massacre is interviewed and cannot hide his deep sense of guilt and regret. One of the most iconic shots of Hondros’ career is that of a young man in Liberia jumping for joy after launching a grenade from a war-ravaged bridge. It was a famous photo that appeared on the cover of Newsweek and the front page of The New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times. It was the catalyst that propelled peace negotiations in Liberia and led to an end of the civil war.
Years later, Chris went back to Liberia and looked up the man he filmed on the bridge, discovering that his name was Joseph Duo. The two became friends and when Chris found out how directionless his life had become, paid for him to attend high school, college and law school, studies which led to his present job as a police director in his area. Filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky asked “What is art?”, and then answered, “A declaration of love - the consciousness of our dependence on each other. A confession. An unconscious act that nonetheless reflects the true meaning of life-love and sacrifice." In that respect, the life of Chris Hondros and what he left behind - a legacy of compassion and mutual understanding that transcended all the suffering he encountered was a true work of art.
GRADE: A-
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Post by OldAussie on Oct 1, 2017 21:43:26 GMT
Mostly forgettable week.....
1st view -
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) 6/10
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) 4/10
Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) 6/10
The Cat in the Hat (2003) 2/10
Revisits -
Last Action Hero (1993) 4/10
Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010) 6/10
Rome (2005 TV Series) 8/10
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Post by Matthew the Swordsman on Oct 1, 2017 22:24:14 GMT
Mostly forgettable week..... 1st view - Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) 6/10 Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) 4/10 Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) 6/10 The Cat in the Hat (2003) 2/10 Revisits - Last Action Hero (1993) 4/10 Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010) 6/10 Rome (2005 TV Series) 8/10 The Cat in the Hat is yet another wretched Dr. Seuss film....the only good adaptation of his books I can think of is the 1960s TV special version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas!....are there any other good adaptations I overlooked? |
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Post by manfromplanetx on Oct 1, 2017 23:03:38 GMT
Tri veteráni , The Three Veterans (1984) Czech, Dir. Oldrich Lipský Three veterans down on their luck are given magic artefacts by forest elves that can magically create gold, servants and any other object they desire. Encountering greedy characters along their journey, one of them falls in love with a princess ... No matter how bizarre , how absurd the plot and surreal the situation the creative genius of Lipský makes it all come together. in this highly entertaining adult fractured fairy-tale. Marvellous Police (1985) France, Dir. Maurice Pialat Gérard Depardieu is a standout in the role of uptight inspector Marigin blunted by his years in the force. in this the tightly crafted excellent film from Pialat . Police is another successful collaboration between the director and the actor they had previously worked together on Loulou (1979)... The film starts out as an everyday police operational but soon develops into a thrilling crime drama when conflicted inspector Mangin is smitten by a beautiful young woman Noria (Sophie Marceau) while investigating a Tunisian drug ring... Excellent Chiyari Fuji , A Bloody Spear on Mount Fuji (1955) Japan, Dir. Tomu Uchida Starring Chiezô Kataoka who plays a servant to a Samurai in this wonderful Jidaigeki (period) film . A group of travellers unknown to each other embark on the same directional journey, a Samurai and two servants, a lovely wise shamisen player and her daughter a highway policeman a tattooed thief and a young boy. You could call it a road movie on foot, we pass by some wonderful locations, the group become closer through their interactions, they encounter all sorts of situations as they wander the countryside. The mood is mostly light but the tone darkens when a deadly fight breaks out, and the dramatic title of the film comes in to play. Wonderful... Harikomi , Stakeout, AKA The Chase (1958) japan, Dir. Yoshitarô Nomura Excellent crime drama with a breezy jazz score tells the tale of two detectives on a mysterious case of murder. The film is an adaptation from a novel by Seichō Matsumoto one of eight which Nomura filmed. Seichō's works created a new tradition of Japanese crime fiction. Dispensing with unoriginal formulaic plot devices such as puzzles, Seichō incorporated elements of human psychology and ordinary life, his works often reflect a wider social context and postwar nihilism that expanded and further darkened the atmosphere of the crime genre. Nomura's brilliant adaptations of these novels reflect the multi dimensional scope of the writings, they are Exceptional cinema... Môjû , Blind Beast (1969) Japan, Dir. Yasuzô Masumura A melodramatic horror tale , A blind sculptor with the help of his mother kidnaps a beautiful model and imprisons her in his warehouse with the intention of modelling her from feeling the touch of her body. Wow what a film, an intense no holds barred exploration of art , perversion and obsession. Highly original the multi layered story moves in unexpected directions. Visually spellbinding, profoundly disturbing in the hands of master filmmaker Masumura, this is a Stunningly beautiful & terrifying film... In loving memory passing on this week the wonderful Czech actress Květa Fialová we re-watched two of her films, From Oldrich Lipský , Slamený klobouk , Straw Hat (1972) When Fadinard is on the way to his wedding his horse picks up and eats a straw hat.. The owner of the hat is a married woman Anais Beauperthuis (Květa Fialová) who is having a secret rendezvous with her lover... From Václav Vorlícek , Konec agenta W4C prostrednictvím psa pana Foustky , The End of Agent W4C (1967) The super cool, handsome invincible agent Cyril Juan Borguette alias W4C (Jan Kacer) has been assigned a mission to go to a hotel in Prague, get hold of a saltcellar with a plan for the military exploitation of Venus, he must hook up with beautiful fellow female agent Alice ( Květa Fialová).... I had forgotten just how brilliant this film is, beautiful Fialová paired with agent W4C (pictured below) from the opening scene this is a highly engaging, ingenious entertaining satire on international espionage 10/10 
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Post by mikef6 on Oct 2, 2017 2:28:40 GMT
I hope you enjoyed "The Thief." Here is what I said four or five years ago on the old boards whose name we do not say. The Thief / Russell Rouse (1952). I think you all know what the gimmick is with this film. There is no dialog. Nobody talks. You play a kind of game in your head while you’re watching. How can they avoid talking in THIS situation? The movie even opens on a close-up of a ringing telephone. How will someone answer that and not say, “Hello”? The story, itself, is a pretty good one. Ray Milland is a physicist who is selling off his country’s nuclear secrets. We don’t learn whether he is doing it for ideology or money, but it is probably the latter because at one point he takes an international prize he had won off his wall and smashes it in remorse. Not the actions of a spy doing the job for love. Eventually, the FBI narrows down their search for the leak to the science facility where Milland works, so he has to go on the run. Martin Gabel, who I had only known as a game show panelist and husband of Arlene Francis back in the early ‘60s, is very good as Milland’s sinister Control. The centerpiece is a climactic chase with Milland pursued by an FBI agent from the observation deck of the Empire State Building, up via a maintenance staircase, to the highest reaches of the iconic building. Some, if not all, of this sequence was filmed on location at the Empire State. I can’t vouch for the internal staircase shots, but if they are studio sets, the producers sure took care to make them appear authentic. In some ways, an interesting curio; in other ways, a well-made and often suspenseful noir. I liked it. |
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Post by Fox in the Snow on Oct 2, 2017 8:55:49 GMT
A Wife Confesses (1961) – very cool, intense, part-courtroom drama, 8/10
Intimidation (1960) – 7/10
The Warped Ones (1960) – freewheeling new wave youth film, 7/10
I Hate But Love (1962) – glossy, romantic road movie, 6/10
A Tattooed Life (1965) – [rewatch], 7/10
Branded to Kill (1967) – [rewatch] highly stylized crime thriller, abstracted almost to the point of absurdity, 9/10
Sweet and Lowdown (1999) – [rewatch] one of Woody’s best, 8/10
Small Time Crooks (2000) – one of Woody’s weakest, 4/10
Louie season 3 episodes 4-6
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Post by vegalyra on Oct 2, 2017 13:37:22 GMT
Mostly forgettable week..... 1st view - Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) 6/10 Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) 4/10 Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) 6/10 The Cat in the Hat (2003) 2/10 Revisits - Last Action Hero (1993) 4/10 Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010) 6/10 Rome (2005 TV Series) 8/10 I don't know how you soldiered through those last two Austin Powers films. The first one is a modern day classic, but the second two are terrible. The second one seems to start off pretty strong but devolves quickly. The third one I literally fell asleep during it. Last Action Here and Rome are both excellent in their own ways. I re-visit Rome quite often. I remember there being a rumored theatrical film based off the series that unfortunately never materialized. Only thing I saw this week was "The Sicilian Clan" with Alain Delon. Well done film, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only part that was a little funky was the mouth harp in the soundtrack. Seemed very out of place. |
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Post by Fox in the Snow on Oct 3, 2017 6:41:49 GMT
Môjû , Blind Beast (1969) Japan, Dir. Yasuzô Masumura A melodramatic horror tale , A blind sculptor with the help of his mother kidnaps a beautiful model and imprisons her in his warehouse with the intention of modelling her from feeling the touch of her body. Wow what a film, an intense no holds barred exploration of art , perversion and obsession. Highly original the multi layered story moves in unexpected directions. Visually spellbinding, profoundly disturbing in the hands of master filmmaker Masumura, this is a Stunningly beautiful & terrifying film... Just saw this one recently. Intense, claustrophobic and hypnotic. I've enjoyed all the Masumura films I've seen. |
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