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Post by friendofmilhouse on Mar 6, 2017 12:48:44 GMT
Please tell us what classics you saw last week. Modern films are welcome, as well.
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Post by Matthew the Swordsman on Mar 6, 2017 13:10:42 GMT
Feature films are in Blue. I mostly watched shorts. Films linked to on YouTube are uploaded by the copyright holder.
27 February 2017
Tops (1969) - 9/10. This 7-minute short film consists entirely of spinning tops. It sounds dull based on that description, but this is one of the most charming films I've ever seen. It is quite beautiful to look at.
Man About the House (1974) - 7/10. Not a great film, but it's a decent 86-minute comedy film based on the TV sitcom. Actually, the sitcom is much better than the film.
Between Showers (1914) - 7.5/10. Delightfully low-brow 14-minute comedy film.
Death Goes to School (1953) - 7/10. A nice little 62-minute crime drama, very relaxing to watch. It's the kind of film where everyone speaks perfect english, the rooms are all spotlessly clean and everyone is wearing neat clothes.
Grand Slam Opera (1936) - 7.5/10. Amusing comedy short film, running 20 minutes and starring Buster Keaton.
A Film Johnnie (1914) - 7.5/10. Amusing 12-minute comedy short film.
Blue Blazes (1936) - 7/10. Decent and amusing 19-minute comedy short with Buster Keaton. He did better and he did worse.
What Happened on Twenty-third Street, New York City (1901) - 8/10. A little show at first, but the surprise ending more than makes up for it.....and at less than 2 minutes long, you can probably find time to watch this.
Pan-American Exposition by Night (1901) - 9/10. Daylight scenes are good, nighttime scenes are beautiful. At less than a minute I'm certain anyone can find time to watch this.
Also watched the episodes "To Move or Not to Move", "The Grass Is Always Greener" and "Lost Locket, Found Locket" of "The Brady Bunch".
I also watched the episode "Take Your Partners" of the British sitcom "The Fosters" (1976-1977). This series is significant as the first UK sitcom with an all-Black cast.
28 February 2017
The Chemist (1936) - 7.5/10. Very funny little 19-minute comedy short. Buster Keaton's films for "Educational Pictures" (despite the name, they largely did comedies) are underrated.
Moon Over Harlem (1939) - 7.5/10. This is one of those low-budget African-American films of the period, produced to be shown in the segregated theatres of the period. The total budget for this 69-minute film was about $8,000. It would be unfair to compare it to a big Hollywood production of the period, but it is entertaining in its own way and rather compelling.
The Back of Beyond (1954) - 8/10. Running slightly over an hour, this semi-documentary film follows a mailman who worked in the Australian outback. The B&W photography of the desert is beautiful. This was actually one of several films produced by the Shell Film Unit (yes, as in the oil company), with this being the best known. The film was not released in commercial cinemas, but was still widely seen through showings in clubs and such. When TV came to Australia a couple years later, this became one of the first films to be shown on the new TV service.
Tango Tangle (1914) - 7/10. A decent, amusing 10-minute comedy short. Charlie Chaplin stars, but not playing his "tramp" character.
Mixed Magic (1936) - 7/10. 16-minute comedy short with Buster Keaton.
I also watched an episode of "Mary Mungo & Midge" titled "The Crane" (telecast 7 October 1969). This was a 15-minute children's series aired on the BBC.
2 March 2017
No Strangers Here (1950) - 7/10. This 48-minute drama film was produced by the Australian government to encourage goodwill to "new Australians", people from European countries who moved to the country post-WW2. It has a strange production style, resembling a classroom film at times, yet this film was shown theatrically. As a drama it doesn't amount to much, but as an historical document it has value. Watch it on YouTube:
Big Timers (1945) - 7.5/10. A 36-minute musical film with an African-American cast. Stepin Fetchit is horrible, rest of the cast is fine. There's virtually no plot, which is fine with me, I just enjoyed the singing and dancers.
His Favorite Pastime (1914) 5/10. Has a few laughs, but this is a very awkward short film. The blackface is vulgar, and Charlie Chaplin's character is rather vile. Not a good film.
Cruel, Cruel Love (1914) - 6.5/10. Charlie Chaplin tries something different, with mixed results in this 10-minute film.
Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A. (1946) - 7/10. This 60-minute drama is a bit odd (did anyone ask to see Spencer Williams in drag?), but I enjoyed watching it.
Jedda the Uncivilized (1955) - 8/10. This is an Australian 87-minute feature film, which itself is a significant fact. There was virtually no film industry in the country at the time, with the only other Australian-made feature film of 1955 being the partially lost "Captain Thunderbolt".
Double Trouble (1951) - 7/10. Cute little 10-minute film made by the Australian government to teach its citizens to be friendly to migrants. Watch it here:
Brisbane City in the Sun (1954) - 8/10. A pointless but lovely 10-minute look into the city of Brisbane in Australia, filmed in glorious colour. Includes everything from the fruit market to a boat ride to a night out at a fancy restuarant. Watch it here:
I also watched the episode "The Dropout" of "The Brady Bunch".
3 March 2017
Jail Bait (1937) - 7/10. Nothing outstanding, but a very enjoyable little 19-minute short film with Buster Keaton providing some lols. Who cares if the plot doesn't make sense...it's a comedy, and comedies don't need to make sense.
The Star Boarder (1914) - 8/10. I don't know, I thought this 11-and-a-half-minutes short film comedy was delightful! I thought it was cool to see a box camera used as part of the plot, since I'm into film photography and take photos with old box cameras occasionally.
I also watched episodes of The Brady Bunch: "The Babysitters" (2 October 1970), "The Slumber Caper" (telecast 9 October 1970)
4 March 2017
The Way We Live (1959) - 7.5/10. This is a very hard to rate film, as is often the case with things that I watch. This 54-minute film is basically footage depicting life in late-1950s Australia, particularly suburban life. All sorts of things are covered, including health, schools, entertainment, industry, and so on. Filmed in Eastmancolor. It depicts Australia as a modern, up-to-date nation complete with "international style" skyscrapers. You can watch it on YouTube:
The Mystery Man (1935) - 7/10. This is the kind of "second feature"/"programmer" that I enjoy watching. Nothing special, just a relaxing way to spend an hour.
Mabel at the Wheel (1914) - 7.5/10. Amusing little 23-minute comedy short. Mabel Normand stars and directs the film, with Charlie Chaplin playing the kind of villian that audiences used to hiss at.
Twenty Minutes of Love (1914) - 7.5/10. Unlike some reviewers I did not find this film hard to follow. In fact the plot is very simple. It is charming in its own way.
Ditto (1937) - 7.5/10. A short 17-minute comedy film, that gets rather weird at times....
Chuk and Gek (1953) - 7.5/10. A 45-minute children's film from the former USSR.
Also watched the episode "The Un-Underground Movie" (telecast: 16 October 1970) of "The Brady Bunch", and the episode "The Letter" (telecast: 14 October 1969) of "Mary Mungo & Midge".
5 March 2017
A Nation Is Built (1937) - ?/10. How am I supposed to rate the most dated film I've seen so far this year? With its references to "white city" and the British empire, this is very dated indeed. This 47-minute documentary starts off with reenactments of early Australian history, but the bulk of the film is dedicated to showing the country's industrial might. There are scenes of mining, scenes of farming, and scenes of Sydney. There is constant talk of exports to other nations. This is the kind of film that companies like Jam Handy used to produce in the U.S, and I didn't know Australia produced this kind of film too (I wonder if other nations also did this kind of film?) The cast in the reenactions is uncredited, but I did learn that the narrator is Harry Dearth. He has very few credits on IMDb, but I am convinced I've heard him narrate other things...you can't mistake a voice like that.
The Devil's Daughter (1939) - 7/10. Yet another film for which I'm the only person who likes it. I guess I have weird taste in films. This is one of those African-American films of the period, intended to be shown in black-only movie theatres. Unfortunately, the only surviving copy is incomplete, running for 51 minutes.
Talking Feet (1937) - 7/10. Unfortunately, this 68-minute UK musical film is slightly ruined by the inclusion of a blackface singer, but luckily this segment doesn't last long. The plot of the film has something to do with a working class town trying to save their hospital, and they do so by putting on a big variety show in their theatre, and inviting various rich people to see it. The plot is largely devoid of conflict. Really, the plot is just an excuse to tie together a bunch of variety acts and to allow the cast to engage in some humour.
The Cane Cutters (1948) - 8/10. By far the best film I watched on that day, and it only lasts 10 minutes! This is a documentary about sugar cane cutters in Australia, and is quite fascinating to watch. Director Hugh McInnes (whose IMDb page might be incomplete) does a good job. You can view it here:
Love Nest on Wheels (1937) - 7/10. Decent 18-minute comedy short with Buster Keaton.
Dancing on the Moon (1935) - 7/10. A 8-minute cartoon short. Didn't like the ending. With a different ending this could have been an 8/10.
Trapeze Disrobing Act (1901) - 7.5/10. Cute little comedy short that lasts under 2 minutes. I believe this was meant as a spoof of some sort.
Burning of Durland's Riding Academy (1902) - 7.5/10. Running a few minutes, this brief documentary film does exactly what the title suggests.
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Post by shield on Mar 6, 2017 16:58:30 GMT
^^Not nearly as much. Impressive list Wolf!
I have not really seen many classics but I've seen a few. Felt an itch for it now though and saw some Audrey Hepburn-films and others.
Roman Holiday (1953)
Sabrina (1954)
Love in the Afternoon (1957)
My Fair Lady (1964)
The others:
Topper (1937)
Arabesque (1966)
Currently thinking about what to watch next.....
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Post by kijii on Mar 6, 2017 19:19:14 GMT
In Dubious Battle (2016) - Always nice to see another film from a Steinbeck novel. James Franco seems to like making these movies based on American novels. Though the story is a bit drawn out, it is interesting enough and has an all-star (well many star) cast. As with Grapes of Wrath, this movie centers around workers in California during the depression and their attempt to organize. Five Star Final (1931) - Ruthless newspaper reporter goes to extremes to increase circulation causing pain within a family about to celebrate a wedding. Trader Horn (1931) is another Oscar nominee for best picture. This is more of an African travelogue than a great drama. Harry Carey, Sr plays the main character. I wonder if this was one of the first sound movies filmed on location showing native tribes and animals. www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/496387/Trader-Horn-Movie-Clip-We-re-White-Like-Her-.htmlTom Jones (1963) was still fun to see again. It gathered a lot of Oscar nominations and made Albert Finney famous to American audiences. (I think that JFK had a private screening of this movie, and it may have been the last movie he ever saw.)
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Post by mikef6 on Mar 6, 2017 19:57:45 GMT
Kurutta Ippêji (A Page Of Madness) / Teinosuke Kinugasa (1926). A silent film from Japan that leans heavily on German expressionism, especially “The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari.” It takes place in a mental institution which makes it able to blur the lines between reality and delusions. The entire story plays out without any dialog cards (at least in the print I saw on TCM). A male employee at the hospital, a cleaner, has a special interest in one female inmate. His wife? She may (or may not) have drowned an infant. A younger woman (a daughter?) visits the patient and seems angry with the male attendant. Oh, well. A constant flow of interesting images and crazy camera angles keeps one’s interest through the 78 minute run-time. This is a somewhat rare and generally unseen feature so thanks to Turner Classics for the opportunity.
Wait Until Dark / Terence Young (1967). A re-watch of an old favorite. This is one of the great crime thrillers that never lets me down. WUD had been a hit on Broadway prior to its movie incarnation. It was written by Frederick Knott, also the author of “Dial M For Murder.” On stage, Lee Remick and Robert Duvall were the two antagonist who face-off in the dark of the final act. Can’t you just picture Remick and Duvall as Suzy and Roat? I can. For the movie, they were replaced by as good a cast: Audrey Hepburn and Alan Arkin, both giving close to career best performances. For you few unfortunate souls who have never seen this, stone cold mob killer, Harry Roat Jr. from Scarsdale (Arkin), has lost a child’s doll that was stuffed with drugs and used for smuggling. He has reason to believe that the doll has gotten to the Greenwich Village basement apartment of Sam Hendrix and his new wife, Suzy (Hepburn), who had been blinded in an accident. Roat recruits two con men newly released from prison (Richard Crenna and Jack Weston) to lure Sam away so they can trick Suzy into handing over the doll. The masterful final confrontation between Suzy and Roat takes place after Suzy has destroyed all the light fixtures so she has the advantage – in the dark. In addition to great acting and a fine – one might say “Hitchcockian” – directorial effort by Young of another of Knott’s one-set suspensors, “Wait Until Dark” boasts a scare moment – a “jump scare” - that was so new, unknown, and totally effective that we are still seeing the damn thing (now always expected) almost 50 years later. When the movie came out, I went to see it over and over taking different people with me so I could watch them and laugh at their reaction to the moment. It backfired once when the guy next to me yelled, “Holy $h!+” and grabbed my arm which was holding a large coke. The soda preceded to spill all over my shirt and pants front. Lastly, I need to mention Crenna and Weston as the con artists, one pretending to be an old friend of Sam’s, the other a cop. Richard Crenna is one of a handful of actors who made a successful effort to break out of TV sit-com stardom (a squeaky voiced high school student in “Our Miss Brooks” from 1953-1956 and a newly married young farmer in “The Real McCoys” from 1957-1962) into a career primarily in theatrical movies. He did it with “The Sand Pebbles” (1966), “Wait Until Dark” (1967), and “Marooned” (1969). He sells it here, in “Wait Until Dark.” Jack Weston serves as what passes for comic relief as Carlino, a former disgraced police officer turned to a life of crime and partnering with Crenna’s Mike Talman. As Sam, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. is so hilariously terrible that he is almost a joy to watch. A must-see for everyone.
The Legend Of Barney Thomson / Robert Carlyle (2015). This black comedy is based on the much-used plotline of an accidental killing turning the person who tries to cover it up into a multiple murderer. Barney Thomson is a barber living in Glasgow, played by Robert Carlyle (“Trainspotting” “The Full Monty”) who also directs. Barney is a man much disappointed in his life and getting so disagreeable that his boss decides to fire him even though he had worked there for decades. A fight ends with the boss dead on the barber shop floor. Barney panics, hides the body, and goes to his chain-smoking, bingo-playing, foul-mouthed mother (Emma Thompson is heavy makeup and absolutely magnificent) for help. Meanwhile, two put-upon cops (Ray Winstone and Martin Compson) are under pressure to find a serial killer who sends body parts of victims (including a penis and buttocks) in mailed packages to random addresses. While investigating the disappearance of the boss, they latch on to Barney as a suspect. A the story goes on, it gets more and more farcical. Although the acting is impeccable (as you might expect from that cast), I can’t quite recommend this film. The overused plotline and the incredible resolution left me with a bad feeling. Also, the DVD does not provide any subtitles which make the thick Glaswegian accents pretty hard to navigate. Still, there are pleasures to be had if you are patient and have low expectations.
Kung Fury / David Sandberg (2015). Hilarious Swedish short film (30 minutes) which is a spoof of, among many other things, post-apocalyptic, superhero, and kung-fu movies. Set in 1985, it is about the title character, Kung Fury, who was a police officer who got special powers after being struck by lightning and bitten by a cobra at the same time. He has to go back in time to kill Hitler to prevent a current crisis so he gets a computer hacker to find a way to send him back. (The hacker gets an on-screen message: “You are about to hack time. Do you really want to do this? Yes No”) After a side-trip to a pre-historic period where he meets some gun-toting cave women, he takes on the Third Reich. Funny stuff. Streaming on Netflix.
The Daughter / Simon Stone (2015). Director/writer Stone takes Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen’s (1828-1906) play “The Wild Duck” – which is actually about something – and turns it into modern day soapy melodrama. Set in a small one-company town in New South Wales, Australia, the film follows two families. The first is headed by Henry (Geoffrey Rush) who owns the timber mill that supports the town. He is marrying his former housekeeper who is much younger than he. Henry’s estranged son Christian (Paul Schneider) comes home from America for the wedding. Meanwhile, Christian’s childhood friend Oliver (Ewen Leslie) is now married to Charlotte (Miranda Otto) and they have the teenage daughter of the movie’s title. Oh, yeah, Oliver’s elderly father (Sam Neill), who was once Henry’s partner at the mill, lives with them. As in other small town movie potboilers (e.g. 1959’s “A Summer Place”), these families have secret connections from the past. Events get overheated (and overacted) and one man is required – in the 21st century – to freak out when he learns that his wife didn’t come into existence when she met him and had an earlier sex life. Finally, a very unsatisfactory ending because, seemingly, the writer/director apparently couldn’t make up his mind whether to keep Ibsen’s ending or to go for a crowd-pleaser where everybody reconciles and is happy at the finish. The only actor who comes out of this mess relatively unscathed is Odessa Young, the teenage actress who plays Hedvig (the Scandinavian character name is retained from Ibsen), the daughter of the title. She has won two Australian acting awards for this film.
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Post by manfromplanetx on Mar 8, 2017 6:03:39 GMT
The nightly views at our place over the past week ... All Highly Recommended.
James Joyce's Women (1985) Ireland. Produced by and starring Fionnula Flanagan, Directed by Michael Pearce
Starring Fionnula Flanagan who gives an outstanding performance as writer James Joyce's wife Nora as well as some of the real women in Joyce's life and fictional women from the his novels.
It is a marvellous dialogue driven film based on Fionnula Flanagan's 1977 play, James Joyce's Women, interwoven throughout
text sourced directly from Joyce's own writings.
Massacre (1934) USA. A hard hitting social justice tale one of the very few Western themed films of the times which questioned the plight of reservation-bound Native Americans in a serious manner. , A somewhat genuine Warner pre-code drama which confronts the exploitation, the racial prejudice and the related social issues negatively impacting the lives of native people. Richard Barthelmess is great as the sincere and dignified Joe Thunderhorse , Anne Dorvak looks beautiful in her Orry-Kelly fashions..
Walkower (1965) Poland, Directed by Jerzy Skolimowski
Drifting aimlessly around the country participating in boxing fights. Andrzej ends up In an industrial town where he runs into his past, . He wins in a local boxing match, but must decide if he is to leave or face a much stronger opponent the very next day. Driven by a cool jazz score the marvellous film is filled with captivating b&w cinematography a Polish New Wave gem... .
Dolgaya Schastlivaya Zhizn , Long Happy Life (1966) Russia , Directed by Gennady Shpalikov
Tender and lyrical drama romance film, Boarding a bus filled with young people who are going for an outing, Victor a scruffy geologist, meets Lena, a young factory worker and strikes up a conversation.. He has travelled to many interesting places, she is young, recently divorced, and has a child. A promising overnight romance seems to have dispersed in the light of day, beautiful cinematography is a standout highlight of this Russian New Wave gem.
Rozmarné léto , Capricious Summer (1968) Czechoslovakia, Directed by Jirí Menzel
The lives of three middle-aged men holidaying at a rundown spring resort are interrupted by the arrival of a circus performer and his beautiful young assistant, during one lazy summer, This great little film is a light free-flowing poetic look at life which is all too short, bittersweet, and mainly dreary, there are a few bouts of sunshine in between the pouring rain!. Subtle and deadpan humour Czech style, brilliant...
Pidä huivista kiinni, Tatjana , Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatiana (1994) Finland, Directed by Aki Kaurismäki
My favourite of over a dozen Kaurismäki films in my collection, At only 60 min and very little of dialogue yet this is a movie that is jam packed with so much . A wicked soundtrack from the portable 45rpm vinyl car player and quirky characters drive this excellent Finnish road movie ,Highly recommended!
The Devil Thumbs A Ride (1947) USA, Directed by Felix E. Feist
A great old favourite one of the few remaining on VHS never fails to entertain. Lawrence Tierney plays a charming sociopath who has just robbed and killed a cashier. Thumbing a ride he manipulates everyone he comes in contact with. A fast paced ,masterly acted from Tierney, B Film Noir classic
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2017 2:53:09 GMT
(maybe we should just take the date off the title and keep this as the main running thread- would be nice to look back on one thread and read the reviews when I need something new to watch?)
Force of Evil (1948)
Considered a classic film noir directed by Abraham Polonsky and Starring John Garfield, Thomas Gomez and the very cute Marie Windsor. Famously championed by Martin Scorsese who gives a brief introduction about how much this film has influenced his movie making over the years.
Great looking film with some fantastic camera work on the streets of New York and very well acted by all the cast. Only problem is that the film spends too much time building sympathy for Garfield's small-time bookie older brother and leaves the film flat for the first half-hour then it begins to finally build momentum to the climatic 'showdown' conclusion, your half-asleep by then. Just O.K. 7/8 essential if you are into film noir camera work.
39 Steps (1935)
A Perfect Film and an example of supreme movie making on a shoe-string budget, Alfred Hitchcock landed big-time on the directors map with this film. Robert Donat is having the weekend from hell while being chased and chasing after spies while tripping over luscious Madeleine Carroll and pulling her along for one exciting paranoid adventure. Starts off literally with a bang! and doesn't let up to the very finish. A most satisfying film experience.
Absolute 10
The Best Years of our Lives (1946)
Myrna Loy, Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo.
After World War II, Fred Derry (Dana Andrews), Homer Parrish (Harold Russell), and Al Stephenson (Fredric March) meet while flying home. Fred was a decorated Army Air Forces captain and bombardier in Europe. Homer lost both hands from burns suffered when his aircraft carrier was sunk, and now uses mechanical hook prostheses. Al served as an infantry platoon sergeant in the Pacific. All three have trouble adjusting to civilian life.
This film won me over from the very beginning, expected over the top melodrama, got instead an excellent poignant story that is timeless about servicemen returning home from war and finding themselves out-of-step and struggling to re-adapt. Filmed with great insight by director William Wyler, mixes the right amount of light-humor, drama, romance and social critique that is entrancing throughout it's entire 172 minute running time.
Another 10- don't miss it if you've never seen it and the print transfer is one of the best that I have ever seen.
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