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Post by louise on May 14, 2018 13:22:12 GMT
 PRetty Baby (1950). VEry funny comedy about a woman who works in advertising (Betsy Drake) pretending a doll is a baby in order to get a seat on the subway. this leads to unforeseen complications.
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Post by kijii on May 14, 2018 15:47:11 GMT
PRetty Baby (1950). VEry funny comedy about a woman (Betsy Drake) pretending a doll is a baby in order to get a seat on the subway. this leads to unforeseen complications. I LOVED this unexpected movie... This is my idea of good VERY comedy...the comedy of misunderstandings rather than just slapstick or madcap. Edmund Gwenn was especially good here. Betsy Drake was also wonderful in this movie. Here is my review of it from IMDb: |
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Post by ZolotoyRetriever on May 14, 2018 17:03:20 GMT
Conflagration (1958), directed by Kon Ichikawa, with Raizo Ichikawa, Ganjirō Nakamura, Tatsuya Nakadai. DVR'd off of TCM some time ago. First-time viewing.
Interesting, if somewhat confusing, story of a young Buddhist monk at a monastery in Kyoto who suffers a major crisis of faith and ends up burning down a famous shrine temple at the monastery. Good character study, as well as an interesting glimpse of post-war Japan and the way it struggled with the corruption - and sometimes outright loss or abandonment - of old traditions and standards. Some of the film's themes of personal alienation and disillusionment, religious hypocrisy, and "culture as a saleable commodity" ring true today.
The story is told in a rather intricate flashback fashion, along with the inclusion of various odd visual cues and rather cryptic dialogue bits that warrant a second viewing to really “get” all the pieces to this puzzle.
Inspired by a true story, and adapted from the novel that dealt with that story, The Temple of the Golden Pavilion, by Yukio Mishima.
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Post by MrFurious on May 14, 2018 17:09:36 GMT
Hawking(04)
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Post by kijii on May 15, 2018 0:01:09 GMT
The Running Man (1963) / Carol Reed
DVR'd from a TCM telecast
Laurence Harvey plays a glider pilot, obsessed with earning a living from "dying" to get his life insurance. Lee Remick is his wife who goes along with his plans, first actively and later reluctantly. Alan Bates is the insurance investigator who first meets Remick in London while getting details about her husband's death. But, never having seen Harvey, he vacations in Spain; makes friends with him; and then goes on a picnic that gives him a ride that is much more than he ever expected.
This is far from Carol Reed's best movies, but it is "moving" from start to finish.
Carol Reed is one of those directors who made really great movies: www.imdb.com/name/nm0715346/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1#director
Rex Black (Laurence Harvey): Where did he get it?
Stella Black (Lee Remick): I lost it.
Rex Black: Where?
Stella Black: In his bed.
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Post by ZolotoyRetriever on May 15, 2018 1:48:39 GMT
kijii, I DVR'd that one myself, but haven't gotten around to seeing it yet. It looks good.
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Post by nutsberryfarm 🏜 on May 15, 2018 2:59:26 GMT
 a fun little heist flick from the 70s. sidney lumet directed. looked it up as i'm fan of lawrence sanders' funny archy mcnally books, didn't know he wrote single books until recently. |
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Post by ZolotoyRetriever on May 15, 2018 6:35:50 GMT
An Osaka Story (1957), directed by Kozaburo Yoshimura, based on a story by director Kenji Mizoguchi. Found it on YouTube.
Very good film! Story about a wretchedly poor family in feudal-era Japan that is forced to flee their small village. Barely escaping with their lives, they make their way to Osaka, whereupon by dint of hard work and literally picking up scraps of spilled rice and selling them, they slowly but surely accumulate money, and over time become a successful Osaka merchant family. However, trouble ensues when the father (Ganjiro Nakamura), who is so overcome with his obsession for having - and holding - ever more money, becomes an overbearing skinflint who makes things miserable for the whole family - especially the daughter, who is in need of a husband. Tragic, as well as comical, events ensue.
I really enjoyed this one. Lots of wry humor lighten up the story. It's a nice cautionary tale about the dangers of loving money too much, and a reminder about what really matters most in life. It has a few choice tips on ingenious ways to economize, too. See it if you get a chance. Full movie with excellent subtitles is on YouTube.
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Post by kijii on May 15, 2018 16:33:08 GMT
The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) / Leo McCarey
Seen on DVD
This is the first time I had seen this movie from beginning to end, and that has been an oversight on my parts since it received 8 Oscar nominations and won one (Stephen Dunn for best sound). It was also nominated for Best Picture, Best Director (Leo McCarey), Best Actor (Bing Crosby), and Best Actress (Ingrid Bergman). Leo McCarey wrote the story and Dudley Nichols wrote the screenplay. I think it could have deserved an Oscar in any of these categories. That is how much I liked it. I am not Catholic and don't much care for Bing, yet this was a very good movie. It could have been preachy but resisted that temptation. Though there were conflicts between Crosby's and Bergman's characters they were entertaining.
On another thread, I was told that this movie was originally planned to be released before Going My Way (1944). But, the current order was chosen due to scheduling problems. However, in my opinion, these two movies could have been released either way since the character of Father O'Malley could have been in either setting in either order without ruining the effectiveness of either movie. They are both great movies!!
If McCarey or Crosby had won, it would have placed this movie in the elite group of back-to-back Oscar-winners, since both had won for Going My Way the previous year (1944). Added to this is a fine character part for Henry Travers, who had won us over in so many character roles: Primrose Path (1940); Mrs. Miniver (1942); It's a Wonderful Life (1946) to name three.
For full synopsis with SPOILERS: www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/24072/The-Bells-of-St-Mary-s/full-synopsis.html
Patricia 'Patsy' Gallagher (Joan Carroll): [stands up in class to present a report] The Six Senses.
Sister Mary Benedict (Ingrid Bergman): Oh, the subject I gave you was the five senses.
Patricia 'Patsy' Gallagher: Well, I chose for my subject six senses.
Sister Mary Benedict: [baffled and confused] Well, go on, Patricia. Go on.
Patricia 'Patsy' Gallagher : The Six Senses: To see, to hear, to taste, to smell, to feel... to be.
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Post by teleadm on May 15, 2018 17:52:08 GMT
There's No Business Like Show Business 1954, directed by Walter Lang, story by Lamar Trotti, music from the Irving Berlin songbook, starring Ethel Merman, Dan Dailey, Donald O'Connor, Marilyn Monroe, Johnny Ray, Mitzi Gaynor, Hugh O'Brian, Frank McHugh, Rhys Williams and others. Nominated for three Oscars, Best Writing, Motion Picture Story, Best Costume Design, Color and Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture. Musical about a successful music vaudeville family, that over the years begins to crack and fall apart. Can they all come together again? With some of the greatest songs written, magnificent sets and costums, well staged musical numbers, way did they fall back to such a trite and old cliché filled storyline that is absolutely nothing special? The Cinemascope is well used and filled from side to side all the time. Ethel Merman is sparkling, O'Connor shows his talents well, Mitzi nearly disappears, Johnny Ray can't act and Marilyn has two great show numbers, "After You Get What You Want You Don't Want It" and the sparkling "Heat Wave", plus "Lazy" where she is overshadowed by Mitzi and Donald. In whole it's a very mixed bag. Marilyn Monroe was promised the lead role in The Seven-Year Itch 1955 if she appeared in this film.  
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Post by louise on May 15, 2018 18:27:08 GMT
JUst finished rewatching Pride (2014). VEry touching and funny film based on the true story of a London gay and lesbian group that raised money to support a Welsh mining village during the miners strike of 1984.
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Post by kijii on May 16, 2018 6:00:39 GMT
Lord Jeff (1938) / Sam Wood
I bought a DVD of this movie to continue my quest of exploring Sam Wood movies. This is a movie about boys developing into mature men. But, unlike Captains Courageous (1937), there is not as much script development and no well-know author--such as Rudyard Kipling--to reunite Freddie Bartholomew with Mickey Rooney in this basically land-locked story about a trade school for orphan boys. The movie begins with Bartholomew--posing as "Lord Jeff" with two adult jewel thieves (Gale Sondergaard and George Zucco). When he is caught, he is threatened with either reform school or a well-respected school where he can learn a trade. With come coaxing, he chooses the latter. The head of the school is Captain Briggs (Charles Coburn) and the main teacher and rooter on the boy's behalf is Bosun 'Crusty' Jelks (Herbert Mundin). As with Captains Courageous, Mickey Rooney serves as a role model and protector for Freddie Bartholomew until Bartholomew learns the ropes and develops--with some backsliding--into an industrious young man. But, unlike Captains Courageous, Bartholomew is taught by peers his own age rather than men whose live depend on his labor for their livelihood. And, there is no adult hero for the boy such as Manuel in Captains Courageous. This is more about school life than real working life. Think of this movie as Captains Courageous lite. Mickey Rooney and Freddie Bartholomew would later appear together in A Yank at Eton (1942).
For TCM Full Synposis with SPOILERS: www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/3259/Lord-Jeff/full-synopsis.html
Gale Sondergaard, Freddie Bartholomew and Monty Woolley in an upscale London jewelry store
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Post by MrFurious on May 16, 2018 13:13:51 GMT
Payroll(61) Another wonderful old b&w English one, this time set in Newcastle. Amazed how its only got 397 ratings on IMDb
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Post by louise on May 16, 2018 15:09:21 GMT
pimpernel Smith. LEslie Howard as a mild-mannered archaeologist who is secretly a hero helping people escape from Nazi Germany.
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shield
Sophomore
Reading is to the mind what excercise is to the body
@shield
Posts: 776
Likes: 218
 
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Post by shield on May 16, 2018 16:46:47 GMT
Duma (2005) Lovely film about a boy and his friendship with a cheetah  |
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Post by MrFurious on May 16, 2018 17:26:42 GMT
The Dam Busters(55) Wonderful. What a mission these guys went on and Redgrave played one of the greatest gentlemen on screen ever Hope Spike Lee never gets to see this one though.  |
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Post by teleadm on May 16, 2018 17:53:43 GMT
Joe Kidd 1972, directed by John Sturges, written by Elmore Leonard, music score by Lalo Schifrin, starring Clint Eastwood, Robert Duvall, John Saxon, Don Stroud, Stella Garcia, James Wainwright, Dick Van Patten and others. Western about Joe Kidd (Eastwood) who is a former bounty hunter in the American Southwest. When a band of Mexicans find their U. S. land claims denied and all relevant records destroyed in a courthouse fire, they turn to force of arms. Luis Chama (Saxon) is their charismatic leader, spouting revolutionary rhetoric and demanding land reforms. A wealthy landowner with interests in the disputed area, Frank Harlan (Duvall), decides to settle things his own way. He hires a band of killers and wants Joe Kidd to help them track Chama. Initially, Kidd wants to avoid any involvement, but Harlan bails him out of a jail sentence. Considering the talents involved the movie feels very uninvolving and the characters a bit too one-dimenshional, but maybe the action was enough to gear interest in it's targeted audiences, and there is a train set that drives through a house. Seldom mentioned among Eastwwod and Sturges fans amoung their favorites. Not an awful movie by any means, but nothing special either. Outdoor scenery from Inyo National Forest CA and North Santa Teresa Wilderness AZ.   
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Post by Matthew the Swordsman on May 17, 2018 4:51:30 GMT
Men Wanted (1947), a short 9-minute film from Australia, intended to encourage British ex-servicemen to move to Australia in the years after WW2.
I've spent the last few weeks focusing my research on Australian TV of the 1950s-1990s (which proved to be a lot of fun with some pleasant surprises), but decided that today I will do some research on government-produced Australian short films of the 1940s. This "research" will consist of re-watching some shorts I've seen before, and checking which other films have also been digitised by the National Film and Sound Archive.
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Post by Matthew the Swordsman on May 17, 2018 5:05:01 GMT
Steady as She Goes (1949) - 9-minute documentary about Sydney Harbour.
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Post by Matthew the Swordsman on May 17, 2018 5:31:32 GMT
Goldtown (1948), 10-minute documentary about modern-day gold mining in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. I really enjoyed watching it.
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