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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Nov 30, 2018 20:04:14 GMT
Airport 1975 1974, directed by Jack Smight, based on a novel by Arthur Hailey (actually nothing is, except the title), screenplay by Don Ingalls, staring Charlton Heston, Karen Black, George Kennedy (reprising his role from the earlier film, and the only link to the earlier film), Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Susan Clark, Hellen Reddy, Gloria Swanson, Linda Blair, Dana Andrews, Sid Caesar, Myrna Loy, Nancy Olson, Larry Storch, Martha Scott (she played mother to Heston in both Ten Commandments and Ben Hur), Jerry Stiller, Norman Fell, Beverly Garland, Guy Stockwell, Erik Estrada, Sharon Gless and many others. Disaster movie-drama, about a 747 jumbo-jet in flight collides with a small plane, and is rendered pilotless. Somehow the control tower must get a pilot aboard so the jet can land. How many clichés can you fill a movie plot line with? This movie proves that there is no limits to how many clichés you can fill a movie with. All characters are so totally cardboard. One wonders if the producers and the screenwriter took a few drinks and tried to come up with as many clichés as possible, and threw all aerodynamic laws out of a window and had one big laugh. Kennedy at least gives some heart into his role, as did Dana Andrews as the small plane pilot that would later crash. The others seems to be there awaiting for the payrolls. The initial crash between the planes is by today's eyes horribly done. In a wry way it's entertaining thanks to the stars, familiar faces and aged stars, even if nothing is believable and that it is awfull as a whole. Helen Reddy was actually nominated for a Golden Globe Best Newcomer Award. (Her song was really crummy) This was screen legend Gloria Swanson's last screen appearance Mork's father-in-law, George Costanza's father and Mr. Roper!
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Post by kijii on Dec 1, 2018 7:16:36 GMT
Pete 'n' Tillie (1972) / Martin Ritt Viewed from DVD
This movie received two Oscar nominations: Geraldine Page for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Julius J. Epstein for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.
I was disappointed with this movie. For two such great deadpan comics as Walter Matthau and Carol Burnett, the story should have been richer and the dialogue should have been better. Neither performer was able to play up to their strong points. Instead, Burnett plays a serious 33-year-old spinster and Walter Matthau plays market researcher with tons of puns and no one able to appreciate them. Geraldine Page plays the matchmaker who brings them together at an arranged blind date at one of her parties. From their meeting, through their dating, marriage, and lose, their respective personalities and relationship never seems to evolve. So, for me, this story goes nowhere and leaves me wanting....
Pete Seltzer (Walter Matthau) : [while on their first date, at a Greek restaurant] You see that tiny man in the aisle there? That's Mr. Grougaris. He owns the joint. You notice anything strange about him? Tillie Shlain (Carol Burnett) : [Turning around and looking at him] Just that he's obviously wearing elevator shoes. Is that it? Pete Seltzer : Exactly. And it gives me an opportunity to say to my dates, "Beware of Greeks wearing lifts". Tillie Shlain : I *hope* you won't say that to me. Pete Seltzer : [sheepishly] I won't.
Full TCM Synopsis with SPOILERS:In early 1960s San Francisco, single, thirty-three-year-old Tillie Schlaine attends Burt and Gertrude Wilson's party for the express purpose of meeting Pete Seltzer. The encounter is awkward, with Tillie unsure how to respond to Pete's biting wit and lecherous approach. Later, Pete asks Tillie for a ride home and in the car reveals that he is a "motivational researcher" for new products. Amused by his banter, Tillie allows him to invite himself into her apartment, but once there she is rankled when he advises her not to wear a girdle or bra. Gertrude, however, soon after urges Tillie to call him on some pretense, and Tillie meekly assents, resulting in a date that evening. At her apartment, she tidies up in spite of herself, then accompanies Pete to dinner at a mediocre Greek restaurant, which Pete has chosen only in order to make a pun about the short waiter: "Beware Greeks wearing lifts." After a few desultory dates and a week without calling, Pete shows up at Tillie's door and invites her to a movie and dinner at a diner. She agrees to accompany him to his apartment afterward for sex, and although she is at first ill at ease, they enjoy their evening together. The relationship soon builds into a love affair, and when Tillie occasionally finds another woman's hairpins by the bed, she ignores them. One day, he announces that he has earned a promotion to an executive position, prompting Tillie to announce that it is time for them to marry. A few years later, they have a beautiful baby boy named Robbie and move into a handsome suburban home. Their home life is happy, but when Tillie stops by Pete's office one day, she spots him in the hallway fondling his secretary. When he comes home that night, she eventually confronts him about his infidelity, and when he defensively changes the subject, she declines to pursue the conversation. Another time, Lucy Lund, one of Pete's lovers, calls and asks to meet Tillie. At a restaurant, Tillie gently disillusions the younger woman by revealing that Pete has many lovers. That night, Pete makes love to a willing Tillie, and when Burt propositions her soon after, she demurs. Their genial domestic life is shattered, however, when one day Dr. Willett visits to inform them that nine-year-old Robbie has a fatal illness. Both Pete and Tillie respond with quiet devastation but determinedly hide the truth, and their grief, from Robbie. Hoping to "keep Robbie safe in a world of nonsense," Pete leads the boy in a series of pranks on their stuffy neighbor, Mr. Tucker, and takes the family on a fishing vacation, where Robbie is too soft-hearted to kill the fish. As the year progresses, Robbie's illness is in remission but Pete and Tillie know their time with him is limited. The couple's relationship grows strained under the pressure, causing Tillie to refuse Pete sex, and Pete to find solace in bourbon. One night, as Pete and Robbie listen to an Abbott and Costello record, Tillie steps outside to rail at God, calling him a "son of a bitch bloody butcher," finally breaking down in anguish and fury. That winter, Robbie dies. Tillie is stoic and, despite her and Pete's aversion to organized religion, they hold a church funeral service. Over the next six months, they live in seclusion, then are coaxed into attending a cocktail party. Pete flirts with a redhead, causing Tillie to ask him to take her home. At home, when Tillie states that she wants to be counseled by Father Keating and wonders if they are being punished, Pete lashes out that Robbie died for no reason. She retorts that he hides his feelings, to which Pete states that talking makes him feel worse. When she asks why he stays with her, Pete answers, "I'd rather not discuss things with you than with any other woman in the world." Later that night, Pete drunkenly mentions that they have not had sex in a year, and after Tillie replies that he should have an affair, Pete moves into an apartment in the city. Tillie begins doing charity work and strikes up a friendship with flamboyant homosexual Jimmy Twitchell. Jimmy makes a sport out of trying to discover Gertrude's true age, and to this end insists that Tillie bring Gertrude with her to the police station to register their charity lottery, knowing the police will ask her age. On the way to the police station, Tillie is annoyed when Gertrude flippantly offers the name of a divorce lawyer and suggests she sue on the basis of infidelity. Inside, when the policeman asks Gertrude her age, she is unable to answer and finally faints. As they leave she blames Tillie, and the two commence a fistfight that reaches a crescendo when Tillie inserts a water hose up Gertrude's dress and Gertrude places a garbage can over Tillie's head. Soon after, Tillie seeks refuge in a rest home. One day Jimmy visits and shocks her with a marriage proposal, offering food, shelter, companionship and a chic makeover. She gently rebuffs him, and later, just as she is readying to leave the sanitarium, Pete shows up. After asking why she did not call him, he declares that their separation is not working out. A ten-year-old boy runs by, followed by his exasperated mother, and both tear up. Pleased to see Pete show his emotions, Tillie tells him that she has never loved him more than this moment. "You have no faults at all," she summarizes, "you're just hopeless." Pete, who has already moved Tillie's bags into his car, leads her out of the sanitarium, his hand on her behind.
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Post by Primemovermithrax Pejorative on Dec 1, 2018 8:24:15 GMT
I like the scene between Black and Linda Blair in Airport 75. Veterans of demon possession films--gave me the creeps.
THE PRISONER OF ZENDA 1937 -- I had seen it before long ago but hadn't realized how much the Adventures of Robin Hood was inspired by the dueling scenes. I hated Douglas Fairbanks Jr as Sinbad--he works very well as the bad guy though!
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Post by OldAussie on Dec 1, 2018 9:14:27 GMT
Against All Flags
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Post by OldAussie on Dec 1, 2018 9:16:14 GMT
just had to add Maureen.....
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Post by mikef6 on Dec 1, 2018 16:30:10 GMT
A true noir classic and a long time favorite: "The Big Heat" (1953) directed by Fritz Lang. Great performances from Glenn Ford and Gloria Graham. Ford is an ex-cop looking for revenge against mob boss Alexander Scourby and his main henchman Lee Marvin. Graham, Ford, and noir shadows
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Post by mikef6 on Dec 1, 2018 21:55:37 GMT
The Body Snatcher (1945). Directed by Robert Wise. Produced by Val Lewton. RKO. One of Boris Karloff's greatest performances. Also with Henry Daniell.
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Post by vegalyra on Dec 1, 2018 22:00:27 GMT
Gold for the Caesars Includes which has to be one of the most beautiful sword and sandal "slaves" of any movie period. Mylene Demongeot I was born WAY too late and also on the wrong continent...
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Post by ZolotoyRetriever on Dec 2, 2018 0:07:02 GMT
**[Spoilers ahead]**
The Woman in the Window (1944). Directed by Fritz Lang, with Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennet, Dan Duryea, et al (look for a young Robert Blake playing the professor's son, at the train station). DVR'd from recent TCM telecast on their "Noir Alley" program, with once again a superb intro and outro by host Eddie Muller.
I've seen this film before, and though it's been a while, I recall how much I really enjoyed the fine acting and great B&W cinematography that go into it. And, as far as the famous (or infamous) surprise ending in which we, the viewers, discover it was all just a vivid dream, well, I was just fine with the ending. Yes, I'm aware that many people don't like the "it was just a dream" ending, feeling it was a major cop-out that ruined an otherwise good picture. Me, I didn't have a problem with it, as I saw the story as a cautionary tale in which a moral lesson was imparted to the professor (Edward G. Robinson) by way of a vivid dream. Lucky for him it *was* just a dream. We should all be so lucky.
Seeing it now, some years later, I have changed neither my assessment nor appreciation of the film and its twist ending. It still remains one of my favorite films of the noir genre. The 3 leads - Robinson, Bennet and Duryea - went on to make another film about a year later, also directed by Fritz Lang, called Scarlet Street, in which many similarities to The Woman in the Window can be found - except for the twist ending. Come to think of it, seeing them both on a double-bill might make for an interesting movie night.
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Post by ZolotoyRetriever on Dec 2, 2018 0:17:28 GMT
Pete 'n' Tillie (1972) / Martin Ritt Viewed from DVD
This movie received two Oscar nominations: Geraldine Page for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and Julius J. Epstein for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.
I was disappointed with this movie. For two such great deadpan comics as Walter Matthau and Carol Burnett, the story should have been richer and the dialogue should have been better. Neither performer was able to play up to their strong points. Instead, Burnett plays a serious 33-year-old spinster and Walter Matthau plays market researcher with tons of puns and no one able to appreciate them. Geraldine Page plays the matchmaker who brings them together at an arranged blind date at one of her parties. From their meeting, through their dating, marriage, and lose, their respective personalities and relationship never seems to evolve. So, for me, this story goes nowhere and leaves me wanting....
Pete Seltzer (Walter Matthau) : [while on their first date, at a Greek restaurant] You see that tiny man in the aisle there? That's Mr. Grougaris. He owns the joint. You notice anything strange about him? Tillie Shlain (Carol Burnett) : [Turning around and looking at him] Just that he's obviously wearing elevator shoes. Is that it? Pete Seltzer : Exactly. And it gives me an opportunity to say to my dates, "Beware of Greeks wearing lifts". Tillie Shlain : I *hope* you won't say that to me. Pete Seltzer : [sheepishly] I won't.
kijii: I recall seeing that movie many years ago (not in the theater, but on TV). Anyway, I do recall that dialogue you quoted above, about "beware of Greeks wearing lifts." The funny thing is, I must've mis-heard it or mis-remembered it, because for many years after seeing it, I thought Matthau said, "Beware of freaks wearing lifts." And so that's what stuck in my mind for many years until sometime fairly recently I watched it again and realized he said "Greeks," not "freaks." lol
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Post by teleadm on Dec 2, 2018 1:27:14 GMT
just had to add Maureen..... It's absolutely impossible to get enough of Maureen!!! I've heard a story that I offcourse don't know if it's true, that Errol Flynn wasn't allowed to drink alcohol during this production, so he injected vodka into oranges, that he later ate between takes, and according to Maureen the Wonderful, That Errol was wonderful to work with before lunch, after lunch he was impossible.
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Post by Primemovermithrax Pejorative on Dec 2, 2018 19:18:43 GMT
The Adventures of Quentin Durward - Robert Taylor is still but didn't bother me so much as the movie went on. After the severed head of a notorious criminal is dumped in the middle of a room, Robert Morley nonchalantly says: "Remove the garbage."
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Post by nostromo on Dec 3, 2018 9:39:46 GMT
'The Miseducation of Cameron Post' (2018) Interesting and important, but ultimately probably won't live long in the memory. Sasha Lane is always a good watch and there are some good moments in this film. But the characters aren't brought into it enough. Not enough John Gallagher Jnr. Not enough to make the audience emotive. It also seems to be a carbon copy of 'Boy Erased', also out this year. 6.7/10
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Post by kijii on Dec 3, 2018 18:11:25 GMT
The Body Snatcher (1945). Directed by Robert Wise. Produced by Val Lewton. RKO. One of Boris Karloff's greatest performances. Also with Henry Daniell. I ordered this movie and saw it after your post here. It was Robert Wise's 2nd solo-directed feature film. Based on a Robert Louis Stevenson story, it is pretty good. The moral I took out of the story was "Don't rob graves for profit...you might end up killing people for profit too." TCM Synopsis with SPOILERS: In an Edinburgh graveyard in 1871, medical student Donald Fettes reassures a bereaved mother about the security of her little son's grave. Soon after, Mrs. Marsh arrives at the house of Dr. Toddy MacFarlane, seeking a cure for her paralyzed daughter Georgina. MacFarlane orders his student, Fettes, to examine the girl. Although the doctor advises an operation, he refuses to perform the surgery, claiming that his teaching responsibilities preclude his practice of medicine. Later, after Fettes discloses that he must give up his medical studies for lack of funds, the doctor offers him a job as his assistant. In the lab that night, MacFarlane confides to Fettes that not all of the cadavers dissected by the students come from the morgue. Later, Fettes is awakened by a pounding at the door, and finds John Gray, a cabdriver by day and grave robber by night, delivering the body of the little boy from the cemetery. While strolling through town the next day, Fettes meets the boy's grieving mother, who is carrying the body of her son's guard dog from the cemetery. Filled with remorse, Fettes tenders his resignation to MacFarlane, who refuses it on the grounds that human specimens are necessary for medical advancement. At the inn that night, the doctor and his assistant are greeted by Gray, who begins to taunt MacFarlane. When Fettes pleads Georgina's case, Gray challenges the doctor to operate, threatening to expose a dark secret if he refuses. Later, when MacFarlane tries to renege on his promise by claiming that he has no spinal column on which to experiment before the surgery, Fettes visits Gray to ask him to procure another specimen. Along the way, Fettes offers alms to a street singer and is horrified later that night when Gray appears at the lab carrying the singer's dead body. The next morning, Fettes shows MacFarlane the body and accuses Gray of murder, a conversation overheard by Joseph, the doctor's assistant. Warning Fettes that he could be arrested as an accomplice, MacFarlane advises him not to notify the police. On the day of Georgina's surgery, Meg Cameron, MacFarlane's housekeeper and secret wife, comforts Mrs. Marsh through the agonizing procedure. After Georgina's incision heals, however, the little girl is still unable to walk, and MacFarlane, tortured by his failure, goes to the inn to console himself with drink. Gray finds him there and begins to torment the doctor with references to their shared dark past. Upon returning to his stable that night, Gray is visited by Joseph, who demands money in exchange for his silence about the cabman's illicit activities. Gray then tells Joseph the story of Burke and Hare, two infamous murderers who were hanged for procuring bodies for Dr. Knox, MacFarlane's mentor. After completing his tale, Gray lurches forward and suffocates Joseph and then delivers his body to MacFarlane's lab as a "gift." As MacFarlane angrily goes to confront Gray, Meg recalls the trial of Burke and Hare in which Gray admitted to robbing graves to shield the real perpetrator, MacFarlane. She then warns Fettes to leave immediately before he becomes another MacFarlane. Meanwhile, MacFarlane visits Gray and offers him money to stop tormenting him. When Gray vows that the doctor will never be rid of him, the two men struggle, and MacFarlane beats Gray to death. The next day, Fettes meets Mrs. Marsh and Georgina at the ramparts. As Fettes confides his disillusionment to Mrs. Marsh, Georgina hears the sound of a horse's hoofbeats and stands to see the animal, proving that the operation was a success. Rushing to the doctor's house to tell him the good news, Fettes is informed by Meg that MacFarlane is at the inn of a neighboring town, where he has gone to sell Gray's horse and carriage. At the inn, Fettes is informed by MacFarlane about his plans to rob a freshly dug grave. During a storm that night, MacFarlane unearths the coffin and loads the shrouded body into his carriage. As they drive into the night, MacFarlane hears Gray calling to him and orders Fettes to stop the carriage and examine the body. When Fettes steps out of the carriage and shines a light on the face of the corpse, MacFarlane thinks he sees Gray. At that moment, the horses are spooked and run away, plunging the carriage and its occupants over a cliff. Running to the wreck, Fettes observes MacFarlane's dead body with the corpse of a woman lying beside him.
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Post by vegalyra on Dec 3, 2018 21:43:17 GMT
Hercules, Samson and Ulysses Continuing my sword and sandal short marathon. I watched the Warner Archive MOD transfer which was remarkably good. It appeared to be in its correct aspect ratio and was fairly clean (minimal damage and dust). A fun combination of "heroes" and a good enemy (Delilah from Old Testament fame and the Philistines). Ulysses is a young teenager in this film but already shows some of his wit and wisdom that he would possess during the siege of Troy. Recommended.
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Post by Primemovermithrax Pejorative on Dec 3, 2018 21:50:04 GMT
Hercules, Samson and Ulysses Continuing my sword and sandal short marathon. I watched the Warner Archive MOD transfer which was remarkably good. It appeared to be in its correct aspect ratio and was fairly clean (minimal damage and dust). A fun combination of "heroes" and a good enemy (Delilah from Old Testament fame and the Philistines). Ulysses is a young teenager in this film but already shows some of his wit and wisdom that he would possess during the siege of Troy. Recommended. Been meaning to rewatch this! Saw it one afternoon in the 90s.
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Post by vegalyra on Dec 3, 2018 21:57:11 GMT
Hercules, Samson and Ulysses Continuing my sword and sandal short marathon. I watched the Warner Archive MOD transfer which was remarkably good. It appeared to be in its correct aspect ratio and was fairly clean (minimal damage and dust). A fun combination of "heroes" and a good enemy (Delilah from Old Testament fame and the Philistines). Ulysses is a young teenager in this film but already shows some of his wit and wisdom that he would possess during the siege of Troy. Recommended. Been meaning to rewatch this! Saw it one afternoon in the 90s.
The Warner Archive MOD is pretty cheap, around $10 or $11 on Amazon. It looks great too. Other copies that I've seen are washed out and in an old full screen format (probably a rip from VHS back in the '80s).
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Post by kijii on Dec 4, 2018 2:18:10 GMT
The Lords of Discipline (1983) / Franc Roddam Rented for Streaming from Amazon Prime
I loved this movie. It has drama, mystery, and even an old plantation for secretly hazing unwanted cadets out of a what seems like The Citadel in South Carolina. Further, this is one of those movies I had to watch twice: once to experience the story and a second time to understand all of its details and intricacies.
What's funny is the reason I rented this movie was to see "the complete set of movies based on Pat Conroy's four novels," Each of them a is gem in some way, and all are based on his home state of South Carolina. All of them seem somewhat autobiographical except The Prince of Tides. Last week, I reviewed Conrack (1974) which was purely based on a period of his life in a book called "The Water Is Wide." After seeing Conrack, I re-saw The Prince of Tides (1991) / Barbra Streisand, The Great Santini (1979) / Lewis John Carlino, and this one. After seeing them, I reviewed his IMDb autobiography and was able to see how each of the movies (novels) were derived from some of his own experiences:
The Great Santini (1979) Conrack (1974) The Lords of Discipline (1983) As I say, I think that while The Prince of Tides (1991) that emphasizes his connection to South Carolina, was fiction.
Returning to The Lords of Discipline, it presents the ultra-loyal, ultra-discipline life of a nob (a 1st year cadet) as seen through the eyes of a 4th Year cadet. The two stand-out actors in this movie are David Keith (Will McLean) and his mentor, Robert Prosky (Col. 'Bear' Berrineau) who helped him survive his 1st year at "The Institute." The movie begins as Will returns to the Institute in Charleston to begin his 4th year. Will--the protagonist of the movie-- has a hard time participating in "Hell Night" at the Institute. "Hell Night" is a time when the 4th year cadets are expected to subject the nobs to extreme hazing. It's tradition and all cadets had to have gone through it. But, as Will digs deeper and deeper into some of the practices of the Institute, he uncovers and exposes, a secret group of cadets and former cadets, "the 10," as they call themselves. The is a group of self-appointed overseers to work to root out cadets that they feel are too weak or the wrong type, to be graduates of the Institute. The 10 can send cadets to the Hole, a place they wish they never knew about...worse than Hell. The Hole is a place so bad and so secret that it is located off campus, and its members may be some of THE top people at the Institute...
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Post by cwsims on Dec 4, 2018 2:32:32 GMT
ernest saves Christmas and jingle all the way
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Post by nostromo on Dec 4, 2018 9:49:20 GMT
'Everybody Knows' (2018) Asghar Farhadi's neat ability to write tense, engaging scripts around family values, betrayal,tough decisions and social dynamics is on show again here. A Spanish woman who left her village home to live in Argentina returns for a wedding - and secrets spill out in the process. On the face of it, the film is a classic thriller /drama/ whodunnit plot wise. But Farhadi's script means it not only brings in all the principle characters, but also some back story, some peripheral figures, and some nastiness too. All you can want from an intelligent film with a simple story. Penelope Cruz steals the show as a terrified mother, but Javier Bardem and the rest of the cast aren't far behind. Pretty great performances. Farhadi is a great director. 8/10
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