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Post by delon on Mar 17, 2018 0:04:44 GMT
Comments/ratings/recommendations/film posters are welcome and much appreciated.
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Post by delon on Mar 17, 2018 0:09:18 GMT
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Post by OldAussie on Mar 17, 2018 0:34:24 GMT
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Post by wmcclain on Mar 17, 2018 1:35:45 GMT
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Post by mikef6 on Mar 17, 2018 4:59:36 GMT
The Ziegfeld Follies / Various Directors (1945). In 1936 the bio-pic “The Great Zeigfeld” won the Oscar for Best Picture. In the title role of the early 20th century Broadway impresario was William Powell. Nine years later, Powell recreates his portrayal of Florenz Ziegfeld, this time from heaven. The camera sweeps over an otherworldly landscape of proscenium arches. We see the monuments for Shakespeare and P.T. Barnum before getting to Flo Ziegfeld. There, Ziegfeld tell us that the only thing he misses is creating new shows, but he has a perfect musical comedy variety revue all planned out. Powell then disappears forever from the movie and we see the Broadway show Ziegfeld imagines. And for the next hour, I was alternately unexcited about the musical numbers and annoyed by the so-called comedy sketches. (The only exception was a song from the beautiful and talented, but expressionless, Virginia O'Brien. Just when I was on the verge of shutting it off, Fred Astaire and Lucille Bremer dance wonderfully together. Then, Lena Horne beautifully sings a terrible song. This is followed by a one-man sketch by Red Skelton that really made me laugh. Another Astaire/Bremer dance, a dance pairing Astaire with Gene Kelly, and a Hollywood send-up starring Judy Garland as a spoiled movie star whose next project is about the sufferings of the inventor of the safety pin. So, one hour of frustration and one hour of great entertainment. Note: Lucille Bremer, an accomplished dancer, had a very brief film career. She might be most recognizable as Judy Garland’s older sister in “Meet Me In St. Louis.” Fred Astaire and Lucille Bremer Black Widow / Nunnally Johnson (1954). Writer/director Johnson has concocted a gem of a murder mystery based on a novel by Patrick Quentin. It begins as almost a “All About Eve” riff with Van Heflin as a noted Broadway playwright and producer, Ginger Rogers having a great time as his leading lady who has absolutely no filters on her speech, Reginald Gardiner as Rogers’ whipped husband, and Peggy Ann Garner (winner of a Juvenal Oscar for “A Tree Grows In Brooklyn” and subbing here for an ill Maggie McNamara) as a seeming innocent young woman from Georgia trying to make it as a writer in New York. The witty banter carries the film for the first half hour until there is a shocking suicide that turns out to be murder. This brings homicide detective George Raft in to investigate. Heflin turns out to be the main suspect of the police so has to take steps to find the Real Killer. But the cleverness of Johnson’s script doesn’t end with the mystery. The picture knows how to have its cliché and make fun of it, too. After going on the lam from the cops, Heflin takes to the streets questioning several people. He later complains, “I’ve been running all over town like a TV detective.” Yes, he has and it is great for him to say so. Also in the cast is Gene Tierney as Heflin’s wife, Otto Kruger, Virginia Leith, Skip Homeier, Bea Benaderet, and African-American actress Hilda Simms, very good and very charismatic in her one short scene. The commentary on the DVD is by a film noir specialist but “Black Widow” is anything but. I’ll give it that there is a femme fatale but most of the movie takes place in bright daylight and the darkness of the human soul is NOT explored. Never a noir but nevertheless highly recommended. Peggy Ann Garner sheds her Child Star image in “Black Widow” Death Sentence / James Wan (2007). Since 1974 and the first “Death Wish” film, there have been dozens of similarly themed films of people hurt by crime or by a rigged justice system who take the law into their own hands and go on a killing spree of criminals. With the 2018 release of a reboot based on Brian Garfield’s original 1972 novel (a film that has failed critically and, for now, financially), I decided to view a couple of recent movies based on this premise. This one is actually based on Garfield’s follow-up novel from 1975. In the first, his protagonist Paul Benjamin (Paul Kersey in the Bronson series) leaves New York City for Chicago as the book ends. “Death Sentence” takes up his story in the Windy City. But the producers of this film followed the example of many films of books in the classic era. They have put the title and Garfield’s name on the credits, but have written an all new story. With the possible exception of the two The Exterminator films in the early 1980s, the new “Death Sentence” is perhaps the grittiest, nastiest, and hardest to watch of any of the Death Wish films or its imitators. Insurance company executive Nick Hume (Kevin Bacon) lives the good life in the ‘burbs with wife Helen (Kelly Preston), son Brendon (Stuart Lafferty) a high school hockey star, and younger son Lucas (Jordan Garrett). One night Brendon is killed by having his throat cut with a machete during a street gang initiation (urban legend alert). When it turns out that the boy’s killer will only get up to six years in prison, Nick withdraws his eyewitness testimony so the killer will go free. But Nick does not turn into an omnipresent avenging angel. He wants it all to end until the gang invades his home to kill him and the rest of his family. Kevin Bacon is excellent in his transformation from reluctant avenger to shaven-head silent remorseless hunter of people. Brutal. Tough to watch. Available on Netflix streaming. Kevin Bacon Aquarius / Kleber Mendonça Filho (2016). Clara (Sônia Braga) is the last remaining resident of the Aquarius apartments. She has lived there through her marriage (she is a widow), the raising of her children, and her battle with breast cancer. She has no intention of leaving. When a corporation buys the building they offer her a goodly sum for her apartment but Clara refuses to leave, or even consider any offer. The people who own the apartment house try many tricks to drive her out but she won’t budge. This conflict and its resolution make a terrific movie, but the film makers want to take a more novelistic approach, showing Clara’s earlier life in flashback, giving us scenes where she cares for her grandson, and carries on a normal life. Kenneth Lonergan was successful in this approach with “Margaret” (2011) but it doesn’t work with this film. They should had stayed with the main story line of the corporation vs. the individual instead of bringing in extraneous material which runs the film over the two hour mark. Still, Sônia Braga’s performance makes up for a world of flaws. Sonia Braga in Aquarius …Continuing a watch straight through the 10 seasons of Doctor Who: New Series in anticipation of next year’s introduction of the 13th Doctor. S. 10, Ep. 3 “Thin Ice” April 29, 2017. Instead of taking The Doctor and Bill back the present, the TARDIS lands them in 1814 London. “She’s a bad girl,” The Doctor explains. “Always looking for trouble.” They are just in time for the Frost Fair. Back in the olden days, the Thames would freeze over quite solidly, strong enough to hold a citywide festival on the ice. But this year, something is lurking in the river beneath and The Doctor has to find out what. S. 10, Ep. 4 “Knock Knock” May 6, 2017. Bill and some student friends rent an old mansion for the school year. The old Landlord is something of a mystery person. The Doctor, helping Bill move in, is still in the house when they find out they cannot leave. This is one of the weaker scripts of the season, but a fine performance by guest star David Suchet (“Agatha Christie's Poirot”) as the Landlord makes it all worthwhile. S. 10, Ep. 5 “Oxygen” May 13, 2017. The Doctor, Bill, and Nardole answer a distress call and find a mining space ship with four survivors of a crew of 40.
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Post by politicidal on Mar 18, 2018 3:54:25 GMT
Viva Zapata! (1952) 6/10
The Queen (2006) 4/10
Frost/Nixon (2008) 7/10
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018) 5/10
Cromwell (1970) 6/10
Only the Brave (2017) 8/10
Solace (2015) 4/10
Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967) 6/10
Don't Think Twice (2016) 5/10
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Post by Lebowskidoo 🦞 on Mar 18, 2018 13:36:31 GMT
A weird Canadian horror movie with Christopher Plummer and Karen Black, I was confused and bored most of the time watching The Pyx (1973). Karen Black as a lovely singing voice though, who knew? Blood Voyage (1976) starring The World's Most Interesting Man (a.k.a. Jonathan Goldsmith) on a yacht trip to Hawaii in which someone is murdering all the passengers one by one. Not great, the premise is though, but poorly produced and some amateurish acting. Also known as "Nightmare Voyage." In Cold Blood (1967), the true story of a couple of desperate thieves who became murderers, based on the Truman Capote book. Robert Blake is great here, unfortunately he learned nothing from playing this part. Scott Wilson is also very good. I've waited years to see this, after viewing Capote and Infamous and it did not disappoint. Beautiful in black and white! My Favorite Wife (1940) with Cary Grant and Randolph Scott, not to mention Irene Dunne, who steals the movie! A lot of fun and a joy to watch. Suburbicon (2017), a Coen brothers script directed by George Clooney and starring Julianne Moore and Matt Damon. Starts off great but meanders too much and some story threads seem not needed or followed up on enough. Still, it's not bad. The Bermuda Triangle (1978) Why did John Huston direct so many classics, only to star in so many schlocky movies for other directors? Something about a ghost doll and some missing planes, it all remains quite vague. Lots of bad dubbing if you like that sort of thing, I mean like the type where the voice really doesn't match the actor...at all! A teenage boy with a woman's voice! Dope (2015) was a good movie about some Inglewood, California nerdy teens obsessed with 90's hip-hop rap music who get mixed up with some drug dealers. The Amazing Adventure (1936) also starring Cary Grant. I'd never heard of this movie, also goes by the title, "The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss," which is a better title if you ask me. Grant is a wealthy playboy who decides to live and work among the common folk to win a bet, and he's perfect in the role, as you would assume. A Trip To the Moon (1902) My movie education took me wayyyy back to this golden oldie, now the oldest movie I've seen. I guess it qualified as a movie in 1902, now we would call it a short film. Impressive, considering the time in which it was made. Mikey and Nicky (1976) was directed by Elaine May, not easy to find a gritty 70's movie directed by a woman, but here's one. Made in 1973 but not released until three years later. Peter Falk and John Cassavetes got to improvise quite a bit here. Falk is amazing, which is saying a lot considering his costar, but he really does shine here. A hidden classic I would say. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (2016), in which you'll never guess who's getting married this time! Nice to be reunited with this family again, everyone can relate to having crazy relatives that you love anyway. Not as funny as the first one, which is usually the case for most comedy sequels.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Mar 18, 2018 17:40:58 GMT
Just two ~ from the sublime to the ridiculous ! Annual re-watch of and -- just because it was what was on Svengoolie : The poster has very little to do with the actual movie.
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Post by claudius on Mar 18, 2018 18:03:28 GMT
THOR: RAGNORAK (2017) Amazon.
DARK SHADOWS (1968) Episodes 445-449. 50th Anniversary. As Joshua tries to resolve his son's nocturnal issues, Nathan Forbes' marriage hits a snag. MPI Video DVD.
THE SIMPSONS (1992) "Last Exit to Springfield" 25th Anniversary. Homer fights Mr. Burns attempts to cancel the Dental Plan. Was my introduction to "Classical Gas." VHS recording of its original broadcast, with Fox promos of its new breaking show ROBERT DE NIRO'S TRIBECA (Anyone remember that one?).
DRAGON BALL SUPER (2016) "Champa's Challenge! This Time We Play Baseball!" Import DVD.
FIGHTING SPIRIT: CHAMPION ROAD (2004) TV Special ending of the original Anime adaptation of the Boxing Manga HAJIME NO IPPO. I remember getting the first DVD volumes of this series when Media Play was having its closing sale. I bought the rest of the series over that year of 2006, ending with this one. Geneon DVD.
FIGHTING SPIRIT (2002) "Rocky of Naniwa," "The Young Punk" Geneon DVD.
NARUTO SHIPPUDEN (2010) "Team 10's Teamwork" Viz Media DVD.
G FIGHTER GUNDAM (1995) "God Gundam's Great Triumph! A Hopeful Future: Ready, Go!" Final episode. Bandai DVD.
I LOVE THE 80'S (2002) "1980, 1981, 1982, 1983" VH1's original retrospective of the decade with stars, actors, sportscasters (like the late Stuart Scott), musicians, and comics giving their comments about Strawberry Shortcake (Mo Rocca: "She was the sworn enemy of Dr. Atkins"), GENERAL HOSPITAL'S Luke and Laura (Scott Eisen: "The Story of Boy Rapes Girl/Boy Marries Girl"), HE-MAN AND THE MASTERS OF UNIVERSE (Michael Ian Black: "The most homo-erotic cartoon ever made"), RETURN OF THE JEDI (Hal Sparks "The Greatest Incest Movie ever made"). VHS Recording from 2003 with commercials of SIGNS, and promos for the new TNN (which became Spike TV and now Paramount TV).
DRAGON BALL Z (1989) "Mini-Goku is Mr. Precious! My Name is Gohan!" I also watched parts of the Saiya-jin Saga. Dragon Box Funimation DVD.
DRAGON BALL (1988) "A Mysterious Man: Enter Yajirobe" 30th Anniversary.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (1978) "Jill Clayburgh/Eddie Money" 40th Anniversary.
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Mar 19, 2018 2:18:01 GMT
Hi all,after seeing Popstar as a replacement choice last week,my original "Comedy" choice finally turned up in the post: Girls Trip (2017) 3 Tripping at the real Essence Music Festival in New Orleans, (a good paid holiday for the cast and crew!) director Malcolm D. Lee & cinematographer Greg Gardiner catch the groove with glossy wide-shots that play out the big gags in the middle of vast crowds. Feeling like large parts of the film were improvised, editors Paul Millspaugh takes what could have been snappy,raunchy gags,and pulls them to breaking point,with each would-be punch-line being missed by aimless repetition that grinds the laughs down to a thud. Not helping rid the feeling of the painful dialogue (which chucks in a dozen "Oh hell no!" for maximum cringe) being made up on the spot, the writers have an inability to give the friends any moments of calm conversation/friendship building in the first half,which causes the attempt to give the ending a dramatic heft to ring false. Hitting the flick with some much needed sass, Queen Latifah gives the standout performance as the playfully soulful Sasha Franklin on this failed road trip. Hotel Room 8 Made as three eps but trimmed into one 90 min film, (thankfully,the longer uncut eps survive)the writers Barry Gifford & Jay McInerney check in close to themes of David Lynch, (who co-created the show with Monty Montgomery) with the program entering a lone hotel room in 1969,1992 and 1936 that are home to white picket-fence visitors attempting to escape from the destructive outside world. Later adapted into plays, the limitations of the location allows for an excellent theatrical exploration of the characters,from the scotch on the rocks Noir ep 1 Tricks and the darkly comedic ep 2 Getting Rid of Robert, to the surprisingly touching final ep Blackout. Directing the lone ep not done by Lynch, James Signorelli aims for the peculiar mood of the other pieces in Getting Rid of Robert,but misses the mark by being too self-aware at the strangeness of the situation, and the repeated cuts away from the hotel room breaking the tension. Reuniting with a smooth score from Angelo Badalamenti,Lynch gives his first ep a boiler room atmosphere, as Moe (played by a dripping with sweat Harry Dean Stanton) finds himself trapped in the past with two fellow guests who will land Moe with some deadly Tricks. Lit with stray shots of thunder on the window and candle light,Lynch reins in Crispin Glover's usual quirks to get an outstanding performance from him as Danny in ep 3 Blackout, with Alicia Witt joining Glover with a beautifully unsettling,calm performance as Diane,in David Lynch's minimalist, experimental hotel room. Web of Violence (1966) 6 Spinning the web when the genre was entering a (somewhat) more serious phase, this adaptation of Sergio Donati's novel uniquely crosses Euro Spy with the early stages of the Italian Crime genre. Linking Lisa with the criminal underworld, the writers make Walter (played by a chiseled Brett Halsey) use espionage skills to locate the underworld big boss, with Walter having to skillfully unscramble all of the names of the thugs who know Lisa. Limited to being seen in a third generation pan & scan VHSD rip (aww..the bad old pre-DVD days!) director Nick Nostro & cinematographer Emilio Foriscot slick look is still able to shine,with Walter's friend/helper Christina (played by an eye-catching Margaret Lee) being given a glamour shine, and side shots catching glances/spying on Walter. Loading up on Italian Crime for the final, Nostro slams the case shut with clipped car chases and blunt shootouts that recoil as Walter turns the web of violence. Horror duo: The Ghost Cat of Otama Pond (1960) 8-Thanks to Planetx for awesome rec! Capping the film with the "present" couple at the beginning and the end, (In a similar style to the wraparound tale in anthology flicks) co-writer/(with Jiro Fujishima) director Yoshihiro Ishikawa nicely uses it to catch the remaining Gothic ripples across Otama Pond,as the young couple find themselves unable to exit the maze of restlessness that has haunted the place for a century,which the writers cleverly give them a spiritual connection to. Giving the tale an (un)dead ghost cat bounce, the screenplay by Ishikawa and Fujishima seeps the ghostly revenge in gradually,as the vile spat between the Yachimaru and Kozaso's intensifies. Casting Yachimaru and Kozaso as star-crossed lovers, the writers cast open horrors from their abusive families,that bring out the shadow of the cat,as Kozaso and Yachimaru get snarled in the bloodthirsty,ghostly revenge. Clawing into his directing debut after writing a number of films, director Yoshihiro Ishikawa & cinematographer Kikuzô Kawasaki link the past and the present together with refined whip-pans covered with overlapping images. Following a black kitty between the families, Ishikawa draws the ghostly revenge with lush stylisation colouring the pond in candle wax red,and keeping the revenge going across the century with the ghost sprayed in shining green,as the ghost cat jumps into the Otama pond. The Monster Squad (1987) 8 Looking every bit as debonaire as he did playing Zorro, Duncan Regehr gives a wicked performance as Dracula , whose given a regal stand by Reghr that causes the other characters to drop their guard, allowing Reghr to sink Drac's fangs into pulpy one-liners. Joining in the monster bash, Tom Noonan gives a child-like innocence to the foot-stomping Frankenstein's creature. Joining the squad with Shane Black making his screenwriting debut,co-writer/director Fred Dekker crisply builds upon his Horror Comedy origins of House,with Black’s snappy dialogue. Black & Dekker show themselves to have been ahead of their time,thanks to the quick landing on the monsters,allowing the writers to fly past the set-up,to instead land wonderful tributes to Universal monster movies and Stephen King.Putting The Monster Squad up against a gallery of famous monsters, director Dekker impressively does not shy away in going for full-on horror,via Stan Winston’s classic practical effects being shown at their very best,and the colourful use of matte paintings and red lights giving a pulpy atmosphere to the monster squad.
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Post by politicidal on Mar 19, 2018 2:48:47 GMT
Viva Zapata! (1952) 6/10
The Queen (2006) 4/10
Frost/Nixon (2008) 7/10
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018) 5/10
Cromwell (1970) 6/10
Only the Brave (2017) 8/10
Solace (2015) 4/10
Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967) 6/10
Don't Think Twice (2016) 5/10
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Post by vegalyra on Mar 19, 2018 17:42:38 GMT
The Aviator (Christopher Reeve) - Interesting film about the early days of aviation after WW1 and survival after a crash. Not the best film, but a good picture overall. Disaster Artist (James Franco) - Not yet a classic but a great film about the making of wonderfully bad film by a unusual man.
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Post by teleadm on Mar 19, 2018 19:05:09 GMT
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Post by morrisondylanfan on Mar 19, 2018 22:22:17 GMT
A rare viewing of The Big Short from you Aussie! 😉
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Post by OldAussie on Mar 20, 2018 0:29:22 GMT
I'm addicted - that's at least 13 viewings in 26 months. [cheers]
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Post by mikef6 on Mar 20, 2018 0:56:29 GMT
A quiet week - but real quality in there! Yes, there is a lot of quality there. I would be most interested in seeing “36 Hours” again after all these years. There is a thread running now on Classics about TV actors who would do well on the Big Screen. James Garner was one who made a deliberate attempt to break out of the stereotype of TV Actor, at the time considered to be sort of a ghetto. “36 Hours” was a major step in this process. His previous film, “The Americanization of Emily” had already been a triumph for him. He went on to many more Big Screen hits, including a few gritty pasta-based westerns. He established himself as a bankable movie star before returning to television series work in 1974 (The Rockford Files).
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Post by OldAussie on Mar 20, 2018 6:33:30 GMT
I saw “36 Hours” on television in the 70s and had been keen to catch it again for many years. Finally got a copy and am pleased to say it went down a treat for the whole family. Seldom do we all agree on a movie but this was an all-round winner.
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Post by jeffersoncody on Mar 20, 2018 10:02:50 GMT
Comments/ratings/recommendations/film posters are welcome and much appreciated. Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story (2015). 9 out of 10. Highly Recommended. STAY HUNGRY (1976). 8/10. One of the most underrated and unusual films of the seventies. Funny and perceptive with a terrific lead performance by a young Jeff Bridges and expert support from an ecclectic ensemble cast. Recommended. THE FORGIVEN (2017). 7 out 10. Underrated Roland Joffe film - based on the little known play THE ARCHBISHOP AND THE ANTICHRIST. Ignore Whittaker's over-the-top make up and the bad reviews. As someone who lived through apartheid and has met the met The Arch (Desmond Tutu) I can assure you this tells an authentic story based on truth. The Piet Blomveld character - superbly played by Eric Bana, is based on the late Dirk Coetzee and Eugene De Kock (aka Prime Evil - he killed over 100 people and was released from prison recently). Recommended, but be warned, despite the hopeful ending, it has the stench of authenticity and comes with some extremely violent and unpleasant content. MARROWBONE (2017). 6 out of 10. Well crafted, ambitious and well acted Spanish horror film (shot in English with an English speaking cast) which ultimately disappoints but remains intriguing throughout. Cautiously recommended to genre fans. THE CHI (2018) Season 1 (10 episodes). Gritty, realistic tale of life on Chicago's South Side. Comparable to THE WIRE in some ways, but with a much bigger heart and far more hope. While it doesn't shy away from the violence and drugs on the streets, it has sme truly beautiful charcters who the viewer comes to care about deeply. Can't wait for season 2. Highly Recommended, it comes with standout performances from Jason Mitchell (STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, MUDBOUND), Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine and Steven Williams. Like HAROLD AND LILLIAN: A HOLLYWOOD LOVE STORY, I went into this knowing very little about it, and what a sweet, sweet, surprise it was. FILM STARS DON'T DIE IN LIVERPOOL (2017). Annette Bening is excellent as the late Gloria Grahame in this sad tale of her last days.
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Post by vegalyra on Mar 20, 2018 12:57:31 GMT
Interesting the similarities between the movie posters of Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Limitless. Especially when they are right next to each other...
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Post by MrFurious on Mar 20, 2018 14:21:31 GMT
Selected ones I enjoyed Baby Driver(17) Thankfully for me it lived up to the hype. Sully(16) The Square Peg(58) My first Norman Wisdom film and he had me laughing a few times Suite Française(14) The Legend of Tarzan(16)(3D) Love when these surprise and entertain when youre not expecting it
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