Tikisoo

Someone recommended DEAD RINGERS to me decades ago. I misunderstood and watched this: I've been told Cronenberg movies would be too "intense" for me. Although by reading this thread they sound more bloody & exploitative than really scary or violent. Sounds like I'll give THE BROOD a try, since babies are scary anyway.

Ugh. Wouldn't it be WONDERFUL if Netflix got caught in a time wormhole and reverted back to the "lending library" it originally was? Sure, Netflix puts Blockbuster out of business, then STOPS OFFERING the previously huge inventory of rare & classic films! I've been enjoying BBC's series GHOST. Mr Tiki is proud of me, he thinks I have poor commitment skills since I'm not a "series" person. But Ghost fits my personality perfectly since I live in a haunted house & am a restorationist.

I'm sorry to say I abandoned Norman Lear's EVEN THIS I GET TO EXPERIENCE more than 3/4 of the way through because THE BOYS by Clint & Ron Howard came from the library & have to return it in 3 weeks! Not difficult - Lear's book was drifting away from his productive TV years and wallowing in his political views & actions. But THE BOYS is incredibly entertaining. Instead of reading about great stars living way before my time, Ron & Clint are about my age. I experienced many of what's described the same time they did, giving a wholly different perspective to my enjoyment of the book.

Haha I doubt it. Fan can be really pushy. It's my job to escort the star around as "security" and fend off any crazies. Some really need time to gear up or relax. Performing on a set among colleagues is very different from alone on stage as yourself. I've even walked in unknowingly on a star lounging in the Office. I did not know the Security guard but he almost physically pushed me out. I had no idea anyone was in there, I just wanted to use the private washrooms...but I def got the vibe of unkosher activities/panic.

Unwatchable in my opinion. Gunfire in an oxygen filled rocket ship? Did anyone realize bazookas exhaust out the back & would ignite the control panel? Ugh next week another rubber creature. Yawn.

So many laud LONESOME DOVE, I better see if the li-berry has it. I tried watching POWER OF THE DOG a few weeks ago and couldn't finish it. I was bored by the performances, story line, pretty much everything. I can't even tell you what it's about. Maybe I fell asleep & missed something?

Yes! And considering I look more like Harpo Marx than Marilyn Monroe, I'd say that's a good thing! I was actually brought up very strictly: Could not get my ears pierced until I was 18, no high heels or wear black until 21. When I see my beautiful 35 year old niece with tattooed sleeves, drinking beer from a bottle...still makes me cringe. But I have learned to accept modern trends are not associated with morality or class as it was in my Mother's day, as I was brought up. I was always culturally outdated from a sheltered upbringing, although always been a great predictor of trends a decade before everyone else and was the first person in the United States to have hot pink hair in 1977.

Here's an interesting picture.... I was taught ladies should never drink from a bottle, only a glass or cup-you never know who's watching!

WOW thanks for posting that! It's always fun to see a youth picture of someone you are only familiar with as an older person. (like C. Aubrey Smith or Bert Mustin) Although they are from different time periods, both my Mother & I always mix up Helton with the delightful Wallace Shawn! They have similar round faces, big smiles & unique voices!

I'm a Fredric March fan too, my favorite being 1959's MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT (along with Anthony Adverse) both seen on TCM pretty regularly.

...when searching for pictures to post here, came across some of the creepy props from the movie for sale: A barbaric looking piece of memorabilia perfect for display in your home or office.

It sounds like the movie just tries to pull nostalgic strings instead of presenting a well written, solid story. I don't care for movies that spend the lion's share of effort on nostalgia props/music/costuming and less attention on a script/story that will emotionally engage the viewer. For example: Forest Gump is a FAIL for it's awful script & execution while Once Upon A Time In Hollywood presents a better balance of story/production elements.

I had heard Carol Burnett repeat her Lucy story so many times, I really wanted to see ONCE UPON A MATTRESS just to see her performance. Alas, there is no visual recording of her in her breakout role, but I was pleased to see a 2005 TV movie version at least with Burnett participating. I had zero idea of what I'd be seeing. The story opens in a fairy tale setting and first thought the visual design was too bright & cheesy. I then realized this version, (produced by Burnett for Disney) was recreating the "look" of a stage production. I still found it kind of overpowering & harsh on a TV screen. We first see a romance between 2 royal staffers played by Zooey Dechanel & Matthew Morrison who both succeeded as strong supporting charactors. Carol Burnett came out as the cartoony truly evil Queen and Tom Smothers as the quiet King. At first, I found the tale maudlin and was worried I'd abandon it. An unwanted pregnancy brings a little hint of interesting conflict.... ...and then comes Tracy Ullman as Princess Winnefred. I have not seen Ullman in anything since her TV show-completely aware of her huge talent-but not prepared for the performance I was about to see. Her appearance in this movie completely turned the tide from a simpering bore to a dynamic, entertaining exciting show! Ullman bounds out with bombastic, ironic song "SHY" and carries the entire story from that point on and that's saying a lot considering Carol Burnett's strong performance as the evil Queen. Ullman is adorable, vivacious and very unprincess-like but like Ullman herself, shoots adrenaline into this fairy tale kingdom. I won't tell any of how the story unfolds, but only say I loved this. I liked the songs, with many clever, hilarious lyrics. There were also fun dance numbers, in many ways the costumes/choreography reminded me of 7Brides7Bros. This was filmed pretty "stagey" but included some close-up shots you'd never see live. I finally deduced Carol Burnett originally played the Princess and I bet she was great. But I think Tracey Ullman was most likely even better. Looking at all the stars who have played Princess Winnefred -Dodie Goodman, Imogene Coca, Sarah Jessica Parker- I'd guess they were probably all good, but wow Tracey Ullman was really just perfect. (she was 45 years old in this production!) All the supporting roles were excellent, the role of silent King was played by Tom Smothers who hasn't aged a day. His role had been played by Buster Keaton, I can easily see that. I do have to mention the beautiful costumes, all upstaged by the incredible creations of Bob Mackie for Burnett. His costumes were all structural fantasies with incredible jewel work, head pieces and flattering lines. My eyes popped out at her last costume that had jeweled netting bodice & sleeves (covered in picture below by orange fur trim) So glad I sought this one out! Fun musical that would appeal to kids especially.

Agree- Ron Glass was packed with talent. I loved him in everything I'd ever seen him in. I still quote his line (with his menacing inflection) from ALL IN THE FAMILY; "Black is beautiful, baby" TXfilmfan said: These are not spontaneous experiences by any means. Correct. Realize these are people who think this will be their big break into celebrity, their adorableness will be discovered! Note I did not say "talent" because apparently, people want to become "celebrities" or "famous" or insidious "influencers" rather than actually having a talent & entertaining others.

Back in the old days when they sent physical media, often the wrong version print would be sent by mistake. Wondering if there's a "rights" difference in the restored/unrestored versions & that's all TCM can get. Ugh. I recently saw a cute, smart 5 year old relative for the first time since lockdown and could not believe he was glued to a laptop watching OTHER KIDS PLAY. On a playground, with toys, building blocks, etc. I see obesity in his future. Although, is it much different from reading a book or watching a movie? We're just sitting around while Cary Grant climbs Mt Rushmore on a screen the same way the kids watch other kids play. Maybe what I object to is how "small" the subject is...watching a story set in Scotland inspires me to go there, a cowboy movie might ignite a desire to take riding lessons...what we read/view as passive entertainment can open our minds to expand our real lives. How many of us have changed our mind/seem multiple sides of controversial issues by watching a movie about it? Watching someone open a box or react to a song is so individual, it teaches us little. I'm not interested in (virtual) individuals personal lives in contrast to being very interested in movie stars. They told us stories we emotionally relate with.

Hessman had a smooth beautiful speaking voice & delivery, making him wholly believable as Dr Johnny Fever-what perfect casting! He also brought great physical comedy along with that voice and his hip appearance. Although, those satin pants in the first clip is a bit much. Amazing that we could ever find that (black/white stereotype) skit funny. Guess we could acknowledge, embrace & amused by cultural differences at one point in time, rather than being offended & angered by it. Wonder if someday stoner hippies will take offense to the Johnny Fever charactor? Rest in Peace Howard, you made us laugh for several generations.

Thank you for mentioning this. I too thought Karloff was exceptionally good in this stinker of a movie. Too bad but I'd watch Karloff reading the newspaper. I just love him, and find him handsome & elegant. Also really liked his beautiful silver hair in this movie, but doubt it was his own. I met Karloff's daughter several years ago and she possesses the same qualities as her father both visually & in demeanor. A beautiful woman, inside & out.

Thanks for the thread & video....all movies are time capsules, but no other City is quite as extreme as NYC. I remember 70's NYC well, Times Square was just as crazy as the video depicts. Notice it's all men hanging around? One of my favorite depictions of NYC in the 70's was in THE GOODBYE GIRL '77 when Richard Dreyfuss' charactor has to take a job as a barker for a strip club. A guy on the street asks if it's "dirty" and Dreyfuss replies, "Dirty, VERY dirty" (a phrase I use a lot that no one ever recognizes) NYC was notorious with routine muggings, hilariously depicted in WHERE'S POPPA? '70 and scarier, more realistic in '91's THE FISHER KING and TORCH SONG TRILOGY '88. The plethora of wanton crime we're experiencing recently is exactly the same as what was happening in 1970's NYC. Most crime went unpunished because the cops were overwhelmed & not backed by the legal "system" (or the public) so criminals took advantage of the situation. Sound familiar? It took Ed Koch to turn the heart of NYC around by hiring more police and enforcing stricter zoning laws to "clean up" Times Square, which had a radiating effect to the entire City, bringing it back for tourists as well as residents to enjoy. Disney has further "cleaned up" the area homogenizing it, but it's still preferable to seedy sin city, imho. During the lockdown, I watched a lot of live cams of Times Square & Manhattan. It was weird to see giant LED screens bombarding empty streets & sidewalks with with flashes of light.

Oh yes, the "claims".... I predict joining Amazon will ruin them....and us, if we keep blindly supporting Amazon. My local art supply store hooked up with Amazon to "expand" their inventory & globalize their consumer base. I go into the store to buy a product because I need it now & they cheerily say, "We'll order it for you & it'll be delivered to your door!" (for only additional $12 mailing!) Instead, I leave & order the item directly from the manufacturer or from a distributer 800 miles away for less. I was trying to support my neighbors & a local store . This is most troublesome when an emergency happens & you need veterinary medical supplies now, today. You can't stock up because it's perishable nor can you wait even overnight to administer it. Not an Amazon fan.

I wish they'd "change back" to the days when you could buy clothing & housewares with the great original logos. I've started my day drinking coffee from a mug like this over 25 years. Wish I could buy more of them. This is what they offer now. No cool retro graphic, just bland Helvetica & blue stripes-how does that reflect classic movies? Dumbrasses. The merchandising department obviously nows nothing about marketing for profit. You don't sell stuff found elsewhere like DVDs, you only offer "exclusive" merchandise that can only be purchased from YOUR company.

New Report: just picked up BOUND FOR GLORY ....no Woody Allen titles left, the pile is about 1/10th what it was a week ago. Betcha some entrepreneur picked up a bunch to re-sell when DVDs disappear altogether & everything is pay-per-view. I also noticed a lot of suggested articles about "stars that continue to work with & defend Woody". Obviously, he's not enjoying seeing his movies (& brand) downgraded to the bargain basement & trying to shine off the tarnish with positive publicity. Guess Mia's defamation plan worked.

Agree, her transformation in that movie, but the charactor is still polite & refined, just resolved. Her meek charactor seems similar in the HEIRESS as her role as Melanie in GWTW. DeHavilland always comes across to me as mawkish & subordinate, "mealy mouthed" as Scarlett describes her. DeHavilland's charactor was only revealed as evil at the end of Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte '64, so she still acted "sweet" for the entire movie.

My trip through movie watching has certainly taken some weird turns. I did some search on my library's collection and found NO DEPOSIT, NO RETURN '76. It stars Don Knotts, David Niven, Vic Tayback, Barbara Feldon....how could I go wrong? What a terrible mess of a film that was. BUT, I did notice Charles Martin Smith, as another stereotypical "nerd" as his Toad charactor in the more successful AMERICAN GRAFFITI '73. Really, Smith stole every scene he was in, in this teeny supporting role. I requested both very beloved movies NEVER CRY WOLF '83 & GRAFFITI from my library just to revisit CM Smith. But I also saw STONE OF DESTINY 2008 among his writing/directing credits. Wow-that one sounded right up my alley so I searched & found it streaming on IMDB! It's the TRUE story of a large stone that was a fixture in the Scottish Monarch crowning ceremony stolen by Kind Edward 1 in 1296 & placed in Westminster Abbey. Worse, the stone was placed under Britain's coronation throne seat! Oy! The Scots have been insulted by the Brits in so many ways, the stone becomes a symbol of independence and a couple of college kids plot to bring it back to Scotland. A 600 lb block encased under an ancient wooden throne! The story is all about their caper and despite some thick accents, pretty exciting. You just have to ignore the "mumbling" although most of the time they speak very clearly. The editing and story arc keep a perfect pace and the scenery of course is spectacular. I was amazed Westminster Abbey conceded to allow filming inside, but so glad they did-you couldn't reproduce the grandeur and even the sound of an echo-y stone cathedral. I was on the edge of my seat for most of it and (as usual) cried at the ending. I think Charles Martin Smith is my new hero; although he's a fine actor, his writing & directing make him a star in my book.

Because he had spent 5 years on radio starring in LIFE WITH LUIGI with similarly well accented Alan Reed. I never liked Naish, I think he's an overacting ham. But maybe some have to take that attitude to bolster their courage to ACT. I just watched silly NO DEPOSIT NO RETURN '76 and saw James Hong's name in the credits. He seems like a modern, living Ward Bond.