Tikisoo
-
Posts
9,238 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
6
Posts posted by Tikisoo
-
-
16 hours ago, CinemaInternational said:
I will take this moment to remark that I really don't trust Netflix myself....and it is all too true that most of their original TV shows are lurid at best, appalling at worst.
Agreed.
MrTiki joined NETFLIX and I watched that Kathy Bates series DISJOINTED but after 20 episodes it ended abruptly. The acting was good, the writing was ok, but storylines fizzled in 2nd season. Whenever I search for anything to watch on Netflix, find NOTHING of interest. Not impressed with Netflix or Amazon. Both low-ball.
12 hours ago, Lori Ann said:I won't give away the ending.
Don't give away any effort either!
-
1
-
1
-
-
I just watched two movies back to back, both are re-visits recorded from TCM almost a decade ago:
OUR VINES HAVE TENDER GRAPES '45 is a simple story of an immigrant Norwegian family and their tight knit Wisconsin community starring Edward G Robinson, Agnes Moorehead and Margaret O'Brien as the Jacobson family. The story mainly focuses on the father/daughter relationship of Martinius & Selma and their relationship to the townspeople, work ethics & morality.
Being an MGM production, everything is top notch and rather fanciful, if not idealistic. I'm sure most would find Margaret O'Brien & neighbor companion-played by Butch Jenkins- cloying and over sentimental. I found all the performances sincere and touching, actually elevating any insipidness. Jenkins is irresistible with his Buster Keaton deadpan expression putting turtles & frogs in his pockets. In contrast, Margaret O'Brien is rather affectatious, but little girls are like that, so I wholly believed her.
Of course, there's a distracting sideline of the local newspaper heir falling in love with a temp schoolteacher who scoffs at small country life. This aspect of the story was directly lifted by Andy Griffith's show two decades later. One plot point is Selma not sharing her roller skates with Butch and her father teaches her not to be selfish by giving them to the boy! She is sent to bed and her father hearing her crying is tortured, an emotion every parent has felt. Thankfully, the boy's parents are on the same morality page and make him gift the skates back to her for Christmas. Every plot point of this story has a strong moral resolution.
That pretty much sums up the level of believability of this film. Maybe I was the last generation to grow up with it, but it certainly hit home for me. Fabulous performances by all, but I so love Margaret O'Brien.
Then I watched A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH '46 a Powell Pressberger fantasy film. Unlike Our Vines which I remembered vividly, I had forgotten just about everything that happens in this film. As the story unfolded, I was reminded of fave movie HERE COMES MR JORDAN '41 the story of a man who is supposed to die, but the grim reaper misses him. In this case it's David Niven as a WW2 fighter pilot whose plane crashes. He makes a fateful radio call to the base tower, answered by an American WAC played by Kim Hunter.
After crashing, the pilot walks to the WAC's home and they meet & fall in love, mostly fueled by the dramatic miracle of his survival. Complications arise when the (anything but) grim reaper assigned to pick up the pilot's soul is sent down to earth to retrieve it. I do not understand making this charactor into a French fop or "poufter" as the Brits call them. Maybe it was comic relief or maybe it was to contrast human frivolousness to the gravity of this predicament.
In any case, the story ends with a heavenly trial and neat closure as these afterlife fantasies always do. What really stands out here is the telling of the tale - the top notch acting & incredible Technicolor photography by Jack Cardiff. It's a dreamy fantasy and yet another super quality classic picture from P&P.
I especially like when Niven's plane is falling on fire and he asks the WAC on the phone, "Are you pretty?" and she doesn't know how to answer.
-
3
-
1
-
1
-
-
I don't know why I love Joan Bennett so much. Those giant eyes & her voice! Her voice is very distinct and she delivers her lines with lots of emotion, you can feel her character's thoughts.
I like Constance too, but never tire of Joan who seems so versatile & smoldering. I remember being flabbergasted the woman in SCARLETT STREET was the same person as the Mother in FATHER OF THE BRIDE!
-
6
-
-
20 hours ago, EricJ said:
Oh. Anyone else keep confusing it with "Namarie", Tolkien's Elvish "aloha"?
It's just cuddly tradition, like the lights on the street trees, so why not pitch in change every time we pass by? 😇 (Or dollars, because nobody's got coins during the Touchless Electronic-Pay pandemic.)
Pop singers have a right to sing any Christmas song they want to, with two enforceable exceptions:
I hardly ever agree with you Eric, but I do on every point you've made here, most notably- why NOT contribute to the Salvation Army, they really do so much good for our fellow citizens. I was happy to see many of our new Representatives thrift shop for their work suits: recycle & help fund programs for those in need. I bet the contribution helps the ringers get through their shift.
Also agree with your disdain of Favorite Things as a Christmas song unless it's John Coltrane's version which is always appropriate. Another Bing/Andrews Sisters Hawaiian song interpreted by the late, great Leon Redbone:
In Tiki Sue's rotation, natch.
Funny, I first thought of Aloha is a comparison to Namasé as an all encompassing greeting. Not surprised Tolkein borrowed the ancient term.
-
1
-
-
17 hours ago, jamesjazzguitar said:
And after the drop off Nick and the Stork had a few more!
Back in the days when alcoholism was funny.
10 hours ago, txfilmfan said:Twin beds were a real thing among some married couples. Growing up in the 1960s,
Heh, my parents had twin beds. We split the set when moving Mom into an apartment 5 years ago. The granddaughter that took the twin has already discarded it.
-
10 minutes ago, ElCid said:
I think the Christian Evangelicals and Republicans started this whole anything other than Merry Christmas is evil. I do not recall this ever being a discussion until fairly recently.
I was in retail the last decade and that's where it was brought to my attention. I assume corporate headquarters didn't want anyone to feel "excluded" so "Happy Holidays" was the suggested greeting.
It offends & always confounds me how un-Christian-like Christmas has become. Obviously, it's been this way a long time-
"Namasté" means "The light in me recognizes the light in you"
-
1
-
-
11 hours ago, mister37 said:
I'll never understand why anyone would get angry at such a peaceful, loving, emotionally-positive expression.
Well how would you feel if a cashier said goodbye with "Allah has blessed you"? Or even the innocuous "namasté"?
I'm not a Christian and view Christmas as a religious holiday, even though the majority who "celebrate" it, don't. I always wonder how a Christian would react to bombardment of OTHER people's religious beliefs.
I'm real happy when a cashier says a plain old "Thank you" since physically going into a store has severely diminished and there will be no Happy Holidays in 2020.
-
No, but I saw this brilliant home made ornament on someone's FB page & have to make one for myself! (note the person's reflection in Kirk's arm)
-
1
-
-
17 hours ago, txfilmfan said:
The reason is that "Stewball" is not an original song by Peter, Paul & Mary. It's a folk song going back several hundred years.
Yes, Lennon's Christmas song always struck me as a sort of lullaby variation of a standard folk tune with Italian mandolin flourishes & chorale. Wholly acceptable to borrow a classic format, especially for a Christmas song. McCartney's Christmas song otoh is hokey & unlistenable, one of the worst songs of his career. (now that's blasphemous!)
-
1
-
-
Thanks all-I just requested TOO LATE FOR TEARS from my library.
Even though I didn't care for MANK 2020, all radio reviews & others on this board have favorable opinions. I'll give it another look in about 6 months or so, just to see off my opinion changes. It certainly did with my next viewing.....
THE APARTMENT 1960 directed by genius Billy Wilder and starring Jack Lemmon & Shirley MacLaine. I fist saw this about a decade ago and didn't like it very much-unusual that I wouldn't like a Wilder film. In retrospect, it's most likely a factor of the storyline-I don't find infidelity funny-so I most likely just didn't get into the story or was annoyed first viewing.
I watched this last night and just rolled with the boss' rendezvous-almost the same way you suspend your disbelief in a musical. I just took the bosses antics as a plot point not to be taken seriously, it's not really the main focus of the story, just the "set up" of the story. It was especially easy since the trysts were pretty comical anyway.
As most of you know (since everyone's seen this a million times) the comedy takes a dark turn halfway through which (on paper) seems impossible to recover from, going back to a lighthearted comedy. But somehow the strength of the two main charactors brings you through the story to the inevitable, poignant ending. An amazing feat from Wilder & his writing partner IAL Diamond. I was reminded of the ending of WHEN HARRY MET SALLY which I'm sure is an homage to this.
The great writing is matched by all top notch performances, most notably smarmy Fred MacMurray & his goofy managers. You can't take your eyes off of MacLaine who delivers an incredible performance. It's one of those cases where you always know you're watching MacLaine, but you really believe all this is happening to her. She never gets her due as the fabulous talent she is. Lemmon is his typical cute, clever bachelor self, and his great talent can easily be taken for granted too. This is a great looking movie, well photographed, lit, set & costumed. But it's the clever writing & lead actors make this GREAT.
-
1
-
-
On 12/4/2020 at 9:18 PM, NipkowDisc said:
the baron is a hoot in the graveyard with some unkempt lowlife exhuming his grave.
best scene in any hammer movie...
"how do you do...
I'm Baron Frankenstein."
...and the guy falls into the grave, dead! 🤡
-
1
-
-
Sadly, the rest was not any better. Neither MrTiki or I felt ANYTHING for any of the charactors. I have to believe the harsh photography contributed somewhat. Mostly is was just clunky uninspired dialogue-pretty ironic considering this is a story about a brilliant screenwriter!
Thankfully, there was no salaciousness or exploitative scenes, it was kept pretty civil. Everyone's acting was superb as was the sets, costuming & hair. There was very little Welles but the guy who played him was believable.
The real missing piece was illustrating where the idea of Citizen Kane really came from. It appears as if Mank was just hired to write whatever story came into his mind. Wouldn't you guess Welles asked for a particular type of story? Don't you think he would be having input along the way? I do.
The movie shows political involvement by movie studios as possibly an inspiration. It shows Mank's relationship to Hearst & Davies pretty clearly, although Hearst says little. But the motivations & impact are not clear at all. Instead, too many scenes were not necessary, actually repetitive of unimportant, minor points.
I'll give this another look sometime since I so love the subject. Maybe I missed something snoozing. MANK just evoked little response emotionally.
-
18 hours ago, cmovieviewer said:
Is there a single set somewhere with the grey-brick background, or do they have multiple sites for the hosts to record at?
I imagine these are shot in house, I don't see "green screen" lines. My guess is the "walls" are interchangeable, free standing & rolling and they can bring forward/take away furniture & props. It's just a well lit stage like any other.
I LOVE The Handsome Family, they must be Canadian since we're the only two who are familiar with them.
I also loved THE MOVE...that's ELO's drummer Bev Bevan with the black bouffant.
I was just lamenting about the possibility of never enjoying the camaraderie of a crowded concert experience again....and remembered someone passing a fully packed peace pipe down my row in the 70's. That guy below is double dipping' having both the pipe & a cigarette! Merry Christmas!
-
1
-
-
On 11/3/2020 at 1:19 PM, UMO1982 said:
I wonder why anyone would be surprised that she was smart. Davies was also one of the most popular people in Hollywood, a lavish hostess, and a generous friend to many.
Some people tend to think "beautiful" people are successful because of their looks, especially a woman.
I watched half last night and will finish it tonight. I wasn't "sucked in" like I like a movie to do. It's especially easy when it's a subject I like as much as this, so not sure what the problem is. The dialogue seems "talky" instead of "snappy", and is delivered too fast to savor the intent. While Gary Oldman is a standout actor, I'm still not on his side as far as the story goes, although like many "genius" seems to be portrayed having a quirky personality.
Annoying touches: 1. The 20 minute reel change "black dot" in the upper right corner. Not even at the 20 minute point! C'mon.
2. The typed "chapter" titles at the bottom of the screen akin to a script. Read "day" or "night" and the notation (flashback) is distracting rather than grounding.
3. The "naming" of every charactor. The actors are made up to resemble the actual person (except Norma Shearer) They should be REFERRED TO, not a random sentence thrown in to NAME them. For example: it's much better for the charactors to say, "Well, what does Thalberg think?" rather than, "Well, let's ask Irving Thalberg over at MGM what he thinks." The audience will more naturally figure it out.
I'm watching this on an 80" big screen. While I haven't calibrated it, the photography is very high contrast which is tiring for me to watch. I wish there were lighter, maybe softer focus. Looks like it's photographed with filters or maybe altered in PhotoShop. In comparison PAPER MOON's B&W photography is luscious, and easy to watch.
None of the portrayals seem unflattering to me so far. Even Louis Mayer's antics are portrayed pretty comically. MrTiki has zero idea of the story except having seen Citizen Kane. All this backstory is new to him. He seems to enjoy it and thinks it will build up to be a better story in pt 2.
-
1
-
-
19 hours ago, TheOneandOnlyCritic2000 said:
The 70s had everything from the blizzard to amazing.
Uh, each decade has a notable blizzard. They come approx every 11 years due to sun activity and 2021's winter is the 11th year - like we need anything else.
Although I'm not a fan of those you've listed, I'm discovering many really enjoyable films made in the 70's. (and some 80's movies too)
-
On 11/27/2020 at 6:53 AM, cmovieviewer said:
Dec 11 - Marsha Hunt's Sweet Adversity (2015) (doc.)
Dec 11 - Going Attractions: The Definitive Story of the Movie Palace (2019) (doc.)THANKS for your list! I missed those two and still have time to get them on the DVR!!
(apparently even having the schedule as a LIST fails me, now I'm going to complain about not being able to comprehend the FONT!) (just kidding)
-
1
-
-
2 hours ago, Sepiatone said:
Naw. Just getting practice in to be an old lech.
Glad I didn't offend you & you rolled with it. I'm just always amazed when grown men make adolescent comments.
2 hours ago, chaya bat woof woof said:I have also heard dancers in therapy speak of the pressure to be thin (it still happens today).
I'm sure every one of those gals pictured above was just naturally young & thin. Yes, I realize many in the entertainment industry receive pressure to stay unrealistically thin even after having babies. Terrible for your career/survival depending on unattainable standards. I'm sure it drove many to eating disorders.
Me? I just switched careers-Viva the natural physique!
-
2
-
-
2 hours ago, midwestan said:
As for Vera-Ellen's 'problem' with anorexia,
You know some gals are just built like that, especially young althetic types. I had a 22" waist all through my 20's, but boy I never had gorgeous legs like THAT-
You detect anorexia in the face, even those with wide faces just look gaunt. Very-Ellen just looks young & petite with lithe musculature. Similar to Audrey Hepburn, but unfortunately, Audrey truly suffered from malnourishment.
-
1
-
-
18 hours ago, Sepiatone said:
I like the many movies in which Ms. Leigh looks like she's always standing at attention!
What are you, 12 years old?
Thanks AndreaD for reminding me about REMEMBER THE NIGHT '40. I only first saw this about 5 years ago when my film group screened it. I found many parallels to my personal life and several scenes made me cry like a baby. Very embarassing when the lights went up & everyone else was laughing with Christmas cheer.
-
2
-
1
-
-
14 hours ago, midwestan said:
I watched "The Poseidon Adventure" Monday night as part of Shelley Winters' Star Of The Month (snipped) the hottest chick in the picture, Stella Stevens, didn't make it to the rescue point. It was at that moment I cried....
That was THE BEST "review" this thread has seen in a long time, LOL. I've never seen it, can't watch movies about drowning.
Last night I sought out a childhood favorite, 1957's Animated Russian film, THE SNOW QUEEN. I was enthralled with this movie as a child, it was heavily rotated in the 60's on Saturday afternoon's kiddie movie. This classic film has quite a history, being dubbed & edited throughout the years.
This version was Paramount's 1959 English dubbed version with an insipid intro starring Art Linkletter tacked on. (FF) There was a Fleischer credit, but don't know what contribution that may be.
I was pretty sad seeing this version on Tubi-TV, I really would like to see what the 1993 or 1995 restorations may look like. This was pretty much as I remembered it- with jolting jump cuts, possibly missing scenes to bring it to an hour long run time. Some night scenes were so dark, the TV just went black a few seconds-you could only see a pale gray shadow of something moving across the screen. And the lines were fuzzy and color was washed out.
Sandra Dee, Tommy Kirk, June Foray & Paul Frees all do well with the voices and the animation is spectacular-pretty Fleischer like, but more expressive and not as cloying.
The lighting is terrific, especially the old crone in front of the fire near the end. The opening scene of the village bringing you into the story is remarkable. The animation of charactors is exuberant, although people were obviously rotographed. The back grounds were gorgeous & fantastical- the Ice Palace seems to have spotlights where you can see it's glittering transparency. Definitely right up there in quality to what Disney was doing at the time. The Snow Queen was not a nice charactor, reminding me of the Metropolis robot crossed with Malificent:
This is worth seeing if you're into classic animated fairy tales. It's dark, scary and has a theme. I've got to find a restored version, since this was almost unwatchable.
It did not look like this, clip must be from restoration.
-
2
-
-
Haha stan, I agree with your post mostly.
I am not Christian, nor have any children, so Christmas is a non holiday* for me. But I love the sweet sentimentality many "Christmas" movies have. I really like fantasy angel/ghost stories too, so there ya go.
I very much enjoy THE BISHOPS WIFE, HOLLY & THE IVY, MIRACLE ON 34TH ST, all CHRISTMAS CAROLS and especially IAWL (since I live near the town that inspired it-ZuZu always attends their festival!) CHRISTMAS IN CONNECTICUT & HOLIDAY AFFAIR are also faves even though they are more down-to-earth, non fantasy stories.
Agreed-the newer Christmas films leave me cold. THE CHRISTMAS STORY is mean spirited and I've never seen HOME ALONE or BAD SANTA, they just seem in bad taste. So YOU BETTER WATCH OUT sounds perfect-intentionally bad taste making it FUN!
*actually I'm rather amused by the unabashed greediness & viciousness actually seen in stores by those who "celebrate"
-
2
-
-
1 hour ago, musicalnovelty said:
I recall one time it happened several years ago on TCM when the movie "42nd Street" was being run. We got the SAP commentary and couldn't turn it off.
Did the narrator say "tappity tap tap" or "foot touches floor & makes noise"? 😝
-
Yay! Well I LOVE Pittsburgh and visit every opportunity-it's a beautiful city with a unique rich history. Last time I mapped Pittsburgh they had 3 operating Drive Ins. Hope they're still there, definitely the way to see movies during lockdown. Isn't there an incline like San Francisco's?
Are any of the movies listed actually FILMED in Pittsburgh? It has a unique look to it what with the steel mills lining the rivers. Before you complain about Pittsburgh being the brunt of jokes, try living in Syracuse.
-
Here's a video of The Capitol's organ rising from the pit. Oops, it's a Moeller organ, not a WurliTzer. You can see the asbestos curtain, more plain than most, but still made using florescent paints.
For the yearly showing of ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE the house organist wears a Santa suit. But Halloween is great-the house organist wears a black cape and there's dry ice mist as the organ rises-spooky!
-
1
-
1
-
How In The Sam Hill? - Swearing In The Movies During The Studio Era
in General Discussions
Posted
How about THIS guy who endlessly muttered swear words-