skimpole
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I've seen seven movies in the last two weeks, five this week and two the week before. Valeria and the Sea of Wonders is not a bad film, nor is it my favorite example of the Czech new Wave. I suppose the post invasion censors looked at it and suspected that while it probably wasn't too fond of the Novotny/Brezhnev style of rule, its criticisms were so obscure that they could get an undeserved reputation for liberalism by allowing its release. The Temptress has some interesting aspects, though Greta Garbo is surprising passive as the title character. I wish i had payed Kean more attention while it was on. The Fog struck me as uninteresting as most of John Carpenter's movies. Saboteur is not the most profound of Hitchcock's movies, and Robert Cummings is definitely no Cary Grant nor Robert Donat. But it's actually fairly exciting and well paced. Ice is an interesting 1969 movie about people plotting a Socialist revolution in the United States. At the same time it seemed possibly prophetic, now the concept appears like science fiction. The Forsaken Land is a not entirely successful Sri Lankan movie that touches and alludes to the country's violent struggle with Tamil separatists. Somewhat opaque and still, it certainly has more sex and nudity than most movie from the Indian sub-continent.
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1988
Overrated: The Accused, Beetlejuice, Child's Play, Dead Ringers, Die Hard, The Last Temptation of Christ, Mississippi Burning, Scrooged, Willow, Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
Underrated: The Accidental Tourist, Another Woman, Appointment with Death, Bat 21, Big Business, Biloxi Blues, Bird, Buster, Clara's Heart, Crossing Delancey, The Dead Pool, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Eight Men Out, Fresh Horses, Funny Farm, Gorillas in the Mist, A Handful of Dust, Little Dorrit, Madame Sousatzka, Married to the Mob, Masquerade, Memories of Me, Midnight Run, The Milagro Beanfield War, Moon Over Parador, Mr. North, A New Life, Punchline, Some Girls, Stand and Deliver, Stealing Home, Sunset, Switching Channels, Things Change, A Time of Destiny, Tucker: The Man and His Dream, Vice Versa, Without a Clue
I actually haven't seen most of those movies. I thought Willow was perfectly amusing when I saw it at 18. I would think Midnight Run is generally considered one of the best movies of the year. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Eight Men Out strike me as unexceptionable, while Little Dorrit strikes me a wasted opportunity. The Accidental Tourist strikes me as irritating and shallow.
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Well Mrs. Capuchin, although the themes are kind of broad, and My Neighbor Totoro is really a 1988 film, moving through the decades is a nice idea. I'm a Slave of Love fan myself, and as a Canadian, I would also like the chance to see Close-Up.
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1981
Overrated: An American Werewolf in London, The Cannonball Run, Dragonslayer, Escape from New York, The Evil Dead, Mad Max: The Road Warrior, Neighbors, Possession, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Reds, S.O.B., Stripes
Underrated: Absence of Malice, All Night Long, Buddy Buddy, Cattle Annie and Little Britches, The Chosen, Cutter's Way, Eye of the Needle, Eyewitness, First Monday in October, Fort Apache the Bronx, The Four Seasons, The French Lieutenant's Woman, Gallipoli, The Great Muppet Caper, Gregory's Girl, Modern Romance, Mommie Dearest, Only When I Laugh, Pennies from Heaven, Prince of the City, Quest for Fire, Raggedy Man, Ragtime, Rich and Famous, Taps, They All Laughed, True Confessions, The Woman Next Door
Who are the people overrating The Cannonball Run or Neighbors, which are movies which have gotten consistently awful reviews over the past 33 years?
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That there is a contrast between the persona actors present and their actual character goes without saying--we're dealing with actors after all. But while I don't think the sex life of Gary Cooper is particularly relevant to appreciating, say, The Lives of a Bengal Lancer, I have to make an exception for John Wayne. The contradiction in his persona--he was valorized as a hero for playing a hero, in contrast to Astaire and Kelly who actually could dance, and many movie comedians who were actually funny--irritates me. Wayne's best films actually show more ambiguity about himself, but it does mean that not being enthused his myth means that a movie like The Shootist has no particular appeal to me.
Some movies are affected by their reputation. The 1963 Cleopatra has been hurt by its reputation as the most expensive movie of its time, possibly of all time, and the aggressive campaign to recoup its costs left a bitter taste among critics who are not easily intimidated. Yet arguably it is a better movie than the other best picture nominees of 1963, even if it is clearly not one of the best movies of that year.
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SKIMPOLE'S PROGRAMMING NOTES
Schedule for February 14, 2016-February 20, 2016
Star of the Month: Adolphe Menjou
Friday Night Spotlight: Honoring the Palme D'Or
TCM Silent Sunday: Lonesome (1928)
TCM Imports Double Feature: Lovers of the Arctic Circle (1998), A Very Long Engagement (2004)
The Essentials: Two or Three Things I Know About Her...(1967)
Underground Double Feature: The Usual Suspects (1995) The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Guest Programmer: Chernabog, the High Demon from Fantasia
Character Feature: Prime-time Tuesday from the Seventies
1920s 3
1930s 17
1940s 11
1950s 6
1960s 13
1970s 17
1980s 7
1990s 2
2000s 3
Premieres:
Peter Ibbetson (1934)
When the wind Shakes the Barley (2006)
One from the Heart (1982)
Fitzcarraldo(1982)
Blade Runner (1982)
Barry Lyndon (1975)
Miracle in Milan (1951)
The Chronicle of the Years of Fire (1975)
The Crime of Monsieur Lange (1936)
Two or Three Things I Know About Her...(1967)
Exempt Premieres:
Lonesome (1928) (Silent)
Lovers of the Arctic Circle (1998) (TCM Imports)
A Very Long Engagement(2004) (TCM Imports)
Celine and Julie go Boating (1974) (Character Challenge)
Providence (1977) (Character Challenge)
The Usual Suspects (1995) (Underground)
The Eternal Sunshine of the the Spotless Mind (2004) (Underground)
We start Sunday off with the reason why I decided to do a February 14 schedule in the first place, so that I could schedule a whole day of my favorite love stories. It includes loving marriages, turbulent marriages, failed love affairs, obsessive desire, and tragically thwarted love. Monday happens to be President's Day. And nothing says Washington and Lincoln then the birth of the American nation. So how we can discuss "the Birth of a Nation," without actually showing The Birth of Nation? We start off with Henry Fonda in a John Ford movie that is one of the few decent films about the actual birth of the United States. Later on, Fonda and Ford return with the better of the two classic Hollywood films about Lincoln. For the rest of the day, we have films that touch on the Birth of a Nation theme, starting off with Britain's myth of King Arthur, and then moving on to Vietnam, India, Algeria, Ireland, Israel, and, in a nice contrast, Libya.
Ordinarily Februarys on TCM are spent honoring the Oscars. And while this does let us see movies that might otherwise be ignored, it also means that we're stuck with the Academy's questionable taste. So this week we have an Oscar anti-tribute. First we spend Tuesdays looking at some of the greatest performances that the Academy ignored: five actors and seven actresses. (The first cast member mentioned is the great performer being ignored). Our special character spotlight focuses on four movies from the Seventies and the five unforgettable characters involved. ("I hate violence. It reeks of spontaneity.") Then on Wednesday, our Oscar anti-tribute looks at works by six Academy honored directors--McCarey, Fleming, Minnelli, Wilder, Mankewicz and Coppola that were considerably less successful, respected or remembered, but which arguably is more interesting than some of the work they were honored.
Our cartoon character guest host is Chernabog the high demon from Fantasia. Rather happily, we have exclusive access to his guest appearance beemed live from Bald Mountain. First off, Chernabog dismisses the idea that his film choices would emphasize lust ("Leaving aside the fact that human beings have far too high an opinion of their own attractiveness, physical beauty only lasts for a decade or two. And I've lived billions of years") or brutal violence ("the problem with cruelty is that it's basically wasted on human beings. You're such limited creatures. Often it's like taunting ants by banning Shakespeare. It just doesn't work, and God knows I've tried.") He also denies any attempt to use TCM to engage in dark satanic brainwashing. ("First off, that's what Fox News is for. Also, AMC. Second, where I would watch decent films if I used TCM to destroy civilization? Those Max Ophuls movies aren't going to show themselves.") So what is theme of the movies he's chosen? It's gross Oscar injustice. He starts off with two of the least respected best picture winners. He also includes Kitty Foyle ("Not only did Rogers beat Hepburn and Davis, but Rosalind Russell and Margaret Sullavan didn't even get nominated!) He is especially gleeful over the success of A Man and A Woman ("Seriously, I cannot go on enough at how completely undeserved the success of this movie was. Renoir, Clouzot, Godard, Bresson, Melville, Resnais, Rivette Denis, Demy, Varda, Pialat, Becker, Marker, Malle all go completely unnoticed by the Academy, and this piece of meretricious treacle wins everything. It beat Masculin/Feminin, Au Hazard Balthazar and Second Breath as the official French nominee for 1966. It beat out The Battle of Algiers and Loves of a Blonde on the oscar ballot, while Persona, The Round-Up and Come Drink with Me didn't even make the ballot. It even beat Chimes at Midnight, Doctor Zhivago and The Hawks and the Sparrows at Cannes. As a fallen angel I may yet face a future of infinite and eternal torment, but the fact that at one of the great periods of international cinema, millions of Americans thought this twaddle was the height of foreign films will always warm my heart.") In between these movies is Meshes of the Afternoon, which it turns out films a visit he had to the Derens ("I don't see why people find it sinister. I personally had a delightful time.") And while The Seventh Victim is too late for Chernabog to actually guest host, we do have some of his thoughts on the movie. ("Do you know what I like about these people? They're so polite.")
On Thursday our Oscar anti-tribute starts off the day looking at foreign language films. (Interestingly, the 18th is Toni Morrison's birthday, and if you wanted to fill the 14 hours with movies based on works by American Nobel laureates, it turns out Dodsworth, The Grapes of Wrath, To Have and Have Not, Long Days Journey into Night, Yentl and Beloved will fit exactly into it.) As you probably know the Foreign Film Oscar involves three steps. (1) Each country officially nominates a movie for the honor. (2) The Academy chooses five nominees, and (3) the voters choose an actual winner. This offers three hurdles for winners to meet. What the six movies shown on Thursday morning and afternoon have in common is that they all met the first step, being the official nominee of their country. They were not chosen to be a nominee, and indeed this is the closest that Chahine, Ozu, Tarkovsky, Resnais, Dreyer and Herzog ever got to winning a competitive oscar. (That's not actually completely true. Resnais won an oscar for a short film at the beginning of his career, Herzog was nominated for a documentary in 2008, and Chahine, Tarkovsky and Herzog were all nominated by their countries for another film. The Academy didn't nominate those films either.) Thursday evening, we have five films by star of the month Adolphe Menjou. He was not only born in February, but on the 18th as well.
Our Oscar anti-tribute continues on Friday by looking at Art Direction. We have two deserving movies that didn't win (Alien and Blade Runner), two movies that did win (The Dark Angel and This Above All) as well as the two more well-regarded movies that they ended up beating (Top Hat and The Magnificent Ambersons) along with one indisputably deserved winner, Barry Lyndon, continuing with my promise to keep including the movie on my schedule until TCM actually shows it. Our Oscar anti-tribute continues with our Friday spotlight on the Palme D'Or. The last film M*A*S*H is a convenient transition since the 20th is the birthday of director Robert Altman, and the movie won an oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Our final Oscar anti-tribute looks at screenplays. We start with four movies from the thirties. The Smiling Lieutenant stands for the many Lubitsch movies--all of them, in fact--that never won a Screenplay oscar. The Marx Brothers and W.C. Fields also didn't get the oscar nod, and neither did Jean Renoir. The next category of screenplays comes from two masters of silent comedy, with Monsieur Verdoux and M. Hulot's Holiday actually getting a nomination. (Though both lost, to The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer and Interrupted Melody respectively). "A New Yorker state of Mind" looks at three films by Rohmer, Marker and Godard, whose style is either close to the magazine (whose anniversary is actually the 21st) or New Yorker film production. We then close out the evening with four movies, including three oscar screenplay winners. In our trio of literate murder mysteries, Chinatown and The Usual Suspects won oscars and the only reason The Conversation didn't is that it was competing against Chinatown. Finally we have The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, which in a way turns back to the 14th, when originally it was supposed to be the last film of the romantic films of February 14, 2015. -
I've been busy reading for the past few days, but at last...
Sunday February 14, 2016:
The Greatest Love Stories Ever
06:00 AM Peter Ibbetson (1935) Paramount BW-88 min, Gary Cooper, Ann Harding, D: Henry Hathaway Premiere#1
07:30 AM The Thin Man (1934) MGM BW-93 min William Powell, Myrna Loy D: W.S. Van Dyke P/S
09:15 AM Jules et Jim (1961) SEDIF BW-104 min Jeanne Moreau, Oskar Werner, Henri Serre D; Francois Truffaut P/S
11:00 PM Two for the Road (1967), Fox C-111m, Albert Finney, Audrey Hepburn, D: Stanley Donen P/S
01:00 PM Journey to Italy (1953) Titanus BW-85 min George Sanders, Ingrid Bergman D: Roberto Rossellini P/S
02:30 PM Tess (1979) Columbia C-186 min Natassja Kinski, Peter Firth D: Roman Polanski P/S
05:45 PM Vertigo (1958) Paramount C-128 min James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes D: Alfred Hitchcock P/S
08:00 PM A Woman Under the Influence (1974) Cine-Source C-155 min Gena Rowlands, Peter Falk D: John Cassavettes P/S
10:45 PM Manhattan (1979) United Artists BW-96 min Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Mariel Hemingway D: Woody Allen P/S
12:30 AM (Silent) Lonesome (1928) Universal BW-75 min Barbara Kent, Glenn Tryon, D: Paul Fejos
01:45 AM (TCM Imports) Lovers of the Arctic Circle (1998) Canal+ C-112 min Fele Martinez, Najwa Nimri D: Julio Medem EXEMPT
03:45 AM (TCM Imports) A Very Long Engagement (2004) Warner Independent Pictures C-133 min Audrey Tautou, Gaspard Ulliel, Marion Cotillard, Jodie Foster D: Jean-Pierre Jeunet EXEMPT
Monday February 15, 2016
How to honor "Birth of a Nation" without actually showing it
06:00 AM Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) 20th Century Fox C-103 min Henry Fonda, Claudette Colbert, Edna May Oliver D: John Ford P/S
07:45 AM Camelot (1967) Warner Bros C-179 min Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero D: Joshua Logan P/S
10:45 AM Hearts and Minds (1974) Rialto Pictures C-112 min D: Peter Davis P/S
12:45 PM Gandhi (1982) Columbia C-188 min Ben Kingsley, Candice Bergen D: Richard Attenborough P/S
04:00 PM The Battle of Algiers (1966) Igor films BW-121 min Jean Martin D: Gillo Pontecorvo P/S
06:15 PM Young Mr. Lincoln (1939) Fox BW-100 min, Henry Fonda, Alice Brady, D: John Ford
08:00 PM The Wind that Shakes the Barley (2006) Pathe Distribution C-127 min Cillian Murphy, Liam Cunningham D: Ken Loach PREMIERE#2
10:15 PM Exodus (1960) United Artists C-208 min Paul Newman, Eva Marie Saint, Sal Mineo D: Otto Preminger P/S
02:00 AM Lion in the Desert (1981) Anchor Bay Entertainment C-206 min Anthony Quinn, Oliver Reed, Rod Steiger, D: Moustapha Akkad P/S
Tuesday February 16, 2016
Oscar Anti-Tribute 1: The greatest performances Oscar never cared about
05:30 AM The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) Societie Generales des Film BW-77 min Maria Falconetti, Eugene Silvain, D: Carl Theodor Dreyer P/S
07:00 AM M (1931) Vereinigte Star-Film GmbH BW-111 min Peter Lorre, Otto Wernicke D: Fritz Lang P/S
09:00 AM Modern Times (1936) United Artists BW-87 min Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard D: Charles Chaplin P/S
10:30 AM Casablanca (1942) Warner Bros BW-102 min Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains D: Michael Curtiz P/S
12:15 PM Late Spring (1949) Shochiku BW-108 min Setsuko Hara, Chishu Ryu D: Yasujiro Ozu P/S
02:15 PM All About Eve (1950) 20th Century Fox BW-138 min Bette Davis, George Sanders, Anne Baxter. D: Joseph L. Mankiewicz P/S
04:45 PM Children of Paradise (1945) Societe Nouvelle Pathe Cinema BW-190 min Arletty, Jean-Louis Barrault, Pierre Brasseur D: Marcel Carne P/S
Greatest performances Oscar never cared about with fantastic characters seventies division
08:00 PM (Hercule Poirot) Murder on the Orient Express Paramount C-128 min Albert Finney, Richard Widwark, Lauren Bacall D: Roman Polanski P/S
10:15 PM (Ana) The Spirit of the Beehive (1973) Elias Querejita Producciones C-98 min Ana Torent, Isabela Telleria D; Victor Erice P/S
12:00 AM (Julie and Celine) Celine and Julie go Boating (1974) Action Films C-193 min Dominique Labourier, Juliet Berto, Barbet Schroeder D: Jacques Rivette EXEMPT
03:30 AM (Claude Langham) Providence (1977) Action Films C-110 min Dirk Bogarde, John Gielguld, Ellen Burstyn, David Warner D: Alain Resnais EXEMPT
Wednesday February 16, 2016
Oscar Anti-Tribute 2: Spotlight on Oscar winning directors and their less respected work
05:30 AM My son John (1952) Rainbow Production C-122 min Helen Hayes, Robert Walker D: Leo McCarey P/S
07:45 AM Bombshell (1933) MGM BW-96 min Lee Tracy, Jean Harlow, Frank Morgan D: Victor Fleming P/S
09:30 AM Yolanda and the Thief (1945) MGM C-108 min Fred Astaire, Lucille Bremer, Frank Morgan D: Vincente Minnelli P/S
11:30 AM The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) United Artists C-125 min Robert Stephens, Genevieve Page, Colin Blakely P/S
01:45 AM Cleopatra (1963) 20th Century Fox C-248 min Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Rex Harrison, Roddy McDowall D: Joseph Mankiewicz P/S
06:00 PM One from the Heart (1982) Columbia C-107 min Frederic Forrest, Teri Garr, Raul Julia, Nastassja Kinski D: Francis Ford Coppola PREMIERE#3
Guest Programmer Chernabog the High Demon from Fantasia
08:00 PM Cavalcade (1933) Fox Film Production BW-110 min Diana Wynard, Clive Brook, Una O'Connor D: Frank Lloyd P/S
10:00 PM Cimarron (1931) RKO Radio Productions BW-124 min Richard Dix, Irene Dunne D: Wesley Ruggles
12:15 AM A Man and a Woman (1966) Allied Artists C-102 min Anouk Aimee, Jean-Louis Tritrignant D: Claude Lelouch P/S
02:15 AM Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) Mystic Fire Video BW-15 min Maya Deren, Alexander Hammid D; Maya Deren P/S
02:45 AM Kitty Foyle (1940) RKO Radio Pictures BW-108 min Ginger Rogers, Dennis Morgan, James Craig D: Sam Wood P/S
04:45 AM The Seventh Victim (1943) RKO Radio Pictures BW-71 min Tom Conway, Jean Brooks D: Mark Robson P/S
Thursday February 18, 2016
Oscar Anti-Tribute 3: Great foreign film directors specifically ignored by the Academy
06:00 AM Cairo Station (1958) Gabriel Talhamy BW-95 min Youssef Chahrine, Hind Rostum, Farid Shawqi D: Yussef Chahine P/S
07:45 AM Ivan's Childhood (1962), Mosfilm, BW-95 min, Nikolai Burlyaev, Valentin Zubkov, Evgeny Zharikov D: Andrei Tarkovsky
09:30 AM Late Autumn (1960) Shochiku C-128 min Setsuko Hara, Yoko Tsukasa D: Yasujiro Ozu P/S
11:45 AM Last Year in Marienbad (1961) Cocinor BW-94 min Delphin Seyrig, Giorgio Albertazzi, Sacha Pitoeff D:Alain Resnais P/S
01:30 PM Gertrud (1964) Palladium BW-116 min Nina Pens Rode, Bendt Rothe, Ebbe Rode D: Carl Theodor Dreyer P/s
03:30 PM Fitzcarraldo (1982) Werner Herzog Filmproduktion C-157 min Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale, Jose Lewgoy D: Werner Herzog PREMIERE#4
06:15 PM Burden of Dreams (1982) Flower Films C-95 min D: Les Blank P/S
Star of the Month Adolphe Menjou
08:00 PM You were Never Lovelier (1942) Columbia BW-97 min Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, Adolphe Menjou D: William A. Seiter P/S
09:45 PM A Farewell to Arms (1932) Paramount BW-89 min Helen Hayes, Gary Cooper, Adolphe Menjou D: Frank Borzage P/S
11:30 PM Pollyanna (1960) Walt Disney Productions, C-134 min Hayley Mills, Jane Wyman, Adolphe Menjou D: David Swift P/S
02:00 AM A Woman of Paris (1923) United Artists BW-93 min Edna Purviance, Carl Miller, Adolphe Menjou D: Charles Chaplin P/S
03:45 AM Stage Door (1937) RKO BW-91 min Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Adolphe Menjou D: Gregory La Cava P/S
Friday February 19, 2015:
Oscar Anti-Tribute 4: Art-Direction
05:30 AM Alien (1979) 20th Century Fox c-117 min Sigourney Weaver, Yaphet Kotto, Ian Holm D: Ridley Scott P/S
07:30 AM Top Hat (1935) RKO BW-101 min Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edward Everett Horton D: Mark Sandrich P/S
09:15 AM The Dark Angel (1935) United Artists BW-110 min Fredric March, Merle Oberon, Herbert Marshall D: Sidney A. Franklin P/S
11:15 AM Blade Runner (1982) Warner Bros C-117 min Harrison Ford, Sean Young, Rutger Hauer, D: Ridley Scott PREMIERE#5
01:15 PM This Above All (1942) 20th Century Fox BW-110 min Joan Fontaine, Tyrone Power, Thomas Mitchell D: Anatole Litvak P/S
03:15 PM The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) RKO BW-88 min Joseph Cotton, Agnes Moorhead, Tim Holt D: Orson Welles P/S
04:45 PM Barry Lyndon (1975) Warner C-184 min Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson D: Stanley Kubrick Premiere #6
Friday Night Spotlight: the Palme D'Or
08:00 PM Miracle in Milan (1951) Joseph Burstyn Inc. BW-100 min Francesco Golisano, Emma Grammatica D: Vittorio De Sica PREMIERE#7
09:45 PM The Knack...and how to Get it (1965) United Artists BW-85 min Rita Tushingham, Ray Brooks, Michael Crawford D: Richard Lester P/S
11:15 PM The Chronicle of the Years of Fire (1975) Arab Film Distribution C-177 min Yorgo Voyagis, Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina D: Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina PREMIERE#8
02:30 AM Missing (1982) Universal Pictures C-122 min Jack Lemmon, Sissy Spacek D: Constantin Costa-Gavras P/S
04:45 AM M*A*S*H (1970) 20th Century Fox C-116 min Donald Sutherland, Elliott Gould, Sally Kellerman D: Robert Altman P/S
Saturday February 20, 2016
Oscar Anti-Tribute 5: Games we play with Screenplays
(A) Not good enough for the thirties Academy
06:45 AM The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) Paramount BW-89 min Maurice Chevalier, Claudette Colbert, Miriam Hopkins D:Ernst Lubitsch Paramount P/S
08:15 AM It's a Gift (1934) Paramount BW-73 min W.C. Fields, Kathleen Howard, Jean Rouverol D: Norman Z. McLeod P/S
09:30 AM Horsefeathers (1932) Parmaount BW-68 min Groucho Marx, Chico Marx, Harpo Marx, Zeppo Marx, Thelma Todd D: Norman Z. McLeod P/S
10:45 AM The Crime of Monsieu Lange (1936) Films Oberon BW-80 min Rene Lefevre, Florelle, Jules Berry D: Jean Renoir P/S
(B!) Silence is golden, but not oscar Gold
12:15 PM Monsieur Verdoux (1947) United Artists BW-124 min Charles Chaplin, Martha Raye, Marilyn Nash D: Charles Chaplin P/S
02:30 PM Mr. Hulot's Holiday (1953) Discina Films BW-114 min Jacques Tati, Nathalie Pascaud D: Jacques Tati P/S
(C) A New Yorker state of mind
04:30 PM Claire's Knee (1970) Les Films du Losange C-105 min Jean-Claude Brialy, Aurora Cornu. Beatrice Raymond D: Eric Rohmer P/S
06:15 PM Sans Soleil (1983) Argos Films C-100 min Alexandra Stewart, D: Chris Marker P/S
08:00 PM (Essentials) Two or Three Things I Know About Her... Argos Films C-87 min Marina Vlady, Juliet Berto D: Jean-Luc Godard PREMIERE#10
(D) Oscar's most literate murder mysteries
09:45 PM Chinatown (1974) Paramount C-131 min Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston D: Roman Polanski P/S
12:00 AM The Conversation (1974) Paramount C-113 min Gene Hackman, John Cazale. Dir: Francis Ford Coppola P/S
02:00 AM (Underground) The Usual Suspects (1995) Polygram C-106 min Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey, Kevin Pollak D; Bryan Singer EXEMPT
(E) And now for a screenplay winner that is something almost completely different.
04:00 AM (Underground) The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Focus Features C-109 min Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson D: Michel Gondry EXEMPT-
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Interesting schedule LonesomePolecat. I thought the listing of Tony/Oscar winners for the same role was particularly clever. I had forgotten how many movies there are about amnesia. And I would be nice to see Jour de Fete again.
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First off, I want to second the choices from The Night of the Hunter, All About Eve, Double Indemnity, Schindler's List, Strangers on a Train, Once upon a Time in the West, Detour, Shadow of a Doubt, The Dark Night, Inglourious Basterds and The Usual Suspects. Heath Ledger's performance in particular makes one forget how mediocre the rest of the movie.
Some more villains:
Michael Palin in Brazil
Margaret Hamilton in The Wizard of Oz (how can I be the first to mention her)
Both Laurence Oliver and Ian MacKellan's Richard III
John Hurt's character in A Man for all Seasons becomes unspeakably slimy
Jan Malmsjo in Fanny and Alexander
Robert DeNiro in Angel Heart
Kevin Spacey in Se7en
John Dall in Rope
Joe Pesci in Goodfellas
Philip Stone in The Shining
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Khartoum was better than I remembered and would definitely make my top 10 list for 1966.
I have 15 top movies for 1966, but only four of them are in English. And two of them are by Italian directors.
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It's been two weeks since I last checked in. The first week I saw only two movies. Source Code has an interesting time travel theme that becomes progressively less plausible. Apparently incredible complex laws of basic physics can be overcome by will power and the power of love. Umm, no, not really. Shanghai Dream was a 2005 Cannes submission that I suspect would have been more successful had I watched a properly subtitled copy. The next week was far more interesting. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol is the best action movie I've seen since The Incredibles which makes sense since both movies come from the same director. A River Called Titas is also an interesting movie, if not entirely successful. Its elliptical manner can be confusing in places (why is the river drying up? why is the protagonist not leaving?). And notwithstanding the fact that Ritwik Ghatak was a communist party member, the movie appears less political than say, The Tree of Wooden Clogs. Part of the problem, I suppose, is that the second half is less unified than the first half. The Zero Theorem may not be Terry Gilliam's best movie, but it's so visually stunning that I don't really care. Swing High, Swing Low is another example of very competent Mitchell Leisen movies. By contrast Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is not fully successful. The basic idea was never very plausible in the first place, and the movie here is more a series of cliches about the ambiguity of war, while the apes' victory is not very plausible. Gone Girl is better than The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, less successful than Se7en or Zodiac. It's more like Panic Room, I suppose. It's worth watching, in any case. Sunday, Bloody Sunday, I'm afraid, is more the idea of a good movie, or a provocative one, about a bisexual love triangle and a homosexual who isn't a mincing queen, rather than a fully successful movie. The Alexander Sokurov Faust is very good indeed, with particularly striking film making, and the best movie I've seen in months.
I should add that I also resaw the 1994 Gilliam Armstrong Little Women and it's very much worth rewatching.
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Well, to be blunt, Neil Simon movies would not be my choice for a Friday night spotlight. But having The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie make its TCM premiere is wonderful. Oh yes, the link is still working.
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After the dearth that is the December schedule, January is an embarrassment of riches by comparison. Best schedule in over a year!
But I have to forget about it now. There's little doubt that the movies I'm most excited about will not be shown in Canada when the time comes.
How do you access the schedule? The TCM link still isn't working and trying to look up the TCM weekly schedule only get me to the first week of December.
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Well I've got all seven days in 2016 down. Now I have to rewrite my programming notes.
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I can't say I'm thrilled, but I've managed to get Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday back on track. But Edith Evans, King Vidor and Joseph L. Mankewicz fans have every right to be annoyed.
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Well we certainly have some interesting schedules. Obrienmundy I particularly like having three Bergman movies, Monkey Business, having King Vidor and Chaplin and supporting actors in a leading role. Barton_Keyes I also like you having Bergman, the Renoir version of The Diary of a Chambermaid (we never get to see it in Canada), the Clouzot movies and The Piano. Speedracer Jr. I like the opportunity to see the silent Robin Hood as well as Miyazakai, Agnes Moorhead as the star of the month and Single location Hitchcock.
I was going to post my own schedule later tonight only to realize that instead of scheduling for the upcoming year, they're scheduled for the year after. Now I'm wondering whether I should bother. For a start the climax of my 2015 schedule now has to serve as the beginning of it. All the birthday and anniversary tributes have to be removed. I put a lot of work into it, at a time when I could afford to put time into it, and now much of it is wasted because of a petty rule change.
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I had that problem too. The link worked earlier today, as I saw part of the schedule at work; but by the time I got home a couple hours later to actually look at it, the link showed the blank screen.
I was able to access the schedule by going to the TCM homepage, clicking on the "Full TCM Schedule" link and then the "Weekly Schedule" link and changing the dates in the address bar to 2015-01-01.
I'm only able to move two months ahead into December using that method.
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Well I have a complete schedule. Whether it will be the complete schedule is open to question. I may need to tweak it a little. Or a lot. Any Lyle Bettger fans should speak up now.
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Well, I now have Tuesday and Thursday done as well. I was thinking of doing Bugs Bunny: I was thinking of him as a James Cagney and Sweet Smell of Success fan. Right now I'm divided between Alice in Wonderland and Chernabog the demon from Fantasia.
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Well I have Sunday, Monday and Saturday done, and Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evenings.
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Last week I saw five feature films. Brave is certainly amusing, and it has the many nice touches that Pixar movies usually have (those mischievious triplets are a hoot). But it's not the best of Pixar movies, and despite having a female co-director and three female co-screenwriters, I think it's because the mother-daughter relationship at the heart of the film is ultimately too pat and conventional. Back and Forth is the kind of experimental film that I find interesting, and most others won't. Basically it's 49 minutes or so of Michael Snow panning a camera back and forth a schoolroom, sometimes slowly, sometimes with people walking in, and sometimes very quickly and finally quite vertically. I Never Sang For My Father isn't a bad family drama, but despite its pessimistic ending compared to O'Neill and Cassavetes it's kind of superficial. Other Men's Women continues my trend of not entirely satisfying William Wellman movies. I suppose it's bad luck on Wellman's part to have a cast with Cagney, Astor and Blondell, and have them all in supporting roles. Nor is it quite clear what the purpose of the final sacrifice was supposed to be. Finally, there is The Beat my Heart Skipped. It's an interesting movie, and I suppose I wonder why I did not care more for it.
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How does one distinguish a character actor from any other kind of actor?
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I hope it isn't Adolphe Menjou, since he was actually born in February, and I was thinking of using him for my programming challenge.
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I watched I Never Sang for my Father tonight and noticed that Estelle Parsons plays Gene Hackman's character's sister. In Bonnie and Clyde they were wife and husband. I wonder how often that happens. John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands played siblings in Love Streams , but they never played spouses together.
LEAST & MOST FAVORITE of the week...
in General Discussions
Posted
I don't think "callous" is the right word, and in fact the movie is one of the most subtle and intelligent depictions of a collapsing marriage. This essay should help explain matters: http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/240-contempt-the-story-of-a-marriage