sweetsmellofsuccess

So I guess it is that bad. There are some movies for me that are considered among the worst of all time that I'd like to check out only for curiousity. 1941 is among those for me. Unless this airs again, I may rent the DVD.

Agree about 1941, Kyle. I wanted to see it, but the film was on too late. Can the film be THAT bad?

Well, TCM honored Spielberg last year by airing the documentary currently playing. That's why I'm a little disappointed Jaws and Close Encounters are a part of the festival again. I would have rather them have aired Duel, The Sugarland Express, or Empire of the Sun (the latter which I hear is very good). It's never bothered me TCM airs post-1960s movies, though I know that's a minority opinion around these parts. I'd rather not explain in detail yet again why excluding these so-called newer movies made 35 years ago (LOL) won't hurt the integrity or the mission of the network. Perhaps it may do more harm than good for TCM to deliberately ignore films after 1969 (a huge chunk of film history). It's not called Turner Studio Era Classic Movies. They say their goal is to give us access to the greatest movies of ALL time. I'm not saying recent films like Mulholland Drive or The Departed should be on the schedule anytime soon. There should be some time limit. However, why exclude so many films according to year? Darn, I did go into detail. Oh well, the saga continues...

I really liked Tim Roth in his collaborations with Quentin Tarantino, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. There's also a film Roth made with rapper Tupac Shakur just before his death called Gridlock'd. I haven't seen this in a million years, but it's a well-made, off-beat "buddy" film. It's time for me to take another look at that one. I, too, am thrilled Roth selected Hobson's Choice. Never seen this one before, but it's said to be a wonderful film with Charles Laughton.

I've been wanting TCM to salute Juano Hernandez with a primetime festival of his films for a very long time. He's a fantastic actor, and his performances in Intruder in the Dust, Stars in My Crown, Trial, Ransom, and others shows he was a force on-screen. Unfortunately, he didn't get the breaks that later went the way of Sidney Poitier. Hernandez could have had a distinguished career as a character actor. BTW, I can imagine Juano in some of the roles Spencer Tracy had (skin color aside). I always felt they had a similar style of acting. They were natural, and had a distinguished presence on-screen.

Haven't seen this in a while, but I don't believe it's a Spaghetti western. The film overall is OK. I can't remember the actress who plays Fonda's friend/love interest, but she was really good. Aldo Ray is terrific as well. The film is on the schedule again, so I'll have to give Welcome to Hard Times another look.

Films I saw recently I liked: You Can Count on Me (2000) The Departed (2006) - Scorsese should have won for Raging Bull or Goodfellas, and though this isn't on the level of those masterpieces, I greatly enjoyed seeing this one again. Into the Wild (2007) - Disappointing that this didn't receive more Oscar attention this year. Not so great: The Notebook (2004) - A lot of people love this film, but the script and direction is too cliched and unoriginal to be considered great. What gives this film some poignancy are the wonderful performances of James Garner and Gena Rowlands (whose son, Nick, directed). I like the cast overall, especially Ryan Gosling. He's OK here, but his performances in later films like Half Nelson and Lars and the Real Girl shows he's going to be among the best actors of his generation.

Top three highlights: Pickup on South Street- saw this again earlier this week, and it's among my favorites. Peter Lorre (perhaps my favorite selection this year) Jack Palance (nice surprise) Other faves: Edward G. Robinson Richard Widmark Charlton Heston Anne Bancroft Michael Caine James Garner Trevor Howard Laurel & Hardy Claude Rains Janet Leigh Tony Curtis (though I'm disappointed The Vikings will not air in primetime) As much as I like Doris Day and Katharine Hepburn, I'm not too thrilled about seeing them yet again in the Summer Under the Stars lineup. Keeping my fingers crossed for '09: Lillian Gish Harold Lloyd Robert Taylor Julie Christie Robert Ryan Charles Bronson Ann Sheridan ... and the list goes on. Message was edited by: sweetsmellofsuccess Message was edited by: sweetsmellofsuccess

John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands Billy Wilder and Marilyn Monroe (though I'll admit I'm a fan of Monroe's performances more than the films themselves) Message was edited by: sweetsmellofsuccess

I watched this movie for the first time last night, and thought it was fantastic!! So, was this the unedited version aired yesterday? I've read that perhaps there's a missing scene from the Criterion DVD, and on IMDB several people have said that a previous airing of this film on TCM had some missing scenes. I'm more curious to know about the pan-and-scan sequences during the opening and closing credits. The rest of the film is in letterbox, but not during the very beginning and ending. Is this how it's presented on DVD? With all that said, The Naked Prey was extremely intense and amazing to watch. Great job by Cornel Wilde.

Sounds like Regis would be a great choice as guest programmer one day on TCM. He certainly knows and loves classic films.

I liked this film as well. Tracy is once again excellent here, and I loved the first half hour. He literally says one word during that time, but his emotions are all over his face. I almost missed a young Jessica Tandy in this film. I'm used to seeing older Jessica that it was nice to see how lovely see looked back in the day. Speaking of a Fred Zinnemann film, Behold a Pale Horse was also really good today. Hopefully, both films will repeat in the future.

I'm very happy that Roz Russell will be Star of the Month!! Other notables: Delmer Daves evening Under the Influence Series Wild Strawberries The Fugitive Kind Sherlock, Jr. Monte Walsh (been waiting on this one!!)

I certainly wouldn't think of Bill Maher as a My Fair Lady fan. Very interesting...

Thanks, Kyle. I'm looking forward to Elvis Mitchell's series as well. Edward Norton will likely have some interesting comments. Someone posted the AFI Greatest Screen Legends video on youtube, and Norton was great to listen to. I'm especially looking forward to hearing Quentin Tarantino and Sydney Pollack. I hear Pollack is in bad health, so it will be nice to hear his film influences (and he was the best Essentials host on TCM).

http://www.tcm.com/movienews/index/?cid=199578 Included are several names that will be featured for Summer Under the Stars this August. I like it... a lot!!

I noticed the similarities as well, nightwalker, between Coop and Kirk's characters. It would make for an interesting double feature.

Just watched this, and loved it!! I never seen Gary Cooper so angry and animated before. He's not over-the-top, but Coop's a delight in showing his frustrations towards Claudette Colbert's antics. This is somehow considered by some to be among Lubitsch's worst films. How can this be? It may not be quite as great as Trouble in Paradise or The Shop Around the Corner, but it's a very funny film. The script by Billy Wilder and Charles Brackett is pretty darn good as well. Perhaps my favorite moment was Coop trying to "tame" Colbert. Of course, he's not successful. Thanks, TCM, and please show again soon!!

You may be right, Bronxgirl. Kirk seemed to prefer going his own route than sticking with conformity. He wanted to build his homes his way instead of doing what everyone else planned. Perhaps that's what the home symbolized. Or despite how beautiful the home looked, there's still a bit of ugliness inside. Meaning that people will look at the home and say how gorgeous it looks and that the people must live wonderful lives. We all know that inside the home (and within themselves), there's so much sadness and bitterness that the house is a bit of a mirage. Ultimately, it's all phony. I really liked Strangers When We Meet. It was much better than expected. However, in the hands of Douglas Sirk or Vincente Minnelli, this film could have been truly remarkable. Kim Novak was amazing here. I'll take her brilliant performance here over Vertigo anytime (sorry Vertigo fans, but it's not one of my favorites). Kirk Douglas' performance isn't bad by any means, but he doesn't seem to be the right fit for this melodrama. Another Kim Novak-William Holden collaboration would have been better. Maybe Robert Mitchum would have worked as well (I'm thinking of his great performances in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison and Two for the Seesaw as two prime examples). The ending didn't seem ambiguous to me. When a tearful Novak looks at the young man who's staring and smiling at her, it seems as if she will go back to her old ways. Perhaps life will become more depressing and sad. Things will probably end terribly for Kim's character.

You may be right, Bronxgirl. Kirk seemed to prefer going his own route than sticking with conformity. He wanted to build his homes his way instead of doing what everyone else planned. Perhaps that's what the home symbolized. Or despite how beautiful the home looked, there's still a bit of ugliness inside. Meaning that people will look at the home and say how gorgeous it looks and that the people must live wonderful lives. We all know that inside the home (and within themselves), there's so much sadness and bitterness that the house is a bit of a mirage. Ultimately, it's all phony. I really liked Strangers When We Meet. It was much better than expected. However, in the hands of Douglas Sirk or Vincente Minnelli, this film could have been truly remarkable. Kim Novak was amazing here. I'll take her brilliant performance here over Vertigo anytime (sorry Vertigo fans, but it's not one of my favorites). Kirk Douglas' performance isn't bad by any means, but he doesn't seem to be the right fit for this melodrama. Another Kim Novak-William Holden collaboration would have been better. Maybe Robert Mitchum would have worked as well (I'm thinking of his great performances in Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison and Two for the Seesaw as two prime examples). The ending didn't seem ambiguous to me. When a tearful Novak looks at the young man who's staring and smiling at her, it seems as if she will go back to her old ways. Perhaps life will become more depressing and sad. Things will probably end terribly for Kim's character.

Wow... great stuff. Another one I love: "Excuse me while I whip this out!" Gotta love it!!

"where da white women at?"

Loved the Gene Wilder interview!! I can't wait to re-visit Blazing Saddles. It's a classic, no doubt about it.

I've been wanting to see a few more of Carroll Baker's films, and perhaps Something Wild can be included in a primetime festival of her work. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.

It's a part of the Race and Hollywood series dealing with issues/subjects on Asians in American films. I'm a little surprised the film was included, but considering the number of other rare gems included in the series this year, I'm willing to keep cool about Rush Hour 2 in the lineup (though those films are guilty pleasures for me).