sweetsmellofsuccess
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Posts posted by sweetsmellofsuccess
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I liked Rose's honest opinion about what she felt about Stanley Kubrick's work tonight. She could have gushed over his films, and been completely dishonest. There were only a few of Kubrick's pictures she enjoyed, and watching others were like pulling teeth. Robert Osborne also admitted he likes only a few of Stanley's films, but that Paths of Glory was an example of why he should be appreciated as a great artist.
I actually feel the same way about Kubrick's films. For me, there's before Dr. Strangelove and after Dr. Strangelove when it comes to his filmography. Almost all of his earlier pictures are outstanding, especially Paths of Glory and The Killing. (Most) of his later works look gorgeous, but leave me cold.
BTW, I'm stilll loving Rose as co-host.
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Underworld U.S.A. airing on TCM 5/27 at 12:15pm Eastern. Cliff Robertson gives a fantastic performance. Directed with gusto by the always interesting Samuel Fuller.
There's also a day of lesser-known noirs the following day, 5/28, including The Lineup (which was very good). I haven't seen The Mob, but I've read some good comments on it.
Message was edited by: sweetsmellofsuccess
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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.
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Agree about 1941, Kyle. I wanted to see it, but the film was on too late. Can the film be THAT bad?
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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...
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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.
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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.
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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.
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I saw half of the film, and couldn't take any more. Such a shame that fine talent is wasted here. Only Dean Martin gives the film some kind of life.
I'm hoping the other Sinatra/Martin/Rat Pack films aren't as tedious as this one, though Some Came Running is excellent.
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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.
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Late night tonight at 1:15am Eastern:
Johnny Belinda (1948)
A small-town doctor helps a deaf-mute farm girl learn to communicate.
Cast: Jane Wyman, Lew Ayres, Agnes Moorehead. Dir: Jean Negulesco. BW-102 mins, TV-G
A beautiful movie with a well-deserved Oscar win for Jane Wyman.
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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
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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
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A great one tomorrow at 12:45 pm Eastern:
Written On The Wind (1956)
A young woman marries into a corrupt oil family then falls for her husband's best friend.
Cast: Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack. Dir: Douglas Sirk. C-99 mins, TV-PG
I know people are divided about Douglas Sirk and his films, but I feel it's among his best work.
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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.
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Sounds like Regis would be a great choice as guest programmer one day on TCM. He certainly knows and loves classic films.
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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.
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Again, I don't understand the complaints about Rose. I think she's been fabulous so far. If TCM won't (or can't) find a film historian to discuss these films for the essentials, at least find someone who is knowledgeable about classic films and enjoys them. Rose fits both categories for me.
I am, though, still hoping that one day there can be a way Martin Scorsese hosts The Essentials. He's one guy I can listen to all day about films.
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A masterful film with greats Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington, not to mention a fabulous supporting cast:
Glory (1989)
A green officer is assigned to lead an all-black unit in the Civil War.
Cast: Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington. Dir: Edward Zwick. C-122 mins, TV-MA
Airing 4/29 at 1am eastern.
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Coming up within the hour is Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece:
Paths of Glory (1957)
A military lawyer comes to question the status quo when he defends three men accused of cowardice.
Cast: Kirk Douglas, Adolphe Menjou, George Macready. Dir: Stanley Kubrick. BW-88 mins, TV-PG
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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!!)
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I certainly wouldn't think of Bill Maher as a My Fair Lady fan. Very interesting...
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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).
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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!!
The Out Of Towners
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I've never really had a problem with either Jack Lemmon or Sandy Dennis in this film. I wouldn't want to be around them in real life, but they're both a blast to watch here.