misswonderly3

Apparently it is JOEL McCREA'S birthday this Friday -November 5th (also Guy Fawkes day: "please to remember the 5th of November". But I digress.) Anyway, to honour this auspicious occasion, TCM is showing some Joel McCrea films on Friday - can't recall the exact times, but they include *The Most Dangerous Game,* *Foreign Correspondent*, and *The Palm Beach Story* . JOEL McCREA ! JOEL McCREA ! An old-fashoned hero Who often goes "Say..."

I used to watch foreign films all the time, always going to the local "art" /revue cinema to catch the latest foreign film that had made it to North America. I loved them, I never minded the subtitles, and some of my favourite films are foreign films. Sadly, my "life style" has changed so much since those days that I just don't get a chance to keep up with these often wonderful movies. Also, the "repertory cinema" doesn't really exist as such anymore; not the way it used to anyway. Ah, the reminiscences of a fond and middle-aged film fan. Anyway, here is a brief list of some of my favourite foreign films (bearing in mind that for the reasons given, none of them will be very recent.) *8 1/2* and *Amarcord* - ya gotta check out Fellini. These are two of his most likable and most accessible. I love them both, and the soundtracks to both films (by the great Nino Rota) are amongst the best movie soundtracks ever. *The 400 Blows* and *Une Belle Fille Comme Moi* - Francois Truffaut. He made so many films, but these are two that I especially like. Everyone's heard of *The 400 Blows*, fewer know about *Une Belle Fille* ("Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me"). This film is truly funny, the main female character is absolutely shameless in her exploitation of her physical attractiveness. *The Exterminating Angel* and *The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeouisie*, Luis Bunuel. Both of these films by Spanish film maker Luis Bunuel are unforgettable. *Discreet Charm* is absolutely hilarious. Leave any expectations of logic and plot at the door. *Aguirre, Wrath of God* - Werner Herzog - This film from the great German director Werner Herzog is about a seriously deranged Spanish conquistador. Especially the "deranged" part. Incredible images of Klauss Kinski, who plays the crazed Aguirre, floating down the river in the middle of the rainforest. This film is a great argument for how important images are to film, and how the concept "cinematic" really is am essential element to certain movies. So many others, but those are some that come to mind immediately when I think of foreign films. Oh yeah, I have to chime in with those who suggested Jean Cocteau's *La Belle et La Bete* . Leaves the Disney version of *Beauty and the Beast* in the dust.

It's impossible to resist that song. And whoever made that video for it did a great job. There's a reason for why "chestnuts" linger on year after year -they're likekable. Well, here's another Hallwe'en offering. I am not proselytizing the Kinks again, honestly, but this is a perfect Hallowe'en song, especially for fans of witches. Take it away, Wicked Annabella: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On_mMoKSaE8

Well, how many Frankenstein movies can you stretch out from the original story? After a while, perhaps it's best to close the tomb forever on Herr Frankenstein and his invention. Just thought of a very frightening horror film I saw a few years ago: *The Ring*. I saw the American version with Naomi Watts, but I've heard the original Japanese is better and even scarier. After I got over being scared by *The Ring*, I thought about it and decided that the plot and the "explanation" were silly and didn't hold up. This, however, did not stop it from being very frightening.

I've deliberately stayed away from the "Hallowe'em" series because I don't care for that particular kind of horror movie -I'm assuming it's full of young people who one by one get murdered in some horrific manner. But perhaps I'm wrong - I've never actually seen *Hallowe'en*. *I Walked With a Zombie* was on this afternoon; an eerie, mysterious, and very atmospheric film. The kind of scary movie I like.

more Proxy Music; *from finance* , Oingo Boingo's "Dead Man's Party" (most Hallowe'enish):

Just what was Captain Beefheart all about? If anyone deserves the epithets "bizarre" and "perverse", it's got to be him. He took blues and rock and turned them upside down and inside out. Although he wasn't much of a musician himself, he employed great musicians to help create his strange and inventive musical world. This is a funny and odd video, (not made by Captain Beefheart, but kind of in the spirit of the man), to accompany "When I See Mommy I Feel Like a Mummy" :

A cross-dressing man in *Carnival of Souls* ? ! Now I have to find it in my collection and watch it again. Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 29, 2010 10:44 AM

On this Hallowe'en weekend, does anyone else have a comment about horror or scary films?

I think in some ways John Prine is the folk/"roots" equivalent of the Velvets: most people haven't heard his music, but those who have are deeply influenced by it and go on to write "Prine-ish" songs themselves. Very nice tune.

Very cool song, "The Israelites". Jimi Hendrix on the Lulu Show with "Voodoo Child": (to go with all the Zombie movies being shown right about now.)

VAMPIRE BATS The logical sequel to *Vampire Bat*. In a frenzied attempt to win the World Series, the owner of a contending baseball team hires a scientist, who may or may not be mad, to develop a kind of baseball bat that will suck the power out of their opponent's baseballs, thereby rendering every attempt to hit completely ineffectual. Not even bunting will work. The details as to how to get the enemy team to use the vampire bats without their knowledge had been worked out between the team owner and the scientist during the pennant races. bat[/i]lab.jpg] "When will they be ready? I tell you I want those bats to suck every last drop of energy from the pitcher's balls. Er..I mean..." A secret weapon which could counteract the effects of the vampire bats. Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 28, 2010 9:41 AM

*The Innocents*, the 1961 film directed by Jack Clayton and starring Deborah Kerr, is a genuine blood- chiller. Not from any special effects (there are very few) and certainly not from any gore (there is none.). The chill factor lies in the story and in the subtle implications of what we hear from the characters' revelations. The story is what's usually called a "psychological thriller", and - no spoilers intended -the viewer is unclear even at the end of the film if what they have just seen is real or in the main character's mind. Probably because it is based on The Turn of the Screw, a work of fiction by a master writer, Henry James, the film is rich with the heroine's inner perceptions and psychological development. This story is about the haunting, either real or imagined , of a young woman who is isolated, fearful, and sexually repressed. The story she learns about the dead lovers who dwelt in the house before she arrived, and the effects these ghost lovers have on the Deborah Kerr character and the young boy and girl who are her charges, make The Innocents one of the strangest and, in a subtle way, one of the most terrifying ghost stories on film I have ever seen.

Aargh ! (I'll say no more.)

One that I don't think has been mentioned yet is *Carnival of Souls*. Love that title ! Although I don't think they're screening it this Hallwwe'en time, I believe TCM has aired it a number of times in the past. It is truly eerie; the part where the young woman who is the protagonist suddenly doesn't hear anything anymore is an inspired scene. She's trying on clothes in a department store, a most mundane activity, and suddenly all sound stops. It's not just quiet, it's deathly silent. She can see, but she can't hear anything. She is cut off from everyone else, and she doesn't understand what is going on. Neither do we, although we can guess. This is a good example of what I meant earlier when I said often the scariest moments are when a strange and inexplicable event occurs in the middle of the most ordinary circumstances. Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 27, 2010 5:41 PM

red, as far as *Eight Men Out* goes: I usually like films directed by John Sayles, although he can get somewhat convoluted and overlong (well, not him, his movies.) But I must admit, it's mainly just how darn cute John Cusack is in this film that makes me like it .

Here we go again..".TCM sucks, why don't they do this or that?" With respect, Cid, I'm sure if you take a close look at any TCM monthly schedule, you'll see that they show far more films from the era you like than from 60s-80s. Maybe it just seems like they show more from this later period because you don't like those films, so you notice it more. Also, you refer to silent films, but seem to think they're not "classic". If "classic" means, among other things, "old" and "have stood the test of time", then how come movies from the 30s, 40s, and 50s are deemed "classics" and silent films, which are even older, are not? Sounds as though your definition of "classic" is just whatever you personally prefer. Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 27, 2010 12:51 PM Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 27, 2010 12:55 PM

Procol Harum are sometimes unfairly dissed as being a prog rock band, But they actually weren't very prog rock . If you want to compare them to anyone, they're more like Traffic - late 60s and early 70s era, British, good musicians, smart (albeit sometimes pretentious ) lyrics. Anyway, this song is a little on the scary side, because it's about a maniac. Just ignore the references to Christmas; it's more like Hallwe'en. Just when you think it's safe to come out from hiding, Still There'll Be More: Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 27, 2010 12:40 PM Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 27, 2010 12:46 PM

That's him ! -Tim Lincicum .

Where can you get that "Molest Me Elmo" toy? I'd consider a life of crime for it , too.

*Angels in the Outfield* is an engaging and heartwarming tale, but I always have trouble with the idea that Janet Leigh would fall for Paul Douglas. Make friends with him, yes; see the heart of gold beneath the crusty exterior, yes; but become romantically involved? Less likely than a no-hitter. I always liked *Eight Men Out*. Good story base on an actual event, and the young John Cusack is so appealing in it.

There's also Jean Renoir's 1937 film, Grand Illusion, for movies about World War I.

WHAAAT? How can you not root for your home team? Oh well...gives the Giants a shot at the Championship; the Phillies have had their turn recently. I like the pitcher on the Giants, the one with the long dark hair .

This is a selection from finance, not me. I'm just being his proxy. (Although it is a not bad one hit wonder.) Guess you could say this is Proxy Music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxtJoGdujYo

Oh yeah, that's as good a criterion as any. There are quite a few films I would not watch alone, especially at night. ( *The Haunting,* for one...)