misswonderly3

With Hallowe'en coming up this weekend, it seems like a good time to review this thread, (Thanks, skimpole ). Anyway, as I see it, we can all agree that however we label "horror" movie, it has one defining quality: it scares us. A good horror film, whether you like "slashers" ( and not many here do, judging by the comments on this thread), traditional classic horror stories like *Frankenstein*, vampire movies, ghost stories, or tales of the demonic, they all have this in common: if they're good, they scare us. We want to be scared , to a greater or lesser degree, when we watch a "horror" film. So what makes an effective horror movie? It should be creepy, it should make the viewer at the very least nervous, it should use music judiciously to enhance the eerie mood, and it should have at least one character with whom we can identify , someone who we don't want to see killed or terrified into madness or turned into a waxwork or made a member of the undead. I figure no matter what type of "horror" film you like, those elements apply to just about all. Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 26, 2010 2:51 PM

I know in a way it's off-topic (although in another way, it couldn't be more on -topic) but I'm kind of sorry the Phillies didn't make it to The Big Show this year, in view of the fact that we seem to have so many residents of the good city of Philadelphia here. (I know, we also have quite a representation, I'm sure, from San Francisco here too.) Anyway, it's kind of nice to have a World Series without the Yankees for a change. Don't hurl abuse at me, Yankees fans, I'm just saying a change is nice once in a while. Good for the Rangers. Hey, what's that fairly silly musical about baseball with Gene Kelly?

finance and others were talking about one hit wonders the other day. These guys came up with one flash-in-the-pan hit, but what a flash. EMF with "Unbelievable" (sometimes it's fun to abandon all those sensitive artists and just rock.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waacof2saZw&ob=av2e C.B., I liked the whole song. In its entirety. Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 26, 2010 2:18 PM

tracey, that was beautiful. Loreena McKennit has such a lovely voice. Hey, are you Canadian too? Loreena McKennit is Canadian, so was that Celtic group with the unspellable name, and I think you've mentioned you're a fan of the Bare Naked Ladies. Or maybe you just recognize good stuff when you hear it. That story Mckennit sings, The Highwayman, is a 1906 poem by Alfred Noyes (you probably already knew that). It makes me nostalgic and sad to hear it, because it was in an illustrated volume of poetry that I'd been given as a kid. I loved that book, and kept it for years. A while back, in a fit of overzealous housecleaning, I did a book "cull" and got rid of it (donated it , I hasten to say -I'd never throw a book out). I've never stopped regretting my idiotic ruthlessness that day - I can't remember why I was so eager to eliminate from my collection a book I'd had and read and treasured from childhood. Anyway, The Highwayman was one of the poems in it, I remember it very well. Lesson of the day: sometimes it's good to hold on to things, don't listen to those "Get Rid of Your Clutter" reality shows that tell you to throw everything away. Your discarded books will come back to haunt you. Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 26, 2010 2:29 PM

I agree, movieman, the remastered Beatles albums that came out last year are a joy to hear ( over and above the fact that the Beatles are always a joy to hear) due to the clarity of the remastered tracks. I can pick up little audio details I never noticed before. Here's one of my favourite tracks from Beatles for Sale, "Baby's in Black". I really like the way the lyrics to this are reminiscent of a nursery rhyme. (I have to agree with one of the comments on the clip: they say they don't notice much difference in the clarity -I think it's because it's being listened to on computer speakers. I do get the improved audio quality better on the CD, playing on my speakers (as opposed to computer, car, ipod -as you said.) Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 26, 2010 12:45 PM

> {quote:title=clearskies wrote:}{quote} > From Stratford, Ontario you say? I didn't know that. I've been going up to Stratford for years for the Shakespeare Festival & didn't know that the town could turn out such a banal thing as JB. Just shows you can find banality anywhere. Although I won't go so far as to say Justin is an example of the banality of evil.

D'oh..I don't know important films, but I know what I like.

Dogleg, I'm a little puzzled by your problem. My experience has been that TCM never cuts the credits, but shows the entire film from beginning to the very end, credits and all. It would be very out of character, sort of against their mandate, to cut off the movie without letting the credits run. It could be that you're new to watching old films and may not be aware that many -most- movies until some time in the 50s or 60s (I'd have to look it up to be sure, and that's too much like homework) had very quick and sudden endings. Often they just wrapped up with "The End", sometimes in swirly writing. Older movies usually showed all their credits at the beginning. If you weren't expecting that, perhaps that is the explanation for why you don't see credits at the end. Otherwise, if you are a seasoned classic film fan and are already familiar with that style of doing all the credits at the beginning, I apologize for explaining something I figure you already know. I have not found what you say you have observed to be so. If you have an interest in credits in general, and people's credit viewing habits, I did start a thread on it. Hope I won't be accused of resurrecting my own thread for ego's sake, but if you want to check it out, here it is: http://forums.tcm.com/jive/tcm/thread.jspa?threadID=155447&tstart=300 Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 25, 2010 3:33 PM

*Anatomy of a Murder* is not only a fine legal film , it's got stand-out perfomances from all the actors,especially Lee Remick, who is just so shamelessly flirtatious in it. Her "come hither" looks, smiles, and vocal invitations to Jimmy Stewart are at once sexy and funny. (as well as somewhat undermining to her case -but she doesn't seem to care...)

Look, C.B....you can't have it both ways. You're either a Communist or a Capitalilst. Looks like your plans to exploit SansFin's creativity make you the latter.

Right, tracey- Celtic music has such an evocative haunting quality. There's always some business about curses, or spells, or meeting some lover on a misty morning, or changelings. And that's just the lyrics. Thanks for that clip from - can't even begin to spell their name. There's a lot of Celtic music in Eastern Canada, particularly Nova Scotia. Slainte Mhath ( have they got something to do with math?), the Pogues...sorry to break up this Celtic/Irish roll we're on, but I was thinking about Mr. Cash today. Not very Celtic, I'm afraid. Just in time for Hallwe'en , here is a scary song by Johnny Cash. This is a very good live version, with (for once) clear audio and visual quality. I also posted one of the videos for the original recording, because it has such Hallowe'en ish ghostly pictures. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKfG46h-Y5w&feature=related (bit hokey, but fun scary ghost horses and cowboys)

Plus, isn't *Inherit the Wind* based on an actual trial? (the Scopes trial). Swithin, it's been a long time since I saw *The Young Philadelphians*. I'll have to check it out again.

*Judgement at Nuremberg* comes to mind as most definitely a trial based on actual events. However, maybe because of the scope and serious nature of the case, it belongs in a "post World War ll justice" category.

An obvious one is Witness for the Prosecution.

Hmm -well, I'll try and give *Miracle of Morgan's Creek* another shot. I know what you mean about enjoying other aspects of a film so much that you don't worry about an implausible plot. And TCM shows it fairly often, so I will have ample opportunity. Still, I think I'll have trouble getting past those quintuplets. It's like a whole scene is missing, or was edited out. Did Betty give all her patriotic love to her dance partner, a random soldier, or Eddie? And if it's Eddie, how come he doesn't seem to remember this event. Perhaps it was a case of immaculate conception(s).

Plus, check out how chubby Sellers is in *The Ladykillers*. You usually don't think about his physical appearance at all, since part of his schtick was to change so much for every role. But he's definitely sporting some baby fat in this one.

That's great, SansFin ! What an original idea -I bet you're the only one doing the challenge who's got that in their program !

lzcutter wrote: "I don't know how many times posters have to say this before it sticks" I am aware of the rights issues surrounding the airing of certain films in Canada. But it's so damn annoying, you've no idea, since you get to see all the interesting and unusual films TCM shows. Imagine how frustrated you'd feel if a film you'd seen only once, a long time ago, or perhaps one you'd never seen at all but always wanted to, were being shown on TCM , but not where you live. I only post about that to vent my disappointment, not because I don't know the explanation for it. I still think it should be something that could be easily worked out. Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 24, 2010 10:59 PM

MyFavouriteFilms wrote: I am concerned about the proletariat emotional responses to popular film. I think they contain many biases that I am not comfortable with...again, a driving factor in all my writing on these boards and in blogs I create is to really examine the way the working classes shift their film tastes down on to the next generation and perpetuate a type of 'common film knowledge' and what I see as a somewhat uneducated, unenlightened attachment to certain films and stars. I believe this taste or preference has been handed down and taught in a pedestrian sense, rather than as a critical reflection on art, culture and nature. What does that even mean?

> {quote:title=finance wrote:}{quote} > I'm completely serious. Never heard of him. finance, here I go again. Only this time, I'm not proud of this: Justin Beiber is Canadian. He's from Stratford, Ontario, he's about 16 years old, and he's just another teenybop singer. Although not even remotely in the same league as the others mentioned here. "Never heard of him"? You're not missing a thing.

Who cares about plot? Anyway, you could say the same about half of our beloved film noirs.

> {quote:title=MyFavoriteFilms wrote:}{quote} > Well, it does not matter to me how you approach it and I'm saying it nicely. You will inevitably deal with people who want to take issues with some of your comments and you can handle that on an individual case by case basis. Hey, bring 'em on. Not to get into a battle here, but I suspect there's more people who agree with me than with you. We're all grownups now, who wants to do homework? I say, lighten up a little and have some fun. Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 24, 2010 2:02 PM

I agree, mark, baby, *The Unsuspected* is an unsuspected gem. Claude Rains is always so watchable.

I don't know if anyone around here has heard of M. Ward. I think he's pretty darn good. Here is a very Sunday-ish song from him, called "To Save Me" : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X3vlC88M28

SansFin, your comment was not inappropriate. As I said, it kind of brings things into perspective as to what something truly horrible is. You did not upset me, you just made me think about something very serious that I do not often think about. Nothing wrong with that, I probably don't do it often enough. Your comment was also a reminder that horror films are, after all, fiction, and we shouldn't take them too seriously. Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 24, 2010 12:26 AM