misswonderly3
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Posts posted by misswonderly3
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Interesting how we're all different, phroso, I liked both those films right from the start, and still do.
An example of a change of heart -or at least opinion - for me in terms of actors is Joan Crawford. I'll still never be her most devoted fan, but at least I can enjoy a movie with her in it now. I used to intensely dislike Joan Crawford; I thought she was somehow harsh, harsh-sounding and harsh-looking, particularly in her post-30s pictures. Also, her often over-the-top dramatic style annoyed me.
Now, I kind of like her, and that very thing about her that used to irk me so -her melodramatic style- now strikes me as unique to Joan, and quite entertaining. In fact, it's partly reading these forums that has turned my anti-Joan attitude around.
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> {quote:title=TikiSoo wrote:}{quote}
> There are many films I just didn't "get" as a teen or in my 20's, but ABSOLUTELY "get" as a middle aged person. ...
That's the essence of many "older" film fans' experience, I think when it comes to liking a movie you used to dislike or at least "not get". You become older , more experienced in life, more mature, maybe a bit more world-weary. And that life experience enriches your viewing experience of a film you may have seen many years earlier, and enhances your understanding of it.
By the way, l love your word, "hunkitude". A blend of "hunk", pulchritude, and attitude.
Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 14, 2010 9:47 AM
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Maybe it's because Chili's been in the news so much lately (yes, a good news story for once), but something's made me think of The Red Hot Chili Peppers today. Here's "Under the Bridge" :
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"Sex Slave"? What are you talking about? True, I was kind of a sex slave in Irma Ladeuce
- no, come to think of it, I was the one in charge when I was Irma. You were the sex
slave, Jack."
(You see I have put your instructions to good use.)
Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 13, 2010 6:59 PM
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All right, enough with the smiley faces ! :l
lol lol lol 
etc. etc. etc.Fred, baby, I do not say that Ethan Edwards is the villain and Scar is an ok guy. (Although I'm not 100% sure about the sex-slave thing. All right, whatever...) This is what makes *The Searchers* so problematic for so many people. Who is the villain? While Ford does nothing to glorify or exuse Scar and his actions, neither does he exactly make Ethan a likeable or sympathetic character. Now this was always my impression - one reason I ended up liking the film better the last time I saw it is that I saw the complexities in the John Wayne character. I think *The Searchers* ' "message", if it has one, is ambiguous, which is both why I didn't like it much, and why it is so celebrated.
So, you weren't crazy about *The Apartment* before, but last time you saw it you liked it. What changed? How come you liked it this time? Were you in a better mood this time you watched it, did you see it with someone else who likes it, had you been thinking about Billy Wilder and Jack Lemmon lately? (One could try and make a case for Fred MacMurray being a sex slave guy, with Shirley MacLean being the actual sex slave. But I don't know- now I'll have to go back and watch it again.)
hugs and kisses, with or without the happy faces.
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Come on, Fred, don't be getting "mad" all the time. Of course it was horrible, what happened to Debbie and especially what happened to the rest of the family. I just meant, -you know what? I'm not even going to attempt to explain what I meant, because the last thing I want is to turn another thread into another mega-discussion/debate about anything other than movies.
I'd rather you posted something about a film you used to dislike, but now you like it. When did that happen, and why? Or, is there a movie you used to think was great, but last time you saw it you weren't so sure?
Please, we don't have to make every other thread on these forums fodder for argument. (smilyfacething)
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Yes, that's always a disappointing experience, and seems to come with age. It's the reverse of the "conversion" I was talking about.
I suppose we could change the topic to include movies about which you've changed your mind either way: you see a film you always hated, but this time you like it OR you see a film that you used to love, but haven't seen for years, and -sadly and surprisingly, it's lost its magic. (Kind of like seeing an old boyfriend after many years and you wonder what you saw in him...)
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Of my comment " " A dirty bad girl" ! What is this, a Victorian cautionary tale for adolescents? " MyFavouriteFilm wrote:
> {quote:title=MyFavoriteFilms wrote:}{quote}
> If it were Victorian in tone, I think we can handle it.
What I meant was, language such as "dirty bad girl" brings to mind those 19th century primers for young people on moral behaviour. I still say, it is important to separate the art from the artist, otherwise there's an awful lot of art (books, paintings, music, and movies) that we would be inclined to discard. I do not care about an artist's personal life, and feel that the majority of the time it does not affect my opinion of their work, nor should it.
Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 13, 2010 12:26 PM
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Right, phroso, it was largely the racism, plus the wretched attempts at humour, that put me off *The Searchers* for so long. I still have a problem with that "squaw" scene- aside from its being racist, it's also sexist and just plain unkind.
But the issue of Ethan's racism is more interesting - I used to think the ferocity of the Wayne character's racism was something the audience was supposed to overlook, or perhaps even have some sympathy for (after all, it came out in 1956 when overtly racist attitudes towards native peoples were more common, perhaps more tolerated). But after reading about this film from various sources, and after this most recent viewing, I began to think that Ethan's hatred of "Injuns" is supposed to be problematic for the other characters in the story, and for the viewers too. Like the hookey -playing journalist in the restaurant, I too am moved almost to tears when Ethan makes the choice to not only not kill Debbie, but to embrace her (and presumably all she has been) and welcome her home.
I do think it's interesting that everyone assumes that Debbie would just naturally want to "go home" with her long-lost white relatives. But that's probably been discussed on some other thread, probably the one on native peoples and Hollywood.
So -not to derail this into a "Searchers" thread...any other change of heart moments regarding other films, actors, or even genres?
Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 13, 2010 12:04 PM
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I haven't given an example of one of my own conversions yet. Well, I have to confess that until recently I've always intensely disliked John Ford's *The Searchers*. I never understood why it was so revered, so admired by critics, always on top movie of all time lists, always of course on top Western lists. To me it was rather annoying to watch, I disliked the long time span (what is it, 7 years? 10?) , and mostly, I found it just plain not very interesting. I especially disliked Ford's attempts at humour, which for me just don't work (Ford and comedy are kind of uneasy with each other, at best.)
Anyway, yeah, I know, this just sounds so far like an excuse to bash a well-beloved Western. But wait! There's more! I recently ( "recently" being sometime in the past year or so) obtained a copy of that Turner Classic Movies DVD with four John Wayne Westerns on it, including *The Searchers*. One evening when I couldn't think of anything else to watch, I thought 'D'Oh...I might as well give this another chance. It's been a few years." And - I actually liked it! I was impressed by Ford's Monument Valley setting in a way I 'd never been before, I noticed for the first time what people like Marty Scorsese were talking about, with Wayne framed in the doorways at the beginning and end of the film, and I "got into" the story of the search for young Debbie. I finally (sort of) realized what everyone was talking about !
Now, it's still never going to be my favourite film, but I consider it a bona fide movie conversion. As soon as the film was over I went out and plunged my head into the nearest river.
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I meant to add in the original post, while individual films are the focus, of course it's also part of the topic to discuss actors or even genres about whom you've had a change of heart.
wouldbestar, that's cool you changed your mind about Tony Curtis. Ditto for LoveFilmNoir, with Judy Garland and *The Harvey Girls*. Hey, TikiSoo, we keep coming back to *Seven Brides for Seven Brothers*. Maybe I should watch it again...I might have a conversion about it !
I agree with what MFF said about the reasons why you might watch a film that you've disliked again:
"...It may just happen to screen again, we're bored or it happens to play in the background and gets our attention again. And sometimes, whole years have to pass before we're wise enough to appreciate a film that we were too immature to understand earlier."
Those are all reasons why we might give a formerly despised movie another shot.
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He did do a few solo albums, none of which could be called a "hit". Dave contributed some very fine songs to the Kinks canon, notably "Death of a Clown" and "Susannah's Still Alive".
It's well into hockey season, and while I am only a casual fan, I am happy to state that at this point in time, the Toronto Maple Leafs remain undefeated ( of course they've only played about 3 games.)
Here is Stompin' Tom Connors, with his paen to Canada's unofficial national sport. (The game you see on the video looks ancient - the uniforms, no helmets, even the way it's being played.) I give you:
"The Hockey Song" :
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No, people, this is not a thread about fundamentalist Christian movies. Nor is it intended to be a discussion around aspect ratio, "letterboxing", and pan and scan adaptation.
This is about the experience you have when you are somehow persuaded to watch a film that you know you hate, the last time you saw it you hated it as much as ever, and yet...this time you like it ! Something has changed. You? Your perception of the formerly despised movie? Is it the mood you're in, you're feeling particularly mellow ( "damn, that wine was tasty"), and maybe next time you'll hate it again?
Yes, this is about CHANGING YOUR MIND. You've gone from disliking this flick to liking or even loving it. What was the film, and why did you experience a conversion about it?
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STAGE COACH FRIGHT
A priggish Western town decides to rid itself of its "undesirables" by sending them away in a rickety stagecoach. Meanwhile, a young English/American girl tries to cover the individuals' misdeeds by disguising herself as the stagecoach driver. She hopes to gain information regarding the passengers' personal history and report it to the police, in the hopes of proving either John Wayne's innocence or Marlene Dietrich's guilt. All is resolved when the stagecoach proves to be nothing more than a prop in the theatre where Miss Dietrich is appearing.
"You can't fool me...I know the difference between Claire Trevor and Teresa Wright."
"Maybe we can convince everyone that the stagecoach
is just one of Alistair Sim's fantasies"
Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 12, 2010 7:37 PM
Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 12, 2010 7:47 PM
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> {quote:title=MyFavoriteFilms wrote:}{quote}
> I think some fans (not all, but some) don't like to think of Marilyn as a bad girl. She definitely was a dirty bad girl. It seems easier to label her as a victim. And still worship her.
! ! ! "A dirty bad girl" ? What is this, a Victorian cautionary tale for adolescents? What a dismissive way to speak about someone you never even knew. I neither know nor care about the intimate details of Marilyn Monroe's life. When I see how funny she is in *Some Like It Hot* (yes, I know we're all kind of tired of this oft-aired movie, but it's not MM's fault nor the movie's fault that it's shown so frequently) or how she makes fun of herself as a sex symbol in *The Seven Year Itch*, when I see her crying over the wild horses in *The Misfits* or desperately trying to get some respect in *Bus Stop*, I realize how unimportant the drama of her personal life is now.
I strongly believe that it's a good idea to separate the art from the artist.
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JOEL McCREA ! JOEL McCREA !
Foreign Correspondent
Who saves the day!
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A very good example of a non-violent noir is Vincent Minelli's *Meet Me in St. Louis*. The Hallowe'en scene alone would qualify it, and then you've got all that angst (Judy Garland's). And what about The Boy Next Door? A candidate for a thuggish noir world if ever I saw one.
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james, you must take *The Big Sleep* far more seriously than i do. Maybe it's because you read the book. I love this film, but I long since gave up trying to figure out either the plot or the characters. I watch it for style, for the performances, for the witty dialogue, for that great book shop scene ("Looks like we're closed for the rest of the day" - as someone who used to work in a book store, I find that scene particularly fun), and for the snappy interplay between Bogart and Bacall. I love Agnes, and the "little guy" Harry Jones, and the evil Joe Caneno (sp) and pretty, sexy Martha Vickers as the "nymphomaniac " sister, and the straight-faced butler, and all the little details that make *The Big Sleep* so much fun to watch. As to plot and characters, baby, I don't care. (oops, wrong movie.)
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> {quote:title=MyFavoriteFilms wrote:}{quote}
> Eventually, people will not be interested in rehashing Norma Jean's sordid life. They will be talking about Lindsay Lohan's death instead. These bad girls get replaced by the next crop of bad girls.
I'm not the biggest fan of Marilyn Monroe, but I do like her. And yes, I agree that the constant recycling of her life can become a little tedious. Still, let's not put Lindsay Lohan in the same category as the fabulous Marilyn. There is absolutely no comparison. Lohan has become, like Paris Hilton, one of those people who is mostly just famous for being famous. It's not reasonable to compare her (so far) body of cinematic work to Monroe's. And despite all the nonsense around her personal life, MM radiated star power in a way Lohan can only dream about. Monroe's life was a mess in many ways, but I don't care about that. I look at her comic timing, her sweetness, her legacy to movies.
I am completely indifferent to who's a "bad girl", past, present, or future. But don't do MM the injustice of putting her in the same trashy camp as LL . (Hey, there's some kind of initial/alphabetical thing going on here.)
Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 12, 2010 12:13 PM
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I'm sure that there's got to be more than one film noir without a crime. Or is that like champagne without a shoe to drink it out of? (No podiatrist jokes, this is a serious thread.)
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Sometimes when people get all het up and political on other threads, I wish the Mothership would just come floating down and get everybody to chill with some serious funk. Now, Do the Stuff.
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LoveFilm Noir, there were two versions made of *The Big Sleep*, and both are now available on one DVD set. Actually, I have it on a boxed set entitled "Bogie and Bacall; The Signature Collection".
*The Big Sleep* disc "includes the 1946 theatrical version and the 1945 prerelease version". There's a big explanation about how it was felt that Bacall doesn't come off too well in the earlier version, and they reshot a number of scenes, and added more scenes with her and Bogart, in the '46 release. And true enough, having watched both of them, I have to say that the version we're all familiar with ('46) is better - livelier, funnier, sexier. Of course, it probably didn't do anything to help with understanding the plot, but in the case of *The Big Sleep* this hardly makes any difference.
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I've run out of double-entendre film titles and foot jokes, so I hope no one minds if I change the subject.
Last week I was given a great present: "Film Noir Classic Collection Volume 5". This includes :
*Cornered, Desperate, The Phenix City Story, Deadline at Dawn, Armoured Car Robbery, Crime in the Streets, Dial 119, and Backfire* I've only seen one or two of these titles, so I expect I have a fun time in store.
Also, to complement this noir set, I received the latest edition of "The Bible of Noir", also known as Film Noir: The Encyclopedia, edited by Alain Silver and Elizabeth Ward and others. This edition is much different from my 1987 edition; for one thing, it includes posters as well as stills, and for another, it includes a whole Part Two, on "Neo-Noir". Very interesting stuff. I will still keep and use my well-used and well-beloved older edition (which has literally fallen apart; I'll have to brush up on my duct tape skills), but this newest edition will provide me with great reading anytime I'm not in the mood for fiction. I'm particularly interested in the "neo-noir" part, since we so often have friendly discussions as to the time frame of noir, "classic" noir vs later noirs, etc. Now I can squelch anybody who disagrees with me: " Sorry, it doesn't say that in the latest Silver/Ward encyclopedia. I'm afraid you're WRONG. "
I'm looking forward to Noir Volume 5, and may post updates on this thread as I go through the films in this set.
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Ok, I don't usually like to post songs on other forums, since there are some perfectly good threads on this site for just that purpose. However, I cannot resist posting the famous Nancy Sinatra anthem to heavy duty footwear (she' s just talking about how sturdy her boots are when she's doing some serious walking, right? Makes no difference if they're everyday construction worker foot gear or knee-length black leather stilettos. Does it?)
(I can't believe how many of those who comment on youtube don't know or care how to spell.)
lol lol lol 
etc. etc. etc.
"Yes we can can!" said Little Nicola.
in Your Favorites
Posted
Don't know about George Clinton, but the Red Hot Chili Peppers are notorious Communists. Their entire name is encoded for Communist secrets to be interpreted. (that is, by other Communists.)
Edited by: misswonderly on Oct 14, 2010 11:05 AM