kingrat
-
Posts
4,574 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
2
Posts posted by kingrat
-
-
Nice overview, jlewis. That should give people an idea of whether they want to see the film. I would only add that I liked all the performances but heard/understood only half the dialogue.
-
1
-
-
Thanks for the great pictures, SueSue.
What should the FedEx man just deliver but my festival pass? Four weeks from tomorrow will be opening night. Here's hoping the complete schedule will be out by the end of next week.
It's almost time! And thanks for the updates from social media.
-
1
-
-
I thought Webb was terrific in Sid & Nancy, and I was surprised that she wasn't in more notable roles. After this, I mainly recall her from the 1988 Schwarzenegger and DeVito comedy Twins and that's about it.
Lawrence, Chloe Webb also played Mona in Tales of the City, in which she was just terrific. For whatever reason, neither she nor Marcus D'Amico (Michael Tolliver) returned for More Tales of the City, and their replacements were not nearly so successful.
I thought Chloe Webb would have a big career, but something must have gone wrong. Tales of the City is worth seeking out if you enjoy her work.
-
1
-
-
Having had a little more than a day to process the news of Osborne's death, I cannot help but wonder what TCM will end up programming in the primetime hours on May 31, 2017. The theme that night is currently listed as 'Robert Osborne's Picks', with the titles listed as TBA. When the May schedule was posted a couple of weeks ago, I was curious as to why no titles were displayed for that evening. Now, of course, we all know why.
I am sure TCM will have more to say about the future after a suitable period of celebrating Osborne's legacy has elapsed, but I will offer a suggestion right now. I like the idea of letting TCM's hosts program a night of movies each month, and I think it would be a comforting bit of continuity for TCM to introduce 'Ben's Picks' as a replacement for 'Bob's Picks'. Ben Mankiewicz could use the inaugural night of such a series to pay tribute to Osborne by scheduling three or four of R.O.'s favourites -- LIBELED LADY, LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN and THE BAND WAGON come to mind.
Great idea, Barton. The Razor's Edge was another RO favorite.
-
1
-
-
Like a number of people who have posted here, I have very happy memories of seeing Robert Osborne at the early TCM festivals. He made time to pose for numerous pictures with fans and spent time chatting with people in Club TCM at night after the movies were over. He always seemed to be kind, friendly, and genuinely interested in other people.
-
1
-
-
I am very much looking forward to Prince of Players, which I have never seen. My Cousin Rachel is a good romantic melodrama.
Connoisseurs of camp must not miss Sea Wife. Joan Collins as a nun. I mean . . . Joan Collins as a nun.
-
1
-
-
Thanks for a very thought-provoking post. This is a fascinating approach, because we do indeed have different expectations of films which are different lengths. I can't argue with your choices of Sherlock Jr. and Lawrence of Arabia, both of which are favorites and both of which seem exactly the right length. I am not a fan of some of the others you mention (Scenes from a Marriage, for instance), but that's another matter.
One afternoon on TCM I watched They Were Expendable and The Nun's Story back to back, both about the same length, but completely opposite in feel. The Ford is sprawling and leisurely, although a leisurely war film seems a contradiction in terms. The last half hour is really gripping, which more or less seems to justify Ford's approach. The Zinnemann is as taut as a 90-minute film, with every shot held for precisely the right amount of time and not a millisecond more. Every piece of the mosaic is in exactly the right place. The emotions of the film are so strong that they have to be repressed, and Zinnemann's approach catches this perfectly.
-
2
-
-
Although I liked Moonlight, drednm is absolutely correct that the movie was poorly recorded, especially the outdoor scenes. The film also used the local Liberty City accent and much slang. The combination makes the dialogue hard to grasp; I got about 50% at most. Mahershala Ali's big scene at the beginning of the film is almost completely incomprehensible. Some people may appreciate closed caption subtitles.
-
1
-
-
Laurel, you have made my day with these photos. Because Geena Davis is tall, that would make the outfit look even sillier.
Even Audrey Hepburn, the essence of chic, made a faux pas one year (later in her career) when she wore a dress that exposed her bony collarbone. A higher neckline would have made all the difference.
-
Excellent review, Tom. I saw this at a noir festival but it isn't really noir. Some excellent shots of downtown L.A. and a great performance by Dan Duryea.
-
1
-
-
Best Screen Kiss of 1985, possibly Best Screen Kiss EVER:
Gordon Warneke and Daniel Day Lewis, My Beautiful Laundrette
-
OK, I'll bite--and will no doubt be bitten! Last night I watched The Quiet Man. The critic John Simon once said that a particular stage performance by Helen Hayes was "as cute as a fat baby that has just peed in your lap." That describes my feelings about most of the supporting performances in The Quiet Man.
What's good about about the film: John Wayne and especially Maureen O'Hara. Thus far, I'm in agreement with the general opinion. Mildred Natwick, too. Wayne is almost always good when he gets to play someone shyer than "John Wayne." Maureen O'Hara, looking absolutely gorgeous, is always at her best when she plays a strong, strong woman--unsympathetic at times, but strong.
Two ways to make a film about Ireland: 1) make a film about the actual country of Ireland; 2) use every cliche and stereotype of stage Irishness, or "Oirishness" as this is sometimes called. Obviously, John Ford chooses Door Number Two. Some find this charming. Some of us--I'm not entirely alone--don't. Either you find Barry Fitzgerald simply adorable or you reach for a barf bag every time he commits another cuteness. Granted, I loathe Fitzgerald in almost any role (he's best as a treacherous, sniveling villain in The Sea Wolf), but in this film it isn't just Fitzgerald, it's the way Ford directs the supporting cast.
Now this is the truly heretical part that could get me burned at the stake: the greatest weakness of the film is John Ford, whose direction is routine and unimaginative, far below his best work. Following The Quiet Man, I watched the first half of The Razor's Edge, a film I had always thought of as rather talky, if interesting in many ways. This time I was struck by the imaginative camera movements of director Edmund Goulding, which always added to the meaning of the dialogue and far surpassed the work of John Ford in The Quiet Man.
Guess I'd better skip town ahead of the Inquisition for such heretical teachings!
-
2
-
-
The Story of Esther Costello, based on a novel by Nicholas Monserrat, which was released several years before The Miracle Worker, was supposedly suggested by events in the later life of Helen Keller. This is a dark, twisted, noirish story, and Joan Crawford doesn't even play the villain.
-
Favorite line from 1984: "The life of a Repo Man is always intense."
You mean 1984 had three movies as quirky, off-the-wall, and really good as Choose Me, This Is Spinal Tap, and Repo Man? Quirky was, like, mainstream that year.
Obviously, "Big Bottom" wuz robbed when it came to the best song category. However, all five nominated songs are remembered today, which is highly unusual for this category, especially after the the era of the MGM musical: "Against All Odds," "Footloose," "Ghostbusters," "I Just Called To Say I Loved You," and "Let's Hear It For the Boy." These songs were genuinely popular.
I like Sally Field in Places in the Heart, I really like her, but in a fine year for leading performances by women, Judy Davis takes first place for A Passage to India, with Genevieve Bujold in Choose Me, Kathleen Turner in Romancing the Stone, Mia Farrow in Broadway Danny Rose, and Lesley Ann Warren in Choose Me not far behind.
-
4
-
-
Some fabulous stuff scheduled for May. The Danielle Darrieux tribute is a marvelous idea. Wild River may be a TCM premiere; it hasn't been on in a long time, in any event. Lee Remick and Jo Van Fleet give their career best performances.
The Fire Within is probably Louis Malle's best film, though not to be watched if you're feeling depressed.
The Ichikawa double feature is another must. I completely love Odd Obsession, which is off-kilter in the best possible way. I have only seen Conflagration in a VHS copy so bad the film was basically unwatchable. Keeping my fingers crossed!
-
2
-
-
SueSue, I noticed that King of Hearts is no longer listed with the films announced for the festival. Do you know anything about this? Does this mean Genevieve Bujold is less likely to appear?
The press release seemed to suggest that Lee Grant will be the featured interviewee. With her work as actress and director and her experience with the blacklist, she would certainly be an interesting subject. Because the release merely says that Sidney Poitier will be in attendance at the showing of In the Heat of the Night, that may mean that he is not well enough to be interviewed, but will be introduced and receive a thunderous ovation from those in attendance.
-
Speedracer, we share a deep and abiding love for A Christmas Story. It deserves a Major Award.
-
1
-
-
Before we leave 1983, I'd like to agree with Bogie for his high praise for Educating Rita, which was his favorite film for this year. The play was written by Willy Russell for Julie Walters, and apparently Rita was based on her. Julie Walters is terrific in the movie and even could be said to overshadow Michael Caine, which is not exactly easy to do. Caine is perhaps not the top choice to play a college professor, although he's a fine actor with exceptional screen presence.
Rita is a working class gal, a hairdresser by profession, who takes some college literature courses. She has plenty of brains but no knowledge of the academic world, so that, for instance, it seems natural to her to compare Macbeth to Harold Robbins' Where Love Has Gone. Rita's naivete leads to some fine comic moments, but as the movie progresses, we realize that it isn't really a comedy. Once Rita is educated, she doesn't fit into the world she grew up in. The world she's smart enough to join means an estrangement from the people in her daily life. Educating Rita sticks in the memory.
Tender Mercies is on my honor roll of intelligent, believable films about the real South. The director, Bruce Beresford, is Australian, just as Michael Apted, director of another film on that list, the admirable Coal Miner's Daughter, is British. Robert Duvall, Tess Harper, and Betty Buckley all give first-rate performances in Tender Mercies. Sometimes non-Southerners get the impression that the character played by Tess Harper is mentally challenged. No, she isn't. She's sweet, she has a thick Southern accent, she's deeply religious, and she has all of her faculties. It's unfortunate that Tess Harper and Betty Buckley didn't have more big movie roles; Tess Harper did have a nice supporting role in Crimes of the Heart.
-
2
-
-
Yikes, I see that Choose Me is a 1984 film. Sorry for the confusion.
Lawrence, Alan Rudolph has directed some stinkers. I'm very fond of Welcome to L.A. (which a lot of people are not) and Choose Me, and if Trouble in Mind doesn't completely work, it has a super performance by Genevieve Bujold. These three films, considered together, absolutely show the work of an auteur, but, of course, there are plenty of authors one doesn't enjoy.
Some of Rudolph's projects were made to get by until he could get financing for the movies he really wanted to make. He did not excel under these conditions.
-
1
-
-
I seem to agree with both sides about Terms of Endearment. The change of tone doesn't quite work, but on the other hand, this is just how it happens when someone close to you says, out of the blue, "I have cancer."
I like both Debra and Shirley, especially Debra, in Terms, but Genevieve Bujold in Choose Me is an equally strong contender. She'll be even more outstanding in Trouble in Mind.
Choose Me is probably my favorite film from this year, but the one I've seen the most times is The Big Chill. I usually like "group of friends" movies, including both The Return of the Secaucus Seven and The Big Chill. Is that comparable to liking both snails and oysters? I'm not especially fond of the music in The Big Chill, but otherwise no complaints.
SAG Award for Best Cast: The Big Chill
Directors' Guild Award for Best Director: Alan Rudolph, Choose Me
-
Genevieve Bujold and Lesley Ann Warren are both leads in Choose Me.
Agreed, Bogie. Wouldn't Keith Carradine also be a lead?
-
SueSue, although I would be happy for either Coma or Anne of the Thousand Days to be added to the schedule, the one I would truly love to see is Choose Me. Let's dream a little: with Keith Carradine and Lesley Ann Warren, too.
If not this year, another year. Of course Keith Carradine is busy with Madam Secretary and his other projects, but he has appeared at the festival before, to great acclaim.
-
1
-
-
A word about Shoot the Moon: this film leaves me with mixed emotions. It's well directed by Alan Parker and well acted by everyone in the film. My choice for best juvenile performance of 1982 would be Dana Hill as the only person who tries to be a responsible adult, even though she's twelve or maybe even younger.
Albert Finney leaves his wife (Diane Keaton) and three daughters for another woman (Karen Allen). That pushes us toward sympathizing with his wife, but she forfeits our (or at least my) sympathies quickly when she refuses to face her responsibilities for her children and lets her oldest daughter try to be the adult. She then decides to build an expensive tennis court. Unfortunately, the script doesn't let us know how wealthy these characters are: is this a crazy extravagance or well within the budget? This detail matters. The wife then becomes attracted to a hunky guy (Peter Weller) who's building the tennis court.
Shoot the Moon has one truly great moment: the look of shock on Diane Keaton's face when her blue-collar boyfriend beats up her husband. Nothing could show the class and cultural divide more clearly. In the wife's world, people don't resort to fisticuffs when they have differences.
I recommend Shoot the Moon to anyone who hasn't seen it, but the essential question is how much one likes a totally believable, well-crafted film about two not very likable people.
-
2
-
-
1982 really had a lot of outstanding performances, especially if The Year of Living Dangerously moves Linda Hunt into this year. Linda Hunt and Glenn Close (The World According to Garp) would be on a very short list of the best supporting performances of the decade. Sophie's Choice is one of Meryl Streep's finest achievements, and Ben Kingsley, Paul Newman, and Dustin Hoffman are perfectly reasonable choices for best actor.
In addition, I'm absolutely bonkers about Julie Bovasso's performance in The Verdict, and Lindsay Crouse is also very fine in that movie. The Verdict is like heroin for the plaintiffs' bar, and your lawyer friends can explain everything that is wrong and dishonest about the film, but it is very well executed. Paul Newman and Charlotte Rampling are quite convincing as alcoholic lovers. That part of the story rings true, even if the treachery of James Mason & Co. is ridiculous.
Missing is one of my favorite films of the year. If this is intended as an expose of the Pinochet regime, what Costa-Gavras actually shows is something that strikes me as even more profound: both leftist son and right-wing dad are completely convinced that nothing bad can happen to them because they are Americans. Daughter-in-law Sissy Spacek is the one who knows better.
-
3
-
June Schedule is Up
in General Discussions
Posted
Lawrence, I think that Hide in Plain Sight is one of James Caan's best performances. No problems with his directing, either. I also like Robert Viharo as the small-time gangster who's having an affair with Caan's wife.
I've never seen Chungking Express and look forward to that.