JamesJazGuitar
-
Posts
35,217 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
52
Posts posted by JamesJazGuitar
-
-
I agree with you especially related to my experience watching classic movies in revival theaters.
First, most of the audience are fairly knowledgeable about classic movies. i.e. classic movie 'nuts' like us!
Thus I assume most have seen the film already but only on TV. This adds interest because very little gets passed them. Sometime the audience reaction gets me to see something I had missed.Than there is just the overall reaction. For example, I saw Dead Reckoning in a theater with about 50 others. Bogie makes what many today would say were sexist comments to Liz Scott. Well the gals in the audience started to boo Bogie! It was all in jest but it was funny. A few guys had the guts to yell back 'right on Bogie'. This exchange added a cool vibe to the show.
-
In this 24 7 Internet age justice isn't just about finding out if Natalie was murdered or not, but also not accusing people (e.g. Wagner in this case), of something he could be completly innocent off.
I only point this out since it is fairly common for people to be upset someone got away with murder when it isn't clear that this 'someone' did commit a murder. Accusing someone that is truely innocent isn't justice.
-
Well one of my favorites songs from a movie is How Little We Know from To Have and Have Not with Bacall pretending to sing the song. A teen Andy Williams is the one really singing it.
-
I watched The Racket and I was surprised that the movie with this type of complex part would be made as a Silent Movie. Now I had seen the Mitchum version a few times so I know the story, but if one didn't know the story how would they follow the plot?
In the book Film Noir they said that this was a losted movie. The edition I had was released in the 90s and I guess than this movie was 'losted'. I see by the credits that the movie was restored around 2004.
-
If Valance didn't do well at the box office when it was released I assume it was because Wayne is a very flawed character in this movie. There really isn't much to like about his character other than his act of killing Valance. Thus while the movie is my favorite Wayne performance to a Wayne fan expecting a hero the movie would of been a turn off.
-
Note: Spoiler alert!!!
Andy, I was a first confused about how Hayden's character did a 180 with regards to the ex-con but it was because of the note that he left. With that note it finally dawned on Hayden that the ex-con was on the up and up. Anyhow that is how I explained the ending to myself.
Yea, Hayden is a unique actor and an interesting one at that. I would love to see him as SOTM.
-
Funny Dargo2 but I had the exact same experience with Crime Wave as you. First I enjoyed the movie. As you noted a good noir that packed a lot in those 77 minutes.
Each time I would see those shots of City Hall I would laugh. The wife asked why. I said, 'look at LA back than and were City Hall clearly stands out as the tallest building'.
-
As to why women would fall for a man like Leslie Howard; Well women are not a shallow as men. i.e. Women often fall for the complete and total package and not just outside appearances.
Based on what I have read, Howard was a much more well rounded man than Gable. While men are often suckers for eye candy, women often go deeper. Howard was deep, Gable was shallow.
-
Yes, the "irish jig" scene is one a great one. I saw this movie with my mentor. He was a close friend of my dad and when my dad left I moved in with him. Treasure was is favorite movie and he saw it as a teen when it first came out in the late 40s.
So we watched the movie together and it all hit me. No wonder this was his favorite movie. He was the 'old man' now! Something I used to think that he was mean because he would make me feel just I was such a fool. Well after seeing this movie I was able to accept this more. Like the two younger guys in the movie I was a fool! I did need direction or I wasn't going to make it.
So this movie really helped us bond and easier for me to accept what he was trying to teach me.
As for Dunne; I agree that she was on of the most talented actresses. Very versatile. One of my favorites.
-
Mine would be Two Marvelous for Words from Dark Passage, followed by I Remember You from The Fleets In.
-
*Fury* or *The Ox-Bow Incident;* Very interesting point. Of course those plots are vastly different since the accused didn't kill anyone to begin with. One could add The Wrong Man to form a trio.
But I admit I cannot think of any movies where a self defense claim is central to the plot.
As to A Face In The Crowd; Yea, why do so many in the business pick this movie? Could it be because they see a little of Lonesome in their own character? NO way!
-
I will have to watch the exchanges between Hallie and Ranse when they are older to see if Hallie really is if she is no longer happy. I really never viewed the relationship that way.
Yea, I always felt she was full of guilt and that she felt bad for how Tom and how things ended up, but not that she was no longer happy. That she still didn't feel Ranse was a good man to have as a husband.
While Ranse got his break based on a myth (lie), he was still a man of solid character. i.e. it wasn't like he didn't earn his station in life just because that lie gave him a big push.
Great exchange here BTW. The depth in all of the lead characters is what makes this western a stop above in this genre.
-
Maybe from Doniphon's POV saving Ranse ended his life as he knows but that POV assumes that if Valance had killed Ranse Hallie would of stayed with Doniphon. That is a key question here isn't it? I assume Hallie was done with Doniphon as a potential husband regardless of if Ranse lived or died. But of course I make this assumption as part of my way at looking at relationships. i.e. once Hallie understood the differenes in the two type of men and fell in 'true love' with one type (Ranse's type), she couldn't (wouldn't), go back to the Doniphon type.
Of course mayby Hallie would of married Doniphon anyhow out of loyality or duty. But if Doniphon didn't change (i.e. change in the same way the west was changing), I don't think their marriage would of been a happy one.
You're POV on all of this is interesting to me. I get what you mean by "killing" himself. But of course he had other options after doing so. He could of reinvented himself. So in many ways Doniphon was like Valance; both where no longer of value in the new west.
-
Good discussion related to the Rhett Scarlett relationship. I do see what you're getting; something along the lines of they really loved each other in their hearts but they just didn't know how to show it in their actions. i.e. in how they treated each other.
Note that this type of relationship is a fairly common theme in movies (many screwball comedies use this plot device), but 99% of the time the couple end up finding 'true love' by the end of the movie.
Based on your take, I'm now asking myself if it is the ending that has made be jaded towards their romance. I guess it is. I mean if Scarlett has really matured into a women worth loving and she is able to openly express her love for Rhett, why is Rhett now leaving? So maybe the problem for me is I'm too much of a romantic! For them to have all those ups and downs and than for Rhett to just walk out at the end. Would a typically sappy love ending of been better? Not likely.
Of course a real true romantic believes that Rhett returns 2 days later and Scarlett and Rhett live happily ever after! That is somewhat implied since Scarlett says she will get him back.
-
Please tell me where how this is a grand romantic epic? The relationship between Rhett and Scarlett is anything but romantic. It is pathetic. Really where is there any romance? Any love between these two? Any depth of caring feelings? Nobe, NOT there!
There does appear to be a strong romance between Melanie and Ashley but if Ashley was in love with Scarlett all those years that relationship wasn't as romantic as it appeared. i.e. Ashley was just being loyal and doing his duty by not stepping out on Melanie. A one way romance (Melanie clearly loved Ashley), doesn't make for a romantic epic in my book.
After Melanie died Scarlett doesn't want Ashley anymore which implies she only wanted what she couldn't have. Thus she never really loved Ashley (as Rhett suspected), and thus no romance there either.
I have ask this same question 100 times; GWTW fans - please show me where there is any romance to celebrate in GWTW.
I have yet to see a reply that makes any sense.
-
I have to agree with you that from a logical POV adding TV shows, would pollute the brand as TCM currently exist today.
TV shows are NOT movies so right there the name of TCM implies the focus is on movies. TV shows and movies are NOT the same.
Now I can see people wanting TCM to change up their brand by adding TV shows. I get that and some have made a good case for why that would add interest to TCM. But to me it clearly would be a change in direction as it relates to the TCM brand.
As I think you know by now; I would like TCM to continue to show, about 80% of the time, movies made before 1968.
-
Well I for one do NOT agree as far as the order of my favorite Thin Man movies.
My order would flop Song and Goes Home.
The main reason being Song has a jazz music theme and most of all it has Gloria Grahame. Now it isn't a big part but she does add a noir feel to the movie since she is one a female noir icon.
*The Thin Man*
*After the Thin Man*
*Song of the Thin Man*
*Shadow of the Thin Man*
*Another Thin Man*
*The Thin Man Goes Home*
-
Wayne's character didn't own Hallie so he didn't have the power to give her up. Like I said Hallie was going to leave him for a different man regardless of if it was the Steward character or, if he was killed by Valance, someone like the Steward character. A man of the future. A man that didn't have to use violence. A thinking, book reading man, etc...
The movie is about the changing of the old west. We see a macro version of this with statehood and the settling of the open range. We see a micro version of this with Hallie falling out of love with Wayne's character and falling in love with Steward's.
I do see the sacrifice that Wayne's character had to make regarding his own values; i.e. that he didn't give Valance a chance to defend himself and that was part of the code of the west. So I agree with you there.
-
The main reason I watched Elephant Walk was because of how Liz looked. At here peak in my view. See Ava and than Liz back to back in movies about African was nice, but the Ava Gable Kelly trio was a lot better than the trio in Elephant Walk.
-
Today's L.A. Times had a story on Griffith and of course they had pictures. There was Obie with that bird cage in his hands. Why that picture? Because that episode was one of the all time favorites? Either way I got a little choked up while eating my oatmeal!
-
I agree with Darkblue and you; Tombstone is the better version and in my view the best movie made about Wyatt Earp. First the early versions (i.e. the studio era ones), were so 'off' as it relates to the actual events. Yea, I understand the 'well these were movies, not bios' POV but these early ones were so off, they only 'work' for those that do NOT know the history. So well I was young I didn't know the difference but after I had read up on the actual live of Earp those movies just didn't cut it.
Of course the Lancaster Douglas pairing has a lot of merit since they were a great team in many fine films but they were a little too 'clean' as it relates to how Earp and Doc really were.
To me the Costner version was just weak so I would rate it below even the studio era versions. i.e even though it was more true to history, it lacked in other ways that makes it a dud.
-
Yes, it is just acting. All one has to do is see A Face in the Crowd and compare that to his Taylor performance.
As for the MayBerry show. In many ways I'm not into the 'middle american values' thing, but that show really does get to me. If there is a message (and often there was), it wasn't overbearing. It was done with grace and humor. The interplay between father and son is just great. My father wasn't around much so maybe that is why this show gets to me. I learned things from Taylor that my dad wasn't around to teach.
The episode where Obie kills a mother bird and then takes cares of the babies until they can fly away on their own is something that I will never forget. I cry like a baby every time I see it.
Edited by: jamesjazzguitar on Jul 4, 2012 2:18 PM
-
Thanks for pointing out what so many people continue to miss, over and over again.
The main thing when there is need for a schedule change is what gets bumped. That is KEY folks! What gets replaced?
The same concept applies to SOTM. I often see people saying 'this actor should of been SOTM this year'. Yea, anyone can say that about many, many actors. But the key again is if XYZ is SOTM who should NOT be SOTM? i.e. who will XYZ replace?
This reminds me of budget debates. It is easy to say 'more money for schools'. But what should get LESS money? That is key.
It is easy to complain when one ignores what is KEY.
-
I think GWTW is vastly overrated but I understand why the treatment of slaves and the overall concept of slavery was downplayed. The movie was made to celebrate the south and of course reality wouldn't fit into that picture.
What I find folly about the movie is the so called loved story between Rhett and Scarlett. Both of these people have NO idea what love is. There is no love story. All there is, is a man that want to conquer a women sexually and a women that has nothing any real man would want (well for anything more than a roll in the hay).
Then there is Ashley; He really is no different than Rhett; He doesn't love Scarlett either. Since Ashley has character he can clearly see she has none. Thus he only wants Scarlett for one thing just like Rhett. But I do disagree with you about Melanie. She is the main reason to watch the movie. Her interactions with all the others is what bring hope to this soap opera. Rhett is a stand up guy when Melanie is involved (e.g. returning her wedding ring).
Without Melanie the other main players would be too disagreeable.
Edited by: jamesjazzguitar on Jul 4, 2012 3:18 PM
Thus I assume most have seen the film already but only on TV. This adds interest because very little gets passed them. Sometime the audience reaction gets me to see something I had missed.
FAVORITE SONG FROM A TCM MOVIE?
in Your Favorites
Posted
The Big Sleep is one of my top 5 movies! In this one Bacall does her own singing in the gambling joint. While the full song isn't played (hey this wasn't a musical!), I do love this version of Till Her Tears Flowed Like Wine.
To Have and Have Not was her first movie and she was insecure about her singing, but she got some training and was able to pull it off in The Big Sleep.
Note that How Little We Know was written by Hoagy Carmichael who played the piano player Cricket. He wrote Georgia (yea, it wasn't Ray Charles), and is one of the greater American song writers of his era.