JamesJazGuitar
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Posts posted by JamesJazGuitar
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Anyone that thinks Gone With the Wind is "a perfect sort of film" also has the same type of sensationalism associated to those that view Titanic as a great movie.
There has been much debate here about the many flaws of GWTW so I will not hijack this thread mentioning these flaws.
The description of why Titanic is a classic are very similar to why many view GWTW as one. Based on that criteria I would say both a classics.
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Thanks for providing some useful info with regards to 'structured' LSD usage. It appears 99% here (and in the general population), have little understanding about structured LSD usage.
LSD wasn't a drug used to 'have fun' but to change one's perception. This structrured usage is very similar to how Indians used peyote.
Setting up a very controled environment was key to a successful session. Since I was a pysch major in college back in the early 80s I used it under a very controled manner for very specific purposes. One should only do this a few (< 10 or so), times because after this the positive impact is minimal. But if used correctly LSD can raise IQ by 20% or so and help one deal with issues (e.g. I was molested as a child), very quickly instead of theapy secession over many, many years if not a lifetime. I hightly recommend the vast majority of people do NOT use the drug. It is too powerful and it takes a lot of planning to set up the correct controled environment.
This is why I understand that for most people that used it the experience isn't a positive one (or they just used it to have fun and didn't have a clue of it's powers).
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I agree with your take here and what you outline is the key reason I feel Casablanca is the most romantic movie of all time.
When Ilsa is trying to explain to a drunk Rick in her 'I meet a man' speech she mentions how she was a young girl that meet a man of ideas and it opened a new world to her. This is idolizing someone for their mind. This love of the man's ideas and ideals is the core reason given for her love of Victor.
Rick is also a very interesting man but as you note Rick doesn't measure up to Victor in the nobel department. Even Rick admits that in his discussions with Renault. But as you noted Rick's historical actions (e.g. helping the losing side for less pay), were also nobel.
So Ilsa love of Rick was more 'basic' (e.g. sexual attraction, chemisty). In my view Ilsa goes away wtih Victor because they were already married. In other words if they were NOT already married she would of picked Rick.
As for her being unfaithful; was she where Rick and her where in Casablanca? Rick does say she tried to pretent she was in love with me and I let her. Does that mean she made love to him?
Being with Rick when she felt her husband was dead isn't being unfaithful in my view and it is unclear to me if she was unfaithful when she was in Casablanca. Either way it doesn't change the romantic element of the movie to me.
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I watched Illegal also and I agree with your take here. The movie has some good qualities but I believe it would of been better if it was darker and there were some loose ends.
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Jan Sterling would of been great in this type of role. She had a fire and it would of helped.
Grahame might be a little to cool for the part but at the same time how can I agrue with sexy and likeable!
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I agree with Godfrey but I don't see a blonde in the Strawberry Blonde. If the movie was in color Rita's hair would of been more red than blonde.
Thus I would have to replace Strawberry Blonde with the Born Yesterday.
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Yes, Jean Wallace was rather bland type blonde. Someone like Liz Scott might of raised the tention in a few of the scenes that featured Wallace.
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I have to admit the first time I started to watch Curse of the Cat People, years ago, it didn't hold my attention and I didn't watch it all. But then I saw Cat People again and the special on Lewton and I really got into his movies. So I watched 'Curse' again, and 'got it'.
I think the first time I saw it I expected the movie really be a sequel and be more of a horror film instead of the "very strange, dream-like little movie" it was (and a good one at that!).
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Note that the term I used was collateral damage and NOT 'blame'. I used collateral damage on purpose because it is similar to how the 'good guys' (e.g. USA, Israel), defend themselves or fight for justice. Some innocents get killed or harmed in the process. Bannion like the soliders fighting in these conficts are NOT to blame. It is too simplistic to frame the discussion in terms of blame or not to blame. Thus once one frames the discussion in the terms of blame one creates strawman points. Bannion leaves a lot of collateral damage in his quest for justice. That was my basic point and I still stand by it.
You also frame the discussion in black and white terms by implying we don't see Bannion "as a sympathetic character". Our point was that Bannion isn't a complete and total sympathetic character. This point is why The Big Heat is more than just a hero driven crime drama but a film noir. Even other cops in the force start to lose some sympathy for Bannion. In a standard hero driven crime drame the hero would get total sympathy for having his wife blown to bits. Note the case in this noir world.
The same applies to the ending. In the noir world corruption isn't stopped and the city all cleaned up. Like The Racket, corruption takes a hit but it will of course come back in a different form.
As for the gangster daughter; Yea, she is only mentioned in the movie in passing but she is mentioned for a very specific purpose. The reference relates to the myth that one can live outside the world of corruption. But like Bannion's wife corruption will impact even those not directly involved in the battle between good and evil. Bannion implies that the daughter could also end up being collateral damage as a way at getting under the skin of the gangster.
Edited by: jamesjazzguitar on Oct 15, 2011 5:45 PM
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What is also sad is that some actors also cared so much about their image that they turned down roles associated with negative or 'bad' characters.
For example, George Raff not taking the role of Walter Neff in Double Indemnity. I guess George was no brighter than some of his fans (or his expectation of his fans).
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Well my screen name is very literal. My name and the fact I play jazz guitar. Now there is a link between jazz guitar and classic movies.
I played rock guitar when I first started getting into classic movies. I really liked the songs I would hear in these classic movies. But I wasn't a good enough musician to play them so I took leasons to learn to play in a jazz style and improve my ability to read sheet music, so I could play the great standards of the 30s, 40s and 50s.
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Yes, The Strawberry Blond is a great movie. I have an original Olivia promo still from the movie. Olivia really showed she had comic timing. This was another movie that help me determine what type of women I would be attactive to.
I had a girlfriend that was like the Rita character. After seeing this movie I realized that if one is going to be married that Rita type of character was NOT a good mate. Just because your friends might feel you are luckly in reality living with that type would be a nightmare. Thus I dump her and started looking for my Olivia.
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How was that Hey Jude single released? I have to assume both the A and B side was Hey Jude.
That means that the B side would be mostly just that la, la, de la, la, etc......ending.
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Sometimes people dislike an actor because of the roles they play. If one mostly just saw Davis roles like The Little Foxes or Mr Skeffington than I can see a reason for a dislike (for those that cannot separate the actor from their roles).
I remember Bette from the Johnny Carson show and here she could be somewhat brash. That also turns people off.
Me; I love Bette.
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I'm fairly sure I saw The Dark Mirror on TCM in the last 2 or so years. Olivia is very good in the movie and the other interesting player is Thomas Mitchell as the detective. Lew Ayres is his low key self.
Olivia was compared to Bette Davis since she released A Stolen Life the same year (46). But Bette's movie was more fluff and romantic while The Dark Mirror has more of an edge.
The Dark Mirror was also directed by Robert Siodmak. He just completed The Killers and his direction also added to the vibe in the movie. A very good movie many classic movie fans haven't seen and clearly one not shown enough.
Great picture you posted. Two is always better than one!
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I tend to agree with you with regards to a proper time and place for one to make a political statement. But let's say I was Michael Douglas and I was picking up my best actor Oscar for my role in the movie Wall Street and the current Wall Street protest were going on.
Movie often make a political statement so would it be improper for Michael to say 'unlike Greko, I support the Wall Street protesters!' while getting his Oscar?
Making some type of 'out of the blue' political statement at an event like the Oscars isn't cool in my view but I'm not sure the above example is an out of the blue comment. i.e. there is some context to support making that type of comment.
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Devon George of the LA Lakers was called the Fifth Beatle.
The Lakers had a team of 4 future all stars (Shaq, Kobe, Malone, Payton), and George was the other starter. So he was called the Fifth Beatle by the media during that season. By the finals Malone was out because of injury and the Shaq Kobe battle was raging and the Lakers lost in 5 to Detroit.
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Being a major DeHavilland fan I would also like TCM to show Olivia movies other than The Heiress. I agree that TCM tends to show certain 'hit' or 'key' movies associated with stars too often. So yes, it would be more interesting if they showed other movies assoicated wtih these stars in place of just showing a 'hit' over and over again.
I do wonder about this sentence:
But honestly, I don't think the programmers are scheduling THE HEIRESS because of her. They are putting it on the air, because of Montgomery Clift.
What makes you think the above? What inslight do you have on what makes 'the programmers' tick? Why would they promote Clift over Olivia?
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You are not correct when you state "unless it interfered with the performance of your job" because what you are missing is the performance of OTHERS at the work place.
If one's comments inside or outside the workplace create a hostile work environment for OTHERS at the work place than one can be fired for creating this hostile work environment.
So using your **** example, if someone was an open member of the **** and his co-workers complained that this **** member create a hostile work environment for these co-workers the **** member could be fired. For example, the **** member couldn't post **** signs in their cube or where a "I love the ****" t-shirt to work. These are all restrictions of one's speech conduct and the employer has a legal right (in fact duty under the law), to apply these restrictions.
We agree that for public figures the contract outlines the terms. For example, the fine Kobe got from the NBA for saying a gay slur. But even for non public figures we lose a certain degree of free speech as it relates to employment. So I stand by my POV here; The issue is not one of free speech (since one is 'free' to say what they want as it relates to action by the state gonvernment), but what are legit (legal), ground for an employer to punish or terminate an employee for speech conduct. In that context speech is NOT free of conquences.
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I should stay up all night and watch these movies drinking espresso from my wife's $500 espresso machine. She is from Italy and she just had to have one. Now she says it was a gift from her godmother but I'm not buying it. She just have to have her espresso.
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Maybe I'm being too picky but you said this "and THEN I will believe TCM would have every right to fire him". In this context the term 'right' means legal ability in my view. Again, TCM would have 'every right' regardless of your or the general public's opinion. i.e. our opinion doesn't impact TCM's right to fire him or not.
Thus instead I would of said; "I would support TCM decision to fire him".
The main reason for my reply is you also say " ,,,because he TOO is a citizen of this country,..". What does being a citizen have to do with any of this? To me your are implying that by being a citizen he has certain LEGAL rights as it relates to speech and employment. So while you say 'very true, james' that comment implies you either don't understand my POV here or don't agree with it.
Being a citizen doesn't give one the right to say what they wish, even outside the work place, as it relates to employment. Well unless there is a contact that says otherwise and most of the time the contact favors the coporation and not the employee. Note that in many cases (Charlie Sheen, Imus, etc..), the network station had a legal obligation to pay off the employee. i.e. they could fire them but not without a monetary consideration.
I assume with Williams, ESPN will pay him for use of his song, as defined by the contact terms, but just not play the song.
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As much as I love guitar, that is a whole lot of guitar! Even for Johnny!
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I don't see the need for this type of thread unless actual facts (stats), are made available. Yes, I did see that this thread was framed as a question, but if no one can answer the question, then I don't see much value to the thread.
In other words I would be very interested in seeing a list of the 20 movies shown most often by TCM in, say, the last 12 months.
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Yes, Lake was in two comedies I enjoy, Sullivan's Travel and I Married a Witch. She was hot for a shot time but she sure did cool off fast. By 48 she was done (Some might say 46).
Edited by: jamesjazzguitar on Oct 13, 2011 2:49 PM
Cary Grant on Acid...1959 was Trippy!
in General Discussions
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The controled environment was set by having a house where we would lock the door and not invite anyone else over that day night. Only a few trusted friends would be there and 1 or 2 woud not be on the drug. Meeting strangers under the effects of the drug can cause paranoia. We would eat a light meal a few hours before.
Note that I only used the natural form of LSD found in Morning Glory seeds (yes, the common morning glory seed is the only natural form of LSD available) and we would follow the same process the indians would use. It was a very spritrual event. Note that the with this natural form one doesn't have a bunch of hallucinations only very mild ones. Instead the experience is more about heightened awareness.
Again, I don't recommend one use even the natual form of LSD unless one had really prepared for the experience and is with someone that has had the experience and only in a controled environment.