JamesJazGuitar
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Posts posted by JamesJazGuitar
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Just now, TopBilled said:
Why do you say that? Because it could be any of the Powers films?
I would say that because I find none of the Powers films to be anything close to a classic. But hey, to each their own.
(oh, and it wouldn't be because they are not old enough, but because they like quality. E.g. I don't find them funny),
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Just now, kingrat said:
She was also in a domestic melodrama (a.k.a. "woman's picture") with Lizabeth Scott called Paid in Full. TCM rarely if ever shows it. Diana is mentally unstable, and Lizabeth (her older sister) is in love with Diana's husband. It has one of those far-out plots typical of the genre.
Yea, overbaked domestic melodrama that even Eve Arden couldn't make better.
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5 minutes ago, Mr. Gorman said:
I'd recommend watching THE FIGHTING SULLIVANS (1944) before watching SAVING PRIVATE RYAN.
Make it a trio ending with Paths of Glory.
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1 hour ago, DougieB said:
Hadn't heard about the statue but just checked it out. The literal veneration of that image probably began with Tommy (1975). The original context of the film image is so New York-centric that I'm not sure why Palm Springs would adopt it, except that they see it as a step up from those giant chairs lots of places have for tourists to pose next to. I don't find it offensive because I remember the movie character's refreshing glee in the experience, but actual context doesn't seem to matter much in these cultural "crises". We'd probably all be better off keeping our mouths shut entirely these days. (Not really.)
There's so much that's debatable about the AFI list of "legends" (including its need to exist) that I concede your point that their actual films were NOT the main criteria.
I agree about the AFI list of "legends". At least they offer some type of description of the so called criteria for inclusion. Related to Monroe; I have a wall of American Studio-era actors. Some are clearly my favorites (for their acting chops like Bette Davis), but some others I just like but found the photo iconic (e.g. Veronica Lake and her 40s hairdo represents the 40s era). Anyhow when I have people over they find this wall interesting and of course try to guess who-is-who. Most can only name a few, and the vast majority ask "no Monroe"? That prompts me to ask why-are-you-asking. The main reason is that they are aware of Monroe as a cultural icon, but when I ask if they have seen any of her films the answer is typically NO.
Of course most of these folks have only seen Wizard of Oz, and It's A Wonderful Life when it comes to films from the 30s - 50s.
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2 hours ago, DougieB said:
Marilyn doesn't exist today as an image or as a commercial entity simply because she stirred men's lust; she resonated with a broader range of people for a broader range of reasons. In the end, at least to movie fans, it's the films which count. As Margo Channing said: "The proof's in the pudding, Bub."
I assume those that voted for that AFI poll were "movie fans" and it is clear that "it's the films which count" was NOT their main criteria for this type of ranking. I.e. I would hope we would agree that based sticky on an actors film legacy, Monroe wouldn't be #6. (or Liz Taylor at #7).
As for The Seven Year Itch; Have you read about the push back with regards to the Monroe statue in Palm Springs. Palm Springs has a large gay community and many of the city leaders are gay. (if you're ever there go to Toucans a great bar\dance place that has the most open and sexually diverse vibe of any place I have ever been too). The overall riff is how can gay men be so clueless with regards to sexist and sexual exploration of a female. I don't have a stand on this. I just find it yet another interesting cancel-culture discussion related to how historical culture figures are viewed today.
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Note that Monroe is#6 on the AFI "American screen legends" top 25 actresses; AFI defines an "American screen legend" as "an actor or a team of actors with a significant screen presence in American feature-length films [films of 40 minutes or more] whose screen debut occurred in or before 1950, or whose screen debut occurred after 1950 but whose death has marked a completed body of work."
Posting this only as an FYI.
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22 minutes ago, laffite said:
2019
Don't go to the Wikipedia article before viewing this film. You get a spoiler in the first couple of lines. Why? Because the narrative thread of this fine drama has resulted into wiki carelessness. The story is told essentially by three characters, one right after the other, covering the same duration. Three overlapping POV looks. The various threads come together with fine resolution. Wikipedia tells us in a flash what the movie has taken pains to tell us in a most interesting and classy way.
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Are you aware of how Wiki articles are created? I ask because if one did, they wouldn't say something like "wiki carelessness".
That is as silly as what Biden said a few days back about the content on Facebook related to Covid-19.
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2 hours ago, dante said:
well, what did you think. to be truthful I was a little skeptical until about minute 54 but it caught my interest from that minute on. closed captions don't bother me I watch almost all with CC included. need a hearing aid but too too vain. all in all I thought it was a very good movie.
I have an observation and since many of you are most likely old enough to remember Hitchcock don't you think the ending was typical Hitchcock. now not so much his motion pictures but his half hour and hour productions called AH presents. Naturally not all since they were written by numerous people but so many of his shows ended with this type of weird justice. I am presently rewatching on Peacock. some are really bad but others very entertaining.
on a different subject I am so incredibly jealous of Eddie Muller's wardrobe. Gosh, that man has impeccable taste and it appears to me every suit is more stunning than the last.
I was into the visuals of the film from the start but it took me a while to get into the plot, but once I did I enjoyed the film. The ending also reminded me of a Hitchcock T.V. show type ending. One of the better Spanish language films I have seen so I'm glad Eddie stepped out from the typical Hollywood noir film.
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3 minutes ago, speedracer5 said:
I don’t like Blade Runner. I watched it to the bitter end too. I didn’t get it. I never was engaged in it. Though sci-fi is one of my least favorite genres, except with certain exceptions.
The basis premise of the film is: what makes us human, and the POV that a primary factor is the memory of our experiences. For me, that theme has a spiritual relevance. E.g. if there is some type of afterlife after this life on earth, "ME" as I know "ME" only continues in another life (type of existence), if I have some memories of the experiences I had in this life.
I like Blade Runner because I find it is a nice combination of sci-fi and a detective story, with that spiritual overtone.
Of course I'm a big fan of author Philip K. Dick. My favorite sci-fi author.
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16 minutes ago, Allhallowsday said:
Yeah, okay, and? NME and Melody Maker are and were British magazines... I wrote in the "UK"...
Ratings? I expressed my opinion, no "rankings" or "ratings" other than my own. My favorite solo BEATLES record, easily.
Probably my favorite BEATLES...
I admit this sentence confused me as well: PLASTIC ONO BAND ranks as one of the greatest Rock records by any artist.
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3 hours ago, misswonderly3 said:
As it would be for anyone who had fondly believed they were human, only to be told that they were not.
I'm not so sure about the above. Of course I have yet to find anyone that can confirm or deny it.
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14 hours ago, laffite said:
Thank you for this, there is possible significance. The novel is clear that it's a brother and not a son. Of course the character (the prostitute) in the novel might be intentionally in error (by the author), and this is probably the case. Still, I wonder if there may be another movie ... ????
In the Tracy \ Douglas film Captain Courageous the father \ son connection (or really lack of a connection) is the entire theme of the film.
Tracy becomes a substitute father for the young man and Douglas fears he has loss the love of his son.
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1 minute ago, Bronxgirl48 said:
I've concluded that Ben can only be amusing and witty paired with Eddie Muller.
His solo Feature Movie intro's are just....terrible. No other way to say it. The pointless "edgy" sarcasm has just got to go. Serves no purpose and is highly embarrassing in my opinion. I think Mankiewicz wants to distinguish himself from wooden, lifeless Dave Karger but coming across as some "hip" wise-acre is not the way to do it.
I don't know: I happened to run into Ben at the Atlanta Airport and he was kind, witty and assuming. We only talked for a few minutes but he really appreciated the fact that I was a big fan of TCM and American studio era movies.
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12 minutes ago, laffite said:
I've got it. Freddie Bartholomew in Captain Courageous.
In the novel The Catcher in the Rye, a young prostitute in an hotel room tells Holden Caulfield that he looks like a young person who fell out of a boat in a movie. The young person was Melvyn Douglas' son in the movie. I thought it interesting that the author might have wanted to give an idea what his hero in the novel looked like.
Coincidentally, there is a thread about child stars in INFORMATION initiated on June 6 wherein Freddy Bartholomew and Captain Courageous are mentioned in another vein. This was not my source of enlightenment.
Note in Captain Courageous the man and young man were father and son (not younger brother). I only point this out since I wasn't sure you understood this since you initially posted "Melvyn Douglas played in a move whose kid brother fell out of a boat."
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2 hours ago, speedracer5 said:
I've always liked The Wrong Man. I've found the story pretty suspenseful purely from the standpoint that what happens to Henry Fonda could (and did!) happen to anyone. Think of how many people have been imprisoned and had their lives ruined based on a false identification and/or circumstantial evidence. Henry Fonda didn't commit the crime, we know he didn't commit the crime, he knows he didn't commit the crime, yet he's put in jail and forced to go through this traumatizing experience based on the false identification by some traumatized bank employees.
I agree that the basic plot is interesting but, for me, there just isn't enough there for an entire movie. More like a 45 minute T.V. show (one hour less commercials), than an 105 minute film.
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50 minutes ago, Fausterlitz said:
True, although there have been some pretty strait-laced/nerdy-looking jazz musicians. Benny Goodman, Dave Brubeck, and Bill Evans (before he grew a beard) come to mind. 🙂
Yes, Goodman and Brubeck were strait-laced and nerdy looking; e.g. Goodman didn't even like any of his musicians to smoke pot (some did but keep it on the very low down). Bill Evans looked nerdy in his early days but he was a heroine addict, as I'm sure you know.
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2 hours ago, Shank Asu said:
The Wrong Man (1956) Probably my least favorite Hitchcock film that I've seen to date. Nothing remarkable about the story. Even for his TV show this would've been weak IMO. Shame that the film of his starring Henry Fonda is so weak (unless there's another one he's in that don't know about).
The breakdown of the wife is well played by Vera Miles but other than that there isn't really a lot going on in The Wrong Man.
Henry Fonda looks and acts more like an Insurance salesman than a jazz musician \ bass player. I just can't see Fonda saying "can you dig it, man".
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1 hour ago, Moe Howard said:
That would be AFTER Stanwyck or Turner wrung you dry.
With those two femme fatales one would be lucky if all that happened to them was being wrung dry and then mugged.
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2 hours ago, misswonderly3 said:
Bergman did a remake of a Joel McCrea film?
I also wonder what 'it" (as in film) Hibi is referring too. My guess is she replied to the wrong post since I can't find a connection between Espionage Agent and the hit Sondheim musical, A Little Night Music.
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On 7/9/2021 at 9:05 PM, Eucalpytus P. Millstone said:
A major factor that enhances the charm of this entertaining "J.D." melodrama is the cast, which includes second-generation "talents" Charles Chaplin, Jr., Harold Lloyd, Jr., and Jim Mitchum. Among the supporting cast: William Smith (recently deceased), Norm Grabowski, and martial artist Bruce Tegner (who gets tossed around and roughed up by Gloria Talbott as the butch judoka Vida).
Hey, you think I'm a butch judoka Vida!
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16 hours ago, cigarjoe said:
If subs bother you the best way to do it is by watching it On Demand if you can.
Then it's almost like reading a graphic novel. When the subs com up just hit pause and read them. Then either continue on or rewind 10 seconds and then play. You an get pretty good at it.
Subs don't bother me at all. Remember I'm married to an Italian gal that is fluent in Italian, French, Spanish and English. We watch a lot of movies with subtitles. (well I should say I watch,, since she doesn't need any stinking subs, ha ha).
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1 hour ago, Shank Asu said:
As someone who has never seen a Falcon film, is it not recommended to just dive in and watch any film from the series? Or is the first film the most logical place to start?
I say just dive in. Each film stands-on-its-own and there isn't really any connection between prior films and the next one in the series.
One may wish to see The Falcon's Brother first. This film stars both George Sanders (the original Falcon in 3 films), and his actual brother , Tom Conway, who was in 9 Falcon films after The Falcon's Brother.
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1 minute ago, David Proulx said:
I guess I respectfully disagree, guys. There are very many actresses I found more beautiful, and many I found sexier than Marilyn Monroe, before, during and after her era. Yes, I would take Maria Schell over her eight days a week, and yes, there's a difference between beautiful & sexy. Sure she was beautiful and sexy (when not using 'the voice'), but I never found Marilyn a must see attraction in either category. It's a matter of taste, I guess, and I'm clearly in the minority, as media-driven as I think her lasting "mystique" is significantly based. I'm sure I'm not alone on this, though. I just don't get the gaga over her --- nearly 60 years later, no less!
She wasn't a horrible actress, but I wouldn't call her a good one either. She got by on the roles she was given, and, at times, it looked like she was stretching her limits. I personally think she would have embarassed herself playing Grushenka. Some don't care whether she was a good actress or not. I do. For me, talent, depth and intelligence add a great deal to any woman's sexiness. She displayed none of those for me, so ...... eh.
I tend to agree with you. I found Monroe compelling in a few films: Don't Bother to Knock, Niagara (the film I believe she looks the most sexy), River of No Return, and The Misfits, but otherwise she was just another product of Hollywood as far as I'm concerned. What I like about her screen persona in these films was her vulnerability. She was good at conveying that with just how she reacted to the other actors (i.e. not per-se the actual dialog).
As for based-on-looks-alone: her full figure body was sexy and I can see that being viewed as a standard for a female body. But I find her face to be good, but not in the gorgeous type category like I find many other actresses of her generation.
Ok, she was clearly the best of the blonde bombshells, but is that really saying much?
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Can't count on Neo Noir films being on WatchTCM. AAARRRGGGHHH!
in Film Noir--Gangster
Posted
Yes, it does make one wonder how these picks are made and who makes them. So "TCM programmers, c'mon!" was a misguided comment.
E.g. there could be leasing right agreements that prevent a TCM programmer from showing a film on WatchTCM.