TomJH

Se7en (1995) Dark, despairing crime drama about two detectives, one a thoughtful veteran nearing retirement (Morgan Freeman), the other a hot headed rookie (Brad Pitt) on the hunt for a serial killer of particularly grisly murders whose motive for them, the Seven Deadly Sins, is a sort of perverted sermon to the world. This in an unusually intelligent treatment of familiar crime territory that stands apart from other films of this kind. Instead of big flashy action sequences (there will be one big action scene in the middle of the film) it is a deliberately paced thriller by director David Fincher, often set in an oppressively dark world in which the only lights illuminating it are from the flashlights held by the detectives investigating a crime scene. The one light of hope in this generally bleak film comes from Gwyneth Paltrow as Pitt's young bride. Pitt and Morgan both deliver excellent performances as the detectives who are a compete contrast to one another, Morgan, in particular, benefiting from some fine dialogue. But the bleakness of the world which Morgan laments and from which he wants to escape seems to be the message of the film itself. The final half hour of the film holds a couple of surprises that make it unusual for serial killer films and which I didn't see coming. The film does not graphically dwell upon the crimes themselves (for which I was grateful) but still provides the viewer with enough glimpses of those scenes to effectively convey the nauseating nature of them. Se7en is an extremely well constructed crime film but it won't be for everybody. I would recommend it for those into crime films but you will not walk away from a viewing this film feeling uplifted. 3 out of 4

Well, the man was skinny as a bone.

I recall a dog I had watching The Great Train Robbery on TCM. It's a black and white film, of course, but there were some tinted small sections on the print whenever there was gun fire or an explosion. I have read that dogs are colour blind but, I swear, every time a small tinted area appeared reflecting gunfire (just a small section of the screen) my dog would c o c k his head to the side. He clearly saw the difference whenever a tinted section appeared.

Can you blame him? With all those bullets flying he figured it was time for him to do the same thing.

Maybe your friend's pooch was conditioned by Rin Tin Tin films as a pup.

Last night I watched The Amityville Horror (1979) while my shih tzu, Sammy, slept in his bed in a corner of the room. He was quiet throughout the film, not watching it at all but hearing it. As the film reached its climax with a ramped up soundtrack, full of creepy music, explosions, thunderstorms and screams, much to my surprise Sammy left his bed and rushed to my side, clearly making stressed out sounds. I stopped the film and he rushed off into another room and I found him hiding under the ironing board. Clearly the sound effects (and music, I suppose) had gotten to him, and I spent about ten minutes talking soothingly to him and reassuring him that everything was okay. After he calmed down I resumed watching the film which only had about nine minutes to go and Sammy seemed to be okay. I might point out that he is a quite sensitive dog who responds to loud noises. I found The Amityville Horror to be an okay, if rather predictable, horror chiller but it sure scared the heck out of my dog (or, at least, its soundtrack did). This made me wonder if other posters have had pets that have also responded, whether positively or negatively, to a film as it played on the television. Sammy got freaked out almost as much as Rod Steiger in this film

My favourite moment:

Aside from Flynn, Cooper, Bogart, Cagney, Stewart, Peck, Wayne, Garfield, Sheridan, Goddard, De Niro, Pacino, Gable, Montez, Dietrich, Barrymore, Power, Douglas, Lancaster, Washington, Willis and Nicholson, I can't think of anyone whose films I collect.

"See that, Wonderly, now you're driving another guy nuts. By the way, what's happening to your face?" "Mine, Sam? Take a look at your own!"

Forget it, Cid, it's Noir Alley.

I'm sorry I missed seeing this. I like Eddie but sometimes he seems a little **** sure of himself. The fact that he didn't acknowledge Alicia's comment may reflect a guy not used to being reminded of omissions.

I think Now and Forever is one of the more interesting films in which Temple appeared primarily because it's interesting watching Gary Cooper playing a bit of a scoundrel. Coop is quite good in this film, too. He and Temple had nice chemistry. Carole Lombard is wasted in a colourless supporting role despite her co-star billing. Also, thank God, it's a Cooper film, not a Temple vehicle.

Ah, come on, Dargo, Jean Simmons' character wasn't so bad in that flick. She just wasn't that good at backing up a car.

Ever watch a movie because it features a particular actor/actress you like but it's the performance of another performer (possibly someone you never even heard of) that grabs your attention? I went to the show to see VICTOR/VICTORIA in 1982, a large part of the reason because I was a fan of James Garner. But it was the blonde haired Lesley Ann Warren's crazy, wacky, sexy, hilarious performance that had me laughing out loud. For my money she stole every scene she was in. Robert Preston's sweet, knowing, sensitive performance was also a knockout in the film, of course. Anyone else knocked out by a performance in a film that overshadowed a favourite performer of yours?

"So what kind of a chintzy, chintzy I say, channel is this? Where are all the Foghorn Leghorn cartoons? I mean, I'm in the prine of life now, prine that is. And another thing, why aren't there more wack a dog films on TCM? To twit, I mean wit . . ." " "Now that, I say, that's entertainment!"

I was a big fan of The Untouchables after originally seeing it at the show, too, Detective Jim. I still enjoy it but, as my review indicated, I now see its flaws, as well. Then, again, we may just have a difference of opinion (ie. Costner's performance, though perhaps the problem may also lie with the writing). Thanks for pointing out the raid at the Canadian border, which I neglected to mention. It was one of the film's highlight sequences, no doubt.

The Untouchables (1987) Based on Elliot Ness's memoirs and inspired by the popular '50s television series of the same name, director Brian De Palma's elaborate big budget take on the Chicago tug of war between Treasury agent Ness and gangland boss Al Capone remains an entertaining production that is also surprisingly corny and old fashioned in many ways. Just as the battle between good and evil was always presented in starkly black and white terms in the television series so, to a very large degree, it is in this film. Ness, as played by Kevin Costner, is such a do gooder boy scout (okay he compromises that towards the end) that it's difficult to take the characterization seriously. Ness' family, both his ever smiling supportive wife and little son, is also idealized (and unreal) in this presentation, as well. Not helping the credibility is some of the laughably simplistic dialogue such as Ness' cry of "Let's do good" before he batters down the door of a warehouse where gangland liquor is stored. On the positive side, though, is the flamboyant performance of Robert De Niro as Capone (not a lot of subtlety here, though) and, best of all, Sean Connery as a tough Irish cop who becomes one of the "untouchables" and Ness' mentor in many ways to "the Chicago way." If you can forgive the casting of a renowned Scotsman as an Irishman, Connery brings a street authenticity to this production which helps to compensate for the boy scout antics of Costner's portrayal. Connery received a supporting actor Oscar for his performance. Of course, De Palma has some big tour de force set piece moments with his camera in the production, the two highlights a very elaborate (and slow motion) shoot out in a railway station, as well as the setup for a gangland hit on one of the untouchables. The railway sequence, complete with a baby in a carriage slowly rolling down some steep steps as the shoot out takes place is clearly a homage (or steal, depending upon one's point of view) to a scene in Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin. It's fun to watch but, with that baby in the carriage, I still couldn't help but chuckle a bit at the corniness of the writing. Andy Garcia and Charles Martin Smith play two of the other Treasury agent untouchables in this film. Billy Drago, as a colourful, if two dimensional, hit man Frank Nitti has a few memorable moments in the film. Just don't think for a second you're watching history, though, when it comes to his fate in this fanciful production. Ennio Morricone composed the film's elaborate modern sounding musical score with virtually no attempt to capture early Depression era music. 3 out of 4

I Wake Up Screaming's Betty Grable musical number - cut from the film. If this number had been included, as originally envisioned, it would have strengthened any case made that this film has musical overtones. But without it, forget it.

"Is there not, I say, is there not someone out there crushing for a ROOSTER? Rooster, that is. Because, if so, here, I say, here I am!"

Raymond Burr was a good actor but I can't recall him playing vulnerability. Therefore I don't know the film to which you refer. In any event, Cregar was perfect casting in the film. That's what counts. P.S.: Now that I think about it did Burr play a mentally challenged emotionally childlike heavy in A Cry in the Night, in which he kidnaps Natalie Wood? I can't recall the film well enough to say how good he was, though.

Good point, MissW. Cregar could be both creepy AND vulnerable at the same time, while Burr specialized in just creepy.

This documentary is actually footage spliced together from TWO trips taken by Flynn on the Zaca, though the documentary makes it appear to be just one voyage. There was a large degree of friction aboard as the first trip continued, particularly between Flynn's second wife (Nora Eddington) and artist John Decker, a rowdy long time friend of the actor. That friendship pretty well died with this trip, with Decker dying soon afterward. Flynn, however, was very proud of this documentary and spent far more time writing about it in his autobiography than he did in discussing some of his most famous films.

One more thing about Young in Heart. There's a little pup in the film and, I don't care how cutesy manipulative her appearance may be, she's an adorable little creature guaranteed to produce an "Ahhhhh . . ." from most film viewers.

I'm pleasantly surprised that someone else on these boards is familiar with this light hearted charmer, TikiSoo. It really is a lovely little comedy, isn't it? Early in the film Doug Fairbanks is seen romancing a young rich girl (for her money, obviously). She's an average looking girl, in my opinion, BUT she wears glasses, a sure sign in Hollywood productions of that era that she is to be regarded as "nerdy" and below average in appearance. In fact just seconds after the scene pictured below plays another cast member refers to her as "very ugly." Films like this were about, among other things, glamour, but you know that there were a heck of a lot more female movie patrons viewing Young in Heart in 1938 who looked like this actress than they did like Paulette Goddard. Movies were all about escapism to a large extent in those days but I have to wonder how much the high glamour and beauty standards set by these same films created feelings of inadequacy in many of their film patrons. A variation of this is when an attractive actress is de-glamourized to look "mousey" in the movies (hair pulled back, wearing glasses) only to take those glasses off and comb out that hair to have all the boys in town finally notice her. Here's Claudette Colbert in Four Frightened People when none of her male co-stars did anything more than merely glance at her: And here she is a few scenes later in the film when there was a major male rush on to be at her side: Long hair, docking the specs, leopard skin outfits and come hither looks sure do make a difference, don't they?