Filmgoddess

I don't want to get into the "is it or isn't a noir" argument -- I think my thoughts are well known. Noir is a VERY narrow group of films and the constant need to widen that group leaves me cold. PICKUP is not a pure noir to me because of the ending. Noir simply can't have a sunny, upbeat, happy ending. It's just not pure noir. That's where the film goes down to me. But I agree with MissWonderly on all the points she made. Donna Reed over Thelma Ritter? No way.

Yep, even DR. STRANGELOVE. There's about 15 minutes of it that I enjoy. Sorry.

It's so "1970s." I love it. Cracks me up everytime. Some of it is tedious and I suppose some will find it politically incorrect (something I don't give a fudge about) but I think there are enough funny bits that it leaves you laughing. Plus it is great fun.

Should have said "just think what kind of career he would have had if he had been able to act."

Gavin. Hot. Just think what kind of career he would have act if he had been able to act.

Not me. On the other hand, I saw McCrea the other day in a film in which he played a wrestler called THE SPORT PARADE or something like that. Compared to today's vision of male physique, he was positively flabby and skinny at the same time. I kept thinking put that shirt back on. As for Gable. There is nothing sexier than Gable in a "wife beater" working out with Joan Crawford in DANCING LADY. It makes me ... well, you can guess what I was going to say ... everytime.

Good for Ben, the hottest 45 year (really, he's 45?) old host on television. Can't get enough of him in those tight jeans of his. I, too, wish Mr. Osborne well. I've made no secret of the fact that I think he's a Hollywood Treasure. While it might be interesting to know what's going on with him, I don't think we have any "right" to know. He's not an elected official. He has a private life. I don't feel we have any right to intrude on that. It's his own business. However, if he wants to share that's fine. For most of us, we're only interested because we sincerely care about what's going on with him. In the meantime, as Billy Wilder would say, "show da films!"

PATHS OF GLORY is, imho, Kubrick's best film. Possibly because it's so short. He didn't have a chance to be so ponderous as he later became. Kubrick, for me, will always be the most overrated of the so-called "great" directors. I have just never found his films very interesting and often they are mind-numbingly dull.

1953. Directed by Samuel Fuller. Starring Richard Widmark, Jean Peters, Thelma Ritter, Richard Kiley. Just watched this again after a few years and despite the unfortunate ending (too happy, by a mile) it once again knocked me out. It also confirmed two things I firmly believe. 1. Richard Widmark is one of the most underrated of the Golden Age actors. 2. Thelma Ritter richly deserved the Oscar that year and Donna Reed's win is inexplicable. In a lot of ways, Ritter steals the picture. Almost. It is the best role of her career. A career that saw many terrific performances in 20 years. Her death scene is simply stunning. Brilliant piece of acting. She is SO tired and welcomes death. It leaves me stunned everytime. The film has been much discussed so just a couple other points. Richard Kiley. Those who know him from his later roles on Broadway and on TV as a rather re-assuring pater familias will be shocked by his turn here. Rarely -- especially in 1953 -- was a killed portrayed so vividly and with such violence. He's chilling. This is an almost great film (as I said, the ending just doesn't work for me) and Widmark, as always, delivers, in a way that I'm not sure the film industry ever quite understood. He never won an award but he was always solid and often so much more.

For me, she has always had a bit of a "drag queen" look about her which only got worse as she aged (look at her in her 1950s films -- she hardly even looks female). Then she got plastic surgery, several times, and has become even more masculine-looking. She doesn't do a thing for me, in the looks department and, if you ask me, her film career is pretty thin with hardly a single truly "great" performance in any film.

I've seen a lot of negative reviews of the film. They're out there if you look for them.

I recently had a double feature of two of my favorite John Garfield movies BODY AND SOUL from 1947 and FORCE OF EVIL from 1948. They've both recently been uploaded in beautiful, pristine blu-ray editions and I highly recommend that one get copies of them. BODY AND SOUL -- boxing has been very lucky (unlike wrestling - which in my opinion is the greater sport -- and yet hasn't had very many fine films made about it) in film. So many good ones. This is one of the best. Of course, the physiques are laughable by today's standards. Garfield is thick around the middle, his pecs sag, and there's not a lot of muscle tone but, heck, this was Hollywood in 1947. He gives one of his finest performances in this film, more nuanced than usual, less typically angry. The supporting case if very good with a really fine turn by the underrated William Conrad. Lilli Palmer shines in one of her few Hollywood movies (she always seemed so "European" and, perhaps, that's why she wasn't always well-used in Hollywood. Rossen's direction is taut and never flails. Highly recommened. FORCE OF EVIL -- not as well known with a relatively "star-free" cast, it's still a wonderful little film noir with a running time of less than 80 minutes. I sure wish Hollywood - or anyone else - could tell great little stories like this for under 90 minutes today. Marie Windsor is terrific as always ... a great bad B girl. Garfield is intense here although never quite goes over the top (like he often did and that's when I like him least). The story line is a little thin but that's never the point with these kinds of films. It's about atmosphere and this one has it.

OUT OF AFRICA -- waiting for the new blu-ray restored edition to be uploaded. MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS -- in a nice print (I know, I'm dreaming).

One of the most recognizable Latina actresses of the last 40 years, Lupe Ontiveros, has died of cancer at the age of 69. She once said that she had probably played over 150 maids in her career but that she didn't mind because she could always bring some fun to the role. One of her most memorable roles came in Oscar-winning AS GOOD AS IT GETS where she has a couple of memorable scenes including a famous one with Jack Nicholson. Rest in Peace.

Waste. Of. Time. Period.

In other words, you have no argument? Kinda lame. Also, I found it increasingly painful to watch O'Toole's face as it got botoxed and smoothed over. He started to really look like a cadaver. Not as bad as Faye Dunaway but it was hard to look at him. I don't really think he made a good film after MY FAVORITE YEAR and that's been 30 years. Grateful for the pleasure he gave but should have retired a long time ago. And I've seen that recent film that's been mentioned hear. It's just indie-bait with a group of real has-beens (or never weres) that wants you to think that it's more than it is. Just a pretentious waste of time. Another great (and a very underrated one at that) that hasn't made a feature film in 6 or 7 years is James Garner. He'll do occasional voiceovers but he's been ill and isn't making films anymore. Sad. He has always deserved more recognition than he got.

Which was filmed in late 2002 (released early 2004) which means that Hackman hasn't been in front of a camera in 10 years. Really sad because I adore him.

I'd love to see COME TO THE STABLE again. I wonder if they could digitally remove Loretta Young from the film? Because that's the only way I'd be able to sit through it again without throwing something at the screen.

That "fu.... good manners" remark has been reported to have been said by Bette Davis to just about every female film star in history.

Awfully judgmental about a situation in which I assume you absolutely ZERO first hand knowledge.

I'm not advocating a public domain system. I'm advocating fairness. The current copyright regime exists solely so that corporations can make more money out of stuff that is very old and should be shared at this point. Hollywood has NEVER been very interested in film preservation. They make billions per year in profits and put less than 1% into film restoration. That's appalling. I believe in sharing. I believe in preservation. I believe in a fair system in which films are made available to the widest audience possible at the fairest price. I believe that $10 for a DVD of a film that is more than 60 years old is not, by any definition, fair and so I'll continue to get my stuff for free as I'm not going to feed the greedy Hollywood interests.

Free online vs. $10? That's a no-brainer.

See, those films don't count as "worst" for me because they're so bad that I get a certain perverse enjoyment out of them. They're funny. But FRIGHT was just really awful. I couldn't laugh. Nothing. I even imagined that I might find it enjoyable if I was really loaded but then thought I'd save the single malt for a better occasion.

Interesting, too, that she really started out in a blaze those first 5 years or so of her film career and then never achieved those heights in film again despite another 50 or so years of work.

Who would notice? He really hasn't given a good performance in film in a very long time and I include his recent Oscar-nominated performance in that totally over-rated film the name of which I can't remember. He had a long career with enormous ups and downs. As much as I love some of his performances (all of which admittedly occurred over a 20 year period 1962-1982) no one has been clamoring for more. It's time to go. But with Gene Hackman and Sean Connery retired for 10 years now, I still lament. They were actually still giving great performances when they retired. They still had more to give. I don't really think that Mr. O'Toole did.