LornaHansonForbes

I have to be careful with this one. I watched and then rewatched most of (with some skipping of the OJ scenes) THE TOWERING INFERNO (1974)- which is a film that reminds of the YOGI BERRA quote about PIZZA and SEX, both being pretty good even when they're bad...but while this film is entertainingly bad at (MANY) moments, there is an undeniable something to it, it compels you, it drags you in- it's a brilliant premise and there are genuinely affecting scenes. sad that STERLING SILLIPHANT (and I imagine any number of others) came up with such a dumb script, where even intelligent moments of obvious research on the part of the makers are shoehorned in clumsily (STEVE McQUEEN'S speech about TENNIS BALLS to OJ comes immediately to mind.) i still bet this was ONE HELL OF A GOOD TIME at THEATERS in 1974. and i tell you what, if I had the chance, I'd remake this baby in a hot minute and every time i see it, my mind becomes fevered with how much better this movie needs to be. also, I have said this before but, the interior decoration is SO TACKY, that it is HARD NOT TO ROOT FOR THE FIRE. **seriously, what THE HELL was UP WITH THE 1970'S??? The trellising and the lime green and the urns filled with sea oats and RUBBER ****ING TULIPS!!!!! I'm not a STEVE McQUEEN fan, but I like him in this, and I enjoy his scenes with PAUL NEWMAN, which are structured well within the story, which is such a hopscotch from GENUINELY SOLID MOMENTS OF THRILL to LAUGH OUT LOUD idiocy. I think PAULINE KAEL describes FAYE DUNAWAY in this film as A GODDESS STRUTTING ABOUT THE WRECKAGE IN PUCE** CHIFFON, I LOVE EVERY MINUTE FAYE DUNAWAY IS ON SCREEN IN THIS FILM. it's hard for me not to stand up and wave my claw in the air GLORIA SWANSON STYLE while screaming out "THAT IS WHAT A GOD DAMNED MOVIE STAR LOOKED LIKE!!!!!" **- note, I cannot find the color PUCE in the color palette here.

I found AMERICAN POP on WATCH TCM and watched about 45 minutes of it... I hate to be JOHN HEARD in the boardroom scene in "BIG"... but I DON'T GET IT.

About 20 mins in to AMERICAN POP. It’s like Watching a Richard Linkletter version of an Elia Kazan film. very odd., but extremely similar animation style to HEAVY METAL. ps- Of all the tragic events in American history that needed to be told via animation, I’m not really sure the triangle shirt factory fire was even in the top 10, but you have to admire the gumption of the animators I suppose.

I’m not sure if that means there is hope for us all or no hope for us all…

Seriously? She’s still at it? (Rex Reed, I mean, not God.)

I think the mere fact that Rex Reed was paid for years by a major publication to review films is enough proof that there is no God.

The book is incredibly frustrating because it has NO chapters. It’s over 200 pages and NO chapterS, just one long narrative. For some reason that bothered me a lot and I was unable to finish

Oh Honey, I’m sorry. MR GOODBAR is a rough one. Don’t operate any heavy machinery and stay away from sharp objects for the next 48 hours.

Dang you guys, this thread has hit ONE MILLION VIEWS!

I was just thinking the other day that THE REMAINS OF THE DAY is very much like an updated Douglas Sirk film, “nothing happens” in it and yet at the same time, SO MUCH is occurring right before our eyes.

Everything's bigger in Texas.

from the plot entry for the film on wiki (spoilers omitted): Plot The film is a light drama, set around elderly leading cricketer Sam Palmer's last appearance for England. (NOTE: the above image is NOT from the 1953 film) Action jumps between various elements: an Englishman (Richard Wattis) explaining to an American the rules and terminologies of the game from the audience; Jim's home life; the pub listening to cricket on the radio; Sam's interactions with players and family; and Reggie's attempts to meet his theatrical hero Alexander Whitehead (Robert Morley). This is interspersed with documentary footage of real cricket games. Sam desperately wants his son Reggie to be there at The Oval to witness his last match, but Reggie has a developing passion for poetry and instead of attending the game has a ‘once in a lifetime’ chance of meeting a leading poet, Alexander Whitehead. But when Reggie meets Whitehead, it turns out he is a huge fan of cricket.[3] Whitehead takes Reggie along to the match, in time to see Sam's innings, and persuades Reggie that there is more to cricket than he had previously thought.

TERRENCE RATTIGAN is one Hell of a writer, I love THE WINSLOW BOY and I've lately been searching high and low for a copy of THE FINAL TEST- a 1952 version of his play about the game of cricket.

HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS? I dunno. It deserves to die in anonymity. at the start of the film,Meryl’s character is a teenager. A Chilean teenager. it is on a par with JOHN WAYNE as GHENGIS KHAN level miscasting It also asked us to believe that Jeremy Irons is also Chilean and that he and Meryl Streep are the parents of Winona Ryder- Chilean as well.

I kinda liked THE RIVER WILD but I don't think I've seen it since 1994. it's kinda surprising she didn;t get nominated for it as 1994 was a weak year for women, but it was middling at the box office. I did not know all that in re: REMAINS. Thank you. THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS- the novel by ISABEL ALLENDE is WILD!!!!!! It's a long rambling slightly supernatural story about a Chilean family and their struggles, it would have to be a miniseries to adequately tell the story, which the 2 hour movie does not

I saw MAMMA MIA with some friends and their kids when there was nothing else to do, some night (i think) in the dead of winter YEARS AGO it is a hazy memory, but I seem to recall that various facts are given throughout the film from which one can extrapolate that STREEP'S character in MAMMA MIA is supposed to be- I kid you not- 38 years old. IN 2008. and nothing against MERYL now, mind you, .... but Honey.... EDIT- I EVEN GOOGLED IT, SHE WAS 58 AT THE TIME!

also, MAMMA MIA ate ****. (to the surprise of all of you, I am sure, I despise ABBA with the HEAT OF A THOUSAND SUNS.)

I apologize for making things so MERYLCENTRIC, but I feel compelled to note, an interesting, very rare unsteady period in STREEP'S CAREER began with SHE-DEVIL, shortly thereafter she was nominated for POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE (1990) and then did not get another nomination until 1995, for THE BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY, in the years 1991-1994, I remember reading some thinkpieces that pondered whether or not she was finally "done for..." (I also know she fired her agent when she lost REMAINS OF THE DAY to EMMA THOMPSON) This culminated in the UTTER NADIR that was 1994's HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS, a film which I will be kind and not post any clips from here, but it is worth checking out to see that even MERYL has had some MISSTEPS (also worth seeing is GLENN CLOSE'S SOUTH AMERICAN FRAU BLUCHER IMPRESSION in the same film) I think this "dry period" affected her, and resulted in a change- both willing and not- on her part wherein she became the PERENNIAL NOMINEE...and some would say backstabbing, role-stealing, COW, but...you know...that's just FAYE DUNAWAY screaming at the ceiling.

I’m genuinely surprised no one has attempted a remake of “she devil” that sticks closer to the BBC/British novel original.

I thought it was LIFE AND LOVES OF A SHE DEVIL…? (I think we were posting at the same time, read my above post)

I saw it as a kid when it aired in America on PBS over the summer of 88 (I think?) it. Is. WILD. Seriously the Hollywood film doesn’t even scrape the surface of some of the wacky, depraved stuff the book/ BBC series gets into- and the She Devil and Mary Fisher characters have DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT FATES.

I think this 1991 PBS version to wit you refer is on YouTube in full.

WHAT DID GERVAIS SAY? I honestly think there are entire chat rooms and communities on the Internet dedicated to speculating aloud as to just why James Corden has been forced on us as a People, Speculation ranges from a deal with the devil to agreeing to betray us to the robot overlords who run the matrix.

The British novel on which it is based is MUCH DARKER and even SUPERNATURAL (The character of Ruth *literally* becomes a devil in order to avenge herself on Mary Fisher. ) another story ripe for a remake.

MERYL AT HER FINEST STARTS AT 1:36