film lover 293
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Posts posted by film lover 293
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"Allegheny Uprising" (1939)--low budget Eastern that starred John Wayne, Claire Trevor, and George Sanders. Set in 1759, film pits settlers against Indians and evil traders. Viewers can probably speak the characters' dialogue before they do. The three stars elevate cliched material from nothing into an enjoyable, if predictable, watch. 6.5 out of ten stars.
"The House on 92nd Street" (1945)--Pseudo-documentary about Pre World War II Nazi activity in the U.S. Film is definitely slanted in favor of the FBI and its operations. The glimpses of 1940's Crime Scene Investigation and technology are fascinating (to me, at least). The actors are weak, but Oscar winning screenplay carries the actors and makes film interesting. 7.0 out of 10 stars.
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ClassicMovieRankings-- Three more I have remembered--have seen all three--my apologies if they were listed and I missed them.
"Best Foot Forward" (1943)--World War II fluff that had a few good songs, and Lucille Ball to deliver one-liners. Also starred June Allyson and Nancy Walker.
"Pagan Love Song" (1950)--Esther Williams and Howard Keel in a musical travelogue. Best song, IMHO; "The House of Singing Bamboo", sung by Keel.
"Can-Can" (1960)--Cole Porter musical stars Frank Sinatra and Shirley MacLaine. MacLaine excels in dance numbers, Sinatra sings a version of "It's All Right With Me" that he never topped. Also with Louis Jourdan and Juliet Prowse.
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All times E.S.T.:
6:15 p.m. "Torch Song" (1953)--Unforgettable staging of song "Two-Faced Woman" and its' aftermath. Film is funnier than Carol Burnetts' parody "Torchy Song"; CB's version can be seen on YT for those who want an advance peek at the scheduled film. Recommended for fans of the silly.
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It's #56 out of 217 musicals listed.
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Good start, but here are a few I've seen that were missed. Going chronologically:
"New Moon" (1930)--Starring Lawrence Tibbett and Grace Moore, who both starred at The New York Metropolitan Opera; this was their bid for film stardom. Film is 78 minutes long, with 10 songs--that's roughly 3-5 minutes between songs. It is a fun Pre-Code watch.
"Show Boat" (1936)--Director James Whale's version, this stars Irene Dunne (who has a wonderful soprano), & Paul Robeson (his version of "Ol' Man River" is worth watching the film for); It's a fine, if long, watch.
"Balalaika" (1939)--Nelson Eddy gets a movie away from Jeanette MacDonald; his co-star is Ilona Massey, who would be beautiful if she didn't sport a beauty mark that looks like a pimple. Eddy sings a beautiful version of "The Volga Boatman" that's the high point of the film. TCM showed this 2-3 weeks ago. Music is lovely, plot is nonsense.
"Bittersweet" (1940)--MacDonald and Eddy reunite in this version of Noel Coward's operetta that supposedly made him cry (not for joy, either, LOL) when he saw what MGM had done to it. That said, film is relatively painless operetta with pleasant music.
"State Fair" (1945)--This has Rodgers and Hammersteins" only score composed for the movies. The song "It Might As Well Be Spring" won the Best Song Oscar.
"Yolanda and the Thief" (1945)--Musical people generally either love or hate. Vincente Minnelli directed this film that has a screenplay based on a Portuguese childrens story. Film flopped at box-office, but did produce minor hit "Coffee Time".
"Kismet" (1955)--Based on the 1953 Broadway musical, film is very enjoyable, IMHO, despite Vincente Minnelli's directing it in his sleep.
"Hit the Deck" (1955)--Plot is nonsense, music is enjoyable in this film; song "Hallelujah" was excerpted in "That's Entertainment" (1974).
"At Long Last Love" (1975)--I can't top this review: "Sixteen beautiful Cole Porter melodies are destroyed in this film" The critic was SO right!
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Ruby Keeler is to be July's SOTM: since nothing remotely political is to be shown, "Sweetheart of the Campus" (1941) will be shown 300 times during the month; the remaining time will be filled by random episodes of "Gilligan's Island".
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"Countess Dracula" (1970)--Hammer horror film that blew the budget on everything but a solid script: it's absolutely gorgeous to look at. It's an inspired take on the Elizabeth Bathory legend. Stars Ingrid Pitt, Nigel Green, and a very young Lesley-Anne Down. Cast are horror veterans and overcome the weak script, except Down, whose role consists of screaming on cue, and looking helpless. This film is probably director Peter Sasdy's high point; he later directed 1983's "The Lonely Lady" (which starred Pia Zadora). Print I saw on YT had Portuguese(?) subtitles. 7.8 out of 10 stars.
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CaveGirl--Am replying only about "The Outlaw's (1943) outro and the "Baby Face" (1933) intro and outro.
Re TO--her outro seemed rushed (3 sentences??; TO deserved more time, as it helped "push the envelope" as to what would be tolerated ). She then went right into the BF intro, which was OK and at least error-free, in terms of cinema history (I'm not Catholic, so on specific points of Theology, other posters can debate specific religious points or mistakes). Again, she seemed rushed.
Her outro to BF was 2 sentences if I remember correctly; she then went to the history of Westerns, said her favorite director was John Ford and her favorite western was "The Searchers" (1956). She then took time to point out that Hollywoods' treatment of the Indian was generally terrible, and then wound up the night (it was just before 5:00 a.m.). Points for Sister Rose for knowing her directors, films, and filming locations (she knew where TS and other John Ford movies were filmed; points for her having the poise to pick up and finish an outro that sounded like it was meant for TO. I'm sorry she didn't have the time for to the full outro for BF before saying good night, come back next week, etc.
My take on Sister Rose, from the two films she hosted that I saw: A smart lady, film fan, who knows film in general, is weak on specifics if not a favorite genre, who is new to hosting film presentations. Good points, with some mistakes. Let's see how Week 2 goes.
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The future projects of Miss BRIE Larson include a movie of the 1980's television series "The COLBYs", a remake of a Howard Hawks film to be called HAVARTI !, and a retooling of an Ava Gardner favorite, THE NAKED MOZZARELLA.
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"Red Dust" (1932): Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, and Mary Astor in the tropics.
"Bombshell" (1933) Harlow and Lee Tracy--fast, funny comedy.
"The Love Parade" (1929)--Ernst Lubitsch before the Code.
"The Cocoanuts" (1929), "Animal Crackers" (1930), "Monkey Business" (1931), "HorseFeathers" (1932). "Duck Soup" (1933)--all Marx Bros. films showcasing their humor before the Code reined them in.
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GregoryPeckfan--I think you mean Frances Marion, who wrote the story/screenplay for "The Big House" (1930). She wrote the stories/screenplays for over 150 movies. TCM showed a documentary on her in 2015.
Jeanie MacPherson wrote over 50 movies, from 1915 through 1947; she worked for Cecil B. DeMille on many films.
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"A Foreign Affair" (1948)--Film is bitter comedy, set and partially filmed in Post-WW II Berlin. Stars Jean Arthur as a Congresswoman conducting an efficiency investigation about the Army in Berlin, Marlene Dietrich as a cabaret singer, and John Lund the officer involved with both. Dietrich is marvelous, Arthur is the picture of an unworldly lady, Lund is fair. Film is a good watch, but an overwhelming mix of regret and cynicism mute the laughs--still, 7.5 stars out of ten.
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1934: Best Actor--Single winners have two asterisks by name: ties have four.
William Powell in The Thin Man****
Clark Gable in It Happened One Night****
John Barrymore in Twentieth Century
Boris Karloff in The Lost Patrol
Fredric March in The Barretts of Wimpole Street
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Best Actress:
Bette Davis in Of Human Bondage**
Myrna Loy in The Thin Man
Claudette Colbert in It Happened One Night
Carole Lombard in Twentieth Century
Jeanette MacDonald in The Merry Widow
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Best Supporting Actor:
Boris Karloff in The Black Cat**
Edward Everett Horton in The Gay Divorcee
Lewis Stone in The Girl from Missouri
Tom Bupp in It's a Gift
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Best Supporting Actress:
Mary Boland in Stingaree**
Vivienne Segal in The Cat and the Fiddle
Louise Dresser in The Scarlet Empress
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Best Synergy:
Cast of Imitation of Life.
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They added the score for the 1984 film (YES!) that alerts the audience it's a comedy; the trailer is now less than one minute long. The trailer just races from one bad scene to the next, and is 50 some seconds long. It's less painful than the first trailer, but less than ONE minute of usable material??. Still rates a "stay home" for me. JMO.
Edit: At 7:35 p.m., E.S.T., trailer had 161,000 likes--327,000 dislikes.
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I saw five movies last week. "Voyage to the Planet of the Prehistoric Women" (1968) starred Mamie Van Doren and a cast of nobodies. The movie alerts you to its' zero-budget two minutes in: while showing "supposed "rocket models, a pile of flour represents a planet and a flour sifter above it is supposed to be a rocket. Film was narrated by Peter Bogdanovich under his real name, directed by Bogdanovich under the alias "Derek Thomas". After seeing this film, that's very understandable.
"Baby Face" (1933)--UNCENSORED--this a a total delight! Seeing Barbara Stanwyck as Lily at her early 1930's best, she wraps every man in range around her little finger, with the help of her maid (Theresa Harris) when needed. Best Scene: Lily "persuades" a railway guard not to throw them off the train when they are discovered as non-paying passengers; Harris sings a spiritual as background music for Stanwyck. Keen edged satire with some drama mixed in. Wonderful.
"Wild Boys of the Road" (1933)--Unremittingly gloomy picture of the Depression and how a boy and his girl go from middle class to runaway hobos (sp?). Good, but even at 68 minutes a rough watch.
"Let's Face It" (1943)--Cole Porter musical chopped up for the movies, starring Betty Hutton and Bob Hope. Promising beginning, but middle section SAGS. A one-woman salvage job is performed by Eve Arden, who gets laughs out of thin air and body language; the lady deserved an Academy Award nomination for her work here. "Dance of Love" and "Let's Not Talk About Love" are Worth staying with the movie to see.
"Sabrina" (1954)--Audrey Hepburn classic directed by Billy Wilder. For anyone who hasn't seen it, a cynical romantic comedy. Sounds impossible, but Wilder and an impeccable cast manage it deftly.
Best film--Uncensored "Baby Face" (1933).
Camp lovers only--"Voyage to the Planet of the Prehistoric Women" (1968).
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The Picture of Dorian Gray?
Next: DNRUE PCIRANRCO
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Choreography was by Hermes Pan--not Bobby Vans' fault. Lyrics were by Burt Bacharach--again, not Vans' fault. Bad judgment in getting involved in the 1973 "Lost Horizon" (aka Lost Investments)--Vans' fault.
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"Quo Vadis" (1912, Italian)--I made the dreadful mistake of not reading the 1895 novel before seeing this. Without knowledge of the plot, it is impossible to tell who is doing what to whom, and why. English title cards don't help. Film is Tough to sit through, except for the burning of Rome; here, Nero plays the harp and sings while Rome burns.
The restoration of this film I saw was done by film societies in Milan, London, and Amsterdam. Recommended for those interested in Silent film history. Multiple copies on YouTube.
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JeanneCrain--I have ComCast; film "No Way Out" is flowing smoothly. Only notably Bad editing this past week was "Baby Face" (1933), which had numerous "wipes" and fades to black. NWO is fine, for me.
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Mel Brooks' best sustained film, with no lapses or humorless spots. Viewing James Whales' "The Bride of Frankenstein" (1935) first is recommended, because Brooks took some of the elements from that film; most notably the Nefertiti hairstyle and the "creation" scene.
Favorite scene; where Kahn successfully parodies MGM musicals, Jeanette MacDonald, and Universal Horror films all at once;
"Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life...."
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TikiSoo--"The Big Clock" (aka "Judas Picture") (1948)?
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jamesjazzguitar--I meant the Legion of Decency (LoD) disapproved of the same things the Production Code did; if anything, the LoD was stricter in its guidelines than the Production Code. I am going by Wikipedia--I'm not a Catholic myself. A film could get approval by The Code and still be deemed Morally objectionable in parts by the LoD. Check the Wiki article on LoD. Hope this is clearer.
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A few that haven't been mentioned:
"Lust For Gold" (1949)--All the characters here are snakes. The best way to enjoy this film is to know that going in, and enjoy all the double, triple, and quadruple-crosses the characters pull on each other, as situations warrant.
"Affair in Trinidad" (1952)--An enjoyable thriller re-teaming Ford and Hayworth. Is rather violent, not as much so as "Gilda" (1946).
"Human Desire" (1954)--An underrated noir from Fritz Lang.
"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" (1963)--Save this film for last, or a day when you have nothing else to do. Looong film is a remake of Rudolph Valentino's 1921 silent. Director Vincente Minnelli does all the technical things well, and botches major things like casting, direction, et cetera. Second-billed Ingrid Thulins' English was so bad her entire role was redubbed by Angela Lansbury (Yes, her voice is very distinctive and very British; it's a minor shock to hear her voice and not see her). Ford is miscast as an Argentinean; he does his best. Charles Boyer and Yvette Mimieux are the best actors present; they give hints of the epic tragedy the film might have been.
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I'm glad I did check out the comments--the second time I checked, the comments about the film costing over $150 million were ALL gone. Sony(?) is erasing comments, Good and Bad--several people said their good comments about the film had disappeared. The comments are overwhelmingly negative about the trailer; some have to be read to be believed.
Top 100 Musicals - Did I Forget Some?
in General Discussions
Posted
Three more musicals; I've seen all three.
"Star!" (1968)--Stars Julie Andrews as Gertrude Lawrence: was on TCM when they featured Roadshow Musicals in 2015. Good music, but an uninvolving script.
"Darling Lili" (1970)--Julie Andrews as a spy in World War One.
"Torch Song" (1953)--Joan Crawford as a musical comedy star--emphasis on comedy (unintentional).