lzcutter
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Posts posted by lzcutter
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Okay, I am going to go out here on a limb and say I don't understand all the fuss about Rob Zombie.
I watched TCM Underground last night as I wanted to see "Electra Glide in Blue" again. I hadn't seen it in almost thirty years.
The intro by RZ was done on a set decorated much like you would expect from the set designers at TCM. RZ came across not a "reader" of what he was saying but as someone who is knowledgeable about the films he is showing. While he probably doesn't write the material himself, he did a good job of imparting that info without sounding stilted or stupid.
The world did not come to an end, he didn't bite the head off a rodent and while he has long hair he wasn't any of the things that this thread had thought he would be.
He was a thoughtful, insightful commentator on the films he hosts.
Would I watch TCM Underground again. Yeah, if there is a film they are running that I want to see.
In the meantime, the young people that are watching him on TCM Underground are not to be feared and they should be welcomed here. Rob Zombie is giving them film facts and bits of film and social history with the movies. He comes across as a knowledeable guy.
In that regard, he is no different than Robert O or Ben M. He is the host of a program and he comes across as being knowledgeable to the people who are tuning in who know him as lover of films, especially cult films.
Message was edited by:
lzcutter
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I think we need to quit feeding the bears.>>
Silentfan,
The problem with this particular bear is that since he was banished to the wilderness in early September he has returned under a different moniker (perhaps more than one as he tends to like to have a couple of different personalities on board at the same time).
Because of this, it is not always to spot on him immediately. It is only over time that he becomes apparent because he falls into old traps. But not everyone reads the boards every day and might not over time see that the bear is on the path to a meltdown.
The innocently encounter him and have a nasty confrontation usually through no fault of their own.
Those that suspect the bear is really the troll of many names tend to keep quiet lest they accuse an innocent poster. It is only when he goes into his meltdown phase that it becomes apparent that he really is the infamous troll.
Delores is right, he is behaving exceedingly well these past few days which again makes it difficult to completely unmask him in public.
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Dear Dean Finnie6,
We in the Film Restoration Department are pleased to announce that we have been invited (in case Chef Felix is still on the lam and hiding in some juke joint) to join Prof. Darrin McGavin (of the Home Arts Dept) and his family for a lovely pre-Christmas Holiday dinner at the Professor's favorite Chinese restaurant.
The good Professor told us the most hysterical story about the family dog and the neighborhood dogs absconding with the family feast one Christmas and the family was forced to find other eating arrangements. He swears the Peking Duck is marvelous and is, by now, on a first name basis (somewhat limited due to the Professor's ability to speak Chinese) with the cook and staff.
The good Professor and one of his better students, Rusty (known herebouts as jarhfive) have been working on the most wonderful table lamp. It is in the shape of a lady's leg, excuse me, make that a very shapely lady's leg I am being told by Prof. Cary Grant.
Professor Grant wants Prof. McGavin and Rusty to make a few for him so that he can give them out as Christmas gifts this year at the Staff Holiday Party.
Our own wisecracking Professor Thelma Ritter believes that the guys will make a killing selling the lamps to sailors.
So, please rest assured that if Chef Felix has in deed taken a powder, you will find us not dining with the pompous Chef Sydney Greenstreet (how he can call himself a chef when he steals from other's recipes is beyond us) but at the local Always Open Chinese Restaurant with Professor McGavin, his wonderful wife, sons Ralphie and Randy, and hopefully, Prof. Grant and Rusty.
Regards,
The Ladies (and Gents) in Film Restoration
Message was edited by:
lzcutter because you should never forget the men
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Bogiesgirl,
Wanted to let you know that I visited the website from the link further down and it looks like the schedule you are looking at is for 2006.
It looks like they have not posted the schedule or the guests for 2007 yet.
Count me in as trying to work out my schedule so I can go.
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lzcutter
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Film Composer Basil Poledouris died earlier this week.
He was born in Kansas City and went to college first at Long Beach and then transferred to USC.
While at USC he met fellow filmmakers John Milius, George Lucas and Randal Kleiser. He and Big John Milius became good friends during their tenure at USC.
Basil took classes in film music from Miklos Rouza and it is said, those classes inspired him to become a film composer.
He worked in educational films for a time after graduating from USC, including such educational masterpieces as "The Life of a Dollar Bill".
In the late 1970s, Milius hired him to score the surfing drama "Big Wednesday".
He went on to score Kleiser's "Summer Lovers" and "Blue Lagoon".
But it was his score for Milius' "Conan the Barbarian" that made him sought after.
He scored "Farewell to the King", "Starship Troopers" and "Hunt for Red October".
He is probably best known for his wonderful Copelandesque score for "Lonesome Dove" for which he won an Emmy. He worked again for Simon Wincer on the score for "Quigley Down Under".
He traveled to Spain this past summer to conduct an evening of music from "Conan the Barbarian". He was mobbed for autographs and crowds were chanting his name as if he were a rock star.
Hopefully he will be remembered by future film generations.
On a personal note, I loved his music for "Conan" (I wore out the audio cassette that I received as a gift), "Red October", "Quigley" and, of course, "Lonesome Dove".
I suspect that Big John Milius may be feeling a bit like Capt. Call after losing Gus tonight.
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RIP Jack,
I loved you in Contempt and Baghdad Cafe and appreciated all your character roles.
You seemed like a heck of a guy and film won't be the same without you.
Your voice was one of the great ones, immediately recognizable and full of as much character as your face.
When you see Jim Coburn tell him we miss him as well.
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Thanks, ChelseaR for that. It didn't sound like a Steiner score. I think somewhere back in the day I owned the Stanley Black record.
On another note, Jim Glennon, son of "Stagecoach" cinematographer Bert Glennon, passed away a few weeks ago. He was an acclaimed cinematographer in his own right, winning an Emmy for his work on "Deadwood".
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Remember that STAGECOACH's score, a loose mishmash of folk melodies assembled by half a dozen credited composers, won the Best Dramatic Score Oscar over Max Steiner's GONE WITH THE WIND, Mikl?s R?zsa's THE FOUR FEATHERS and Newman's BEAU GESTE, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, and DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK.>>
CSJ,
As a film music lover that just strikes me as beyond weird. I think the score to GWTW is much better than the score to Stagecoach. It has been years since I have seent the other movies but I'm willing to bet that Beau Geste, Four Feathers and Drums may at least come close to equaling GWTW.
How in the world did Stagecoach win Best Music?
Tis a Puzzlement.
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Really? That news would make me very happy, but how do you know? >>
I either read it here in one of Shearerchic's posting from Digital Bits/Home Theatre Forum interviews with George Feltenstein or on the silent film newsgroup.
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There's a book called "Nitrate Won't Wait" that probably has the information you are looking for.
You can order it on Amazon or probably borrow it from your local library.
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Mongo,
At the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, there is a voice recording of Nellie Connolly talking about that day. She, of course, with her husband, John were in the car with the Kennedys.
There is a letter from Lady Bird on display where she describes what happened from her perspective of being in the car or two behind the Kennedy car.
As to whether or not LBJ insisted that the Jackie stand next to him, like all history, it depends on who you read.
History is never an accurate account of what happened on any given day because everyone views an incident in different ways.
The best we can hope for to get an accurate idea of what happened is to read many differing accounts and decide for ourselves.
Life is very much like Rashoman. Everybody remembers something, even minutes after it happens, differently.
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Mongo,
I just finished Scott Eyman's bio of LB Mayer "The Lion of Hollywood" and wanted to let you know that according to Eyman, when Marie Dressler took ill with cancer, LB Mayer kept her on the payroll and MGM paid all her medical expenses.
When she became ill she was the #1 box office star that MGM had at the time.
LB did not want it widely known that he had made those arrangements.
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Wouldn't it be nice if the "great people at WB" would occasionally release a silent film every now and then? I thought there were going to, but it looks like they never will. Pity.... >>
The Big Parade directed by King Vidor and fully restored is coming to DVD this winter.
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Also ... did anyone posting on this thread actually hear from Judith personally? Beware of third-hand information. >>
Here's the thread. I emailed Judith shortly after the unfortunate run-in but have not heard back from her and then read in the "Gallery" thread that she had left:
http://forums.tcm.com/jive/tcm/thread.jspa?threadID=89041&tstart=0&start=0
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Wanted to let folks know, in case they don't read the favorites forum on a regular basis, that it looks like Judith (jdb1) has called it quits on this board after a bad fracas in one of the trivia threads. (I think inglis talks about it in her post probably a page back by now).
Anyways, whether we agree or not with the reasons Judith left, the sad fact is we are losing posters who bring a lot of good discussions to this board.
Still searching for the magic cure.
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One of the most interesting aspects of the Directed by John Ford doc the other night was Ford's use of music in his films.
The score to Stagecoach by Max Steiner is very different from the music in Ford' films where he used Alfred Newman or American folk music.
I like the main theme to Stagecoach but the rest of the underscore doesn't do alot for me.
Don't get me wrong, I like many of Steiner's other scores for films but I always wonder what Stagecoach would have sounded like if it had been scored by Alfred Newman.
Newman and Ford seemed to have a much better understanding of what Ford was trying to accomplish and worked together so that the music underscored a film beautifully.
On the other hand, no one knew in 1939 that Stagecoach would go on to be a cinematic classic. That year Ford also directed "Drums Along the Mohawk" and "Young Mr Lincoln" which have also become cinematic classics.
Everyone working in Hollywood seemed to have a heck of a year in 1939, professionally speaking.
Message was edited by:
lzcutter because look and like are two different words.
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Cinesage,
Any ideas what went wrong with the restoration? Why it looks so bad?
WBros usually does very good work but I have heard other complaints about The Searchers as well so now I am curious.
Is this restored print the one used in the John Wayne/John Ford boxed set or was it only for the stand alone?
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The stand alone or in the John Wayne/John Ford boxed set?
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Movieman,
When you say the commentary by Bogdanovich, is that the newly released DVD restoration of The Searchers?
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I never realized how moving the theme from The Searchers was (anyone: is it on cd?),>>
I don't know if the soundtrack is available on CD but the song is an old American folksong popular during the Civil War called "Lorena".
Johnny Cash did a cover of it on one of his thematic albums from the early 1970s. I believe it may be on the same album as the song about "taking a ride in my flying machine". I should know the name of the song and the album because I have them on vinyl somewhere out in the garage.
Must be getting old.
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Ayres,
I never had the impression that Ringo knew all along about Dallas' background.
He just knew her as one of the women on the stage. He treated her with kindness because the Kid is one of those characters that doesn't see the class system when talking with people. He treats people based on how they treat others. He has little patience with the bank president and treats him differently because he sees that the bank president is a blow hard.
Doc, Curly and even Andy Devine all seem to believe that Ringo has no knowledge of Dallas' reason for being on the stage or her "profession". Dallas doesn't think the Kid knows.
If he knew then the dynamics of all involved would be different, especially in a Ford film.
It is a great western. I had hoped that TCM would show the restored print last night but it had some damage to it and made me think that it wasn't the restored version.
As an aside, the original negative was melted down for its silver content during WW2 (as were many other film negatives of that time).
Inglis is right, if you missed the Directed by John Ford doc last night, be sure to catch the encore performance on the 21st, as it is a great documentary and testiment to a great filmmaker.
I'm looking forward to seeing the "Cavalry" trio back to back next week.
Had hoped for the restored "Searchers" and "Liberty Valance" but I can keep waiting.
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Stoney,
I'm all for debating, as I think the majority of folks here are. We are objecting to the recent unnecessary, confrontational, profanity arguing instead of debating.
Having some tolerance for someone with a differing opinion rather than dismissing with "you're stupid" or worse.
As for the troll, it is up to each of us to decide how we want to deal with. Ignoring him (them) seems to be the way the majority of people deal with it.
No one is saying we can only post things that are sweetness and light and that every post must be a positive one.
We are asking for a little civility with one another. If we can not debate topics like adults, vallo is right, we will soon be staring at empty pages because there will be no one here to debate with.
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Also, I re-read everything I post, including P/M's and when I see something that sounds vicious, I do change it, I go out of my way to try not to offend though.>>
MrsL,
I tried very hard in my posts to make it clear that I was not referring to you personally but to all of us who post here.
<>
I tend to stay out of threads that discuss golden age actors because more often than not it turns into bashing of anyone working today. I tend to hold the minority opinion around here that there are some very good actors and filmmakers making movies today and don't abide the bashing of them to make a point about how good the actors/filmmakers of the studio era were.
We should be able to make these points without the bashing but all to often it snowballs until no one can say anything good about anything.
And it just keeps perpetuating the disharmony around here.
And I guess we will have to agree to disagree about the younger people here. I believe that we have had a number of them post here who do know their genres and/or want to learn more. But they don't seem to hang around very long because we (the universal we, not you in particular) treat them just as rudely as we do each other.
And then we wonder why they don't like classic films more.
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Larry,
I am going to try to get one of the tours later this week. Am hoping to be able to just so I can ask the question!
Will keep you posted!
Dubbed Line in Dinner at Eight
in Games and Trivia
Posted
Julie,
Scott Eyman in his terrific bio of L. B. Mayer, "The Lion of Hollywood" goes into detail about MGM and LB Mayer and the run up to WW2.