movieman1957

Looking forward to it. Thanks.

Kathy: There is no expiration date on ladies like you. I kid my wife that because our 25th wedding anniversary is in April she wanted to renew our vows. I told her they don't expire and that my promise is as good now as then. We'll go have dinner instead.

"The Mouse That Roared" is certainly an interesting title. I love the premise of the movie. "A Night At The Opera," I heartily approve. I like "Take The Money and Run" but I don't think it is the best Allen from that period. Nice list. If Fox isn't that interested, as you say, maybe that is good news for us.

I'm pretty sure you'll get much better treatment here.

Who made fun of Helen Mirren?

46 "Oh, look. We have the same collars."

That's good to know. THe dragging scene took place during the tornado so with all the wind and debris blowing it could easily have been someone else if they wanted it that way. Good for her.

It was. The disc I saw, which I got from Netflix, had the widescreen on one side and full frame on the other. Just make sure you get in the way you want it. Incidently, the DVD print was really good.

>I believe she was an avid horsewoman in real life, She sure looked it in this movie. She rode a big white horse and at times it seemed hard to keep him still. That might unnerve some people but she seemed to handle it pretty well.

*Forty Guns* starring Barbara Stanwyck is kind of an odd western. It is basically a story of a U.S. Marshal that comes to town to pick up some bad guys. The problem is they all work for Stanwyck. It is directed by Samuel Fuller. I don't know much of his work but he has a very interesting visual style. He thrives on unusual camera angles and uses plenty of shadows for effect. In fact the look of it grabbed me even before the opening credits. As an aside everyone seems to be walking somewhere. Very few scenes are there where people are still. Also, there is a really good scene of a tornado. At only 80 minutes it is worth a look to admire they way it is filmed. It has a great looking town too. It reminds me of *The Ox-Bow Incident* but it is not the same one. After Stanwyck you get Barry Sullivan, Gene Barry and Dean Jagger and some familiar faces. I found Jagger's part as probably the most interesting.

*Oh well...* Didn't they used to call people who could do that a prophet?

Dominick: You must know that trying to get Fox films is very rare indeed. They don't seem to be that cooperative or simply don't fit the budget. Also, Turner doesn't own anything anymore but it all belongs to Time/Warner. Any film they show is leased. The Universal/Paramount isn't due for awhile and the Columbia deal is over next year or in 2011.

Wait a minute. You're going to let school get in the way of this most important project? Good for you.

At times Ford's "Sergeant Rutledge" has come up among western fans here. Well, a first class ramble is to be had from our own Moira at... http://moviemorlocks.com/2009/01/28/sergeant-rutledge-1960-my-real-freedom/

I love BBC productions too. I go all the way back to "Danger UXB" and "House of Cards." I've seen some of the period pieces but not too many. I also really like the "Prime Suspect" and "Cracker" series. One of the better recent films I saw was "The Lost Prince." It was the story of King George V's (I believe) brother, Prince John, who had some kind of epilepsy and was pretty much exiled to some home in the country to the point few knew he was around. Very effective. "Moll Flanders" from the mid 1990's was also quite fun.

A year or so ago there was talk of TCM doing a west coast feed but at some point and for some reason they decided they couldn't do it at that time. No news since.

If it's not Kyle maybe it's Dudley. Hmmmm. Our contest ends a week from today! There is still time for those who may not have started yet but admittedly it will take some work. Next Thrusday morning I'll set up a thread with instructions for voting. Message was edited by: movieman1957

How many threads are set on your page? It should get more interesting soon as you see several schedules should be up over the weekend. You bored? I don't believe it. I thought things were always exciting at your house. You're there after all.

The version of "Silverado" I have must be from three or four years ago and it already has some goodies on it. Can't imagine what else there is to add.

I was fully expecting it to be less than mediocre based on all I have ever read or heard about it.It was no surpirse. The final half moved pretty well but it sure took awhile to get there. It was certainly a curiosity for me. If it is on anybody's list let it be near the bottom.

Sometimes it may be as simple as TCM receiving the wrong information for the running time. One thing I found on my own DVD recorder is the clock runs a little fst so if I don't check every couple of weeks I pick up about two minutes. That can mess with things.

Please forgive me if I have moved on too quickly. Last night I watched *Heaven's Gate.* The 3 hour and 40 minute, $40,000,000 flop that killed United Artists. While not awful it seems at least an hour too long. I think TCM ran it as part of a Joseph Cotten day and he's gone after the first ten minutes. The story essentially is about a band of renegade cattle barons intent on driving out immigrant farmers from Wyoming in 1890. The famous Johnson County War. It is easy too see why this thing was so ever budget. Cimino, to his credit, has a great eye for detail. Good sets, a huge cast of extras, lots of letter perfect costumes and plenty of good locations. The down side is its length and the look of it. Roger Ebert, I think said it was the most brown he had ever seen in a movie. He's right. Everything is brown. Even the outdoor daylight shots are almost devoid of color. I've no clue why. It could be mood. It could be something more subtle. It turns out ugly. The story doesn't really get going until about one hour and forty-five minutes in but then it moves along at a pretty good speed. Lots of recognizable faces but probably weren't at the time help a little but can't make up for a pretty dull time to start. People are introduced and then disappear only to show up later like they were never gone. Scenes linger a little too long at times. You could cut off the first 18 minutes of the film and probably not lose anything. Music was scarce. An odd choice of "The Blue Danube" by solo guitar showed up near the end. No doubt an homage to the settlers' original homeland but it is a little too happy of a piece of music to seem to fit. Anyone know what would deserve the credit "Atmosphere Casting"? Someone told me Cimino shot over a million of feet of film. It is hard to imagine there was some to leave out. Worth watching as a curiosity from a historic point but wouldn't seem likely as an addition to your library.

44. "You take one more french fry off of my plate and I'm not gonna be so nice about it anymore."

Stewart's first western (?) gives no idea of what will follow but it is not meant to. This is a very nice turn on a western as he is more the peace loving kind. (I think you're nod to Garner seems apt.) Kathy, I'm with you on Dietrich's singing. (I much prefer Madeleine Kahn's interpretation in "Blazing Saddles" then Dietrich herself.) Stewart is laid back and against the typical sheriff type which serves him well in this role. The idea of a western must have appealed to Dietrich as a few years later she played a saloon owner in John Wayne's "The Spoilers" and later still, a film of a different kind, "Rancho Notorious." I also liked the way she wiped her lipstick off at the end as her way of telling Stewart that she liked him and that he was right. We want more rambles Kathy.

It's no big deal. As far as I'm concerned you can do any changes you want up until closing time on the 11th. No deductions. Anyone else making any progress?