JonParker
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Posts posted by JonParker
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I think you need to direct that to him. It is obvious he is not presenting a different view, he is being condescending.
I don't think he was being condescending at all. I thought it was a well-reasoned post that explained his POV and how he sees TCM very well. I'm in full agreement with everything he said, and he didn't feel the need to call anyone names to do it.
There's some sort of weird emotional attachment to the TCM brand going on here that really doesn't bear much relation to reality. It reminds of the sort of cognitive dissonance I'm seeing from Bush supporters lately.
We have had TCMProgrammer's assurance that TCM is signing contracts to bring us more and more classic films. 95% of the programming is classic films, and what isn't relates to classic films, such as Dick Cavett's star interviews.
Seriously, this whole thing is just weird.
There's nothing wrong with a heated debate, but when you let it degenerate into name calling, you lose, and the boards themselves lose. We all lose. Attack the points, not the person.
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All of these issues are explored in "To Kill A Mockingbird." (My favorite novel and film and a lifelong obssesion.) Atticus encouraged Scout and Jem to think and express themselves...with "good manners." People didn't air their dirty laundry in public. Criminals got what they deserved with very little fanfare. And we knew the difference between good (Tom Robinson) and evil (Bob Ewell.
I really don't mean to be rude, but what the hell are you talking about? The non-criminal Tom Robinson was found guilty for being a black man and then shot dead when he tried to escape. Bob Ewell was never charged nor tried for any crime, and only got what he deserved through the vigilante action of Boo Radley. This is a role model for how things ought to be?
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BRAVO -- used to show better than average shows, usually imports. Then, it was bought by GE and now is in the gutter with AMC.
Any channel that can come up with a show like Project Runway is ok with me.
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JonParker
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Well I'm with you on Busby Berkely. The box set is amazing.
And I don't think everything is classic. Let's face it, a lot of the old programmers from the 30s aren't good at all. I think TCM is devoted to promoting film heritage, and I think they do a damned good job.
I've been trying to leave Rob Zombie out of this discussion, as it's been done to death.
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AHAHAHA! That's pretty good.
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They do show quality programming throughout the day. I think the difference between us is that my view of what constitutes quality programming extends beyond my own personal taste.
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From my standpoint the good stuff has always been on during the day or in the middle of the night. I want pre-codes, silents, noir, and crime stuff. I'm not at all fond of most musicals, romance films, or other stuff that falls outside my personal interest level.
But looking at this week's schedule, there are three movies being shown that were made after 1980, a couple from the 70s and several from the sixties. The bulk of the schedule is movies from the 30s, 40s and 50s.
That certainly sounds like classic movies to me.
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And this affects you because you watch 24/7?
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...none of that hyper, overacting that you usually see in silents, and none of the grotesque faces that they make either. By grotesque, I mean the wide eyed, raised eyebrows, flaring nostrils, etc.
Incidentally, that style of acting was almost completely gone by the 1920s. The exaggerated expressions and over the top body movements were due to actors not really understanding the difference between film and stage acting. The stage required some exaggeration in order to make the performance clear to those in the back rows, but it just looks silly when translated to the screen.
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And a big third here. I worship Murnau. I have all of his available movies on DVD with the exception of the one that was just released (Phantom). I really need to go ahead and order that.
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All me? No it is not all me. Many others feel the same way I do. TCM is the channel we turn to for the old classics, that is what the C stands for.
And you feel like TCM is no longer showing classic movies? Please explain, because I really don't get it.
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So it's all you all the time?
I see.
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I bought my DVR in January. Since then I've recorded and burned over 200 movies off of TCM -- so many that I can't possibly watch them all. I've burned foreign films, silents, precodes, and classics. I just can't see any evidence that TCM is straying from its mission, and I've been watching for 10 years now. They may have expanded the definition of what constitutes a classic film, but there's lots of good stuff on there; enough to please just about anyone.
Yeah, I felt burned by AMC too, but I haven't seen one shred of evidence that TCM is going down that path. The thing that bothers me about those who complain constantly about how TCM is changing is that they're so damned ungrateful. We have this magnificent channel that shows all kinds of classic films with no commercials, in original aspect ratio where possible, and that's constantly providing us with access to movies that are available nowhere else. Yet ever since I joined this board (coincidentally also in January) I have seen topic after topic of people complaining about how the channel is going to the dogs.
To quote the immortal Tom Lehrer, "If people don't have anything nice to say, the least they could do is to shut up."
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That's just sad. I don't really care for Hill, but I watched "Nobody" because of Leone. I can't believe they pulled that silly slapping bit in more than one movie.
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I have a VHS of "Hell's Angels" and haven't ever noticed Jean Harlow's breasts spilling out of anything -- all the romantic clinches in that film seem to be between Ben Lyon and James Hall anyway. Just kidding.
The gown she wears in the color sequence shows most of her assets from the side. Later, in her apartment when she changes into the robe, she bends over for her drink and pretty much shows off everything.
Edit: I am referring to the DVD version, which is probably the same as the VHS (I don't know) but a lot clearer.
Also, Colbert's shot in "Sign of the Cross" is quite famous. She also wears very translucent undergarments in "It Happened One Night," something I never noticed until the much clearer DVD version. Ditto the screen tests that Fay Wray makes on the ship's deck in "King Kong." DVD has been a godsend to the lecherous among us.
Message was edited by: Jon Parker
JonParker
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Anne,
Let me throw in another vote for "Rashomon." Kurosawa was not only a great director, but his films tell fascinating stories. Kurosawa was insopired by American films, but just about every film he made was remade for an American audience. But it's still well worth watching the originals.
If you're not used to watching films with subtitles it can take a little getting used to. Give it a little time and you'll be surprised at how natural it becomes. Foreign film (and silent as well) demands a level of attention that we're not used to. But once forced to pay attention, it's some great stuff.
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You can definitely see Harlow's breasts in "Hells Angels."
Also, don't forget Maureen Sullivan in "Tarzan and His Mate." Or Clara Bow in "Wings" or "Call Her Savage. I could go on and on.
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Some other boards that I post on have a limitation on edits anywhere from 15 minutes to 24 hours. After that, it's locked even to the original poster.
I was being a bit facetious over in GD when I said that I really hate this message board software. Except that, well, I really hate this message board software. Something like PunBB or UBB would be so much better -- no need to constantly relog in, threads arranged in order from oldest to newest, the ability to time control edits. I've run message boards in the past, and without a doubt this is some of the most annoying, with the possible exception of WebX.
I love the discussion here, but the software is atrocious. I think it comes with the Omniture content management software used for the rest of the site, but it's sorely in need of updating.
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Ok, but I really hate this message board software.
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I love Helen, but I didn't love this movie. Eric Linden drives me up the wall -- my idea of hell is having nothing to watch but Eric Linden and Una Merkel movies for all eternity. He's like a third rate Lee Tracy with none of the charm.
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For your information, the photos Mia found were several years old of Soon, not recent, meaning something had been going on for a long time. Additionally, I was a physically hurt ex-wife but I never asked for anything more than child support which I never got anyway. I never charged him with physical cruelty which my doctor bills would have proven, but it wasn't worth it to me, I just wanted to get rid of the scum.
I have no idea how old the photos were, but they could have been as much as five years old when Mia found them and still been legal (17 is the age of consent in New York). i do know that Soon Yi and Woody are apparently happily married and have been for quite a while. My point is that accusing him of being a child molester is over the top and not fair to Woody (who I am not a fan of, by the way.)
I'm glad you got out of an abusive marriage -- no woman should take that from anyone.
In the interest of full disclosure on this topic, I suppose I should mention that I'm 47, my girlfriend is 27, and we've been dating since a month after her 18th birthday. So mixed age relationships don't bother me at all. Child abuse does, but that's an entirely separate topic than dating someone of legal age.
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I don't think I've ever seen Eva in a movie, but I dearly love "Green Acres." The other Paul Henning sitcoms were completely stupid, but GA was comedy gold. I've been buying the series on DVD as fast as it comes out.
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Anne,
I can't speak for lzcutter, but I don't think you're really one of the rude ones. I know I can come across that way, although i try not to. I like you quite a bit even though we went a few rounds in the Rob Zombie thread (and I just spanked you over in General discussions over something different). You're passionate about your opinions, not rude. You've never attacked me personally.
I like a spirited argument. It's when it gets personal that I get annoyed. There's no excuse for that, but you're not guilty of it.
I'm sick of all the personal crap though. It needs to stop, now.
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Jason, there's nothing i can add to this that you haven't said eloquently. Excellent post.
What is this baloney on TCM now?
in General Discussions
Posted
Anne,
I don't disagree with you, but if that happens there's nothing any of us can do. But for the time being I will go on enjoying a nearly perfect channel for what it is, not for what I wish it was.