jaragon Posted February 21, 2018 Share Posted February 21, 2018 It "Lord of the Flies vs The Nazis"... 1 Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted March 16, 2018 Author Share Posted March 16, 2018 Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in "The Sandpiper" - how does such bogus claptrap get done? - 1 Link to post Share on other sites
DougieB Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 1 hour ago, rayban said: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in "The Sandpiper" - how does such bogus claptrap get done? - Probably on the basis of the "names" involved, but then that became part of the problem once Liz was signed, because everything usually got amped up to the point of being way overdone once she got involved, at least at this point of her career. Taylor and Burton wanted to work together and on paper it may have looked good, but the whole thing has a dated 1950's-ish potboiler kind of feel to it, unconvincingly updated with a 1960's free-love vibe. I have to say I now have doubts about Vincente Minnelli in his later films; The Sandpiper came on the heels of Two Weeks in Another Town (1962), another over-wrought opus with major stars. I was aghast at finally seeing The Cobweb (1955) for the first time recently; again, big stars in an over-wrought mess. And I'm sure I'll be taken to task for saying that The Bad and the Beautiful has always seemed more like camp than classic to me. I don't think Liz had great personal taste in roles generally. In her best roles I think she was sought out by directors and/or producers who were able to guide her. Not always painstakingly either; she had it in her to do great work with the right kind of encouragement. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted March 16, 2018 Author Share Posted March 16, 2018 Vincente Minnelli mounted the film with impressive visual style. But, with Liz and Dick, he probably used a hands-off approach. With more adult fare, that is, not musicals, he's very good with material that tends toward the melodramatic. I like "The Cobweb" - he keeps stirring the pot - to a bubbling boil. Liz's character, Laura Reynolds, might be named after Deborah Kerr's character in "Tea and Sympathy". But Liz seems to be miscast. And Dick is wooden and unconvincing. When he walks away at the end, you don't feel that either character has lost that much. He'll go to a new job as a minister - and suffer without his wife (Eva Marie Saint). Liz will probably resume her affair with Charles Bronson's sculptor-character. Unless, of course, little Danny Reynolds (Morgan Mason) acts up again - then all bets are off. (Laura and her gang - her son, her lover and his friend.) 2 Link to post Share on other sites
jaragon Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 This might have worked better with a younger star in the Liz Taylor role 2 Link to post Share on other sites
DougieB Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 I agree about Minnelli's impressive visual style and I don't ever avoid his films. I feel about his later melodramas like The Cobweb, Home From the Hill and Two Weeks in Another Town the way I feel about the films of other "stylish" directors like Douglas Sirk. They're much more deluxe than they need to be or probably should be, but a total treat to watch uncritically. I've probably watched The Sandpiper every 5-10 years or so and don't hate it. In some ways it tickles me, but I wouldn't ever cite it as anything but a cheap thrill. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted March 16, 2018 Author Share Posted March 16, 2018 It's hard to believe that Dalton Trumbo is listed as one of the film's four writers. Maybe that was the problem - too many hands in the soup. She paints, doesn't work and lives an "improvished" lifestyle. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
jamesjazzguitar Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 2 hours ago, rayban said: It's hard to believe that Dalton Trumbo is listed as one of the film's four writers. Maybe that was the problem - too many hands in the soup. She paints, doesn't work and lives an "improvished" lifestyle. Nice place for the unemployed. PS: I drive down that road at least once a year. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted March 17, 2018 Author Share Posted March 17, 2018 I think that "The Sandpiper" was the first mainstream film that shot in the Big Sur countryside. Link to post Share on other sites
jaragon Posted March 17, 2018 Share Posted March 17, 2018 Mr Hemsworth watches himself.... 1 Link to post Share on other sites
jaragon Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 Adam Devine- who I think is goofy/sexy goes full frontal in his new Netflix comedy - if anybody here is interested in that sort of thing 1 Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted March 30, 2018 Author Share Posted March 30, 2018 "Dreaming Of Joseph Lees" - 1998 - Eric Styles - Casting Rupert Graves as "the dream man" of the heroine's dreams - a man she is unable to get over - is my idea of "dream casting". Link to post Share on other sites
LawrenceA Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 I tried watching the premiere of the new SyFy channel show Krypton, a sort of prequel to Superman about his grandfather on Superman's birth planet a long time ago. I was surprised to see Rupert Graves show up in it. I didn't recognize him at first. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted March 30, 2018 Author Share Posted March 30, 2018 1 hour ago, LawrenceA said: I tried watching the premiere of the new SyFy channel show Krypton, a sort of prequel to Superman about his grandfather on Superman's birth planet a long time ago. I was surprised to see Rupert Graves show up in it. I didn't recognize him at first. Thanks, he does do a lot of television in England. Link to post Share on other sites
jaragon Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 Mr Arrieta is not a movie star but he is handsome baseball player 1 Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted April 22, 2018 Author Share Posted April 22, 2018 As 1959's "new" Tarzan, Denny Miller is too All-American Jock to be persuasive - but, truth be told, he is beautiful - 1 Link to post Share on other sites
TopBilled Posted April 22, 2018 Share Posted April 22, 2018 37 minutes ago, rayban said: As 1959's "new" Tarzan, Denny Miller is too All-American Jock to be persuasive - but, truth be told, he is beautiful - In his review Leonard Maltin does not have nice things to say about that version of Tarzan. Supposedly Denny was "discovered" by George Cukor, or at least he was introduced to Cukor who helped him get put under contract at MGM in the late 50s. Denny ended up moving over to Universal where he had a featured role for a few seasons on Wagon Train. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
jaragon Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 41 minutes ago, TopBilled said: In his review Leonard Maltin does not have nice things to say about that version of Tarzan. Supposedly Denny was "discovered" by George Cukor, or at least he was introduced to Cukor who helped him get put under contract at MGM in the late 50s. Denny ended up moving over to Universal where he had a featured role for a few seasons on Wagon Train. I wonder what if the introduction to Cukor involved skinny dipping in his pool 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted April 23, 2018 Author Share Posted April 23, 2018 Denny Miller - skinny dipping - would have been an amazing sight. MGM had retained the rights to the first film, "Tarzan The Ape Man". But this 1959 re-make is an inferior film. It was obviously culled from several sources. Link to post Share on other sites
Jlewis Posted April 23, 2018 Share Posted April 23, 2018 I think that is a key reason why Leonard Maltin didn't like it. His more negative reviews often involve films recycling from earlier films. He also disliked "cheater" cartoons involving Popeye and Tom & Jerry in Of Mice And Magic. Of course, this was how Hollywood cut costs at times since moviegoers didn't have TV syndication and videos to double-check what was they had seen before. They just had a sense of déjà vu that they couldn't explain. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
jaragon Posted April 27, 2018 Share Posted April 27, 2018 What kind of film are they auditioning for...?https://youtu.be/Td5WL2zfNEk Link to post Share on other sites
rayban Posted April 27, 2018 Author Share Posted April 27, 2018 MGM was very unkind to Denny Miller. His beauty was undeniable. He should've starred in a romantic comedy. Link to post Share on other sites
jaragon Posted May 5, 2018 Share Posted May 5, 2018 Chris vs Chris- maybe next time they should just make out... 1 Link to post Share on other sites
jaragon Posted May 6, 2018 Share Posted May 6, 2018 1 hour ago, rayban said: Is that the look of love...? Link to post Share on other sites
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