I Just Watched...

[darkblue]

Hordes of Kilted Scotsmen.

 

Great album title.

[SansFin]

Capuchin has certificate from an International accrediting agency to prove that he is qualified to tune bagpipes destined for import into Europe. I did not know prior to seeing that that bagpipes could be tuned.

 

I am sorry to say that continued talk of Scotsmen has weakened my resistance to the point that I will once again foist force share this video with all here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ35SOU9HTM&feature=youtu.be

[darkblue]

Capuchin has certificate from an International accrediting agency to prove that he is qualified to tune bagpipes destined for import into Europe. I did not know prior to seeing that that bagpipes could be tuned.

 

I think they just tune them against the sound of different sized peacocks being stepped on.

[limey]

Hordes of Kilted Scotsmen.

 

Great album title.

Or name for a band - somebody must have used that by now...

 

I think they just tune them against the sound of different sized peacocks being stepped on.

That + SansFin's youtube link = huge smirk.

[MCannady1]

A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969).  I found this movie On Demand last night.  I didn't realize that there were feature length "Peanuts" movies and apparently there were four of them.  This was the first one.  It was actually really good! Sometimes the Peanuts cartoons can be a little corny, but I really liked this one.  It was actually a little sad, even for Charlie Brown.  Poor guy, why can't he ever win anything? In this particular film, Charlie Brown feels like a loser because he can't get his kite to fly, he can't play baseball and can't seem to do anything right.  Of course, people like Lucy, Violet and Patty (not to be confused with Peppermint Patty) have to make sure he knows how much of a loser he is, even going as far as to sing a song called "Failure Face" to him.  There is another scene of Charlie Brown visiting Lucy for psychiatric help and she reiterates how much of a loser he is.  She even shows him a slide show she made to pinpoint every moment that Charlie is a failure.  

 

In an attempt to overcome his inferiority complex and to prove to the other kids that he's not a loser, Charlie Brown decides to enter the school spelling bee.  He ends up doing really well wins the school bee (Yay for Charlie Brown!).  He is sent to a bigger spelling bee (I'm assuming he's either in a state spelling bee or perhaps a city wide spelling bee?), via the bus and even stays in a hotel.  He runs himself ragged trying to study.  Linus had given Charlie Brown his blanket as a good luck charm for the bee and then has a nervous breakdown being without the blanket.  Snoopy and Linus ride the bus to find Charlie Brown and retrieve Linus' blanket.

 

There are of course some funny Snoopy scenes: Snoopy plays "The Star Spangled Banner" on a record player to start of the baseball game and later he has a funny ice skating/ice hockey scene.  Snoopy also plays the jaw harp to help Charlie Brown write a song to learn all the basic spelling rules ('i' before 'e' except after 'c').  

 

This film had all the delightful trademarks of a 1960s film: montages, bright colors, Simon & Garfunkle-esque maudlin sounding music.  It was really fun.  One thing that made me laugh was that one of Charlie Brown's words in the spelling bee was "fussbudget."  Lol. 

 

It also brought up all kinds of questions that I suppose I should ignore, because it's a cartoon and it's Peanuts:

 

-Why is Charlie Brown, an 8 year old, riding a bus alone to the city and staying in a hotel room alone?

-Why is Linus riding the bus (kind of alone) accompanied by a dog to the city to find Charlie Brown? 

-Why aren't any of the Spelling Bee participants' parents in the audience? The audience is entirely children.

-How does Snoopy have such a long extension cord to reach all the way from his doghouse to the baseball field to play his record player?

-Snoopy's doghouse has electricity? 

-How does Snoopy's back not hurt sleeping on the top of his doghouse?

 

9/10.

I loved Charlie Brown as a teem when they started and just watched another feature Snoopy Come Home with my little grandson,

who is eight. We both liked it. I used to take things for granted in these films, but it is an odd thing like you were saying. but it is odd that poor Snoopy lies on his back on the doghouse?

Why do we never see the parents or the teachers? The teachers can be heard with.... "Blah Bla Bla, Ble Blah" or something as

they lecture the children.

 

One of my pals says that the show and the feature films are totally from the perspective of the children,

so we only see, hear, and feel with them. This is a unique element here, as well as issues of an

inferiority complex and other issues children encounter in their lives.

 

My mom was a grade school teacher for a long time and had another take on the show. She thought it was too

old for grammar school children (issues about inferiority complex or falling in love, etc.) and too young for

teens and adults. Though Mom was an outstanding teacher who worked hard with the children, I think she

missed a key element. Here Charles Schulz was giving freedom of expression to the inner feelings of

children which is quite important. It illustrates how children often feel but cannot always express.

 

Like you pointed out, there are delightful 60's bright colors in these films and episodes. It is funny

about Linus riding the bus alone to find Charlie Brown, but certainly funnier with the extension cord

--that is endless from Snoopy's doghouse to the baseball field! IT seems the children are given an

unusual freedom when playing and making decisions.

 

Even our beloved Snoopy is given a certain freedom of expression when he decides to "run away" after a

dispute with Charlie Brown in Snoopy Come Home. When he returns we can see the love between them.

Unbenownst to Charlie, Snoopy was given a chance to go back to his previous owner, Lila. She is in

hospital and has written a letter which he has read! She wants Snoopy back, but has decided to have

him return to Charlie Brown. Though Snoopy cares for her, he knows that Charlie and his friends want

him back - very badly! Though Snoopy cannot communicate verbally, his feelings are clearly expessed

with Charlie and his friends, as well as wee little Woodstock.

[limey]

The Guns of Navarone (1961)

 

Stifling any remaining chuckles from Dargo's Nuns of Navarone 20thC Vole post, I earlier re-watched this for the umpteenth time with no regrets. Aside from the showdown scene where Niven demands Peck deal with the traitor in their midst, it's a couple of sound effects that stay in the mind after seeing this one again:

• The squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeky fake rat bomb being dealt with
• The almost apocalyptic whoops from the British Destroyers after the nuns guns get their comeuppance

[GregoryPeckfan]

THE DIVORCE OF LADY X:

 

This is a first time view of this version of the story.   I've seen the original black and white version.

 

This stars Lawrence Olivier, Merle Oberon, and Ralph Richardson.

 

This movie was as delightful as the original.

 

It was great to watch Olivier and Oberon in a comedy together.  I love Wuthering Heights.  But this was a joy.

[MCannady1]

"The Ghost Goes West" (1935)--Rene Clair film that has delightful scenes, but every time the film threatens to take off and fly, someone/thing brings it back down to earth with a thud.  Still, the good outweighs the bad: Robert Donat, in a dual role is excellent, and Elsa Lanchester makes every line of her part Count.  Some bullseye jokes and fine performances make this a fun watch.  7.0/10 stars.

 

Warning for cat owners--TGGW is partially scored with bagpipes.

Oh, no! WE got two of them. Will these little four-footed friends be seriously displeased?

Can always lower the volume!

 

Seriously, it is a delightful film.

[MCannady1]

THE DIVORCE OF LADY X:

 

This is a first time view of this version of the story.   I've seen the original black and white version.

 

This stars Lawrence Olivier, Merle Oberon, and Ralph Richardson.

 

This movie was as delightful as the original.

 

It was great to watch Olivier and Oberon in a comedy together.  I love Wuthering Heights.  But this was a joy.

I loved this one too. It really is witty and quite clever!

[MCannady1]

The Guns of Navarone

 

You know, I was thinking about James Darrin.  I think a lot about this movie.

 

This movie was such a departure for him.  Yes, he sings in it, but that is in a wedding scene where everyone is singing.  It's not like Gidget.

 

He was a pop singer, very handsome and here he is in a war fantasy adventure (really, had the Nazis had guns that large the European part of WWII would have been much longer and the Germans may have won),  He is a brutal killer.

Yes, it is quite a departure for James from his "Goodbye Cruel World" he sang in the early 60's and some

others. I remember the Gidget movies too.

 

James could handle the serious roles with violence as well. I remember being really surprised too.

[limey]

Proof perhaps that Ben M's intro's are of genuine use (or that I need to read the listings more carefully) - I'd not realized until today that the delightful A little Romance (1979) was directed by the same guy responsible for The Sting & Toys in the Attic.

 

Worth the price of admission just for the clip of John Wayne dubbed into French.

 

Re-watching a lot of things tonight.

[GregoryPeckfan]

Proof perhaps that Ben M's intro's are of genuine use (or that I need to read the listings more carefully) - I'd not realized until today that the delightful A little Romance (1979) was directed by the same guy responsible for The Sting & Toys in the Attic.

 

Worth the price of admission just for the clip of John Wayne dubbed into French.

 

Re-watching a lot of things tonight.

George Roy Hill made an odd variety of movies.  There are some of his like the ones he made with Redford in them - including this one - that I have seen multiple times.  Others I have not seen.  And always, I have a sense of surprise that they were all by the same director.

[LonesomePolecat]

Just gotta say I love A BOY NAMED CHARLIE BROWN and to me what really sets it apart from the other full length peanuts films is the Vince Guaraldi jazz

[Fedya]

Worth the price of admission just for the clip of John Wayne dubbed into French.

Don't forget the "Furious Spasms" poster.

 

And Broderick Crawford not remembering the oldmovies he made. (Although the script does have him being asked about people he didn't make movies with in real life.)

[Casablanca100views]

well, I JUST WATCHED yesterday, but it's DST weekend and everything is off in timing.

 

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON- It has one of the better openings for setting the time and place of a movie I have ever seen.  It is terrific setup for the actions of these young men and the journey into the big money and pitfalls of fame, moving away from their universe centered in South-Central LosAngeles.  It reminds me in its style and storytelling (threats and actual violence, highs and lows emotionally, LOTS of profanity) of THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, which seems more ironic considering the characters, but in the human condition, it's not.  If you see it, I would pair it with either BARBERSHOP (which is set in Chicago) or FRIDAY, or FRIDAY AFTER NEXT.  More Ice Cube.  Another ironic step in STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, if you are looking for (or avoiding) hip-hop or gangsta rap music, you won't find much of it here.  It's not a musical.  You would find more music in FRIDAY AFTER NEXT.

 

But I didn't have any of those suggestions on hand.  So, wanting some music, my next movie was Judy Garland's THE HARVEY GIRLS.  

 

I finished off the evening late (before shifting my household clocks) with  NANNY McPHEE. It's good to fall asleep with a movie where children turn out sweet and their caretaker has her ugliness disappear.   

[LawrenceA]

Suburbia (1983) - (8/10) - Better-than-expected drama about homeless kids living in an abandoned house in suburban L.A. They've all come from various sorts of dysfunctional households and most have adopted a punk rock aesthetic, with leather jackets, wild hair styles, and an in-your-face attitude. They like to raise hell, and they have to deal with a local group of "Citizens Against Crime" jerks that seem more interested in shooting dogs and beating up kids than maintaining law and order. Things escalate, and tragedy results.

 

Directed by Penelope Spheeris, the woman responsible for the excellent Decline of Western Civilization documentaries, this film has very little of the phoniness most films on the subject contain. The performances by the kids are raw but honest. Most of the actors are non-professionals, many from the local punk rock scene of the time. One kid is played by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, here credited as "Mike B the Flea". Featuring music by DI, The Vandals, T.S.O.L. and the Germs. From producer Roger Corman. Recommended.

 

 

 

First time watched.   Source: DVD.

[speedracer5]

well, I JUST WATCHED yesterday, but it's DST weekend and everything is off in timing.

 

STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON- It has one of the better openings for setting the time and place of a movie I have ever seen.  It is terrific setup for the actions of these young men and the journey into the big money and pitfalls of fame, moving away from their universe centered in South-Central LosAngeles.  It reminds me in its style and storytelling (threats and actual violence, highs and lows emotionally, LOTS of profanity) of THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, which seems more ironic considering the characters, but in the human condition, it's not.  If you see it, I would pair it with either BARBERSHOP (which is set in Chicago) or FRIDAY, or FRIDAY AFTER NEXT.  More Ice Cube.  Another ironic step in STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON, if you are looking for (or avoiding) hip-hop or gangsta rap music, you won't find much of it here.  It's not a musical.  You would find more music in FRIDAY AFTER NEXT.

 

But I didn't have any of those suggestions on hand.  So, wanting some music, my next movie was Judy Garland's THE HARVEY GIRLS.  

 

I finished off the evening late (before shifting my household clocks) with  NANNY McPHEE. It's good to fall asleep with a movie where children turn out sweet and their caretaker has her ugliness disappear.   

 

I love that you followed up NWA with Judy Garland singing "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe."  My only complaint with The Harvey Girls is that I don't care for Virginia O'Brien's style of singing.  I find her deadpan shtick more annoying than funny.  At least she can sing though.  I always enjoy seeing Angela Lansbury as the bad girl. 

 

I haven't seen Nanny McPhee yet, but I love Emma Thompson.  Perhaps I should see that one.  Isn't Lansbury in this too?

[LornaHansonForbes]

I haven't seen Nanny McPhee yet, but I love Emma Thompson.  Perhaps I should see that one.  Isn't Lansbury in this too?

 

Yes, she is not easy to recognize though as she is in rather severe make-up and a false nose.

 

[film lover 293]

speedracer5--Re Virginia O'Briens singing:  Her little facial ticks and winks made perfectly ordinary lines into double entendres and got them past The Censors; a perfect example is "Salome", from "DuBarry Was A Lady" (1943), which TCM is airing March 30th--the number is also on YouTube.  JMO.

[Casablanca100views]

I love that you followed up NWA with Judy Garland singing "On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe."  My only complaint with The Harvey Girls is that I don't care for Virginia O'Brien's style of singing.  I find her deadpan shtick more annoying than funny.  At least she can sing though.  I always enjoy seeing Angela Lansbury as the bad girl. 

 

I haven't seen Nanny McPhee yet, but I love Emma Thompson.  Perhaps I should see that one.  Isn't Lansbury in this too?

 

Yeah, it seems like a "contract decision" in that casting to me.  The A., T., & SF makes every other tune there seem more or less forgettable for me.

 

Nanny McPhee is quite kid-geared, the kids are not that well-defined as characters, but you just roll with it.  It plays out like a 19th Cent Aussie fairy tale.  Lansbury is in that one too and Thompson is quite good and doesn't let the kids upstage her in the scenes, which quite remarkable considering how Nanny does it. 

[speedracer5]

speedracer5--Re Virginia O'Briens singing:  Her little facial ticks and winks made perfectly ordinary lines into double entendres and got them past The Censors; a perfect example is "Salome", from "DuBarry Was A Lady" (1943), which TCM is airing March 30th--the number is also on YouTube.  JMO.

 

I'll have to watch that again.  I've seen DuBarry Was a Lady a couple times.  I actually have the movie because it came with a Lucille Ball movie collection that I have.  I remember finding her singing in the film annoying at the time as well. 

 

I think I've seen her in another movie where her singing continued to get on my nerves.  It may have been Meet the People (which I only watched because Lucy's in it) or possibly Ziegfeld Follies (which despite all the great stars, I find the movie incredibly boring). 

 

Nonetheless, I'm not a fan of her style.  When she's not singing, she's fine.  However, O'Brien's singing is definitely better than anytime Joan Crawford tries to dance.  Oy vey.  Crawford was not meant to be a musical star.  

[LawrenceA]

Sudden Impact (1983) - (7/10) - Decent fourth entry in the Dirty Harry series, this time not just starring Clint Eastwood, but also directed by him. San Francisco Homicide Detective "Dirty" Harry Callahan gets in trouble with his superiors (as usual) and is sent on forced vacation to the small seaside community of San Paulo. In between dodging various attempted Mob hits on his life, Harry stumbles into a series of killings being committed by a mysterious artist (Sondra Locke). 

 

This is the film that generated the ubiquitous 80's catchphrase ,"Go ahead. Make my day." President Ronald Reagan's use of it during a press conference was one of the most replayed moments of his presidency. Like most, if not all, of the Dirty Harry sequels, this started out as an unrelated screenplay that was then rewritten to become part of the series. This time around it's more obvious than in the other films. Eastwood is fine in his role, but he could play this in his sleep. Locke makes for a convincing killer, too, and this is one of the better roles she had in then-boyfriend Clint's films. Also with Pat Hingle as the small town police chief, Bradford Dillman, Albert Popwell (who's in the first 4 Dirty Harry films, each time as a different character), Paul Drake as a particularly nasty pencil-mustached slimeball, Mara Corday, Carmen Argenziano, Michael V. Gazzo as a mob boss, and a young Camryn Manheim looking scared in an elevator.

 

 

 

Rewatch.  Source: DVD.

[cigarjoe]

The Hot Spot (1990) "I can find it in the dark"

 

 

Directed by Dennis Hopper (Colors (1988) as actor, Blue Velvet (1986), River's Edge (1986), Black Widow (1987), Red Rock West (1993), True Romance (1993)), based on a hard boiled 1952 novel "Hell Hath No Fury" by Charles Williams, with a screenplay by Charles Williams and Nona Tyson updated to 1989. Cinematography was by Ueli Steiger. An outstanding bluesy soundtrack by John Lee Hooker, Miles Davis, Taj Mahal and many others.

 

Torrid sex, lustful losers, sleazy insinuations, along the highway of broken dreams. Bravo Dennis 9/10

 

 

For the unexpurgated review with lots of screen caps here: http://noirsville.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-hot-spot-1990-i-can-find-it-in-dark.html

[LawrenceA]

 

The Hot Spot (1990) 

 

 

I have that one in my stack to rewatch.

[Fedya]

Mahogany (1975).

 

Diana Ross plays Tracy, a secretary to a department-store manager (Nina Foch!) who dreams of becoming a fashion designer and getting out of the Chicago ghetto. She meets community activist Brian (Billy Dee Williams) and falls in love with him, but it's fashion photographer Sean (Anthony Perkins) who could help make her a successful designer and model even though she doesn't love him.

 

So far, so good, but then Sean convinces Tracy to follow him to Rome, where she does become famous, but where the movie also goes completely around the bend as Ross has to wear a series of increasingly outrageous outfits as she and the rest of the cast deliver terrible dialog and ham it up.

 

For overall value I'd give it a 6/10; for the camp value I'd give it a 10/10. Oh, and there's the memorable theme song.