speedracer5 Posted February 6 Author Share Posted February 6 23 hours ago, LornaHansonForbes said: it's funny you all mention this, because i tried watching APOCALYPSE NOW REDUX on NETFLIX (REDUX being extra footage and remastering) and turned it off about an hour or so in, not long after they head into the jungle and away from ROBERT DUVALL. I guess I'm just a woke fool, but i dunno, while it was well-shot and well-made and even very well-acted, I just didn't feel like venturing any further into it. something about it...turned me off (for lack of a better way of saying it) I watched the entirety of Apocalypse Now Redux and ugh. There's 10 years of my life I won't get back. That movie just seemed to drone on and on and on and on. It was so incredibly dull and boring, but I waited to see Marlon Brando, and I was already like 5 years into it, so I figured that I needed to finish it. Then Brando shows up, I hated him, and was mad because his appearance wasn't worth waiting for. I never want to watch this movie again. I'd rather watch Waiting for Mr. Goodbar again. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 3 minutes ago, speedracer5 said: I watched the entirety of Apocalypse Now Redux and ugh. There's 10 years of my life I won't get back. That movie just seemed to drone on and on and on and on. It was so incredibly dull and boring, but I waited to see Marlon Brando, and I was already like 5 years into it, so I figured that I needed to finish it. Then Brando shows up, I hated him, and was mad because his appearance wasn't worth waiting for. I never want to watch this movie again. I'd rather watch Waiting for Mr. Goodbar again. but did you like it? KIDDING! Thank you, that was beautiful. Reminds me of a RANT I read from a friend of mine when she and her then-boyfriend went to see THE THIN RED LINE in 1998. Also of ELAINE and her PURE, UNFILTERED HATE for THE ENGLISH PATIENT. (Personally, my feeling is- WAR IS HELL, but WAR MOVIES are WORSE. ) 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedracer5 Posted February 6 Author Share Posted February 6 23 hours ago, CinemaInternational said: Nightmare Alley is on HBO now, so that should be easy to see. I've heard great things about Belfast and Licorice Pizza, and they are probably the two contenders this year that I want to see most. Gucci, I can't really make heads or tails about. I've seen some people love it and others truly despise it. Critics were right down the middle too, and Jared Leto looks poised to possibly become the fourth person to be up for an Oscar and a Razzie for the same performance. I heard one compare it to a two and a half hour R-rated episode of Dynasty. Maybe this schizophrenia comes from the scriptwriter, someone who was up for both an Oscar and a Razzie in the past. I don't know what your reaction or mine will be to it quite frankly. My husband and I saw the new adaptation of Nightmare Alley last month. It was pretty good. I prefer the 1947 version, but the new version definitely added more to the story, such as Stan's backstory. Having actually read the original novel, my husband was able to tell me what new additions to Guillermo Del Toro's version came directly from the source material. I definitely liked that they fleshed out Pete's character more and added more scenes with Dr. Ritter and Stan. Bradley Cooper's performances, to me, always say "Look at me, I want an Oscar" and Nightmare Alley is no exception--especially in his final scene. I felt like the final scene dragged on a little too long and was a little over-the-top. That scene had "FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: BRADLEY COOPER FOR BEST ACTOR OSCAR" written all over it. Imo, Cate Blanchett stole the entire movie with her fabulous performance as Dr. Ritter. She was my favorite part. I was a little disappointed with how Zeena was portrayed in the film. I felt that Zeena was better depicted in the original film. Otherwise, Guillermo del Toro did a good job on his new adaptation and I think both this film and the 1947 one can each stand on their own. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedracer5 Posted February 6 Author Share Posted February 6 6 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said: but did you like it? KIDDING! Thank you, that was beautiful. Reminds me of a RANT I read from a friend of mine when she and her then-boyfriend went to see THE THIN RED LINE in 1998. Also of ELAINE and her PURE, UNFILTERED HATE for THE ENGLISH PATIENT. (Personally, my feeling is- WAR IS HELL, but WAR MOVIES are WORSE. ) I'm not the biggest fan of war films either, so that could be why Apocalypse Now didn't grab me. However, I have enjoyed some war films like Paths of Glory and From Here to Eternity. If it's a war-oriented film, I much prefer stories about the homefront, or war films where the war is more in the background and there's a more interesting storyline interwoven with the battle scenes. Force of Arms is one such example with William Holden fighting in the war, but his romance with Nancy Olson is the focal point of the story. Or something like Pride of the Marines with John Garfield dealing with being blind after being injured in the war. I find these stories much more compelling than just watching soldiers trek through jungles and shooting the enemy over and over again. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 25 minutes ago, speedracer5 said: I'm not the biggest fan of war films either, so that could be why Apocalypse Now didn't grab me. However, I have enjoyed some war films like Paths of Glory and From Here to Eternity. If it's a war-oriented film, I much prefer stories about the homefront, or war films where the war is more in the background and there's a more interesting storyline interwoven with the battle scenes. Force of Arms is one such example with William Holden fighting in the war, but his romance with Nancy Olson is the focal point of the story. Or something like Pride of the Marines with John Garfield dealing with being blind after being injured in the war. I find these stories much more compelling than just watching soldiers trek through jungles and shooting the enemy over and over again. it helps (genuinely) that PATHS OF GLORY is so short. it says all it needs to say in such a short time that it's impressive. and not exhaustive 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedracer5 Posted February 6 Author Share Posted February 6 1 hour ago, LornaHansonForbes said: it helps (genuinely) that PATHS OF GLORY is so short. it says all it needs to say in such a short time that it's impressive. and not exhaustive Yes. It's one of the few movies that I've watched where I was disappointed that it ended where it did. I wanted to know to know what was going to happen after Kirk Douglas decides not to tell his company that they have to go back. But I agree that the film ended right where it needed to. I'm not the biggest fan of Kubrick's work, but I do like his earlier films like: The Killing, Paths of Glory and Lolita. I still need to see Killer's Kiss. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eucalyptus P. Millstone Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 3 hours ago, LornaHansonForbes said: I think it has been over 10 years now, but one night a long time ago, I saw the 1968 film TARGETS directed by PETER BOGDONAVICH with a fair amount of input, I think from POLLY PLATT The story of a mass shooter on the loose in the SAN FERNANDO VALLEY whose killing spree coincides with a drive-in film screening and appearance by famous retiring horror star BYRON ORLOK (BORIS KARLOFF) Almost 50 years ago, a friend and I attended a special presentation of Targets at the late, lamented Gordon Theatre in Los Angeles, California. What made it so special? Peter Bogdonavich attended the screening to introduce and talk about his movie. Unfortunately, I remember zero details about his speech. But, I still have snapshots of Bogdanovich clad entirely in black, holding a microphone. Most memorable was a stunt pulled by "Machine Gun Kelly," a disc jockey on KHJ radio (93 AM) -- which, perhaps not entirely coincidentally -- is listened to by Bobby Thompson (Matt Damon lookalike Tim O'Kelly) in Targets. Before Bogdonavich arrived and while the audience chatted amongst its selves, Kelly walked up to the front of the auditorium, in front of the movie screen, whipped out a machine gun and began "blasting" the audience. Audience members were screaming, diving behind seats, and falling upon the floor in terror. My pal and I sat in our seats -- like dummies -- wondering "What the . . .?" Rather an apropos "opening act" considering the subject of the evening's cinematic entertainment. Besides his rendition of W. Somerset Maughm's Appointment in Samarra, my favorite dialogue spoken by Boris Karloff is, when Byron Orlok (Karloff) gazes at a series of used car lots and then despondently sighs, "God. What an ugly town this has become." https://ok.ru/video/2706085055003 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricJ Posted February 6 Share Posted February 6 2 hours ago, speedracer5 said: I never want to watch this movie again. I'd rather watch Waiting for Mr. Goodbar again. "Waiting for Mr. Goodbar"? So, Diane Keaton waits in a blank, empty white-walled singles-bar, and talks about existentialism with Jill Clayburgh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Rat Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 1 hour ago, EricJ said: "Waiting for Mr. Goodbar"? So, Diane Keaton waits in a blank, empty white-walled singles-bar, and talks about existentialism with Jill Clayburgh? Ooh, what a perfect project for the late Chantal Akerman. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Rat Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 I know that The Long Day Closes is a favorite of our own Swithin, but it wasn't my cuppa tea. It's the kind of film that if you like it, you call it "poetic," and if you don't, you call it "arty." It's very much like the Eisenstein experiment where he showed an expressionless actor, then cut to a bowl of soup, and people thought he was hungry, etc., but with sound instead of montage. We get a lot of an expressionless kid staring out at the rain on a soundstage while various songs and occasional lines from movies can be heard on the soundtrack. I kept thinking of other films about rainy English towns I'd rather be seeing: It Always Rains on Sunday or So Well Remembered or Room at the Top, movies with plots and fleshed-out characters. The major events of the boy's life are the music he hears and the movies he sees. Otherwise, his childhood is not particularly interesting. The boy's mother is lovingly portrayed; perhaps the emotional reserve of the film works in that case. There was also one very beautiful moment as the camera pans over a movie audience as Debbie Reynolds sings "Tammy." The song continues over a similar pan of a congregation at church and then the boys in a classroom. The longing so well expressed in the song thus has a religious significance for the boy, and is something he learns from. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpytoad Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 Isle of the Dead with Boris Karloff. Good movie, but not exceptional from my experience. Unlike many horror films, this isn't a good vs. evil script. It's more superstition vs. science. Every time I see Karloff NOT playing a monster, I find him very watchable. Same in this one. He is known for Frankenstein and The Mummy, but see his performance in The Lost Patrol (1934) if you get a chance- he was quite a versatile actor. Rest of cast here was decent but not familiar to me, with one exception. As I was watching the movie, had one of those "I know and like his face" moments. Actors name was Ernst Deutsch. And I recognised him from The Third Man, one of my all time favourite movies. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fading Fast Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 The Millionaire from 1931 with George Arliss, Evalyn Knapp and David Manners Yes, it's an early pre-code talkie which, often and in this case, means it doesn't have a soundtrack, needs a restoration and is a clunky effort overall, but The Millionaire is both fun time travel and a good, simple story with engaging characters. If you can adjust your expectations to the limitations and style of early pre-codes, in The Millionaire, you get a quick, fun eighty-minute movie about the perils of retiring early; a story which Hollywood has been telling ever since. Also tucked inside The Millionaire's main tale is another Hollywood favorite, the "should I marry for love or money" story. Auto magnate George Arliss is forced to retire by his wife and doctor for health reasons, but after a few months of "rest and relaxation," sixty year old Arliss is about ready to shoot himself from boredom. He stumbles upon a gas station up for sale and partners with a young mechanic to buy and run it, an effort Arliss keeps secret from his family and doctor. His partner, David Manners, is a college educated architect forced to make a living as a garage mechanic in the Depression. Arliss' cute-as-heck daughter, Evalyn Knapp, and Manners begin flirting when she comes by the station to fill her car up. Arliss always hides when she does as neither Manners nor Knapp is aware of the other's relationship to Arliss. Other than Arliss and Manners having to get even with a local businessman who tried a flim-flam move on them, the above is the story and it works in a simple, straight-forward way. (Spoiler alert) You know from the start things are going to work out, it's just that kind of movie, so it's not really much of a spoiler alert to tell that, one, Arliss' health improves the more he works and, two, the station becomes a big success. Arliss and Manners then sell the station so Manners can start his own architecture business and marry Knapp. The joy in this one is Arliss having fun as the former big auto company tycoon running a small, corner gas station. It's also fun to see his adorable daughter, who's not snobbish at all, happily dating "working-man" Manners, while rejecting the advances of the dull trust-fund kid from the "right class" who's chasing her. The Millionaire is nothing special, but even today, it still entertains and, as noted, comprises two very early versions of stories - the downside of early retirement and why one should marry for love not money - Hollywood has been telling ever since. Plus, it's darn good time travel to 1930s America. N.B. #1 If you do see it, look for the incredible cameo of a pre-stardom James Cagney playing a slick-talking insurance salesman. It's hard to think of anything more Cagney than a slick-talking insurance salesman. You can see the star he'll soon become. N.B #2 In the great tradition of pre-codes and, really, code-era 1930s movies, lissome Evalyn Knapp proves once again a woman can wear a sheer dress without a bra. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Det Jim McLeod Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 19 hours ago, LornaHansonForbes said: the 1968 film TARGETS directed by PETER BOGDONAVICH w My favorite Bogdonavich film and one of my favorite Karloff ones. The climax is a great scene of showing fictional horror (the film playing) meets real life horror (the mad sniper). Bogdonavich shows he was a fine actor as well, his scenes with Karloff are excellent. My favorite scene is when Karloff is shown watching one of his old films on TV The Criminal Code (1930). Bogdonvich walks in and says "Howard Hawks directed that one", after the scene on TV ends, he says "he sure knows how to tell a story" "Indeed he does" Karloff replies. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 17 minutes ago, Det Jim McLeod said: My favorite Bogdonavich film and one of my favorite Karloff ones. The climax is a great scene of showing fictional horror (the film playing) meets real life horror (the mad sniper). Bogdonavich shows he was a fine actor as well, his scenes with Karloff are excellent. My favorite scene is when Karloff is shown watching one of his old films on TV The Criminal Code (1930). Bogdonvich walks in and says "Howard Hawks directed that one", after the scene on TV ends, he says "he sure knows how to tell a story" "Indeed he does" Karloff replies. you wanna know something kinda funny though? as much as I admire HOWARD HAWKS, THE CRIMINAL CODE as actually a very dull film- far from his best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedracer5 Posted February 7 Author Share Posted February 7 15 hours ago, EricJ said: "Waiting for Mr. Goodbar"? So, Diane Keaton waits in a blank, empty white-walled singles-bar, and talks about existentialism with Jill Clayburgh? Looking, Waiting, whoever he was, Diane Keaton didn’t find him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Det Jim McLeod Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 36 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said: as much as I admire HOWARD HAWKS, THE CRIMINAL CODE as actually a very dull film- far from his best. I have to disagree, I love it. I got into the story and it kept my interest the whole way. Walter Huston gives a fine performance as a tough talking but sympathetic warden. Karloff has his best pre Monster role as a menacing convict. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 4 minutes ago, Det Jim McLeod said: I have to disagree, I love it. I got into the story and it kept my interest the whole way. Walter Huston gives a fine performance as a tough talking but sympathetic warden. Karloff has his best pre Monster role as a menacing convict. I've even watched it multiple times, each time really hoping I'll like it, but no...(and I listened to the LUXE RADIO VERSION!!) (but there's a dozen other HAWKSFILMS that I love, so no biggee) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 14 minutes ago, speedracer5 said: Looking, Waiting, whoever he was, Diane Keaton didn’t find him. PITY. HE'S ADORABLE. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CinemaInternational Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 On 2/5/2022 at 4:22 PM, sewhite2000 said: I largely stayed off of that one, but people generally seemed more hip that the censorship was likely a Disney decision not a TCM one, and the thread veered down a sidepath of Disney content over the years, one poster commenting on the rated-R "filth" Disney put out under their Touchstone and Buena Vista imprints and their content advisory warning for insensitive material in recent re-releases of older stuff. That was me. I made the post largely because of my frustrations with Disney's increasingly sanctimonious nature in recent years. I had liked some of those films with hard material in the 90s, but I was just frustrated by their pearl-clutching nowadays in which they demand people to believe that they are clean, pure, unstained family entertainment all the time. And I am still furious at them for butchering 20th Century Fox, now called the meaningless 20th Century Studios (because some people thought that because of Fox News, the word Fox should be banned from the company name, even though it was the last name of the company's founder in 1915). I think, even in the original thread, the one that caused you so much grief, I attributed the cut to Disney rather than TCM, borne out by the inclusion of films with slurs like Blazing Saddles and Looking for Mr Goodbar still being on the schedule. I wish I had paid more attention to that thread though instead of only going on it once or twice. I would have been sympathetic to your plight. I know what its like to be on the receiving end of online contempt or indifference. I had some bad experiences in the past. I miss the softer, gentler discourse of practically everything in society On 2/5/2022 at 5:11 PM, LornaHansonForbes said: DON'T. DO NOT. DON'T, Too late a warning. I already signed up for a month before you posted the admonition. Still definitely not wild about them. Oh well, films aside, I might use it to look at some Seinfeld episodes or the original 2000-2007 run of Gilmore Girls. 18 hours ago, TikiSoo said: I tried watching POWER OF THE DOG a few weeks ago and couldn't finish it. I was bored by the performances, story line, pretty much everything. I can't even tell you what it's about. Maybe I fell asleep & missed something? On 2/5/2022 at 4:40 PM, LawrenceA said: Our tastes in movies seem to have diverged greatly over the last year or two, so I'd say based on that, since I hated Don't Look Up and Tick Tick Boom, you would love them, while I enjoyed The Lost Daughter and The Power of the Dog, so you'd hate them. I was middle-of-the-road on Passing, so I couldn't say. (I say this only half-jokingly - based on your Letterboxd ratings as of late, we seem to have differing views on a lot of things) Power of the Dog was my first stop on the Netflix month. Lawrence, I think the film scored a little north of mixed to a respectful if muted positive vote (4/5 is my passing grade on Letterboxd, which is probably too high for a passing grade, but its too late now to change it). It is handsomely photographed and put together, very well-acted, and it feels like a full fledged film (something not everything today can lay claim to). The quibble, and its on the lines of what Tiki mentioned , is that character motivation is somewhat vague. Why does Benedict Cumberbatch's hostile presence cause Kirsten Dunst to hit the bottle? Why is sensitive Kodi Smit-McPhee suddenly butchering rabbits? It gives us some answers , but not quite enough (although it was extremely clear that Cumberbatch's character was "in the closet" and acted all tough to try to hide it). Probably the book this film is based on, published in 1967, gives more substance and also allows us to read the interior thoughts of the characters. I feel if I read it it could clear some things up, but right now I am grappling with a 607 page tome by Iris Murdoch, so my hands are tied. But overall, its a good film. Its definitely not something I hated; I respect it. (And its seemingly the current front-runner for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, although something like Belfast, King Richard, Dune, West Side Story, or Licorice Pizza could benefit if the Oscars are still cold to Netflix in awarding Best Picture and if they are still using the system where the film that gets the most overall points wins, meaning that the film with the most #1 votes might not necessarily win Best Picture) 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceA Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 1 hour ago, CinemaInternational said: Power of the Dog was my first stop on the Netflix month. Lawrence, I think the film scored a little north of mixed to a respectful if muted positive vote (4/5 is my passing grade on Letterboxd, which is probably too high for a passing grade, but its too late now to change it). It is handsomely photographed and put together, very well-acted, and it feels like a full fledged film (something not everything today can lay claim to). The quibble, and its on the lines of what Tiki mentioned , is that character motivation is somewhat vague. Why does Benedict Cumberbatch's hostile presence cause Kirsten Dunst to hit the bottle? Why is sensitive Kodi Smit-McPhee suddenly butchering rabbits? It gives us some answers , but not quite enough (although it was extremely clear that Cumberbatch's character was "in the closet" and acted all tough to try to hide it). Probably the book this film is based on, published in 1967, gives more substance and also allows us to read the interior thoughts of the characters. I feel if I read it it could clear some things up, but right now I am grappling with a 607 page tome by Iris Murdoch, so my hands are tied. But overall, its a good film. Its definitely not something I hated; I respect it. (And its seemingly the current front-runner for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, although something like Belfast, King Richard, Dune, West Side Story, or Licorice Pizza could benefit if the Oscars are still cold to Netflix in awarding Best Picture and if they are still using the system where the film that gets the most overall points wins, meaning that the film with the most #1 votes might not necessarily win Best Picture) Yeah, I wasn't digging it at first, either. I felt it didn't really all come together until the final act, which I loved. I think the story twist more than the actual performance is why Smit-McPhee is getting so much awards love, although I do think he did well with a complicated role. As for Dunst, I thought her character was just cracking apart due to all the trouble in her past and then quietly suffering through Cumberbatch's treatment of her (and every one else in his orbit). It would be interesting to me if Cumberbatch ended up winning Best Actor for what may be one of the most unlikeable roles in recent memory. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allhallowsday Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 TCM aired this documentary last night : Freedom On My Mind (1994) - very powerful and informative. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CinemaInternational Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 Somebody else provided me with a much more succinct way to sum up Don't Look Up (2021) than I ever could. Let me provide the statements. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedracer5 Posted February 7 Author Share Posted February 7 2 hours ago, LornaHansonForbes said: PITY. HE'S ADORABLE. At least he probably wouldn’t have brutally murdered someone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 9 minutes ago, speedracer5 said: At least he probably wouldn’t have brutally murdered someone. That's what HE WANTS YOU TO THINK! In actuality, he's wanted in 10 states. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted February 7 Share Posted February 7 19 minutes ago, CinemaInternational said: Somebody else provided me with a much more succinct way to sum up Don't Look Up (2021) than I ever could. Let me provide the statements. Now what is gonna be REALLY FUNNY is if YOUR BOSS starts talking INCESSANTLY at work about how much they LOVE DON'T LOOK UP, and you have to sit there and SEETHE quietly. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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