I Just Watched...

[RoyCronin]

The only reason to watch Rebel Without a Cause is to see James Dean do his "You're tearing me APART!" shtick, and laugh at it like Bette Davis' nervous breakdown in Now, Voyager.

Bette's outburst scares the crap out of Bonita Granville, so it' a good thing.

[LsDoorMat]

The Docks of New York (1928) - 8/10 - Silent melodrama from Paramount Pictures and director Josef Von Sternberg. George Bancroft stars as Bill the Stoker, a big, burly, tough-as-nails lug who shovels coal on board a large cargo ship. When they dock in New York, he sets out to find a dame and some booze to while away the time. He ends up rescuing a woman (Betty Compson) who has jumped into the water in a suicide attempt. Bill falls for the troubled girl, naturally, but so does the cruel ship's engineer Andy (Mitchell Lewis), angering Andy's wife (Olga Baclanova). The story takes some twists and turns from there. 

 

Von Sternberg does a great job of evoking the seedy waterfront dives and the desperate, drunken exploits of its inhabitants. Everything is smokey, dingy, foggy and squalid, but beautifully so, with much attention to detail in the sets, even viewed through the frequent haze. Two items that I particularly enjoyed: a camera zoom into the heavily tattooed arm of Bill as he shows off his naked woman ink while he flexes his muscles to make "her" squirm and undulate; and the waterfront missionary known as Hymn-book Harry, played by Gustav von Seyffertitz.

 

Source: YouTube (This is one of many Criterion titles not yet available through FilmStruck, in this case perhaps due to the Paramount origin.)

I once heard somebody describe this film as "a silent Popeye", and you know, that rather fits.

[LsDoorMat]

I just watched hundreds of Asian spam posts take over this board while I probably could not even review the movie F-a-n-n-y because the autocensor  would bleep it out.

[Movie Collector OH]

I just watched hundreds of Asian spam posts take over this board while I probably could not even review the movie F-a-n-n-y because the autocensor  would bleep it out.

 

The spam you are seeing is actually clues to buried treasure.  In this case, not in America.  I am not able to divulge the details at this time, but if you send them money, they will gratefully make you rich.

[LawrenceA]

Limite (1931) - 7/10 - Silent experimental art film from Brazil and directed by Mario Peixoto. The plot, such as it is, concerns 2 women and 1 man adrift at sea in a lifeboat. They each think back on their lives and what led them to their current state. This is all done without dialogue or intertitles, purely as a visual endeavor, so it's up to the audience to interpret quite a bit of what's going on. The soundtrack consists of classical pieces chosen by the director, including Debussey, Stravinsky, and Prokofiev.

 

There are a lot of camera techniques utilized, from extreme angles to slow tracking shots, to impressive-for-the-time moments where the camera spirals up and around a person. Not all of it is successful, as at one point the cameraman's fingers are glimpsed at the image's edge, but overall it is rather stunning. It's easy to see why this was a favorite film of both Orson Welles and Sergei Eisenstein.

 

At nearly a 2 hour running time, this seems a bit long, but patient viewers will be rewarded, especially those who enjoy silent film and arthouse offerings. This was thought lost for decades, but was rediscovered and restored in 2010. That being said, some of it is in rough shape, with substantial damage done to small sections of the picture.

 

Source: FilmStruck (it's also up on YouTube)

[hamradio]

"The Cranes Are Flying" (1957)

 

How did a Steinway and Sons grand piano manage to find it's way into an apartment during the Stalin time period. Those things are EXPENSIVE even for American standards?

 

 

Like the scene with the wall clock, Russia must have their version of Timex....Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.  

 

 

 

This movie shows Russian film makers can make good dramas if the government keeps their oppressive noses out of it.

[Tikisoo]

I just watched THE LITTLE PRINCE (2015) from a disk given to me by a fellow Cinephile. It was a mixed style animated film, mostly computer generated animation with stop motion clay and classic still image animation sequences thrown in for dramatic emphasis.

 

It's a story of a little girl and her ambitious Mom who move next door to an isolated, oddball old man. The stylizing is pretty overdramatic, but I suppose that sends clear messages to younger minds-for example- the neighborhood is populated with featureless solid white box homes except the old man's; a leaning, multi-shaped, colorful old Victorian house.

Similarly, the Mom's insane drive for her daughter are pretty overblown too, but maybe just geared to little kids. 

 

Predictably, he little girl befriends the old man who opens a new world to her through his story of the Little Prince. A poignant fantasy very creatively told with whimsical visuals. I didn't quite catch the symbolism, instead mindlessly just enjoying the ride.

 

This movie deserves a second watch, possibly with others because it's the sort of story that will impress everyone differently, inviting conversation. I think this might be only available through Netflix, but worth seeing the rare animation for story sake rather than for marketing.

[film lover 293]

"The Show of Shows" (1929)--Overlong, plotless musical studio revue (Warner Bros.).  The highlights, in order of appearance:  A Floradora Girl sextette, where Myrna Loy can clearly be heard singing, followed by a Floradora Boys number, which spotlights Lupino Lanes' English music hall comedy;  Winnie Lightner's raucous rendition of "Pingo-Pongo" which has the racier verses, unlike YouTube; Bea Lillie getting laughs out of thin air with just a lifted eyebrow (the laughs sure aren't from her material); Lightner again, this time belting out "Singin' In The Bathtub", with a chorus line of men in 1890 era striped bathing suits; the impressive looking two-color Technicolor Oriental fantasy "Li-Po-Li", with Myrna Loy, a male singer, and chorus; John Barrymore's soliloquy from "Richard III" is one of the best things in the film.

 

A fascinating curio for film buffs spotlighting stars on their way up (Myrna Loy, Loretta Young), at the top (John Barrymore), and on their way down (A shrill Dolores Costello).  2.3/4

[film lover 293]

"On Approval" (1944)--Starring Bea Lillie, Clive Brook, Googie Withers, and Roland Culver.

 

Hilarious British comedy set in the Victorian Era.  Lillie takes her prospective husband ( Brook) for a month long trial run.  Comedy is mostly verbal, so pay attention or you'll miss the best lines.  A knowledge of Scottish food is necessary for one of the best lines to work.

 

Withers--"I'm having such terrible dreams!"

 

Culver--"So am I; it's the haggis." 

 

Other favorite:

 

Lillie to Brook, when he's not looking at her--"What color are my eyes?"

 

A new favorite.  3.5/4.

[film lover 293]

"Doctor Rhythm" (1938)--Starring Bing Crosby and Bea Lillie.

 

Paramount fluff with four highlights.  Crosbys' rendition of the standard "On The Sentimental Side" by James Monaco and Johnny Burke (the song topped at #4 on the charts, according to Wikipedia); Lillies' priceless rendition of "There's Rhythm in This Heart of Mine" by Rodgers and Hart;  and a wonderful shot at Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy style operetta, "Only a Gypsy Knows".  Lillie has MacDonald's mannerisms down pat, and the Costume Dept. contributed an overly starched, ruffled concoction for Lillie that looks like a castoff from "Naughty Marietta" (1935).  Crosby looks like he's having a good time spoofing Nelson Eddy; Crosby has Eddys' clueless air Down.

 

The fourth is a five minute long wordplay Routine with Lillie and Franklin Pangborn; "Two Dozen Double Damask Dinner Napkins.".

 

Film slows down whenever Lillie's offscreen or the singing stops, but Maltin needs to see this film again; it's better than "second-rate" and at its' best, hits classic status.  3.2/4.

 

Source--I saw "Doctor Rhythm" on YouTube.

 

Now I've seen all of Lillies' films except her Lost film, "Are You There?" (1930).

[EricJ]

I just watched THE LITTLE PRINCE (2015) from a disk given to me by a fellow Cinephile. It was a mixed style animated film, mostly computer generated animation with stop motion clay and classic still image animation sequences thrown in for dramatic emphasis.

 

It's a story of a little girl and her ambitious Mom who move next door to an isolated, oddball old man. 

I saw the trailer in a theater back when it was still going to play theaters (not direct-to-Netflix), and the impression of the audience was "Beautiful stop-motion, but dayum, drop the corny CGI yuppie plot!"

Of course, at the time, we were seeing the trailer next to the Nth showing of the Secret Life of Pets and Sing trailers...

 

Me, I won't really say the big-budget 1974 live-action musical version was good, as I hate the story, but at least it keeps its mind on the book--Richard Kiley OWNS the role of the Aviator, especially when he gets to go full LaMancha on the Lerner & Loewe title tune.

[Movie Collector OH]

"The Cranes Are Flying" (1957)

 

How did a Steinway and Sons grand piano manage to find it's way into an apartment during the Stalin time period. Those things are EXPENSIVE even for American standards?

 

 

Like the scene with the wall clock, Russia must have their version of Timex....Takes a licking and keeps on ticking.  

 

 

 

This movie shows Russian film makers can make good dramas if the government keeps their oppressive noses out of it.

 

They could have at least rolled out a Wm. Knabe grand.  The name might not be as obvious at least, and it sounds like it could be German (imported to Russia that is..LOL).

[SansFin]

"The Cranes Are Flying" (1957)

 

How did a Steinway and Sons grand piano manage to find it's way into an apartment during the Stalin time period. Those things are EXPENSIVE even for American standards?

 

 

It symbolized extravagance of a corrupt Party member. A piano was luxury. An American piano was so lavish that it could never have been obtained through legitimate means.

 

 

This movie shows Russian film makers can make good dramas if the government keeps their oppressive noses out of it.

 

 

I love this movie very much but it is as much propaganda as those produced in era of Stalin. It was N. S. Khrushchev's desire to depict Russians as human rather than impersonal parts of collective machine. It was at a time also when he needed to depict Germans/Western Europeans as inherently evil. The figurative government hand-out on what type of personalities and behaviour were to be depicted was altered drastically at this time but it was enforced with same rigor.

[LornaHansonForbes]

To be honest, I DO.   (Massey was the one in Arsenic & Old Lace, right?)

 

yes Massey is in ARSENIC, its his best performance (by far) and one in which he is ironically confused quite often with Boris Karloff.

[LornaHansonForbes]

kind of a non sequitor, but my sole familiarity with THE LITTLE PRINCE is a strong memory from my high school days in the mid-90's, I took Spanish, but a lot of my friends were in French, and their teacher loved the original animated version of THE LITTLE PRINCE en Francais and a big part of the curriculum involved a line-by-line translation of the film.

 

i can still recall the venting of some of my friends at the time and how much they ******** haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaated that thing, like pure Polar Ice-flavored HATEORADE.

[LornaHansonForbes]

I watched a few movies these past couple days:

 

 

 

Dead Reckoning.  I've seen this film before, but it didn't really make much of an impression on me.  I tried watching it again and I'm sorry to say that I had the same impression the second time around.  I like Bogart, he's excellent as usual and I liked the vibe of the film.  I liked Bogart's narration and the story.  I think Lizabeth Scott is the weak point of the film.  She seems like a poor man's Lauren Bacall.  Perhaps if Bacall were in the part instead of Scott or if original choice Rita Hayworth had gotten the role, then I would have liked the outcome better.  I just don't care for Lizabeth Scott.  She just seems to lack something.  I can't describe what it is. 

 

Acting ability.

 

There you go, free of charge.

 

(I will say tho that while not exactly Lillian Gish, Lizabeth does have PRESENCE, which goes a long way. DEAD RECKONING is strange in that it seems to be almost a parody of the crime genre, it's too self-conscious to be taken seriously.)

[LornaHansonForbes]

i'll also add that DEAD RECKONING was directed by John Cromwell, a director whose work i am kinda iffy on. he was not the most visually imaginative director and a lot of his films, while well-acted, are overall very dull due to his static direction and lack of visual flair (ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM, OF HUMAN BONDAGE, ALGIERS, SINCE YOU WENT AWAY, and CAGED- which a lot of people love, i know)

[film lover 293]

"H.E.A.L.T.H." (1979)--Starring Carol Burnett, James Garner, Lauren Bacall, and Glenda Jackson.  Directed by Robert Altman.

 

Scattershot political satire that got only a limited release is not one of Altman's best films, but is definitely worth a watch.  Carol Burnett and James Garner, as a divorced couple on opposing sides of a national organizations' convention to elect a new health president are the funniest players in the film.  The scene where Burnett tells off her ex, and then finds a dead body in the hotel pool is right out of her television show and the funniest bit in the film.

 

Garner is also funny; his biggest laughs are muttered asides to the camera that end scenes.

 

Bacall and Jackson as opposing candidates for president are also amusing.

 

The copy I saw on YouTube was too dark some of the time, but is still watchable.

 

2.4/4--Rating would be higher if copy I saw was better.

 

Edit--Search "H.E.A.L.T.H. 1979 Robert Altman".

[cigarjoe]

Shield For Murder (1954) O'Brien Breaks Bad

 

 

This is O'Brien's film and he does a great job portraying a man whose life is coming apart at the seams. He goes from cool confident conniver to desperate desperado with both the hoods and the police after him. The last third of the film constantly escalates the suspense factor. Emile Meyer also put in a good solid showing as the police captain.

 

Watch for a small cameo by Carolyn Jones as a B girl trying score a trick with Barney, and the stylistic brutal pistol whipping by Barney of the two PI's show only from the terrified perspectives of the restaurant's clientele.

 

Shield For Murder has some innovative sequences and is an entertaining mid fifties Noir, full review with screencaps in Film Noir/Gangster Board and also here: http://noirsville.blogspot.com/2016/11/shield-for-murder-1954-obrien-breaks-bad.html

 

 

[EricJ]

"H.E.A.L.T.H." (1979)--Starring Carol Burnett, James Garner, Lauren Bacall, and Glenda Jackson.  Directed by Robert Altman.

 

Scattershot political satire that got only a limited release is not one of Altman's best films, but is definitely worth a watch.  Carol Burnett and James Garner, as a divorced couple on opposing sides of a national organizations' convention to elect a new health president are the funniest players in the film.  The scene where Burnett tells off her ex, and then finds a dead body in the hotel pool is right out of her television show and the funniest bit in the film.

 

For years, this became a "lost" film that was supposedly too bad for the studio to release.

Basically, Altman kept going back to his "Multi-subplot political-allegory oddball-niche convention" well after Nashville whenever his career flagged, and "Pret a Porter" didn't fare too well either.

[scsu1975]

The Madonna’s Secret (1946)

 

This film is either clever or preposterous, take your pick. I choose the latter.

 

Francis Lederer plays an artist whose models all seem to fall for him, then wind up dead. Is he killing them?  Edward Ashley plays a drama critic who thinks Lederer is guilty as hell. So he enlists one of the dead model’s sister (Ann Rutherford) to pose for Lederer. Will she fall for Lederer? Will he off her?

 

I can only take so much of this. Despite a twist ending, there are too many stupid plot developments. The police, led by John Litel, are well aware of what Rutherford is doing, and just go along with it. I guess that’s how the cops ran investigations back in the 40s. Rutherford also carries a small gun in her purse, which Lederer manages to find with no trouble. I guess that’s how women packed heat back in the 40s. And why is a drama critic investigating murders? I guess that’s how the public did their civic duty back in the 40s. Throw in a nightclub scene where the singer warbles a ballad while a guy throws knives at her.

 

Ashley is annoying as the critic, but Gail Patrick plays a beyotch to perfection. Rutherford has that rare combination of cuteness and va-va-voom-ness, so she’s fun to watch. Lederer does a decent job, but he furrows his brows way too often. While I admit he has some charm, I can’t see dames falling all over him. He scores so often in this film that the New York Jets should consider signing him.

 

 

 

In this powerful scene, Lederer checks Rutherford for head lice.

 

[MCannady1]

The Madonna’s Secret (1946)

 

This film is either clever or preposterous, take your pick. I choose the latter.

 

Francis Lederer plays an artist whose models all seem to fall for him, then wind up dead. Is he killing them?  Edward Ashley plays a drama critic who thinks Lederer is guilty as hell. So he enlists one of the dead model’s sister (Ann Rutherford) to pose for Lederer. Will she fall for Lederer? Will he off her?

 

I can only take so much of this. Despite a twist ending, there are too many stupid plot developments. The police, led by John Litel, are well aware of what Rutherford is doing, and just go along with it. I guess that’s how the cops ran investigations back in the 40s. Rutherford also carries a small gun in her purse, which Lederer manages to find with no trouble. I guess that’s how women packed heat back in the 40s. And why is a drama critic investigating murders? I guess that’s how the public did their civic duty back in the 40s. Throw in a nightclub scene where the singer warbles a ballad while a guy throws knives at her.

 

Ashley is annoying as the critic, but Gail Patrick plays a beyotch to perfection. Rutherford has that rare combination of cuteness and va-va-voom-ness, so she’s fun to watch. Lederer does a decent job, but he furrows his brows way too often. While I admit he has some charm, I can’t see dames falling all over him. He scores so often in this film that the New York Jets should consider signing him.

 

 

 

In this powerful scene, Lederer checks Rutherford for head lice.

 

I did kind of like it and remember seeing it on TV as a kid in the 60's. Of course it's each to his own preference, but I thought there were some good qualities. AS I viewed it again recently, I couldn't help but think that when I first watched it I was just getting into murder mysteries and now having come full circle have seen so many different kinds. Today I really like Film Noirs best I did like the girl singing in the cafe - the knife-throwing act. There was a certain pathos to the song. Of course FRancis Lederer's character is unaware of his surroundings. Maybe it was the recent murder of his model and the fact that he was under a cloud of suspicion. Yes, Gail, the new model, took on her own investigation. Some aspects can be considered far-fetched and other things leading to the ending I should have expected. But all in all, I thought it was worth watching again.

[laffite]

The Madonna’s Secret (1946)

 

This film is either clever or preposterous, take your pick. I choose the latter.

 

Francis Lederer plays an artist whose models all seem to fall for him, then wind up dead. Is he killing them?  Edward Ashley plays a drama critic who thinks Lederer is guilty as hell. So he enlists one of the dead model’s sister (Ann Rutherford) to pose for Lederer. Will she fall for Lederer? Will he off her?

 

I can only take so much of this. Despite a twist ending, there are too many stupid plot developments. The police, led by John Litel, are well aware of what Rutherford is doing, and just go along with it. I guess that’s how the cops ran investigations back in the 40s. Rutherford also carries a small gun in her purse, which Lederer manages to find with no trouble. I guess that’s how women packed heat back in the 40s. And why is a drama critic investigating murders? I guess that’s how the public did their civic duty back in the 40s. Throw in a nightclub scene where the singer warbles a ballad while a guy throws knives at her.

 

Ashley is annoying as the critic, but Gail Patrick plays a beyotch to perfection. Rutherford has that rare combination of cuteness and va-va-voom-ness, so she’s fun to watch. Lederer does a decent job, but he furrows his brows way too often. While I admit he has some charm, I can’t see dames falling all over him. He scores so often in this film that the New York Jets should consider signing him.

 

 

 

In this powerful scene, Lederer checks Rutherford for head lice.

 

 

You used a word that I used once and it got zapped, not by the autosenselessor but by a real moderator. Hmm, I may have used it in, uh, vain, while your usage seems innocuous, couched as it is among your breezy, amiable prose.

 

it begins with the same first letter of a famous yogi

[Sepiatone]

Last night, on a local channel( THIS Detroit), I watched the 1984 flick GREYSTOKE: THE LEGEND OF TARZAN, LORD OF THE APES  with CHRISTOPHER LAMBERT.  Although I've always liked this version, it occured to me that we all seem to take some things for granted about Tarzan flicks, and never question......

 

1.  In last night's version, the earlier years of Tarzan's life, portrayed by different younger actors, he's seen running around in the jungle totally nude.  But, somehow as he got older, he took to wearing the familiar LOINCLOTH.  So, just HOW did he come to feeling the NEED for it?  He also took to wearing a HEADBAND.  What brought THAT about?  And how come none of the OTHER apes developed any sense of style?

 

2.  AND if he's a HUMAN male, and obviously at some point WAY past puberty, and an ADULT male, how come he didn't have any FACIAL HAIR?  By THAT time, he SHOULD have looked like one of the gang from DUCK DYNASTY!

 

I seem to recall some time ago reading part of some interview with WEISMULLER who also joked that he wished he WAS like the "Tarzan guy I played.  He NEVER seemed to need to SHAVE every morning."

 

 

Sepiatone

[film lover 293]

"The Day The World Ended" (1956)--Starring Richard Denning, Lori Nelson, and Adele Jergens.  Directed by Roger Corman.

 

 One of the first anti-nuclear films is hampered by a low budget,  and a bare-bones script.  The actors all play horror film types; Smart and Available Scientist (Denning), Imperilled Virgin (Nelson), Streetwise Nightclub Singer (Jergens), etc.

 

The plot--Multiple bombs explode, wiping out mankind--with a few unexplainable exceptions.  The unaffected survivors all gather in a small ranch house.   A monster made by radiation threatens the survivors.  Complications ensue.

 

The good parts--Corman keeps the film moving, doesn't let it bog down in talk.  The performances are as good as the script allows.  The makeup for the radiation affected ones is good.  The monster is mostly unseen, which is good.  Chet Huntley does the matter-of fact narration.

 

Not the best or the worst of it's genre.  2.2/4.