I Just Watched...

[Dargo]

Just one question here:

 

Could the title of this movie, "From Hell It Came", have been the very first instance of "Yoda-speak"?

 

Or should I have posted this question in that ongoing "The first use...." thread?

 

(...and which I suppose now makes that two questions here, huh)

[Janet0312]

One of the scariest movies ever made – scary, because somebody thought that a walking tree was something the public was dying to see.

 

OMG! LOL!!! Uh, oh. I wet em...

[Janet0312]

I finally, finally got around to watching The Monster From the Ocean Floor. Bad, but I liked it. Roger Corman spent a whopping 39 grand to make it and grossed 850 Gs. Not bad. I sure wish there was more footage of the monster, though. I gotta find me a photo of that baby.

[LornaHansonForbes]

I also loved how absolutely NOT ONE PERSON in the entirety of FROM HELL IT CAME gave any thought to, um,RUNNING the **** AWAY from the monster at any given moment, thus resulting in their being lightly patted to death by Tabanga.

 

(Maybe the filmmaker's idea was to capture that sense of horror in a nightmare when something is coming after you, but you can only stroll away at a leisurely pace...)

 

if anyone ever asks you: "so, is the Director really that important to the overall impact of a film?"- i suggest you forego citing CITIZEN KANE, RAGING BULL or JAWS and just sit them down and show them this movie instead...

 

it'll get the point straight to the goalpost from 1st and 10 faster than any of those ever could.

[Dargo]

I also loved how absolutely NOT ONE PERSON in the entirety of FROM HELL IT CAME gave any thought to, um,RUNNING the **** AWAY from the monster at any given moment, thus resulting in their being lightly patted to death by Tabanga.

 

(Maybe the filmmaker's idea was to capture that sense of horror in a nightmare when something is coming after you, but you can only stroll away at a leisurely pace...)

 

if anyone ever asks you: "so, is the Director really that important to the overall impact of a film?"- i suggest you forego citing CITIZEN KANE, RAGING BULL or JAWS and just sit them down and show them this movie instead...

 

it'll get the point straight to the goalpost from 1st and 10 faster than any of those ever could.

 

Ever watched THE CREEPING TERROR (1964), Lorna?

 

Well, if you think the Tabanga and his victims moved as slowly as molasses on a winter's morn, the creature in THAT one which looks like some dude crawling around under a carpet remnant, almost makes our woody friend here look like Usain Bolt by comparison.

 

(...heck, for THAT matter, the entire THE CREEPING TERROR almost makes FROM HELL IT CAME look like CITIZEN KANE by comparison...yep, it's truly that bad and has always topped my list of the worst movies ever made) 

[im4cinema2]

Geez.  All I did was mention, The Nun.s  Story,  and everyone goes off on a tirade of From Hell It Came one of the WORST movies ever made and shown on TCM.  That's gratitude for you.

[scsu1975]

Ever watched THE CREEPING TERROR (1964), Lorna?

 

Well, if you think the Tabanga and his victims moved as slowly as molasses on a winter's morn, the creature in THAT one which looks like some dude crawling around under a carpet remnant, almost makes our woody friend here look like Usain Bolt by comparison.

 

 

Not only that, but some of the victims actually move toward the shag carpet. Idiots.

[Dargo]

Not only that, but some of the victims actually move toward the shag carpet. Idiots.

 

Yep, but ya gotta admit THIS idiot sure had a pair of nice gams anyway, right Rich?!...

 

[film lover 293]

I would add to scsu1975's list 1990's "The Guardian".  It's about a killer tree, Druids, sacrifices, "baby cells" to keep the tree alive, a nice looking British governess (Jenny Seagrove), and two extremely stupid parents.  Director was William Friedkin, who makes the silliness watchable.  He even manages a few scares along the way, before the movie dissolves into hopeless silliness. 

[scsu1975]

Yep, but ya gotta admit THIS idiot sure had a pair of nice gams anyway, right Rich?!...

 

I believe that's a still from The Creeping Nylons.

[Hibi]

THE NUN'S STORY.     I saw it first as a child on a big outdoor drive in movie screen and now the second time on my home tv screen.  The immensity of the images and what on the screen had such an impact to my young mind I never forgot it.  Now as a senior citizen  I saw it again and this time with great emotion I was moved to tears.

 

 

I can understand.

[Classic movie fan]

In an hour or two , I decided I am going to watch "The Sweet Smell Of Success" starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis.

 

For the second feature , I'm debating between watching "Carwash" or "The Long Lost Trailer".

[Janet0312]

I also loved how absolutely NOT ONE PERSON in the entirety of FROM HELL IT CAME gave any thought to, um,RUNNING the **** AWAY from the monster at any given moment, thus resulting in their being lightly patted to death by Tabanga.

 

(Maybe the filmmaker's idea was to capture that sense of horror in a nightmare when something is coming after you, but you can only stroll away at a leisurely pace...)

 

if anyone ever asks you: "so, is the Director really that important to the overall impact of a film?"- i suggest you forego citing CITIZEN KANE, RAGING BULL or JAWS and just sit them down and show them this movie instead...

 

it'll get the point straight to the goalpost from 1st and 10 faster than any of those ever could.

Like those Mummy pictures. No matter how slow that baby limped after you, he always got you!

[LornaHansonForbes]

Like those Mummy pictures. No matter how slow that baby limped after you, he always got you!

HA!

If the Mummy could catch you, i'm sorry but quite frankly: you deserved to die.

[Janet0312]

HA!

If the Mummy could catch you, i'm sorry but quite frankly: you deserved to die.

Exactly.

[scsu1975]

 

The Creeper (1948) youtube

 

Oddball horror flick about a woman (Janis Wilson) who is petrified of cats, thinks she is being pursued by a giant catlike thing, and spends most of the film in a catatonic state. Her father, played by Ralph Morgan, is engaged in research with Onslow Stevens. They have the brilliant idea that they can illuminate internal organs.  Because, don’t we want everyone to see what’s inside our intestines?

 

Somehow this research involves experiments on cats, which, like everything else in the film, remains unexplained. Down the hall, Eduardo Ciannelli is also working on an experiment. He is trying to prove he can do a German accent. His associate, played by John Baragrey, has fallen for Wilson, much to the chagrin of Onslow’s assistant, played by the icily cold June Vincent.

 

Now that we have all the players, it’s on to the plot. Several characters go belly up, apparently clawed to death.  Is there some kind of cat creature on the prowl? Richard Lane shows up as a detective, doesn’t bother to show anybody his credentials, and yet everybody answers his questions. Perhaps he should be on a Senate committee. In the finale, we learn the killer’s identity, if you hadn’t already figured it out 5 minutes into the film.

 

The photography is pretty good, with effective use of shadows. And the film is atmospheric, in the same sense that a solid waste disposal plant is.

 

In an odd bit of casting, somebody named Ralph Peters shows up in a bit part. But don’t confuse him with FOX News contributor Col. Ralph Peters, who, ironically, once called President Obama a “kitty,” or something to that effect.

 

[speedracer5]

After watching Moulin Rouge this past week (I may have watched it multiple times), I have re-discovered my love for Ewan McGregor.  I hadn't watched Moulin Rouge for a long time and then suddenly I saw it On Demand, discovered that my DVD (and my VHS) copy were damaged in my basement flood and suddenly I had to watch the film again.  I may have ordered a Blu-Ray replacement copy on Amazon along with my Father's Day gift (I got my dad the Essential Laurel & Hardy Collection!).  Anyway, after proclaiming Ewan McGregor my singing Scottish boyfriend, I have been on a bit of a McGregor kick.  

 

Last night, I watched...

 

Big Fish.  I saw this film once when it originally came out in 2003.  It is a Tim Burton film and it has quite a different vibe than most of his more gothic fantasy oriented films.  I watched Big Fish On Demand from the Syfy Channel--which isn't a channel I typically watch.  Anyway, this film stars Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney.  McGregor and Finney both play the same character--Edward Bloom.  Finney is the older, present day Edward Bloom and McGregor plays him as a teenager and younger man.  Finney's segments are set in the present and McGregor's scenes are set as flashbacks, but they are fantasized versions of various events in his life.  In the present, Finney is terminally ill and his son (Billy Crudup) is set on finding out the real versions of various stories his father had told him over the years.  Crudup is frustrated with his father, as he feels that he's never been told the truth about his father's life and that the stories he tells are just too fantastic to be true.  His quest for the entirety of the film is to find out the truth about the real stories.  Anyway, the flashback/fantasy sequences that feature McGregor are the stories that Finney is telling his son.  The story goes back and forth between past and present.  The title of the film comes into play with the repeated motif of "big fish in a small pond."  Edward Bloom was just too big and fantastic to be living in small town Alabama. 

 

McGregor's fantasy sequences are easily the best and most entertaining sequences of the film.  We see him as the star student who can do no wrong; we see him leave his tiny hometown and try to make it elsewhere.  He sees his dream girl (Alison Lohman) at a party and spends three years trying to learn about her and find her.  He is determined to make her his wife.  Along the way, he joins the circus and ends up being employed by Danny DeVito.  He also meets a giant and a set of conjoined twins.  There is a hilarious scene with Steve Buscemi.  Tim Burton stock player, Helena Bonham Carter is excellent as the girl who harbors a lifelong crush on Ewan McGregor, but ultimately never got him to see her in the same way.  Scottish McGregor's attempt at a thick Alabama accent is decent--at least he maintains it throughout the film. 

 

This film was so much fun and a nice change of pace from the usual Tim Burton fare.  I wish there were more scenes with Ewan McGregor and less scenes with stick-in-the-mud Billy Crudup.  Lol.  This film could have also used more Steve Buscemi--he's hilarious.  

 

Jessica Lange also lends support as the older version of Mrs. Bloom and Marion Cotillard appears as Billy Crudup's wife.

 

I did own a copy of this movie and will have to look through my "surviving" films to see if it survived the flood.

 

---

 

Looking over On Demand, I'm looking forward to all the Ewan McGregor films available:

 

Miss Potter

Trainspotting

Our Kind of Traitor

I Love You Phillip Morris

The Ghost Writer

Miles Ahead

Robots

Haywire

Blackhawk Down

Mortdecai

 

There's a veritable Ewan McGregor smorgasbord available right now--which frankly, is something I can get behind.  I can't say I have too much desire to watch Mortdecai, it didn't look very good.  I've seen Robots.  I'm really looking forward to Trainspotting.  I have to psyche myself up for it, as movies about rampant drug abuse aren't typically my cup of tea.  However, this movie is such an icon of the 90s and the one that put McGregor on the map, so I want to see it.  I also heard that McGregor has a nude scene (just one of many.  He apparently has no qualms about letting the world see his body) which is something I can support.  Finally, a hot guy does a nude scene and not just people like Will Ferrell. 

 

I also borrowed these Ewan McGregor films from the library:

 

Down With Love

The Men Who Stare at Goats

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

 

So much to watch, so little time.

[LawrenceA]

 

Miss Potter

Trainspotting

Our Kind of Traitor

I Love You Phillip Morris

The Ghost Writer

Miles Ahead

Robots

Haywire

Blackhawk Down

Mortdecai

 

Down With Love

The Men Who Stare at Goats

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

.

 

I'm a fan of Ewan McGregor, too, and have seen most of those listed. Trainspotting is a must. You should like Down with Love, which is meant to be an homage to the Doris Day/Rock Hudson style of 60's rom-com. 

 

I would also recommend Shallow Grave, Young Adam, Incendiary, and Beginners, if you haven't seen them. I saw Ewan a couple of nights ago in Jane Got a Gun, a western starring Natalie Portman. Ewan played the villain.

 

He's also doing excellent work on Fargo season 3 at the moment.

[speedracer5]

I'm a fan of Ewan McGregor, too, and have seen most of those listed. Trainspotting is a must. You should like Down with Love, which is meant to be an homage to the Doris Day/Rock Hudson style of 60's rom-com. 

 

I would also recommend Shallow Grave, Young Adam, Incendiary, and Beginners, if you haven't seen them. I saw Ewan a couple of nights ago in Jane Got a Gun, a western starring Natalie Portman. Ewan played the villain.

 

He's also doing excellent work on Fargo season 3 at the moment.

 

Thank you.  I am anticipating enjoying Down With Love.  I think I'm going to watch it after an episode or two of The Mary Tyler Moore Show that I'm watching right now.  I think I read that Ewan even sings in Down With Love, so I'm looking forward to that--he's a fantastic singer.  

 

I'd really like to see Beginners (which I *think* is on Netflix).  It's the film that Christopher Plummer won his Oscar for. I heard about his dual role on Fargo.  That'd be interesting to hear him attempt the midwestern accent. 

[SansFin]

The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go (1970)

 

I love James Mason very much and I find Burgess Meredith to be quite delightful in small doses.

 

I am very sad to say that my fondness for them will be forever more tainted by the existence of this movie.

 

I was required to watch it in its entirety because I lost a bet. I did not consider it an onerous consequence because of the aforementioned actors and Jeff Bridges, Broderick Crawford and Jack MacGowran. I believed I would find it interesting also because movies written by their directors is one of my weaknesses.

 

I fulfilled my obligation by facing the screen with my eyes open for the entire one-hundred minutes. I believe that it can not be reasonable to blame me for not knowing now the plot, character development or any other critical aspect of the movie. My brain is simply incapable of processing befuddled dreck.

 

There is a thing about a talking statue of Buddha interfering in world politics and a thing about people running madly in an attempt to escape bubblegum pop and a thing about James Mason shooting a person with a speargun. That is all of the movie which entered my consciousness.

 

I have read now a synopsis of the movie. I believe it may have been a correct synopsis but I simply do not know because I was incapable of discerning the plot while watching it.

 

There are many movies which are so very bad that they are good. This is not one of them.

[Dargo]

Don't know why exactly, but for some reason Sans' review of that James Mason flick down below there is remindin' me of that old joke:

 

"Well, other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how'd ya like the play?"

 

(...wait...I think I DO know why it reminded me of that...'cause that old joke still always makes me chuckle, and just like Sans' review did)

[TomJH]

The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go (1970)

 

 

After James Mason's Hollywood career had ended he was a character actor in search of employment, much of it in Europe. The results were mixed but Mr. Go is considered, though I have yet to see the film myself, to be an embarrassing low point in his career. I did view a few moments of it once, with Mason in sketchy Oriental makeup, and it looked pretty bad. I felt sorry for the accomplished actor who had been the star of such prestige productions as Odd Man Out and Five Fingers to be appearing in such a turkey.

 

Mr. Go was shot on location in Hong Kong and Mason managed to get his future wife, Clarissa Kaye, a small part in the film so she could be near him.

 

She later said the following about the experience:

 

"I arrived in Hong Kong to find him making this really terrible film which thank God hardly anyone has seen. To my horror they gave me a small part as some woman's lesbian lover. I remember asking James what on earth he had got me into, because I really didn't want to do it, but he said it was the only way he could think of to get me there so I did it just to be with him. Afterwards I said please just send me the air ticket and I'll come to wherever you are, but not playing lesbians in bad pictures, even for you. I don't think he bothered to notice quite how bad the part was for me."

 

Mr. Go was directed by Burgess Meredith, also playing an Oriental.

 

You have my condolences, SansFin, for having endured this torturous film experience.

 

For any posters in a mood to see the bizarre (and carnival freak shows are no longer legal, I understand), there are prints of this film available on You Tube.

 

[Sepiatone]

It's OK to feel sorry for James Mason for doing such a "turkey" of a movie( I've never seen it, just going by what's been said here).

 

But, being an "accomplished actor" and once long ago starring in "prestigious" productions somehow doesn't manage to pay the bills.

 

WALTER MATTHAU too, was an accomplished actor and made some fantastic movies, plus HIS fair share of "turkeys" as well.  Usually when his gambling debts got too big to handle and he needed seriously to keep his house.    This is probably WHY character actors probably do so well and have careers that last much longer than "stars".

 

They NEVER let things like ambiguous titles such as "accomplished " actor or any associations with "prestigious productions" stand in their way of WORKING for a living.  Film acting is one of those professions that suffer also one of the HIGHEST unemployment rates, so ANY role in ANY movie might oft times be a "necessary evil".

 

 

Sepiatone

[TomJH]

Sepia, of course we know Mason appeared in a turkey like Mr. Go to pay the bills. No other reason to be there, especially when the demand for an actor's services is no longer what it once was, ot, at least, at that particular period in his career.

 

But it's not as if Mason wouldn't still do some fine character work in which he could shine on occasion afterwards (his Dr. Watson in Murder By Decree comes to mind, as well as his sleazy lawyer in The Verdict and just about his last film role in The Shooting Party; it would be a mixed bag). Mr. Go was just one of those bottom lows in a long and varied career.

 

Here's an interesting comment by James Mason about what he considered to be the three stages of his career. He regarded it as "a rather poor three act play."

 

"The first act was the English theatre, which I really didn't care for all that much, the second act was the cinema, mainly in Hollywood, which I cared for even less, and the third act has been starting out again all over again as a European character actor and that I find, rather to my own surprise, I like quite a lot.

 

Mistakes? Yes, of course, far too many; I should never have left England at the height of my fame there just after the war, least of all to have to spend a whole year in America without without being able to work at all; I should never have got myself into a divorce situation which wiped out all the money I ever made in Hollywood, because the only reason I was ever there was to make money.

 

I suppose you could say I've made a tremendous professional mess of my life, but oddly enough I can't really see it that way, and I don't live amid much regret. I just did what seemed right at the time and if it went wrong, well I assumed that life was rather like that. It really doesn't do to hope or plan for too much; something usually happens to mess it all up. That's what happens with films too; you start with the best of intentions and often end up, as I did in Lord Jim, with a film that even my parents left at the interval before I made my entrance."

 

I wonder if Mason's parents made it to the theatre at all to see The Yin and Yang of Mr. Go. Hopefully, for the sake of all involved, they didn't.

[LornaHansonForbes]

I join Lawrence in recommending SHALLOW GRAVE to Speedy, as I recall it- it predates TRAINSPOTTING and is a very intriguing low budget British neo-noir.

 

IN RE: MORTDECAI- I have not seen it, but from what I've read, it needs to be entered into the list of considered entries for the CROW T. ROBOT FILM ANTI-PRESERVATION SOCIETY (FAPS) .