I Just Watched...

[Tikisoo]

CigarJoe said about Warm Nights On A Slow Moving Train (1988): on the overnight train, the Sydney/Melbourne/Sydney Express. Called the "Sex" or "Mex express. It's a seventeen car train and a twelve hour journey in each direction.

Ha-I've taken that train and it's full of tired sweaty snoring drooling people, unruly kids & screaming babies. Never heard it called the "Sex or Mex". Although many films are made in Australia, I found them to be pretty meh compared to US films-at least back then. BTW I was on car seventeen which they pronounce as "seveneen" it took me awhile to figure it out.

[LsDoorMat]

Maybe somebody else mentioned this, but has anybody noticed that this thread has gone on for over 500 pages since May 2015?  Has any other thread lasted this long and gotten this long? The old "Seeking Hollywood Revue" thread from ten years ago might come close. Congrats speedracer5 for starting a tradition.

[cigarjoe]

33 minutes ago, TikiSoo said:

CigarJoe said about Warm Nights On A Slow Moving Train (1988): on the overnight train, the Sydney/Melbourne/Sydney Express. Called the "Sex" or "Mex express. It's a seventeen car train and a twelve hour journey in each direction.

Ha-I've taken that train and it's full of tired sweaty snoring drooling people, unruly kids & screaming babies. Never heard it called the "Sex or Mex". Although many films are made in Australia, I found them to be pretty meh compared to US films-at least back then. BTW I was on car seventeen which they pronounce as "seveneen" it took me awhile to figure it out.

I'm sure it was the Sidney Express (Sex) if leaving from Melbourne, and Melbourne Express (Mex) if leaving from Sidney, mut have been a local joke 80s thing, lol.

The train also had an auto carrier hooked on for those wanting to take their vehicles. 

 

[Sukhov]

17 minutes ago, calvinnme said:

Maybe somebody else mentioned this, but has anybody noticed that this thread has gone on for over 500 pages since May 2015?  Has any other thread lasted this long and gotten this long? The old "Seeking Hollywood Revue" thread from ten years ago might come close. Congrats speedracer5 for starting a tradition.

A few of the threads in the Games & Trivia section have been going on for quite a while too but this thread is probably the longest and oldest that is regularly posted in in the General Discussions section.

[Fedya]

How long did the thread about George Brent's tuchus get?

[scsu1975]

49 minutes ago, Fedya said:

How long did the thread about George Brent's tuchus get?

About as long as his tuchus.

[LornaHansonForbes]

i THOUGHT IT WAS "TUCKUS"

[scsu1975]

It would just be easier to say a**, but that doesn't work around here.

[LornaHansonForbes]

I love summer, and lots of times i go down a nostalgic rabbit hole because it reminds me of how i spent my summers as a kid (huddled in front of cinemax late night)

i checked out a copy of THE PSYCHOTRONIC VIDEO GUIDE from my downtown library (I lysoled it heavily, don't worry) and, as per the author's reccomendations, i've checked out some sick stuff.

the one thing that bears mentioning that i've watched is RE-ANIMATOR (1985)- aka HP LOVECRAFT'S RE-ANIMATOR- IT'S NOT A FILM FOR EVERYONE (cat people, especially, come to mind right off...) but, you know what? It's solid.

Apparently it was done by a theater troupe of sorts, and the (ridiculous but good) acting draws you in whilst the SICK AND DISGUSTING AND DEPRAVED SPECIAL EFFECTS both repel and entice. it's on youtube, God bless it- i don't know if this is the "uncut" version, but there was PLENTY OF SICK **** in the version I saw. if there is an even further uncut version of RE-ANIMATOR, i hope it comes with its own collectible barfbag.

it's well shot, the director clearly knew what he was doing and it's laugh out loud funny even at some of the sickest most twisted moments (actually, especially during its sickest, most twisted moments)

Fans of THE BRAIN/HEAD THAT WOULDN'T DIE and THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN will likely be intrigued as there are definite parallels

Really, the only notes I had were that I did not like the score which relentlessly imitates one particular moment in the PSYCHO soundtrack to where I hope they at least sent Bernard Herrmann a kosher meats basket or a gift certificate somewhere real nice- and I think the film's locations could've been less mundane so as to match the outrageousness of the tone and to pay homage of sorts to LOVECRAFT, but they work as they are and oddly, give the movie a rather timeless appearance (there are many moments where you can't really tell what decade this was made in.)

[LornaHansonForbes]

1 minute ago, scsu1975 said:

It would just be easier to say a**, but that doesn't work around here.

please, we're talking about GEORGE BRENT. You can't use a mere three letters to talk about that monumental a structure,.

[Bethluvsfilms]

Watched HUMORESQUE last night with John Garfield and Joan Crawford, and I have to say that Garfield was the best thing about the movie. Joan was fine as well, but I think it was really Garfield who shone through even the most soapy and overdramatic aspects of the film.

Anyone else in his role, I probably wouldn't even bother writing about it. But he just demonstrates what a fine actor he was....and it once again enrages me when I think what could have been had he lived on and not had his career derailed.

[scsu1975]

2 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

please, we're talking about GEORGE BRENT. You can't use a mere three letters to talk about that monumental a structure,.

It takes too long to type "Each of the two large fleshy halves of the posterior part of the body between the base of the back, the perineum and the top of the legs."

[LornaHansonForbes]

1 minute ago, scsu1975 said:

It takes too long to type "Each of the two large fleshy halves of the posterior part of the body between the base of the back, the perineum and the top of the legs."

maybe an acronym?

E.O.T.L.F.H.OT.P...nah

[LornaHansonForbes]

3 minutes ago, Bethluvsfilms said:

Watched HUMORESQUE last night with John Garfield and Joan Crawford, and I have to say that Garfield was the best thing about the movie. Joan was fine as well, but I think it was really Garfield who shone through even the most soapy and overdramatic aspects of the film.

Anyone else in his role, I probably wouldn't even bother writing about it. But he just demonstrates what a fine actor he was....and it once again enrages me when I think what could have been had he lived on and not had his career derailed.

the best thing about HUMORESQUE is when everyone stops reciting dialogue and the film has glorious silent sequences where it's just lighting, camera, actors and director.

the script is so terrible but everything else is A-game in that movie.

[scsu1975]

5 minutes ago, Bethluvsfilms said:

Watched HUMORESQUE last night with John Garfield and Joan Crawford, and I have to say that Garfield was the best thing about the movie. Joan was fine as well, but I think it was really Garfield who shone through even the most soapy and overdramatic aspects of the film.

 

The ending was too ridiculous, with Crawford stumbling over Fredric March's body.

[LawrenceA]

13 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

I love summer, and lots of times i go down a nostalgic rabbit hole because it reminds me of how i spent my summers as a kid (huddled in front of cinemax late night)

i checked out a copy of THE PSYCHOTRONIC VIDEO GUIDE from my downtown library (I lysoled it heavily, don't worry) and, as per the author's reccomendations, i've checked out some sick stuff.

the one thing that bears mentioning that i've watched is RE-ANIMATOR (1985)- aka HP LOVECRAFT'S RE-ANIMATOR- IT'S NOT A FILM FOR EVERYONE (cat people, especially, come to mind right off...) but, you know what? It's solid.

Apparently it was done by a theater troupe of sorts, and the (ridiculous but good) acting draws you in whilst the SICK AND DISGUSTING AND DEPRAVED SPECIAL EFFECTS both repel and entice. it's on youtube, God bless it- i don't know if this is the "uncut" version, but there was PLENTY OF SICK **** in the version I saw. if there is an even further uncut version of RE-ANIMATOR, i hope it comes with its own collectible barfbag.

it's well shot, the director clearly knew what he was doing and it's laugh out loud funny even at some of the sickest most twisted moments (actually, especially during its sickest, most twisted moments)

Fans of THE BRAIN/HEAD THAT WOULDN'T DIE and THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN will likely be intrigued as there are definite parallels

Really, the only notes I had were that I did not like the score which relentlessly imitates one particular moment in the PSYCHO soundtrack to where I hope they at least sent Bernard Herrmann a kosher meats basket or a gift certificate somewhere real nice- and I think the film's locations could've been less mundane so as to match the outrageousness of the tone and to pay homage of sorts to LOVECRAFT, but they work as they are and oddly, give the movie a rather timeless appearance (there are many moments where you can't really tell what decade this was made in.)

Re-Animator is a horror classic, and one of my favorite movies of 1985. I've probably seen it a dozen times. Skip the sequels, but be sure to check out From Beyond (1986), made by largely the same cast and crew, and also barely based on H.P. Lovecraft. 

The Pyschotronic Video Guide is the most dogeared tome in my movie-book library, followed by the previous The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film, which covers genre films from the 30's through around 1982.

[LornaHansonForbes]

2 minutes ago, LawrenceA said:

Re-Animator is a horror classic, and one of my favorite movies of 1985. I've probably seen it a dozen times. Skip the sequels, but be sure to check out From Beyond (1986), made by largely the same cast and crew, and also barely based on H.P. Lovecraft. 

The Pyschotronic Video Guide is the most dogeared tome in my movie-book library, followed by the previous The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film, which covers genre films from the 30's through around 1982.

I'm very interested in listening the to HP Lovecraft audiobook HERBERT WEST REANIMATOR after wiki'ing it.

(for some reason I like listening to his work on audio as opposed to reading it)

my version of THE PSYCHOTRONIC VIDEO GUIDE fell apart and i had to finally throw it out, so i know where you're coming from in re: a reference source.

[LornaHansonForbes]

also also,

i was very surprised that no one in the cast of RE-ANIMATOR went on to do more (although the one guy died in 1991)- because the acting was really terrific. there is a moment in the movie where the character who has heretofore been the prime antagonist becomes the de facto Hero and the audience's sympathies shift as an even more effective antagonist emerges- pretty complicated structure and no easy feat to pull off and they do it well.

[spence]

I recall RE=ANIMATOR & FROM BEYOND  the blonde actress was dubbed THE QUEEN OF SCREAM

[LawrenceA]

2 minutes ago, LornaHansonForbes said:

also also,

i was very surprised that no one in the cast of RE-ANIMATOR went on to do more (although the one guy died in 1991)- because the acting was really terrific. there is a moment in the movie where the character who has heretofore been the prime antagonist becomes the de facto Hero and the audience's sympathies shift as an even more effective antagonist emerges- pretty complicated structure and no easy feat to pull off and they do it well.

You're talking about Jeffrey Combs, I assume, who plays Herbert West. I like him a lot, and while he never achieved marquee status, he's very well known in genre and cult circles, and has continued to work steadily in film and TV.

Here he is as the various aliens he's played on the Star Trek shows

 

[spence]

1 minute ago, LawrenceA said:

You're talking about Jeffrey Combs, I assume, who plays Herbert West. I like him a lot, and while he never achieved marquee status, he's very well known in genre and cult circles, and has continued to work steadily in film and TV.

Here he is as the various aliens he's played on the Star Trek shows

 

LAWRENCEA, we split BIG-TIME on RE ANIMATOR THOUGH BUDDY!  I used to catch it late on HBO in the 1980's, but found it just awful, FROM BEYOND more so  Barbara Crampton I think was her name

[LawrenceA]

Les Miserables (1952) - Another adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel, from 20th Century Fox and director Lewis Milestone. In early 19th century France, poor man Jean Valjean (Michael Rennie) is sentences to 10 years in prison for stealing a loaf of bread. He serves his time, but finds that his freedom is tenuous at best. An act of kindness enables him to start over anew, with an assumed name. Years later, he's become a respected man of the community, but relentless lawman Inspector Javert (Robert Newton) is determined to see Valjean prosecuted for parole violation. Valjean also struggles to raise his adopted daughter Cosette (Debra Paget), while the drumbeat of revolution beats outside their doors. Also featuring Sylvia Sidney, Edmund Gwenn, Cameron Mitchell, James Robertson Justice, Joseph Wiseman, Rhys Williams, Elsa Lanchester, Florence Bates, Queenie Leonard, Sean McClory, and Ian Wolfe.

This is the fifth film version of the story that I've seen, so I was well familiar with the material. Like most versions, it omits many things in favor of an emphasis on others. The performances are good, except perhaps for Paget, but none of them will make me forget the superior versions. I rank the French-language 1934 take as the best, followed very closely by the 1935 Hollywood version with Fredric. This one I would rank closely behind the 1998 adaptation that starred Liam Neeson and Geoffrey Rush. I've also seen the 2012 musical version, which I didn't care for at all. As for this one, director Milestone does some interesting camera set-ups and intense close-ups, and the production design is very good.    (7/10)

Source: Fox DVD. It's on the flip-side of the 1935 Fredric March version.

 

[laffite]

On 7/10/2018 at 3:49 AM, Gershwin fan said:

Funny Games - Good Austrian film from Haneke about two men who take a family hostage and torment them. They bet them (and the audience) that they'll be able to slaughter all three before 9 AM the next day and they then torture and torment them in various ways. Eventually it appears they leave after they kill the kid but they return and bring the woman back after she escapes. I won't spoil the ending but it intentionally spoils some horror film cliches. The film is very dark and even humorous at many points. I give it a 10/10. I really enjoyed it.

This could have come from The Onion.

[laffite]

On 7/11/2018 at 12:30 PM, LawrenceA said:

Often when watching these musicals lately [ i.e., Royal Wedding ] I'm torn on how to rate them. I really enjoy many of the musical numbers, but the the surrounding plot and dialogue are frequently pedestrian, and even occasionally woeful. Such is the case with this Astaire-Powell pairing. It features some of Fred's most iconic routines, including the "Sunday Jumps" work-out room solo number, and another solo bit, "You're All the World to Me", where he dances on the walls and the ceiling. However, the in-between sections involving either Astaire and Churchill or Powell and Lawford are just dull, unoriginal and not compelling. In the end, the musical numbers are why one watches these, so my rating is still slightly better than average. The song "Too Late Now" was nominated for the Oscar for Best Song.    (6/10)

I suggest giving more weight to the music and dance. The plot although important is secondary and sometimes can i believe be compromised to accommodate a well-placed number. Think opera, the plots are often ridiculous and/or sometimes hackneyed as all get out and it's the music that counts. The analogy is not perfect but showcases the idea anyway. I am not an avid musical fan either but I liked this one, particularly the work of Jane Powell.

[EricJ]

3 hours ago, LawrenceA said:

You're talking about Jeffrey Combs, I assume, who plays Herbert West. I like him a lot, and while he never achieved marquee status, he's very well known in genre and cult circles, and has continued to work steadily in film and TV.

Like Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell, it was Combs' quirkiness that made Stuart Gordon's odd little horror films--even the otherwise icky "From Beyond"--into such offbeat watchable B-classics.  But the first Re-Animator (not so much the others) was the performance that made a cult-star.

He's mostly descended into cartoon voices along with his Trek characters and TV roles, but once quirky, always quirky.