I Just Watched...

[Dargo]

 

...I thought Creed was a great movie.  Highly recommended. I love sports movies, but that didn't factor in to my liking of the film.  I thought this was an overall great film.  Re: The Wrestler.  I liked the movie, but it was depressing.  It was one of those films that I'm glad that I saw and I thought it was really good, but I don't think I would need to see it over and over again.  

 

Speedy, have you ever watched NORTH DALLAS FORTY (1979) ? I ask because this is probably my favorite sports-themed movie ever.

 

Nick Nolte is perfectly cast and is excellent as a veteran NFL wide receiver who sees his time in the game is fast approaching its end.

[cigarjoe]

The Nickel Ride (1974)

 

 LA Smog Noir, circa 1974, directed by Robert Mulligan (The Rat Race (1960), To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), Summer of '42 (1971),) Cinematography was by Jordan Cronenweth (Blade Runner (1982)). It was written by Eric Roth (The Drowning Pool (1975)) and stars Jason Miller as Cooper, Linda Haynes as Sarah, Victor French as Paddie, John Hillerman as Carl, Bo Hopkins as Turner, Richard Evans as Bobby, Bart Burns as Elias, Lou Frizzell as Paulie, Mark Gordon as Tonozzi.

 

 

Cooper "Coop", is a small but successful cog in the LA underworld. He on top of his world, He is a fence, receiving stolen goods which he stores in the various warehouses around 5th Street in downtown LA. He is known as the "Key Man" for the large ring of keys he always carries. Business is booming, and there is a serious shortage of storage space.

 

 

Jason Miller is practically a double for Charles McGraw without the gravelly voice, there are some great believable performances here from Victor French (who you won't recognize) he comes off as an interesting mix of Art Carney and Walter Matthau,  and from Linda Haynes the smalltown born, ex Vegas showgirl. The side story of Coop and Sarah and their affection for each other is well done. John Hillerman is the "Hollywood-ish" mob underboss, and Bo Hopkins is outlandish as the politely creepy "Cadillac Cowboy" hit man. This film builds slowly in tension much like Night And The City (1950) does.

 

 

The noir-ish cinematography is excellent, emphasising gritty, smoggy, downtown LA, an LA that's slowly succumbing to high rises and parking lots, but it also is juxtaposed by nicely composed 2.35 : 1 widescreen closeups and also throws in a sequence reminiscent of the Big Bear Lake segment featured in the Van Heflin-Robert Ryan Noir Act Of Violence (1948) The subtle soundtrack nicely compliments the storyline. 8-9/10. The DVD is from Shout Video.

 

A fuller review in Film Noir & Gangster thread

[speedracer5]

Speedy, have you ever watched NORTH DALLAS FORTY (1979) ? I ask because this is probably my favorite sports-themed movie ever.

 

Nick Nolte is perfectly cast and is excellent as a veteran NFL wide receiver who sees his time in the game is fast approaching its end.

No I haven't seen that film.  I love football movies.  I will have to see if I can find a copy of this film.  Thanks! 

 

I think football and boxing movies are my favorite sports movies to watch.

[AndreaDoria]

I saw Foreign Correspondent for the first time last night and loved it.  What great dialogue!  The "love," scenes, if you can call them that were hilarious. 

 

Herbert  Marshall is in it, and after seeing him in The Letter, last week, I was thinking what a fine actor he is, so I looked up his bio this morning and discovered he lost a leg in WWI, got a wooden one, and pressed on.  I admire people so much who don't let disabilities hold them back.

[LornaHansonForbes]

I saw Foreign Correspondent for the first time last night and loved it.  What great dialogue!  The "love," scenes, if you can call them that were hilarious. 

 

Herbert  Marshall is in it, and after seeing him in The Letter, last week, I was thinking what a fine actor he is, so I looked up his bio this morning and discovered he lost a leg in WWI, got a wooden one, and pressed on.  I admire people so much who don't let disabilities hold them back.

 

Herbert Marshall would be on my very short list of the finest supporting (and occasional lead) actors of the Golden Era. Just a profound talent with the ability to shift from playing a cool cad to a silky villain to a pathetic cuckold, and the viewer totally "buys" it every time.

 

I don't know if you've seen the following, but they're all highly recommended as examples of Marshall's great acting:

 

TROUBLE IN PARADISE (1933)- A lead for Marshall and he is perfection as a gleefully amoral con man. The role requires a lot of physicality, and while the handicapped Marshall did have to have a stand-in run up and down the grand staircase in some of the farcical scenes, he is so vibrant and commanding with his presence you'd never guess it.

 

THE LETTER (1929) This was on last week and I hope they show it again. This time around, Marshall plays Jeff Hammond, the murdered boyfriend and- when viewed back to back with the 1940 version, you can really get a sense of his amazing versatility.

 

THE LITTLE FOXES (1941) Another pairing of Marshall with Bette Davis and this is his best work- from the minute he appears onscreen, you get a sense of how weak, innocent, and utterly doomed his character is. Just a masterful performance and one that should have won him an Oscar for Best Supporting actor.

 

also recommended: The Enchanted Cottage, Angel Face (1953), The Secret Garden (1949),

[ChristineHoard]

On William Cameron Menzies night I caught part of  ADDRESS UNKNOWN and now I want to see the whole thing.  Paul Lucas was very good as an art dealer who moves from San Francisco to his native Germany just as the Nazis are starting to come to power and he gets caught up in by their beliefs at the expense of his Jewish friends and co-workers.  Better than many WW2 propaganda films as this came out when the Allies were really turning things around.  Some of the American supporting characters in bit roles don't come off looking so great, either.  Powerful ending. The camera work is stunning!  This was followed by KINGS ROW which I have seen before.  I like it and I always pick up on something subtle (thanks to the dictates of the Production Code) that I missed on a previous viewing.

[MCannady1]

Herbert Marshall would be on my very short list of the finest supporting (and occasional lead) actors of the Golden Era. Just a profound talent with the ability to shift from playing a cool cad to a silky villain to a pathetic cuckold, and the viewer totally "buys" it every time.

 

I don't know if you've seen the following, but they're all highly recommended as examples of Marshall's great acting:

 

TROUBLE IN PARADISE (1933)- A lead for Marshall and he is perfection as a gleefully amoral con man. The role requires a lot of physicality, and while the handicapped Marshall did have to have a stand-in run up and down the grand staircase in some of the farcical scenes, he is so vibrant and commanding with his presence you'd never guess it.

 

THE LETTER (1929) This was on last week and I hope they show it again. This time around, Marshall plays Jeff Hammond, the murdered boyfriend and- when viewed back to back with the 1940 version, you can really get a sense of his amazing versatility.

 

THE LITTLE FOXES (1941) Another pairing of Marshall with Bette Davis and this is his best work- from the minute he appears onscreen, you get a sense of how weak, innocent, and utterly doomed his character is. Just a masterful performance and one that should have won him an Oscar for Best Supporting actor.

 

also recommended: The Enchanted Cottage, Angel Face (1953), The Secret Garden (1949),

I love Herbert Marshall in everything I have seen.  His polished and refined manner coupled with his sensitivity made him an appealing actor of the 30's and 40's,  Yes, I did like him in Trouble in Paradise and The Little Foxes..  He was great in The Letter as well.  He overcame his handicap of losing a leg during WWI.

 

His amazing versatility is evident in The Razor's Edge with Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney.  Though Herbert later  had a supporting role, his wonderful acting made it important and enhanced the film.

Herbert was great in 50's TV as well. 

[MCannady1]

I love Herbert Marshall in everything I have seen.  His polished and refined manner coupled with his sensitivity made him an appealing actor of the 30's and 40's,  Yes, I did like him in Trouble in Paradise and The Little Foxes..  He was great in The Letter as well.  He overcame his handicap of losing a leg during WWI.

 

His amazing versatility is evident in The Razor's Edge with Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney.  Though Herbert later  had a supporting role, his wonderful acting made it important and enhanced the film.

Herbert was great in 50's TV as well. 

Oops!  Wanted to confirm that Hebert was very touching in The  Enchanted Cottage, great as the hapless murder victim in Angel Face

and wonderfully profound in The Secret Garden .  He was another Actor that was on my mom's favorites list.  From the time I was a child to the present day he has made a positive impact on me, one of his many viewers.

[JamesJazGuitar]

Other Herbert Marshall films not yet mentioned that are worth seeing are: 

 

Blonde Venus with Marlene Dietrich and a young Cary Grant

If You Could Only Cook with Jean Arthur

When Ladies Meet with Joan Crawford,  Greer Garson and Robert Taylor 

The Moon and Sixpence with George Sanders 

Crack-Up with Claire Trevor

Ivy with Joan Fontaine

The Underworld Story with Dan Duryea

The High Wall with Robert Taylor and Audrey Totter

The Virgin Queen with Bette Davis

The Fly with Vincent Price

[LornaHansonForbes]

I really want to see THE HIGH WALL.

The premise is very interesting.

[Fedya]

I saw Foreign Correspondent for the first time last night and loved it. What great dialogue! The "love," scenes, if you can call them that were hilarious.

And Kris Kringle as a hired killer!

[Fedya]

Ivy with Joan Fontaine

I think that's on the schedule for this coming Thursday (January 28) as part of the William Cameron Menzies spotlight. That and the strange The Whip Hand which is notable for having Howard Hughes change the bad guys from Nazis to Communists after principal photography was done.

[MCannady1]

I saw Foreign Correspondent for the first time last night and loved it.  What great dialogue!  The "love," scenes, if you can call them that were hilarious. 

 

Herbert  Marshall is in it, and after seeing him in The Letter, last week, I was thinking what a fine actor he is, so I looked up his bio this morning and discovered he lost a leg in WWI, got a wooden one, and pressed on.  I admire people so much who don't let disabilities hold them back.

I loved this film too.  I had not seen it for several years.  Herbert shone in every performance.  A friend who likes  pre-code films just

 

I really want to see THE HIGH WALL.

The premise is very interesting.

You would love this film too.  It is very intriguing and scary.

[MCannady1]

I loved this film too.  I had not seen it for several years.  Herbert shone in every performance.  A friend who likes  pre-code films just

 

You would love this film too.  It is very intriguing and scary.

Sorry!  I got distracted by the house phone and cell phone ringing simultaneously.  Wanted to complete what I was going to say (didn't answer each now. Let 'em leave a msg.).  Anyway, a very good pre-code my friend sent recently was Rip Tide with Norma Shearer as an unfaithful wife and Herbert Marshall as her husband.  Just looked it up and the year was '34.  I just saw it a few months ago.

 

 

Sorry, my e-mail wires got crossed.  High Wall is the scary film noir (I think late 40's)  with Herbert Marshall I was referring to.

[MCannady1]

Speaking of I Just Watched greats, I just re-watched The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, '47 with Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison.  It is very atmospheric with a great cast.   Gene is splendid in the title role and of course Rex shines in the role of Captain Gregg.

 

The story concerns a widow and her young daughter (played by the 6 or 7 year old Natalie Wood) who move into a haunted cottage in the early part of the 20th century.  There is a wonderful romantic undercurrent between the widow and the captain (Captain Gregg) and along the way a rogue sparks Captain Gregg's jealousy.  He is entertainingly played by George Sanders.

 

A lovely and hauntingly touching musical score runs throughout the film and the viewer is touched by Mrs. Muir's companion who goes on with her friend and watches out for her throughout the years.  She is beautifully portrayed by Edna Best.

 

There are some great comical moments where the ghost of Captain Gregg chases away Mrs. Muir's in-laws who interfere with her decision to purchase the cottage and the realtor who runs off quickly when his old car begins driving off by itself. 

 

From start to finish the film is very enjoyable and pretty much sets the scene for the late 60's/early 70's TV series of the same title starring the lovely Hope Lange.

[MCannady1]

Ooooh, I love all this list keeping, you can't be too OCD for me. Friends come to my house and say they're uncomfortable because it's so "sterile."  I take it as a compliment. 

 

I never thought of keeping a movie list, but I used to keep a notebook of the books I read.  Now I go to Amazon with my books, write a short review, and Amazon keeps them all for me.  I just click on 'see all reviews by this person," and up comes all the books I've read, what I thought of the writer, and a picture of the cover to jog my memory.  It's handy to look at before going to the library because it reminds me of which authors to look out for and which to avoid.  it includes DVD's of the movies I've reviewed, too, but I rarely do that.  I would rather talk about movies here and get  feed back from you guys.

I like your ideas and that is letting the computer help more!  Once I get caught up, will try a list like that.  Mine is on the computer and has been for quite awhile, (2008), but sadly needs a lot of updating.  I like getting feedback here too. 

 

I love the idea of keeping a list of the books I read.  If I did, Rebecca would certainly be on it and many others.

[JamesJazGuitar]

Well I just watched Song of the Thin Man since the Panthers are wiping out yet another NFC team.  Of course maybe the second half will be more interesting.

 

Anyhow I know Song of the Thin Man doesn't get as much love as some of the other Thin Man films but I really like it.   Besides the cool music are all the really good looking actresses in the film.  I believe it has more then any other Thin Man film.

 

Of course there is always the wonderful Myrna Loy,  but in addition there is Patricia Morrison (known for Holmes film Dressed to Kill and the Durbin film Lady on a Train,   Gloria Grahame who needs no introduction,   a brief but stunning appearance by Marie Windsor (the best deep set eyes in the bizz),  and Jayne Meadows,   wife of the great Steve Allen.  

 

I also enjoy the performance of Keenan Wynn as Clinker.    In addition while Nick Jr. can be a pain, in this film he is played by Dean Stockwell.    Love his curly hair in this film and at least it isn't green!

 

 

[LornaHansonForbes]

Well I just watched Song of the Thin Man since the Panthers are wiping out yet another NFC team. Of course maybe the second half will be more interesting.

 

Anyhow I know Song of the Thin Man doesn't get as much love as some of the other Thin Man films but I really like it. Besides the cool music are all the really good looking actresses in the film. I believe it has more then any other Thin Man film.

 

Of course there is always the wonderful Myrna Loy, but in addition there is Patricia Morrison (known for Holmes film Dressed to Kill and the Durbin film Lady on a Train, Gloria Grahame who needs no introduction, a brief but stunning appearance by Marie Windsor (the best deep set eyes in the bizz), and Jayne Meadows, wife of the great Steve Allen.

 

I also enjoy the performance of Keenan Wynn as Clinker. In addition while Nick Jr. can be a pain, in this film he is played by Dean Stockwell. Love his curly hair in this film and at least it isn't green!

 

+1

 

... although they stretched my patience a little bit with the jive lingo. I would have really appreciated it had Barbara Billingsley shown up and offered to translate about halfway through.

 

The music was terrific too.

 

I looked the film up on Wikipedia and apparently even though it made 2.4 million worldwide it lost $ and it was the last Thin Man movie and the second to the last film Loy and Powell made together.

 

Besides the original, the only other entry in the Thin Man series that really holds me is (I think) the third one: The one where they go visit Nora's family at their home in the country and, like four people and a dog die and it's actually very dark and intense and the identity of the killer is about the last person you expect. I don't recall the specific title, but it is one DARK moviE.

 

PS: Is it THE THIN MAN GOES HOME ?

 

PSS: if it is, that title makes no sense since Nick Charles is not " the thin man" and its not his "home" he goes to, but his wife's.

[speedracer5]

+1

 

... although they stretched my patience a little bit with the jive lingo. I would have really appreciated it had Barbara Billingsley shown up and offered to translate about halfway through.

 

The music was terrific too.

 

I looked the film up on Wikipedia and apparently even though it made 2.4 million worldwide it lost $ and it was the last Thin Man movie and the second to the last film Loy and Powell made together.

 

Besides the original, the only other entry in the Thin Man series that really holds me is (I think) the third one: The one where they go visit Nora's family at their home in the country and, like four people and a dog die and it's actually very dark and intense and the identity of the killer is about the last person you expect. I don't recall the specific title, but it is one DARK moviE.

 

PS: Is it THE THIN MAN GOES HOME ?

 

PSS: if it is, that title makes no sense since Nick Charles is not " the thin man" and its not his "home" he goes to, but his wife's.

 

The Thin Man Goes Home, they go to Nick's home.  The 'Thin Man' refers to victim Wygart in the first film.  However, audiences just assumed that 'Thin Man' referred to Nick Charles so they kept using the name in the series.  In the second film, After the Thin Man, they visit Nora's family, the matriarch being Aunt Katharine who dislikes Nick and constantly refers to him as "Nicholas." In the third film, Another Thin Man, they visit a family friend whom Nora's father had worked with.  The fourth one, Shadow of a Thin Man, they're solving a murder at the racetrack.  

[Kid Dabb]

Lost Boundaties (1949)

 

I enjoy biopics, documentary style, and true stories in film. The added narration is nice, too. I don't recall ever having watched this movie before and I really liked it. There were times when it felt like a Powell-Pressburger film, with movie-like scenes bouncing back and forth with narrated documentary scenes. It certainly was not what I expected from just reading the brief description in the schedule. Glad I saw it.

 

[Casablanca100views]

 

Lost Boundaties (1949)

 

I enjoy biopics, documentary style, and true stories in film. The added narration is nice, too. I don't recall ever having watched this movie before and I really liked it. There were times when it felt like a Powell-Pressburger film, with movie-like scenes bouncing back and forth with narrated documentary scenes. It certainly was not what I expected from just reading the brief description in the schedule. Glad I saw it.

 

 

I saw Lost Boundaries too and liked it.  I found it to be unexpected and for its time, quite progressive in the way the story approaches the subject.  When you think about this film being a year or so after Gentlemen's Agreement and the segregation that was socially accepted, it portrayed the both the Southern and Northern bigotry and showed the differences. The name of the actual doctor in NH was Dr. Albert Johnston. 

 

This article about the filming  http://www.seacoastnh.com/louis/lostfilm.html

 

Fascinating read.

[speedracer5]

"Singin' in the Rain." Okay, I've seen this movie a hundred times and I love it. It's one of my absolute favorite movies of any genre. I've always wondered though, why does Debbie Reynolds' character have three different singing voices? She sings herself, she's dubbed by Jean Hagen and she's also dubbed at the end of the film by Betty Noyes. Unless this was a joke re: some actresses' dubbed voices sounding nothing like their real voices, but it doesn't seem that way. That's my only complaint about an otherwise perfect film.

[LornaHansonForbes]

.  The 'Thin Man' refers to victim Wygart in the first film.  However, audiences just assumed that 'Thin Man' referred to Nick Charles so they kept using the name in the series.  In the second film, After the Thin Man, they visit Nora's family, the matriarch being Aunt Katharine who dislikes Nick and constantly refers to him as "Nicholas." In the third film, Another Thin Man, they visit a family friend whom Nora's father had worked with.  The fourth one, Shadow of a Thin Man, they're solving a murder at the racetrack.  

 

Actually, it's Wynant, but seeing as how you know a lot more about all the THIN-sequels than I do, it is forgiven.

 

It was the third film I was thinking of, which was released in the US as THE RETURN OF THE THIN MAN and overseas as ANOTHER THIN MAN (guess European audiences were more discerning about title-character-related anachronisms.)

 

Am I alone in thinking that this third film in the series is really dark? Not just the plot- which involves multiple murders and some inter-familial homicide as well as arson and a dog murder- it's literally dark, like with some proto-noir shadowy lighting and production design.

[Fedya]

Besides the original, the only other entry in the Thin Man series that really holds me is (I think) the third one:

I'm partial to the second one, but that's mostly because it's got James Stewart and Elissa Landi.

 

I think I've mentioned it before, but after Landi left Hollywood, she settled in my home town of Kingston, NY, where she died in 1949. There's a street named after her, although the street name is misspelled "Elisa Landi Drive" with only one S.

 

I love Landi in The Sign of the Cross.

[LonesomePolecat]

BLOODHOUNDS ON BROADWAY (1952)

The "movie musical" parts didn't seem to gel with the "Damon Runyon movie" parts. All the Damon Runyon stuff was hilarious--wished there was more of that.