I Just Watched...

[LornaHansonForbes]

to my astonishment, i correctly DVRed the triple feature of FIVE STAR FINAL (1931), THE LOST PATROL (1934) and STAR WITNESS (1931) and rewatched all- except I was called away before I could finish STAR WITNESS, and now I am embaressed to admit I am too confused by the television to re-locate it.

 

This was the second time I've seen FIVE STAR FINAL, and again, I really liked it- although I think there was room for improvement here and there (light revisions involving the scene with the older couple whose lives were wrecked by the scandal sheet- both were good actors, their dialogue was goofy at times though and they played it too old fashioned in some of the drama scenes, still the overall affair rates FOUR STARS from me (I work on a ONE STAR to FOUR STAR rating Scale. 1/2s always allowed). I actually got my stick-in-the-mud father to watch with me and he was continuously stunned at how frank the language and scenarios were. God, I love Pre-Codes. I was surprised that Robinson had more of a supporting role in this, but when he was on screen he owned it, and it's a crying damn shame he didn't manage to get an actor nod for this to bookend the film's lone Best Picture nod. Aline McMahon was fantastic, she had the best lines. KARLOFF: THE UNCANNY is superb, ghoulish to the hilt and it's right on. Ona Munson (the future Belle Watling from GWTW, is hard to recognize she's so young(er than usual) but she's damn sexy.) Loved the use of the phone operator to connect the scenes, this was an aspect I wish they had played up even more; ditto the innovative split-screen, which is something I don't recall seeing in any film made before this. GRAND HOTEL may be the film that gets the credit for being the first talkie "done right", but i think FSF rates a mention as well, it is a real achievement in sound (the print was awesome too.)

 

Then we caught THE LOST PATROL, which according to some sources is missing scenes (it is a very tidy hour and fifteen minutes, but i like that briefness very much. I don't honestly know what more could've been done in the time they use.) Another FOUR STARS. The whole cast are aces, although daaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn I DID NOT KNOW REGINALd DENNY WAS SO SMOKING HOT! (I only know him as "Commodore Schmidlapp" from BATMAN THE MOVIE)...and I had forgotten how frank some of the dialogue is in the scene where the men reminiscisce on their experiences with women (again, this was just barely Pre-Code.) A LOT of the all-male cast were quite good-looking and shot to their best advantage. VICTOR MAGLAGLEN- who won the BesT Actor Oscar the next year- is great- wonderful scene at the end where he just goes  NUTS, highly recommended to anyone who only knows him from the Cavalry films or GUNGA DIN... and I didn't know WALLACE FORD (from FREAKS) was also in this, or that he was British, but I liked him a lot. KARLOFF: THE UNCANNY shows up again and, this time, he steals the whole picture. An excellent ending. I was surprised the sole nomination came for the MAX STEINER SCORE, which he apparently reworked into his score for CASABLANCA. I did not notice the score, but I am like that some times. This was an example of HOW AWESOME BLACK AND WHITE CINEMATOGRAPHY CAN BE. Apparently this was reworked as the equally-recommended SAHARA (1943) A double feature of the two would be an awesome ESSENTIAL.

 

Finally, I was really surprised at how much I liked STAR WITNESS of the three. That's a damn funny and interesting movie with some scene stealing children and a plethora of character actors having an utter ball. Sharp direction too. REALLY, REALLY RECOMMENDED for any of you who DVR'd it, Laugh-out-loud dialogue and scenarios that may people watching today would quite possibly relate to and a couple of startling gear shifts you don't see coming (I really recommend not researching it before you watch.)

[LornaHansonForbes]

 

Am I right?

[MCannady1]

DON'T READ THIS YET.

WORK IN PROGRESS.

 

to my astonishment, i correctly DVRed the triple feature of FIVE STAR FINAL (1931), THE LOST PATROL (1934) and STAR WITNESS (1931) and rewatched all- except I was called away before I could finish STAR WITNESS, and now I am embaressed to admit I am too confused by the television to re-locate it.

 

This was the second time I've seen FIVE STAR FINAL, and again, I really liked it- although I think there was room for improvement here and there (light revisions involving the scene with the older couple whose lives were wrecked by the scandal sheet- both were good actors, their dialogue was goofy at times though and they played it too old fashioned in some of the drama scenes, still the overall affair rates FOUR STARS from me (that's one a one to four star scale. that's how I roll.). I actually got my stick-in-the-mud father to watch with me and he was continuously stunned at how frank the language and scenarios were. God, I love Pre-Codes. I was surprised that Robinson had more of a supporting role in this, but when he was on screen he owned it, and it's a crying damn shame he didn't manage to get an actor nod for this to bookend the film's lone Best Picture nod. Aline McMahon was fantastic, she had the best lines. Loved the use of the phone operator to connect the scenes, this was an aspect I wish they had played up even more. GRAND HOTEL may be the film that gets the credit for being the first talkie "done right", but i think FSF rates a mention as well, it is a real achievement in sound (the print was awesome too.)

 

Then we caught THE LOST PATROL, which according to some sources is missing scenes (it is a very tidy hour and fifteen minutes, but i like that very much.) Another FOUR STARS. The whole cast are aces, although daaaaaaaaaaaaaaamn I DID NOT KNOW REGINAL DENNY WAS SO SMOKING HOT! (I only know him as "Commodore Schmidlapp" from BATMAN THE MOVIE.

I am a Pre-Code girl too!  I just love them!  Five Star Final is a great film and I discovered later it was a remake of another similar film from the 30's - with a title like One Fatal Hour,  OF course EGR was very good there and the other actors and actresses.

Star Witness was another I just loved and was so touched by this film. All 3 films were good,

 

I am still battling our NEW DVR-R to set up films.  Hubby does it for me!  We had quite a few to get last week.  WE have had it nearly a year now along with 48" TV.  I really like that, but late at night watch upstairs on my old 20" screen.  (I am the one with the Old Movies as we used to call them.  Once in awhile Hubby or older son or daughter will watch with me.  Haven't quite converted them, though). Anyway, these great films really help to enhance my life, as I am pretty much stuck at home with a spinal condition - my spine collapsed from childhood Scoliosis 5 years ago and 3 surgeries failed to bring me up to standing and walking.  I am hanging in there, but miss my old friends.  MY childhood hobby of watching older films on TV with my parents and older sister prevails).

 

I knew Reginald Denny was hot!  After all, he was Leslie Howard's doctor friend in Of Human Bondage '34/. In the 40's he played an older friend dispensing advice to others.  He was great, in Rebecca, '40,  as Lawrence Olivier's estate manager/friend, Frank Crawley..  In the story he too was struck nearly dumb by Rebecca's beauty!  The confirmed bachelor was hooked!  Too bad we never see her.  Vivian Leigh would have been great in the role or Linda Darnell, I think. 

[MCannady1]

Somehow I published the same thing twice when all I wanted to do was edit the spelling of "actresses."

 

I wanted to delete the whole thing but did not know how.

You are not alone~  I am runner up.  I tried to delete poss too and gave up.  Now we know the Moderator is the one who

can do this.  Looks like you did succeed with editing the last one,

[MCannady1]

 

Am I right?

Wow!  Really like Reginald here.

[LornaHansonForbes]

Wow! Really like Reginald here.

"Please Love, call me 'Rej'..."

[LawrenceA]

THE LIVING DEAD GIRL - (6/10) - French horror-fantasy from Jean Rollin. In the goofy intro, a team of grave robbers break into a crypt to steal some jewels while also depositing several barrels of toxic waste. Wacky French people! A small earthquake spills some of the toxic waste on the well-preserved body of a beautiful young blonde woman, who immediately returns to life, only murderous and with a hunger for blood. She roams aimlessly for awhile, occasionally using her overlong fingernails to stab victims in the eyes or throat. She eventually finds her sister, who takes in the living dead girl and tries to take care of her. It's not long before things head south, though.

 

One unique feature of this Rollin film is an English-speaking couple, on vacation, who become involved in the goings on. Like most of Rollin's films, the performances range from adequate to poor, and there's a primitive quality to most of the technical work. There's also lots of exposed flesh, including a scene of outdoor nude bathing by moonlight. Fans of Rollin's unique style will not be disappointed in this, and it will interest fans of bizarre Euro-sleaze in general. More conservative viewers will be bored, offended or confused. I liked a scene where a victim's screams are mingled with the cooing of pigeons.

 

 

First time watched. Source: DVD.

[GregoryPeckfan]

I just saw THE WILD BUNCH for the first and only time.

 

Disgusting and depressing.  Those are two and a half hours that I will never get back.

 

How many horses were injured or killed on this movie?

[Swithin]

Just saw Spotlight (2015), really excellent (and important) movie. Actually, apart from the subject matter, it could have been made decades ago -- a good old fashioned newspaper story. Some great acting, particularly Liev Schreiber, Mark Ruffalo, and Stanley Tucci.

[darkblue]

How many horses were injured or killed on this movie?

 

Zero.

 

I've watched it about 6 times now. Big Warren Oates fan, ay.

[LawrenceA]

A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES - (7/10) - 2014 crime drama/mystery based on a series of books by Lawrence Block. Liam Neeson stars as Matt Scudder, former NYPD detective and recovering alcoholic who works as an unlicensed private eye. He gets hired to track down a pair of sadistic kidnappers and serial killers targeting the loved ones of drug dealers. He gets unlikely help from a foul-mouthed street kid he meets along the way, but the trail leads down some dangerous paths. Co-starring Dan Stevens, David Harbour, Adam David Thompson, Boyd Holbrook, Brian Bradley, Mark Consuelos, Olafur Olafsson, and Sebastian Roche.

 

This film got lost in the glut of generic Euro-action films Neeson has been churning out since TAKEN, but it's much better than most of those. The straight forward procedural aspects are clearly shown and there's very little distracting or unnecessary camera gimmicks. The performances are good, and the villains are truly deplorable. There is quite a bit of grisly violence, but it never seems gratuitous. The salty language is authentically used as well. For fans of tough, gritty crime pictures.

 

First time watched.  Source:  HBO.

[GregoryPeckfan]

Zero.

 

I've watched it about 6 times now. Big Warren Oates fan, ay.

Thanks for letting me know.

 

I enjoy most Warren Oates films.  I have lost count of the times I have seen Badlands or In the Heat of the Night.  Usually I enjoy his performance even if I do not enjoy the movie. 

 

There were a lot of my favourites in the movie.  There wasn't enough Robert Ryan in the movie.  I  was really expecting more of a final showdown between him and William Holden-another favourite of mine.  I've seen a lot of Borgnine too. 

 

It has been on my to-see list for a long time.

[LawrenceA]

MANHATTAN BABY - (4/10) - What did I just watch? Infamous Italian horror director Lucio Fulci was behind this incomprehensible mash-up of other, better movies. Christopher Connelly stars as an archeologist who discovers the Sepulchre of Evil (near the Great Pyramids of Giza), which houses an ancient blue gem that shoots lasers into his eyes, rendering him temporarily blind. Meanwhile, elsewhere in Egypt, his site seeing wife and daughter encounter a mysterious woman who gives the child an ornate amulet. Back home in the US, the family starts experiencing bizarre events, such as hallucinations, strange sounds and voices, disappearances and possession. Can Connelly figure out what's going on before it's too late? I sure didn't.

 

Indiana Jones, THE EXORCIST, POLTERGEIST, the then-recent King Tut's Tomb media circus, are all blended together and slapped on the screen with little regard for story,character or suspense. The film did hold a certain fascination as I tried to determine if the movie was really this muddled or if maybe I dosed off and missed something somewhere.

 

"Punish me!"

 

First time watched. Source: DVD.

[GregoryPeckfan]

TERESA: 1951

 

Drama starring Pier Angeli  and John Ericson with Patricia Collinge (of Shadow of a Doubt-totally different mother!), Ralph Meeker with cameo by Rod Steiger

 

This was Pier's big screen debut to American audience.  It looks at an Italian war bride coming to USA after the war with flashbacks to during the war.  War brides and how difficult it is to adjust to their new country is a popular theme.  I always think of the song "I'll Take You Home Again Kathleen." 

 

 

I won't write a long review, but I would like to say that I enjoyed the movie and felt that I have known several situations where you have to get away from that type of person that Patricia played-it was odd seeing her in a negative, non-sympathetic role.

 

As to Pier's life and role in this movie, it adds that much more pathos to the storyline for me.

[sapphiere]

A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES - (7/10) - 2014 crime drama/mystery based on a series of books by Lawrence Block. Liam Neeson stars as Matt Scudder, former NYPD detective and recovering alcoholic who works as an unlicensed private eye. He gets hired to track down a pair of sadistic kidnappers and serial killers targeting the loved ones of drug dealers. He gets unlikely help from a foul-mouthed street kid he meets along the way, but the trail leads down some dangerous paths. Co-starring Dan Stevens, David Harbour, Adam David Thompson, Boyd Holbrook, Brian Bradley, Mark Consuelos, Olafur Olafsson, and Sebastian Roche.

 

This film got lost in the glut of generic Euro-action films Neeson has been churning out since TAKEN, but it's much better than most of those. The straight forward procedural aspects are clearly shown and there's very little distracting or unnecessary camera gimmicks. The performances are good, and the villains are truly deplorable. There is quite a bit of grisly violence, but it never seems gratuitous. The salty language is authentically used as well. For fans of tough, gritty crime pictures.

 

First time watched.  Source:  HBO.

Lawrence, thanks for always giving us the source where you see your films. When A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES was released, I went to a movie theatre to see the film. I like Liam Neeson especially in action films, and your review was spot on.

[Tikisoo]

How many horses were injured or killed on this movie?

 

DB responded: zero

 

As a horse owner, seeing horses crash & fall in movies upsets me a lot. I read a book written by a famous stuntman in the 70's or 80's (Robertson?) where he "told all" about training horses for the movies. I had assumed all the falling horses were tripped, but he says a few were "trained to fall on cue". 

 

Now I have trained horses to do many tricks but never "fall" like you see in the movies. I have to believe him, as he trained the (standing still) horse that fell when "punched" in a famous western comedy.

 

It's an amazing feat of training. But I wouldn't want to be the rider taking the fall!

[darkblue]

It's an amazing feat of training.

 

Horse whisperers can produce some amazing stuff.

[DownGoesFrazier]

SWING SHIFT, on TCM. It was panned by critics, and died at the box office. I thought it was an interesting film, a good period piece about a subject that needed addressing. Has any other post-WW II film dealt with this topic?

[film lover 293]

DownGoesFrazier--If you mean the role of women during WW II, the only film I can think of immediately is the documentary "The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter" (1980).

 

I couldn't organize my thoughts last night, I was too tired, so am posting this review now:

 

"It's Always Fair Weather" (1955)--This is a turning upside down of the usual optimistic musical, coated in bitter dark chocolate.  It's not despairing like the 1981 "Pennies From Heaven"--but it's also not all sunny and cheerful & optimistic.  Three army buddies meet in a bar in New York City after WW II is over and swear to always stay buddies & meet again ten years later in the same bar.  That's all the set-up the plot needs.  Things don't go as expected.  Among IAFWs' delights:

 

Cyd Charisse gets The perfect acting role for her; a cold corporate type working her way up the ladder to more money, who finds people an "inconvenience", and has her own method of getting rid of suitors.

 

Dolores Gray as a talk show hostess who oozes insincerity from every pore, who calls her audience " the little people" (no, they're not under five feet tall), who "just wants to be loved" (and be paid big bucks for her television show); she turns Diva and throws tantrums the second the camera's turned off.

 

IAFW is one of the four musicals Dolores Gray made;  she had the misfortune to have a big-time voice and be "discovered" just as the everyday screen musical was dying.  Gray alone makes IAFW worth seeing: with the Comden & Green screenplay that was Oscar nominated (and should have won, IMHO): IAFW is one of the last MGM musicals where, artistically, everything went right.  The moviegoers of the day disagreed.  Just my very definite opinion, LOL.

[GregoryPeckfan]

How many horses were injured or killed on this movie?

 

DB responded: zero

 

As a horse owner, seeing horses crash & fall in movies upsets me a lot. I read a book written by a famous stuntman in the 70's or 80's (Robertson?) where he "told all" about training horses for the movies. I had assumed all the falling horses were tripped, but he says a few were "trained to fall on cue". 

 

Now I have trained horses to do many tricks but never "fall" like you see in the movies. I have to believe him, as he trained the (standing still) horse that fell when "punched" in a famous western comedy.

 

It's an amazing feat of training. But I wouldn't want to be the rider taking the fall!

Thanks or the further insight to this.  I had a hard time watching this.  I want to see movies that are 4 or 5 star rated even if I otherwise wold not watch a movie.  The scene where the bridge was blown up was what made me wonder I any had died.

[scsu1975]

 

 

As a horse owner, seeing horses crash & fall in movies upsets me a lot. I read a book written by a famous stuntman in the 70's or 80's (Robertson?) where he "told all" about training horses for the movies. I had assumed all the falling horses were tripped, but he says a few were "trained to fall on cue". 

 

Maybe Chuck Roberson? He was John Wayne's double in a lot of films, and also wrote the book "The Fall Guy."

[LawrenceA]

NATIONAL LAMPOON'S MOVIE MADNESS - (3/10) - I thought this was going to be something I hadn't seen before, but once it got started, I remembered it, and after researching, found out that it was originally released as NATIONAL LAMPOON GOES TO THE MOVIES. The quality of the film may be another reason I had forgotten it. It's really three separate short films with no connection to each other, with brief hand-drawn static cartoon pics shown between each.

 

The first segment is entitled "Growing Yourself". It's a satire on the self-help, actualization culture making waves in the late 70s. Peter Riegert stars as a husband and father who throws his wife (Candy Clark) out of the house so that he can "grow as a person". He, and everyone around him, live the same way, making dumb and arbitrary life decisions in an attempt at "self-growth". Others appearing in this segment are Diane Lane and Teresa Ganzel.

 

The second segment is "Success Wanters", a spoof on Jackie Collins-style trashy soap operas. Ann Dusenberry stars as a young woman bent on succeeding no matter the obstacle. Also appearing are Robert Culp, Joe Spinell, Titos Vandis, Bobby Di Cicco, Olympia Dukakis, Mary Woronov, Dick Miller, and Fred Willard as the President. This is the best of the three segments, but that's not saying a lot.

 

The third and final segment is "Municipalians", from director Henry Jaglom, about a naive young rookie cop (Robby Benson) teamed with a hard-drinking veteran patrolman (a tired looking Richard Widmark). The kid has to learn about the mean streets the hard way, with his positive attitude constantly thwarted by the harsh realities of crime in L.A. Christopher Lloyd plays a demented serial killer, and other familiar faces include Elisha Cook, Rockne Tarkington, Julie Kavner, Henny Youngman,  and Rhea Perlman as a prostitute. Despite the great cast, this was nearly laugh-free, and painful to watch.

 

Rewatch.   Source: DVD.

[LawrenceA]

THE NINJA STRIKES BACK - (2/10) / (8/10) - Bruce Le stars as Bruce, an enforcer for a crime syndicate in Rome. After a botched deal, Bruce goes to prison, and upon release decides to go legit. He is soon approached by law enforcement agents and recruited to help find the kidnapped wife of an ambassador. The trail leads him to Paris, Macau, and back to Rome.

 

This movie is ludicrously stupid, and I loved every minute of it. There are badly choreographed fights, cheesy dubbed dialogue, a surplus of topless women (a rarity in kung fu films), and some incredible music. They steal music scores from James Bond films, Bruce Lee films, Earth Wind and Fire songs, and my favorite, the hero's theme is an instrumental cover of "Bridge Over Troubled Water". Harold "Oddjob" Sakata appears, but this time with a metal hand instead of a killer hat. Chinese body builder Bolo Yeung also shows up as an unlikely ninja, and there's someone in the cast named Chick Norris.

 

For your average Joe filmgoer, this film is a terrible waste of time. But for connoisseurs of bad cinema, this is a must-see.

 

 

First time watched. Source: DVD.

[Dargo]

SWING SHIFT, on TCM. It was panned by critics, and died at the box office. I thought it was an interesting film, a good period piece about a subject that needed addressing. Has any other post-WW II film dealt with this topic?

 

Uh-huh, this one comes to mind...

 

[Fedya]

Carmen Jones also has a bunch of women working at a defense plant in World War II.