I Just Watched...

[cigarjoe]

Are you kidding? He's the maggot that vetoed the bill that would've allowed pigs to be able to turn around in their cages.

 

I'd love to see him confined in exactly that way for a while - see if he thinks someone should veto the idea of letting him get into a more humane condition.

Curtis Sliwa on Curtis and Kubie (a radio show) always refers to Christie as "Shamu".

[Tikisoo]

It definitely was "fifth-highest grossing film of the year, and the highest grossing Canadian production ever" with the operative word being "grossing"

 

No, the operative word is "Canadian"

 

An old quote from my Canadian friend "Buddy*": "I was just in my friend's film....of course it was Canadian....it didn't make a DIME!"

 

*from Kids in The Hall

[LawrenceA]

SHE - (2/10)/(8/10) - Incredible post-apocalyptic action adventure film is so stupid it hurts, but it hurts so good. 23 years after "the Cancellation" a trio of travelers enter a small village just as it's attacked by a band of swastika-wearing marauders. They capture the female member of the trio and carry her off back to their land, while her two male companions journey in search of her. Their first stop sees them captured by the servants of She, a beautiful blonde who is worshipped as a goddess. They soon escape, and She and her bodyguard agree to join them in their search for their lost companion.

 

They encounter "Mutants", which are people in mummy bandages and sunglasses carrying chainsaws, as well as werewolves, robots, a giant in a tutu, and much more. As you may have noticed, there is little resemblance to H. Rider Haggard's source novel. Sandahl Bergman from CONAN THE BARBARIAN stars as She, with a large cast of supporting players you've never heard of, with the possible exception of Gordon Mitchell, 1960's muscle man and sword 'n sandal fave, here playing a scarfaced baddie. The music is from Rick Wakeman of Yes, and features songs from Motorhead, among others.

 

This is a must-see for bad movie fans, but others will weep.

 

 

First time watched. Source: MGM HD Channel.

[darkblue]

'She' (1982) would be a good one for Underground programming.

[LawrenceA]

SHOOT THE MOON - (7/10) - Domestic drama detailing the ugly separation of a successful novelist and his wife. He's been having an affair, and she's had enough, so they separate and begin the awkward, painful process of establishing two new lifestyles and dealing with the awful burden it puts on their 4 children. Albert Finney stars as the writer, with Diane Keaton as his wife, Karen Allen as the other woman, and Peter Weller as a handsome construction worker that Keaton has eyes for. The children include an outstanding Dana Hill, later of NATIONAL LAMPOON'S EUROPEAN VACATION, as the eldest daughter suffering the most with the new situation, as well as early roles for future tv stars Tracey Gold (GROWING PAINS) and Tina Yothers (FAMILY TIES). Alan Parker directs, and it's a much more grounded, less sensational story than most of his directorial efforts.

 

The performances are all top notch, and the story can be painfully authentic, but eventually I got tired of watching miserable people being miserable to each other without the added verbal artistry of an Edward Albee. It may be true to life, but that doesn't mean you want to hang out with them for very long.

 

 

First time watched. Source: DVD.

[darkblue]

SHOOT THE MOON - Domestic drama detailing the ugly separation of a successful novelist and his wife.

 

The performances are all top notch, and the story can be painfully authentic, but eventually I got tired of watching miserable people being miserable to each other without the added verbal artistry of an Edward Albee. It may be true to life, but that doesn't mean you want to hang out with them for very long.

 

Plays a lot different if you take it as a comedy - which is how I mostly took it both times I watched it.

 

That final shot is funny as hell.

[LawrenceA]

SILENT RAGE - (7/10) - Chuck Norris action/horror hybrid is probably his best, for what it's worth. After a psychotic killer is gunned down by police, a group of scientists conduct experiments on his body, resuscitating him and granting him superhuman healing abilities. Soon enough, he's loose and killing again, and it's up to high-kicking sheriff Norris to stop him.

 

Chuck solidifies his screen image in this one, decked out in cowboy hat and pearl-handled six-shooter as if he just stepped out of a western. Brian Libby, a frequent stuntman and minor bit player, is very effective as the mostly silent killer. Others in the cast include Ron Silver, Tom Keats, William Finley, Stephen Furst, and Toni Kalem as Chuck's love interest, with whom he gets to have a wonderfully cheesy lite-FM-scored romantic montage. Much of this is very much in the terror-suspense vein, but there is the occasional foray into karate fight scenes, particularly a lengthy dust-up with a biker gang.

 

 

Rewatch. Source: DVD.

[kingrat]

SHOOT THE MOON - (7/10) - Domestic drama detailing the ugly separation of a successful novelist and his wife. He's been having an affair, and she's had enough, so they separate and begin the awkward, painful process of establishing two new lifestyles and dealing with the awful burden it puts on their 4 children. Albert Finney stars as the writer, with Diane Keaton as his wife, Karen Allen as the other woman, and Peter Weller as a handsome construction worker that Keaton has eyes for. The children include an outstanding Dana Hill, later of NATIONAL LAMPOON'S EUROPEAN VACATION, as the eldest daughter suffering the most with the new situation, as well as early roles for future tv stars Tracey Gold (GROWING PAINS) and Tina Yothers (FAMILY TIES). Alan Parker directs, and it's a much more grounded, less sensational story than most of his directorial efforts.

 

The performances are all top notch, and the story can be painfully authentic, but eventually I got tired of watching miserable people being miserable to each other without the added verbal artistry of an Edward Albee. It may be true to life, but that doesn't mean you want to hang out with them for very long.

 

 

First time watched. Source: DVD.

This catches my view of the film exactly. So well done, and yet . . . .

[LawrenceA]

THE SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE - (6/10) - Silly, gratuitous, over-the-top slasher flick. A high school girl is left alone in her house when her parents go on a trip, so naturally she throws a big slumber party with a bunch of her friends, and some high school boys want in on the action. The only problem is, an escaped psycho killer wants to crash the party, too!

 

This was written by noted author Rita Mae Brown as a slasher movie parody. Roger Corman didn't get the joke, and had director Amy Jones shoot it as a straight horror film. The script has enough subtle touches that the parody still pokes through, though, elevating it slightly above other films of its ilk. There are no real stand-outs in the cast, although 80s scream queen Brinke Stevens has her first major role as an early victim. A knowing wink at the genre, great garish 80s fashions, lots of cartoonish violence, and a 77 minute running time make this one an easy watch.

 

"You think they're doing something funky over there?"

 

Rewatch. Source: DVD.

[LawrenceA]

SMITHEREENS - (8/10) - Indie drama from writer-director Susan Seidelman follows the sad spiral of Wren (Susan Berman), a desperate, foolish young woman in NYC determined to attach herself to fame and fortune, despite having no inherent talent or artistic ambition. She spends her off hours plastering xeroxed photos of her self all over New York and trying to glom onto a succession of musicians. She attracts the attention of a young Wisconsin boy (Brad Rijn) who has just arrived in the city and lives out of his graffiti'd van. He soon has competition for Wren's affection when she sets her sights on musician Eric (Richard Hell) who may just be her ticket to L.A.

 

The underground rock scene of NYC at the time is a nice grungy backdrop to this tale of fringe characters on the fast track to nowhere. Berman is very good, and her portrayal of a certain type of hanger-on in that world is a depressing dose of reality. The music is another authentic touch, with songs from The Feelies, The Nitecaps, The Raybeats, and co-star Richard Hell and his band the Voidoids. This is considered the first true independent American film to play at the Cannes Film Festival. and it has an aesthetic that could be seen and felt in indie and alternative film and music for the next 15 years or more after its release. Pay close attention at the end for future tv star Chris Noth as prostitute #5. Recommended for kool kats. Squares will find it dullsville.

 

"Wanna see my scar, I'll show it to you for five dollars. It's in a real interesting place."

 

 

First time watched.  Source: TCM Underground.

[sapphiere]

SHOOT THE MOON - (7/10) - Domestic drama detailing the ugly separation of a successful novelist and his wife. He's been having an affair, and she's had enough, so they separate and begin the awkward, painful process of establishing two new lifestyles and dealing with the awful burden it puts on their 4 children. Albert Finney stars as the writer, with Diane Keaton as his wife, Karen Allen as the other woman, and Peter Weller as a handsome construction worker that Keaton has eyes for. The children include an outstanding Dana Hill, later of NATIONAL LAMPOON'S EUROPEAN VACATION, as the eldest daughter suffering the most with the new situation, as well as early roles for future tv stars Tracey Gold (GROWING PAINS) and Tina Yothers (FAMILY TIES). Alan Parker directs, and it's a much more grounded, less sensational story than most of his directorial efforts.

 

The performances are all top notch, and the story can be painfully authentic, but eventually I got tired of watching miserable people being miserable to each other without the added verbal artistry of an Edward Albee. It may be true to life, but that doesn't mean you want to hang out with them for very long.

 

 

First time watched. Source: DVD.

I love this film with wonderful performances by the cast. The movie was shot in Marin County,Ca.I like to see Diane Keaton in dramatic roles, and she was a good match for Albert Finney. Dana Hill who was so good as the eldest daughter died at a young age. The movie is never shown, and it should be, possibly with a theme attached. A night of troubled marriages where the children are affected for example.

[cigarjoe]

Speedy (1928)  Harold Lloyd comedy, with some great shots of Coney Island.7/10

[LawrenceA]

STUCK ON YOU! - (5/10) - This Troma release is better than most of their movies, which makes it not very good as opposed to absolutely terrible. Carol and Bill are a young couple involved in a nasty palimony proceeding. The judge (Prof. Irwin Corey) calls them into his chambers, where we see a series of flashbacks of moments in the couple's relationship, as well as historical flashbacks, relayed by the judge, to illustrate romantic troubles down through the ages. Cheap, dumb gags abound, with about 1 in 9 landing. Skip it.

 

First time watched. Source: DVD.

[film lover 293]

"The Letter" (1940) & (1929)--the order they were shown in today.

 

The 1940 William Wyler version is very good, despite the Codes' preoccupation with murder, and morality, and obvious punishment.  It's still a marvel to me of how much of the subtext of the film was successfully filmed; the obsessive needlework, Davis' eyes that show the flickering expressions of her true emotions behind the "socially acceptable" talk.  Sondergaard as the Eurasian mistress is also a wonder; her eyes radiate contempt and fury for Mrs. Crosbie.  The camerawork is outstanding.  The 1940 version makes me wonder if it's melodrama or film noir--maybe both.

 

In the 1929 version, Eagels is a wonder to behold, whether barely suppressing her emotions through her needlework, mixing lies & past memories on the witness stand, confronting her husband after the trial.  She dominates the proceedings, despite looking ill during part of the film.  The film has no musical score, which worked for me as a way of upping the tension of the film.  Film stops at perfect ending line.

 

Both versions are damn good, & more than worth seeing--the 1929 version is showing a bit of wear.  Both versions get highest recommendation, 1929 version especially because it was a Paramount film--don't know when TCM will air it again.

[sapphiere]

I love this film with wonderful performances by the cast. The movie was shot in Marin County,Ca.I like to see Diane Keaton in dramatic roles, and she was a good match for Albert Finney. Dana Hill who was so good as the eldest daughter died at a young age. The movie is never shown, and it should be, possibly with a theme attached. A night of troubled marriages where the children are affected for example.

Dana Hill had Type 1 diabetes from a young age. At 32 she went into a diabetic coma and died shortly after of a massive stroke. Too soon to leave, but she left us with many fine performances.

[LawrenceA]

SWAMP THING - (7/10) - Weird, goofy supernatural/sci-fi superhero movie with the unlikely Wes Craven as director. Brilliant scientist Dr. Alec Holland (Ray Wise) is conducting experiments for the US government deep in the heart of bayou swamp country. The isolation causes a lot of turnover in employees at the lab, so new recruit Alice Cable (Adrienne Barbeau) arrives as a replacement. She's just in time for the lab to be attacked by mercenary goons in the employ of the diabolical Arcane (Louis Jourdan). Holland is doused in an experimental substance and set on fire, left to die in the swamp. However, instead of dying, he is reborn as Swamp Thing, a tall, super strong humanoid made out of green plant material. He uses his new found strength to battle Arcane and his men.

 

Barbeau makes a good, tough female hero, and Jourdan has fun with his villainous role. Veteran stuntman Dick Durock plays the title green guy, a role he would reprise in the film's sequel seven years later, as well as a tv show spin-off in 1990. Frequent B-movie bad guys David Hess and Nicholas Worth also have a lot of screen time as Arcane's chief thugs. The effects are a bit on the cheap side, but it adds to the film's charm. The whole enterprise has a comic-book vibe, and fits in with the late 70s superhero style; it's not as silly as the 60s BATMAN tv show, but keeps some comic touches, like the Christopher Reeves SUPERMAN films or the Tim Burton BATMAN films. It's also not quite clear who the audience for this was supposed to be. It has the aforementioned comic book style, and the story never gets more complicated than say a middle-school level. But it also features some gruesome violence and some nudity. It managed a PG rating (this was before PG-13), and you can tell there were some awkward edits to tone down the language. Based on the DC Comics characters.

 

Rewatch. Source: Blu Ray.

[Bogie56]

I saw quite an amazing film this afternoon at the TIFF Cinematheque - Les Amants du Pont Neuf (1991) or The Lovers on the Bridge.  It was directed by Leos Carax, someone who I was unfamiliar with and stars Juliette Binoche.  She is terrific in it as a skid row person who is going blind that lives on the pont neuf bridge in Paris when it is being renovated.

The story reminded me of Le Notte Bianchi (1957) from the Dostoevsky novel where a young man falls in love with a woman who is waiting for a lover to return to her.

Pont Neuf hits an absolute high point about 50 minutes in when the city is celebrating its bicentennial and exploding fireworks serve as a backdrop.  I almost wished the film could somehow have ended after this spectacular ten minute sequence.

I highly recommend seeing this film.

 

I had some more thoughts on the post that I made above.  I just came across a Bollywood version of the Dostoevsky story to which these films were based.  It's called Saawariya (2007).

Oh, and fans of Marcello Mastroianni should seek out Le Notti Bianchi (1957) as he's terrific in it.

And one last thing ... a major SPOILER, I'm afraid ... you know that iconic "I'm the King of the World" figurehead manoeuvre that DiCaprio and Winslet pull in Titanic (1997)?  Six years earlier, Juliette Binoche and Denis Lavant do the exact same thing on a Paris barge at the end of Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (1991).  It's deliriously uplifting.

[GregoryPeckfan]

SWAMP THING - (7/10) - Weird, goofy supernatural/sci-fi superhero movie with the unlikely Wes Craven as director. Brilliant scientist Dr. Alec Holland (Ray Wise) is conducting experiments for the US government deep in the heart of bayou swamp country. The isolation causes a lot of turnover in employees at the lab, so new recruit Alice Cable (Adrienne Barbeau) arrives as a replacement. She's just in time for the lab to be attacked by mercenary goons in the employ of the diabolical Arcane (Louis Jourdan). Holland is doused in an experimental substance and set on fire, left to die in the swamp. However, instead of dying, he is reborn as Swamp Thing, a tall, super strong humanoid made out of green plant material. He uses his new found strength to battle Arcane and his men.

 

Barbeau makes a good, tough female hero, and Jourdan has fun with his villainous role. Veteran stuntman Dick Durock plays the title green guy, a role he would reprise in the film's sequel seven years later, as well as a tv show spin-off in 1990. Frequent B-movie bad guys David Hess and Nicholas Worth also have a lot of screen time as Arcane's chief thugs. The effects are a bit on the cheap side, but it adds to the film's charm. The whole enterprise has a comic-book vibe, and fits in with the late 70s superhero style; it's not as silly as the 60s BATMAN tv show, but keeps some comic touches, like the Christopher Reeves SUPERMAN films or the Tim Burton BATMAN films. It's also not quite clear who the audience for this was supposed to be. It has the aforementioned comic book style, and the story never gets more complicated than say a middle-school level. But it also features some gruesome violence and some nudity. It managed a PG rating (this was before PG-13), and you can tell there were some awkward edits to tone down the language. Based on the DC Comics characters.

 

Rewatch. Source: Blu Ray.

This is a Louis Jourdan of have never heard of before.  Somehow, the name Louis Jourdan and 'Swamp Thing' don't fit together in my mind.

[LornaHansonForbes]

In the 1929 version, Eagels is a wonder to behold, whether barely suppressing her emotions through her needlework, mixing lies & past memories on the witness stand, confronting her husband after the trial. She dominates the proceedings, despite looking ill during part of the film. The film has no musical score, which worked for me as a way of upping the tension of the film. Film stops at perfect ending line.

n.

YES!

 

The ending of the 1929 version of "the letter" is devastating. Reminds me a little bit of the happy accident that gave us the immortal last line and fade out of " I was a fugitive from a chain gang" ("I'll STEAL!"- as it plunges to black.)

 

The 1929 version has shown maybe 3 times in the last two years, I don't know why it didn't show for so long. One other note I have to say about the 1929 version, and this is a recollection from various things I have read: it is not the film as it was released. That version has been completely lost. The print that we have left of "the letter" is actually a work print comprised of second takes, so it's not entirely fair to judge it and the performance that eventually got Eagles her first and only Oscar nomination by exceptionally rigorous standards, the final product we have to see is more of a rough cut. But it is still good.

[TomJH]

THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF UNCLE HARRY (1945).

 

Director Robert Siodmak has become a favourite among '40s film noir buffs and, if this film ranks as, perhaps, a slightly lesser effort from him, it still has plenty to interest the viewer. Set in a small American town, it features George Sanders as the title character, a middle aged bachelor of a family that once had money, now largely lost, but still living in a large home, his one real possession, as he meekly toils away working as an art designer for the town's large mill.

 

Living with him in his home are his two sisters, one of them (Geraldine Fitzgerald) seemingly often sick in bed. Theirs is a contented, if unexciting, existence. Along comes a woman from New York City (Ella Raines) and things start to perk up considerably as Raines and Sanders become interested in one another. How, in turn, will this impact Harry's relationship with his sisters, one of whom (Fitzgerald) showing decided signs of possessiveness regarding her brother.

 

 

I have a few problems with the writing in this film, but, for the most part, this Universal production is a handsome one and well acted by all its players. It's fun to see Sanders cast against type as a naïve, well meaning clod being twisted around the finger of his sister. Fitzgerald, playing the most noir character in this film, is quite delicious in her role. And Ella Raines, who had already been effectively cast in such previous Siodmak norish items as Phantom Lady and The Suspect, scores well once again as the outsider who becomes a threat to the normalcy of Harry's home life.

 

At one point Raines's character has an outburst that seems jarring and unreasonable, but the fault there lies with the credibility of the writing, not the performance of the actress. Speaking of those writing issues, the film has a classic compromised tagged on ending (a "twist" to some). To be fair to the screenwriters, though, this was a cop-out obviously forced upon them by the production code.

 

Interestingly, though, that compromised finale really doesn't detract from the power of the narrative of this film anyway. You can still appreciate this film for what it has to offer right up until those final two screen minutes.

 

 

3 out of 4.

[Fedya]

SMITHEREENS - (8/10) - Indie drama from writer-director Susan Seidelman follows the sad spiral of Wren (Susan Berman), a desperate, foolish young woman in NYC determined to attach herself to fame and fortune, despite having no inherent talent or artistic ambition.

You mean like Gladys Glover?

[LawrenceA]

You mean like Gladys Glover?

Not nearly as charming or likable.

[LawrenceA]

THAT CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON - (6/10) - Drama about 4 friends reuniting with their basketball coach on the 24th anniversary of their championship-winning game. Over the course of the day and night old and new animosities and grievances are revealed. Based on Jason Miller's Tony and Pulitzer prize winning play, the film fell flat for me, and despite the capable performers, something must have been lost in the transition to the screen. Bruce Dern, Paul Sorvino, Stacy Keach, Martin Sheen, and Robert Mitchum as the coach round out the cast. Miller himself, best known for his Oscar-nominated role as the young priest in THE EXORCIST, assumed directing duties on this film after William Freidkin dropped out. Mitchum was also a replacement, for an ailing William Holden.

 

First time watched. Source: VHS. I recently bought this from a mail-order clearance retailer, and it was an unopened, MGM vhs factory release, manufactured in 1983. It is one of those over-sized cardboard boxes with a book-style cover flap that opens to reveal the tape, and has a cast list printed on the inside. Crazy to think that tape has been laying around unopened for 30+ years.

[GregoryPeckfan]

THE STRANGE AFFAIR OF UNCLE HARRY (1945).

 

Director Robert Siodmak has become a favourite among '40s film noir buffs and, if this film ranks as, perhaps, a slightly lesser effort from him, it still has plenty to interest the viewer. Set in a small American town, it features George Sanders as the title character, a middle aged bachelor of a family that once had money, now largely lost, but still living in a large home, his one real possession, as he meekly toils away working as an art designer for the town's large mill.

 

Living with him in his home are his two sisters, one of them (Geraldine Fitzgerald) seemingly often sick in bed. Theirs is a contented, if unexciting, existence. Along comes a woman from New York City (Ella Raines) and things start to perk up considerably as Raines and Sanders become interested in one another. How, in turn, will this impact Harry's relationship with his sisters, one of whom (Fitzgerald) showing decided signs of possessiveness regarding her brother.

 

 

I have a few problems with the writing in this film, but, for the most part, this Universal production is a handsome one and well acted by all its players. It's fun to see Sanders cast against type as a naïve, well meaning clod being twisted around the finger of his sister. Fitzgerald, playing the most noir character in this film, is quite delicious in her role. And Ella Raines, who had already been effectively cast in such previous Siodmak norish items as Phantom Lady and The Suspect, scores well once again as the outsider who becomes a threat to the normalcy of Harry's home life.

 

At one point Raines's character has an outburst that seems jarring and unreasonable, but the fault there lies will the credibility of the writing, not the performance of the actress. Speaking of those writing issues, the film has a classic compromised tagged on ending (a "twist" to some). To be fair to the screenwriters, though, this was a cop-out obviously forced upon them by the production code.

 

Interestingly, though, that compromised finale really doesn't detract from the power of the narrative of this film anyway. You can still appreciate this film for what it has to offer right up until those final two screen minutes.

 

 

 

3 out of 4.

People keep talking about this movie, but I have never had access to it.

[TomJH]

People keep talking about this movie, but I have never had access to it.

 

You can see The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry free here:

 

http://www.dailymotion.com/

 

 

Simply add the film's title in the search bar.