LonesomePolecat Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS - seen for the first time. As funny as I figured but smarter than expected. Brilliant ending. Michael Caine & Steve Martin are funny together. Not a Glenn Headley fan, but whatever. The Riviera locations and jazz soundtrack enhance the fun. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkblue Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS - seen for the first time. As funny as I figured but smarter than expected. Brilliant ending. Michael Caine & Steve Martin are funny together. Not a Glenn Headley fan, but whatever. The Riviera locations and jazz soundtrack enhance the fun. David Niven, Marlon Brando and Shirley Jones did it much better back in '64. Caine was okay (but not as good as Niven) - but Steve Martin was miscast in the remake. Brando was actually very good in this comedy, comedy not being one of his strengths back then. He did say after making the film that it was the best time he'd ever had making a movie - and that David Niven had kept him in stitches the entire time. It shows in his performance how much he enjoyed making 'Bedtime Story', probably the reason his comedic performance was so unexpectedly good. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimminginaqua Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Just watched again "captains of the clouds" from 1942...saw it for the first time a few months back & really liked it. It really impresses me how they filmed it on location in the beautiful Canada countryside, in technicolor, and with terrific aerial photography. It's such an unusual movie..as if it shifts from one type of movie (typical romantic triangle) into a different one...like it feels very realistic at times, like a documentary when they are on the airfield with the real life Canadian Air Force personnel & in the flying. At the same time it is oddly comical..like when drunk Cagney is buzzing that AF personnel. There's the real flying mixed in with the toylike special effects but the cinematography is amazing, considering it was already war time for the Canadians. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cigarjoe Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Early Richard Conte Noir. He plays a New Orleans PI. Has Ann Savage and Kurt Kreuger and Mantan Moreland. 6/10 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tallhair Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS (1939) A team of flyers risks their lives to deliver the mail in a mountainous South American country. Dir: Howard Hawks Cast: Cary Grant , Jean Arthur , Richard Barthelmess . BW-121 mins, CC, I watched this last night. I love Jean Arthur and Cary Grant and the rest of the cast who in addition to above included Thomas Mitchell, Rita Hayworth, Noah Beery Jr., (briefly), John Carroll, Sig Ruman, and Donald 'Red' Barry... man he had a long career. The cast and Hawks really made this movie, which I think would have been ho hum if not for them. For those of you not familiar with Noah Beery Jr he was Rocky, Jim's Dad in the Rockford files. He had a very long career also. The exception to the cast love for me is I"m really a big fan of Richard Barthelmess at least in this or Flight Commander. 7.5 / 10 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Just watched again "captains of the clouds" from 1942... There's the real flying mixed in with the toylike special effects but the cinematography is amazing, considering it was already war time for the Canadians. it is one of the great injustices of history, i think, that Canada has never gotten the credit it really, really deserves for being a MAJOR part of the victory in WWII, not only for housing refugees, but also for providing TWO FLANKS at D-DAY. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Love Desert Fury too which is very lovely in Technicolor. I really like the story and the great acting. It is a very good Film Noir with Lizabeth Scott, Mary Astor and Wendell Corey. I think John Hodiak was very effective too with sudden violent moods. (I am naive and didn't see the undertones, but felt he was a scary boyfriend to have. I'd prefer Wendell instead). Mary's home had a stunning picture window like a terrarium with multi-colored cactus plants. Sad thing that John died all too soon. He did leave us a legacy of good films; Desert Fury, Somewhere in the Night and Homecoming. I read that he was married to Anne Baxter for awhile. Agreed all-around. I think the gay undertones are really obvious in the relationship between Astor and Scott moreso than with Hodiak and Corey. have you read how John Hodiak died? It's weird story. check it out on wiki or imdb if you like. he certainly had a very distinct look, handsome, dark, but a sinister handsomeness that fit film noir like a black leather glove. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesJazGuitar Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Agreed all-around. I think the gay undertones are really obvious in the relationship between Astor and Scott moreso than with Hodiak and Corey. have you read how John Hodiak died? It's weird story. check it out on wiki or imdb if you like. he certainly had a very distinct look, handsome, dark, but a sinister handsomeness that fit film noir like a black leather glove. This is from Wiki: Film scholar Foster Hirsch wrote, "In a truly subversive move the film jettisons the characters' criminal activities to concentrate on two homosexual couples: the mannish mother who treats her daughter like a lover, and the gangster and his devoted possessive sidekick". Hodiak was very good in this film. Funny no one mentions Lancaster. His acting wasn't bad by any means but his character was the least interesting. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomJH Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS - seen for the first time. As funny as I figured but smarter than expected. Brilliant ending. Michael Caine & Steve Martin are funny together. Not a Glenn Headley fan, but whatever. The Riviera locations and jazz soundtrack enhance the fun. I enjoyed this film very much. Caine is wonderful as the polished old time con artist (who still has some integrity), while Martin is very convincing as his brash counterpart who lacks the same ethics. The scene in which Martin plays "Rupert," the bizarro half monkey man, is hysterically funny. What a brilliant piece of physical comedy that is by Steve Martin. That scene alone makes the film worth viewing. There's a nice looking version of the original version of this film, Bedtime Story, with Niven and Brando, currently available on You Tube. I haven't seen it in years but recall finding it very funny, as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregoryPeckfan Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 RE: John Hodiak: Lifeboat aired in the early hours of the morning and I recorded it to watch it again. He ad Tallulah Bankhead are a hot couple. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceA Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 The Patent Leather Kid - (8/10) - Silent film from 1927 manages to cover three genres: boxing film, romance, and war picture. Richard Barthelmess stars as the title pugilist, a dapper, self-centered, arrogant jerk who keeps winning bouts. The audience gets bigger for each fight, as they hope to see the Kid get flattened finally. Then he meets Curley, a streetwise goodtime girl who immediately catches his heart, much to the annoyance of the Kid's shady manager and Curley's sugar daddy boyfriend. Just when things are looking better than ever for the Kid, America enters the first World War, and Curley is hit with patriotic fever. She leaves the Kid to travel to France to become a frontline nurse. The Kid's two closest friends, stuttering corner man Puffy and offensive black stereotype sparring partner Molasses, are both drafted. Circumstances soon lead to the Kid being sent to the frontlines as well, but will his boxing ring bravado hold steady in the face of possible death on the battlefield? Barthelmess was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar the first year of the awards for this film (and another entitled The Noose), and he's very good. His pretty boy good looks suit the character, and he manages a range of emotions without going too broad (unlike some others). Molly O'Day is also fun as Curley, although she has some scenes near the end that are extremely over-the-top. I was surprised by the scope of the WW1 battle scenes, using hundreds of extras and multiple tanks, with several high crane shots showing the wide staging of the players. There was also a nice use of montage in one particular moment. One striking shot had the silhouettes of marching troops visible on a wall behind the sleeping figure of Curley. The direction was by Alfred Santell, who I hadn't heard of before. Recommended for Silent fans and Oscar historians. From First National. "Ah, go buy yerself some peanuts!" 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceA Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 A Ship Comes In - (7/10) - Another silent film, this time from 1928. The story follows the trials and tribulations of a recently immigrated European family as they learn to fit into American society. It plays much like a comedy for the first half, with Papa, who always has a positive attitude, quickly finding janitorial work in the Federal Building. Mama tries to maintain the household and raise the three kids. The story skips forward 5 years, and Papa has finally earned his citizenship. But he gets implicated in a terrible crime, and is sent to prison. America also enters the first World War, and Junior quickly signs up, much to Mama's dismay. Rudolph Schildkraut, father of actor Joseph Schildkraut, stars as Papa, and he's very good. In fact, he made more of an impression on me than Mama, played by Louise Dresser, who received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress at the first Oscars. Also appearing are character actor Lucien Littlefield as a friendly neighbor, and future comedy bit player Fritz Feld as an angry young anarchist. The film, and story, are fairly basic, but I liked the view into the immigrant experience of nearly 90 years ago, and there are a few sequences of ingenuity. However, I can really only recommend this one to Oscar completists like myself, or those interested in the lesser remembered silents. This was the second film in a row for me that ended with some highly patriotic schmaltz. From Pathe. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet0312 Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 For those of you not familiar with Noah Beery Jr he was Rocky, Jim's Dad in the Rockford files. He had a very long career also. I was ga ga over Noah Beery, Jr when I was 16. There was an article about him in TV Guide while he was doing The Rockford Files and a nice picture. I did a drawing of that photo and mailed it to him and asked him to autograph it for me. Well, I didn't hear back from him for about a year. I finally got the drawing back with a note that said he was sorry for the delay, but he enjoyed the drawing so much, he didn't want to part with it. Well, I thought that was pretty darn nice. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Gorman Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I caught LIFEBOAT this morning, too. Tallulah was 12 years older than John Hodiak; I concur they were a hot couple! John Hodiak died while shaving on Oct. 19, 1955. He was 41. I can't help but think the high blood pressure issue that kept him out of the WW2 service had a hand in contributing to his early death. He had a coronary thrombosis and died instantly. Really a shame. TRIAL (1955), which TCM aired recently, was his last completed film; he was due on the set to finish shooting ON THE THRESHOLD OF SPACE when he died. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregoryPeckfan Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Re: The Trial I have recorded that from earlier this month and am waiting for the right time for me to watch it as I am a big fan of Glenn Ford and I think I have the percentage of big screen movies I| haven't seen down to about 10-15% now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Gorman Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 AS you're a fan of Glenn Ford have you seen any of his Tv movies from the 1970s? There were a spate of them he made; some were pilot films for a subsequent series, others were busted pilot films for series' that didn't materialize and others were just plain TVM's with no aim for a series. I've seen a few of them: BROTHERHOOD OF THE BELL, JARRETT, THE DISAPPEARANCE OF FLIGHT 412. I have PUNCH AND JODY, but have not watched it yet. JARRETT (1973-Tvm) was a busted pilot movie with Glenn as an insurance investigator. In the movie he's after some rare Biblical scrolls coveted by erudite villain Anthony Quayle. This is one campy movie! Also stars Forrest Tucker, Laraine Stephens, Yvonne Craig and Richard Anderson. I saw this TVM one afternoon many moons ago when I was 10 or 11 and always remembered it. I don't know why I remembered it, but somehow this tele-film stuck in my craw of a brain until decades later I was able to obtain a VHS copy of it. It's never been released on video in any format, but someone had the foresight to tape it off TV at one point and I was able to snag a copy from Robert's Rare Videos. I got BROTHERHOOD OF THE BELL (1970-Tvm) from Robert's Rare Videos as well. The picture quality is pretty ropey, but beggars can't be choosers. At least it's watchable. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregoryPeckfan Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 I'm not as familiar with his TV work as I am with his big screen career, Mr. Gorman. I've seen a couple of TV movies, but that is about it for the small screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceA Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Condemned - (6/10) - Ronald Colman stars in this creaky 1929 pre-Code prison romance. Calm down, guys! It's not that shocking of a pre-Code. Colman plays a suave (naturally) French thief sentenced to Devil's Island, where the warden assigns him to be a houseboy and help his unhappy wife with the household duties. She takes a liking to Colman (who doesn't?) and her spirits start to rise. It isn't long before there's gossip among the other staff wives about this arrangement, and it drives the already unlikable warden into a jealous rage. He throws Colman into an isolation pit, where he decides to escape and try and start a new life with the warden's wife elsewhere. If things go according to plan, that is. Ann Harding looks sad and wounded as the put-upon wife, and Dudley Digges is appropriately despicable as the warden. Louis Wolheim is a fellow prisoner and friend to Colman. Wesley Ruggles directed this Samuel Goldwyn production, which earned Ronald Colman a Best Actor Oscar nomination. There's a scene, at the beginning, of the transport ship bringing the latest batch of inmates across the sea, and they are kept in cages stacked high in the ship's hold. It's a great visual (probably courtesy of production designer William Cameron Menzies) that is never improved on for the rest of the film. The dialogue is stale, and not much happens. Colman is fine in his role, but he doesn't do much that he doesn't normally do, except look dirtier for a spell. Recommended for Colman, Harding, or Oscar completists only. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dargo Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 American Graffiti (1973) at the Sedona Film Festival last Friday night. Due to my guess here that most all of you have seen this early George Lucas film, I'll dispense with any review of his homage to pre-JFK assassination and pre-British music invasion era America, however the reason I bring this up is to say that after the screening, four actresses who had roles in the film made a guest appearance on stage and talked about their experiences during this film's production and their lives and careers since. The four actresses were, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark(who as some may remember was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar as the character Debbie), Mackenzie Phillips, and Lynne Marie Stewart who had a small role as the character Bobbie, the driver of the VW Beetle which Richard Dreyfuss' character Curt rides around in for a short while, and who in real life attended a performing arts high school together with Dreyfuss in NYC. (...fun evening) 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawrenceA Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Thunderbolt - (7/10) - Early sound crime drama from Paramount Pictures and director Josef Von Sternberg. George Bancroft stars as Jim "Thunderbolt" Lang, a wanted gangster with a reputation for physical violence. His moll Ritzy wants out of the criminal life, though, and is secretly seeing handsome young bank worker Bob. Thunderbolt is determined to stop Ritzy's departure from his life, and slips up enough to get caught by the police. He and his gang conspire to get revenge on Bob and Ritzy. Bancroft was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the jealous gangster. I only really knew him as the heavy in a few older westerns I had seen years ago. He shows a bit of subtlety in a film that is lacking in that commodity. Richard Arlen and Fay Wray co-star as Bob and Ritzy, and they are both adequate, if a bit too over-emotive at times. The art of sound filmmaking was still in its early days here, and you can tell they were trying different approaches throughout the film. During a nightclub scene, many layers of sound are present, with live music and singing mixed up with off-screen commentary of the on-screen characters, as well as the on-screen characters' dialogue, often all at the same time. It makes for a muddled mess on the soundtrack, but they were learning, so i don't fault them too much. Director Von Sternberg uses a lot of German Expressionism techniques, with exaggerated shadows and angular framing, often using a vertical bar motif to accentuate the feeling of entrapment of the characters. These visual touches helped me overlook the corny dialogue and maudlin story developments. Recommended for those interested in early sound films, and the advent of the gangster genre. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregoryPeckfan Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 American Graffiti (1973) at the Sedona Film Festival last Friday night. Due to my guess here that most all of you have seen this early George Lucas film, I'll dispense with any review of his homage to pre-JFK assassination and pre-British music invasion era America, however the reason I bring this up is to say that after the screening, four actresses who had roles in the film made a guess appearance on stage and talked about their experiences during this film's production and their lives and careers since. The four actresses were, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark(who as some may remember was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar as the character Debbie), Mackenzie Phillips, and Lynne Marie Stewart who had a small role as the character Bobbie, the driver of the VW Beetle which Richard Dreyfuss' character Curt rides around in for a short while, and who in real life attended a performing arts high school together with Dreyfuss in NYC. (...fun evening) I'd love to see this on the big screen. I really admire Mackenzie Phillips. I'm amazed at what she has gone through and that she continues to thrive. I find her inspiring. After the news of her father was revealed, I destroyed everything I had of the Mamas and the Poppas and got sick thinking of the fact that I had ever sung anything her father wrote. As a life long choir singer, I HAVE SUNG PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING HE WROTE. Hate that man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkblue Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 American Graffiti (1973) at the Sedona Film Festival last Friday night. Due to my guess here that most all of you have seen this early George Lucas film, I'll dispense with any review of his homage to pre-JFK assassination and pre-British music invasion era America, however the reason I bring this up is to say that after the screening, four actresses who had roles in the film made a guest appearance on stage and talked about their experiences during this film's production and their lives and careers since. The four actresses were, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark(who as some may remember was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar as the character Debbie), Mackenzie Phillips, and Lynne Marie Stewart who had a small role as the character Bobbie, the driver of the VW Beetle which Richard Dreyfuss' character Curt rides around in for a short while, and who in real life attended a performing arts high school together with Dreyfuss in NYC. (...fun evening) I recently added this to my home collection. Included was an hour long plus feature on the making of the movie and its influence after its release. Great stuff. One of the most prized of my acquisitions. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LonesomePolecat Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 David Niven, Marlon Brando and Shirley Jones did it much better back in '64. Caine was okay (but not as good as Niven) - but Steve Martin was miscast in the remake. Brando was actually very good in this comedy, comedy not being one of his strengths back then. He did say after making the film that it was the best time he'd ever had making a movie - and that David Niven had kept him in stitches the entire time. It shows in his performance how much he enjoyed making 'Bedtime Story', probably the reason his comedic performance was so unexpectedly good. DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS is a remake?!?!?!?!?!?!? MIND BLOWN!!!!!!! How did I miss a Niven film?!?!?! MUST SEE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BelleLeGrand1 Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 American Graffiti (1973) at the Sedona Film Festival last Friday night. Due to my guess here that most all of you have seen this early George Lucas film, I'll dispense with any review of his homage to pre-JFK assassination and pre-British music invasion era America, however the reason I bring this up is to say that after the screening, four actresses who had roles in the film made a guest appearance on stage and talked about their experiences during this film's production and their lives and careers since. The four actresses were, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark(who as some may remember was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar as the character Debbie), Mackenzie Phillips, and Lynne Marie Stewart who had a small role as the character Bobbie, the driver of the VW Beetle which Richard Dreyfuss' character Curt rides around in for a short while, and who in real life attended a performing arts high school together with Dreyfuss in NYC. (...fun evening) I was wondering which version you saw, Dargo. I didn't like the alterations Lucas made after the initial release, particularly the scene where Harrison Ford breaks out in song, "Some Enchanted Evening" while riding around with Cindy Williams. Should have left that one on the cutting room floor. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LornaHansonForbes Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 American Graffiti (1973) at the Sedona Film Festival last Friday night. Due to my guess here that most all of you have seen this early George Lucas film, I'll dispense with any review of his homage to pre-JFK assassination and pre-British music invasion era America, however the reason I bring this up is to say that after the screening, four actresses who had roles in the film made a guest appearance on stage and talked about their experiences during this film's production and their lives and careers since. The four actresses were, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark(who as some may remember was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar as the character Debbie), Mackenzie Phillips, and Lynne Marie Stewart who had a small role as the character Bobbie, the driver of the VW Beetle which Richard Dreyfuss' character Curt rides around in for a short while, and who in real life attended a performing arts high school together with Dreyfuss in NYC. (...fun evening) No Suzanne Sommers???? Wow, why don't you just collectively spit right in her face, Sedona Film Festival?** **No sarcasm, I really mean that. From seeing her in interviews, she seems like a really horrible, delusional, self-important person. ps- was it at a Drive-In? That's the only thing that could possibly make me more jealous of you for being able to see GRAFFITI on the big screen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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