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Post by Ish Kabbible on Apr 13, 2016 20:43:04 GMT -5
The Prisoner Of Zenda (1952) Stewart Grainger, Deborah Kerr, James Mason, Louis Calherne
See my review from a few days back on the 1937 version with Ronald Coleman, Douglas Fairbanks Jr and others
It's the same screenplay, the same script, the same camera angles. Or about 95% the same because any changes are very much insignificant
This version is visually opulent in it's Technicolor splendor compared to 1937's black and white. But it's the 1937 version that is far superior with it's cast. I'm not a big Ronald Colman fan but he was far more interesting than Stewart Grainger. And the biggest difference of them all is the character played by Douglas Fairbanks Jr.- a dashing scoundrel, one you wish they made a movie sequel following his role. James Mason instead is a stuck up aristocrat and not at all that interesting
Even the film score is an adaptation of the 1937 score. If colorization was around in the 1950's, they would just have applied it to the earlier film and re-released it.
Don't get me wrong- this film is fine in it's own right but 1937 is the way to go
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Apr 14, 2016 3:32:25 GMT -5
Enemy At The Gates (2001) Jude Law, Joseph Fiennes, Rachel Wiesz, Bob Hoskins, Ed Harris, Ron Perlman
The Battle Of Stalingrad during WWII and Russian propaganda elevates master sniper Vassilli (Law) into a national hero. So effective is his fame and accomplishments in picking off German officers that the Germans bring in a Nazi counterpart tasked to kill him
The first half hour of the film depicts the full thrust of one of history's most brutal battles. These scenes can rival the beginning of Saving Private Ryan. Bob Hoskins plays Stalingrad defense commander Khrushchev , Ed Harris as the Nazi sharpshooter. After the opening battles, the film settles into a cat-and=mouse game between the two snipers. A love interest for Jude Law and a little boy involved in the game of hide-and-go-kill deflates the opening intensity. Still, the movie is extremely gritty.
Strange for me having seen Schindler's List the other day with Ralph Fiennes as the Nazi butcher of the Warsaw Ghetto and her we have his brother Joseph plating a Russian Jew in charge of propaganda and fighting the Nazis. I certainly didn't plan my viewing list to that detail
Based on real people and incidents. German casualties were estimated at 260,000 killed and 90,000 wounded. Russian killed might have been as high as 500,000.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2016 15:27:03 GMT -5
I'm in the minority here and I'm one of many people here that don't like Ed Wood at all. Sorry Everyone!
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Apr 14, 2016 22:44:54 GMT -5
Gunfight At The OK Corral (1957) Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Jo Van Fleet, John Ireland, Frank Faylan, DeForest Kelley, Dennis Hopper, Martin Milner, Whit Bissell, Jack Elam
Historically inaccurate account of the alliance between Wyatt Earp and his brothers with Doc Holliday against the Clanton brothers.
There's been plenty of cinematic versions of the famous shoot-out that factually lasted 30 seconds. This is probably the most famous version of them all. Between the two leading men who were at the top of their fame and a wagon-full of familiar and soon to be famous supporting cast members, it's no surprise that this Gunfight is a movie to be seen before you die. Or as singer Frankie Lane intones "Boot Hill. Boot Hill, So Cold, So Still"
its a classic western in every way. It uses the TV show Bonanza set as Dodge City. Confrontations in a bar. Poker games. Femme fatales. Lots of whiskey. A character named Ringo. If there is a western movie cliche, its probably here. In a good way. What in tarnation, you haven't seen it yet? What are you doing on this thread?
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Apr 15, 2016 2:09:18 GMT -5
Patriot Games (1992) Harrison Ford, Anne Archer, Patrick Bergin, Sean Bean, Richard Harris, James Earl Jones, Samuel L. Jackson, Thora Birch
Former C.I.A. agent Jack Ryan, on vacation with family in London, foils an assassination attempt against the royal family. A member of a terrorist Irish revolutionary group vows revenge against Ryan and kin
2nd film appearance of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan character after The Hunt For Red October previously played by Alec Baldwin. Ryan here is an older man, a intelligence analyst rather than a field operative. As such, he's not a super human fighter, more likely to get hurt and needing some luck or help with physical battles. He excels with cerebral tasks, deductive reasoning. It makes for a more believable story. Yet still it packs plenty of excitement and action. Its been awhile since I've seen the other Jack Ryan films (Sum Of All Fears, Clear And Present Danger) and cannot as yet compare them. Patriot Games is quite enjoyable. And it has 3 Star Wars alumni
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Post by Prince Hal on Apr 15, 2016 9:35:05 GMT -5
Gunfight At The OK Corral (1957) Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Jo Van Fleet, John Ireland, Frank Faylan, DeForest Kelley, Dennis Hopper, Martin Milner, Whit Bissell, Jack Elam Historically inaccurate account of the alliance between Wyatt Earp and his brothers with Doc Holliday against the Clanton brothers. There's been plenty of cinematic versions of the famous shoot-out that factually lasted 30 seconds. This is probably the most famous version of them all. Between the two leading men who were at the top of their fame and a wagon-full of familiar and soon to be famous supporting cast members, it's no surprise that this Gunfight is a movie to be seen before you die. Or as singer Frankie Lane intones "Boot Hill. Boot Hill, So Cold, So Still" its a classic western in every way. It uses the TV show Bonanza set as Dodge City. Confrontations in a bar. Poker games. Femme fatales. Lots of whiskey. A character named Ringo. If there is a western movie cliche, its probably here. In a good way. What in tarnation, you haven't seen it yet? What are you doing on this thread? Ringo sez, "I ain't no damn trope!" azcapitoltimes.com/news/2012/03/23/tombstones-deadliest-gunfighter/ |
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 15, 2016 11:58:16 GMT -5
Gunfight At The OK Corral (1957) Burt Lancaster, Kirk Douglas, Rhonda Fleming, Jo Van Fleet, John Ireland, Frank Faylan, DeForest Kelley, Dennis Hopper, Martin Milner, Whit Bissell, Jack Elam Historically inaccurate account of the alliance between Wyatt Earp and his brothers with Doc Holliday against the Clanton brothers. There's been plenty of cinematic versions of the famous shoot-out that factually lasted 30 seconds. This is probably the most famous version of them all. Between the two leading men who were at the top of their fame and a wagon-full of familiar and soon to be famous supporting cast members, it's no surprise that this Gunfight is a movie to be seen before you die. Or as singer Frankie Lane intones "Boot Hill. Boot Hill, So Cold, So Still" its a classic western in every way. It uses the TV show Bonanza set as Dodge City. Confrontations in a bar. Poker games. Femme fatales. Lots of whiskey. A character named Ringo. If there is a western movie cliche, its probably here. In a good way. What in tarnation, you haven't seen it yet? What are you doing on this thread? I love this movie! By far, my favorite version of Tombstone's most famous event. I forgot what a great supporting cast it has! I need to see it again. It's been a while. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 15, 2016 12:12:08 GMT -5
TCM had a marathon yesterday where they were showing a bunch of movies with "trail" in the title. If you guessed it was a lot of westerns that aren't much over an hour long, then the Winchester is yours! I've seen both the John Wayne movies they had listed. I was scrolling through, looking at the cast lists, hoping to find something a little out-of-the ordinary. I would have been happy with Tim Holt or Randolph Scott, but you can't put everything on the DVR so I was being a little choosey. And there it was! Apache Trail (1942)! With Lloyd Nolan and Donna Reed! And in a small part, Gloria Holden, who we should all remember as Dracula's Daughter in the 1936 film! I watched it before I went to bed last night, and it was a lot of fun! Much better production values than most of the films John Wayne made for Republic in the 1930s. (Or maybe it was just a really nice print.) Lloyd Nolan is an outlaw named Trigger Bill. His brother is in charge of a stagecoach station in the middle of the desert in Apache territory. Donna Reed is the Spanish girl that works at the station. She's in love with the brother. A stagecoach rolls in with Miles Mander, his wife (Gloria Holden) and a widow who immediately sets her sights on the stationmaster. Well! Donna Reed can't have that! Trigger Bill shows up and locks horns with his brother, who has very good reasons not to trust him. The Apache are on the warpath! And everybody is at each other's throat! OMG! I'm a sucker for this kind of thing, even when it is isn't very good. But I liked Apache Trail a lot. Hour-long westerns don't get much better than this! Postscript: Chill Wills (the voice of Francis the Talking Mule) is also in it. And I also recognized Grant Withers, who isn't really famous, but he played Inspector Street, the exasperated San Francisco police detective, in the Mr. Wong series. You remember Mr. Wong, right? Boris Karloff as a Chinese mystery-solver who worked with the police? The series also featured Marjorie Reynolds as intrepid girl reporter Bobby Logan. They're hilarious! |
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 15, 2016 13:35:14 GMT -5
In the last few days, I also saw From Caligari to Hitler and Fearless Fagan on TCM. Fearless Fagan (1952) is a rather silly but touching movie about a guy who gets drafted and tries to hide his pet lion on the army base. It's supposedly based on a true story. It stars Janet Leigh as a singer who is doing a show on the base and gets entangled in the ensuing bananashenanigans. I DVRed it because I love Janet Leigh so much no mater what she's in. It just doesn't matter what drivel she's performing in, nor does it bother her if her part's badly written, she seems to know exactly how to play it to get the most out of every role. I enjoyed such fluff as Angels in the Outfield and Safari! against all odds just because of Janet Leigh. And if she ends up in something good - WATCH OUT! Not just the obvious ones like Psycho and Bye Bye Birdie. I'm talking about Little Women and The Naked Spur. OMG! Have you ever seen The Naked Spur? I love the way newcomer Leigh effortlessly holds her own with Jimmy Stewart and Robert Ryan. From Calgari to Hitler (2014) is a documentary about the films of the Weimar Republic. It's in German with English sub-titles. So if you watch it, there's a lot of reading! I liked it a lot. It's based on a 1947 film critique of German films from 1920 to 1933. And it doesn't just mention the super-obvious films like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu, The Golem, Metropolis, the Mabuse films, M, Pandora's Box, etc. It mentioned a lot of movies I've never heard of! I just got done looking at the entry on IMDB and writing down 10 or 12 movies that I'm going to look for on YouTube. They showed an extended scene from a film called Fraulein Else (Miss Else) (1929) about a young woman whose parents are deeply in debt. The parents persuade her to seduce the guy at the bank who authorizes their credit. So the scene in the documentary showed the girl at a fancy resort hotel rather reluctantly following the guy around and trying to get his attention to carry out her parents' plan. Very well done scene! And now I want to see the whole movie! And also, I know that actress! It's Elisabeth Bergner! She fled to England in the 1930s and played Catherine in The Rise of Catherine the Great in 1934. And two years later, she played Rosalind in As You Like It opposite Laurence Olivier as Orlando! She's great! They're both good movies. As You Like It is one of my favorite Shakespeare adaptations. |
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 15, 2016 14:42:03 GMT -5
And last night, I DVRed The Big Cube (1969), Lana Turner's LSD movie. I haven't seen it yet. I'm cautiously optimistic that it will be HILARIOUS! I'm a little wary of that 100-minute running time.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Apr 15, 2016 22:40:28 GMT -5
Donnie Darko (2001) Jake Gyllenhall, Magggie Gyllenhall, Drew Barrymore, Patrick Swayze, Holmes Osborne
Donnie is a teen with disturbing emotional problems. He already had committed arson. Now he's medicated and seeing an analyst. But he sleepwalks at night to the sound of a voice beckoning him. Its a man-sized rabbit who tells him the world will end in 28 days.
This movie blew me away when it came out. It seemed so original, mysterious and you had no idea where it was going. 15 years later and I'm still very impressed. It tells its story simply enough but has so many layers to it. Touches on time travel too. There are many easter-eggs hidden within the film, the DVD special features and commentary point many of them out. Things like numbers used in the film were not random. For instance, a Graham Greene story is being taught in Donnie's class. Greene's birthday is the same day the rabbit predicts the end of the world. Someone in the movie confuses Graham Greene with Loren Greene. Writer/ Director Richard Kelly is married to Loren Greene's daughter.
Patrick Swayze wears the same outfit he does from Dirty Dancing. Drew Barrymore put up the money for the film's financing.
I have no intentions on seeing the sequel S. Darko, terrible reviews and made entirely by different people. But this movie is a true gem. Great soundtrack, held up after all these years and will stay in your mind as you ponder it for quite a while. I'll never forget it
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Apr 16, 2016 1:51:39 GMT -5
Anger Management (2003) Derek Jeter, Adam Sandler, Jack Nicholson, Roger Clemens, Marisa Tomei, Bob Shepherd, Rudy Giuliani, Luis Guzman, Woody Harrelson, John Turturro, Kevin Nealon
Derek Jeter stars in a pretty decent comedy with a climax taking place at the old Yankee Stadium. Derek fields some grounders, chats with The Rocket Roger Clemons, and watches Adam Sadler convince his girlfriend to marry him before a sold out stadium. Mayor Rudy Giuliani starts a chant in the stands for Adam to french kiss Marissa, Bob Shepherd-legendary public address announcer, says "Your attention please" in his impeccable manner while anger councilor Jack Nicholson and his patients Luis Guzman and John Turturro express their support. Woody Harrelson is a transvestite hooker by night, Yankee Stadium security guard by day.
Derek was narrowly beaten out of winning an Oscar for this movie but went on to further cinematic achievements. he also played some games with the Yanks
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 16, 2016 11:08:34 GMT -5
I watched The Big Cube (1969) last night. I scheduled it for the DVR because "Lana Turner's LSD movie" sounds like something I should see. It's watchable. I was never bored. It's not very memorable. It has it's moments. As you can imagine, the LSD special effects are rather amusing. It's never bad enough to be hilarious though. I was hoping for something along the lines of an LSD episode of Dragnet. Blueboy, fresh from eating the bark off a tree, hallucinates his way into out hearts and into television history. Lisa is an heiress whose father dies in a boating accident rather early in the film. The only thing standing between her and unfettered access to her trust fund is her step-mother (Lana Turner, whose real-life exploits are much more interesting than this movie). Lisa's boyfriend (George Chakiris) is a medical-school dropout who has become an LSD dealer (she doesn't know any of this despite heaps of evidence that he is a sleaze only interested in her money). The boyfriend comes up with a scheme to drive Lana Turner crazy by secretly dosing her with LSD. Very silly. I saw it on the TCM schedule a couple of weeks ago and I decided to get it on the DVR because I thought "Lana Turner's LSD movie" sounded like a film that might be very amusing. But it's no The Thing with Two Heads. When I noticed it on the schedule, I thought I recognized George Chakiris's name, but I couldn't quite place him. I thought about it every so often. "Who is George Chakiris?" But I never thought of it when I was near a computer. When the movie started, I still hadn't looked it up, but for some reason, seeing it on the screen during the credits in a bright yellow 1960s movie melting font, I suddenly remembered. He's from West Side Story! It's been a long time since I saw West Side Story. |
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Apr 16, 2016 11:29:25 GMT -5
I bought those Cult Camp Classic DVD boxsets when they came out about 10 years ago. I watched The Big Cube but I have no memory about it. Sounds like you won't either in a year or so. The box set was their Vol 2 of Warner's cult film series. It was subtitled Women In Peril and it also included the movies Trog with Joan Crawford and Caged with Eleanor Parker. There were 3 other boxsets in the series dealing with SF, Historical Films and Terrorized Travelers.
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 16, 2016 15:43:17 GMT -5
I bought those Cult Camp Classic DVD boxsets when they came out about 10 years ago. I watched The Big Cube but I have no memory about it. Sounds like you won't either in a year or so. The box set was their Vol 2 of Warner's cult film series. It was subtitled Women In Peril and it also included the movies Trog with Joan Crawford and Caged with Eleanor Parker. There were 3 other boxsets in the series dealing with SF, Historical Films and Terrorized Travelers. I love both Trog and Caged. Trog is HILARIOUS! Caged is a completely different kettle of fish. Eleanor Parker was nominated for Best Actress. And she might have won if not for being unlucky enough to be up against Bette Davis and Anne Baxter ( All About Eve), Gloria Swanson ( Sunset Boulevard) and winner Judy Holliday ( Born Yesterday). |
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