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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 25, 2014 12:20:38 GMT -5
The Magic Christian (1969)
Peter Sellers,Ringo Starr,Wilfred Hyde-White,Richard Attenborough,Lawrence Harvey,Christopher Lee,Raquel Welch,John Cleese,Roman Pulanski,Spike Milligan,Graham Chapman
D-Joseph McGrath
Sir Guy Grand (Sellers) adopts homeless bum Youngman (Starr) to be heir to his obscene wealth, and immediately they begin to prey upon people's greed by use of the vast wealth. They leave no stone unturned as sporting events, restaurants, art galleries, and traditional pheasant hunts turn into lurid displays of bad manners and profiteering. Things climax at the social event of the season, the inaugural voyage of the new pleasure cruiser The Magic Christian.
How can you not want to check out this spectacular mess of a movie.Written by Terry (Dr.Strangelove,Cincinnatti Kid/Barbarella) Southern plus Pythons Cleese and Chapman.Soundtrack includes 3 Badfinger songs including McCartney's Come and Get It and Thunderclap Newman's Something in the Air.The movie is really a bunch of strung together anarchistic skits of the absurdity of the rich. Within the 90 minutes you get:
Pheasant hunts with machine guns,bazookas and flame-throwers
An hysterical Southby auction
Sellers strapped down to a restaurant's chair with caviar smashed into his face
Cross-dressing chanteusess
Heavy weight champions having sex in the boxing ring
Christopher Lee as Dracula on a luxury liner
Raquel Welch in a leather bikini and whip amongst topless oarswomen
A Man in a gorilla suit running wild
2 Mr Universes in speedos
A huge vat of urine and feces with money floating on top and people diving in to obtain it
Lawrence Harvey doing a striptease while performing Hamlet's soliliquy
And there's more than that.The culmination of silly 60s British humor.John Lennon was supposed to be the co-star but had to bow out after his marijuana bust so Ringo stepped in instead.Ringo doesn't have much to do in the film alas.As I said its a mess but any fan of Sellers or Monty Python should view it.
I remember wanting to see it when it was originally released but wound up catching it 2 or 3 years later on a Midnight Movie billing.At that time I was disappointed.But seeing it now I'm much more appreciative for its crazy and nostalgic appeal 7 of 10 stars
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Post by Hoosier X on May 25, 2014 19:50:55 GMT -5
I'm watching No Time for Sergeants right now. OMG! Don Knotts is hysterical! The whole thing is hysterical!
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 26, 2014 7:49:40 GMT -5
About A Boy (2002)
Hugh Grant,Nicolas Hoult,Toni Collette,Rachel Weisz
D-Paul & Chris Weitz
Immature,superficial 38 year old slacker Will Freeman (Grant) befriends 12 year old geeky outcast Marcus Brewer (Hoult). Will thinks a 12 year old boy will help him score with single moms,Marcus thinks Will can help prevent his mother from comitting suicide
A funny and charming film from the duo responsible for the American Pie movies. Possibly Hugh Grants best movie role.In the original novel,Will introduces Marcus to the music of Nirvana and Kurt Cobain's suicide plays a large role in the story.Since the movie came out 8 years later,that plotline is completely dropped and a rap song is substituted.
Who would guess back then that 12 year old Nicolas Hoult would later become Hank (The Beast ) McCoy in the Xmen movies
7 of 10 stars
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 26, 2014 16:37:13 GMT -5
Beauty And The Beast (1946)
Jean Marais,Josette Day
D-Jean Cocteau
A french family headed by a widowed father,his 3 daughters and son are going broke. 2 daughters and the son still spend their money frivolously.Only the daughter,Belle, seems concerned and the other siblings treat her like a maid.Similar to how Cinderella was treated.Belle's father on the way home through the forest gets lost and enters a strange castle.He is confronted by a bestial Cat-Man who gives the father a choice-to be killed immediately or send one of his daughters to the Cat-Man's castle forever. The father returns home and Belle volunteers to go live with the beast A charming little fairy tale.The Cat-Man looks like something out of The Lion King. The Cat-Man's castle is something else all together. Hallways are lined with arms coming out of the wall holding torchlights. Human heads are engraved all around the castle, heads and eyes that follow you as you pass by. Arms come up out of the table to serve you dinner. Still effective effects almost 70 years later Again,very similar to Cinderella with the wicked sisters and Belle meeting her true prince.I never watched the popular TV series with Ron Perlman but I'm sure fans of that would want to check this earlier version. Watched this via Criterion which also includes Philip Glass' opera of the same name that was synchronized to the movie. 8 of 10 stars 
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 26, 2014 21:10:31 GMT -5
Greaser's Palace (1972)
Allan Arbus,Albert Henderson,Elise Downey,Luana Anders
D-Robert Downey
In the old west,zoot-suited Jesse (Arbus) parachutes down from the sky.His touch can heal ("I can crawl again"),he brings back the dead and walks on water.The town is run by Seaweedhead Greaser (Henderson) who kills when he pleases,is constipated and has a Mexican Mariachi band perform for his trips to the outhouse.
Forget about plot summaries.This was a favorite on the Midnight Movie circuit of the 1970s. The perfect film for a double feature with El Topo. The pieces of the puzzle don't always come together but your eyes will remained glued to the screen. Beautifully shot in New Mexico and the extras for the movie had interesting faces.Plus you get Toni (Mickey) Basil, Herve (Fantasy Island) Villechaize and the screen debut of little Robert Downey Jr.
The DVD was initially released in 1999 and quickly went out of print.Prices for it shot up above $100 Ebay. Thankfully a new DVD version was released in 2010. 7 of 10 stars for me,3 of 10 stars for those with no sense for the absurd
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Post by Hoosier X on May 26, 2014 23:54:37 GMT -5
I watched Kelly's Heroes last night. Never saw it before. I can't believe I've never seen it, as much as I love those "mission WWII" movies like The Dirty Dozen and Von Ryan's Express. Kelly's Heroes is great!
I never heard of Greaser's Palace before. Anything that would be appropriate for a double bill with El Topo sounds like something I should see.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 27, 2014 0:22:00 GMT -5
I watched Kelly's Heroes last night. Never saw it before. I can't believe I've never seen it, as much as I love those "mission WWII" movies like The Dirty Dozen and Von Ryan's Express. Kelly's Heroes is great! I never heard of Greaser's Palace before. Anything that would be appropriate for a double bill with El Topo sounds like something I should see. If you haven't already,check out The Guns Of Navarone.Which reminds me of an old Dick Van Dyke episode where the police where questioning Rob petrie on his whereabouts."I was at the movie theater" said Rob."Oh yeah?What movie?" The Guns of Navarone" "Oh yeah?Whats it about?" "I can't tell you .I fell asleep" "WHAT-YOU FELL ASLEEP DURING THE GUNS OF NAVARONE?" Rob Petrie spent that night in a jail cell.The next day his wife Laura bails him out.Rob tells his wife that he was innocent and at the movies watching the Guns of Navarone but fell asleep and couldn't tell the cops about the film. "WHAT-YOU FELL ASLEEP DURING THE GUNS OF NAVARONE?" Laura said. Rob had to sleep on the couch that night.The next day at work,Rob tells Buddy and Sally what happened."WHAT-YOU FELL ASLEEP DURING THE GUNS OF NAVARONE?" Luckily for Rob Petrie somone finally confessed to the crime |
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Post by Hoosier X on May 27, 2014 0:54:03 GMT -5
I watched Kelly's Heroes last night. Never saw it before. I can't believe I've never seen it, as much as I love those "mission WWII" movies like The Dirty Dozen and Von Ryan's Express. Kelly's Heroes is great! I never heard of Greaser's Palace before. Anything that would be appropriate for a double bill with El Topo sounds like something I should see. If you haven't already,check out The Guns Of Navarone.Which reminds me of an old Dick Van Dyke episode where the police where questioning Rob petrie on his whereabouts."I was at the movie theater" said Rob."Oh yeah?What movie?" The Guns of Navarone" "Oh yeah?Whats it about?" "I can't tell you .I fell asleep" "WHAT-YOU FELL ASLEEP DURING THE GUNS OF NAVARONE?" Rob Petrie spent that night in a jail cell.The next day his wife Laura bails him out.Rob tells his wife that he was innocent and at the movies watching the Guns of Navarone but fell asleep and couldn't tell the cops about the film. "WHAT-YOU FELL ASLEEP DURING THE GUNS OF NAVARONE?" Laura said. Rob had to sleep on the couch that night.The next day at work,Rob tells Buddy and Sally what happened."WHAT-YOU FELL ASLEEP DURING THE GUNS OF NAVARONE?" Luckily for Rob Petrie somone finally confessed to the crime The Dick van Dyke Show is my favorite sitcom EVER! (Except maybe for The Addams Family.) But I don't remember this particular episode.
WTF!?!?! HE FELL ASLEEP DURING THE GUNS OF NAVARONE?
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Post by Jasoomian on May 27, 2014 2:13:51 GMT -5
And 30 years later, Jerry Seinfeld got in trouble for making out during Schindler's List.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,870
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Post by shaxper on May 27, 2014 5:10:38 GMT -5
My mother and I showed Witness for the Prosecution (1957) to my wife and soon to be father-in-law last night, expecting the surprise ending would blow them both away. Unfortunately, part way through, my wife remembered reading the Agatha Christie novel upon which it was based and my mother's fiance recalled seeing the film decades earlier. All agreed the movie was fantastic, but no gasps of shock at the close.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on May 27, 2014 9:55:56 GMT -5
Halls Of Montezuma (1950)
Richard Widmark,Jack Palance,Karl Malden,Robert Wagner,Richard Boone,Reginald Gardner,Jack Webb,Neville Brand,Martin Milner,Bert Freed
D-Lewis Milestone
U.S. Marines storm a heavily armed island in the Pacific.They must capture alive some Japanese troops to learn where the rocket base is hidden
My Memorial Day movie choice.Vivid technicolor and a great testosterone-fueled cast.More realistic than most war movies back then with a number of soldiers suffering from combat stress and heavy casualties.War is hell in this movie.Richard Widmark shines as Lt. Anderson.I haven't heard the term "nips" so often since the Seinfeld episode with Elaine having a picture taken with a see-thru shirt. 6 and 1/2 stars of 10
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Post by Slam_Bradley on May 27, 2014 11:43:44 GMT -5
Haven't been watching a lot of movies of late. But three over the weekend.
Breakheart Pass (1975)
Charles Bronson, Ben Johnson, Richard Crenna, Jill Ireland, Charles Durning, Ed Lauter.
Dir. Tom Gries
Western mystery set on a train going through the high mountains of Nevada (it was actually shot in North Idaho). Nobody is quite what they seem. This was Bronson during his height as an action lead. And it's always nice to see Ben Johnson. There are a LOT of historic anachronisms in this one, many stemming from the Alastair MacLean novel, but it's an enjoyable film. A high-light is a fight between Bronson and former Light-Heavyweight champion Archie Moore atop a moving train.
The Sword in the Stone (1963)
Voices - Sebastian Cabot, Karl Swenson, Rickie Sorenson, Junius Matthews, Alan Napier,
Dir. Wolfgang Reitherman
Animated Disney adaptation of T. H. White's The Once and Future King. I hadn't seen this in probably 35 years. Far from Disney's best, it's still an entertaining flick.
Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)
Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Ray Walston
Dir. Amy Heckerling
This one is pure nostalgia. I was a freshman in 1982. Substitute some small-town changes and this was high school.
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Post by Jesse on May 27, 2014 12:29:54 GMT -5
The Sword in the Stone (1963)Voices - Sebastian Cabot, Karl Swenson, Rickie Sorenson, Junius Matthews, Alan Napier, Dir. Wolfgang Reitherman Animated Disney adaptation of T. H. White's The Once and Future King. I hadn't seen this in probably 35 years. Far from Disney's best, it's still an entertaining flick I enjoyed that as a kid especially the wizards' duel. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on May 27, 2014 12:50:27 GMT -5
The Sword in the Stone (1963)Voices - Sebastian Cabot, Karl Swenson, Rickie Sorenson, Junius Matthews, Alan Napier, Dir. Wolfgang Reitherman Animated Disney adaptation of T. H. White's The Once and Future King. I hadn't seen this in probably 35 years. Far from Disney's best, it's still an entertaining flick I enjoyed that as a kid especially the wizards' duel. The wizards duel is by far the best part of the film. Really great animation there. |
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Post by Prince Hal on May 27, 2014 21:14:21 GMT -5
Halls Of Montezuma (1950)
Richard Widmark,Jack Palance,Karl Malden,Robert Wagner,Richard Boone,Reginald Gardner,Jack Webb,Neville Brand,Martin Milner,Bert Freed
D-Lewis Milestone
Great DNA in this one: Brand was a highly decorated WW2 vet. Not the fourth most decorated, as was often stated, and Brand never claimed that and always said it was untrue. Still, he had quite the collection of medals, and he was severely wounded as well. jodavidsmeyer.com/combat/military/neville_brand.htmlPalance was also a Purple Heart recipient, and was excellent in the criminally unknown Attack (1956), directed by Robert Aldrich. And Milestone directed one of the best anti-war war films ever, All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). |
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