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Post by Hoosier X on Jul 18, 2016 23:52:58 GMT -5
Today on YouTube Theatre: The Quiet Duel (1949), director by Akira Kurosawa, with Toshiro Mifune and Takashi Shimura. The Quiet Duel is about an army surgeon (Mifune) who gets syphilis after cutting himself during an operation. The movie is about the next few years of his life and how he deals with the problems caused by his affliction. We all know how much I love Kurosawa. Still, I put this one off for a while, even though I've known for several years that it was available on YouTube. I knew that it would be good, maybe great, because if anybody could make an interesting and entertaining movie about syphilis, it's Kurosawa. But I had to wait until I was in the right mood. It helps a lot that it's only 95 minutes. And The Quiet Duel is pretty good! I'm not remaking my Top Five Kurosawa Movies List or anything, but I found this film to be compelling and entertaining, and you can always count on Mifune and Shimura for some great acting. Another triumph for Kurosawa! (And his fans!)
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Post by Hoosier X on Jul 18, 2016 23:58:08 GMT -5
A film recently watched and worth noting Come Back To The Five And Dime, Jimmie Dean, Jimmie Dean (1982) Directed by Robert Altman Cher, Karen Black, Sandy Dennis, Kathy Bates I recall on many DVD forums I used to participate on that this title was one of the most requested to finally get a DVD release. And finally at the end of 2014 it did, on Olive Productions Its an adaptation of a play and the whole film takes place in a single setting, a run down small town Texas 5 & Dime store in 1975 and the 20th anniversary reunion of the James Dean Fan club which consists of a few ladies. Robert Altman keeps the pace interesting with his use of flashbacks between the present and past versions of the characters and the dialogue is quite compelling. Easily you get caught up with these character's personal stories. Each one slowly reveals a secret they have been harboring all these years Sandy Dennis claims here mentally defective son is the love child she had with James Dean when he visited the town for the filming of the movie " Giant". Karen Black is a mysterious traveler who has just happened to show up. Cher is brash and fun and proud of her boobs. Kathy Bates is young and reminds me of Roseanne Barr A fine cast and your time will be well spent viewing My mom took us to see this onstage! I think I was 15 and my brother was 13. I remember watching the movie when it was on cable (I was 20 by then) and understanding it a lot better. (But still not liking it too much.) Kathy Bates was in it?
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Post by Hoosier X on Jul 19, 2016 0:02:27 GMT -5
I think of Robert Altman as one of my favourite directors of all time but this reminds me that I still haven't seen several of his most highly acclaimed films. My personal top 3 Altmans would be The Long Goodbye, Short Cuts, and Gosford Park, but I really should buckle down and make time to watch some of the ones I've missed. I love Gosford Park so much I can barely stand it! Short Cuts is pretty good as well. I'm a big fan of the book The Long Goodbye and I didn't really like the movie that much the first time I saw it. But I watched it again two or three years ago and I've warmed to it quite a bit over the years, partly because I miss living in Los Angeles. And I still have never seen Nashville!
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Post by Hoosier X on Jul 19, 2016 0:06:12 GMT -5
And then there's this little curiosity in the Altman filmography: I saw it when it first came out (I was 16) and left the theater very confused. I saw it again a few years ago and I think it's genius! Lots and lots of points for being SO WEIRD!
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 19, 2016 0:10:13 GMT -5
Hoosier, you just go ahead and keep reminding me to rent those Kurosawa films from the library that I have not seen yet. Thankfully the library at Lincoln Center has, literally over a thousand foreign films on DVD including probably everything Kurosawa ever directed and they are all on Criterion to boot.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 19, 2016 0:17:25 GMT -5
Altman's Popeye got better and better each time I've seen it (once every 15 years or so)
And one of my all-time favorites of his was Brewster McCloud. Saw it at a midnight movie marathon shortly after it's release in 1970. Stars Bud Cort, Shelly DuVall, Sally Kellerman, Stacy Keach, Margaret Hamilton amongst others. C'mon, its about a young guy who wants to grow wings and fly around inside the Houston Astrodome.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jul 19, 2016 1:41:02 GMT -5
Altman's Popeye got better and better each time I've seen it (once every 15 years or so) And one of my all-time favorites of his was Brewster McCloud. Saw it at a midnight movie marathon shortly after it's release in 1970. Stars Bud Cort, Shelly DuVall, Sally Kellerman, Stacy Keach, Margaret Hamilton amongst others. C'mon, its about a young guy who wants to grow wings and fly around inside the Houston Astrodome. I've heard of Brewster McCloud but I didn't know what it was about and I didn't know it was Altman. Geez Louise! That cast! I must keep my eyes open for this!
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 19, 2016 5:11:05 GMT -5
The Big Shakedown (1934) Charles Farrell, Bette Davis, Ricardo Cortez, Glenda Farrell, Alan Jenkins A strange little crime film Prohibition is coming to an end and bootlegger Dutch Barnes needs a new racket. He comes across a corner drug store run by young chemist Charles Farrell and his girlfriend Bette. Farrell boasts to the gangster that he can make toothpaste just as good as the leading brand. So Dutch Barnes hires him and they start a counterfeit toothpaste company. Soon their branching out to other counterfeit cosmetics. Charles Farrell gets second thought about the matter when Dutch Barnes wants to expand into inferior life-saving drugs Another fast paced one hour crime drama. Bette doesn't have much opportunity to show off her acting skills. Ricardo Cortez always plays a great slimey racketeer. I was taken aback by the young Charles Farrell since I was familiar with him 20 years after this movie was made. He played the father on the TV show My Little Margie. He was Mr. Albright, white haired and moustached and 50 lbs heavier. Young Charles Farrell My Little Margie Charles Farrell
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Post by Hoosier X on Jul 19, 2016 10:44:27 GMT -5
Geez Louise! Bette Davis made a lot of movies! I have an IMDB list of the Bette Davis movies I've seen, and I'm approaching 60. And I'm still coming across DOZENS of Bette Davis movies I've never seen.
TCM has devoted August to Summer Under the Stars, which means every day is a 24-hour marathon devoted to one movie star. I've seen all the Humphrey Bogart movies they have scheduled this year. (Among the obscure ones, I recommend King of the Underworld. Lots of points for being weird.) And on Bette Davis day, they're showing one that I haven't seen! Housewife (1934)! Hoo-ray!
I was just looking at her filmography and noticing she made 23 movies (not counting a couple of short films) from 1931 to 1934 and I've only seen 11.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2016 13:58:45 GMT -5
For a quick recap ... I never, ever really like Popeye starring Robin Williams, but I did had fondness of Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl and Ray Walston as Poopdeck Pappy. I just think it is too weird for my taste and I have seen it twice and after seeing it twice I just had no intentions of seeing it again. I have so many issues with it and doesn't have that comic book and/or cartoon appeal that I liked so much and I felt after seeing twice - I felt I wasted my time and money on this film. It's that bad for me.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2016 14:10:51 GMT -5
I was just looking at her filmography and noticing she made 23 movies (not counting a couple of short films) from 1931 to 1934 and I've only seen 11. She was a workaholic and has a nasty habit of scanning Hollywood for all the movie roles that she can possibly get so that she get some recognition of some sorts and that's paid off in a big way and that's a good thing. She also one hardest and most successful actress in Hollywood History and one of the Nation's most dedicated actress in terms of serving the Military and that's lead her being a co-founder of the Hollywood Canteen. I admire Bette Davis for that and that's why she has a reputation of doing great work and that alone she was a Director's Dream to work with and often made his job quite easy. Hollywood Canteen was the driving force of Bette Davis, John Garfield, and Jules Stein. I do admire John Garfield as well and he was a top notch organizer of the Canteen ... See Link Below. Hollywood Canteen
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Post by Prince Hal on Jul 19, 2016 15:33:25 GMT -5
Altman's Popeye got better and better each time I've seen it (once every 15 years or so) And one of my all-time favorites of his was Brewster McCloud. Saw it at a midnight movie marathon shortly after it's release in 1970. Stars Bud Cort, Shelly DuVall, Sally Kellerman, Stacy Keach, Margaret Hamilton amongst others. C'mon, its about a young guy who wants to grow wings and fly around inside the Houston Astrodome. I've heard of Brewster McCloud but I didn't know what it was about and I didn't know it was Altman. Geez Louise! That cast! I must keep my eyes open for this! Seen Thieves Like Us? Worth a look.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jul 19, 2016 17:37:33 GMT -5
I saw Thieves Like Us a couple of years ago. I forgot it was Altman. Great movie!
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 19, 2016 20:12:16 GMT -5
Bette Davis, one of Hollywood's greatest actresses. Also one of Hollywood's most feared and despised divas. Her public feud with Joan Crawford was legendary. So many leading men, directors and producers fought with her. In some cases she was right. Many times she was driven by pure evil mood swings. She, most definitely was not easy to get along with. I recall when she was alive she would occasionally appear on Johnny Carson or Dick Cavett. Usually not to sell a movie she just worked on but rather to talk about the Golden Age of Film. She wouldn't hold back, she would enjoy sharing the dirt on those she still had ill feelings toward. It made for great interviews because she was old and didn't care anymore about censoring herself. Carson and Cavett loved having her on their shows. www.express.co.uk/expressyourself/38882/Bette-Davis-the-Hollywood-bitchThe internet is full of articles about the horrors of working with Bette Davis. However, the performance you would get from her made it worthwhile
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 19, 2016 20:18:00 GMT -5
Thieves Like Us was another Altman winner. His early sci-fi film Countdown was worth viewing. And of course, his break-out movie M.A.S.H. The Altman film on the top of my list to finally watch would be California Split with Elliot Gould and George Segal
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