|
|
Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 28, 2014 16:49:33 GMT -5
Prince Hal unknowingly helps provide the introduction to what I watched last night
The Comancheros (1961)
John Wayne, Stuart Whitman, Lee Marvin, Ina Balin, Nehemiah Persoff, Michael Ansara, Patrick Wayne, Bruce Cabot, Jack Elam, Edgar Buchanan
D-Michael Curtiz
Texas Ranger Jake Cutter (Wayne) arrests gambler Paul Regret (Whitman), but soon finds himself teamed with his prisoner in an undercover effort to defeat a band of renegade arms merchants and thieves known as Comancheros.
An entertaining Wayne oater thats sorta three films in one. First up is Jake Cutter as bounty hunter trying to bring Paul Regret to justice but who keeps slipping away. Next Jake temporarily teams up with the drunken outlaw Tully Crow (Marvin) but how long can two alpha males keep the peace between them. Finally Jake and the reformed Paul Regret infiltrate the Comancheros who are arming the Indians and are the biggest threat to stability in the region.
Lee Marvin's drunken and boisterous performance was a tune up for his upcoming Oscar winning performance in Cat Ballou. Wayne portrays his Ranger with some good natured humour. Its an old fashioned Western movie,lots of action and fun. Unfortunately this will be Michael Curtiz's last directors job.He was sick throughout the filming and John Wayne stepped in to help direct without taking credit.
This film kind of set the tone for the rest of the decade's Wayne films. He seems to be more at ease with himself, having fun with his own legacy as many impersonators were doing at that time. He was 54 years old now. His son was getting bit parts .Wayne was getting some director's experience between this and the prior year's The Alamo. It seemed he was relaxed and enjoying his later years
7 of 10 stars
|
|
|
|
Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 28, 2014 17:07:22 GMT -5
The Gazebo (1959)
Glenn Ford, Debbie Reynolds, Carl Reiner, John McGiver, Bert Freed, Martin Landau
D-George Marshall
TV writer Elliott Nash (Ford) buries a blackmailer under the new gazebo in his suburban backyard. But the nervous man can't let the body rest there.
This black comedy is about a decade ahead of its time. Elliot Nash is being blackmailed because his wife, when she was younger, posed for nude pictures.Elliot is tired of paying so he tells the blackmailer to come to his house for one final big payoff. Elliot is all prepared, a gun in his possession, a big backyard with a new gazebo ready to be installed and the land all ready dug up. Elliot shoots the man coming through the door and thats where everything begins to go wrong. Elliot can't find the shovel to bury the guy so he calls Alfred Hitchcock for advice.Then after disposing the body,Elliot learns that it wasn't the blackmailer after all. Who is buried under the gazebo?
This movie was hilarious.Glenn Ford was marvelous as a stressed out man dealing with all these obstacles and not being able to tell anyone the truth. His best friend in the movie played by Carl Reiner is a District Attorney for chrissakes. You also get to meet Herman the Pigeon
The movie is availble through Warner Archives. Don't miss it if it shows up on TCM. 9 of 10 stars
|
|
|
|
Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 29, 2014 11:51:08 GMT -5
Prince Valiant (1954)
Robert Wagner, James Mason, Jannet Leigh, Debra Paget, Sterling Hayden, Victor McLaglen, Donald Crisp, Brian Aherne
D-Henry Hathaway
Young Prince Valiant (Wagner), son of the exiled King of Scandia, journeys to Camelot to become a knight at King Arthur's Round Table. He hopes to help his father reclaim his throne from the pagan usurper Sligon and restore the Christian faith to their homeland. On his journey he stumbles on the mysterious Black Knight plotting with the Viking pretender to overthrow Arthur. Barely escaping with his life, Valiant encounters Sir Gawaine (Hayden) , a friend of his father's who tutors the young Viking in the skills needed to be a knight. Valiant and Gawaine's pupil/mentor relationship is complicated by their romantic involvement with Princess Aleta (Leigh) and her sister Ilene (Paget), daughters of a British nobleman. If Valiant is to restore his father's throne and prevent the coup d'etat against Arthur, he must uncover the true identity of the Black Knight.
Decent film about the Knights of the Round Table with the exception of Robert Wagner, miscast as Prince Valiant. Sounds too much of an American and looks rather silly in his Betty Page haircut. Well, at least we have the dependable James Mason and the eye pleasing Leigh and Paget. How faithful to the original source this is I would leave to others to judge, not having read enough of the beautifully rendered comic strip. The movie at least has a jousting tournament, assorted forest fighting, a storming of a castle and a very good finale sword fight
It also had me rolling my eyes when Valiant is thrown into a dungeon where it so happens there's easy access to a crowbar and 40 feet of rope. Egads. And Vikings wearing helmuts with horns? Foresooth!!
7 of 10 stars. Much better than Dondi with David Jansen
|
|
|
|
Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 29, 2014 12:04:31 GMT -5
Pete 'N' Tillie (1972)
Carol Burnett, Walter Matthau, Geraldine Page, Rene Auberjonois, Barry Nelson, Henry Jones
D-Martin Ritt
Unassuming and single thirty-three year old Tillie Shlain (Burnett) is at that phase of her life of being known as a soon to be spinster if she doesn't marry soon. She isn't looking forward to meeting the latest in a long string of blind dates, his name being Pete Seltzer (Matthau). Pete and Tillie are not a match made in heaven, he using wisecracking and constant flirtations with women to mask his own insecurities about his average looks and not wanting to deal with life head on. Despite Tillie's guard being up with regard to Pete, he is able slowly to chip away at her defenses. They do embark on a relationship which ends up in marriage. But can their relationship survive their fundamental differences when tragedy strikes.
A precarious blend of drama and comedy. Most of the comedy comes from Matthaus' bon mots.Most of the drama is stemming from Burnett's seriousness. The last third of the film is tragic with a very powerful and emotive scene from Burnett. She never made many theatrical films in her career and this one is more of a showcase to her acting talents. But you will remember this film much longer than you would have if it was just some innocent fluff piece
Geraldine Page was nominated for her role and I don't know why. The two stars do make a lovely couple. 7 of 10 stars
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2014 13:33:53 GMT -5
Watched 1974's Phantom of the Paradise last night. It's no Rocky Horror Picture Show but the musical acts were pretty good. Jessica Harper stole the show, and it's hard to believe her career didn't take off after her appearance in this. I hear she's also in Shock Treatment, so I'll have to check that out next.  The movie starred songwriter Paul Williams, who also wrote most of the soundtrack. It's a great listen if your into rock musicals. |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2014 19:49:06 GMT -5
The Expendables 3 is set to open Aug 15 although almost everyone has seen it already due to a leaked screener dvd. But the modern ensemble cast made me think of one of my dad's favourite ensemble movies from the late 70s when he was in his late teens. I personally love Roger Moore in this one.
The Wild Geese
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2014 20:07:52 GMT -5
The Wild Geese is one of my favorite movies, too. It didn't play in any theater near me, so a friend and I drove over half an hour to a small, privately owned theater we'd never heard of before. And we did it at least 6 times.
|
|
|
|
Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 31, 2014 1:05:04 GMT -5
Rope Of Sand (1949)
Burt Lancaster, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, Corinne Calvet, Sam Jaffe, Mike Mazurki, Haydn Rourke
D-William Dieterle
Two years ago, hunting guide Mike Davis (Lancaster) was with a client who trespassed on diamond company land and found a rich lode; Paul Vogel (Henreid) , sadistic commandant of company police, beat Mike nearly to death but failed to learn the location. Now Mike is back in Diamantstad, South African desert, and manager Martingale (Rains) has a better idea: he hires delectable adventuress Suzanne (Calvet) to ferret out Mike's secret.
A bunch of Casablanca comrades reunite in South Africa. This time, Paul Heinreid is a despicable sadist instead of a quiet good guy. Some good desert scenes in a half-way decent movie. Peter Lorre is only in two brief scenes alas. During the filming, newcommer Calvet threw up all over Lancaster and came down sick. Lancaster acted as a gentleman and continued helping her with acting tips.But he has gone on record that this is his least favorite film. If they kept the barf scene intact, I might remember this movie a year from now
5 of 10 stars. Blood Diamond is similiar and much much better
|
|
|
|
Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 31, 2014 1:18:34 GMT -5
Dark City (1950)
Charlton Heston, Lizabeth Scott, Dean Jagger, Jack Webb, Harry Morgan, Viveca Lindfors, Mike Mazurki, Don DeFore, Ed Begley
D-William Dieterle
Danny Haley's (Heston) bookie operation is shut down, so he and his pals (Webb,Morgan and Begley) need money; when Danny meets Arthur Winant (DeFore) , a sucker from out of town, he decoys him into a series of poker games where eventually Winant loses $5000 that isn't his...then hangs himself. But it seems Winant had a shadowy, protective elder brother who believes in personal revenge. And each of the card players in turn feels a faceless doom inexorably closing in. Dark streets and sexy torch-singer Fran (Scott) lend ambience.
Nifty film-noir with the bad guys getting hunted down one by one by a mystery killer. Neat switch. The big negative is Lizabeth Scott. She's got terrible dialogue and the film comes to a complete stop when its time for her to sing a song at the nightclub. Which happens about 4 or 5 times. By the 3rd time I'm hitting fast forward. Cool to see the Dragnet team of Webb and Morgan together but this time they can't stand each other.
Heston's 3rd film and you can see he'll be a star. Early Las Vegas location shots as well.Only two hotels existed. 7 of 10 stars
|
|
|
|
Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 31, 2014 1:30:27 GMT -5
Aladdin (1992)
Voices of Scott Weinger,Robin Williams,Linda Larkin,Jonathan Freeman,Gilbert Gottfried
D-Ron Clements,John Musker
Aladdin is a street-urchin with his faithful monkey friend Abu. When Princess Jasmine gets tired of being forced to remain in the palace that overlooks the city, she sneaks out to the marketplace, where she accidentally meets Aladdin. Under the orders of the evil Jafar (the sultan's advisor), Aladdin is thrown in jail and becomes caught up in Jafar's plot to rule the land with the aid of a mysterious lamp. Legend has it that only a person who is a "diamond in the rough" can retrieve the lamp from the Cave of Wonders. Aladdin might fit that description, but that's not enough to marry the princess, who must (by law) marry a prince.
Diney continues with their string of blockbusters. This one passed the half-billion mark a long time ago. The animation is gorgeous, Williams and Gottfried together in one film is a goldmine. Williams ad-libbed just about every line in the film. This film also seems more frantic, more fast paced than previous Disney releases. The songs are decent and the characters are well-defined
9 of 10 stars
|
|
|
|
Post by MDG on Jul 31, 2014 11:57:31 GMT -5
Watched 1974's Phantom of the Paradise last night. It's no Rocky Horror Picture Show but the musical acts were pretty good. Jessica Harper stole the show, and it's hard to believe her career didn't take off after her appearance in this. I hear she's also in Shock Treatment, so I'll have to check that out next. She's in a lot of good stuff, like Suspiria and My Favorite Year. Recently re-watched this, but it's not a favorite. I know it's a riff on Phantom of the Opera, but even at that, it felt by-the-numbers. |
|
|
|
Post by MDG on Jul 31, 2014 11:59:06 GMT -5
Dark City (1950)
Charlton Heston, Lizabeth Scott, Dean Jagger, Jack Webb, Harry Morgan, Viveca Lindfors, Mike Mazurki, Don DeFore, Ed Begley
D-William Dieterle
...Cool to see the Dragnet team of Webb and Morgan together but this time they can't stand each other. I like this one a lot. There's another noir from around this time where Webb and Morgan are a pair of thugs working together, but I can't think of the title right now. |
|
|
|
Post by Ish Kabbible on Jul 31, 2014 12:07:47 GMT -5
Dark City (1950)
Charlton Heston, Lizabeth Scott, Dean Jagger, Jack Webb, Harry Morgan, Viveca Lindfors, Mike Mazurki, Don DeFore, Ed Begley
D-William Dieterle
...Cool to see the Dragnet team of Webb and Morgan together but this time they can't stand each other. I like this one a lot. There's another noir from around this time where Webb and Morgan are a pair of thugs working together, but I can't think of the title right now. That would be Appointment With Danger which I watched about 2-3 months ago. Starring Alan Ladd as a Postal Inspector and a Nun as the chief witness.Webb and Morgan were some slimey thugs |
|
|
|
Post by MDG on Jul 31, 2014 15:02:27 GMT -5
That would be Appointment With Danger which I watched about 2-3 months ago. Starring Alan Ladd as a Postal Inspector and a Nun as the chief witness.Webb and Morgan were some slimey thugs Are you watching these on Amazon Instant? Make sure to check out Cry Danger. |
|
|
|
Post by Hoosier X on Jul 31, 2014 16:23:07 GMT -5
I watched Detective Story last night, 1951, with Kirk Douglas, Eleanor Parker, William Bendix, Lee Grant, Dobie Gillis's dad (I forget his name), Burt Mustin (who seems to have been in everything I've seen lately, like The Thrill of It All and The Twilight Zone) and also the dude who played the general that ordered the artillery to fire on his own troops in Paths of Glory. (And there was an actress who I think was in They Live By Night, but I haven't seen that for a while.)
I found it quite gripping. Very stagey, it all takes place in the precinct station, but I really love a lot of those stage adaptations of the 1950s and 1960s.
Kirk Douglas and Eleanor Parker are both great in this, but there's a lot of great performances in this. Like Lee Grant, who is onstage almost the whole time. She really makes the most of it when she finally gets a few lines of dialogue.
I saw The Thrill of It All last week and didn't like it nearly as much. Doris Day and James Garner are both easy to like but this 1963 movie was probably horribly outdated almost as soon as it appeared. It has its moments and it's worth seeing because Doris Day is pretty amazing and the kids are hysterical. I could do without the scene where James Garner drives into the pool. And his complaints about his wife's newfound fame are mostly ridiculous. Probably not unrealistic for the time. But not any less ridiculous.
The scenes with the German housekeeper were pretty funny. |
|
