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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 5, 2015 20:13:34 GMT -5
Volver (2006) Penelope Cruz Directed by Pedro Almodovar Raimunda has to deal with her husband getting stabbed by her daughter during an attempted rape, rumours of people seeing her mother who died in a fire years ago and other people in her family dying from other natural causes. And yet its not a morbid film. Colorful and engaging. Cruz really impressed me with this film. An original story and quite needed after the turkeys that preceded it. Spanish with English subtitles. Cruz got an Oscar nomination for this and well deserved. Recommended I love this film so much! If I still lived in L.A. when it came out, I probably would have seen it three or four times in the theater. But I saw it on DVD when it was a few years old. AMong his more recent films, The Skin I Live In is amazing.
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Post by henrybrown on Oct 6, 2015 5:43:49 GMT -5
Hausu aka House is a classic alright - excellent film. From what I recall of the director's interview on the DVD bonuses, it was banned in Japan for a few years and was only released in the west 25 odd years later. Love Les yeux sans visage aka Eyes Without a Face too. Both are easily my favourite Japanese and French horrors! Just noticed the mention of The Skin I Live - like Almodovar a lot but when I saw the poster for The Skin I Live I immediately thought of Les yeux sans visage. Annoyed me that no-one seemed to mention it in the reviews I read so I haven't watched it yet.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 6, 2015 17:42:34 GMT -5
On to another Icon Collection. This one is titled Icons Of Screwball Comedies. It's 2 volumes with 8 movies in total, all seemingly from Columbia Pictures. A double header starring Loretta Young who I only vaguely remember from her half hour drama anthology TV show in daytime reruns when I was a small lad 100 years ago
The Doctor Takes A Wife (1940) Loretta Young, Ray Milland, Reginald Gardner
Loretta is a best selling authoress of "Spinsters Aren't Spinach" an early women's lb book about the joys of being a single woman. She's on a book tour and gets stuck in a small town. Ray Milland is an associate professor specializing in headaches and gives her a lift to New York City. By accident someone puts a "Just Got Married" sign on the back of the car. Reporters catch wind of it and write up the news about the sneak wedding. Reginald Garner is Loretta's publicist and convinces her to not deny the marriage because she can write a best seller about her change of mind. Ray Milland learns that being married means he can finally be promoted to senior professor. So Ray and Loretta pretend the marriage is for real-at least for a few months
OK comedy with the old standby plot of a misconception snowballing. I keep picturing Cary Grant as the lead, it feels like it was written for him. Loretta is pretty good as a comic actress. Ray and Loretta live in the same apartment although not really married. I'm sure the censors look over those scenes very carefully. Thankfully all was resolved before Ray Milland developed his X-Ray eyes.
A Night To Remember (1942) Loretta Young, Brian Aherne, Sidney Toler, Gale Sondergaard
Nancy and Jeff move into a basement appartment in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. The landlord tries to convince them they shouldn't occupy it until a few more days but they got no place else to go. The apartment house is full of mysterious tenants who hold secret meetings. A corpse is discovered in the backyard.With Gale Sondergaard as a neighbor, could the Nazi's be involved? Inspector Charlie Chan (Sidney Toler) arrives to investigate the murder . The bigger mystery is his accent is different and he's calling himself Inspector Hankins. I keep expecting #1 son to appear and tell Charlie "Stop clowning around, Pop"
Not really a screwball comedy, more a comedy/mystery with lots of shadowy atmosphere. Pretty decent. I wished it was a lost Chan film. I'm finally in the mood to some more. Toler is great, even without the Chan accent and he treats Brian Aherne as an idiot. Which he is. Loretta is fine with comedy here as well. Don't get this movie confused with the one dealing with The Titanic from the late 1950s. That one is a four star flick
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 7, 2015 14:44:02 GMT -5
Together Again (1944) Irene Dunne, Charles Boyer, Charles Coburn, Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer, Shelly Winters
An Icon Of Screwball Comedy Selection
Irene Dunne is a small town mayor, having taken the job when the former mayor, her husband , passed away. The statue erected in his honor gets damaged in a thunderstorm so she performs an urgent mayoral task by heading to NYC to find a sculptor to build a replacement statue. Charles Boyer is the sculptor who takes her to a strip club. The club gets raided and Irene Dunne is mistaken as a stripper and is held overnight in jail. She heads back home the next day pretty disgusted about the whole visit to the city. But Boyer follows her back to Vermont, sweet talks her in that Frenchie way to give him a chance to sculpt, worms his way in the mayor's family and woos her to marry him.
Not bad and as a screwball comedy, a misunderstanding snowballs into a hilarious situation during the last half hour. I won't describe it but its enjoyable. Poor Alfalfa!! He was only able to get very small roles as a full grown teen and here he is briefly seen as an elevator boy. And Shelly Winters appears in a wink of an eye as one of the strippers fleeing the police during the raid
I was thinking about the role of women during these WWII films. With so many men gone off to war, women were taking over the workforce as well as being clearly the dominant portion of the movie going public. Many films were aimed at women with a pre-lib message that they can do a man's job. What's strange was how they gave up this new found independence so quickly and without any struggle once the war was over. It was back to the kitchen quickly and all through the 1950s they were treated like a nation of June Cleavers, only good for cooking and cleaning the Beaver.
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Post by henrybrown on Oct 7, 2015 15:07:39 GMT -5
The Woman in White (1948)Interesting, if confusing, adaptation of the Wilkie Collins novel. Eleanor Parker and Gig Young are bland but Sydney Greenstreet compensates as a sinister Italian with an Irish accent. Other noteworthy performance is by John Abbott as a world-weary middle-aged fop. Some creepy moments and one of these films whose plot is so mangled by the censor, or code, that it becomes almost surreal.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2015 15:35:12 GMT -5
The Woman in White (1948)Interesting, if confusing, adaptation of the Wilkie Collins novel. Eleanor Parker and Gig Young are bland but Sydney Greenstreet compensates as a sinister Italian with an Irish accent. Other noteworthy performance is by John Abbott as a world-weary middle-aged fop. Some creepy moments and one of these films whose plot is so mangled by the censor, or code, that it becomes almost surreal. I haven't seen this film yet, and it's one of my must see ... thanks for reminding me henrybrown and welcome to CCF.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 8, 2015 8:29:07 GMT -5
The Woman in White (1948)Interesting, if confusing, adaptation of the Wilkie Collins novel. Eleanor Parker and Gig Young are bland but Sydney Greenstreet compensates as a sinister Italian with an Irish accent. Other noteworthy performance is by John Abbott as a world-weary middle-aged fop. Some creepy moments and one of these films whose plot is so mangled by the censor, or code, that it becomes almost surreal. I saw this maybe two years ago after I saw Caged and I was going through an Eleanor Parker obsession and I remember that Eleanor Parker is stunningly beautiful. Also, I remember that the film is watchable, not boring at all, but not exceptional.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 8, 2015 8:38:04 GMT -5
I watched The Bigamist (1953) last night. I would love this for the cast (Edmond O'Brian, Joan Fontaine, Ida Lupino, Edmund Gwenn, Jane Darwell) even if the movie wasn't particularly good. But it is very good. it's almost like a minimalist film noir masquerading as a social relevance movie. I think both the wives (Joan Fontaine and Ida Lupino) could be the femme fatale if the story were told from the point-of-view of the other wife!
Of course, everybody is far too nice to each other for it to really be a film noir.
It was directed by Ida Lupino, who directed several movies in this period. (I think she also directed a few episodes of Gilligan's Island and one episode of The Twilight Zone.)
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Post by henrybrown on Oct 8, 2015 12:45:31 GMT -5
Busting (1974)Kind of Serpico-lite buddy-buddy vice cop movie, with very appealing leads Elliot Gould and Robert Blake. The plot is a bit TV movie, but there's a couple of stand out chase scenes that are exceptionally well done. Really unusual way to end a movie, too. Tons of things to like - how about this choice reading material for an extended stake-out in some public toilets? (Wondered if Ant-Man was a metaphor for the incorruptible cop? Gould does a nice soliloquy after flicking through it!)
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 8, 2015 12:59:57 GMT -5
Theodora Goes Wild (1936) Irene Dunne, Melvyn Douglas
An Icon Of Screwball Comedy Selection
A little town in New England. All the inhabitants seem to be wrinkly old biddies, always gossiping and are ultra-conservative. Young Theodora is an exception. She authors a scandalous novel under an assumed name. She travels to New York City to meet her publisher. The illustrator of the book happens to be in the office and follows her back to her hometown. What a stalker! He threatens to reveal her secret to the town unless she lets him move into her barn. What a cad! When Theodora finally admits she loves him and wants the world to know about who really wrote the book, he slips away from town overnight leaving a goodbye note behind him. Theodora goes back to New York City to confront him and finds out he's married. What a POS!!!
Melvyn Douglas, he with the cheesy mustache, is a real ass in this film. Irene Dunne is pretty good in her role. The movie gets better and better as it rolls along. Too bad it wasn't done a few years previously before the Hayes Code came into effect. Still, its enjoyable
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 8, 2015 13:10:26 GMT -5
A Fish Called Wanda (1988) John Cleese, Kevin Kline, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Palin
A gang of thieves successfully pull a jewel robbery but double cross each other over the diamonds. One gets caught and is defended by Archie Leach (John Cleese-not Cary Grant). Jamie Lee Curtis starts an affair with the lawyer to get inside info where the treasure may be hidden. Kevin Kline is her dumb boyfriend and is insanely jealous. Michael Palin stutters
The greatest Monty Python film that only has 2 of it's members. John Cleese helped write and direct this. All principle actors do a bang up job particularly Kevin Kline in which I thought this was his greatest role. Live fish getting eaten, little doggies crushed-I love it.
One of my favorite films of 1988
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Post by Prince Hal on Oct 8, 2015 20:22:28 GMT -5
That's two Cary Grant movies I haven't seen that I've been reminded about on this page, Holiday and The Awful Truth. Eyes Without a Face sounds like it might be a good one to watch for Hallowe'en. You should fast-track both The Awful Truth and Eyes without a Face. The Awful Truth is tied with Suspicion as my favorite Cary Grant film. I keep my eyes open for Cary Grant movies I haven't seen. If you get the channel called Movies!, then you can see An Affair to Remember with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr tonight (Saturday). Following that, they're showing Houseboat, with Grant and Sophia Loren. An Affair to Remember is probably the biggest Cary Grant movie I've never seen. I've seen Houseboat, and it's not so great, but it's not without its charm if you have a high tolerance for not-so-great movies. Later in October, TCM is showing Mr. Lucky, another one I've never seen. It sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to it. TCM showed Charade a few days ago and I DVRed it. I've seen it, but it's been a long time. I'm planning on watching it tonight. I'm sure you've seen these, but if you haven't, I think they're all worth a peek: Destination Tokyo, an excellent serious war movie, with Grant as the sub commander, leading an excellent cast (John Garfield, for one) and Operation Petticoat, a comedic war movie with Tony Curtis, doing a send-up of Grant, as Grant's effete second-in-command on a pink (!) submarine. Notorious, one of Hitchcock's very best, I think, with Ingrid Bergman as Grant's love interest. Grant is excellent. You must have seen Philadelphia Story, right? And Gunga Din, too? His only Oscar nomination came in 1944 for playing the cynical drifter Ernie Mott in None But the Lonely Heart, a somewhat dark drama. And there's People Will Talk, also a kind of a comedy, but with a somewhat dour and serious portrayal by Grant as a doctor in a story that involves unwed motherhood, an ex-killer, vitriolic gossip with more than a hint of the McCarthyism just around the corner, and Grant's iconoclastic, implacable Doctor Noah Praetorious. How about two that are a real stretch for Grant: The Easy Way (aka Room for One More), in which he and his wife at the time, Betsy Drake, play average parents who take in a tough kid whose plight is made worse b/c of his heavy leg braces; and Penny Serenade, an almost unbearably sad soaper co-starring Irene Dunne, in which he again plays an average Joe who se life is not at all easy and who also adopts a child. Grant was s handsome, so sophisticated, so cool, that it's actually a challenge for him (and us) to accept him as a guy who might live next door. Still, I enjoy him in these and in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, a funny and satirical take on the post-war exodus from the cities. Another different role for Grant was as a labor organizer in Talk of the Town, an eclectic sorta screwball-sorta drama directed by George Stevens. Sorry the list is long (and could be longer), but I guess I've enjoyed watching Grant in virtually everything he's ever done.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 8, 2015 21:06:07 GMT -5
You should fast-track both The Awful Truth and Eyes without a Face. The Awful Truth is tied with Suspicion as my favorite Cary Grant film. I keep my eyes open for Cary Grant movies I haven't seen. If you get the channel called Movies!, then you can see An Affair to Remember with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr tonight (Saturday). Following that, they're showing Houseboat, with Grant and Sophia Loren. An Affair to Remember is probably the biggest Cary Grant movie I've never seen. I've seen Houseboat, and it's not so great, but it's not without its charm if you have a high tolerance for not-so-great movies. Later in October, TCM is showing Mr. Lucky, another one I've never seen. It sounds interesting. I'm looking forward to it. TCM showed Charade a few days ago and I DVRed it. I've seen it, but it's been a long time. I'm planning on watching it tonight. I'm sure you've seen these, but if you haven't, I think they're all worth a peek: Destination Tokyo, an excellent serious war movie, with Grant as the sub commander, leading an excellent cast (John Garfield, for one) and Operation Petticoat, a comedic war movie with Tony Curtis, doing a send-up of Grant, as Grant's effete second-in-command on a pink (!) submarine. Notorious, one of Hitchcock's very best, I think, with Ingrid Bergman as Grant's love interest. Grant is excellent. You must have seen Philadelphia Story, right? And Gunga Din, too? His only Oscar nomination came in 1944 for playing the cynical drifter Ernie Mott in None But the Lonely Heart, a somewhat dark drama. And there's People Will Talk, also a kind of a comedy, but with a somewhat dour and serious portrayal by Grant as a doctor in a story that involves unwed motherhood, an ex-killer, vitriolic gossip with more than a hint of the McCarthyism just around the corner, and Grant's iconoclastic, implacable Doctor Noah Praetorious. How about two that are a real stretch for Grant: The Easy Way (aka Room for One More), in which he and his wife at the time, Betsy Drake, play average parents who take in a tough kid whose plight is made worse b/c of his heavy leg braces; and Penny Serenade, an almost unbearably sad soaper co-starring Irene Dunne, in which he again plays an average Joe who se life is not at all easy and who also adopts a child. Grant was s handsome, so sophisticated, so cool, that it's actually a challenge for him (and us) to accept him as a guy who might live next door. Still, I enjoy him in these and in Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, a funny and satirical take on the post-war exodus from the cities. Another different role for Grant was as a labor organizer in Talk of the Town, an eclectic sorta screwball-sorta drama directed by George Stevens. Sorry the list is long (and could be longer), but I guess I've enjoyed watching Grant in virtually everything he's ever done. I've seen all of these except People Will Talk (which is on Netflix streaming and I plan to watch it soon) and The Easy Way. The weird one that I like a lot is Sylvia Scarlett where Katharine Hepburn dresses as a boy to help her embezzler father (Edmund Gwenn) escape from the French police. They go to London, meet Cary Grant and become con artists. Then they go to Cornwall, travel around in a circus wagon and dress up as clowns in a bizarre singing act called the Pink Pierrots. The main things I like about None But the Lonely Heart are June Duprez and how easily Grant sheds his "suave leading man" persona for the role.
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Post by Prince Hal on Oct 9, 2015 9:28:49 GMT -5
With you on Sylvia Scarlett.
What's your take on Arsenic and Old Lace, Hoosier?
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Post by DE Sinclair on Oct 9, 2015 9:41:42 GMT -5
With you on Sylvia Scarlett. What's your take on Arsenic and Old Lace, Hoosier? I'm not Hoosier, but I'll recommend Arsenic and Old Lace to anyone and everyone. Hilarious fun watching Grant being driven nuts through the course of a very bad evening. Great performances by Grant, who is much funnier than initially expected, Raymond Massey, John Alexander, and of course Peter Lorre. Dark humor, of course, but still one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. We have the DVD so we can watch whenever, and it's been lent out a few times as well to those who hadn't been lucky enough to see it yet.
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