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Post by Prince Hal on Oct 16, 2015 21:00:01 GMT -5
For a good while there, Flynn was the quintessential star. Light Brigade; Robin Hood; Dawn Patrol; Sea Hawk; Captain Blood; Prince and the Pauper; Virginia City; Santa Fe; Edge of Darkness; Desperate Journey;Northern Pursuit; Objective, Burma, They Died... On; Gentleman Jim; etc.
Too bad he was never able to go from dashing and young to rugged and older. He lived so hard, I guess, that he just went straight to paunchy and worn.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 17, 2015 12:48:45 GMT -5
Two films that many, many years ago I had negative reactions. Did the intervening years change anything?
David And Lisa (1962) Keir Dullea, Janet Margolin
An institution for emotionally disturbed teens. David is very intelligent with a superiority complex and an extreme fear of being touched. Janet is schizophrenic and compelled to speak only in rhymes. Any hope for them?
Back in the late 60s there weren't many channels to choose from. Almost all the movies on TV were older films from the 30s and 40s. Somehow PBS got ahold of this relatively recent movie and played the crap out of it.
"David tell me what you see. What you see when you look at me?" "I see a girl. A pearl of a girl" "I'm a girl. A pearl of a girl"
You can understand running into this film often and hearing this dialogue can be very grating. But now I'm older and only see it when I choose (which I waited 45 years to watch again). Its actually very good. Stark effective cinematography. Superior acting from the two. Typical 1960s era psychology theories. Worth checking out. Keir Dullea does recover and battles H.A.L. 9000 6 years later
The Adventures Of Baron Munchausen (1988) John Neville, Eric Idle, Oliver Reed, Robin Williams, Uma Thurman D-Terry Gilliam
The utterly fantastic exploits of the famed Baron. Pissing off a Turkish sultan and beginning a war, travelling to the moon, romancing the goddess Venus-he is accompanied by companions endowed with super abilities like super-strength, super-speed, super-archery and super-breathe. A veritable Justice League
When originally seen I quickly became exhausted with the overpowering visual tricks and story silliness. Maybe I just wasn't in the mood at that time because now I deem it rather decent. Yes its a bit long and I still tired of it for the last half hour but otherwise entertained. If you enjoyed Brazil or Time Bandits its probably right up you're alley.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 18, 2015 14:04:02 GMT -5
Dementia 13 (1963) Written & Direscted by Francis Ford Coppola William Campbell, Luanna Anders
Mystery axe murder on the loose at an Irish castle
William Campbell, he of Star Trek The Original TV Series fame of both Trouble with Tribbles and as Tremaine in Squire Of Gothos teams with future auteur Coppola for a rather routine murder quickie. There are some great directorial flourishes however and you can see the promise of an excellant filmmaker in the works. But the story is rather pedestrian and there is a blatant ripoff of Psycho as well. There is one thing that stopped me and left my mouth agape. A line of dialigue in the middle of the film:
"It's nice to see her enjoying herself for a change. The mood around this place isn't good for her.... Especially an American girl. You can tell she's been raised on promises. "
Oh Yeah. Oh right. Take it easy Tom Petty and let it last all night
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 18, 2015 14:16:18 GMT -5
The Hidden Fortress (1958) Toshiro Mifune Directed by Akira Kurosawa
Gold is hidden in the mountains. That as well as a princess needs to be returned to its proper home. Two comical Japanese peasants would like to keep the gold for itself but Toshiro Mifune aims to get the job done no matter what army opposes him
Kiurosawa + Mifune + Criterion = Cinema excellance. Fantastic high adventure with humourous touches. Many have commented how the first Star Trek movie is similar to this gem especially with the Priincess motif, the two robots subbing for the Japanese peasants etc. And sure enough, George Lucas has a short interview on this disc commenting on his admiration of Kurosawa formed during his film school days. Not Kurosawa's greatest but its up there. As good as any adventure film one might see
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 19, 2015 14:01:24 GMT -5
Days Of Heaven (1978) Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard D-Terrence Malick
Early 20th century migrant farm laborers and sweethearts Gere and Adams overhear that the rich young boss is dying from some sort of illness and has a year to live. He's got the hots for Adams so Gere convinces her to take advantage of it and marry him. Gere and Adams will just pretend they are brother and sister
Glacially paced story even though its only 90 minutes. You do get a good peek at the type of life these farm workers endured back then. Beautifully shot scenes of the landscapes out in the midwest. But oh so slow and plodding. I don't for a minute buy Gere's haircut he's sporting as fitting in to the time and lifestyle. Unless he brought along a personal hairdresser. A Criterion release and that doesn't mean I automatically like it.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 19, 2015 14:11:15 GMT -5
Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) Rosanna Arquette, Madonna, Aidan Quinn
Madonna stole some priceless antique earrings from a poor schnook. A mobster is looking for her and the jewelry. Meanwhile Rosanna hits her head, gets amnesia, thinks she's Madonna, gets ahold of her luggage and earrings and Aidan Quinn lets her sleep in his apartment.
Guilty pleasure film for me that evokes the time in New York City. Madonna does well acting like herself. There is no range to her performance but that's all that is required. Rosanna is quite impressive. Aidan Quinn reminds me of a bad Frank Stallone. Small parts for comedian Steven Wright and actor John Turturro. "Get Into The Groove" was Madonna's featured song for the film. I actually prefer "Rosanna" by Toto. Madonna wears enough bracelets and necklaces to weigh down a sumo wrestler. At least she shaved her armpits for the film
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 20, 2015 11:22:32 GMT -5
The Woman In Green (1945) Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Hillary Brooke
Sherlock Holmes investigates Jack The Ripper-like murders of young women who get their fingers dismembered
Modern day Sherlock with the lovely Hillary from the Abbott and Costello show. She's working with Professor Moriarty and hypnotism is the gimmick for this decent entry to the series. I got a chuckle when Sherlock volunteered to be hypnotized and was given a pill to take. He was told it contained Cannibus something-or-other to help bring about the hypnotic state. Afterwards Sherlock and Hillary pigged out on Twinkies and Doritos. Professor Watson was not allowed any
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 20, 2015 11:31:11 GMT -5
Witness (1985) Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Danny Glover
A young Amish boy witnesses a undercover cop get murdered. Ford is investigating the crime and is shocked when the boy identifies another officer as the murderer. Ford has to hide out in Amishland to avoid reprisals
Enjoyable thriller and a good peek at the Amish way of life. Harrison is in his prime. More cerebral than action. Recommended
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Post by Prince Hal on Oct 20, 2015 12:47:04 GMT -5
Witness (1985) Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Danny Glover A young Amish boy witnesses a undercover cop get murdered. Ford is investigating the crime and is shocked when the boy identifies another officer as the murderer. Ford has to hide out in Amishland to avoid reprisals Enjoyable thriller and a good peek at the Amish way of life. Harrison is in his prime. More cerebral than action. Recommended Peter Weir makes intriguing movies. Based on The Angel and the Badman (1947) with John Wayne and Gail Russell. She's a Quaker in that one. In Witness, Ford's character is John Book; in The Shootist, John Wane plays J.B. Books. Make of that what ye will.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 20, 2015 14:18:40 GMT -5
Witness (1985) Harrison Ford, Kelly McGillis, Danny Glover A young Amish boy witnesses a undercover cop get murdered. Ford is investigating the crime and is shocked when the boy identifies another officer as the murderer. Ford has to hide out in Amishland to avoid reprisals Enjoyable thriller and a good peek at the Amish way of life. Harrison is in his prime. More cerebral than action. Recommended Peter Weir makes intriguing movies. Based on The Angel and the Badman (1947) with John Wayne and Gail Russell. She's a Quaker in that one. In Witness, Ford's character is John Book; in The Shootist, John Wane plays J.B. Books. Make of that what ye will. Interesting tie-in to John Wayne. I read were the screenplay writers of Witness said they originally wrote it to be a Gunsmoke episode with Marshall Dillon hiding amongst the Amish. It was the first starring role for Harrison Ford outside the SF/Fantasy genre. Sylvester Stallone was originally offered the role but turned it down. The Amish were upset with their portrayal and called for a boycott. That didn't work because the Amish don't go to the movies anyways
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 21, 2015 11:55:49 GMT -5
A Passel of William Castle films as I dive into his 8 movie DVD collection. I have recently seen both 13 Frightened Girls and Homicidal so those will get skipped. Onwards"
The Tingler (1959) Vincent Price, Judith Evelyn, Darryl Hickman
Vincent is a coroner who has some interesting theories regarding how fear affects the human body. He discovers if fear builds up within and no scream is emitted, a centipede-like parasite grows on your spine. What do you know-he's right!!!
Holy crap was this movie great. I enjoyed much more as an adult than as a kid when I first saw it. Vincent is assisted by Dobie Gillis' brother Darryl Hickman. Judith Evelyn is magnificent as the deaf-mute, germ phobic woman who goes into cardiac shock when seeing a drop of blood. Vincent is shown reading a book about Lysergic acid and then injects himself with it to cause fear. This must be the first depiction of an LSD trip in cinema. He channels the Pink Floyd album The Wall because he believes they are closing in on him. Dr. Timothy Leary, I'm sure, studied this piece of footage.
There is a fantastic sequence where Evelyn is scared to death by frightening happenings in her home. Red blood fills the bathtub in this black & white film, grabbing your attention. The tingle is a rubber centipede that Vincent cuts out of Evelyn's body which makes one think of the creature from Alien many years later. William Castle himself introduces the film, telling the audience that they better scream when frightened. Supposedly during its original theatrical run, select movie houses had some seats wired with a vibrator to shock the patron during key sequences. A nurse was standing on guard just in case the vibrator did its job too well. I don't know about you but I'd pay for this even if the movie stunk. Anyway this gimmick was called Percepto . Nowadays it would be called Pervertoscope
The Tingler-A great movie with LSD, Vibrators and Vincent Price. What a combination
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2015 19:55:53 GMT -5
The Tingler (1959) Vincent Price, Judith Evelyn, Darryl Hickman There is a fantastic sequence where Evelyn is scared to death by frightening happenings in her home. Red blood fills the bathtub in this black & white film, grabbing your attention. The tingle is a rubber centipede that Vincent cuts out of Evelyn's body which makes one think of the creature from Alien many years later. William Castle himself introduces the film, telling the audience that they better scream when frightened. Supposedly during its original theatrical run, select movie houses had some seats wired with a vibrator to shock the patron during key sequences. A nurse was standing on guard just in case the vibrator did its job too well. I don't know about you but I'd pay for this even if the movie stunk. Anyway this gimmick was called Percepto . Nowadays it would be called Pervertoscope The Tingler-A great movie with LSD, Vibrators and Vincent Price. What a combination I was shocked to see that in the 1st time that I saw this movie at theater and it was a spectacle of itself. That's got me started on William Castle's film and when I saw this movie again on Turner Classic Movie about a year or two ago - I was taken back of how he (Castle) made this movie in a mini-documentary format and understood the creativity that he put in making The Tingler. I learned a lot from Mr. Castle and what you said in this paragraph above was spot on. It was a Vincent Price Masterpiece and it was the genius of William Castle of who puts it altogether in a frightening way that was designed to scare you out of your wits!
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2015 22:08:19 GMT -5
A Passel of William Castle films as I dive into his 8 movie DVD collection. I have recently seen both 13 Frightened Girls and Homicidal so those will get skipped. Onwards" The Tingler (1959) Vincent Price, Judith Evelyn, Darryl Hickman Vincent is a coroner who has some interesting theories regarding how fear affects the human body. He discovers if fear builds up within and no scream is emitted, a centipede-like parasite grows on your spine. What do you know-he's right!!! Holy crap was this movie great. I enjoyed much more as an adult than as a kid when I first saw it. Vincent is assisted by Dobie Gillis' brother Darryl Hickman. Judith Evelyn is magnificent as the deaf-mute, germ phobic woman who goes into cardiac shock when seeing a drop of blood. Vincent is shown reading a book about Lysergic acid and then injects himself with it to cause fear. This must be the first depiction of an LSD trip in cinema. He channels the Pink Floyd album The Wall because he believes they are closing in on him. Dr. Timothy Leary, I'm sure, studied this piece of footage. There is a fantastic sequence where Evelyn is scared to death by frightening happenings in her home. Red blood fills the bathtub in this black & white film, grabbing your attention. The tingle is a rubber centipede that Vincent cuts out of Evelyn's body which makes one think of the creature from Alien many years later. William Castle himself introduces the film, telling the audience that they better scream when frightened. Supposedly during its original theatrical run, select movie houses had some seats wired with a vibrator to shock the patron during key sequences. A nurse was standing on guard just in case the vibrator did its job too well. I don't know about you but I'd pay for this even if the movie stunk. Anyway this gimmick was called Percepto . Nowadays it would be called Pervertoscope The Tingler-A great movie with LSD, Vibrators and Vincent Price. What a combination Love this movie though I find not to enjoy it as much in frequent viewings...much prefer Castle's House on Haunted Hill. Will watch anything with Vincent Price though.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 21, 2015 22:17:24 GMT -5
I'm watching Domino (2005) with Keira Knightley. I saw this when it first came out and I loved it! I bought it for $9.99 when it went on sale at the video rental shop, so I've watched it a few times over the years.
"My name is Domino Hahvey and I am a bounty huntah."
As much as I love Pride and Prejudice, this is the one she should have gotten the Oscar nomination for! Dammit!
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 22, 2015 13:01:02 GMT -5
Zotz (1962) Tom Poston, Jim Backus, Cecil Kellaway, Margaret Dumont, Fred Clark, Mike Mazurki. Directed and written by William Castle
Professor Jones has in his possession an ancient coin that gives him strange powers when holding it. By pointing his finger at something, it will cause great pain. By saying the word "Zotz" it will slow down motion. When pointing and saying "Zotz" it will destroy
Tom Poston points his finger at the viewer for the entire movie because it's a complete pain to watch. Castle might be good when it comes to grade B horror or suspense but comedy-horrendous. Makes Birds Do It by Soupy Sales seem like a masterpiece. Interesting cast of actors except Tom Poston who was a "celebrity" panelist on What's My Line, I've Got A Secret and many more game shows for decades. Otherwise a boring comic actor. Margaret Dumont is certainly missing her Groucho.
With trepidation I continue with the William Castle DVD collection. But as far as Zotz goes- Zotz Zucks
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