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Post by Ish Kabbible on Dec 28, 2015 12:56:19 GMT -5
The Lodger (1927) D-Alfred Hitchcock
A serial killer on the loose picking young blonde women on the streets of London as his victims. He leaves a calling card identifying himself as The Avenger. A stranger rents a room in the neighborhood and acts very suspiciously. Can he be the killer?
Hitchcock considered this the first film he was really proud of and his first true suspense flick. It seemed to be a wonderfully noir-like, atmospheric film. I use the word "seemed" because this public domain print I watched is wretchedly horrible. Probably the worst film quality I've seen in my life. Upon a quick investigation I find that terrible versions of this movie have flooded the market with running times anywhere from 68 minutes to 92 minutes. TCM's version is almost unwatchable as well. This film truly deserves to be watched by Hitchcock and silent film buffs because it is outstanding in many ways but you need to do a liitle research to find the right company's product to get an enjoyable experience. The version I saw was from a set of early Hitchcock films put out by Madacy. Bought it in my early days of DVD purchases. Didn't know at that time that Madacy is notorious for horrible prints in their cheap box sets. At least they had the full version but it was so hard to watch. The acting too is as bad as silent movies can be with over the top facial expressions and all.
The 2008 MGM Dvd seems to be the one to buy/watch
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 28, 2015 14:20:34 GMT -5
Gentleman Jim (1942) Errol Flynn, Alexis Smith, Alan Hale, Jack Carson, William Frawley, Ward Bond Fictionalized light hearted bio of boxer Gentleman Jim Corbett up to his defeating John L. Sullivan for the Heavyweight Championship of the World. Taking place in the 1890s, director Raoul Walsh scores an entertaining knockout with this film. Great support from Warner Bros. stable of actors. William Frawley plays Corbett's manager when he able to sneak away from Ethel Murtz. Alan Hale is Flynn's father in the film even though they are close to the same age. Jack Carson as Corbett's best buddy is always fun. There's a great boxing scene on a barge in the river. Corbett gets knocked out of the ring and swan dives into the river. The final fight between Corbett and Sullivan is also a good one. Flynn did all the boxing himself, no doubles. He suffered a minor heart attack during the filming which shut down production. Upon his return he continued to do his own stunts. However the heart incident kept him out of the army for the duration of the war. It is fictionalized. Corbett was never a bank clerk like the movie depicted. He never had a wife like the Alexis Smith character. But its still a fine film and Ward Bond plays a great John L. Sullivan I saw a few scenes from Gentleman Jim on TCM earlier this year and I was wishing I had known it was so good so I could have DVRed it. Alexis Smith is growing on me. I barely knew who she was two years ago but I've seen her in Conflict, Night and Day, The Woman in White, The Constant Nymph and probably a few others things in the not-so-distant past and I've started to get a positive feeling when I see her name in the credits.
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Post by Prince Hal on Dec 28, 2015 16:28:50 GMT -5
Here's the movies I saw the last few days: I watched Samson and Delilah on Christmas Day while everybody else was tinkering with their new electronics. Angela Lansbury is in it as Delilah's ill-fated sister. Hedy Lamar is Delilah. And Victor Mature is Samson. He is such a bad actor but a great performer. I'm always entertained by a Victor Mature movie. (I think he's really good in Million Dollar Mermaid though.) And as Doc Holliday in My Darling Clementine.
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 28, 2015 17:38:03 GMT -5
Here's the movies I saw the last few days: I watched Samson and Delilah on Christmas Day while everybody else was tinkering with their new electronics. Angela Lansbury is in it as Delilah's ill-fated sister. Hedy Lamar is Delilah. And Victor Mature is Samson. He is such a bad actor but a great performer. I'm always entertained by a Victor Mature movie. (I think he's really good in Million Dollar Mermaid though.) And as Doc Holliday in My Darling Clementine.I haven't seen My Darling Clementine for more than twenty years. About the only thing I remember is that I thought Victor Mature was awful! He didn't bother nearly as much in Kiss of Death, which I saw about the same time and liked quite a bit more (though I still thought Victor Mature was not good as an actor). I hadn't yet learned to appreciate Mature's peculiar talents (if any) back then. I really should see My Darling Clementine again. (The Wyatt Earp movie I really love is Gunfight at the OK Corral.) The movie I recommend for people who aren't sure if they like Victor Mature is After the Fox. Mature plays a washed-up American actor who has procured a part in a European film. But it's not a real movie, it's part of a plot (concocted by criminal mastermind Peter Sellers) to steal a gold shipment from a cargo vessel. But Victor Mature isn't in on the plot. He's very good in it! The fake scenes where Victor Mature is trying to follow the strange direction of the fake film director are very funny and seem to be poking a little fun at the French New Wave. I also adore One Million B.C.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Dec 30, 2015 16:58:06 GMT -5
I Want To Live (1958) Susan Haywood, Simon Oakland, Theodore Bikel
Based on the true story of Barbara Graham-Party girl/ hooker/hustler who got involved with a group of criminals in a home invasion of an elderly crippled woman whom they believed had a fortune in her home. The old lady was bludgeoned to death and when the group was arrested, the men pinned Barbara Graham as the murderer. All were found guilty and sentenced to be gassed to death in 1953. The trial and events leading to the execution was tabloid fodder in light of the fact that Barbara was young, pretty and only the 3rd woman in California history to be given the death penalty
Director Robert Wise does a splendid job with this film but hands down, this is Susan Hayward's finest performance. She won every major award that year around the world for this role. Also look for many unbilled glimpses of future character actors in the movie such as an early party scene where the quests included Jack Weston and Jack Gilford. The step by step lead up to the day of death is intense, realistic and thoroughly researched. A tour de force movie
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Dec 30, 2015 17:07:25 GMT -5
Funny Face (1957) Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire
Musical regarding Fred Astaire as a fashion photographer working for Quality Magazine and discovering a book shopkeeper in Greenwich Village who he believes can be a superstar model. They jet out to Paris for a fashion show and of course fall in love
First off, this film looks fantastic with its saturated colors and beautiful cinematography and location scenes. The songs, to me, are just so-so. Fred Astaire is playing the part that is based on famed photographer Richard Avedon who also worked on this movie. The disturbing thing, to me at least, was this blossoming romance between Hepburn and Astaire. At that time there was only a 20 year difference between the two but Hepburn looks much younger and Astaire looks much older. Plus Hepburn plays a Greenwich Villiage beatnick type of woman and Astaire is square, big daddy, like not hep at all. He wears plaid suits for Christ sakes.
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Post by spoon on Dec 30, 2015 19:10:12 GMT -5
Funny Face (1957) Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire
Musical regarding Fred Astaire as a fashion photographer working for Quality Magazine and discovering a book shopkeeper in Greenwich Village who he believes can be a superstar model. They jet out to Paris for a fashion show and of course fall in love
First off, this film looks fantastic with its saturated colors and beautiful cinematography and location scenes. The songs, to me, are just so-so. Fred Astaire is playing the part that is based on famed photographer Richard Avedon who also worked on this movie. The disturbing thing, to me at least, was this blossoming romance between Hepburn and Astaire. At that time there was only a 20 year difference between the two but Hepburn looks much younger and Astaire looks much older. Plus Hepburn plays a Greenwich Villiage beatnick type of woman and Astaire is square, big daddy, like not hep at all. He wears plaid suits for Christ sakes. Yeah, I only saw Funny Face once, but my recollection is that the relationship between their characters seems non-romantic for much of the film. Astaire seems more like a father or uncle. He also comes across as tired. Making it romantic feels weird. The age gap was an unfortunate thing in their respective careers. Hepburn usually starred with male romantic leads who were significantly older. Sometimes it comes across as downright creepy, like with super-gross Rex Harrison. I think the chemistry in Breakfast at Tiffany's works so well because Hepburn and Peppard were close in age. The only pairing that I can think of when Hepburn was older is in Robin and Marian with co-star Sean Connery. Astaire was about 12 years older than Ginger Rogers. However, they felt closer in age, because Astaire came across as very boyish in the 1930s. But as he aged, the didn't seem to age his co-stars to match. He ends starring opposite Rita Hayworth, Judy Garland, etc. But I love the beatnik dance number with Hepburn that was used in a commercial (maybe for The Gap).
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Post by Hoosier X on Dec 30, 2015 23:01:10 GMT -5
Funny Face (1957) Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire
Musical regarding Fred Astaire as a fashion photographer working for Quality Magazine and discovering a book shopkeeper in Greenwich Village who he believes can be a superstar model. They jet out to Paris for a fashion show and of course fall in love
First off, this film looks fantastic with its saturated colors and beautiful cinematography and location scenes. The songs, to me, are just so-so. Fred Astaire is playing the part that is based on famed photographer Richard Avedon who also worked on this movie. The disturbing thing, to me at least, was this blossoming romance between Hepburn and Astaire. At that time there was only a 20 year difference between the two but Hepburn looks much younger and Astaire looks much older. Plus Hepburn plays a Greenwich Villiage beatnick type of woman and Astaire is square, big daddy, like not hep at all. He wears plaid suits for Christ sakes. I've never seen this, and it really seems like something I should have seen a long time ago.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2015 10:53:36 GMT -5
I love Funny Face!
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Dec 31, 2015 12:35:52 GMT -5
Hannibal (2001) Anthony Hopkins, Julianne Moore, Gary Oldman, Ray Liotta
Hannibal Lechter has escaped prison and living in Florence, Italy. He still keeps tabs on FBI agent Clarice Starling who has been stripped of her duties. A surviving victim of Hannibal's, Mason Verger- a disfigured pedophile millionaire, is seeking revenge against him
Should have been so much better. Strike 1 is Julianne Moore replacing Jodie Foster. Strike 2 is the bloated length and the slow pace of the film's first 90 minutes. Strike 3 are some obvious plotholes. If Silence Of The Lambs was deserving of a "10", this gets about a "7". It does get very grizzly towards the end and will sure not boar anyone. Ray Liotta also does a cool imitation of a favorite Emerson, Lake and Palmer album- Brain Salad Surgery.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Dec 31, 2015 12:47:03 GMT -5
The Hasty Heart (1949) Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal, Richard Todd
Burma right after WWII, and a group of recovering multinational Allied soldiers are waiting for their dismissal at a hospital tent. They are asked by an officer to be friendly to a Scottish corporal who will soon join them. It seems he had a kidney removed due to a wartime injury and his remaining kidney is failing. The Scotsman will only live a few more weeks and does not know he's fated to die. The soldiers try to be pleasant with him but the Scotsman is naturally suspicious, a loner and just outright nasty
King's Row was Reagan's best film and this would be in 2nd place (Bedtime For Bonzo places 3rd). Adaptation of a popular play and it does have a stagey feel. Richard Todd was nominated and/or won a bunch of awards for his portrayal of the Scotsman. There's a running gag through the movie of whether Scotsmen wear undergarments beneath their kilts. Its pretty funny how the soldiers try to find out. A good film and worth checking out
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Post by Prince Hal on Dec 31, 2015 13:17:20 GMT -5
The Hasty Heart (1949) Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal, Richard Todd Burma right after WWII, and a group of recovering multinational Allied soldiers are waiting for their dismissal at a hospital tent. They are asked by an officer to be friendly to a Scottish corporal who will soon join them. It seems he had a kidney removed due to a wartime injury and his remaining kidney is failing. The Scotsman will only live a few more weeks and does not know he's fated to die. The soldiers try to be pleasant with him but the Scotsman is naturally suspicious, a loner and just outright nasty King's Row was Reagan's best film and this would be in 2nd place (Bedtime For Bonzo places 3rd). Adaptation of a popular play and it does have a stagey feel. Richard Todd was nominated and/or won a bunch of awards for his portrayal of the Scotsman. There's a running gag through the movie of whether Scotsmen wear undergarments beneath their kilts. Its pretty funny how the soldiers try to find out. A good film and worth checking out Agreed. Kings Row (Main title music lifted for Star Wars, as John Williams has acknowledged) is Reagan's best and this is second. I'm hard-pressed to think of anything he was as good in., though I haven't seen him in the TV version of The Killers, so maybe that.
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Post by DE Sinclair on Dec 31, 2015 14:16:18 GMT -5
The Hasty Heart (1949) Ronald Reagan, Patricia Neal, Richard Todd Burma right after WWII, and a group of recovering multinational Allied soldiers are waiting for their dismissal at a hospital tent. They are asked by an officer to be friendly to a Scottish corporal who will soon join them. It seems he had a kidney removed due to a wartime injury and his remaining kidney is failing. The Scotsman will only live a few more weeks and does not know he's fated to die. The soldiers try to be pleasant with him but the Scotsman is naturally suspicious, a loner and just outright nasty King's Row was Reagan's best film and this would be in 2nd place (Bedtime For Bonzo places 3rd). Adaptation of a popular play and it does have a stagey feel. Richard Todd was nominated and/or won a bunch of awards for his portrayal of the Scotsman. There's a running gag through the movie of whether Scotsmen wear undergarments beneath their kilts. Its pretty funny how the soldiers try to find out. A good film and worth checking out Any true Scotsman will tell you, if there's anything under the kilt then it's not a kilt, it's a skirt.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jan 1, 2016 11:59:02 GMT -5
The MacKintosh Man (1973) Paul Newman, James Mason
In England, Paul Newman takes the rap for a diamond heist and is serving 20 years in prison. He escapes with a convicted Soviet spy.
Screenplay by Walter Hill. Directed by John Huston. Things are not what they seem and the finale is different from what you would expect. The two lead actors, as usual, elevate their films. An underrated suspense film worth watching. Newman fakes an Aussie accent. Newman in a car chase. Newman underwater. Hello Newman
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Jan 1, 2016 12:06:38 GMT -5
Christopher Nolan's first major feature film directorial accomplishment using a short story written by his brother. An excellent noir film for the new millennium. Must pay attention to follow the string of events and well worth the efforts. The special edition DVD has a feature with the film re-sequenced for viewers who are brain challenged. A 4 star movie
An insurance investigator has lost his short term memory capability after the rape and murder of his wife. He struggles to follow the leads to kill the perpetrator
Memento (2000) Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jo Pantoliano
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