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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 22, 2016 16:03:29 GMT -5
I just looked up the Kitty O'Day series and I'm saddened to find there are only two of them. I didn't know there were only two. I don't specifically remember what I liked about Detective Kitty O'Day, I just remember thinking it was hilarious and crazy and insane and charming in the way that's peculiar to those one-hour movies from the 1940s. Both Kitty O'Day movies were directed by the same guy who did Torchy Blaine in Chinatown - William Beaudine! I should have known! We've talked about Beaudine before. He directed several Mary Pickford movies, quite a few of Bela Lugosi's low-budget thrillers and also Billy the Kid vs. Dracula.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 22, 2016 16:21:32 GMT -5
When you get done with Torchy, you can move on to Bobbie London and Kitty O'Day (I love Kitty O'Day!) and then the Maisie movies. Maisie I got, Bobbie and Kitty are unfamiliar and missing. I'll take a short break till I jump on another series but others I have, possibly up front in the line, are a bunch of Blondie movies and Johnny Weissmuller's Tarzans. Her name was Molly, yes a female even though Francis was a male in the films. I had previously read they chose a female due to they being easier to handle, but the article quotes Mamie Van Doren as saying another consideration was a male mule would have his big dong in too many camera shots. That makes sense. When I read up about mules in general (I know, I'm very thorough on this subject) they seem to be such a wonderful hybrid, capturing the best characteristics of both donkeys and horses. They seem to be stronger, more intelligent and endure more work and weather conditions than either species. www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=95415289Here's to Francis, up there in animal heaven
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Post by Warmonger on Oct 22, 2016 16:30:41 GMT -5
They played the original 'Dawn of the Dead' on TV the other night for the first time in what seems like 15-20 years.
Hands down the greatest zombie movie IMO and easily in my Top 5 favorite horror films.
Zack Snyder's remake (while not terrible) is just piss in comparison.
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Post by Phil Maurice on Oct 22, 2016 19:08:24 GMT -5
I just finished watching the restored 251 minute cut of Sergio Leone's epic Once Upon A Time In America, a film I'd read extensively about but had never before seen. Not only is it one of the best (maybe THE best) films of the 80s and of the American gangster genre, this is simply one the finest films ever made, period. Leone dresses 1980s New York to portray the city in 1920, 1933 and 1968, employing an ocean of extras, and the effect is not merely convincing, it is transportative. The non-linear narrative is a masterstroke, imparting the elusive quality of memory to the film. We drift back and forth through the elements of the story, the way an errant mind might wander through its past and speculate about its future. It's also spectacular, career-highlight work from just about everyone involved: De Niro, James Woods, Joe Pesci, Elizabeth McGovern, Leone, and of course the inimitable Ennio Morricone, whose haunting score should have won the Oscar, but his name wasn't submitted before the deadline. Fun fact: this is the only film that De Niro and Pesci appear in where they are NOT directed by Martin Scorcese.
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Post by Warmonger on Oct 22, 2016 19:10:35 GMT -5
I just finished watching the restored 251 minute cut of Sergio Leone's epic Once Upon A Time In America, a film I'd read extensively about but had never before seen. Not only is it one of the best (maybe THE best) films of the 80s and of the American gangster genre, this is simply one the finest films ever made, period. Leone dresses 1980s New York to portray the city in 1920, 1933 and 1968, employing an ocean of extras, and the effect is not merely convincing, it is transportative. The non-linear narrative is a masterstroke, imparting the elusive quality of memory to the film. We drift back and forth through the elements of the story, the way an errant mind might wander through its past and speculate about its future. It's also spectacular, career-highlight work from just about everyone involved: De Niro, James Woods, Joe Pesci, Elizabeth McGovern, Leone, and of course the inimitable Ennio Morricone, whose haunting score should have won the Oscar, but his name wasn't submitted before the deadline. Fun fact: this is the only film that De Niro and Pesci appear in where they are NOT directed by Martin Scorcese. Easily one of my favorite movies and it's insane how overlooked it is.
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Post by Gene on Oct 23, 2016 1:20:51 GMT -5
They played the original 'Dawn of the Dead' on TV the other night for the first time in what seems like 15-20 years. Hands down the greatest zombie movie IMO and easily in my Top 5 favorite horror films. Zack Snyder's remake (while not terrible) is just piss in comparison. I used to work in that mall when I was a teenager. They just recently removed the last piece of it that appeared in the movie: A footbridge over a small fountain on the lower level.
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Post by Gene on Oct 23, 2016 1:28:11 GMT -5
I just got home from a midnight screening of the original Nightmare on Elm Street. It doesn't matter how many times you've seen a movie on TV or DVD or whatever, because seeing in a theater is a totally different experience.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 23, 2016 2:24:15 GMT -5
I just finished watching the restored 251 minute cut of Sergio Leone's epic Once Upon A Time In America, a film I'd read extensively about but had never before seen. Not only is it one of the best (maybe THE best) films of the 80s and of the American gangster genre, this is simply one the finest films ever made, period. Leone dresses 1980s New York to portray the city in 1920, 1933 and 1968, employing an ocean of extras, and the effect is not merely convincing, it is transportative. The non-linear narrative is a masterstroke, imparting the elusive quality of memory to the film. We drift back and forth through the elements of the story, the way an errant mind might wander through its past and speculate about its future. It's also spectacular, career-highlight work from just about everyone involved: De Niro, James Woods, Joe Pesci, Elizabeth McGovern, Leone, and of course the inimitable Ennio Morricone, whose haunting score should have won the Oscar, but his name wasn't submitted before the deadline. Fun fact: this is the only film that De Niro and Pesci appear in where they are NOT directed by Martin Scorcese. I thought this was a fantastic film when it came out and the director's cut makes it even better. I'd still rank it so slightly behind The Godfather and Goodfellas but easily my 3rd favorite mob film
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Post by crazyoldhermit on Oct 23, 2016 9:47:45 GMT -5
Watched Son of Frankenstein for the first time.
I heard really good things about it but I didn't love it like I do the first two. The big disappointment for me was the minimal presence of the Monster, especially after Karloff's amazing performance in Bride. However, Bela Lugosi was freaking amazing as Ygor and the dynamic of the three leads was really cool... it just didn't feel like a Frankenstein movie to me.
I also watched Psycho for the first time in a while. I watched it with my sister, who's lifelong distaste for anything related to horror has been overturned by her post-secondary journey into criminology. She might be the only person on the planet who didn't know about the shower scene or Norman, so it was really fun to see virgin eyes experience those moments.
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Post by Pharozonk on Oct 23, 2016 16:31:28 GMT -5
Worth watching just to see Peter Cushing rock a facial scar while playing a Nazi hermit.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 23, 2016 18:54:11 GMT -5
Worth watching just to see Peter Cushing rock a facial scar while playing a Nazi hermit. I'm pretty sure I've seen this (unless there's more than one movie with Peter Cushing as a Nazi that includes John Carradine and Brooke Adams and they're on an island). But I think I know it by another name. I'll have to look it up.
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 24, 2016 4:52:13 GMT -5
Hi-yo Francis, Away Francis In The Haunted House (1956) Mickey Rooney, Virginia Welles, David Jansson, Richard Deacon Donald O'Connor is out and replaced by Rooney. Chill Wills is out and now Francis has the voice of Paul Frees. Director Arthur Lubin is replaced by hack director Charles Lamont. Promises of supernatural thrills is replaced by mediocre goings-on of gangsters in an old castle. Humor is replaced by attempts at humor I've seen worse, much, much worse. This though, is for completists only. And no surprise that the public shrugged at this 7th Francis film and Universal pulled the plug on the series. There's no explanation on what happened to O'Connor's Peter Stirling character but I guess why remind the paying customers of better days for this franchise. However it did have a good run. Come to think of it, you never get to see Francis run. He was never in a hurry. So Francis saunters off into the sunset. With the exception of this film, I had a rather enjoyable time of it and really got to appreciate the voicework of Chill Wills. Many excellent supporting actors and actresses too. Francis In The Big Town was my favorite and a few others were close Get along there lil' Francis
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 24, 2016 4:55:04 GMT -5
One more Francis item
Here he is, appearing on the TV Game Show What's My Line, early in his career. Francis debuts around the 15 minute mark
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Post by brutalis on Oct 24, 2016 7:51:37 GMT -5
Friday an Saturday night horror double feature: for Friday it was Hammer 2 for 2 with The Mummy and the Curse of the Mummy's Tomb. both pure fun with little frights but wonderful atmosphere and sets. Lee's mummy is no shuffling about slowly creature but a rather swift and agile creature showing some depth through his physical movements (awkward/stilted) and eye movements alone. It is quite amazing Lee could show so much with so little. Curse of the mummy being somewhat prophetic in it's depiction of a traveling road show more theatrical than historical and that if people won't come to the museum then take the museum to the people. This is quite a common successful trend these days.
Saturday's fun being Vincent Price, Peter Lorre and Boris Karloff in The Comedy of Terrors and The Raven. What's not to like having these greats working together? Comedy of Terror is such a blast and the gallows humor played to perfect pitch by Lorre and Vincent. It is such poetic justice with Price being given a dose of his own "medicine" in the finale. Of course The Raven's greatest joy and pleasure is watching the sorcerer's battle between Karloff and Price. Quite well written, filmed and humorously played. In Price alone you sense the fun he is having and his facial reactions and casual hand gestures all show his mirthful glee.
Halloween is such for delving into the oldies!
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Post by Ish Kabbible on Oct 24, 2016 8:23:19 GMT -5
The Death Kiss (1932) David Manners, Adrienne Ames, Bela Lugosi, Edward Van Sloan A leading actor is killed during the filming of a death scene in a movie. Plucky script-writer David Manners spots all the clues that the hapless cops never recognize. Bela Lugosi has some sort of job at the movie studio and doesn't do much to advance the story besides smoking his cigarette and seeming out of place. Don't let his top-billing in the movie poster fool you. They played up his name because of the box office profits from the previous year's Dracula but he's actually 4th billed in the movie titles.The movie has a Jewish stereotype producer, always spouting out "Oy Vey" and worrying about the budget Pretty creaky public domain murder mystery. Some scenes were color tinted.
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