|
Post by Jesse on Nov 7, 2017 13:30:04 GMT -5
LovesGilKane mentioned this one a little earlier in the thread and I finally got around to checking it out. Mill of the Stone Women (1960) I didn't realize this was the fist Italian horror movie shot in full color when I started watching it. The pacing isn't great but the atmosphere is super creepy, the plot is twisted and the ending is pretty exciting. A man watches an ill woman who confesses her love for him die but is drugged by her doctor and her father who convince him it was all a hallucination. Later he discovers they are kidnapping women to use in blood transfusions that prolong the daughter's life while hiding the bodies in a waxworks carousel of corpses.
|
|
|
Post by Jesse on Nov 7, 2017 13:32:53 GMT -5
Also "Carousel of Corpses" sounds like a great horror movie title!
|
|
|
Post by Jesse on Nov 7, 2017 13:44:07 GMT -5
Project: Metalbeast (1995)
This is a pretty fun bad movie and the tone is serious despite the ridiculousness of the premise. The production quality and acting are pretty much straight-to-video but the werewolf designs look good and the gory special effects are realistic. There's also a few cheesy one-liners and the ending is action packed. After killing a werewolf a special ops soldier takes back a blood sample for experimentation. When he becomes unhappy with the progress he injects himself with the werewolf blood and starts killing people. He is shot with silver bullets and cryogenically frozen for decades and eventually used in another experiment that surgically grafts a metal alloy synthetic skin to him in order to create an unstoppable supersoldier. I would love to see this get the RiffTrax treatment.
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Nov 7, 2017 22:10:41 GMT -5
I just watched Supercop starring Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh and it's a blast watching it this morning. I just loved the action at the end of the movie with the train and helicopter. Michelle Yeoh and Jackie Chan are incredible together and they worked together in unison and this movie one of my favorites along with Mr. Nice Guy and the Drunken Master. I'm a huge Jackie Chan Fan and I'm glad that I was able to watch this movie this morning. Great film, wit both stars at the top of their game. I've watched a good chunk of Jackies films and they are usually at least entertaining, if sometimes spotty. The films with "brothers" Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao are usually pretty darn fun and I really enjoy the Armour of God films (shown here as Operation Condor and Operation Condor 2: Armor of God, even though Operation Condor is the later film, which was a sequel to Armour of God), where he is the Asian Hawk. Mr Nice Guy is one of the better of his later films. Supercop is actually Police Story 3, while Jackie Chan's First Strike was Police Story 4. The whole series, for the most part, is great fun, with amazing stunts in most of the films. The fight in the shopping mall, in the original Police Story is just filled with one crazy stunt after another. I've seen some of the key Michelle Yeoh films, though hardly the majority, from Heroic Trio and Executioners, to Wing Chun, Supercop and Magnificent Warriors, as well as Crouching Tiger. Hidden Dragon and her superhero film, Silver Hawk (lot of fun). Michelle added a lot to Police Story, after the disappointing second one. I'm still amazed at the motorcycle stunt, as she really didn't have that much experience doing vehicle stunts. In the US and Europe, you would have had a motorcycle stunt specialist for something like that.
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Nov 7, 2017 22:15:53 GMT -5
On Decades Cable ChannelThe Wild Wild West Revisited (1979)West and Gordon brought out of retirement to face Doctor Miguelito Loveless, Jr. (Paul Williams) and his Alan & Sonia ($600 Bionic Man and Bionic Woman) in a pretty darn good fun movie to watch. It was action-filled and it has Harry (Dragnet, MASH) Morgan, Jeff (Black Sheep Squadron) MacKay, Rene Auberjonois, Trisha Noble, and Wilford Brimley as President Grover Cleveland in a setting back in 1885. I haven't seen this movie since 1985 and it was a blast seeing after all these years. Brought lots of memories and Paul Williams was excellent as the son of Dr. (Michael Dunn) Loveless and that scene of where he took them to their gravesite and that massive headstone marked Loveless looking down on them was priceless. Everyone in that movie was good to excellent in this rousing Western/Drama/Secret Agent movie that has everything that made Wild, Wild West great in the 60's. Grade B+More Wild Wild West (1980)A year later, they came back to another TV Movie and this time they faced Albert Paradine II played by Jonathan Winters who can make himself invisible in his attempt to take over the world. This movie is even more goofier than the one came out a year before and I felt it's was a little more lackluster and the talents of Rene Auberjonois, Victor Buono, and Harry Morgan did not live up to the original. After this movie was made, there were talks about making one more in 1981 and unfortunately Ross Martin died on July 3rd, 1981 and Robert Conrad told the producers of the proposed 3rd movie that I just can't do another one with Ross Martin. So, that project died on the spot. What I just told you is pure speculation but someone told me so. Randi and Candi Brough were the eye candy on this movie assisting Albert (Jonathan Winters) Paradine II and they didn't do much in terms of speaking. I was very disappointed in Victor Buono and he didn't take it very seriously at all. It was basically all West, Gordon, and Paradine Ii movie and they stole the movie. That's alone did not hold my interest and I was kind of lukewarm about it after watching for the first time since 1985 of where my local channel decided to do a Wild Wild West Marathon. Grade D The first is decent, though, at the time, I was kind of disappointed that it was mostly played for laughs. I haven't seen it since it first aired. I never did see the second, though never heard good things. I used to have a book about the series and it didn't speak highly of those; but, then again, they couldn't live up to the original series. It was too imaginative and everyone was in their prime (Ross Martin's heart attack notwithstanding). Loved the original series, though, and just wanted to burn all of the prints of that abomination of a movie, from '99. Uggghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Michael Dunne was such a terrific actor, as the original Dr Loveless. It's a shame that his size limited his roles, as his talent was giant.
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Nov 11, 2017 23:37:34 GMT -5
Just a few Veterans Day movie suggestions:
To Hell and Back-Audie Murphy stars in his own memoir, showing how he went from a having to quit school at 14 to provide for the family to a sergeant at 17, to a lieutenant and provided leadership to the men of his unit, through bloody fighting in Italy.
Twelve O'Clock High-Gregory Peck as an Army Air Force general who must whip a bombing group with low morale into an effective fighting force. This movie was shown to us during a week long leadership seminar, when I was a naval officer. One of the few military films that really demonstrates what leadership is about.
Patton-George C Scott won the Oscar as the controversial general. Karl malden is right there with him as Omar Bradley.
Officer and a Gentleman-Actually a very accurate look at the Navy Air Officer Candidate School, of the time period, and officer training in general. So accurate, in fact, that the US Navy denied cooperation, after director Taylor Hackford refused to make changes to the script.
Midway-somewhat long, but engaging recounting of the pivotal battle of the Pacific. It begins with the Doolittle Raid (via footage from 30 Seconds over Tokyo) and continues through the code-breaking efforts, the Japanese planning, the formation of the US task force under Adm Spruance (who was a destroyer man) to the discovery of the Japanese group and the attacks.
The Longest Day-episodic retelling of D-Day, based on the book by Cornelius Ryan. All-star cast that includes Richard Todd, who served with the British Paratroops and plays his old commanding officer.
The Caine Mutiny-riveting film about a captain under stress who finds himself alienated from his officers, who stage a mutiny during a typhoon. Fred MacMurray is especially weaselly in this one. Bogart is terrific.
Red Badge of Courage-Audie Murphy stars in an adaptation of the Stephen Crane novella.
Sands of Iwo Jima-John Wayne is the ultimate Marine
Big Red One-Sam Fuller's adaptation of his own experiences in WW2. Lee Marvin makes up for a cast of mostly rookies, including Mark Hamill.
Battleground-The Battle of the Bulge and the Siege of Bastogne, as the Americans desperately fight to hang on against the German counter-offensive in the Ardenens.
Mister Roberts-Henry Fonda stars in the adaptation of the Broadway play (he also starred) with James Cagney as the enemy (the skipper), William Powell as Doc, and Jack Lemon as Ens. Pulver. Another great depiction of true leadership.
Boys in Company C-Came out before the wave of Vietnam movies in the 80s, with R Lee Ermey as a drill instructor. Follows a group of Marines from basic to Vietnam, with absurdity and soccer, along the way.
Platoon-Oliver Stone's look at the war, based on his experiences, with technical advisor Dale Dye as the company commander (he was a Marine officer in Vietnam).
Full Metal Jacket-Great up through the boot camp scenes, then not much after.
The Enemy Below-Robert Mitchum is a destroyer skipper hunting a German sub, captained by Curt Jurgens. Great cat-and-mouse, with plenty of authentic tactics.
Go For Broke-Van Johnson stars in this story of the Nissei of the 442nd regimental Combat Team.
Glory-the story of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry
The Fighting 69th-James Cagney and Pat O'Brien star in this story of the 69th Infantry regiment, from New York, in World War 1.
Tora! Tora! Tora!-The bombing of Pearl Harbor, with both the Japanese planning and the American response and intelligence failures. Mostly character actors in this one.
Steel Helmet-Gene Evans stars in Sam Fullers excellent Korean War film.
The Dirty Dozen-the original Suicide Squad, led by Lee Marvin.
If you have to, and want something that lets your brain rest, I suppose you can watch Top Gun; but, it is total military recruiter BS. It was filmed just before my last Midshipman Training Cruise and I met several people involved in the production (Navy people), while in San Diego. They still had the F-14 with iceman painted on it, at NAS Miramar. Tom cruise was not particularly popular with those who met him and was kicked out of the USS Enterprise wardroom, according to one story I heard. Heartbreak Ridge is another, though Clint Eastwood makes it a much better film. An Army script was adapted to the Marines, when the Army rejected it, which is why the Grenada stuff is wrong and why you have to swallow a group of Marine recon types being screw-ups, rather than the most gung-ho of the gung-ho. Everitt McGill's character would have never survived to have made major, in the real Marine Corps and would have never been a company commander.
Just for fun: Operation Petticoat and What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?, both directed by Blake Edwards. Also add The Secret War of Harry frigg, with Paul newman, as a stockade escapee who is promoted to major general, to break out a group of Allied brigadier generals, in a posh Italian prison (a contessa's estate). Features Tom Bosley as one of the generals, with Vitto Scotti as the Italian colonel in charge of the prisoners. Don't forget Kelly's heroes, an anti-establishment war film, with Eastwood, Don Rickles, Donald Sutherland, Gavin McLoud, and Telly Savalas.
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Nov 11, 2017 23:43:32 GMT -5
I love me some Kelly's Heroes. And The Dirty Dozen.
I read To Hell and Back two or three times as a youth. Also Leon Uris' Battle Cry. Which is probably apropos of nothing.
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on Nov 12, 2017 7:43:07 GMT -5
I love me some Kelly's Heroes. And The Dirty Dozen. I read To Hell and Back two or three times as a youth. Also Leon Uris' Battle Cry. Which is probably apropos of nothing. Except that it was the movie being shown in the Dallas theatre into which Lee Harvey Oswald went to evade the police on November 22,1963.
|
|
Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,051
|
Post by Confessor on Nov 12, 2017 8:20:44 GMT -5
I agree that Twelve O'clock High is a great film, but I'm dismayed at your review of Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, codystarbuck.To me, it's the best Vietnam war film ever made -- yes, even better than Apocalypse Now. it's also damn near Kubrick's masterpiece (although maybe 2001: A Space Odyssey is better), but regardless, it's definitely up there. I agree that the training half of the movie is fantastic, but the second half set in Vietnam is no less impressive. That second half is very, very clever in conveying the psycho-sexual component of the dehumanising process that the grunts undergo, which of course began in basic training. It also conveys the harrowing nature of combat and the gallows humour of brothers in arms in the combat zone extremely well.
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Nov 12, 2017 9:59:16 GMT -5
I agree that Twelve O'clock High is a great film, but I'm dismayed at your review of Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, codystarbuck .To me, it's the best Vietnam war film ever made -- yes, even better than Apocalypse Now. it's also damn near Kubrick's masterpiece (although maybe 2001: A Space Odyssey is better), but regardless, it's definitely up there. I agree that the training half of the movie is fantastic, but the second half set in Vietnam is no less impressive. That second half is very, very clever in conveying the psycho-sexual component of the dehumanising process that the grunts undergo, which of course began in basic training. It also conveys the harrowing nature of combat and the gallows humour of brothers in arms in the combat zone extremely well. I found that part to be dull and largely due to having to depend on Matthew Modine to carry it. Quite frankly, he didn't have the chops. Vincent D'Onofrio so dominates the early half that his absence immediately creates a vortex that sucks down the story. I didn't care about Joker and what happens to him because he was just a bystander and part of the chorus for what had been Leonard's story. The rest of the film I find to be far weaker than the earlier, yet rarely seen Boys in Company C. That film was done on a much lower budget, with young actors, yet conveys more of the absurdity and horror of Vietnam than FMJ, in my estimation. It rings truer. I just felt like Kubrick put himself into a corner and never found a way out of it. Oh, it has his visual tricks and absurdist point of view; but, I felt like it was all surface gloss; stylization for style purposes, not storytelling. I suspect we have different perspectives on this movie and Kurbick's work. I find him to be a great stylist but not necessarily a great storyteller. To me, storytelling is the essence of film and I find him very hit and miss. I love Dr Strangelove; but, Failsafe tells a better story. 2001 is a visual feast; but I'd rather watch Planet of the Apes. I'm pretty indifferent to most things hed did from the 70s onward. I always felt he peaked in the 60s and that was it. Your mileage may vary. As to a film like this, I was in the military when it came out and have always been a student of military history. That colors these things for me. Hollywood rarely gets it even close to right and the military doesn't help, as they want to perpetuate a fantasy of heroic servicemembers in moral crusades, when the reality is they are far too often expedient tools in policy debates, who have to sort their way out of the mess, they have been dumped. Apocalypse Now is a fantasy of Vietnam, written by someone who was never there (John Milius, who is a military fetishist), that tries to shoehorn it onto Joseph Conrad. It's a compelling movie, just not of the Vietnam War. Platoon and Boys in Company C are far more authentic, in terms of storytelling, and We Were Soldiers Once is far more accurate in terms of combat. One of the better, but little known ones out there is The Odd Angry Shot, an Australian film about a group of Australian SAS soldiers who go over as part of the Aussie commitment and go from playful outsiders to scarred veterans. I also think the early Vietnam film, Go Tell the Spartans, with Burt Lancaster, is woefully underrated (since it is little seen). I don't find it a bad film, just that the first half is probably, as you say, a masterpiece, while the second half is rather mediocre, both in comparison to the first and Kubrick's previous work. Meanwhile, another rather ignored, but darn good film is Gardens of Stone, with James Caan, Anjelica Huston, James Earl Jones, Dean Stockwell, Lawrence Fishburne, and DB Sweeney. It focus on the Old Guard, the troops who stand guard over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and conduct military funerals at Arlington national Cemetery, during the escalation of the Vietnam War. They are toy soldiers at the heart of morass that is Washington, becoming dehumanized by the constant burials of men they don't know, until it is one of their own. James Caan gets at the heart of the career soldier, someone who has a far clearer picture of the reality of the Vietnam War than those who write about and make the policy decisions that execute it. He wants to be somewhere where he can help young soldiers stay alive and come back home alive. he doesn't care about "defeating Communism," or "propping up a corrupt government," he cares about his fellow soldiers. That's the part that Hollywood rarely gets.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2017 16:04:39 GMT -5
Four Jills in a Jeep - 1944From Left to Right: Carole Landis, Mitzi Mayfair, Kay Francis, and Martha Raye. With Cameos of Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda playing themselves. The four main stars - pictured above played themselves too. It was a fun movie to watch and it's played on the fun part of them touring overseas and sharing their time together. I find it a delightful movie to watch and full of emotions, laughter, joy, and sorrow. It was more a musical documentary and they did this movie to boost morale in WW2. It has Phil Silvers and Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra for humor and musical entertainment. Dick Haymes played Lt. Dick Ryan who is a crooner and was Rita Hayworth's 4th Husband; she married him in 1953 and divorced in 1955. It was his first credited role in the movie business. It's lasted 90 minutes and I wished it had another 30 minutes added on ... it was that good of a movie.
|
|
|
Post by Hoosier X on Nov 14, 2017 16:58:26 GMT -5
Four Jills in a Jeep - 1944From Left to Right: Carole Landis, Mitzi Mayfair, Kay Francis, and Martha Raye. With Cameos of Betty Grable and Carmen Miranda playing themselves. The four main stars - pictured above played themselves too. It was a fun movie to watch and it's played on the fun part of them touring overseas and sharing their time together. I find it a delightful movie to watch and full of emotions, laughter, joy, and sorrow. It was more a musical documentary and they did this movie to boost morale in WW2. It has Phil Silvers and Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra for humor and musical entertainment. Dick Haymes played Lt. Dick Ryan who is a crooner and was Rita Hayworth's 4th Husband; she married him in 1953 and divorced in 1955. It was his first credited role in the movie business. It's lasted 90 minutes and I wished it had another 30 minutes added on ... it was that good of a movie. I think this looks great! I noticed it on our cable server's On Demand choices a few weeks ago but I couldn't find it when I decided to watch it over the weekend. I missed my chance! I watched Nicholas and Alexandra instead.
|
|
|
Post by Jesse on Nov 18, 2017 3:26:58 GMT -5
This one just meets the "classic" definition of the community... Slither (2006) This is an entertaining homage to the genre with great casting and lots of action and suspense. The special effects in this are top notch despite the heavy reliance on CGI the practical effects makeups are some of the best and most disturbing of the era. James Gunn's sense of humor is probably not for everyone but I think the dark comedy works really well here. He even pays tribute to his Troma roots by showing a character watching a scene from The Toxic Avenger. One of my favorite modern horror movies!
|
|
|
Post by EdoBosnar on Nov 18, 2017 4:08:07 GMT -5
I suspect we have different perspectives on this movie and Kurbick's work. I find him to be a great stylist but not necessarily a great storyteller. To me, storytelling is the essence of film and I find him very hit and miss. (...) I'm pretty indifferent to most things hed did from the 70s onward. Mostly I agree with this, except I think Barry Lyndon is one of his better films, both in terms of story and style.
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Nov 18, 2017 10:39:09 GMT -5
I suspect we have different perspectives on this movie and Kurbick's work. I find him to be a great stylist but not necessarily a great storyteller. To me, storytelling is the essence of film and I find him very hit and miss. (...) I'm pretty indifferent to most things hed did from the 70s onward. Mostly I agree with this, except I think Barry Lyndon is one of his better films, both in terms of story and style. See, that's one I find dull as watching paint dry. I wanted to enjoy it, because of the time period depicted and it looks great; but, it just never engaged me. By contrast, Ridley Scott's The Duellists, which also looks great, covers a similar timeframe, did pull me into the story more, even though a lot of the things going on are not well explained and I had to work out the story over a couple of viewings (sounds like one of his other films). I love Paths of Glory and Dr Strangelove, and mostly 2001 (luckily, I read the Clarke novelization, before I watched the entire movie, so I had an idea of the story). A Clockwork Orange has fascinating stuff; but I find it a very troubling picture. There are times I think it is going overboard to evoke a reaction, while presenting an overly sympathetic picture of Alex. I haven't read Burgess' novel, for comparison; but, I know he didn't like it. I think, at times, the over-stylization of the violence undercuts the brutality of it. I have similar problems with Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. Maybe I read too many Superman comics growing up; but, I think both films try too hard to excuse their subject characters' behaviors and actions. I think it is better when it is commenting on the failures of society. FMJ is great up until the end of the boot camp scenes. Once it goes to Vietnam, I feel it loses the realism and the characters who engaged me the most. I also think it doesn't handle the Battle of Hue very well, though it isn't really trying to cover the battle, just this group's actions. As I say, the first half is one of the most brilliant films revolving around the military; but the second half falls well behind something like Platoon or The Boys in Company C.
|
|