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Post by brutalis on Jun 18, 2018 8:27:38 GMT -5
CometTV ran It! The Terror from Beyond Space late Saturday afternoon. This 1958 moody, eerie and very creepy sci-fi thriller about a rescue ship to Mars to find out what happened to the 1st expedition's crew and end up bringing along a hitch-hiking killer Martian on their return trip home. Long before ALIEN this rubber suited monster goes upon a hunt in the spaceship eager to kill the crew. Bullets, hand grenades and gas grenades prove ineffective and even electricity and nuclear radiation won't stop it. The rubber suited monster easily rips through the cardboard walls of the set until being stuck in a hatch and suffocated as it tries to kill the rest of the crew.
Notable for being the last role for Ray "Crash" Corrigan as the monster and being remade and updated for the times in 1966 as Queen of Blood and reportedly an inspiration for the ALIEN movie. IT makes for a truly great double feature along with THE THING from 1951 in they both do a great job of creating a similar dark and moody atmospheric thriller/terror which entertains.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 18, 2018 12:29:58 GMT -5
After some discussion in the Thanos thread, I rewatched Logan's Run last night. It's been a while since I last viewed it. I've always maintained that it is the dividing line between the more cerebral/metaphorical sci-fi of the late 60s and early 70s, and the more action-oriented blockbuster sci-fi of Star Wars and the films that it spawned. Logan's Run has elements of both, as it has the social commentary that infused the original novel (in part, though watered down) and it has top notch (for the period) special effects and plenty of action. The model work of the city was massive, covering several soundstages, while the use of a new shopping mall in Dallas gave a futuristic look to the whole thing. The city really sparked your imagination and the elements of the lifeclocks and carrousel gave you the indication that all was not what it seemed. At first, the world appears to be a utopia, surround by desolation, outside the domed city, as the opening shots move closer and closer to the city. The lighting is dark and the outside part seems to be a bit of a wasteland, since you can't make out detail. You see the bright domes, out of the darkness, then move closer and closer, until you are inside, seeing the Mazecars go buy, looking at Tomorrowland-on-steroids (there are even building that look like the classic Disney hotel, on the monorail line).
It slowly unveils the world, as we see babies in nursery, their lifeclocks are white and they have no human contact, as Logan looks from outside the glass. We move on through their day, see the hedonistic society, as everyone is young and carefree. We then see Carrousel, without truly understanding it. It is a strange dream vision, as the lights emerge and the oddly garbed people start floating into the air, then erupt in a flash of sparks. Then the real darkness descends as Logan and Francis go after a runner and act rather sadistically, taunting and playing with him, like cats with mice. We follow with the disposal of the body and Logan unwinding, with casual sex, which introduces Jessica, who questions everything. This is followed by Logan's debriefing, where the ankh triggers an assignment to find Sanctuary, the destination of the runners. Logan's faith in the system is shattered by the knowledge that over 1000 runners are unaccounted for and the idea that no one renews on Carrousel, not even Sandmen, as Francis believes. He has 4 years stolen from his lifeclock and is turned into a runner. From there, we watch as Logan vacillates between his mission and a real desire to find Sanctuary. The journey takes them across sectors of the city, above and below, before they see the outside world and the truth of their world.
Looking at it now, the effects are very dated and the costuming and hair are very much of the 70s. This is kind of a lots classic, as the emergence of Star Wars, one year later, immediately aged the film. It looked outdated in 1977, let alone 2018. It was a staple of network tv rebroadcast and early cable, before fresher movies pushed it to the fringes. Turner Broadcasting used to show it, after buying the MGM library; but, when Time Warner bought them out, it disappeared again and was consigned to bargain dvd bins.
When you look at the sci-fi films of the late 60s/early 70s, it fits, with things like the Planet of the Apes films, Soylent Green, Omega Man, Colossus, the Forbin Project, Silent Running, Westworld and the like. It has the spectacle of Star Wars and the later Star Trek movie; but, doesn't quite match up to later things, like Alien and Blade Runner (although there are some thematic similarities in Blade Runner), or what came after. It is also a dark film, in terms of tone, a cautionary tale, as are those other films before Star Wars. Star Wars brings back that sense of optimism of sci-fi (especially the serialized space opera).
As we moved farther away from Vietnam, I think a lot of the message of the film lost its power, as it was inspired by youth protest of the 60s, the topic of over-population (which never fully went away; but, was muffled quite successfully). The Baby Boomers who faced the draft and Vietnam grew older and found themselves in the grownup world of work and family responsibilities, without fear of being drafted into a war. The younger generation didn't face a draft and entertainment turned towards parties (disco and the like) and bright spectacle. The 80s added consumerism unleashed, with only occasional cautionary tales.
Jerry Goldsmith music was quite interesting, especially the electronic pieces within the city. It helped give the scenes an "other-worldly" feel, before he went to full, traditional orchestration, for the outside world.
Some of the acting is a bit stiff (especially secondary characters) and there is some repetition of imagery; but, I think it is still a great film.
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Post by Rob Allen on Jun 19, 2018 14:32:35 GMT -5
A local theater has teamed up with Oregon State University to offer a tempting course: www.facebook.com/events/1936667916643484/"A six week film studies course led by noted film programmer and scholar Elliot Lavine. $79.99. Advance enrollment is required at the link below. Cold War Shivers is an intensive film course examining how the fears and anxieties of the Cold War era spawned a dark cinematic vision in the form of low-budget speculative science fiction films. The course will feature these six titles: THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951) July 14 IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953) July 21 THEM! (1954) July 28 EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS (1956) Aug 4 INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956) Aug 11 THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (1957) Aug 18 SATURDAYS AT 11AM JULY 14 - AUGUST 18"
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Post by Deleted on Jun 19, 2018 15:04:28 GMT -5
A local theater has teamed up with Oregon State University to offer a tempting course: www.facebook.com/events/1936667916643484/"A six week film studies course led by noted film programmer and scholar Elliot Lavine. $79.99. Advance enrollment is required at the link below. Cold War Shivers is an intensive film course examining how the fears and anxieties of the Cold War era spawned a dark cinematic vision in the form of low-budget speculative science fiction films. The course will feature these six titles: THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD (1951) July 14 IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953) July 21 THEM! (1954) July 28 EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS (1956) Aug 4 INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (1956) Aug 11 THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (1957) Aug 18 SATURDAYS AT 11AM JULY 14 - AUGUST 18" Sounds like fun and a great line-up here! ...
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 21, 2018 18:39:56 GMT -5
Watched Soylent Green last night, for the first time, in its entirety. I had seen some of the bits near the end; but, never watched the whole film. I kind of felt like I didn't need to, since the ending is so well knwon (much like Planet of the Apes. It wasn't quite what I expected, as it starts out a murder mystery, in a dystopian world, where over-population, pollution, and collapse of social structures creates a world of unemployment and starvation, as food supplies are scarce. A select few live like royalty, including the victim, a member of the Board of Directors of the Soylent Corporation, which manufactures food stuff, including plankton, harveste from the sea, to creat Soylent Green. However, nothing is what it seems, as Charlton heston, with the aid of Edward G Robinson, discovers.
The film is really more of a mystery, with conspiracies and suspects. It also a metaphor for many issues at the time of its release, including the treatment of women (called "furniture" in the film, as they are there for the use of the male masters in the elite world), the wealthy few and the people who toil, over-population, environmental destruction, dwindling food stocks, etc, etc. It examines the question, "How far will people go to maintain the lives they have known?" The answer is chilling and not out of the realm of possibility. Survival instincts can outweigh morality in anyone.
I watched after discussing 1970s sci-fi as I kind of wanted to look at the early offerings, with their more metaphorical stories, vs the post-Star Wars bright adventures. Logan's Run is that sort of dividing line between the two and shares some elements with Soylent Green. Over-population and environmental disaster brings about the collapse of society. Logan's Run presents a utopian society that emerged from the chaos, though with a dystopian underbelly. It also presents an idea that harvesting the seas provides food for the domed city, though we see that even that is no longer true and we are left to wonder about the contents of Box's frozen storage.
I'm of a mind to continue, to watch The Andromeda Strain, The Omega Man, Westworld, Silent Running and Colossus, the Forbin Project, though I have seen all. The POTA films I have seen so many times that I can picture them
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 27, 2018 22:03:10 GMT -5
42 years ago, the United States was getting ready for it's biggest birthday, ever. Dominating the news, though, was the hijacking of Air France Flight 139, from Tel Aviv to Paris, after a stopover in Athens. 4 terrorists (2 Palestinian, 2 German) boarded the plane and hijacked it, forcing it to divert to Benghazi, Libya. There, it refuelled and flew to Entebbe, Uganda. The hijackers were met by comrades, who reinforced their numbers, while Ugandan soldiers surrounded the plane and the terminal, where the hostages were moved. President Idi Amin made several visits to the terminal, while the terrorists demanded the release of jailed terrorists from Israeli jails. The Israeli cabinet debated negotiating with the terrorists, while a military operation was conceived. Israel announced willingness to negotiate and non-Israeli and Jewish passengers were released. A daring plan was conceived and executed, as 4 C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft flew from Israel to Uganda, landed without notice, and offloaded Sayeret Matkal (Israel's special forces) commandos, who seized the terminal, killed the terrorists and Ugandan soldiers, as well as destroyed Russian MIG fighter jets. The hostages were moved to one of the planes and flown directly to Israel, while the remaining planes refueled in Nairobi, Kenya and returned to Israel. 3 hostages were killed in the confusion of the assault on the terminal, and a 4th, Dora Bloch, was murdered by Amin's secret intelligence soldiers, after the raid (she had been taken to a Ugandan hospital, in Kampala, after choking on food). The Israeli commandos suffered one killed, Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, commander of the assault force and brother of current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
After the raid, the news was filled with sensational accounts about the raid and Hollywood rushed to adapt it. Both ABC and NBC put together dramatizations, which were later released to theaters in Europe. The following year, Israeli filmmakers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus produced Operation Thunderbolt, a theatrical feature, with assistance from the Israeli government and Air Force. All three films cover the same territory; but, in different fashions and with different strengths and weaknesses.
Victory at Entebbe, produced by David L. Wolper (who produced documentaries and mini-series for ABC) arrived first, as it was rushed into production, recorded on videotape, in a studio. The film includes such actors as Elizabeth Taylor, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Helen Hayes, Richard Dreyfuss, Theodore Bikel, Severn Darden, Bibi Besch, Helmut Berger and Linda Blair, as well as Anthony Hopkins as Yitzhak Rabin. Berger played German terrorist Wilfred Bose, while Besch played Brigitte Kuhlmann (though not named in the film), with a rather melodramatic flair. The film was done entirely in a studio and is obvious. Most scenes are contained within rooms and center around conversations. Some of the passenger names were fictionalized, such as Helen Hayes character, based on Dora Bloch. The film has some great dramatic moments; but not as much from the actors you would suspect. Taylor over-acts her part, while Hayes is wonderful and the sarcastic British-Israeli Jew. David Groh (Rhoda) was excellent as Benjamin Wise, while Linda Blair plays the daughter of Taylor and Douglas (she travels alone on the plane, while their scenes are set in Israel). Dreyfuss is the least convincing soldier I have ever seen (and I have met him; he is shorter than I am and I'm 5ft 6in). He is supposed to be Yonni Netanyahu. The assault sequence is rather weak, given the studio nature. Also, the weapons are a mess of whatever they could get their hands on. The film plays heavily on the connection between the hijacking (especially the singling out of Jews and Israelis) and the Holocaust.
Raid at Entebbe, produced by NBC, has a much more theatrical feel and is treated as more of a thriller. Peter Finch is Rabin, Horst Buchholz is Bose, Charles Bronson is Gen. Dan Shomron, Stephen Macht is Netanyahu, James Woods is Capt. Sammy Berg (a Sayeret Matkal commando), Yaphet Kotto is Amin, and Sylvia Sydney is Dora Bloch. The extra time taken with it pays off, as the film has a faster pace, features more accurate weaponry and tactics, benefits from more information and has a more polished look and tone. It also benefits from Kotto's more nuanced performance as Amin. It also gets the bulk of the details correct. This one tends to be the favorite of those who have seen both.
Operation Thunderbolt has the advantage of cooperation from the Israeli government and the Israeli Air Force, which included even providing some of the C-130s used in the raid!. The only name actors are Klaus Kinski as Bose and Sybil Danning (also a producer) as Kuhlmann (called Halima, in the film). The acting varies wildly, though it is generally good. Footage of Rabin and Shimon Peres (then Defense Minister) is mixed with filmed scenes. Weapons are accurate in the film and it, too, plays up the hijacking-Holocaust link. There are some quite moving scenes with the passengers and at the end, when the freed hostages arrive in Israel. Among the joyous crowds, you see some who are informed of the deaths of their loved ones. You also see Yonni's girlfriend met by his second in command, who must tell her of his death. There is also a scene on the C-130, as the soldiers cry for their beloved Yonni. The film feels a bit long and less polished than Raid on Entebbe.
A new film, 7 Days at Entebbe came out in March of this year, starring Daniel Bruhl as Bose and Rosamund Pike as Kuhlmann (actually named in the film). It focuses mainly on the two german terrorists, making them into tragic figures who were duped into aiding the PFLP, resulting in their deaths; as well as the in fighting between political opponents Rabin and Peres. It is the first to delve more into the hijackers,; but, all but ignore the Palestinians, apart from one. Kuhlmann is portrayed as being lost and hopped up on pills, yet is not as violent or scary as in the other films. Accounts of the period portrayed Kuhlmann as viscious and anti-Semitic, and she pistol-whipped several hostages. Bose claimed to be an idealist, when confronted by a passenger's concentration camp tattoo and is portrayed as such here. He is generally torn between what is happening and a desire to bring world revolution to bring change for the underclasses. He has a scene where he calms and comforts a German hostage, who starts having a nervous breakdown. In most of the films Bose is shown turning away from the hostages, rather than shooting them, when the assault force enters. Here, he tells them to take shelter, as the real Bose is reputed to have done. Bruhl is a fine actor (seen in Female Agents, Inglorious Basterds and CA: Civil War, as Zemo) and Pike is also good. The film has a rather poor makeup job on Eddie Marsan, to make him more like Peres. The assault sequence looks little like most accounts of the raid and seemed to be more focused on showing the ending for Bose and Kuhlmann than the rescue of the hostages. Several scenes in the film are counter-balanced by rehearsals and performance of a modern dance troupe. The dance appears to be metaphorical, as one member of the troupe drops to her knees, at repeated parts, seeming to signal a casualty of some kind. It's a bit odd and tries to add a more artistic gloss to what is a mixed piece (as a historical film, anyway). The film also greatly truncates the actual hijacking, compared to the other films)
If you are looking for something about the raid, I suggest Raid and Operation Thunderbolt. If you want some insight into the terrorists, than try 7 Days; but, recognize it is taking dramatic liberties with the two German characters, and glossing over much detail.
I saw the news features as a child and read a couple of books and saw both Victory and Raid, when first broadcast. The real story seemed like something from a comic book, with the heroic and brave soldiers braving hardship to rescue the hostages and bring them safely home, through unfriendly territory. The reality is more complicated; but, it is still a fascinating and inspiring story, though also a violent and tragic one.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 27, 2018 22:32:30 GMT -5
Summer of 42 -- On TCM todayIt a heartwarming and filled with tenderness about a 15 year old boy who in love with a young War Bride that was a mere awakening of his desire to get to know her and was more mature than the other two 15 years olds that he considered his friends. Great Music and Photography and it was Jennifer O'Neill better films in that time period and I enjoyed watching it off of my DVR and watched it altogether in two separate parts. It was directed by Robert Mulligan -- and it's was done very tastefully by his own merits. Here's an excellent video clip of the scenes in that movie. Gary Grimes did an excellent job of acting.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jun 28, 2018 10:58:12 GMT -5
Saw Summer of 42 when it was first broadcast, on ABC. I was a little young to fully comprehend all that was happening (totally didn't understand the scenes about trying to buy condoms); but the characters were engaging and O'Neal was beautiful. I watched it again, years later, as an adult, with great appreciation for it, including Adam Arkin's (Northwest Exposure, son of Alan Arkin) turn as Grimes' best friend. The film has a special place for me, as I had my first real relationship with a woman who was 16 years my senior (though we both though we were closer in age than that), though I was well out of my teen years. It must have stuck because I have lived 10 years with an older woman; though there is only 2 years difference, here.
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Post by Hoosier X on Jul 1, 2018 2:04:11 GMT -5
Here's the movies from the "1001 Movies That You Must See Before You Die" list that I saw in June: 1. Europa '51 (1952) - With Ingrid Bergman! 2. The Golden Coach (1953) - With Anna Magnani! She's so awesome. 3. The Firemen's Ball (1967) - Yet another great movie from the Czech New Wave! This one has to be seen to be believed. It is hilarious! (And I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be.) 4. Red Psalm (1971) 5. The Last Wave (1977) - I'm a sucker for any movie about the Australian aborigines. This one is pretty good. 6. Red Sorghum (1987) - I saw several great movies this month and this was one of the best! Gong Li is magnificent! 7. The Last Seduction (1994) - In a month where I saw a lot of great movies, this one stands out because it's a nasty (but awesome!) film noir about some nasty people. Whoever got the Academy Award for Best Actress for the films of 1994 should be glad this movie wasn't eligible because Linda Fiorentino would have walked away with it! 8. Deseret (1995) - Deseret is a documentary about Utah. You get a lot of landscapes as the narrator reads articles about Utah from the New York Times, going back to the 1850s. It's a very interesting approach which I could appreciate because I love old newspapers! 9. Kippur (2000) - A very effective war movie about the Yom Kippur War of 1973. 10. What Time Is It There? (2001) 11. Kandahar (2001) - An Iranian film about a woman traveling through Taliban era Afghanistan to the city of Kandahar to stop her sister from committing suicide. It's not a happy experience. 12. Distant (Uzak) (2002) - Turkish movies! 13. Head-On (2004)
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Post by Deleted on Jul 1, 2018 14:24:12 GMT -5
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Post by Hoosier X on Jul 2, 2018 11:17:42 GMT -5
A couple of firsts for me. Red Psalm is my first Hungarian movie. Distant (Uzak) is my first Turkish film. Head-On is about the Turkish community in Hamburg, Germany, but I think it counts as a German movie. The director is descended from Turkish immigrants to Germany.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2018 12:48:34 GMT -5
A couple of firsts for me. Red Psalm is my first Hungarian movie. Distant (Uzak) is my first Turkish film. Head-On is about the Turkish community in Hamburg, Germany, but I think it counts as a German movie. The director is descended from Turkish immigrants to Germany. I've seen Kipper (2000), The Last Seduction (1994), and Europa '51 (1952) with Ingrid Bergman. I'm not much a fan of foreign movies - especially European ones because of their speech and I have seen Red Psalm and did not care for it because of the speech and the film wasn't captioned and that's made it impossible for me to enjoy it. Sorry about the negativity of that movie and wasn't for my friends that watched it with me made it bearable. Europa '51 -- that movie that I really want to see very soon ...
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Post by brutalis on Jul 5, 2018 13:49:38 GMT -5
Spent the 4th of July 2018 relaxing with the first 4 Johnny Weissmuller Jungle Jim movies. Jungle Jim from 1948 costarring George Reeves and Virginia Grey. The Lost Tribe from 1949 costarring Myrna Dell and Elena Verdugo, Mark of the Gorilla from 1950 with Suzanne Dalbert and Trudy Marshall then Captive Girl from 1950 with Buster Crabbe and Anita Lhoest. none of these are going to win any Academy Awards yet they fulfill perfectly the Saturday afternoon adventure thrills and have a ton more action and adventure in their 53 minute running times than many a movie of today. Weissmuller may not be Tarzan worthy by this time but his name and presence still carried enough punch to keep this 16 movie series going strong. Add in his jungle partners of a dog, a crow and a chimp, toss in jungle tribesmen and mix well with sultry ladies in pursuit of fun and frolic in the deep dark continent in search of fame, wealth and Jim himself and you get instant classics! I can watch these over and over and still find new things with every movie to enjoy. Grab a vine or canoe and begin traipsing along the river in the hunt of danger and excitement. Guarantee that you won't be disappointed...
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Post by Farrar on Jul 5, 2018 20:39:55 GMT -5
Saw Summer of 42 when it was first broadcast, on ABC. I was a little young to fully comprehend all that was happening (totally didn't understand the scenes about trying to buy condoms); but the characters were engaging and O'Neal was beautiful. I watched it again, years later, as an adult, with great appreciation for it, including Adam Arkin's (Northwest Exposure, son of Alan Arkin) t urn as Grimes' best friend. Arkin wasn't in this film. I think you are referring to Jerry Houser; he played the best friend.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 5, 2018 22:39:45 GMT -5
Saw Summer of 42 when it was first broadcast, on ABC. I was a little young to fully comprehend all that was happening (totally didn't understand the scenes about trying to buy condoms); but the characters were engaging and O'Neal was beautiful. I watched it again, years later, as an adult, with great appreciation for it, including Adam Arkin's (Northwest Exposure, son of Alan Arkin) t urn as Grimes' best friend. Arkin wasn't in this film. I think you are referring to Jerry Houser; he played the best friend. Probably confusing something else Arkin did with the film.
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