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Post by codystarbuck on May 9, 2019 11:32:32 GMT -5
ps I thought Jackie Brown was better than Tarantino's other films of the period, from a story standpoint; but, his self-indulgent dialogue scenes slowed the film. There is less of that her, than in Pulp Fiction. For a while, he had the rights to do Modesty Blaise and I liked the idea of someone who is a fan doing it; but, based on his output, I'm glad he didn't, as I don't think I would have enjoyed it. That quickie that he produced, from the guy who directed one of the From Dusk Til Dawn sequels, isn't bad and captures many elements of the character, before she becomes a crime boss; but, the actress seriously needed a sandwich. She looked to be at least 30 lbs or more underweight... Modesty Blaise was a bit healthier than that... Even Monica Vitti looked better than that, blond hair not withstanding. Nor, for a Tarantino film, I always found Four Rooms to be better than it is given credit... It's extremely uneven, to be sure, thanks to the 4 different directors. My favorite parts are the Robert Rodriguez piece (babysitting the kids) and Allison Anders' segment, with the witch coven trying to revive a pin-up queen (ala Bettie Page). Those were pretty entertaining. The Alexandre Rockwell segment (with Jennifer Beals and the kinky sex game, with a jealous husband) is so-so, they way below the others. Tarantino's is fine, as a meta thing about the Alfred Hitchcock Presents story, "The Man From the South," (based on the Road Dahl short story) with Peter Lorre and Steve McQueen (and a later version, with John Huston). It's a fun homage, and Tarantino's dialogue bits work in favor of the story, rather than detour it. I do think Tarantino got better about integrating those dialogue bits into the story, rather than have them be side pieces that don't advance the story, like Jules and Vincent and the Royale with Cheese discussion.
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Post by Deleted on May 10, 2019 22:55:08 GMT -5
I just find any Tarantino's film not to my liking and basically don't enjoy any or all of it. I just had a hard time enjoying them.
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2019 19:28:59 GMT -5
Colonel Bat GuanoFunniest Scene in Dr. Strangelove I just watched this one of the nuttiest films that ever made and this made a star out of Peter Sellers so many times ... it's crazy and insane. And, more so ... the nuts of Keenan Wynn as Colonel Bat Guano is beyond speechless and hard to describe this movie and I have seen it at least 4-6 times and I just never really appreciate what Keenan did in this movie and I just spent too much time on Peter Sellers and George C. Scott and among others too. Major Kong is another gem that I loved so well and this movie is a masterpiece of pure comedic joy and bring me lots of laughs today.
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Post by berkley on May 12, 2019 23:58:13 GMT -5
I think Tarantino might have been able to pull off a Modesty Blaise film stylistically, but I'm very much afraid he would have cast someone like Uma Thurman in the role (with Bruce Willis as Willie Garvin, in my worst nightmare), so in the end, I'm kind of glad he never did. I haven't been tempted to watch the one he produced, as the few shots I saw of it didn't look good to me, and I had the impression his creative input was pretty minimal.
I don't find his extended dialogues and monologues self-indulgent, or that they slow down his films, so they're almost always a strength of his films for me, rather than a weakness.
City on Fire - I really don't see much similarity apart from the basic idea he lifted of the undercover cop forming a close friendship with a member of the gang he's infiltrated. Incidentally, not one of Ringo Lam's best, IMO - I found it a little pedestrian, at least by his standards. But anyway, certainly I don't see Reservoir Dogs as anywhere near a straight rip or even homage - it's nowhere near as close to City on fire as, say, the magnificent Seven is to Seven Samurai.
John Woo (and Lam, and a lot of other HK directors) I do think were strong influences on Tarantino, but again, I don't have a problem with that. It's what you do with your influences that's important and I think that Tarantino has developed a pretty distinctive style of his own, like it or hate it.
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Post by brutalis on May 13, 2019 8:04:02 GMT -5
Enjoyed some real chuckles and laughs watching Errol Flynn and Eleanor Parker in the romantic comedy Never Say Goodbye. Very entertaining light hearted 1946 movie telling the story of a divorced couple sharing custody of their precocious daughter "Flip" who wants them to remarry and become a family once more. Forrest Tucker comes along as a marine that Flip has been writing to during the war and who he believes is actually an adult which Parker pretends to be the one who was writing to irritate Flynn who she thinks is a conniving lady killer (why she divorced him) trying to win her back.
Lots of fun and frolic with Flynn in fine form and the scenes with him and Parker sparkle with wit and charm while Flynn and Tucker make splendid friendly foils of each other. In the end all is well as Tucker helps Flip to get the bewildering parent together over the Christmas season. Fun, witty and intelligent classic which highlights Flynn to great effect.
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Post by Hoosier X on May 13, 2019 20:09:08 GMT -5
I saw some really good movies over the last week or so, and I thought I would comment on the films I saw that might be of interest to CCF members. Has anybody ever seen The Raid (1954)? I had never heard of it, but I saw it on the schedule on FXM Retro. It's about the infamous St. Albans Raid! This is an 1864 incident I read about 30 years ago, where a group of Confederates swooped down from Canada, crossed the border, and robbed three banks in the town of St. Albans, Vermont. All I had to read was that it was about the St. Albans Raid! But it has a great cast, including Van Heflin, Anne Bancroft, Lee Marvin, Richard Boone, James Best, Peter Graves, Claude Akins and child star Tommy Rettig! It's not particularly faithful to the real-life incident, but it's a fun 1950s action movie anyway. Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - It was on Svengoolie! I've seen The Bride of Frankenstein over and over and over again since I was eight years old. I've probably seen it 20 or 30 times AT LEAST! And I just couldn't resist seeing it again Saturday night on Svengoolie! Bringing Up Baby (1938) - This another one that I absolutely love! I haven't seen it as many times as I've seen Bride of Frankenstein, but I've probably seen it four or five times over the years. I laugh and laugh! It's not just Cary Grant and Katharine Hepburn and Baby the leopard and the dog and the brontosaurus bone, it's also Charles Ruggles and his leopard call and Barry Fitzgerald and Susan's aunt and the sheriff and Miss Swallow and EVERYTHING! Highly recommended! Night Must Fall (1964) - This is based on a play that was made into a movie in the late 1930s with Rosalind Russell and Robert Montgomery. It's about a serial killer! (I've seen photos of Dwight Frye playing the lead in N ight Must Fall on stage.) I saw the original film many years ago and found it to be very chilling, despite the restrictiosn of the Code. I heard that a later version was made in 1964 with Albert Finney, Susan Hampshire and Mona Washbourne. I've been wanting to see the later version for 25 years and TCM finally came through! I prefer the earlier version, but that doesn't mean that you don't get some wonderful performances from the three leads! Project A, Part II (1987) - And then there's this movie, another hilarious, fun-filled thrill ride with Jackie Chan! I was doing a little online research and I saw some of the hardcore Jackie Chan/martial-arts film fans saying this one is not so great because there aren't that many fight scenes. And then I saw it. It doesn't lack for action scenes! When there isn't a big fight scene, there are several very funny, inventive chase scenes! And there's also a scene where about ten people are hiding in a girl's house. They're in closets, under beds, behind curtains, little groups of one to three people, and they don't always know the other people are there. So somebody will be changing hiding places and open the door to the wardrobe and there's two guys in black suits and derbys holding a girl at gunpoint and motioning the new guy to be quiet! In addition to Chan, we also get some great comedic performances from Maggie Cheung, Rosamund Kwan and Carina Lau. I quite honestly did not have any trouble with the alleged lack of fight scenes!
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Post by Hoosier X on May 13, 2019 20:44:58 GMT -5
I think Tarantino might have been able to pull off a Modesty Blaise film stylistically, but I'm very much afraid he would have cast someone like Uma Thurman in the role (with Bruce Willis as Willie Garvin, in my worst nightmare), so in the end, I'm kind of glad he never did. I haven't been tempted to watch the one he produced, as the few shots I saw of it didn't look good to me, and I had the impression his creative input was pretty minimal. I don't find his extended dialogues and monologues self-indulgent, or that they slow down his films, so they're almost always a strength of his films for me, rather than a weakness. City on Fire - I really don't see much similarity apart from the basic idea he lifted of the undercover cop forming a close friendship with a member of the gang he's infiltrated. Incidentally, not one of Ringo Lam's best, IMO - I found it a little pedestrian, at least by his standards. But anyway, certainly I don't see Reservoir Dogs as anywhere near a straight rip or even homage - it's nowhere near as close to City on fire as, say, the magnificent Seven is to Seven Samurai. John Woo (and Lam, and a lot of other HK directors) I do think were strong influences on Tarantino, but again, I don't have a problem with that. It's what you do with your influences that's important and I think that Tarantino has developed a pretty distinctive style of his own, like it or hate it. I'm with you on City on Fire! After I saw it, I was continually rolling my eyes whenever anybody tried to say Tarantino stole or copied it. If you've never seen Lady Snowblood, check it out! It's some wonderful source material for Kill Bill, but Tarantino works it over pretty good and anybody who tries to call it theft doesn't understand artistic influences!
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Post by Hoosier X on May 13, 2019 20:45:39 GMT -5
Enjoyed some real chuckles and laughs watching Errol Flynn and Eleanor Parker in the romantic comedy Never Say Goodbye. Very entertaining light hearted 1946 movie telling the story of a divorced couple sharing custody of their precocious daughter "Flip" who wants them to remarry and become a family once more. Forrest Tucker comes along as a marine that Flip has been writing to during the war and who he believes is actually an adult which Parker pretends to be the one who was writing to irritate Flynn who she thinks is a conniving lady killer (why she divorced him) trying to win her back. Lots of fun and frolic with Flynn in fine form and the scenes with him and Parker sparkle with wit and charm while Flynn and Tucker make splendid friendly foils of each other. In the end all is well as Tucker helps Flip to get the bewildering parent together over the Christmas season. Fun, witty and intelligent classic which highlights Flynn to great effect. I adore Eleanor Parker, but I've never seen this one!
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2019 21:46:17 GMT -5
My wife had been trying to get me to watch Oh Brother Where Art Thou? for going on a decade now, as it is one of her favorite movies, but being a particular fan of musicals or George Clooney I had resisted, until recently when I learned that it was based on the Odyssey (something that had inexplicably escaped my attention for some reason). So this afternoon when she got home from work, we finally watched it. I quite enjoyed it, despite my misgivings about the genre and leading man.
-M
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Post by Slam_Bradley on May 13, 2019 21:53:58 GMT -5
My wife had been trying to get me to watch Oh Brother Where Art Thou? for going on a decade now, as it is one of her favorite movies, but being a particular fan of musicals or George Clooney I had resisted, until recently when I learned that it was based on the Odyssey (something that had inexplicably escaped my attention for some reason). So this afternoon when she got home from work, we finally watched it. I quite enjoyed it, despite my misgivings about the genre and leading man. -M I don’t want no Fop. I’m a Dapper Dan man! I really love that movie. I quote from it in Court semi-regularly.
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Post by codystarbuck on May 13, 2019 23:00:40 GMT -5
Hey boys, we better R-U-N-N-O-F-T
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2019 23:15:08 GMT -5
Hoosier X ... I have seen all of those movies and they are great in every way possible and they are pure gems.
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Post by berkley on May 13, 2019 23:30:42 GMT -5
I think Tarantino might have been able to pull off a Modesty Blaise film stylistically, but I'm very much afraid he would have cast someone like Uma Thurman in the role (with Bruce Willis as Willie Garvin, in my worst nightmare), so in the end, I'm kind of glad he never did. I haven't been tempted to watch the one he produced, as the few shots I saw of it didn't look good to me, and I had the impression his creative input was pretty minimal. I don't find his extended dialogues and monologues self-indulgent, or that they slow down his films, so they're almost always a strength of his films for me, rather than a weakness. City on Fire - I really don't see much similarity apart from the basic idea he lifted of the undercover cop forming a close friendship with a member of the gang he's infiltrated. Incidentally, not one of Ringo Lam's best, IMO - I found it a little pedestrian, at least by his standards. But anyway, certainly I don't see Reservoir Dogs as anywhere near a straight rip or even homage - it's nowhere near as close to City on fire as, say, the magnificent Seven is to Seven Samurai. John Woo (and Lam, and a lot of other HK directors) I do think were strong influences on Tarantino, but again, I don't have a problem with that. It's what you do with your influences that's important and I think that Tarantino has developed a pretty distinctive style of his own, like it or hate it. I'm with you on City on Fire! After I saw it, I was continually rolling my eyes whenever anybody tried to say Tarantino stole or copied it. If you've never seen Lady Snowblood, check it out! It's some wonderful source material for Kill Bill, but Tarantino works it over pretty good and anybody who tries to call it theft doesn't understand artistic influences! Yes, I watched that after seeing Kill Bill and loved it. As you say, an influence, but not a rip, IMO. Everyone knows Tarantino is into all this stuff and can easily check these films out to see for themselves. It isn't as if he's trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes.
BTW, though I'm a fan of his films, I'm not as much a fan of the man himself, or at least his media persona, which I find can be grating at times. But I like his enthusiasm and love for all kinds of genre film.
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Post by berkley on May 13, 2019 23:35:14 GMT -5
My wife had been trying to get me to watch Oh Brother Where Art Thou? for going on a decade now, as it is one of her favorite movies, but being a particular fan of musicals or George Clooney I had resisted, until recently when I learned that it was based on the Odyssey (something that had inexplicably escaped my attention for some reason). So this afternoon when she got home from work, we finally watched it. I quite enjoyed it, despite my misgivings about the genre and leading man. -M I don’t want no Fop. I’m a Dapper Dan man! I really love that movie. I quote from it in Court semi-regularly. Loved it, one of the Coens's best, which is saying something. And of course a great soundtrack.
I like Clooney, myself. But I can sympathise with mrp, because I have a similarly bad viewer/performer chemistry with a lot of the most popular stars of the last 30 years or so - Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, ... I don't absolutely refuse to see their movies but their presence is always a drawback for me, one more bit of weight on the negative side of the balance.
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Post by Hoosier X on May 16, 2019 10:56:28 GMT -5
I don’t want no Fop. I’m a Dapper Dan man! I really love that movie. I quote from it in Court semi-regularly. Loved it, one of the Coens's best, which is saying something. And of course a great soundtrack.
I like Clooney, myself. But I can sympathise with mrp, because I have a similarly bad viewer/performer chemistry with a lot of the most popular stars of the last 30 years or so - Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, ... I don't absolutely refuse to see their movies but their presence is always a drawback for me, one more bit of weight on the negative side of the balance.
I sort of know what you mean with Tom Cruise, but at this late date in his career, he has redeemed himself so many times with some great performances (Tropic Thunder comes to mind) and some goofy sci-fi that I love! Like Edge of Tomorrow, Oblivion and Minority Report. He kind of reminds me of Charlton Heston.
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