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Post by Hoosier X on Mar 12, 2023 15:07:09 GMT -5
Everything before Polyester makes me physically uncomfortable at times. Pink Flamingos makes me downright nauseous. But I’ve seen most of them 2 to 4 times.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2023 17:04:23 GMT -5
My wife was in the mood for some early 90's "feel good" films last night and we watched Sister Act followed by Cool Runnings. Hard to believe those are both around 30 years old now.
Well known mainstream movies, both have a generally light-hearted nature to them, often quite comedic by design, though with some serious moments mixed in. And yet, it also struck me how different a society we were back then. Perhaps I'm overly pessimistic, but I feel like neither of these movies could have been made today. At least suggesting we could find common ground as a society at times and overcome our differences without finding ways to keep dividing us...I miss this optimism. I miss thinking even if it didn't reflect the realities of our world even back then, it was something to aspire towards.
I'll just say this...the endings of both movies (that I already knew very well) both made me want to get up and cheer. The world needs more of this.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 12, 2023 17:11:03 GMT -5
My wife was in the mood for some early 90's "feel good" films last night and we watched Sister Act followed by Cool Runnings. Hard to believe those are both around 30 years old now. Well known mainstream movies, both have a generally light-hearted nature to them, often quite comedic by design, though with some serious moments mixed in. And yet, it also struck me how different a society we were back then. Perhaps I'm overly pessimistic, but I feel like neither of these movies could have been made today. At least suggesting we could find common ground as a society at times and overcome our differences without finding ways to keep dividing us...I miss this optimism. I miss thinking even if it didn't reflect the realities of our world even back then, it was something to aspire towards. I'll just say this...the endings of both movies (that I already knew very well) both made me want to get up and cheer. The world needs more of this. Cool Runnings is a really fun film. As long as you remember it is barely tethered to the reality of the events and just enjoy it on its merits.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Mar 12, 2023 17:20:52 GMT -5
Having re-read the novel I recently re-watched Devil in a Blue Dress. I like the film a fair amount but I'm always going to be a sucker for anything vaguely noir and set in the noir era. It's not a perfect movie nor is a perfect adaptation. They made some definite changes from the novel, many, I'm sure, necessitated to fit it in to feature film length. Honestly the short story is the perfect length for adaptation. Novels tend to need more time unless you are going to really cut them. Denzel Washington was good as Easy Rawlins and I'd have liked to have seen more films. Don Cheadle was outstanding as Mouse....even given that I have issues with how that character is used in the novel and the movie. Generally the rest of the cast was just fine, though they gave Jennifer Beals very little to do as Daphne Monet (again a lot of that is time constraints).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 12, 2023 17:39:59 GMT -5
My wife was in the mood for some early 90's "feel good" films last night and we watched Sister Act followed by Cool Runnings. Hard to believe those are both around 30 years old now. Well known mainstream movies, both have a generally light-hearted nature to them, often quite comedic by design, though with some serious moments mixed in. And yet, it also struck me how different a society we were back then. Perhaps I'm overly pessimistic, but I feel like neither of these movies could have been made today. At least suggesting we could find common ground as a society at times and overcome our differences without finding ways to keep dividing us...I miss this optimism. I miss thinking even if it didn't reflect the realities of our world even back then, it was something to aspire towards. I'll just say this...the endings of both movies (that I already knew very well) both made me want to get up and cheer. The world needs more of this. Cool Runnings is a really fun film. As long as you remember it is barely tethered to the reality of the events and just enjoy it on its merits. Oh for sure...I don't really care about the historical accuracies to be honest though, I'm more about what the message inspires, hang the details. Awesome spirit, it makes me think more of "what could be" and that's what I take away from these types of films and how it inspires me to go out and live and vibe with others.
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 13, 2023 20:44:32 GMT -5
My wife was in the mood for some early 90's "feel good" films last night and we watched Sister Act followed by Cool Runnings. Hard to believe those are both around 30 years old now. Well known mainstream movies, both have a generally light-hearted nature to them, often quite comedic by design, though with some serious moments mixed in. And yet, it also struck me how different a society we were back then. Perhaps I'm overly pessimistic, but I feel like neither of these movies could have been made today. At least suggesting we could find common ground as a society at times and overcome our differences without finding ways to keep dividing us...I miss this optimism. I miss thinking even if it didn't reflect the realities of our world even back then, it was something to aspire towards. I'll just say this...the endings of both movies (that I already knew very well) both made me want to get up and cheer. The world needs more of this. Fun fact: Mary Wickes, who plays the sarcastic Sister Mary Lazarus played a similar nun character in The Trouble With Angels (with Rosalind Russell and Haley Mills) and the sequel, Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (with Mills gone but Stella Stevens playing a character who was originally written to be Mills' character).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 13, 2023 22:30:57 GMT -5
My wife was in the mood for some early 90's "feel good" films last night and we watched Sister Act followed by Cool Runnings. Hard to believe those are both around 30 years old now. Well known mainstream movies, both have a generally light-hearted nature to them, often quite comedic by design, though with some serious moments mixed in. And yet, it also struck me how different a society we were back then. Perhaps I'm overly pessimistic, but I feel like neither of these movies could have been made today. At least suggesting we could find common ground as a society at times and overcome our differences without finding ways to keep dividing us...I miss this optimism. I miss thinking even if it didn't reflect the realities of our world even back then, it was something to aspire towards. I'll just say this...the endings of both movies (that I already knew very well) both made me want to get up and cheer. The world needs more of this. Fun fact: Mary Wickes, who plays the sarcastic Sister Mary Lazarus played a similar nun character in The Trouble With Angels (with Rosalind Russell and Haley Mills) and the sequel, Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (with Mills gone but Stella Stevens playing a character who was originally written to be Mills' character). Ah, yes, great callout! I absolutely adore Mary Wickes actually, she played that type so wonderfully. We had The Man Who Came to Dinner on repeat over the holidays a few months back, and her Nurse Preen never fails to crack me up no matter how many times I see it.
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 13, 2023 22:39:21 GMT -5
Fun fact: Mary Wickes, who plays the sarcastic Sister Mary Lazarus played a similar nun character in The Trouble With Angels (with Rosalind Russell and Haley Mills) and the sequel, Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows (with Mills gone but Stella Stevens playing a character who was originally written to be Mills' character). Ah, yes, great callout! I absolutely adore Mary Wickes actually, she played that type so wonderfully. We had The Man Who Came to Dinner on repeat over the holidays a few months back, and her Nurse Preen never fails to crack me up no matter how many times I see it. Mary Wickes is great in everything. She and Lucille Ball were pals, so she appears in all of her shows, always as a memorable character.
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Post by Prince Hal on Mar 13, 2023 22:54:21 GMT -5
Ah, yes, great callout! I absolutely adore Mary Wickes actually, she played that type so wonderfully. We had The Man Who Came to Dinner on repeat over the holidays a few months back, and her Nurse Preen never fails to crack me up no matter how many times I see it. Mary Wickes is great in everything. She and Lucille Ball were pals, so she appears in all of her shows, always as a memorable character. A favorite:
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Mar 16, 2023 8:46:04 GMT -5
Invasion U.S.A. (1952) played in the background while I was drawing yesterday.
I had never heard of the film, and despite its faults enjoyed it well enough; the nuclear bombing of New York was certainly impressive. I think there's a clear advantage to black and white when it comes to certain special effects.
The plot is rather hard to reconcile with the real world, as the movie describes the land invasion of the United States by people who are clearly meant to be Russian but aren't actually identified as such. How waves of Russian bombers could reach American shores so easily and how paratroopers could make inroads so quickly had me puzzled, although if we don't stop to think about such details the presentation was quite dramatic and the uncertainty and fear of the main characters was relatable. I enjoyed the way members of the cast, as in a real war, meet a grisly end one after the other; nobody (not even characters we thought would survive for certain) manages to be bullet-proof. Also, the characters are just ordinary folks doing what ordinary folks would do to help their country during such a crisis; they don't turn into Red Dawn-style action heroes. They're no less brave for all that.
Granted, the last-minute revelation is something of a turn down... but the journey is the real goal.
Lots of stock footage is used to show what's happening on the front lines, and I am a sucker for stock footage. Nothing like the real thing, even if it's a bit odd to see a mix of WWII and Korean war material in WWIII.
Atom bombs are used, not always on screen, but this is not a nuclear holocaust; we're not dealing with a The Day After scenario. Nukes are treated as just bombs, only bigger.
The overall message is ironic, even if I'm sure wasn't meant to be: we, as individuals, should do what the government tells us when it insists on sacrificing everything to build a stronger defense. I believe in Si vis pacem para bellum, but here the message is so over the top that it's essentially the same as that of the invaders' propagandists.
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 16, 2023 20:34:52 GMT -5
Invasion U.S.A. (1952) played in the background while I was drawing yesterday. I had never heard of the film, and despite its faults enjoyed it well enough; the nuclear bombing of New York was certainly impressive. I think there's a clear advantage to black and white when it comes to certain special effects. The plot is rather hard to reconcile with the real world, as the movie describes the land invasion of the United States by people who are clearly meant to be Russian but aren't actually identified as such. How waves of Russian bombers could reach American shores so easily and how paratroopers could make inroads so quickly had me puzzled, although if we don't stop to think about such details the presentation was quite dramatic and the uncertainty and fear of the main characters was relatable. I enjoyed the way members of the cast, as in a real war, meet a grisly end one after the other; nobody (not even characters we thought would survive for certain) manages to be bullet-proof. Also, the characters are just ordinary folks doing what ordinary folks would do to help their country during such a crisis; they don't turn into Red Dawn-style action heroes. They're no less brave for all that. Granted, the last-minute revelation is something of a turn down... but the journey is the real goal. Lots of stock footage is used to show what's happening on the front lines, and I am a sucker for stock footage. Nothing like the real thing, even if it's a bit odd to see a mix of WWII and Korean war material in WWIII. Atom bombs are used, not always on screen, but this is not a nuclear holocaust; we're not dealing with a The Day After scenario. Nukes are treated as just bombs, only bigger. The overall message is ironic, even if I'm sure wasn't meant to be: we, as individuals, should do what the government tells us when it insists on sacrificing everything to build a stronger defense. I believe in Si vis pacem para bellum, but here the message is so over the top that it's essentially the same as that of the invaders' propagandists. That's why they invaded so easily; there were no Wolverines to stop them!
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2023 4:22:08 GMT -5
Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach was released 35 years ago today, directed by Alan Myerson.
For me this was a return to form for the film series after the woeful and unfunny 4th entry.
Commandant Eric Lassard (George Gaynes), head of the police academy, is awarded the honour of “Police Officer of the Decade”, which necessitates a trip to Miami Beach. Arriving there with his fellow officers, he inadvertently picks up a bag containing stolen jewels, which the thief (René Auberjonois) wants back at any cost.
The jokes were beginning to wear a tad thin by the time the fourth film was released, but I found this to be an enjoyable entry. Steve Guttenberg did not return, but actor Matt McCoy played a sort of similar character.
Out of the later sequels, this is the one I’d revisit the most.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Mar 18, 2023 18:51:36 GMT -5
The Day the World Ended (1955) is not a milestone in the history of cinema, but it was a pleasant flick anyway. Sort of like an extended episode of The Outer Limits. After a nuclear war, a bunch of survivors meet at the farmhouse of a kind but strict fellow who means to save his daughter from whatever may come next.
The characters include the dashing hero, the dastardly crook and his good-hearted moll, a gold prospector and his donkey... as well as a guy who, exposed to radiation, turns into a mutated monstrosity.
The story follows the expected twists and turns, and in the end the hero and the daughter, saved by the power of God, can look forward to a brighter future.
Very honest, if unsurprising presentation.
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Post by Hoosier X on Mar 19, 2023 12:46:32 GMT -5
I watched a few more old Japanese movies over the weekend.
Heroic Purgatory (1970) - The Japanese New Wave was WAY out-of-control by 1970. It was never known for its discipline or its restraint.
Heroic Purgatory is like somebody in Japan saw a Godard film and said, “HOLD MY BEER!”
It reminded me of the segment of French & Saunders where they are making fun of Bergman.
But ... at least it reminded me of Godard films that I liked! And it’s easily as entertaining as French & Saunders.
Yukoku: The Rite of Love and Death (1966) - Yukio Mishima wrote and directed and starred! And it’s only thirty minutes! So it’s must-see for Mishima fans.
Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss (1970) - I was in love with this movie within a minute.
This movie screams, “IT’S 1970 AND IT’S JAPAN AND WE ARE ALL CRAZEEEE!!”
Stray Cat Rock is the series that made Meiko Kaji famous.
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Post by codystarbuck on Mar 19, 2023 14:51:54 GMT -5
I watched a few more old Japanese movies over the weekend. Heroic Purgatory (1970) - The Japanese New Wave was WAY out-of-control by 1970. It was never known for its discipline or its restraint. Heroic Purgatory is like somebody in Japan saw a Godard film and said, “HOLD MY BEER!” It reminded me of the segment of French & Saunders where they are making fun of Bergman. But ... at least it reminded me of Godard films that I liked! And it’s easily as entertaining as French & Saunders. Yukoku: The Rite of Love and Death (1966) - Yukio Mishima wrote and directed and starred! And it’s only thirty minutes! So it’s must-see for Mishima fans. Stray Cat Rock: Delinquent Girl Boss (1970) - I was in love with this movie within a minute. This movie screams, “IT’S 1970 AND IT’S JAPAN AND WE ARE ALL CRAZEEEE!!” Stray Cat Rock is the series that made Meiko Kaji famous. For a minute there, I thought the last one was a concert film with Brian Setzer, Slim Jim Phantom and Lee Rocker.
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