Search found 1781 matches

by MikeBSG
April 29th, 2007, 12:50 pm
Forum: Film Noir and Crime
Topic: The Finest Noir Director
Replies: 22
Views: 11742

I vote for Robert Siodmak. With the jazz scene in "Phantom Lady" he created an American expressionistic nightmare. "The Suspect" is a fine gaslight film noir, and "The Spiral Staircase" surpasses it. But the heart of his work is "The Killers" and "Criss C...
by MikeBSG
April 28th, 2007, 9:10 am
Forum: Sci-fi and Horror
Topic: Inquiring minds want to know! Is it Frankie or Drac for you?
Replies: 27
Views: 13529

I have always been drawn to Frankenstein movies. I love the Universal ones, but I also like the ones from Hammer studios, which are centered on Baron Frankenstein instead of his creations. The Universal Dracula series is more uneven, but it seems that this was due to things beyond the studio's contr...
by MikeBSG
April 28th, 2007, 9:03 am
Forum: Westerns
Topic: The Magnificent Seven - A Racist Film ?
Replies: 7
Views: 5816

A very interesting discussion of "The Magnificent Seven" can be found in the book "Gunfighter Nation" by Richard Slotkin. He emphasizes the image of Mexico in Westerns, from Ford's "Rio Grande" to Peckinpah's "The Wild Bunch." He sees "Magnificent Seven&q...
by MikeBSG
April 27th, 2007, 10:34 am
Forum: Sci-fi and Horror
Topic: Twilight Zone or Outer Limits, the mind boggles
Replies: 50
Views: 55309

Is anyone here a fan of "Thriller," the Boris Karloff hosted show that lasted two seasons from 1960-2? Some of those episodes, like "The Cheaters," "The Devil's Ticket," "Prisoner in the Mirror" and "The Incredible Dr. Markesan" are the best TV horro...
by MikeBSG
April 27th, 2007, 10:29 am
Forum: Film Noir and Crime
Topic: The Killers vs Criss Cross
Replies: 9
Views: 5547

I prefer "The Killers" but I have a hard time explaining why. Both are superb films noir. Perhaps I don't like "Criss Cross" as much because I find it hard to justify the Duryea character letting DeCarlo handle the split even after he caught her in Lancaster's arms. I suppose you...
by MikeBSG
April 27th, 2007, 10:24 am
Forum: Film Noir and Crime
Topic: "Cry of the City"
Replies: 2
Views: 2131

My favorite part of the film is when Conte escapes from the hospital. That was one of the most suspenseful things I've seen. What gets me is that everything seems so natural, particularly the one guard who is gassing on about sports. Apparently, director Robert Siodmak never really liked this film a...
by MikeBSG
April 27th, 2007, 10:20 am
Forum: Westerns
Topic: Yellow Sky
Replies: 4
Views: 2867

I watched this for the first time earlier this year and liked it a lot. I loved the brooding atmosphere of the film, and the increasing tensions between the outlaws was very well done.

In some ways, it felt like an Anthony Mann western a few years early.
by MikeBSG
April 27th, 2007, 10:18 am
Forum: Comedies
Topic: The Lady Eve
Replies: 23
Views: 25033

I have the impression that thinking of the Production Code as one unchanging block of standards from 1934 to 1967 is wrong. The toughness came and went in waves. I think if you look at the personnel of the Code Authority, you might find the reasons for changes. I read a book about film noir, "B...
by MikeBSG
April 27th, 2007, 10:12 am
Forum: Movies and Features on TCM
Topic: Mephisto (1982)
Replies: 3
Views: 3098

I like "Mephisto" a lot. I found Brandauer's performance superb, but what I liked about the movie was that it made me think about the issue of what a person does under a dictatorship. Do you leave the county? Do you stick around and hope for the best? Director Istvan Szabo addressed this q...
by MikeBSG
April 25th, 2007, 5:52 pm
Forum: Sci-fi and Horror
Topic: Twilight Zone or Outer Limits, the mind boggles
Replies: 50
Views: 55309

I would have to go with "Twilight Zone" because while there are dud TZ episodes, for the most part, when I watch TZ I feel that the episode began at the right spot and ended at the right spot. Most of the time, "Outer Limits" leaves me feeling that they had too much story for the...
by MikeBSG
April 25th, 2007, 5:46 pm
Forum: Westerns
Topic: The Gunfighter - 1950
Replies: 12
Views: 5492

I really like this movie. I think "High Noon" borrowed heavily from it, particularly the hero waiting for the bad guys to arrive in town. I really like the scene in which Peck bluffs the kid into thinking he has a gun beneath the table. Karl Malden and Millard Mitchell are superb in suppor...