I Just Watched...

[Allhallowsday]

GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1945) On FETV (or whatever) last night. One of England's best literary adaptations. DAVID LEAN's first great film.

[dianedebuda]

sERIOUSLY, I will try to be on my best behavior!

Now where's the fun in that?

I too remember you from the TCM board, but I was mostly as a lurker there even though I visited Gen Discussions every day (65 posts from 2005 until closure was announced ).

[Allhallowsday]

HOME ALONE 2 (1992) Still funny.

[TikiSoo]

Last night MrTiki came across a DVD of the movie Ravenous '99 and popped it in the player. He said it was an unusual take on Vampire movies & he loved it. Knowing this was a modern film I asked, "it's not too gory is it?" because I can't take the kind of explicit violence & gore so many these days thrive on. If the story is truly a good one, I can FF through what bothers me- when the story is a bad one I can detach and think about how the special effects crafters made the illusion.

He said it wasn't TOO gory, so we watched it.
In a scene where a guy stabs another, cuts out his flesh & eats it while the dying man watches, I looked at him and said, "Really? You consider this NOT GORY?" This movie was super gross but good acting, great photography and yes, a cannibal vampire made for an unusual slant.



The hunkfest starred Guy Pearce as a US Spanish American war soldier who ends up at an outpost populated by extreme cliché characters- a cowardly Chaplin, a drunk, an intense fighter and brother & sister Indian guides. The Colonel of the outpost was played by talented Jeffery Jones, an incredible actor who has sadly fallen from grace in the film industry due to a criminal offense in the early 2000's.

I can see why some would like this imaginative variation on the vampire theme shifting from drinking blood to cannibalism. The US Colonial period of US history creates a perfect symbolic setting for a graphic illustration of one survives by devouring another.

The lighting, sets, locations & photography were gorgeous & atmospheric. Excellent costuming & make up. The special effects were good, I guess- I looked away a lot. (a good friend in special effects helped me appreciate the artistry challenges)


This would have made a great Halloween night movie, but don't take it when you're out camping unless you have a strong stomach. If you think the poster is funny, you'll like this movie currently streaming on vudu.

[ziggy6708a]

thanks for mentioning, Tiki
saw this years ago & really liked it
& yes, it'd be a great addition to Halloween schedule
(always hoped it would have popped up on Underground)

[Allhallowsday]

Last night MrTiki came across a DVD of the movie Ravenous '99 and popped it in the player. He said it was an unusual take on Vampire movies & he loved it. Knowing this was a modern film I asked, "it's not too gory is it?" because I can't take the kind of explicit violence & gore so many these days thrive on. If the story is truly a good one, I can FF through what bothers me- when the story is a bad one I can detach and think about how the special effects crafters made the illusion.

He said it wasn't TOO gory, so we watched it...

I can dig it. Gore in movies was quite the wave back in the late '70s, early '80s, and I saw plenty of it then. Now, I'm just not interested in intense gore which has gotten worse (think HUMAN CENTIPEDE) . I think TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE (1974) is a masterpiece, and for the longest time, people seemed to recall intense gore. There is little gore in TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, but the intensity is unnerving and unforgettable.
I also avoid stories with sexual assault. Nope. TWO WOMEN, great, won't look at it again. I SPIT ON YOUR GRAVE, grotesque, won't look at it again.

[TikiSoo]

has gotten worse (think HUMAN CENTIPEDE) .
There is little gore in TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE, but the intensity is unnerving and unforgettable.

Omigod-I saw HUMAN CENTIPEDE on the big screen at a horror film festival! It was so preposterous, it didn't scare me very much. Just the premise was sickening, the "centipede" itself was almost comical. (and I have a Rottweiler)
I have resisted ever seeing CHAINSAW

I also avoid stories with sexual assault. Nope. TWO WOMEN, great, won't look at it again.

Usually those scenes are only a few seconds and I can divert my eyes and carry on with the film. But TWO WOMEN never recovers, it permeates through the entire movie.
But agreed, these movies are "one view" only.

[Lorna]

I finally checked out a film I have been meaning to check out for a long long time, THE HIDDEN FORTRESS (1958)- directed by AKIRA KUROSAWA.

IT IS another story of FEUDAL JAPAN (where I AM TELLING YOU, the INTRODUCTION OF THE LA-Z-BOY RECLINER WOULD HAVE SAVED THE LIVES OF MILLIONS)- A GENERAL and A PRINCESS enlist the aid of TWO IDIOTS (BASICALLY THE UNLIKABLE LAUREL AND HARDY OF FEUDAL JAPAN) to smuggle some gold out of one province and into safe territory.

LOTS AND LOTS of stuntmen were harmed in the making of this movie, but goshdarn if it ain't something to see, especially a POTEMKINESQUE STAIRCASE SEIGE that is ONE HELL OF A SETPIECE.

Any time I discuss a KUROSAWA FILM, I have to preface it with the fact that I only started watching his films about five years ago when I came across RASHOMAN, which absolutely blew my mind (if anyone wants to call it THE GREATEST FILM OF THE 20TH CENTURY, they got a damn solid leg to stand on. Since then, I have seen RAN and SEVEN SAMURAI and KAGEMUSHA aka AKIRA KUROSAWA'S MOON OVER PARADOR and THRONE OF BLOOD, and in each case- I have no notes for improvement. They are flawless, AS SUCH, MY EXPECTATIONS ARE ALWAYS SUPERSSUPER HIGH FOR ANY KUROSAWA FILM I SEE, and as such I have been a little disappointed by YOJIMBO and AKIRA KUROSAWA'S DREAMS, the latter of which I couldn't make it through.

...and I hope you will forgive me when I tell you that I didn't love this movie, although I wanted to very badly...

I did however like it, and I am in AWE of the brilliant YIN AND YANG structure of the story- for every action, there is an equal (not always) opposite reaction, for every loss, there is a gain, every bad act forgiven- a delayed and often ironic reward. it subverted expectations at every corner and it is a film that you CANNOT WATCH QUIETLY, you will most definitely LAUGH OUT LOUD and REACT.

There is an IMPRESSIVE GEOMETRY to the script and the story that you just have to admire the HELL OUT OF.

THAT SAID, the choice to make THE TWO IDIOTS the STARS of the story and not THE FAR MORE LIKEABLE GENERAL THE PRINCESS just wore on me.

I guess once upon a time we were supposed to find the fact that they attempt to rape the princess multiple times charming, but forgive me for being "woke", after the first instance I was ALL IN for KILLING THESE TWO in a VERY UNPLEASANT WAY and was SERIOUSLY ANNOYED every time they AVOIDED DEATH.

This film is supposed to be the inspiration for STAR WARS. I don't like STAR WARS, and I can't say as I really see where that it true.

I could see a lot of IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT IN THIS FILM (honestly, that's the closest cinematic story to which it bears a familial resemblance), I could see THE NAKED SPUR and a touch of JOHNNY GUITAR- but not one ounce of STAR WARS.

TOSHIRO MIFUNE AND HIS IMPRESSIVE THIGHS play THE GENERAL. I ADORE TOSHIRO MIFUNE- anyone who wants to claim he was THE GREATEST ACTOR OF THE 20TH CENTURY also has a strong leg to stand on (but not as strong as TOSHIRO- seriously- he PLAYS THE ENTIRE MOVIE IN THIS SORT OF MINI-SKIRT ONESIE AND HIS QUADS ARE RIPPPPED!

TOSHIRO HIT THE GYM AND DID SOME SQUATS FOR THIS ONE.

I apologize for being too rusty at thiS

the ACTRESS WHO PLAYED PRINCESS YUKI was also MARVELOUS- after seeing so many JAPANESE films where THE WOMEN are either SILENT, NOT PRESENT OR DEMON HELLCAT/VAMPIRES, it was SO NICE to see A STRONG FEMALE ROLE.

Also loved her BELA LUGOSI IN WHITE ZOMBIE EYEBROWS- not a look for everyone, but SHE SLAYED.

Also also, there is A GORGEOUS SEQUENCE OF A FIRE FESTIVAL that is BREATHTAKING.

[HoldenIsHere]

I finally checked out a film I have been meaning to check out for a long long time, THE HIDDEN FORTRESS (1958)- directed by AKIRA KUROSAWA.

IT IS another story of FEUDAL JAPAN (where I AM TELLING YOU, the INTRODUCTION OF THE LA-Z-BOY RECLINER WOULD HAVE SAVED THE LIVES OF MILLIONS)- A GENERAL and A PRINCESS enlist the aid of TWO IDIOTS (BASICALLY THE UNLIKABLE LAUREL AND HARDY OF FEUDAL JAPAN) to smuggle some gold out of one province and into safe territory.


...and I hope you will forgive me when I tell you that I didn't love this movie, although I wanted to very badly...

I did however like it, and I am in AWE of the brilliant YIN AND YANG structure of the story- for every action, there is an equal (not always) opposite reaction, for every loss, there is a gain, every bad act forgiven- a delayed and often ironic reward. it subverted expectations at every corner and it is a film that you CANNOT WATCH QUIETLY, you will most definitely LAUGH OUT LOUD and REACT.



THAT SAID, the choice to make THE TWO IDIOTS the STARS of the story and not THE FAR MORE LIKEABLE GENERAL THE PRINCESS just wore on me.


This film is supposed to be the inspiration for STAR WARS. I don't like STAR WARS, and I can't say as I really see where that it true.

I could see a lot of IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT IN THIS FILM (honestly, that's the closest cinematic story to which it bears a familial resemblance), I could see THE NAKED SPUR and a touch of JOHNNY GUITAR- but not one ounce of STAR WARS.

TOSHIRO MIFUNE AND HIS IMPRESSIVE THIGHS play THE GENERAL. I ADORE TOSHIRO MIFUNE- anyone who wants to claim he was THE GREATEST ACTOR OF THE 20TH CENTURY also has a strong leg to stand on (but not as strong as TOSHIRO- seriously- he PLAYS THE ENTIRE MOVIE IN THIS SORT OF MINI-SKIRT ONESIE AND HIS QUADS ARE RIPPPPED!

First: I want to say how fantastic it is to have your commentaries on movies again!


Now, for THE HIDDEN FORTRESS and STAR WARS connection:

You may recall from my posts on the defunct TCM message boards that I am a STAR WARS fan --- including the prequels, for which (despite their commercial success) George Lucas received a lot of bashing from STAR WARS fans when they were initially released. (For the record, I was not one of the bashers. In fact, in my opinion, the much-maligned ATTACK OF THE CLONES is one most of the most entertaining "episodes" in Lucas's STAR WARS saga.)

George Lucas (a Kurosawa fan) has acknowledged the influence of THE HIDDEN FORTRESS on the the original STAR WARS movie, most ntably in the narrative framework. Just as Kurosawa tells the epic story in THE HIDDEN FORTRESS through the eyes of the peasants Tahei and Matashichi (the "Laurel and Hardy of feudal Japan" [LOVE IT!]), the first act of STAR WARS (1977) is told from the perspective of the bickering droids R2-D2 and C-3P0. Just as Tahei and Matashichi argue and split up only to be reunited when both are captured, R2-D2 and C-3P0 argue and separate after they land on the planet Tatooine but are reunited when both are captured by the droid-trading Jawas. Both are sold to the uncle of Luke Skywalker. Luke ultimately becomes the hero of Lucas's story.

The Obi-Wan Kenobi character was inspired by the battle-hardened samurai general Makabe Rokurōta, played by Toshiro Mifune in THE HIDDEN FORTRESS. In Kurosawa's movie, Tahei and Matashichi encounter Rokurōta while wandering through the wilderness on the run from their captors. In STAR WARS, Luke Skywalker and C-3PO are led to Kenobi while searching for the runaway R2-D2. Luke learns that the hermit "Ben" Kenobi is actually a veteran general of the Clone Wars and the last surviving Jedi Knight (the equivalent of a samurai in the STAR WARS saga). According to Toshiro Mifune's daughter, George Lucas approached Mifune about playing Ob-Wan Kenobi, but the Japanese actor turned down the role because he was concerned that a sci-fi movie would cheapen the image of the samurai. Ob-Wan was ultimately played by veteran English actor Alec Guinness, who (unfortunately OR perhaps fortunately) did not bare his quads in the role.

STAR WARS also borrows the "princess in danger" element from THE HIDDEN FORTRESS. And Princess Leia Organa in STAR WARS in the leader of a rebellion just as Princess Yuki is in THE HIDDEN FORTESS. Lucas would also use a plot point from THE HIDDEN FORTRESS in the first STAR WARS prequel THE PHANTOM MENANCE. In THE HIDDEN FORTRESS, a slave girl acts as a decoy for Princess Yuki. In THE PHANTOM MENANCE, a handmaiden acts a decoy for Leia's mother Padmé Amidala (who is a queen).

Oh yeah . . . the wipe transitions that Lucas used in STAR WARS were taken from the wipes in THE HIDDEN FORTRESS and other Akira Kurosawa movies.

[speedracer5]

I finally checked out a film I have been meaning to check out for a long long time, THE HIDDEN FORTRESS (1958)- directed by AKIRA KUROSAWA.

Lorna! I am so happy to see you back online. I'm glad that you found us here at SSO! I have nothing to add to the movie you mentioned, I haven't seen it. I just wanted to welcome you back

[Bronxgirl48]

...I always wanted to see Bela Lugosi naked, although not in 1945's THE BODY SNATCHER which by the way I just might put (well, this week) at the top of the Best Lewton list.

MARK ROBSON! The other great director working for VAL LEWTON! That is a very good movie.
THE SEVENTH VICTIM remains entrancing, but a major downer.

Didn't Robson also direct VALLEY OF THE DOLLS? Oh well they can't all knock them out of the park, lol.

I'm feeling less excited these days about THE SEVENTH VICTIM, mainly because I'm so confused by the relationship between Dr. Judd and that obnoxiously pretentious character of the writer. And don't get me started on Hugh Beaumont, lol.

[Bronxgirl48]

Lorna it is so terrific seeing you back here!!

I agree with you about ONIBABA and read somewhere that William Friedkin admired it so much, he used the demon mask images in THE EXORCIST.

[Allhallowsday]

...I'm feeling less excited these days about THE SEVENTH VICTIM, mainly because I'm so confused by the relationship between Dr. Judd and that obnoxiously pretentious character of the writer. And don't get me started on Hugh Beaumont, lol.

Truly a "B". And I would add that KIM HUNTER will always be Zira as far as any impact made early on. Yes. Zira's much later.
It's the look of THE SEVENTH VICTIM that exemplifies trashy Horror comic urban menace. TOM CONWAY always helps. LEWTON films often have the expedient including "problematic" scripts.

[jamesjazzguitar]

Lorna, so happy that you are back and posting!

Today, I saw part of THE McCONNELL STORY, a film which dares to ask the questions:

1. Can Alan Ladd survive the Korean War?
2. Can Alan Ladd survive as a test pilot?
3. Can Alan Ladd survive being married to June Allyson?

I only watched about 10 minutes and was bored to tears.