I Just Watched...

[CinemaInternational]

Watched the next episode of the Feud miniseries, which again took some liberties. (There never was a documentary filmed about Capote's famous black and white ball, but I assume that this was invented for the sole purpose of getting an episode that is over 90% B&W [ and in the old academy ratio to boot] made in the 21st century in the first place)

This episode, in spite of making a few nods to Capote's future book and downfall, plays basically as an ornate standalone showing how powerful Capote was at his height, given that it doesn't really push the plot forward as the whole thing is shown in retrospect.

The faux documentary look take a while to warm to or for the actors to relax to. Tom Hollander, Diane Lane (who steals the show with her foul-mouthed, catty, peppery lines) and Chloë Sevigny seem most at ease with the format, while Naomi Watts is noticeably a little nervous. Demi Moore comes back for one brief scene, and frankly it is one of the best scenes she has ever had in her career, somewhat reminiscent of the Betty Buckley cameo in Another Woman.

Yet again, Calista Flockhart (about 2 minutes screentime) and Molly Ringwald (30 seconds tops) seem like afterthoughts to the writer of the episode.

Still, in spite of a few reservations, it is still interesting, so onward I will go with this miniseries.

[Bronxgirl48]

The Many Lives of Martha Stewart (CNN) was surprisingly even-handed toward America's Domestic Goddess, although I have always thought, even before her incarceration (karma!), that the woman was and still is an unscrupulous, greedy, shallow, narcissistic, high-functioning sociopath (as are many super-successful control freak entrepeneurs and politicians).

[Andree]

Where are the boring socialites of yesteryear!
Babe, Slim, the charming Lee.

I saw this on the DirecTV on screen guide a while back but forgot about it, then saw it
again last night and decided to watch it. Not bad, though Truman seems a bit on the
dull side as do his celebrity pals. I liked the Capote movies better. I did get a laugh
out of the diversity of the Black and White Ball--rich white businessmen, rich white
actors, rich white socialites, etc. Henry Fonda was one of the invitees. Gosh Truman,
I haven't had chicken hash since I was a boy in Nebraska. Thankfully, chicken hash
was just one of the items on the menu. Kind of entertaining in a days of the dinosaurs
way.

[Hibi]

JUST SO IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE I'M ALWAYS TRASH TALKING THE ACTING ON "MURDER SHE WROTE"-

Was watching the season 4 episode BENEDICT ARNOLD SLIPPED HERE (one of the best CABOT COVE eps) and sat up and really noticed just how good the acting in THE FOLLOWING SCENE IS, especially from JULIE ADAMS who has a looooong, complicated line of dialogue that she has to deliver and she absolutely nails it. and then BARBARA CASON comes in and starts SLICING UP THE FRUITCAKE.

I loved Julie Adams on that show. I seem to remember she had a lot of longwinded dialogue on that show (she talked a lot) And she talked very fast, too.

[Allhallowsday]

Last night (real party above) was much tamer. Poor Ann Woodward ... embroidery a'la Capote?

[Cinemaspeak59]

NOTORIOUS (1946) Haven't seen this at TCM in a long time. I think overall, HITCHCOCK's best film.

I agree. And possibly Cary Grant's best performance.

[Cinemaspeak59]

Double Harness (1933) William Powell plays the heir to a shipping line, but business is a distant second to his playboy lifestyle. Ann Harding, conservative but not prudish, tries to reform his impulses. They get married thanks to some skullduggery on Harding’s part. But the marriage is strictly a business arrangement. If Powell isn’t happy, Harding will gladly divorce him, and not bother about alimony. What a deal, at least for Powell. Double Harness is a clash between old fashioned values like industriousness and responsibility, versus doing as one pleases. The movie resolves this dichotomy by showing they need not be in conflict at all.

[Swithin]

Double Harness (1933) William Powell plays the heir to a shipping line, but business is a distant second to his playboy lifestyle. Ann Harding, conservative but not prudish, tries to reform his impulses. They get married thanks to some skullduggery on Harding’s part. But the marriage is strictly a business arrangement. If Powell isn’t happy, Harding will gladly divorce him, and not bother about alimony. What a deal, at least for Powell. Double Harness is a clash between old fashioned values like industriousness and responsibility, versus doing as one pleases. The movie resolves this dichotomy by showing they need not be in conflict at all.

It's also a clash between the butler and the Chinese chef! I haven't seen the film for a while but I remember enjoying it very much.

[jamesjazzguitar]

Isn't Double Harness one of those "Lost RKO" titles that TCM rescued some years ago?

From Wiki:

This (Double Harness) is one of the "lost RKO films" owned by Merian C. Cooper and only re-released in April 2007 when Turner Classic Movies acquired the rights and showed all six films on TCM.

Cooper accused RKO of not paying him all the money contractually due for the films he produced in the 1930s. A settlement was reached in 1946, giving Cooper complete ownership of six RKO titles:

[laffite]

A Fistful of Dynamite (1971) If you're still waiting for that close-up, too bad you weren't around for this. Like all Sergio Leonie films there are tons of them. Caveat, you may be visually impaired later due to camera incursions into your eyes, lips, and anything else the camera finds. Or if you are content to be an extra, there are tons of those too mostly doomed to die either by execution or blown up to smithereens. The number of rounds shot in this film is staggering. And this is a comedy. Steiger was brilliant in this. His performance was so free, so spontaneous, so buoyant, he had no time to chew the scenery. James Coburn is good too. This seemed like a buddy-buddy film (if you will), though adversarial at least early on. They had chemistry. An actress named Maria Monti has a brief turn as an upper crust society lady who mercilessly verbally humiliates our hero and then when the tables are turned and she is at his mercy, still manages to exude a certain latent sexually that can be quite erotic (despite maintaining an incredible reserve). She is supposed to have been raped but my reading did not show any of that (but right up to it), which may have been a decision by MGM+. The movie has a Revolution in it. The first half (sans revolution yet) I found to be vastly more entertaining. After that we get a lot aforementioned violence and the scenes tended to be lengthy. And there was here and there some slow mo sentimental scenes (among the early victims and being shown in happier times) with some music that might lend itself to saccharine elements but they were not too bad. The movie to me was two in one, in tone and ambiance. The movie is overlong but entertaining for the most part. Rod Steiger carried the film for me, with very strong support from James Coburn. And, of course, Maria. ///

[Lorna]

I loved Julie Adams on that show. I seem to remember she had a lot of longwinded dialogue on that show (she talked a lot) And she talked very fast, too.

later on in the same episode, she gets a very rare line of genuinely funny dialogue (for MsW, that is):

"Jessica! PLEASE! I'd get down on my knees and BEG, but this is MY LAST PAIR OF PANTY HOSE!"