I Just Watched...

Discussion of programming on TCM.
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HoldenIsHere
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by HoldenIsHere »

kingrat wrote: March 15th, 2023, 11:55 am I had taped Gangs of New York and have now watched the first half. It's slow, well-crafted, and uninvolving--my general reaction to most Scorsese films. I couldn't care less about any of the characters. Even the scenes that are supposed to be sexy seem remote. The plot is like a superhero comic book franchise "origin story." The Sepia Sludge cinematography did not deserve its Oscar nomination.

Cameron Diaz is lovely, but doesn't fit the period, nor does Leonardo Di Caprio. I've never been wowed by Di Caprio's looks or acting (which is perfectly adequate), but he has the Tom Cruise ability to look like he belongs at the center of a movie. Daniel Day Lewis is such a cold fish that his villain is two-dimensional, not too interesting, though good enough for this movie. Day Lewis is like the older generation of theater-trained British actors (Olivier, Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Michael Redgrave) who don't necessarily connect with the audience emotionally despite their remarkable skill.

What genuinely delighted me was the elegance of the tall stovepipe hats. Good work by the costume department.
I liked GANGS OF NEW YORK better than you, kingrat, and also think Leonardo DiCaprio's acting is more than adequate (we can agree to disagree on that point). However, I am in total agreement with you about Daniel Day-Lewis. He's clearly an extremely skilled craftsman and wouldn't come off as "acting" to a typical movie viewer, but there is a lack of emotional connection that diminishes the power of his performances. And technical skill and emotional connection can co-exist in an acting performance: probably the best example is Meryl Streep's work in A CRY IN THE DARK.

The sweetie and I watched GANGS OF NEW YORK on Watch TCM. (It was a second viewing for me, but I had forgotten almost everything about the plot.) The sweetie remarked that the violence and gore was something usually only seen in fantasy or horror movies.
I had totally forgotten the shot of "present day" New York City featuring the World Trade Center Twin Towers at the end of the movie.
It also didn't click until the end that Henry Thomas (Elliott from E.T.) played the friend of DiCaprio's character.
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HoldenIsHere
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by HoldenIsHere »

CinemaInternational wrote: March 14th, 2023, 2:12 pm More adventures with new-ish films via premium channels.... plus one classic era film.

The classic era film is the 1939 western Jesse James with the famous outlaw being portrayed in a surprising positive light by Tyrone Power, with Henry Fonda as his brother. Most, if not all here, have likely seen it, suffice it to say it is a top-notch production with one of Tyrone's best performances and ravishing use of early Technicolor.
I agree that Tyrone Power is great in JESSE JAMES and that the Technicolor cinematography is dazzling.

RE: Jesse James's portrayal in a positive light
When I watch this movie, I can't help but think about the episode of THE BRADY BUNCH were Bobby Brady hero worships Jesse James after watching movies on TV.
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nakanosunplaza
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by nakanosunplaza »

Just watched the European alternate ending of Vertigo, now I know Scottie was blamed for the death,interesting finale.
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LawrenceA
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by LawrenceA »

Here's what I've watched in the last couple of days:

The Violent Ones (1967) - Mexican sheriff Fernando Lamas tries to protect 3 gringos (Aldo Ray, Tommy Sands, & David Carradine) from being lynched after a young woman is assaulted. Lamas also directed this misfire, where the highlight is Carradine repeatedly calling Aldo Ray a "fat slob".

The Anniversary (1968) - Bette Davis wears an eyepatch as she terrorizes her extended family during an annual celebration. This was intended to be a sort of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?-type thing, with miserable people being miserable to each other, but I was just bored.

Assignment to Kill (1968) - Investigator Patrick O'Neal looks into mysterious deaths linked to an international corporation. With Joan Hackett, Herbert Lom, and John Gielgud. This one sat on the shelf for a few years before being released, and I can see why, as it never really raises itself above a substandard TV pilot.

Black Lizard (1968) - Japanese crime thriller based on a play by Yukio Mishima, which was based on a book by Rampo. Akihiro Miwa stars as the transvestite title character, a fabulous criminal mastermind after rare jewels. This unusual thriller has outstanding cinematography and real oddball characters. Probably my favorite of this lot.

A Black Veil for Lisa (1968) - John Mills is a police inspector married to man-hungry Luciana Paluzzi. He decides to force a low-life criminal to kill her, and complications naturally ensue. Forgettable.

Death Laid an Egg (1968) - Now here's a really weird one. Jean-Louis Trintignant and Gina Lollobrigida star as a married couple who run a high-tech chicken farm for a powerful agricultural conglomerate. Gina's cousin (Ewa Aulin) comes to stay with them, and complications ensue. Oh, and Trintignant is also a serial killer. This one-of-a-kind feature likely has a devoted cult following.

The Destructors (1968) - Not to be confused with the later Michael Caine movie, this turkey stars Richard Egan as an insurance investigator out to thwart master criminal Michael Ansara from stealing "laser rubies". This is another one that comes off like a bad TV pilot.

Fireball Jungle (1968) - This low-budget, Florida-lensed crime picture features a character named Steve Miller trying to stop the crooks he blames for his brother's death. The main culprit is a guy named "Cat-eye", and he's a pretty unforgettable scumbag. Also featuring Lon Chaney Jr. as another simpleton.

For Singles Only (1968) - Pretty bad "comedy" from producer Sam Katzman with Milton Berle(!) running an apartment complex for young singles. Starring John Saxon and Mary Ann Mobley, with Lana Wood, Peter Mark Richman, and Marty Ingels.

The Hand of Night (1968) - British film with William Sylvester as a tourist in Morocco who runs afoul of an ancient vampire (Aliza Gur). Brief and unmemorable.
Watching until the end.
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laffite
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by laffite »

laffite wrote: March 13th, 2023, 11:53 am Help! Movie identification please. I usually watch cable movies on the DVR and therefore I can go back to them if needed. However, I happened to pick up one while browsing at random and not on the DVR and when I had to interrupted i couldn't get to it because it was gone.

This is modern movie, probably within the last 10 years, about a man who was desperately trying to get this other guy to sell him a Russian helicopter because he had himself a buyer for it to get money to help a small bereaved third-world type country. I know none of the actors. I was really enjoying this, any idea anyone, thanks.
Just found it by accident Panama (2022) with a hunky Cole Hauser and an aging Mel Gibson. Showtime. Gibson seems quite good in recent years. He was terrific in The Professor and the Madman (2019) w/Sean Penn, a story about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary.
Sabine Azema in Sunday in the Country
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Detective Jim McLeod
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Detective Jim McLeod »

LawrenceA wrote: March 19th, 2023, 7:21 pm

The Anniversary (1968) - Bette Davis wears an eyepatch as she terrorizes her extended family during an annual celebration. This was intended to be a sort of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?-type thing, with miserable people being miserable to each other, but I was just bored.


Fireball Jungle (1968) - This low-budget, Florida-lensed crime picture features a character named Steve Miller trying to stop the crooks he blames for his brother's death. The main culprit is a guy named "Cat-eye", and he's a pretty unforgettable scumbag. Also featuring Lon Chaney Jr. as another simpleton.

I have seen these two. I kind of liked The Anniversary, Davis has a chance to let loose with some biting insults, one of her better post Baby Jane films.

Fireball Jungle was pretty forgettable, one memorable scene for me was seeing the hippie group Mercy singing their hit song "Love Will Make You Happy", one of my favorite one hit wonders.
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txfilmfan
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by txfilmfan »

I watched Rear Window last night for the umpteenth time, but this time I caught something I never had before. When Lisa (Grace Kelly) announces to Jeff (Jimmy Stewart) that she plans to stay the night, she reveals a little overnight case that is almost as magical as Mary Poppins' carpet bag. For some reason, this time I noticed that she name drops the bag's label: Mark Cross.

That intrigued me. It's a bit of early product placement/recognition. Mark Cross is a luxury leather goods company, and has been in business for nearly 200 years. This overnight case was apparently specially designed for the picture by Gerald Murphy, whose family owned the Mark Cross company. The company went out of business after being sold to a conglomerate, but is now back in business, and they use the film as part of their marketing of their overnight bags.

Their "Rear Window Overnight Case" retails for a mere $3,990 (about $380 in 1954). Presumably she got it free, just as she had her $1100 (in 1954 prices) dress (now would cost over $12,000)

https://www.markcross.com/products/rear ... 1159825582
Last edited by txfilmfan on March 20th, 2023, 2:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Sepiatone
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Sepiatone »

Odd the name of the case's maker would get mention, but the name of the SLR camera Stewart uses to spy on Thorwald is covered up to hide the maker's name(Miranda). I know that due to me once having the same camera. Recognized it right off. Sold it for $40 on Ebay back in '04. ;)

The name of that tele lens is exposed too, but never clear enough to read the name. It's on the lens cap.

Sepiatone
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LawrenceA
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by LawrenceA »

Yesterday's lineup:

Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1968) - British sex comedy with Barry Evans as 17-year-old virgin desperately on the make, only to be routinely thwarted. With Judy Geeson, Angela Scoular, and Denholm Elliott. The birds are smashing, as they say, and the music from the Spencer Davis Group and Traffic is pretty good.

How to Make a Doll (1968) - From schlockmeister Herschell Gordon Lewis comes this extremely dumb, extremely cheap "comedy" about a socially-inept college professor who uses a computer to create his dream girl. This was bad even by HG Lewis standards.

I, the Executioner (1968) - Japanese thriller about a series of murders of women that may be linked in more ways than one. The lead performance by Makoto Sato is very good, as is the B&W cinematography. The best of the day.

If You Meet Sartana...Pray for Your Death (1968) - Spaghetti western with Gianni Garko as Sartana, a "Man with No Name"-type antihero. With William Berger, Sydney Chaplin, and Klaus Kinski. A bunch of guys are after a chest of gold, with crosses and double-crosses abounding. Standard stuff, although it was a big enough hit to engender 4 sequels.

Inga (1968) - Swedish sexploitation hit from director Joe Sarno. Marie Liljedahl stars as a winsome 17-year-old who is pressured by her custodial aunt to seduce a rich neighbor. Not nearly as sleazy as I expected, this is rather chaste compared to stuff from just a year or two later. Liljedahl became a minor cult figure based on this.
Watching until the end.
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Lomm
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Lomm »

Saturday we watched Libeled Lady, another in a line of my attempts to get my fiancee into the classics. We also watched trailers for 4 other Powell/Loy movies, all of which she said she'd like to watch, so those will be coming up in the next several weeks. Libeled Lady, as you may recall, is quite the 30s farce. She really liked it, so it opens up to all kinds of new opportunities. :)
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jamesjazzguitar
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by jamesjazzguitar »

Lomm wrote: March 20th, 2023, 1:16 pm Saturday we watched Libeled Lady, another in a line of my attempts to get my fiancee into the classics. We also watched trailers for 4 other Powell/Loy movies, all of which she said she'd like to watch, so those will be coming up in the next several weeks. Libeled Lady, as you may recall, is quite the 30s farce. She really liked it, so it opens up to all kinds of new opportunities. :)
Libeled Lady is a great comedy film to get someone into 30s films; The acting is top notch and the film is balanced in that it has a degree of screwball comedy but isn't too over the top or fanatic. It has a degree of sophisticated comedy without being too stuffy, and it has a degree of the romantic comedy without being too romantically gooey.
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LiamCasey
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by LiamCasey »

LawrenceA wrote: March 20th, 2023, 11:49 am If You Meet Sartana...Pray for Your Death (1968) - Spaghetti western with Gianni Garko as Sartana, a "Man with No Name"-type antihero. With William Berger, Sydney Chaplin, and Klaus Kinski. A bunch of guys are after a chest of gold, with crosses and double-crosses abounding. Standard stuff, although it was a big enough hit to engender 4 sequels.
I have this one tagged on my watch list for Tubi. But, after the three Sabata films, I think I'll wait a bit before jumping into another Western where gold is the objective.
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Swithin
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Swithin »

LawrenceA wrote: March 20th, 2023, 11:49 am Yesterday's lineup:

Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush (1968) - British sex comedy with Barry Evans as 17-year-old virgin desperately on the make, only to be routinely thwarted. With Judy Geeson, Angela Scoular, and Denholm Elliott. The birds are smashing, as they say, and the music from the Spencer Davis Group and Traffic is pretty good.
I remember enjoying that film.

My first visit to a Royal Shakespeare Company production was at the Aldwych Theatre in London in 1974. It was Titus Andronicus with Judy Geeson playing Lavinia, Titus's daughter, perhaps the most tragic of all Shakespeare's tragic women.
umop apisdn
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by umop apisdn »

Sepiatone wrote: March 20th, 2023, 11:31 am Odd the name of the case's maker would get mention, but the name of the SLR camera Stewart uses to spy on Thorwald is covered up to hide the maker's name(Miranda). I know that due to me once having the same camera. Recognized it right off. Sold it for $40 on Ebay back in '04. ;)

The name of that tele lens is exposed too, but never clear enough to read the name. It's on the lens cap.

Sepiatone
I think Lisa referring name dropping Mark Cross would be in keeping with her vey chic persona. It conveniently disguises what amounts to a product plug. Knowing the case was designed especially for the movie, I've always given it a pass.

I've wanted one for over 20 years, but it's clearly one of those things that are in "win the lottery first" category. I'd honestly be afraid to use it, even if I won the lottery. :)

Interestingly, the original used in the movie was sold at Christies in 2002 for about $5,000.

https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-4040983
umop apisdn
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by umop apisdn »

I spent the week watching the movies of Guru Dutt which are expiring on Criterion Channel at the end of the month.

I am of Indian descent, but I don't really watch Hindi movies because I prefer classic Hollywood and art house films. I listen to the old Hindi film music a lot more than I watch the movies.

I last saw these movies long ago as a child. The three films that made the most impact on me back then, still made the most impact on me as an adult. The playback singers include Geeta Dutt (the director's wife), Asha Bhosle and Mohd Rafi. They were among the most popular of the era.

Pyaasa (The Thirsty One) - This is the most well known film to western audiences. Guru Dutt plays an unsuccessful poet, Vijay, living in Kolkata who prefers to write about unromantic topics such as poverty. He's disillusioned by love, his family, and ultimately the acclaim he eventually attains. I always thought it was odd that this movie takes place in Kolkata. Bengalis love literature of all kinds and many social reform movements originated in Bengal. Guru Dutt grew up in Kolkata, and I suppose he meant for this to show "no one is a prophet in their own land."

Kagaaz Ke Phool (Paper Flowers) - If a remake of A Star is Born could be even more depressing than the original, this one surely takes the cake. The movie failed to resonate with audiences of the time and effectively ended Guru Dutt's directorial career. I am glad that it is finally appreciated as one of his finest films. The movie contains one of my favorite songs sung by Geeta Dutt, Waqt ne Kiya Kya Haseen Sitam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TxjJCEKYvE

Sahib Bibi aur Ghulam (The Master, the Wife & the Slave) - This is based on a Bengali novel about the grand lifestyle and eventual decay of a feudal family in 19th century Kolkata. Guru Dutt plays the servant who inadvertently becomes the confidant of the lonely wife of a philandering brother of the joint household. In an effort to keep her husband at home, Meena Kumari, breaks a massive taboo for women of that time, and begins to drink with her husband. Naturally, this does not end well. I used to watch the Bengali version with Uttam Kumar a lot as a kid, but this one is a very good adaptation in its own right.

I recommend these for anyone interested in watching some classic Indian melodramas.
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