I Just Watched...

[Masha]

I have of late been watching mostly classic television series: Jonny Quest (1964), The Flintstones (1960-1966), Wacky Races (1968-1969), Picket Fences (1992–1996), Evening Shade (1990–1994) and a few others. I must admit that I bailed on: Picket Fences (1992-1996) somewhere in the third season because it lost all humour and became quite preachy. I am sorry to say that I could not endure more than four complete episodes of: Evening Shade (1990–1994).

One movie which I have rewatched in its entirety is: Hatari! (1962)

I am not a fan of John Wayne. I believe this is because westerns and Western military movies are generally not to my taste. He is quite fine here as a basic guy working hard and taking risks and hoping that is all the world asks of him.

There is one tiny scene which I find absolutely perfect: he has been drinking all evening and then finds a strange woman in his bed. She makes the salient observation:
Dallas: You have been drinking a little, hmm?
Sean Mercer: No ma'am. I've been drinking a lot.
He says this with such impish glee! He is a little boy who knows he has been naughty but is so pure of heart that he shyly admits his crime. The look on his face is absolutely precious!

I am sure that one of the reasons why I like this movie so much is the unstructured feel. It is a straight Howard Hawks romp.

It is available for viewing for free with commercials on: PlutoTV

[Allhallowsday]

JULIE (1956) Eck. We are inflicted with DORIS DAY's angst from the git-go. LOUIS JORDAN is a CREEP within seconds.
I would describe the movie JULIE as protracted.

[jimimac71]

JULIE (1956) Eck. We are inflicted with DORIS DAY's angst from the git-go. LOUIS JORDAN is a CREEP within seconds.
I would describe the movie JULIE as protracted.

Wait! Is this Groundhog Day?

[HoldenIsHere]

Lat night night I saw BARBIE, the new movie from the phenomenal Greta Gerwig that is based on the Mattel doll.
This is the first time in a very, very long time that I have seen a movie during its opening weekend.
The sweetie and I were not disappointed.
The script --- written by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach (his writing and directing of MARRIAGE STORY blew me away) --- is a brilliant satire.
I'm glad to see that a movie of this quality (a non-super hero movie no less!) is doing this well at the box office.
I want to give a special shout to the costume designs of Jacqueline Durran and and the set decoration of the team lead by Katie Spencer and Ashley Swanson. The contributions of these artists were crucial in bringing the the fantasy worlds of "Barbieland" and "The Real World" to life on the screen.

I highly recommend this movie to classic movie fans.
Besides the movie being really good in and of itself, it has so many classic movie references.
Going into the movie, I was not aware of that aspect, but from the very beginning (with an homage to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY) until the end, there were so many movie references I picked up on (and probably some that I missed).

A poster in another thread here referred to BARBIE as a "stinker" without having seen the movie.
I won't call this person out by "name" (they have made similar comments on the old TCM message boards), but I take issue with that kind of uninformed commentary, especially from someone who claims to be a movie aficionado.

After seeing the movie, I discovered an interview with Gina Gerwig by TCM's Ben Markiewicz, where she discusses her love of classic movies and some of the inspirations for BARBIE (including THE RED SHOES). Her comments about "authentic artificiality" and the "constraints of a movie world" are brilliant.

[Allhallowsday]

SUMMER OF '42 (1971) on TCM this afternoon. I think I'm old enough now that I can see the tenderness of the story. When I saw this in a TV broadcast the first time 50 years ago, it was merely a sex story.

[jimimac71]

SUMMER OF '42 (1971) on TCM this afternoon. I think I'm old enough now that I can see the tenderness of the story. When I saw this in a TV broadcast the first time 50 years ago, it was merely a sex story.

Guess I need to watch it when I'm a little older.
(HA! I'm 66)

[Belle]

"The Luck of the Irish", 1948, Henry Koster (mmm, yes and no), Tyrone Power, Anne Baxter. What a wonderful actor Ty Power really was; I felt his great good looks undermined his acting.

[Allhallowsday]

SUMMER OF '42 (1971) on TCM this afternoon. I think I'm old enough now that I can see the tenderness of the story. When I saw this in a TV broadcast the first time 50 years ago, it was merely a sex story.

Guess I need to watch it when I'm a little older.
(HA! I'm 66)

Y'got me beat. I'll be 62 in November. JENNIFER O'NEAL is the part that I found both erotic and touching. Long ago, it was just erotic.

[Allhallowsday]

CITY LIGHTS (1931) on TCM. There are very few films in which I both laugh and cry within 30 minutes.

[Cinemaspeak59]

Murder in the Private Car (1934) A switchboard operator discovers she’s an heiress. An eccentric investigator refers to himself as a deflector rather than a detective because he deflects crimes from occurring. Throw in a gorilla, a runaway train car (with great use of miniatures), and you have a wacky comedy/thriller, the plot of which makes little sense. Charlie Ruggles and Una Merkel make it watchable.

[LostHorizons]

I tried watching Fanchon the Cricket yesterday but the soundtrack was so bad I turned it off after five minutes.

Murder in the Private Car (1934) A switchboard operator discovers she’s an heiress. An eccentric investigator refers to himself as a deflector rather than a detective because he deflects crimes from occurring. Throw in a gorilla, a runaway train car (with great use of miniatures), and you have a wacky comedy/thriller, the plot of which makes little sense. Charlie Ruggles and Una Merkel make it watchable.

I saw this one when it was on and really enjoyed it.

[Belle]

"Deadline - USA" (1952) Richard Brooks, starring Humphrey Bogart.

An excellent film, beautifully restored with an intelligent script from director Brooks. Thought-provoking and Bogart is very good as the editor of a newspaper enduring an existential threat (that part of the film, and its resolution, is the one weakness in the film). All the cast are excellent and, really, this could easily have been a stage play!!

[Allhallowsday]

THE SWIMMER (1968) last night on TCM. I first saw this in a mid 1970s TV broadcast...

[Detective Jim McLeod]

THE SWIMMER (1968) last night on TCM. I first saw this in a mid 1970s TV broadcast...

I just saw this again for the third or fourth time. I still get engrossed in it. I believe it's Burt Lancaster's best performance.