I Just Watched...

[CinemaInternational]

Truthfully, Shearer and Howard both give marvelous performances in the 1936 version.

What about Andy Devine and Edna May Oliver?

Edna May Oliver was rather earthy but worked quite well. Andy Devine was a curious pick.

[Hibi]

I was watching MSW on my computer screen using my Roku. Strange but true.
Sitting closer to my computer than my TV, I noticed a lady being questioned at the police station.
Not only was the wig noticeable, but her eyeglasses did not have lenses.
A few days ago on either The Roku Channel or Pluto TV.
I believe they show the same episodes at the same time.

LOL! I'll have to look out for that one!

Right now Pluto TV, The Roku Channel and Freevee Live are showing "Amsterdam Kill" on Murder, She Wrote.
The Freevee app has MSW On-Demand, 6 seasons. The Amazon Prime app is needed for the Freevee live channels.

I have none of those services. Just straight cable tv. But MSW is on 3 or 4 channels.

[Andree]

OMG!
GERTIE was CUTE as A BUTTON!

(Not that PERRY would've noticed)

Speaking of, I can't help but take interest in the fact that over the course of the seasons, numerous PERRY MASON episodes feature bit parts for lean, boyish, handsome, YOUNG blonde MEN- there's even a dim-witted INTERN(?)/LEGAL STUDENT working with PERRY in a fe wepisodes who, while he is adorable, absolutely throws the brakes on every episode in which he appears because the show then becomes "MR. MASON'S WORLD" for about 3-5 minutes while DADDY PERRY dryly explains at length to LEGAL EAGLE KEN DOLL various aspects of the legal process. (and he usually has NO ATTACHMENT AT ALL to the plot of the episode)

I know they were tossing a treat to RAY, and to be fair, he deserved it.

He worked hard.

She was pretty attractive, which is what you'd want in a receptionist. And
she had Bette Davis eyes (and Bette wants them back. Ha ha.)

Karl Held played the young legal assistant, I believe his name was David.
IIRC he was first introduced while making out with Patricia Barry after
hours in his grandfather's(?) law office. So Perry might have been wasting
his time. He would occasionally reprimand young David for doing things
that he shouldn't do until he got his law license, but in general he was a
kindly guide to the young student. And if former SS men ever opened an
office in LA well Karl would have looked sehr gut on a recruiting poster.

[jimimac71]

LOL! I'll have to look out for that one!

Right now Pluto TV, The Roku Channel and Freevee Live are showing "Amsterdam Kill" on Murder, She Wrote.
The Freevee app has MSW On-Demand, 6 seasons. The Amazon Prime app is needed for the Freevee live channels.

I have none of those services. Just straight cable tv. But MSW is on 3 or 4 channels.

I only pay for cable TV as well. The above channels are free.
You would need a streaming device and you have Internet.
My Xfinity/Comcast TV box has a select amount of Internet services. Nothing to directly compete with them.
I am experimenting with streaming to learn and hopeful dump cable television.
I become infuriated when TV channels override news programming for sports.
Last Sunday, my local Fox affiliate had zero news all day or night.
I can watch network news on a streaming service from all of the networks.
On a side note, except for Major League Baseball and TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES!, I could stream almost everything we need on a daily basis for $25/month using Philo. I could stream Minor League Baseball for cheap! That leaves TCM!
All they have to do is sell me Watch TCM and I can save a lot on television.
The other option is to be dishonest and use someone's credentials for Watch TCM.
Of the 3 channels, Pluto TV is probably available if your cable box has streaming.
In my case, Internet and TV both come from Xfinity/Comcast. The TV box is already connected to my Wi-Fi .

[CinemaInternational]

Assorted notes....

The Upside of Anger (2005) was a little less than 20 years ago, but it feels like a bygone era of major studio moviemaking, being the saga of an acerbic middle-aged woman (Joan Allen) left with a major chip on her shoulder after her husband vanishes from the scene, her relationship with her four teenage to early adult daughters (Alicia Witt, Keri Russell, Evan Rachel Wood, Erika Christensen) and an on again off again romance with an equally crabby and boozy neighbor (Kevin Costner, in a better performance than usual). Allen is the whole show here, and she is terrific, coming through with a fine, fully rounded performance. The O Henry-esque ending though puts a weird emotional ripple in the comedy of manners that went before though.

Never Say Never Again (1983) found Sean Connery back as James Bond after over a decade's absence in what turns out to be a remake of the earlier Thunderball...which was always a tough plot to try to figure out what was going on. This new version doesn't change matters; it is still mystifying. Still, Connery is welcome, Kim Basinger looks elegant, and Klaus Maria Brandauer and Max Von Sydow are their usual professional selves. I'm confused though as to how Barbara Carrera managed a Golden Globe nomination; she does well by what is required by the part (striking looks, slight campiness, and an intimidating manner) but the writing doesn't give her much to do.

Breathless (1983) doesn't break new ground in terms of the cinematic form like Godard's original tale of a criminal and his love did, but this is still an interesting transatlantic remake, that is if you can get past the acres of nudity. The late 70s/early 80s were a very provocative time for movies, but I really can't recall any other film of the era where every square inch of both the leading man and the leading lady were exposed onscreen. Anyway though, Richard Gere gleefully chews the scenery and gives one of his most vibrant performances, Valerie Kapansky is lithe and touching, and the film, while a bit sluggish and a little thin (its all pastiche), is highly stylized and kind of hypnotic.

The Holdovers (2023) was just up for Oscars (and it took one for supporting player Da'vine Joy Randolph), but its kind of shocking just how much this film wants to be a film of 1970 or 1971, instead of right now. I realize that a lot of directors now adore 70s films (perhaps a bit too much; it was an interesting but uneven decade), but this one opens with the 1963 Universal logo, a 70s era R-rating MPAA card, specially made "retro" logos for Focus Features and Miramax (neither of which existed at the time), opening credits styled to look like plain, lengthy credits like you would see on films of the time, and finally the coup de grace, a fake 1971 copyright in the opening credits! For all this slavish attention to the time, very few early 70s films except for The Exorcist and The Last Detail had quite this much foul language, and that high level of f-words only helps to remind one that you are watching a film from 2023. And also, at 129 minutes before the end credits, this film is too long and drawn out for its storyline, which would have been done in about 95 minutes in earlier decades. But the story is affecting, Paul Giamatti is masterful, and Randolph is indeed moving. It could be better than it is, but it's still a good, sweet-natured film with its heart in the right place.

Desperate Characters (1971) is a deeply melancholic film about bruised, unhappy lives in Brooklyn. It's a very bleak affair, with no relief from the gloom and likely stands as one of the grimmest Hollywood films I can recall seeing, but it is very astutely written both in character details and in the feeling of introverts facing a world that they no longer understand that is falling apart at the seams. Shirley MacLaine is remarkable in an atypically low-key performance.

[laffite]

John Garfield was sensationally understated, he was there to be Harry Morgan and without any frills or excessive show. Garfield, despite his already successful career, was just getting started. Woe to the world that he should pass so untimely early.

[HoldenIsHere]

John Garfield was sensationally understated, he was there to be Harry Morgan and without any frills or excessive show. Garfield, despite his already successful career, was just getting started. Woe to the world that he should pass so untimely early.

I think he was Tennessee Williams's original choice for Stanley in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. I know that a contract had already been drawn up by the producers of the play for Garfield to sign. But he turned it down. I think the deal fell through because Garfield wanted Stanley to be the focus of the play rather than Blanche.

[jimimac71]

I watched the end of "My Fair Lady." The best part.
Love Audrey Hepburn but Rex Harrison is such a jerk.
After the movie was the hilarious promo for the WB tours.
Someone may have watched the drag race scene from American Graffiti.
Then a promo for Max. Is Max going to be the streaming home for TCM? I don't really want Max but if it was the only way to get TCM without a large streaming bundle, or cable, I would have to give it some thought
So if Dave was in charge of starting the race, would that make him a Drag Queen? <cough> Alicia could do her Danica Patrick impression.

[CinemaInternational]

I watched the end of "My Fair Lady." The best part.
Love Audrey Hepburn but Rex Harrison is such a jerk.
After the movie was the hilarious promo for the WB tours.
Someone may have watched the drag race scene from American Graffiti.
Then a promo for Max. Is Max going to be the streaming home for TCM? I don't really want Max but if it was the only way to get TCM without a large streaming bundle, or cable, I would have to give it some thought
So if Dave was in charge of starting the race, would that make him a Drag Queen? <cough> Alicia could do her Danica Patrick impression.

Max really isn't much of a streaming home for TCM, as the "classics" section is dominated by Criterion titles and titles that are from the 70s to 00s. There just simply isn't much there except some of the evergreens that everyone has seen. I've heard that Tubi has some classic titles, albeit with commercials.

[jimimac71]

Then the TCM/Max promo could be misleading, which could also be called false advertising.
I looked at the Max website and it doesn't mention TCM.
The sports package being put together by Disney, Fox and WB/Discovery is receiving backlash from a number of other companies.
https://cordcuttersnews.com/directv-dis ... g-service/
Everyone wants a piece of the sports pie.
Max is already offering a sports package. The B/R package is being "teased" as free for a limited time. Then $9.99/month.

[kingrat]

Assorted notes....



Desperate Characters (1971) is a deeply melancholic film about bruised, unhappy lives in Brooklyn. It's a very bleak affair, with no relief from the gloom and likely stands as one of the grimmest Hollywood films I can recall seeing, but it is very astutely written both in character details and in the feeling of introverts facing a world that they no longer understand that is falling apart at the seams. Shirley MacLaine is remarkable in an atypically low-key performance.

The 1970s was a grim decade for New York and New Yorkers, and some of the films reflect that. High crime, racial tension, political unrest. Even Neil Simon's comedies are now darker than they were in the heyday of Barefoot in the Park and The Odd Couple.

[txfilmfan]

I watched the end of "My Fair Lady." The best part.
Love Audrey Hepburn but Rex Harrison is such a jerk.
After the movie was the hilarious promo for the WB tours.
Someone may have watched the drag race scene from American Graffiti.
Then a promo for Max. Is Max going to be the streaming home for TCM? I don't really want Max but if it was the only way to get TCM without a large streaming bundle, or cable, I would have to give it some thought
So if Dave was in charge of starting the race, would that make him a Drag Queen? <cough> Alicia could do her Danica Patrick impression.

At least through the end of the month, TCM is partnering with Fandango at Home (formerly Vudu) to host 30 free titles on its streaming platform, for free. I think this only lasts through the end of the month, though. It then becomes an outlet for rentals or purchases of "TCM films" from Vudu/Fandango, whatever that may mean.

They promoted this at every screening at the film festival this year, as Fandango At Home was a sponsor.

[txfilmfan]

Assorted notes....



Desperate Characters (1971) is a deeply melancholic film about bruised, unhappy lives in Brooklyn. It's a very bleak affair, with no relief from the gloom and likely stands as one of the grimmest Hollywood films I can recall seeing, but it is very astutely written both in character details and in the feeling of introverts facing a world that they no longer understand that is falling apart at the seams. Shirley MacLaine is remarkable in an atypically low-key performance.

The 1970s was a grim decade for New York and New Yorkers, and some of the films reflect that. High crime, racial tension, political unrest. Even Neil Simon's comedies are now darker than they were in the heyday of Barefoot in the Park and The Odd Couple.

Even TV comedies set in NYC were gritty and grimy. Barney Miller's set looked dirty, run-down and frankly, disgusting, for example. Same for Welcome Back Kotter and others.

[CinemaInternational]

More dealings with films to go with my post from earlier today on the previous page, mostly more recent ones sadly since I don't know how many A-list films are left from the classic era that I haven't seen.

Reckless (1935) is the one classic era title, one of the few Jean Harlow films I hadn't seen, and it took a bit of bravery for Jean to do this since it quite obviously touches on the scandal surronding her late husband Paul Bern. It is quite remarkable that she actually went ahead and did a role that must have been pointed for her to do, but she does so extremely well, and she helps to carry the film into intriguing territory.

The newt two are post 2000 and to be honest, I am more than a little scared to talk about them, since one film is about such ugly things and was so hated yet is something much more than what was said, and the other one is just disillusioning.

In the Cut (2003) was one of the biggest cinematic scandals of the early 2000s. It's a brutal art-house erotic thriller involving a woman drawn ito a torrid, highly sexual affair with a younger man while a serial killer specializing in dismemberment stalks the haunted post-9/11 New York streets (and although the ending ends very differently, it has something in common with Looking for Mr. Goodbar). It has vivid depictions of very kinky sex, verging and sometimes spilling over the line of being actually pornographic. There are severed body parts and much blood. There is a lot of nudity. It has some of Lorna's most hated film people all on one film (Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jane Campion). It killed off Meg Ryan's career as the public excoriated her for being the lead in such a film. Critics hated it. Audiences hated it even more, giving it a grade of F on opening weekend. And yet.... It's actually an astonishing film, incredibly raw and haunting. The dark, out of focus photography feels just right for this material, the chilly, perturbed New York atmosphere feels the most pained this side of Taxi Driver and is riveting, the film gets well at the haunted, disturbed , pained elements of its characters, and my gosh, Meg Ryan herself in this film and role (at the same time extremely carnal and emotionally fragile) is tremendous. I always liked her, but didn't know she had it in her. This film is not for nearly all people, so I don't think I'll be actively reccomending it to people. But I felt an emotional charge while watching it that this film, in spite of its brutality, was honest, genuine, and truly affecting. I can't stop thinking about it, I was emotionally touched by Meg Ryan's vulnerability, I'm feeling very protective of it, and I can't explain why.

Sometimes when you watch a movie that you don't think is good, you simply feel dispirited or maybe you feel angry or maybe you just want to make a joke about it. Asteroid City (2023) is the most painful type of bad movie for me; my downcast reaction toward it broke my heart. On the one hand, its hard because at least two people whose opinions valued highly adored this film, and I feel like I'm letting them down, on the other, I adored Wes Anderson's earlier films ; from Bottle Rocket to Grand Budapest Hotel, he had made three or four modern film masterpieces. He carried my hopes so much. But Asteroid City is shockingly empty, an admittedly astonishing looking production with no grasp or interest in humanity. In fact, it keeps putting up barriers to tell you its all make-believe and that you shouldn't care about it. Its big cast might as well be stick figures, and the whole thing is dehuminizing. I'm sorry if I'm repeating myself, I just don't know how to exactly express an experience like this and I was so hurt by dashed hopes on this one that I am actually crying right now writing this.

[Hibi]

Right now Pluto TV, The Roku Channel and Freevee Live are showing "Amsterdam Kill" on Murder, She Wrote.
The Freevee app has MSW On-Demand, 6 seasons. The Amazon Prime app is needed for the Freevee live channels.

I have none of those services. Just straight cable tv. But MSW is on 3 or 4 channels.

I only pay for cable TV as well. The above channels are free.
You would need a streaming device and you have Internet.
My Xfinity/Comcast TV box has a select amount of Internet services. Nothing to directly compete with them.
I am experimenting with streaming to learn and hopeful dump cable television.
I become infuriated when TV channels override news programming for sports.
Last Sunday, my local Fox affiliate had zero news all day or night.
I can watch network news on a streaming service from all of the networks.
On a side note, except for Major League Baseball and TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES!, I could stream almost everything we need on a daily basis for $25/month using Philo. I could stream Minor League Baseball for cheap! That leaves TCM!
All they have to do is sell me Watch TCM and I can save a lot on television.
The other option is to be dishonest and use someone's credentials for Watch TCM.
Of the 3 channels, Pluto TV is probably available if your cable box has streaming.
In my case, Internet and TV both come from Xfinity/Comcast. The TV box is already connected to my Wi-Fi .

I don't have internet and my cable doesn't have streaming (probably does if I pay more, but I'm not going to). I hate that too. Local stations are constantly preempting over weather events. (most of the time not affecting our metro area.)