I Just Watched...

[txfilmfan]

What always amazed me is back when she was doing her numerous variety series in the 1970s, she would be able to get all that hair under a short wig for various sketches. Where does it all go? One of the mysterious things about being a woman, I suppose, that I'll never understand.

Re: MSW and the script re: wigs, it's believable to me. What's acceptable and normal in Hollywood isn't necessarily seen the same way to small-town America and Americans - on many topics - even wigs!

[CinemaInternational]

Speaking of the 1970s: consider the difference between Blow-Up (1966) and The Conversation (1974), which borrows liberally from the plot of Blow-Up, only with sound instead of photography. When Antonioni seems like the fun guy in the room, you know something is seriously out of whack. Swinging London in the Carnaby Street era vs. American skyscrapers in a brown/green world. David Hemmings in tight white pants vs. Gene Hackman looking like Gene Hackman. The women in The Conversation are either unattractive or treacherous or both; Hackman only wishes, like much of the audience for Blow-Up, that he could sign up for that orgy with the two probably underage girls.

Of course the dolly birds and the sex and the fashion photography all represent capitalist decadence, and we hate that, don't we? But how grim and grimy and grungy is the world of The Conversation, the cinematic equivalent of acid reflux. Can we really blame all of that on Richard Nixon? If this "felt right" to the audience, and the film was a big hit, smooched over by critics, is it a case of "been using downers so long they feel like uppers to me?"

Blow-Up is the more colorful looking film, but the main character in it is pretty chilly and aloof. In The Conversation, the Gene Hackman character is a good man haunted by a mistake that had deadly repercussions in the past, and (albeit wrongly, which leads to a nervous breakdown) who tries to do what he thinks is the right thing. In that case, he develops a lot of empathy, and that's why I prefer The Conversation, even in spite of its murky look.

I'm OK with films sometimes being extreme downers, just as long as the main character is sympathetic and relatable. If not, the gloom chokes the film and things grow turgid.

[Bronxgirl48]

Snapped

Woman opens her door to a person dressed as a clown who shoots her (fatally) in the face. Victim's son tells police he saw shooter running away in a pair of combat boots. Later a detective tells us "The murderer was cunning, knowing a quick escape was necessary, he didn't wear those giant floppy clown shoes"

It took 27 years to catch the clown perp.

You can't make this stuff up.

[cmovieviewer]

The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress (1944)

On Sunday, TCM scheduled this classic William Wyler documentary along with the 2018 documentary The Cold Blue, which used additional restored William Wyler footage and testimony from surviving members of the 8th Air Force to tell the story of the World War II bombing campaign in Europe.

What TCM did not tell us ahead of time was not only did The Code Blue use restored William Wyler footage, the Memphis Belle 1944 documentary itself has also been restored. The difference in the restored Technicolor footage of the 1944 film is breathtaking. Since the restoration corrected issues with the initial processing of the film, the new version likely surpasses what the film looked like when it was originally shown in America during the war.

The restored version of Memphis Belle (1944) is available on WatchTCM through June 25th. Unfortunately The Cold Blue (2018) is not available on WatchTCM, but it currently can be seen on the MAX streaming service.

The BTS short that shows the making of The Cold Blue is available on YouTube at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6zG4sQ2fpA

[Lorna]

What always amazed me is back when she was doing her numerous variety series in the 1970s, she would be able to get all that hair under a short wig for various sketches. Where does it all go? One of the mysterious things about being a woman, I suppose, that I'll never understand.

Re: MSW and the script re: wigs, it's believable to me. What's acceptable and normal in Hollywood isn't necessarily seen the same way to small-town America and Americans - on many topics - even wigs!

i think it's more that times have changed a lot and COSTUME/DRAG.MAKE-UP CULTURE has gotten HUGE via YOUTUBE and I have watched a LOT of videos that involve hair and make-up, honestly-to-GOD, not because I myself have any interest in doing it (I hate wearing make-up IRL!) but because THE PASSION AND INTENSITY AND HUMOR of the people who do it is ADDICTIVE and as such, I've learned a lot vicariously in recent years about WIGS AND WIGGITRY especially, but also make-up application (to a degree)

**although i want to make it clear that I am not one of those gays who thinks they would walk in off the street and win DRAG RACE. I would be DISASTERINA** all the way.

people's hobbies fascinate me- I also watch cooking videos and antique restoration videos even though I'm sure as **** never gonna do either on any kind of grand scale.

**she's a real person, look her up, but don't post images here. i don't wanna give anyone a jumpscare

[Lorna]

I also need to issue an apology to everyone, I have been UNDER THE WEATHER and at home and binging LATER SEASONS OF (YES) MURDER SHE WROTE
and I need to issue a MURDER, SHE CORRECTION- THE WORST WIG IN THE SERIES does not appear in the episode HANNIGAN'S WAKE several pages ago, but instead appears in the episode MOVING VIOLATION (A CABOT COVE episode about the ambassador's wayward son who is murdered and the sheriff is accused)- I was actually thinking of the right wig, just placed it in the wrong episode.

(it's a blonde polyester number they put on a 38 year old actress to "hide" the fact that she is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too old for her role (she's playing 19 or so), but so is the guy playing THE AMBASSADOR'S SON (ANGIE'S nephew IRL)

[jimimac71]

Lorna,
This is David Froman from Matlock, who otherwise was bald on top.
This is a link versus an image.
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5 ... @._V1_.jpg

[HoldenIsHere]

Snapped

Woman opens her door to a person dressed as a clown who shoots her (fatally) in the face. Victim's son tells police he saw shooter running away in a pair of combat boots. Later a detective tells us "The murderer was cunning, knowing a quick escape was necessary, he didn't wear those giant floppy clown shoes"

It took 27 years to catch the clown perp.

You can't make this stuff up.

Oh, wow!
That sounds like a scene out of AMERICAN HORROR STORY!

[Lorna]

Lorna,
This is David Froman from Matlock, who otherwise was bald on top.
This is a link versus an image.
https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5 ... @._V1_.jpg

Oh WOW.
Yeah, that piece wouldn’t fool STEVIE WONDER.

[Bronxgirl48]

Snapped

Woman opens her door to a person dressed as a clown who shoots her (fatally) in the face. Victim's son tells police he saw shooter running away in a pair of combat boots. Later a detective tells us "The murderer was cunning, knowing a quick escape was necessary, he didn't wear those giant floppy clown shoes"

It took 27 years to catch the clown perp.

You can't make this stuff up.

Oh, wow!
That sounds like a scene out of AMERICAN HORROR STORY!

I won't divulge the killer's identity in case you want to catch that episode. They're all bizarre, it's a matter of degree I guess.

[TikiSoo]

Disasterina reminds me of Dee Snider from Twisted Sister who nailed that look decades ago:

(yawn)

people's hobbies fascinate me- I also watch cooking videos and antique restoration videos even though I'm sure as **** never gonna do either on any kind of grand scale.

And just like reality shows, restoration videos are generally not real. The concepts/techniques may be real, but generally the damage is staged.
I post some short videos of my work on FB but to really see all of it would be a horrific bore & difficult to follow.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057549877688

I did make a time lapse video of just the painting portion of my restoration work during the 2020 lockdown since that’s kind of visually appealing. But no one really wants to see the grunt work like pulling nails & sanding wood.


(thank goodness I lost that 20 lbs of lockdown pudge!)

[dianedebuda]

Tiki, that's simply gorgeous. Love your use of shading and attention to detail. You're quite the talented lady. And here I was feeling elevated 'cause I moved junk around to create a mock up of the dining and kitchen areas in my house addition. Thanks for posting yours.

[TikiSoo]

And here I was feeling elevated 'cause I moved junk around to create a mock up of the dining and kitchen areas in my house addition.

Thankie, but realize I admire all the work you do too. It’s mostly figuring out exactly what’s failed & then how to repair it.
Tenacity.
You have it in spades on your own wheras my dedication lies mostly in getting paid.

[Detective Jim McLeod]

Evil Does Not Exist (2023) Theater -7/10

In Japan, some inhabitants of a small village find out there are plans to build a "glamping" resort near them.

This was directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, who also did one of my favorite foreign films of recent years, Drive My Car (2021). This is not as good as that but it is interesting and one that I keep thinking about. One of the villagers is a widowed handyman with an 8 year old daughter.
There are a male and female city folks who represent the resort that talk to the villagers in a town meeting. I thought at first this would turn into a preachy film about saving the environment but it is much more than that.
It takes a surprising turn near the end which I did not see coming. I am not sure I understand all about the ending but I can't get it out of my head. It is being shown at Film Forum in NYC right now. I recommend to fans of foreign films that offer something different.

[CinemaInternational]

One distinct problem with the habit of moviegoing is that the moviegoer, although very grateful for good movie experiences in the past, wants desperately to check out more and more titles that are new to them. And, if, like me, you've seen an awful lot, there eventually gets to the point where you can distinctly feel like you are grasping at straws trying to see something you haven't seen. That's my current situation. I've seen so many classic era titles that I have to regroup before jumping back in, whereas to while the time, I felt I had no choice but to jump on the 21st century titles that might have interest. It's been....something.....


Anyway, brief recaps of recent viewings:

The Subterraneans (1960) Super rare MGM title that I found on a distant corner of the internet (not exactly proud of myself about that, but it's also how I saw the film below this as well). It's very odd for the time: MGM doing a sanitized version of a Kerouac story about beatniks. It's very fascinating in a way for being so far against the grain of the early 60s MGM mileau, while also being too square for the late 60s. And it is helped by a strong performance from Leslie Caron, and George Peppard is quite too. It's definitely something different.

Limbo (1972) This one is rare. So rare that a shortened cut (about 91 minutes as opposed to the 110 that Maltin's movie guide cites) is the only existent print online. And as such, I'll take it. Like many a Universal release of the era, it feels like a TV movie but a good, perceptive one. This film concerns three women (including Kate Jackson and Kathleen Nolan) whose husbands are missing in action or are POWs in Vietnam, and how they cope in the homefront with their worries about their spouses and their dealing with the issues of day-to-day life. As one of the few major-studio films about the effects of the Vietnam War that was made while the conflict was ongoing, this is a fascinating time capsule.

An Angel at My Table (1990) Long Jane Campion film looking at the life of an author (played by Kerry Fox) detailing her adolescence, her troubled years in a hospital wrongly diagnosed with schizophrenia, and her attempts to write and get back into the world. It is meticulously made, but the middle section is very hard to watch, and the film could have bee tightened a bit.

Any Given Sunday (1999) Oliver Stone turned his eye to football, and we end up with a film that's almost three hours. Much of that time is spent on flashy imagry of violent games, which could be tightened a bit. Otherwise, its decent enough though, with fine performances from Al Pacino as a coachat the end of his rope, Cameron Diaz as a hard as nails new manager, Jamie Foxx as an egocentric player, Dennis Quaid as an aging quarterback, and Ann-Margret as Diaz' tipsy mother. But really, did it have to be this long?

The Affair of the Necklace (2001) Or how not to make a historical film. This is riddled with inaccuracies and seems to be an equivalent to the National Enquirer for the 18th century (schemers hoping to undermine Marie Antoinette! Corrupt clergy! Satanism! Sexual intrigue! See page 6 for more details!). It is also, quite frankly, pretty much inert and the cast seems to be ill at ease. A real botch, although the Oscar-nominated costumes are impressive.

The Door in the Floor (2004) What is it with John Irving? His books seem to set out to talk about any and every controversial issue under the sun, and this film, based on the first quarter of one of his books, deals with adultery, masochism, statutory rape, exhibitionism, and psychological warfare. It also has some scenes that involve a little girl aged 5 bearing witness to the full nudity of her father and her mother in relations with a teen, so this seems to want to outdo Rambling Rose in being a film where a child shouldn't be. In spite of it all, Jeff Bridges is typically wonderful as always playing a gorgon of a man (verbaly lashing into his wife, extremely well played by Kim Basinger, even before her involvement with the teen, and forcing full kamikaze disrobings of Mimi Rogers, his mistress) and the film is made with skill. If only it could have been more restrained than going with the sexual excess.

Melinda and Melinda (2004) is lesser Woody Allen, largely due to a plot that makes it an academic exercise that makes it hard to warm to: it's basically cutting back and forth between two versions of the same fictional premise, comedy and tragedy, perceived by two playwrights. And so, over 90% of the film is just a figment of the imagination. Blah. Radha Mitchell is good though as the central character in both stories.

Let Him Go (2020) is a neo-western, up until closing passages that more resemble some Charles Bronson offering. Diane Lane and Kevin Costner play a couple in the early 60s who go searching for their grandson after their widowed daughter-in-law remarries and suddenly vanishes. As traspires, it seems she married into a horrible family presided over by Lesley Manville, suggesting Ma Barker played by Mercedes McCambridge. Before the film ends, fingers will have been chopped off, and many dead bodies have resulted. It's a bit much on the violence, but Diane Lane is wonderful as always and Manville is one of the most terrifying villains in recent memory.

Father Stu (2022) is a film that managed to tick off everyone. For liberals, the idea of a Mark Wahlberg film co-starring Mel Gibson (looking haggard) is a terrifying concept in and of itself. For conservatives, it is a film about a religious conversion of a most unlikely individual, but it has over 75 f-words in the script, thus scaring off most who would go to a religious film and also thus richly deserving that R rating. I approached this an in between way, so to speak, with an apolitical viewpoint. It's ungainly, yes, but there are scenes, mostly in the second half, dealing with self-sacrifice and resignation to God's will that I found to be very moving. But I don't think this will be for most people.