WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[MikeBSG]

I saw "Impromptu," the early 90s movie about Georges Sand and Chopin.

I ended up liking it, although it is flawed. Manny Patankin seemed so tenuously connected to the film that I nearly forgot he was in it by the end of the movie.

While the start of the movie was humorous, with Sand, Chopin, and Liszt visiting a provincial aristocrat's estate, the film became more interesting once that part of the film was done with and we saw Sand gradually liberate Chopin from his hangups. In some ways, the second half of the film made me think of a more serious "Bringing Up Baby."

[ChiO]

Thursday, at the Gene Siskel Film Center, I saw a comedy-fantasy political thriller noir that is making the screening rounds before being shown on HBO on May 25. It's called RECOUNT.

Its premise is that a presidential election comes down to one State (say, Florida). It shows what goes on among the interested parties, from a too-early concession phone call by one candidate to a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court. Even if you think you know how it will turn out, it (a la ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN) still holds one's interest.

Many of the performances are quite good. Hometown hero Bob Balaban (at the screening) plays Ben Ginsberg. Tom Wilkinson is James Baker. Kevin Spacey as Ron Klain is wonderful. Denis Leary portrays...well...a Denis Leary-type character. And Laura Dern is our favorite former Florida Secretary of State.

Magical moment for the Chicago screening audience: A GOP character (Balaban as I recall), in reference to someone named Bill Daley, says, His father stole the election for Kennedy; now he's going to steal it for Gore.

[MikeBSG]

I saw "Humoresque," the John Garfield-Joan Crawford movie for the first time this morning.

I liked it better than I expected to. The first part of the movie has an almost-noir atmosphere, which gradually dissipates as the film goes on. Usually I don't like Garfield, but he didn't get on my nerves here. Basically, I enjoyed the Warner brothers style and all the classical music. It made me remember the summer movie series at Case Western Reserve University, which always had one Warner brothers classic each summer. "Humoresque" would have filled that slot nicely;l.

[charliechaplinfan]

I watched If I Were King a brilliant medieval romp starring Ronald Colman and Basil Rathbone. The film is set in a beseiged and starving Paris, Ronald Colman plays a rogue and a poet, Villon, who raids the kings foodstore. The King captures him but only after he has killed the Grand Constable of Paris who is revealed to have been a traitor. The king rewards him by appointing Villon the Grand Constable of Paris but the appointment does have a twist.

This is the best role I've seen Basil Rathbone play, a truly snivelling King. The film is so much fun to watch and must have been fun to make. Frances Dee plays the very beautiful Lady Catherine, Ronald COlman's love interest.

This is as entertaining as the best of the movies Basil Rathbone made with Errol Flynn. Highly recommended.

[ken123]

Thursday, at the Gene Siskel Film Center, I saw a comedy-fantasy political thriller noir that is making the screening rounds before being shown on HBO on May 25. It's called RECOUNT.



Magical moment for the Chicago screening audience: A GOP character (Balaban as I recall), in reference to someone named Bill Daley, says, His father stole the election for Kennedy; now he's going to steal it for Gore.

I will certainly have to see that film. But the GOP stole votes downstate in the 1960 election, maybe even more than Daley's machine did here. Either wayeven if Illinois fell to the Republicans Kennedy' still had a cushion in the Electoral College.

[feaito]

I watched "Atonement" (2007), a sad, well-acted if a little bit pretentious (IMO) film.

I also saw "27 Dresses" an amusing comedy. Katherine Heigl is a truly attractive and talented woman.

Watched the excellent "Kings Row" (1942). What a film. Truly magnificent. Classic Hollywood at its peak. Ronnie Reagan never acted better. He's truly impressive as the doomed Drake. Excellent cast, great cinematography, marvellous Korngold score. There's no better than this. When I see films like this one I honestly think that this is the kind of movie that "They Don't make anymore" 10/10

Also saw "Charley's Aunt" (1941) and laughed out loud. One of Jack Benny's best roles. Edmund Gwenn, Laird Cregar, Reginald Owen and Kay Francis are superb!! Recommended viewing.

[mrsl]

The past couple of weeks I've watched lots of movies, old and new, in color and black and white, with commercials, and without. Today I caught Marie Antoinette from the very beginning credits and though I truly hate to always spout on one thing - WRITERS NO LONGER WRITE - at least not for theatrical movies. Made for TV movies have conversations, mini series have conversations, weekly hour shows have conversations, but movies do not!

Things are shown by wordless scenes and the audience is to guess what is really happening. I would not have known that royal births were witnessed by the whole darn community if not for the original Marie Antoinette. The gluttony, wasteful spending, side affairs were represented but not how the peons were affected. They never said when her lover died, just a shot of him on the field on his horse after the fighting was over.

I enjoyed The Illusionist, The Next, and The Prestige, but they were all the same - you have to guess what is happening. There are no heartfelt discussions or arguments. It's kind of like writers are afraid the points will not get put across, because they don't know how to express them. Maybe I'm wrong but do writers know that actors are really just puppets nowadays, and prefer to make it easier for them? The closest I've seen of a close discussion lately was between Shrek and his girlfriend in the first Shrek.

Anne

[movieman1957]

I recently saw "The Prestige" and didn't much care for it. I don't enjoy films where they sucker you by not giving you all the information or give you false information to make you think one thing when they are setting you up for another path.

At the end all the switching and conning got a lttle too confusing and unrealistic for my taste. I also thought, like most movies today, it was too long.

[feaito]

On monday I finished watching the French film "Jacquou Le Croquant" (2007) an OK movie which stands out because of its beautiful photography and haunting music, including the song "Devant Soi" sung by Mylene Farmer while the final credits are rolling.

I liked the first half with the 12 year actor who played Jacquou as boy better, because I feel that his portrayal was superior than Gaspard Ulliel's as the grown-up Jacquou.

In short: visually handsome, though kind of dramatically uneven, especially in the second half. The actress who plays the youngest daughter of le Comte de Nansac (who's played by an actor who's barely older than Ulliel himself) is very sexy and looks like if she came out of a Calvin Klein ad instead of a young aristocrat of the early 1800s.

Today I watched "Bye, Bye Birdie" (1963) and although I did not expect anything special I was disappointed by it. Reportedly the film was a big success when it premiered, but I found it boring, rather dull, colorless, silly and not funny. It lacks charm IMO. The musical numbers are fair and Bobby Riddell has a very good voice, but is not charismatic. I could picture Rita Moreno in Janey Leigh's role. Does anyone know who played Rosie de Leon in the Broadway version? Sorry if anyone loves this film, but that's what I felt.

"Easy Living" (1937) Saved the day for me! A witty, charming, highly amusing Preston Sturges farce starring the great Jean Arthur and the fantastic Edward Arnold. I was pleased to watch Mary Nash in a comedic role, so different from her typical nasty roles. Ray Milland plays very well opposite Ms. Arthur. Lots of excellent character actors like Robert Greig (the eternal butler), Esther Dale, Franklin Pangborn, Luis Alberni, Bill Demarest.

[jdb1]

Nando, Chita Rivera played Rosie on stage with Dick van Dyke.

I agree with you about Birdie, it could have been so much better. I remember a critic at the time said in his review that the movie should have been retitled "The Ann-Margaret Show." Her part was greatly inflated for the movie. Whatever studio made it was trying to push her as the next big musical star, but of course musicals were on the way out by then.

I was a big Bobby Rydell fan when I was a little girl, but I think you are right: he didn't have much of a screen presence. To my mind, the best elements of that movie are Paul Lynde (as Kim's father) and the actor who played Conrad Birdie (what was his name?). I wonder if you got the joke about the "Ed Sullivan" song. At the time of this play/movie, The Ed Sullivan Show was the highest rated show on TV, and Sullivan was probably the most important and powerful celebrity on television.

A few years ago there was a version done for TV with Vanessa Williams and Jason what's his name from Seinfeld. It wasn't at all bad, compared to the movie.

[traceyk]

I finally sat through Long Day's Journey Into Night. First let me say the cast was terrific. On the other hand, what a miserable family.

It seemed half of the movie they were busy beating each other up and the other half apologizing for what they just said. There is really no one to like in this film. They are all unhappy with themselves and each other. They spend a great deal of time blaming someone else for their misery. It's a very unhappy movie. It might be great writing and acting but it's a tough go.

I'm glad I saw it for the performances but I don't think I'll be in a hurry to see it again.

I agree--amazing performances, but total downer of a film. I love the scene with the mother and the maid, where she talks about meeting her husband. Hepburn nailed it, I think--her tone, expressions and body language evoke the young girl Mary was back then.

[feaito]

Nando, Chita Rivera played Rosie on stage with Dick van Dyke.

I agree with you about Birdie, it could have been so much better. I remember a critic at the time said in his review that the movie should have been retitled "The Ann-Margaret Show." Her part was greatly inflated for the movie. Whatever studio made it was trying to push her as the next big musical star, but of course musicals were on the way out by then.

I was a big Bobby Rydell fan when I was a little girl, but I think you are right: he didn't have much of a screen presence. To my mind, the best elements of that movie are Paul Lynde (as Kim's father) and the actor who played Conrad Birdie (what was his name?). I wonder if you got the joke about the "Ed Sullivan" song. At the time of this play/movie, The Ed Sullivan Show was the highest rated show on TV, and Sullivan was probably the most important and powerful celebrity on television.

A few years ago there was a version done for TV with Vanessa Williams and Jason what's his name from Seinfeld. It wasn't at all bad, compared to the movie.

Thanks for the information Judith. I can definitely see Chita as Rosie.

I knew about Ed Sullivan's show, he was like Oprah today or Johnny Carson in the 1970s.

And yes, Paul Lynde was the best thing of the whole film.

[charliechaplinfan]

I've been watching screwball comedies. Oh, they've really made me laugh.

First I watched The More The Merrier it's one of the very best flims I've seen in ages. I have seen Walk Don't Run with Cary Grant and I hadn't realised that it was based on The More The Merrier. Walk Don't Run was Cary Grant's film but The More The Merrier sports three very good stars in three very good roles.

Charles Coburn arrives in a packed Washington where every place to let has lots of applicants. He manages to wangle a place sharing a flat with Jean Arthur. Jean Arthur discovers her new flat mate when she arrives home from work. She had hoped for a female housemate but she unable to get rid of Charles Coburn. She comes up with an alloborate schedule for using the bathroom, getting dressed and making coffee and breakfast. The first morning is a disaster and he is asked to leave. Instead of leaving he manages to rent half of his half to Joel McCrea, again without informing Arthur.

What ensues with the three of them sharing the flat is genius filmmaking. Jean Arthur's life is turned upside down with the arrival of her housemates and she slowly turns from a stuffy rather organised woman into a woman in love.

Jean Arthur and Joel McCrea have such wonderful chemistry together and the scene on the proch steps is hot I wish flimmakers today would take note, less is more.

I can't recommend this film too much.

Next I watched Bluebeard's Eighth Wife I remember David Niven talking about this film in his biography. He has a supporting role as guy in love with girl but a little bit sappy but a good reliable friend, he plays this role in a few films on his way to stardom.

The leads are played by Gary Cooper and Claudette Colbert. He plays a businessman who falls for a conman's daughter. After a bantering backwards and forwards she falls in love with him and agrees to marry him only to find out that she is going to be his eighth wife. She marries him but only after doubling the alimony she gets should they divorce, then she sets out to pay him back.

It's directed by Ernst Lubitsch, so it's naughty in places 85 minutes of total charm and laughter.

[movieman1957]

So glad you liked "The More The Merrier" as it has long been a favorite of mine. The porch scene you mention is wonderfully erotic in such a romantic way. I was part of an evening with some friends where we all brought are favorite romantic scene to share. That scene was mine.

It's full of fun little moments. Coburn's going through the apartment stopping long enough to dance for a few seconds is fine.His pants being slingshot out the window. McCrea's putting the coffee pot through the sleeve of his robe. All fun and all with a wonderful cast.

"Bluebeard's Eighth Wife" is taped and awaiting my call.

[feaito]

"The More the Merrier" (1943) is one of the best comedies that were ever filmed. I agree with all your comments Alison & Chris. The chemistry between the leads, Coburn's impersonation, the porch scene are all priceless. A sublime romantic comedy. It's high in my list of comedies along with other masterpieces such as "Midnight" (1939).

Yesterday I watched "The Major and the Minor" (1942) for the first time ever and I enjoyed every minute of it. Ginger Rogers is excellent and so is Diana Lynn. Wonderful!