WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[Rita Hayworth]

I just finished watching - After the Thin Man - with William Powell and Myrna Loy - 1936 Classic.

I just love it. So witty, so charming, and yet so cleverly written with a delightful touch of humor.
You all know about the Thin Man ... in other threads and posts ... its seems that these movies gets better with age.

I ask myself why Hollywood don't make movies like this?
Its has everything (After the Thin Man) I need - Drama, Romance, Humor, Mystery, Touch of Film Noir, Suspense, Touch of Musical and Class, and a great supporting cast ... including a young James Stewart ... who was great in this movie.

I love the Thin Man Series.

[Ann Harding]

Yesterday I watched on TV Blake Edwards' Sunset (1988). The story looked interesting on paper: 1927, Hollywood. Marshall Wyatt Earp (James Garner) is hired as consultant for a Tom Mix (B. Willis) western. In the process, they end up inquiring on a suspicious death where an egomaniac producer (M. McDowell) is involved. While James Garner is a perfect Wyatt Earp, the script was a huge disappointment. I thought the film would give us a picture of Hollywood in the late 20s, but not so. It was more a tedious murder mystery and the characters lacked development. Tom Mix is such an interesting character in that period, I'm surprised Edwards didn't make better use of his persona. This cowboy (always dressed like a christmas tree) was according to studio biographies a hero of countless wars. In fact, he had been a deserter. A missed opportunity...

[klondike]

I, for one, greatly enjoy Sunset, enough even to have purchased & kept a DVD copy, and reliably find it an easy film to recommend to a broad spectrum of movie lovers, so long as they accept it as a lovingly crafted imagining based on the cultural touchstones of the trans-cinema Hollywood of the very-late 20's, much as Singin' In the Rain is - just, you know, without all the singin ' (and as that's the beginning & end of their similarity, I'm not suggesting an actual comparison of the two).
I'd sooner call Sunset a flashy, light-hearted crime thriller than a murder mystery (in fact, I don't remember ever hearing it described that way), particularly as it seldom leaves much serious doubt as to who done it, and is more concerned with the sinister elements of the how & why, often working like a pulpish pastiche of a Hammet or Chandler plot-line.
Broad, simplistic, semi-fabulous, fast & loose? Certainly, guilty on all counts, in that way being rather like Hearts of the West, or the climax of Holiday Inn.
Dishonest, deceptive, misleading, or tedious? No, IMO, I'd say those judgements are undeserved . . unless one watches it for the wrong reasons in the first place.

[MikeBSG]

I caught the last 15 minutes or so of "For Heaven's Sake" this morning on TCM.

It is a Harold Lloyd comedy from 1926 or so that apparently has gotten little attention. The part I saw concerned Harold's race to the church to get married. (Perhaps this was too similar to "Girl Shy" where he has to stop a wedding.)

However, what I saw was extraordinarily funny. It was complication piled atop complication, but it never was too much as Harold tried to keep tabs on his drunken friends through a hair-raising bus trip. A lot of fun, and it made me wish I had been able to see the whole film.

[charliechaplinfan]

I watched my second Kieslowski movie today, The Double Life of Veronique and my second film with Irene Jacob. The film is quite ghostly and involves two girls who look the same, oe lives in Poland and one in Paris, the Polish girl is a singer and is amazed one day when she sees a woman looking like her taking photographs from a coach. The Polish girl, Veronika is an aspiring singer who dies giving her first perfromance, in a scene that reminds me of Blue when she's walking clutching her chest, struggling to breath. When Veronika dies Veronique, the French girl feels a great loss but can't explain it. I'm struggling to find the words to adequately describe it, the action seemed to take place on a plane that transcends what I can say.

[Rita Hayworth]

I just watched on AMC - The Sci-Fi Classic - The Day of the Earth stood Still - Starring Micheal Rennie and Patricia Neal, a 1951 Classic.

This movie is the 2nd time I seen this - I saw this movie back in 1970's of which during that time frame - I was hooked on Science Fiction because because of the fantastic special effects and as well as visual effects. This movie has great moments and send a message about acts of aggressions that we must understand the consequences - or be wiped out by robots of the another world (In this movie GORT) ... I was reading the various posts - the Gort! Klaatu barada nikto! and I clearly learned new things about this movie, its carried a simple message about life and death in our own planet. References about Christ, World Peace and Brotherhood, and most importantly that GORT has the power to destroy our planet - EARTH. It chills my spine that this movie is haunting, spellbinding, and so wonderfully crafted. To me, I would put this movie in the top five of all the science fiction movies that I seen.

I'm glad I get a chance to see this movie - back in the 1970's - I was hooked on these types of movies - because they are so futuristic, out-worldly, and incredibly spectacular. I mean movies like "War of the Worlds", "Forbidden Planet", and others that fueled my imagination. Now, seeing this movie again 30 years later - I'm still amazed how well its holds up in time.

A must see movie for all Sci-Fi fans here in SSO.

[Ann Harding]

I, for one, greatly enjoy Sunset, enough even to have purchased & kept a DVD copy, and reliably find it an easy film to recommend to a broad spectrum of movie lovers, so long as they accept it as a lovingly crafted imagining based on the cultural touchstones of the trans-cinema Hollywood of the very-late 20's, much as Singin' In the Rain is - just, you know, without all the singin ' (and as that's the beginning & end of their similarity, I'm not suggesting an actual comparison of the two).
I'd sooner call Sunset a flashy, light-hearted crime thriller than a murder mystery (in fact, I don't remember ever hearing it described that way), particularly as it seldom leaves much serious doubt as to who done it, and is more concerned with the sinister elements of the how & why, often working like a pulpish pastiche of a Hammet or Chandler plot-line.
Broad, simplistic, semi-fabulous, fast & loose? Certainly, guilty on all counts, in that way being rather like Hearts of the West, or the climax of Holiday Inn.
Dishonest, deceptive, misleading, or tedious? No, IMO, I'd say those judgements are undeserved . . unless one watches it for the wrong reasons in the first place.

Ok, perhaps murder mystery is the wrong word. I great enjoy Blake Edwards pictures (in particular The Party and Victor Victoria). But Sunset left me quite cold. I had to watch it dubbed in French (blast Arte TV for doing such things!), not ideal. But nevertheless, my interest flagged very quickly. I guess I was hoping for a more involving plot, more interesting characters and a better recreation of the 20s...

[MikeBSG]

I just watched the 1995 movie "Don Juan De Marco" which starred Marlon Brando and Johnny Depp.

It was a frustrating disappointment. I really liked Depp, who seemed a natural for the extreme romanticism of this comedy of a man who believes himself to be Don Juan. However, Brando was miscast as Depp's shrink. His voice seemed on the verge of collapse throughout the film. I kept wishing that Jack Lemmon or Walter Matthau had been cast in the role. They had the timing and lightness for this type of film. "The Freshman" with Matthew Broderick is a far better comedy with Brando.

[JackFavell]

I didn't mind Brando at all in the role, but I must commend you on your review. At the time that movie came out, all critics could talk about was the weight Brando carried, not his performance, and it drove me nuts. Here, you have a legitimate complaint about the acting.

[MikeBSG]

Yesterday I watched "Even Dwarves Started Small" a 1971 movie by Werner Herzog. Not a film for everyone, it deals with a revolt in a colony of dwarves. However, I found it fascinating. It is easily the most kinetic Herzog film I have seen, and I couldn't turn away from it despite (or perhaps because of) its dark view of human nature. It shows that Herzog doesn't need Klaus Kinski to make a good film (but then "Kaspar Hauser" also showed that.)

Today I watched "O. Henry's Full House," which I had never seen all of before. I liked it a lot. A nice way for 20th Century Fox to show off its resources. I thought Charles Laughton was splendid in "Cop and the Anthem" and Jeanne Crain made "Gift of the Magi" work for me. I also liked Oscar Levant in "Ransom of Red Chief" more than I like him in most things. The best episode for me was "The Last Leaf." This movie made me wish that Hollywood had attempted more anthology films in the classic era.

[JackFavell]

I love Anthology movies, that one is very good.

[MikeBSG]

Yesterday I watched "Anything Else," a Woody Allen film from 2003. It was a bit unusual in that he did not have the lead role but was the friend (uncle-figure sort of) to the younger hero.

I liked it. Christine Ricci was the heroine, whom the hero (Jason Biggs) could not figure out. usually I've never been that taken with Ricci, but she was luminous here. The scenes in which the hero fell for her were magical. I fell for her too.

Danny DeVito was very funny as the hero's inept agent. This is well worth a look for those who like woody Allen.

[charliechaplinfan]

I watched Monsieur Klein starring Alain Delon and directed by Joseph Losey, it starts very startlingly with a woman being examined by a vet to look for signs of Jewishness in her features, she is naked and he is very brusque, outside we see many others queueing to go in and paying to get an opinion as to their heritage. Next we see Delon, expensively clad in a gold brocade dressing gown being visited by a Jew anxious to get rid of a family picture to raise funds to escape, he gets a nominal offer which he has to accept. Outside on the mat Delon has been left a Jewish newspaper, this sparks a search were he discovers that there is a wanted Jewish man with the same name and their identities have been mixed up. I found it confusing when I wanted to find it clearer and although I could see it was a good film with something important to say, I felt like I'd missed something along the way.

[Ann Harding]

In Monsieur Klein, Joseph Losey is showing what happened in France during the German Occupation. Mr Klein (Alain Delon) is a war profiteer of the worst kind. Jewish people are persecuted and they are desperate to get away from France. For that purpose, they sell their antiques and paintings at giveway prices. Mr. Klein is making a fortune that way. But, his life becomes far more complicated when he is mistaken for a Jewish Mr. Klein. He suddenly realises what was happening to all those people he was taking advantage of. He had no conscience, he was just greedy. Slowly, he becomes another man. At the end, when he is caught in a massive roundup (such an event took place in July 1942 in a Paris velodrome) of jewish people bound for the concentration camps, he doesn't resist. He has become a victim of the Nazis and accepts it.
I hope, this answers your questions about the film, Alison.

Yesterday, I watched Martin Roumagnac (1946, Georges Lacombe), the only feature starring Jean Gabin and Marlene Dietrich. The story is part melodrama-part film noir. In provincial France, an honest builder, Martin Roumagnac (J. Gabin) falls madly in love with a strange widow, Blanche Ferrand (M. Dietrich), a birdshop owner. The lady is actually an adventuress looking for a rich husband with her Australian uncle in tow. Poor Martin doesn't realise it until he sees her with a consul she plans to marry. He spent all his money to build her a villa and in a rage, kills her. The villa burns down. He is later acquitted of the crime. But, a young man who loved Blanche kills him. The story line sounds like a high-blown melodrama. I guess it could be but the director is not up to it. At times, it's laughable. Obviously, the main attraction is the leads. Gabin and Dietrich have a great chemistry. But, they acting styles couldn't be more different. He is down to earth, simple and natural while she is all artificiality with dozens of dresses and negligees. Marlene seems to be coming from another picture in Hollywood! Her French is pretty good overall with very little accent. This is really the kind of film you have to watch tongue-in-cheek.

[charliechaplinfan]

Thank you Christine, you've summed it up pretty much as I thought but I wasn't sure I'd read it correctly. I guessed there was no getting off that train once he'd got on and that was because he was obsessed with this other shadowy Klein and also he'd lost his will to fight, to protest and seems sickened by what he's seen. The film has some very strong scenes and deserves a revisit one day.