Good morning, Nando. I, too, always liked Geraldine Brooks. She didn't make very many movies, but she was in a lot of television in the 1950s and 60s. I will always think of her as Elizabeth, Ben Cartwright's first wife, and the mother of Adam Cartwright, on the popular television western Bonanza (three flashback episodes were done on that show to tell the stories of the mothers of the three Cartwright sons). Brooks was only in her early 50s when she passed away.feaito wrote:I watched "Next" (2007) a quite entertaining film starring Nicholas Cage.
I also saw an excellent Noir, Fritz Lang's "The Woman in the Window" (1944) starring Joan Bennett and Edward G. Robinson, both of whom are superb! As good as "Scarlet Street" (1945) and even better. Very absorbing plot.
I re-watched the psychological drama "Possessed" (1947) starring Joan Crawford. One of her best films. Geraldine Brooks, who plays her step-daughter is very pretty. I've never seen her in any other film.
WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
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jdb1
across the universe
Hi everyone!
We just wtached Across The Universe this weekend .I loved it . The Beatles songs sung by these young performers were great . Lots of references to lots of different songs and the characters were really good .Bono had a bit part in it and sung I am The Walrus. Its a good movie for Beatles fans ,or even if you are not and don,t know alot of their music its a nice introduction . Lots of good dancing too!
We just wtached Across The Universe this weekend .I loved it . The Beatles songs sung by these young performers were great . Lots of references to lots of different songs and the characters were really good .Bono had a bit part in it and sung I am The Walrus. Its a good movie for Beatles fans ,or even if you are not and don,t know alot of their music its a nice introduction . Lots of good dancing too!
I just watched the 1934 "The Man Who Knew Too Much." Terrific film! It might be my favorite British Hitchcock. The plot zipped along, and the visuals were stunning. Peter Lorre was terrific in his first English-language role.
Odd how this ended with a big shootout, something I don't think any other Hitchcock film does. Of course, perhaps the ending shows his indebtedness to Lang (Last Testament of Dr. Mabuse and Metropolis for the rooftop scene). Still, this was superb, a textbook example of how to make a movie thriller.
Odd how this ended with a big shootout, something I don't think any other Hitchcock film does. Of course, perhaps the ending shows his indebtedness to Lang (Last Testament of Dr. Mabuse and Metropolis for the rooftop scene). Still, this was superb, a textbook example of how to make a movie thriller.
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feaito
Thanks for that information Judithjdb1 wrote:Good morning, Nando. I, too, always liked Geraldine Brooks. She didn't make very many movies, but she was in a lot of television in the 1950s and 60s. I will always think of her as Elizabeth, Ben Cartwright's first wife, and the mother of Adam Cartwright, on the popular television western Bonanza (three flashback episodes were done on that show to tell the stories of the mothers of the three Cartwright sons). Brooks was only in her early 50s when she passed away.feaito wrote:I watched "Next" (2007) a quite entertaining film starring Nicholas Cage.
I also saw an excellent Noir, Fritz Lang's "The Woman in the Window" (1944) starring Joan Bennett and Edward G. Robinson, both of whom are superb! As good as "Scarlet Street" (1945) and even better. Very absorbing plot.
I re-watched the psychological drama "Possessed" (1947) starring Joan Crawford. One of her best films. Geraldine Brooks, who plays her step-daughter is very pretty. I've never seen her in any other film.
. I did not know that.
Caught three this week.
TWO LANE BLACKTOP: Embarassed that it has taken so long to see this. My excuse was that, if I never cared for EASY RIDER with Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson, how could I like this with James Taylor and Dennis Wilson. Wrong -- again. Wonderful road film that avoids the simplistic Freedom Youth vs. The Man drivel in EASY RIDER. With the always wonderful Warren Oates and a creepy cameo by Harry Dean Stanton. Based on his performance here, James Taylor should have stuck to acting instead of recording banal remakes.
TRY AND GET ME: Thanks to Mr. Arkadin for providing the DVDr and Dewey for including this in his Noir list, thereby motivating me to pull it out from the dozens of unwatched DVDs on my shelves. I generally dislike Big Message movies (thank you, Stanley Kramer), but when the Big Message is wrapped up in a film noir like this, it can not only be palatable, it can be brilliant. A brutal condemnation of the media and the dark side (or, maybe, all sides) of human nature. Up there with NONE SHALL ESCAPE, THE PHENIX CITY STORY and THE FEARMAKERS. With Frank Lovejoy, Richard Carlson, and a marvelously nasty Lloyd Bridges (he must have used this role as a basis for Mr. Mandelbaum on Seinfeld).
LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD: Hadn't seen this for 35 years, so I revisited it on the big screen last night. It was powerful then, but probably more because I was in college and it was "foreign" (translation: Important Art). Seeing it now, I was amazed at the quiet impact it had exerted on me over the years. Parody it all one wants, it is one of the most provocative, beautiful and moving films I have ever seen.
TWO LANE BLACKTOP: Embarassed that it has taken so long to see this. My excuse was that, if I never cared for EASY RIDER with Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson, how could I like this with James Taylor and Dennis Wilson. Wrong -- again. Wonderful road film that avoids the simplistic Freedom Youth vs. The Man drivel in EASY RIDER. With the always wonderful Warren Oates and a creepy cameo by Harry Dean Stanton. Based on his performance here, James Taylor should have stuck to acting instead of recording banal remakes.
TRY AND GET ME: Thanks to Mr. Arkadin for providing the DVDr and Dewey for including this in his Noir list, thereby motivating me to pull it out from the dozens of unwatched DVDs on my shelves. I generally dislike Big Message movies (thank you, Stanley Kramer), but when the Big Message is wrapped up in a film noir like this, it can not only be palatable, it can be brilliant. A brutal condemnation of the media and the dark side (or, maybe, all sides) of human nature. Up there with NONE SHALL ESCAPE, THE PHENIX CITY STORY and THE FEARMAKERS. With Frank Lovejoy, Richard Carlson, and a marvelously nasty Lloyd Bridges (he must have used this role as a basis for Mr. Mandelbaum on Seinfeld).
LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD: Hadn't seen this for 35 years, so I revisited it on the big screen last night. It was powerful then, but probably more because I was in college and it was "foreign" (translation: Important Art). Seeing it now, I was amazed at the quiet impact it had exerted on me over the years. Parody it all one wants, it is one of the most provocative, beautiful and moving films I have ever seen.
Everyday people...that's what's wrong with the world. -- Morgan Morgan
I love movies. But don't get me wrong. I hate Hollywood. -- Orson Welles
Movies can only go forward in spite of the motion picture industry. -- Orson Welles
I love movies. But don't get me wrong. I hate Hollywood. -- Orson Welles
Movies can only go forward in spite of the motion picture industry. -- Orson Welles
I just watched "Shock Corridor" on VHS.
I guess I should just not try to watch any Sam Fuller movies. "Big Red One" was okay, as was "Underworld USA." "Forty Guns" left me cold, as did "House of Bamboo."
"Shock Corridor" had me laughing and saying rude things to the screen. I never believed the speeches by the three inmates who were witnesses to the murder (and I realize that the "whodunnit" plot is simply a "McGuffin" to allow Fuller to address what was wrong with 1963 America). The stuff about the black guy who believed he was a Klansman was interesting in a "sick humor" way, but I never really believed it. Interjections like "I'm impotent and proud of it!" and "Nymphos!" just struck me as ridiculous.
I'd rank "Shock Corridor" up there with "Peeping Tom" as cult movies that with-it film fans are supposed to like because fuddy-duddy critics hated them when they were first released, but when someone actually sees them, they don't hold up well at all.
I guess I should just not try to watch any Sam Fuller movies. "Big Red One" was okay, as was "Underworld USA." "Forty Guns" left me cold, as did "House of Bamboo."
"Shock Corridor" had me laughing and saying rude things to the screen. I never believed the speeches by the three inmates who were witnesses to the murder (and I realize that the "whodunnit" plot is simply a "McGuffin" to allow Fuller to address what was wrong with 1963 America). The stuff about the black guy who believed he was a Klansman was interesting in a "sick humor" way, but I never really believed it. Interjections like "I'm impotent and proud of it!" and "Nymphos!" just struck me as ridiculous.
I'd rank "Shock Corridor" up there with "Peeping Tom" as cult movies that with-it film fans are supposed to like because fuddy-duddy critics hated them when they were first released, but when someone actually sees them, they don't hold up well at all.
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jdb1
Sorry, mon ami, I can't agree with you on this one. Marienbad is one of the silliest, most pretentious, ugly-looking and just plain awful movies I've ever seen. The last time I saw it, a year or two ago, I laughed all the way through it. Wonder if the French Wine Board produced it -- same people who have half the world convinced that fermented grape juice has magical powers. Pfui!ChiO wrote:Caught three this week.
LAST YEAR AT MARIENBAD: Hadn't seen this for 35 years, so I revisited it on the big screen last night. It was powerful then, but probably more because I was in college and it was "foreign" (translation: Important Art). Seeing it now, I was amazed at the quiet impact it had exerted on me over the years. Parody it all one wants, it is one of the most provocative, beautiful and moving films I have ever seen.
MikeBSG said:
But I certainly understand. SHOCK CORRIDOR was the first Fuller film that I saw as an adult (saw MERRILL'S MARAUDERS as a kid with my parents, but who knew), and I was howling at how stiff, contrived, cheap and downright silly it was. Then I saw THE BIG RED ONE and I thought it was OK. Then I tried PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET and the view toward Fuller changed. PICKUP is on my Noir list (if the list had expanded to 25 or 30, SHOCK CORRIDOR, THE NAKED KISS, and maybe UNDERWORLD U.S.A. would have made it) and FORTY GUNS was on my Westerns list. If we ever have a War Films poll, I'm sure that THE STEEL HELMET, FIXED BAYONETS, and VERBOTEN! will make my list. Fuller certainly challenges one's notions as to what constitutes "proper" filmmaking, but I find it fascinating.
And PEEPING TOM is my favoite Michael Powell film, though EDGE OF THE WORLD and A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH are very close.
But then I can't figure out the fuss about John Ford, George Cukor and, for the most part, Robert Altman and Jean-Luc Godard (despite his use of Fuller). Guess that's what makes the reel go 'round.
To quote my friend Judith (FYI: I like fermented grape juice, too): Pfui!"Shock Corridor" had me laughing and saying rude things to the screen. .... I'd rank "Shock Corridor" up there with "Peeping Tom" as cult movies that with-it film fans are supposed to like because fuddy-duddy critics hated them when they were first released, but when someone actually sees them, they don't hold up well at all.
But I certainly understand. SHOCK CORRIDOR was the first Fuller film that I saw as an adult (saw MERRILL'S MARAUDERS as a kid with my parents, but who knew), and I was howling at how stiff, contrived, cheap and downright silly it was. Then I saw THE BIG RED ONE and I thought it was OK. Then I tried PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET and the view toward Fuller changed. PICKUP is on my Noir list (if the list had expanded to 25 or 30, SHOCK CORRIDOR, THE NAKED KISS, and maybe UNDERWORLD U.S.A. would have made it) and FORTY GUNS was on my Westerns list. If we ever have a War Films poll, I'm sure that THE STEEL HELMET, FIXED BAYONETS, and VERBOTEN! will make my list. Fuller certainly challenges one's notions as to what constitutes "proper" filmmaking, but I find it fascinating.
And PEEPING TOM is my favoite Michael Powell film, though EDGE OF THE WORLD and A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH are very close.
But then I can't figure out the fuss about John Ford, George Cukor and, for the most part, Robert Altman and Jean-Luc Godard (despite his use of Fuller). Guess that's what makes the reel go 'round.
Everyday people...that's what's wrong with the world. -- Morgan Morgan
I love movies. But don't get me wrong. I hate Hollywood. -- Orson Welles
Movies can only go forward in spite of the motion picture industry. -- Orson Welles
I love movies. But don't get me wrong. I hate Hollywood. -- Orson Welles
Movies can only go forward in spite of the motion picture industry. -- Orson Welles
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charliechaplinfan
- Posts: 9040
- Joined: January 15th, 2008, 9:49 am
Judith, I seem to be agreeing with you a lot tonight
I'm agreeing with you again. I can't believe I sat through all of the film. The only thing I can say is it looked nice but that it about it. I'd never feel the inclination to watch it again. There's not many films I feel like that about.
I'm agreeing with you again. I can't believe I sat through all of the film. The only thing I can say is it looked nice but that it about it. I'd never feel the inclination to watch it again. There's not many films I feel like that about.
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
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MissGoddess
- Posts: 5072
- Joined: April 17th, 2007, 10:01 am
- Contact:
I watched Whistle Down the Wind (thanks to JohnM! and to Stuart for first telling me about it) last night and I really enjoyed it. A remarkable cast of children, including ring leader Hayley Mills. What a stark contrast her budding English movie "career" seems to have been to her Disneyfied American one to come.
I really liked the little boy who played her younger brother. He was adorable and funny. Alan Bates always looks like he never knew what a shower or a comb were for.
It was nice to see "M" (Bernard Lee) in a very non-technical role.
and to Stuart for first telling me about it) last night and I really enjoyed it. A remarkable cast of children, including ring leader Hayley Mills. What a stark contrast her budding English movie "career" seems to have been to her Disneyfied American one to come.I really liked the little boy who played her younger brother. He was adorable and funny. Alan Bates always looks like he never knew what a shower or a comb were for.
It was nice to see "M" (Bernard Lee) in a very non-technical role.
"There's only one thing that can kill the movies, and that's education."
-- Will Rogers
-- Will Rogers
I just saw two terrific classic foreign films.
"Volga-Volga" is a Soviet musical from 1938 that deals with musicians trying to get to Moscow to perform. It is a very funny movie (in one scene, the town's grumpy bureaucrat, who has declared that no one in the town could possibly have talent, is pursued by everyone else in the town who is playing some kind of instrument.) The propaganda in the film is applied very lightly (and is mostly limited to the idea that Moscow is the height of modernity.) The film's star, Lybova Orlov, is extremely charming and perky. I got a kick out of this one.
Then I watched "Bob le Flambeur," a French thriller from 1956. It is about an aging gangster who tries to pull off one last big holdup. The plot is routine, but the film makes the Paris underworld come alive. The characters and their relationships are compelling, and the viewer enjoys seeing Bob carry himself through all the twists and turns of the plot. Perhaps not quite as good as "Rififfi," but very enjoyable.
"Volga-Volga" is a Soviet musical from 1938 that deals with musicians trying to get to Moscow to perform. It is a very funny movie (in one scene, the town's grumpy bureaucrat, who has declared that no one in the town could possibly have talent, is pursued by everyone else in the town who is playing some kind of instrument.) The propaganda in the film is applied very lightly (and is mostly limited to the idea that Moscow is the height of modernity.) The film's star, Lybova Orlov, is extremely charming and perky. I got a kick out of this one.
Then I watched "Bob le Flambeur," a French thriller from 1956. It is about an aging gangster who tries to pull off one last big holdup. The plot is routine, but the film makes the Paris underworld come alive. The characters and their relationships are compelling, and the viewer enjoys seeing Bob carry himself through all the twists and turns of the plot. Perhaps not quite as good as "Rififfi," but very enjoyable.
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feaito
I watched a pleasant Fox musical titled "Doll Face" (1945) with the lovely Vivian Blaine. I had only seen Miss Blaine in the Goldwyn production of "Guys and Dolls" (1955), but I liked her much more here. In G&D she has a comic role. Here she's a sultry, sexy and classy showwoman, although she's supposed to be a burlesque-stripper queen. She has fine chemistry with Dennis O'Keefe as her love interest. Carmen Miranda plays herself and Martha Stewart is quite charming in her own right opposite singer Perry Como. Some nice songs, beautiful numbers, and Lex Barker has a bit role. Enjoyable.
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charliechaplinfan
- Posts: 9040
- Joined: January 15th, 2008, 9:49 am
Last night I saw Roxie Hart Ginger Rogers was just so perfect in the role of the publicity hungry killer Roxie Hart .Adolphe Menjou was good as Billy Flynn, not as suave as Richard Gere, in the court room scenes he looked distinctly like an unkempt John Barrymore but he stole the show well almost, it's difficult to upstage Ginger in this role. The dialogue is witty and funny, Ginger has a distinct flair for comedy and got chance to display her lovely legs. Even my husband picked up on the Chicago connection.
I'm a fan of Chicago the movie. I hoped that it would be the first in a new fashion for musicals but alas it wasn't. My only complaint about the film version is that Renee Zellwegger as Roxie is wrong. She's a good actress but she doesn't cut the mustard to me as Roxie.
I'm a fan of Chicago the movie. I hoped that it would be the first in a new fashion for musicals but alas it wasn't. My only complaint about the film version is that Renee Zellwegger as Roxie is wrong. She's a good actress but she doesn't cut the mustard to me as Roxie.
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
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jdb1
Wasn't Roxie Hart terrific? It is so very funny, and so very relevant. I thought Menjou was a scream -- the unkempt look was I though in part the character's attempt to be a rumpled, Clarence Darrow-like defender, and partly to show that he wasn't quite as in control of the situation as he thought he was; it could have blown up in his face at any moment.
The only thing that I don't love about the movie is the ending, which in true classic Hollywood fashion puts that silly girl in what was considered her place (i.e., figuratively barefoot, and definitely pregnant). Although I don't like the musical Chicago very much, I do like the ending, which is much more realistic considering what's gone before.
The only thing that I don't love about the movie is the ending, which in true classic Hollywood fashion puts that silly girl in what was considered her place (i.e., figuratively barefoot, and definitely pregnant). Although I don't like the musical Chicago very much, I do like the ending, which is much more realistic considering what's gone before.
Hello ChiO,
I can't get over the fact that you mentioned "The Phenix City Story." Believe it or not, I first saw the movie as a pre-teen as part of a Saturday matinee at the Oxford theater in NE Philly. I'm guessing it was about '64 or '65 or thereabouts? It wasn't exactly the kind of movie we typically saw on Saturday afternoons back then. More typical were "Gorgo," "Mothra," "Godzilla" and the like. Always a double or triple feature with a cartoon or two, maybe a "MovieTone News" newsreel, and what seemed like dozens of "coming attractions." All for less than 50 cents at that! A dollar got you in with a soda, candy bar and popcorn. The funny thing is, given that "The Phenix City Story" wasn't aimed at an audience like ours, it stuck with me for what seemed like forever until I finally saw it again on TCM some years back. It had that kind of an impact. Now that you've brought it to mind, I'll have to see if it's part of the NetFlix library so I can add it to my list and see it again. Because I'm in Alabama, where the story took place, I doubt that I'll be able to find it at any of the local video stores or the public library. With good reason, it's not a chapter in their history that the Alabama citizenry can be proud of. Thanks for the memory!
As always,
Hollis
I can't get over the fact that you mentioned "The Phenix City Story." Believe it or not, I first saw the movie as a pre-teen as part of a Saturday matinee at the Oxford theater in NE Philly. I'm guessing it was about '64 or '65 or thereabouts? It wasn't exactly the kind of movie we typically saw on Saturday afternoons back then. More typical were "Gorgo," "Mothra," "Godzilla" and the like. Always a double or triple feature with a cartoon or two, maybe a "MovieTone News" newsreel, and what seemed like dozens of "coming attractions." All for less than 50 cents at that! A dollar got you in with a soda, candy bar and popcorn. The funny thing is, given that "The Phenix City Story" wasn't aimed at an audience like ours, it stuck with me for what seemed like forever until I finally saw it again on TCM some years back. It had that kind of an impact. Now that you've brought it to mind, I'll have to see if it's part of the NetFlix library so I can add it to my list and see it again. Because I'm in Alabama, where the story took place, I doubt that I'll be able to find it at any of the local video stores or the public library. With good reason, it's not a chapter in their history that the Alabama citizenry can be proud of. Thanks for the memory!
As always,
Hollis