I Just Watched...

Discussion of programming on TCM.
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Detective Jim McLeod
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Detective Jim McLeod »

My favorite Mary moment from the MTM show-

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Sepiatone
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Sepiatone »

Some would choose......



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BagelOnAPlate
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by BagelOnAPlate »

TikiSoo wrote: May 29th, 2023, 4:45 am
Detective Jim McLeod wrote: May 28th, 2023, 3:25 pm One of the funniest things about Mary's character was she was a person who tried to avoid embarrassing situations but due to either circumstance or her looney friends, she would end up in them.
You're right! I never thought about that angle before!
It certainly describes my favorite of Mary's "situations"....the green dress:

Even funnier was Ted's reaction to the dress.
Ted Knight was a brilliant comic actor. In an interview, Ed Asner talks about a time when Ted Knight had three different interpretations of one of Ted Baxter's moments, all of which were brilliantly funny.

Ted Knight was not Ted Baxter, but Knight brought Baxter to life so vividly that many viewers had difficulty separating the actor from the character. I've read that Ted Knight was bothered that people thought he was like Ted Baxter in real life.
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Swithin
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Swithin »

Cromwell (1970)

I've been putting off watching this movie for some time. Having read -- and enjoyed -- Antonia Fraser's massive biography, Cromwell, Our Chief of Men, many years ago, I was afraid that the historical inaccuracies of the movie would bother me. In fact, they didn't, much, and I liked the film. The movie offers a good depiction of the emergence of Cromwell as a national figure and of the trial and execution of King Charles I.

As the puritanical and severe Oliver Cromwell, Richard Harris doesn't seem to have a very difficult task. He looks (and is) angry most of the time, and occasionally bursts into irate speeches when anyone offends him. He is principled, and the film makes clear that what he does is not for personal gain.

As King Charles I, Alec Guinness is very good, giving a more textured and sensitive performance. His obstinacy comes through, though we feel a little sorry for him, as he's about to have his head chopped off. In one scene, he is particularly cruel to Prince Rupert (Timothy Dalton), who was only trying to help the Cavalier cause.

The overall arch of the history seems to be generally accurate, even if some details are not. The supporting actors are good. The Battle of Naseby is pretty well depicted, but there is no mention of the Battle of Marston Moor. It was also not made terribly explicit, as to what the "New Model Army" was, exactly.

Cromwell's final speech at the end of the film seems to be talking to contemporary England. A narrator's voice follows, telling us that Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector for many years, and that England was never the same again. The age of divinely inspired monarchs was over.

The film runs 2 hours 20 minutes, cut down from the original 3 hours 15 minutes. I'd like to see the unused footage.

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Last edited by Swithin on May 30th, 2023, 1:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Cinemaspeak59
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Cinemaspeak59 »

Dangerous Number (1937). You can’t go wrong with Ann Sothern in a screwball comedy. Ann’s partner in adventure (and there’s a lot of it) is Robert Young, an inventor who has little patience for Ann’s artist friends. Mismatched as they are, Ann has plenty of tricks up her sleeve to win him over.
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BagelOnAPlate
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by BagelOnAPlate »

Allhallowsday wrote: May 25th, 2023, 7:32 pm
CinemaInternational wrote: May 25th, 2023, 1:35 pm
Allhallowsday wrote: May 24th, 2023, 1:03 pm COMING HOME (1978) was on TCM last night. I hadn't looked at it since it was new (saw it on cable TV over 40 years ago)!
I had forgotten about the stir the lovemaking scene had initiated. It is still impressive and I give JANE FONDA a lot of credit, because it was a bold scene, even now! JON VOIGHT and BRUCE DERN also do a great job!
Also, looking at the film reminded me it was the reason I bought THE ROLLING STONES Flowers album...
I think I read that Jane used a body double in that particular sex scene, and although its been a while since I saw the movie, I recall close ups of her face in that scene seperate from the rest of the body. As for the film itself, it is very well acted by everyone involved, but the much rewritten story is a bit ragged and the final moments of the film seem inconclusive
I believe you are correct and I agree, not a great film for me, but good in many ways. In the lovemaking scene JANE enacts an orgasm, more particularly as a result of oral sex. I think it remains bold.
I saw Coming Home on Watch TCM yesterday. It was one of Ann-Margret's selections as guest programmer.

It's possible a body double was used for some of the scene that is mentioned in the original post, but there is a shot where Jane Fonda's face and her bare breasts are visible.
And, it was bold for a major movie star like Jane Fonda to simulate an orgasm, especially under the specific circumstances of that scene.
Early in the movie, there's an intimate scene with Jane Fonda and Bruce Dern (who plays her husband) where Jane Fonda's character is pretty much laying there waiting for Bruce Dern's character to finish.

Jane Fonda does a great job of realistically portraying her character's tension in multiple situations with both Jon Voight's character and Bruce Dern's character.
Bruce Dern's meltdown scene was nerve-racking for me on a very real level. The way screams the word is really got me.
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txfilmfan
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by txfilmfan »

BagelOnAPlate wrote: May 31st, 2023, 8:57 pm
Allhallowsday wrote: May 25th, 2023, 7:32 pm
CinemaInternational wrote: May 25th, 2023, 1:35 pm

I think I read that Jane used a body double in that particular sex scene, and although its been a while since I saw the movie, I recall close ups of her face in that scene seperate from the rest of the body. As for the film itself, it is very well acted by everyone involved, but the much rewritten story is a bit ragged and the final moments of the film seem inconclusive
I believe you are correct and I agree, not a great film for me, but good in many ways. In the lovemaking scene JANE enacts an orgasm, more particularly as a result of oral sex. I think it remains bold.
I saw Coming Home on Watch TCM yesterday. It was one of Ann-Margret's selections as guest programmer.

And, it was bold for a major movie star like Jane Fonda to simulate an orgasm, especially under the specific circumstances of that scene.
She had done it before, in a campy manner, in that curious film Barbarella some 10 years earlier, with Fonda's Barbarella in Durand-Durand's Excessive Machine, a machine of simultaneous pleasure and execution. Barbarella was too much for the machine and it went up in flames.
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Masha
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Masha »

Bait (2000)


The superbly crafted and meticulously timed heist of millions in gold from a Federal repository intersects with a master criminal's plan to steal a bag of shrimp from a seafood warehouse. Pardon me... my mistake... a bag of prawns. We all know that a prawn "is like five or six shrimp."

I really like this movie. It has a vibe deeply reminiscent of 1960s screwball crime comedies. Some elements are darker than they need to be but were appropriate to movies at the turn of the century. The execution of the repository guards is a good example of this. It was obviously intended to contrast with the other criminal's happy-go-lucky approach but it was a bit much despite being mostly off-screen.

I like Jamie Foxx very much. I have never watched him in a role in which it was obvious that he was acting. He becomes the character with all its quirks and foibles. His comedic timing is impeccable.

David Morse's character was riddled with false intensity but that is what he does.

8.6/11

This movie is currently available for viewing for free with commercials on: TubiTV.
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Allhallowsday
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Allhallowsday »

AMERICAN GIGOLO (1980) I owned the 45 "Call Me" but I don't think I saw this back in the day. Interesting, particularly the look and soundtrack, but ultimately RICHARD GERE's character was too sleazy for me to care about at all.
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Allhallowsday
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Allhallowsday »

LONG DAY'S JOURNEY INTO NIGHT (1962)
Just on TCM, I know the movie, first saw it as a teenager. The older I get, the more powerful it becomes. I had a tear run down my face... for JASON ROBARDS performance. I saw the play on Broadway about 17 years ago with VANESSA REDGRAVE, CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER, PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN and ROBERT SEAN LEONARD. It did not make the impression the movie still does. Powerful and painful.
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CinemaInternational
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by CinemaInternational »

Allhallowsday wrote: June 2nd, 2023, 4:07 pm AMERICAN GIGOLO (1980) I owned the 45 "Call Me" but I don't think I saw this back in the day. Interesting, particularly the look and soundtrack, but ultimately RICHARD GERE's character was too sleazy for me to care about at all.
What was strange about that film was how lethargic it felt, almost as though everything was unfolding at half time rather than at full speed. The Blondie song was more energetic than anything in the film
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Grumpytoad
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Grumpytoad »

A comedy.

Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953)

Have seen plenty of movies over the years that have left me with mixed feelings. But this one takes the cake, because I thought it was simultaneously brilliant and very disappointing.

The plot is simple. The title almost says it all, so I'll just add it was a beach holiday.

The movie can be compared to Chaplin's little tramp movies, as the action revolves around the distinctive title character.

Where the movie succeeds is in a number of very funny sight gags, maybe the best I've ever seen.

But the Hulot character? No thanks. When I watch Chaplin's tramp, he comes across as odd, but bright and charming and even sympathetic.

Hulot is odd too, but mainly just stupid.Repeatedly.

For a while, a young woman seems vaguely interested in him. But he stands her up at the first opportunity to date her. No followup, she doesn't even react to it. In fact, the whole incident was never referred to in the movie again.

The print I watched was a digitally restored one, and it was frankly perfect. Clear, excellent black and white tones.




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txfilmfan
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by txfilmfan »

Grumpytoad wrote: June 10th, 2023, 11:22 pm A comedy.

Monsieur Hulot's Holiday (1953)

Have seen plenty of movies over the years that have left me with mixed feelings. But this one takes the cake, because I thought it was simultaneously brilliant and very disappointing.

The plot is simple. The title almost says it all, so I'll just add it was a beach holiday.

The movie can be compared to Chaplin's little tramp movies, as the action revolves around the distinctive title character.

Where the movie succeeds is in a number of very funny sight gags, maybe the best I've ever seen.

But the Hulot character? No thanks. When I watch Chaplin's tramp, he comes across as odd, but bright and charming and even sympathetic.

Hulot is odd too, but mainly just stupid.Repeatedly.

For a while, a young woman seems vaguely interested in him. But he stands her up at the first opportunity to date her. No followup, she doesn't even react to it. In fact, the whole incident was never referred to in the movie again.

The print I watched was a digitally restored one, and it was frankly perfect. Clear, excellent black and white tones.




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Tend to agree. The Little Tramp, Hulot, Mr Bean - variations on the same theme. I like them in small doses. Perhaps Atkinson's half hour show from the 90s is about perfect for me. Same with Chaplin's shorts. I tire of them in feature-length films. But that's just me, and I'm probably in the minority.

They all have one thing in common that amplifies their popularity. Since they rely on sight gags rather than dialogue, and touch on universal situations that aren't so culturally dependent, they are readily exportable worldwide, and have found a following globally.
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Detective Jim McLeod
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Detective Jim McLeod »

This is the first time in a long time I watched a whole block of films one after the other, starting last night at 8:00PM EST

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Gilda Live (1980) TCM -6/10

A filmed performance of Gilda Radner's Broadway revue.

I had seen this years ago, it was a hit and miss show with Gilda doing some of her most famous SNL characters, which are the best parts. Director Mike Nichols chose to film some backstage stuff which I don't think was needed. Father Guido Sarducci (Don Novello) is given a bit too much footage.
But Gilda provides some hilarious moments with characters like Judy Miller, the little Brownie who does her own fantasy TV show in her room, nerdy Lisa Loopner playing "The Way We Were' at a high school recital, Olympic gymnast Nadia Comaneci ("Aren't I cute?") and gross newscaster Rosanne Rosannadanna making a guest speech at a journalism school graduation. Some good musical moments like the vulgar "Let's Talk Dirty To The Animals' and the sweet "Honey" at the end.

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Valerie (2019 TCM 6/10

A documentary short about actress Valerie Perrine.

Since this is a short, it doesn't get too much into Perrine's career. She is now in very ill health suffering from Parkinsons and it is heart breaking to watch this once energetic and cheerful lady no longer able to walk or fend for herself. Some good clips of her performances in Lenny (1974) and one of my favorite PBS performances of the play Steambath (1973). Some of her celebrity friends like Angie Dickinson, George Hamilton and Loni Anderson have nice things to say. Those scenes of her now take up most of the time and are hard to watch.

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Lenny (1974)TCM 7/10

A look at comedian Lenny Bruce's (Dustin Hoffman) battles with the law over his comedy act.

I had seen this before but couldn't remember much. The acting by Hoffman and Valerie Perrine as his stripper wife is excellent. Bob Fosse's direction is good, the B&W photography fits the story well. I usually don't like to compare older films to modern times but I was really struck by one scene where Lenny lets loose with some racial slurs on stage to show that suppression of a word gives it power. It made me think if Lenny Bruce were alive and active today he would get censored and harassed again.
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