What Classics Did You See Last Week (July 28–August 3)
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spiderwort — 1 year ago(August 04, 2024 01:02 PM)
I love THE WIND. It's one of my favorite silent films, beautifully directed by Victor Sjöström, with Gish at her best, of course – when was she not?
And I'm glad to get your report on MISS SADIE THOMPSON. Haven't seen it in ages, but your assessment is pretty much in alignment with my memory.
And I haven't seen THE MYSTERIOUS LADY and probably never will. Unlike most of the world, I've never been a great Garbo fan (except for NINOTCHKA, which I love). But I appreciate your comments about this film; they almost make me want to see it. -
unex — 1 year ago(August 07, 2024 12:06 PM)
I love THE WIND. It's one of my favorite silent films, beautifully directed by Victor Sjöström, with Gish at her best, of course – when was she not?
I agree she was really good in it and at that point in her career she was almost a producer on her films but then sound came in and her roles pretty much dried up for a decade. -
spiderwort — 1 year ago(August 09, 2024 06:47 PM)
You are so right. I didn't think of that. But she came back, didn't she? Thank God for that. When I was in graduate school at Northwestern, they screened BIRTH OF A NATION for us one night, and Ms. Gish was there and talked at length about her amazing career from the silent era to her work later on. She also took questions from the students. It was a blessing, indeed, one that I will always treasure. She was a very sweet, thoughtful woman. Of her later works, I loved her in THE WHALES OF AUGUST. If you haven't seen that, I highly recommend it. She and an elderly Bette Davis – it was amazing to see them together playing sisters. And Ann Sothern got her only Oscar nomination for her performance as their friend.
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unex — 1 year ago(August 11, 2024 11:40 AM)
That must have been an interesting talk. There was probably nobody else who had direct knowledge of the history of film like her.
I haven't seen that movie yet. It's pretty wild that her career spanned so long. You don't really expect somebody who started in the industry before Hollywood to show up in movies from the mid-80s. -
spiderwort — 1 year ago(August 11, 2024 01:03 PM)
You don't really expect somebody who started in the industry before Hollywood to show up in movies from the mid-80s.
Yes, isn't it wonderful? She was simply amazing. And I strongly urge you to see THE WHALES OF AUGUST. It's a beauty, and she and Davis are great. Why they didn't receive Oscar nominations is beyond me.
The film is streaming on MGM+, Prime Video, and Tubi TV, and here's a high quality Youtube copy, too: -
EdwardVP — 1 year ago(August 04, 2024 12:59 PM)
1951 RHUBARB - Ray Milland comedy where he is guardian of a cat who has inherited a fortune. My favorite of the wacky animal comedies directed by Arthur Lubin (IMDb 6.8)
1952 IT GROWS ON TREES - Iren Dunne comedy where she locates the source of money mysteriously appearing in her garden. She has to keep it a secret from hubby. (IMDb 6.6)
1952 THIS IS CINERAMA - The complete two hour original demonstration of the widescreen and stereophonic revolution that was about to happen in 1950s cinema. (IMDb 6.9)
1953 GILBERT AND SULLIVAN - Beautifully photographed pieces from the pair responsible for the Victorian comic operettas. Robert Morley is especially good as Gilbert. (IMDb 6.9)
1955 I DIED A THOUSAND TIMES - Remake of High Sierra with Jack Palance taking over the Humphrey Bogart role. Even though he's a villain his fate has poignancy. (IMDb 6.4)
1957 LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON - Gary Cooper comedy in which he plays an aging Lothario. Audrey Hepburn is his target. Some unusual wacky scenes in this. (IMDb 7.1) -
spiderwort — 1 year ago(August 04, 2024 01:10 PM)
First viewings:
Brooklyn / John Crowley
(2015)
An incredibly beautiful film, nearly perfect, with a great script, superb direction, and an outstanding, Oscar nominated performance by Saoirse Ronan. It took my breath away. Highly recommended.
I Know Where I’m Going / Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
(1945). A young Englishwoman (Wendy Hiller) aims to marry a tycoon but finds love with a naval officer (Roger Livesey) instead. Another Powell-Pressburger beauty. Highly recommended.
The Green Years / Victor Saville
(1946). A 1900s Irish orphan (Dean Stockwell, then Tom Drake) is raised by his grandparents and great grandparents in Scotland and struggles to get an education. A thoroughly enjoyable, well done film, with solid direction by Victor Zaville and a wonderful cast, including Jessica Tandy playing the daughter of her husband, Hume Cronyn! Charles Coburn received one of his three Oscar nominations for his performance as the the boy's great grandfather. Strongly recommended.
Re-watches:
The Sea Wolf / Michael Curtiz
(1941). Three fugitives (John Garfield, Ida Lupino, Alexander Knox) board the seal ship the “Ghost” and find themselves prisoners of the ship's brutal skipper (Edward G. Robinson). An excellent Robert Rossen adaptation of Jack London’s novel, beautifully directed by Curtiz with wonderful performances by the outstanding cast. Highly recommended.
Stanley and Iris / Martin Ritt
(1990). A struggling widow teaches an illiterate short-order cook to read and write. The script requires a willing suspension of disbelief, but the film’s very much worth seeing because of its wonderful cast, especially Jane Fonda and Robert De Niro, and for Martin Ritt’s sensitive direction of his final film. Other cast members include Swootzie Kurtz and Amanda Plummer. Strongly recommended (and a must-see for Ritt fans).
The Green Promise / William D. Russell
(1949). A stubborn farmer tries to crush one daughter’s romance and the other’s dream to join the 4-H Club. Not great, but much better than the critics say, and it’s quite enjoyable, with a young Natalie Wood shining. The film really belongs to her, under the excellent direction of Russell, who should have had a better career. Wonderful northern California locations. Strongly recommended, despite what the critics say. -
PygmyLion — 1 year ago(August 05, 2024 03:18 PM)
I Know Where I'm Going!
is one of my favorites. Wendy Hiller and Roger Livesay are outstanding in it. I enjoy all the local color of being out on a Scottish Island.
I started reading the book "The Sea Wolf" by Jack London to my Mother when she was very elderly (about 20 years ago). About a 3rd of the way through, she made me stop and said "this story is just too brutal for me." So I have never finished the book. I have watched the movie.
The Green Years
is very good. We were discussing it on the Classic Novels topic.
I liked
The Green Promise
also. -
spiderwort — 1 year ago(August 05, 2024 06:43 PM)
Thanks, PL. Glad we're on the same page about the films. I haven't read "The Sea Wolf," but I have a feeling I can understand what your Mother was feeling about it, just based upon the film. Thanks for sharing that story. It actually means a lot to me.
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FreeHugs — 1 year ago(August 04, 2024 02:11 PM)
I watched:
A Fairy Tale After All 2022 6/10 This has some flaws, but also some charm. I liked the puppets and the singing was nice. The costumes were pretty good. The biggest issue for me was that the lead actress felt miscast. She was clearly too old for the role and they should have cast someone younger. The story is alright, even though it is fairly formulaic and derivative. I did like the use of black and white and animation in some scenes. This is a bit of a mess, but I have seen worse. There are enough enjoyable elements here (especially the puppets) to overlook the flaws. Worth a look.
Up in the Air 1940 6/10 This was alright. Acting was fine, story was decent, not enough singing.
Pumpkin Spiced Musical 2022 8/10 A fun musical comedy about a struggling ad agency that comes up with the idea to market a pumpkin spice scented bra. This was laugh out loud funny. I enjoyed the performances and the songs. Recommended if you like musical comedies, pumpkin spice, and bras.
Drama Drama 2019 6/10 This is longer than it needs to be, but there are some good moments. I liked a few of the songs and the performances are effective.
Reet, Petite, and Gone 1947 6/10 As expected, the music is good but the writing and acting are weak.
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library 2017 6/10 This wasn't bad. The story is okay and the acting is fine for what it is. The cast is fun and likeable and there are some amusing moments.
Falling for the Competition 2024 5/10 I didn't find the lead actress very likeable. The lead guy was slightly better, but his performance was still kind of flat. The two kids were the best actors and most likeable characters in this. The story wasn't that interesting.
The Fall Guy 2024 6/10 Gosling and Blunt are fine, but the film is mediocre. The story doesn't completely work and it isn't as funny as it needed to be. Also, this is too long.
Next Level 2019 8/10 I only watched this so I could add it to my list of movies I should be embarrassed about watching, but am not. I ended up having fun with this. It is cute and charming and the cast is very likeable. The dancing is pretty good too and I liked the costumes.
Standing Ovation 2010 7/10 This was quite something. It's like an unhinged version of Pitch Perfect starring 12 year old girls with weird characters and random subplots. The acting and writing aren't exactly what you would call good, but it is entertaining and I had fun with it. It has a strange charm, cuteness and humour to it that works in spite of (or maybe because of) its flaws.
Hans Christian Andersen 1952 7/10 Danny Kaye is good here and I liked the cinematography and the costumes. I thought the music was just okay. The story is the weakest part for me and I didn't find it all that interesting. Also, this feels too long and they could have easily cut 15+ minutes from the runtime. Worth watching if you like classic musicals, but it feels like it could have been better.
Dixiana 1930 6/10 This isn't very interesting. The costumes are pretty good and the singing is alright. Acting is just okay.
Trap 2024 7/10 Josh Hartnett is good here and the rest of the cast are effective in their roles. For the most part, this is a suspenseful and entertaining thriller. There are a few decisions along the way that seem questionable and some strain believability. Late in the film, it started to feel like they didn't know how to end it, but I still enjoyed the journey.
Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie 2024 6/10 Is it wrong that I think Sandy Cheeks is kind of sexy here?
Grease 2 1982 5/10 I liked the original Grease and it is hard not to compare this one to the original. The original Grease is a much better film, more entertaining and fun. Even if I judge Grease 2 on its own, it still falls short. The cast looks too old for their roles. I might be able to let that slide, if the performances were more enjoyable. Michelle Pfeiffer is decent, but I felt Maxwell Caulfield was miscast and he wasn't interesting at all. The rest of the actors fall flat for me as well. Also, this movie feels much too long. It drags on and they should have trimmed at least 15 minutes from the runtime. I did like some of the songs though.
Like an American Idol 2019 8/10 I thought the girl in this was wonderful and I loved her singing.
Jolly Fellows 1934 6/10 I liked the cinematography and costumes. Not everything works, but there are some amusing moments.
The Story of O 1975 6/10 Cinematography and sets were good and the women were beautiful and bold in their openness. The story is the weakest part. This is surprisingly dull at times.
Possum 2018 5/10 I found this slow and dull. I respect that they are trying to say something, but it just didn't work for me.
The Big Steal 1990 6/10 This was just okay. -
PygmyLion — 1 year ago(August 05, 2024 02:52 PM)
The Big Knife
1955 - Jack Palance, Ida Lupino, Rod Steiger, Wendell Corey - Hollywood story. Palance plays an actor fighting with his studio boss. - 6.5
Pillow to Post
1945 - Ida Lupino, William Prince, Sydney Greenstreet, Johnny Mitchell, Willie Best - Romantic Comedy. Lupino's character needing lodging for the night at apartments near a military base, convinces a lieutenant to pretend to be her husband… - 7.0
Split Second
1953 - Stephen McNally, Alexis Smith, Jan Sterling, Arthur Hunnicutt - noir - An escaped convict (McNally) takes hostages to a ghost town to hide way - which is just a mile from a atomic test detonation set for 6 am the coming morning - 7.0
Night Nurse
1931 - Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Blondell, Clark Gable - Stanwych and Blondell work as nurses. Clark Gable plays the bad guy - 6.8
Midnight Mary
1933 - Loretta Young, Ricardo Cortez, Franchot Tone, Una Merkel - Young's character is from the wrong side of the tracks, and is charged with murder - 7.5
The Devil Makes Three
1952 - Gene Kelly, Pier Angeli, Richard Egan - Kelly plays an Air Force captain, who returns to Germany to find the family that shielded him from the Nazi's after he escaped from POW camp, but only the young daughter remains and she is connected with some bad people. Filmed in postwar Germany - 7.5
Three Godfathers
1936 Chester Morris, Walter Brennan, Lewis Stone - Western. Three outlaws save a baby in the desert. 6.8 -
Rufus-T — 1 year ago(August 07, 2024 05:18 AM)
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073802/
Robert Redford on the run. He played a researcher for the CIA, and the CIA is after him. The first 10 to 15 minutes or so in the set up felt like a comedy-drama. After that was mostly a suspense thriller. At times was quite flat. They could have improve on the score which did not do justice to the suspense.
Sliver (1993)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108162/
A young woman played by Sharon Stone moved into a high rise. She met up with strange characters as her neighbors, and attracted a bunch of men in the building. She found out that the occupant before her looked exactly like her. In addition, someone is spying on the tenant's personal life with video surveillance camera. It is a sexy thriller, in which Stone just came off the success of Basic Instinct. This is not Basic Instinct, not even close. Granted, although Sharon Stone fit the character to the tee and did very well, this was not a good movie. You do hear a lot Stone in orgasmic moan.