What classics did you see last week, June 25 to July1?
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unex — 2 years ago(July 01, 2023 06:03 PM)
It Happened One Night (1934) - Is this the first road movie? People are still copying it, at least as of 2013 with the film Identity Thief. There are two glaring continuity errors. One of them could have been fixed during editing so it is strange that it was kept in. I don't think their relationship would last long. She's obviously a very impulsive person.
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) - I was wondering why Klaatu was so insistent on speaking to world leaders in person then remembered this was made before satellite communication. He can't simply go on TV and talk to the world. Radio could work but maybe it wouldn't be as convincing without a visual witness. If something like this happened tomorrow half the people would be convinced it is a psyop.
Panic in the Year Zero! (1962) - This has the feel of a civil defense film teaching Americans how to react in the event of a nuclear attack, like Atomic Attack and similar movies, but aimed towards paranoiacs. -
spiderwort — 2 years ago(July 01, 2023 10:39 PM)
Saw all of those, unex, and especially enjoyed
The Day the Earth Stood Still
, directed by Robert Wise.
Panic in the Year Zero!
, from what I remember, was far less interesting – save that it was directed by Ray Milland, who also starred.
But I absolutely love
It Happened One Night
, one of my favorite Frank Capra films and the first film to win all the major Oscars – Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director and Screenplay. I'm not sure what continuity errors you are addressing, but whatever they are, they certainly didn't diminish my enjoyment.
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unex — 2 years ago(July 02, 2023 12:51 PM)
They don't make the movie any less enjoyable, they just popped out.
In this clip Claudette Colbert starts to move away from the door then it cuts to a shot of her back against the door.
In this clip you can almost make out the full plate of donuts on the table which turns into a plate of two donuts. -
spiderwort — 2 years ago(July 02, 2023 01:09 PM)
Yeah, I see what you mean. Haven't seen IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT in awhile, but I'm sure I noticed these mistakes every time I saw it. Bad script supervision in the second scene (he/she should have made sure the scenes matched) and just bad editing in the first scene. That could have been fixed in the editing room immediately without any trouble at all. The footage was there. But you're right, they didn't make the movie any less enjoyable. I see those kinds of things now and again, especially in older films, and they annoy me, but I almost always forgive them as long as the movie is good.
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ZolotoyRetriever — 2 years ago(July 01, 2023 06:31 PM)
Very busy week, so I only made it through one film in its entirety…
To The Shores of Tripoli
(1942), starring John Payne, Maureen O'Hara, Randolph Scott. Basic plot is playboy (John Payne) is coerced into joining the U.S. Marines - pushed by his father (Minor Watson), an ex-Marine himself who is frustrated with his son's misspent life. Tough drill sergeant (Randolph Scott) attempts to shape up playboy recruit with the usual tough military discipline. Playboy falls for beautiful Navy nurse (Maureen O'hara). Complications ensue.
The movie plays so fast and loose with the realities of basic training and military life in general that I nearly fell out of my chair laughing at it. I think it was meant to be a comedy, but it plays as a comedy in more ways than one - some of which probably weren't intended at the time. I understand that author Leon Uris ridicules the film in his reaction of Marines who see it in his 1953 novel
Battle Cry
. Be that as it may, this was apparently a popular film with the public at that time - war hysteria, patriotism and all that being the order of the day. It's said that it also served to boost recruitment levels of Marines by a very large amount. Semper Fi!
The lush Technicolor of the film looks super even today. Maureen O'Hara probably never looked more beautiful. William Tracy, a bit resembling Jon Cryer of
Two and a Half Men
fame, plays a rather off-beat recruit. Look for a young Harry Morgan (in his first film appearance) and Alan Hale Jr. (one of his earliest film appearances) as Marine recruits. -
spiderwort — 2 years ago(July 01, 2023 10:44 PM)
I know I saw this one Zolo, decades ago, but I don't remember it much at all. So thanks for your really excellent review. It more or less confirms what little memory I have of the film. That said, I'm sure I enjoyed the cast.
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spiderwort — 2 years ago(July 02, 2023 12:39 PM)
Sorry you feel that way, Donna, but to each his own. CASABLANCA is one of my all-time favorite films and one of the best ever made, in my opinion (and in the opinion of so many in the world. To this day the Writers Guild of America considers it to be the all-time best American screenplay). And I quite enjoyed KEEPER OF THE FLAME, though it can't compare to CASABLANCA.
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Rufus-T — 2 years ago(July 02, 2023 05:52 AM)
To Leslie (2022)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8129806/
Fantastic. Andrea Riseborough deserved her Oscar nomination
Argentina, 1985 (2022)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15301048/
Start out slow. Much to learn about Argentina history.
Holy Spider (2022)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt18550140/
Excellent and suspenseful story of a woman reporter looking for a serial killer while dealing with societal bias. -
spiderwort — 2 years ago(July 02, 2023 12:34 PM)
These all sound wonderful, Rufus, though maybe a little dark for me. I know I can watch the first and last on Netflix, so I will give them a go when I can and see if I can get through them (if they're not too dark, I mean). Thanks for the recommendations.
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Rufus-T — 2 years ago(July 04, 2023 04:42 AM)
The last one definitely is very dark. I would not recommend if you do not like dark theme.
The first one, though had some dark moment and much profanity, is an uplifting redemption film. I would think you will like it. -
PygmyLion — 2 years ago(July 02, 2023 06:01 PM)
Tea and Sympathy
(1956) - Deborah Kerr, John Kerr - seemed a bit like a made for TV movie. Deborah Kerr saves this movie somewhat - 7
Mrs. Parkington
(1944) - Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, Edward Arnold, Agnes Moorehead. - 8
Scaramouche
(1952)- Janet Leigh, Eleanor Parker, Stewart Granger, Mel Ferrar. Nice eye-candy in Leigh and Parker, and a fair amount of action, but the plot is weak. Not very faithful to the book by Sabatini. - 6
The Very Thought of You
(1944) - Eleanor Parker, Dennis Morgan, Dane Clark, Faye Emerson, Andrea King - Morgan and Clark are back in CA for some leave after being in the Aleutians in WWII - and run into Parker and Emerson. Meanwhile Andrea King is cheating on her sailor husband, who she hasn't seen for over a year - 7
My Brilliant Career
(1979) - Sam Neill, Wendy Hughes, Judy Davis. Young women with wretched red hair tries to make it through life in 1890's Australia. - 7
Little Women
(1933) - Katherine Hepburn, Frances Dee, Edna May Oliver, Paul Lukas. Nice rendition of Louisa May Alcott's book - 8
A fair amount of plot similarties between
My Brilliant Career
and
Little Women
. -
spiderwort — 2 years ago(July 02, 2023 07:40 PM)
Lots of good choices there, PL. I've seen them all, except the Hepburn version of
Little Women
; hope to get to that one of these days. And we are in pretty much agreement about the ratings for each, though I think maybe I would rate
My Brilliant Career
higher, though I saw it long ago and don't remember it very well. The other exception is
Tea and Sympathy
.
That's one of my favorites, despite the flaws thrust upon it by the codes at the time. The play works much better, because it doesn't pull any punches. And the great Elia Kazan directed the Broadway version, with the same cast, all of whom Vincent Minelli wisely brought to the screen version. It's a shame the film script was censored, because it's definitely weaker than the play. I think if you had read the play or seen the stage version, you might feel differently. Then again, you might not. Anyway, it's one of my favorites. And I think Deborah Kerr is simply superb in it. I especially love her deeply moving final lines, "Years from now, when you talk about this – and you will – be kind. . ." -
PygmyLion — 2 years ago(July 02, 2023 08:18 PM)
One problem I had with the film was that the boys didn't look like boys. I actually thought it must be occurring in college, but apparently it was a prep school. Having all these men cavorting around as if they were boys seemed rather queer to me.
It seemed like an easy solution would be for Tom just to move to another house, that is, one where the boys rooting for him in the tennis match lived. Of course, I am a public school guy, so perhaps I just can't understand the problem. -
spiderwort — 2 years ago(July 02, 2023 09:28 PM)
Yes, I can understand that. I had a conversation just the other day with a writer/director friend who said the same thing. But that's how they did it back in those days. Even James Dean was 23 when he shot REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE. My friend said, and I agree, that TEA AND SYMPATHY would work better today, because you could use actors who were the right age and also not have to censor the script.
As for Tom moving to another house, I don't think that would have been an option under the private school situation, though I can't say for sure.
And I just wanted to add for those who don't know that the play is really playwright Robert Anderson's autobiographical story of his own experiences when he was in school. He was not gay, but everyone thought he was, because he was so sensitive. And thank God he was, because he went on to become an award winning playwright and Oscar nominated screenwriter (for I NEVER SANG FOR MY FATHER, based upon his own play, and THE NUN'S STORY). He also wrote the excellent screenplay for THE SAND PEBBLES, starring Steve McQueen. And he was married to actress Teresa Wright. So he clearly managed to overcome the trials and tribulations of his school years, to the benefit of all. -
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spiderwort — 2 years ago(July 04, 2023 12:09 PM)
I remember liking it a lot, too, Rufus, but I haven't seen it since it was released. I really need to see it again. I think Gillian Armstrong's
Little Women
(1994) was absolutely brilliant, and I've seen it several times. Wish I could better remember
My Brilliant Career better
, but I've only seen once, a long time ago.
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FreeHugs — 2 years ago(July 03, 2023 01:03 PM)
I watched:
Evil Dead Rise 2023 5/10 For me, this doesn't work as an Evil Dead movie. It feels like a generic horror movie with typical cliches and underdeveloped characters. It lacks originality and isn't fun or entertaining. The film looks dark and ugly. The opening was good though and a couple of the actors were cute.
Gold Diggers of 1937 1936 6/10 The musical numbers are fine, but the characters and story are fairly weak.
A Raisin in the Sun 1961 8/10 A well written, intelligent drama with good performances, even though the acting was a little over the top at times.
Hold Back Tomorrow 1955 7/10 Good performances from John Agar and Cleo Moore in this well written film.
Of Mice and Men 1939 8/10 A well acted, powerful drama.
A Dog’s Life 1918 8/10 Fantastic performance from Brownie the Dog in this entertaining and well made short film. Chaplin is very good too.
Entr’acte 1924 7/10 Some good moments, but a little uneven.
Broken Blossoms 1919 6/10 Lillian Gish is good and I liked the look of the film, but I didn't find the film very engaging. It drags on and feels longer than it is.
Ringu 1998 6/10 I thought this was just okay. It had a couple good moments and decent performances, but I don't think it is one of the all time great horror films. I didn't find it scary or all that impressive.
Un Chien Andalou 1929 8/10 This movie is random and weird. I am also random and weird, so I liked it.
The Hound of the Baskervilles 1939 6/10 This is an alright Sherlock Holmes mystery, but I didn't find it exceptional in any way. Performances are decent and the mystery is okay, but the film isn't that interesting.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 2023 6/10 There are some things I liked here and others that didn't work for me. I liked the opening sequence and there were some good adventure sequences towards the end. I thought Phoebe Waller-Bridge was miscast and they could have done more with some of the other characters. I really didn't like the way they handled one character's fate in particular. The film is longer than it needs to be, but there are enough moments of classic Indy charm to still make it worthwhile.
Dodsworth 1936 7/10 This was a well acted, effective drama.
Samurai Cop 1991 (rewatch) 2/10 Rewatched with some of my online pals. This is a really cheesy film with bad acting and awful dialogue. It's unintentionally funny but really bad.
Infinity Pool 2023 8/10 I thought this was interesting. I liked Mia Goth and Alexander Skarsgård's performances.
Cosmopolis 2012 6/10 I liked Pattinson's performance, but the dialogue and story aren't sufficiently interesting enough.
The Swearing Jar 2022 9/10 Directed by Lindsay MacKay, who also directed the wonderful and underrated Wet Bum, this romantic drama stars Adelaide Clemens, Patrick J. Adams, Douglas Smith and Kathleen Turner. The film is really well written and tells the story in a smart and surprising way. Adelaide Clemens is fantastic and Kathleen Turner is very good too. The Swearing Jar is funny and sad and sweet and beautiful. Highly recommended.
The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet 2013 6/10 This was a little uneven and slow. A couple good moments.
A Day in the Country 1946 7/10 This was lovely with fine performances.
Mother’s Day 1980 6/10 Not very good, but I have seen worse. It has a couple fun moments.