What Classics Did You See Last Week (December 1–December 7)
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EdwardVP — 1 year ago(December 08, 2024 01:22 PM)
1943 THE CRYSTAL BALL - A flight-of-fancy quirky comedy with a good cast. Paulette Goddard gets a chance to disguise herself as the fortune teller Madame Zenobia. Heavily veiled she sets herself up for a date with Ray Milland by feeding him a situation. She then puts her undisguised self into that situation with him and he buys it. I enjoyed the comic contributions from Gladys George and Cecil Kellaway and William Bendix. (IMDb 6.5)
1949 SORROWFUL JONES - Bob Hope is a hard-boiled betting shop manager. He's not the sort that would be giving care to a five year old child but that's what happens. This gradually brings about a change in him. He also has a gang of crooks to contend with in their proposed race-fixing scheme. I was not convinced this material was going to work as a comedy at first. But this movie won me over by the time it ended. Lucille Ball takes part as a nightclub singer and Sorrowful's on/off girlfriend. (IMDb 6.8) -
spiderwort — 1 year ago(December 08, 2024 03:21 PM)
Haven't seen THE CRYSTAL BALL, Edward, though I confess I would probably enjoy it. I'll keep an eye out for it. And I really enjoyed SORROWFUL JONES. It's hard not to love Hope and Ball together. They were also in THE FACTS OF LIFE, FANCY PANTS, and CRITIC'S CHOICE, as I recall. What a wonderful team.
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DrDoomDude — 1 year ago(December 08, 2024 03:14 PM)
I watched Jacob's Ladder. I have always heard of this film, but never actually watched it. I knew the twist going into it, and I think that actually helped me enjoy it more. I don't know why but I always thought it was an early 80's film. I wasn't aware who anyone cast in the film was and was surprised to see Macaulay Culkin was in the film. I really enjoyed it. It's very much a film after it's time in regards to the production quality. It feels very much like an early 80's film. Still though, the performances are solid and the concept is intriguing enough to have made me look past the lack of production quality as it concerned the cinematography. This is why I said that I think knowing the twist ahead of time helped with the viewing of it.
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spiderwort — 1 year ago(December 08, 2024 03:31 PM)
Haven't seen this since it was released, but I remember really liking it at the time. Tim Robbins was excellent, as I recall, and the story was riveting. Don't know if I'd care to see it again, however. I tend to stay away from scary kinds of films these days.
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spiderwort — 1 year ago(December 08, 2024 03:48 PM)
First viewings:
Darkest Hour / Joe Wright
(2017). The threat of a Nazi invasion looms and newly appointed British Prime Minister Winston Churchill must decide whether to negotiate or continue to fight with Hitler, knowing that it could mean the end of the British Empire. The film belongs to Oldman, but he gets strong support from Lily James and Kristin Scott Thomas. An excellent and important film that I wish I’d seen on the big screen. (On Netflix, but leaving on Dec. 15)
The Commandant’s Shadow / Daniela Volker
(2024). This haunting, at times horrifying documentary follows Hans Jürgen Höss, the son of Rudolf Höss, the Camp Commandant and creator of Auschwitz, as he confronts for the first time his father's involvement in the murder of over a million Jews during the Holocaust. Its parallel story is about an Auschwitz survivor who survived only because the Nazis needed a cellist at the time. She relives her own history, and then, eighty years later, meets the son of the man who could have killed her. This very powerful film about man’s inhumanity to man is an absolute must-see for every adult who can watch it in the hopes that history will not repeat itself. I'm sure it will be remembered in the upcoming awards season. (Available on Max)
Kedi / Ceyda Torun
(2016). An immensely satisfying documentary about the love affair between the people of Istanbul and the stray cats who wander the streets of the city. The first feature film by director Torun, and it’s a treasure. I’m glad I finally saw it. It’s a must-see for those who love cats.
Married Bachelor / Edward Buzzell
(1941). A man (Robert Young) leaves his wife (Ruth Hussey) to maintain his pose as a bachelor author of a marriage manual. Despite its unlikely premise, cleverly handled by Oscar winning writer Dore Shary, I found this to be quite the entertaining and enjoyable film. I loved Robert Young and Ruth Hussey, who took their roles seriously, and its wonderful supporting cast, including Sheldon Leonard. (For those who don’t know, Leonard went on to become a prominent, award-winning television producer of many hit shows in the 50s, 60s, and 70s).
Re-watch:
Miracle on 34th Street / George Seaton
(1947). My first film to watch for the Christmas holiday season, which I don’t watch every year, but it’s always a joy when I do. I love its story and cast – Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O’Hara, John Payne, and especially the young Natalie Wood. It was nominated for four Oscars, including Best Picture, and Edmund Gwenn won for Best Supporting Actor. -
EdwardVP — 1 year ago(December 08, 2024 05:51 PM)
It looks like 1941 MARRIED BACHELOR is a hard movie to get Spiderwort. I'll keep plugging away on it's Filmboards page as persistence can pay off as regards 1940s rarities on here. I never get to see TCM who show it I think.
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Rufus-T — 1 year ago(December 08, 2024 07:00 PM)
The Last Seduction (1994)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110308/
A manipulative sociopathic woman swindled her husband a large sum of money which he gotten from an illegal dealing. She escaped to a small town with a new identity in a new job and met up with a ordinary man from the town, whom she used for her plan. Sounds good, but didn't work for me much of the movie. The last part was very interesting. Linda Fiorentino who played the woman was very seductive.
Lisa Frankenstein (2024)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt21188080/
A young woman fantasized a dead young man from a long time ago. She sat by his tomb and wish him comes to life. He did, or did he? She helped polished him up, but he can't stop killing people. Think of this as Helena Bonham Carter and Johnny Depp in a Tim Burton movie that gone wrong. Kathryn Newton was quite good as a young woman, and Cole Sprouse really channeled the young Johnny Depp as the young man came to life. There are funny moments. Diablo Cody who won the Oscar for Juno, wrote the movie, had the right idea. This movie seemed to aim at teens, but unfortunately could be too disturbing for younger audience. Is it supposed to be a happy fantasy? Too dark, I would say. Not that well put together either.
The Counterfeiters (2007)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0813547/
A counterfeit money expert got caught during the Nazi era and was put to concentration. His skill help him survived by producing counterfeit money to fund the Nazi. The dilemma is whether to help the Nazi or not. This was based on the true story of Operation Bernhard. Very gripping and depressing at time especially when this lucky group in the operation talked about their dilemma and about their survival.
Angst (1983)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165623/
A psychopath was released from jail after 10 years for crime of causing death of others, though not quite clear. Immediately upon releasing, he started to plan for his next victims. This is a disturbing movie. Most of the movie perspective took place in his head, as you hear him narrate his thought and feeling and about his past while going on his plan. Directed by Gerald Kargl, I like direction of the film. with the way we feel the torment in him at the same time torn by the discomfort terror we see him inflicting on others. Erwin Leder was perfect for the role. There was one very gory scene. If you can get by that and a few other disturbing scene, this is a very well-made movie.