What Classics Did You See Last Week (October 19–October 25)
-
sheetsadam1 — 5 months ago(October 26, 2025 04:01 PM)
Yes, I didn't take the time to review them this week. Too much going on, but
Poltergeist
is a classic. Tobe Hooper is rarely mentioned in the same breath as other horror masters of his era like John Carpenter, Wes Craven or George Romero, but he really should be. Between
Poltergeist
, the
Salem's Lot
miniseries,
The Funhouse
,
Lifeforce
, the underseen surreal hippie horror
Eggshells
, and the original
Texas Chainsaw Massacre
(and it's dark comedy sequel with a deranged Dennis Hopper), his resume is more than adequate enough to make up for any later shortcomings. (Granted, Spielberg was heavily involved in
Poltergeist
as well.)
As for the others,
Witchfinder General
is set during the English Civil War and is one of Vincent Price's bloodier efforts. I love historical horror though.
The Curse of Frankenstein
is the first and best of the UK Hammer series starring Christopher Lee and probably the second-best cinematic take on the source material, trailing only the two James Whale films with Boris Karloff (although I suppose we'll see how Guillermo del Toro does when Netflix releases his take in a few weeks).
Hell Night
is an odd blend of slasher movie and gothic horror tropes that mostly works. Not the lost masterpiece a few have claimed, but not terrible.
As for the others watched, I will make note of
The Day the Earth Blew Up
here since it does involve iconic animated characters from the classic era. It was a lot of fun and felt like a bit of a return to form for the Looney Tunes world, although it doesn't come close to the original shorts. The "Looney Tunes Movie" in the title is also a bit of a misnomer. This is a Porky and Daffy movie. None of the other major characters show up.
Draft Barron Trump -
spiderwort — 5 months ago(October 26, 2025 03:54 PM)
First viewings:
Le notti bianche (White Nights) / Luchino Visconti
(1957). A lonely clerk (Marcello Mastroianni) attempts to win the love of a woman (Maria Schell) who awaits night after night for the return of her long absent suitor (Jean Marais). Based on a short story by Fyodor Dostoevsky it’s an excellent Visconti film, although I think it goes on a bit too long. But Visconti's work with the actors is exceptional, and both stars give wonderful, moving performances. And the cinematography and art direction are also great. Highly recommended.
The Lost World / Harry O. Hoyt
(1925). A young woman (Bessie Love) whose father is reportedly lost in the Amazon convinces an eccentric professor (Wallace Beery) and several others — including a reporter (Lloyd Hughes) and a sportsman (Lewis Stone) — to accompany her on a rescue mission, where they quickly discover the presence of dinosaurs. Based upon Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1912 novel, it’s a not a great film but it is a very good one, highly recommended for its groundbreaking animation by Willis O’Brien, who went on to receive even more recognition for
King Kong
(1933). It also has great cinematography, art direction and special effects. I really enjoyed it. (Available on several streaming services.)
Re-watches:
Lucky Star / Frank Borzage
(1929). A blossoming romance between a telephone linemen (Charles Farrell) and a farm girl (Janet Gaynor) is disrupted when he has to leave to serve in WW1. When he returns home in a wheelchair he doesn’t know how to cope with his love and his disability. Another beautiful, bittersweet silent film by Borzage with fine performances and wonderful cinematography and art direction. Strongly recommended, and it's a must-see for Borzage fans. (On Tubi) -
CoriSCapnSkip — 5 months ago(October 27, 2025 02:44 AM)
The Canterville Ghost
(1944) on October 19
Lady in White
(1988) on October 20
Fright Night
(1985) on October 21
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
(1966) on October 22
The Spiderwick Chronicles
(2008) on October 23
Something Wicked This Way Comes
(1983) on October 24
The House of the Seven Gables
(1940) on October 25 -
spiderwort — 5 months ago(October 27, 2025 12:41 PM)
I really enjoyed
The Canterville Ghost
, Cori. It's a real delight, and I love the cast. It's one I would watch again, if I can find it.
And I saw
It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
when it first aired, which was a long time ago, so I don't remember it very well, but I loved all of those great
Charlie Brown
shows back in the day. God bless the remarkable Charles Scultz for bringing so much joy to the world.
I haven't seen
The House of Seven Gables
, but I have read and loved the novel. I really need to see the film. One of these days. . .
And I know I saw
Something Wicked This Way Come
, but for the life of me I don't remember it very well, don't know why. Jack Clayton is one of my favorite directors, too. Go figure.
Haven't seen the others, though I've been meaning to watch
The Spiderwick Chronicles
for awhile now. I love the cast. I hope to get to it sometime soon. -
CoriSCapnSkip — 5 months ago(October 27, 2025 04:57 PM)
Most of these movies can be found either on Internet Archive or on ok.ru. I have a cable connected between the computer and the TV so I can stream them straight to the TV. You don't have to sign in to ok.ru and I don't believe you have to check movies out on Internet Archive.
-
spiderwort — 5 months ago(October 27, 2025 09:41 PM)
I am a bit of a dummy when it comes to these kinds of things. I wish I understood the process better, but right now I would have to watch the films on my laptop, which isn't my favorite thing to do. But I'll consider it. Maybe one of these days even I'll understand the thing you're talking about. Can't count on it though.
-
spiderwort — 5 months ago(October 28, 2025 12:33 AM)
Just to show you what a dinosaur I really am, I don't even have a cell phone. My friends make fun of me and mock me all the time. But I just don't like being tied to something day in and day out. Don't know what I'll do when they stop making land lines.
-
PygmyLion — 5 months ago(October 27, 2025 03:17 PM)
Vertigo
1950 - Jimmy Stewart, Kim Novak. Dir: Hitchock. Movie is sort of slow early on and then has a lot of implausible things towards the end. Hitchock keeps things moving though, so you don't think about them much - ***
Dark Command
1940 - Claire Trevor, John Wayne, Walter Pidgeon, Roy Rogers, Gabby Hayes. Dir: Raoul Walsh. Story from Kansas around the start of the Civil War. Pidgeon's character William Cantrel mirrors Quantrell. He starts as a school teacher and ends up leading some rebel raiders. Bob Seton (Wayne) comes from Texas, and wins the election for marshall in Lawrence. Mary McCloud (Trevor) is the love interest of both. ***1/2
Allegheny Uprising
1939 - Claire Trevor, John Wayne, George Sanders. Frontier movie in 1759 Pennsylvania. ***
My review:
https://www.filmboards.com/t/Allegheny-Uprising/with-John-Wayne-and-Claire-Trevor-1939-3596285/
Black Widow
1954 - Van Heflin, Ginger Rogers, Gene Tierney, Peggy Ann Garner. Solid film noir. - ***
Leave Her to Heaven
1945 - Gene Tierney, Cornell Wilde, Jeanne Crain. Film Noir. ***1/2
The Crowd Roars
1932 - James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak, Eric Linden. Dir: Howard Hawks. Auto Racing drama. - *** -
Rufus-T — 5 months ago(October 27, 2025 09:00 PM)
The Sheik (1921)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0012675/
I noticed this movie for ages seeing in the store its DVD that came along with the sequel. This is my first viewing. Directed by George Melford, this movie is adopted from 1919 romance novel by George Melford. Rudolph Valentino played an Arabian who caught interest in an independent British young woman, played by Agnes Ayres, who wants to explore the desert on her own. Besides the romance, there was adventure and action. A bit corny stuff, but quite entertaining in the second half.
The Pharmacist (2020)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11600174/
A man working as a pharmacist lost his son in a drug deal went wrong. He noticed a pattern of prescription that may contribute to the downfall of many people, included his son. He went on a crusade to take down the source. This is a 4 parts Netflix documentary about the opioid crisis. Powerful and emotionally impactful. You experience along the trial and tribulation of this pharmacist.
The Crime of the Century (2021)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14055432/
Like The Pharmacist, this is also a documentary about the opioid. Unlike The Pharmacist, which talk about an individual, this covered the history of the crisis. If you have no idea what is going on with the crisis that lead to drug overdose death surpassing vehicle related death, this is the documentary you should watch.
The Three Musketeers (1921)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0012752/
One of the earliest adaptation of the famous Alexandre Dumas novels, but not the earliest. There were at least 3 more prior to this one. This version was directed by Fred Niblo, who later directed Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. A witty young swordsman, D'Artagnan, went to Paris hoping to join the Royal swordsman called the Musketeers, only to meet up and befriend three of the best who were also trouble maker. Meanwhile, conspiracy was going to inside the royal household to gain influence on the King. Douglas Fairbank starring as D'Artagnan. This is, on my count, my 3rd Douglas Fairbank movie. I have never read the book, and I watched the 70s Richard Lester a long time ago but don't remember much. This is a fast pace, often over acted, adventure. Especially Douglas Fairbank, he exaggerated his gesture to a point of theatrical. The ending was a bit mystifying, but I do enjoy this very much. -
PygmyLion — 5 months ago(October 31, 2025 12:34 AM)
Assuming the big guy on the right is Porthos, at least they found a big guy to play Porthos. Porthos was supposedly like 6'5" and portly. One of my pet peeves with the 1973 3 Musketeers is Porthos is average sized.