What Classics Did You See Last Week (October 5–October 11)
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unex — 5 months ago(October 12, 2025 12:35 PM)
The Parallax View (1974) - Rewatch. The bleakest of Alan Pakula's "paranoia trilogy", inspired by the RFK assassination. I do like the bleakness and Warren Beatty's character being completely out of his depth.
He learns nothing, accomplishes nothing, is in their web the entire time, and in the final act he doesn't know that he is alone and doomed.
Two small complaints: the montage hasn't aged well, it would have worked much better without the music; and since they didn't have the budget to blow up a passenger jet the camera pans away and you hear an explosion as the camera shakes and it comes off like a gag in a cartoon.
The African Queen (1951) - Rewatch. Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn going down the river in a boat. The two of them getting comfortable with each other and falling in love is of course the main arc of the story but the struggle with the boat is what I like best. I think the propeller repair scene should have been longer. With the talk of how difficult a task it would be they made it seem rather simple. It doesn't really detract from the film, I just like watching things like that. -
sheetsadam1 — 5 months ago(October 12, 2025 01:34 PM)
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
Directed by Tobe Hooper
Rewatch and possibly the movie I've rewatched the most often. Quite simply, a groundbreaking film in the history of horror and independent cinema and it deserves all of the acclaim it's gotten over the years.
10/10
Draft Barron Trump -
spiderwort — 5 months ago(October 12, 2025 06:29 PM)
First viewing:
Forgotten Children / William Corrigan
(1952). A “Hallmark Hall of Fame” 30 minute episode that’s a dramatization of the American educator Martha Berry, founder of Mt. Berry, a Georgia home for mountain people. It stars Cloris Leachman as Martha, Barbara Bolton, Elliott Sullivan, Nancy Malone, and James Dean (in a small part). It's a bit too short and rushed, but is nevertheless very much worth a look for seeing young Cloris give an excellent performance early in her career. Available on Youtube, if you can find it. Here it is, if you can’t, (the quality isn't good). James Dean in his small role appears early.
Re-watches:
The Innocents / Jack Clayton
(1961) Based upon the Henry James 1898 novella “The Turn of the Screw,” it follows a governess (Deborah Kerr) who watches over two children (Pamela Franklin, Martin Stephens) and comes to fear that their large estate is haunted by ghosts and that the children are being possessed. This is my favorite horror film, beautifully directed by Clayton, with a great script by William Archibald and Truman Capote, marvelous performances by the all the cast including the children, and especially by Deborah Kerr upon whose shoulders the entire film rests. They don’t get much better than this. Highly recommended.
The Haunting / Robert Wise
(1963). An anthropologist (Richard Johnson), an heir (Russ Tamblyn) and two ESP prone women (Julie Harris & Claire Bloom) explore a haunted New England mansion. This is my second favorite and another of the best horror movies, with great performances by the cast, especially Harris, superb direction by Wise, and a spellbinding script based upon the Shirley Jackson novel, “The Haunting of Hill House.” And Wise was able to use a special 30mm anamorphic, wide-angle lens Panavision camera, which caused distortions. That adds a great deal to a film, which is also filled with amazing art direction, editing, sound effects, and lighting. Highly recommended.
That Darn Cat / Robert Stevenson
(1965). A Siamese cast stumbles into the hideout of two bank robbers holding a woman teller as a hostage and escapes with a clue the woman attaches to him. The cat’s owner, Hayley Mills, realizes this and works to solve the case with the FBI. Not the best Disney film, it’s a bit silly but also fun, and it was a welcome relief from the terror of
The Innocents
and
The Haunting
. And I love all the cast, especially Mills and Roddy McDowell. -
PygmyLion — 5 months ago(October 12, 2025 08:06 PM)
Home Before Dark
1958 ***
Pygmalion
1938 ****
Through a Glass Darkly
Diner
1982 - **
Rear Window
1954 - ****
Bachelor Mother
1939 - ***1/2
I did leave a post on the
Pygmalion
site, on the thread "Vs the Musical version" - discussing preferences between
Pygmalion
(1938) and
My Fair Lady
(1964)
https://www.filmboards.com/t/Pygmalion/VS-the-Musical-version-1916492/
I also left a post on the
Through a Glass Darkly
site discussing the plot of the movie with <spoilers>
https://www.filmboards.com/t/Through-a-Glass-Darkly/I-really-want-to-understand-and-appreciate-this-film-1836683/ -
Rufus-T — 5 months ago(October 12, 2025 08:23 PM)
Dr. No (1962)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055928/
The first James Bond, and still one of the best. The only Ian Fleming Bond book I read before seeing the movie. Actually, I didn't count Casino Royale since I did see the goofy 60s version. For the few of you who never saw it, James Bond was asked to go to Jamaica to investigate the murder of a secret agent and his secretary. Only to realize it is connected to a suspicious island. Directed by Terence Young, this is not quite an action film, but a suspenseful mystery. Sean Connery was a perfect Bond. The movie turned Ursula Andress into a sex symbol. Needless to say, I love the movie. However, I do say the ending wrapped up a bit too quickly. The pace may not be to the taste of the modern audience.
The Howling (1981)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082533/
One of those movies I always wanted to see but never got around for some reason until now, that it is available on Prime. Starring Dee Wallace, a female reporter met up with a serial killer in a peep show place to trap him. Her encounter traumatized her, so she and her husband went on a retreat for rehabilitation in a camp, which turned out to be a weird place. Dee Wallace did appear in quite a few fantasy/horror movies in the early 80s including ET and Cujo. She was good, and I did enjoy the movie mostly. Excellent makeup. It is one of the earliest reviews I watched on Siskel & Ebert, and I remember it was recommended. On rewatch their review, Ebert did not recommend it. I do recommend it for horror movie fans, especially those who love From Dust to Dawn. For most others, I agree with Ebert that it is not an exceptional movie in general.
The Illuminati Threat: Alien Aristocracy and World Domination (2024)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt32611594/
This documentary could be entertaining for those who like to hear some elaborated theory about AI, Alien, and One World Order. Don't bother if you easily get upset hearing about conspiracy theories. Otherwise, despite there are some points about AI, treat it as good entertainment taken with a grain of salt. I found it amusing.
Orphans of the Storm (1921)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0012532/
I used to see all the time at the DVD store a D.W. Griffith DVD set which included The Birth of the Nation, Intolerance, Broken Blossom, and this movie. This is the only of those movies I haven't seen until now. Set in the background of the French Revolution, it was about a pair of sisters, with one of them was adopted. They lost their parents. Later, one of them gotten ill, and they went to Paris to look for treatment. From what I read, this is the last collaboration of the Gish sisters, Lillian & Dorothy, which they played the sisters. Running time of about 2 1/2 hours, the movie started off a bit slow in building up their relationship, and the romantic encounter for one of the sisters. Hard to see in the beginning the historical epic level of The Birth of the Nation and Intolerance nor the emotional level of Broken Blossom or his other movie Way Down East. The 2nd half took off, and I got absorbed. The chase scenes were well shot as only Griffith could do. Despite the quality of the print, the setting was gorgeous. Interestingly, there was an essential aristocrat orgy scene during an important point of the story. By the time I finished, I was very satisfied with the resolution. Whatever you think of D.W. Griffith, he knew how to tell a good story. The movie was adapted from the novel The Two Orphans by Adolphe d'Ennery and the play by Adolphe d'Ennery and Eugène Cormon. It was adapted twice before this movie, in 1911 and in 1915 which both titled The Two Orphans. The 1915 film is considered a lost film. Orphans of the Storms is available on YouTube. -
unex — 5 months ago(October 14, 2025 12:22 PM)
this is not quite an action film, but a suspenseful mystery
Back when he was a secret agent rather than the commando he is now and before they got silly, like they started taking inspiration from the Bond spoofs, but while they were still fun. I don't think Bond works well outside of his era. I wish they would take Christopher Nolan's suggestion to set them in the 50s or 60s. -
CoriSCapnSkip — 5 months ago(October 13, 2025 02:37 AM)
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark
(2010) on October 5
The Sixth Sense
on October 6
Something Evil
on October 7
Scooby-Doo! and the Witch's Ghost
on October 8
Donner Pass: The Road to Survival
on October 9
Don't Go To Sleep
on October 10
Crowhaven Farm
on October 11