Last Movie You Watched

[Octave]

Sorry for the flare-up of irritation several posts above; it was needless overreaction. 
I was interested to hear about the Kiefer piece in your neighborhood, Cato.

I just saw Orson Welles' TOUCH OF EVIL (1958, reconstruction by Walter Murch et al, 1998) for the second time, and it had grown considerably.  Probably nobody needs to hear a thing about that film, but what seemed like baroque pulp (for me, often a good thing) or "noir" the first time around was considerably more involved and stranger on a second viewing. 
No John Alton, but still amazing camerawork (that celebrated opening crane and tracking shot!....you can almost hear Brian De Palma's birth cauling) and inventive use of sound, which Murch claims was not totally reconstructed, just recovered from negative sources iirc.  So many of the shots are so full and elaborate, it looks like it was an enormous amount of work to shoot in the first place.
The only thing I didn't care much for was the division of the stories of Heston and Leigh; both still interesting to watch, but somehow....they didn't seem to hang together properly. 
Quite funny to see Dennis Weaver as the twitchy hotel night clerk, after just recently seeing him in Steven Spielberg's first (?) feature, DUEL....also bug-eyed, also gonzo.

[Karl Henning]

It goes on for some time - I'd say 15 minutes or so. If you include the moment the cars start moving, maybe 20 minutes or so. I really love the ending of this movie.

Yes, it is a joy.

The DVD has a deleted scene which was a charming bit of choreography with the cars; well worth seeing, but the decision to strike it for the sake of the pacing was entirely sound.

[snyprrr]

Sorry for the flare-up of irritation several posts above; it was needless overreaction. 
I was interested to hear about the Kiefer piece in your neighborhood, Cato.

I just saw Orson Welles' TOUCH OF EVIL (1958, reconstruction by Walter Murch et al, 1998) for the second time, and it had grown considerably.  Probably nobody needs to hear a thing about that film, but what seemed like baroque pulp (for me, often a good thing) or "noir" the first time around was considerably more involved and stranger on a second viewing. 
No John Alton, but still amazing camerawork (that celebrated opening crane and tracking shot!....you can almost hear Brian De Palma's birth cauling) and inventive use of sound, which Murch claims was not totally reconstructed, just recovered from negative sources iirc.  So many of the shots are so full and elaborate, it looks like it was an enormous amount of work to shoot in the first place.
The only thing I didn't care much for was the division of the stories of Heston and Leigh; both still interesting to watch, but somehow....they didn't seem to hang together properly. 
Quite funny to see Dennis Weaver as the twitchy hotel night clerk, after just recently seeing him in Steven Spielberg's first (?) feature, DUEL....also bug-eyed, also gonzo.

starring Dennis Weaver and Darrin McGavin,... with Alex Rocco...


OK, how bout Favorite Pockmarked Actors?

Sid Haig? That Hitchcock guy (burned face tho)? The other Hitchcock guy?, haha! Olmos? Trejo?






Graveyard of Horror aka Necrophagus (1970;Germany-Spain)

This waaas on TV back in the '70s, 3am,... lost in memory, but then jogged back by a flash in the brain of a distinctive snow covered and barren mountainous landscape with a graveyard, that I remember finding absolutely ravishing. Then in a book, the cinematography was confirmed, in that it won Best Film at the Trieste(?)Festival that year.

So, anyhow, saw it in its 'remastered' form, and, yes, the first thing that strikes one about this little stinker in the Eastman cinematography on the barren, snowy (Spanish?) plain, with a mountain-scape in the distance. Regardless of how bad the film may be (the dubbing is entertainment enough,... the fashions... the authentic castle... the organ-flute-bass-drums-soundeffects free-jazz-classical) the mere filming of the scenery itself lends the movie an almost fairytale quaintness.

Again, my overall impression is of the colors 'white' and 'rust'. Every stone in this movie tells a wondrous story, the walls of the graveyard... the cypresses(?)... the film's color strategy seems to come straight out of Bocklin. A. Nieva(close to 'snow', haha) is no Storaro, but this film's color scheme is pretty unique. All the colors, from the clothes, hair, stones, trees,... everything (maybe except the hilariously pathetic monster at the end!) works together in such a painterly fashion. Perhaps I'm reminded of the much earlier Mill of Stone Women, another one to watch for only the cinematography.

Even 'bad' films of the late-late '60s had interesting cinematography. For a brief window, bad was good and good was bad,... and then,...mm,... HERE we are. '67-'72/3/4... something like that.

As to the funny monster, the dvd cover has the single still shot that is a full view of the brief moments we get to see it at the end. I just can't get over the pug-nose and Mad magazine gapped teeth. It almost reminds me of MushMouth from Fat Albert!!

What's your favorite cheap late '60s/'70s?

[Karl Henning]

What's your favorite cheap late '60s/'70s?

Might just be Magical Mystery Tour . . . .

[snyprrr]

Might just be Magical Mystery Tour . . . .

Head?

[Cato]

Head?

With a script partially credited to Jack Nicholson 

[Karl Henning]

Above the name of Jack Nicholson is Frank Zappa and his cow.

[TheGSMoeller]

World War Z

Unfortunately, if you've seen a trailer for this film, then you've already seen the bits that should 'wow' the audience. But still very tense with some quality FX, and acting was well above average, and even better it's void of any camp or cliche that is seen in many action films.  Just read a sequel has been green-lit after a successful opening weekend, should be interesting to see where the story goes from here.

Also features a strange moment when Brad Pitt quietly advertises Diet Pepsi and just how refreshing it can be after a long struggle with the undead.

[Todd]

Also features a strange moment when Brad Pitt quietly advertises Diet Pepsi and just how refreshing it can be after a long struggle with the undead.

That scene garnered a nice laugh from the audience, though surely a WHO facility would offer Aquafina rather than parent product Pepsi . . .

[TheGSMoeller]

That scene garnered a nice laugh from the audience, though surely a WHO facility would offer Aquafina rather than parent product Pepsi . . .

[snyprrr]

World War Z

Also features a strange moment when Brad Pitt quietly advertises Diet Pepsi and just how refreshing it can be after a long struggle with the undead.

reeeeaaallly? DIET pepsi? ok, that and the Israeli wall did it for me. It's now a comedy.

[Octave]

THE BIG MOUTH (Jerry Lewis, 1967)   *mild spoilers*
I still have no natural love for Lewis (is there such a thing?), but there are almost always interesting things to see.  "Asianized" George Takei getting boiled in plastic.  Cameo by the real Col. Sanders as a nightmare customer.  (Found-object hipster kitsch in 1967!)  Ultra-travestied kabuki theater and undercover-undercover Jerry further travestying the travesty in kabuki drag.  Bizarro anti~Asian racism/stunt-double nonsense to the point of seeming critical, albeit without comforting tipping of hand.  (Ditto Lewis' 'idiocy', haplessness, and elsewhere/later in life, cruelty/sexism.  When does the wink come?)  A gangster developing aphasia (?) and inventing one of my personal-funniest ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT season 4 gags (cf. Gob trying to break up with Ann Veal...I don't know why, it just kills me).  Jerry going incognito as a very funny snaggletoothed aristo/eccentric, the apparent invention of Professor Frink*.  A strikingly honest [?] and awkward moment of sweetness---"You're a nice guy....you're a nice guy"----that reminded me of a very similar moment in Lewis' THE LADIES MAN.  It's like a cry for help or a question asked out loud, both of those moments; they are like deformed pearls in both pictures.

I wish I liked the pictures more than I do.  I am going to need to violate my rule, break down and read some things about him/them before watching many more of them, as I just don't understand the appeal.  The weirdness of them is clearly to their credit.  Also probably their discomfiting effect.  (And LADIES MAN had an awesome cut-away set like Godard's TOUT VA BIEN factory.)

*No, I am wrong about that...apparently Frink's voice was Hank Azaria's direct reference to THE NUTTY PROFESSOR.  The character in BIG MOUTH is apparently a warm-over of that earlier protagonist; quite funny even when the gags aren't.

[Octave]

THE ABCs OF DEATH (various, 2012)
I don't have a knack for finding the good stuff in horror movies, or maybe just for liking it when it's in front of me; but I was surprised by how many of these were enjoyable.  Maybe not so many...about a third of them?  I suspect that my dogged dabbler status means that I will be less offended than some, and less bored than veterans of the Midnite Art.  One nice thing about 26 little movies in two hours is that if you hate something, it's over in 1-4 minutes.
Highlights for me: Nacho Vigalondo (director of the good lo-budget TIMECRIMES); Forzani/Cattet (directors of AMER...I think I now understand what the detractors of that feature are talking about....anyway, I like the derivative music-vid Anger/Argento/Bava [?] mashup, I hope they switch up their style a bit in the future); Thomas Cappelen Malling (super nutty); Yoshihiro Nishimura (offensive to the sublime); Timo Tjahjanto (actually maybe even more offensive...saved by a subtext, and actually maybe a little funny); Marcel Sarmiento [slo-mo pushed to absurdity]; John Schnepp; and Srdjan Spasojevic [the SERBIAN FILM guy...I know I liked his short...it could be expanded into a killer feature esp. w/o dialogue]. 

I said 'highlights' but these were the only ones I liked, for the oddness, style, extremity.  Most of the rest were really not good and often seemed stupid to me.  Nothing scarred me.  No masterworks.

[snyprrr]

THE BIG MOUTH (Jerry Lewis, 1967)   *mild spoilers*
I still have no natural love for Lewis (is there such a thing?), but there are almost always interesting things to see.  "Asianized" George Takei getting boiled in plastic.  Cameo by the real Col. Sanders as a nightmare customer.  (Found-object hipster kitsch in 1967!)  Ultra-travestied kabuki theater and undercover-undercover Jerry further travestying the travesty in kabuki drag.  Bizarro anti~Asian racism/stunt-double nonsense to the point of seeming critical, albeit without comforting tipping of hand.  (Ditto Lewis' 'idiocy', haplessness, and elsewhere/later in life, cruelty/sexism.  When does the wink come?)  A gangster developing aphasia (?) and inventing one of my personal-funniest ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT season 4 gags (cf. Gob trying to break up with Ann Veal...I don't know why, it just kills me).  Jerry going incognito as a very funny snaggletoothed aristo/eccentric, the apparent invention of Professor Frink*.  A strikingly honest [?] and awkward moment of sweetness---"You're a nice guy....you're a nice guy"----that reminded me of a very similar moment in Lewis' THE LADIES MAN.  It's like a cry for help or a question asked out loud, both of those moments; they are like deformed pearls in both pictures.

I wish I liked the pictures more than I do.  I am going to need to violate my rule, break down and read some things about him/them before watching many more of them, as I just don't understand the appeal.  The weirdness of them is clearly to their credit.  Also probably their discomfiting effect.  (And LADIES MAN had an awesome cut-away set like Godard's TOUT VA BIEN factory.)

*No, I am wrong about that...apparently Frink's voice was Hank Azaria's direct reference to THE NUTTY PROFESSOR.  The character in BIG MOUTH is apparently a warm-over of that earlier protagonist; quite funny even when the gags aren't.

The Day the Clown Cried

[kishnevi]

I wish I liked the pictures more than I do.  I am going to need to violate my rule, break down and read some things about him/them before watching many more of them, as I just don't understand the appeal.  The weirdness of them is clearly to their credit.  Also probably their discomfiting effect.  (And LADIES MAN had an awesome cut-away set like Godard's TOUT VA BIEN factory.)

It would seem that for a proper appreciation of the art of Jerry Lewis, being French is a pre-requisite.   Not being French, I have to admit that Lewis's sort of comedy was always unappealing to me. 

[snyprrr]

And, once again, snypsss grabbed Monday right by its gory horns....

Here is an hilarious article/"review" for World War Z:

http://mondoweiss.net/2013/06/hollywoods-zionist-embrace.html

That scene garnered a nice laugh from the audience, though surely a WHO facility would offer Aquafina rather than parent product Pepsi . . .

BOTTOM LINE:

WWZ was written by MEL BROOKS"S son!!! Oy veeey!!! aye aye aye

This side splitting review of WWZ goes so far (in the Replies Section) as to remind us that the letter 'Z' works for both 'zombies' and '*ionazm',... really it breaks Brooks's apparently 'racist' worldview down... Brooks is afraid of things he feels are "irrational": not only arabs, but earthquakes (like 'The Big One' in LA that victimized him as a child), disease,... wrath of God stuff... anyhow, Pepsi ain't the last word on WWZ folks, this may be the most racist flick of all time?

I meeean,... we all KNOW who the 'zombies' represent,... DON"T WE???

Read this hilarious article.

[Todd]

WWZ...this may be the most racist flick of all time?

Having seen it, I can't in all honesty say that it's even close to as racist as, let alone more racist than, The Birth of a Nation. 

[CaughtintheGaze]

Having seen it, I can't in all honesty say that it's even close to as racist as, let alone more racist than, The Birth of a Nation.

Not to mention the many explicit Nazi films.

[kishnevi]

It also seems to miss the point that,  in the end,  the "Wall" fails catastrophically.

But using the analytic philosophy behind that review,  I wonder what films would come out looking good.   I mean,  look at the (original) Star Wars trilogy.  All those Ewoks and other non human characters are just tools of the young blonde white male searching and then finding a patriachal role model.


And since Harrison Ford plays a WASP in Raiders of the Lost Ark,  doesn't that mean that the Nazi villians are really the parties with whom we should sympathize?

[Octave]

It would seem that for a proper appreciation of the art of Jerry Lewis, being French is a pre-requisite.   Not being French, I have to admit that Lewis's sort of comedy was always unappealing to me.

I am with you on this, so far.  Normally I hate to feel like I'm supposed to like something, or rather, I hate realizing I've given in to some obligation to obeisance toward some cultural object.  In this case, I'm stuck between 1.) wanting to have a relatively unmediated encounter with the controversial clown, and 2.) knowing that "unmediated" experience is probably a strange fantasy and basically never the case, wanting some cultivated insight in order to know what I'm looking at.  Considering that Lewis was quite popular in the United States well into the 60s, the French connection becomes more intriguing....it almost seems to be presented as a diagnosis or accusation of perversity or deepseated sophistry.  Based on watching some of Lewis' movies (by his own hand or in collaboration with Tashlin etc), it just doesn't seem self-evident that there is genius at play.  With the frustration and irritation comes more intrigue...it's perverse.  Like the filmed cautionary accidentally encouraging bad behavior.

There is at least one monograph in English on Jerry Lewis' reception in France, but I have only glanced at it.

Not that this is going to shed light on anything, but here's the little speech Quentin Tarantino wrote for himself for his little FOUR ROOMS contribution (1996), with the last several "political" lines apparently excised before domestic release of the film (I haven't seen it in a dog's age, so I don't know if it wound up on the DVD or not, or for that matter if I heard it this way in the theater years ago):

"As I was saying, Ted, when Norman thinks of bellboys, he thinks of Quadrophenia. But me, when I think of bellboys, I think of The Bellboy, with Jerry Lewis. Didja ever see The Bellboy?...You should, it's one of Jerry's better movies. He never says a word through the entire film. A completely silent performance. How many actors can pull that off? And he has to go to France to get respect. That says it all about America right there. The minute Jerry Lewis dies, every paper in this fuckin' country gonna write articles calling the man a genius. It's not right. It's not right and it's not fair. But why should that surprise anybody? When has America ever been fair? We might be right every once in a while, but we're very rarely fair."

I get the feeling that Lewis is respected as a maverick partially for very early use and development of technological advances ('video assist' and some sound recordings developments) among other things.

Jerry, when will we see THE DAY THE CLOWN CRIED?

"None of your goddamn business!"