Last Movie You Watched

[SonicMan46]

42nd Street -- naughty, bawdy, gaudy! -- is fantastic. It must have been a mind bending experience in the theatres when first released. I found it mind bending decades ago with the first restorations, on an old tube TV.

Hey Ken - the blu-ray restoration of 42nd Street takes you literally to another level - of course, 4:3 aspect ratio but the video restoration just had no obvious defects w/ great blacks & whites (perfect for Busby's scenes) and the audio, although mono, sounds great - highly recommended!  Dave

[Bogey]

Hey Ken - the blu-ray restoration of 42nd Street takes you literally to another level - of course, 4:3 aspect ratio but the video restoration just had no obvious defects w/ great blacks & whites (perfect for Busby's scenes) and the audio, although mono, sounds great - highly recommended!  Dave

I have this netted in this set:



I will probably upgrade the 42nd and the Footlight Parade (should it become available.)

I have All The Presidents Men on Blu.  Excellent film.

[lisa needs braces]

Any episode of Game of Thrones > average modern movie. IMO

[James]

Acclaimed director Steve James (Hoop Dreams) and executive producers Martin Scorsese (The Departed) and Steven Zaillian (Moneyball) present LIFE ITSELF, a documentary film that recounts the inspiring and entertaining life of world-renowned film critic and social commentator Roger Ebert a story that is by turns personal, funny, painful, and transcendent. Based on his bestselling memoir of the same name, LIFE ITSELF, explores the legacy of Roger Ebert's life, from his Pulitzer Prize-winning film criticism at the Chicago Sun-Times to becoming one of the most influential cultural voices in America.

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[SonicMan46]

I have this netted in this set:



I will probably upgrade the 42nd and the Footlight Parade (should it become available.)

I have All The Presidents Men on Blu.  Excellent film.

Hi Bill - you'll be 'blown away' w/ the blu-ray restoration of 42nd Street - now, I don't believe that I've ever seen Cagney in Footlight Parade (also from 1933 and available for streaming on Amazon, although for a few more bucks the film can be purchased - there are two 'buy' options, i.e. HD & SD - not sure what that even means since it is not stated to be a BD?  Dave

P.S. OK - I knew this - the SD vs. HD is to purchase the film as an 'Amazon Instant Video' - still not sure 'how' they did a HD conversion or what that may even mean?

[SonicMan46]

Last night a couple of new BD arrivals as DVD replacements:

Deliverance (1972) w/ Burt Reynolds, Jon Voight, Ned Beatty, & Ronny Cox - Susan & I just returned from 5 nights in the north Georgia mountains where some of the scenes from this movie were shot - still a powerful film but quite not as frightening when first seen on release.

An American President (1995) w/ Michael Douglas & Annette Bening - cannot believe this picture is 20 years old - WOW!  Susan, unlike me does not like to see films over & over again nor do our tastes agree, but there are about a half dozen movies that she will always watch w/ me, and this is one of them - Dave

 

[listener]

THE KILLER CLANS HK 1976   full 100 minute version
letterboxed but correct aperture, with Bey Logan commentary
Conspiracies and mistrusts galore, beautiful visual restoration of this high budget and big cast swordsmanship classic.  Occasional breasts but no Chang Cheh beefcake.

[bhodges]

Down Argentine Way (1940, dir. Irving Cummings) - A somewhat silly plot about horse racing is just an excuse for some excellent turns by Carmen Miranda and the Nicholas Brothers (not nearly enough of either).

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The Gang's All Here (1943, dir. Busby Berkeley) - I've seen this before, but not in 20 years or so, and it's still pretty entertaining, with two over-the-top musical sequences: "The Lady in the Tutti-Frutti Hat" (with Carmen Miranda and a chorus of women with giant bananas) and "The Polka Dot Ballet" (with Alice Faye and the same chorus, this time with neon polka dots). If you want to see Busby Berkeley's choreography at its maddest, this might be the one.

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--Bruce

[Karl Henning]

Started watching Schindler's List last night.

(Several months ago I placed a hold for this at the BPL;  I suppose it may be their only copy, and I was, I dunno, 38^th in line or something.  Anyway, it was only this past week that I was able to check it out, and since I cannot renew it — it is being requested by another patron . . . somehow, the fact that I have requested a title frequently means nothing in terms of the item's soon becoming available, but then there is somehow no way that I can renew it — I mist watch it this week, whether I am in the humor for it or not.)

It is pretty much what I had expected, inhabiting a sort of half-world between documentary (letting the harsh facts speak for themselves) and the "made-for-TV" sort of storytelling which seems to be Spielberg's center of cinematic gravity.  A mighty and humane achievement, the occasional artistic quarrel notwithstanding.  Will watch the flip side of the DVD tonight, as I need to return the disc to the library tomorrow.

[Wakefield]

Any episode of Game of Thrones > average modern movie. IMO

So far they would be, then, 50 average movies, interwoven to tell a single story. And that makes a difference, IMO. 

[Ken B]

The Homesman, with TL Jones and Hilary Swank

Pretty faithful to the book, but not as good. Many scenes looked like famous actors acting. Lots of beautiful photography. Okay.

[Karl Henning]

May very well be, for its very unobtrusiveness.

[Wakefield]

May very well be, for its very unobtrusiveness.

Yes, this is a very enigmatic truth.

[SonicMan46]

Down Argentine Way (1940, dir. Irving Cummings) - A somewhat silly plot about horse racing is just an excuse for some excellent turns by Carmen Miranda and the Nicholas Brothers (not nearly enough of either).

The Gang's All Here (1943, dir. Busby Berkeley) - I've seen this before, but not in 20 years or so, and it's still pretty entertaining, with two over-the-top musical sequences: "The Lady in the Tutti-Frutti Hat" (with Carmen Miranda and a chorus of women with giant bananas) and "The Polka Dot Ballet" (with Alice Faye and the same chorus, this time with neon polka dots). If you want to see Busby Berkeley's choreography at its maddest, this might be the one.
--Bruce

Hi Bruce - own a bunch of those old films (most burned off the TCM channel) - plots can be weak but often just there to support the entertainment w/ the likes of Astaire, Rogers, and so many others.  Alice Faye always had a soft spot in my heart along w/ Jean Arthur (and of course others ) - Dave

[SonicMan46]

Last night, some more oldies all w/ different plots:

The Whole Town's Talking (1935) w/ Edward G. Robinson & Jean Arthur w/ Robinson in a dual role as a timid clerk and a public enemy - quite an impressive contrast - the guy is not given the credit deserved as a versatile actor (Our Vines Have Tender Grapes & Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet come to mind) - first brief synopsis below.

Without Reservations (1946) w/ John Wayne, Claudette Colbert, & Don Dafore - second synopsis below - wonderful comedy w/ a delightful Colbert.

Woman of the Year (1942) w/ Spencer Tracy & Katherine Hepburn - last synopsis below; Tracy explaining baseball to Hepburn is worth the admission to this film of many they made together.  Dave

Clerk Arthur Jones (Edward G. Robinson) lives a dull life until someone realizes that he looks like gangster "Killer" Mannion (also Robinson). After Jones is brought in by the police and his identity is verified, he is given a note to assuage any other suspicious policeman. Jones is hired by a newspaper to write about Mannion and starts dating Wilhelmina Clark (Jean Arthur). However, when Jones returns home one night, Mannion is waiting and demands the note so that he can roam freely.

Famous author "Kit" Masterson (Claudette Colbert) needs an actor to portray the lead character, a soldier, in the upcoming movie version of her book. While on a train to California, she meets Marine Rusty Thomas (John Wayne) and his friend, Dink (Don DeFore). She begins to imagine the macho Rusty as the lead, and attempts to stay in his company. However, since Rusty did not like her book, Kit must conceal her identity, all the while growing more attracted to her potential actor.

Tess Harding (Katharine Hepburn) is a progressively-minded political journalist. Sam Craig (Spencer Tracy) is a sports writer with very traditional values. The only thing the two have in common is that they both work for the same New York City newspaper. Despite an initial and mutual dislike, the two eventually fall in love and get married. When Tess wins the Woman of the Year award, traditional gender roles become flipped and their relationship suffers as a result.

 

 

[André]

Amour by Michael Haneke. With Emmanuelle Riva and Jean-Louis Trintignant. A masterpiece, one of the most depressing films I've ever seen.

[listener]

Fritz Lang's M (1931)   German original in a Bo Ying copy, 110 min. probably as complete as is now possible as it includes some footage with minor visible flaws, No background music except for whistled bits of  In the Hall of the Mountain King and a fragment of Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen. 
Peter Lorre is superb, particularly in a long speech with no cuts at the end.  A film that still lives up to its reputation.

[Drasko]

[Cato]

Fritz Lang's M (1931)   German original in a Bo Ying copy, 110 min. probably as complete as is now possible as it includes some footage with minor visible flaws, No background music except for whistled bits of  In the Hall of the Mountain King and a fragment of Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen. 
Peter Lorre is superb, particularly in a long speech with no cuts at the end.  A film that still lives up to its reputation.

Oh yes, one of the greatest performances captured on film!  The other actor who seems so natural in this movie, who seems not to be acting at all, is the one playing the Big Crime Boss Schraenker, Gustaf Gruendgens.  His speech of condemnation ("Sooo, du sagst dass du moerdern musst...") is also a great moment.


Yesterday  my youngest son, mathematician and computer genius, cranked this up on NetFlix:

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and my head still hurts!   

Earlier we saw:

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Danny Kaye's patter songs (written by his wife Sylvia Fine) are still gems.  The movie has only the slightest connection to James Thurber's original short-story, which was so short it could not have supported a movie.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Gone with the wind wasn't as good as I remembered it to be (neither was the Birds), mainly the last fourth or so, starting about the time Scarlett marries Rhett. Before that, awesome. But after that it becomes a bit too long-winded and drawn-out. This film is notable for having the first african american actor to win an academy award, Hattie McDaniel, in the role of Mammy. While the film could be seen by some people as a glorifying of days of slavery, it should be noted that Mammy is a very sympathetic and intelligent character who can hold her own in debates.

Even though The Birds has a powerful message of nature having a vengeance upon humankind, it still feels at times ridiculous. What were they smoking when they made this movie? Amusingly enough, the birds were close to being nominated among AFI:s 50 greatest movie villains. Really now. I also didn't feel that attached to human characters. I wonder if any birds were killed during the filming of this movie?