Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review [Archive] - Page 8

Citizen Rules

02-22-16, 12:05 PM

This is totally cool...I never knew there was a collection of all four movies...never seen Air[port '77 and, as you might remember, the original film is one of my guilty pleasures. Gideon hey, there seems to be a couple different versions of the Airport 4 movie pack. I wish I had the newer super deluxe pack, I believe it's blu ray and probably has a lot more features on it. Not many special features on the one I have. I read that Universal Pictures released an extended 3 hour version of Airport 77 for TV, but so far that version is not available.

This is rather sad trivia about the Airport movies:
from IMDB
Airport '77 was the only movie of the Airport series that did not have a real life disaster happen to an aircraft used in the filming. The 707 used in filming "Airport" crashed in Brazil in 1989. The Beachcraft Baron that played the one that collided with the 747 in "Airport 1975" collided with another private prop plane mid-air in 1989. The Concorde used in "The Concorde...Airport '79" was the one that crashed outside of Paris in 2000 killing all 107 people aboard and four people on the ground, and hastened the end of the Concorde program.

Gideon58

02-22-16, 03:22 PM

Gideon hey, there seems to be a couple different versions of the Airport 4 movie pack. I wish I had the newer super deluxe pack, I believe it's blu ray and probably has a lot more features on it. Not many special features on the one I have. I read that Universal Pictures released an extended 3 hour version of Airport 77 for TV, but so far that version is not available.

This is rather sad trivia about the Airport movies:
from IMDB
Airport '77 was the only movie of the Airport series that did not have a real life disaster happen to an aircraft used in the filming. The 707 used in filming "Airport" crashed in Brazil in 1989. The Beachcraft Baron that played the one that collided with the 747 in "Airport 1975" collided with another private prop plane mid-air in 1989. The Concorde used in "The Concorde...Airport '79" was the one that crashed outside of Paris in 2000 killing all 107 people aboard and four people on the ground, and hastened the end of the Concorde program.
Yeah, I don't know why I remember this, but when Airport '77 was shown on television for the first time, I remember them advertising the fact that the version being broadcast featured footage not in the theatrical version.

Citizen Rules

02-22-16, 03:25 PM

Did you seen the extended version of Airport 77 on TV or just the commercial for it?

ashdoc

02-22-16, 04:58 PM

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=24295&stc=1&d=1456104909 Red Army (2014)
Director/Writer: Gabe Polsky
Cast: Viacheslav Fetisov, Scotty Bowman, Mark Deakins
Genre: Documentary, Biography, History, Sports
Length: 1hour 24min

I love that movie poster, it's very Soviet retro. But you can't judge a movie by it's cover...or poster. Red Army is a documentary about the famed Soviet era Red Army hockey team. The film consist of rare archival Soviet footage (though I wish there was more of it)...and interviews of the surviving members of the team. Now they're older but their memories of living under a Soviet controlled sports program is still fresh in their minds. And if you watch this you will know their story.

It ain't pretty, the life these Soviet sports heroes lead was harsh. They were actual members of the Soviet army but played hockey and were literally held captive in training camps and forced to train around the clock, until they pissed blood...that's what they said! I took that to me their training was so hard it damaged their kidneys. It certainly damaged their souls. The team leader after having promises broken to him by an abusive couch, quit. He told a high ranking Soviet offical to ****, later he was beaten to a pulp for it.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=24296&stc=1&d=1456104915

Not for sports fans, oh sure, those photos I montaged make it look like this is a sports doc for sports fans, it's not. It's part Soviet history and part Western history as events in the USA & Canada played a big part in how the Red Army hockey players lives unfolded. But mostly this is a human story and it's rather shocking at times just how brutally harsh life was in the Soviet Union in the 70s-80s.

http://kinopavasaris.lt/img/media/3/3718/big_2efc637b4708cc15cd365ee2dc7ff2a4.jpg

The five man team that made up the heart of the winning Red Army team. These five were more than team mates, they were best friends.

http://media2.fdncms.com/sfweekly/imager/red-army-documentary-revisits-the-cold/u/slideshow/3376823/film4-redarmy.jpg

Four of the Red Army team and their notorious coach, all decked out in the military uniforms.

There's so much more I could say about this film...but know this: I'm not a hockey fan, I've never even seen a game, but I did really enjoy Red Army.

rating_4

.

today however most russians are nostalgic about the soviet union days , because they were a superpower then . i have interacted with russian tourists who come to the beach resort spot of goa in india ( where i go for vacation ) and all of them curse gorbachev . stalin is still hero for them inspite of all horrors he wrought because he made russia great .

it seems not everyone shares our ideas of happiness . for some , happiness lies in national greatness , not in personal freedom .

having said this , are these american films biased from the american point of view ? i mean america has a compulsion to show its former cold war rival as a horrific place , does it not ??

Citizen Rules

02-22-16, 05:19 PM

i have interacted with russian tourists who come to the beach resort spot of goa in india ( where i go for vacation ) and all of them curse gorbachev . stalin is still hero for them inspite of all horrors he wrought because he made russia great . That's interesting as during the film the former hockey team captain,Viacheslav Fetisov was asked by the film maker if he thought life under the Communist government was better. Fetisov looked pissed and said something like 'that wasn't an appropriate question to ask a politician'. Fetisov was appointed a political office by Putin and so was a politician at the time of the film.

are these american films biased from the american point of view ? i mean america has a compulsion to show its former cold war rival as a horrific place , does it not ?? Good question, I would say it was a fair viewpoint as most of what we're told about life in the former Soviet Union is out of the mouths of the former hockey players, and not from an American narrator. I wish more people would watch this film so they could give their opinions.

Captain Steel

02-23-16, 12:11 AM

Seriously?! You've never seen any movies with Hugh Jackman?! You don't know what you're missing. He's great in the X-Men movies, but if you don't want to watch superhero movies, try Kate & Leopold, The Prestige, Real Steel, and Les Misérables. Also, check out the 1999 version of Oklahoma! with Jackman as Curly.

In case gbg is checking in... I finally watched Kate & Leopold (2001) and enjoyed it very much.

This marks the first non-X-Men movie I've ever seen Hugh Jackman in.

Now if I'd never seen X-Men and someone told me that Jackman was going to play Wolverine I'd say that's insane... it would be insane like casting someone like Michael Keaton to play Batman!
Jackman looked over 6 feet tall as Leopold and was very skinny. Tall, dark and handsome - it's like saying Cary Grant is going to play Wolverine! Now if you told me that co-star Liev Schreiber (Stuart) would be in another movie with Jackman, with the two playing X-mutants Wolverine and Sabertooth, I'd say you were just nuts!

As much as I liked the movie, I have to admit I was a bit distracted by Meg Ryan's upper lip - I kept thinking how this was just the beginning of her current plastic-surgery Joker face.

The time travel & romance theme reminded me of a couple other interesting movies:
Happy Accidents (2000) starring Vincent D'Onofrio & Marisa Tomei.
About Time (2013) starring Domhnall Gleeson & Rachel McAdams.

gbgoodies

02-23-16, 12:33 AM

In case gbg is checking in... I finally watched Kate & Leopold (2001) and enjoyed it very much.

This marks the first non-X-Men movie I've ever seen Hugh Jackman in.

Now if I'd never seen X-Men and someone told me that Jackman was going to play Wolverine I'd say that's insane... it would be insane like casting someone like Michael Keaton to play Batman!
Jackman looked over 6 feet tall as Leopold and was very skinny. Tall, dark and handsome - it's like saying Cary Grant is going to play Wolverine! Now if you told me that co-star Liev Schreiber (Stuart) would be in another movie with Jackman, with the two playing X-mutants Wolverine and Sabertooth, I'd say you were just nuts!

As much as I liked the movie, I have to admit I was a bit distracted by Meg Ryan's upper lip - I kept thinking how this was just the beginning of her current plastic-surgery Joker face.

The time travel & romance theme reminded me of a couple other interesting movies:
Happy Accidents (2000) starring Vincent D'Onofrio & Marisa Tomei.
About Time (2013) starring Domhnall Gleeson & Rachel McAdams.

I'm glad you liked Kate & Leopold. It's one of my favorite movies. You should definitely give Real Steel a try. I think you'll like that movie a lot.

Hugh Jackman seems to have a way of seemlessly blending into any role that he plays. If you've seen clips of him in "The Boy from Oz" on Broadway, and then watch him as Wolverine, or in Real Steel, it's hard to believe that it's the same actor. He's just that good. (I'm waiting very impatiently to see him as P.T. Barnum.)

Both Happy Accidents and About Time have been on my watchlist for a while, and I've seen bits and pieces of both movies, but I haven't seen either movie in its entirety yet.

Citizen Rules

02-24-16, 04:09 PM

http://www.filmjabber.com/movie-images/all-is-lost-4949.jpg
All Is Lost (2013)

Director & Writer: J.C. Chandor
Cast: Robert Redford
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama

Synopsis (spoiler free): An older man alone on his 39 foot sail boat, encounters tragedy on the vast, open ocean. He must then find the inner strength to survive the unforgiving sea...CR

About the movie...Robert Redford turns in a respectful one man show...He's the only actor in this, so for the entire 106 minutes it's all about Bob. Not only is Redford the only actor in this, but he almost never speaks, we hear only a few muttered curse words, so in effect this is almost like watching a silent film with a synchronized sound-effect track. To Redford's credit most all the action stunts including the water scenes were performed by the 77 year old actor. He looks pretty darn good and fit for his age too.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=24324&stc=1&d=1456341604
Not sure if that's Bob on the mask or not? But what a cool shot!

What the movie got right...We've all seen movies where the protagonist finally knocks the gun toting bad guy out, BUT then leaves the gun laying on the floor, as the hero runs away, I hate that!....no on is that stupid and in a survival at sea film it would be easy to forget the smaller details of surviving. All Is Lost, doesn't insult the audience's intelligence, the steps Redford takes to survive makes sense. It's what we would do if we were in his soggy shoes.

The Look... Whenever you have a movie directed by the writer, you get one person's pure view of the story. J.C. Chandor wrote and directed this story. He's skilled at relaying the emotional feeling of being stranded at sea and he does this without dialog. Instead it's done through Redford's acting and through the cinematography.

The director adhered to a "bungee cord rule". A shooting principle where the camera could not be above, below or farther from Redford than a cord could be stretched. To further create an intimacy between the audience and subject, this was filmed within arm's reach of Redford using a wide angle 32mm lens on a Alexa camera.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=24328&stc=1&d=1456342874

The vastness of the sea is relayed in the skillful cinematography.

Final Thoughts...There's something about survival films that allow us to feel that we're part of the story. We wonder what we do in that situation. The script is very intelligent and the chain of events and actions taken by Redford make logically sense. I liked Redford in this and I'm impressed by the physically dangerous stunts that he performed. He's good at relaying his feelings without speaking a word.

Some have seen this film as a metaphorical movie like Life of Pi...Nope, it's not metaphorical: it's a well done straight up survival movie. It stays low key, even though the events that happen are dramatic and life threatening.

rating_3_5

Gideon58

02-24-16, 04:16 PM

This movie sounds interesting...I have to wonder if Redford still has what it takes to command a movie screen by himself for an entire film.

gbgoodies

02-24-16, 04:20 PM

What did you think of the ending of All is Lost?

Citizen Rules

02-24-16, 04:22 PM

He has lots of help from the script and cinematography too. I don't know the budget of the film, but it feels to me like a very well done Indie film. It's not a block buster CG-tastic like Gravity, thank goodness.

Citizen Rules

02-24-16, 04:22 PM

What did you think of the ending of All is Lost?
I think I would have to use spoilers:p Did you see it?

gbgoodies

02-24-16, 04:25 PM

I think I would have to use spoilers:p Did you see it?

Okay, then use spoilers. It's been a while since I saw the movie, but as I recall, it was left kind of ambiguous as to whether or not he was saved. What do you think?

Citizen Rules

02-24-16, 04:30 PM

I kind of gave a clue at the end of my review as I know some apply a deeper meaning to the film.

I believe he was rescued. I think that because: he shoots of his flares as there's a ship in the distance, which doesn't come, so he gives up and sinks into the ocean. But then we see the hull of the ship on the oceans surface and the ship's search lights, then he swims towards them and an arm pulls him out.

I can see other views of the ending, but that's what I believe. Kudos to the director for the ending as it does make us think.

Daniel M

02-24-16, 04:30 PM

I think All Is Lost is a great film, glad you enjoyed it.

gbgoodies

02-24-16, 04:33 PM

I kind of gave a clue at the end of my review as I know some apply a deeper meaning to the film.

I believe he was rescued. I think that because he shoots of his flares for he ship in the distances, which doesn't come, so he gives up and sinks into the ocean, but then we see the hull of the ship and it's search lights and he swims towards them and an arm pulls him out.

I can see other views of the ending, but that's what I believe. Kudos to the director for the ending as it does make us think.

I remember reading about it after I watched the movie, and some people suggested that when he gave up, it was "the hand of God" that was reaching out towards him, and he didn't survive.

However, I agree with you that he was rescued.

Daniel M

02-24-16, 04:35 PM

I think I was involved when you asked this before somewhere, gbg, I thought...

He died. It was in his mind/it was God.

Love the song at the end:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrxWfy2U5LI

Citizen Rules

02-24-16, 04:35 PM

GBG, I read that too and you know what words popped into my mind was something Captain Steel quoted the other day from Captain Kirk.
“What does God need with a starship?”

gbgoodies

02-24-16, 04:43 PM

I think I was involved when you asked this before somewhere, gbg, I thought...

He died. It was in his mind/it was God.

I can see both points of view, but i guess I just prefer the happier version and believing that he was saved.

Citizen Rules

02-24-16, 04:45 PM

The director was wise in leaving the ending open to interpretation, that way the film because more personally.

gbgoodies

02-24-16, 04:49 PM

The director was wise in leaving the ending open to interpretation, that way the film because more personally.

I like movies where the ending is left open to interpretation, but only when I can see both sides of it. This is a good one because it's easy to see both sides, even if you firmly only believe one version.

Citizen Rules

02-24-16, 05:20 PM

The flip side of the ending...I can see the 'he went to heaven' side too as: Redford is really deep when he swims up to the surface to deep for most people to make it... and he swims 'towards the light'...Also the end scene has an ethereal quality to it, why? I'm sure. Perhaps it was the music score? Or was it filmed with a diffusion filter for the last scene?

Gideon58

02-27-16, 04:09 PM

I love Dazed & Confused, but I'll have Slacker and Before Sunrise before it.

Cameron never looked better than she did in The Mask.
Clearly you haven't seen Bad Teacher...as terrible as the movie is, she has never looked better.

honeykid

02-27-16, 05:09 PM

I've not, but I've seen her in it and I still think she looks better in The Mask. However, as I've not seen her move in Bad Teacher, it's still possible that she does, indeed, look better.

Citizen Rules

02-27-16, 10:38 PM

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=24378&stc=1&d=1456622655
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
Director: Stanley Kramer
Writer: Abby Mann
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Maximilian Schell, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Montgomery Clift
Genre: Drama, History, War
Length: 3h 6min

Nuremberg 1948: the Allies are holding one of the last of the Nazi war crime trials. Four former judges who served under the National Socialist are on trial themselves for war crimes against humanity. CR

This was my third time watching this classic. I'm totally impressed by all aspects of this film. This has to be the best courtroom films I've ever seen. All aspects of the film making process are superbly crafted. It's rare to find a film that does so much, and does it so well.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=24379&stc=1&d=1456623665
The Zepplin Grandstand at the Nuremberg Rally Grounds. I love this shot which conveys the isolation that the elderly American Judge (Spencer Tracy) felt.

Normally people give the director all the credit for a great film and as fine of a job that Stanley Kramer did, there are other people that deserve credit.

I found these to be the most important aspects:

1, Abby Mann, The script written by Abby Mann was so lively and yet so real that it's the backbone of the movie. So many courtroom movies have dialog that seem less than real. But here everything that's said by both the defense lawyer and the prosecutor seems totally plausible. I love the way BOTH lawyers could sway you with their line of questioning and summary speeches. And that's the key to this movie, all thanks to Abby Mann.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=24380&stc=1&d=1456624312
The four accused judges.

2, Judgment at Nuremberg is chalked full of great actors. The three stand out performances were Montgomery Clift, who did a helluva job as a mentally slow person who was forcibly sterilized. Watch his face and hand movements, he's living the part and that's method acting at it's best.

Judy Garland, who many may only think of as a light comic, musical actress...she turns in an impressive performance as a woman wronged by the Nazis and scared to testify.

But the best performance was Maximilian Schell who played a German defense lawyer. It would be so easy for his role to take on a negative stereo type and present an unpalatable character. Instead Schell is powerful and even likable at times, he can sway the audience into believing his defense parlances.

http://www.starestare.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/188_judgement-of-nuremburg.jpg
Maximilian Schell won and Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role

3, Stanley Kramer, what a great job at directing he did. He shows us at the start of the film actual scenes of bombed out German cities, that gives us the scope of how devastating the war had been. The camera work in the courtroom keeps our attention focused and lets face it, long scenes set in a courtroom can get stale fast. Here, the camera fluidly moves and we are treated to a 360 degree coverage of the actor on screen. The cinematography is excellent, everything about the production is top notch.

4, The most impressive part of this film is the way it weaves history into the script as we learn about the beginnings and reasons for the National Socialist movement, aka Nazis. Without understand how and why the Nazis came into power, all you would get is a good guys vs bad guy movie, but this film is miles beyond that.

After my third watching of Judgment at Nuremberg, this has become one of my all time favorite films.

rating_5

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=24383&stc=1&d=1456625918

neiba

02-27-16, 10:51 PM

Can't rep this enough!!! It's almost unbelievably brilliant!

cricket

02-27-16, 11:11 PM

Great flick with exceptional performances. A little more tension and it would be a favorite of mine.

Captain Steel

02-27-16, 11:31 PM

Anyone see the "remake" called Nuremberg (2000)?

I shouldn't criticize it since I didn't watch the whole thing, but I remember seeing Alec Baldwin and watching waiting for some courtroom drama that never came in the time I gave it, instead it seemed to be another chick flick with some fictional romance disguised as a historical drama (re: Titanic, Pearl Harbor)
The combined aspects of Baldwin & soap opera had me shut it off after about 15 minutes (which I rarely do, but I hadn't seen it from the beginning anyway so it was just a quick channel-surf stop.)

Citizen Rules

02-28-16, 01:24 PM

I haven't seen Nuremberg (2000)...no plans to either. Remakes of classic films don't usually pique my interest. But I'm interested in seeing the earlier version of Judgement at Nuremberg which was first done for Playhouse 90, TV live theater as a 60 minute show. It was also written by Abby Mann and had Maximilian Schell and Werner Klemperer in it. Both would latter be cast in the Stanley Kramer film.

Gideon58

02-28-16, 03:37 PM

I don't think so. I tend to forget details of movies after awhile but I'm going to say no.

I've neither seen Biloxi Blues or Summer of '42, should I add them to my watch list?
There is a scene involving a prostitute in Biloxi Blues...she's played by Park Overall.

Gideon58

02-28-16, 03:39 PM

The Carol Burnett Show did a VERY funny spoof of Airport '75...I'm pretty sure it's on You Tube.

Gideon58

02-28-16, 03:44 PM

It's been a while since I saw the 1960 version of Ocean's Eleven, but like you said, it isn't very memorable. I only remember small bits and pieces of the movie, and if I remember correctly, it was one of the few times that I thought the remake was better than the original.

However, IMO, any movie that has even one scene with Dean Martin singing is worth watching. :)
You have hit the nail on the head Citizen regarding the original Ocean's Eleven, Citizen...the film makes no sense because it was thrown together in such a haphazard fashion...most of the cast were performing in Vegas at night and they just wanted something to do during the day so Ocean's Eleven came to fruition merely as busy work for the Rat Pack.

Beatle

03-07-16, 09:36 PM

http://images.art.com/images/products/large/10077000/10077706.jpg

The Last Castle (2001)

Director: Rod Lurie
Cast: Robert Redford, James Gandolfini, Mark Ruffalo

Robert Redford plays a court martialed general, who's sent to a corrupt military prison. The General is a highly decorated war veteran, respected for his personal integrity and loyalty to the men under his command. In military prison he has no rank and no privileges. But his integrity is rock solid and he commands the respect of the inmates.

He has one enemy, the prison warden. A man who has never been in battle. A man who's jealous of the General and will stop at nothing in his attempts to break the General.

Sounds good? The problem is Redford has no charisma in this role. The movie is predictable and fails to give the viewer any intellectual insight into the workings of a military prison. And for those viewers who expect to see an action film. There's not much action either.

rating_2_5

I'm in the majority here, CR. :) I'm on GBG, Sean, Mark and your level - I do like Redford, my fave is probably The Hot Rock - that was a crazy one. Remember when in the begining he's getting out of jail and is pissed at Segal who waits outside for him

- Heeeey!

- Get out of my way!

- Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!

And then he punches him in the face!

- I'm not supersticious, but that thing is jinxed! Either I get it, or it gets me!

And then the whole "chicken" scene. Is that right, chicken? ;):p (You know trying to get info from the dad and "throwing" the guy down the building.)

- Eat your hearts out, you sappy bastards! :lol:

And then finally they hypnotise the clerk!

- Do you see the lights? See how they harmonicaly change. See how good and nice you feel now?

Bob annoys the living hell out of my dad though, and I can understand why some people can't stand him.

GBG

I can't remember practically a single thing about this film.

Sean

It is not bad though.

Mark

It's not great either.

You

gbgoodies

03-07-16, 10:07 PM

I'm in the majority here, CR. :) I'm on GBG, Sean, Mark and your level - I do like Redford, my fave is probably The Hot Rock - that was a crazy one. Remember when in the begining he's getting out of jail and is pissed at Segal who waits outside for him

- Heeeey!

- Get out of my way!

- Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!

And then he punches him in the face!

- I'm not supersticious, but that thing is jinxed! Either I get it, or it gets me!

And then the whole "chicken" scene. Is that right, chicken? ;):p (You know trying to get info from the dad and "throwing" the guy down the building.)

- Eat your hearts out, you sappy bastards! :lol:

And then finally they hypnotise the clerk!

- Do you see the lights? See how they harmonicaly change. See how good and nice you feel now?

Bob annoys the living hell out of my dad though, and I can understand why some people can't stand him.

GBG

I can't remember practically a single thing about this film.

Sean

It is not bad though.

Mark

It's not great either.

You

The Hot Rock is a great movie. I like Redford's "it's good, but it's bad" speech, when he's trying to decide whether or not to take the job.

Citizen Rules

03-07-16, 10:26 PM

I'm in the majority here, CR. :) I'm on GBG, Sean, Mark and your level - I do like Redford, my fave is probably The Hot Rock - that was a crazy one. Remember when in the begining he's getting out of jail and is pissed at Segal who waits outside for him

- Heeeey!

- Get out of my way!

- Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeey!

And then he punches him in the face!

- I'm not supersticious, but that thing is jinxed! Either I get it, or it gets me!

And then the whole "chicken" scene. Is that right, chicken? ;):p (You know trying to get info from the dad and "throwing" the guy down the building.)

- Eat your hearts out, you sappy bastards! :lol:

And then finally they hypnotise the clerk!

- Do you see the lights? See how they harmonicaly change. See how good and nice you feel now?

Bob annoys the living hell out of my dad though, and I can understand why some people can't stand him.

GBG

I can't remember practically a single thing about this film.

Sean

It is not bad though.

Mark

It's not great either.

You I have no idea what you just said:p But I'm glad to see you here:)

Beatle

03-08-16, 12:53 AM

I have no idea what you just said:p But I'm glad to see you here:)

OK, i can see that, taken out of context, it probably made you cracking up like gell, :lol:, ok, I meant hell, i don't wanna do the same thing again. What I meant was...unfortunately I can't multiquote, since some functions on my laptop are disabled, and that is because my dad (whose laptop, along with everything in this house is) put Kaspersky internet security, and it seems it's blocking the functions. And i can't ask him to turn it off, it's good that I'm allowed to go here at all, for now, at least. If i click on, say, multiquote it immidiately jumps to the top of the page. But enough about that. WHAT I MEANT WAS

i was going through your thread from start and it took me like 10 pages to finally find a movie I've seen. and there were comments by those I mentioned. As for the continuation, have you seen The Hot Rock? Maybe you didn't get my babling cause you haven't? So, GBG said she likes Redford, Sean said he doesn't

Beatle

03-08-16, 01:04 AM

OK, i can see that, taken out of context, it probably made you cracking up like gell, :lol:, ok, I meant hell, i don't wanna do the same thing again. What I meant was...unfortunately I can't multiquote, since some functions on my laptop are disabled, and that is because my dad (whose laptop, along with everything in this house is) put Kaspersky internet security, and it seems it's blocking the functions. And i can't ask him to turn it off, it's good that I'm allowed to go here at all, for now, at least. If i click on, say, multiquote it immidiately jumps to the top of the page. But enough about that. WHAT I MEANT WAS

i was going through your thread from start and it took me like 10 pages to finally find a movie I've seen. and there were comments by those I mentioned. As for the continuation, have you seen The Hot Rock? Maybe you didn't get my babling cause you haven't? So, GBG said she likes Redford, Sean said he doesn't

(as you can see I can't edit either, I accidentaly clicked, this is turning into a nightmare/comedy)

remember almost anything of The Last Castle, Mark said it's a bit better than you said, and you said it's not particulary good. And so this Kafkian nightmare or Camus' Malentendu finally ends.

Captain Steel

03-08-16, 01:30 AM

This is way better than late-night Television!

Beatle

03-08-16, 01:43 AM

This is way better than late-night Television!

;lol;

talk about accidental humor

never mind the darkness
we still can find a away

Gideon58

03-08-16, 07:09 PM

I've not, but I've seen her in it and I still think she looks better in The Mask. However, as I've not seen her move in Bad Teacher, it's still possible that she does, indeed, look better.
There's a review of Bad Teacher on my review thread which features some pictures of Diaz if you're interested.

Gideon58

03-09-16, 11:19 AM

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SxYqQkQIaR0/U-QlZzFqJzI/AAAAAAAAh0Q/BRLnh_n9ZJI/s1600/Hidden-The-Claudia-Christian-06.jpg
The Hidden (1987)
Director: Jack Sholder
Cast: Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Nouri, Claudia Christian
Genre: Sci Fi Action
Length: 96 minutes

An alien parasite with the ability to possess human bodies goes on a violent crime spree in LA. Pursued by a human cop and an alien cop inhabiting a human body.

Well not much is hidden there in that pic;) The Hidden reeks of the 80s...and in a good way. If it was made today the director would get high praise for his parody of all things 1980s. I mean we get people listening to 'boom boxes', driving Ferrari's, a 'new wave' soundtrack and all those 80's fashions, like that revealing red dress!

http://nicktangborn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/600px-TheHidden_015.jpg

There's a lot of gun play and people drop like flies but it's never overly violent or sadistic. Best of all this film has a sense of humor about itself. I loved how the 'hidden' alien in human form loved to rock out to obscure 80s rock/pop music but flies into a range when country music is played! Now that's funny. Never a dull moment in this film.

The film opens with one heck of an exciting chase scene in a Ferrari as bullets fly, its exhilarating. The man driving like a bat out of hell is veteran actor, Chris Mulkey.

http://s3-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/abandomedia/db/fotog/db_fotog_18148.jpg

The Hidden alien takes several forms played by different actors and continually shifts, which thwarts the hard work of the police. The police are clueless and think they have an unrelated string of homicides. Little do they know what's in store for them.

The film takes on a new level of with violence when the alien takes over a strippers body, played by Babylonian 5, Claudia Christian. You almost end up rooting for her, because, well she's so hot!

Hot on her tracks is the new 'cop' in town played by Kyle MacLachlan. This cop is a bit odd, he doesn't seem to understand human behavior but he knows how to locate the alien.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=23601&stc=1&d=1452210619
Even the beer taste like the 80s, that's George Killian's Irish Red beer their drinking.

The Hidden is one heck of a fun movie. It never drags and often surprises.

rating_3_5

I never bothered seeing The Hidden, but I didn't know Claudia Christian was in it...I LOVE her.

Citizen Rules

03-09-16, 01:04 PM

Citizen Rules

03-09-16, 01:07 PM

I never bothered seeing The Hidden, but I didn't know Claudia Christian was in it...I LOVE her. If like the mid 80s, The Hidden is like a retro-rich film with every mid 80s cliche included, like that red dress. It's a fun movie in that way. Have you seen Babylon 5?

honeykid

03-09-16, 02:34 PM

The Hidden is wonderful. I loved it back then and, having watched it a year or so ago, I love it still.

Beatle

03-09-16, 03:28 PM

Beatle hey! Thanks for the viewings and reps, sorry for the late reply, I get busy in summer with outside chores.

Yes, The Last Castle is mediocre, not bad, not great and Redford can't act.
No, I haven't seen The Hot Rock, but if Redford is in it, I'm not too interested:p
Maybe, someday I will make an index of all the movies I've reviewed with clickable links to take you to the review of your choice.

So I take it you live in Australia, for example, I dare say? :) ;) You're welcome, Kane! :)

Yes, I Agree, the guy can't act. At least not particulary well.
Well, at least he didn't write the plot, but I do agree he even annoys the living hell out of me a bit. He's like a human lollypop.
Thanks. :) not that I'm asking for it though. It's perfectly fine like this. I like going through your thread. I learn a lot of stuff. :)

Citizen Rules

03-09-16, 04:01 PM

He's like a human lollypop. I like that!:D

Nope I don't live in Australia, I'm on the west coast of USA.

Gideon58

03-09-16, 04:10 PM

If like the mid 80s, The Hidden is like a retro-rich film with every mid 80s cliche included, like that red dress. It's a fun movie in that way. Have you seen Babylon 5?
No, Claudia's in that too?

Gideon58

03-09-16, 04:12 PM

Pretty in Pink is the reason I cant stand James Spader.. no matter what film or tv show he is on... I know many who love his acting.. but he will always be a d*ck!
OMG, I love Pretty in Pink..a movie I never get tired of re-watching...I know it was on my favorite romance movies list and it should be on my guilty pleasure list too.

Gideon58

03-09-16, 04:15 PM

http://static.elobservador.com.uy/adjuntos/181/imagenes/004/271/0004271658.jpg
The Revenant (2015)
Director: Alejandro Iñárritu
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter
Genre: Outdoor Adventure Thriller
Length: 156 minutes

Brief Synopsis (spoiler free): In 1823 a group of rugged frontiersmen are on a fur trapping expedition into the uncharted wilderness of the Dakotas. They come under attack by hostile Native American Indians. After fleeing for their lives, the frontiersmen attempt to make their way back to safety, to a distant fort. On the way back one of them is attacked by a bear. That one lone frontiersman must then fight for survival in the dead of winter.

My Thoughts: What an exciting movie! Even though it's 2.5 hours long, the time flies by. This is very well made with stunning on-location filming. The movie really looks great...the cold, bleak wilderness never looked more inhospitable. The cinematography and locations alone make this film worth watching.

Leonardo DiCaprio is of course the star of the film and gives one helluva fine performance here. Some of the things he has to do to survive must be seen to be believed. And this is where the adventure-thriller excitement comes from, the need to survive at all cost.

Tom Hardy plays the heavy, a really bad guy that makes the story line possible. What impressed me was his fine acting and especially the way he delivered his lines. He spoke like an uneducated mountain man would, which made me believe his character was real. That says a lot about his acting ability.

Authenticity I of course wasn't around in the 1820's, but I totally believed that this is how frontier mountain men looked and acted. The movie seems believable in the actions these men take and even in the way they look and talk.

What I would have liked was more about the men themselves. Because the movie is very heavy on action, we never really get to learn about who these men are, or what their back story is. Had that been done, I would be giving this a very high rating indeed. Still there's a lot to like here in this fine, adventure film.

rating_3_5+
Liked your review of The Revenant Citizen...were you happy with DiCaprio's Oscar win?

Citizen Rules

03-09-16, 04:18 PM

No, Claudia's in that too? Yup, she's a main character.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105946/

https://www.google.com/search?q=babylon+5&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwizkObftbTLAhUGxGMKHdjkDXgQ_AUICSgD&biw=1104&bih=599#tbm=isch&q=babylon+5+cast&imgdii=VTDk_1qTToOk3M%3A%3BVTDk_1qTToOk3M%3A%3BU6lGR8a6NxPlRM%3A&imgrc=VTDk_1qTToOk3M%3Ahttps://www.google.com/search?q=babylon+5&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwizkObftbTLAhUGxGMKHdjkDXgQ_AUICSgD&biw=1104&bih=599#tbm=isch&q=babylon+5+cast&imgdii=VTDk_1qTToOk3M%3A%3BVTDk_1qTToOk3M%3A%3BU6lGR8a6NxPlRM%3A&imgrc=VTDk_1qTToOk3M%3Ahttps://www.google.com/search?sa=G&hl=en&q=babylon+5&tbm=isch&tbs=simg:CAQSjgEaiwELEKjU2AQaBAgACEIMCxCwjKcIGmIKYAgDEii4H6Qbuh-7H7kfxh_1YH48OnRuiG4Q74y69O_1Eu6DzYOqA59y6GO7Y7GjD2nsB2K26fEImr_1zRwlExVC_1gyhf7qFSnDDgYSzn9-00BD1KrwDFRiaXedBzWzb3UgAwwLEI6u_1ggaCgoICAESBD_1nQOwM,isz:m&ved=0ahUKEwjSjtKutrTLAhVExWMKHcjwD8gQ2A4IHSgD&biw=1104&bih=599#imgrc=De7QdkX26NtxtM%3A

Beatle

03-09-16, 05:46 PM

I like that!:D

Nope I don't live in Australia, I'm on the west coast of USA.

Thanks! :)

ok thanks, but...it isn't summer where you live, is it?! :D

Citizen Rules

03-09-16, 05:56 PM

Captain Steel

03-09-16, 06:22 PM

Not summer yet here, but in the early spring we often have very warm sunny days and so that's the time I do most of my outdoor gardening work. In late summer it's too hot to be working out in the sun.

Oh come on! If you're on the west coast, it's summer all year long! (Comparatively anyway.)

Beatle

03-09-16, 06:22 PM

Not summer yet here, but in the early spring we often have very warm sunny days and so that's the time I do most of my outdoor gardening work. In late summer it's too hot to be working out in the sun.

OK, that clears it up. And i hope it will clear up the garden too! :lol: Thanks, and finally what do I call you? CR, CK, Citizen, or my favorite, Kane? :)

Citizen Rules

03-09-16, 06:25 PM

CR or Citizen works well:p BTW what part of the world are you from?

Citizen Rules

03-09-16, 06:26 PM

Oh come on! If you're on the west coast, it's summer all year long! (Comparatively anyway.) Then it's a pretty wet summer:p it's been raining most of the day. But no snow and maybe in the low 50s.

Captain Steel

03-09-16, 06:27 PM

CR or Citizen works well:p BTW what part of the world are you from?

No, he's fibbing! He likes to be called Rules! RUUULLLES! ;)

Captain Steel

03-09-16, 06:28 PM

Then it's a pretty wet summer:p it's been raining most of the day. But no snow and maybe in the low 50s.

Ha! We've got you beat for once. It was nearly 70 in NJ today (a record high!)
Who says global warming is just a political contrivance?

Citizen Rules

03-09-16, 06:31 PM

No, he's fibbing! He likes to be called Rules! RUUULLLES! ;) Ahh...the good old days. I sometimes think about resurrecting the dead and bringing them here. Then I remember there's a reason they have a stake through their hearts.:p

Captain Steel

03-09-16, 06:38 PM

You'll always be Rules to me. (Or sometimes I just think of you fondly as "Orson")
Think this site is ready for a "round robin"?

Citizen Rules

03-09-16, 06:41 PM

Orson works too:p Round Robin...OMG...seriously I've been thinking about mentioning that to you for weeks. Yes! I think that could be fun to do here:) Actually I tried it once on my own when I first got here but it just wasn't the same without your writing magic.:)

gbgoodies

03-09-16, 06:43 PM

Ha! We've got you beat for once. It was nearly 70 in NJ today (a record high!)
Who says global warming is just a political contrivance?

According to the weather app on my phone, it hit 74 degrees here on Long Island today. :)

Citizen Rules

03-09-16, 06:45 PM

Well hot damn you guys on the east coast are warmer than us in the wet Pacific Northwest.

Captain Steel

03-09-16, 06:47 PM

According to the weather app on my phone, it hit 74 degrees here on Long Island today. :)

Probably right - I was just guessing as I heard it was supposed to hit 70 here today. I stepped out at midday and it felt like mid-summer. Just weird considering how cold it was last week and the furnace heat was kicking on the other day.

gbgoodies

03-09-16, 06:55 PM

Well hot damn you guys on the east coast are warmer than us in the wet Pacific Northwest.

Probably right - I was just guessing as I heard it was supposed to hit 70 here today. I stepped out at midday and it felt like mid-summer. Just weird considering how cold it was last week and the furnace heat was kicking on the other day.

Well, I'm sure it will be about 20 degrees here in July to make up for today's warm weather. :lol:

Citizen Rules

03-09-16, 06:59 PM

seanc

03-09-16, 06:59 PM

What is round robin fellas?

Citizen Rules

03-09-16, 07:00 PM

It's the Captain's specialty, I will let him explain.

gbgoodies

03-09-16, 07:09 PM

20 degrees in July in New York? Do you mean Celsius? Cause I thought it got real warm in summer there. Here in June and the first part of July is our rainy season when we get the most rain, more than winter even.

No, not Celsius. I was just kidding, meaning that we'll pay for this warm off-season weather now by getting cold off-season weather later.

Captain Steel

03-09-16, 07:25 PM

What is round robin fellas?

A "Round Robin" is where someone starts a story and other people keep adding to it as it continues and evolves with different authors contributing.

It's basically a literary game. It tends to fall apart on open forums (say, for instance, two people simultaneously post two "chapter 3's" which take the story in different directions).

We had some good ones in the past though: (Citizen Rules started a Noir themed one and I started a Sci-Fi themed one and they both got pretty good).

I remember being introduced to the concept when DC Comics produced an experimental series. It was called the "DC Challenge." Each month a different artist / writer team would take up the story and the rules were that each issue end in a cliff-hanger that the following team would have to solve using any characters or concepts from the company's then 50-year history. As a completed series it was pretty awful, but watching the process was interesting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Challenge

Beatle

03-10-16, 01:18 AM

CR or Citizen works well:p BTW what part of the world are you from?

OK Rules it is, because you really rule, man!

Croatia, a small European country east of Italy and south of Austria:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatia

https://www.google.hr/maps/place/Hrvatska/@44.3833665,11.9805272,6z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x133441080add95ed:0xa0f3c024e1661b7f

http://www.ecos-yachting.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/croatia.jpg

Dubrovnik

AND as I recall, you mentioned you'd be crazy about going to Venice or Vienna. Well, I have been to both, Venice in '81 as a kid, and multiple times in Vienna, at a boarding school in '85 and albeit by force in other occasions, because there was a war going on here in '91, so I cowardly fled. :(

Captain Steel

03-10-16, 01:32 AM

Wow, Beatle! That's beautiful!

Beatle

03-10-16, 05:30 AM

Wow, Beatle! That's beautiful!

Thanks, Steel!

honeykid

03-10-16, 04:05 PM

Don't believe him, Steel. We all know that Croatia isn't a real place and that it's made of Lego. ;)

Citizen Rules

03-10-16, 10:16 PM

Captain Steel

03-13-16, 04:22 PM

To Rules - I viewed Red Army based on your suggestion. It was pretty interesting (and sad what the Russian government did to its people).

I also view Still Alice which I thought you reviewed on this thread, but I can't find it (when I do a search, only Alice in Wonderland threads come up). By watching that, I finally got over my aversion to anything Alec Baldwin is in!

Citizen Rules

03-13-16, 04:36 PM

Hey Captain, I'm glad you took a chance on Red Army. I'm always happy:) when someone thinks enough of my review to give a film a spin.

By watching that, I finally got over my aversion to anything Alec Baldwin is in! Ha! he was pretty good in Still Alice. Did you like the film?....

Yes, I did review it. The reviews are sorted differently on MoFo than the regular search function (magnifing glass icon). One of these days I will make a linked index to my reviews.

To find anybodies reviews do this: click Reviews at the top of MoFo home page, scroll down the next page, and under Find Reviews of this movie, type the name of the film you're looking for, when a movie title suggestion pops up that matches click on it, and then click on Filter Reviews.

For Still Alice there are 3 reviews. So if you read my review, then let me know what you thought of the movie.

Captain Steel

03-13-16, 06:01 PM

Thanks Rules, I will try that suggestion later - right now I have to run to begin the evening shift of taking care of my parents (who are both a bit like "Alice" except they're in their eighties!)

I did like Alec Baldwin in the movie (or his acting anyway). It seemed his character grew slightly less sympathetic toward the end as he seemed more concerned with his career than with Alice - but it's not like he had much choice than to start talking about having her committed to a home for Alzheimer's patients. I don't know if the message was to make us question his sincerity & commitment as a husband or just to say people can only do so much in that situation and that life has to go on?

Captain Steel

03-13-16, 11:44 PM

Okay, I read Rules' review (and the others) on Still Alice.

I have to agree with all of them on different points.

It's an interesting film that held me to the finish, and yet, it was somewhat simplistic in that not much really happens other than Alice is diagnosed and we watch the ups & downs of her deterioration.

I have to say, part of the grip of it was anticipating that something very eventful was going to happen, which never came. It's like the film kept hinting that something major was going to transpire, but then forgetting to redress every lead (just like Alice's memory).

Even the build up scene to her finding her self-message on the computer just goes by in an instant as a momentary distraction puts the entire thing once again out of Alice's mind (but I kept thinking someone else would surely find the message, the pills on the floor & the pill bottle with the note on it, and it would at least lead to a family discussion or something).

I've read the arguments (on IMDB) about the subplot that's introduced =
Alice's children may inherit the Alzheimer's gene - one child is positive, one's negative and one doesn't want to know.

The subplot is put out there, but the film never gets back to it, yet it shows the oldest daughter having twins without letting us know how that ultimate decision came down & examining all the implications of such an event.

Some argue that exploring such a heavy subplot would have been too much of a distraction from Alice's story. Maybe so, but in that case perhaps they shouldn't have introduced it, then just left it dangling with a ton of moral & ethical questions left hanging in the balance.

This is a bit stupid, but the unfocused lens effect was kind of a neat metaphor for Alice losing her focus - but for me, I kept taking my glasses off to clean them and everything looks like that - so there were times when I didn't realize the movie was doing it! In one scene the background is blurred, but Alice's head is in sharp focus - I took my glasses off and Alice"s head looked just as blurred as the background!

Citizen Rules

03-14-16, 12:02 AM

Captain I agree Still Alice is simplistic. I guess for me that was the main thing I liked about it as I was expecting it to turn dramatic at any moment, but it doesn't do that. I think the director wanted to show us, as much as possible, how life was from Alice's view point. One of the co directors was a well known indie film guy, so that's probably why it has that feel to it.

I didn't remember the unfocused lens effect but now that you describe it, that does sound like an effective way to show her loosing her mind.

But...did you like the film?

Captain Steel

03-14-16, 12:24 AM

Yes, I liked it. I'd give it a thumbs up (that is if you are in the mood for such a serious & sad subject).

I did find the criticisms of dangling sub-plots valid as I spent most the movie anticipating how or when they'd get back to them. By far, they didn't ruin the movie or anything.

I liked the moment when the youngest daughter confronts Alice about using her condition to manipulate (again pressuring the daughter to go to college). And, instead of denying that's what she's doing, Alice pretty much says "Yeah? So?" It was almost like saying sure, I'm guilting you into doing what I want by using my condition, but because of that same condition, in a little while I'll never have remembered using it to do that, so what does it matter?

Similarly with reading the daughter's diary. The daughter was so upset, but later forgives, almost as if it occurs to her that Alice will never remember what was in the diary or that she even looked at it. I thought the very last scene with mother & daughter was an excellent finish.

As said before, Baldwin's husband character seemed very supportive & lovable in the first half of the film, but I wasn't sure how the filmmakers wanted us to feel toward him by the end.

One thing with the focus - in the scene with the back of Alice's head in focus - I put my glasses back on and had a momentary brain drain myself as I was wondering why the picture went from completely blurred (with my glasses off) to only the background blurred, but Alice's head in focus when I put my glassed back on!

Beatle

03-19-16, 09:02 AM

http://www.ecos-yachting.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/croatia.jpg

What a beautiful town! and the water is so blue and clear. I just showed my wife this picture and she instantly knew it was Dubrovnik. She's been there and said there's a small island off to the left that she went to and she walked along all the top of the walled city. It's medieval which I didn't know. Cruise ships go there and one of these days I will take a cruise in the Mediterranean and stop at Dubrovnik.

BTW did anyone notice the ancient wall that is to the lower right side of the picture? You can see it goes underwater for a long ways. The sea level must have been much lower at the time of it's construction. Maybe it was built during Europe's little ice age? It would be interesting to find out what time period it dates from.

Well yes, being economically underdevelopped has its merits. We haven't been able to destroy all of it simply because we didn't have the means to. Yesthe small island is Lokrum, i believe. Believe it or not, Dubrovnik was the 1st state to recognise USA. btw, the Latin word for it is Ragusium.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0c/Dubrovnik_Panorama_vom_Berg_Srdj.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Dubrovnik_grb_grada.svg

Citizen Rules

03-19-16, 04:51 PM

http://manapop.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/in-the-heart-of-the-sea-set-to-release-01.jpg
In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
Director: Ron Howard
Writer: Charles Leavitt(screenplay & story)
Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson
Length: 2h 2min
Genre: Action, Adventure, Litterary Biography
Rating: PG-13

Synopsis: In 1850 the young author, Herman Melville travels to Nantucket to interview the last surviving member of the ill fated Essex wailing ship that encountered a giant white whale in the 1820s. Melville's novel will latter become the classic, Moby Dick.

1850's...This sounds like a great premise: we get Melville in the 1850s interviewing a reclusive, lone alcoholic survivor of the Essex, who suffers from guilt and can't bring himself to tell the horrible truth of what happened. Seems there's been a white wash and the truth of the giant white whale and the fate of the Essex's crew has been hidden from the public.

http://www.express.hr/media/cache/04/45/0445df1b0005a4f74001fcba701ae797.jpg?id=8218&width=480

1820's...We then get most of the story as a flashback which takes us on the original journey of the Essex's as it sails out of Nantucket and around the horn of South America. Finally it enters deep uncharted territories, thousands of mile away from land in the middle of the Southern Pacific Ocean.

http://www.prochlapy.cz/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/benjamin-walker-chris-hemsworth-in-the-heart-of-the-sea-450x300.jpg

Cultural clashes...We see the hostility between the first mate who was born to a poor landsmen and only through adoption was able to become an officer aboard a whaling ship...and...the young captain on his first sailing voyage, who hails from a family known for famous captains. His is a life of high wealth and prestige. The two class violently.

The story of course is the actual events as told to Melville about the sinking of the Essex by a giant white whale and the survival of the men . Some of this is based on historical fact.

https://themoviegoersblog.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/in-the-heart-of-the-sea-4.jpg?w=520

Blame Ron Howard....This sounds great but Ron Howard ruins the movie with ultra quick headache-inducing cuts, that during the action sequences are cut at 1 to 3 second intervals. The CG effects are so totally over the top as to look like a video game movie made for teens. And maybe it was. It's a formulated, typical Hollywood, gee-whiz CG movie. Blah!

rating_2

seanc

03-19-16, 04:56 PM

For some reason I am still looking forward to Heart Of The Sea despite not hearing anything good about it. I like Howard though, and I am sure I won't have the same problem with the CG that you do. I might try to get to it this week. That and Legend were two I was disappointed I missed in the theater.

Citizen Rules

03-19-16, 04:59 PM

seanc

03-19-16, 06:01 PM

It's true I have an aversion to ultra quick cuts, (like done in Mad Maxx Fury Road) and to over processed CG stuff. But if you're not bothered by that, then you might like it.

I will say the story premise is way cool, I liked that part of it. I should offer a caveat, that there are graphic scenes of whales being harpooned and killed. Those whales are CG, but still I couldn't watch that part of it.

I have my moments with quick cuts but I still think an action scene can have them and be fairly engaging. I certainly lean more towards the methodical and tactical action you see in Zero Dark Thirty or Sicario. Marvel movies and Star Wars have different hooks than the action though, so I enjoy those as well.

Crime movie are definitely my popcorn movie of choice though, and I think that is because the things that drive you nuts are mostly absent from those types of films.

colejwalker

03-19-16, 06:56 PM

I hated In the Heart of the Sea, the gloss they put on it in post was a huge mistake. It makes it hard to watch and it doesn't really even have an intriguing story to me. I think studios need to stop making Moby Dick movies cause all their gonna do is bomb at the box office.

gbgoodies

03-20-16, 12:05 AM

I wanted to see In the Heart of the Sea when I first heard about it, but the more I read about it, the less I want to see it. It's still on my watchlist, but it's been pushed back enough by now that I can wait until it comes to TV.

Citizen Rules

03-20-16, 12:10 AM

GBG, it's like Sean said, I really don't like overly processed CG and ultra fast cuts, but other people might be like that. It just depends on the individual. But I know you don't like violence and there was a lot of whale hunting scenes, that were violent. I don't think you would like this movie. But if you do ever watch it, let me know.

gbgoodies

03-20-16, 12:14 AM

GBG, it's like Sean said, I really don't like overly processed CG and ultra fast cuts. That's why I shut off Mad Maxx Fury Road. I would have shut off n the Heart of the Sea too, but my wife wanted to watch it.So what I'm saying is it depends on the individual. But I know you don't like violence and there was a lot of whale hunting scenes. I don't think you would like this movie. If you do ever watch it, let me know.

It's not just your review. I read a bunch of reviews when it was released, and every review made it sound a little bit worse each time. I read about the violence and the whaling scenes, so I already figured those into my decision to wait to watch it. I'm sure that I'll watch it eventually, but it probably won't be anytime soon.

BTW, I hated Mad Max Fury Road.

Citizen Rules

03-20-16, 12:23 AM

I seen a documentary some years ago about the real Essix and it was fascinating, much better than this movie. I'm surprised that Ron Howard went to the video game style of movie making:rolleyes:

Have you seen Everest 2015? I just watched that and will review it soon as I can.

gbgoodies

03-20-16, 12:30 AM

Have you seen Everest 2015? I just watched that and will review it soon as I can.

No, I haven't seen Everest yet. I'm not a big fan of survival stories, but I usually end up seeing them eventually when I hear enough good things about them, and I can catch them on TV. (Or sometimes if I can find the DVD cheap at a garage sale.)

honeykid

03-20-16, 11:50 AM

The CG effects are so totally over the top as to look like a video game movie made for teens.
This is why I ask people how these things look at the cinema, because watching them on TV is just too annoying for me.

Citizen Rules

03-20-16, 11:33 PM

http://esq.h-cdn.co/assets/15/39/980x490/landscape-1442863457-everest.jpg
Everest (2015)
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Cast: Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, Jake Gyllenhaal, John Hawkes, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson.
Genre: Adventure, Biography, Drama
Length: 2h 1min

What's it about...Based on the true life events that took place on
May 10, 1996 during a summit climb of Mount Everest. As a team of climbers return from the summit, a dangerous storm comes out of nowhere trapping them on the mountain side.

What's good about it...Is the actual on location footage of Nepal and Mt Everest. That alone is worth the watch. Also good, is that the director avoided the overly used shaky cam and ultra quick cuts. The film's editing is a joy to watch.

Some of the scenes were borrowed from the IMAX documentary film Everest (1998), which follows an actual expedition to the top of the mountain. Mt Everest looks awesome! It looks forbidding! There's a couple of shots that show the scale of the mountain as the camera goes from the climbers, up and over the ridge and then we see the climbers as tiny specks on the snow, very humbling.

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What's not so good...Jake Gyllenhaal, he's actually a good actor and good in this movie. But he has such a distinctive face that as soon as I seen him I started to thinking of this as a film with actors and not the real thing. That took me out of the film and made my connection to the story weaker. Also there's a lot of characters that are introduced and that takes time away from the actual survival part of the story which I thought could be longer and more detailed.

Do I recommend it....sure if you want to see what it would be like to climb Everest without getting cold! It's not highly artistic, though the cinematographic is beautiful. It is well made.

rating_3_5

gbgoodies

03-21-16, 12:01 AM

I don't have much interest in the movie Everest, but I found this paragraph in your review interesting:

What's not so good...Jake Gyllenhaal, he's actually a good actor and good in this movie. But he has such a distinctive face that as soon as I seen him I started to thinking of this as a film with actors and not the real thing. That took me out of the film and made my connection to the story weaker. Also there's a lot of characters that are introduced and that takes time away from the actual survival part of the story which I thought could be longer and more detailed.

Hubby and I were just talking about the same thing yesterday while watching "The People vs. O.J. Simpson". Every time we see John Travolta, David Schwimmer, Cuba Gooding Jr., or Nathan Lane on screen, we immediately see the actor, not the characters that they play, so we're immediately reminded that we're watching a TV show, and it takes us right out of it.

I wish they would have cast less recognizable people for those roles because the show is good up until one of them comes on screen. (Cuba Gooding Jr. is the worst because he doesn't even look a little bit like O.J. Simpson.)

honeykid

03-21-16, 01:20 PM

Citizen Rules

03-21-16, 08:58 PM

Citizen Rules

03-21-16, 11:29 PM

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=24656&stc=1&d=1458662523

Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969)

Director: Abraham Polonsky
Stars: Robert Redford, Katharine Ross, Robert Blake, Susan Clark
Genre: Drama, Western
Length: 1hour 38minitues

California in 1909, a Paiute Indian named Willie Boy (Robert Blake) returns to the reservation to be with the woman he loves, Lola (Katherine Ross) who's also a Paiute. Her father disapproves of Willie Boy as he has a reputation as a rebel and trouble maker. On a late summers night the two lovers are together when her father and a group of men come to kill Willie Boy...in self defense a man is shot and Willie Boy goes on the lamb.

This is really...Robert Blake's movie, he does one helluva job acting here. His character is likable, but not too much and he manages to keep Willie Boy a troubled man. And that lust for trouble is what moves the story along. I totally bought Robert Blake's performance.

Katherine Ross...Some will scoff at Ms Ross playing a native American. It's true they do the Hollywood trick of using dark make up on her. But there were some native American actors in the film and this is 1969 and there wasn't too many 'A list' Indian actors around. Ross does a fine job here.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=24657&stc=1&d=1458662532

Robert Redford...gets top billing and his mug is on the movie posters. His face sells tickets, so of course that's how it's going to be. The main thing is Redford is pretty good here. He's suppose to be an ornery, two fist'ed, tough sheriff. OK, he's not that tough, I mean he's Robert Redford. Maybe they had Steve McQueen in mind for this role? At any rate if you're a Redford fan, don't miss this one.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=24658&stc=1&d=1458662538

Final thoughts...The restored DVD print looked great and they filmed this in wide screen and on location too, so it's a visual treat. The chase story doesn't work all that well. I would have preferred more of a drama with the chase scene done in the last 20 minutes. For some reason this didn't seem like a western, which isn't a bad thing.

rating_3+

gbgoodies

03-22-16, 12:29 AM

A question for both of you. Do you not have this problem with being taken out of a film because of a film star in their other films? I very rarely 'stop' seeing the actor/actress so it's not something I have a problem with. Though I do give an actor/actress credit when I don't see them, so maybe I've answered my own question. :D

I'm really enjoying The People vs. O.J. Simpson and I think the actors/actresses are doing a sterling job. I've even gotten used to Travolta's weird Shapiro look. As for Cuba, I think he looks as much like OJ as any name actor I could think of and, probably, more than most. :shrug:

No, I can't even remember the last time that an actor has "taken me out of the movie". (Maybe some minor roles, like the guy who played John Wayne in the movie Trumbo, but that was more because he looked nothing like JW, not because I recognized the actor.)

I'm generally very good at suspending disbelief and not letting much bother me about a movie, but the O.J. Simpson show has been a problem for me. I think Travolta is the worst for me in that show. I just can't stop seeing him, and the weird voice and facial movements are horrendous.

Cuba Gooding Jr. is getting a little better as the show goes on, but it's still annoying seeing him as O.J. Simpson. He just doesn't look anything like him, and he's acting like a child at times. I don't remember ever seeing anything with O.J. being such a crybaby like that.

gbgoodies

03-22-16, 12:38 AM

Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (1969)

Robert Redford...gets top billing and his mug is on the movie posters. His face sells tickets, so of course that's how it's going to be. The main thing is Redford is pretty good here. He's suppose to be an ornery, two fist'ed, tough sheriff. OK, he's not that tough, he's Robert Redford. Maybe they had Steve McQueen in mind for this role? At any rate if you're a Redford fan, don't miss this one.

I'm a Redford fan, but this doesn't sound like my type of movie. I'll have to think about this one.

Captain Steel

03-22-16, 01:47 AM

Rules, don't want to change the subject, but your comment about Katherine Ross playing a native American reminded me of another movie - it was The Far Horizons (1955) with Fred MacMurray & Charleton Heston as "Lewis & Clark" and (get this) Donna Reed as Sacajawea. There's probably no one more Caucasian looking than Donna Reed, but they had her slathered with make up trying to make her darker. In addition, it was completely historically inaccurate (with the gall to throw in romance between the men & their Indian guide).
On a trivial note it co-starred William Demarest who would spend much of his later career with Fred MacMurray on the TV series My Three Sons.

honeykid

03-22-16, 10:05 AM

Cuba Gooding Jr. is getting a little better as the show goes on, but it's still annoying seeing him as O.J. Simpson. He just doesn't look anything like him, and he's acting like a child at times. I don't remember ever seeing anything with O.J. being such a crybaby like that.
That's the point, isn't it? That we never saw 'the real OJ' or, rather, that we only saw the public face he showed to the outside world. That when everything was on his terms he was great, but that when it wasn't he became a self-entitled, whinging child who demanded that he got what he wanted and did whatever he could to make it so. Then it might've been a bit shocking, whereas now it's just how a lot of people are, isn't it? But now I'm just getting into my infantilised populace theory, so I'll stop before I really start... Like the child I am. :D

Citizen Rules

03-22-16, 01:19 PM

Sorry folks about the missing photos on Tell Them Willie Boy Is Here (damn gremlins;)), you should be able to see them now.I'm a Redford fan, but this doesn't sound like my type of movie. I'll have to think about this one. I don't think it would be your type of film. But it wasn't violent as far as westerns go. The violence was little and more like what you'd get in a 50s film, not like what is shown in a Spaghetti Western. That's probably why the movie isn't popular.

...your comment about Katherine Ross playing a native American reminded me of another movie - it was The Far Horizons (1955) with Fred MacMurray & Charleton Heston as "Lewis & Clark" and (get this) Donna Reed as Sacajawea. There's probably no one more Caucasian looking than Donna Reed, but they had her slathered with make up trying to make her darker. In addition, it was completely historically inaccurate (with the gall to throw in romance between the men & their Indian guide).
On a trivial note it co-starred William Demarest who would spend much of his later career with Fred MacMurray on the TV series My Three Sons. Donna Reed as an American Indian? That's so goofy, I have to see that myself. I never heard of The Far Horizons (1955) thanks for mentioning it. I like Donna Reed, Heston too and you say it has Uncle Charlie?...I have to add that one to my watch list:p

That's the point, isn't it? That we never saw 'the real OJ' or, rather, that we only saw the public face he showed to the outside world. That when everything was on his terms he was great, but that when it wasn't he became a self-entitled, whinging child who demanded that he got what he wanted and did whatever he could to make it so. Then it might've been a bit shocking, whereas now it's just how a lot of people are, isn't it? But now I'm just getting into my infantilised populace theory, so I'll stop before I really start... Like the child I am. :D I couldn't bring myself to watching anything about OJ. I'm still bothered by the outcome of the murder trial.

Captain Steel

03-22-16, 01:59 PM

The biggest problem with The Far Horizons is it's a movie about a historical event, but filled with historical inaccuracy. So if you view it, view it as pure fiction that utilizes the names of real historical figures. (I hate when Hollywood does that - if I watch a historical movie I want to learn something. Something factual, not a bunch of romance rubbish that never happened.) Although I seem to remember Uncle Charlie's performance as the rough & ready, no-nonsense Sgt. Gass was enjoyable.

Here's a photo (note Donna Reed's blue eyes!) ...hysterical.

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Citizen Rules

03-22-16, 02:07 PM

Captain Steel

03-22-16, 02:42 PM

Ha! That's bad! But I really like Donna Reed:) So one of these days I'll watch it.

There was a really well done documentary series about the Lewis & Clark expedition.
Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery (1997) by Ken Burns. It was originally shown on PBS. Have you seen it?

No, I'll have to look for it. I've enjoyed some of Ken Burns' docu's.
It's funny how the older I get, the more interested in history I become (whereas a couple decades ago I'd cringe at the idea of watching a documentary about Lewis & Clark.)

gbgoodies

03-22-16, 09:17 PM

That's the point, isn't it? That we never saw 'the real OJ' or, rather, that we only saw the public face he showed to the outside world. That when everything was on his terms he was great, but that when it wasn't he became a self-entitled, whinging child who demanded that he got what he wanted and did whatever he could to make it so. Then it might've been a bit shocking, whereas now it's just how a lot of people are, isn't it? But now I'm just getting into my infantilised populace theory, so I'll stop before I really start... Like the child I am. :D

I don't really know who the "real" O.J. is, but he always seemed angry in the media, not whiny.

gbgoodies

03-22-16, 09:20 PM

I couldn't bring myself to watching anything about OJ. I'm still bothered by the outcome of the murder trial.

I think most of us are still bothered by the outcome of O.J.'s trial, but it's even worse when you realize how much evidence they had against him, and that he still got away with it.

honeykid

03-23-16, 05:37 PM

It's the constant battle between law and justice.

Citizen Rules

03-24-16, 11:37 PM

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The Getaway (1972)
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Writers: Walter Hill(screenplay), Jim Thompson(novel)
Cast: Steve McQueen, Ali MacGraw, Sally Struthers, Ben Johnson
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Length: 2hours 2minutes

An ex-con who's fresh out of prison, Doc McCoy (Steve McQueen) is 'asked' to pull a bank robbery by a corrupt Sheriff in exchange for paroling Doc from prison. After the heist goes bad the robbers go their separate ways. Doc teams up with his loyal wife (Ali MacGraw), and they go on the lamb from both the law and the corrupt Sheriff and his syndicate friends that planned the robbery.

This is a pretty wild movie for the time! It reminded me of an early version of Pulp Fiction, in that it has a sleazy, yet fun feel to it. Some of the scenes seemed almost like a cheesy, 70s porn moviehttp://www.movieforums.com/community/images/smilies/eek.gif.pagespeed.ce.gVpbDqZYDW.gif Though nothing naughty actually happens, but it sure is eluded too. Some of the scenes with Sally Struthers doing things with the barrel of the gun and a spare rib, was pretty darn weird. But this is a PG movie so it's all done suggestively.

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The Getaway spawned a number of similar, male-female criminals, on the run type movies: Dirty Mary Crazy Larry(1974), Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974) to name a few. This was one of the first and certainly stands out by itself as being original.

Steve McQueen was the ultimate bad boy in the late 60s-70s and here he's bad to the bone. This is a quintessential role for Steve and one that he would play over and over again. McQueen has prescience, you know when he's on the screen...Usually he doesn't say much, he doesn't need to. If you've never seen him in action this is a good film to start with.

Ali MacGraw...has got to be the world's worst actress. She blows every time I've seen her and here, in The Getaway, is no exception. She just plain can't act. Strangely enough her flatly delivered lines adds to the oddly camp feeling of the movie.

On the other hand a scantly clad Sally Struthers is like a roman candle, lighting up each scene she's in. She's deliciously colorful as the bored girlfriend of a veterinarian who's been kidnapped by one of the robbers.

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The Getaway is a little known gem of pseudo kink and showy violence with an all out anarchistic flair.

rating_4

gbgoodies

03-24-16, 11:46 PM

I don't think I've ever seen Ali MacGraw in anything, but I've never heard anything good about her either. The general consensus seems to be that she's a pretty bad actress.

Citizen Rules

03-24-16, 11:53 PM

Love Story (1970) did you see that? I've seen her in The Winds of War and she was horrible! It was so much better when Jane Seymour replaced her, (same character) different and better actress.

Oh...the missing pictures should be back into the review!

gbgoodies

03-24-16, 11:57 PM

Love Story (1970) did you see that? I've seen in The Winds of War and she was horrible! It was so much better when Jane Seymour replaced her character.

Oh...the missing pictures should be back into the review!

Love Story has been on my watchlist for years, but I've never seen it. Every time I decide to watch it, I read a bad review of it, so it goes back to the watchlist. I'm sure someday I'll get around to actually watching it.

I haven't seen The Winds of War either, but it's never sounded like my kind of movie.

And yes, the pictures are working now. :up:

Citizen Rules

03-25-16, 12:03 AM

gbgoodies

03-25-16, 12:10 AM

I'm not much of a fan of epics. Even if I like the movie, it never becomes a favorite because they're usually long and sometimes too slow.

Gatsby

03-25-16, 04:43 AM

I added the The Getaway to my watchlist (the first time I've added a film on there since who knows when :p). Sounds like fun!

honeykid

03-25-16, 10:09 AM

It's Steve McQueen, so naturally I don't like this film. :D

Apparently Ali MacGraw was sexy. Sometimes the 70's was weird. Basically she married Robert Evans and left him for McQueen. Hello, career.

Citizen Rules

03-25-16, 12:59 PM

You don't like Steve McQueen, how do you feel about his rival Paul Newman?

honeykid

03-25-16, 01:04 PM

I don't really like him, either. Or Redford. 50's and 60's stars rarely click with me.

Citizen Rules

03-25-16, 01:12 PM

OK, that makes sense. IMO Newman was a fine actor, Redford no.

cricket

03-25-16, 01:26 PM

I never thought of The Getaway as a little known film, although I could be wrong. I like it, and I'm one of the few who like it's remake.

Citizen Rules

03-25-16, 01:53 PM

I though of you Cricket after I watched the film, it seemed like something you might like. And I guess you've seen it, did you like it?

Citizen Rules

03-30-16, 10:58 PM

https://lalafilmltd.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/set-fire-to-the-stars.jpg

Set Fire to the Stars (2014)
Director: Andy Goddard
Writers: Andy Goddard, Celyn Jones
Cast: Elijah Wood, Celyn Jones, Kelly Reilly
Genre: Biography, Drama
Length: 1hour 37minutes

What it's about: Based on the true story of John Brinnan, a mild mannered, aspiring poet who invited the infamous and talented Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas to America for a series of dramatic poetry readings. After a disastrous first meeting in New York City where a drunken Dylan Thomas creates a scandal....John takes him to an old family cottage in the back woods of Connecticut in an attempt to try and keep Dylan sober and under control. A task that appears to be impossible as the irrepressible Dylan can raise a ruckus, where ever he is.

Interesting stuff: This is a small Indie film, co written by Celyn Jones who plays Dylan Thomas and co written by the director, Andy Goddard who makes his directorial debut here. Filmed entirely in Wales and in black and white, which lends an air of credibility to this semi documentary style film. It's cinematography is unique, the back cover of the DVD describes the film as 'shot in cut-glass black-and-white – part love-letter to the American B-movies of the Forties and Fifties'. The 'cut glass black and white' must refer to the digital sharpening of the print. I'm not sure what the love letter to the B movies of the 40s and 50s means? It didn't seem like an old B movie to me.

Was it any good?: Well sort of, I didn't really learn much about Dylan Thomas other than he liked to drink, alot. The film was like a 'you are there' experiences with the camera showing you the events but without much story telling or character arches. Still it was interesting.

rating_3

cricket

03-30-16, 11:08 PM

I though of you Cricket after I watched the film, it seemed like something you might like. And I guess you've seen it, did you like it?

Oh yea, a fun action/crime film

Citizen Rules

03-30-16, 11:18 PM

You might consider it for a future Hof:D It was kind of funky unique.

Gideon58

03-31-16, 04:14 PM

I've never seen Love Story either, and I'm not real interested in it. The Winds of War I really liked. It was more of a melodrama, sweeping epic, telling the stories of different people... than it was about war. Oh..Jane Seymour played Ali's character in the sequel which was called War and Remembrances.
One Ali MacGraw performance that worked for me was a 1980 film called Just Tell Me What You Want, where she played the bitchy mistress to a wealthy businessman played by Alan King, you might want to check it out. Myrna Loy also appears in the film as King's secretary.

Citizen Rules

03-31-16, 05:19 PM

One Ali MacGraw performance that worked for me was a 1980 film called Just Tell Me What You Want, where she played the bitchy mistress to a wealthy businessman played by Alan King, you might want to check it out. Myrna Loy also appears in the film as King's secretary. Thanks for the tip! I looked up the cast and not only does it have veteran actresses Myrna Loy, it also has Keenan Wynn, Dina Merrill and a bunch more. I will add it to my watch list:)

Gideon58

03-31-16, 05:41 PM

Thanks for the tip! I looked up the cast and not only does it have veteran actresses Myrna Loy, it also has Keenan Wynn, Dina Merrill and a bunch more. I will add it to my watch list:)
It's the only Ali MacGraw performance I liked...it's a funny thing about The Getaway, like I said in my review of the film, MacGraw is terrible, but her chemistry with McQueen is off the charts.

Citizen Rules

03-31-16, 05:45 PM

You reviewed The Getaway? Do you have a link? I like to read it.

DalekbusterScreen5

03-31-16, 05:46 PM

I always think it's interesting when modern films are presented in black and white. It's a great visual aesthetic for creating an atmosphere, especially with the sci-fi, thriller, drama and horror genres.

Citizen Rules

03-31-16, 05:49 PM

DalekbusterScreen5

03-31-16, 05:50 PM

Yup I agree with you. I love B&W films, old one and news one too. The lack of color places the focus on both the drama, on the lighting and shadows...and on the forms of 3 dimensional objects. Like you said it's great for creating atmosphere or mood.

I think the best modern film to use it so far has to be The Artist. There needs to be more films like that one.

Citizen Rules

04-06-16, 11:38 PM

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Emperor of the North (1973)
Director: Robert Aldrich
Cast: Lee Marvin, Ernest Borgnine, Keith Carradine
Genre: Period Piece, Action Drama
Length:1hour 58minutes

Mini Synopsis (spoiler free): During the height of the Depression era (1933), Shack (Ernest Borgnine) a sadistic train conductor who keeps hobos from riding on his train by smashing them in the head with a hammer! Along comes a well weathered and wiley hobo, nick named 'A No 1' (Lee Marvin) who decides to ride on train #19, Shack's train...He's accompanied by a young greenhorn hobo, Cigaret (Keith Carridine) who's more trouble than he's worth.

I seen this film on TV when I was a kid back in the 70s. Ernest Borgnine scared the hell out of me! Especially the scene of him striking a helpless hobo in the head with a hand held sledge hammer! For years I thought of Ernest Borgnine as the 'evil guy'. So image my surprise when as an adult I watched the film Marty (1955), a film where he played a gentle and quiet, shy man. That's when I realized that Ernest Borgnine is an amazing, versatile actor.

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Lee Marvin...is the other big name in this film and his intensity and skill as an actor is legendary. He just plum looks ornery! He makes the ultimate hobo and that's what makes this film work, the look inside of the hobo's life style. We see hobo camps. We see how they look out for each other...and...we see how ultimately no hobo can trust another. They're individualist and their story is true. 1000's of men road the rails in the 1930's looking for work or even a meal. Life on the rails was tough.

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Many a teenage male decided the hobo life style was the life for them and they left their homes to ride the rails. The pre code film Wild Boys of the Road (1933) chronicled their plight. In Emperor of the North it's Keith Carradine who plays the young youth, full of himself, but still wet behind the ears. It's those three main actors that make this film worth watching.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=24841&stc=1&d=1459996911

The other thing that impressed me was the actors did a lot of the own stunts. You actually see all three of them fighting it out on top of a moving train! The rural countryside, the train yard, the hobo town..all looks authentic. There's a lot to like here, and oh yeah, this has some adrenaline pumping action scenes too.

rating_3_5+

Citizen Rules

04-14-16, 11:06 PM

https://www.eurekavideo.co.uk/sites/default/files/styles/header_image/public/24EYES_HEAD.jpg
Twenty Four Eyes (1954)
Director: Keisuke Kinoshiita
Cast: Hideki Gôko, Itsuo Watanabe, Makoto Miyagawa
Genre: Drama
Length: 156 minutes
Country: Japan
Twenty Four Eyes is based on the novel by Sakae Tsuboi.
It won a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film.

Mini Synopsis (Spoiler free): Hisako Oishi is a young woman school teacher, who's come to teach the children of a small, remote Japanese fishing village in the 1930s. She's a gentle person but more modern, than the poor people of the fishing village. This difference sometimes places her at odds with the towns folk. She forms a strong and caring bond with her students and teaches them valuable life lessons as they grow up.

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At Tonosho Port, Shodoshima, visitors are greeted by the sculpture
'People For Peace' depicting the teacher and children from the movie and novel Twenty-four Eyes

Review: This film surprised me...I really liked it. I would have liked it to be 30 minutes shorter, but the film was made for a 1950s Japanese audience and so I can't complain too much about the length, as the story itself was heart felt and compelling.

I instantly liked the teacher and I even liked listening to her voice. I liked the kids too, each had it's own story and those stories go to tell a much larger story of life in a poor rural fishing village.

I usually love black & white films, but here I would have loved to see all the beautiful scenery in color. And yet, I did 'see' beautifully colored Kimono's and delicate pink cherry blossoms. This film was beautiful shot with stunning cinematography.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/711pj-DR6GL._SX425_.jpg

Twenty Four Eyes, gives us an insight into a lost world of pre WWII rural Japan. It follows the children from the 1930s, through the first stirrings of war, through the war and after when the children have become young adults. But this is not a war film. It's a charming, endearing saga.

Ratingrating_4_5

Citizen Rules

04-14-16, 11:48 PM

http://www.arq.ro/html/media/photos/0/0/582/small/foto_black_sea_Copy.jpg
Black Sea (2014)
Director: Kevin Macdonald
Stars: Jude Law, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn
Genre: Adventure, Thriller
Rating: R
Length: 1h 54min

Synopsis (Spoiler Free): A greedy corporation that has just fired Robinson (Jude Law), finds out about millions of dollars worth of gold laying in a ship wreck, on the bottom of the Black Sea. They want to recover the gold but need to do this covertly so they get an old Russian submarine and need a man for the dangerous job...So they rehire Jude Law (who was just told that his services were no longer needed). Back on the job, he has an attitude and an itching for gold. To man the Russian sub, the evil corporation hires two teams, one English speaking and one Russian. To make things worse, the men don't trust each other and things get intense in the the confines of the old sub.

http://www.sous-marin.fr/movies/capt10/black_sea_2.jpg

The Submarine used for filming is called the Black Widow. It's an old Soviet sub moored in the River Medway at Strood, Kent.

Review: I love submarine movies. I guess it's the encapsulated feeling of seclusion. There's a fatalistic beauty to being deep under the water. Submarines impart a feeling of isolation and finality. They're a world unto themselves. There has been a lot of fine films made about submarines and their crews, but Black Sea ain't one of them!

This was one of the most boring films I've seen. Every single shot is a close up, I could hardly tell what was going on. I mean, yes I know it's a sub and it has confined space...but the director/cinematographer who decided to use a plethora of extreme close ups in attempt to give a felling of confinement...should go back to film school.

The accents were so strong that I had to use sub titles, even for the English speaking roles. I mean come pro-nounce those words! The plot was paper thin and filled with cliche character trope types. I mean who would start a mission with a group of misfit psychos? Lazy writing, that tries to make excitement turns this into a B popcorn movie, only it's not entertaining. A pretty weak film all around.

rating_2

honeykid

04-15-16, 09:04 AM

The accents were so strong that I had to use sub titles, even for the English speaking roles. I mean come pro-nounce those words! ]
Actors in modern films have this problem. They need to sound 'authentic' and, as we all know, whispering is the height of acting. Whispering in an accent which sounds accurate? You're a really wonderful actor.

I'm told Jude Law was/is trying to do an Aberdeen accent in the film. Trying walking about that city and see how many conversations you understand clearly. For once, I'm not just picking on the Scots here, either :D. With the speed at which people often speak in casual conversation (and especially in regions with heavy accents) it's hard to catch every word. I remember watching Brokeback Mountain and missing about half of what Heath Ledger said.

Citizen Rules

04-15-16, 12:25 PM

Yup to that, I've used subtitles on English language films many times. If Russell Crowe is on screen, well then, just consider his part a pantomime. I never understand a word that guy says.

honeykid

04-15-16, 12:29 PM

lol... My description of his Oscar winning performance as "a scowl and growl performance" has annoyed MV ever since she joined. :D I stand by it, though. That's exactly what he does. The lighting man deserves an Oscar for the performances in that film and that's about it.

Citizen Rules

04-16-16, 11:18 PM

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=23648&stc=1&d=1452566878
Ace In The Hole (1951)

Director: Billy Wilder
Writers: Billy Wilder, Lesser Samuels
Cast: Kirk Douglas, Jan Sterling, Robert Arthur
Genre: Film Noir

Synopsis(spoiler free): An aggressive, self promoting journalist, fresh from being fired from the big city paper he worked at, finds himself looking for employment in a hole-in-the-wall news paper in a small south western town. With nothing to do but drink, he finally finds a story about a man trapped in a cave, which he exploits and manipulates into a nation wide media circus.

https://keithandthemovies.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/ace.jpg?w=536&h=410

Films Background: Ace In The Hole is based on two true life incidents. The stories are heart breaking:

From Wikipedia:

The film's plot was inspired by two real-life events. The first involved W. Floyd Collins, who in 1925 was trapped inside Sand Cave, Kentucky, following a landslide. A Louisville newspaper, the Courier-Journal, jumped on the story by dispatching reporter William Burke Miller to the scene. Miller's enterprising coverage turned the tragic episode into a national event and earned the writer a Pulitzer Prize. Collins's name is cited in the film as an example of a cave-in victim who becomes a media sensation.

The second event took place in April 1949. Three-year-old Kathy Fiscus of San Marino, California, fell into an abandoned well and, during a rescue operation that lasted several days, thousands of people arrived to watch the action unfold. In both cases, the victims died before they were rescued.

Review: Some might say this movie is over the top. I mean Kirk Douglas' character was completely out of control...and the idea of a carnival gathered outside of the cave, seemed outlandish.

But...this movie is about ballyhoo!

The director, Billy Wilder, not only made a film about ballyhoo, he made the film in the ballyhoo style. Now that's when I realized this film is amazing. Nobody is better at being intense than Kirk Douglas he works the character for every ounce of scandalous, self serving moxie he can muster. He uses people, he lies, he manipulates...all to promote his own career as a newspaper man. Even the poor man who's trapped in the cave becomes fodder for Douglas' self indulgent scheme.

You know what? Nothing has changed. Today's news media is ready to hype and distort facts to get ratings, just like Kirk Douglas did. Ace in the Hole is a brilliant film by Billy Wilder, it's just as relevant today as it was back in the 50s.

Rating rating_5

Citizen Rules

04-17-16, 11:08 PM

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=23532&stc=1&d=1451754639

Caged (1950)

Caged, is a Film Noir from 1950, a gritty expose that was part of the 50's socially aware movement in films.

Screen writer, Former LA Times reporter Virginia Kellogg actually had her self locked up to experience prison life first hand. She then wrote a book about her time in prison called, Women without Men. Warner Brothers then hired her to write the script for Caged. The movie plays like her personal diary of the corruption and abuse of a women's prison. She was nominated for an Academy Award for best Screen Play.

Elanor Parker I find her to be excellent in most all of her movies. Here she plays a frightened 19 year old girl who's sent to prison for being an accessory to a robbery that her husband committed. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actresses.

The film could have went with the tired cliche of an innocent girl locked away for a crime she didn't commit...But the film intelligently decides not to say she's innocent, instead if focuses on how the prison system hardens a first time offender.

Each of the women prisoners have their own backstory as to why she was stuck in the jail system. Prisons might not be like this today, but a half century ago they were ripe with corruption and abuse. In a small way, films like Caged help to bring about prison reforms.

http://imgc.allpostersimages.com/images/P-473-488-90/67/6721/LKMA100Z/posters/caged-claudia-caldwell-eleanor-parker-marjorie-crosland-betty-garde-1950.jpg

This is a little known film that deserves more attention.

Ratingrating_4_5

the samoan lawyer

04-18-16, 08:41 AM

Nice work CR, especially with Caged. Really want to see that now.

Zotis

04-18-16, 08:51 AM

Prison might not be like this today? Sorry, I just couldn't abide that. Have you been to prison in Columbia recently?

Citizen Rules

04-18-16, 11:35 AM

Prison might not be like this today? Sorry, I just couldn't abide that. Have you been to prison in Columbia recently?I meant the American prison system.

Gideon58

04-18-16, 05:20 PM

You reviewed The Getaway? Do you have a link? I like to read it.
Sorry, I just saw this Citizen but here is a link to the page of my review thread that contains my review of The Getaway.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=32719&page=36

Citizen Rules

04-18-16, 10:47 PM

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=23518&stc=1&d=1451683311
High Noon (1952)
Director: Fred Zinnemann
Writers: Carl Foreman(screenplay)
Cast: Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Thomas Mitchell
Genre: Western
Length: 85 minutes

If a picture is worth a thousand words, than that picture says it all....One man alone, facing his destiny. He could have left town and been safely miles away, but out of a sense of duty he stays. The town's people won't help him, even friends find a way to shun him.

This is an idea film, it's not character driven, not dialogue driven....it's scene driven. And damn this has some fine, tight editing. There's nothing wasted, all fat is trimmed off the film. We don't know much about the characters and we don't need to.

It's the real time pacing that takes us from scene to scene as the Marshall tries to find help in a town that has forsaken him. This is brilliant film making, done succinct.

Gary Cooper is the ultimate minimalist actor. He says little and what he does say is emotionally controlled...but look at his eyes and you can see he's in the moment, he's a good actor.

Grace Kelley...a lot of people are enamored with Grace, I'm not a big fan of hers. Here she's cast perfectly as the young principled wife...a Quaker who abhors violence. Like the town's folk, she's not willing to stand by her husband, but instead gives him an ultimatum. In a way she's cast as a secondary antagonist. This look on her face says it all:
http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=23517&stc=1&d=1451680322

The town of Hadleyville looks great and very realistic. Hadleyville...is exist! only it's a real ghost town called Columbia in Northern California.

High Noon has been described as a western for people who don't like westerns. I don't know about that but, it's certainly a one of a kind, classic film. I really enjoyed it.

Rating rating_5

Captain Steel

04-18-16, 10:50 PM

I hate westerns - but High Noon is one of the only two I really like.
I agree with the rating!

Citizen Rules

04-18-16, 11:41 PM

Captain, some interesting trivia about High Noon:

The movie is often described as a western for people who don't like westerns.This film was intended as an allegory in Hollywood for the failure of Hollywood people to stand up to the House Un-American Activities Committee during the Sen. Joseph McCarthy Red-baiting era.
Screen Writer Carl Foreman was blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee shortly after the film came out. In fact, he had fled to England by the time the film was finished. John Wayne strongly disliked this movie because he knew it was an allegory for blacklisting, which he and his friend Ward Bond had strongly and actively supported. Twenty years later he was still criticizing it in his controversial May 1971 interview with Playboy magazine. Inventing a scene that was never in the movie, he claimed Gary Cooper had thrown his marshal's badge to the ground and stepped on it. He also stated he would never regret having driven blacklisted screenwriter Carl Foreman out of Hollywood.and finally:

President Bill Clinton's all-time favorite film. He watched it 17 times during his two terms as President of the United States.

Gideon58

04-19-16, 06:50 PM

Wow, that's a pretty impressive list. I liked Bewitched too. I really like Julie & Julia. The other ones have been years since I seen.

I got my Sony BluRay player for Christmas, but damn! I hooked it up and then it stopped working.
Nora Ephron received an Oscar nomination for her screenplay for When Harry Met Sally.

Gideon58

04-19-16, 06:57 PM

I'm not a big Woody Allen fan, but I recently saw a couple of his movies that I liked.

I saw Bullets Over Broadway for one of the movie tournaments here, and I liked it a lot. I thought maybe the reason I liked it more than some of his other movies was because he wasn't in it, so I tested that theory by watching Annie Hall.

I didn't love Annie Hall as much as most people do, but I thought it was a good movie, and I actually regretted waiting so long to see it.

I think I saw Midnight In Paris when it came out on DVD, and as I recall, it was a pretty good movie. I don't remember a lot about the movie, but I vaguely recall thinking that it was the first Woody Allen movie that I really enjoyed since Sleeper.
Totally agree with you regarding Annie Hall...Woody's made at least half a dozen movies that are better.

Nope1172

04-20-16, 05:09 PM

Ace in the Hole is fantastic, I wrote a review of the film myself when i watched it for the 50s HoF. I wasn't a big fan of Caged, but your review was still very well written, great reviews!

TONGO

04-20-16, 05:26 PM

Citizen Rules

04-20-16, 05:41 PM

Dang Citizen your thread is huge. Im way behind on B&W movies Ive seen in my lifetime. I should make a one year commitment to watch nothing but old B&W movies and catch up on all the classics Ive missed... I like your plan! Even if you did it for 3 months, as long as you watched a lot of old B&W films you would end up with one helluva education. Oh BTW, there are a lot of old color films. Starting in the late 30s they made a number of technicolor films. Actually they had color films even way before then.

Friendly Mushroom!

04-20-16, 09:50 PM

President Bill Clinton's all-time favorite film. He watched it 17 times during his two terms as President of the United States.

On a similar note, La Strada, another film nominated for the first 50's HoF, is Pope Francis's favorite movie.

Captain Steel

04-20-16, 09:56 PM

There was one on TCM last night that I never heard of... they had it listed as "Mr. Arkadin," but I couldn't find it on IMDB... that's because it's also known as "Confidential Report" (1955) directed by & starring Orson!

I didn't watch it because I just got done viewing Run Silent Run Deep (1958). But I believe they'll have it On-Demand for later viewing.

So, Rules, is "Mr. Arkadin" worth watching?

Citizen Rules

04-20-16, 10:34 PM

On a similar note, La Strada, another film nominated for the first 50's HoF, is Pope Francis's favorite movie. I would have never guessed that. I really liked La Strada, so I'm in good graces:)

There was one on TCM last night that I never heard of... they had it listed as "Mr. Arkadin," but I couldn't find it on IMDB... that's because it's also known as "Confidential Report" (1955) directed by & starring Orson!

I didn't watch it because I just got done viewing Run Silent Run Deep (1958). But I believe they'll have it On-Demand for later viewing.

So, Rules, is "Mr. Arkadin" worth watching? Captain, I've never seen Mr. Arkadin" aka "Confidential Report". For me, most of Orson Welles films are iffy. I loved Citizen Kane and so far that's about it. I've seen other of his films but wasn't bowled over by them. If you watch let me know what you think. Have you seen other Orson Welles' films?

Run Silent Run Deep (1958) now that is one cool film!

gbgoodies

04-20-16, 10:39 PM

Captain Steel

04-20-16, 11:37 PM

Have you seen other Orson Welles' films?

Run Silent Run Deep (1958) now that is one cool film!

Yes, I've seen some other Orson films, but not a lot of the film noir ones - talking to you got me started on that trend!

So far I've seen (not including his voice work)...
Citizen Kane
The Stranger
The Third Man
Moby Dick
Compulsion
Casino Royale
Catch 22
F for Fake

I've probably seen a couple others that I don't recognize by title.

Also - mentioned that I watched Run Silent Run Deep on the "What Movie Are You watching Tonight" thread yesterday and said how the beginning reminded me of Star Trek the Motion Picture (1979).
Today I looked up trivia on IMDB and it said that Robert Wise was the director for both movies and it seems he was well aware of the plot similarities, (i.e. Wise may have influenced the story of STTMP to make it resemble the conflict in RSRD!)

Captain Steel

04-20-16, 11:41 PM

I saw Mr. Arkadin a while back, but it was only okay. Here's a link to my review:

http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?p=1317783#post1317783

Thanks, GBG. If I find it on at some point I may check it out, but I don't think I'll go out of my way to hunt this one down! ;)

Citizen Rules

04-21-16, 12:01 AM

So far I've seen (not including his voice work)...
Citizen Kane
The Stranger
The Third Man
Moby Dick
Compulsion
Casino Royale
Catch 22
F for Fake
Yes, I've seen some other Orson films, but not a lot of the film noir ones - talking to you got me started on that trend! Nice list, you've seen a lot, that I haven't seen:

Moby Dick
Compulsion
Casino Royale
Catch 22

Touch of Evil is a great noir and it's been restored to be the movie he wanted. The film had been cut up by the studio after he was done shooting. Shanghai Surprise is a good noir of his too.

Also - mentioned that I watched Run Silent Run Deep on the "What Movie Are You watching Tonight" thread yesterday and said how the beginning reminded me of Star Trek the Motion Picture (1979).
Today I looked up trivia on IMDB and it said that Robert Wise was the director for both movies and it seems he was well aware of the plot similarities, (i.e. Wise may have influenced the story of STTMP to make it resemble the conflict in RSRD!)[/quote] That's interesting, it would be cool to watch both movies back to back.

gbgoodies

04-21-16, 12:07 AM

Nice list, you've seen a lot. I haven't seen:

Moby Dick
Compulsion
Casino Royale
Catch 22

Touch of Evil is a great noir and it's been restored to be the movie he wanted. The film had been cut up by the studio after he was done shooting. Shanghai Surprise is a good noir of his too.

You should move Compulsion to the top of your watchlist, and definitely make sure that you watch it before you compile your Top 50's Movies list.

Citizen Rules

04-21-16, 12:09 AM

Oh, I just looked it up and I did see Compulsion. I remember posting about it, but I don't remember Orson Welles in it.

gbgoodies

04-21-16, 12:10 AM

Oh, I just looked it up and I did see Compulsion. I remember posting about it, but I don't remember Orson Welles in it.

Orson Welles was their lawyer in Compulsion.

Citizen Rules

04-21-16, 12:15 AM

Thanks, I still can't picture him. Did he look really different, thanks to make up? I do seem to recall discussing that fact.

I'll check back latter, dinner time and I'm watching Cricket's MoM Punishment Park

Captain Steel

04-21-16, 12:15 AM

Oh, I just looked it up and I did see Compulsion. I remember posting about it, but I don't remember Orson Welles in it.

I thought you'd seen that. (I remember discussing it.)

Orson played the Clarence Darrow character (but the character had a different name just like in Inherit the Wind where they also had a lawyer played by Spencer Tracy that was based on the real-life Darrow).

You may not remember Orson because he was virtually unrecognizable. When I saw Compulsion I spent several minutes trying to figure out if the lawyer was Orson or not (the voice was there, but he looked so different).

Just found this to give an example of how different Orson looked in the film...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrjbL4eedkQ

Gideon58

04-21-16, 03:59 PM

Nice to see someone else who doesn't think Grace Kelly was the be all and end all... the camera loved her but as an actress, she was definitely limited and, as you probably know, I have always been of the belief that she robbed Judy Garland of the Oscar she should have won for A Star is Born for her performance in The Country Girl, an award I think Kelly received because she agreed to appear onscreen without makeup...other than that, there was nothing special about the performance IMO.

honeykid

04-21-16, 04:55 PM

Add me to the 'never seen the appeal of Grace Kelly' club. If she hadn't married a Prince and died young I don't even know that I'd have heard of her when I was a kid.

Citizen Rules

04-21-16, 10:51 PM

Yup I'm not a big fan of Grace Kelly. I can think of a ton of other actresses that I like better.

Citizen Rules

04-21-16, 11:42 PM

69910
Ikiru (1952)
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Cast: Takashi Shimura, Nobuo Kaneko, Shin'ichi Himori
Genre: Drama
Country: Japan

Synopsis: A quiet, older man who works as a bureaucrat in a cramped office, tries to find some meaning to his life after he visits the doctor and learns he has only a short time left to live.

Review: I really was impressed with the first 90 minutes and thought it was beautifully shot, with many potent and poetic scenes. I can see artistry here at work.

The scene where Watanabe (Takashi Shimura) goes to the doctor and another patient literally tells him that he's doomed was maybe one of the most powerful scenes I've seen on film.

Another powerful scene was where Watanabe overhears his son and daughter in-law talking about getting him to sign over his pension, which breaks his heart...a very powerful scene indeed. The scene with the younger girl and how see finally reacts to him was deeply reflective of the emotions in play.

The actor who played Watanabe and the actress who played the girl were both excellent. They could really pack emotion into a facial expression.

But the film lost me on some degree, when he dies at the 90 minute mark of the film. That felt like the emotional end of the tale and I didn't connect to what functions as a epilogue in the last 50 minutes (the scenes at the wake and the flashback sequences). That part was well done too but almost felt like another movie.

Overall I liked the insight the film gives into attitudes of the Japanese in the mid 1950s. You could see that the occupation of Japan had really westernized them, with their dance clubs with American style dancing and music. Also interesting was the married couple wanting an American style house because the Japanese houses were too cold.

rating_4

Citizen Rules

04-22-16, 10:21 PM

http://www.storie.it/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/masina-la-strada8.jpg
La Strada (1954)
Director: Federico Fellini
Writers: Federico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli
Cast: Anthony Quinn, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart
Genre: Drama
Length: 1h 48min
Country: Italy

Synopsis (spoiler free): A young woman is sold by her mother to a traveling 'strong man' entertainer for a few dollars and a bit of food. He mistreats the young woman at every chance he gets.

Review: La Strada is a strong story that juxtaposes the over bearing personality of a side show strong man (Anthony Quinn) who doesn't care who he abuses and the young woman (Giulietta Masina) he purchases for an assistant, she has a child like mind and a light joyous heart that he tries to break.

Like a feather in the wind Gelsomina is tossed around by the negativity of the strong man all while keeping trying to keep her innocents. That's the beauty and tragedy of the story....we see the world through her innocent child like eyes and yet, her world is Zampano, a brute of a man, who is a polar opposite of her, and destroys what he can't understand and can't care about.

Anthony Quinn was excellent as the antagonist and yet there's enough humanity to his character that I could still understand where he's coming from.

http://thefifiorganization.net/2014site/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/lastrada_breakchain.jpg

Richard Basehart is perfect as the comic fool. I had never seen him do such a lively role before. I would have liked to seen more of his character, he was excellent in this too.

http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/37/76/3776b05c211e9e9a2d4c2e2f15a71b08.jpg?itok=LEHflIUD

Giulietta Masina, I was captivated by her performance. It was sad, and yet her smile could light up the screen. She wanted so little out of life, and got even less. Not only was the actress amazing, but the writing and idea for the character Gelsomina was brilliant too.

La Strada, is about a dark subject, but it's told in a bright, life affirming way. At least that's how it felt to me and I found that lighter feel appealing.

rating_4_5+

Citizen Rules

04-22-16, 11:18 PM

http://cdn.indiewire.com/dims4/INDIEWIRE/b488d19/2147483647/thumbnail/675x404/quality/75/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fd1oi7t5trwfj5d.cloudfront.net%2F6b%2F7d%2Fe64362164443a76ca8c9af944b4e%2Fsuffraget te-carey-mulligan-1013383-suffragette-1439467686703.jpg
Suffragette (2015)
Director: Sarah Gavron
Writer: Abi Morgan
Cast: Carey Mulligan, Anne-Marie Duff, Helena Bonham Carter
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Length: 1h 46min

about: After nearly 50 years of campaigning for women's right to vote, the suffragette movement in Britain turns to violence as the foot soldiers in the movement begun breaking windows and destroying property. Lead by the strong willed and outspoken Emmeline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep), the movement grows and so does the police brutality. Maud (Carey Mulligan) is a lone woman who works in a laundry sweat shop, who becomes swept up in the cause and risk loosing her family in the process. This is a story based on historical facts, the brutality these suffragette woman faced was horrendous. Over thousand of them were locked in jail cells and beaten. Written

Review: Directed by a woman director (Sarah Gavron) and written by another woman (Abi Morgan), Suffragette tells a heart breaking story of the real women who fought for equality in Britain at the turn of the 19th century. I was deeply moved by this film, even more so that when I learned that the events on the screen happened in real life and were just as brutal. It's hard to believe half of the human population was denied the rights to vote around the world and only achieved that right through much suffering and sacrifice. 100 years ago is not so long ago. This film is an important film.

http://www.madameulalie.org/grp/images/suffragettes1.jpg

All the lead actresses gave very believable, under stated performances. They kept in character and kept their mannerisms in tune with the early 19 hundred. Carey Mulligan played the lead and she has a quiet subtle too her that is very convincing. And that's important as we experience her world through her eyes. She's one of my favorite actresses working today.

http://screeninvasion.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Suffragette3-500x284.jpg

The scenes inside the laundry sweat shop where girls as young as seven years old work in deplorable conditions...was one of the most memorable and emotional scenes of the movie.

rating_4

Citizen Rules

04-23-16, 02:27 PM

http://cs630818.vk.me/v630818633/12519/svqcgWe4wJs.jpg
Rashomon (1950)
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Writers: Ryûnosuke Akutagawa(story),Akira Kurosawa(screenplay)
Cast: Toshirô Mifune, Machiko Kyô, Masayuki Mori
Genre: Crime, Drama
Length: 1h 28min
Country: Japan

Synopsis (spoiler free): Three men gather together in the ruins of an old Japanese gate house to escape a rainstorm. A priest and a woodsman tell their versions of the story of a murdered samurai. Both men had been partially witnessed the crime and testified at the trial of the accused bandit who committed the crime. We see three different versions of the truth as told from each viewpoint.

Review: I really liked the set location of the old ruined wooden gate, which to me looked like an old temple. And the rain, lots of rain!...that added to the feel of three weary travelers huddled together, telling their stories. I thought the mystery of a horrible event that the men knew about, but could hardly believe, was intriguing and I couldn't wait to find out what the mystery was. The three actors at the ruins were all well cast to fit their roles and conveyed different personalities quit well. I liked them as actors.

But when the story flashed back to the three characters in the woods, I lost interest. It was a let down once I seen what their versions of the horrible event was. I guess I imaged something more provocative and stirring would ensue.

The woodland characters seemed two dimensional and even the cinematography wasn't great, consisting of mainly close ups. The thief was so over the top in his acting that he was annoying and seemed more comical than anything.

This was made for Japanese audiences in 1950 and the themes of duality and how men put on a different face than what their true nature is, most have resonated well with the Japanese psyche. These themes of the nature of human duality come up often in Japanese culture.

I also bet that the three characters in the woods (the horseman, the thief, the lady) were presented on film like Kabuki actors. So this might have been an awesome film for a 50s Japanese audiences that was familiar with the themes and Kabuki theater. But it didn't resonate with me.

rating_3

Citizen Rules

04-23-16, 04:12 PM

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=23917&stc=1&d=1453746135

Smiles of a Summer Night (1955)
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Writer: Ingmar Bergman
Cast: Ulla Jacobsson, Eva Dahlbeck, Harriet Andersson
Genre: Comedy, Romance
Length: 1h 48min
Country: Sweden

Synopsis: A fanciful tale about a group of eccentric, well-to-do people in the late nineteenth century Sweden.

Review: Bergman films are often described as physiologically dark, steeped in symbolism, with characters who lament their lives. And that's what I found in Smiles of a Summer Night for the most part.

I'm sure it's a well made film and a classic, but I had little connection to it. I was never 'in the story' but merely an observer. I used that photo above because that scene and the character of the maid was the only part I really connected to.

Most of the characters felt stiff and unreal to me, like two dimensional caricatures. They're there to make a statement about humanity and the condition of love. But the characters themselves seem like empty shells who's main purpose is to deliver the director's philosophical viewpoints. Which I suppose some people love about Bergman, I didn't.

I did sense an attempt by the director to inject light comic moments into the film, like the bed that comes out of the wall. But mostly these moments seemed artificial, it was like I was watching an opera with characters who are being intentionally over done to make a point. Only the maid and her ideas of love seemed real. I liked her.

If this was Bergman light, I shutter to think what a serious Bergman film is like.

rating_2_5

Citizen Rules

04-24-16, 03:11 PM

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=25061&stc=1&d=1461521360
Papillon (1973)
Director: Franklin J. Schaffner
Writers: Dalton Trumbo & Lorenzo Semple Jr. (screenplay)
Cast: Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman, Victor Jory
Genre: Biography, Crime, Drama
Length: 2hours 31minutes

Based on the real Papillon, Henri Charrière who served time at the infamous Devil's Island and latter wrote a novel about it, which he heavily embellished.

Steve McQueen is Papillon, a French man who's sentenced to life imprisonment at French Guyana 'Devils Island'. On the long sea voyager over, he befriends a man Louis Dega (Dustin Hoffman). Dege is a forger and carrying a lot of money...and money can be used to buy freedom from corrupt guards.

http://i0.wp.com/bitcast-a-sm.bitgravity.com/slashfilm/wp/wp-content/images/papillon-remake-700x300.jpeg?resize=700%2C300
This has been called the crowning achievement in Steve McQueen's turbulent movie career, it's certainly a tour de force cinema.

Great effort was put into the making of this. Most of the film was shot in the tropics, mainly Jamaica and Venezuela. A huge 800 foot set in Falmouth Jamaica was built, it painstakingly recreated the prison of Devils' Island. Two years was spent on studying the original blue prints of the prison so that it would be authentic. At the end of the film we see the real prison that has long been abandoned to the jungle. The set is near identical to the real thing.

http://ekladata.com/[email protected]

But what rocks, is the stand out performances of two acting legends: Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. The director choose to shoot the film in chronically order which is rare in film making. This subsumption creates a stronger reality as the actors move through time in sync with the filming. One caveat, this is not a buddy picture, even though their friendship drives the dynamics of their characters. Nor is this an entertainment film in the same vein as The Great Escape.

What Papillon is...a fine example of film making by professionals who care about their craft. It's stunning to look at. The characters are memorable, as is the story. The direction, editing and scoring are all class acts.

rating_4

Citizen Rules

04-24-16, 06:21 PM

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Stage Fright (1950)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Marlene Dietrich, Jane Wyman, Richard Todd
Genre: Thriller Suspense
Length:1h 50min

Synopsis: A young budding actress tries to help her friend prove his innocence after he's accused of murder.

Review: This is an interesting Hitchcock film. It's different and not like his later 1950s thrillers that are so well known. This is more like his earlier British films. This isn't a tension filled thriller, it's more of a lighter study of acting and stage theater, all done with a cleverness to it.

But I never really connected to the film...it starts off with a car chase through the streets of London and then there's a long flash back scene, then back to real time and Jane Wyman is risking jail by helping her love interest, Richard Todd escape. But the film never shows me why she would take such a risk, I needed more back story on her character and relationship with the accused man for me to buy into it.

I'm not much of a fan of twisty-turning who-done-it murder mystery...but if you are, you should like this film as it's cleverly done, and that's all I can say as I don't want to ruin the story.

I really liked Jane Wyman in this, she's an underrated actresses. And Marlene Dietrich is excellent too. In fact the entire cast was excellent, even Hitchcock's own daughter who has a small role as Chubby Bannister was quite good.

rating_3

cricket

04-24-16, 06:26 PM

It was so recently that we watched Stage Fright and it's already faded from my memory. Not bad, just bland.

Citizen Rules

04-24-16, 06:32 PM

Same for me, I can't really remember it now. Have you seen Papillon, I think you might like that one.

cricket

04-24-16, 06:35 PM

I think I saw it about 30 years ago, can't really remember.

Citizen Rules

04-24-16, 06:44 PM

That sounds like me, I've seen a bunch of movies from decades ago that I can't remember much about them.

Daniel M

04-24-16, 06:44 PM

I like Rashomon, but I don't think it's quite a masterpiece like some others say. There are other Kurosawa films I greatly prefer, and a load I still have to watch. I really liked Papillon too when I saw it a year or two ago, on of my step-dad's favourites. Probably about a 3.5 from me, just a tad overlong.

Citizen Rules

04-24-16, 06:53 PM

cricket

04-24-16, 06:55 PM

CR, you have to see Seven Samurai if you haven't already. I was going to nominate it but I didn't want to force something so long. May be the greatest film ever made.

gbgoodies

04-24-16, 08:08 PM

Stage Fright (1950)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Marlene Dietrich, Jane Wyman, Richard Todd
Genre: Thriller Suspense
Length:1h 50min

Synopsis: A young budding actress tries to help her friend prove his innocence after he's accused of murder.

Review: This is an interesting Hitchcock film. It's different and not like his later 1950s thrillers that are so well known. This is more like his earlier British films. This isn't a tension filled thriller, it's more of a lighter study of acting and stage theater, all done with a cleverness to it.

But I never really connected to the film...it starts off with a car chase through the streets of London and then there's a long flash back scene, then back to real time and Jane Wyman is risking jail by helping her love interest, Richard Todd escape. But the film never shows me why she would take such a risk, I needed more back story on her character and relationship with the accused man for me to buy into it.

rating_3

It was so recently that we watched Stage Fright and it's already faded from my memory. Not bad, just bland.

I had the same problems with Stage Fright. I never really connected to it, and I watched it twice recently, but I remember very little about it except that it was an average movie, and not as good as Hitchcock's normal suspense thrillers.

Citizen Rules

04-24-16, 08:36 PM

gbgoodies

04-24-16, 08:43 PM

Hey GBG, good to see ya. I watched Stage Fright like maybe 3 years ago and when I rewatched it I had forgotten everything. Still a fun film to watch. And I have a couple more reviews to do of films you watched recently. And when I have the time I just watched Pal Joey.

Yeah, I've seen Stage Fright a few times, and it seems to be one of those movies that I enjoy watching while I'm watching it, but I never seem to remember anything about it a few days later. :shrug:

I'm looking forward to reading your reviews. :)

Citizen Rules

04-24-16, 09:00 PM

Hopefully tonight I can review Pal Joey. I'm a tad under the weather so I'm not doing too much except some light cleaning of the house, fun!....not!

Captain Steel

04-24-16, 10:25 PM

I liked to see more Kurosawa films. I'm sure more will come up in future Hofs, so I will. Agree with Papillon being a bit long. I was just talking about that earlier today with my wife. IMO, the part that could have been cut out is time spent with the Indian village. Not that the sequences was bad, I liked it, but it seemed to have a different feel than the rest of the film. That part reminded me of Hawaii (1966). The native girls were nice:)

I'd like to see all the Kurosawa films someday. So far, I've only seen two: Seven Samurai (1954 - as cricket says, it's great, it's a masterpiece, it's long, but really good,) and Red Beard (1965 - which was interesting, kind of a period-piece, Japanese doctor drama similar to those that became popular in western cinema & TV).

Citizen Rules

04-24-16, 11:08 PM

http://static1.squarespace.com/static/514a2911e4b0896b36342655/t/5170eb03e4b054b6c22e34ae/1366354692707/pal+joey+triptych.jpg?format=750w
Pal Joey (1957)

Director: George Sidney
Cast: Rita Hayworth, Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak
Genre: Drama, Music, Romance
Length: 1h 51min

A rather amusing film, I enjoyed it. Frank's got the pipes and belts out some smooth tunes. He's got the right role for himself here too. Years back Sinatra played the put-upon-man, the skinny lad who was always fidgeting and wasn't a hit with the ladies. But the Frank we all know and love...or at least know...is a wild boy, booze and women, women and booze...and in Pal Joey, Ol' Blue Eyes gets to shine. He's a cad, well what did you expect? The ladies love him and guys want to emulate him. This is the real Sinatra as far as I remember.

But what broke my heart was seeing Rita letting herself go so badly. There's rumors about why she looked so tired in this film, but I'm not going to speak of those. One thing is for sure, some things never change...Rita might be shy in private, but when those lights come up and the cameras role, that woman knows how to shine iridescent. It's been awhile, but she'll always have a soft spot in my heart.

This review wouldn't be complete without notice of one certain young lady, Kim Novak. Miss Novak is a directors dream, she combines a unique beauty with a fragileness that's seldom seen on the screen. But it's her sinuous movements that catch my eye. When she moves, she leads with her head and her shoulders and voluptuous body follows. Miss Novak moves like a gazelle and that throaty sensual, but shy voice....mark my words, she has a bright future.

And what about the film you say? Well it was fine in a Hollywood type of way. Thought if I had my druthers I would have dug the camera into the floor, used a wide angle lens with deep focus when Rita does her big stage number, but that's just me.

rating_3

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gbgoodies

04-24-16, 11:15 PM

Nice review of Pal Joey. :up:

I thought it was one of Sinatra's best movies, and possibly his best role.

Citizen Rules

04-24-16, 11:21 PM

Citizen Rules

04-24-16, 11:23 PM

I'd like to see all the Kurosawa films someday. So far, I've only seen two: Seven Samurai (1954 - as cricket says, it's great, it's a masterpiece, it's long, but really good,) and Red Beard (1965 - which was interesting, kind of a period-piece, Japanese doctor drama similar to those that became popular in western cinema & TV). Capt you probably already know this but the American western The Magnificence Seven was inspired by Seven Samurai.

gbgoodies

04-24-16, 11:25 PM

Thanks GBG, I had fun writing that. I waiting a really long time to see that one. Would you call that a musical? IMDB list it as musical but it seemed more like a comedy romance drama with some music. I need to see more of Kim Novak, each time I see her I like more.

I agree with you that it was more of a comedy romance drama with some music, but IMDB lists it as a musical because it features a bunch of songs. IMDB tends to list several genres for most movies, probably because they want all the movies to come up in any search that the movie might fit it, even if it's only a little bit close.

Citizen Rules

04-24-16, 11:28 PM

Did you like Kim Novak's singing?

gbgoodies

04-24-16, 11:36 PM

Did you like Kim Novak's singing?

I don't think she did her own singing in the movie. I think her voice was dubbed, but I don't remember whose voice was used instead of hers.

Citizen Rules

04-24-16, 11:39 PM

I didn't think so, but I didn't read about it either. She does have a throaty voice and it sounded like her. I'll have to look it up.

Captain Steel

04-24-16, 11:40 PM

Capt you probably already know this but the American western The Magnificence Seven was inspired by Seven Samurai.

Yep. (not to mention the REMAKE of the Magnificent Seven, now with an updated all-PC cast!)

There's been some mention of the length of Kurosawa's films - thinking back to Red Beard, it's over 3 hours also. But I remember watching it in parts and (not that I recommend viewing most films this way) it lent itself well to watching it this way because, in addition to the main story there were a couple vignettes in it (smaller stories related by other characters in the film) and since there were smaller stories told within a larger story it didn't seem to interrupt the flow by watching the movie in intervals. (if that makes any sense.)

Actually, Red Beard was a bit like a Japanese version of Dr. Kildare (but set in Japan of the 1800's.)

gbgoodies

04-24-16, 11:43 PM

I didn't think so, but I didn't read about it either. She does have a throaty voice and it sounded like her. I'll have to look it up.

It makes sense that whoever's voice they used to dub her voice would sound similar to hers. They don't want it to be obvious that it's a dubbed voice.

I remember being shocked when I first found out that Michael Paré didn't do his own singing in Eddie and the Cruisers. The guy who did his singing voice (John Cafferty) was almost an exact match to his voice.

Citizen Rules

04-24-16, 11:45 PM

A PC cast for the remake...oh nuts!

Red Beard was a bit like a Japanese version of Dr. Kildare Now that's interesting. I wouldn't have thought of that. Did Red Beard perform samurai surgeon with his sword;)....just kidding, I haven't seen many Japanese language films but I did really like one called Twenty Four Eyes, but no else did. Well I reviewed it up there...or is that back there...somewhere I did recently.

Citizen Rules

04-24-16, 11:46 PM

You know I still have never seen Eddie and the Cruisers. Though I remember hearing the song Dark Side by John Cafferty on the radio. I thought he sounded like Bruce Springsteen.

TONGO

04-24-16, 11:47 PM

You know I still have never seen Eddie and the Cruisers. Though I remember hearing the song Dark Side by John Cafferty on the radio. I thought he sounded like Bruce Springsteen.

The first ones good, I never saw the sequel.

Citizen Rules

04-24-16, 11:49 PM

I bet GBG did:D....Orson says good night and good meals:)

gbgoodies

04-24-16, 11:50 PM

The first ones good, I never saw the sequel.

The sequel (I think it's called Eddie Lives) is pretty good, but it's nowhere near as good as the original. The first movie has a better story and much better music.

gbgoodies

04-24-16, 11:54 PM

You know I still have never seen Eddie and the Cruisers. Though I remember hearing the song Dark Side by John Cafferty on the radio. I thought he sounded like Bruce Springsteen.

I actually like John Cafferty's voice better than Bruce Springsteen's voice, but I think Springsteen's songs are better. (I'm talking about John Cafferty's other albums, not the movie soundtrack, vs. the few Springsteen songs that I know.)

Captain Steel

04-25-16, 12:02 AM

A PC cast for the remake...oh nuts!

Now that's interesting. I wouldn't have thought of that. Did Red Beard perform samurai surgeon with his sword;)....just kidding, I haven't seen many Japanese language films but I did really like one called Twenty Four Eyes, but no else did. Well I reviewed it up there...or is that back there...somewhere I did recently.

Have you seen the previews for the new Magnificent Seven?
They've got white guys (of course), a black guy (Denzel in the Yul Brynner / leader spot), an Asian guy and a Native American.

I'm not saying I mind it... (it might have been a cool idea of a western group of inter-racial mercenaries if it was an original movie), I just don't like when things are done (and done quite obviously) for PC reasons.

Thinking about Red Beard, it's quite a lot like Dr. Kildare because the main plot is about an older Dr. known for his bad temper but remarkable skill, who takes on a young intern in his hospital (makes you wonder if the writers weren't inspired by Kildare?)

Friendly Mushroom!

04-25-16, 05:53 PM

Citizen Rules

04-25-16, 11:18 PM

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The Gazebo(1959)
Director: George Marshall
Cast: Glenn Ford, Debbie Reynolds, Carl Reiner
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Thriller
Length: 1h 40min

Synopsis: A Television director, Elliott Nash (Glenn Ford) accidentally kills a blackmailer and buries the body under the new gazebo that is being built in his backyard. His wife (Debbie Reynolds) and best friend (Carl Reiner) keep asking questions, which makes him increasingly a nervous wreck.

This, it's a smart, well paced, interesting film that I'd never heard of. If you think of this as a rom com you will be wrong, it's a drama, with light comedy but not zany screwball comedy. The comedy comes out of a dark situation of a TV producer being black mailed. In fact forget it's suppose to be a comedy at all, this is a crime thriller with a lighter touch.

Glenn Ford, is excellent in this as the nervous TV producer who's being black mailed by a mysterious person. Normally I don't find Glenn Ford that effective in movies, but here he's on the mark. Debbie Reynolds is looking fine in this film, damn she is tiny! Her waist size is incredibly small. A young Carl Reiner is good in this too...and his role as a family friend who's got the hots for Debbie, makes for a good side plot in this film, can he be trusted?

I liked the opening scenes that show the workings of a live TV show being produced in the late 1950s. This film kept me guessing and kept my interest. Oh...I also thought a young Martin Landau as a gangster was good!

The Gazebo is a hidden gem from the 1950s.

rating_3_5

mark f

04-26-16, 12:02 AM

I liked the Hitchcock telephone call. :cool:

gbgoodies

04-26-16, 12:02 AM

Great review of The Gazebo. I agree with your feelings about Glenn Ford, and IMO this is his best movie.

gbgoodies

04-26-16, 12:03 AM

I liked the Hitchcock telephone call. :cool:

I agree. It's one of the best parts of the movie.

Mark, Thanks for recommending this movie to me a while back. It's one of my new favorite movies. :up:

Daniel M

04-26-16, 12:33 AM

To be fair, this all PC cast of the remake of The Magnificent Seven doesn't seem like a case of being forced upon the movie. But more the fact that the director himself is black and that he's used Denzel Washington in his most famous films before and knows him to be a great actor, he's also using Ethan Hawke who he worked with in Training Day. Like The Equalizer, he's updated it because he thinks the original idea is cool, and that he has a great actor who he can work with in that role. Not that I particularly liked that film, but he seems like more an auteur and frequent-collaborator with his own unique flavour rather than someone who does something because he's been forced to do so, or to fill quotas :)

cricket

04-26-16, 12:38 AM

I'm not sure about that director. I liked The Equalizer a bit, but I was disappointed in Training Day, Brooklyn's Finest, and Shooter. I watched the trailer for the new Magnificent Seven, and I'm just not feeling it.

Citizen Rules

04-26-16, 10:24 PM

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Affliction (1997)

Director: Paul Schrader
Cast: Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, James Coburn
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 1h 54min

Synopsis: Based on the novel by Russell Banks. Affliction tells the story of a small town cop (Nick Nolte) who suffers from anger issues and is recently divorced. He finds himself investigating a suspicious hunting death, while events begin to occur that cause some to question his stability.
I'm not a fan of Nick Nolte but he's perfectly cast here. I can't say why, without spoiling the ending...so I'll just say, watch it and you'll know why.

What impressed me most was the use of actual outdoor settings, which added to the believability. I loved the snow, the film looks really good. The cinematography is skillfully done as the camera is 'quiet' and doesn't zoom or jump around. Instead there's a quiet poetic look to the film with it's many wide angle outdoor shots. This gives the feeling we're an observer from afar and I liked that.

I wasn't keen on the spoken narration by Williem DeFoe. The narration could have been reduced to only a few lines. But it wasn't a deal breaker. Affliction is an interesting movie, beautifully shot and much different than the average film.

rating_3_5

.

Citizen Rules

04-26-16, 10:34 PM

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G...A...T...T...A...C...A

Director: Andrew Niccol
Writer: Andrew Niccol
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Length: 1h 46min

Synopsis: A man born through 'natural means' is considered to be genetically inferior to those who are enhanced at birth. He dreams of going into space but society only allows him menial jobs. So he assumes the identity of a genetically superior man in order to pursue his dreams. And in doing so has committed a crime.

Uma Thurman sure looks good in this film. But what's really impressive is how her (and the other characters) are handled by the director. She's coldly dispassionate and emotional controlled. All the genetically superior employees of Gattaca are like that.

That photo I used really conveys well the 'perfect world' of those who have superior genes...they're almost dehumanized by their superior conformity. And that's just what the corporations want.

The director plays on this perfect genes-equals cold as ice theme with other character pairings:

Vincent (Ethan Hawke) is the natural born child, who's full of spirit but with crummy health...In contrast is his genetically superior manufactured brother Anton, who's icy.

With the two police investigators pairing, there's: Alan Arkin who's eluded to being a natural born child, full of personality but not as bright as his younger but superior partner, who's got the personality of an machine.

Gattaca is an awesome film and one of the best examples of existential Sci-Fi. The director expertly down plays any sci fi elements in the film, which gives it credibility. The cars are old models, the clothing is sedate, there's no high tech CG props...in fact the film starts off by saying it's set in the very near future.

The sets were stunningly reserved elegance, done in a mid century modern retro look. Damn beautiful. I can't think of another film that makes such striking sets. I loved the choice of the old Studebaker Avanti cars and other classic car models. And one of the best looking refrigerators I've seen in a movie is the one in Vincent's parents house. The vastness and use of negative space in Jerome's apartment is way cool! What a great looking film.

I thought Ethan Hawke was excellent. The huge amount of effort that he was willing to undertake so that he could go on a space missions, said a lot about the human need to overcome obstacles. And that's what the film is really about.

Jude Lawe as his counter balance was a perfect metaphor for having it all and being miserable. He too did a great job in this.

rating_4_5

Citizen Rules

04-26-16, 11:13 PM

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Punishment Park (1971)

Director: Peter Watkins
Writer: Peter Watkins
Cast: Interrogators,Cops National Guardsmen,Hippies,Anarchist,Revolutionaries
Genre: Pseudo-Documentary Action Thriller

Punishment Park is a pseudo-documentary claiming to be an authentic film by a British news team that is sent to cover the sentencing of a group of Hippies, Anarchist & Revolutionaries... and their punishment at the hands of cops and National Guardsmen at the desert known as Punishment Park.

Review: This has to be the most unique film I've ever seen. It's not like a typical movie. Back in 1971 this was pretty cutting edge stuff.

I loved the documentary style of film making, especially as much of the story is told through the eyes of a British film making team, who are filming the events that we see in the film. There's something about a British narrator that lends credibility to the film.

This was for it's time a very hard hitting look at the social class struggle that took place in the late 60s-early 70s between 'the man' (the older embellishment) and the younger protesters (the baby boomer generation). Some of the things the accused agitators say in this film might seem outlandish, but there were young people at the time who thought that way. Especially over Vietnam and the carpet bombing campaigns in Indochina. Likewise the older generation who were represented by the government, were leery of young anarchist and of the communist threat.

This film is a time capsule of how the two sides felt about each other. This was during a time when America had seen the rise of radicalized militant groups like the Black Panthers and mass protestors, and feared violent overthrow of the government.

In today's world such events might seem preposterous, but in 1970 this film and it's subject matter was quiet relevant.

Punishment Park looks homemade, that's by design. The actors aren't polished, they look like people off the street, and that's a strength. Any serious film buff should watch this.

rating_4

gbgoodies

04-27-16, 02:05 AM

Affliction (1997)

[SIZE=2]Director: Paul Schrader
Cast: Nick Nolte, Sissy Spacek, James Coburn
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 1h 54min

I wasn't keen on the spoken narration by Williem DeFoe. The narration could have been reduced to only a few lines. But it wasn't a deal breaker. Affliction is an interesting movie, beautifully shot and much different than the average film.

rating_3_5

.

I agree about the narration in Affliction. I didn't think most of it was necessary, and some of it, (at the beginning), might have even been detrimental to the movie.

Citizen Rules

04-27-16, 05:46 PM

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The World, the Flesh and the Devil (1959)
Director: Ranald MacDougall
Cast: Harry Belafonte, Inger Stevens, Mel Ferrer
Genre: Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi
Length: 1h 35min

"A miner trapped in a cave-in resurfaces, and upon discovering mankind has been wiped out in a nuclear holocaust, sets out to find other survivors."

This is an introspective film that studies the effects of racial discrimination as it existed in the 1950s, in an abstract way. It follows a Black American man (Harry Belafonte) who was trapped underground in a mine shaft during a nuclear disaster that kills the human race (or so he believes). Belafonte emerges to find he's in a new world, void of people, but will the demons of the old world follow him?

I should say this is not really a sci fi film. There's no zombies, this is not I Am Legend. It's not a sci fi film in the usual sense of the word, we don't see what destroyed the world, nor do we see rotting bodies. It's not that type of film.

One caveat, the final shot at the ending, is not so much about the character, it's more of a message to the film audiences of the 1950s.

Harry Belafonte, is perfectly cast as a man with many doubts and suspicions, but also with a need to reach out and find other humans. He's complex and yet seems like a real person and not an actor.

Inger Stevens, plays the girl but she is so much more than just window dressing. She is the dynamic that causes the tension and allows the movie to explore racial and personal themes.

Mel Ferrer, is the constant professional actor. He's the unknown element in the story and a interesting character.

The World, the Flesh and the Devil a fun film but also a serious one.

rating_3_5

Citizen Rules

04-27-16, 10:06 PM

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The Lion in Winter (1968)

Director: Anthony Harvey
Cast: Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins
Genre: Biography, Drama, History
Length: 2h 14min

Synopsis: In Britain in the year 1183, King Henry II is an elderly King with three sons, all who want to inherit his throne. Henry has a favorite son to succeed him but he won't commit on his choice of an heir. His estranged wife, the Queen also has a favorite son she wishes to place on the throne. The two monarchs use their sons as pawns in a power game for the throne.

Review: One caveat: this is NOT a film that you can set back and vegetate to. It demands your full attention as it's dialogue rich and very complex with interwoven plans to get one of the three sons onto the throne.

https://thesouloftheplot.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/playinchessyo_thelioninwinter.jpg
A young Timothy Dalton (King Philip II of France) and two of King Henry II sons,
Geoffrey (John Castle) and John (Nigel Terry).

The two leads, Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn are amazing. These two thespians are masters of the theater and give vivacious performances. It's amazing to see them together.

One thing I noticed was how real the sets looked. The castles looked real, they should, as they were real! The sets gave a cold and austere atmosphere, which matches the hearts and motivies of the King and Queen.

It must have been cold because in one scene with Hepburn and O'Toole I could see Hepburn's breath. They did a lot of on-location shooting for both interiors and exteriors. They shot the film in France, Wales and Ireland. All this attention to detail and realism, made the film seem...well, real.

The Lion in Winter is not an easy film to watch. I found if I didn't pay close attention I would miss bits of dialogue and lose my place in the ongoing, plans-within-plans. The dialogue is very stage like and reminded me of a modern adaption of a Shakespearean play.

I do love historical period pieces but this film is really about cleverly written verbiage. Really the things they say are very witty and roll of the actors lips like fine tuned prose.

rating_3_5+

.

Citizen Rules

04-28-16, 02:40 PM

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Forbidden Planet (1956)

Director: Fred M. Wilcox
Cast: Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen
Genre: Sci-Fi

Synopsis: A starship is sent to investigate a human colony on a distant planet. The colony has ceased all communications with Earth. When the ship arrives they find only two survivors: an older, egotistical but brilliant scientist and his stunningly beautiful, yet naive daughter...Lurking somewhere on the alien planet is a deadly secret.

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Nah, my review isn't going to be all about Anne Francis, though it could be! This review is about how Forbidden Planet became one of the most important sci-fi films to be made and literally changed the future...Not only the future of sci fi films, but the future of women's fashions...I'm talking the mini skirt! I just didn't make that triplicate panel of Anne Francis for window dressing you know...Look at what she's wearing in 1956, a mini-dress, a very short mini-dress! Women in the 1950s would never have dressed like that, but in a futuristic sci-fi film they were able to show that. A decade later and women all over the western world would be wearing super short attire and thanks in large part to Forbidden Planet.

Of course the biggest contribution this classic 1950s sci fi movie made was in directly influencing the most iconic of sci fi TV shows, Star Trek. One can't help but notice how much of Star Trek was directly lifted from Forbidden Planet. Such as:

As soon as the title credits in Forbidden Planet rolls we see a wide angle shot of a star field and then one of those stars grows bigger as it comes closer to the screen, then the 'star' comes close enough for us to see it's a ship...Star Trek did the exact same shot in the opening title credits.

The story of mankind spreading out into space, exploring and colonizing it in the 23rd century, sounded just like Star Trek's mission. In Forbidden Planet they travel to a distant planet to rescue a Earth ship that had crashed 20 years earlier. When they get there they find aging scientist and one of them has a beautiful daughter who's highly cerebral and educated, but ignorant of men..as she's never seen one. That's very much like the original pilot for Star Trek, The Cage.

I could go on but let me just end this by saying Forbidden Planet broke new ground by including deep scientific techo-talk and giving the world a more adult story of existentialism in a sci fi story. This moved sci fis from kid movies, to more serious films thus allowing films like 2001 A Space Odyssey to be made.

A few more photos to show the influence of Forbidden Planet on sci fi. See if you recognize these.
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=54474
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=54471
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=54472
https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=54473

Forbidden Planet is the granddaddy of modern sci-fi flicks and was one of the very first big budget, 'A list' sci-fi films. IMO it's the best sci-fi to be made during the Atomic Age...aka the 1950s. It heavily influenced many sci fi films, including the original Star Trek TV series and the first Star Wars film.

http://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=23146&stc=1&d=1448475965

The movie was a big budget, cutting edge effects film for it's day. It used for the first time a Moog synthesizer for the sound score. This lent the film a creepy, alien feeling to it. The sets looked like a 'real' alien world. In comparison most sci-fi films at the time were cheap and cheesy looking and being made for kid matinee audiences the stories were simple with less than stellar acting.

Walter Pidgeon is Dr. Morbius, the intelligent, mysterious colonist who seems almost superior to the star crew. Pidgeon is perfectly cast. His daughter the young starlet Anne Francis is good as the beautiful ingenue who has never seen a man her own age before.

The deep underlying them of the darkness inside of all of us is one that lends itself well to this movie.

rating_5

gbgoodies

04-28-16, 03:53 PM

Great review of Forbidden Planet. I like that you included the comparison to the original "Star Trek" because this movie was definitely an influence on the original TV series.

I'm hoping to see this movie show up on the upcoming Top 1950's Movies Countdown.

Citizen Rules

04-28-16, 04:03 PM

gbgoodies

04-28-16, 04:14 PM

Thanks GBG, and a bigger thank you for posting here:) I haven't had much activity lately. That's probably because I'm posting films that I've already talked about elsewhere. Soon I will be caught up and back to reviewing newer films.

I don't know if Forbidden Planet will turn up on the Top 1950's Movies Countdown. I hope so, and it will be on my list! But there's not a lot of fans of older sci fi. Maybe if Captain turns in a voting list, hint-hint:p...but come to think of it he doesn't like the Moog synthesizer score:( I guess well see. Maybe it's turn as the Movie of the Month will help.

About the similarities to Star Trek. I was going to post a montage of comparisons to scenes from Forbidden Planet and Star Trek (maybe I will do that latter) The similarities are more than close. I view Forbidden Planet as a older pilot movie for Star Trek.

I've been pretty busy recently, so I haven't had much time to post, but yeah, I think the lack of replies is because we've already discussed these movies in other threads, so there's not much more to say. :shrug:

Hey Capt., did you get the hint about the 50's list (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showthread.php?t=44683)? We want you to send in a list, even if Forbidden Planet doesn't make your top 25. :)

Den of Geek had an article about the influence that Forbidden Planet had on science fiction movies and TV, not just "Star Trek", but they have a whole section about "Star Trek". It's an interesting article. Here's the link:

http://www.denofgeek.us/movies/forbidden-planet/251991/the-influence-of-forbidden-planet-on-star-trek-and-star-wars

Citizen Rules

04-28-16, 04:23 PM

Yeah, I noticed you've been busy...it's always good to see ya. Me, I've been under the weather with a cold so the only thing I've been doing is hanging out at MoFo, that's why I had the time to post reviews.

Cool thanks for the link, I'll check that out:)

gbgoodies

04-28-16, 04:35 PM

honeykid

04-28-16, 05:09 PM

I hope you're feeling better soon, CR. :)

I don't think much of Forbidden Planet, but then I don't care for The Tempest either, so that obviously isn't helping it with me. It does look good, though.

I watched The World, the Flesh and the Devil because you nominated it for Movie of the Month and I enjoyed it. I didn't really have anything to say about it that hadn't already been covered in the thread, so I didn't bother posting.

Citizen Rules

04-28-16, 05:17 PM

Can't say The Tempest holds a lot of interest for me. Which year version did you see the 2014? 2010? one or the older one?

honeykid

04-28-16, 05:36 PM

I've not seen any of them. I saw some of the Derek Jarman version (which obviously isn't the most mainstream way of experiencing it) but I've seen the play, watched a BBC adaptation and tried to read it a couple of times. It's never worked for me. I just can't engage with it at all so it bores me. I think I even tried The Animated Tales version and still couldn't go with it and that's only 30 minutes.

Citizen Rules

04-28-16, 08:38 PM

My mistake HoneyKid, I don't know why my brain thought you had seen The Tempest. I haven't seen it either for the same reasons you haven't. But I did like Shakespeare in Love (1998).

gbgoodies

04-28-16, 08:55 PM

My mistake HoneyKid, I don't know why my brain thought you had seen The Tempest. I haven't seen it either for the same reasons you haven't. But I did like Shakespeare in Love (1998).

I still haven't seen Shakespeare in Love. It's another movie that's been on my watchlist for a long time, but I just haven't found the time to watch it.

Maybe someone will nominate it in a HoF someday so I can finally see it.

Citizen Rules

04-28-16, 09:23 PM

I doubt it will ever get nominated, unless you join and you do:p
It doesn't seem like the type of film that gets nominated in the Hofs.

gbgoodies

04-28-16, 09:28 PM

I doubt it will ever get nominated, unless you join and you do:p
It doesn't seem like the type of film that gets nominated in the Hofs.

Maybe we'll have a Shakespeare Movies HoF someday, and someone will nominate it. :shrug:

Captain Steel

04-28-16, 11:26 PM

Hey there - I haven't commented here lately simply because I haven't seen some of the films that CR has reviewed recently.
But I loved the review of Forbidden Planet - a movie I'd also give a 5 to if it wasn't for that damned Moog "music"!
Visually, it's probably the best sci-fi of its age.

Citizen Rules

04-29-16, 02:45 PM

Star Trek 1
Star Trek 2
Star Trek 3
Star Trek 4
Star Trek 5Star Trek I
Star Trek II
Star Trek III
Star Trek IV
Star Trek V

put a few words or even ... between the clear tags

Citizen Rules

04-29-16, 03:02 PM

https://www.movieforums.com/community/attachment.php?attachmentid=56733

Argo (2012)

Director: Ben Affleck
Cast: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman
Genre: Biography, Drama, History

If you're looking for an action packed, thriller suspense...skip this movie! If you watched the trailer and think this is going to be an edge of your seat film, thing again!....Argo is a slow paced, biography drama, it's not a thriller. It's an introspective look at an inside CIA plan to extract six Americans trapped in Tehran, during the Iranian hostage crisis of 1980. These six Americans are hiding in the Canadian embassy and the Iranians are looking for them, but not sure of their whereabouts.

The movie follows an actual secret plan that the CIA came up with to get the hostages out of the country by using an elaborate ruse which was, a cover story of a Hollywood producer scouting a location for a new sci-fi film in Iran. With the trapped Americans as 'part' of the movie production team, with fake credential and everything.

This sounds like your typical Hollywood blockbuster but director Ben Affleck, does a pretty decent job here of making this feel like an authentic CIA operation. He avoids all the pitfalls that would have made this just another action-suspense-thriller. I liked the casting, the pacing, everything was top notch except how the ending was done. I can't tell you what the ending is and what happens is factual. What I didn't like was the pacing. Affleck for the end sequences went Hollywood with cliche moments in attempt to build excitement.

But if you can overlook the last few minutes, this film tells an amazing story of a low point in America's history, when another country, Iran took and held over sixty American hostages for 444 days. The repercussions of this event still shape U.S. foreign policy today.

rating_3_5

Citizen Rules

04-29-16, 07:24 PM

http://nyevents.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/1437037951_11754735_987073194656930_3953103727090986463_o.jpg
A League of Their Own (1992)

Director: Penny Marshall
Cast: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell
Genre: Comedy Drama Sport
Length: 2h 8min

Synopsis: During World War II many of the professional baseball players have enlisted, leaving a shortage of players. There's talk that the professional baseball games will be shut down for the duration of the war. Then a promoter, Jon Lovitz, comes to a small farm town and recruits two sisters to join the first female baseball league. The new women's baseball league has an uphill battle to earn respect from the fans and from their drunken ex-ball player turned manager, Tom Hanks.

Review: You don't have to be a baseball fan to like this movie. I liked it, as you get a nice drama based on real events with some light comedy, but not silly-slapstick comedy. It's a fun film and hey, not only do you get Madonna as a bad girl ball player (if figures), you also get Rosie O'Donnell as her loudmouth friend (it figures!)...I liked Geena Davis and Tom Hanks in this but Lori Petty really stills the show and third base!

The film was directed by Penny Marshall of Laverne & Shirley fame. Many of her family members and friends make brief appearances in the film. Shirley (Cindy Williams) sadly was not in the film.
http://cdn1.bigcommerce.com/n-ou1isn/ydriczk/products/72751/images/72551/ss3570125_-_photograph_of_penny_marshall_cindy_williams_laverne_%2526_shirley_available_in_4_sizes_framed_or_un framed_buy_now_at_starstills__25225__75388.1394504742.500.659.jpg?c=2
The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a women's professional baseball league founded by Philip K. Wrigley which existed from 1943 to 1954. Over 600 women played in the league.[1] In 1948, league attendance peaked over 900,000 spectators in attendance.A League of Their Own, is one of the rare films where history, drama and comedy blend perfectly together.

rating_3_5+