Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review

Nora Ephron wrote some of my favorite rom-com movies:

When Harry Met Sally... (1989)
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)
You've Got Mail (1998)
Julie & Julia (2009)

And even Bewitched (2005). I know that most people hated this, but I liked it, even though it starred Will Ferrell, (who I hate).

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.

That sucks. Do you know what happened? Is it a defective DVD player, or a bad hookup?

Did you try a few different discs to make sure that it's not just a bad disc?

Man! Sony shipped the player just in it's product box, not in a shipping box. I've got it to work but can't control the volume or any of the TV controls by it's remote. I'm reading the big online manual right now at Sony. Did I mention I hate reading manuals


Keep your fingers crossed.

You usually have to set the remote to work with your TV controls, including volume, unless it's a Sony TV. There's usually a code that you have to look up in the manual, and input it into the remote.

I usually don't bother. I just keep all the remote controls next to me on the desk.

Ahh, your too smart! Yup that was it. In the manual that shipped with it, which I read cover to cover, there was no mention of setting up the remote. I had to go online to find that info. As always thanks!


P.S. I'm thinking my New Years MoFo resolution is to do a quickie review of each film that I watch the night before. I'll see how long I can keep that up and just maybe I'll even review one Swan will like

I'm glad to hear that you figured it out. Have fun with your new Blu-Ray player.

I tried rating each movie the next day, and it was working for a while until I got too busy to do it. I was going to try to catch up on my ratings for the 1964 movies that I haven't rated yet, but I counted them, and there are 14 movies from 1964 that I didn't have time to rate, so I decided to just pass. I'll try to keep up when we start the 1965 list.

Third Finger, Left Hand (1940)

Director: Robert Z. Leonard
Writer: Lionel Houser
Cast: Myrna Loy, Melvyn Douglas
Production Studio: MGM
Black & White 96 minutes

A likeable screwball comedy from 1940. The film revolves around the humorous problems that arise from a fake marriage. Myrna Loy is quite good as Margot, the smart brunette who heads up a magazine editing department. Her problem is the bosses wife who's jealous of pretty unmarried women in the office. So to keep from being fired, Margot invents a fictions marriage to a man that no one has ever seen. All is well until she crosses path with Melvyn Douglas who plays a practical joke on her...he announces to her family that he's the long missing husband. The couple go to great lengths to hide the true nature of their marriage.

Myrna Loy is exceptional in this role. She has a unique blend of intelligence and sass that works well in this type of movie. Melvyn Douglas was a real surprise for me. I've seen him in a few movies but never in such a naturalistic comic role. He has a subtle comic style that pairs well with Myrna Loy. There's a lot of funny scenes in this movie, I really enjoyed it.

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Rollerball (1975)

Director: Norman Jewison
Writer: William Harrison (screenplay)
Cast: James Caan, John Houseman, Maud Adams
Length: 125 minutes

Synopsis: In the future governments have been replaced by omni-powerful corporations. War and poverty have been eliminated and so has personal freedom. Humans have every luxury they desire but their lives are controlled by the corporations. One man, Jonathan E, a star rollerball athlete refuses to accept the status qua when he's told the corporation wants him to retire from the game.

Rollerball sounds pretty interesting, but it's not. It's merely a dressed up exploitation film with a cool premise...sadly it has no guts and nothing to say.

Besides some futuristic looking buildings which were shot in Germany, the film mainly revolves around the circular rollerball track. It's like a glorified version of the old TV roller derby with some mumbo jumbo jargon about evil corporations thrown in to try and make the film seem deep.

Rollerball borrows heavily from classic sci-fi. The classical music score and the uncooperative, talking super computer is very reminiscent of 2001: A Space Odyssey. And the plot idea that women are assigned to houses like furniture, comes straight out of Soylent Green. There's little that's original about Rollerball and even less of a story or character development. We never learn what motivates Johnathan E. We never dive into the underpinning of this futuristic society.

James Caan mumbles his way through the film. His character barely seems to have any emotions at all, and not much of a brain either. Maybe he's been bopped in the head one too many times!...Or more to the point the movie lacks anything reminiscent of a good script, so Caan has nothing to say.

Rollerball is a product, like cotton candy on a hot summers eve...it leaves one with an empty feeling.

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Johnathon E doesn't have a point. He's there to play the game. The game is there to prove that the individual is worthless.




Needless to say, I love this film. Top 100 and a childhood favourite. Shame you didn't like it, though.

__________________
5-time MoFo Award winner.

Honeykid, it was a childhood favorite of mine too. I was surprised after not seeing it for decades that the story was told so weakly. I had remembered it as one of the greats.

There's an old adage in fiction writing, 'show don't tell'. I love the premise of the movie and the opening sequence with the classical music and the wide angle shot of the dimly lit track wrapped in black empty space....gave me goosebumps. But the movie for me lacked any involvement, I didn't feel like the character was made real to me, I didn't feel like this futuristic society was real. I just didn't buy into it. I wanted to.

The Magnificent Seven (1960)

Director: John Sturges
Screen Writer: William Roberts, Walter Bernstein (uncredited)
Cast: Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, RobertVaughn, Brad Dexter,
James Coburn, Horst Buchholz, Eli Wallach
Length: 128 minutes
Filming Location: Morelos state, Mexico

A poor Mexican farming village is terrorized by bandidos, so the poor villagers decide to fight back with the help of seven American gunslingers, that are 'hired guns'.

Based on the Japanese masterpiece, Seven Samurai. The Magnificent Seven is Hollywood's version of that classic film. Both Yul Brynner and Charles Coburn were big fans of Seven Samurai. Yul Brynner acquired the rights to the story and set out to remake it as a western.

Numerous problems plagued the production. Filming was done on location in Morelos, Mexico. The problem was the Mexican censors demanded script changes so that Mexican farmers would only be seen in a positive way. They even demanded the farmer's clothes couldn't show dirt.

A young upstart actor, Steve McQueen, took every opportunity to upstage his fellow actors. If you watch McQueen carefully he's always fidgeting or adjusting his hat, etc. Yul Brynner was upset that many of his lines were given to the director's favorites in the movie: Steve McQueen and the German actor Horst Buchholz.

The first script writer was so upset about charges to his work that he demanded his name be removed from the movie. Yul Brynner went so far as to make mounds of dirt to stand on so he would appear taller than McQueen and he hired an assistant to count how many times McQueen touched his hat.

When it was finally finished it was a good western with big star names, but lacking in character development. Many of the big name stars have limited screen time. The Magnificent Seven marks the arrival of a new style of western movie, where the bad guys are the heroes and despite being cold blooded gunslingers they do have their own set of morals.

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Another great thing about The Magnificent Seven is that it has an amazing soundtrack.

Another great thing? What was the first?

I like Rollerball and The Magnificent Seven quite a bit, but it's been a while for both.

Absolutely! I should have mentioned that. It was Nominated
for an Academy Award for 'Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Elmer Bernstein'.

Director: Julien Temple
Writers: Julie Brown, Charlie Coffey
Cast: Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey,
Damon Wayans,Julie Brown,Michael McKean

Need a good reason to watch Earth Girls Are Easy...Geena Davis! She's looking very hot in this film. Especially in her big musical number, as she trashes a house while parading around in her lingerie. Later we see more of her too!

Earth Girls are Easy is a fluffy, silly, wacky film with lots of pretty girls and colorful, fanciful sets that ooze with 1980s California Valley style.

Geena plays Valerie Gail (get it?), her doctor boyfriend has cheated on her and that's why she trashes his house. She's sad, so she goes and suns herself by the pool... and then by chance, an alien space ship crash lands in the pool. It's either a small ship or a very large pool!


Valerie's bored so she then invites the furry aliens into her house for lunch. Then just for fun she takes them to Julie Brown's Beauty Salon where they get defurred and a fun make over too.


Then we're treated to another big splashy musical number in the beauty salon. Earth Girls Are Easy has some kitchy, fun 80s songs in it. Don't miss Julie Brown's big 80s hit Cause I'm a Blonde...well she's not blonde, go figure!


Earth Girls Are Easy, is good stupid fun! And a great nostalgic trip back to the glitzy 80s.

Fun Rating

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I only saw this because my sister really wanted to see it. One of the rare occasions where she as right. I really enjoyed it and I still like it quite a lot. SC and I did a commentary for it last year.

I saw Earth Girls Are Easy many years ago, and all I really remember about it was that it was kind of stupid. But I was much younger then, so maybe I should re-watch it and give it another chance.

Oh, it is stupid. No doubt about that. That's part of its charm, IMO.