1940's Hall of Fame II

I've thought of that idea too, but in all honesty i don't think what i said there is an actual problem or flaw of the HOF's. Something i've noticed is that they usually get everyone to get to know each other, i think the smaller groups that can have discussions together at times are useful so the louder members (like me who never shuts up) don't drown them out. I also don't think there'd be a drastic change in discussion even if there was some strict schedule, (i know that's not what you're suggesting i'm just saying even if that was possible and was kept to i don't think it would be a big enough change for it to be worth becoming so robotic) i think this is about the height of internet movie discussion we can have between multiple members from different timezones and work/time schedules. I'm not actually complaining about it because these are definitely my favourite part of the site; never thought anything would replace the Countdowns but they have, i was just pointing out why i think the first few days are the best at least collectively.

Maybe I am remembering something incorrectly, but wasn't this tried once before where members tried to all watch (or at least the ones who were able to do so) some of the same movies at the same time?
If I am wrong, then I am getting it mixed up with something else.
But if I am correct, I think it worked in the beginning, but slowly everyone just started watching whatever movie that they decided to watch next.
Like I said, I could be getting it mixed up with something else.

I could try it, but, for the most part, I watch the films that I don't own in the order that they arrive at the library. So I don't know how much I would be active in a discussion on a film that I can't obtain right away (if I haven't seen the film, I wouldn't know what everyone else was talking about anyway).

I loved this one, too.

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Not my kind of movie normally but I really liked that, and that's with me being lukewarm on Joel McCrae as a leading man.

There's been alot of 'movie of the month' type threads, it doesn't work which is why they always end up with shocking participation rates.

Every single one of them will probably start with a post from me saying i'll try to take part and i never do, not because of anything to do with the movie but the format, i end up not caring.

I mean, lets wait three weeks for an interesting opinion...blah. The harsh but not too harsh demands of the HOF's are the best.

the small groups do work pretty nice.
Gotten to know more people through the HoFs and enjoy the discussions I do have opportunities to jump in.
And of course, miss the ones I don't make it to, but try to read through them later on when I can. So it all kinda works out like a favorite pub. You pop in, see a few, miss a few. . .

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Guys and gals, I wasn't meaning a different format or anything like that when I said it would be cool if some of us watched the same film around the same time. I meant within the Hof format, just us members. Like with Topsy's nom Lilya 4 Ever in the 10th Hof, where several of us watched it within a few days and got a good convo going, then a few more people watched it next and joined in. That's all I meant.

So...if anyone wants to call out what movie they are watching next, I will try to watch it next also (if I have it).

well, I just finished Body and Soul, minutes ago.
Let me know if that works. I'll be posting a review tomorrow.

There's been 3 reviews for Double Indemnity. . .

and if anyone else wants to try this, I'm pretty happy catching the discussions I can, when I can. So, if a few folks time in whenever, however, and we continue as we have at the same time; we all watch whatever we decided and chime in when we can; should be kinda cool.

After watching the movie Body and Soul, the scenes between 15 and 20 minutes of this episode of "The Dick Van Dyke Show" make a lot more sense.

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I only have Odd Man Out, The Sea Wolf, and Beauty and the Beast available to watch right now (plus Cricket provided a link for Body and Soul). I haven't looked for the other films yet, but I can do so today.

Since Ed and GBG both just posted about having seen Body and Soul recently, maybe I'll go with that next. I was going to rewatch Odd Man Out, but maybe it would be best to space the noirs out a bit more.

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Double Indemnity

Unpopular opinion time: I didn’t really like this movie. I watched it and all the parts were there but it didn’t do anything for me. I found it stilted (is that the right word?) and unengaging. Even more unpopular opinion time: I don’t care that much for Sunset Boulvevard either. The Lost Weekend is all right. No, The Lost Weekend is good, it’s a really well made film, I just don’t feel much of a connection to it, and it’s kind of the same with this one. And Ace in the Hole. On the other hand, I like Stalag 17 and Sabrina. I really like Witness For the Prosecution, The Apartment and The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes. And I love Some Like it Hot. I have pondered my reactions to Billy Wilder films and come to the conclusion that I like them more the less serious they are. There’s something a little too serious and straight maybe about his earlier dramas for my taste.

The other thing is, I really like the film Body Heat. And I’d read that it was sort of based on Double Indemnity so I was fully expecting to like it but… I just didn’t. Give me The Postman Always Rings Twice over this any day. The characters and their relationships and motivations didn’t gel for me, the framing structure and the voiceover were distancing, it just seemed to lack emotion.

I know I’m in a minority in this, and it isn’t even as though it’s a badly made film I can pick holes in, it just wasn’t for me.

Beauty and the Beast

I admired this movie, but I didn’t love it. It wasn’t as enchanting as I hoped it would be, but it is still impressive. I found it a little gloomy, but on the other hand I don’t think it would have worked had it not been in black and white. The black and white, the shadows are integral to the film.

This is unmistakably a Jean Cocteau film, written and directed by Cocteau, full of Jean Cocteau-ness. However, what I didn’t notice before is that Rene Clement (director of Forbidden Games and Plein Soleil) is credited on imdb as director (uncredited). I suspect there’s a story behind the production of this film that’s at least as interesting as the film itself. Jean Marais, Cocteau’s lover and frequent collaborator, plays two parts - the Beast and Avenant, the handsome but untrustworthy man who wants to marry Belle (an equivalent of the Disney version’s Gaston, perhaps), and the two characters sort of merge together. Or swap. Or something. Like a fairytale Performance.

Parts of it make little sense - some things they say (perhaps lost in translation), some lack of consistency, (the character of Ludovic). There’s a lot of symbolism going on, to the point that it’s not always clear what is real within the terms of the film. The performances are a bit artificial. In fact too much of it is artificial. Not that it should be going for realism, but I feel like a fantasy type of film should transport you into believing in its world and its too inconsistent to quite achieve that. The character of Belle is a little undefined and she comes across as a bit indecisive. It’s more like dreamy film poetry than a film with a sensible plot, but that’s kind of the point, I think.

Mostly I was left with an abiding impression that it is amazing what could be done with make-up and special effects in the 40s that people rely on cgi to do these days *cough* 2017 Beauty and the Beast *cough*.

I was planning on rewatching Double Indemnity last night but got tired so I'll see it today. But you know Thursday, every word you said in that write up I identified with, from how you felt about all of Wilder's films, to Body Heat, to The Postman Rings Twice.

I share the same sentiment with Thursdays on Double Indemnity, but I kind of had the opposite response with Witness for Procesution. Even though I did like it, my problem was that lighthearted and comical elements really stopped me from taking the story too seriously (despite being really funny), hence making me not completely invested and preventing me from completely loving it.

Either way, I think I'll watch Body and Soul today, as it seems to be a trending film atm. I love boxing flicks so this should be a treat. And also looking at the pics, I kind of get Max Schmeling vibe from John Garfield.

i've just sent the list to Camo on 13th HOF so now I'm free starting to watch 1940s noms. I'm gonna start with
I Remember Mama

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If anyone has difficulties finding online sources for the movies PM me, I will try to find a link.

I decided to watch Body and Soul too, so I will work on a write up. I noticed some interesting things in the movie, that I wonder what others thought?

Right off the start....I noticed this had some impressive people working on it. The Assistant Director is Robert Aldrich and the Cinematographer is the legendary, James Wong Howe. The story unfolds seamlessly with just the right touch of artistic cinematography but not too much for a boxing movie. Every element fits together nicely, a very smooth movie.

Boxing rags to riches....this is the kind of story I love. We hunker down and really get to know the characters and their neighborhood. We're transported back in time to the depression era in a poor New York neighborhood full of gambling, speakeasies and hoods trying to make a quick buck. This all looked pretty real to me too.

My favorite scenes....were the ones early in the film when John Garfield's buddy 'Shorty', tries hustling the big man in the pool hall, played to perfection by William Conrad. I love the way he keeps trying to promote his boxing buddy and won't give up for nothing, he's very gutsy. And that's what the film is about, going for the bucks and the glory and not ever looking back, no matter who gets hurt.

The Boxing scenes....Geez those looked real to me. I don't follow boxing but Garfield looked like he knew his way around the ring. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he was a boxer at some point in his life. The other wickedly cool thing about the boxing scenes was the way they were filmed. To me it looked like a different camera was used, as it looked more grainy than the reaction shots of the crowd watching the match. I'd wouldn't be surprised to learn that they used a super 8mm or something along those lines. I can't put my finger on it, I just know the format looks different and so does the frame rate, it seemed reduced.

The Cast....I like John Garfield as an actor, but I like him best when he plays troubled characters with a huge chip on their shoulder. He was good here too, but I never cared about what happened to him. I didn't care if he won the day or got the girl...and I think that's because his character doesn't have heart and so I couldn't sympathize with him.

Lilli Palmer I did like her, she had this intellectual air about her that contrasted well with Garfield, while being sensible and down to earth, which is a bit odd for an artist if you think about it. She's pretty too, and that's a plus.

Did anybody think that Ann Revere who plays the mother, looked like the Professor from Gilligan's Island?

I never saw Gilligan's Island but I thought the actress who played the mother was fantastic.

I think the difference between you liking it and me loving it was Garfield's character. I thought he grew as a person as it went along.

Yup, she was pretty good alright. She didn't really look that old in real life, so maybe the stage make up made her look like the Professor.

Exactly, for me Garfield kept me from loving it, and I did like everything about the movie, it's an intelligent film, but I never connected to his character.

My favorite all time boxing movie is Golden Boy (1939) with a young William Holden and Barbara Stanwyck. The script of Body and Soul reminded me a lot of that film.