Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review

I've seen it twice before. But the last viewing was over 10 years ago, so I had forgot just how well scripted Ben-Hur is.

Thanks, there was so much more that I didn't even cover in my review. I mean it's a vast story! I just hit upon a few of the highlights.

One thing I didn't mention, I love how a simple act of leaning on a loose roof tile then sets in motion a chain of events that leads to Ben-Hur's family being imprisoned. Good scene too when the Tribune realizes Ben-Hur was telling the truth about the loose tile and yet doesn't free his family. That really helps the viewer feel Ben-Hur's hatred for his former childhood friend. (I should add that to my review)

If there was one thing I wasn't sure of it was the healing of leprosy, as Jesus passed by them. As far as I know from the bible Jesus was said to heal lepers, but it was by his touch or will. He didn't seem to notice the lepers in that scene at all. Not a deal breaker, just to be fair that was something I wished was done differently. I actually would have left them lepers as it would be more hard hitting, than a happy ending.

Have seen bits and pieces of this movie, but have never been able to get through the whole thing, but really enjoyed reading your review and anybody who can sit through this entire movie is my hero because I certainly couldn't. I could tell you that I'm adding it to my watchlist because of your review, but that would be a lie...great review, but just not my kind of movie. I feel the same way about The Ten Commandments in case a review of that is coming soon.

This sounds like fun, I might give it a shot...I must confess I have never seen a Claudette Colbert classic, only time I have ever seen Colbert onscreen was the TV movie The Two Mrs. Grenvilles with Ann-Margret.

OMG you haven't seen Claudette Colbert? She's one of my all time favorite classic actresses. I really think you would like her. She's equally good at drama, as she is in comedy. But Guest Wife wasn't that great, only OK.

Please watch, at least one of her better movies such as these:

It Happened One Night (1934) I thought everybody has seen this beloved classic. It won 5 Oscars including: Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director (Frank Capra) & Best Writing.

The Palm Beach Story (1942)

Imitation of Life (1934) The original that the 1959 Douglas Sirk movie was based on.

Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1938)

Midnight (1939) I suggest starting with this one, which also has Don Amache and is superior to Guest Wife

Without Reservations (1946) This is the funniest I've ever seen John Wayne.

The Egg and I (1947)This is also features the wacky Ma & Pa Kettle that launched a 10 movie series based on their exploits.

Thanks for the Claudette Colbert blueprint...don't know where I'll start but I have a feeling I'm going to be obsessed as I am with Gene Tierney, who I'm not through with yet either.

Psycho II (1983)
Director: Richard Franklin
Writers: Tom Holland, Robert Bloch( original characters)
Cast: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Meg Tilly
Genre: Horror Mystery

Twenty three years after Hitchcock stunned the world with his film about a deranged motel keeper, Psycho (1960)...Anthony Perkins aka, Norman Bates returns to the big screen. Psycho II is the second sequel in the series, followed by Psycho III (1986)

The premise: Picks up where the original Psycho story left off. Norman Bates has been in a mental institute and after 22 years is deemed 'cured' by a judge and allowed to return to his former home. There he gets a job in the town's cafe and meets a waitress Mary (Meg Tilly) who's in need of a place to stay. Guess what? she stays in the big scary mansion. Also in town is the sister of one of his victims, reprising her role as Lila Loomis (Vera Miles). She is furious that a dangerous killer has been released. As tensions build Norman starts seeing his dead mother again. Virginia Gregg also reprises her role as Norma Bates.


Yahoo! this is a fun movie, and...I do believe it could stand on it's on! Even if there had been no Psycho in 1960, this film would still be well worth watching. A lot of that watch ability goes to Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates. Has there ever been a more likable psycho killer? I think not. I mean he's likable and we feel sorry for him. He tries so hard to forget the past but keeps finding notes from his 'mother' and in every drawer seems to be a big butcher knife....er I mean cut-lery.

I've seen this before and it only gets better with a rewatch. It's really an intelligent script and both Perkins and Tilly are capable of holding our attention, while creating tension. And they create that tension without even trying. It's really a great casting choice.


Meg Tilly has this 'deer caught in the headlights' look through out much of the movie, that makes her both trusting and vulnerable. I think she balanced the film and made us like her, which then makes Norman liking her all the more important.


Locations: One of the charms of this film, is it's look. Yup that's the same house Norman was in before on the Universal studio back lot. The Bates motel had been torn down after filming of the original Psycho so it was rebuilt in the same location. For fans of the original film Psycho II gives us a chance to really see Bates house. Many of the same rooms and also used in scenes here. And there's many nods to the original film without encouraging on it.

Trivia: When Mary and Norman first go into Norman's mother's room, before they turn the lights on, you can see Alfred Hitchcock's silhouette on the wall to the far right.

I loved how Norman hesitates and seems unsure of himself around Mary. You can tell he likes her but doesn't know what to do about it. So he goes off on a different subject. But he tries to do right by her, and won't let he stay in motel room #1...for a good reason!

Psycho II goes down in history as one of the few sequels that are worthy to carry on the brand name of a big film.

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Psycho II but no Godfather, come on CR. We should do a trade this weekend. I will watch whatever you want if you watch Godfather.

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Letterboxd

How do you feel about a 4 hour long musical nah I wouldn't do that to ya....A movie swap might work...Or have you and Raul done a Francis Ford Coppola director dissection? That could be a way to get me to watch it

Though I'm getting ready to go on a two week vacation, hopefully at the start of next week.

Coppola is a great idea. I haven't seen any of his post 70's stuff I don't think. We are planning Hawks next actually. If you are into that let us know. Not starting till October. Enjoy your trip brother. I will be here to bug you about Godfather when you get back.

I'd like to join in again and what I've seen of Howard Hawks I've liked. I even know of a cool Hawks film. Give me a jingle when you guys get to Hawks.

Yea Godfather, Taxi Driver, and The Graduate-let's go!

Raging Bull too, but don't tell anyone

The Tingler (1959)
Producer/Director: William Castle
Writer: Robb White
Cast: Vincent Price, Judith Evelyn, Darryl Hickman
Genre: B Horror

An unhappily married pathologist, Dr Chapin (Vincent Price) spends his days doing autopsies on executed criminals and working in his lab. He believes there's an unseen parasitic creature that lives on the spines of all humans, and grows under the emotion of strong fear.

His theory is that the natural ability to scream checks the growth of the creature and keeps it from killing the host. One catch, he needs to find a human who can't scream and then when they die of fright he'll be able to extract the Tingler from the spinal column. He finds such a woman in a deaf mute lady who runs a silent movie theater.

That's quite the set up! I was surprised that this B horror film from the promotion king William Castle, had such a competent and interwoven story. There's more than just a creepy crawler that gets lose. First we learn the Doctors wife cheats on him and has embezzled money from her younger sister's estate. She's a real player and has the doctor by the throat as she supplies the money for his lab. This will come back into the story.


Then there's the strange man and his deaf mute wife who own a silent film theater. The man watches Vincent Price perform an autopsy on his wife's brother who was a condemned murder. The strange little man watches with a cool calm, this too will come back into the story.

The wife has a phobia over blood and germs and goes into catatonic shock over a mere cut on the doctors hand. This also comes into play.

But before all that comes into play Vincent Price becomes the first actor to portray LSD use when he injects himself with an overdose of the drug. That's the first time LSD is shown on the screen.

Then of course we get to the star of the movie, the Tingler. William Castle promoted his films with gimmicks and for this one he had 'Percepto'...select theater seats rigged with a buzzer like device that would give a tingle when activated. While this was going on, the screen went black as Vincent Price announces that the Tingler is lose in the theater (silent theater in the movie) and people should scream for their lives! Which is quite the gimmick...There was even a pre-planned screamer, a girl who would scream and faint, and was carried out of the theater by a couple of nurses.
Ahh, those were the days.

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Bizarre Trivia: the creature in the Tingler is the same type of creature that Khan Noonien Singh places in the ears of Pavel Chekov and Captain Terrell in The Wrath of Khan (1982).

Check it out...

I thought so too, even when I watched the movie the creature made my thing of ST but I was thinking of an episode where Dr Beverly Crusher falls in love with a parasite that's in a humanoid host body.

@Captain Steel you repped me too soon! I changed my post, it wasn't Wrath of Khan that the creature reminded me of but an episode from STTNG. But good call on WOK.

I looked up the WOK earworm and found an article that said the concept was inspired by a movie called The Shivers (1975), but no mention of The Tingler.



Do you remember which STTNG episode it was?

I think it was called The Host. I'll go look up.

Hey I got one right...The Host

Yes! I remember that one! One of the better episodes if I recall. Did Crusher and Riker have a make-out scene?