GBGoodies 2015 Movie Logbook

Pickup on South Street (1953) - I watched this movie for the Film Noir HoF. It's one of the few movies nominated that I hadn't seen already, so it was a first-time watch for me.

Candy, (Jean Peters), is on a crowded subway train when pickpocket Skip McCoy, (Richard Widmark), steals her wallet. She was delivering an envelope for her ex-boyfriend, Joey, (Richard Kiley), unaware that he is a communist spy, and the envelope contained sensitive information on film. She also didn't know that she was being followed by government agent Zara, (Willis Bouchey), who witnessed McCoy stealing the film. Police informant Moe Williams, (Thelma Ritter), is brought in to help identify the thief. As the story progresses, it quickly changes from a simple crime drama to an exciting spy thriller.

The movie has some minor issues, for example, I thought the opening scene was either confusing or possibly intentionally deceptive because Candy looks like she is staring at Skip as if she knows that he's taking something out of her purse, like it's a prearranged pickup, but overall, this is a great movie. The acting is superb, with excellent performances by the entire cast, especially by Richard Widmark and Jean Peters, and a standout performance by Thelma Ritter.

If you're looking for a good thriller, I highly recommend this movie.

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Shadow of a Doubt (1943) - I watched this movie for the Film Noir HoF. It's a re-watch of a movie that I've seen several times already.

Teenager Charlotte "Charlie" Newton, (Teresa Wright), is thrilled to hear that her beloved Uncle Charlie Oakley, (Joseph Cotten), is coming for a visit. When two men come to the house claiming to be taking a survey, one of them tells her that he is really Detective Jack Graham, (Macdonald Carey), and explains that her uncle is one of two suspects who may be the "Merry Widow Murderer". That's when she starts to notice little clues that make her doubt her uncle's innocence.

The movie isn't perfect, mostly due to the odd relationship between young Charlie and the detective, Jack. He seems too old for her, and there was little chemistry between them. However this is a brilliant and suspenseful thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Joseph Cotten is excellent as lovable Uncle Charlie, as he slowly becomes the face of evil. The scenes with Joseph Newton, Charlotte's father, (Henry Travers), and their neighbor Herbie Hawkins, (Hume Cronyn), discussing the perfect murder are among the highlights of the movie.

If you're a Hitchcock fan, and you like suspense thrillers, I highly recommend this great movie.

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I hope not at the same time.

Whoops I deleted that post. Sorry, I though I was posting to another thread....it's been a long day.

I Start Counting (1970) - Recommended by Zotis

Wynne, (Jenny Agutter), is an adopted 14-year-old catholic schoolgirl who has a crush on her 32-year-old stepbrother George, (Bryan Marshall). As she follows him around and spies on him, she starts to piece together clues that make her think that he is a serial killer. Without giving out any spoilers, her friend Corinne, (Clare Sutcliffe), was also important to the story, but she's kind of annoying, too.

When I read the description, I thought this was going to be a mystery about finding a serial killer, but it's really more of a coming-of-age story than a mystery/thriller. It starts out kind of slow, but it picks up as it goes along. It sort of has the feeling of a TV movie, not a movie.



The movie had the potential to be a very good movie because the basic story is pretty good, but it just didn't live up to its potential. Thank you Zotis for the recommendation.

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The Dish (2000) - Recommended by Honeykid and JayDee

This movie is a fascinating story about how a town in Australia helped bring the 1969 Moon landing to TVs all over the world with a satellite dish in the middle of an Australian sheep farm.

I don't know how accurate the movie is compared to the actual events, but there were some problems that caused some very tense moments in the movie. There are a few characters who bring us some delightful comedic moments too. It all builds up to the incredible climax of one of the most important days in history.

Sam Neill and Patrick Warburton were great, as was the rest of the supporting cast. I highly recommend this wonderful movie.

Thank You to both Honeykid and JayDee for recommending this movie.

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Never heard of it....but it sounds like my kind of movie so I just requested it.

The World's Fastest Indian (2005) - Recommended by Honeykid

I knew nothing about this movie before I watched it, except that it starred Anthony Hopkins. I didn't even know that it was about a motorcycle.

This movie is the true story of Burt Munro, (Anthony Hopkins), a New Zealander who spent years building a 1920 Indian motorcycle, and then traveled all the way to Utah to set the land-speed world record in 1967. Along the way, he meets some unique people who help him on his journey.

This is a great movie that shows both the skills and the determination Munro had to achieve his dream. The motorcycle is the strangest looking motorcycle that I've ever seen, but it's pretty cool to watch it go. Anthony Hopkins gives a fantastic performance that will make you root for Munro all the way.

Thank You to Honeykid for recommending this amazing movie.

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I had never heard of it either, but it came highly recommended, so I gave it a chance, and I'm really glad that I did.

I'm pretty sure that you'll like it too. I can't wait to read your review of it.

You'll have to wait I ordered it from Netflix and it's at the bottom of my queue. AND the last one you just reviewed looks great too. I love period piece films, films about interesting actual events and smaller non Hollywood films. I'm going to request that one right now.


Important update: my library has The World's Fastest Indian, so I should review that one in a couple weeks.

I guess I'll have to wait for your review of The Dish, but I'm looking forward to your review of The World's Fastest Indian.

Jenny Agutter is too young in I Start Counting for me to watch it. I'd feel very dirty.

Glad you enjoyed The Dish gbg. It is indeed a really nice little film. Its one of those kind of films that I think would be perfect to watch on a wet Sunday afternoon. It's quite a small film but in a really sweet, warm, gently humorous kind of way.

I actually put it on my top 100 list but to be honest it didn't really have any right being there. I posted the list quite soon after arriving here and at the time was still a little concerned with what others thought (now I don't give a f*ck what y'all think! ) so I added a couple of films that I liked but which really shouldn't be there just because I knew they'd be well received. I also wanted to put in some films that were just interesting and different. The Dish popped into my mind and I thought it would qualify for the latter. I do still really like it though. Watched it last year for the first time in a while and still enjoyed it. Would have rated it just a little higher than you did probably

From the film's wiki page -

"Although based on true events, the film uses fictional characters and alters historical details for dramatic effect. NASA's Honeysuckle Creek and Goldstone stations both had the signal first, but Parkes' signal was used from soon after the beginning of the moon-walk. No power failure occurred, there was no friction with the NASA representatives (of whom there were several, not just one), and Prime Minister John Gorton visited Honeysuckle Creek, not Parkes. They did, however, operate in very high winds (110 km/h) at 60 degrees inclination, risking damage to the dish and even injury to themselves to keep the antenna pointed at the Moon during the moonwalk."

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Thanks for the information from the film's Wiki page. I haven't had time yet, but I'm planning to read a bit more about it because it sounds interesting.

I was on the fence between rating it 3.5 stars or 4 stars, so I gave it 3.5+ stars, which is a very good rating from me. I rarely rate anything 4 stars or higher because most movies have slight flaws that bother me a little bit. It doesn't necessarily hurt the movie watching experience at all, but it means that there was room for improvement.

Do Not Disturb (1965) - I watched this movie mainly in memory of Rod Taylor, who recently passed away, but also for the upcoming 1965 movies list. Most people who think of Rod Taylor's movies immediately think of the classic movies The Time Machine and Hitchcock's The Birds, but I remember Taylor in his romantic comedies, including this movie. This is not the best of his rom-coms, but it's an enjoyable movie.

Rod Taylor stars as Mike Harper, an American executive who is transferred to England. His wife Janet, (Doris Day), finds a house in the country for them to rent, but it's a long commute for Mike to get to work everyday, causing him to spend some nights in the city, and away from his wife. Through a series of misunderstandings, they each start to suspect that the other is having an affair.

Rod Taylor and Doris Day have good chemistry when they're together, but unfortunately they spend most of the movie fighting over misunderstandings, so they don't have enough scenes together. There are some very funny scenes, especially the last few minutes of the movie. I love the catchy theme song. It's still stuck in my head.

Do Not Disturb is a good movie, but it's not the best for movie from either of the two main stars. However if you're just looking for a fun movie, and you don't get your hopes up too high, I would recommend giving this movie a chance.

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Sunday in New York (1963) - This is another movie that I watched in memory of Rod Taylor. It's a re-watch of a movie that I've seen so many times, that I lost count a long time ago. It's easily my favorite of his movies, and one of my favorite movies of all-time.

Jane Fonda stars as Eileen Tyler, a 22-year old woman who is upset about her breakup with her boyfriend Russ Wilson, (Robert Culp). She comes to New York City to visit her brother Adam, (Cliff Robertson). She asks Adam for advice about sex, basically are women expected to have sex before marriage, and he assures her that she shouldn't. Meanwhile, Adam's relationship with his girlfriend Mona Harris, (Jo Morrow), is getting complicated due to his busy life as an airline pilot, and Adam and Mona go out to find a quiet place to spend their Sunday afternoon. When Adam's boss Mr. Drysdale, (Jim Backus) calls looking for Adam, Eileen goes out to look for him. She meets Mike Mitchell, (Rod Taylor), on a bus, and the two of them spend the afternoon together. Things get more complicated when Russ shows up unexpectedly.

Jane Fonda and Rod Taylor are wonderful together in this delightful romantic comedy. It's a great movie about sex, that doesn't have an actual sex scene. The movie is very funny, but it also has some tension between the characters. This is a great movie with some very clever dialogue. I highly recommend this movie.

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Sunset Blvd. (1950) - I watched this movie for the Noir HoF, (which I am really enjoying a lot). It's a re-watch of a movie that I've seen before, and it just gets better with every viewing.

Unsuccessful screenwriter Joe Gillis, (William Holden), is running from the repo men when he turns into the driveway of what appears to be a deserted mansion. There he finds silent film star Norma Desmond, (Gloria Swanson), and her faithful butler, Max von Mayerling (Erich von Stroheim). Norma has written a movie script, and she is planning to make a comeback, (or as she calls it, "a return"). When Joe offers to doctor up the script, she insists that he stay in her mansion, and that's when things start to get complicated.

This movie is different than a lot of other noir films because Norma is not the normal femme fatale. She's delusional, and even somewhat pathetic. This movie isn't about gangsters and detectives, or romances and deception. It's about the darker side of Hollywood.

From the opening scene, to the final moments, this movie is brilliant. The performances by William Holden and Gloria Swanson are magnificent. There are some of the most memorable lines in movie history, and even some notable cameo appearances. I highly recommend this movie.

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I wasn't that crazy about Sunset Blvd., but I've only seen it one time. I feel like I should definitely watch it again.

The Lady from Shanghai (1947) - I watched this movie for the Noir HoF. It's a re-watch of a movie that I've seen before, but it didn't quite live up to my memories of the movie.

Michael O'Hara, (Orson Welles), meets Elsa Bannister, (Rita Hayworth), in Central Park when he rescues her from robbers. He accepts a job as a crew member on her husband Arthur Bannister's, (Everett Sloane), yacht. There he meets Bannister's partner, George Grisby, (Glenn Anders), who offers Michael $5,000 to sign a confession to "murdering" Grisby in a plot to fake his own death, explaining that without a body, he can't be convicted. As they start to carry out their plan, nothing goes as expected, and the story begins a series of complicated twist and turns.

Overall this is a very good movie, with some great suspenseful moments, especially the mirror room scene, but the who-done-it plot gets a bit complicated at times. The acting was good, but I found Welles' Irish accent to be a bit of a distraction.

This isn't the best Welles movie, but if you're looking for a good mystery, it's definitely worth watching.

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The Big Combo (1955) - This is another movie that I watched for the Noir HoF. It's one of the few nominated movies that I hadn't seen already, so this was a first-time watch for me.

Police Lt. Leonard Diamond, (Cornel Wilde), is obsessed with finding evidence to arrest gangster Mr. Brown, (Richard Conte), but he is ordered by Police Capt. Peterson, (Robert Middleton), to stop the investigation. Diamond has fallen in love with Brown's suicidal mistress Susan Lowell, (Jean Wallace), who says the name "Alicia" after her suicide attempt. Diamond tries to find out what happened to "Alicia", but he is kidnapped by Brown's thugs Fante and Mingo, (Lee Van Cleef and Earl Holliman), but that doesn't stop him from investigating Mr. Brown.

This is a good movie, but it's a bit more violent than some of the other noir movies because of the sadistic nature of Mr. Brown. There are a few unexpected plot twists, but some predictable scenes too.

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