Rate The Last Movie You Saw

Oh, Busta sure got the chance to bust some killer one-liners.

"Trick or treat, motherf**ker!"

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6th Rewatch- The only time four time Tony Award winner Gwen Verdon was allowed to recreate a role she created on Broadway for the big screen was in this exuberant 1958 film version of a musical about a middle-aged baseball fan named Joe Boyd (Robert Schafer) who agrees to sell his soul to the Devil aka Mr. Applegate (Ray Walston, also reprising his Broadway role) in exchange for becoming a young baseball sensation named Joe Hardy (Tab Hunter). Hardy gets homesick and tries to return to his wife and Applegate forces a 172 year old witch named Lola (Verdon) to keep Joe happy as Joe Hardy. That Adler/Ross score can't be beat "Whatever Lola Wants", "Heart", "Shoeless Joe From Hannibal Mo", and "Two Lost Souls", not to mention the film's highlight "Who's Got the Pain" , a dance duet by Verdon and the film's choreographer and Verdon's husband, Bob Fosse, the only time they danced together onscreen, that's worth the price of admission all by itself.

The Grey Fox -

Some people drink while others smoke. Bill Miner robbed stagecoaches. He's the subject of this very good western from Canada, which dramatizes the time he spent in the country. After serving a 33-year prison sentence, Miner reunites with his sister, who lands him a more respectable job of gathering oysters. He quickly realizes he's not cut out for it or for respectable work in general, and since stagecoaches no longer exist, he feels purposeless. Everything changes once he attends a screening of The Great Train Robbery.

This movie works just as well as a classic western as it does a drug addiction tale, with the drug of course being staging robberies since the best drama comes from whether or not Miner will fall off the wagon, no pun intended. The robbery scenes appropriately elicit disappointment more than excitement as a result although they are no less compelling to watch. Farnsworth is excellent for how convincing he is that robbing is all Miner wants to do or perhaps can do. That also goes for how he presents his difficulty in adapting to his very different time and surroundings. Just as memorable is Jackie Burroughs as Kate, a photographer with whom Bill shares a romance. This sequence is one of the sincerest and mature of a couple falling in love I've seen in a long time and provides the most hope that Bill can reform. Sincere and mature are how I would describe the entire production, really, especially since it never relies on sensationalism. While I like to see a good robbery or shootout as much as the next person, I appreciate that the movie respects my intelligence enough to know that the entertainment in Miner's journey first and foremost. Thankfully, it still makes room to highlight the natural beauty of the British Columbian countryside courtesy of Frank Tidy's cinematography along the way. It ends up being a very compelling and substantive portrait of a criminal and of someone who cannot stop doing a certain thing despite having all the reasons in the world not to. Also, as his relationship with Kate and his adorable interaction with a young man indicates, it ably demonstrates that such people cannot easily be pigeonholed as good or evil.

Good movie for sure.

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I’m here only on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays. That’s why I’m here now.

This new Halloween is a direct sequel to the original, ignoring all of the other sequels and most importantly, ignoring the twist that had Laurie and Michael as siblings; something that has pretty much shaped the franchise since Halloween II. But, like a character says in this film, "is scary to have a bunch of your friends get butchered by some random crazy person". Allowing Michael to be a random killer on the loose is scarier than tying his actions to a specific family or place.

Of course, Michael was institutionalized in a facility, but Laurie was as captive as him because of the trauma. That duality is evident in the script, but also in the direction. Green does a lot of interesting things to portray that duality, by visually referencing the events of the original, especially in the last act. The character of Karen is also interesting as we see her also reckoning with her traumas, directly caused by her mother's traumas, so it's an interesting illustration of the effects of traumatic experiences.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

A classic. Nothing needs to be said.



Didn’t know that “X” should be seen first. Think I bailed out of it, but will re-visit.

This one is good: Mia Goth has the sassiest little face.



Knew I would love this & I did. Love me an ensemble cast.

The Sense of an Ending (2017)

Starring Jim Broadbent and Charlotte Rampling

Came across this movie on the superb European channel TV1000 today.
Wow, what a hidden new title, it turned to be a very good film.
Something to remind us that aging people also had a life once and they still have it. A classic calm type of filming, featuring skilful screenplay and top level acting (of course, there are Broadbent and Rampling).
Recommended for skilled cinema appreciators.

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85/100

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"Population don't imitate art, population imitate bad television." W.A.
"You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." M.T.

The Night Porter (1974)

Never heard of this. It’s in my Q now.

The Lost Moment - (1947) There's no getting around it. This is a chick flick. For starters it's Susan Hayward. That alone should have made me rabbit but it was someone else's pick and it seemed rude to get up and leave. It takes place in Venice and unless there's a bank getting knocked over or James Bond and Spiderman are hanging around chances are it's gonna be a chick flick.

Bob Cummings costars as Lewis Venable, an American publisher who's after the lost love letters from 19th century poet Jeffrey Ashton to Juliana Bordereau (a largely indiscernible Agnes Moorehead). The now 105 year old recluse and her niece Tina (Hayward) live in a decrepit palazzo and are in desperate need of funds. Venable exploits this in order to rent a room under the guise of being a writer. He means to comb through the house, find the invaluable love letters and publish them.

There's the usual gothic romance happenings. A lot of crepuscular goings on and secrets by the bagful. There's also cats, forbidden love, schizophrenia, cats, wild haired piano playing (complete with candelabra). And cats of course. I fell asleep at least twice (and honestly didn't miss anything). The performances were a bit of a hoot. And it ends accordingly. Miss Havisham would have given this two thumbs up.

50/100

VERY nice review, Torgo! The Grey Fox happens to be in my top 10 favorite movies of all time. I saw it in Hollywood in 1983, and was so impressed I went back for a second viewing. To me it's a flawless picture. Farnsworth was perfect in his characterization, and was Jackie Burroughs.

I couldn't stop thinking about the picture. The music alone (by the Irish group The Chieftains) spoke to me in a way that I hadn't felt in years (and I was in the music performance business). There were zero mistakes in that picture, and all the actors and everyone involved in the production were perfect. Cheers-- Doc

Thanks, and good call about the Chieftans soundtrack. Oh, and did I mention how beautiful the movie is? If it's wrong to pause and take in the beauty of the British Columbian countryside every now and then, I don't want to be right.

Sounds fabulous!

Set immediately after the events of Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills follows the efforts of the people of Haddonfield, as they try to stop Michael Myers once and for all. After escaping from his fiery cage from the previous film, Myers goes on a brutal rampage through town. Meanwhile, Karen (Judy Greer) and Allyson (Andi Matichak) deal with the aftermath in different ways, as Laurie (Jamie Lee Curtis) recovers from her wounds at the hospital.

This film was quite a wild ride, starting with the fact that it was bloody and brutal as f**k. The film has probably the most intense kills in the franchise, and maybe some of the most intense that I've seen in a "mainstream" horror film. When I wrote about Halloween (2018), I brought up how relentless Michael was; well, here they amped that up to 11, so if blood and gore is what you're looking for in a horror film, there's plenty here.

Grade:


Full review on my Movie Loot

Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23802909

A Matter of Dignity - (1958)

Michael Cacoyannis, director of Zorba the Greek, had a sterling early career and made this sensational film during that period. In A Matter of Dignity, young Chloe Pella (Ellie Lambeti) is going through that period of life when she starts getting serious about guys - and when she finds out her high society family has gone bankrupt and is about to lose everything, she pushes herself to marry an older, unappealing man because he's rich and could help the family out. The melodrama contained in that narrative direction can't be overstated - there are times both quiet and hysterical that'll give rise to all kinds of emotion within those watching the film. The lengths the Pella family go to keep up appearances, and the frayed edges around everyone in their orbit because of this, adds to Chloe's personal situation and creates a drama that brilliantly probes wealth, status, familial bonds and of course the dignity implied in the title - or at least each character's sense of dignity. Cacoyannis has an intuitive cinematic touch here that gets us inside the world of it's characters - with a steady increase of pressure leading to a calamitous event. I felt like I'd watched something really great.

9/10


By Columbia Pictures - Listal, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42785356

Penny Serenade - (1941)

Sometimes falling into the public domain benefits an old film, because when it does it starts popping up everywhere as people try to make a quick buck. Penny Serenade is one that manages to strike a balance between sweet comedy and drama by alternating the focus between having a few good laughs and scenes played completely straight. Julie Gardiner (the great Irene Dunne) and Roger Adams (the great Cary Grant) meet and fall in love while she works in a record store. Soon marriage follows, but an accident during an earthquake means she can't have children of her own - so the couple adopt young Trina. They go through the usual trials and tribulations of having a baby for the first time (a lot of good comedy comes from this) but events have a way of challenging this couple, and they'll need the strength from somewhere to survive as a united pair. This film has one of the most sudden and unexpected turns in cinematic history - watch out, or you'll get whiplash. It's a huge moment not well handled or part of this film's rhythm, and as such is a clunky pothole in an otherwise great film. Grant is going through his golden period, and his comedic timing is perfect while Dunne is so well attuned to acting with Grant by this stage that she's every bit his equal. The stuff with the baby is gold, and overall it's just a solid and enjoyable romp that's still delightful after all these years.

7/10


Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=14325481

My Favorite Brunette - (1947)

I have to confess to having seen virtually no films with Bob Hope in them during my entire life - as a youngster I came to know him as the man who told really bad jokes on television. I must say though, that I kind of like this younger Bob Hope - even if he lacks the subtlety and grace of some of the more nuanced comedic performers out there. Here he's Ronnie Jackson, a child photographer who becomes involved with intrigue when he pretends to be a private investigator while loitering in Sam McCloud's (Alan Ladd) office. Dorothy Lamour, Peter Lorre and Lon Chaney Jr. play straight parts in a film noir plot for the goofy Jackson to become embroiled in - and to his credit he has some initiative. There are plenty of genuinely funny moments, and watching this gave me a better appreciation for the comedian Bob Hope was before his schtick grew outdated and tired - any Bob Hope comedy made before this one I'd be interested in seeing.

7/10

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The Damned (1969)

The Ghost Breakers and The Cat and the Canary are my recommendations. The Paleface was made the following year in 1948 but it's still pretty funny.