Citizen Rules...Cinemaesque Chat-n-Review

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@Captain Steel

I predict you will like the documentary, it really gives lots of details. I enjoyed it!
You were correct - I started watching the documentary and it does make you appreciate the movie more. What really amazed me is how the casting in the movie so closely matched the look of the real life people (which is kind of odd since none of these people would be known to anyone who didn't watch the documentary), but even such small part characters like the sheriff are dead ringers for their real life counterparts.



You were correct - I started watching the documentary and it does make you appreciate the movie more. What really amazed me is how the casting in the movie so closely matched the look of the real life people (which is kind of odd since none of these people would be known to anyone who didn't watch the documentary), but even such small part characters like the sheriff are dead ringers for their real life counterparts.
I remember watching the movie and thinking the two lawyers were miscast and seemed overly goofy. But when I saw documentary, I realized that's what they seemed like. Cool, that you're like the doc. @SilentVamp had mentioned another movie based on the Loving story. I haven't seen that one yet.



I remember watching the movie and thinking the two lawyers were miscast and seemed overly goofy. But when I saw documentary, I realized that's what they seemed like. Cool, that you're like the doc. @SilentVamp had mentioned another movie based on the Loving story. I haven't seen that one yet.
It's funny - I noticed when they show the lawyers out on the street in the documentary, they look a lot like the actors in the movie (especially with the hats and clothes). I also liked that parts of the movie were word for word reenactments of real life interviews - which again you wouldn't know unless you saw the documentary. I appreciate attention to detail. Unfortunately, in this case, accuracy didn't help make for a better movie.

I'm not saying they should have injected false drama like a lot of historical movies do. I hate false facts being put into history movies just to try to make them more exciting, and thus rewriting history. Just that they could have easily focused on different aspects to help the story move a bit more (from a film perspective, that is).





The Pajama Game (1957)
Directors: George Abbott, Stanley Donen
Writers: George Abbott, Richard Bissell (screenplay)
Cast: Doris Day, John Raitt, Carol Haney
Genre: Musical, Romance


About: A pajama factory worker (Doris Day) who heads the workers union in the factory, falls in love with the new superintendent (John Raitt), who has just fired her! He refuses to meet the workers' demand for a pay rise, which causes a rift in their budding romance.

Review
: I have a new favorite! I loved how this movie felt like going to a Broadway show. I don't recall ever seeing a move that was literally lifted from the stage, and put onto film. Even most of the original cast and production crew came along to make the movie.

I'm so enthusiastic about this movie, that I did something I normally never do...I watched it twice, two nights in a row. You know what? It's much better the second time around, as I knew the songs and the characters and the story line..so I could focus more on the sheer fun of the movie. And this is a fun, splashy movie, with simple but very efficient sets, that adds to the Broadway feel of the movie.



The Pajama Game
does something I've never seen in another movie, it uses lighting fixtures as part of the set decor. Think about it, when is the last time you seen a light bulb in a movie, on, and being deliberately used as part of the set decoration. Almost every scene in this movie includes ceiling lights, desk lights and neon signs! The neon is everywhere and adds a brilliant splash to the film.

What's more splashy in a 1950s movie than neon? The costumes! Just look at the women and what they are wearing. They're very colorful, with stripes and patterns and polka dots. They're wearing contrasting color as accents and they're chic and at the same time frivolously riotous looking. Lots of visual eye candy in this film.

I loved all the numbers especially Racing With the Clock done at the start of the film in the factory and later reprise during the work slowdown. It's a great song and the choreography with the movement of the workers, was neat to see.



Loved the big splashy picnic scene and the song Once A Year Day. Carol Haney is a real stand out in this number and in the show stopper Steam Heat, and in Hernando's Hideaway, which is so creatively choreographed by Bob Fosse, the silhouetted chorus lit by matches was brilliant. Carol Haney is such a talent, she's funny as heck and the liveliest character around, she's a superb dancer and while she might not match Doris Day's silky voice, she has a presence to her singing that I really liked.

I like Doris Day here, I always like Doris. She doesn't get to develop her character as much as usual, but she has some great songs. Loved the comic song, There Once Was a Man, and the heart breaking Hey There, which is a classic. Wow, Doris looked great in the picnic scene, well she looked great in the entire film, so did everywhere.

If there was one thing I wasn't big on was John Raitt, he's one helluva baritone singer, but he didn't bring much personality to the role. This is his only lead role in a movie. I wish Howard Keel could have done his part.


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West Side Story ( Robert Wise, 1961)

Wow, that was epic! No wonder West Side Story won a whopping ten Oscars including:

Best Picture
Best Supporting Actor: George Chakiris - Bernado
Best Supporting Actress: Rita Moreno - Anita
Best Director: Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins
Best Cinematography, Color
Best Music Score
Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color
Best Costume Design, Color
Best Sound
Best Film Editing


And I agree, it deserved to win them all! What a lavish telling of a simple, yet effective tale. Boy meets girl from the wrong side of the tracks, the romance is doomed, with tragic results. Romeo and Juliet set to a street gang musical.

The movie has so many wonderful songs that I don't know where to start. The Jet Song, where we are first introduced to the Jets on the streets was a favorite. Both the song's melody and lyrics...as well as the choreography were perfect for that scene. Very cool!

Dance at the Gym...
loved it! that entire number, the colors, the movement, the song, everything about it. That was one of my favorites.

Another favorite scene was the dressmaking scene when Tony visits Maria after hours and they use the clothing mannequins in the store to tell the story of how their parents would view their love. Very charming and personal too.

Gee, Officer Krupke! ...was hilarious, loved the way it was staged and loved the lyrics to the song, very clever.
.....Gee, Officer Krupke, Krup you!
Ha! that cracked me up.

I really liked Natalie Wood in this, and I'm not her biggest fan. But here she really fits the role and made a perfectly sweet Maria.


I wasn't to keen on the way Tony was presented by Richard Beymer. I read he wasn't to happy playing Tony as the nicest, sappiest guy in the world, either. He wanted Tony to have a bit more roughness to him but the director thought otherwise. Oh well, it still works.

My favorite characters/actors was Russ Tamblyn who finally got to do a substantial role here. He was a noted dancer, strong on gymnastics which got him a part in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. I thought he made a pretty good leader of the Jets too. Same for the Sharks head man, Bernado -
George Chakiris, he was really intense, which fit the movie well. Also I liked Rita Moreno here and the old candy store owner too.

All right that's enough writing....West Side Story is close to perfection. The look, the song numbers, the choreography and the tragic love story. Sublime.








My Bakery in Brooklyn (2016)
Bakery in Brooklyn

Director: Gustavo Ron
Writers: Gustavo Ron, Francisco Zegers
Cast: Aimee Teegarden, Krysta Rodriguez, Griffin Newman, Ernie Sabella,
Blanca Suárez, Ward Horton
Genre: Comedy, Romance


About: Two cousins, take over their aunt's bakery in Brooklyn...but can't get along and have different ideas on how to save the business from the bank. Romance follows for everyone!

Review: A movie so good they named it twice, well not really Regardless of which title you use, this 2016 movie pans out a bit fluffy, with way too many nuts and not enough crunch. Oh sure the film looks great, the bakery is way cool and the on location street filming in Brooklyn never looked better. But gawd did I hate the characters! Who ranged from annoying to hyperbolic. Especially Krysta Rodriguez, the dark haired girl. She drove me crazy! I kept thinking she would make a great female stalker in some horror film.


The cousins have a food fight reminiscent of screw ball comedies of the past.



The aforementioned plot also involves three romances, Aimee Teegarden (the cousin with the shorter blonde hair) falls for the bank guy who comes to foreclose on the bakery. Meanwhile her insane cousin with short dark hair falls for a colorful TV chief who really can't bake at all. Then there's my only favorite character Daniella who's played by Spanish actress Blanca Suárez in her first America movie. Hopefully she gets some better scripts to work with in the future.

The plot is zany with nods to Arsenic and Old Lace in one of the subplots.

I didn't like this, but my wife did. So maybe this is what they call a 'chick flick', if so I say it needed some big explosions!





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Glad you enjoyed My Darling Clementine, one of my favorites from the 40's so far.

I couldn't stand Mary Poppins or West Side Story, but I liked Meet Me in St. Louis.

It's been many years since I've seen The Wanderers and I'd like to see it again. It's one of Mark's favorites if you didn't know.

When they came out when I was a kid, I liked Jaws and Jaws 2 about the same. Not sure if I'd like part 2 that much now.



Glad you enjoyed My Darling Clementine, one of my favorites from the 40's so far.

I couldn't stand Mary Poppins or West Side Story, but I liked Meet Me in St. Louis.

It's been many years since I've seen The Wanderers and I'd like to see it again. It's one of Mark's favorites if you didn't know.

When they came out when I was a kid, I liked Jaws and Jaws 2 about the same. Not sure if I'd like part 2 that much now.
@SilentVamp told me about My Darling Clementine. I thought I might have seen it years ago, but nope that was the first watch. I guess just the title sounded familiar to me.

No I didn't know The Wanderers was one of Mark's favorites. I must have looked at his Top 10 movies at some time in the past.

The funny thing is I went to the library and picked up a whole stack of DVDs and seen The Wanderers in there, and I didn't remember even requesting it, nor did I recognize the title. I must have seen someone mention it here at MoFo and then requested it weeks ago.

So now I got the gang movie bug. I need to write my review of Rumble Fish.




Rumble Fish (1983)

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Writers: S.E. Hinton (novel), S.E. Hinton (screenplay)
Cast: Matt Dillon, Mickey Rourke, Diane Lane


About
: Rusty James, is a street wise hoodlum with lots of muscle but not much brains. Rusty James idolizes his older brother Motorcycle Boy. Rusty James longs for the old days of street gangs, which was before his time.

Background: In 1983 while directing The Outsiders, director Francis Ford Coppola co-wrote the screenplay for Rumble Fish along with S.E. Hinton who had written the novel.

Coppola used many of the same cast from The Outsiders...But unlike The Outsiders which was a traditional Hollywood style of story telling....Rumble Fish was made as an art house/experimental existential film...shot in high contrast black & white with off kilter compositions, reminiscent of early Film Noir films. The music score too was unique featuring a one of a kind percussion score by Stewart Copeland.

The result is an unconventional film that tells a story by visual and aural suggestion, as opposed to a more direct method. I liked it, but it's a challenge to fully appreciate it.


A young Laurence Fishburne on the left, with Tom Waits middle and Matt Dillon right.



Nicholas Cage in one of his first movies, along with Diane Lane

Part of the allure of this film is the young cast, of mostly unknowns: Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, Nicolas Cage, Christopher Penn
and Laurence Fishburne. Along with such established actors as Dennis Hopper and of course Mickey Rourke. Though in 1983 none of them were really house hold names.



The premise itself is interesting. Rusty James (Matt Dillion) is the younger brother of the neighbor hood hero Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke), who's left the neighborhood for good, or so it seems. Which causes Rusty James to idolize his brother and the older generations of street gangs. The street gangs are gone, according to the movie having been replaced by dope on the streets. What makes Rusty James interesting is, he's not to bright, yet thinks he can grow up to be just like his brother, who's to much of a deep thinker for his own good.

Enough said. If you're a cinema buff, you should watch this.

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Man! you got to see that. Matt Dillon starts having visions of Diane Lane floating around in her undies! I'm not kidding... It's kind of a cool film...but I was thinking of something you said when I watched it, as the score reminded me of your favorite movie score, Birdman




3 Godfathers
(John Ford, 1948)

Director: John Ford
Writers: Laurence Stallings & Frank S. Nugent (sceenplay)
Cast: John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, Harry Carey Jr, Ward Bond
Genre: Drama, Western


Three outlaws blow into a dusty western town to rob the local bank...but before they can, they meet the friendly sheriff and his wife who serve them coffee. But after the bank hold up, the sheriff isn't as amicable, as he chases them through the torturous Death Valley desert. While the desperado ride for the only water source in miles, the sheriff beats them there, cutting off their water. Forced to turn back and dying of thirst they come upon a lone wagon with a dying woman. Her last request is that they become the babies godfather's and care for it.


Left to right: Harry Carry Jr, Mildred Natwick, John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz



Character actor Hank Worden, on the left...brings a lightness to the story with his colorful portrayal of a not to bright Deputy. Right side, veteran actor Ward Bond brings both gentile good naturedness and later shows his staunch determination in his role as sheriff.

John Ford originally directed a silent version of the same story, called Marked Men back in 1919, the film is now lost. There's also a 1916 and a 1936 movies of the same story, with the same title.

John Ford broke with tradition and shot the 3 Godfathers in Technicolor. What stands out to me is the brutal beauty of the Death Valley and Mohave deserts where Ford filmed. Which was quite a feat to take the huge Technicolor cameras on location. The pay off is a rich looking film with one of the stars being the landscape. And as this is a Ford film he gets the most out of cinematographer.


The Duke gets to care for a baby in one of his more unusual movie roles.

John Wayne, is likeable here and this is more of a gentle film that many of Wayne's movies. It has a nice story, with excitement too.

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[center]

The Pajama Game (1957)
[left]Directors: George Abbott, Stanley Donen
Writers: George Abbott, Richard Bissell (screenplay)
Cast: Doris Day, John Raitt, Carol Haney
Genre: Musical, Romance

Terrific review, hard to argue with anything you've said here.




3 Godfathers
(John Ford, 1948)

Director: John Ford
Writers: Laurence Stallings & Frank S. Nugent (sceenplay)
Cast: John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz, Harry Carey Jr, Ward Bond
Genre: Drama, Western

Never been into John Wayne but I enjoyed your review.




Here Comes Mr. Jordan
(1941)

Director: Alexander Hall
Writers: Sidney Buchman & Seton I. Miller (screen play)
Cast: Robert Montgomery, Claude Rains, Evelyn Keyes,

Edward Everette Horton
Genre
: Drama Fantasy Romance


A boxing champion Joe Pendleton (Robert Montgomery) crashes his plane and was meant to live...but due to a mistake made in the afterlife he dies 50 years too soon. Joe then finds himself in the afterlife where he meets a bungling angel (Edward Everst Horton) who's responsible for his predicament...To straighten out the mess, Joe finds the head angel, Mr Jordan (Claude Rains), who takes Joe to Earth to look for a replacement body. They find one too in a recently murdered millionaire.



1941's Here Comes Mr Jordan, ushered in a new sub-genre, fantasy afterlife movies and paved the way for a number of films all dealing with the afterlife. Including: A Guy Named Joe (1943), Down to Earth (1947), The Bishop's Wife (1947), It's a Wonderful Life (1946) and Stairway to Heaven (1946).

Part drama, part romance, part comedy and a whole lot of fun! Robert Montgomery was up to the task as the uneducated boxer stuck in the body of a Wall Street tycoon, but the film is stolen by Claude Rains who's calm, cool and collected, head angel. Rains is really good in this. So too is the lovey Evelyn Keyes. And for some zany comedy we get both the veteran character actor Edward Everst Horton and James Gleason as the boxing promoter.


Publicity photo from left to right: Rita Johnson, Robert Montgomery and Evelyn Keyes


Don't think of this as a boxing movie, it isn't. In fact the boxing scene equals only a couple minutes of the film. The heart of this film is the inner self will always shine through and true love can always find a way...even if it's in a different body!


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You can't make a rainbow without a little rain.
Here Comes Mr Jordan is a great movie. Have you seen the 1978 remake, Heaven Can Wait starring Warren Beatty? It's one of the few cases where the remake is just as good as the original.
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Here Comes Mr Jordan is a great movie. Have you seen the 1978 remake, Heaven Can Wait starring Warren Beatty? It's one of the few cases where the remake is just as good as the original.
Hey GBG Nope I haven't ever seen it, but I'm planning too. If for no other reason than to see all the 'hip' 1978 styles and cars. Kind of like a time machine taking me back to all the trendy stuff that happened when I was in school....and can't remember



Hey GBG Nope I haven't ever seen it, but I'm planning too. If for no other reason than to see all the 'hip' 1978 styles and cars. Kind of like a time machine taking me back to all the trendy stuff that happened when I was in school....and can't remember
The 1978 film is absolutely incredible Citizen, I know you would like it...Warren Beatty received three Oscar nominations for co-writing, co-directing, and outstanding lead actor and he has never been more charismatic or likable onscreen. There is a review of it in my thread somewhere.