WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[feaito]

I appreciate your extensive review KingRat. This film's been on my list since it premiered in Britain last year.

[RedRiver]

Maybe I should catch up a little bit. I rented some videos from Red Box this week, a service I enjoy. Mostly forgetable, but here they are while memory is fresh. THE TRIALS OF CATE McCALL is a pretentious, incredible legal thriller, full of story elements that would never happen. Kate Beckinsale is not particulary effective in the title role. FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC is a twisted "evil grandmother" tale; children held captive, mother doesn't give a ****. THE BAGMAN is not bad. It's not good either. But it's dark and tense. Bad guys vs. worse guys. John Cusack, Robert De Niro.

The winner of this bunch is something called THE KINGS OF SUMMER. A quirky, neurotic comedy (?) of teenagers fed up with the rules. Three boys (and one copperhead) run away to live in the woods. It's clever and sensitive. These days I have no idea what was released to theaters and what's direct to video. I've stopped thinking about it. If Gary Cooper's in it, it's a real movie!

[Rita Hayworth]

On Retroplex, I just finished watching this Romantic Comedy - That Touch of Mink, starring Cary Grant and Doris Day ... It was a fun movie to watch seeing a as a sophisticated millionaire businessman who goes in passionate pursuit of strait-laced secretary Doris Day - but while he is only interested in the thrill of the chase, she is determined to save herself for marriage. It's perhaps a little dated in terms of social attitudes, but still good fun. With Gig Young, John Astin and Audrey Meadows co-starred in this comedy that was filmed in 1962.

[RedRiver]

Well...I just watched something called TWO LANE BLACKTOP. Very interesting! An indy film from 1971, by a director named Monte Hellman. I'm not familiar with Mr. Hellman, but I'll bet there's an impressive history. Clearly a talented artist, his film is highly visual, expertly edited, filled with stark and atmospheric images. He obviously wants to SHOW the story, not tell it.

What is that story? Two car enthusiasts go around racing cars! That's pretty much it. But what the movie lacks in story and development, it more than makes up for in visual artistry. The unusual cast includes James Taylor and Beach Boy Dennis Wilson. (At least, I think it's Dennis. There were a lot of them!) Every frame of this unique "car movie" is exciting and fascinating. I'm not sure I can call it a great film. But it certainly is striking and offbeat!

[Lomm]

On Retroplex, I just finished watching this Romantic Comedy - That Touch of Mink, starring Cary Grant and Doris Day ... It was a fun movie to watch seeing a as a sophisticated millionaire businessman who goes in passionate pursuit of strait-laced secretary Doris Day - but while he is only interested in the thrill of the chase, she is determined to save herself for marriage. It's perhaps a little dated in terms of social attitudes, but still good fun. With Gig Young, John Astin and Audrey Meadows co-starred in this comedy that was filmed in 1962.

I love that whole run of early 60s Doris Day films. They're so much fun! If you haven't seen them, you should watch the three she made with Rock Hudson.

[Fossy]

Doris Day is a big favourite of mine. I have her 39 movies. My favourites would be the suspense movie Midnight lace (1960) and the comedy The Glass Bottom Boat (1966).

[Lucky Vassall]

Doris Day is a big favourite of mine. I have her 39 movies. My favourites would be the suspense movie Midnight lace (1960) and the comedy The Glass Bottom Boat (1966).

Two great choices which show her extraordinary range.

My personal favorite is "No, No, Nanette"" which they filmed as Tea for Two (1950). But, I guess it would be, since the cast includes Billy.

(Hope you got my apologetic PM.)

[movieman1957]

Just for fun and not caring if I fell asleep I put on John Wayne's "The Conqueror." For all that is wrong with it there are a few things that I thought were pretty good.

Understanding there is no getting by the dialogue and most of the acting I thought the film had very good costumes and sets. It is obvious Hughes sunk a fortune into the picture. (There is a rather long dance sequence they could have been cut but the ladies had on very nice and very skimpy costumes.) I thought Victor Young's score was pretty good. If anything was wrong it might there have been too much of it. That sounds conflicting but I don't think there were more than a very few minutes that weren't filled with music. The action scenes were well supported musically. Lastly, the second unit action was good. I kept thinking the whole thing played like a 12th century western.

Wayne certainly looks like you would want Khan to appear but then he speaks. Then I thought would it have been any better if they had done it as a silent picture and let your head fill the voices out. (Rather than letting voices fill your head.) Pedro Armandariz, William Conrad (shirtless in an early scene,) Agnes Moorhead, Leo Gordon and Ted deCorsia don't fare much better for their parts.

I don't think it is the worst thing ever made but it probably is the worst thing Wayne ever did. (for completists only.)

It is on a disc with another Wayne picture - "Pittsburgh." (That is the one I wanted to see.)

[Rita Hayworth]

On Retroplex, I just finished watching this Romantic Comedy - That Touch of Mink, starring Cary Grant and Doris Day ... It was a fun movie to watch seeing a as a sophisticated millionaire businessman who goes in passionate pursuit of strait-laced secretary Doris Day - but while he is only interested in the thrill of the chase, she is determined to save herself for marriage. It's perhaps a little dated in terms of social attitudes, but still good fun. With Gig Young, John Astin and Audrey Meadows co-starred in this comedy that was filmed in 1962.

I love that whole run of early 60s Doris Day films. They're so much fun! If you haven't seen them, you should watch the three she made with Rock Hudson.

I do love all three movies that she did with Rock Hudson and that's the main reason why I watched That Touch of Mink the other day. ... Thanks for the heads up Lomm! ... My Personal Favorite is always Pillow Talk!

[RedRiver]

I'm a John Wayne fan. A "completist," as Movieman calls it. But seeing The Duke as Genghis Khan is almost unbearable! Give me Singin' Sandy anytime! I must agree that THE CONQUEROR is the worst movie on the star's impressive resume'.

If there's an ultimate Day/Hudson comedy, it's PILLOW TALK!

[RedRiver]

Pillow talk in my house consists of, "Sugar, move over! Settle down. You have to go out NOW?"

[CineMaven]

HEY, HELLO OUT THERE! HOW IS EVERYBODY????

Lupino. How do you want her? She can be soft or hard; gentle or volcanic. She can break your heart...or tear it out. TCM will make it Ida Lupino day today with eight films featuring her acting and directing. You can have her any way you want her. Or you can take what Ida gives you. Whichever way...Ida, I idolize ya.



7:00 AM THEY DRIVE BY NIGHT (1940) - Truck driving brothers are framed for murder by a lady psycho. Dir: Raoul Walsh Cast: George Raft, Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino.

One of my favorite Idas. She's tears a hole into George Raft like nobody's business: "I committed murder to get you!" Watch that scene. Their eyes lock...like a cobra's and mongoose's.

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9:00 AM HIGH SIERRA (1941) - An aging ex-con sets out to pull one more big heist. Dir: Raoul Walsh Cast: Ida Lupino, Humphrey Bogart, Alan Curtis.

Ida's sympathetic in this one. She likes Bogey; just wants to be with him. But he likes Joan Leslie.

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10:45 AM OUT OF THE FOG (1941) - A racketeer terrorizes a small fishing community until he falls in love with a fisherman's daughter. Dir: Anatole Litvak Cast: John Garfield, Ida Lupino, Thomas Mitchell.

Again, Ida's sympathetic in this one. She loves the bad boy ( Garfield ) but he's really such an S.O.B.. Ack!

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12:15 PM THE HARD WAY (1942) - An ambitious woman doesn't care who she hurts in her drive to make her sister a star. Dir: Vincent Sherman Cast: Ida Lupino, Dennis Morgan, Joan Leslie.

Another of my Ida favorites. She does all she can for her kid sister. Makes me think of Stanwyck pushing Sterling Hayden's career in "Crime of Passion." Ida's an example of subjugating her own ambition in service of someone else...something women did a lot. Love Ida on the mean side of town.

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2:15 PM OUTRAGE (1950) - A rape victim runs away to escape her horrible memories. Dir: Ida Lupino Cast: Mala Powers, Tod Andrews, Robert Clarke.

Solidly directed. You can read ChiO's account of this film and other Ida films playing today: here.

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3:45 PM BEWARE, MY LOVELY (1952) - A widow discovers her handyman is an escaped mental patient,Dir: Harry Horner Cast: Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Taylor Holmes.

Ida...you in danger, girl! Ryan's crazy. And Ida does fear well.

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5:15 PM ON DANGEROUS GROUND (1952) - A tough cop sent to help in a mountain manhunt falls for the quarry's blind sister. Dir: Nicholas Ray Cast: Ida Lupino, Robert Ryan, Ward Bond.

One of my favorite movies of the year Ida is wonderfully poignant in this. Nicholas Ray's solid direction and Bernard Hermann's music IS masterful.

[youtube][/youtube]

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6:45 PM HITCH-HIKER, THE (1953) - A dangerous madman kidnaps two businessmen on a hunting trip. Dir: Ida Lupino Cast: Edmond O'Brien, Frank Lovejoy, William Talman.

I don't know this film. But I will by the end of the day.

[movieman1957]

I'm fair. How are you?