I Just Watched...

Discussion of programming on TCM.
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CinemaInternational
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by CinemaInternational »

Have to deal here with a nearly brand new release, because it is sort of a challenging thing to deal with. It is not very often that a film has something incredibly endearing about it and something so incredibly grating almost at the same time, but that is the case with 80 for Brady (2023). On one level, its hard for me not to melt at the idea of a good-natured comedy with Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Sally Field, and Rita Moreno, four wonderful veteran actresses with a combined total of 239 years in the movies (244 if you count Sally Field being an extra without lines in a 1962 Disney film). They still have strong comic chops, and if their material is a bit on the cutesy side, it still works due to all those years of built up affection that the audience has for them, and it is hard not to like their characters. But it is compounded by an issue that has few previous parallels in film history: these ladies are playing extreme fans of the New England Patriots and their longtime star player, Tom Brady, and Brady himself is one of the main producers on the film. It is inundated with clips of him playing and he plays himself as well. The film is built as his own personal ego trip, and that leaves a pretty bitter taste behind, and it almost sinks the good will engendered by the actresses. It's a very close call, but I would say that their personal talent just outweighs the rampant egomania and makes it worth catching if you really like the stars like I do.
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laffite
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by laffite »

Sounds awful.
Sabine Azema in Sunday in the Country
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Masha
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Masha »

How to Steal a Million (1966)

A beautiful but slightly klutzy young lady enlists a tall, slim, terrible man with deep blue eyes to help her steal a statue which belongs to her so that she will not have to go to America.

This is one of my most favorite movies of all time. It is a joy to rewatch it at every opportunity.

I have read that some people believe that it is over-the-top. It is Audrey Hepburn wearing Givenchy clothes and Cartier jewels. It is Peter O'Toole in a comedy role. It is set in the Paris art world of the 1960s. It is Hugh Griffith and Moustache in supporting roles.

What sane and sensible person would ever have the slightest hint of an idea that it is not extravagantly over-the-top?

Every detail is lavish, exaggerated, and quite quite absurd. That is its charm.

Even the automobiles are wonderfully fantastic: she has the cutest ever little red Autobianchi Bianchina Cabriolet while he has an absolutely lovely Jaguar E-Type 4.2.

9.99/10
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HoldenIsHere
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by HoldenIsHere »

CinemaInternational wrote: April 27th, 2023, 2:37 pm Have to deal here with a nearly brand new release, because it is sort of a challenging thing to deal with. It is not very often that a film has something incredibly endearing about it and something so incredibly grating almost at the same time, but that is the case with 80 for Brady (2023). On one level, its hard for me not to melt at the idea of a good-natured comedy with Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Sally Field, and Rita Moreno, four wonderful veteran actresses with a combined total of 239 years in the movies (244 if you count Sally Field being an extra without lines in a 1962 Disney film). They still have strong comic chops, and if their material is a bit on the cutesy side, it still works due to all those years of built up affection that the audience has for them, and it is hard not to like their characters. But it is compounded by an issue that has few previous parallels in film history: these ladies are playing extreme fans of the New England Patriots and their longtime star player, Tom Brady, and Brady himself is one of the main producers on the film. It is inundated with clips of him playing and he plays himself as well. The film is built as his own personal ego trip, and that leaves a pretty bitter taste behind, and it almost sinks the good will engendered by the actresses. It's a very close call, but I would say that their personal talent just outweighs the rampant egomania and makes it worth catching if you really like the stars like I do.
As much as I like the veteran actors in this movie (especially Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin), the YUCK factor of Tom Brady will keep me from watching this movie.
Well, I might watch it if someone paid me.
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Fedya
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Fedya »

Masha wrote: April 28th, 2023, 11:51 pm
I have read that some people believe that it is over-the-top. It is Audrey Hepburn wearing Givenchy clothes and Cartier jewels. It is Peter O'Toole in a comedy role. It is set in the Paris art world of the 1960s. It is Hugh Griffith and Moustache in supporting roles.

What sane and sensible person would ever have the slightest hint of an idea that it is not extravagantly over-the-top?
Surprisingly, Hepburn isn't wearing Givenchy in Green Mansions.
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BagelOnAPlate
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by BagelOnAPlate »

Fedya wrote: April 29th, 2023, 11:40 am
Masha wrote: April 28th, 2023, 11:51 pm
I have read that some people believe that it is over-the-top. It is Audrey Hepburn wearing Givenchy clothes and Cartier jewels. It is Peter O'Toole in a comedy role. It is set in the Paris art world of the 1960s. It is Hugh Griffith and Moustache in supporting roles.

What sane and sensible person would ever have the slightest hint of an idea that it is not extravagantly over-the-top?
Surprisingly, Hepburn isn't wearing Givenchy in Green Mansions.
I wonder how this costume would have looked if it had been designed by Givenchy.

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j.lunatic
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by j.lunatic »

I just spent the last weekend tormented by the universe. Academic Marsha Gordon just published a book about novelist Ursula Parrott (1899-1957), several of whose works were adapted by Hollywood. Gordon came to the DC area to promote her new book, and I attended screenings at the National Gallery of Art and AFI Silver.

There's Always Tomorrow (Sirk, 1956): Businessman Cliff Groves (Fred MacMurray) loves his wife (Joan Bennett) and their spoiled children. But when Cliff's old secretary Norma (Barbara Stanwyck) comes back into back into his life, he realizes he's bored and frustrated with his world. An affair does not happen (especially after the older children find out about Norma), but Norma (who is shown to have loved Cliff once upon a time, and sometimes regrets choosing career over a family of her own) makes sure of this by completely dropping Cliff and fleeing back to New York and her old life.

There's Always Tomorrow (Sloman, 1934): Businessman Joseph White (Frank Morgan) loves his wife (Lois Wilson) and their spoiled children, But when Joseph's old secretary Alice (Binnie Barnes) comes back into his life, he realizes he's bored and frustrated with his world. Joseph and Alice start meeting Thursday nights (he telling the family he's going to weekly lodge meetings), but supposedly these rendezvous do not entail anything stronger than coffee and conversation--especially after the older children find out about Alice. Alice is shown to have loved Joseph once upon a time, and sometimes regrets choosing career over a family of her own, but makes sure nothing more happens by completely dropping Joseph and fleeing back to her old life.

The Divorcee (Leonard, 1930; adapted from Parrott's 1929 bestseller Ex-Wife): Jerry (Norma Shearer) and Ted (Chester Morris) have entered into a "modern" marriage. But when Ted has a old-fashioned reaction to Jerry's affair with one of their friends (never mind that he's had at least one one affair during the 3 years of their marriage), a divorce ensues. He sinks into alcoholism; she sinks into her career and as many affairs as her schedule will permit. Yet in the classic Pre-Code manner, in the last act Jerry is touched when the wife of the man (Conrad Nagel) she is about to follow to Japan pleads with him to not divorce her. So Jerry heads to the fleshpots of Paris to rescue and remarry Ted. (Supposedly this ending is less than faithful to the novel.)

And after this weekend's entertainment, I haven't felt more incurably single and lonely in...well, weeks, probably.
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Allhallowsday
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Allhallowsday »

WOODSTOCK (1970) Director's cut on TCM (again)

It remains fascinating, less for the artists than the many bits of participants and townsfolk.
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Fedya
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Fedya »

As somebody who lives 20 minutes from Tinker Street and is not a boomer I've never been able to get into the whole Woodstock thing.
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by TikiSoo »

j.lunatic wrote: April 30th, 2023, 6:39 pm I just spent the last weekend tormented by the universe. Academic Marsha Gordon just published a book about novelist Ursula Parrott (1899-1957), several of whose works were adapted by Hollywood. Gordon came to the DC area to promote her new book, and I attended screenings at the National Gallery of Art and AFI Silver.
(snipped)
And after this weekend's entertainment, I haven't felt more incurably single and lonely in...well, weeks, probably.
I couldn't "like" that post, instead empathize-I know exactly how you feel.
Then figure I'm happier alone than tormented by drama & infidelity.

And I am the tail end of Woodstock generation, I knew several people who attended but am way over it. Attending via film is far better than being there.

(Got my chance in 1975, attending The Great American Music Fair: an abbreviated 12 hour concert with The Beach Boys, Jefferson Starship, America, John Sebastian, New Riders Of The Purple Sage, The Doobie Bros.
Like Woodstock it was muddy, full of hippies, drugs...couldn't believe my Mom let me go as a 14 y/o)
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Masha
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Masha »

Oh, the way that Hendrix played
Everyone was getting laid
Dope was of the highest grade
Those were the days

Always knew who you could trust
Cruising in your micro-bus
They were them and we were us
Those were the days

All the things we're into then
Tarot cards, I Ching, and Zen
Mister, we could use a man like Timothy Leary again!

Hardly needing any cash
Everybody shared their stash
Always had a place to crash
Those were the days

- Stephen W. Terrell

I knew little of the American music scene at that time. I do know that I was fortunate to miss: Nazgûl playing: The Armageddon Rag at West Mesa.
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TikiSoo
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by TikiSoo »

This past Monday night our group screened The DESPERADOES 1943. I am not a fan of Westerns and I particularly dislike Randolph Scott, but gave it a try anyway-glad I did!

Thankfully, there was little of Scott in this movie, it was more a vehicle for Glenn Ford. It was your basic story of bank robberies and horse thieving' but told in breathtaking Technicolor. The opening credits were so rich & beautiful with color, I audibly gasped.
All the sets, costumes & people were beautifully photographed and sure nothing like real life in the Wild West- unless every day was clear skies and 35% humidity.

The best part of the movie was seeing fave actress Evelyn Keyes in a really great standout role instead of in a small supporting part as is her usual. She played a plucky cowgirl who runs a livery stable for her Dad played by Edgar Buchanan who looks like he was riding with Cheech & Chong, his eyes were so squinty.

I often see a correlation between of classic actors to modern equivalents and in this movie Evelyn Keyes looked and acted very similarly to Shelly Long. Keyes never looked better than in tight jeans riding a big, beautiful horse. And I was surprised at how comfortable she looked handling them.

I also must mention Glenn Ford's horse-a big black horse wearing russet tack. Russet tack is double the cost of regular brown leather and is traditionally only worn by black horses. This tells me they gave Ford the "best" horse in the stable, although a double was used for the galloping long shots through glorious Utah.

Also notable was a long, intense bar fight oddly set to lighthearted, comedic music. A decent effort from Columbia but no "mighty epic".
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Detective Jim McLeod
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Detective Jim McLeod »

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Head (1968) Youtube- 7/10

The Monkees (Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones, Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork) have strange experiences while filming a movie.

First time viewing for me and I liked it more than I thought. I was only a casual fan of their TV show but I liked their music. This was a plotless counter culture film but now is an enjoyable time capsule of the 1960s. We see Mickey battle a Coca Cola machine in the desert, Peter is tackled by Green Bay Packer Ray Nitschke, Davy is beaten up by ex champ Sonny Liston and Mike has a psychedelic birthday celebration. We are constantly reminded this is a movie being filmed as the group often stops the filming to talk to director Bob Rafelson and writer Jack Nicholson and walk off the movie sets.
For classic movie buffs we see clips of Rita Hayworth in Gilda (1946) and Bela Lugosi in The Black Cat (1934). Victor Mature as a funny cameo as a giant, the Monkees are seen as dandruff in his hair. They don't sing any of their famous hits in this but the songs are pretty good.
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jimimac71
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by jimimac71 »

Lions and Tigers And Bears … Oh My!
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Swithin
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Re: I Just Watched...

Post by Swithin »

By coincidence, I just watched two movies featuring Nick and Nora Charles -- NOT!

Star of Midnight (1935)
A year after making The Thin Man, William Powell starred as a hard-drinking playboy/detective who gets roped into trying to solve a murder that took place in his apartment. Ginger Rogers (between Roberta and Top Hat) stars as the woman who has loved him since she was a little girl. Ginger helps him with the case. Gene Lockhart is Powell's valet. There are other characters who flesh out this thin and at times confusing plot. J. Farrell McDonald is the best of the bunch, as Police Inspector Doremus, a name surely stolen (perhaps an homage) to the exasperated coroner of the Philo Vance stories (of which this is not one). Star of Midnight is light fun, but unlike The Thin Man, the supporting characters are not very well drawn.

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William Powell, Ginger Rogers

Stamboul Quest (1934) is unusual in that the story is about espionage and counter espionage (and perhaps counter counter espionage) among the Germans during World War I, at a time before America entered the war. Myrna Loy plays a German spy, sent by her spy boss (Lionel Atwill) to find out whether the head of the Turkish forces (very well played by C. Henry Gordon) is a double agent, spying for the British. The Dardanelles are involved, and military secrets. Myrna's life and mission are complicated by the fact that George Brent, an American studying medicine in Germany, is accidentally arrested in a dentist's office, during the ambush of Leo G. Carroll, who is also a double agent. Rudolph Amendt (who would play the mad doctor in She Demons nearly 25 years later) has a small role. There are nuns in this movie, and a convent, at the opening and closing. Myrna, having outed Mata Hari as a double agent, herself falls in love, jeopardizing her work. There is some very clever dialogue in this film, as well as a little bit of well placed humour, and a great scene in which C. Henry Gordon writes secrets in invisible ink on Myrna Loy's naked back.

(I've just read on Wikipedia that Loy's character -- Fraulein Doktor -- was based on a real person!)

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George Brent, Myrna Loy, C. Henry Gordon
Last edited by Swithin on May 6th, 2023, 5:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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