WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[charliechaplinfan]

Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rossellini, is open to debate but there is no doubt in my mind that Ingrid did some of her best work for him, having said that she was good in practically everything she was in. Norma and Irving, definitely a great combination, Joan Bennett should have always had dark hair, it suited her far better, Marion Davies she should have made more modern comedy. I don't envy Jennifer Jones her relationship with Selznick, I've read a book on Selznick and Irene Selznick's autobiography and I can't help but feel that he swallowed her up, didn't treat her nicely he couldn't decide who he wanted and certainly made worse any lack of confidence that Jones had and meddled in her career. He might have given her a good start but after that he made the way difficult.

[JackFavell]

Ciao, ChiO!

I saw To Rome with Love last night and agree with you that there are nuances of earlier Allen pictures, but the result is a new and frothy confection.

To Rome with Love reminds me of Trio and Quartet, those Brit anthology movies. His original title was Bop Decameron, but realized audiences now would not understand the Decameron reference, a series of novellas. Short stories as opposed to novels basically, in movie form. Not as good as Midnight in Paris, but I still enjoyed it. Very slight material to work with, notebook ideas, but I think Woody pulls it off by staying very light, editing beautifully, and mixing reality with the absurd. Not everything has to be the the most meaningful film he ever made. It's not high art, but it IS put together well, and is a fun way to pass a couple of hours out of the heat.

Watching all those perfect, and I mean perfect, Italian locations was definitely worth it. It makes Rome beautiful, which I never thought it was when I was there. For me the city is fitful, incredible aged beauty crammed in between ugliness. Woody makes it come alive. His Rome I could live in. Of course, he's picked the most meraviglioso settings imaginable, even the undertaker's shop is perfection!

The movie is very light and frothy, just what you'd expect from this kind of summer film. it's very dreamlike, but I enjoy Woody's more dreamy films. This one also has a good quotient of silly, which somehow really lifts the film. It's not the best movie I've seen, but it's fun and you know how good locations can make a good movie better.

Alessandra Mastronardi is absolutely wonderful as small town girl Milly, who ends up in Rome on her honeymoon, only to get lost while looking for a hairdresser. My favorite section of the film, thanks to this effervescent actress - to me she is more beautiful than Penelope Cruz (sorry, ChiO). Her airy performance put the coda on the whole film, when she and her husband are reunited, she is now a much more mysterious person. I'd watch another movie about this character's adventures.

Another reason to watch the movie is that here are a couple of GORGEOUS Italian men in the movie, Flavio Parenti as Michelangelo, and Riccardo Scamarcio as a burglar. A pretty Italian man's face is almost as good as those rough, burnt umbered, stuccoed walls with Ivy dripping down them.

I don't read reviews before I see a film. Now, afterwards, I am finding them hilarious. Each critic has picked a particular story out of the four to latch onto, and another to hate. And every critic has picked a different story ... it's really quite funny, one says that the Roberto Benigni segment is loathesome, and another says they think it's the most profound and surreal. The way they talk, there is no room for error, and yet, they all disagree! It just goes to show you, never listen to a critic.

Personally, I loved the oddness of the Roberto Benigni episode. I'd love to see a collaboration of Woody and Roberto Benigni, I think they might make a really amazing film, if they had a great script. Then again, it could be AWFUL. I know he can be annoying, and so can Woody, but I like both of them anyway. Anyone who can step on Clint Eastwood's head rushing to accept his academy award is OK in my book.

[ChiO]

Although I haven't seen Roberto Benigni often, those few times have made me want to avoid him, and yet I, too, thought he and Allen pulled it off wonderfully. To play with such a surrealistic and over-the-top premise and still be amusing and sympathetic makes me want to check out a few more Benigni movies.

And the opera episode...you just knew where that was going and it still was hilarious (to me at any rate).

As for Penelope, well, I'm a sucker for the, shall we say, distinctive face over the classically beautiful face. Deneuve, Tierney, Gardner...yawn. Those eyes, those cheekbones, those lips, those...well, we'll stop with the face. Suffice it to say that I married a Mediterranean the second time around.

And Alec Baldwin as the moral conscience and subversion of the faux-Bogart of PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM? How perfect was that?

The line about adopting Burmese children: A shot at Jolie-Pitt, Mia or himself? Discuss.

[JackFavell]

Oooh, I laughed at that line without even thinking of it as a slam at Mia! I wish I had. I took it as a general indication of modern movie star obsessions, so yes, Jolie-Pitt is what I was thinking of, but man, Mia is like the queen of that whole movement, if you can call it that.

I loved the fact that the audiences in the movie sat and watched the opera guy soooo seriously. In fact, I thought he was very moving at times, while still being very funny! I really wasn't expecting the very ending of that segment, with the reviews praising the one and damning the other. That actually made me laugh more than the staging.

I thought Alec Baldwin was great, it was another of those parts where Baldwin (and Allen) can riff on his own foibles and life situations. Which of course made it all the funnier.

Life is Beautiful is the only Benigni I've seen or can recommmend, it was fantastic. I think the rest of his ouevre is more traditionally comic, but I haven't watched any of them. To me, he and Woody are like parts of each other.

[RedRiver]

A lifelong Woody fan, I nonetheless opted for SPIDER-MAN this weekend. I don't go to many movies, and figured this is the one that calls for the big screen. 3D, no less! This series is the most reliable of the all too populated super hero genre. I liked the entries from ten years ago. This one is good too. Why re-tell the origin story so soon? I'm not sure. But they pull it off.

The first half is courageously costume free. No masked do-gooder, no super villain. It's "real people" time, and it's excellent. As the story builds to climax, it deteriorates into mindless action. But given the concept, what else could it do? As over the top, in your face, HUGE special effects go, this is well done. The action is clear. You don't have to squint your eyes, wondering what, exactly, is going on. There's too much of it. It's overwhelming. But, as the quieter part of the story is free of this, the overall effect is well balanced.

Emma Stone, soft and lovely, is charming as the love interest. Young Andrew Garfield, brash and edgy as the hero. I liked Tobey MaGuire in the role. His quirky, yet up to the challenge persona was tailor made for science whiz turned crime fighter, Peter Parker. But the need for a fresh (younger) face has arisen, and Garfield fills it well. This is a good action film, though a little restraint would have helped!

[feaito]

Really glad you enjoyed the three versions, Fernando. The two 1931 versions are obviously completely different from Love in the Afternoon. Wilder gave it a more comic slant. And let's face it, 50s cinema was very different from the early talkie period. I still believe that Czinner is a forgotten talent now that I have seen 4 of his silents and several early talkies. I used to love intensely Love in the Afternoon which I first saw about 20 years ago in a cinema. My last visit was less enthusiastic. I found Cooper too old (unlike Fernando) though the cinematographer lit him with the care devoted usually for actresses (shadows, soft-focus, etc.). I don't think the Czinner pictures are masterpieces, but they have a certain raw honesty that strikes a chord with me.

I agree Christine; I also liked Czinner's raw honesty, especially in the German version. You know, regarding the Wilder film it's the other way round with me; since I saw it now on a bigger TV set and sitting closer to it, it felt like watching it on the big screen and I could get immersed more deeply in the story and I was captured by its charm more easily. Thus I liked it much, much better now and I was aware of all its subtleties and details.

[feaito]

Yesterday I saw The Emperor's Candlesticks (1937, G. Fitzmaurice) with William Powell and Luise Rainer. It's amusing spy-comedy where Powell plays a Polish spy trying to outwit a dangerous Russian spy in the person of Countess Olga Mironova (L. Rainer). They both hid some ultra-secret messages inside a couple of candlesticks equipped with a secret compartment. When the candlesticks are stolen, they try desperately to recover them. The very beginning of the film was lovely with Grand Duke Peter (R. Young) arriving at a masked ball and meeting a lovely lady dressed as Juliet (M. O'Sullivan) who turns out to be a Polish patriot. The film picked up with the start of the chase between the two spies (Powell & Rainer). But, unfortunately, the film slowed down in the middle and lacked the extra sparkle that could have made it really above average. Beyond that, Rainer was interesting in a part that allowed her to be more than just a 'weepy abandoned wife'. The cinematography by Hal Rosson was great. I want also to mention the score by Franz Waxman. It's sparkling compared with the usual tedium of the Herbert Stothart treacle we have to endure in 30s MGM pictures.

I liked very much this film when I saw it and I enjoyed Rainer in a more mischievous, less-suffering role. She had great chemistry with Bill Powell. I'll pay more attention to music now Chrstine, especially to the Garbo films scored by Stothart which you mentioned. This coull make a fine double bill or triple bill, with Powell's "The Baroness and the Butler" (1938) opposite Annabella and "Knight Without an Armor" (1937).

[Ann Harding]

Yesterday I watched The Fan (1949, O. Preminger) with Madeleine Carroll, Jeanne Crain and George Sanders. This adaptation of a famous Oscar Wilde play is for me a failure. Modifying the structure of the storyline is not really a problem (Lubitsch did it as well in his Lady Windermere's Fan in 1925), but the dialogue and the relationships between characters are totally deprived of any of wit. The Wilde spirit is gone replaced by a very plain script. It sounded to me like some sort of Reader's Digest version where every aspect is explained for Mid-Western Americans. What is left is just a very average costume drama. You probably find me extremely severe towards the film. But, I have already seen the play several times on the stage (in London and Paris) and I know that Wilde imbued his characters with far more depth and wit than we get on that Preminger film. Even George Sanders doesn't particularly shine as Lord Darlington. The dialogue is just too flat to give him any chance to show his humour. It's quite striking that Lubitsch managed to make a really Wildean film in the silent era (using visual wit in place of dialogue) while Preminger failed miserably in talkies.

[CineMaven]

A lifelong Woody fan, I nonetheless opted for SPIDER-MAN this weekend. I don't go to many movies, and figured this is the one that calls for the big screen. 3D, no less! This series is the most reliable of the all too populated super hero genre. I liked the entries from ten years ago. This one is good too. Why re-tell the origin story so soon? I'm not sure. But they pull it off...

Wait a minute...this is a re-telling of the story that Toby MacGuire did? Awwww heck no!!! What the heck is the matter with Hollywood! They're now re-making stuff that's just been done? ( They're certainly not marketing to us, are they? ) Oh I see, they use 3-D. Aaaah! . Woody Allen's new film is on my list, but I think today I will fill my spirit with Oliver Stone's "SAVAGES." Looks like it might be a cross between "JULES et JIM" meets "KILL BILL." Should be enough drugs and sex and violence to blow my mind wide open. Besides, it has Salma Hayek and Benicio Del Toro. If my senses survive, I'll come back and talk about it.

[JackFavell]

I thought The Fan was quite good, and in going back and reading the play afterwards, I found the script was pretty faithful as far as the middle section was concerned. I enjoyed it very much. Perhaps it did sacrifice a bit of style for character, but I think the trade off worked very well.

Maven, going back a bit, I'm glad you liked Moonrise Kingdom, I still want to go back and see it again. I am not a huge Oliver Stone fan, but sheesh, how can one resist Salma Hayak and Benicio Del Toro?

[CineMaven]

Maven, going back a bit, I'm glad you liked Moonrise Kingdom, I still want to go back and see it again. I am not a huge Oliver Stone fan, but sheesh, how can one resist Salma Hayak and Benicio Del Toro?

You're right... I can't resist them. And one of my friends thinks Benicio is her husband/boyfriend. I don't have the heart to tell her he doesn't even know her. He's my boyfriend! < ( sigh! ) > Movies... ( not The Falcon ) that's what dreams are made of.

[JackFavell]

Ha! Well you take Benicio, but you better stay away from my man.... uh..... men...(all of whom are dead and gone for about 50 years).

[feaito]

On Sunday I watched the rousing swashbuckler "The Corsican Brothers" (1941) (Dir: Richard Wallace), perhaps Douglas Fairbanks Jr.'s finest swashbuckler (not counting his secondary role in "The Prisoner of Zenda" (1937)).

Doug Jr. plays two roles in this film; twin brothers separated from birth literally, because the not only were raised miles appart by different people, but since they were born as siamese twins, they underwent surgery as well. Lucien and Mario are the last descendants of the prestigious Corsican Franchi family, who were all banished by the Colonna Clan due a to a Vendetta. Lucien is raised as a bandit in Corsica by his parents' loyal servant (J. Carrol Naish) and Mario is raised in Paris by the Duprés (who were his parents' best friends). When they turn 21 they learn the truth from faithful doctor Enrico (a dignified H.B. Warner), a devoted friend of the Franchis, and swear to take revenge.

Lucien is a kind of introvert, a tormented soul, because he has always felt all the joys and sorrows of his twin brother and he's niver quite understood what's going on; he lives a sort of surrogate life, because his brother Mario, in turn, does not feel anything similar to it. Mario is carefree and bold. I felt that Fairbanks Jr. achieved to give the necessary nuances to differentatiate both characters, which must have been more demanding in terms of acting than playing just a hero in such a film.

Akim Tamiroff plays the despicable Baron Colonna with a light touch of humor. John Emery as his right hand, is a one-dimensional villain.

Lastly, Ruth Warrick plays Countess Gravini, with whom both brothers fall in love and the fact that she was a skilled, gifted Theatre actress, gives depth and interest to her character; she's not just another "lady in distress" due to her talent, because she manages to project more complex feelings.

In all, a very stasfying adventure film.

[RedRiver]

Wait a minute...this is a re-telling of the story that Toby MacGuire did?

More or less. Different girl. New villain. Same old story.

but you better stay away from my man.... uh..... men...(all of whom are dead and gone for about 50 years).

You don't have to worry about those guys watching too much football!

[charliechaplinfan]

I watched Leave Her To Heaven last night, two gorgeous Gene's/Jeanne's which couldn't help but overshadow the leading man Cornel Wilde, both looking lovely in stunning technicolour as did Monument Valley. Has a woman ever looked more mean than Gene when she let Danny drown? Or more conniving when she threw herself down the stairs? Her cool beauty is so right for this role whereas Jeanne's more open face and persona has her marked as the sweetest of women. Stunning cinematography, a visual delight.