WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[RedRiver]

Every poster, myself included, cites Carolyn Jones' appearance as a high point of the movie. The wonderful Jack Warden is disturbingly impressive. Don Murray was a great "up and coming" leading man at that time. Like you, King Rat, I'm surprised his career never really took off. I like this movie a lot! (I guess I already said that.)

[CineMaven]

On the SSO's FaceBaook page, Sandy Kosovich Peck posted this video. If you're not on FaceBook, you can see it here. I think it's excellent:

[vimeo][/vimeo]

[RedRiver]

I watched INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS. I liked it. It's unpredictable. Hard edged. Clever. There were times when I thought, Howard Hawks would have told 20 pages worth of story in this scene. These people sing songs! Musical interludes, in any movie, are detrimental to the pace. But the story is about makers of music. You pretty much have to have it. I liked it a lot. One of the Coen brothers better efforts.

[CineMaven]

I watched INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS. I liked it. It's unpredictable. Hard edged. Clever. There were times when I thought, Howard Hawks would have told 20 pages worth of story in this scene. These people sing songs! Musical interludes, in any movie, are detrimental to the pace. But the story is about makers of music. You pretty much have to have it. I liked it a lot. One of the Coen brothers better efforts.

Nice review, Red. I know people who saw this in the theatres and really enjoyed it. But I couldn’t give myself over to seeing it, maybe b’cuz it was really popular and indie. And I usually don’t do that---> purposely go against popularity. I’m pretty easy about movies. But with this one and “The Artist” I just couldn't go with the crowd. I held out on “Fargo” too. Resisted it. Same with “The Shawshank Redemption.” Bah humbug! Fuhgeddaboutit. Ain't goin'. I ain’t doin' it. Then I saw both these movies on cable, and was absolutely floored. You’d think I’d learn my lesson. Ack! One thing you wrote really got my attention: “But the story is about makers of music. You pretty much have to have it.” You’ve single-handedly changed my mind. Wait...are you having some power over me?

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“WITHOUT PITY” ( 1948 )

Despair. Devastating.


John Kitzmiller and Carla Del Poggio

That’s it. I’m done. No more Italian neo-realism for this girl. The story of Jerry and Angela put me over the edge. My heart can’t take it. Before life intervenes, Jerry and Angela have a nice moment without a care in the world. Jerry’s a U.S. soldier. Angela is a girl with no money or resources looking for her brother. Circumstances have them in each other’s lives, and when they meet again, Jerry takes Angela to a carnival. They go on a ride, have coffee and pastry. He shares the wealth with street urchins. They laugh and relax and are exhausted by date’s end as he walks her home. This takes place during the war...or the end of the war where life is hard. Everyone’s on the take. Black marketing bad guys get rich, poor girls sell themselves, MPs boss everyone around. Angela gets caught up in a situation beyond her control. Jerry through mishaps and misunderstandings get caught by MPs. Life is very unfair and doesn’t end well for them. “Without Pity” is a compelling story of a man and woman each in their own way trapped by circumstances. The fates just wouldn’t give them a break. And my heart was broken by the end of this. I’m done. No more bitter rice or Magnani or stolen bicycles or little dogs. I need a 60’s Italian comedy...STAT!!! I don’t mind sad endings, but hopeless ones...

My achin’ heart can't take it.

[movieman1957]

RED 2 is a bit of fun if you park your brain at the opening of the film. The body count is high though relatively bloodless. The situation confusing and probably pointless. It does have a pretty good sense of humor. Not nearly as good as the first one. This is why movies invented popcorn.

[RedRiver]

I like FARGO and SHAWSHANK a lot. The conventional wisdom is not always wrong! When JAWS came out, my friend was so sick of "shark mania," he refused to see it. Sharks were being spotted as far inland as Kansas. I bet he STILL hasn't seen that movie!

are you having some power over me?

I can't even control my emotions!

[MikeBSG]

Last week I watched "Rescue Dawn" (2006) directed by Werner Herzog.

It is a dramatization of the story of Dieter Dengler, the subject of Herzog's "Little Dieter Needs to Fly," his documentary about the one American POW who escaped during the Vietnam war.

"Rescue Dawn" is very good. Even though I had seen "Little Dieter" and knew how things would work out, I still found myself on the edge of my seat for most of the movie. Christian Bale (not my favorite actor) was very good as Dengler. Herzog makes great use of the jungle setting.

At times, this movie reminded me of "Apocalypse Now," which made me remember how that movie makes me think of "Aguierre, The Wrath of God" at times. Interesting.

[mongoII]

I finally got to see the movie "Nebraska" and it was worth waiting for. In crisp black and white it captured the message of the story. Oscar nominee Bruce Dern is excellent as an aging, booze-addled father who makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million-dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize, he is convinced he won.
Very good support from June Squibb as his hoot of a wife and Will Forte as his well meaning son.
Definitely worth seeing.

[Rita Hayworth]

Indiscreet and Notorious - Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman


I thoroughly enjoyed both of these films tonight and loved the chemistry that GRANT and BERGMAN brings - the romance, the suspense, the tension, and the sizzling drama that unfolds tonight as I watched these great films of yesterdays. I haven't seen these films in a very long time and I appreciate the talents of these two stars that effortlessly entertained me tonight. Man, I just loved these two films for different reasons and that alone makes them unique in every way. I never, ever seen Ingrid Bergman so beautiful in Notorious and the way she seduces Grant and Grant seduces Bergman was beyond description. I loved the fashions that Bergman was wearing in Indiscreet and the mannerisms that both of them brings. I just in awe of these two talented performers and I just wanted to let everyone here that I was delightfully entertained by all. The supporting cast was superb and that alone makes it a great films to watch. There were not a dull moments in these two movies and I was very happy to see them tonight.

Notorious was the first film that both GRANT and BERGMAN worked together and I was surprised it was - knowing how well they worked together so beautifully crafted by Hitchcock himself.

Loved them both ... and rightly so!

Trailer for Indiscreet
[youtube][/youtube]

Trailer for Notorious
[youtube][/youtube]

Romance in Notorious
[youtube][/youtube]

[RedRiver]

I watched two new movies yesterday. Indy films, more or less. KILL YOUR DARLINGS concerns Allen Ginsburg, Jack Kerouac and others while at Columbia University. Rebellion, drugs, murder. Good, though I think I liked HOWL a little better. FREE RIDE might have been direct to video. Whatever the case, it's tremendous. Disturbing, sad and uncompromising, it's a story about drugs, poverty and bad choices. A single mom doing whatever it takes to support her two daughters. Exceptional!

[RedRiver]

ALL I DESIRE, in the hands of a fine director and an exceptional actress, succeeds on all levels.

[Rita Hayworth]

BLACK HAND, 1950 Italian Crime Noir

I enjoyed this movie and It's a great crime noir involving a man that's seeking revenge as the Crime Mob known as the BLACK HAND killed his Father. Great Cast and wonderfully written to. I was very surprised how well Gene Kelly acted in this movie. One of Director - Richard Thorpe's good work in directing ... I really was impressed by the realism in this crime noir movie.

[RedRiver]

The local grocery has copies of THE ROBE and SONG OF BERNADETTE for Easter. I could watch THE ROBE again. I like it. "Bernadette"? It's not a great favorite. But it is a Henry King film. That scores a point with me. The real obstacle is the $8.00 price tag. That's not a lot. But to watch a movie one time, then throw it in a closet? I like the five dollar rack! I must say, it's nice that movies such as these turn up in "non-movie" stores. K-mart, Kroger, the neighborhood pharmacy. (Take two John Ford films and call me in the morning!) It's good for fans. It's good for the movies.