Re: Nancy Walker.
She should have been. Her height would have been a disadvantage though.
If they had done it right The Golden Girls could have been the Geriatric Angels.
WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
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movieman1957
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JackFavell
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Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
movieman -
What a fantastic idea--I think it's time for a geriatric Angels TV show... I would absolutely love to see three older stars tackle crime, searching for clues, etc.... Hopefully it would be well written.
It would be great to see a British version - a sort of triple Miss Marple show... or have they already done that? They are so far ahead of us, television wise. It would have to get popular there, for us to remake it over here.
What a fantastic idea--I think it's time for a geriatric Angels TV show... I would absolutely love to see three older stars tackle crime, searching for clues, etc.... Hopefully it would be well written.
It would be great to see a British version - a sort of triple Miss Marple show... or have they already done that? They are so far ahead of us, television wise. It would have to get popular there, for us to remake it over here.
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movieman1957
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Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
If you count "Murder, She Wrote" than it sort of has been done. Betty White may be near 90 but she still has enough sass to pull it off.
Chris
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
"Time flies like an arrow, fruit flies like a banana."
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feaito
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
It hadn't happened to me for a long time, but today I turned on the TV set and there it was "Airport" (1969), which had just begun and since Helen Hayes -playing the dotty old lady-stowaway- was on the screen, I said to myself: I have to watch it a little bit, after all she's one of my faves and she won an Oscar for this role....and I ended watching the entire film!
It was the first film of its kind ( I recall two or three rip-offs followed) and it was so exciting to watch! It has thrill, suspense, fine special effects (no CGI thanks!), an absorbing plot and above all, an amazingly appealing cast. There are just so many familiar faces and so many of them belong to the Golden Era! And that makes a big difference. The names are a who's who of character actors and stars of Hollywood: Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jean Seberg, the aforementioned Helen Hayes, Dana Wynter, Jessie Royce Landis, Gary Collins, Jacqueline Bisset, Lloyd Nolan, Van Heflin, Barbara Hale, Virginia Grey, Barry Nelson, George Kennedy, Maureen Stapleton, Whit Bissell, Sandra Gould, Dick Winslow, Marion Ross, Celia Lovsky, Walter Woolf-King, Nick Cravat, Paul Picerni et al.
It was a treat for me, because I had not seen it since a was a kid and it really isn't a film I would have watched on purpose. It just happened and I'm glad I did!
It was the first film of its kind ( I recall two or three rip-offs followed) and it was so exciting to watch! It has thrill, suspense, fine special effects (no CGI thanks!), an absorbing plot and above all, an amazingly appealing cast. There are just so many familiar faces and so many of them belong to the Golden Era! And that makes a big difference. The names are a who's who of character actors and stars of Hollywood: Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, Jean Seberg, the aforementioned Helen Hayes, Dana Wynter, Jessie Royce Landis, Gary Collins, Jacqueline Bisset, Lloyd Nolan, Van Heflin, Barbara Hale, Virginia Grey, Barry Nelson, George Kennedy, Maureen Stapleton, Whit Bissell, Sandra Gould, Dick Winslow, Marion Ross, Celia Lovsky, Walter Woolf-King, Nick Cravat, Paul Picerni et al.
It was a treat for me, because I had not seen it since a was a kid and it really isn't a film I would have watched on purpose. It just happened and I'm glad I did!
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
Yesterday, I watched "Gloomy Sunday," a German film from 1999. It deals with a Hungarian song from the 1930s that supposedly drove people to suicide.
It was okay. What really struck me about the film was that the main character was a pudgy middle-aged man. I couldn't think of the last time I had seen a movie that centered on such a character.
It was okay. What really struck me about the film was that the main character was a pudgy middle-aged man. I couldn't think of the last time I had seen a movie that centered on such a character.
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
Yesterday I watched "Almost Human," an Italian police film from about 1974. (It might have been called "The Executioner" on its first American release.)
So it was an interesting film, opening with a superlative car chase. Some of the violence was really extreme and more suited to a horror film, but this story of the kidnapping of a rich industrialist's daughter held my interest.
And then the last 15 minutes happened.
The hippie-esque bad guy paid someone to beat him up. His lawyer got the kidnapping case against him thrown out of court. The police inspector (Henry Silva) tracked him down to a sidewalk cafe and shot him in front of some garbage bags.
In short, the movie turned into a not-very-disguised "Dirty Harry" rip off and I felt cheated.
So it was an interesting film, opening with a superlative car chase. Some of the violence was really extreme and more suited to a horror film, but this story of the kidnapping of a rich industrialist's daughter held my interest.
And then the last 15 minutes happened.
The hippie-esque bad guy paid someone to beat him up. His lawyer got the kidnapping case against him thrown out of court. The police inspector (Henry Silva) tracked him down to a sidewalk cafe and shot him in front of some garbage bags.
In short, the movie turned into a not-very-disguised "Dirty Harry" rip off and I felt cheated.
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
With the excuse of the weather and inspired by ChiO's best musical poll, I watched the three documentaries that may define the music of the late sixties; Monterey Pop (1968), Woodstock (1970) and Gimme Shelter (1970). One band appears in all three films, know which? Read on….
Monterey Pop is really a great film but is a victim of being too short. Clocking in at just 79-minutes, there's just too much missing in the original film, and, as much as I love Ravi Shankar's performance, the length of his piece nearly overwhelms the balance of the film. Of course there's the legendary performance by The Who (which, in all honesty, isn't that good, at least musically), and Hendrix follows too closely to that of The Who, lessening the impact, somewhat, of his "finale". But these are quibbles. The film is as "groovy" as it gets, evoking the shear joy of the event in little, but magnificent ways, like showing father's dancing with their young daughters and just all-around seeing so many couples in love. Oh, and the music rocks, too.
I really like the Woodstock Director's Cut because more than the theatrical release, it gives a better sense of the events and acts as they advanced throughout the three days. The attendees seem somehow less innocent than at Monterey, and the performances feel more cutting edge than Monterey, (where the music seemed more explorative.) The use of split screen images still brings an excitement and an energy during many musical performances (especially Ten Years After), but also during the terrific sections exploring the mammoth setup, interviewing attendees, and even the aftermath. And, with all due respect to Ringo, Joe Cocker takes ownership of With a Little Help From my Friends .
While Monterey and Woodstock are joyous celebrations of an almost utopian ideal, Gimme Shelter represents that destruction. It may be too easy to see the tragedy at Altamont as the end of a generation and its music, but after watching all three films, for me it sure seems like it. While the film depicts the Stones during, what is arguably one their greatest periods ( Get Your Ya-Ya's Out and shortly before Sticky Fingers), even the early scenes where the Stones are playing at Madison Square Garden, the band is just not playing that well. Jagger struts his stuff with abandon, but there's little fire from the music, especially when compared to nearly ever other band seen in the previous films. The Stones seem almost bored. This transformation in the music performance is born out in the one band that appears in each film, The Jefferson Airplane (you knew that). At Monterey they (and everyone) are excited and enthusiastic. At Woodstock they are more self assured and relaxed. But at Altamont they have no idea why they are there at all and obviously really don't want to be. (Being punched in the face by a Hell's Angel notwithstanding.)
It also should be noted that, aside from the hiring of Hell's Angels as body guards, at Altamont the stage was at ground level. Even without the Angels, that alone was asking for trouble.
For the record, with all the great music in these films, one performance stands out--by far. There is such an intense honesty in Janis Joplin's Ball and Chain at Monterey, it's almost difficult to watch, and yet one can't look away, even for a second. Close-ups of Joplin's heal as it strikes the beat; the slight pauses as she reaches down inside her soul for one of those whispering howls; the shots of Cass Elliot in the audience, her jaw dropped, experiencing the same awe we are; at the songs dynamic end, Joplin's slight skip as she leaves the stage. Wow.
Monterey Pop is really a great film but is a victim of being too short. Clocking in at just 79-minutes, there's just too much missing in the original film, and, as much as I love Ravi Shankar's performance, the length of his piece nearly overwhelms the balance of the film. Of course there's the legendary performance by The Who (which, in all honesty, isn't that good, at least musically), and Hendrix follows too closely to that of The Who, lessening the impact, somewhat, of his "finale". But these are quibbles. The film is as "groovy" as it gets, evoking the shear joy of the event in little, but magnificent ways, like showing father's dancing with their young daughters and just all-around seeing so many couples in love. Oh, and the music rocks, too.
I really like the Woodstock Director's Cut because more than the theatrical release, it gives a better sense of the events and acts as they advanced throughout the three days. The attendees seem somehow less innocent than at Monterey, and the performances feel more cutting edge than Monterey, (where the music seemed more explorative.) The use of split screen images still brings an excitement and an energy during many musical performances (especially Ten Years After), but also during the terrific sections exploring the mammoth setup, interviewing attendees, and even the aftermath. And, with all due respect to Ringo, Joe Cocker takes ownership of With a Little Help From my Friends .
While Monterey and Woodstock are joyous celebrations of an almost utopian ideal, Gimme Shelter represents that destruction. It may be too easy to see the tragedy at Altamont as the end of a generation and its music, but after watching all three films, for me it sure seems like it. While the film depicts the Stones during, what is arguably one their greatest periods ( Get Your Ya-Ya's Out and shortly before Sticky Fingers), even the early scenes where the Stones are playing at Madison Square Garden, the band is just not playing that well. Jagger struts his stuff with abandon, but there's little fire from the music, especially when compared to nearly ever other band seen in the previous films. The Stones seem almost bored. This transformation in the music performance is born out in the one band that appears in each film, The Jefferson Airplane (you knew that). At Monterey they (and everyone) are excited and enthusiastic. At Woodstock they are more self assured and relaxed. But at Altamont they have no idea why they are there at all and obviously really don't want to be. (Being punched in the face by a Hell's Angel notwithstanding.)
It also should be noted that, aside from the hiring of Hell's Angels as body guards, at Altamont the stage was at ground level. Even without the Angels, that alone was asking for trouble.
For the record, with all the great music in these films, one performance stands out--by far. There is such an intense honesty in Janis Joplin's Ball and Chain at Monterey, it's almost difficult to watch, and yet one can't look away, even for a second. Close-ups of Joplin's heal as it strikes the beat; the slight pauses as she reaches down inside her soul for one of those whispering howls; the shots of Cass Elliot in the audience, her jaw dropped, experiencing the same awe we are; at the songs dynamic end, Joplin's slight skip as she leaves the stage. Wow.
"Let's be independent together." Dr. Hermey DDS
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
Can THE LAST WALTZ be far behind?
Everyday people...that's what's wrong with the world. -- Morgan Morgan
I love movies. But don't get me wrong. I hate Hollywood. -- Orson Welles
Movies can only go forward in spite of the motion picture industry. -- Orson Welles
I love movies. But don't get me wrong. I hate Hollywood. -- Orson Welles
Movies can only go forward in spite of the motion picture industry. -- Orson Welles
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
Tonight's forecast is for lots more snow. On deck: The Last Waltz , Stop Making Sense, The Kids Are Alright, and time permitting (and my wife's patience) , The Concert For George Harrison.
"Let's be independent together." Dr. Hermey DDS
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JackFavell
- Posts: 11926
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feaito
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
Thanks to Ollie I watched a long-awaited film: "On Borrowed Time" (1939) a magical film about the relationship and deep bond between a grandfather and his grandson, beautifully performed by Lionel Barrymore and Bobs Watson. Cedric Hardwicke plays Mr. Brink aka Mr. Death, who unlike Fredric March in "Death takes a Holiday " is a on a forced vacation. Grandpapa is not ready to leave this world and his beloved grandson, so he confines to death to an old apple tree, with some unexpected results. There's a wonderful supporting cast, with Beulah Bondi sensitively playing grandmama, Una Merkel playing a different kind of role, as a sweet girl who looks after the old grandparents and their only grandson et al (Eily Malyon, Henry Travers, Grant Mitchell, Nat Pendleton...) An engrossing movie.
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klondike
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
Did Beulah Bondi ever turn in a bad performance, anywhere, in any role, in any movie, big or small?feaito wrote:There's a wonderful supporting cast, with Beulah Bondi sensitively playing grandmama . . . An engrossing movie.
If she ever did, I've never seen it, and I've seen practically her entire body of work!
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feaito
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
No Klondike. Can't think of anyklondike wrote:Did Beulah Bondi ever turn in a bad performance, anywhere, in any role, in any movie, big or small?feaito wrote:There's a wonderful supporting cast, with Beulah Bondi sensitively playing grandmama . . . An engrossing movie.
If she ever did, I've never seen it, and I've seen practically her entire body of work!
She was a super trouper...I can only remember her landmark performances in such classics as "Make Way For Tomorrow" (1937), "The Southerner" (1945) and "Penny Serenade" (1941), among the ones that come to my mind...
Re: WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?
and when she played crazy/evil.....look out! "Ma Bailey" in the Pottersville portion of It's a Wonderful Life and Aunt Molly in Shepherd of the Hills