WHAT FILMS HAVE YOU SEEN LATELY?

[Uncle Stevie]

Hi everyone,

This is my first posting on this thread and after you get past the very small problem you will realize my posting of some great movies.

I, unfortunately, must be in a Hyperbaric Chamber for 108 minutes five days per week. The chamber introduces pure oxygen into your body at increased pressure equivilant to 33 Feet under water. It's purpose, for me, is to increase healing ability which I need to do to rid myself of a stuborn infection. There is no pain involved so no sympathy please.

But here is the good part. The chamber is clear lucite all around me (360 degrees) and in my view is a flat screen 32" HD TV with sound piped into the chamber. The TV has a DVD player built in so I get to bring in my own movies from my collection. Here is my list of watched movies fro the past 9 sessions:

His Butler's Sister - Deanna Durbin, Franchot Tone

Easter Parade - Judy Garland, Fred Astaire

Rich Young And Pretty - Jane Powell, Vic Damone, Daniel Darrieux

What Happens In Vegas - Cameron Diaz, Ashton Kutcher

Mad About Music - Deanna Durbin, Herbert Marshall

Summer Stock - Judy Garland, Gene Kelly

Singin In the Rain - Debbie Reynolds, Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor

Step Up - Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewain

Chasing Liberty - Mandy Moore, Mathew Goode

I have about 180 movies in my drawer to choose from for my remaining 21 sessions. I will have happy problems deciding which ones to spend my morning with.


Uncle Stevie

[feaito]

Yesterday I watched the amusing British film "The Mouse of the Moon" (1962), a sequel to "The Mouse that Roared" (1958). No Peter Sellers here but we get instead the priceless maggie Rutherford, although I wished she would have had more screen time.

I also revisited the Hitchcock masterpiece "Shadow of a Doubt" (1943), a lesson in grand cinema. Everything about this film is flawless and perfect, and thanks to it I could entice my sister and his husband to enter the world of Classics. They're defintely going to watch more of Hitch.

I also watched Bertolucci's "1900" (1976), a film that I saw many years ago and which I had in very high esteem. Very long, but engrossing, although it did not make the same impact on me that it made during the 1980s or 1990s (can't recall well in which decade I saw it). This time some of its moments and performances seemed a little bit OTT to me. Something else that annoyed me were the actors obviously speaking in different languages, which tends to occur in Italian films. On the other hand, It was great to watch it in its widescreen ratio.

Finally I watched "The Imaginarium of Dr.Parnassus" (2009) an interesting film, especially visually, but not altogether successful. For me Gilliam's best film will always be "Brazil" (1985) which I haven't seen in ages.

[movieman1957]

If ever a more insidious, arrogant, pathetic set of siblings came into the world of fiction it would be hard to beat the Hubbard family in William Wyler's "The Little Foxes." Their greed knows no bounds. Their hearts know no love. In reality they have nothing but each other and it's a sad end to it all.

It is also a movie of reactions. I found myself watching the rest of the cast when someone was speaking. How did they react? Herbert Marshall (Horace) as Regina's (Davis) husband has plenty to react to. Whether it is coming to a home where there is no love or listening to the plans of his family's greed he is wonderful in showing his annoyance and disgust. His only light is his daughter Alexandra (Teresa Wright.)

Everyone on the fringe of this triad from hell is poisoned by their greed. Whether it is brother Oscar's wife Birdy, a sweet and lonely soul who softens her life with a drink or their own son Leo (Dan Duryea) who is so the product of the family that his mother can't stand him no one wins. Until the last. The one who does win is, oddly enough, Alexandra. When all the back stabbing and wheeling and dealing is over she is the only one who can stand up to Regina. That is only because she wants nothing that her mother can give her. On the night her father dies she leaves her mother and is free of it all. She is the only one free of it all.

Very good performances all around. The only drawback for me is Teresa Wright. She is playing a part that seems to be quite a bit younger then she is. She parades around the whole movie with a big bow in her hair and a pair of Buster Brown shoes. Duryea is good as the young not very bright son. Near the end when he gets slapped by Alexandra's young man it is given more like a man to an insolent child. It is not one good one but a quick series of slaps that ring more of disgust than anger.

They all had it coming.

[MichiganJ]

Finally I watched "The Imaginarium of Dr.Parnassus" (2009) an interesting film, especially visually, but not altogether successful.

I agree this wasn't altogether successful, but was still impressed at what was achieved given that the film's star died half way through production. Having other stars "fill in" was a pretty good idea, especially considering the plot. But each time a new star appeared, I couldn't help but be taken out of the picture, knowing that they were replacing Ledger. Of course, this is no fault of the film or Gilliam.

For me Gilliam's best film will always be "Brazil" (1985) which I haven't seen in ages.

I like many of Gilliam's films. Brazil (in all its forms, which are fascinating to compare), Time Bandits, The Fisher King ( the first time seeing it, I hated it, the second time, loved it--go figure), and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Haven't seen Tideland, yet but one of my favorite Gilliam films is the short The Crimson Permanent Assurance, which opens Monty Python's Meaning of Life.

[jdb1]

If ever a more insidious, arrogant, pathetic set of siblings came into the world of fiction it would be hard to beat the Hubbard family in William Wyler's "The Little Foxes." Their greed knows no bounds. Their hearts know no love. In reality they have nothing but each other and it's a sad end to it all.

It is also a movie of reactions. I found myself watching the rest of the cast when someone was speaking. How did they react? Herbert Marshall (Horace) as Regina's (Davis) husband has plenty to react to. Whether it is coming to a home where there is no love or listening to the plans of his family's greed he is wonderful in showing his annoyance and disgust. His only light is his daughter Alexandra (Teresa Wright.)

Everyone on the fringe of this triad from hell is poisoned by their greed. Whether it is brother Oscar's wife Birdy, a sweet and lonely soul who softens her life with a drink or their own son Leo (Dan Duryea) who is so the product of the family that his mother can't stand him no one wins. Until the last. The one who does win is, oddly enough, Alexandra. When all the back stabbing and wheeling and dealing is over she is the only one who can stand up to Regina. That is only because she wants nothing that her mother can give her. On the night her father dies she leaves her mother and is free of it all. She is the only one free of it all.

Very good performances all around. The only drawback for me is Teresa Wright. She is playing a part that seems to be quite a bit younger then she is. She parades around the whole movie with a big bow in her hair and a pair of Buster Brown shoes. Duryea is good as the young not very bright son. Near the end when he gets slapped by Alexandra's young man it is given more like a man to an insolent child. It is not one good one but a quick series of slaps that ring more of disgust than anger.

They all had it coming.

The cinematic Hubbard Family is one of my favorites, Chris. Quite interesting that you found Wright to be not young enough to be Xan, and Duryea very good as young Leo. Wright was only 22 or 23 at the time, and Duryea was 34. Wright should have been able to play a convincing teenager, old enough to get married. I thought she was OK, although she is not one my favorites. No question in my mind that Duryea was entirely believable as the obnoxious and spoiled Leo.

Have you seen the prequel - Another Part of the Forest? Made in 1949, it shows how the Hubbard clan got that way. Different actors as the family, but Duryea plays the younger version of Leo's father, Oscar, and very credibly, too, at 42.

[movieman1957]

I have not seen the other film and only found out about it reading about this movie somewhere. The Duryea connection makes it even more interesting.

I couldn't quite tell what age they wanted Alexandra to be. The bow made me think something like 16 but she looked more mature. If that is the case then her relationship with "Dave" seems odd because he would seem several years older and more mature. But likely my perception of her age is wrong. I wouldn't have thought Duryea to be as old as he really was because he was good as an immature Leo.

I'll be looking for the "Another Part of The Forest." (Not available at Netflix.)

Could you imagine what life would be like if they lived near the family from "Long Day's Journey Into Night"?

[feaito]

I agree this wasn't altogether successful, but was still impressed at what was achieved given that the film's star died half way through production. Having other stars "fill in" was a pretty good idea, especially considering the plot. But each time a new star appeared, I couldn't help but be taken out of the picture, knowing that they were replacing Ledger. Of course, this is no fault of the film or Gilliam.

I agree 100% Kevin.

I like many of Gilliam's films. Brazil (in all its forms, which are fascinating to compare), Time Bandits, The Fisher King ( the first time seeing it, I hated it, the second time, loved it--go figure), and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Haven't seen Tideland, yet but one of my favorite Gilliam films is the short The Crimson Permanent Assurance, which opens Monty Python's Meaning of Life.

I haven't seen none of those. The only other Gilliam films I have watched are "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" (1988) and "Twelve Monkeys" (1995), both very good films.

[jdb1]

I find Gilliam's films difficult to watch, but on the other hand difficult to stop watching, once I get involved. There are quite a few I haven't yet seen because I find his style so undisciplined, like ultra-Fellini on a really, really silly day. Where does the artistic license end and the self-indulgent, cinematic hyper bad-boy video style begin? I can rarely tell.

Munchausen and Time Bandits are like drug-colored Maurice Sendak books (such as Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen) with a sprinkling of Winsor McKay's hallucinatory old comic strip Little Nemo (which was a big influence on Sendak). This is to say that they are like the adult version of troubling childhood dreams. I have never been able to get to the end of Brazil, try though I might. I do like Twelve Monkeys, and The Fisher King is my favorite of Gilliam's works, but then, the legend of the Fisher King is one of my favorite literary themes, and I think it was well-served in the movie.

[Ann Harding]

I re-watched Bitter Victory (1958, N. Ray) with Richard Burton, Ruth Roman and Curd Jürgens. It's the story of a British commando unit in Libya during WWII. But as usual with Nick Ray, it goes beyond the action movie. It's the confrontation of two men in love with the same woman. Richard Burton is a former archeologist who was drafted into the army while Curd Jürgens is a professional soldier (from South Africa). Burton knew Jürgens' wife before they married. During the actual mission, Jürgens turns out to be a coward unable to make the proper decisions while Burton shows his metal despite being branded an intellectual. The film was shot in B&W Cinemascope. I had seen it in the past on a big screen. Watching it again on TV, I felt it held its own, but was not among Ray's best. Apparently the producer tempered with the film and script. Nevertheless, it's worth watching for a superb performance by Burton and Michel Kelber's beautiful cinematography. Jürgens is rather bland but is believable as the coward. Interesting picture.

[MikeBSG]

Last night I saw "Rocketship XM." (1950)

I liked it more than I expected to. The film is very atmospheric, almost noir-ish. The sepia-toned Mars scenes are effective as well. It was a wise choice not to let us get too close to the Martian mutants. (Their attack on the astronauts made me think of "The Hills Have Eyes.")

I was also impressed by the music, written by Ferdy Grofe. The guy who did "Grand Canyon Suite" wrote for movies? I never knew that. It didn't sound like a stereotypical SF movie score.

Yes, parts of the movie are outdated, but it was effective and didn't overstay its welcome.

[MichiganJ]

I watched the Blu-ray edition of one of my (many) favorite Kieslowski films, The Double Life of Veronique. This is the kind of film Blu-ray really enhances. Filled with themes of duality and fate, Kieslowski and cinematographer Slawomir Idziak use every opportunity to exploit reflective surfaces and these images are rendered with such clarity on Blu that the themes resonate even more. There's also that glorious shot where Iréne Jacob is sprinkled with some golden dust dropping from the ceiling, and on Blu, this sequence will send chills down your spine.

Zbigniew Preisner's music is so important and it is finally presented uncompressed, allowing for its full potential. Still forward focused, there is enough in the rear and bass to really engage you.

If you are at all a fan of the film, I'd highly recommend the Blu-ray.

[feaito]

Revisited two great pics today: the darkly romantic and poetic "Death Takes a Holiday" (1934) with stunning cinematography by Charles Lang and Hitchcock's "The Birds" (1963). The good thing is that I'm re-watching these classics with people wo weren't necessarily keen on Classic films and who hadn't seen them. And they've liked them!

[feaito]

I watched the excellent adventure film "The Flame and the Arrow" (1950) directed by Jacques Tourneur, with Burt Lancaster and Nick Cravat in top form as two Lombardian men who fight against the tyranny of the German Emperor. A delight from start to finish; very entertaining, especially due to Lancaster's and Cravat charismatic performances and their skilled acrobatics. Not since Douglas Fairbanks Snr. there was a star who could do so many things as Lancaster did with pal Cravat. Virginia Mayo is a most alluring heroine.

[mrsl]

.
Hi Feaito:

I've seen a few goodies myself this past couple of weeks. I reported on a couple of them in the Westerrn and Drama threads, but they were mediocre to say the least and didn't really rate a rave notice. I find what I like is very different from what the rest of the world likes. I'm not fussy about how great the acting is, and I really am not very critical of lighting or camera work so when I criticize a movie, it's usually about the actors and how I feel about how well they played their parts.

I find it easier to get people to watch movies from after 1960 and in color. People today just don't realize how much more mysterious a film can be if it's in black and white. They don't realize how those shadows add to the suspense -- everyone wants color. Some of Clint Eastwoods spaghetti westerns would have been much better if done in black and white. I've found the best thing to do is show a post 1960 color film to get them used to seeinga movie with unknown actors, but at least in color, then bring on the post WWII black and white movies once they're nestled comfortably on the couch.
.

[feaito]

I find it easier to get people to watch movies from after 1960 and in color. People today just don't realize how much more mysterious a film can be if it's in black and white. They don't realize how those shadows add to the suspense -- everyone wants color. Some of Clint Eastwoods spaghetti westerns would have been much better if done in black and white. I've found the best thing to do is show a post 1960 color film to get them used to seeinga movie with unknown actors, but at least in color, then bring on the post WWII black and white movies once they're nestled comfortably on the couch.

Anne,

Most people even from my generation, have a big prejudice against B&W films, and films which in general benefit from good dialogues. People only want to see and hear non-stop action and Crash! Boom! Bangs!! That's why I feel so happy when I get people I know to watch pre-1960 films.