Track the Films You Watch (2005) - Page 42

Adam_S · 07-21-2005, 02:26 AM

They Were Expendable -

OARDVD
07/20/2005

John Ford's first post war feature is a damned good movie. This tells the 'based on a true story' of Brickly (Buckeley in real life) who championed the use of PT boats in the Pacific and demonstrated over and over again their effectiveness even as his boats were often used as message carriers. He also rescued MacArthur from behind enemy lines (picking up the Congressional medal of honor for it). Robert Montgomery is excellent as Brickly, but it's John Wayne who you can barely keep your eyes off of. Damn he was one hell of a great star--and I think this is possibly one of his very best performances I've ever seen, up there with Tom Doniphan in The Man Who Shot Libery Valance.

Ford's direction is outstanding, and John August's cinematography is just a joy to watch. Early on, when they still had buildings, the many long shots of men backlit in hospitals were very evocative. I love the restrained use of closeups throughout the film. The highlight scene for me was when John Wayne and the nurse he's attracted to have a long talk on a hammock. They sit there swinging and talking to each other, side by side, quiet, for about two minutes, then suddenly bombs in the distance and they just stop completely, frozen, staring off towards the unseen attack. All one take and then we cut away from this to an incredibly evocative profile two shot of both of them, I've no idea of the specific words they were saying to one another, but the whole scene worked on absolutely every level, and made the film seem incredibly real.

The battle scenes were something else, the effects and bombings and planes were stunning to behold, every bit as effective as any modern film with all the new tricks we've devised. Marvelous work.

Wonderful film, one of Ford's best.

Michael Elliott · 07-21-2005, 02:34 PM

Quote:

I know that you brought up those "classics" I happen not to praise, THE MALTESE FALCON and THE BIG SLEEP, partly in an effort to show yourself as a film elitist

Actually, I brought them up because when you don't like one of these films Mario or I usually tell you to watch it again. You always say you don't need a second viewing because you didn't like the film. With that in mind, I'm not sure why I'd need a second viewing of something like MAN MADE MONSTER.

07/20/05

Invasion of the Animal People (1962)

A brief introduction to director Jerry Warren who is the worst in my opinion. Warren would buy foreign movies, cut out the dialogue scenes and then add newly directed scenes so that he could then sell the movie off as his own. These added scenes usually have nothing to do with the “original” movie scenes surrounding them but that can sometimes add to the charm. This film was originally a Swedish production called Terror in the Midnight Sun but Warren chopped it up, added a few scenes with John Carradine and had him serve as the narrator. A spaceship crashes in the mountains and out gets a huge, hairy creature who stalks some scientists. The look of the creature is certainly dumb enough to get a few laughs but this doesn’t happen until the final ten minutes and what follows that is pretty hard to get though. Slow, boring, stupid and simply badly made. The added scenes are equally poor. However, it must be said that this is still a lot better than Warren’s Attack of the Mayan Mummy and Frankenstein Island.

Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster (1965)

An astronaut named Frank crashes his rocket in Purto Rico. At the same time a group of aliens are landing there looking for beautiful women to mate with. Soon Frank, now a deformed monster, must fight their monster dragon. This is a legendary “bad” film but I found it just bad, not bad enough to be funny though. Everything about the film is bad but at least “Frankenstein” looks alright. The final fight is a big joke as well.

Joe Karlosi · 07-21-2005, 04:30 PM

Quote:

You always say you don't need a second viewing because you didn't like the film. With that in mind, I'm not sure why I'd need a second viewing of something like MAN MADE MONSTER.

Not accurate, Mike. You're interpreting things I've said the way you choose to again, I'm afraid.
The fact is, I sometimes have no problem watching certain films again, even if I didn't get much out of some of them the first time (KILL BILL VOL. 2 being a prime example). I've always said it depends on what the film is, who the stars are, or whatever the personal reason may be for me to have some interest in giving it another whirl. I don't just make a basic rule that "if I didn't like it the first time I'll never see it again, period!" Whatever my incentive may be to give one movie another shot, it's up to me. There are certain films I've disliked where, for whatever reason, I just don't have any desire to try them out again. HALF A MILLION DOLLAR CLICHE would be one of these.

Now, since I know you frequently re-watch Universal films again and again, that's why it was only natural for me to suggest you'd do the same with MAN MADE MONSTER.

ZacharyTait · 07-22-2005, 01:22 AM

The Wedding Crashers - *** 1/2

Vince Vaughn is absolutely hilarious in this movie. He and Owen Wilson are a terrific buddy team. Rachel McAdams is one damn gorgeous fine woman!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - ***

This is one trippy movie! The colors and the set design were awesome. Freddie Highmore is becoming the male version of Dakota Fanning. David Kelly is sweet as his grandpa. helena Bonham Carter, Noah Taylor, and Christopher Lee are solid. Johnny Depp continues his streak of wonderful performances as Willy Wonka. This may be considered blasphemy, but I prefer this version to the 1971 version,

Adam_S · 07-22-2005, 01:17 PM

Maciste Alpino -

DV Projection
Live musical accompaniment
US premiere
07/21/2005

I prefer this Maciste film to Cabiria quite a bit. Maciste Alpino is funny, silly and quite well made, definitely improved by the advances in storytelling technique between 1914 and 1916.

Maciste is the name of a secondary 'strongman/superman' character from Cabiria. He was so popular he was put into a ton of serials and films starring just his character. At the Breakout of World War I, this film was made to galvanize patriotic enthusiasm for the war. The film starts with Maciste and a company of filmmakers shooting a new Maciste film. Then they realize that war has broken out and they are arrested and sent to a concentration camp. It's not long before Maciste plans an escape and takes the camp with him. He joins up and they move into the mountains. There Maciste tracks down and captures a foreign commander and drags them down the mountain to much humorous effect. Then he leads his entire company over the mountain to rout the enemy. They come down the mountain into the backyard of a mansion where a damsel in distress is in danger of being ravished. Naturally, though Maciste doesn't know of her, Maciste leads the charge through defenses three times their numbers and just manages to save the girl at the last moment. Hurrah for Maciste, the end.

It's a pretty good film, slow in some parts but an enjoyable silent film. Maciste's character is quite charismatic to watch, in fact he looks quite a lot like the wrestler The Rock. The plot is thin and makes the whole war seem minor and silly, but it's an enjoyable film and more watchable than Cabiria because the technique is much more sophisticated.

Adam

SteveGon · 07-23-2005, 10:23 AM

Guns, Germs, and Steel (2005)

Viewed 7/20-21/2005 (first viewing)

Engrossing documentary from National Geographic explores the impact that geography has had on human development. Was access to the "right" plants and animals responsible for the great disparity among various races? Based on the book by Jared Diamond.

out of

The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935)

Viewed 7/21/2005

Classic adventure film has Gary Cooper and the famed British regiment protecting India from Islamic invaders. Top-notch all the way.

out of

The Pink Panther (1964)

Viewed 7/21/2005

Blake Edwards' comedy has Peter Sellers and company all looking for the titular diamond. Great slapstick.

out of

The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944)

Viewed 7/21/2005

Last in Universal's Invisible series. A man wants to avenge himself on two friends he believes have wronged him. Conveniently, scientist John Carradine is on hand to turn him invisible. Watchable, but a sense of deja vu hangs over the proceedings.

out of

Murders in the Zoo (1933)

Viewed 7/21/2005 (first viewing)

Grisly chiller with Lionel Atwill as a big game hunter who doesn't think twice about dispatching his wife's suitors. Be nice to have this on DVD, double-billed with Island of Lost Souls.

out of

The Man on the Eiffel Tower (1949)

Viewed 7/21/2005 (first viewing)

Solid thriller about a Parisian murderer who can't resist taunting the police about his latest crime. Mature and sure-footed, the only directorial effort from Burgess Meredith. Star Charles Laughton would later helm a single feature himself: The Night of the Hunter.

out of

Return of the Living Dead Part II (1987)

Viewed 7/21/2005

Just-okay sequel suffers from too much silliness, poor acting (and over-acting), and way too much screaming and carrying-on. Shut up already!

out of

Michael Elliott · 07-23-2005, 01:18 PM

Get that damn screwdriver outta my head!

I remember seeing RETURN 2 in theaters when I was around 7 years old or so. I loved the film growing up but with my last viewing via the Warner DVd, I'd agree with your comments. For some reason it didn't hold up too well for me but I still love the screwdriver line, which cracks me up each time I view the film.

I just ordered MURDERS IN THE ZOO from Amazon so hopefully I'll have it by next weekend.

SteveGon · 07-23-2005, 01:26 PM

Heh. Saw ROTLD2 in the theaters too, only I was 21. Damn, I'm gettin' old.

Picked up my copy of MITZ off eBay.

Haggai · 07-23-2005, 11:44 PM

Unforgiven (1992)

I hadn't seen it in forever, and with M$B just out on DVD, I decided to give this one another spin as well. Both films are magnificent in their own ways, in my estimation. I think Unforgiven is slightly more uneven, but the scope and ambition of the story here is bigger than in M$B. Glad to have two such classic films to savor, in any event.

Never So Few (1959)

From the Warners Steve McQueen collection, an early supporting role for Steve in a John Sturges WWII combat/romance. Not much of a movie, but a couple of the combat scenes are very good, and McQueen and Charles Bronson provide good support that Sturges wisely took notice of for future projects. The main strike against this one is the simply dreadful romantic plot between Frank Sinatra and Gina Lollobrigida, just flat-out boring and useless in pretty much every scene between them. A straight-up war movie would certainly have been a better idea. Also some uncomfortable plot elements in the end with the war story, as The Chairman escapes any negative repercussions for what probably would have been considered war crimes even back then.

Point Blank (1967)