Track the Films You Watch (2007) - Page 8

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

Well then that would make a good discussion since some here try and watch quality every once in a while. However, having seen quite a few films, I tend to believe that every film has some sort of quality.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

01/22/07

Moran of the Lady Letty (1922)

Somewhat entertaining silent melodrama from director George Melford who went on to do the Spanish version of Dracula. A rich playboy (Rudolph Valentino) is liquored up and kidnapped onto a rough shipping boat with a no nonsense captain (Walter Long). The two feued at first but they quickly become friends until they rescue a woman (Dorothy Dalton) at sea and the captain has rather mean plans including rape. This was my first film with Valentino and after hearing so much about his legendary looks, I must say I didn't get much of a romantic feel so at first I'm a little puzzled over his reputation as a ladies man. Perhaps he just didn't have any chemistry with the leading lady who really wasn't all that interesting here. The film runs a short 71-minutes and includes a wonderful, action filled fight but outside of this everything is rather bland. The film is certainly watchable and entertaining but nothing much comes out of it. Long is certainly the scene stealing and you might remember him from some later day Laurel and Hardy films as well as playing the rapist (in blackface) in The Birth of a Nation. On another note, it's quite clear that several scenes here influenced the much better Captains Courageous.

Amos 'n' Andy: Anatomy of a Controversy (1986)

Interesting if brief documentary about the history of Amos 'n Andy from their radio show to the controversial 1951 CBS show, which was eventually canceled two years into its run due to the NAACP protest. Redd Foxx, Jesse Jackson and various others are interviewed about the show and we see clips from several episodes and I must say that I found the show pretty innocent and at times downright funny. As the host says, Amos and Andy weren't calling each other the "N" word nor was this show meant to be some sort of documentary. The show was made for laughs and as a comedy it worked. Having gone through some of the race films from this period I've gotten a better understand of why some would be offended but I personally can't see the issue with this show. I think it's a damn shame that the NAACP had this show canceled considering there were no other shows to feature a black cast. This was the first and I guess it paid the price as being the first black show. As it states in the documentary, this show put black people to work in front of and behind the camera so to take these jobs away is just downright stupid IMO. Especially when you consider the highest paid black actor was Al Jolson who was white! This documentary runs just under an hour so they never go into great details but there's an interesting story to be told here and hopefully something better will come along. It's funny to note that this show hasn't been seen since 1966 and remains so untouchable today. In fact, CBS has totally washed their hands of the show that they actually gave bootleggers permission to sell the show without any legal issues.

01/23/07

Gangster Story (1958)

Walter Matthau directed this film, his only stint in the director's chair. Matthau plays a hardened bank robber/cop killer who tries to hide in a small town but mafia dudes come chasing him. The plot of this film really makes no sense and the performances are all rather bad. This is an ultra low budget film that seems to have been filmed without sound and then later dubbed in. I'd recommend everyone watch this film at least once to see the dumbest bank heist in the history of film.

Canoeman's Holiday (1956)

Short film about rafting trips in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada. This film basically just shows off the scenery, which is beautiful but offers nothing else.

Souvenirs of Death (1948)

Extremely interesting short about how automatic weapons used by Germans during WW2 made their way back to America and into the hands of the underworld. Apparently this was a big problem back in the day and this documentary short, narration from the gun's point of view, does a great job at showing the issues of gun control decades before it became a real issue. Directed by Crane Wilbur who would go on to director It! The Terror From Beyond Space.

Bill of Rights, The (1939)

Boring short from Warner that does have the added quality of being in Technicolor. This documentary tells the history of The Bill of Rights but is so overdramatic that it's hard to take serious.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

I'm not sure how much I'm willing to bet but I'd wager quite a bit that I've seen more "bad" films than anyone else in this world, living or dead. Having gone through 90+ Jess Franco films, 30+ D'Amato films and countless "Z" horror movies, I'm lucky to be alive.



TCM had a great day yesterday. I started recording at 6am with GANGSTER STORY and didn't finish until midnight. I got four Boston Blackie films, which I'm looking forward to. In March TCM is having a "detective" marathon so I'll probably try to watch all of those plus revisit the Holmes series and FINALLY get to the Moto movies.

Yeah, you should at least watch until after the heist.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

01/24/07

Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid (1982)

Disappointing comedy from Carl Reiner has Steve Martin playing a detective spoofing older detective and gangster films. There were a few nice one-liners here but the gimmick used grew very tiresome rather quickly. The gimmick of having Martin play along side clips from older movies never really worked for me and several of the gimmicks turned out pretty embarrassing especially the one dealing with White Heat. The cinematography was great but the rest was mostly blah. While seeing clips from these older films it just reminded me that I could be watching something better.

Check and Double Check (1930)

Freeman F. Gosden and Charles J. Correll brought their radio show Amos 'n Andy to the big screen in this film, which turned out to be RKO's biggest money maker up until King Kong. In the film, Amos (Gosden) and Andy (Correll) are running a taxi service when they bump into an old friend whose father "owned" them back in George. That friends gets into some trouble so the boys try to help him out. I'm downloaded and listened to a couple of the radio shows and they certainly appear better on the radio. Perhaps it's seeing Amos and Andy being played in blackface, which just doesn't sit well today but even with the blackface, none of the jokes really come across as funny. There's really not any racial humor, which was somewhat of a shock but the haunted house gag and various others just don't work. Duke Ellington appears as himself and Bob Hope is also featured.

This Film is Not Yet Rated (2006)

Documentary that discusses the MPAA rating board and the infamous NC-17 rating, which any movie lover will know is just a bullshit thing. I have always been against the MPAA and their ratings but after seeing this film pure hatred has entered my heart against them. I always knew how evil they were but to see the people behind this board come as rather shocking. The appeals board crew was even more shocking. It was also great seeing side by side comparisons of films that receive an R rating and those who got an NC-17. The fact that the big studio systems run this thing makes me want to tell everyone to never buy another movie ticket, never buy another DVD and just support pirates.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

A group of idiots want to make sure I don't see a nipple if I'm not at least 17. I don't think the U.S. rating board is as stupid as the one in Britian but that's not saying much. I remember the first time I encountered an NC-17 film was with SHOWGIRLS. I was only 15 at the time but was able to get a ticket but before the film started the manager kicked me out and made me watch SEVEN instead (since they opened on the same day).

Even as a jaded horror fan at the time, I was rather shocked by the events in SEVEN and I really had to wonder why an "adult" would feel it was better for me, a 15 year old, to see the violence in SEVEN rather than seeing tits in SHOWGIRLS.

Re: Track the Films You Watch (2007)

I personally don't need eight assholes telling me what my kids can or can't watch. I also don't agree with these eight folks that it's okay for them to see HOSTEL, SAW or SEVEN yet it's going to be harmful if they watch SHOWGIRLS.

And I doubt the R-rating is keeping kids out since these horror films are aimed at teenagers.


I've been going to the movies non-stop since I was ten and the only trouble I ever had getting into an R-rated film was BASIC INSTINCT and STRIPTEASE. I got an adult to buy me a ticket for STRIPTEASE but it took at least 15 tries for me to get in for BI. The woman at the ticket office refused to let me see it not because it was harmful but (IMO) because she was a lesbian and didn't want anyone seeing the film. I finally found out which day she had off and the other person let me in.

As they state in the documentary, the MPAA won't MAKE you cut the film but if you don't then not many people are going to be able to see it. I was shocked to hear that these people make $30,000+ a year to do this.