Louis Letizia
Supporting Actor
- Joined
- Oct 10, 2000
- Messages
- 998
Streaming to me is like oldschool tv watching on local tv stations. No frills, poorest quality and yet I am compelled to watch -especially movies I've never seen or always hoped to revisit. Netflix , Amazon and Hulu each have movies that never reached video of any kind in the U.s. The reason I include this in this section is that I believe streaming to be a springboard to greater MOD or predssed disc releases. A proving ground for the studios. Recently VIGILANTE FORCE , THE MANCHU EAGLE MURDER CAPER MYSTERY ,HARRY IN YOUR POCKET , GOLDEN NEEDLES and THE CHRISTINE JORGENSEN STORY -all never released here on vhs , and each sought after by cinephiles-went from streamed to mod discs -many with trailers. The lost ones of encountered -for better or worse-were a treat to capture or recapture. Most are from the 70s-and here are my favorite finds: MOMENT BY MOMENT : NETFLIX and Hulu each played this briefly and I'm glad I was able to catch up with this notorious bomb. It lived up to its hype -but it was still compelling. While Lily Tomlin was horrendous-Travolta at least tried to portray a complex character. And theres always that /'yvonne Elliman song! TWILIGHT TIME: Netflix is running this fine drama starring Karl Malden in one of his last roles. Costar Jodi Thelen was poised to be a superstar after 1981's FOUR FRIENDS -but that never happened. Besides a voice in AMERICAN POP -this interesting actress hasnt worked nearly as much as she should have. MESSAGE FROM SPACE: I was always intrigued by this STAR WARS clone from Japan.I dont think it was a clone at all . It was more akin to THE SEVEN SAMURAI which begat BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS which came 2 years after this. I also see Disneys TREASURE PLANET being influenced by this -especially the Pirate Galleon spaceship as well as MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS withits female villain It didnt disappoint AT LONG LAST LOVE : If any movie deserved a hd cleanup -this would be it. I wish NF would release stats on their streamed films like boxoffice figures. I have a feeling this does very well. Its a guilty pleasure of mine. SECRET LIFE OF PLANTS:I always read about this in the zines but never thought it truly existed. I love it! I'm amazed that Paramount released this. My new obsession is my subscription to Variety Archives . This was indeed released to theaters. I'd put it in a category with THE HELLSTROM CHRNICLE. SYLVIA: I was bowled over when I discovered NF had this. Ever since seeing HARLOW -I am infatuated with Carroll Baker-truly one of the legendary beauties. SYLVIA is a crisp, black and white puzzle film -sorta in kin with FEDORA. THE LAWYER : The theatrical warmup to one of my favorite quickly cancelled series of the 70s -Petrocelli. Barry Newman is a god as VANISHING POINT is one of my top 10 favorites. I've shown many 20 somethings (my nieces, nephews and their friewnds-and surprisingly they like VP as well. THE LAWYER was fun to see. Wthout NF would I have had the chance? SHEILA LEVINE IS DEAD AND LIVING IN NEW YORK : My warped Top Ten list of 1975 not only includes AT LONG LAST LOVE , BUT THIS LEGENDARY FLOP. as well. I thought Jeanne Berlin was very poignant and never understood the critics hatred of this. For anyone who cares my other 10 '75 releases: DAY OF THE LOCUST , THE FORTUNE , NIGHT MOVES , DOG DAY AFTERNOON , TOMMY , JAWS, NASHVILLE and THE SUNSHINE BOYS. THIEVES:If Carroll Baker is one of the most beautiful blonde actresses-Marlo Thomas would be in the brunette category. Stunning looking. She gave a performance in THIEVES that threw me for a loopAs far removed from That Girl as you can get. Plus the Manhattan scenes of the 70s were nostalgic. As if it couldnt get hotter -Marlo Thomas later portrayed Jennifer Anistons Mom in Friends-a great fantasty arose from that! There are dozens more. I love dvds and vhs -and ownn thousands of them. Ideally there is nothing like going into your room and browsing your library with equal parts nostalgia and being able to hold a beautiful box art in your hand and read the copy. At nearly 50 my eyesight and hearing are not in peak form. I'm watching 1080 but only seeing 720 and my 5.1 (we are talking above the waist now) is barely coming through as 2.0. As much as I love surround sound and crisp images -my body is fooling itself. So -as my TWILIGHT TIME grows ever faster I enjoy the low tech way of watching movies again. I am a teenager again with a scratchy LP , a skipping vhs and a tv that had tiny , tinny speakers. And yet-with all of that -I grew to be a vast movie lover-like we all areIf you love something so much-you'll take it where you can get it. Is The Great Gatsby a lesser read in papoerback as it is in a leather bound volume? I'll be interested to find if others have embraced streaming for the criteria I have. At 48 i have taken my head out of my butt and proudly put it in the Cloud. In the comfort of my armchair I have vigorously like a trout swam up the stream. From that same couch I have floated down the Amazon never knowing Hu Lou would pick as his next movie. But as we watch Cinema Now giving us all hese choices -I am enjoyng that this great medium has still the Vudu to do what it does to me -get me passionate about films