Track the Films You Watch (2009) (1 Viewer)

[Michael Elliott]

Alibi Mark (1937) :star::star::star:1/2 Joseph Henabery

Part of Warner's "Your True Adventure" series, this short tells the story of a down on his luck man (Dennis Moore) who heads west hoping to find work during the Depression. Along his way he stops off in a small town where he finds a wallet and tries to exchange it for some food not knowing it belonged to a man murdered the previous night. This is the first short I've seen from the series so I can't say how good or bad it is overall but I really enjoyed this one here. The drama is pretty good as the innocent man gets picked up by a lynch mob and must try to get out alive. As with other Depression era shorts, this here gives a good detail of what it was like back then and how men did what they could to survive. Moore gives a very good performance in the lead and Floyd Gibbons narrates. The neat thing is that at the end of the film we get to see the real man that the story is based on.

Egghead Rides Again (1937) :star::star:1/2 Tex Avery

Merrie Melodies short has Egghead playing cowboy in his boarding house but getting kicked out for making too much noise. He then heads out west to get a job at the Bar None ranch but first he has to prove he's a real cowboy. This is a mildly entertaining short that is charming enough but never really gets any major laughs. Mel Blanc's work as the voice of Egghead is pretty good and you can hear bits and pieces of Daffy Duck in it. The animation is also quite nice with some great scenery and good visuals. The highlight of the film has to be towards the end when Egghead is trying to rope a baby cow but the cow has his own ideas.

I Wanna Be a Sailor (1937) :star::star:1/2 Tex Avery

Merrie Melodies short has a mother parrot trying to teach her three kids to say "Polly want a cracker" but her youngest refuses to say it because he wants to be a sailor. The little bird runs away from home, builds a ship and heads out on a lake with a baby duck but soon a storm rolls in. Here's another short that comes off a lot more cute than funny. I think the biggest problem I had with this one here is the simple fact that it didn't offer up too many laughs. The stuff on the sea with the parrot trying to be a sailor was mildly amusing but that's about as far as it went. The baby duck character was actually pretty good but sadly he didn't have too much to do.

Porky's Super Service (1937) :star::star::star: Ub Iwerks

Black and white Looney Tunes short has Porky running a gas station and doing a great job at taking care of everyone. This all changes when an obnoxious kid is left in a car and decides to drive Porky crazy. Director Iwerks, best known for his early Disney cartoons, does a great job keeping this film moving and gives it a certain attitude that only his films have. There are many jokes from start to finish but the highlight has to be the sequence where Porky knows the kid is up to no good and keeps trying to catch him but the kid is always one step ahead. The work by Bob Clampett and Chuck Jones is beautifully done as is the voice work by Mel Blanc.

Star in the Night (1945) :star::star::star::star: Don Siegel

Brilliant updating of The Nativity Story has a small diner owner (J. Carrol Naish), a bitter man, opening his doors to a wide range of people on Christmas Eve. Included in this group are a hitchhiker (Donald Woods), a couple expecting a baby and three cowboys. Even though this film only runs 21-minutes I still think it's one of the best of the decade. The film won an Oscar for Best Short but it also marks the directorial debut of Don Siegel who would go onto direct several Clint Eastwood films. The movie tells a story we're all familiar with but it takes it to the next level with its warm characters and strong message. There's a mysterious undertone to the hitchhiker character that really reminds me of something we'd see decades later in The Twilight Zone. The future TV shows had the same feelings that are present in this film, which of course was made years later. Another strong thing are the performances with Naish leading the way. Naish was always a fine character actor but his performance here is chilling and might be the best I've ever seen from him. The same with Woods who brings so much life to his character even though he says very little. This film is flawless from start to finish so it's a real shame more people don't know it but thankfully Turner Classic Movies show it each year around the holiday.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

Change of Habit (1969) :star::star:1/2

Elvis Presley's 31st and last film at least tries to go into different territory as he plays a doctor working in a free clinic (!) working to help underprivileged people in the ghetto. Mary Tyler Moore is one of three nuns (her friends are singer Barbara McNair and newcomer Jane Elliot) who decide to forsake their traditional catholic garb and dress conventionally in order to go "undercover" as normal women to assist Presley in his cause. Understandably, this sets up the opportunity for them to get into all kinds of trouble in the hood, not the least of which is that Mary begins to fall for Dr. Elvis and must decide between Jesus or The King.

Presley only sings a few songs in this one, the best of which is the very bouncy "Rubberneckin' ", which I believe was revamped decades later to become a popular song all over again. Many people laugh at the idea of Moore as a Sister, but it works for me. Elvis' performance varies from time to time between rusty and competent, and at times I could accept him as a kind-hearted young doctor. It's refreshing to get something outside the usual Presley formula at this stage of his career, and the movie deals with social issues that were relevant at the time, though come off as rather stereotypical and politically incorrect when viewed today (and so what, the movie occurs in 1969). Some things are far-fetched -- did you know you could cure an autistic child by just holding her while she kicks and screams in rage, all the while assuring her "I love you"...? Even so, it's a strong scene in the film. Ed Asner, who would later star along with Mary in the classic "Mary Tyler Moore Show", has some scenes near the end as a policeman.

 

[Pete York]

01/07/09

The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (1953) Dir: Roy Rowland
Production: Stanley Kramer/Columbia Pictures

The credit reads 'Story and Conception - Dr. Seuss'. Indeed. The film is a wildly inventive trip through the nightmarish fantasy world of a little boy named Bartholomew (Tommy Rettig) who is sick of practicing on the piano.

Hans Conried (aka Captain Hook) plays Bart's strict piano teacher, Dr. Terwilliker, who is also his arch-enemy in the nightmare world. Seriously, he might have been put on Earth to play this role. The one rule I have about child actors is 'First, Do No Harm'. Rettig, who had a long run on television's Lassie, is fine. Real life husband-and-wife Peter Lind Hayes and Mary Healy play Bart's father figure and mother (he's the plumber, she's a single mom--an obvious subtext is Bart's search for a 'Dad').

The over-sized sets, the theremin on the soundtrack, the disorienting shadow play, the technicolor hues, slow motion sequences, rollerskating siamese twins joined at the beard(!); it all combines to make one of the most surreal of all studio films. Like Caligari meets The Archers. Even the fourth wall means nothing--in one scene, Bart directly addresses the viewer. There's also a little atomic paranoia thrown in for good measure. There are a number of songs, the film is basically a musical, but more often then not they stop the story in its tracks. Still, a marvel to look at, and charming overall.

:star: :star: :star: out of 4

Hudson's Bay (1940) Dir: Irving Pichel
Production: 20th Century Fox

Decent adventure film. Paul Muni, as Pierre Radisson, and Laird Cregar ham it up as two roguish French fur traders outside of Montreal who, with the help of an exiled British moneyman and the local Iroquois, establish the Hudson's Bay Company. Not to be outdone himself is Vincent Price as Charles II, at one point throwing off a lap full of spaniel puppies in anger. Gene Tierney, in an early role, doesn't do much. Morton Lowry plays a snob who almost starts an Indian war.

There's some rousing sentiment expressed for Canada, both the land and its (future) people, reminiscent of 49th Parallel. The French and British noble classes are both presented as buffoons, meant to contrast with the supposedly "savage" Indians (as in, 'who's the real savage?'). The last act, concerning a question of crime and punishment in the new world, is quite good. Ignore the obviously mandated tidy ending.

:star: :star: 1/2 out of 4

 

[Michael Elliott]

Pineapple Express (2008) :star::star::star: David Gordon Green

A pothead (Seth Rogan) and his dimwitted dealer (James Franco) hit the road after witnessing a cop (Rosie Perez) murder a man. Pretty soon the two are trying to get away from the cop as well as two drug lords in the middle of a war. As far as pot comedies goes this one here is nearly the best the small genre has to offer. I'm sure Cheech and Chong would give this thing two bongs up as it does contain plenty of laughs but I couldn't help but feel it had the same shortcomings as other Judd Apatow movies. That one issue with this film, as well as the others, is that it runs too long for its own good. Clocking in a nearly two-hours I couldn't help but feel that the film could have lost thirty-minutes and not much would have been missed. This is especially true during the ending shoot out, which just keeps going and going. Outside of that issue this film contains some great big laughs with most of them coming in the form of pot jokes and stuff dealing with stoners. Seth Rogan turns in another winning performance as he gains plenty of laughs from his older guy. James Franco is the real jewel in the film as he's dead-on perfect as the drug dealing loser who just sits around his house getting high, selling pot and watching reruns on television. Franco gets the look down just right but his facial gestures and voice tone perfectly capture that pot head many of us have met in our lives. I thought Perez was pretty much wasted in a thankless role that didn't offer her too much to do. Ed Begley, Jr. has a funny bit as Rogan's girlfriend's father. The screenplay really doesn't offer us any jokes we haven't seen countless times before and in many ways there's not an original idea here but that doesn't really matter because the performances are what makes the movie funny.

Houdini (1953) :star::star::star:1/2 George Marshall

Highly entertaining film has Tony Curtis playing Harry Houdini, the legendary escape artist. We see Houdini's early life in the circus, the meeting of his future wife (Janet Leigh) and some of his most famous tricks. It goes without saying that a lot of things are made up in the film, including the bizarre ending, which changes how Houdini died. That one change never made much sense to me as it's pretty common knowledge how the man died but outside of that this is an incredibly entertaining movie that features a pretty standard story but a remarkable performance by Curtis. When I say standard story I'm meaning that the screenplay really doesn't try too hard to get into the mind of Houdini or tell us who he was. Instead of giving us much story depth we instead get to see countless tricks being performed by Curtis and Leigh. Everyone knows that the two were married in real life and that certainly rings true as they have no problems playing husband and wife here. Leigh is very good in her role, which is pretty much just a supporting one but Curtis is where the true magic is. Even though he's one of the most recognizable actors in the history of cinema there isn't a second in this film where I didn't see him as Houdini. Curtis does a brilliant job at transforming himself and he even looks very good while performing the various stunts in the film. I'm not sure how much work he actually did but all of the tricks look very real with the exception of the scene where he cuts Leigh in half. There are many dramatic moments in the film full of suspense and this is true in the best sequence where Houdini is performing above the Detroit River when the ropes break and sends him through the ice. We then get a long sequence with him under the ice trying to find his way out. If people are wanting a hard look bio of the man then they'd be recommended to get a book because they aren't going to find anything here. If they want to see an excellent performance with the master's tricks being performed then this film offers that along with a lot of entertainment.

Cat and the Canary, The (1927) :star::star::star: Paul Leni

Classic "old dark house" film has an old man dying and then twenty-years later his relatives arrive at his creepy mansion for the will reading. The estate goes to Annabelle (Laura La Plante) as long as she is proven to be sane but throughout the night various visions of demons appear to her. Is she losing her mind or is someone just trying to scare her? One needs to remember that all the cliche moments in this film weren't cliche when this was originally released. So many films have since ripped this one off that one might forget how original this movie was when it was originally released. What really stood out after eighty-years is how brilliantly this thing looks on a technical level. The cinematography ranks as some of the greatest I've ever seen and there are countless moments that you could point to as being ground breaking. Even the opening title credits are downright breathtaking with the creepy hand moving the dust and spider webs away. The set design by Charles D. Hall is just as wonderfully done and adds to the overall atmosphere, which is very thick from start to finish. Not only does the film deliver many creepy moments but there's a nice mixture of laughs thrown in as well. I've read reviews that said there were too many laughs but I'd have to disagree with that as the laughs are kept rather low-key and never take away from the actual story. The middle section of the film moves a bit too slowly but all of that picks up towards the end. The characters really aren't well-written but that doesn't matter too much as the real entertainment comes from the visuals and the creepy atmosphere.

Cruel, Cruel Love (1914) :star::star::star: George Nichols, Mack Sennett

Charles Chaplin short from the Keystone Studios has him playing a broken man who decides to kill himself after his girlfriend breaks up with him. Minutes after taking the poison he receives a letter from her saying she wants him back. This is an early Chaplin film so naturally he hadn't perfected his skill as a comedian but he turns in an interesting performance here. While the film isn't fall down hilarious it does offer up enough good scenes to make it worth viewing. One of the better scenes in the film has Chaplin seeing his future with suicide and going to Hell where two devil keep messes with him in the flames. Another nice sequence has Chaplin trying to fight the doctors trying to save him at the end of the film. Edgar Kennedy has a brief role as the butler.

Star Boarder, The (1914) :star::star: George Nichols

Lower Keystone short features Charles Chaplin playing the landlady's pet, which doesn't sit too well with the other tenants and it certainly doesn't go over well with the woman's jealous husband. While this film doesn't really work it at least features a couple funny sequences with Chaplin doing his magic. Even though we still don't see the Chaplin the world would end up loving, these early shorts at least show him growing as an artist. One of the better scenes in the film is when Chaplin is trying to learn how to play tennis. The facial expressions of anger are quite funny as is another scene where Chaplin notices the woman's husband is standing behind him yet he tries to play dumb as if he didn't see the husband. The rest of the film is pretty weak without too many laughs, although the ending is a pretty nice kicker.

Mabel at the Wheel (1914) :star::star:1/2 Mabel Normand, Mack Sennett

The behind the scenes issues with this movie are pretty interesting but from what I've read Chaplin hated being directed by a woman and his constant battles with Normand almost got him fired. For whatever reason Keystone decided to keep him and Chaplin's hatred of "other directors" finally caused him to be directed by himself from this point on in his career. In the film Mabel and her boyfriend (Harry McCoy) have a falling out so she takes a ride with his rival (Chaplin) but she eventually gets knocked off his bike and into a puddle of mud. Later she's back with the boyfriend who's at a race track when Chaplin kidnaps him forcing Mabel to race the car. This is a mixed bag as far as the film goes because the first half is pretty funny but the second half dealing with the race falls apart. Seeing Chaplin and Mabel slap one another makes you wonder how much they both enjoyed it but these early scenes are certainly the best in the film. The actual auto race wasn't too thrilling or funny to me but things do pick up towards the end and Chaplin's final scene is very funny.

 

[RafaelB]

Theatrical Films Watched in 2009:

January
1/1- Valkyrie :star: :star:
1/10- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button :star: :star: :star:
1/18- Slumdog Millionaire (Second Time) :star: :star: :star: :star:
1/19- Hotel for Dogs 1/2 :star:
1/20- Revolutionary Road :star: :star: :star: 1/2
February
2/14- Waltz With Bashir :star: :star: :star:
2/15- Coraline (DLP 3D) :star: :star: :star:
2/21- Milk (Second Time) :star: :star: :star: :star:
2/21- The Reader :star: :star:
2/21- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button :star: :star: 1/2
2/21- Slumdog Millionaire (Third Time) :star: :star: :star: :star:
2/21- Frost/Nixon :star: :star: :star: 1/2
2/27- The Dark Knight (IMAX- second time) :star: :star: :star: :star:
March
3/7- Watchmen (IMAX) :star: :star: :star: 1/2
3/28- Watchmen (second time) :star: :star: :star: 1/2
3/29- I Love You, Man :star: :star: :star:
3/29- Duplicity :star: :star: 1/2
April
4/5- Adventureland :star: :star: :star: 1/2
4/14- Monsters vs. Aliens (3D IMAX) :star: :star: 1/2
May
5/2- Wolverine :star: :star: 1/2
5/15- Star Trek (2009) :star: :star: :star: :star: 1/2
5/29- Up :star: :star: :star: :star: 1/2
5/15- Terminator Salvation :star: :star: :star:
5/31- Drag Me To Hell :star: :star: :star: :star:
June
6/13- Up (3D- DLP, second time) :star: :star: :star: :star: 1/2
6/13- The Hangover :star: :star: :star:
6/14- Up (3D- DLP, third time) :star: :star: :star: :star: 1/2
6/16- Land of the Lost :star: :star:
6/16- Star Trek (2009, second time) :star: :star: :star: :star: 1/2
6/19- Away We Go :star: :star: :star: 1/2
July
7/5- Public Enemies :star: :star: 1/2
7/6- Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs :star: :star: :star:
7/14- (500) Days of Summer :star: :star: :star: :star:
7/16- The Proposal :star: :star: :star:
7/17- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince :star: :star: :star: 1/2
7/19- Bruno :star:
7/25- Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (Second time in Digital 3D) :star: :star: :star:
August
8/1- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Second time IMAX 3D) :star: :star: :star: 1/2
8/8- Funny People :star: :star: :star:
8/15- District 9 :star: :star: :star: :star:
8/18- Ponyo :star: :star: :star: :star:
8/21- Paper Heart :star: 1/2
8/23- Ponyo (second time) :star: :star: :star: :star:
8/23- Inglorious Basterds (2009) :star: :star: :star: :star:
8/28- Taking Woodstock :star: :star: 1/2
8/29- Up (fourth time) :star: :star: :star: :star: 1/2
September
9/6- Extract :star: :star: 1/2
9/14- The Informant! :star: :star: :star:
October
10/2- Toy Story (3D) :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
10/2- Toy Story 2 (3D) :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
10/10- Zombieland :star: :star: :star:
10/12- Toy Story (3D- Second Time) :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
10/12- Toy Story 2 (3D- Second Time) :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
10/17- Where The Wild Things Are :star: :star: :star:
10/18- Paranormal Activity :star: :star: :star: :star:
November
11/1- This Is It :star: :star: :star:
11/1- An Education :star: :star: :star: 1/2
11/22- New Moon (The Twilight Saga) :star: :star: 1/2
11/26- The Fantastic Mr. Fox :star: :star: :star: :star:
December
12/5- Up In The Air :star: :star: :star: :star: 1/2
12/20- The Princess and the Frog :star: :star: :star: 1/2
12/30- Nine :star: :star: :star:

 

[John Stell]

009) 01/07/2009 Marty (1955) :star::star::star:1/2 (out of four)

As someone who didn’t meet Ms. Right until he was 33, I was especially moved by Marty. In 1955, if you were Marty’s age – 34 – your marital prospects were somewhere between slim and none. Today, of course, people do get married later. But that does not mean there aren’t lonely souls out there who desire, as Marty does, to find love.

Marty Piletti (Ernest Borgnine) is a butcher in an Italian neighborhood in New York. He lives with his mother (Esther Minciotti) and spends Saturday nights hanging out with his best friend Angie (Joe Mantell). At his mother’s urging, Marty attends the Stardust Ballroom where he notices that a homely schoolteacher, Clara (Betsy Blair), has been deserted by her date. When Clara leaves the ballroom to cry, Marty follows her and asks her to dance. The two are attracted to each other, but this does not sit well with Marty’s friends – or his mother, who has changed her tune about Marty’s marriage because her sister Catherine (Augusta Ciolli) has been forced out of the small apartment she shared with her son and daughter-in-law.

Marty’s themes are as relevant today and they were fifty years ago. Marty wants love, but feels his physical traits (“I’m a fat, ugly man.”) will prevent such a relationship. Clara is called a “dog” by Marty’s friends, none of whom can claim a Mr. America title themselves. Marty’s mother fears she’ll be abandoned if Marty does move out. And Marty’s cousin Tommy must make the tough choice of asking his mother to move out because she is making life difficult for Tommy’s wife. All of this is handled with gentle humor and understanding. But there is much truth here with regards to the old, the middle-aged, and the young.

Ernest Borgnine delivers an Oscar-winning performance, and makes the pain and hurt Marty’s feeling truly palpable. Marty is a decent, honest person who is easy to root for. An absolutely charming scene has Marty walking with Clara to get some coffee and he cannot shut up. Even when he realizes he’s talking too much he cannot close his mouth. It’s a funny, thrilling scene because we know Marty has finally made a connection and we feel his excitement.

Delbert Mann directs in a simple, unflashy style, letting the cast deliver Paddy Chayefsky’s wonderful dialogue. But perhaps the most powerful scene in the film is one with neither camera movement nor dialogue. At the ballroom, Marty knows Clara is about to be dumped. Mann’s camera remains stationary as Clara’s date goes over to Clara who is seated alone to tell her he’s leaving. Marty can be seen watching as this happens. The only sound we hear is the band’s music. The date leaves and for what seems like agonizing minutes we watch as Clara sits humiliated while Marty stands still trying to decide what to do. We can sense what both characters are thinking, and our hearts ache for Clara. There is such emotion and power in these few moments that it’s a relief when Marty makes his move and asks Clara, who has run to a deserted balcony, to dance.

Since we live in a culture that, more so than in the 1950s, is obsessed with youth and beauty, Marty has lost none of its ability to tug on the heartstrings. Marty is a romantic gem.



My DVD Collection
My Film Blog

 

[Martin Teller]

Most of these aren't really "films", but whatever.


Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog - More Joss Whedon. I could have watched this anytime on the internet, but for some reason I decided to wait for the DVD and buy it blind. It wasn't that much of a risk as I generally enjoy Whedon's stuff and the musical episode of Buffy ("Once More With Feeling") is one of the best. This project is an entertaining little romp, with the classic Whedon blend of silliness, tragedy, and genre subversion. It's not blow-your-mind awesome, but it's pretty funny and the songs are catchy. Who knew Neil Patrick Harris could sing so well? Rating: 8


Band of Brothers (Blu-Ray) - After hearing nothing but endless praise for this (it's got a freakin' 9.6 on iMDB), I took a gamble on a blind buy when Amazon's price was especially low, on the grounds that if I didn't want to keep it I could probably make most of my money back on eBay. Which is where it will end up. Oh, I liked it... it's a very professional production with mostly unknown but memorable actors, and some riveting storylines. But war movies generally aren't my thing. I greatly preferred the episodes that didn't revolve specifically around combat. The combat stuff was exciting and gritty, but I also have a problem with that. Even though the filmmakers show the ugliness and horror of battle, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone kinda thought it was fun. I kept wondering if Spielberg and Hanks wanted to make this series because, even if only in the back of their minds, they had such a bitchin' good time making Saving Private Ryan. Bullets whizzing around, things blowing up, lots of shaky-cam and debris flying into the lens, soldiers yelling and making brave decisions and being such manly men. It's hard for me to articulate, because I don't want to deny that there are actual heroics involved. But part of me feels like maybe Godard had it right in Les Carabiniers... that the only responsible way to depict war is to take all the heroism and excitement and nobility out of it. On the other hand, I'm inclined to make an exception for WWII, which was a war fought for such undeniably good reasons. At any rate, the bottom line is I was generally impressed, but not fond enough of it to keep in my collection. Rating: 8


Persepolis - Semi-autobiographical story a young Iranian girl growing up under the Shah and then fundamentalism. It's an intriguing blend of political history and coming-of-age tale, although for once I actually preferred the political stuff to the more human stuff. Some of the anecdotes are a bit mundane, especially during the Vienna portion of the film. The art & animation is unusual... it reminded me of both When the Wind Blows and Art Spiegelman's "Maus" without really being anything like either one. Entirely (almost) in black & white & greys, with a kind of children's storybook style to it. Generally rewarding and occasionally moving, despite a few dull spots. Rating: 8


Stanley Kubrick's Boxes - A brief documentary that explores the contents of Kubrick's 1000+ boxes of archived material. It's well-known that he was obsessive and meticulous, so nothing here is a big revelation, but there are some interesting tidbits. The categorized fan mail, the succinct and mysterious memos, and the "fussy" quest for the perfect box. Going through all this would surely be a wet dream for any Kubrickmaniac. Rating: 7

 

[Brook K]

The first 5 minutes or so of Dr. Horrible are pretty rough, but once the musical aspect kicks in, it's gold! I watched it several times on the internet and my wife burned me a CD to listen to in the car. We bought the DVD but haven't had a chance to watch it. I want to check out the musical commentary.

Ever since this came out, NPH has been doing a fair amount of singing. He appeared in the amusing Proposition 8: The Musical and they've given him a few little singing bits on his regular sitcom How I Met Your Mother. He's hosting SNL this week I think so there will likely be more singing involved.

 

[Tarkin The Ewok]

1/7 Romancing the Stone (1984): :star::star:1/2

I rented this on the recommendation of a coworker and on the strength of the names of Michael Douglas and Robert Zemeckis. I found it to be very middle-of-the-road: not much bad, but not much standout material either. The bits with the snappers at the end kind of killed the romantic mood for me. My favorite scene was Joan's discovery that she had a fan of her work in the most unlikely of places.

 

[Michael Elliott]

Here's another one I've always meant to watch but never got around to it.



Bronco Billy (1980) :star::star:1/2 Clint Eastwood

The cowboy/dreamer Bronco Billy (Clint Eastwood) is barely keeping his Wild West show going but his luck's about to change when he gets involved with a woman (Sondra Locke) recently dumped by her husband. This is a rather interesting film as I've read that Eastwood says it's his favorite but at the same time I've read what a bomb it was at the box office when originally released. It's certainly understandable why most people would avoid this thing but that's a shame as it's a cute little film that manages to have enough charm but I doubt those wanting Dirty Harry will have much use for it. I wouldn't say I enjoyed the film all the way through as I did think there were some flaws including the ultra-long running time. A dreamy comedy like this one really didn't need to go on for nearly two-hours but some of that is due to the screenplay, which is quite predictable in regards to the ending. With that said one still has to admire Eastwood for trying a film like this because it's basically just about making your dreams come true. In the case of Eastwood's character, he always wanted to be a cowboy and he's doing whatever it takes to keep his show going even though modern audiences have grown tired of it. Eastwood gives a very good performance and once that will keep a smile on the viewers face. The actors hasn't had too many chances to play a nice and charming person but he handles the role very well. Locke is also quite good in her performance as the rich brat who eventually buys into the show of dreams. I found her performances to be quite good and she was very believable in the turns her character takes. Scatman Crothers. Geoffrey Lewis, Bill McKinney, Sam Bottoms and Sierra Pecheur all add nice support as well. I think a little editing would have helped the picture but then again I'm sure this is the type of film that would getting better on repeat viewings. I'm sure even today this isn't a title that Eastwood fans rush out to view but they should certainly give it a shot if for no other reason that to see the legend in a different light.

Pale Rider (1985) :star::star::star:1/2 Clint Eastwood

A prospector village is being harassed and killed by an evil group of miners but a mysterious preacher (Clint Eastwood) comes to their aid. Eastwood's return to the genre that made him a star keeps getting better with each new viewing as the director has so many unanswered questions that you can't help but think and feel different things each time you view it. The secrets to the preacher are never fully answered so it's up to the viewer to come up with whatever they feel is best and its this mystery that makes this film seem so fresh and original. We've certainly seen movies where the mysterious man must save a group of people but this one here is so surreal and full of atmosphere you can't help but feel the material is original in its own right. I think visually speaking this was the director's most interesting film to date. I loved out the indoor scenes are so dark and moody that they built a certain loneliness to the characters. This is especially true of the mother (Carrie Snodgress) and her daughter (Sydney Penny), both of whom begin to have feelings for the preacher. I think their relationship or feelings for the preacher could have been expanded or explained somewhat more than they are but that's just a minor issue. Eastwood was already a legend by the time he made this film but I think he uses that to his benefit and that of the character's. I love the way we never really see his character but instead just witness bits and pieces of him. We'll see his eyes, his mouth or his whole figure but only in ways, which just add to the mystery. The supporting cast is equally good with Penny nearly stealing the film for me. Michael Moriarty, Chris Penn and Richard Keil are all very good in their supporting roles. There's plenty of excellent shoot outs and other violent scenes but the greatest sequence in the movie is a quiet one. The best scene happens when the town must decide if they should sell off their land or stay there so that they can go for their dreams. This discussion is the quietest moment in the film but it's also the best.

G.I. Blues (1960) :star::star:1/2 Norman Taurog

Better than average Elvis vehicle has him playing a G.I. who dreams of one day owning his own nightclub. He makes a bet with some older soldiers that he can take out a dancer (Juliet Prowse) but soon he starts to have feelings for the woman and wants out of the bet. Elvis' comeback film is a pretty good one even though there are still a few weak moments. For the most part the film is charming enough to keep itself going from start to finish even though the thing runs a tad bit too long. Elvis must have been very comfortable in the role of a G.I. because I've never seen him as relaxed in a role. He actually does a pretty good job here and comes off very natural and gets to show off some of his sense of humor. It goes without saying that this film wanted to cash in on The King's military career and for the most part they nail him in the role. The supporting players are equally impressive and add a lot as well. Prowse is very sexy in her role and manages a good performance. The film stealers for me were Robert Ivers and Leticia Roman as the sidekicks. Ivers has a great comic timing and makes for several funny sequences. The music numbers here are all rather hit and miss with none of them what I'd call classic Elvis. I thought the use of Presley's "Blue Suede Shoes" was a nice touch as was the sequence with Elvis trying to babysit. The film is certainly lightweight and predictable but it does have enough charm to make it worth watching and I'm sure the girls in 1960 were passing out at the site of Elvis in the shower.

Blue Hawaii (1961) :star::star: Norman Taurog

After two years in the service, Chad Gates (Elvis Presley) returns home to Hawaii where his parents, including mom played by Angela Lansbury, wants him to join the family business. This doesn't sit too well with Chad because he wants to make his mark on the world by himself but with a little assistance from his girl (Joan Blackman). This is a pretty disappointing film for the music legend as it offers him very little in terms of the ability to show off a performance as the screenplay is so weak and juvenile that just about anyone could have played the lead. There's some good stuff scattered around but for the most part the screenplay doesn't have enough in it to last the entire running time of the film. As I've said, the biggest problem is the screenplay, which delivers a bunch of lame and obnoxious characters. We see Elvis having to deal with his mother as well as an older woman with a group of teenage girls including one (Jenny Maxwell) who thinks she's older than she is. I'm sure these characters were written with humor in mind but all of them come off very forced and obnoxious. These supporting characters really brought the film down even though the actual performers are rather good at bringing these obnoxious people to life. Elvis is decent in the role but it never seemed like he was too interested in the material. He has that typical charm of his but nothing he does ever really jumped out at me. Blackman makes for an attractive lead but she can't add anything else to the movie. The film features the classic "Can't Help Falling in Love" but outside of that I found the music to be quite lame. The various love songs to Hawaii were rather embarrassing as the musical numbers were poorly and lazily handled.

 

[Martin Teller]

The musical commentary is as entertaining as the film itself.


Silent Running - Uninspiring hippie sci-fi with a confused environmentalist message. The main character is supposed to be this incredibly dedicated botanist, but his revelation at the end suggests that he's tremendously bad at his job, overlooking something about plant growth that any 7 year-old would know. I never know how to feel about Bruce Dern... he has an interesting presence, but he's really not a very good actor. And Joan Baez's music is hard to stomach under any circumstances. The only thing about this movie that rises above average are the special effects (director Douglas Trumbull was key to the effects on 2001). Everything else is pretty hokey, clichéd, or mediocre. Rating: 5

 

[Mario Gauci]

As you know, I'm dedicating each day of film viewing to a different genre but, given that October is traditionally reserved for Horror movies, I had toyed with the idea of jettisoning the "Fantasy Day" and save them all for the Halloween marathon. But then I figured that, since I had managed to neatly subdivide my collection into 12 genres, it would be silly to mess up with it now. After all, why should I deprive myself of indulging in my favorite genre for 11 months straight, right? Besides, did I really think that Joe Karlosi would tolerate such snobbish behavior over here

?


Fantasy Day #1:


01/06/09: WORLD WITHOUT END (Edward L. Bernds, 1956) :star::star:1/2

Watchable sci-fi on familiar ‘time travel’ lines, which is given added distinction (though not necessarily improved) by being filmed in color and widescreen. The most notable cast members are Hugh Marlowe (who appeared in a handful of titles in this vein) and Rod Taylor (later star of the similar but obviously more prestigious THE TIME MACHINE [1960]); typically, the world of the 26th century has been decimated by radioactivity, with the population divided between learned pacifists living underground and deformed savages roaming above. Our heroes bring with them a history of violence which causes them to be mistrusted by the former and attacked by the latter; however, the girls of either faction are turned on by their ruggedness! Direct opposition comes from both camps, too, with one of the eminent members of the underground people debasing himself to treachery and murder through jealousy (his intended has fallen for Marlowe) and the latter also being forced to engage in a duel with the one-eyed leader of the brutes. Though the compartmentalized futuristic sets look decent., the incongruous medieval costumes come across as decidedly cheesy; incidentally, the title makes little sense and the fact that the astronauts remain stranded in time constitutes something of a let-down.


01/06/09: SATELLITE IN THE SKY (Paul Dickson, 1956) :star::star:1/2

Included on the same disc as WORLD WITHOUT END (1956), this contemporaneous sci-effort from Britain takes a much more serious approach (down to the stiff-upper-lipped characters and stirring score) – with its documentary-like depiction of flights outside the Earth’s atmosphere, the ultimate reason for which is the testing of a new type of bomb that’s so powerful it can only be blown in outer space! While not uninteresting in itself, the treatment is so hackneyed as to render the whole dull instead of gripping, managing only a modicum of suspense during the last half-hour or so when the bomb, already timed to explode, remains attached to the back of the shuttle when dislodged! Casting is second-rate but adequate: Kieron Moore (as the stoic test pilot), Lois Maxwell (an intrepid reporter who, having lost her father and brother to science, feels a natural aversion to progress…but still can’t help stowing away on the space vessel for the sake of a scoop!), Donald Wolfit (in the obligatory pompous physicist role, who then breaks into hysterics when the going gets tough!) as well as Bryan Forbes and Jimmy Hanley, playing other members of the flight each given a dreary romantic subplot fraught with complications.

 

[Mario Gauci]

Foreign Day #1:


01/07/09: A BLOODY SPEAR ON MOUNT FUJI (Tomu Uchida, 1955) :star::star::star:

I had never heard of Japanese director Tomu Uchida prior to reading about a retrospective held at London’s National Film Theatre in December 2007 but, my interest ignited, I quickly landed this film in my collection. What we have here, essentially, is a tragicomic road movie: the narrative – about a pilgrimage to the titular landmark by a disgraced samurai (prone to violent drunken binges) and his two dim-witted warrior-servants – rambles amiably along in a leisurely and mostly droll vein until the unexpected and electrifyingly bloodthirsty finale. Through the striking use of sweeping camera movement and fast cutting, we are introduced to the trio of protagonists and the major supporting characters right from the very first sequence; the comic highlight comes around the midpoint when an abandoned boy (who joined their party after befriending the lancer) disrupts a solemn tea-drinking ceremony enacted by three noblemen in an open field while naturally relieving himself in the nearby bushes. The second half grows more somber with the episodes of the capture of a notorious tattooed thief disguised as a pilgrim and an old man forced to sell off his daughter as collateral for a measly loan. Nothing however really prepares us for the remarkably ‘clumsy’ climax (this is no choreographed ballet of violence) in which the lancer single-handedly dispatches the men who had killed his master merely for daring to drink publicly with his subordinate. It is also worth mentioning that several distinguished Japanese film-makers (including Yasujiro Ozu) helped in the making of this film which was Uchida’s comeback after a decade spent in China.


01/07/09: SWORDS OF DEATH (Tomu Uchida, 1971) :star::star:1/2

Jarring, intermittent use of freeze frames accompanied by voiceover narration and some poorly-synched sound effects might well be tell-tale signs that this film was still incomplete when its director passed away in mid-1970. Similar to my previous encounter with Uchida’s cinema – the superior A BLOODY SPEAR ON MOUNT FUJI (1955) – this film has a very deliberately paced (and, in this case, muddled) first half as it tells of the exploits of legendary warrior Musashi Miyamoto (played 16 years earlier by the great Toshiro Mifune in a celebrated trilogy of films for director Hiroshi Inakagi and the protagonist of several previous Uchida pictures) and settles on his confrontation with a rival – the owner of a secret weapon he craves – and his equally adept wife (whose brother he had killed years before). This incident takes up virtually all of the film’s second half whereupon Musashi emerges triumphant by defeating the man’s entire band of followers and setting husband against wife by kidnapping their little son.

 

[Mario Gauci]

Mike,


I've had much the same reaction as you did about this one. Although I'm a fan of British horror, there's just no way this film would have made it into my DVD collection had it not been included in Anchor Bay UK's 6-Disc "Tigon Collection" set which I purchased specifically for the upgraded SE DVD of Piers Haggard's superior BLOOD ON SATAN'S CLAW (1971).

For the record, that collection contained mostly dreadful dreck - THE BODY STEALERS (1969), THE BEAST IN THE CELLAR (1970) and VIRGIN WITCH (1972) - but also yet another DVD edition of Tigon's best ever film, WITCHFINDER GENERAL (1968) - of which I now have 4 versions: PAL VHS, Metrodome R2 DVD, Anchor Bay R2 DVD and Fox R1 DVD!! To think that I nearly had a fit in the mid-1990s when I realized that, after eagerly waiting an entire month for UK's (sadly long defunct) Bravo TV channel to screen it, I forgot all about it when it fell due!

To get back to THE HAUNTED HOUSE OF HORRORS (1969) for a minute: back in the day when I acquired that set, I used to listen to every Audio Commentary (a practice I intend to pick up again as from this year) and, in it, director Michael Armstrong said that the whole 'married man' subplot was an imposition by AIP (which were its U.S. distributors). Interestingly, he also said that his original vision of the film was a much more psychedelic one and that David Bowie was to have been one of the leads! As for its surprising violence, you do realize that Armstrong would follow this one with the notoriously gruesome MARK OF THE DEVIL (1970), don't you?

 

[Mario Gauci]

You've reminded me that I have this one thanks to you...and I really should find a way to increase my viewing tally by incorporating more shorts into my genre viewings

.

 

[Mario Gauci]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: WHY are Warners sitting on all those biopic gems that they have in their libraries...or do they believe that every film buff the world over has access to TCM or something???


P.S. At least, I did get to see CONFESSIONS OF A NAZI SPY (1939) once on TCM UK (and still have it on VHS) but, compared to its American counterpart, the UK branch of TCM is a dead duck indeed: all I have to look forward to, as regards to "new" TCM UK screenings this month, are 3 of those "Man From U.N.C.L.E." movies!

 

[Mario Gauci]

I concur with Michael's praise of John Stell's entertaining reviews and, on a personal note, I'm glad (and relieved) that someone decided to pick up the mantle of exhaustive reviewing on this thread

.

As for ROMANCING THE STONE (1984) - and its sequel THE JEWEL OF THE NILE (1985) - I've caught them both in my childhood days and they might (or not) get a revisit as part of my "blast from the past" weekend viewings.

 

[Mario Gauci]

I'm reading through this thread in reverse so I've just seen Sandro's query on Robert Aldrich which seems to have gone by unnoticed.

So, here's a link to my rather old-fashioned take on Aldrich's career (via star ratings only, alas):

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htf/...t-aldrich.html


I say "old-fashioned" because it seems to me that THE GRISSOM GANG (1971) and ULZANA'S RAID (1972) should occupy a higher place in the rankings. Since then, I've also acquired TWILIGHT'S LAST GLEAMING (1977) but have yet to watch it.

 

[Mario Gauci]

Pete York is another guy whose HTF reviews I look forward to.

I admire the work of Mitchell Leisen and, in fact, I've just acquired a couple of his films - MIDNIGHT (1939) and REMEMBER THE NIGHT (1940) - but, I suppose, you're aware of that already

!

Actually, before deciding on this "Genre" thing for 2009, I considered concentrating exclusively on distinguished directors throughout the year but that would have ruled out a lot of amusing trash!


P.S. What the f...? I was going to post a link to my ranking of Mitchell Leisen's films from its respective HTF Poll but just found out to my astonishment that there was none!! Are we all homophobics or something

?

 

[Mario Gauci]

I promise this is going to be my last post on this thread for now...

In case any one's interested in a similar view to Martin Teller’s of BAND OF BROTHERS (2001; TV)


"Band of Brothers" (2001) - IMDb user comments


Conversely, for an opposite view to Martin Teller’s of SILENT RUNNING (1972):


Silent Running (1972) - IMDb user comments