What's on your Daily Viewing List? (3 Viewers)

[Keith Cobby]

There was obviously a big change in the style of moviemaking from the mid 1960s, a more realistic but more grungy style. To counter my disappointment with Gypsy Moths, I gave An Affair to Remember (1957) another spin. Great film, not much discussed on HTF, with the stars on top form. It was originally budgeted for more location work which might have made it even better (as with To Catch a Thief and Bonjour Tristesse).

 

[Robert Crawford]

There was obviously a big change in the style of moviemaking from the mid 1960s, a more realistic but more grungy style. To counter my disappointment with Gypsy Moths, I gave An Affair to Remember (1957) another spin. Great film, not much discussed on HTF, with the stars on top form. It was originally budgeted for more location work which might have made it even better (as with To Catch a Thief and Bonjour Tristesse).

Are you kidding, An Affair to Remember has been a topic of discussion more than a few times on this forum.

 

[Matt Hough]

Are you kidding, An Affair to Remember has been a topic of discussion more than a few times on this forum.

And I reviewed the Blu-ray release when it was released! Look here.

 

[Matt Hough]

A new documentary on Katharine Hepburn is on Netflix (new to me anyway) - Call Me Kate. We see lots more home movies and private times with the Hepburn clan, but I didn't care for the vocal impersonator they got to play the elderly Kate nor the body double they use to film from the back to persuade us it's Kate moving around her property (I did several shows with an actress who could mimic her to perfection). And I didn't think it was a patch on Kate's own documentary All About Me or her two-night appearance on The Dick Cavett Show which seemed to give us glimpses of the real Kate (excerpts from both those shows were woven into this new documentary).

Still, I didn't mind spending 90 minutes of my life with this fascinating and sometimes infuriating woman.

 

[uncledougie]

A new documentary on Katharine Hepburn is on Netflix (new to me anyway) - Call Me Kate. We see lots more home movies and private times with the Hepburn clan, but I didn't care for the vocal impersonator they got to play the elderly Kate nor the body double they use to film from the back to persuade us it's Kate moving around her property (I did several shows with an actress who could mimic her to perfection). And I didn't think it was a patch on Kate's own documentary All About Me or her two-night appearance on The Dick Cavett Show which seemed to give us glimpses of the real Kate (excerpts from both those shows were woven into this new documentary).

Still, I didn't mind spending 90 minutes of my life with this fascinating and sometimes infuriating woman.

This is news to me, hadn’t heard of it in the works. It appears it was released on what would’ve been her 116th birthday last Friday. Doubting there’s much new ground to cover, I’ll still make a point of watching because Hepburn was such a unique persona and force of nature. The vocal imitations sound like a mistake, as well as the recreations of her in a home setting that cannot help but add to the artifice, but will reserve final judgment to after having watched the film. If this documentary introduces her to a new generation of potential fans and admirers, that is entirely worthwhile and laudable.

 

[Noir Norn]

Cattle Annie and Little Britches

on Blu Ray

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

The Mother
Originally Released: 05/12/2023
Watched: 05/14/2023
1080P HD digital streaming on Netflix, upscaled to 4K via Roku Ultra

For this mother's day, an action movie centered around J-Lo, playing a very unconventional mother.

Recommended?

Why? Written by "Lovecraft Country" showrunner Misha Green and directed by Niki Caro (Whale Rider, McFarland, USA, the live action Mulan remake), it's very reminiscent of Liam Neeson's recent action movies for better or worse. Joseph Fiennes and Gael García Bernal don't have a lot to work with as the thinly written villains, and the action scenes -- while hard-hitting and competently executed -- aren't especially inventive. But what really sets it apart is the relationship between this ex-military expert sniper warrior badass and the daughter she had to give up for adoption. It's not like any mother-daughter dynamic I've ever seen before, but it was very compelling to watch.

* * *​

Crater
Originally Released: 05/12/2023
Watched: 05/15/2022
4K digital streaming on Disney+

Recommended?

Why? Fun worldbuilding makes this Goonies in space worth the ride.

More thoughts (which may contain spoilers) are available here.

 

[Thomas T]

 

[Capt D McMars]

a little high seas shenanigans!!!

 

[Noir Norn]

Fuzz

Blu Ray

 

[Noir Norn]

rachel, rachel

 

[Konstantinos]

I adore this film from my childhood!

 

[Noir Norn]

Bohemian Rhapsody

on Blu Ray

 

[Adam Lenhardt]

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Originally Released: 03/31/2023
Watched: 05/20/2023
4K UHD digital streaming on Paramount+ app via Roku Ultra

Recommended?

Why? When this was announced, I had zero interest in it. The previous Dungeons & Dragons movie was terrible, and Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley's sequel/remake of Vacation was a colossal misfire.

But people kept singing its praises to me and urging me to check it out, and I'm so glad I did. It's fun.

Tonally, it's difficult to explain. It definitely doesn't take itself too seriously, but it's not a parody or satire either. The closest comparison I can think of is The Princess Bride, where the audience is very aware that it's a fable that Peter Falk is reading to his grandson and laughs with the movie rather than at the movie. This feels like what I'd imagine a good tabletop RPG experience with an inventive Dungeon Master feels like.

The mechanics of the movie align with the mechanics of the game, too: A party of adventurers, each member with his or her own special skills and area of expertise, embark on an adventure together. As the story progresses, the characters gain experience and become increasingly powerful.

This movie fully utilizes Chris Pine's charisma and charm, and the group as a whole has wonderful chemistry as each member gets moments to shine.

While this is a fully and often beautifully realized fantasy world, it doesn't get bogged down in backstory. Each quest exists for the characters to complete it, and the movie understands that audiences are invested in the how rather than the why.

Things set up early in the movie pay off at the end, and the big visual effects sequences inform character and are informed by character rather than simply providing empty spectacle.

By the end, I liked each and every one of our heroes, and was invested in their journey despite its inherent ridiculousness.

 

[DFurr]

Bloody but lots of laughs.....Cocaine Bear!! Best shown at 2:35:1

 

[HawksFord]

Last week, we watched some Raquel Welch movies one of which also starred Jim Brown who did this past week.

One Million Years B.C. (1966)
100 Rifles (1968)
Fuzz (1972)

One Million Years B.C. was a disappointment. I remembered it as being a fun adventure story, but I think the memory of Welch overshadowed my memories of the rest of the film. The Kino-Lorber release includes some interviews with Welch, Ray Harryhausen, and Martine Beswick which we enjoyed more than the movie.

I don't remember ever seeing 100 Rifles before. It's a solid western with Welch joined by Jim Brown and Burt Reynolds. Welch is the daughter of a Mexican revolutionary, Reynolds is wanted for a bank robbery, and Brown is a lawman sent to bring him back. Fernando Lamas is the Mexican general whose actions force the three main characters together. There's nothing groundbreaking here, but it's an entertaining story.

I remember seeing Fuzz long ago but again I mostly only remember Welch. I wonder why that is? Welch and Reyolds appear together again along with Jack Weston, Tom Skerritt, and Yul Brynner. I'm a big fan of Ed McBain's 87th Precinct novels. Those books always had a dose of humor but police work was the focus. In the film, the humor takes center stage and the film suffers for it. I can't fault the screenwriter since it was done by the author of the books but under his Evan Hunter name. Like 100 Rifles, it's an entertaining story but no more.

 

[Robin9]

Last week, we watched some Raquel Welch movies one of which also starred Jim Brown who did this past week.

One Million Years B.C. (1966)
100 Rifles (1968)
Fuzz (1972)

One Million Years B.C. was a disappointment. I remembered it as being a fun adventure story, but I think the memory of Welch overshadowed my memories of the rest of the film. . . . . .

. . . . . I remember seeing Fuzz long ago but again I mostly only remember Welch. I wonder why that is?

I too found One Million Years B. C. a disappointment. I'm not a Raquel Welch fan but I think she's the best thing in Fuzz. I'm not surprised she's what you remembered.

Yesterday I watched Stage Fright again. Minor Hitchcock and starring three actors I've never really liked but l still enjoy the film, and it does have Alistair Sim.

 

[Noir Norn]

Rolling Thunder

via Shout Factory's Blu Ray edition

 

[Toronto Argonauts]

Tonight:

 

[Noir Norn]

King Kong
(1976)

Blu Ray
worth it for John Barry's triumphant score in mult-channel lossless audio