Last Movie You Watched.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

A Haunting In Venice - Kenneth Branagh adapts Agatha Christie's Hallowe'en Party for his third go at Hercule Poirot. Enjoyed this more than his adap of Death On The Nile ... as you might expect from the title, this has an enjoyably spooky atmosphere as Poirot once again exercises his 'leetle grey cells' in order to unmask a murderer.

Any echoes of Don't Look Now?

Perilagu Khan wrote:

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

A deeply layered Western that gets better with every successive frame. There are many interesting postulates about civilization and savagery, and the relationship between the two. Bill McKinney co-stars as villainous Captain Redlegs Terrill. He played Mountain Man in Deliverance (1972), another film that speaks to the clash between civilization and barbarism.

Paula Trueman is excellent as the spirited, domineering Kansas elitist, and Sondra Locke--later Eastwood's real-life love interest--is lovely in the role of her daughter.

I'm adding this DVD to my burgeoning Western collection, no doubt about it.

Okay, it has been something like 45 years since I tried watching this (the third part of a triple-bill at a drive-in theater, I think it was with TWILIGHT'S LAST GLEAMING and whatever the most recent GODZILLA film was), and I promise to give it my best shot this time. The fact you say McKinney has got a good part in it has me intrigued, as once I recognized him in PARALLAX I realized I had seen him in a ton of other stuff, even STAR TREK.

Do you know what the issue was that resulted in Eastwood firing Kaufman and directing it himself? I know that on THUNDERBOLT & LIGHTFOOT, Eastwood basically gave Cimino an ultimatum to 'wrap things up today' because he was going fishing (and Cimino did), so I'm thinking maybe Kaufman didn't respond well to having that kind of control usurped?

EL CONDE

Possibly the best Netflix production I have seen. El Conde is the vampire Pinochet.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Blunt Instrument wrote:

A Haunting In Venice - Kenneth Branagh adapts Agatha Christie's Hallowe'en Party for his third go at Hercule Poirot. Enjoyed this more than his adap of Death On The Nile ... as you might expect from the title, this has an enjoyably spooky atmosphere as Poirot once again exercises his 'leetle grey cells' in order to unmask a murderer.

Any echoes of Don't Look Now?

Haven't seen Don't Look Now, but from what I know of it I didn't spot any overt nods in Haunting In Venice.

trevanian wrote:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

A deeply layered Western that gets better with every successive frame. There are many interesting postulates about civilization and savagery, and the relationship between the two. Bill McKinney co-stars as villainous Captain Redlegs Terrill. He played Mountain Man in Deliverance (1972), another film that speaks to the clash between civilization and barbarism.

Paula Trueman is excellent as the spirited, domineering Kansas elitist, and Sondra Locke--later Eastwood's real-life love interest--is lovely in the role of her daughter.

I'm adding this DVD to my burgeoning Western collection, no doubt about it.

Okay, it has been something like 45 years since I tried watching this (the third part of a triple-bill at a drive-in theater, I think it was with TWILIGHT'S LAST GLEAMING and whatever the most recent GODZILLA film was), and I promise to give it my best shot this time. The fact you say McKinney has got a good part in it has me intrigued, as once I recognized him in PARALLAX I realized I had seen him in a ton of other stuff, even STAR TREK.

Do you know what the issue was that resulted in Eastwood firing Kaufman and directing it himself? I know that on THUNDERBOLT & LIGHTFOOT, Eastwood basically gave Cimino an ultimatum to 'wrap things up today' because he was going fishing (and Cimino did), so I'm thinking maybe Kaufman didn't respond well to having that kind of control usurped?  

A triple bill?! Heh. You are truly a movie buff, trevanian. I don't think I could sit through even my three favorite films of all time consecutively without a break.

There were all sort of creative and political clashes between Kaufman and Eastwood. For instance, Eastwood cast Locke over the strenuous objections of Kaufman. Also, Kaufman wanted Eastwood to remove the anti-government tinge--which sprang from the book upon which OJW was based--from the script and Clint wasn't having any of it. Kaufman and Eastwood must have been a match made in hell. I can't imagine how those two ever hooked up to begin with.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

Blunt Instrument wrote:

A Haunting In Venice - Kenneth Branagh adapts Agatha Christie's Hallowe'en Party for his third go at Hercule Poirot. Enjoyed this more than his adap of Death On The Nile ... as you might expect from the title, this has an enjoyably spooky atmosphere as Poirot once again exercises his 'leetle grey cells' in order to unmask a murderer.

Any echoes of Don't Look Now?

Haven't seen Don't Look Now, but from what I know of it I didn't spot any overt nods in Haunting In Venice.

Bloody hell. Unless you've got a strong aversion to supernatural horror films, DLN needs to be the next film you see. It is utterly tremendous in every respect.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

trevanian wrote:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

A deeply layered Western that gets better with every successive frame. There are many interesting postulates about civilization and savagery, and the relationship between the two. Bill McKinney co-stars as villainous Captain Redlegs Terrill. He played Mountain Man in Deliverance (1972), another film that speaks to the clash between civilization and barbarism.

Paula Trueman is excellent as the spirited, domineering Kansas elitist, and Sondra Locke--later Eastwood's real-life love interest--is lovely in the role of her daughter.

I'm adding this DVD to my burgeoning Western collection, no doubt about it.

Okay, it has been something like 45 years since I tried watching this (the third part of a triple-bill at a drive-in theater, I think it was with TWILIGHT'S LAST GLEAMING and whatever the most recent GODZILLA film was), and I promise to give it my best shot this time. The fact you say McKinney has got a good part in it has me intrigued, as once I recognized him in PARALLAX I realized I had seen him in a ton of other stuff, even STAR TREK.

Do you know what the issue was that resulted in Eastwood firing Kaufman and directing it himself? I know that on THUNDERBOLT & LIGHTFOOT, Eastwood basically gave Cimino an ultimatum to 'wrap things up today' because he was going fishing (and Cimino did), so I'm thinking maybe Kaufman didn't respond well to having that kind of control usurped?  

A triple bill?! Heh. You are truly a movie buff, trevanian. I don't think I could sit through even my three favorite films of all time consecutively without a break.

There were all sort of creative and political clashes between Kaufman and Eastwood. For instance, Eastwood cast Locke over the strenuous objections of Kaufman. Also, Kaufman wanted Eastwood to remove the anti-government tinge--which sprang from the book upon which OJW was based--from the script and Clint wasn't having any of it. Kaufman and Eastwood must have been a match made in hell. I can't imagine how those two ever hooked up to begin with.

Kaufman might have been riding high critically based on GREAT NORTHFIELD MINNESOTA RAID (which had R Duvall) and WHITE DAWN. The fact he was able to get BODY SNATCHERS -- an alltime fave of mine -- made right away after the double hit of getting fired by Eastwood and having the first STAR TREK feature implode under his watch (tho not his fault) was pretty amazing.

As for my tenaciousness with triple features, well, a lot of the time my teen buds and I were going to the Moonlite Drive-in to drink beer as much as watch movies. I always insisted we stick it out through all three movies because it gave the driver time to sober up (plus the main feature was always last. I wasn't going to arrive at a theater at 730pm and go home before midnight when JAWS was the third feature.) It always amazed me that this one drive-in had excellent projection, whereas the 'name' ones that had all the first-run movies were mushy and washed-out looking. Then again, the best indoor screens in the Santa Clara/Los Gatos area were mostly second-run houses too. Apparently they had union projectionists well into the 1980s too, whereas the big Syufy Century (later Mann) screens that got all the big movies didn't.

I can say that when I tried watching the two GODFATHER movies back to back at a revival house, G2, which I hadn't seen before, seemed endless to me, and I actually walked out on it with something like 20 minutes to go and waited in the lobby. It wasn't till the 90s that I gave it another try and made a major reassessment of it.

THE NAME OF THE ROSE. First time rewatching this in many many years, mainly because I had tried watching the DVD and found the image somewhat wanting. Recenty it started streaming in HD and I was utterly enchanted with the look as well as the mood and most especially the art direction, which at times seems like Hogwarts minus CG (but seemingly at a like scale.) I think this was the first film that earned Connery a best actor nod (in the UK, not stateside), and he does deliver, as does most of the cast (tho Christian Slater has always struck me as a little weird as the monk in training ... maybe John Cusack and River Phoenix were too busy?)

Will probably rewatch it with my wife next week, and definitely will have to research how the blu-ray looks if there is one. Majestic, spooky, thoughtful, and I found way too many aspects of the story reminiscent of the modern political scene, making it that much more engaging.

trevanian wrote:

THE NAME OF THE ROSE. First time rewatching this in many many years, mainly because I had tried watching the DVD and found the image somewhat wanting. Recenty it started streaming in HD and I was utterly enchanted with the look as well as the mood and most especially the art direction, which at times seems like Hogwarts minus CG (but seemingly at a like scale.) I think this was the first film that earned Connery a best actor nod (in the UK, not stateside), and he does deliver, as does most of the cast (tho Christian Slater has always struck me as a little weird as the monk in training ... maybe John Cusack and River Phoenix were too busy?)

Will probably rewatch it with my wife next week, and definitely will have to research how the blu-ray looks if there is one. Majestic, spooky, thoughtful, and I found way too many aspects of the story reminiscent of the modern political scene, making it that much more engaging.

Saw this in the cinema when it came out, and have seen it many times since. My fave Connery film.

trevanian wrote:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

trevanian wrote:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976)

A deeply layered Western that gets better with every successive frame. There are many interesting postulates about civilization and savagery, and the relationship between the two. Bill McKinney co-stars as villainous Captain Redlegs Terrill. He played Mountain Man in Deliverance (1972), another film that speaks to the clash between civilization and barbarism.

Paula Trueman is excellent as the spirited, domineering Kansas elitist, and Sondra Locke--later Eastwood's real-life love interest--is lovely in the role of her daughter.

I'm adding this DVD to my burgeoning Western collection, no doubt about it.

Okay, it has been something like 45 years since I tried watching this (the third part of a triple-bill at a drive-in theater, I think it was with TWILIGHT'S LAST GLEAMING and whatever the most recent GODZILLA film was), and I promise to give it my best shot this time. The fact you say McKinney has got a good part in it has me intrigued, as once I recognized him in PARALLAX I realized I had seen him in a ton of other stuff, even STAR TREK.

Do you know what the issue was that resulted in Eastwood firing Kaufman and directing it himself? I know that on THUNDERBOLT & LIGHTFOOT, Eastwood basically gave Cimino an ultimatum to 'wrap things up today' because he was going fishing (and Cimino did), so I'm thinking maybe Kaufman didn't respond well to having that kind of control usurped?  

A triple bill?! Heh. You are truly a movie buff, trevanian. I don't think I could sit through even my three favorite films of all time consecutively without a break.

There were all sort of creative and political clashes between Kaufman and Eastwood. For instance, Eastwood cast Locke over the strenuous objections of Kaufman. Also, Kaufman wanted Eastwood to remove the anti-government tinge--which sprang from the book upon which OJW was based--from the script and Clint wasn't having any of it. Kaufman and Eastwood must have been a match made in hell. I can't imagine how those two ever hooked up to begin with.

Kaufman might have been riding high critically based on GREAT NORTHFIELD MINNESOTA RAID (which had R Duvall) and WHITE DAWN. The fact he was able to get BODY SNATCHERS -- an alltime fave of mine -- made right away after the double hit of getting fired by Eastwood and having the first STAR TREK feature implode under his watch (tho not his fault) was pretty amazing.

As for my tenaciousness with triple features, well, a lot of the time my teen buds and I were going to the Moonlite Drive-in to drink beer as much as watch movies. I always insisted we stick it out through all three movies because it gave the driver time to sober up (plus the main feature was always last. I wasn't going to arrive at a theater at 730pm and go home before midnight when JAWS was the third feature.) It always amazed me that this one drive-in had excellent projection, whereas the 'name' ones that had all the first-run movies were mushy and washed-out looking. Then again, the best indoor screens in the Santa Clara/Los Gatos area were mostly second-run houses too. Apparently they had union projectionists well into the 1980s too, whereas the big Syufy Century (later Mann) screens that got all the big movies didn't.

I can say that when I tried watching the two GODFATHER movies back to back at a revival house, G2, which I hadn't seen before, seemed endless to me, and I actually walked out on it with something like 20 minutes to go and waited in the lobby. It wasn't till the 90s that I gave it another try and made a major reassessment of it.

The drive-in experience back when Hollywood made lots of good movies must have been pretty magical. If I had been an adult--or teen--movie-goer back in those days (ca. 1950-1980), I imagine I would have spent a good deal of coin in those passion pits (Fleming's terminology from DAF).

Been hearing about it for decades, finally watched the original CARNIVAL OF SOULS.

First couple of minutes with the bad dubbing had me doubting (to the point of having the remote in hand, ready to switch off), but I'm glad I stuck with it. Genuinely spooky despite obviously being done for a small price, and my wife and I couldn't get over how many aspects seemed like David Lynch must have had a blood transfusion from this film's director.

I do have to say, I'm no longer tempted to watch the remake, despite the presence of Bobbie Phillips (the bug scientist in the cockroach episode of X-FILES.) The original seems very much of a time and place and I can't see how it could be bettered. A very nice seasonal surprise, and one i'm almost certain to put in the rotation once i get a physical copy.

Red Rock West - early 90s noirish thriller in which Nic Cage's drifter is mistaken by JT Walsh's bar owner for the hitman he's hired to kill his wife ... and then things REALLY get complicated. Enjoyably twisty stuff, also starring Lara Flynn Boyle and Dennis Hopper.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

Red Rock West - early 90s noirish thriller in which Nic Cage's drifter is mistaken by JT Walsh's bar owner for the hitman he's hired to kill his wife ... and then things REALLY get complicated. Enjoyably twisty stuff, also starring Lara Flynn Boyle and Dennis Hopper.      

Saw that in the cinema when it came out. Cannot remember anything from it, only that I liked it.

The Wild Bunch (1969)

Don't let the title fool you. This film is not about a pack of lovable rascals out on a lark, egging passing stagecoaches, toilet papering the parson's log cabin, and sending prank telegrams to the marshall. Set in Texas and Mexico ca. 1916, this is a strange, hyper-violent, and exceedingly bleak take on the human condition. It is also one of the most complex films I've ever seen. I'm sure I'd have to watch it at least five times to get a really sure handle on it. Thing is, brilliant though it undoubtedly is, I'm not sure I will watch it again. It's that unpleasant.

Perilagu Khan wrote:

The Wild Bunch (1969)

Don't let the title fool you. This film is not about a pack of lovable rascals out on a lark, egging passing stagecoaches, toilet papering the parson's log cabin, and sending prank telegrams to the marshall. Set in Texas and Mexico ca. 1916, this is a strange, hyper-violent, and exceedingly bleak take on the human condition. It is also one of the most complex films I've ever seen. I'm sure I'd have to watch it at least five times to get a really sure handle on it. Thing is, brilliant though it undoubtedly is, I'm not sure I will watch it again. It's that unpleasant.  

I didn't see it till I was in my 30s -- largely because I had heard the film was butchered by the studio, and having seen MAJOR DUNDEE, which suffered a similar fate, I didn't want to have to wonder 'what might have been.' So when I did see it, it was the restored version, and in a movie theater. Totally blew me away, and I regard it as a kind of nastier companion piece to Richard Brooks' THE PROFESSIONALS, which is also set early in the 20th Century.

Both films have neat exchanges about giving one's word, and the conditions surrounding the making of such a vow. I can almost not rewatch one without rewatching the other (though my wife said once was enough for her on BUNCH -- she lets me see the big final shootout sometimes, but if I want to watch the whole thing, she'll go in another room with disks of PARKS & REC or THE OFFICE.)

Based on a single viewing, did you have any particular take on Borg9's character? The fact he doesn't also partake when the guys go off with whores seems to suggest one thing or possibly another, but I've never come across any discussion anywhere, not even in the couple of books about Peckinpah that I've read.

STRAW DOGS is the Peckinpah that I'll never rewatch. The stuff with Susan George is just very uncomfortable for me ... not even reaching the level of SALVADOR with the Catholic missionary nuns, which practically had me vomiting, but even so ...

The Big Steal (Tass)

Fun Aussie teen comedy film which pays homage to the American greats such as The Breakfast Club, Risky Business and Some Kind of Wonderful. And a great window into Melbourne circa 1990, which was an absolute joy to see on screen. This kind of of location work is so rare in Australia these days, particularly in Melbourne’s CBD. Though I admit my proclivity to watch Australian films is slight, the last time I was this chuffed to see a snapshot into mid-late 20th century Oz was with Lazenby’s The Man From Hong Kong.

trevanian wrote:

Perilagu Khan wrote:

The Wild Bunch (1969)

Don't let the title fool you. This film is not about a pack of lovable rascals out on a lark, egging passing stagecoaches, toilet papering the parson's log cabin, and sending prank telegrams to the marshall. Set in Texas and Mexico ca. 1916, this is a strange, hyper-violent, and exceedingly bleak take on the human condition. It is also one of the most complex films I've ever seen. I'm sure I'd have to watch it at least five times to get a really sure handle on it. Thing is, brilliant though it undoubtedly is, I'm not sure I will watch it again. It's that unpleasant.  

I didn't see it till I was in my 30s -- largely because I had heard the film was butchered by the studio, and having seen MAJOR DUNDEE, which suffered a similar fate, I didn't want to have to wonder 'what might have been.' So when I did see it, it was the restored version, and in a movie theater. Totally blew me away, and I regard it as a kind of nastier companion piece to Richard Brooks' THE PROFESSIONALS, which is also set early in the 20th Century.

Both films have neat exchanges about giving one's word, and the conditions surrounding the making of such a vow. I can almost not rewatch one without rewatching the other (though my wife said once was enough for her on BUNCH -- she lets me see the big final shootout sometimes, but if I want to watch the whole thing, she'll go in another room with disks of PARKS & REC or THE OFFICE.)

Based on a single viewing, did you have any particular take on Borg9's character? The fact he doesn't also partake when the guys go off with whores seems to suggest one thing or possibly another, but I've never come across any discussion anywhere, not even in the couple of books about Peckinpah that I've read.

STRAW DOGS is the Peckinpah that I'll never rewatch. The stuff with Susan George is just very uncomfortable for me ... not even reaching the level of SALVADOR with the Catholic missionary nuns, which practically had me vomiting, but even so ...

I never got any funny vibes about Engstrom. But I did get the sense that he was the wild bunch's most unyielding moralist. Had he not been an outlaw, he might have been a man of the cloth. And such fellas are unlikely to wallow in the fleshpots of Agua Verde.

TWB is a disturbing film. But the most disturbing scene, IMO, happens very early. We see a pack of children gathered around a couple of scorpions in an ant bed being stung to death as the kids smile and laugh. It is horrendous. And it's the first half of a bookend. The second is Angel being dragged behind a car by the Federales in Agua Vede as the townsfolk revel in the torture. Angel is the scoprion, the Federales are the ants, and the people are just as sadistic as the children in the earlier scene.

Peckinpah was a misanthrope, although he denied it. What's more, his assessment of the human race wasn't too wide of the mark.

PS--Not going to watch Straw Dogs. Sounds like the sort of film that would give me nightmares.

A B-movie/exploitation/schlock double-bill last night.

Death Race 2000 (1975) - sort of like a live-action Wacky Races (with added gore, tits 'n' ass and satire), this is about a cross-country road race (happening during the titular year) during which (in order to sate a violence-loving public) the drivers score points by running down pedestrians. Too OTT to take seriously at all, starring David Carradine and a pre-Rocky Sly Stallone.

Lifeforce - NAKED ENERGY VAMPIRES FROM SPACE! With Tobe Hooper in the director's chair, John Dykstra on SFX duties and Henry Mancini scoring this mid-80s sci-fi horror certainly had potential ... but what it also has is a VERY silly script with which the likes of Peter Firth, Michael Gothard, Frank Finlay and Patrick Stewart gamely do battle. The extremely attractive actress Mathilde May spends the vast majority of her appearance in this starkers, which certainly helps when you're watching hokum.

THE RESCUERS

A transitional feature length Disney animation. After this one, it was downhill, although I do enjoy a few later films.

Blunt Instrument wrote:

A B-movie/exploitation/schlock double-bill last night.

Death Race 2000 (1975) - sort of like a live-action Wacky Races (with added gore, tits 'n' ass and satire), this is about a cross-country road race (happening during the titular year) during which (in order to sate a violence-loving public) the drivers score points by running down pedestrians. Too OTT to take seriously at all, starring David Carradine and a pre-Rocky Sly Stallone.

Lifeforce - NAKED ENERGY VAMPIRES FROM SPACE! With Tobe Hooper in the director's chair, John Dykstra on SFX duties and Henry Mancini scoring this mid-80s sci-fi horror certainly had potential ... but what it also has is a VERY silly script with which the likes of Peter Firth, Michael Gothard, Frank Finlay and Patrick Stewart gamely do battle. The extremely attractive actress Mathilde May spends the vast majority of her appearance in this starkers, which certainly helps when you're watching hokum.    

That's quite a pair (of movies that is, though pair works for ms may as well.)

I saw DR 2000 at a second-run theater when I was 15 ... I think it was on a double-bill with LINDA LOVELACE FOR PRESIDENT, a softcore mess that I only remember for its ending graphic, which showed Lovelace's campaign trail superimposed over a map of the US (it formed a male sex organ.) Or it might have been THE LAST HARD MEN (interesting pun material keeps cropping up in this reply.) Anyways, I thought DEATH RACE was one of the funniest movies I'd ever seen, while my stepbrother just kept waiting to see more boobs. Paul Bartel made it, and even though it didn't hold up on a decades-later rewatch, I think I still rank it higher than Bartel's later EATING RAOUL, which got very good notices.

LIFEFORCE feels like it was made by somebody who had only a checklist to work from when directing film. It was like, 'show boobs, show gore' but it didn't connect any emotional dots at all. I think most of the effects from Dykstra were good, especially the flying lens flares as The Space Vamp Sucks London (would have been a better title.) I've seen stills of the original alien ship, and if you thought the final version looked like an umbrella ... well, the original practically was an umbrella. It's easy for me to believe that POLTERGEIST is mostly Spielberg rather than Hooper, because even though POLTER is nothing special, it at least has some emotional threads that work along with the gags, and like I said above, LIFEFORCE seems detached from the human equation.

Continuing the seasonal theme, watched TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME and THE LEGEND OF HELL HOUSE yesterday on a very lazy Sunday. FIRE is for me a brilliant piece of work in spite of how it ignores most of the TP series strengths (the belated season 3 also manages this trick), while HELL HOUSE works for both scares and a kind of intellectual approach. Has some of the most subtle animation I've ever seen with its ectoplasm, and a terrific score by people I've never heard of. Pretty much a perfect horror movie in my mind, and it suckered me into seeing BRASS TARGET years later just because it had the same director (admittedly, having Von Sydow and Sophia Loren didn't hurt on selling me either.)

'The Space Vamp Sucks London' might've led the audience to think something starring the aforementioned Ms. Lovelace was about to unfold .

Blunt Instrument wrote:

'The Space Vamp Sucks London' might've led the audience to think something starring the aforementioned Ms. Lovelace was about to unfold .    

She should have kept her big mouth shut.

OLIVER&COMPANY

The 80s was for the most part a dreadful Disney decade, but this one is an exception.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

The story itself is pretty good, but this is filled with horrible and annoying song acts, symptomatic for 90s Disney in general, and the artwork is sub-par, at least compared with older classics. I like the design of the castle.

The Waiting City (McCarthy)

While the narrative is on the thin side and is a little predictable, McCarthy more than makes up for this with atmosphere and a gorgeous visual style. Plus, it enables for some richly drawn, complicated characters to simply exist, particularly Radha Mitchell’s character.