Last Movie you Watched?

A John Wayne triple last Sunday:




The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)



The back cover says this is dual themed: a he-man's story and a drama about a maternal influence from the mother to the childs. But I say it's a usual western about few good men trying to prove their innocence, it's nothing special but it's good to sit through.

7/10



El Dorado (1967)



Not much to say about this either although there is something I'd like to get off my mouth. A nice little western in Rio Bravo's spirit (with the same director ) and with some fabulous shoot 'em up scenes. Wayne and Mitchum naturally kick ass and James Caan gives actually a pretty great debút, not the usual rookie act what we've used to see. Overall a satisfying thrill ride.

7/10


Howard Hawks Countdown:
1. The Big Sleep (1946)
2. Rio Bravo (1959)
3. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
4. Red River (1948)
5. His Girl Friday (1940)
6. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
7. El Dorado (1967)
8. Rio Lobo (1970)



True Grit (1969)



Well, now that I've seen both flicks and even read the novel, I can honestly say that the Coen one takes the victory. The main reason is that it's more loyal to the novel, featuring the actual ending when this makes it's own. The second reason is that it tells the story from Mattie's view (with her narrating) when this is more based on Rooster. But still this ain't bad either, an acceptable adaption. Wayne is definitely in his top notch, although this ain't his best work IMO (I take The Searchers and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance over this anyday), it's still worth of his Oscar. Kim Darby is OK (but Jesus, he....I mean she looks just like Justin Bieber), Glen Campbell a little miscasting but still OK and Robert Duvall is great as always. Overall, although not very loyal to the source material, a good yankee western in the time of change.

8/10


Henry Hathaway Countdown:
1. True Grit (1969)
2. The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)

ambler wrote:

I went to a lecture by Gilliam back in 1996 or 97 and asked him about the references to Vertigo. He denied there were any intentional similarities. :|

That's disappointing to hear. I would have hoped that all the VERTIGO references had been more intentional. Still, whether intended to have any serious resonance or not, they work well.

Arkadin wrote:

ambler wrote:

I went to a lecture by Gilliam back in 1996 or 97 and asked him about the references to Vertigo. He denied there were any intentional similarities. :|

That's disappointing to here. I would have hoped that all the VERTIGO references had been more intentional.

Well, I think they were. That's why his rebuttal was so puzzling.

Maybe he wasn't too pleased with they turned out?

Battle Hymn (1957) Dir. Douglas Sirk

A straight war film seems an odd project for Sirk, as opposed to the war-set love story of A TIME TO LOVE AND A TIME TO DIE he made the following year, but in typical Sirk fashion he carries it off majestically, with the result being a thoughtful film thats got a sweeping melodramatic streak about it. Hardly a combat film, its the story of Colonel Dean Hess, a bomber pilot from WW2 who's guilt over a mistaken bomb drop on a church/orphange causes him lasting guilt, by which he turns to god and becomes a Reverend. Still unable to shake his guilt and find himself, when the Korean War comes in 1950, Hess re-enlists as the commander of a training squadron up near the front. And there he becomes very sympathetic to the plight of orphans, helping to set up a makeshift orphanage whilst finding himself in the situation of war. I find Korean War films interesting - there's never any glory in them ala WW2 films; whilst not yet the hell that was Vietnam, Korea represented an unwanted war, and many films have different ways of interpreting it.

Rock Hudson puts in another excellent performance as Hess, and he's joined by a cast of well known characters in Dan Duryea, the always excellent James Edwards, Don DeFore, Alan Hale Jr and likely ladies in Anna Kashfi and Martha Hyer. And all the orphans in the film play themselves. Sure the film lays on the religion and melodrama quite thick, but if you can get into it, it makes it all the more sweeping. Plus its got some of the best aerial combat ever put to film. Really well done.

Vacancy - marriage on the brink of breaking up, due to the rift caused in your relationship due to the death of your child? Simply have your car break down in a remote area in the wee small hours on the way back from a family reunion, and check into a rundown motel where it quickly becomes apparent that the motel manager and his buddies like to make amateur 'snuff' films for kicks 'starring' the guests as the victims. Survive until the morning, and bingo! You'll be reconciled .

Eh, it was OK ... wasn't much else on telly last night, to be honest.

Watching the Dean double recently has left me needing to watch some films of a similar power, which are hard to find at the best of times. Having also today started (and read about 200 pages already) of my book on the making of REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, the best way seemed to be more Nicholas Ray...



On Dangerous Ground (1952) Dir. Nicholas Ray

This was one that I had seen before (as opposed to KNOCK ON ANY DOOR, which I own but havent seen), but hadnt watched since I bought it. Like the two other of Ray's RKO efforts I've seen in THEY LIVE BY NIGHT and THE LUSTY MEN, they're not immediately satisfying owing to that they're kind of minor pictures, but there's something about them. Even if this one's got a highly recognizable Bernard Hermann score (theres traces of NBNW and CAPE FEAR, and one cue is lifted directly into NBNW), theres something in how Ray turns largely rudimentary stories (this was before REBEL marked his massive watershed moment) into minor classics.

Just a highly thoughtful film.

The Red Shoes (1948)

At first, it seemed to me an examination of the blurry line that divides art and business, and how that separation grows thinner and thinner until an industry is born; an observation as valid now as it was in the early 20th century. Then, there's the artist's lifestyle; not only the sacrifice inherent to the artistry itself (which Moira Shearer's fragile frame and painful determination perfectly embody) but the personal aspirations the "industry" requires its artist/employee to forgo. Walbrook, as the emotionless impresario who is only alive within the confines of his art, is superb.

Above any other subject, there's dancing. The Red Shoes boasts an epic, almost fifteen-minute-long dance sequence that seems lifted directly from a dream. Not only is it masterfully assembled, it seems to be born from an artistic vision way before its time, something that could even belong in any experimental piece today. Vibrant colors, majestic music, amazing set design and camerawork... definitely breathtaking and one of the main reasons to watch this film.

However, when the dream world vanishes, The Red Shoes thrusts its viewers back into the raw, almost macabre reality of Victoria Page, a young dancer torn between her love for a man and the sacrifices she is demanded from the producer that will maker her 'the greatest ballerina in the world'. With dark and surreal undertones that transform her life into something of a musical tragedy, the film has an unforgettable atmosphere in which truth and fiction become intertwined.

For a movie like this to thoroughly impress someone who doesn't have any particular fondness for dancing or dancing movies, well, that just lets you know how good it must be. On a technical, aesthetic and entertainment level, The Red Shoes is classic.


The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943)

The filmmaking team of Powell and Pressburger has a reputation of great importance, and this is the first of their movies in what I believe their best period between 1942-48.

I'm still churning the title of this film in my head, wondering what exactly it has to do with the story. Colonel? Blimp? Whatever. Still, a great movie about war. I don't want to say it's anti-war; there is a definite militaristic patriotism running through this. It's a great character study filmed in glorious Technicolor. I've heard it been called an "an anti-war saga." I have to disagree. The British are upheld repeatedly, as a point of pride, for fighting "fairly," and this is why they have been so successful in, say, World War I. It is true, however, that the consequences of war are also weighed, and they tip the scales heavily.

Excellent performances by an amazingly aged Roger Livesay and a young and radiant Deborah Kerr playing three roles. Above all, Anton Walbrook, is a superb scene stealer and even better than he was in The Red Shoes.

Mr. Trevelyan wrote:

A John Wayne triple last Sunday:




The Sons of Katie Elder (1965)



The back cover says this is dual themed: a he-man's story and a drama about a maternal influence from the mother to the childs. But I say it's a usual western about few good men trying to prove their innocence, it's nothing special but it's good to sit through.

7/10



El Dorado (1967)



Not much to say about this either although there is something I'd like to get off my mouth. A nice little western in Rio Bravo's spirit (with the same director ) and with some fabulous shoot 'em up scenes. Wayne and Mitchum naturally kick ass and James Caan gives actually a pretty great debút, not the usual rookie act what we've used to see. Overall a satisfying thrill ride.

7/10

Both of those films are great westerns. And the lovely, soothingly voiced Michele Carey, my favorite bad girl from The Wild, Wild West TV series, is teriffic as Joey("part girl, part wildcat").

Mr. Trevelyan wrote:

Howard Hawks Countdown:
1. The Big Sleep (1946)
2. Rio Bravo (1959)
3. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
4. Red River (1948)
5. His Girl Friday (1940)
6. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
7. El Dorado (1967)
8. Rio Lobo (1970)

Have you seen this Hawks movie, Mr. Trevelyan?



It's a strong contender for my favorite Hawks film.

Prince Kamal Khan wrote:

Mr. Trevelyan wrote:

Howard Hawks Countdown:
1. The Big Sleep (1946)
2. Rio Bravo (1959)
3. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
4. Red River (1948)
5. His Girl Friday (1940)
6. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
7. El Dorado (1967)
8. Rio Lobo (1970)

Have you seen this Hawks movie, Mr. Trevelyan?



It's a strong contender for my favorite Hawks film.

Well, it doesn't seem to be on my list, so I haven't . I have actually been looking after it for some time now, I even spotted it few months ago in a local DVD store but it didn't have Finnish subtitles so I passed it. Although I have an excellent knowledge on English, I still can't watch English spoken films without subtitles. It's a common problem I accept.

Mr. Trevelyan wrote:

Prince Kamal Khan wrote:

Mr. Trevelyan wrote:

Howard Hawks Countdown:
1. The Big Sleep (1946)
2. Rio Bravo (1959)
3. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
4. Red River (1948)
5. His Girl Friday (1940)
6. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)
7. El Dorado (1967)
8. Rio Lobo (1970)

Have you seen this Hawks movie, Mr. Trevelyan?



It's a strong contender for my favorite Hawks film.

Well, it doesn't seem to be on my list, so I haven't . I have actually been looking after it for some time now, I even spotted it few months ago in a local DVD store but it didn't have Finnish subtitles so I passed it. Although I have an excellent knowledge on English, I still can't watch English spoken films without subtitles. It's a common problem I accept.

I hope they make a Finnish version available for you soon. It might be the definite Hawks film about the masculine camaderie among the South American mail pilots and about the women in their lives. Grant does very well cast in a Humphrey Bogart/John Wayne-type role. And Rita Hayworth shines in her first major screen role as his ex-girlfriend.

If I was Cary, I'd have taken Jean Arthur over Hayworth too. 8)

And speaking of Hawks...



The Thing From Another World (1951) Dir. Christian Nyby

Excellent little sci-fi thriller that, as widely recorded, as Hawks fingerprints all over it - due to his involvement we're lucky we got some good production values, his idea of leaving the monster relatively unsighted towards the end, plus its got the classic Hawks theme of a band of men pooling together to get a job done. The film crackles along at an awesome pace and scores some great supporting roles from Douglas Spencer, Robert Cornthwaite (finally get to see who he is!) and Dewey Martin - underrated young actor of the early 50s who shouldve gone onto some bigger and better things for sure. Judging by its B-nature we get a B-leading man in Kenneth Tobey, whos agreeable but way too gruff a lot of the time - if only Hawks had been able to nab a more memorable leading man; guys like Alan Ladd, John Wayne (at a stretch but not unimaginable) or Mr Stoicism, Van Heflin, couldve fit the bit nicely. Or even Kirk Douglas - that wouldve been cool. I'd also actually suggest Jim Arness, but he was playing the monster. ;)



It Came From Outer Space (1953) Dir. Jack Arnold

Yep, this is the film from whence that famous image came - its got barely anything to do with the film except for the sidenote that they tried to use it to introduce Kathleen Hughes as a sex symbol. She appears in one scene and gets plenty of sexy (read skanky) line reading, and she gets high billing at the end. We werent fooled, Universal. Whether she deserved it or not, a few years later she ended up in TV.

As for the film itself, its kind of a more benign version of INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, these Aliens arent here to conquer, merely they crash landed on earth accidentally and are only taking over people's bodies so that they can repair the ship and leave. Unfortunately they only explain this to Richard Carlson, and he looks like a crackpot as the sherriff rounds up a posse to root out these aliens, a situation that will lead to doom for us all! Starring two B-leads in Carlson (who the same year appeared alongside Babs Stanwyck in Sirk's ALL I DESIRE) and Barbara Rush (who funnily enough appeared in Sirk's other 1953 pic, MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION), as well as recognizable toughguy Charles Drake and old Warners character actor Joe Sawyer, it also rockets along through its 75 minutes and like THEM! and THE THING, they're not overly sci-fi-ey films. They're thrillers with a sci-fi bent. Cool stuff, though we'll see how the other films in the boxset pan out.

Though can someone say why Dewey Martin appears at the film's climax? He's not even sighted before in the film, and hes not even credited on IMDB. But I'm sure it was him.

And its got a great closing message about how East and West will meet again.

Brazil

I can't write out a review that would do it justice.

I also watched The Boondock Saints recently, but that hardly seems to matter now.

Ghostbusters (1984)



- Are you a god?
- No.
- Then DIEEE!
- Ray, when someone ask you if you're a god, you say YES!

What can I say that hasn't already been said, it's the s**t. The effects are pretty dated but the classic status still stays. Who ya gonna call?

9/10


Ivan Reitman Countdown:
1. Ghostbusters (1984)
2. Ghostbusters 2 (1989)
3. Evolution (2001)
4. Kindergarden Cop (1990)
5. Twins (1988)
6. Six Days, Seven Nights (1998)
7. My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006)
8. Junior (1994)

colly wrote:

The Thing From Another World (1951) Dir. Christian Nyby

I love the '82 version, but I've still not seen that one.

Quote :

It Came From Outer Space (1953) Dir. Jack Arnold

I do love the title. An interesting companion to that image.

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (hahahaha) (1984)



80s slasher cheese. I only saw the first three and that was when I was 11 and shit like this was awesome. I meant to revisit those but Netflix sent this piece of shit instead. Pretty dumb stuff, but hilarious in a kitsch way. Also has one of the dumbest endings I've ever seen. So Jason kills everyone except some blonde girl and her little brother played by Corey Feldman. So Corey Feldman decides to save the day by shaving his head and taking on Jason with a machete, chopping him to pieces, since this is THE FINAL CHAPTER and Jason is then officially dead (harhar). Apparently that's supposed to hint at him becoming a serial killer. Close, he becomes a washed out coked-out-of-his-mind alcoholic. Oh wait.

Still, it has this awesome moment with Crispin Glover busting some moves.



What I really want to see is Part III. Cuz the blu-ray can play the flick in 3D like it was in theaters and I've got myself some old school 3D classes. I hope they do that for Jaws 3D soon, that would be such a hoot.

And Judie Aronson, I would.

Blue Velvet




I look forward to seeing the "lost" footage to the film, if they ever plan on releasing it.

Ghostbusters 2 (1989)



Same fun as the first one, but maybe little too much like the first one. This safely walks the same paths as the original taking no risks, so it doesn't blow up the sky. But, to be honest, I think I liked the humour more on this one. During the first movie I never laughed but I did watch it with a smile on my face all the way through, but in this one I actually guffaw in some parts. Overall a great sequel, not challenging the original but it's not a fail either.

8.5/10


...And the countdown stays the same...

Killing Bono - comedy drama based on Neil McCormick's book 'I Was Bono's Doppelganger', which details his attempts to get his own musical career off the ground in the shadow of his school chum ... who goes on to become the frontman of the biggest band in the world, whereas through a combination of misplaced pride, bad luck and shitty decision-making Neil never quite makes it.

Not bad, quite fun.

La Vie en Rose (2007) Dir: Olivier Dahan

The movie was fine, and I have no real criticisms about it beyond the fact that at times I was left wondering who a specific person was, or why a certain thing was happening. But that can probably be attributed to the fact that I knew absolutely nothing about Edith Piaf, prior to seeing this.

Marion Cotillard's portrayal of Edith was astonishing, but the movie itself was just above average, not having ever been a huge fan of hers, I couldn't into this as much as I would've liked.

East of Eden (1955) Dir: Elia Kazan

This is the first time I'm seeing it after having read Steinbeck's novel and I have to say Paul Osborn's script looks simplistic and doesn't cover much territory. Despite that, it still has a terrific cast who gave memorable performances.

Raymond Massey as virtuous Adam, and his role is really engaging, since it requires whole set of different emotional states - from patriarchal stoicism, across despair towards final and inner serenity. But, the real star of this film is, naturally, James Dean. He was simply perfect to play this part, because troubled, neurotic Cal in many ways resembles misfit, rebellious 1950s youth in America - generation whose icon Dean later became. Dean used method acting to the full extent ( Kazan making deliberately him drunk during the shooting of one scene with Harris on the window), his mannerisms have a strong emotional impact. Jo Van Fleet, who played his mother, received an Oscar, but her performance, although good, didn't deserve it, at least not compared with underrated role by Julie Harris. Harris, who was perfect for the role of Abra; she portrays her as plain looking yet attractive all-American girl, the only person that can find understanding for troubled Cal, since deep under her righteous surface she shares his frustrations.

Kazan was bold to deal with anti-German chauvinist hysteria that erupted in USA immediately after American entry into WW1. Although apocryphal in the context of this film, this subplot would be quite interesting for some who are still troubled with the way USA treated its Japanese citizens in the next world war, as well for those who are still undecided about Kazan's own role during McCarthy hearings.

Eventhough I preferred him in Rebel, this is still a magnificent performance from Dean and the sole reason to watch it.

Considering she was top-billed, you almost think Harris wouldve been a BA contender rather than a BSA contender... but thats two consecutive non-me reviewers to be unimpressed with Jo Van Fleet.

Fools.

Control (2007)

I've been avoiding this film for the last few years. I grew up with many of its characters as my parents were on the periphery of the Didsbury/Factory set and God knows there's been a lot of of rubbish written about that period. (I wasn't very impressed with Debbie Curtis's account either.) Anyway, curiosity finally got the better of me when Control played on Film 4 last night.

Although it's not really a historically accurate biopic - and for all the hysteria about Ian Curtis, his death was a fairly silly tragedy - it's beautifully shot (as one would expect from Anton Corbijn) and the script is surprisingly moving, at least given its source material. It's just a shame that Martin Hannett is barely shown. He was the real genius behind Joy Division and his own sad story has yet to be fully told.

THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010, dir. David Fincher)

I'm impressed by how well this film holds up.

Rambo: First Blood Part II

my first time going through these films. This was a ludicrous film at best, just go for the ride despite unintentionally funny lines, Stallone etc. Best bits were with Richard Crenna. The first one was Citizen Kane compared to this.

2/5