by Sam Juliano
The dog days of August are now officially upon us and summer prepares to make it’s strongest statement of all. At Wonders in the Dark the musical team are nearing their final decisions for collaboration on what will be a Top 50 countdown, now scheduled for launch on Monday, August 22nd in reverse order leading up to #1 and to be presented Monday through Fridays. Hence, it is expected to run until November, and at least a few of the essays will be penned by non-voters. On another front Dee Dee’s exciting ‘Virtual Poet Cafe’ is slated for Saturdays, and can be accessed on the sidebar. This past week feature was moderated by Sheila Moore.
My entire week was taken by American pre-code cinema and Buster Keaton, and all in the confines of what seems to be serving as a second home: the Film Forum on Houston Street. Lucille actually managed to attend four of the double-features with me, and we were graced by the generosity and presence of Alan Hardy. The three boys as always, attended the Keaton double on Monday. The week’s total was a rather ludicrous 15 features. Partially because of a wedding on Saturday night (my car included Voting Tabulator Extraordinaire Angelo A. D’Arminio Jr., blogger Russell Martin, Broadway Bob and Maxine Grgurev and her husband, as well as Lucille) I didn’t see a sinle recent release, which is rather rare. But seeing what is out there, it’s surely no tragedy.
I saw the following:
Steamboat Bill Jr. ***** (Monday evening) Film Forum
Neighbors ***** (Monday evening) Film Forum
Me and My Gal **** 1/2 (Tuesday evening) Film Forum
Blood Money *** 1/2 (Tuesday evening) Film Forum
Sailor’s Luck *** 1/2 (Tuesday evening) Film Forum
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ***** (Wednesday evening) Film Forum
Waterloo Bridge **** 1/2 (Wednesday evening) Film Forum
The Mouthpiece **** 1/2 (Thursday evening) Film Forum
Beauty and the Boss **** (Thursday evening) Film Forum
Possessed *** 1/2 (Friday evening) Film Forum
Red-Headed Woman **** (Friday evening) Film Forum
Public Enemy ***** (Saturday afternoon) Film Forum
Blonde Crazy *** 1/2 (Saturday afternoon) Film Forum
Call Her Savage **** 1/2 (Sunday afternoon) Film Forum
Blonde Venus *** 1/2 (Sunday afternoon) Film Forum
Even with the musical countdown commanding a prohibitive chunk of my time in the coming weeks and months, I do plan on a full report on the pre-code festival sometime later in August. Allan has jumped in with a number of reviews of his own, which will be appearing at the site as well.
With the summer sending many to the beaches and on vacation, a number of sites have not updated–but upon a second look not many, so here are this week’s links, most being updated:
At FilmsNoir.net Tony d’Ambra has authored one of the greatest reviews of a film ever posted in his definitive assessment of Robert Wise’s “Odds Against Tomorrow.” All noir fans (and film fans in general) should check out this brilliant essay: http://filmsnoir.net/film_noir/robert-wises-odds-against-tomorrow-1959-a-work-of–art.html
John Greco has posted one of his most spectacular reviews ever with his remarkable essay on Don Siegel’s 1956 science-fiction classic “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” at Twenty Four Frames: http://twentyfourframes.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/invasion-of-the-body-snatchers-1956-don-siegel/
Meanwhile, John’s beautiful new ‘photography’ website is up and running:
http://johngrecophotography.com/
At Speaking From The Heart Laurie Buchanan has a new post “Black and Blue Magic” has embraced film, literature and that odd mishap: http://holessence.wordpress.com/2011/07/28/black-and-blue-magic/
Troy Olson may well have written his magnum opus at Elusive as Robert Denby with a spectacular essay on Robert Bresson’s Le Journal
Une Cure de Campagne (“Diary of a Country Priest”): http://troyolson.blogspot.com/2011/07/robert-bresson-journal-d-cure-de.html
At Movie Classics Judy Geater has a brand new essay up on
Frank Capra’s pre-coder “The Miracle Woman” with Barbara Stanwyck, and it’s another winner: movieclassics.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/the-miracle-woman-frank-capra-1931/
Jamie Grijalba celebrates the legendary Japanese monster film “Gojira” (Godzilla) -1954- that spawned sequels and a cult following at Exodus 8:2: http://exodus8-2.blogspot.com/2011/07/gojira-1954.html
Jon at Films Worth Watching has penned a terrific and passionate review on Douglas Sirk’s Magnificent Obsession: http://filmsworthwatching.blogspot.com/2011/07/magnificent-obsession-1954-directed-by.html
In his seminal “Post-War” Kurosawa series, “Murderous Ink” in Tokyo has penned a masterpiece on a masterpiece, with his extraordinary essay on “Ikiru” at Vermilion and One Nights: http://vermillionandonenights.blogspot.com/2011/07/postwar-kurosawa-ikiru.html
The ever-prolific and gifted Samuel Wilson’s latest review is on the 1971 feature “The Big Doll House” at Mondo 70: http://mondo70.blogspot.com/2011/07/big-doll-house-1971.html
Filmmaker Jeffrey Goodman talks about his favorite “road” movies in a fabulous post at The Last Lullaby: http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/2011/07/road-movies.html
Tony d’Ambra is the lead subject in Dee Dee’s post at Darkness Into Light on the poet and film noir expert’s
beautiful verse on the character Vera from Ulmer’s “Detour” which d’Ambra dedicates to Ann Savage: http://noirishcity.blogspot.com/2011/07/film-noir-expert-and-poet-tony.html
At SmiledYawned Nodded Longman Oz has most creatively sized up Jean-Luc Godard’s “Film Socialism”: http://smiledyawnednodded.com/2011/07/17/filmsocialisme/
Roderick Heath makes a remarkable defense for “Sucker Punch” at Ferdy-on-Films: http://www.ferdyonfilms.com/?p=10762
At English-One-O-Worst, the jack of all trades Heath has penned a stupendous piece of literary criticism on Henry James’s “The Turn of
the Screw”: http://englishoneoworst.blogspot.com/2011/07/watching-screw-turn-henry-james.html
And at This Island Rod, Heath has brought back memories for many with his review of a low budget horror flick which stateside was known as
“The Crawling Eye”: http://thisislandrod.blogspot.com/2011/07/trollenberg-terror-1958.html
Kevin Olson’s newest post at Hugo Stiglitz Makes Movies is a terrific essay on the horror film “He Knows You’re Alone”: http://kolson-kevinsblog.blogspot.com/2011/07/summer-of-slash-he-knows-youre-alone.html
Stephen at Checking on my Sausages has an engaging new post on ‘World Wrestling Entertainment’: http://checkingonmysausages.blogspot.com/2011/07/wwe-world-wrestling-entertainment.html
Terrill Welch has again found some irresistible beauty on Mayne Island to share with her always-appreciative readers at the Creativepotager’s blog: http://creativepotager.wordpress.com/2011/07/21/being-with-what-is/
And speaking of Terrill Welch, our friend Patricia at Patricia’s Wisdom features the great Mayne Island artist and author in her lead post. It’s yet another side of Terrill that some don’t know about, and Patricia has framed it beautifully: http://patriciaswisdom.com/2011/07/book-review-leading-raspberry-jam-visions-women%e2%80%99s-way-terrill-welch/
Ed Howard’s review on Joseph Losey’s noir gem “The Prowler” at Only the Cinema is a gem in itself: http://seul-le-cinema.blogspot.com/2011/07/prowler.html
Srikanth Scrivason (“Just Another Film Buff”) has posted a fascinating capsule review on “Gandhi to Hitler” at The Seventh Art: http://theseventhart.info/2011/07/30/ellipsis-45/
Sachin Gandhi at Scribbles and Ramblings has posted the “Copa America” results in book and film. It’s great stuff!: http://likhna.blogspot.com/2011/07/copa-america-2011-book-film-festival.html
Shubhajit at Cinemascope has posted a superlative capsule on the Korean horror film “I Saw the Devil”: http://cliched-monologues.blogspot.com/2011/07/i-saw-devil-2010.html
David Schleicher has authored a most intriguing essay on “Captain America” at The Schleicher Spin: http://theschleicherspin.com/2011/07/28/captain-america-wants-you-to-get-excited-about-the-avengers/
And Jason Marshall at Movies Over Matter has also tackled Captain America with a superb new essay: http://moviesovermatter.com/2011/07/28/%e2%80%9ca-weak-man-knows-the-value-of-strength-the-value-of-power-%e2%80%9d-captain-america-the–first-avenger/
At Craig Kennedy’s Living in Cinema the latest installment of “News du Jour” (July 30 and 31) is leading the way: http://livingincinema.com/2011/07/30/weekend-news-du-jour-730-731/
Hot coffee is one thing, but the “dog days” of summer offer up the kind of heat index that just about everybody would love to serve up an eviction notice on. Michael Harford says as much in art and words at the revered Coffee Messiah blogsite: http://coffeemessiah.blogspot.com/2011/07/dog-days.html
J.D. has penned a fantastic review on “Captain America” ar Radiator Heaven: http://rheaven.blogspot.com/2011/07/captain-america-first-avenger.html
At the hallowed halls of the Film Doctor’s place, the college film professor and bloggers says “Carzy, Stupid Love” is “mostly stupid”: http://filmdr.blogspot.com/2011/07/mostly-stupid-crazy-stupid-love.html
Dave Van Poppel has penned a magnificent review of Herzog’s new documentary “Cave of Forgotten Dreams” at Visions of Non-Viction: http://visionsofnonfiction.blogspot.com/2011/07/cave-of-forgotten-dreams.html
Adam Zanzie has penned an altogether magnificent review of “The Tree of Life” at Icebox Movies: http://iceboxmovies.blogspot.com/2011/07/tree-of-life-2011-stairways-to-heaven.html
TCM’s newest writer, Cinema Styles’ own Greg Ferrara engagingly talks about ‘comment spammers’ at his place: http://cinemastyles.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-wonderful-world-this-could-be.html
Hokahey has written an engaging essay on “Cowboys and Aliens” at Little Worlds: http://hokahey-littleworlds.blogspot.com/2011/07/cowboys-aliens.html
R. D. Finch, the longtime writer extraordinaire of The Movie Projector has penned a magnificent essay on the 1971 John Schlesinger
film, “Sunday Bloody Sunday”: http://themovieprojector.blogspot.com/2011/06/sunday-bloody-sunday-1971.html
Jason Bellamy has taken a fascinating look at Hitchcock’s “Rear Window” at The Cooler: http://coolercinema.blogspot.com/2011/07/looking-closer-at-rear-window.html
Slant writer extraordinaire Jon Lanthier likens A Serbian Film to a “transgressive” experience, awarding it 3 out of 4 stars at Aspiring Sellout: http://livingincinema.com/2011/05/14/review-a-serbian-film-2011/
Stephen Morton has penned a great essay on the new “X Men” and “Super 8″ at Petrified Fountain of Thought: http://petrifiedfountainofthought.blogspot.com/2011/07/review-x-men-first-class-and-super-8.html
At The Man From Porlock Craig poses this question: “What would H.L. Mencken Have Thought of Michael Bay?”: http://themanfromporlock.blogspot.com/2011/07/what-would-h-l-mencken-have-thought-of.html
Andrew Wyatt at Gateway Cinephiles has penned a terrific and reasonably appreciative essay on “Super 8″: http://gatewaycinephiles.com/2011/06/27/super-8/
At The Long Voyage Home Peter Lenihan has posted a capsule/screen cap presentation of the work of French visionary Claire Denis:
http://thelongvoyagehome.blogspot.com/
Dan Getahun reports on ‘Weekend at the Walker” at Getafilm: http://getafilm.blogspot.com/2011/07/location-mn-this-weekend-walker.html
Paul J. Marasa considers Robert Zemekis’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit? in a stellar essay at TheConstant Viewer: http://theconstantviewer.blogspot.com/2011/06/june-26-1988-who-framed-roger-rabbit.html
Indian culture mavens take note! At Kaleem Hasan’s spectacularly popular home from Indian film, music and politics, the lead post, featuring a you tube of the song “Bduddah Hoga Terra Baap” has attracted almost 300 comments! But the site performed as well on many occasions. Congrats Kaleem!: http://satyamshot.wordpress.com/2011/06/05/bbuddah-hoga-terra-baap-trailers/
And Hasan himself has penned a superlative review of the Indian film Dum Maaro Dum: http://satyamshot.wordpress.com/2011/04/28/specters-of-dum-maaro-du
Jake Cole has penned a terrific review of Buster Keaton’s “Sherlock Jr.” at Not Just Movies that’s a must for all cineastes and Keaton
fans: http://armchairc.blogspot.com/2011/07/sherlock-jr-buster-keaton-1924.html
Jeopardy Girl candidly talks about turning “40″ at her place: http://jeopardygirl.wordpress.com/2011/06/30/big40/
THanks for the amazing work here, Sam. Another terrific week for you. My week was rich as well and I caught up with a bunch of films by Tod Browning, Robert Flaherty, Edgar Ulmer and Bill Douglas.
(Ulmer’s THE BLACK CAT must be tone of the most mistreated films ever. Such a great , intellectual work and rarely every spoken about.)
Cheers!
Many thanks for that Srikanth!
You saw some fabulous films from that quartet I’m sure. I am thinking you may have even watched that amazing “Bill Douglas Trilogy.” I couldn’t agree with you more on THE BLACK CAT, which has always been one of my absolute favorites of the Universal horrors. Karloff is eerie as Hjalmar Poelzig, and Lugosi is in top former as the doctor. But the expressionistic art deco set design is really what captures the imagination with the film!
As always, your contribution is greatly appreciated my friend!
The Black Cat is palpablely erotic: a camp masterpiece. Set in the [as Sam points out] wonderfully gothic modernist house of a sinister architect, it is a mad expressionist tale of abduction, revenge, sexual obsession, camp horror, and unbridled eroticism. Sex is the primary motif and there is a sense of unreality with the action moving with the strange fractured incoherence of a dream. In a sense Ulmer prefigures the oneiric and sexual motifs of the classic noir period. Check out the shapely legs of the comely heroine getting the Von Sternberg treatment in my custom trailer:
Yes Sam, it was the amazing Bill Douglas Trilogy. Reminded me of both Terence Davies and Satyajit Ray.
Terrific stuff here, Tony. That’s a novel way of looking at it. I was fixated on the theme of anesthetization of death and war, the distrust towards modernity and the merchants of destruction. Excellent video as well.
Cheers!
“The Black Cat is palpablely erotic: a camp masterpiece. Set in the [as Sam points out] wonderfully gothic modernist house of a sinister architect, it is a mad expressionist tale of abduction, revenge, sexual obsession, camp horror, and unbridled eroticism.”
Tony’s trailer addition here is absolutely fantastic!!! And his scholarly assessment hits the bulls-eye as far as I see it. Nice point too about the Von Sternberg treatment!! Ha!
Great stuff here Tony!
Envy is my first response to your viewing list, Sam, but at least I bought the new Kino Keaton silent shorts collection to compensate. It looks to be well supplemented and an obvious upgrade from my 1995 videotapes. I’m thinking of doing a film-by-film review but we’ll see. On the feature front I didn’t get out to the theater, either — the tepid reviews for Cowboys & Aliens restrained me. But that meant I had time to watch plenty of stuff at home: Visconti’s Rocco and his Brothers, an ambitiously bloated bit of trashy neorealism; Oshima’s Double Suicide and Three Resurrected Drunkards, the latter proving the director more successful as a Japanese Richard Lester than as a Japanese Godard; Dr. Arnold Fanck’s SOS Iceberg, a visually spectacular yarn with Riefensthal as an avaiatrix; Andre de Toth’s Thunder Over the Plains with Randolph Scott, a slickly made but politically reprehensible Reconstruction oater with carpetbaggers as the villains and blacks as bystanders; the radical portmanteau show Love and Anger, teaming Godard, Bertolucci, Pasolini, Bellocchio and Carlo Lizzani, with the Bertolucci and Bellocchio bits the best; Lucio Fulci’s trippy thriller Lizard in a Woman’s Skin, which was stylishly silly; and perhaps the strangest of all, Emilio Fernandez’s Mexican-American revolutionary romance The Torch, which combines often-stunning imagery from Gabriel Figueroa (even in a public-domain disc) with one of the worst acting performances I have ever seen, rivetingly horrendous, by Paulette Goddard. See this one and you’re unlikely ever to forget it.
As always Samuel, you submit a breathless account of so many movies, even in the absense of a movie theatre appearance. Can’t say I blame you of course, as it’s definitely a dire time at the multiplex, even with the sensationally-reviewed HARRY POTTER and well-reviewed CAPTAIN AMERICA around as holdovers. I haven’t yet acquired that blu-ray Keaton set, though I know it’s a must-own, and have watched one set a week being awarded at the Film Forum to lucky patrons. The Masters-of-Cinema box is more complete though, but many don’t have all-Region capabilities:
I guess I’m not the only one who has not praised ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS to the heavens. You frame it superbly there, and I look forward to a review. Yet I love several other Viscontis and generally revere the director. Fulci has always been a mixed blessing. Some terrifying sequences, many undone by the ludicrous and sustained gore. Haven’t yet seen LOVE OR ANGER nor THREE RESURRECTED DRUNKARDS, but thought DOUBLE SUICIDE (Oshima) quite good. I concur with your estimation of the Randolph Scott western.
I’ve been avoiding COWBOYS & ALIENS like the plague myself! Ha1
Many thanks as always my very good friend!
I haven’t given a report on films I have watched in quite some time. As always I’ve been putting my Netflix to good use. The only films I have seen in the theaters since The Tree Of Life are…
Cave Of Forgotten Dreams ****1/2
The Hangover 2 ** (not my idea)
I have also viewed (at least the ones I remember)….
Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm ***
Splice *
East Of Eden ****
Incident At Loch Ness **
The Square ***
The Ninth Gate **
Bad Timing ***1/2
Deadwood Season One *****
Deadwood Season Two ****1/2
Deadwood Season Three ****
Carnivale Season One ****1/2
Carnivale Season Two *****
Game Of Thrones Season One ****
Cave by Werner Herzog was close to getting the full 5 stars from me, until the rather absurd and nonsensical albino alligator ending. Besides that unfortunate conclusion, I found the overall documentary extremely fascinating.
I checked out Mask Of The Phantasm after a long period of wanting to view it due to the praises of Dennis and Stephen during the animation countdown. I found it to be merely okay and very average overall.
I can’t wait for the musical countdown Sam. I think WITD needs another genre rundown to fire everyone up. I plan on commenting often and checking out every film that gets included which I have never seen. I could also praise you for your obsessive drive to hit the big screen nightly, but how many times can I publicly marvel at your diligence.
Maurizio, it’s always great to have you stop by on this thread, but I know your plate is full these days. I know the alligator ending was a bit silly, but like you I found much to appreciate in CAVE, which at the end of the day was one of Herzog’s most fascinating documentaries. Your high ratings for DEADWOOD should bring smiles to Allan’s face as he’s a huge admirer of the series. I haven’t seen enough to make a representative comment, but what I did see I liked. Likewise I can’t add much to MASK OF THE PHANTASM, though I’m inclined to believe I’d agree with you.
Thanks for the flattering words about the movie-going these days, but it’s pure obsessiveness. I am thrilled to hear that you are excited about the musical countdown and completely agree it will definitely quicken the pulse in these parts.
Good to see that **** rating for EAST OF EVEN!
Many thanks my excellent friend!
The musical countdown
Oddly enough, I just watched EAST OF EDEN again as well (I wonder if Maurizio and I caught the same A LETTER TO ELIA when it ran on pbs about two weeks ago as it’s talked about at length) and man if it didn’t go from a film I like to a film I adore. It’s quite moving, and you just can’t take your eyes of Dean he’s every move evokes something. The whole film moves as both a loving dialogue and an open struggle between the man in front of the camera (Dean) and the man behind it (Kazan). Just a stone cold masterpiece of American cinema… now I want to see AMERICA, AMERICA again.
Yeah Cave was a great documentary. Even with the silly ending I found it to be one of Herzog’s best films along with Aguirre, Grizzly Man, Nosferatu, Encounters, and Kasper Hauser.
Sam whenever you have time, I would suggest you at least watch the full first season of Deadwood. As great a piece of western/frontier art, as I have ever seen. The equal to any of my favorite feature length westerns.
I had already seen both Deadwood and Carnivale years ago, but wanted to view them again for a second time. I am now moving on to Rome which I had never watched in any capacity before.
Little known fact: Herzog made many great films; KASPER, WOYZECK, STROSZEK, AGUIRRE, FITZ and hell even COBRA VERDE, but for my money the two that never get named that are easily masterpiece status (and it’s an awful oversight) are HEART OF GLASS (ethereal, scary, and manic), and specifically EVEN DWARFS STARTED SMALL. That one is Herzog in concentrated form; subversive, disgusting, and brilliant.
Yes Heart Of Glass is an incredible film. I should of included it with the above six in my comment. Woyzeck, Fitzcarraldo, My Best Fiend, Stroszek, Burden Of Dreams, and Fata Morgana are a slight cut below in my eyes (though all very good). I have never seen Dwarfs… need to get on that very soon.
Maurizio, I will definitely get to DEADWAOOD when the opportunity avails itself.
As far as Herog, RESCUE DAWN is another one I value highly. And recently he added BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF NEW ORLEANS, which I liked quite a bit.
Thanks a lot Sam for the mention. You sure had a one hell of a week – that’s two on the trot, which means you’re on one hell of a movie-viewing ride. Many congratulations for taking your film-viewing to the next level – the kind that is awe-inspiring to say the least.
I watch a few movies in the meanwhile. Watched two Hindi movies from the 80’s – one disappointing called Shart (the Bet), and the other reasonably good called Khamosh (Silence). I also watched The Verdict last night, a terrific courtroom drama by Lumet.
Thanks so much Shubhajit. It’s festival time, and I knew from the get-go it would be four weeks of non-stop activities. I’m aiming to see all 50 of teh films, but I’ll need a little bit of luck to succeed. Seeing the Kaetons on Monday simultaneously has made it even more difficult.
I don’t know those two Hindi films, but agree that THE VERDICT is as tense as any courtroom drama!
Sam,
Hello Sam and everyone. Thanks again so much for the extremely kind double shout outs! The two Keaton films are classics! Surprisingly, I have seen most of the pre-codes. Of the three I have not seen, I CALL HER SAVAGE is the one I most like to see. On my own home front, I finished reading Patrick McGilligan’s engaging new bio on Nicholas Ray. A definite recommendation for anyone interested in Ray’s work. On the movie front I watched the following…
A Better Life (*****) A poignant and touching film about an undocumented immigrant and his teenage son as they try to make a better life for themselves in America. This is a view of the Los Angeles filled with poverty, gangs and immigrants looking for a job with one eye always on the law in fear of being deported. The father is a good man just trying to make his son’s future better than his yet life keeps slapping him in the face. Here there are no villains only victims.
Friends with Benefits (***1/2) Decent enough comedy that attempts to avoid the typical trappings of most romantic comedies and succeeds for about three quarters of the way through the film. Pleasant performances and some good lines help it along.
Pale Flower (*****) Directed by Masahiro Shinoda, “Pale Flower” is a moody, haunting and exquisitely photographed (by Masao Kosugi) shot mostly in enclosed spaces and undercover of the rainy night. A penetrating music score by Toru Takemitsu adds to the flavor. Shinoda captures the feel of American film noir merging it with the cinematic flare of the French New Wave creating a truly unique entity.
The Hangover (***1/2) Vulgar low brow comedy riot. Arguably one of the better below the belt comedies to come in some time. A good cast really helps make this enjoyable trash.
Victim (****) Strong gutsy performance from Dirk Bogarde in this 1961 film about the then taboo subject of homosexuality. A prominent married lawyer is being blackmailed and faces a turning point in his life on whether to succumb to paying a blackmailer or expose his closeted life to his family and the police.
The Ox-Bow Incident (****1/2) Re-watched this excellent dark William Wellman tale of vigilante justice with a powerful performances by Henry Fonda and Dana Andrews. While Fonda’s role is that of a bystander to the events that unfold he is the moral fiber at the center of the film as he was some ten years later in “12 Angry Men.” There are no heroes in the film, even Fonda’s Gil Carter comes across as a bitter, angry protagonist. A must see.
The Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer (***) Slight and dated comedy with Cary Grant as the most bourgeois artist ever on screen. Forced by the idiotic hand of the law, in this case a decision by Judge Myrna Loy, Grant is forced to date Loy’s teenage sister (Shirley Temple) who has developed a crush on him. All is innocent of course with straight laced Cary, and the production code, watching over it all. Beneath the surface, which you do not have to scratch too far to find, is a story of a forty some odd year old playboy dating an under aged seventeen year old girl, and with big sister’s consent! Stern faced Loy eventually reveals her own attraction to Cary and somehow they all live happily ever after. Such innocent times!
Man With the Gun (***) Bad ass Robert Mitchum is a hired as a town tamer by the good citizens to get rid of a rancher and his gunmen who are controlling the town and surrounding land. There is a hardness in our “hero’s” character that gives the movie a darker tone than most low budget westerns of its time. Film suffers from a dull performance by bland John Lund. Look for a young Angie Dickinson as one of the dance hall girls.
City of Fear (***) Low budget thriller with Vince Edwards as a not took bright escaped convict on the run with a canister that his mistakenly thinks contains pure heroin. What’s really in the container is powdery radioactive material. Old Vince may just contaminate the entire city of L.A. if the police don’t get to him in time. Shades of “Panic in the Streets” and “The Killer That Stalked New York.”
John:
This is an absolutely stunning and massive comment that has me marveling in more ways than one. Your heart may be in the Film Forum, but your mind and body is in front of a HD television screen, taking in some great classics week in and week out; that is when you are not engaged in humanitarian efforts for animals or in your other passion: photography. CALL HER SAVAGE is indeed an essential pre-code, and I will certainly help to make sure you see this one soon! You’ve spent a lot of time on McGilligan’s volume, and very happy to see the summary judgement was so favorable.
Again you’ve penned some stellar capsules, and your first offering (A BETTER LIFE) has me running for further research (as I have just done!) Apparently others share your enthusiasm, which is startling when one considers the five-star rating you’ve attached. It’s the kind of story and subject that would normally stir me, so I’m game ASAP. It sounds like a real humanist piece. I am surprised this is the first time it’s been mentioned at this site.
The *** 1/2 rating is about right for the low-brow HANGOVER, since it does have some bonafide funny moments.
I like Shinoda’s PALE FLOWER, but more life 3 1/2 stars. Your rating is telling though, and at some point I’ll watch it again. I love VICTIM and especially THE OX-BOW INCIDENT, which certainly deserved the ratings you’ve given them. The latter is a definitive example of mob justice, the former a superb study of a closeted barrister. I haven’t seen FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS, but feel your ratings on the others very fair. CITY OF FEAR and MAN WITH THE GUN are solid enough, but unremarkable.
Spectacular is the word for this week John!!! Many thanks as always!!!
John, you’ll soon be competing with Sam for the number of great movies you can pack into a week! Just thought I’d mention that ‘Call Her Savage’ is on Youtube at the moment – I’ve put a link to part one under Allan’s review of the film.
Terrific you tube addition Judy!! Great to have your vast background and enthusiasm for the pre-codes here!
Sam, thanks so much for the wonderful mention.
I continue to be inspired and in awe of the pace that you have been keeping. The Pre-Code and Keaton fests both sound extraordinary, and it looks like you’re more than making the most of the opportunity.
This week, I saw THE TREE OF LIFE (twice), CRIES AND WHISPERS, MON ONCLE ANTOINE, ODD MAN OUT, LA GRANDE BOUFFE, and THE FRIENDS OF EDDIE COYLE. I was extremely happy to see them all but, surprising even to me (since I’m one of the few in the blogosphere who continues to struggle with THE NEW WORLD) I was most affected by Malick’s latest. I loved its ambition, and I was moved by the result of Malick getting away from any real, recognizable genre conventions. It is a film that says as much about childhood as any I have ever seen and such a welcome, daring UFO for contemporary, American cinema.
Here’s to another excellent week, Sam. Thanks, truly, for all that you do!
Hello Jeffrey—
Well my friend, I’ll admit I’ve been burning the candle at both ends these days, though I’ve been fortunate enough to have Lucille and the kids a good part of the time. Just last night for instance Lucille and I were there with the three boys to see OUR HOSPITALITY and a short, THE HAUNTED HOUSE. The former of course is one of the great Keaton masterpieces, and the print on display was magnificent. I hope you will get an opportunity to see some of these at some point in some of the art house theatres down in the Bayou. The pre-code festival is more demanding, because it’s basically every day with the exception of the Keaton Mondays for four consecutive weeks.
Seeing THE TREE OF LIFE twice in the last week is a glorious indulgence that for you (obviously) made quite a profound impact. I couldn’t agree more with you when you note that Malick moved far from genre conventions, and that it’s one of the most resonant of all childhood films. I know it’s one that will inspire discussion for years to come. Sadly I know a few people who have been all too dismissive, with some even hostile. For me it’s a strong contender for Film of the Year honors to this point. I love your description that the film is “a welcome, daring UFO for contemporary American cinema.”
Of course you also saw two films that I consider among the greatest ever made: Bergman’s CRIES AND WHISPERS and Reed’s ODD MAN OUT. The metaphorical use of red in the former, and the brilliant camerawork in the latter are unforgettable, but both films inspire all kinds of meaningful discourse. LA GRANDE BOUFFE must really have been a hoot for you for obvious reasons! That’s one I’ll never forget. As far as MON ONCLE ANTOINE, well I’d have to also add that to the ‘great movie’ bracket. Certainly it’s reputation as the greastest Canadian film ever is well-earned, and it’s winter atmospherics are stunning. EDDIE COYLE has bulit a cult reputation too.
Thanks Jeffrey for always making this weekly thread especially noteworthy! And again, I am therilled to read about your THE TREE OF LIFE insights!
Sam,
Thanks as always for the kind mention and support. You’ve continued your torrid movie-watching pace at the film forum and it’s nice that the whole family gets involved in that too. We finally had a relatively easygoing weekend after all the family reunion stuff going on and baby showers my wife has been giving lately. I got back from my work trip to catch up on some more musicals. I watched It’s Always Fair Weather and although it’s not a masterpiece, it does contain some great innovative work from Gene Kelly as usual. Kiss Me Kate was great stuff though, containing a wonderful score by Cole Porter and some really fun performances. I was impressed by nearly all of it, including the wonderful choreography, save for the dated 3-D stuff and the subplot of the gangsters that got a bit stale at the end. I would anticipate Kiss Me Kate to rate fairly high on the musical list to come though. Up next is The Pirate, The Love Parade, and On The Town
My biggest find of the week, though, was Kiarostami’s Close-Up, which is a brilliant mish-mash of pseudo-documentary and cinematic flourishes. I found it to be a towering masterpiece, and maybe his best film. I’ve truly never seen anything quite like it.
This weekend we also found out our niece was born in St. Louis, so our girls are very excited to have their first cousin and we’re already planning a trip to get down there before preschool starts for our oldest. Have a great week friend!
I love “It’s Always Fair Weather” – it doesn’t get nearly enough attention. True, it isn’t “Singin’ in the Rain,” but it is delightful.
I’m actually not a big fan of “It’s Always Fair Weather.” I liked it the first time I saw it, but subsequent viewings have soured me on its sour atmosphere.
Pat and Marilyn,
I know where both of you are coming from. I think the film has some great musical numbers and makes really good use of the widescreen available. However the plot seems a kind of “poor man’s” On The Town and has some side plots that don’t resonate well. I think it’s good but not in the higher tier of musicals. I will be interested to see how this one places if at all in the list.
The family involvement in the Film Forum adventures is what really make the trips memorable Jon, as it not only diminishes the “guilt” but it allows for a shared cultural experience, often with a remarkably active audience. Our nine-year old son Jeremy has been the regular stage selector of the weekly prizes of the Keaton quiz run by Program Director Bruce Goldstein, and that’s been another thrill.
Lucille had a baby shower on Sunday too, though it’s clear your wife has had her hands full with all the preparation. But I know from what you’ve said in previous threads that this summer has been especially busy on the reunion front for you.
I know you have been preparing in earnest for the musical countdown, and today I wanted to broach something with you by e mail in regards to the polling. I will forward the e mail to you in the afternoon. If you are game for what I will be suggesting, you will need to get in gear by Sunday evening. Ha! I’d say you’ve done the lion’s share of the work over the past six weeks!
I think your estimation of IT’S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER is fair enough–Gene Kelly’s work is surely innovative, though the film falls far short of masterpiece status. Most musicologists have always contended that Cole Porter (as brilliant a songwriter as he is) has never satisfactorily translated well to screen, though I’d say KISS ME KATE is the single notable exception.
You have some great stuff lined up there with THE PIRATE, THE LOVE PARADE and ON THE TOWN, and if you accept my e mail “proposition” you will be wise to go into high gear! Ha!
Just think Jon, when you get to Missouri to see your new niece you can accurately declare to her mother: “MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS!”
Thanks as ever for your especially warm and insightful submission my excellent friend!
Sam – What a week you had! I’m sweating over the musicals countdown, not seeing nearly enough films to be sure I’ve done the genre complete justice, but hoping to.
We planned to see Midnight in Paris this weekend to welcome back a reopening movie theatre, the Patio (Portage Park is becoming quite the comeback Chicago neighborhood for old movies/theatres), but the demands of the garden and our maturing crops kept us close to home.
However, we did take in Rain at the Portage Theatre. Thought it would compare unfavorably to Gloria Swanson’s Sadie Thompson, but it was just as good in almost every way (I slightly preferred Swanson in the role).
I started digging into the Basil Dearden London Underground collection I got at the B&N Criterion sale: saw Victim, an incredibly frank and frankly scary look at the pressure on homosexuals in 1950s England. Dirk Bogarde was terrific as usual. We also watched The Patsy, in which Jerry Lewis’ physical humor finally won me over. Not the best movie (it was too long, IMO), but certainly worthwhile. And we continue to watch the new Torchwood miniseries, which really took off this week.
Marilyn–
I know you are striving to get a perfect list together, and you probably will second-guess as I did (and as everyone else no doubt will) but I’m sure your presentation will be terrific.
Nice to hear that an old theatre is returning, rather than the other way around! I’m sure you’ll get another crack at MIDNIGHT IN PARIS, and can’t blame you for going for that other option, which was necessary.
I pick up nearly every Criterion, but I didn’t yet obtain that Deardan collection, which would admittedly be a perfect acquisition for the B & N sale. I completely agree with you on VICTIM, which as you note contains a brave performance by Bogarde. Yep, I’d say if any film would or could win you over to Lewis, THE PATSY is it, and I agree with you here. I haven’t ever seen RAIN, but would love to, especially since I have such warm feelings for SADIE THOMPSON. I am hearing more and more about TORCHWOOD for others.
Thanks as always my very good friend! Have a great week to come.
Sam –
As always, I am awed by how much moviegoing you fit into a week!!
For me, blogging has been on hold due to travel and other comitments over the past few weeks. Last week, I attended the choral institute at the Green Lake Festival of Music in Ripon, WI, an experience I fondly refer to as “Adult Choir Camp”. Four days of intensive vocal rehearsals, capped by a two-hour performance on Sunday. We did several classical/sacred pieces (by Mozart, Scarlatti, Rachmoninoff, Frank Martin and others), plus a selection of folk music from Latin American, Africa and Ireland. An a capella group from Leipzig, Germany (Calmus, featuring former members of Leipzig’s famed St. Thomas Boy’s Choir) performed and joined us on a few selections. The concert was a huge success, and great fun to perform.
In the past week, I’ve continued to re-view a number of musicals (Among them, “8 Women,” Joesph Losey’s “Don Giovanni,” “Colma: The Musical,” and “Were the World Mine”), but most significantly got to FINALLY see “Tree of Life.” It was beautiful, although I (like many others) found the final sequence unsatisfying.
Also yesterday, we saw the national touring production of the recently revived “West Side Story.” The music remains lovely, but the staging – particularly the amped-up vulgarity during the “Officer Krupke” number – didn’t always work for me.
Pat–
That was some “Adult Choir Camp” concert! The classical lineup was inspiring, and the international folk sounds intriguing. Having the capella to added to the diversity. Now that kind of venue can’t be beat, and it often gets to to investigate some composers and artists. Nice.
You took a look there at some real good ones—“8 Women,” “Don Giovanni”, “Colma: The Musical” and “Were the World Mine” all contenders for my own list (I know few have seen the latter film, which I reviewed here at WitD quite favorably two years ago when it released) but great to hear you finally got the opportunity to see TREE OF LIFE. Many still can’t understand what Sean Penn was doing, and as a result the ending did disappoint a number of people, sad to say. WEST SIDE STORY does require optimum staging to work to as well as it can, and yes I agree about the score, which many consider the greatest ever written for a theatre show.
Have a great week Pat, and thanks so very much!
Pat and Marilyn,
I know where both of you are coming from. I think the film has some great musical numbers and makes really good use of the widescreen available. However the plot seems a kind of “poor man’s” On The Town and has some side plots that don’t resonate well. I think it’s good but not in the higher tier of musicals. I will be interested to see how this one places if at all in the list.
Jon, in retrospect, “delightful” probably isn’t the right adjective to describe the film, but I do enjoy it a lot. I first saw it , and liked it, in a collge film class, and when I revisited it just a year or so ago, it held up for me. It may not be “top tier “Donen, but has some great sequences – I particularly like Gene Kelly dancing on roller skates to “She Likes Me So I Like Myself” – 25 years before he put on the roller skates for “Xanadu”!
Sam – Clearly you’ve found the eye of the storm or you’d have been whirled to pieces by now with the multitude of film-activity platters you’re spinning! Every time I feel a breeze I’m confident it’s coming from the wind turbulence you’re generating. I can hear the weather report now:
“Ladies and gentlemen, baton down the hatches, there’s a Juliano brewing in the northeast!”
Hahaha Laurie!!!! I LOVE it!!! You are good, REAL good!!!!
This storm of course will be raging in these parts until Thursday evening August 11th when the 50 film festival concludes with a Warren William double feature of SKYSCRAPER SOULS and UPPERWORLD. I am aiming at seeing all 50, but it will take some luck as well as stamina to pull it off.
Thanks for adding this descriptive response in true Laurie Buchanan creative fashion!!!
Fearlessly I predict that ‘Singin’ in the Rain’ and ‘West Side Story’ will duke it out for the top spot in the musical countdown, but that prediction is only based on the reputation of both films, not on my personal taste (Berkeley (‘The Gang’s All Here’), Minnelli (‘Cabin in the Sky’), Donen’s ‘Funny Face, Renoir’s ‘French Can-Can’, Demy’s ‘The Umbrellas of Cherbourg’, Lubitsch’s ‘The Merry Widow’). Just please, please, please don’t let the winner be the insufferable ‘The Sound of Music’. Julie Andrews is really a serial killer in governess weeds, ain’t she now?
All’s quiet on the movie front out here in the baking Midwest. Just one film and it’s a dud.
Bare-assed — Back in 1973, five years after he directed ‘Romeo & Juliet’, that old pederast Franco Zeffirelli was up to no good again, only this time he paints Assisi instead of Verona in crayon colors and lingers even longer over naked male posterior than he did in ‘R & J’. It’s a filmed called ‘Brother Sun, Sister Moon,’ and like the earlier Shakespeare film it’s a paean to youth and beauty in an Italy that probably never existed except in Zeffirelli’s florid imagination. All the young-uns are physically beautiful and the late medieval costumes and colors are rich and sumptuous, all this eye candy in a film about a religious renunciate who takes a vow of poverty. I don’t think I’ve seen a film in which the photography is so inappropriate to the subject matter.
If it’s true, as has been said, that beauty, the pursuit of beauty alone, is a type of whoredom then Zeffirelli is one of film’s biggest sinners. His jellybean palace movie had one positive effect, though. It made me appreciate the austerity of Rossellini’s ‘The Flowers of St. Francis’ even more.
I seem to recall you liking this film, Sam, so I tried (after all, the enchanting Valentina Cortese plays Francis’s mother), but in the end I got drowned in all the goo and just couldn’t do it.
Though I am not a huge fan of musicals, I have always loved 42nd Street and Gold Diggers Of 1933. I hope both of those pictures make the final list and perhaps contend for the top ten.
Musicals aren’t my favorite genre either, though I probably should have mentioned one of the Astaire-Rogers films, too — maybe ‘Top Hat’ or ‘Swing Time.’
Mark—
I have never tried to make secret my position that WEST SIDE STORY is the greatest screen musical. It views with Kern’s SHOWBOAT as possessing the most beautiful score ever written for a stage work, and it’s been transcribed to the screen with visceral energy, and a spirit that retains the emotional essence of the original. The choreography stands alone, and the dubbed singing is (for once) perfect. Whether the other six (or maybe seven) voters feel the same way is yet to be determined. Dennis jumped the gun by predicting that SINGIN IN THE RAIN and WEST SIDE STORY would battle for the top spot by adding a few others, as from what I can see from a few return ballots there is the possibily of maybe a half-dozen surprises at least. The way the ballots are now sizing up I can see some surprises, but I’ll leave that work in the tabulator’s hands.
Yes, I have indeed long defended Zefirelli’s film, to the derision of some (including Allan). I though Donovan’s score captured the film’s spirit and the hippie essence of the main character. The on-location cinematography by Ennio Guariere is absolutely stunning and among the most gorgeous ever. I wrote a major essay for the film at this site over a year ago. We had a spirited comment section too:
The screen cap of Bowker is magnificent as you can see.
But I understand the condemnation too, though I must ultimately judge on how it moved me. I originally review this film all the way back in 1973 upon release for the Bergen Community College newspaper, and I issued high praise.
Thanks as always my friend for the terrific comment!
Though ‘Brother Sun, Sister Moon’ left me unmoved, your passionate endorsement of the film is the best I’ve read.
This, ‘The Taming of the Shrew,’ ‘Romeo and Juliet’, and ‘Endless Love’ are the only Zeffirelli I’ve seen, so I’m not much of a fan. He’s no Rossellini. And indeed Bowker is lovely in this and 1981’s ‘Clash of the Titans’.
Talk to you later –
Thanks very much for that Mark–
I know the film sharply divided the critics, with about 60% falling into the “hate” or “laugh at” category, and I appreciate your kind words. Even in that comment section you saw some admit they weren’t fans.
I always wished that Bowker in BSSM turned into Linda Hayden in Blood on Satan’s Claw – my kind of Angel – and summoned up Lucifer to condemn Zeffirelli to Hades. He put back the cause of religion so far he had to do Jesus of Nazareth as penance.
I mean, Sam talks about the “hippie essence of the main character”.
St Francis was not a hippie, he was a spiritual real life person from the early 13th century. That’s like someone turning Caruso into a rap artist and saying “Zeffirelli’s Caruso perfectly captured the ghetto-blaster essence of the great man.” Respect.
Mark, Brother Sun Sister Moon is one of the great affronts to public decency. It’s one of the comparatively very few films to get the BOMB (no stars) rating from me. God, even Pearl Harbor got ½.
Also, if Renoir’s French Can Can were counted as a musical in my eyes I’d have included it in the top 2 or 3, but it’s a film about dancing and virtually no singing.
Assuming this is Mr. Fish speaking here, I can only say that you and I looked at a completely different film. I’m not quite to the extent that Sam is with this film, but I’m close.
Hello Sam and I think there’s a place for you and your family in the G Book Of World Records – I get tired just seeing what you view every week but envy that you can do so –
We’ve been watching lately short Academy Award Winner films from NF – except for a version of Peter And The Wolf (animation) that we saw a few years ago, the others have been amazing – otherwise,slow for us on the viewing –
My regards to you and yours! = Cheers!
and yes, heat records set all over the country and it’s been like August most all of July here –
Michael—
Ha! That’s a good one for sure!! Well, Allan and some others here (John Greco and Jaime Grijalba come to mind immediately) maintain torrid viewing schedules each and every week to match and/or eclipse what I do, but of course it is a major commitment to cross over into Manhattan for what will be at the end about 29 consecutive days. Once we get there it’s a pleasure of curse, but much of the movement is during rush hour, which is no fun. As you say it is tiring just hearing of these antics! If you happened to be over here on a trip to NYC, you’d definitely figure into the itinerary!
That PETER AND THE WOLF animation must be terrific, especially with the Prokofiev score serving as the aural underpinning. And I bet the Academy Award winning shorts have been a lot of fun.
Yes we are both baking my friend, and dreaming of snow and frigid temperatures! Or maybe even a trip to Alaska! Ha!
Thanks as always my very good friend, and I hope you have a wonderful August despite the heat!
Thanks very much for the plug, Sam, which is kind but undeserved as I haven’t updated for ages! I loved The Mouthpiece and enjoyed seeing the still from it that you have chosen – really envy you seeing that and The Public Enemy on the big screen (well, and all the others, though there are quite a lot of them I haven’t seen yet.)
I’ve still been concentrating on musicals this week – just watched The Broadway Melody of 1929 which I think is an interesting early backstage musical, but doesn’t live up to its 1940 successor – the main song is great but the same can’t be said for the acting!
Judy–
I do remember your high praise for THE MOUTHPIECE and for Warren William’s work in general. Seeing PUBLIC ENEMY this past weekend certainly rekindled the old enthusiasm for what is surely one of the best and one of the most celebrated pre-coders, and arguably Cagney’s most renowned performance. I was just telling someone last night that I had forgotten that famous scene when Tom Powers (Cagney) and a friend kill a horse in a stable after the animal was responsible for fatally injuring their friend and accomplice. The ending of teh film of course remains powerfully gruesome. But as a Wellman scholar, I know you have always regarded this as one of his best.
I know you have been maintaining a torrid pace on the musical front, as we wind down to wthin 6 days of the final ballot submission, and we has shown some similar affinity for some of the great classics. Yes, the 1929 BROADWAY MELODY is dated and nowhere in a league with it’s famed 1940 successor!
Have a great week my friend, and many thanks as always!
Those Broadway Melodys always confuse the chronology, but the 1936, 1938 and 1940 BMs are actually 1935, 1937 and 1939 films. I guess it’s like annual books, always out in the autumn for the following year.
This week was large for cinema for me for the simple fact that a project I’ve wanted to realize I’ve now discovered that it might be possible sooner rather then later: a posting of my Top 500 Horror films of all time. I initially was reluctant because I didn’t want the list to be comprised of 300 shlock, cult, and splatter films but when I started culling lists and extensively racking my brain I created a master list of about 550 some worthwhile films.
Now I just have to order the thing (which means seeing a ton again as many are like a decade old in my mind) before Halloween season when I’d like to post it. 20 years as a Horror fan in one list… I wish someone gave me this at 15.
Well Jamie, this is certainly a formidable project, but one that can can bring together many sub-genres under the horror film umbrella. A list of 500 is a staggering venture, and to attach the numerical specifications (as Allan did with his massive 3,000 listing) makes it all that more challenging.
I’m sure it will be a reference point for all-time, and I look forward to the result.
Funny you mention horror films. I’m getting ready to watch ‘Theater of Blood’ again, one of my favorite good bad movies, with a cast that reads like a who’s who of the British stage.
Oddly enough I have that one on old vhs and it will be on the top 500 list. I believe Sam put it in his top 100 last october during the poll. It’s definitely a fun one, Prince’s character is so deliciously arrogant and pretentious, and I’d watch Diane Rigg in just about anything form that era.
Musicals, Musicals, Musicals!!!! I’ve spent an entire week sampling and rewatching some of the most wonderful and joyous moments from cinema’s amazing history. SINGIN IN THE RAIN, SHOWBOAT, MY FAIR LADY, DANCER IN THE DARK, CHICAGO, MARY POPPINS, THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG, THE MUSIC MAN… The list goes on and on… While the task Sam has challenged us with is great, I cannot complain as the uplifting feel one gets when surrounded by such elating joy is enough to make you smile for days on end. I can’t get FEED THE BIRDS from MARY POPPINS outta my head! MAURIZIO-Absolutely on DEADWOOD, one of the best shows in recent TV programming!!!!
Yep Dennis—
The preparation for this particular countdown has been joyful beyond beliefe, and I can’t blame you for mentioning many of the greatest titles. I have long known of your deep affinity for MARY POPPINS and that song in particular. I guess my own favorite is the one that won an Oscar–“Chim Chim Cheree.”
AND… While I have rewatched many of these amazing musicals and have weighed many elements to each to see which ones will make the final cut… I will say for certain that among the all there is one that so perfectly rises to the top slot as a perfect representative of perfection in every element that makes for a perfect film in this amazing genre. I won’t give myself away as to which one it is, but its so iconic that many times we over look its obvious simplistic perfection… Ahhhh, what a wonderful feeling!!!!!!!! (Hint. Hint. Hint…)
Flashdance?
My guess is ‘The First Nudie Musical.’
While I remain adamently against the notion Dennis, that there is any one musical film that rates so much over the others (and I know exactly which one you are talking about) I agree that the title you continue to promote at the expense of so many other great films, is perfection across the board.
Though the “wonderful feeling” line does make me want to say Hair, I can only asume that Bob and Mark never attended Mount Hollywood art school?
I was thinking that was a line from ‘Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah’ or whatever that song is (stupidly) titled. Which led me to think, “man, if Song of the South is the greatest musical then lord help us all.”
“What a wonderful feeling” is the main line in the chorus of The Man In Me by Bob Dylan that is featured prominently in The Big Lebowski. I know this is one of Dennis’ favorite films, though clearly this is not the movie he is invoking.
I just reread my last comment… Jesus. Could I have gushed any more shamelessly over a single film. Well, I’ll put it this way… This film is so joyous and smile inducing that on the worst day of your life (you’ve been diagnosed with an incurable disease, your dog was shot, you lost everything in the stockmarket, your house burns down and your significant other is brutally raped by a gang of horny Sasquatches…Y, all you got to do is pop this glorious musical into the DVD player any a smile comes to your face!!!!!! Its that joyous!!!!!!
I love the film, but there are a few I have above it on my own personal list. To each his or her own. It’s a staggering masterpiece no doubt.
Another incredible film viewing week for you Sam. I hope to catch up with some of these amazing titles in the future. Thanks again for the mention and hope you are able to get some rest before diving into another set of films this week, most of which I assume will be pre-code films as well? Also, looking forward to seeing how the musical countdown turns out.
Thanks very much for that Sachin! Many of the pre-coders (and all of the Keatons of course) are available on DVD, so I’m sure you’ll get to these. Well, I didn’t get all that much rest as I had the Keatons for last night and now another week of pre-coders including the three for tonight. Yes, the entire week all the way through Sunday will be pre-coders, and then four more days after that until August 11th. It’s pre-code madness! Ha!
SACHIN-I agree 100 percent. If ever there were a moment to define Sam’s amazing stamina (or off-the-wall insanity) its his attendance for this amazing Pre-Code festival. I can see why though. I attended a double feature og LOVE ME TONITE and DOWNSTAIRS and the excitement in the theatre for these rarely seen-on-the-big screen goilden oldies was felt by a packed house of people in love with classic cinema. I noticed several children in attendance and it proved to me that art has no age bracket. I’m sorry I’m gonna miss the classic KING KONG this coming weekend.
Too bad. That’s one I’m definitely going to see. Could care less about the Tarzan they’re double-billing it with.
Hello Sam and everyone! Thanks for linking to my site once again, that entry is absolutely one of my most improvised in sense of how quickly I got it done, but also one of my most celebrated, nonetheless. Thanks for the comment as well!
Anyway, you were absolutely crazy this week as well with 15 outings! Impressive! Of those you’ve seen, I’ve seen Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but I’d go with a ****1/2, but it’s really impressive in acting, makeup and horror qualities! It’s one of those classic horror films from the 30’s that feel contemporaneous in the way they treat some characters and themes. Really good!
From the rest, of course, those two Keatons top the list of my must-wanna see list. And I’m also interested in Me and My Gal, Blood Money, Waterloo Bridge, The Public Enemy and Blonde Venus. Phew!
My week was full of work… of course. I worked monday until 3 am (as noted last week), for that, tuesday was a free day, but on wednesday we went on travel again, this time to Cartagena (a seaside litoral, wonderful little place) to shoot another recreation on two days (we would stay there), but two sad happenstances saddened the day: first, the director’s dad died as we were shooting, so he went away (worse thing was that we were shooting at what was once the house of the director’s dad), we just kept shooting. Then, at the next day, it started raining, ruining the day, so we had to come back to Santiago.
Anyway, on friday, we went on a trip to Rancagua (again) with many people to have a meeting about the show itself, it was interesting but it didn’t really affect me. Anyway, I was able to see my girlfriend on the free days, so that’s pretty much wonderful. But now I have to go back to reality, classes start tomorrow and I have a difficult semester ahead.
Today also started at my blog the Richard Kelly Month, interesting for those “in the know”.
So, my week movie wise:
– Caddyshack (1980, Harold Ramis) ***1/2 A bit above of the humor of Porkys and definitively with huge amounts of more talent… but still, I don’t get this humour, and I don’t like it. But here I appreciate some of the slapstick, and obviously the improvisation present in any scene (and it was obviously noticeable).
– The Hudsucker Proxy (1994, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen) **** A rewatch of one of the most joyful of the Coen films, but as early as it is, it does have some failures regarding some plot twists and some unused characters that feel like they should have had more screen time. (HOW CAN YOU WASTE BRUCE CAMPBELL LIKE THAT?) Ahem…
– Mad Max 2 (1981, George Miller) ***1/2 I’m not a fan of the first Mad Max film (*** for me) and this one didn’t change the whole picture. It’s just a bunch of cars blowing up and colliding one with each other. How is this different to those dreadful Fast & Furious movies? This is a bit better just because of the sci fi element.
– Spirited Away (2001, Hayao Miyazaki) ***** This one was seen with my girlfriend. She loved it! Of course! Who wouldn’t? Is the best fantasy film ever and one of the best animated films in the history of conscience of the human homo sapiens mind! So full of creatures! Incredibly colorful!
– There Be Dragons (2011, Roland Joffé) ** Come on Opus Dei! You can do better than this! You can tell the real story of José Escrivá and maybe do something good with it, you don’t have to create this unbelievable characters, or this dreadful series of events to make us believe that you guys are good.
Thanks again Sam!
Jaime: The rain, but especially that sad passing of the director’s father put more than a damper on your week I know, so you have my condolences. Your trip sounded wonderful otherwise, and you got to see your girlfriend during that time. (or at least during the off-days of the follow-up trip to Rancagua) I know you are facing a grueling semester, but have no doubt you will typically perform superlatively! And good luck with the Richard Kelly blogothon as I know you have been preparing for that for weeks!
I remember you had seen DR. JEKYLL and were fond of it. It’s certainly the best version of this classic story, and March is unforgettable. This coming weekend, will feature the 1933 KING KONG, another towering film classic from this period.
Time has stopped me dead in my tracks here Jaime as I am forced to leave the house……..I am deeply sorry for this impoliteness, but will return later tonight to complete it. I don’t think this has ever happened before.
Jaimie: As to the movies you’ve watched this week, I am delighted to be with you completely on Miyazaki’s great masterpiece, SPIRITED AWAY (yes the color is stunning!), and can’t argue with the superlatives you attached to it. Likewise I am also a fan of the underrated HUDSUCKER PROXY and concur with the solid four-star rating. I haven’t watched MAD MAX 2, nor THERE BE DRAGONS, but very much appreciate the capsule on both. As to CADDYSHACK I agree with the three-and-a half-star rating and have always found it better than others movies of that ilk.
We have to do something to get you to see those Keatons.
Hey Sam, thanks for the plug! Sounds like you had a great week of movies. I’m very jealous of this whole Buster Keaton festival–he’s one of my all-time favorites, and I’ve still only seen a fraction of his films–and certainly none on the big screen! I hope your kids love it.
I actually did manage to get another post in very late Sunday night, but I understand you write this all up Sunday afternoon so it’s ready to post in the morning. It’s about Kelly Reichardt and Meek’s Cutoff, which I thought was pretty masterful, but I’m not quite sure I can give it my full approval and liking. Her last two films were great though, as well, and I can’t wait to see what she’ll do next.
I watched relatively few movies over the past week. I caught John Ford’s 7 Women on a bootleg copy I downloaded off the internet, and found it excellent, with surprisingly dark, and even sexual, tensions and content for a Ford film. I guess the sixties were affecting even him, too. It really should be widely available and seen more often, cuz it’s really quite complex.
I also saw Captain America and Bridesmaids in theaters (yes, Bridesmaids was still showing in my town last week, and to a mostly full house–talk about a word-of-mouth hit). I liked both, though I felt Captain America could have and should have been better. The first half was excellent, but the second half, where it’s supposed to get really action-packed and exciting, is rather ordinary and forgettable. It works to hard to set up The Avengers instead of telling its own tale. I thought Bridesmaids was excellent, as good as any of the current crop of raunchy comedies from the last several years.
Finally, I saw David Gordon Green’s Undertow, which had an intriguing premise and several brilliant scenes. Unfortunately, it seemed to wander and lose its way among the weeds, leaving its complex themes standing on the shore, as it were. Green wants to be Malick, but he doesn’t quite have the mastery to pull it off. Still definitely worth watching, especially for the opening scene and the way it parallels/retells Night of the Hunter.
Thanks so Stephen for the fantastic submission. Yes I do know of your veneration for Keaton, and if you were spending some time in the Big Apple, I know the Film Forum would be your first destination. It’s definitely been a party there with the weekly prizes, the stellar piano accompaniment, the supern 35 mm prints and the impeccable program choices. But as you know with blu-ray prints seeing the light of day, we can all own these masterpieces in optimum form. My two girls only came along once, but the three boys (ages 9, 12 and 14) have been there every week and have had so much fun. I’m sure this experience will stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Stephen, I was one of the few bloggers in our inner circle that wasn’t blown away by MEEK’S CUTOFF (which ironically I also saw at the Film Forum) but I’ll surely see it again and much understand the reasons for the strong sentiments. I wasn’t a fan of OLD JOY, though I kind of liked WENDY AND LUCY. But I definitely will be checking out your new post. (Yeah I was doing the links before you put it up).
Excellent point about that John Ford film and the sexual underpinnings and the period that had an effect on Ford (and that it is underrated!). I’d agree that it’s appeal goes well beyond mere completism.
David Gordon Green is one director who as you rightly note never seems to put all the pieces together. Even SNOW ANGELS, which is my favorite of his films, is rather uneven. UNDERTOW is a menacing film that has its moments, but your assessment seems dead-on.
BRIDESMAIDS is surely the year’s most unexpected multiplex hit and it against all-odds one of the year’s best comedies, certainly in a league with CEDAR RAPIDS, which appeared earlier. Some terrific scenes in BRIDESMAIDS that make me laugh just to recall them. I liked CAPTAIN AMERICA, but it didn’t match HARRY POTTER 7 (part 2) which came out the week before. You size it up impressively there.
Thanks my friend for the spectacular comment!! Much appreciated!
Thanks for the mention Sam! I really appreciate it when you stop by my little site. I managed to see three films on the weekend: Project Nim, Billy the Kid (my second time viewing it) and West Side Story (For the first time!). The latter was showing at the new TIFF Lightbox Theatre in 70mm. Having never seen the film before (only the stage version), I thought this was the best venue.
I shall post reviews of the two docs very soon!
And I hope and anticipate you had a great time there Dave with WEST SIDE STORY, which is my own personal favorite of all time in the musical category. 70mm is really the only way to see it, and you took fulla dvantage of it! Nice. I look forward to the documentary reviews. I thought PROJECT NIM was a brilliant work.
Many thanks my very good friend!
Thrilled to hear what you say there about WEST SIDE STORY, Dave, and very much look forward to that essay on PROJECT NIM, particularly!
Many thanks my friend!
The National Film Preservation Foundation and the New Zealand Film Archive have announced the discovery of the first 30 minutes of a 1923 British film, “The White Shadow,” considered to be the earliest feature film in which Alfred Hitchcock has a credit, and which was believed lost.
Hitchcock, who was just 24 at the time, was the writer, assistant director, editor and production designer on the melodrama, starring Betty Compson as twin sisters — one good and one bad — and Clive Brook. “The White Shadow” will have its “re-premiere” Sept. 22 at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater. T
Tony, I heard this miraculous news last night on my car radio while leaving NYC in the rain after my festival, and I must admit it was an absolutely thrilling announcement!!! Thanks exceedingly for presenting all the important particulars at this site! Heck this is about as glorious an entry as this thread could ever have on any week!
And think my friend, it was found right in your back yard!!!!
I would guess a vintage DVD will follow that September 22 unveiling!!
Fantastic news!!!!
Er, New Zealand is not in Tony’s back yard, old boy. That’d be like something being found in Munich being said to be in my back yard.
We need to work on your geography beyond the Lincoln Tunnel.
Well, Allan, comparatively speaking, New Zealand is in a figurative sense in Sydney Australia’s “back yard” especially when you consider this is Hitchcock and the UK. The fact that the film was found where it was, (in Tony’s neck of the woods) was certainly curious enough to broach.
Hmmm…I just awaken from a nap to discover that my previous comment gone missing. 🙄 Hmmm…I wonder who removed my comment? 🙄 Now, let see:
Was it the great and friendly,
Sam Juliano, because I referred to the WitD “beloved” DeeDee as a… brat!
Or was it the brilliant, but sharp-tongue Allan Fish because I referred to “The Lovely Person” as a… brat!
Or [The person who I actually believed removed my comment…The little Brat!]
I guess before the sunrise that six-letter word will be murmured, after a [dead] body is found in a library in an Alfred Hitchcock mystery…Censorship!
Artesmia, I was in NYC last night and didn’t get to the site. Allan didn’t remove any comments either, so this was apparently a wordpress glitche of sorts sad to say. Today I will check further and make sure it’s not in moderation.
Hello, Sam!
Thank you for the mention as always. I have put up the final installment of “Postwar Kurosawa”, Seven Samurai, a couple of days ago. I hope you find it interesting.
It’s good to hear you have been loaded with real Hollywood treats, the Pre-Coders. Among your list, the opening of “Possessed” is my favorite. Clawford, stressed out in a dusty town, happened to catch a dream-like capsule of upper class life in the passing train from New York. That delicate fantacy is Clarence Brown’s territory. As a whole film, it drags a little, but I would love to see that shot again on screen. Simply beautiful.
Thanks,
MI
Thanks as always my friend!
I am thrilled to hear that you have a post up on one of the cinema’s greatest masterpieces (SEVEN SAMURAI) and will be checking it out soon. I guess that title is probably mentioned most often when one is ask what their favorite Kurosawa film is. I can only imagine what a masterful job you have done, and I provide the link here for WitD readers:
http://vermillionandonenights.blogspot.com/2011/07/postwar-kurosawa-seven-samurai.html
I must agree with you that “Possessed” overall is rather a mixed bag, but that opening is as terrific as you describe! It’s been exhausting, but in another sense exciting each and every night to examine to full range of the pre-code period. Tonight it’s “The Match King” and “Three on a Match.” And I quite agree with you as to what you say as a major domain for Clarence Brown.
Hope and anticipate all is well my friend. As always, many thanks!
What seems to set the ‘Essential Pre-Code” Festival apart from the others is that you are being offered a vast number of films that rarely show up in other festivals, even with overlapping considered. So I commend you for taking advantage of this unique opportunity, while ignoring those who question your sanity. Enjoy what’s left of the summer Sam.
Well David, I couldn’t agree with you more. The reason why I am contemplating the “logistically unthinkable” (seeing all 50 films) is the laure of seeing many films that won’t likely be offered on the big screen anytime soon. Sure, KING KONG, TROUBLE IN PARADISE, SCARFACE, LOVE ME TONIGHT and a few others are offered in other festivals, but I’d say 80% here are not. It’s a unique billing and that’s why I am going all out. The festival ends a week from today.
Great to see you back my friend. Your comments are cherished!
Sam, I’d like to see King King, and was wondering when it was being screened.
KING KONG will be playing tomorrow evening (Saturday) with TARZAN AND HIS MATE, Frank. I will be taking Lucilel and the three boys after an afternoon screening of the new Planet of the Apes film.
So I can rightfully say we’ll all be going ape tomorrow!!!
I wonder if any other Film Forum patrons will make claim to having seen 50 of 50 with this festival. This even goes further than your Anthony Mann showing I believe.
Nice to see the Yanks are back in first place too.
Yep Frank, I managed 32 of 32 with the Manns, but obviously this is a bigger challenge with 50.
Yanks and Red Sox are actually tied, but they clash in Boston this weekend for a three-game set. Boston holds the series edge 8-1 this year. Tells you that the Yanks would be way ahead if they would have only split those games.
Great to see you back on the boards my friend!