Movies - Take Two. Action!

[TheLoony]

Some of the effects in The Birds are a little clunky looking and dated now, but yeah, at the time, pretty darn good. I still remember as a kid the first time I saw it being shocked at the quick shot of the farmer's gouged out eye socket which was pecked out. That stays with you for awhile....

When I go back and watch The Birds periodically now, its not so much for the "horror" but 1) to see the psychological interplay between Tippi Hedren, Rod Taylor, and his jealous mother 2) the fear mongering discussion as to why this is happening in the town cafe and 3) to just marvel how gorgeous Tippi Hedren was, as I remember being immediately infatuated with her. And I guess so was Hitch... . And of course her daughter, Melanie Griffith, was a looker in her prime also. That good Minnesota stock.

add--from Wiki:

"Nonetheless, Hedren recalled the week she did the final bird attack scene in a second-floor bedroom as the worst of her life. Before filming it, she asked Hitchcock about her character's motivations to go upstairs, and his response was, "Because I tell you to." She was then assured that the crew would use mechanical birds. Instead, Hedren endured five solid days of prop men, protected by thick leather gloves, flinging dozens of live gulls, ravens and crows at her (their beaks clamped shut with elastic bands). In a state of exhaustion, when one of the birds gouged her cheek and narrowly missed her eye, Hedren sat down on the set and began crying. A physician ordered a week's rest. Hitchcock protested, according to Hedren, saying there was nobody but her to film. The doctor's reply was, "Are you trying to kill her?" She said the week also appeared to be an ordeal for the director."

(keep in mind, this was Tippi's film debut)

This is what I get for not actually seeing the film. Like I said, I've only seen about two minutes of the film.

[Hal...]

Spotlight (2015). Tells about the 2001 Boston Globe investigation of sexual abuse cases by Boston area Catholic priests and the Church's coverup, leading to the Globe's series of articles published in 2002 which won them the Pulitzer Prize. This is what The Post should have been. Spotlight is, imo, considerably better and rightfully won the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Stars Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Liev Schreiber, and the always excellent Stanley Tucci.

After finishing it, I felt like I wanted to watch it again and that's a rarity for me.

[hippypants]

War Horse--definitely Steven Spielberg family fare, but well made and beautifully shot. Pretty enjoyable. Takes place during WWI and the horse gets passed from owner to owner with different results.


The Autopsy of Jane Doe--pretty well made mystery supernatural horror film, where a autopsy on a homicide victim reveals more that the coroners wanted.


Night in Casablanca--Marx brothers film, zany, lots of joke. Nazis are trying to get their hands on a chache of stolen treasures. Hard to go wrong with a Marx brothers film.

[GuitarGeek]

Night in Casablanca--Marx brothers film, zany, lots of joke. Nazis are trying to get their hands on a chache (sic) of stolen treasures. Hard to go wrong with a Marx brothers film.

I don't think I've seen that one, but I love the Marx Brothers. Duck Soup, A Night At The Opera, A Day The Races, At The Circus, those are all great movies. There's a reason why Queen named two of their albums after Marx Brothers pictures.

[Klonk]

It

Weak

[Lou]

It

Weak

Yup

[ThomasKDye]

I don't think I've seen that one, but I love the Marx Brothers. Duck Soup, A Night At The Opera, A Day The Races, At The Circus, those are all great movies. There's a reason why Queen named two of their albums after Marx Brothers pictures.

Mmmmmmmmmmaybe not so much "At the Circus." The others, definitely.

[TheLoony]

Spotlight (2015). Tells about the 2001 Boston Globe investigation of sexual abuse cases by Boston area Catholic priests and the Church's coverup, leading to the Globe's series of articles published in 2002 which won them the Pulitzer Prize. This is what The Post should have been. Spotlight is, imo, considerably better and rightfully won the Oscar for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. Stars Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, John Slattery, Liev Schreiber, and the always excellent Stanley Tucci.

After finishing it, I felt like I wanted to watch it again and that's a rarity for me.

Stanley Tucci LOL. When he licks Sofia Vergaras(sp?) toes in Big Trouble is one of the most horrific scenes I've ever seen. Also quite hilarious.

[GuitarGeek]

Mmmmmmmmmmaybe not so much "At the Circus." The others, definitely.

But At The Circus had one of Groucho's great one liners: "There must be some way of getting that money back without getting in trouble with the Hayes Office".

Which one was the one where they're squatting in a hotel room? I saw that last year at the Cleveland Cinematheque. That was pretty good.

[ThomasKDye]

But At The Circus had one of Groucho's great one liners: "There must be some way of getting that money back without getting in trouble with the Hayes Office".

It also has "Lydia the Tattooed Lady," which is one of Groucho's more fun numbers. Also, there's a decent scene with Groucho and Margaret Dumont (who's only in the last half of the film) that still isn't quite on the level of their previous encounters. Other than that, it's fairly mediocre, though nowhere near as dull as "Go West."

Which one was the one where they're squatting in a hotel room? I saw that last year at the Cleveland Cinematheque. That was pretty good.

"Room Service," also starring Ann Miller and Lucille Ball in more or less a "straight" role. This was based upon an existing stage play and was "altered" somewhat to fit the Marxes. As such, it's okay, but you can definitely feel its stagebound origins.

[GuitarGeek]

It also has "Lydia the Tattooed Lady," which is one of Groucho's more fun numbers. Also, there's a decent scene with Groucho and Margaret Dumont (who's only in the last half of the film) that still isn't quite on the level of their previous encounters. Other than that, it's fairly mediocre, though nowhere near as dull as "Go West."

The only thing I really remember from Go West is the train scene toward the end of the picture, where they chasing the train, and there's all these gags involving narrowly avoiding getting run down by the train and such.

"Room Service," also starring Ann Miller and Lucille Ball in more or less a "straight" role. This was based upon an existing stage play and was "altered" somewhat to fit the Marxes. As such, it's okay, but you can definitely feel its stagebound origins.

The scene where they're eating, sitting around the room service table, the four of them, and there's this sort of ballet going on, as they're all reaching across the table grabbing different stuff, and somehow never getting in each other's way or bumping into each other or whatever. You know they must have choreographed every single second of that bit. I thought that was incredibly hilarious.

[Hal...]

I've seen a few Marx bros movies but can't remember which and don't remember very much about them. I know I liked them much better when I was younger than I do now. The same for Charlie Chaplin.

Was it a Marx bros movie where the characters were on a train and cut up the boxcars to keep feeding the boiler for the engine? I seem to recall Harpo was the engineer. That scene was Keaton-esque genius.

And I loved Margaret Dumont. She was the perfect foil for them.

[Jerjo]

Under the category of TAKE MY MONEY NOW!

[GuitarGeek]

Saw on the news that Burt Reynolds passed away. Love Smokey And The Bandit and Cannonball Run.

(Yeah, I know, Deliverance, Boogie Nights, and Sharkey's Machine are more "substantial").

[Sturgeon's Lawyer]

Was it a Marx bros movie where the characters were on a train and cut up the boxcars to keep feeding the boiler for the engine? I seem to recall Harpo was the engineer. That scene was Keaton-esque genius.

I don't recall that in a Marx film, though I haven't seen them all. But the original is in Jules Verne's Around the World in 80 Days, in which Phileas Fogg takes a steamer to get him to Liverpool in time for the train to London that will get him there before the end of the 80th day. The steamer is running slow due to shortage of fuel, and Fogg buys it from the captain for cash, then instructs the crew to begin piling all the non-structural wood on the ship into the boiler.

[Progatron]

Fall is still a couple of weeks away but I started horror movie season early this year with The Conjuring 2, which is a worthy addition to the Conjuring/Annabelle series. Plenty of genuinely creepy and scary moments - and they aren't all just 'jump scares' either. Looking forward to the fifth installment The Nun, which opens today (not that I'll be going to see it in the theater.)

[ThomasKDye]

Was it a Marx bros movie where the characters were on a train and cut up the boxcars to keep feeding the boiler for the engine? I seem to recall Harpo was the engineer. That scene was Keaton-esque genius.

That's the aforementioned "Go West." Probably the best bit in the movie; as it happens, it was actually (well, supposedly) conceived by Buster Keaton. Everything before that is dull as ditchwater. Even the opening scene where Harpo and Chico scam Groucho is weak.

[Hal...]

Probably the best bit in the movie; as it happens, it was actually (well, supposedly) conceived by Buster Keaton.

No shit. I didn't know that. Well, it looks like something Keaton would think up, altho I didn't think that at the time because I was a teenager when I saw it and probably hadn't seen any Keaton movies, yet.

After looking it up, Keaton, who was under contract with MGM, became a comedy consultant and contributed sight gags to quite a few of their movies after his own screen career had faded. The Marx brothers were also under contract at MGM and Keaton contributed to the Marx's A Night at the Opera and At the Circus, in addition to Go West.



Apparently, he also said this: "What really got my goat at MGM were comedians like The Marx Brothers who never wrote their own jokes."

[Hal...]

Finally got around to seeing Molly's Game. Highly recommended!

[progeezer]

^^^ I really liked Molly's Game as well.

I guess I'm just too old now for movies like this, but after all the hype and positive ink about Black Panther, I was excited to see it now that it's on Netflix.

I turned it off after a half hour and while I certainly recognize how important a film like this is, it bored the hell out of me.

[Lou]

^^^ I really liked Molly's Game as well.

I guess I'm just too old now for movies like this, but after all the hype and positive ink about Black Panther, I was excited to see it now that it's on Netflix.

I turned it off after a half hour and while I certainly recognize how important a film like this is, it bored the hell out of me.

Worst movie in the Marvel Universe.

[nosebone]

Black Panther gets all the millennial love. I don't get it, although my 19 year old son loves it.

[hippypants]

Dale and Tucker vs. Evil--horror comedy that takes a lot of the horror clichés about teens in the woods and turns it on its ear. Pretty funny, but takes a bit to get going. Worth a watch.

Amsterdamned--sort of a serial killer type film which takes place in Amsterdam about a guy mostly using the canal system to commit his killings with his spear gun. Sort of interesting though.

The Sinful Dwarf--sort of horror porn about a dwarf in a toy store that captures young women keeps them doped up on heroin for his and his mother's brothel. Very weird.

[NogbadTheBad]

Watched Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri tonight, really quite dark, an excellent movie for character studies, thought everyone in it was excellent but my what a performance by Frances McDormand, superb.

[Scott Bails]

Watched Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri tonight, really quite dark, an excellent movie for character studies, thought everyone in it was excellent but my what a performance by Frances McDormand, superb.

We watched that a couple weeks ago. Thought it was fantastic. And yes, Frances McDormand, as usual, turned in a stellar performance.

Between this, Sharp Objects and Ozark, I'm getting the idea that Missouri is pretty redneck-y.