Tour de force. Just one more example why the '70s are arguably cinema's greatest decade (note I said "arguably).Originally Posted by Jerjo
Tour de force. Just one more example why the '70s are arguably cinema's greatest decade (note I said "arguably).
"The Conversation" is great.... I also give credit to directors who write their own story/script. Ingmar Bergman wrote a ton, too.. Speaking of Gene Hackman, I'm surprised a movie like "Scarecrow" isn't known by many in the movie communities I'm in. Hackman just won an Oscar from "The French Connection" and Pacino just made "The Godfather" and thought it would make a retrospective comeback, with younger people looking things up on YouTube - a great source for some great movies that might not have been popular... I prefer the 1930-70s, but tired of the "classics", and trying to find dialogue-heavy character movies. Not sure why I usually love 60s Eastern European movies.
Scarecrow is a good one. Richard Lynch is in that, too.
Watched The Mist (2007) last night, based on the Stephen King novel. A very curious mix of being one of the most extremely gripping, well-acted, tense thrillers with cool monsters that I have ever seen, with having characters do some of the absolutely dumbest things that I have ever seen in a movie, combined with some very brutal, unbelievable plot points. My gf was half laughing/half annoyed with me, because she has never seen me talk back at the screen during a movie, anywhere near that much before in my life, haha. And the ending...well...
Anyone else see this, and have any kind of a similar experience?
Neil
^ Looks like they also made it into a series.
I saw it and pretty much agree. It was pretty bad. They also made "The Mist" into a mini-series. That one was better.
I thought it was great and honestly, I wouldn't doubt most of those dumb things those characters did, people would actually doPeople are dumb man! At first I hated the ending, but over time totally appreciate it for the ballsiness.
"Who would have thought a whale would be so heavy?" - Moe Sizlak
Watched River Of No Return (1954) last night. My library had a dvd of the restored western movie, so the technicolor picture and sound were just great. If I ever saw it when I was young, I don't remember it. Not the best western film I've seen, but good enough, and who wouldn't watch a movie with Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum?
Also watched a vampire movie called Last Voyage Of The Demeter (2023), about a ship carrying Dracula to England. There were some spots where it dragged, but it is well worth watching to the end. The visual effects were great. A decent modern day horror film, based on a chapter "The Captain's Log" from Bram Stoker's novel.
We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
It won't be visible through the air
And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973
Well yes, people are dumb, but they are also instinctive. If a bunch of scary-ass big spiders that shoot molten hot webbing are suddenly in front of you, you're going to fucking run, not sit there for two minutes and watch everything they do. Plus the point where one of the nasty bugs, the same that just instinctively stung somebody else, just happens to crawl all over the psycho-religious woman but decide to look her over, then not sting her and fly away so she can think that she is the messiah, or whatever, was ridiculous.I thought it was great and honestly, I wouldn't doubt most of those dumb things those characters did, people would actually do
Just too many inconsistencies that went well beyond the normal suspension of disbelief that is required of a lot of movies.
Neil
I loved that movie and have seen it a couple of times. My DVD-version even has a black/white-version. And I agree: people in general act stupid, not only in extreme situations.
And the ending? Refreshing in a creepy way. Not the usual "happy ending"-sequence.
Characters doing dumb things in films and series: police-men or women who go on their own when investigating crimes. Don't do it!!
Decided to visit grade-Z movie world last night, to watch Missile to the Moon (1958). So insanely out there, that it's hard not to love this low budget camp classic. Some dude blasts off in his private rocket ship, welcoming aboard two on the run convicts as his crew, and they land on the moon. Whilst there they, naturally, discover a lost race of women (played by a bunch of beauty contest winners, no less) and are menaced by giant puppeteer spiders and strange rock people. Scientific inaccuracies (even for the period) abound and the fact that this is remake of sorts of Cat Women of the Moon (1954), pretty much tells you everything that you need to know.
Neil
The more time I spend on this planet the more dumb and less instinctive people seem to be getting
"Who would have thought a whale would be so heavy?" - Moe Sizlak
A recent addition to Netflix, The Greatest Night In Pop, a documentary about the USA For Africa project and the recording of the "We Are The World" single that followed the template created by Bob Geldof and Band Aid in the UK. I really enjoyed it notwithstanding the facts that I'm not really a fan of most of the artists who participated. Also, I had been working in radio when the song was released and must have played it a hundred or more times. But it shows what an immense effort went into the planning and execution, and how cooperative and patient the artists were (with a few exceptions). And there's a really funny story about why Waylon Jennings attended but didn't participate. Worthwhile for anybody who was around back then when it was on MTV every hour.
We watched I, Tonya last night. A pretty black comedy based on "contradictory" and "totally true" interviews with ex-Olympian Tonya Harding and her ex-husband Jeff Gillooly. Funny though there was a LOT of domestic abuse that she withstood. Still, worth watching, especially for the effect a zealous media can have on people's lives. Can Tonya's account be believed? Margot Robbie thought so. Regardless, the woman could launch and land a triple axels. At the time of the filming there were only two female figure skaters who could do that move and both declined to do it for the movie for fear of injury that close to the Olympics. They had to use CGI and old footage of Tonya to pull it off.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
Agree, very enjoyable documentary. Like you, I was not much of a fan of most of the artists on the record, but it was still very interesting stuff.
Dune Part II: For the most part a fantastic movie. I read the Dune books back when I was a kid and part II basically followed the plot of the 2nd half of the original book. The cinematography, music, visuals, and sound are all amazing. I am never going to be a huge Timothy Chalamet fan, but he does a decent job as Paul. The supporting cast is all strong with Austin Butler especially standing out in a complete role reversal from the “Elvis” movie. My wife found the story to be confusing, but she has never read the books, so I think being familiar with the books might enhance the experience a bit. It looks like there is definitely going to be a 3rd film that will focus on the “Dune Messiah” book. Due to the film’s cinematic scope this is definitely one to see in a theater if you can.
Rating 4.5 out of 5
The Killer--Netflix, David Fincher directs the film about an assassin and his code or lack of ethics/morality. There's was some underlying themes, but overall pretty decent for such fare. 6.5 out 10
Last and First Men--Kanopy, The critics on Rottentomatoes liked it, I don't know how, it was a total bore and pretentious twaddle to me. Mostly gray shots of the clouds, outdoors, large sculptures as Tilda Swinton does a voice over about Earth's future end. 1 out 10 (if that) Avoid.
The Three-Body Problem--series on Netflix, worthwhile, yet complex setup for a first contact, alien invasion of earth set to happen 400 years the future. 8 out of 10
The Incredible Melting Man ('77)
An astronaut returns to earth after a deep space mission goes wrong. Oh no! He looked at the sun through Saturn's rings!
5.9 out of 10 heads in a stream
"Who would have thought a whale would be so heavy?" - Moe Sizlak
Memphisto (1981) - 7.5/10
^ The demon god of Memphis, TN?
The Pledge 2001, Kanopy, A Jack Nicholson film I missed, an adaptation of a book directed by Sean Pean. Nicholson plays a police chief beginning retirement when a little girl is murdered and he pledges to help the mother find her daughter's killer. Done well.
The Beekeeper (2024) - Jason Statham. Standard action flick. What is unique is the central character is a beekeeper! Good action, nothing amazing but entertaining.
Last edited by mozo-pg; 3 Weeks Ago at 04:41 PM.
What can this strange device be? When I touch it, it brings forth a sound (2112)
Godzilla Rages Again (1955). The first Godzilla movie to feature a second kaiju (Anguirus, a giant ankylosaur, more or less, but without the tail bobble). Also interesting because it takes the position that the Oxygen Destroyer in the first movie actually killed Godzilla, and this is a different one.
Still: too much plot, not enough kaiju mayhem.
Cobra handling and cocaine use are a bad mix.
The Sheepman (1958) on TCM. In gorgeous Metrocolor.
Not sure why I watched it since it stars Glenn Ford, whom I've never liked for some reason. Also stars Shirley MacLaine, Leslie Nielson, Edgar Buchanan, and Slim Pickens in a small role. Directed by George Marshall, better known for Destry Rides Again and The Blue Dahlia.
It's the typical sheepman vs cattlemen kind of western with a few tropes sprinkled in here and there. Except this one has a lead character that's smarter than just about everyone else and a script that's really well written. This might be Glenn Ford's best role. I can't believe I'm about to say this but I actually found him likable. Shirley MacLaine plays the love interest that's your typical cowgirl. Leslie Nielsen plays "The Colonel", who's the heavy and is engaged to MacLaine. Edgar Buchanan is typecast but that's okay; who doesn't like Edgar Buchanan?
I thought this was really entertaining. And nothing stupid happens in it, either, which I find rare in most westerns.
You can stream it on TCM's app.
“From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away.” – Philip Marlowe
It will be of no surprise, that I have seen this more than once, haha. One of the last of the truly fun, independent b-movies, before mainstream Hollywood took over everything...and started making their own expensive b-movies.The Incredible Melting Man ('77)
An astronaut returns to earth after a deep space mission goes wrong. Oh no! He looked at the sun through Saturn's rings!
5.9 out of 10 heads in a stream
Neil
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