What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[Benzadmiral]

I'm SO excited! TCM is showing Casablanca at theaters around the country, and my city is one of them!!! I can't wait to see this classic on the big screen. Going this Wednesday!

I remember seeing it the very first time at the local indie house the Prytania in the early '80s, and then again at the local theatre, the Lensic, near the Plaza in Santa Fe. That was for the 50th anniversary in 1992. Wonderful to have an appreciative audience!

 

[Benzadmiral]

If you covered him with garbage,
George Sanders would still have style - Ray Davies, "Celluloid Heroes"

This guy excelled at playing upper-crust sleazes. There's always something "off" about his characters, no matter how debonair and civil they are... even the ones who aren't villains. Agree that he's great in All About Eve, but see also Forever Amber, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Samson and Delilah, Ivanhoe, and plenty of others. For example, later he voiced the tiger Shere Khan in The Jungle Book... as a bored, degenerate royal (thus setting the template for Jeremy Irons as Scar in The Lion King).

Sanders had the distinction of being the only actor who returned to play the same role (a villain named G. Emory Partridge) in two different episodes of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. In the first, too, he had the wonderful support of Jeannette Nolan, playing his even-madder-than-he-was wife.

 

[2jakes]

I remember seeing it the very first time at the local indie house the Prytania in the early '80s, and then again at the local theatre, the Lensic, near the Plaza in Santa Fe. That was for the 50th anniversary in 1992. Wonderful to have an appreciative audience!

For sure!
Things are funnier when there are folks around you watching a comedy.
Or ladies with kleenex at a tender scene.
I find myself with a tear running down my cheek sometimes.


And Sanders is one of the few actors that took the phrase “bored to death”,
literally!

 

[Worf]

"The Burmese Harp" - I recorded this last week and watched it yesterday. Simply masterful piece of filmmaking. Shot in glorious black and white this films shows aspects of the Japanese surrender in Burma and the price paid both physically and emotionally by the losers. Wow!

Worf

 

[Doctor Strange]

I recorded it too, but have been too deluged with other stuff to watch it yet (*). Happy to hear it's worthwhile.

(* Worf, check out my entry on Robert Kirkman's Secret History of Comics in the TV show thread. If you haven't seen it yet, it's a must-watch for you!)

 

[Worf]

I recorded it too, but have been too deluged with other stuff to watch it yet (*). Happy to hear it's worthwhile.

(* Worf, check out my entry on Robert Kirkman's Secret History of Comics in the TV show thread. If you haven't seen it yet, it's a must-watch for you!)

Thanks for the coat pull!

Worf

 

[Worf]

"The Man I Married" - I've not much use for Ben Mankiwicz as the new face of TCM, however if he had anything to do with the decision to highlight blacklisted film makers and their work before and after their being banned.... well I might have to give him some grudging respect. I never saw this movie before and am glad I caught it yesterday. Made in '39 before the whole shebang caught fire, this film details the seductive nature of the Nazi regime and it's effects on those caught under its spell. It's not "Citizen Kane" or "Casablanca" but it's a solid "B" picture that, per usual, was pulled from the theatres soon as the Nazi's (and their American friends) got wind of it. What a shame.

Worf

 

[Fading Fast]

"The Man I Married" - I've not much use for Ben Mankiwicz as the new face of TCM, however if he had anything to do with the decision to highlight blacklisted film makers and their work before and after their being banned.... well I might have to give him some grudging respect. I never saw this movie before and am glad I caught it yesterday. Made in '39 before the whole shebang caught fire, this film details the seductive nature of the Nazi regime and it's effects on those caught under its spell. It's not "Citizen Kane" or "Casablanca" but it's a solid "B" picture that, per usual, was pulled from the theatres soon as the Nazi's (and their American friends) got wind of it. What a shame.

Worf

Wanted to record that one and forgot - I'll get to it next time.

Mankiewicz has grown on me over the years. First, I had to get over him not being Robert Osborne. And, to be honest, he has gotten better as he was really awkward / nervous early on. Now I almost like him as he seems to try real hard and, well, he has no idea how to dress (his clothes are a mess, but you can tell he put thought into them, he just doesn't know how, it's kinda endearing).

The other TCM host, Tiffany Vazquez is also growing on me. It is almost as if TCM went out to find someone passionate about classic movies, found her, realized she was a B-/C+ professional host, figured she'd get better as a announcer while knowing that the passion would come through (which it does).

I have no doubt they could have found smoother, more-professional announcers that could have read the cue cards better, but I'm guessing they went for passion (and name, in Mankiewicz's case) believing (correctly) that would be more important in connecting with the audience.

N.B., Worf, I figured you be all over my last post in the Movie Poster thread - that had you written all over it knowing your passion for those movies.

 

[AmateisGal]

Just returned from watching Casablanca on the big screen. I've seen it numerous times, but I always pick up new things every time I see it. Bogart does such a great job in his performance. A twitching face muscle, the haunted look in his eyes - both convey his anguish at seeing Ilsa without him having to say a word.

 

[Fading Fast]

Just returned from watching Casablanca on the big screen. I've seen it numerous times, but I always pick up new things every time I see it. Bogart does such a great job in his performance. A twitching face muscle, the haunted look in his eyes - both convey his anguish at seeing Ilsa without him having to say a word.

Any impressions / thoughts on the big-screen versus TV experience?

 

[scottyrocks]

***SPOILER ALERT***

The other day I saw He Ran All the Way (1951) with John Garfield and Shelley Winters, part of the Hollywood blacklist theme on TCM.

For a GE movie, I thought that Nick (Garfield) was typically stereotypical, but at the same time, there were instances when the subtler parts of his performance were thoughtful and eye opening, such as a brief moment in the night time scene with little Tommy where he puts his hand on the boy's head, his face showing genuine concern. Winters was terrific, as well, playing the final sequence in such a way that the viewer, after thinking that she really did love Nick, really wasn't sure whether or not she was lying to him.

That entire last scene, from Peg's father's (Wallace Ford) heroic stand across the street, to Peg's ultimate solution, to the car pulling up as Nick lies dying at the curb, was a whirlwind of an unpredictable and well-shot ending.

If that was confusing, see the movie. It's worth the sit.

 

[belfastboy]

Watched Gary Cooper last night in "Sergeant York" one of his iconic roles. I am def not a classic movie fan and I found this one so very hokey....and demonstrated the coastal elites opinion of folks down in the Holla. The one thing positive I can say it was fun to watch and oh, Coopers accent was consistent throughout.

 

[AmateisGal]

Any impressions / thoughts on the big-screen versus TV experience?

I really focused on seeing MORE of the film - i.e. more of the sets, the characters, the performances. And I wasn't disappointed. Seeing it on the big screen is just different - it allows you to see things you haven't before. This is just a very small example, but the dress Ilsa wears when they're dancing in Paris has little hearts on it. I never noticed that before.

That's the wonderful thing about films like this - you can always, always see something new or glean new insights no matter how many times you see it. Another example: for so long, I really focused on Ilsa and Rick's tragic love story. But Victor Lazlo is an absolutely inspiring and courageous character, and LOYAL, to both the cause and his wife. He is undoubtedly a better man than Rick in many respects.

And here's a question for everyone who's seen it: what do you think is the significance of Sydney Greenstreet's character, Signor Ferrari, swatting flies after meeting with first the couple from Bulgaria and then Victor and Ilsa?

 

[Fading Fast]

I really focused on seeing MORE of the film - i.e. more of the sets, the characters, the performances. And I wasn't disappointed. Seeing it on the big screen is just different - it allows you to see things you haven't before. This is just a very small example, but the dress Ilsa wears when they're dancing in Paris has little hearts on it. I never noticed that before.

That's the wonderful thing about films like this - you can always, always see something new or glean new insights no matter how many times you see it. Another example: for so long, I really focused on Ilsa and Rick's tragic love story. But Victor Lazlo is an absolutely inspiring and courageous character, and LOYAL, to both the cause and his wife. He is undoubtedly a better man than Rick in many respects.

And here's a question for everyone who's seen it: what do you think is the significance of Sydney Greenstreet's character, Signor Ferrari, swatting flies after meeting with first the couple from Bulgaria and then Victor and Ilsa?

I saw it in the theater back in the '80s and remember thinking the director used shadows as a mood / theme advancer more than I ever noticed on TV. And now, next time I see it, I'll have to look for the little hearts on Ilsa's Paris dress.

RE Greenstreet: My guess is it shows his nonchalance to the petty corruption he's part of - cheating, black market dealing is all just part of a normal day to him. Also - if you are into symbolism - that he sees all these people as flies he could easily swat away - they have no real human value to him, they're just flies to be swatted.

 

[jacketjunkie]

I watched "Tyrannosaur" last night, the directoral debut of Paddy Considine. That movie is quite something. It's grim, hard to watch at times but it's one of the best british movies I have seen in a long while. The essence of this movie is hard to capture, but there's a soul to it that will haunt you long after you've finished watching it. I believe, in some way, this movie is Paddy Considine's vision of the world, in all its cruelty but this vision, no matter how grim it is, no matter how dark it becomes, still manages to maintain a light that makes the overall tone life-affirming rather than depressing.

It's set in a Northern industrial, working class community. Joseph (Peter Mullen) is an alcoholic, self-loathing widower on a path of self-destruction where he stumbles over Hannah (Olivia Coleman), a Christian charity worker whos world also is not as ideal as you'd first think. Peter Mullen and Olivia Coleman give two insanely good and gripping performances despite the movies minimal plot. This movie left me stunned, it's one you won't forget in a long while and I'm certainly looking forward to future works of all the people involved.

 

[AmateisGal]

RE Greenstreet: My guess is it shows his nonchalance to the petty corruption he's part of - cheating, black market dealing is all just part of a normal day to him. Also - if you are into symbolism - that he sees all these people as flies he could easily swat away - they have no real human value to him, they're just flies to be swatted.

I think that is a pretty apt explanation.

 

[green papaya]

BLACK RAIN (1989) starring Michael Douglas , Andy Garcia, Ken Takakura

New York City policemen Nick (Michael Douglas) and Charlie (Andy Garcia) witness a murder in a bar and quickly apprehend the assailant. The killer, named Sato (Yusaku Matsuda), is a member of Japan's infamous Yakuza mob, and Nick and Charlie must transport the gangster back to Osaka for his murder trial. There, Sato's fellow gangsters free him from police custody, forcing Nick and Charlie to scour Japan's dangerous underworld of organized crime in search of their fugitive.

 

[Harp]

Watched Gary Cooper last night in "Sergeant York" one of his iconic roles...

That's the wonderful thing about films like this - you can always, always see something new or glean new insights no matter how many times you see it. Another example: for so long, I really focused on Ilsa and Rick's tragic love story. But Victor Lazlo is an absolutely inspiring and courageous character, and LOYAL, to both the cause and his wife. He is undoubtedly a better man than Rick in many respects.

____________________

The barracks scene where Cooper is sighting his newly issued Springfield '03 Rifle is a visible dead-center iron zero.
Absolutely no "Tennessee windage-Kentucky elevation" nonsense for York.
__________

Casablanca is a drop kick to the heart. Rick and Ilsa spend the night together; yet he surrenders her to Lazlo.
And then he joins the cause.

 

[EngProf]

____________________

The barracks scene where Cooper is sighting his newly issued Springfield '03 Rifle is a visible dead-center iron zero.
Absolutely no "Tennessee windage-Kentucky elevation" nonsense for York.
__________

Casablanca is a drop kick to the heart. Rick and Ilsa spend the night together; yet he surrenders her to Lazlo.
And then he joins the cause.

That's Hollywood for you... Sgt. York actually carried a 1917 Enfield which doesn't have any windage adjustment.
Also, his accent is some sort of Hollywood-version of Southern. The people from the area he came from (Jamestown, Pall Mall, TN) have a very distinct accent, but not at all like Gary Cooper's.
Sgt. York's statue near the State Capitol also has him holding the wrong type of rifle - a Springfield.

Even though some of the details are wrong I still like the movie and watch it any time I get the chance.

(By coincidence I was at Sgt. York's home-place and Sgt. York State Park just last weekend for a Nov 11 WWI commemorative event.)

 

[Harp]

Also, his accent is some sort of Hollywood-version of Southern. The people from the area he came from (Jamestown, Pall Mall, TN) have a very distinct accent, but not at all like Gary Cooper's.

I spent nine months stationed at Ft Campbell and found the local folk in Clarksville and Nashville exceedingly kind.
Their dialect; especially when spoken by the ladies, is quite delightful to the northern ear.