What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[Julian Shellhammer]

I think I may have seen the inspiration for Fractured Flickers. A Pete Smith Specialty entitled "Flicker Memories" was a silent short given the Smith treatment with wacky sound effects and an equally wacky narration. It's on the TCM steaming service. Good guy sheriff type versus a no-good-nik, with a young lady at the center of the dispute. Watched it a couple times in a row.

 

[Doctor Damage]

I just watched "Vantage Point". It was okay, a lot of action, car chases toward the end of the movie were quite good. I thought Dennis Quaid did a good job.

Vantage point
Too much ridiculous action. My head was spinning...

I watched this last night and found it enjoyable, although I agree the action was simply too frantic for me to slot the movie into the "excellent" file and so it remains "very good". Great cast, though.

 

[Julian Shellhammer]

The other night, The Shop Around the Corner. Had not seen it all the way through. Good, but not good enough to watch a second time.
Tonight, Love Crazy (1941) one of the 14 Myrna Loy-William Powell films they made together. Misunderstandings lead to a potential divorce, but silly antics lead to a happy ending. Pay attention to the bizarre comments ("I haven't wept a slink since you went away") that could be overlooked in the snappy dialogue.

 

[Fading Fast]

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers from 1946 staring Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Kirk Douglass and Lizabeth Scott

• A film noir - soap-opera mashup centered around one of my favorite GE themes - a factory town

• An okay if contrived story saved by super-talented actors - Stanwyck and Heflin can play any role convincingly

• Mid-'40s clothes (the men's suits are iconically big-shouldered), cars, architecture (hotel room / bar / diner all Fedora Lounge perfect) and technology (auto repair / newsroom / police) on full display - worth it for the time travel alone

• I'll just say it, the aunt was so mean, I was all but willing to forgive her teenage niece for whacking her with the cane

• Douglas is too pretty-boy handsome to be a serious actor, but he is

• I get why Scott only had a mildly successful career - she shines in some movies and fades in others (like this one)

• The code forced an unbelievable ending, but so unbelievable that I'd bet most people got it was fake

 

[Edward]

I just finished watching Trumbo (2017, staring Bryan Cranston), which I stumbled across last night on the BBC iPlayer. Great film, really enjoyed it - though frankly it's worth watching for the men's wardrobe alone.

 

[Seb Lucas]

The Strange Love of Martha Ivers from 1946 staring Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Kirk Douglass and Lizabeth Scott

• A film noir - soap-opera mashup centered around one of my favorite GE themes - a factory town

• An okay if contrived story saved by super-talented actors - Stanwyck and Heflin can play any role convincingly

• Mid-'40s clothes (the men's suits are iconically big-shouldered), cars, architecture (hotel room / bar / diner all Fedora Lounge perfect) and technology (auto repair / newsroom / police) on full display - worth it for the time travel alone

• I'll just say it, the aunt was so mean, I was all but willing to forgive her teenage niece for whacking her with the cane

• Douglas is too pretty-boy handsome to be a serious actor, but he is

• I get why Scott only had a mildly successful career - she shines in some movies and fades in others (like this one)

• The code forced an unbelievable ending, but so unbelievable that I'd bet most people got it was fake

Not that I'll ever see this movie, but Kirk Douglas as a pretty boy is something I can't see. He has a striking, angular face - handsome to some tastes, but pretty?

 

[Fading Fast]

Not that I'll ever see this movie, but Kirk Douglas as a pretty boy is something I can't see. He has a striking, angular face - handsome to some tastes, but pretty?

I think of a pretty boy as a man who is handsome in a very obvious way with all the "right" boxes checked and tilting a bit androgynous. Douglas, in this movie has (as you note) angular (I'd say, chiseled) features, glowing without-a-mark-on-it skin, striking eyes, thick flowing hair, a toothy perfect smile - a man that many women I've known would say is "too pretty." In that movie, Van Heflin is the other male lead who many consider handsome, but IMO, is not a pretty boy at all with his slightly craggily face and always messed up hair.

As you mentioned, you haven't seen the movie, but it was Douglas' first ever movie, he was 29 when it was filmed and he had that still-perfect aura of youth and beauty about him that would mature and age into the Kirk Douglas we know from his later films - handsome, but not, pretty boy. But regarding Douglas in '46, I'll stand by what is only my opinion.

 

[scottyrocks]

The King of Comedy

Outstanding picture. One of the few that comes to mind where every principle character is at least a bit creepy in their own special way, and not at all likeable.

 

[Fading Fast]

From the Terrace from 1960 starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward

I read the book which is a loooong soap opera dressed up as "literature" (link to comments on book below). It is really hard to distill a 900 page book down to a two-hour movie, so the screenwriters did what made practical sense - they used the book as a springboard to tell a basic story that fit into a regular length film.

Unfortunately, it just doesn't work as they trimmed away so many elements of the book that you can hardly follow the movie if you haven't read the book, but if you have, you'll be disappointed to see the story mangled almost beyond recognition.

The quick and dirty is that Newman's character, Alfred Eaton - the neglected son of a steel mogul - marries Mary St. John (Woodward) who is "a bit above" his class (Eaton's goal is to "outdo" his father). From there, Eaton's business career leads him to a venerable Wall St. firm while his marriage quickly deteriorates as his wife bed hops and he, eventually, strays. Infidelity is a big part of both the book and movie.

It's all a mid-'50s by-the-numbers portrayal of life being rough and tumbled (and less moral) beneath the surface manners and decorum. It's okay for a few hours of diversion, but nothing more. Heck, check out "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" or "The Young Philadelphians" to see the same themes handled much better in two other Newman movies.

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/what-are-you-reading.10557/page-410#post-2540696

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Outstanding picture. One of the few that comes to mind where every principle character is at least a bit creepy in their own special way, and not at all likeable.

I liked the part where Rupert Pupkin (DeNiro) is trying to see Jerry Langford (Jerry Lewis) and gets ejected from the latter's office by security. Outside he and fellow stalker Masha (Sandra Bernhardt) get into an argument and there's a big Chock Full O' Nuts sign in the background.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Killing time before work in the vast maw of Yoo Toob, I stumbled across a bunch of Australian newsreels of the Era -- and was immediately brought up short by the most wonderful production-company logo I've ever encountered. Even the majesty of our beloved Pathe rooster in his prime cannot compare to the Cinesound Newsreel Kangaroo.

"Screw this, I'm oootah heeah." What a shame they never did this in 3-D.

 

[Fading Fast]

Killing time before work in the vast maw of Yoo Toob, I stumbled across a bunch of Australian newsreels of the Era -- and was immediately brought up short by the most wonderful production-company logo I've ever encountered. Even the majesty of our beloved Pathe rooster in his prime cannot compare to the Cinesound Newsreel Kangaroo.

"Screw this, I'm oootah heeah." What a shame they never did this in 3-D.

Darn fine logo, love the hop and exit, but still leaning to the crowing rooster.

 

[Fading Fast]

The Ex-Mrs Bradford from 1936 with William Powell, Jean Arthur and James Gleason

Back in the '30s and '40s, there was a cottage industry within the broader Hollywood industry that made "wealthy married couples pleasantly bicker while solving crimes - usually murders - on the side to their real jobs" movies.

At the apex of these formula movies sits the Thin Man series - Powell and Loy are probably the most-fun married movie couple ever on screen - but there were many variation on the theme with The Ex-Mrs Bradford being a really good one.

Powell was born to play the insouciant husband and murder-mystery sleuth while, in this one, Arthur is wonderfully playful as Powell's ex-wife wanting to become his wife again while also egging him on to investigate a jockey's murder.

The stories in these are only modestly important as they are all about the same - murder, police are on the wrong track, husband-wife team on the right track, their lives are at risk, a small recondite clue holds the key, mob, graft, corruption, etc. and a dramatic final reveal of the actual murderer - fun, but wash-rinse-repeat.

The real heart of these movies is their style and relationships. It's the Depression, but this is world of luxury hi-rise apartments, personal servants, chauffeur-driven V-12 cars, cruise ships, dinners in tuxedos at five-star restaurants and wardrobes out of Esquire and Vogue - had to be incredible to '30s audiences just trying to survive.

And holding it all together is the chemistry between the leads and the stock, but engaging, seconds. In this one, Powell and Arthur generate solids sparks, Gleason plays the put-upon detective - a bit tired of Powell one-upping him - well, while the servants and police bring their usual comic relief.

All in, a solid entry in the genre.

 

[Worf]

"Amazing Grace" - In 1971-2 Aretha Franklin recorded "Amazing Grace" a live double album of gospel standards learned in her youth at her pastor father's church. It went on to become and remains the largest selling gospel album of all time. It was a standard in my house... I put a clip of one of the numbers on here before:

Little did I know till 2 days ago that the concert was not only recorded for audio but also filmed. My sources said Aretha would not allowed it to be shown as a documentary while she lived... I don't know why... but it's out in theatres now. Now we can see the rest of the story... Backed by jazz/soul greats Bernard Purdie on drums, Chuck Rainey on bass guitar and Cornell Dupree on six string it's easy to see why the music is like it is. Filmed over 2 days you can tell that the word "got out" as on the second night Mick Jagger and Charlie Watts were in the audience along with gospel great Clara Ward and Aretha's father. The highlight of the film is her rendition of Amazing Grace that was so moving that the Reverend C.L. Franklin who accompanied her on piano and vocals was so moved he broke down in tears and couldn't continue... he left the piano and another took his place. The Southern California Community Choir led by Alexander Hamilton (no not THAT one) was stellar as well.

I was as moved by this performance as I've always been but now I could see what I'd hitherto only heard for decades. It bought back so many memories of hot, sweaty nights at church or 'Tent Meetings" (believe it or not these occurred in NY City) that I found myself crying as well. As it's a documentary it won't be around long. Catch it if you can. Not Sydney Pollack's best work but considering the mad house he was working in I think he did a decent job.

Worf

 

[Doctor Damage]

Last night I watched "Siberia" from 2018 starring Keanu Reeves. I guess it didn't get good reviews and the story has some holes in it but I enjoyed the film and it's sticking in my head.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siberia_(2018_film)

 

[Benny Holiday]

Killing time before work in the vast maw of Yoo Toob, I stumbled across a bunch of Australian newsreels of the Era -- and was immediately brought up short by the most wonderful production-company logo I've ever encountered. Even the majesty of our beloved Pathe rooster in his prime cannot compare to the Cinesound Newsreel Kangaroo.

"Screw this, I'm oootah heeah." What a shame they never did this in 3-D.

Kokoda Front Line won Australia's first Academy Award. It gave Australians a real look at the war in New Guinea with the Japanese Army fighting their way through the Owen Stanley Ranges towards the north of Australia itself, and showed just how dire the situation was. Well worth a look.

 

[Benny Holiday]

@Worf Amazing Grace is coming out here soon. Looks amazing! What a voice Aretha was gifted with!

 

[Worf]

@Worf Amazing Grace is coming out here soon. Looks amazing! What a voice Aretha was gifted with!

Yes, this film is a singular event about a "singular event"! Please don't judge us too harshly, Americans of the 1970's had some weird ideas as to what constituted ahem... "fashion". I think you'll enjoy it.

Worf

 

[LizzieMaine]

"Amazing Grace" is playing here this week, and it's been a big hit so far. We had to eject someone Sunday who was taping it off the screen with a phone.

 

[Benny Holiday]

After WWII Australia took the majority of its fashion cues from the States, so we were following right in your footsteps I can assure you! lol