What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[HanauMan]

Based on this - I just set the DVR to record "Panic in the Streets" on Nov 3 on TCM at 12pm

Hope you enjoy the movie.

Keep an eye out for a funny moment right at the very end where Palance is crawling along a duckboard right on the waterfront and slips, ending up with his face getting a wash in Lake Borgne. Guess it was a little accident that they kept in the final movie.

 

[Fading Fast]

"Blithe Spirit" on TCM right now: Okay story / strong cast / suffers from Technicolor (cries out for B&W)

 

[Zombie_61]

Based on this - I just set the DVR to record "Panic in the Streets" on Nov 3 on TCM at 12pm

Thank you for letting us know. I've never seen it, so our DVR has been set.

 

[Doctor Strange]

You guys will dig it. Panic in the Streets is an excellent little noir distinguished by its location shooting and solid performances.

And since nobody has mentioned this yet, the reason the actors are so good is director Elia Kazan. I mean, this is the guy who also directed A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, A Streetcar Named Desire, On The Waterfront, East Of Eden, A Face In The Crowd, etc.

 

[ChiTownScion]

"Gettysburg" - Say what you want about Ted Turner... but he earned a lot of points with me for this one. Third or 4th viewing as I own the DVD. As an ex-soldier it still gets me. I know that had the South prevailed I'd probably not be sitting here writing this but man what bravery. I don't know if I could've crossed that field that day. If the South didn't give up after being so soundly defeated and losing Vicksburg all in the same week... what made Lee think that the north would've quit after one more defeat, even if they'd taken Washington would the rest of the nation have capitulated so easily?

"Bayonets!"
Chamberlin at "Little Round Top".

Worf

Bad beards aside, what I appreciate most about the film is its treatment of James Longstreet. The postwar politics of the "Lost Cause" and Southern Historical Society folks needed a scapegoat for Lee's failure at Gettysburg, and since Stuart and Lee were not only gone but had been canonized, "Longstreet lost it all at Gettysburg" became a cry of convenience. More to do with Old Pete's eventual status as a Republican, really.. but this film and the book upon which it is based attempt to balance the scale.

 

[Zombie_61]

You guys will dig it. Panic in the Streets is an excellent little noir distinguished by its location shooting and solid performances.

And since nobody has mentioned this yet, the reason the actors are so good is director Elia Kazan. I mean, this is the guy who also directed A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, A Streetcar Named Desire, On The Waterfront, East Of Eden, A Face In The Crowd, etc.

And Mr. Kazan makes an uncredited appearance as a mortuary assistant named Cleaver.

 

[MisterCairo]

Our eldest is an actor in the Stratford, Ontario ghost walk tour organized by her theatre group, so she and my wife were AWL last night. So the youngest and I took the opportunity to re-watch that classic literature-based film, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies.

"I was unaware that zombies possessed such acuity as to set such traps. Before we know it, they'll be running for Parliament". - Mr. Collins

 

[Worf]

Bad beards aside, what I appreciate most about the film is its treatment of James Longstreet. The postwar politics of the "Lost Cause" and Southern Historical Society folks needed a scapegoat for Lee's failure at Gettysburg, and since Stuart and Lee were not only gone but had been canonized, "Longstreet lost it all at Gettysburg" became a cry of convenience. More to do with Old Pete's eventual status as a Republican, really.. but this film and the book upon which it is based attempt to balance the scale.

Yeah... there was a great deal of revisionism after the war... on both sides. Bottom line is Lee had no excuse. He'd seen what his own troops had done to massed ranks in an open field when behind stone walls. According to the film Longstreet reminded him of this but he believed that Southern arms were invincible... why not, his troops had never failed him before... you almost couldn't blame him. In 2 plus years he'd never left the enemy in possession of the field. Many a smart person would've done the same I suppose. Why change what's working. But when it fails finally you best own it. Don't pass it of on someone else. As an aside the "beards" on Longstreet and particularly Jeb Stuart were brutal. Stewarts looked like a half dead raccoon had been pasted to his face. All that money spent on cavalry, cannon, re-enactors etc... and you couldn't find the cash for a decent make up artist? Sheeya!

Worf

 

[Fading Fast]

"Bachelor Apartment" from 1931 staring Irene Dunne, Mae Murray and Lowell Sherman

The reason to watch these early pre-codes / early talkies is that you will sometimes see a decent movie that's enjoyable, which this one is, but even better is the window into the life and times of their period that these movies provide.

The story of a society bachelor - Park Avenue apartment, butler, young women coming and going, the whole works - getting tired of his girl-a-day lifestyle and having his interest piqued by his just-hired, quietly attractive, smart and practical secretary probably wasn't even new then, but it is timeless enough and handled well enough that it's entertaining on its own, but throw in a look at life in 1931 NYC and you get something even more entertaining and enlightening to us today.

Movies aren't accurate portrayals of life - today or then - but combined with other reference material, a picture of a time period - a slice of it anyway - appears. Here, we see NYC early in the Depression where people were desperate for jobs in a way that is different - more pervasive / more despairing / more willing to do anything for the company - than, at least I've seen, in the recessions I've lived through since the '70s. But many things haven't changed that much, at least, below the surface.

As in the movie, Broadway plays are still financed, many times, by wealthy men who've made their money elsewhere and want to make their mark in the theater. There are always too many aspiring actresses than roles and opportunities. Working in a service position can be a horribly oppressive job or a wonderful partnership of mutual respect between employee and employer. Married people have affairs and hide them and on and on - many things don't change.

Throw in period clothes, cars, architecture, manners, expressions and the comments from nosy neighbors and movies like these become imperfect, but wonderfully accessible, time capsules.

 

[Worf]

Great TCM afternoon double header.

1. "King Kong"... The 8th Wonder of the World! Can't get enough this film.

2. "Things to Come" - Menzies and Korda team up to present H.G. Wells story of our possible future. Filmed in 1937 it correctly predicts then Second World War. But this war doesn't end in 1945... no... it lasts until the mid-sixties. The war eventually fizzles out due to pestilence and loss of scientific and industrial capabilities. Man slips back into the middle ages only to be saved by the "brotherhood of science". "Wings over the World" through the use of the "gas of peace" they end the petty warlords and set out to remake the world... but some things NEVER change. Another major difference between the fictional second war and the real one is the continued use of poison gas by the adversaries. All the other inventions from WW1, planes, bombers, submarines, tanks and machineguns were used in WWII but not poison gas. I guess some things were too terrible for even man to continue to use against his fellow man.

Worf

 

[Formeruser012523]

^^^ Watched these same movies. Ya gots good taste.

The aesthetic of Things to Come reminded me a lot of Logan's Run. At least in the 2036 scenes, but maybe that's just me.

 

[Zombie_61]

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) and The Invisible Man (1933), a special double feature screening at the Laemmle Playhouse 7 theater in Pasadena, California, this afternoon/evening. I've seen both countless times, but it's always more fun to see movies like these the way they were meant to be seen--on the big screen in a theater with other people.

 

[Fading Fast]

Great TCM afternoon double header.

1. "King Kong"... The 8th Wonder of the World! Can't get enough this film.

2. "Things to Come" - Menzies and Korda team up to present H.G. Wells story of our possible future. Filmed in 1937 it correctly predicts then Second World War. But this war doesn't end in 1945... no... it lasts until the mid-sixties. The war eventually fizzles out due to pestilence and loss of scientific and industrial capabilities. Man slips back into the middle ages only to be saved by the "brotherhood of science". "Wings over the World" through the use of the "gas of peace" they end the petty warlords and set out to remake the world... but some things NEVER change. Another major difference between the fictional second war and the real one is the continued use of poison gas by the adversaries. All the other inventions from WW1, planes, bombers, submarines, tanks and machineguns were used in WWII but not poison gas. I guess some things were too terrible for even man to continue to use against his fellow man.

Worf

^^^ Watched these same movies. Ya gots good taste.

The aesthetic of Things to Come reminded me a lot of Logan's Run. At least in the 2036 scenes, but maybe that's just me.

Turned on TCM (the first channel I turn to after I turn on the TV) at 4:15 yesterday (I work from home and the main portion of my work was over for the day) and the overture for "King Kong" was on. I thought it would be fun to watch the first five or ten minutes.

Yup, I watched the whole thing (and sucked my girlfriend into watching it when she got home half way through it). It is incredible and incredible that it got made in '33 - that had to be one crazy big budget. And TCM's copy was crystal clear - somebody did one heck of a restoration job on the film.

Since we then needed to get our night started, we recorded "Things to Come -" can't wait to sit down and watch it.

 

[Worf]

^^^ Watched these same movies. Ya gots good taste.

The aesthetic of Things to Come reminded me a lot of Logan's Run. At least in the 2036 scenes, but maybe that's just me.

Why thank you... thank you... BMB!

Yes the interior of the new "Everytown" is very reminiscent of the world of Logan's Run. However TTC is extremely art decoish to me. I did like the wrist phone Raymond Massey uses as well as his desktop LCD... how prescient can you be?

Worf

 

[Worf]

Turned on TCM (the first channel I turn to after I turn on the TV) at 4:15 yesterday (I work from home and the main portion of my work was over for the day) and the overture for "King Kong" was on. I thought it would be fun to watch the first five or ten minutes.

Yup, I watched the whole thing (and sucked my girlfriend into watching it when she got home half way through it). It is incredible and incredible that it got made in '33 - that had to be one crazy big budget. And TCM's copy was crystal clear - somebody did one heck of a restoration job on the film.

Since we then needed to get our night started, we recorded "Things to Come -" can't wait to sit down and watch it.

Mwa ha ha ha ha! Best laid plans! (Chortle, snort, guffaw!) Can't believe you never seen "Things to come".

Worf

 

[Julian Shellhammer]

The last part of Ivan the Terrible, Part II. Then, The Unholy Three, a silent from 1925 with Lon Chaney, Mae Busch, Victor McLaglen, and Harry Earles. Both on the Filmstruck streaming service.
Sadly, Filmstruck announced they will shut down on November 29. Good bye for now, Criterion Collection and a treasure trove of Golden Age films. Bummer.

 

[MisterCairo]

The wean was away at a friend's last night, so we introduced the eldest to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. She loved it!

 

[ton312]

Not at all how I expected this would go...I liked it!

 

[Lean'n'mean]

' Along The River' (2016) ......A western short with Franco Nero. Now I like ol' Franco but this is dire, it's beyond amateurish, everything about it sucks. One can only presume Mr. Nero appeared in it as a favor to a friend.

 

[Peacoat]

And since nobody has mentioned this yet, the reason the actors are so good is director Elia Kazan. I mean, this is the guy who also directed A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, A Streetcar Named Desire, On The Waterfront, East Of Eden, A Face In The Crowd, etc.

Elia Kazan also directed Rebel Without A Cause the movie that launched James Dean's short career. Not only did he direct the movie, but the story was his idea. He had to sell it to the studio.