Neverending
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Post by Neverending on Aug 18, 2015 15:20:16 GMT -5
Doomsday Dracula SnoBorderZero PG Cooper PhantomKnightTHE STRANGER (1946) In The Stranger, Orson Welles plays a former Nazi who's hiding from the police in Connecticut. He also directs the movie, so if you're a fan of his work, you'll be highly entertained by all his signature styles. For the rest of you, there's one big issue that may sour the experience. The plot is ridiculous. This isn't a simple story about a Nazi hiding in plain sight. No. This is THE Nazi. Welles plays the architect of the concentration camps and there's even footage of the actual concentration camps so people in 1946 could understand the magnitude of this man's terror. And it gets better. There's only ONE person on the planet who can identify THE Nazi and he's leading a detective, played by Edward G. Robinson, to his location. Maybe I'm watching this movie through my cynical 2015 eyes, but how is any of this possible? How is there only ONE person that can identify the architect of the concentration camps? Why is the architect of the concentration camps hiding in America - of all places? And why doesn't Orson Welles have a German accent? What is he, Sean Connery? He only has ONE accent? I'm sorry, but this movie is way too silly for me to take seriously. I was laughing through half of it. C
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Post by Neverending on Aug 18, 2015 15:25:58 GMT -5
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SnoBorderZero
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Post by SnoBorderZero on Aug 18, 2015 15:43:31 GMT -5
The Stranger is one of his weakest films directing-wise if not the weakest. I give it a 7. It's not bad and has some good stuff, but the plot is ridiculous and everything feels very formulaic, which is disappointing considering this is what he made after The Magnificent Ambersons. I can't help but feel this reeked of studio control, especially after the struggle Welles had with RKO for both Ambersons and Kane.
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Post by Neverending on Aug 18, 2015 15:47:18 GMT -5
The Stranger is one of his weakest films directing-wise if not the weakest. I give it a 7. It's not bad and has some good stuff, but the plot is ridiculous and everything feels very formulaic, which is disappointing considering this is what he made after The Magnificent Ambersons. I can't help but feel this reeked of studio control, especially after the struggle Welles had with RKO for both Ambersons and Kane. Yeah, Ernest J. Nims, the editor, pretty much took over during post-production. Orson Welles actually disowned the movie. |
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PG Cooper
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Post by PG Cooper on Aug 18, 2015 15:47:09 GMT -5
I watched The Stranger during TCM's Orson Welles spotlight. My review from Letterboxd:
The Stranger is an Orson Welles directed film about a Nazi hiding out in small town America made shortly after World War Two. The film was apparently an attempt on Welles' part to prove he could work within the studio system, keeping to the budget, schedule, and not script. Welles seems to have played ball, and the result is a pretty unremarkable thriller. There's a decent premise here and some strong turns from Welles and Edward G. Robinson. Loretta Young is also really unhinged in certain scenes and while I don't know if I like her work throughout the whole film, in her best scenes she's pretty good. However the film is just not up to the standards of Welles. This is far and away the least visually interesting thing I've seen from him. There's some decent use of lighting and shadow here, but it's considerably less impressive and stylish than Welles' other films. The script is also fairly contrived and by the end the characters' actions seemed increasingly stupid. The film does have its moments, including a pretty neat finale, but this is a disappointing movie, one which is the one thing I never expected a Welles picture to be; forgettable.
C-
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Post by Neverending on Feb 12, 2019 0:55:54 GMT -5
HIGH NOON (1952) It might be fair to say that modern audiences see this movie differently than those in 1952. Supposedly, it was made as an allegory to McCarthyism but that has no barring in what we’re dealing with today. We’re living in a time of hysteria, cowardliness, political division and corruption. So the story of a lone man standing up to all that and doing what’s right, speaks volumes.
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SnoBorderZero
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Post by SnoBorderZero on Feb 12, 2019 2:23:35 GMT -5
Damn, you bumped a thread from 2015.
I didn't even realize I had offered a hot take on The Stranger.
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Post by Neverending on Aug 4, 2019 19:18:53 GMT -5
I WANT TO LIVE (1958) Directed by Robert Wise and starring Susan Hayward in an Academy Award winning role, this is based on the true story of a 1950’s sex worker who gets sent to the gas chambers after murdering someone during a botched robbery. Articles of the time say this film is arguing against capital punishment since the evidence presented at the trial wasn’t conclusive. Prior to reading that, it wasn’t the impression I got but that could just be me stereotyping 1950’s America. It seemed to be a morality tale about a “loose woman.” Either way, it’s an interesting little artifact. Robert Wise is a good director, very diverse, and Susan Hayward has a strong personality and is very fun to watch although her performance is a tad over-the-top.
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on Aug 4, 2019 20:03:21 GMT -5
Robert Wise at this point I think is almost underrated as a director in the sense that he's not really a household name. Sure he has his Oscars but he did everything from musicals to war movies to sci-fi and Star Trek. If you haven't seen The Sand Pebbles it's fantastic.
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Post by Neverending on Aug 4, 2019 22:08:54 GMT -5
Robert Wise at this point I think is almost underrated as a director It’s because snobs like Dracula/ PG Cooper look down on West Side Story/Sound of Music and nerds like Jibbs are still angry about Star Trek. |
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Post by Neverending on Jan 29, 2020 23:11:47 GMT -5
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Post by Neverending on Apr 11, 2020 19:44:14 GMT -5
LENNY (1974) I watched this movie several times in high school (mostly for Miss Teschmacher’s boobies) and now as an elderly person — and I still don’t get the point of it. There’s something inherently stupid about a movie about stand-up that takes itself way too seriously. But Dustin Hoffman is great and the cinematography has SnoBorderZero’s seal of approval. |
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SnoBorderZero
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Post by SnoBorderZero on Apr 11, 2020 19:50:25 GMT -5
Haven't seen it. But sure, I approve.  |
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Doomsday
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Post by Doomsday on May 31, 2020 11:09:23 GMT -5
Doomsday Dracula SnoBorderZero PG Cooper PhantomKnightTHE STRANGER (1946)In The Stranger, Orson Welles plays a former Nazi who's hiding from the police in Connecticut. He also directs the movie, so if you're a fan of his work, you'll be highly entertained by all his signature styles. For the rest of you, there's one big issue that may sour the experience. The plot is ridiculous. This isn't a simple story about a Nazi hiding in plain sight. No. This is THE Nazi. Welles plays the architect of the concentration camps and there's even footage of the actual concentration camps so people in 1946 could understand the magnitude of this man's terror. And it gets better. There's only ONE person on the planet who can identify THE Nazi and he's leading a detective, played by Edward G. Robinson, to his location. Maybe I'm watching this movie through my cynical 2015 eyes, but how is any of this possible? How is there only ONE person that can identify the architect of the concentration camps? Why is the architect of the concentration camps hiding in America - of all places? And why doesn't Orson Welles have a German accent? What is he, Sean Connery? He only has ONE accent? I'm sorry, but this movie is way too silly for me to take seriously. I was laughing through half of it. C I watched The Stranger for the first time last week, I quite enjoyed it. |
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Post by PhantomKnight on Jun 20, 2020 13:45:40 GMT -5
The Night of the Hunter (1955)
I'm pleased to say that The Night of the Hunter is one of those classic movies worthy of its reputation. It's one that came out pretty much in the midst of some of Alfred Hitchcock's most widely-known and well-regarded films, and personally, I think it's able to pretty easily rank up there with some of those, or at least not too far behind them. The movie can be described as something of a horror thriller (without some of the more overt hallmarks of the genre), as it's about a serial killer hunting down some kids who have something he wants, and the movie has some pretty striking Gothic-like imagery to further hammer home that tone. But also, it's kind of a twisted bedtime story. Films around this time WERE being filmed in color, but the decision to have this one be black and white pays off, cause it's some of the best use of it I've ever seen. Director Charles Laughton gets some really strong shots here that take full advantage of shadow, silhouette and smoke/fog, especially when he wants to ramp up the tension and mystery. Another big aspect of this movie's success is Robert Mitchum as Harry Powell, the villain. If anything else, Mitchum makes Powell a memorable presence. He brings a certain snakelike charisma to the character, but also a certain...I want to say theatricality. A lot of his lines are delivered in this sort of big, booming voice that has the potential to veer over into silly territory, but the fact that Powell is also a preacher works in his favor because men in that job would sort of need to have that quality anyway. The scenes in the middle that have Powell intimidating the children are great, because the tension is wound tight as a coil during this section.
If there's anywhere where the movie sort of lags, it's in the last half hour. There, the pace sort of lags a little and I understand why the story needed to go in that direction, but I still can't help feeling that some of the air and suspense is deflated just a little because the danger isn't as immediate as it was before.
Still, I can't deny the downright effectiveness of this movie, and it's a shame that this was apparently so poorly received initially, that it made Charles Laughton never direct again.
***1/2 /****
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Post by Neverending on Nov 2, 2020 21:15:28 GMT -5
HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940) Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell) is leaving her life behind as an ace reporter and moving to upstate New York to wed an insurance man and become a housewife and mother. But before she does, she has one last story to cover, a cop killer on death row. The plot sounds more serious than it is. It’s a screwball comedy co-starring Cary Grant. Most of the film centers around Hildy juggling her urge to be a journalist and her future domestication. It's a very feminist movie but without beating your head over it. Russell’s portrayal of Hildy paved the way for Lucille Ball and the blueprint for Lois Lane. The film is a bit stagy and the humor is a bit dated — but it’s fun — thanks in part to the charm of the cast.
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Post by Doomsday on Nov 3, 2020 12:45:49 GMT -5
I watched His Girl Friday before a date years and years ago. I met this chick in a bar, she told me her favorite movie was His Girl Friday, then when we met up again I watched it just to impress her. She never called me back after that date. Fuck that movie.
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Post by PG Cooper on Nov 3, 2020 13:15:25 GMT -5
I watched His Girl Friday before a date years and years ago. I met this chick in a bar, she told me her favorite movie was His Girl Friday, then when we met up again I watched it just to impress her. She never called me back after that date. Fuck that movie. What a bitch. |
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Post by Wyldstaar on Nov 3, 2020 15:44:36 GMT -5
HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940)Hildy Johnson (Rosalind Russell) is leaving her life behind as an ace reporter and moving to upstate New York to wed an insurance man and become a housewife and mother. But before she does, she has one last story to cover, a cop killer on death row. The plot sounds more serious than it is. It’s a screwball comedy co-starring Cary Grant. Most of the film centers around Hildy juggling her urge to be a journalist and her future domestication. It's a very feminist movie but without beating your head over it. Russell’s portrayal of Hildy paved the way for Lucille Ball and the blueprint for Lois Lane. The film is a bit stagy and the humor is a bit dated — but it’s fun — thanks in part to the charm of the cast. If you find the film to be, "a bit stagy" that's no real surprise. It's based on the stage play The Front Page (1928). I've been meaning to watch the original movie version of The Front Page (1931) because it came with the Criterion Collection bluray of His Girl Friday, but haven't gotten around to it yet. I have seen the 1974 remake of The Front Page, and it was terrible. Switching Channels (1986) was a lackluster attempt at a modern update that didn't quite work, but was still far better than the 1974 film. |
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Post by Neverending on Mar 4, 2023 2:25:16 GMT -5
Instead of a 3rd 48 Hrs., can SnoBorderZero give me another Sinbad movie? And no, not Sinbad the comedian. Thank you. |
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Post by SnoBorderZero on Mar 4, 2023 12:50:41 GMT -5
Sony will do it.
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Post by Neverending on Nov 2, 2023 3:36:57 GMT -5
A HARD DAY’S NIGHT (1964) This movie is borderline great. It’s mostly funny. I love Paul’s grandfather. It’s well-shot, well-edited. The soundtrack is great. But it does run a tad long (in spite of its 90-minute runtime) and they pad out the movie a bit at the end. I like that the Beatles are presented as young goofballs that love to harass their grown-up handlers, but still show up to work and are professional. Not all of the vignettes work. As I said, they could have trimmed it a bit. I also got the sense they didn’t know what to do with John Lennon. All his scenes come across as random and aimless. Ringo is the punching bag. He’s great, by the way. They made George the smartass. They gave Paul a prop by adding the grandfather character. Then there’s John. lol. But the soundtrack is very much his, so he gets to shine in the musical numbers, which are all great. Anyhoo, Now & Then and the remixed Love Me Do (using Peter Jackson technology) come out at 10am Eastern time. See ya then.
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Post by Neverending on Nov 2, 2023 23:59:30 GMT -5
A Shot in the Dark I watched The Pink Panther a year or two ago and remember being completely underwhelmed. I think Peter Sellers is really funny, but that movie just... wasn't. I was confused as to why it became a big comedy franchise. But now after watching the sequel, A Shot in the Dark, I get it. A Shot in the Dark focuses its attention of the bumbling character of Inspector Clouseau, brilliantly played by Sellers who really shows his stuff like we know he can. The story is pinned on a classic Clue-like murder mystery, but the way Clouseau (I have no idea if I'm spelling that right, but am also not going to open a new tab to find out (oh hey, it shows up in the spellcheck, how about that)) handles it is where Shot in the Dark sets itself apart. Its a great mixed of verbal and physical comedy, all of which is rooted in character, which generally produces the best results. As much as Pink Panther disappointed me, there was an incredible sequence involving a ridiculous back and forth car chase that was great. There's no set piece quite on that level here, but because the movie is far more consistently funny and interesting, it far surpasses its predecessor regardless. Some of my favourite parts were the date where they are followed by the assassin, when he arrives at the nudist colony, and the running gag of the paddywagon. This lives up to its reputation as a comedy classic. 8.5/10
That first Pink Panther movie is pretty much not what you'd expect it to be. Peter Sellers is only a supporting role, and it's a bit long and casually paced for a caper comedy. I don't think I liked it very much on my first viewing, but it sat very well with me and it just kind of aged kindly. Second time I watched it I adored it. A Shot in the Dark though is a stone cold comedy gem. Of the other Panther movies I'd probably say Return and Strikes Back are worth checking out. Skip the rest.  Pink Panther and Shot in the Dark are both okay. Pink Panther might be a bit cleverer, script-wise, but they both suffer from the same issue. Clouseau is a bit too stupid. In Pink Panther it's fine cause the premise hinges on him unknowingly being married to the villain's accomplice, but in Shot in the Dark, he falls in love with the suspect and never actually accomplishes anything. The movie "solves" the case for him. What is great about Peter Sellers as Clouseau is that he may be an idiot but he cares and wants to serve justice. The scripts for these two movies laugh at him instead of laughing with him. The movies would have been better if Clouseau, in spite of his weaknesses, actually got the job done. By the way, anyone notice that William Peter Blatty (of Exorcist fame) co-wrote the script for Shot in the Dark? Apparently, he regularly collaborated with Blake Edwards in the 1960's. |
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Post by Doomsday on Nov 19, 2023 12:20:48 GMT -5
I decided to dedicate the past few days to watching Les Vampires, one of the earliest entries from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book that I haven't seen. It's a serial and not a straight feature and it clocks in at over 8 hours. I'm barely halfway done and as much as I enjoy silent film, thats a lot of silent film. If it were up to me this would count as 3 or 4 entries on Letterboxd and not just one.
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Post by Dracula on Nov 19, 2023 12:54:41 GMT -5
I decided to dedicate the past few days to watching Les Vampires, one of the earliest entries from the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die book that I haven't seen. It's a serial and not a straight feature and it clocks in at over 8 hours. I'm barely halfway done and as much as I enjoy silent film, thats a lot of silent film. If it were up to me this would count as 3 or 4 entries on Letterboxd and not just one. It's only about seven hours if you're watching it at the right frame-rate. |
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