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captainsolo said:

If you want to see a real prison film, there is a WB 30's picture that was far truer to life and delved deeply into the black that eventually became noir. Cold, tough, brutal and ultimately a tragedy this is the great forgotten American classic I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang.

I said this.

So I watched the film again.

LMS: I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang (1932)

This is a dark, gritty, nasty, blistering, scathing piece of work that goes up and down a continual roller coaster of the American societal structure. It is an indictment of the chain gang prison system but also a microcosm of our inherent societal oversights. Paul Muni gives what is his best performance (forget Scarface) as the main character, a returning WWI veteran who only wants to fulfill himself as a great doer of things, like any other man has ever wanted to do. But the world refuses to let him.

And so it begins. From returning decorated soldier to jobbing worker to traveling worker to hobo to being the wrong man in the wrong place at the wrong time. This lands him on the chain gang, for an extremely overdone sentence of 10 years. And this is not prison, it isn't even quite Earth any longer. It is Hell. A Hell that exists for only one thing, to absolutely destroy a man.

Any normal film would focus on the prison, the term served, the plans for escape but it is the mark of greatness that has the plot go outside and watch a man re-establish himself amongst society with some actual success. The sheer adeptness of the filmmaking process on this, a 1932 WB picture, is astounding. Mervin LeRoy had just made Little Caesar, but that was no indication for the giant leap forward in technique displayed here. This is a beyond taut picture, brilliantly suspenseful throughout and vividly puts you right alongside the innocent man for not just a section but the entire duration of the film!

And being a PreCode film, it pulls no punches. And gosh is it wonderful to not have to deal with the sidestepping.

The controversy caused by the film's scathing depiction of the chain gang system was justified in that not only was it based on a real ex-con's memoir, but that the scenarios are largely if not fully accurate. The public outrage upon learning of of this essentially caused the reform that ended the gangs.

This is an honest picture, and this honesty combined with an incredible cinematic quality is the key to its effectiveness. This has all the mighty power of the classic Warner storytelling machine with the weight of a true social drama.

And the ending is truly haunting. Not one of those that merely sticks with you, but genuinely and definitively haunting and to be perfectly honest foretelling the onset of film noir.

A forgotten American masterpiece along the likes of The Grapes of Wrath. 4 stars. Storytelling perfection. One of the best films of the 30's, one of the best films the studio ever made and unforgettable. THE Prison film.

See it by all means. Buy, rent, anything.

It also may be the first film where a person hides from pursuers by diving into a lake and breathing through a reed. It absolutely 100% influenced the same scene in Dr. No right down to the guard dogs.

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

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zombie84 said:

Bloodsport is actually a very good movie, accounting for that 1980s factor. I had no idea Cyborg had a directors cut! I would love to see that. Supposedly the film started off as a sequel to Masters of the Universe, believe it or not. Even though a lot of people consider that to be a "bad" movie, I actually really like it, along with Superman 4. It's the film that is closest to the comic books at the time, so if you hate 1980s Superman comics I understand why you don't get it, but personally it feels dishonest when Superman fans hate on that film. It's one of the more accurate Superman story depictions, hate it if you want but then hate most issues of the whole damn thing too and stay home. The special effects suck, but so does most Superman comic artwork of that era.

http://www.whmpodcast.com/2011/05/episode-14-superman-iii-iv-part-two.html

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Tobar said:

Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

The '80s were magical. Man do I love this movie. It'd been a while since I'd last seen it and when I found it on blu-ray I knew it was meant to be. John Carpenter is amazing. We have him to thank for Big Trouble in Little China, The Thing, They Live... Actually thinking about it...I wonder why he didn't/couldn't get Kurt Russell for They Live. I mean I love that film as is but now I can't help but wonder what it would have been like if he'd starred in it. Anyway, this film really shook the pillars of heaven. Oh and you know what else did? This music video.

Kon-Tiki (2012)

Saw a trailer for this a while ago and have been looking forward to it for a while now. So last night when I randomly decided to see what was playing at my local limited run theater I ran out there when I saw that they were playing this. Fantastic film! Excellently written, directed and performed. I was really quite surprised by the excellent visual effects throughout the film from the recreation of 1940's New York to the various sea life it was all superb. Another thing I was surprised by was I think they shot two different versions of the film as the film I saw was entirely in English and wasn't dubbed. Meanwhile I've seen trailers that have scenes in Norwegian. Anyway, as I said a fantastic film that never bores but kept me on the edge of my seat a number of times. They took a crazy risk doing what they did and now I have to learn more about Thor Heyerdahl.

Big Trouble was actually the last film I watched. Its an absolute classic. I've got all of Carpenters best from that era, Escape from New York, the Thing, Big Trouble, They Live. What a golden era that was. "Like I told my ex wife I said honey I never drive faster than I can see. Besides that, its all in the reflexes." Strange Plinkett didnt mention him in his everyday schlub who becomes the hero reference? Oh well. 

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As posted elsewhere I took a rare trip to the picture palace yesterday to see Star Trek II:2 and there was a trailer from the already much slagged off World War Z film.

The footage in no way resembled anything from the book but it actually looked interesting and unlike any zombie apocalypse film yet made.

It would be funny if it turned out to be the new Titanic (a film that everyone seemed to think would tank but made a fortune).

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I saw Trek 2013 and wanted to note that the standard DLP looked and sounded like crap in comparison to the Imax 3D which had stunning detail and better sound.

Could be because Imax has their techs go in and set things up and the Loews AMC people have no clue what they are doing.  Sound way too loud etc.

The standard DLP was said to be in 4k and i have seen more impressive blu rays because it looked like DVNR'ed to death video.  NO real detail or sharpness to the image and no film grain.  They made a big deal about it being Sony 4k, either it was an upscale or Sony 4k sucks.

The film deserves 2 to 2 and a half stars as an action film.  Story wise if i took points off for not being an original story, there would be negative stars.

I really liked the new warp drive effect with the plasma trail.  Not my fave one but its up there.  The music however was good but not enough original stuff too much reprise from the 2009 film.  Maybe i was just expecting to be blown away like i was with James Horner's Star Trek II music, which was just as good if not better than Jerry Goldsmith's Music for star trek the motion picture.

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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Brideshead Revisited (2009).

This time Adywan has gone too far. He has changed the story so much it hardly makes sense to keep the title. It's plays more like a boring Tom Ripley film than a Charles Ryder movie. I hope Harmy does a nice restoration of the television series.

One coming out ball.

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Shadow People (2013)

It's an interesting style (half way between a found footage and a conventional supernatural thriller). It's well acted and too but it's just not scary which is sad considering the subject matter.

I also found the shoe horned in female nudity to be a bit surplus to requirements.

Like White Noise (2005) and unlike The Mothman Prophecies (2002) it just doesn't do justice to a fascinating premise.

Maybe this time around the Japanese of the Koreans should remake the film because they do this sort of thing so much better.

2 Boobz.

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Now You See Me.

Starts out interesting but kinda goes down hill and falls apart a bit at the end. It might have been a lot better if they'd spent even a little bit of time developing the characters.

2 balls.

 

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Still been on a EGR and Cagney run:

Kid Galahad-great little boxing picture, with well written parts for Eddie and Bette Davis. Bogie is the evil gangster figure. Some influence on Raging Bull. 3.5 balls out of 4 fixed fights.

Each Dawn I Die-GREAT prison film where Cagney is a reporter falsely accused of murder to shut him up. He is thrown in prison and when he cannot be proved innocent, begins to crack up and go into the mean Cagney mode we all love. George Raft is the smooth convict who befriend Jimmy. A classic. 3.5 balls out of 4 stints in solitary.

The Roaring Twenties-an epic of sorts, with all the classic touchstones of gangster pictures. Obvious influence on Scorsese. This is Cagney and Bogie together during Prohibition. What's not to love?? 3.5 balls out of 4 gin joints.

Here's everything else:

Once Upon a Time in China (one of the worst DVD transfers from a major studio I’ve ever seen) Three balls out of 4.

Once Upon a Time in China II (Ditto) Two balls out of four rope fights.

Once Upon a Time in China III One and a half balls out of 4 bad subtitles.

The Hangover 3 (Unbelievably dumb and pointless filler) ZERO BALLS

City for Conquest 3.5 balls out of 4.

Yankee Doodle Dandy-FOUR BALLS. A CLASSIC in surprising ways.

King’s Row-3.5 balls out of 4. The only good movie that stars Ronald Regan.

Once a Thief-3.5 balls out of 4. A Great comedy/caper film with surprising depth from John Woo in his classic period. This is Chow Yun-fat in full Cary Grant mode.

Hitchcock-1 ball. A terribly dull picture that is about a caricature and not the man or his life.

Iron Man 3-two balls out of four. Coming from Shane Black, I had hoped for more wit and worth but could care less as long as there will be a Kiss Kiss Bang Bang 2.

Blood and Wine-An odd low budget 90's picture reuniting Bob Rafelson with Jack Nicholson AND adding Michael Caine. The potential is massive but this is a flat, cheap and empty movie. Two balls at best.

Lady Killer-a darkly funny preCode Cagney picture where a gangster is forced out of town, abandoned by his mob and inadvertently becomes a Hollywood star. 3.5 balls out of 4.

The Fighting 69th-A WWI picture about the titular regiment, produced as a WWII propaganda piece. Cagney is excellent in a different role, that of a blustery coward. 3 balls out of 4.

Torrid Zone-A great snappy picture-though a remake of an earlier Clark Gable film-and featuring elements of later Warner classics equals pure delight. This is Cagney and Ann Sheridan (love!) consistently outdoing each other on a banana plantation in the tropics whilst fighting off indignant rebels. Sheer fun. 3.5 balls out of 4.

 

Man of Steel-a dull movie where the actors give it their all but are consistently dragged down by the surrounding movie. The camerawork is absolute garbage filled with shakycam and incessant forced zooms. This is both no fun and missing humanity. There is no spark, no life, no vitality to this picture at all. It is as frustrating as Superman Returns. 1.5 balls at best.

 

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

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I watched The Fall (2006). I liked it. I am not sure how I haven't heard of it before.

真実

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To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar (1995)

My former roommate gave me this for my birthday three years ago, but I never sat down to watch it until now.  It's... well, I can't say it's good, and, even though it's a positive portrayal of drag queens, it already feels rather dated.  The idea to have the characters constantly be in drag every moment of every day is ridiculous but also rather funny, but it does make me wonder if this would have been better suited for transgender characters rather than drag queens.  But it has a lot of heart, even if its story is pretty thin and hollow.  The real draw, though, is getting to see Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, and John Leguizzamo portray drag queens.  Their performances are amazing and lift up a rather pedestrian story about oddballs shaking up a small town.

I'd say it gets mired in stereotypes, but at least it's even-handed.  Yeah, the small-town heterosexuals are clueless and dumb, but the drag queens are also petty and bitchy.  There are straight jokes, gay jokes, black, jokes, white jokes, Hispanic jokes, so it's all across the board.

There is no lingerie in space…

C3PX said: Gaffer is like that hot girl in high school that you think you have a chance with even though she is way out of your league because she is sweet and not a stuck up bitch who pretends you don’t exist… then one day you spot her making out with some skinny twerp, only on second glance you realize it is the goth girl who always sits in the back of class; at that moment it dawns on you why she is never seen hanging off the arm of any of the jocks… and you realize, damn, she really is unobtainable after all. Not that that is going to stop you from dreaming… Only in this case, Gaffer is actually a guy.

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So did nobody here actually see Man of Steel this weekend?

I did, and I enjoyed it immensely. It's the perfect fusion of the artsy, angsty, character-driven Chris Nolan superhero approach and the visual, fast-paced, over-the-top, action overload Zack Synder approach. It shouldn't work as well as it does, but as a lifelong Superman fan this is a fantastic film. I have a feeling some people who aren't action fans may find the last hour a bit too much, but hell that's the way Superman stories are and the way this film should be. Good mix of old and new, in terms of the mythology. Russel Crowe was amazing in this film, as was Costner, and Henry Caville definitely gives Chris Reeves a run for his money. The films are so different that it's difficult to even compare them though. Overall, I'd say this is the Superman film I had always wanted but never thought possible, just because of the combination of talent and technology that luckily aligned here. I hope they bring back the same team for the inevitable sequel--Chris Nolan especially. I actually like Zack Synder's work, but it's the human side of this story that makes it resonate, and even I can't pretend that isn't due to Chris Nolan. Anyway, really good film, I'd like to see it on the big screen again.

I was impressed they really embraced the sci-fi elements of Superman, and those over the top action moments--Superman has always been like that, but sadly the only film to really play with those was Superman IV. Lex Luthor is nowhere to be found and thank god. I have a feeling he will be in the sequel, but it's nice to have the second out of 6 Superman films without the overplayed Lex Luthor. Hopefully in the sequel he can have command of giant robots and stuff like he does in the comics but they couldn't bring to life in past films.

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Man Of Steel

Disappointed.  I wanted to like this film so much, but came away empty and thinking nothing of the film at all. :(

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Hopefully it was the original cut of The Warriors that you saw ?

After reading Adywans review of Man Of Steel, I think I better go see the film again. Lol !

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One of the CNN anchors just referred to Superman Returns as a box office flop. *sigh*

Warner's marketing MOS as a Christian allegory is a little weird, since Superman's creators Siegel and Shuster were Jewish.

Forum Moderator

Where were you in '77?

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Little Voice

Nice British film.

“Grow up. These are my Disney's movies, not yours.”

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Theatrical version

Awesome ! I went to Coney Island when I visited New York last year. Had a picture taken by the Wonder Wheel.

I meant to say Zombie's post about Man of Steel, not Adywan. It's been a long day !

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SilverWook said:


Warner's marketing MOS as a Christian allegory is a little weird, since Superman's creators Siegel and Shuster were Jewish.


Who cares about faithfulness to the original source material when you can just knock off the Reeve movie for the nth time?

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DuracellEnergizer said:

 

SilverWook said:


Warner's marketing MOS as a Christian allegory is a little weird, since Superman's creators Siegel and Shuster were Jewish.


Who cares about faithfulness to the original source material when you can just knock off the Reeve movie for the nth time?

 

Haven't seen MOS yet. I thought the whole point of this particular reboot was to get away from the other films?

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Where were you in '77?

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Man Of Steel

I really liked it. Yeah, there were problems, but overall I thought it was pretty good.

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