Last movie seen — Page 240

This new resurgence comes from the charges that were originally trumped up, IIRC even the DA at the time has gone on record with the same statement. These "did they/didn't they" issues always taint the artist's career and life, and it always becomes the elephant in the room whenever discussing them.

You can't exactly get around it. For example my mom is still convinced Allen and Polanski are perverts and nothing else. Of course there are many, many extenuating circumstances that prevent such snap judgements, and overall you can't help but feel sorry for all parties involved that this whole thing must be dragged through the mud in big headlines.

Personally, I think these types of charges are about the worst thing that an innocent man can be accused of. Just awful to think about, as I've been reading Errol Flynn's autobiography where he went through a nasty underage rape trial that was simply a political takedown because Warner Bros. hadn't bankrolled the right protection rackets.

Ugh, back to the OT.

The Mankewicz Trilogy:

Diamonds Are Forever, Live and Let Die, The Man With The Golden Gun

All ridiculously brilliant, low key, small scale, pure 70's greatness. LALD is my favorite film of all time.

Ultimate mad balls in a minibus. On Laserdisc obviously.

Point Blank

A classic, and stunningly out there for a studio picture, PB stars the meanest sonofabitch Lee Marvin in a role that is beautifully underplayed. This is an engaging and extremely engrossing picture that is very French New Wave in its construction but ultimately feels a bit hollow.

4 balls out of 4 long hallway corridors where Lee Marvin is walking with no other goal but your death and his 93 grand.

You Can't Take It With You

It may not be real, but it's honest pure Capra magic. Nice to see such iconic actors in different kinds of roles, especially Lionel Barrymore in such a kindly part. And isn't Jean Arthur just adorable??

4 balls out of 4 basement firework factories. One of the great American classics.

The Shop Around the Corner

You could toss all romantic comedies for all I care. This is one of the most heartfelt, endearing, genuine and touching studio pictures ever released. All that is said about the "Lubitsch touch" isn't just hot air. Understandably this film was remade at least several times in various insipid iterations. But this one has a lead dynamic that is unparalleled in genuine feeling.

For all those who think that Jimmy Stewart merely played himself and couldn't act, try to not be on the edge of your seat in the last five minutes of one of the screen's greatest romantic confessionals.

4 balls out of 4. One of the great films.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Finally got around to seeing this. OH MY GOD! Murder, Death, Madness, Obsession, Alcoholism, Alienation, Science, Morbid humor, 50's underwater photography, Technicolor, serious plotting, an actual narrative scope, three of the screen's finest actors and GIANT SQUID.

This is MY kind of Disney film. Wow. Walt's desire to do something serious and dramatic paid off in dividends. They managed to do the novel straight, come up with new effects to do so, photograph in Technicolor Cinemascope in its very early usage with the problematic lenses, and sell it to children!

This is magical! Honest literary adaptations for children? You can do this and provoke actual deep thoughts? And they let you?

Admittedly the opening 15-20 minutes or so is very slow  but as soon as the Nautilus attacks the film just takes off.

4 balls out of 4.

New all time favorite Disney productions ranked:

1. Pinocchio

2. 1950's Zorro series

3. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

4. Everything else.

Wolfman said:

I thought I would seek this film out again after DuracellEnergiser mentioned it as his favorite bad movie. I had not seen this in years and remembered nothing about it at all apart from the poster which I think is really good. I actually thought it was okay and could do with a good release on blu in 3D though that's never gonna happen. Maybe have a double package with 'The Humanoid', my favorite bad movie.

 

 The title was a recurring quip on MST3K, even though they never actually did this movie. Pity Universal dumped it out on DVD in pan and scan. Maybe Shout Factory will rescue it?

Is The Humanoid the one with Richard Kiel?

Anybody seen the new Robocop? I was assuming it was awful and wasn't going to waste my money. But although some have reviewed it very badly...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j854QY1vQ7g

(Skip to 7.15 for a mega rant including the phrase "Stunned by the mediocrity" NSFW)

...including one side of the BBC...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b03tryty/Film_2014_Episode_3/

...while the other side of the beeb and others have quite liked it. Mark Kermode for example...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbehua5MhO8

I'd really loathe spending my movie-going money on a cheap cash-in but if it's actually good, I'd like to see it... hmmm

It's a PG-13 remake of a classic 80's movie, that was a very hard R, and had to dodge an X rating for it's violence back in the day. What could go wrong? ;)

I just hope this doesn't mean there's a Terminator reboot in the near future.

Lost in America (1985)

and 

The Jerk (1979)

All I can say is that these both might have benefited from decidedly darker endings (i.e. the wife permanently leaving in Lost in America and ending The Jerk with Navan actually becoming a bum and not being rescued)

Lost in America was far superior, in my mind, but I did enjoy both.

Tack said:

I just hope this doesn't mean there's a Terminator reboot in the near future.

 'Terminator: Genesis' coming 2015

Tack said:

I just hope this doesn't mean there's a Terminator reboot in the near future.

Lost in America (1985)

and 

The Jerk (1979)

All I can say is that these both might have benefited from decidedly darker endings (i.e. the wife permanently leaving in Lost in America and ending The Jerk with Navan actually becoming a bum and not being rescued)

Lost in America was far superior, in my mind, but I did enjoy both.

 Steve Martin's character was too much of an innocent for a dark ending to work. And as it was his first movie, (not counting the cameo in the Sgt. Pepper musical) I doubt the studio would take a chance like that.

The studio would have found a way to wiggle out of it if there was enough money to be had.

Look how Beneath the Planet of the Apes ended, and Fox still found a way to make sequels.

SilverWook said:

Tack said:

I just hope this doesn't mean there's a Terminator reboot in the near future.

Lost in America (1985)

and 

The Jerk (1979)

All I can say is that these both might have benefited from decidedly darker endings (i.e. the wife permanently leaving in Lost in America and ending The Jerk with Navan actually becoming a bum and not being rescued)

Lost in America was far superior, in my mind, but I did enjoy both.

 Steve Martin's character was too much of an innocent for a dark ending to work. And as it was his first movie, (not counting the cameo in the Sgt. Pepper musical) I doubt the studio would take a chance like that.

 I suppose you're right.

Would have given it a hell of an identity though.

It will forever be the film that exposed the horrors of cat juggling to me. ;)

Johnny Ringo said:

Knights of Badassdom.

Expectation - fun action comedy.

Reality - poorly paced slasher movie with terrible gore effects.

The best bits really are in the trailer...but it's like a trailer fora completely different movie.

no balls.

 There has been a dispute between the producer and director over final cut.

http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/72781/knights-badassdom-begin-marching-february#axzz2nJ5Pw3Yu

It's been so long since the movie was featured in the documentary Men In Suits, I was wondering if it was ever coming out.

SilverWook said:

The studio would have found a way to wiggle out of it if there was enough money to be had.

Look how Beneath the Planet of the Apes ended, and Fox still found a way to make sequels.

 Best ever example. If I ever teach screenwriting, this was the example I plan to use.

Well that and the incredible story of how James Bond returned in You Only Live Twice to a Spy Who Loved Me which became The Spy Who Loved Me in a Moonraker aka Goldfinger '77/Thunderball '79. The rough elements are the same sadly.

Apes Live! is probably the coolest short internal memo in Hollywood history.

Personally, I thought it was clever how they continued the series. The whole saga became a tragic time loop from which there doesn't seem to be any escape.