What was the last movie you saw?

[AE35Unit]

 

[JunkMonkey]

Octoman - very dull 1971 Creature From The Black Lagoon wannabee that went on and on and on and on. Jeff 'The Giant Claw' Morrow's name was on the credits to add some B movie heft but appeared in only one scene before disappearing from the plot. Obviously low budget, but if you're shooting a movie mostly set at night you would have thought someone would have thought to budget for the hire of a couple of lights and a generator.

 

[nixie]

I've just sat and watched the latest version of Children of the Corn. I kept watching thinking it can't get worse. Was I wrong.q

 

[KGeo777]

HARRY IN YOUR POCKET - 1973 - James Coburn and Walter Pidgeon are professional pickpockets who recruit Michael Sarrazin and Trish Van Devere as "stalls," the person who distracts the "mark" so the "cannon" can grab their wallet (a glossary will follow the review). It is picturesque--they go from Seattle to Victoria BC (there's a neat sequence where they throw bread to seagulls flying alongside the ship in slow motion) and Salt Lake City. But is it a story worth telling?
Ehhh. It is made by Bruce Geller who created Mission: Impossible--and it has some similarities but the story is pretty flimsy. The ending is suggesting that there is honor among thieves.

• Cannon - The pickpocket, the leader of the group in this case. Also, apparently, the police slang term for same.
• Poke - The wallet, the object of the theft.
• Dip - The act of taking the poke.
• Stall - Members of the team, working under the cannon who distract or "artfully stumble" into people giving the chance for the dip to occur.
• Kick - any area on a person where a poke commonly resides. For instance, a prat kick is the mark's back pocket; the patch kick is the outside pocket in a suit jacket.
• Mark - The intended victim.
• Steer - The member of the team who selects marks and telegraphs to the stalls and cannon where the poke will be found.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

I liked that one pretty well. Not a lot of plot, indeed. More of a slice of (criminal) life.

 

[Jeffbert]

Batman and Robin (1949) A Saturday afternoon kids' serial, apparently this and its predecessor Batman were shown at the Playboy mansion, & inspired the Batman series of my own youth. However, unlike the one I grew-up with, this one's cliff hanger endings are such that, somehow, regardless of how attentive the viewers were, they always missed the good guys escaping just before the cars go over the cliff, etc. Fortunately, the recap in the next segment always shows how the good guys escaped.

15, count 'em, fifteen segments to this one. A villain calling himself the Wizard, has devised a device that can take remote control over vehicles. Definitely kids' stuff; I was in electronics for a while, & to do so, you need both the remote control transmitter, and not only a receiver, in the vehicle to be controlled, but also servo-motors, etc., connected to the steering, gas and brake pedals. But, this is Saturday afternoon kids' stuff, so none of that is needed here. There is a big red herring to throw suspicion on an innocent man, and the actual identity of the Wizard is a newly introduced character.

Oh, almost forgot: Robin's cape is black. Seems more masculine than the yellow one.

The cast has just one familiar name, Commissioner Jim Gordon (Lyle Talbot), though one henchman's voice seems familiar.


Starting yesterday, another serial, BUCK RODGERS is on TCM Saturday mornings.

 

[Jeffbert]

But those boobies!

No jiggles, though! She moved very carefully to avoid any jiggles.

 

[Jeffbert]

Prom Night II: Hello, Mary Lou (1987) dir. Bruce Pittman; starring Lisa Schrage, Michael Ironside, Wendy Lyon, Louis Ferreira

I watched the first Prom Night several years ago. It starred Jamie Lee Curtis and stands as an example of why she distanced herself from horror movies not long after – underwritten characters, poor effects and cinematography, tepid direction, and her the only good thing about it.

This one is, surprisingly, better. I’m not sure I’d say it’s good, but it’s entertaining. The direction and editing are sharper, and there’s good use of 1950s music throughout.

In 1957, hurt, jilted boyfriend, Bill, carelessly sets fire to the dress worn by Homecoming Queen, Mary Lou, at the prom and watches in horror as she’s consumed (a somewhat Carrie-like scene). Still, maybe the scariest thing about the movie is the thought of Michael Ironside as a high school principal, which is compounded by him being the older Bill. (What school board in their right mind would hire someone with “accidental arsonist” on their resume? It’s the same high school where Mary Lou was consumed.) In the course of looking for a dress in the theater classes’ prop room, Vicki (Lyon), disturbs the old trunk that apparently housed the vengeful spirit of Mary Lou (Schrage). Hilarity ensues as Vicki gets possessed.

There’s a nice progression of scenes as Vicki becomes more Mary Lou over time, and Mary Lou takes vengeance on the later generation of high school students while trying to enjoy her new prom. Pay special attention to Vicki’s boyfriend, Craig (Ferreira). It’s an early role for a guy who has had a long career as a character actor, appearing in everything from 21 Jump Street to ER to Arrow to The X-Files (reboot) and The Man in the High Castle and Westworld.

I recall two songs about Mary Lou, one was Hello Mary Lou (goodbye heart), obviously relevant here, the other, cannot recall the title, but was about everything Mary Lou took from the guy.

 

[Randy M.]

I recall two songs about Mary Lou, one was Hello Mary Lou (goodbye heart), obviously relevant here, the other, cannot recall the title, but was about everything Mary Lou took from the guy.

Both are used, at least I think the last one was used; I don't recall ever hearing the song before. The first one, "Hello Mary Lou, goodbye heart" was used, as sung by Ricky Nelson.

 

[KGeo777]

I liked that one pretty well. Not a lot of plot, indeed. More of a slice of (criminal) life.

Pidgeon is a pickpocket in TWO-MINUTE WARNING 1976. I assuming this movie influenced that casting decision.

 

[paranoid marvin]

Robin Redbreast

A largely forgotten gem from the 1970. B&W thriller/horror, very much in the vein of the later Wicker Man, with an equally satisfying twist that can be worked out if your watch it carefully. It was actually released as a 'Play for Today' on the BBC, at a time when the corporation was at the top of its game in relation to this type of programme.

Well worth 99p of anyone's money on Amazon Prime.

 

[Judderman]

Gosford Park (2001). One of the greatest casts of all time. Almost too good as some of the brilliant actors hardly have a line.
A precursor to Downton Abbey by the same writer.

Reptile (2023). Very good murder investigation movie. Slick and doesn’t get dull. Also a strong cast.

 

[JunkMonkey]

No jiggles, though! She moved very carefully to avoid any jiggles.

I'm not sure the French film industry do jiggles. Name one female French film star that could jiggle even if she was bouncing on a trampline.

 

[AE35Unit]

The Nest
Jude Law in some yawn inducing "horror"
The nest was empty.

 

[Jeffbert]

From Beyond the Grave (1974) When will TCM show Tales From the Crypt? As many times as I have seen From Beyond the Grave, I have yet to see Tales From the Crypt.

Well, for the umpteenth time, I watched and enjoyed Tales From the Crypt, though, I cannot pick a favorite story. The one with the mirror may have influenced the guy who writes / draws One Piece. Hmm.

 

[Judderman]

The Nest
Jude Law in some yawn inducing "horror"
The nest was empty.

Not a bad film but was more of a drama wasn’t it? A little bit of thriller element. A ghost in the manor could have spiced things up.

 

[AE35Unit]

Not a bad film but was more of a drama wasn’t it? A little bit of thriller element. A ghost in the manor could have spiced things up.

Dull as ditchwater

 

[Jeffbert]

The Long Night (1947) Who'da thunk Vincent Price would be in a Noir film?

Maximilian (Vincent Price) is a stage magician, who dies in the 1st few minutes of the film. Frank Dunlap (Elisha Cook Jr.) witnesses M's tumble down the steps in the apartment building, except that he is blind. Holed-up in the apartment where the murder occurred, Joe Adams (Henry Fonda) refuses to surrender to the police, and the flashback tells how and why he shot and killed Maximilian.

Joe Adams met Jo Ann (Barbara Bel Geddes) while working at his job, and the two became friends. Enter Maximilian, whose interest in Jo Ann is mysterious, and suspect.

Interesting film, glad I saw it.

 

[Randy M.]

The Long Night (1947) Who'da thunk Vincent Price would be in a Noir film?

Laura, 1944? I'm more surprised by Fonda being in noir, though I'm not sure how most actors would have avoided noir in the 1940s.

Maximilian (Vincent Price) is a stage magician, who dies in the 1st few minutes of the film. Frank Dunlap (Elisha Cook Jr.) witnesses M's tumble down the steps in the apartment building, except that he is blind. Holed-up in the apartment where the murder occurred, Joe Adams (Henry Fonda) refuses to surrender to the police, and the flashback tells how and why he shot and killed Maximilian.

Joe Adams met Jo Ann (Barbara Bel Geddes) while working at his job, and the two became friends. Enter Maximilian, whose interest in Jo Ann is mysterious, and suspect.

Interesting film, glad I saw it.

Sounds interesting. I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

 

[AE35Unit]

Chariot (2013)
7 people wake up on a plane with no idea how they got there. Supposedly based on true events