The Terror (1963) I really do not know if this film can even be said to have a plot. The story behind the making of it, is far more interesting than the film itself.
So, a French military officer André Duvalier (Jack Nicholson) meets a young woman (JN's wife) on the beach, who vanishes. He pursues her, and finds himself at a castle inhabited by Baron von Leppe (Boris Karloff). The elderly woman whom Duvalier met earlier, had warned him about the baron, whom she be believed had killed her son, and whom she hates, etc.,
--this thing is just too convoluted for me to write a decent synopsis! So, stuff happens, people are not whom we had thought they were, etc., ends is a flood.
Stuff that I had not noticed! Shame on me. It should have been obvious. The less you know, the more you might enjoy watching this.
Shots From the Violin Case 1965 - Heard of Jerry Cotton--this the first movie I have watched on the character. Germany's James Bond and yet he is an FBI agent in the US. That's kind of weird. It was ok--the plot involved the blowing up of a New York school which made me think of Die Hard 3, and I wonder if there was any intentional homage to Cotton considering that he was a big character in Germany and the Die Hard film involved Germans in New York.
Interesting spfx in this--where they projected city images behind the actors--I haven't seen it used this way before since the camera is moved in the shot.
Cry Terror (1958) Electronics guy Jim Molner (James Mason) is lured into building a compact bomb by his old Army buddy, Paul Hoplin (Rod Steiger), who assures him that doing so will lead to contracts from the Army, etc., but Hoplin really wants to use them in an extortion scheme from the Airlines. Hoplin has three, count 'em, 3 associates, who help him in the execution of his scheme. Eileen Kelly (Angie Dickinson), Vince (Jack Klugman), and sex-crazed Steve (Neville Brand). Since Molner is already involved, by building the two bombs, and had reacted foolishly upon seeing TV news coverage of the 1st bomb (used to convince authorities that the 2nd one was legitimate), Hoplin demands Molner's wife, Joan (Inger Stevens), go to collect the extortion money, while Molner and his daughter are held hostage.
Very tense! 9/10!
NOIR ALLEY host Muller noted that Mason was cast against type.
Soylent Green (1973) When this film premiered I saw it at the Aspen Hill Twin Theaters, at 14 years old, & was attracted by the poster with the huge dump trucks filled with people. I thought that was Cool! But, I was too young to understand most of the plot. I laughed when Heston spoke those wonderful words, "Soylent Green is people!" This was likely my 1st time seeing Edward G. Robinson, not knowing anything about him. Anyway, recently I bought a LEGO conveyor belt, so I can (eventually) build that wonderful scene when Thorn (Charlton Heston) reaches the top of the stairs, & sees the crackers on the conveyor belt. I thought ROBOT CHICKEN could do a parody, with MR. POTATO HEAD, & change the line to "Potato chips are potatoes!" Note: this is inspired by my visit to the UTZ SNACKFOODS plant, which has a visitors' area, where one can view the potato chip making process through a series of 2nd floor windows. Potatoes go in, at one end, while potato chips emerge on the other end.
The story is that in the far distant year of 2022, NY City has 40,000,000 people, with the population as high as it is, food is hard to get. Most people (I assume) live off welfare payments, in crowded tenements, and must wait hours for just a few ounces of food and water. Though Kilos were used. AS I recall, the USA was supposed to convert to the metric system by 1975. I guess certain political events put that on the backburner. There were some rich people, especially those involved in the SOYLENT corp., etc. These people did not stand in lines for hours waiting for a few potatoes, or whatever. Just like the Soviet Union. Hmm., I wonder if there might have been some inspiration there.
So, anyway, one of these elites, William R. Simonson (Joseph Cotten) became unreliable, and it was feared he might reveal the sad facts about SOYLENT GREEN. An assassin was dispatched to dispatch this guy to the netherworld. Thorn was the investigating officer, with his roommate, Solomon Roth (Edward G. Robinson), as the guy who searches through books and such, and finds the SOYLENT OCEANOGRAPHIC SURVEY REPORTs, in which the sad truth is revealed.
Anyway, this time I paid more attention, & noted that there were certain scenes that made little sense to me. In a NY City of 40,000,000 people, there was very little open space.
when Thorn is out on riot patrol, a bad ol' assassin is in the crowd, taking shots at him, Because of the mass of people, the guy has to hold his gun very high, hoping to shoot over the shoulders of the crowd, with all the movement of the masses, he shoots several people in the head, while aiming at Thorn. When Thorn becomes aware of it, he presses toward the assassin, who, likewise goes the other way. somehow, the assassin ends up on a space void of other people, where the guy driving the 'scoop' drops it on him, killing him. Where are you going to find such an empty space?
A very impressive supporting cast, Joseph Cotten & Edward G. Robinson, both mentioned above; Simonson's bodyguard, Tab Fielding (Chuck Connors); Simonson's Furniture, Shirl (Leigh Taylor-Young) furniture was the word they used for prostitute who was part of the rental apartment's attractions. Governor Henry C. Santini (Time Tunnel's General, Whit Bissell), and others, Few, if any known to me at 14 years old.
And now, at 2023, and just weeks to 2024, what is the population of NY City? I doubt it is even 1/3rd of the film's estimate. And the availability of food? Hmm, this film was / is definitely a dystopian one!
One of my favorites. Oh, in the scene with Thorn weeping while Roth is "going home" Edward G. Robinson was actually dying; those tears were real. The two met on the set of THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, & became friends.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 2023 (4K) I was agreeably surprised; it was not terrible.
Actually a fairly good movie (would have been better, I'm Sure, without Kathleen Kennedy's) input. It is somewhat muddled and some of the chases are a bit on the long side.
Young Indy is pretty well done.
It will go onto the movie library shelf...
I was hoping for more old Syracuse.
Avatar 2009 (4k). This 4K edition surprised me (I found myself thinking "is this the same movie"?) due to the, great, picture and image quality.
(Most 4K movies are not improved all that much.)
This Ultimate collectors edition was worth the price, IMO.... It is a significant improvement over the original DVD, at least on my equipment (your mileage may vary) and is a great movie. (The difference between good and Great movies is; I have to watch the Great ones over again, Immediately.
Beer and Pretzels (1933) before being known simply as The Three Stooges, they were Ted Healy's Stooges. Healy treats the three the way Moe treats the other two. So, they are a song, dance, and comedy routine, thrown out of one restaurant after another, finally landing jobs as waiters and making a mess of it. Thoroughly amusing!
I watched an episode of The 3 Stooges (the one where Curly has toothache). I laughed til I cried. I then watched another episode, which wasn't nearly so funny (although still worth watching). Seems they were a bit hit and miss, unlike Laurel and Hardy who were consistently brilliant (at least in their 'shorts').
I still think that 'The Live Ghost' is one of the funniest things ever (I can't help laughing when they get upset/frightened), and 'Sons of the Desert is the funniest movie I've ever seen.
any real B, C, or D flick is better without the MST dialogue
meanwhile, The Puppet People 1958 is pretty glib about shrimping ppl down to puppets; it's kind of like a photo enlarger/reducer y'see...and, there are some good bits like the MC beating hell out of a Dr. Jekyll puppet, and the world's tiniest cat, fits in a matchbox.
Men in Fright (1938) Darla has just had her tonsils removed, and the boys have come to visit her, bringing gifts of food, knowing she will not be eating it, and intending to eat it, themselves. Alfalfa is duped by another boy, so they switch the boy's hospital gown for Alfalfa's clothes. While Alfalfa is congratulating himself for earning a whole dime, for something so easy, the orderlies arrive to take him to surgery.
The Awakening (1980) Matthew Corbeck is a archeologist working in Egypt, where he discovers the tomb of a very naughty woman who had been buried in a secret place, hoping nobody would even remember she ever existed. Pleased with the discovery, at that very same time, his wife (Jill Townsend) is birthing their daughter, who will, once she is an adult, become possessed by the spirit of the mummy.
In a theme similar to that of THE OMEN, anyone who hinders the mummy's plan is dispatched to the netherworld in very unusual ways.
Interesting for just once, but, I doubt I would ever watch it again.
Remember Me
A surprisingly good low budget thriller about a woman who wakes after a car crash with no memory of what happened. Things soon get ugly.
It cost less than £25,000 to make but was far better than many high budget films I've seen.
Romeo and Juliet (1968) - the Zeffirelli one. Which I had to abandon half way through because I just couldn't stand it any more. I love Romeo and Juliet and have seen many versions - I understand, and can forgive, a lot of the dialogue getting cut as the play is adapted - and there were some pretty obvious wholesale trimming done here. I can forgive odd miscasting and bum performances - though some of the performances here were great, and the costumes and sets were spot on. But what I can't stand, it turns out, is having a film ruined by someone appropriating the music and using it for some other purpose.
Nino Rota's emotive, swirling score for Romeo and Juliet was used for years by that sanctimonious prick Simon Bates as background music for the 'Our Tune' segment of his radio show where, dripping with faux sincerity, Bates would read some tragic trailer trash "listener's"* story of love, death, betrayal, depression, drug addiction, redemption, missed opportunity, more death, and miracle cures (sometimes all in the same story) followed by 'the tune' that helped the writer through whatever soap opera farrago had just been read out. It was awful stuff. I never was a daytime Radio One listener but sometimes in various jobs it was unavoidable. The lowest point of the day was always the simplistic sentimental arsedribble that was 'Our Tune'.
Trying to watch a Shakespeare adaptation when all you can think about is wanting to punch this prick's face in isn't possible.
*"I suspect half of them were written by students taking the piss or BBC staff making them up when listeners submissions weren't lurid enough.
Romeo and Juliet (1968) - the Zeffirelli one. Which I had to abandon half way through because I just couldn't stand it any more. I love Romeo and Juliet and have seen many versions - I understand, and can forgive, a lot of the dialogue getting cut as the play is adapted - and there were some pretty obvious wholesale trimming done here. I can forgive odd miscasting and bum performances - though some of the performances here were great, and the costumes and sets were spot on. But what I can't stand, it turns out, is having a film ruined by someone appropriating the music and using it for some other purpose.
Nino Rota's emotive, swirling score for Romeo and Juliet was used for years by that sanctimonious prick Simon Bates as background music for the 'Our Tune' segment of his radio show where, dripping with faux sincerity, Bates would read some tragic trailer trash "listener's"* story of love, death, betrayal, depression, drug addiction, redemption, missed opportunity, more death, and miracle cures (sometimes all in the same story) followed by 'the tune' that helped the writer through whatever soap opera farrago had just been read out. It was awful stuff. I never was a daytime Radio One listener but sometimes in various jobs it was unavoidable. The lowest point of the day was always the simplistic sentimental arsedribble that was 'Our Tune'.
Trying to watch a Shakespeare adaptation when all you can think about is wanting to punch this prick's face in isn't possible.
*"I suspect half of them were written by students taking the piss or BBC staff making them up when listeners submissions weren't lurid enough.
Good grief. That dredges up 1980s memories from my selective amnesia. I never particularly enjoyed R1, but that segment of Simon Bates was the pits, and there is an indelible association with that music.
I have not seen the Zeffirelli R&J since O levels and had not associated it with that melody. I can see why it would spoil the mood.
THE MARSEILLES CONTRACT - 1974 - An oddity that I forgot most of from previous viewing (except where Michael Caine as the philosophical hit man ("what part of the environment do you consider the most important?" "Overpopulation.") pushes someone off a hi-rise. It is not a good film but it has some amusing moments.
Reading up on it, I came across this: In an interview, Michael Caine said that the only reason he accepted this film was to get out of England for the winter because it was so cold and five weeks of filming in the south of France sounded a much better prospect.
Apparently there is a book King of the Turkeys-Michael Caine in America:
Michael Caine. He may be a two-time Oscar winner but at one point in his career his resume boasted more flops, turkeys and movie disasters than any actor would care to have on their CV.Though his early screen career 1966 to 1974 courted American film directors such as Robert Aldrich and Don Siegel, Caine maintained a steadfast Englishness. Until, that is, the soaring taxes in pre-Thatcher Britain turned him, as it had his friends and fellow actors Sean Connery and Roger Moore, into a tax exile.Needing to re-establish his career in Hollywood, the decade from 1976 to 1986 saw Caine accept roles in films so bad the critics derided them. With flop after flop, loss after loss it seemed at this time that the future two-time Oscar winner was bound to be a box-office two-time loser. But Caine persisted, his career rebounded and by the time he returned to the UK was an American and international star. Comprehensively researched, referenced and written by former Australian National Film & Sound Archive SAR Research Fellow Robert Cettl, King of the Turkeys is an affectionate, evaluative and informative historical portrait of Caine's brush with America 1966 to 1987.
G.I. Jane (1997). In exchange for her vote, a Senator negotiates a female US Marine being sent to the SEALs test.
I didn’t hate it, but I think it’s too down-to-earth. There’s nothing more than you’d expect from it: she suffers both through training and because of prejudice from her colleagues, but comes out on top in the end.
Her motivation didn’t convince me. She just says that she applied for combat but was rejected, and now she’s pissed. That’s it.
It also shows how tokenizing and diversity is a lie used by corporations--or, in this case, by politicians. If I had to point out what this movie got right, that would be it.
Finally, out of curiosity, I googled and found out that there are no female Navy SEALs (at least as of December 2022).
The Caine Mutiny Court Martial (2023). A courtroom drama about a lieutenant of the Navy facing trial for mutiny because he relieved his commander of charge amid a storm on the basis of mental instability.
It’s the last movie by The Exorcist’s William Friedkin (RIP), who also wrote the teleplay. It’s a straight-to-TV movie, and it surely feels like a straight-to-TV movie. I felt like I was watching Law & Order. The camera framing sits still almost all the time. Another movie that comes to mind--but for other reasons--is Twelve Angry Men (1957): it only has dialogue and no action, and it takes place only in the courtroom, never showing what really happened.
It has a good cast. Lance Reddick (RIP), Kiefer Sutherland and Jason Clarke are the stars here. And they all--and the others too, it’s a big cast--deliver good acting performances. But the performances are subtle, showcased by dialogue, facial expressions, speech patterns and some other subtle body movements.
It’s also a great battle between the prosecutor and the defense attorney. The prosecutor is fast and cunning, whereas the attorney, only having accepted the case four days earlier, makes few questions and doesn’t examine all witnesses, but you know from the get-go that he has aces up his sleeve.
There’s a small plot twist in the end. It’s not a Sixth Sense type of twist but, still.
Fun Fact: the “mutiny” took place on December 18th, 2022, and here I was, watching the movie exactly a year later.
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So, stuff happens, people are not whom we had thought they were, etc., ends is a flood.
