What was the last movie you saw?

[Randy M.]

The Town that Dreaded Sundown (1976) dir. Charles B. Pierce (also acts as film's "comic relief"); starring Ben Johnson, Andrew Prine, Dawn Wells

Based on true events in Texarcana, Arkansas in 1946 when a hooded serial killer killed several young people over the course of a few months. Johnson and Prine, both pros, anchor this. Wells appears for a little while as a near-victim. Has a slightly noir feel, with a Dragnet-like voice over. Works fairly well when it stays serious, but Pierce inserts some comedy that might have been funny at the time, but aren't very effective now. Probably an influence on early slasher movies, but I can't say I've seen it referred to very often. I believe it was filmed on site and at least some of the actors were locals.

 

[Droflet]

Batman 1989. The first of the modern era movies in the franchise and, arguably the best. Michael Keaton is the best Batman by far.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

You'll Find Out (1940)

The only film to feature horror icons Peter Lorre, Bela Lugosi, and Boris Karloff is actually a musical comedy, primarily designed as a vehicle for bandleader Kay Kyser (famous for his "Kollege of Musical Knowledge," a hit radio program combining music, quizzes, and comedy.) The plot is typical Old Dark House stuff. Kyser and his band are hired to play at a spooky old mansion where a young woman is about to inherit a fortune. Amazingly for this kind of movie, the three scream kings are not red herrings. We find out pretty quick that they're in cahoots, trying to kill the heiress. The scary trio are in fine form, Karloff as a sinister judge, Lorre as a creepy professor, Lugosi in turban as a phony psychic. (There's an séance scene featuring what is probably the movie's only scary moment, when a falling chandelier almost kills the heiress.) Besides the triumvirate of terror, your enjoyment will depend on your tolerance for corny jokes and big band music. (There's a wildly elaborate novelty song, "The Bad Humor Man," that seems like something Spike Jones might have done.)

 

[CupofJoe]

Batman 1989. The first of the modern era movies in the franchise and, arguably the best. Michael Keaton is the best Batman by far.

And a great Prince soundtrack! "This town needs an enema!"

 

[KGeo777]

You'll Find Out--what a strange movie. A little of Key Kayser goes a looooong way and to think he was popular?
The early vocoder-type device is kind of creepy--but the most interesting footnote is that in the room where they have the equipment--you can see big spider and dinosaur props. The spiders are from the lost spider pit sequence in King Kong.



ZEPPELIN 1971 - Michael York is a half-German officer who is sent as a spy to check out the latest German airship and Elke Sommer is the suspicious wife of the inventor. I always think of the muppets when I see them together. There's a Hammer connection to this--you have Andrew Keir, Rupert Davies and Anton Diffring. Peter Karsten is in it too--whenever they needed evil German military people in the 60s-70s they went to Diffring or Karsten. But, this is unusual because Diffring and Karsten are not really presented as evil and each are given a courageous heroic send off--despite them wanting to steal and/or blow up the Magna Carta!
Another footnote of interest is that Warner Bros was going to make a different Zeppelin movie, with Hammer Films--it was to have Pterodactyls in it. The FX people who came up with the idea (David Allen and Dennis Muren) decided to make it themselves so this project was abandoned. I wonder if Warner Bros decided they wanted a Zeppelin movie anyway and that was how this one got made. The abandoned project was renamed the Primevals and was infamous for being in production for decades. Charles Band bought the footage and I think he had it finished. The final version had no airship in it at all.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

ZEPPELIN 1971

I saw this about the time it first came out. I seem to remember liking it, but it was so long ago, I can't be sure.

 

[Jeffbert]

CONFESSIONS OF A NAZI SPY (1939) Just a few months before WWII, initial stages, Warner Bro.'s made this film. It depicts Germany's aggressive espionage efforts against the U.S., with which Germany was currently at peace, & would remain so for another 2 years.

Kurt Schneider (Francis Lederer), is a German immigrant, who loathes the idea of work. He fancies himself as being above the common men, who must rely upon time clocks and employers. So, he decides the way to earn a living & a very lucrative one, is to work as a spy. He cons his friend Werner Renz (Joe Sawyer), also a recent arrival from Germany, and who is in the military, to steal secret documents for him. Eventually the FBI becomes aware of the activity, and Edward Renard (Edward G. Robinson) to interview him, and eventually arrest him.

Karl Kassel (Paul Lukas) is the leader of the American German Bund group in New York City, and is ordered by Franz Schlager (George Sanders) to stop the anti-Democracy speeches and instead support American democracy.

Interesting to see EGR smoking a pipe, rather than a cigar! One of my favorite actors.

Immense supporting cast! Some, having recently arrived from Germany, had to literally live on the studio grounds for fear of reprisals. The Wiki page says that some changed their names, hoping to protect relative living in Germany.

 

[KGeo777]

"Kurt Schneider (Francis Lederer), is a German immigrant, who loathes the idea of work. He fancies himself as being above the common men,"


Lol. So there were some immigrants that Hollywood did not champion. The first US document opposing slavery was written in a German American Quaker township and the reason was partly because they didn't need slaves--they did their own labor.
What is Disney Co. going to do with Wernher Von Braun in the Indiana Jones movie? I shudder to imagine.

One WW 2 propaganda movie I do like is Sahara--the Bogart movie. It was pretty clever how water was used in it for symbolic effect.

Casablanca is a war propaganda movie too. It drives me nuts when people call it a romance film. The only romance in it is Rick's love affair with mercenary work. Ilsa is just a reminder to him that he gave up on fighting Fascism (or in other words, fighting for communism) and after he meets Lazlo, realizes he has to get back in the fight.

He basically tells Ilsa she has to be a prostitute for the war effort!
I don't understand how anyone misses this.
The only character who seems real is Renault. He's pragmatic.

 

[J-Sun]

The only romance in it is Rick's love affair with mercenary work.

I'm not following all your argument but, I think that point is a little off: I love the film for its depiction of a wretched hive of scum and villainy but there is that ridiculous flashback scene of Bogey grinnin'n'drivin' with Ilsa sighing next to him.

 

[JunkMonkey]

The only romance in it is Rick's love affair with mercenary work. Ilsa is just a reminder to him that he gave up on fighting Fascism (or in other words, fighting for communism) and after he meets Lazlo, realizes he has to get back in the fight.

He basically tells Ilsa she has to be a prostitute for the war effort!
I don't understand how anyone misses this.
The only character who seems real is Renault. He's pragmatic.

Woah! Much as I adore Casablanca and agree that it is a stunning piece of propaganda to say that the only romance in it is Rick's love affair with mercenary work is to ignore the fact that Ilsa has feelings. She is genuinely in love with both Rick and Victor, the romance in Paris was real. Rick and Ilsa were in love. Sam reading the note in the station was a broken, betrayed man. He developed his cynicism and hard shell after that. What she rekindled in him, when she walked into his gin joint, was a love of life not a love of money.

And Renault is not the only truly pragmatic character - there's Ferrari too.

 

[KGeo777]

Woah! Much as I adore Casablanca and agree that it is a stunning piece of propaganda to say that the only romance in it is Rick's love affair with mercenary work is to ignore the fact that Ilsa has feelings. She is genuinely in love with both Rick and Victor, the romance in Paris was real. Rick and Ilsa were in love. Sam reading the note in the station was a broken, betrayed man. He developed his cynicism and hard shell after that. What she rekindled in him, when she walked into his gin joint, was a love of life not a love of money.

And Renault is not the only truly pragmatic character - there's Ferrari too.

Yes but Rick cares more about fighting than her.

They were both in Paris to get away from their war failures. His side lost in Spain, and Lazlo was captured.
But then she learns he is alive-and so she abandons Rick.
Now he was mad about that for years, but then when he meets Lazlo-he has a bromance with him! He's like-hey, she was right to dump me for him. I love this guy.

But then she feels bad--she says something about being young and Lazlo seemed exciting (and let's be honest--he's bloody boring). She seemed to prefer Rick now.
And he's saying: hey lady, he needs you more than I do. We'll lose the war if you don't stay with him.


Bergman said it was confusing because she didn't know who she was supposed to care for.

Ferrari is pragmatic but he's minor and he's a criminal--he's not a major character while Renault is. Renault is the BS detector in the movie--he's kind of tongue-in-cheek in his performance which endures to now.
It's a great piece of propaganda filmmaking though-it's so manipulative. Even the fact that Bogart was shorter and they made him seem taller when they needed to have that angle.
He was standing on a hill of beans.

 

[JunkMonkey]

You also have to remember that Ilsa was married to Victor. Back in the 1940s divorce was not as easy as it was these days. Not to mention any religious feelings Ilsa and Victor shared. If they were Catholic... Ilsa was only with Rick when she thought she was a widow. When she found Victor was alive she discovered she had been committing adultery!

What I've never understood about the film is why the Germans would respect 'Letters of Transit' signed by General de Gaulle (who was at the time leading the French government-in-exile in London).

 

[KGeo777]

What I've never understood about the film is why the Germans would respect 'Letters of Transit' signed by General de Gaulle (who was at the time leading the French government-in-exile in London).

I believe the letters are an example of a MacGuffin.
I don't agree with Lucas that Ark of the Covenant is a MacGuffin--it's supposed to be the power of an almighty deity.
It's more significant to the plot than Indiana Jones.

 

[JunkMonkey]

I believe the letters are an example of a MacGuffin.
I don't agree with Lucas that Ark of the Covenant is a MacGuffin--it's supposed to be the power of an almighty deity.
It's more significant to the plot than Indiana Jones.

A MacGuffin is the thing that everyone wants. The desirable thing that drives the plot: the microfilm with invasion plans, the professor's formula, the fabulous diamond... A thing of value to those who posses it. The Letters of Transit may have been the MacGuffin of Casablanca but they don't make any sense. They would have been worthless. No official of the Vichy (Nazi puppet) government would have respected them. It would have been be like trying to get on a boat in Portsmouth with a waiver signed by Hitler.

Talking of not making sense and totalitarianism, tonight I watched Teenagers From Outer Space (MST3K version) with my son and we giggled like loonicans. His first encounter with Joel and the Bots. He am smitten.

 

[KGeo777]

A MacGuffin is the thing that everyone wants. The desirable thing that drives the plot: the microfilm with invasion plans, the professor's formula, the fabulous diamond... A thing of value to those who posses it.

But something that has no significance in itself--unimportant by itself. On second thought I guess that is true with the Ark since it becomes useless when they bury it.
But the letters of transit don't melt Conrad Veidt.

 

[pogopossum]

Trading Places. Not for the first time.
Previous night Miz Pogo and I watched
Coming To America. Again, seen it before.
We have a need for humor these days.

edit: I like the conversation about Casablanca above. No great thoughts, but I am very glad that it has not been forgotten.

 

[worldofmutes]

The last movie I saw was Martin Scorsese’s Silence starring Andrew Garfield. I watched it because I read the book recently, by the Japanese writer Shusaku Endo.

Actually a pretty decent movie. Not his best work, but pretty deep. It’s all about having the freedom to blaspheme for something you don’t understand. Well, pretty much that, the protagonist, a Portuguese missionary in feudal Japan starts fancying himself as a pseudo-prophet. That he has the right to sacrifice innocent Japanese followers just for his own loyalty. So he brings himself to stomp on Christ’s face. But, the ending sequence was beautiful.

(I am neither religious nor anti-religious)

 

[Jeffbert]

You'll Find Out (1940)

The only film to feature horror icons Peter Lorre, Bela Lugosi, and Boris Karloff is actually a musical comedy, primarily designed as a vehicle for bandleader Kay Kyser (famous for his "Kollege of Musical Knowledge," a hit radio program combining music, quizzes, and comedy.) The plot is typical Old Dark House stuff. Kyser and his band are hired to play at a spooky old mansion where a young woman is about to inherit a fortune. Amazingly for this kind of movie, the three scream kings are not red herrings. We find out pretty quick that they're in cahoots, trying to kill the heiress. The scary trio are in fine form, Karloff as a sinister judge, Lorre as a creepy professor, Lugosi in turban as a phony psychic. (There's an séance scene featuring what is probably the movie's only scary moment, when a falling chandelier almost kills the heiress.) Besides the triumvirate of terror, your enjoyment will depend on your tolerance for corny jokes and big band music. (There's a wildly elaborate novelty song, "The Bad Humor Man," that seems like something Spike Jones might have done.)

This was the first of KK's films I ever saw. Most are corny, silly, but I somehow found them watchable.



NEAR DARK (1987) A man picks up a young hitchhiker at night, & she being a vampire bites him. Yet, she does not drain his blood, so he begins turning into a vampire himself. Stumbling along at daybreak, smoke coming off his exposed skin, he just cannot figure-out what has happened / is happening to him. Eventually he is 'adopted' by the family of Vampires, who insist he make a kill, but he resists, though lack of nourishment makes him weak. He tries human food, but cannot stomach it.

Interesting take on vampires.




AS THE EARTH TURNS (1938) Not a soap opera, but a silent sci-fi film about a guy whose inventions would make him master of the world. Obviously inspired by Verne's 20K Leagues, he wants to put an end to war. TCM ran this late October, immediately followed by METROPOLIS, in a themed set. Ran about 40 minutes, rather interesting film; mostly B&W, though the final scenes were color.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Maryjane (1968)

Sedate drugsploitation flick. Teen idol Fabian stars as a high school art teacher. There's a local gang of extremely clean-cut rebellious teens who smoke marijuana. You can tell because they wear little medallions with the word MARYJANE engraved on them, which seems like asking for trouble. Anyway, the slow-moving plot involves Fabian getting framed for having pot in his car, and the secret identity of the supplier revealed at the end.

Spoiler

It turns out to be the pretty young history teacher that Fabian is romancing.

It looks like a made-for-TV movie, but it was released in theaters. Notable for the stuff being sold out of the back of an ice cream truck.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Confessions of a Psycho Cat (1968)

Who knew that the world needed an ultra-low budget ripoff of The Most Dangerous Game with randomly inserted softcore porn sequences?

The story is told in multiple flashbacks; combined with the awkwardly added nudie scenes, that makes the plot difficult to follow. Basically, a wealthy woman isn't able to accompany her brother to Africa on a hunting trip because of her recent nervous breakdown. (We'll find out later that her mental problems started when she and her brother were kids, and he killed her puppy by throwing it off a tall building. Somehow he's supposed to be the sane one.)

Instead, she offers three men the chance to earn one hundred thousand dollars each if they can survive twenty-four hours while she hunts them down. Each one killed somebody, but was acquitted of murder. The trio of victims-to-be consists of a stage actor, who killed his lover's husband when the guy caught him with his wife and attacked him; a wrestler (played by Jake "Raging Bull" LaMotta, no less) who killed an opponent in the ring; and a junkie, who gave a woman too much heroin, leading to her death from overdose.

The insane woman's manservant helps her out with the killings, although the movie eventually forgets that he exists. She assigns an animal identity to each man. The actor is a lion, the wrestler is (of course!) a bull, and the junkie is a jackal. She arranges to have the actor get a role in a play, so she can stab him with a spear after the show is over. She taunts the wrestler into meeting her on a rooftop, where, in full matador outfit, she kills him with a sword. The junkie gets a crossbow in the neck when he's out on the street after picking up the narcotic he needs.

There's a lot of handheld camerawork, and lots of scenes of New York. Combined with the wildly over-the-top performance of the lead actress (who has no other film credits), this adds a certain gritty intensity to a very cheap film. The added footage is much clumsier. (The part where LaMotta is on the phone with the crazy woman is intercut with scenes of a topless woman supposedly in the same room, and it's really, really obvious that she isn't. By the way, this woman passionately kisses her reflection, tongue sticking out and all, in a bizarre attempt at eroticism.)

The movie ends with the brother and the woman's psychiatrist finding the bodies of her victims in her home, and with the woman with the mind of a child, saying "Father, do you love me now?" A really wild example of no-budget exploitation filmmaking.