What movies have you seen recently?

[SPTO]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Did anyone see End of Watch?
I really wanted to see it but never had the time, and now it's out of most of the theaters by me.

My sister and husband went to see it and said it was pretty average though I don't trust my brother in law when it comes to movies. He's the guy that said Avengers sucked.




Well my last movie was from this year so it's time to go jump in the wayback machine and talk about 2 movies from 80 years ago LOL!

Ahem....

Jewel Robbery (1932)

This movie stars Kay Francis and William Powell. Powell may be familiar to a few of you classic film buffs as he co-starred with Myrna Loy in the Thin Man films. Francis however is probably lost in the mists of time to most people these days however she was the number one female star at Warner Brothers from 1930-1936. She was noted for movies where she was a bit of a loose woman in some ways and utterly man crazy in most instances. The institution of the Hays Code sapped a lot of what she did well.

Anywho the plot for this flick goes like this:

When a baroness is present during a robbery at a jewellers in Vienna, she finds the gang's debonair leader more attractive than either her husband or her love

This is a very stagey film as it's based on a Hungarian stage play but quite a bit happens in the short 68 minute run time. We see Francis and her friend going on about how men are only good for their money and giving jewels etc etc and we meet Francis' husband and lover (unbeknownst to the hubby) and the innuendo goes flying all over the place. We also meet the proprietor of the jewelers and his rather flamboyant mannerisms. The movie really overdoes it on the "going crazy over jewels" aspect of Francis' character. She's shallow, vain, begs her husband (rather annoyingly too) to buy her this huge diamond ring and the hubby and the other guy (who's a diplomat) coerce the jeweler to come down on his price and gets the ring for Francis.

Truth be told at this point I was starting to really hate this movie but then along comes William Powell as the debonair robber and indeed, he fit the bill to a tee as he comes into the store with a top hat, cane and a coterie of men as one of them hands Powell a small case which reveals a gun and he holds up the entire store and goes on about the fancy and upper class way he likes to steal from the place. This is where the byplay by Powell and Francis comes in as she's immediately smitten by him and he to her as well. Unfortunately I could never fully warm up to it as Francis was utterly unwatchable, making goo goo faces and acting like a terrible brat. Powell makes the movie watchable and so I watched the whole thing rather begrudgingly.

The one really funny part of the whole movie was the Vienna Protective officer who was charged with looking after the store. He was a total idiot with no clue and ends up being given a box of drugged cigarettes (they don't say what it is but it's probably pot or something) then later on when all the witnesses are at the police station and leave said officer gives the police president a cigarette and before you know it they're totally out of it with the officer on the phone going on about how he's Napoleon and the president saying he can't be Napoleon and they're laughing like maniacs. It's all pretty stupid but humorous all the same.

Anyways this movie doesn't get a recommendation from me but it's a good example of pre-code Hollywood.

1 out of 4 stars (mainly for Powell)


A far better picture from the previous year was directed by the great William A. Wellman and is called:

Safe In Hell (1931)

The stars in this movie are pretty much unknown to me so I can't give much detail but the lead actress in this movie was VERY good. It's a shame she didn't act much past this as I think she would've been very well cast as the moll/tough girl during the gangster movie cycle in Hollywood. This movie is a lot more serious and quite honestly bleak as hell.

Here's the summary:

Sought by the New Orleans police for killing her rapist, a prostitute flees to a Caribbean island. She must wait for her sailor among lecherous criminals. It almost works out until the treachery of the local police chief leaves her but one choice to gain her freedom

That's a little foggy in some details but it keeps from spoiling a lot of the twists and turns in this flick.

I do want to talk about the atmosphere and utter despair of this film. The main character Gilda goes through so much turmoil and everything bad that could happen to her does. She's whoring herself out because she can't get a job and then she kills the rapist that entraps her and very nearly loses her sailor boyfriend but when hearing the police sirens he saves her by taking her on his boat and sends her to an island with no extradition laws as they try to let things blow over. They get married in the island in one of the most touching marriage scenes as the priest is not there (as he died a week previous) but they make their vows in front of a cross in a very intimate and loving way.

As for the leaving her in the island part, well the hotel is a total dive inhabited by some of the biggest lowlifes you could ever encounter. In fact, here's the hotel checking in scene:

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/JJa_BlYuS9c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

As you can see the atmosphere is just disgusting with the sweat, heat, and overall depressing nature of the place. That's the overall feeling generated by the movie as you see Gilda's plight which gets worse as the local boss (executioner/law man) of the place wants her for himself and so he frames her so he can have her or so it seems.

I won't say more as it'll totally spoil the movie but it's one that should be watched. I felt so bad for the Gilda character throughout but the last third where there is redemption and sacrifice totally cinches this as a minor classic.

Safe in Hell is available on DVD though for a movie that's 74 minutes, $24.99 is asking a lot. Maybe you can find it on Netflix streaming or look for it discounted. It's well worth a watch.

4 out of 4 stars

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Planet of the Apes - From the onset there is a distinctive Twilight Zone atmosphere and really this feels like an extended episode from the show. As corny as you expect it to be, it really works and works well. Heston does enough to not paint himself as a complete douchebag. Its a fun movie, but unlike similarly produced movies its not tacky or sidelined by its age. The production, while obviously appearing to be inexpensive, works aesthetically and does a nice job of keeping things familiar, but distant.


Young Frankenstein - Easily one of the best movies ever. Not only is it a hilarious and on-the-cue comedy, but it manages to evoke so many classic, B&W movie moments and corral tongue-in-cheek references with a solid structure and manages to even best its influences. Gene Wilder is amazing, but the real scene stealers are the supporting cast. Morty Feldman and Cloris Leachman are both tremendous in their roles and many favorite scenes involve at least one of them. You can't really go wrong with this one. The bloopers and deleted scenes are worth sitting through.

I did not realize Cloris was on Raising Hope. Damn.

[Lieutenant Dan]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Young Frankenstein - Easily one of the best movies ever. Not only is it a hilarious and on-the-cue comedy, but it manages to evoke so many classic, B&W movie moments and corral tongue-in-cheek references with a solid structure and manages to even best its influences. Gene Wilder is amazing, but the real scene stealers are the supporting cast. Morty Feldman and Cloris Leachman are both tremendous in their roles and many favorite scenes involve at least one of them. You can't really go wrong with this one. The bloopers and deleted scenes are worth sitting through.

I did not realize Cloris was on Raising Hope. Damn.

LOL, so many great quotes/scenes!

"Put the candle back!"

"Roll in zee hay!"

"He vas...MY BOYFRIEND!!!"

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

OVALTINE? </url>

[SPTO]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

I also like Young Frankenstein as it was a parody from the heart. Another great Gene Wilder comedy in that vein is The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes' Smarter Brother. It's a bit more rough around the edges and isn't nearly as funny but I thought Wilder did a great job trying to emulate Brooks' style as Wilder wrote and directed it as well.

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Savages. Pretty good...I think. Wasn't a fan of the ending. And the "living arrangement" of the heroes was quite strange. A tighter editing job should have cut 30 minutes off the run time and still told the story effectively.

Salma Hayek is still beautiful.

[NoleFan]

Finally saw Alex Cross on Friday and thankful I didn't see Madea make an appearance. On Saturday I saw Flight.


Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk

[Scott]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Went to see Wreck It Ralph yesterday, pretty funny...

[ghettogeeksta]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

I'm going to see FLIGHT tonight, $5 Tuesdays woot woot! Ill let yall know how it is when I get back.

[UWfan206]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

The Watch. It was meh...

Spoiler

I didn't know it was going to have aliens

[xpmar9x]

Wreck it Ralph... lol it was awesome

[SPTO]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

One certified classic and one hidden gem for me this week.


Rope (1948)

Wow....I won't go on too long about this flick because if you haven't seen it then you're missing out big time! Needless to say this movie is excellent. The film is more known today for the technical achievement which is unfortunate as the script and acting is pretty damn good in its own right.

First the plot summary:

Brandon and Philip are two young men who share a New York apartment. They consider themselves intellectually superior to their friend David Kentley and as a consequence decide to murder him. Together they strangle David with a rope and placing the body in an old chest, they proceed to hold a small party. The guests include David's father and aunt, his fiancée Janet, Kenneth who was David's rival and their old schoolteacher Rupert Caddell

Spoiler

from whom they mistakenly took their ideas.

As Brandon becomes increasingly more daring, Rupert begins to suspect.

I had to spoiler tag a small part of the summary as I felt it too spoilery. This was the set up for the tense, psychological thriller that Alfred Hitchcock presents with the added twist of doing the movie seemingly all in one take (actually 9 different takes seamlessly edited to look like one continuous take) It was a magnificent achievement that gave the movie the feel of a stage play with the added benefit of the background of the afternoon sun drifting into sunset and then to night which psychologically makes the 88 minute movie feel like it's 100 minutes long.

As i've said the acting was SUPERB in this film with Brandon being played to smarmy, arrogant perfection by John Dall and the more submissive and easily cowed Philip played by Farley Granger. Their dynamic is that of a gay couple and indeed the movie is based on a play which in turn was based on an actual crime of the same nature by a gay male couple. Dall portrays his character with unbridled arrogance and watching him hold sway over Granger's Philip is at times a bit unnerving. Brandon is the intellectual driving force of the piece as he continually pushes the envelope by literally having the guests eating off the grave of David Kentley and making sly comments that purposely hints at what the two have done. He even goes so far as to use the rope they killed David with to tie around books for David's father! All throughout the film though, Philip is starting to crack and gets increasingly drunk which makes him act out in ways that call attention to himself as he never wanted the party in the first place.

The other actors in this film were very good especially Sir Cedric Hardwicke as David's father. He doesn't do too much but his lines all have a purpose to them especially during a key argument that takes place which reveals quite a lot. I'm afraid I can't be more forthcoming about said argument but it reveals a bit too much for me to tell you. Needless to say Hardwicke's argument against what Brandon espouses is a turning point in the film.

Rupert Caddell is played by Jimmy Stewart, (the first of his movies with Hitch) and he's a bit miscast in this one as the urbane, intellectually aware and questioning authority figure. There's an arrogance called for in the role and Stewart doesn't quite get it right but he does a very good job with the material and the final segment of the film is where he shines the most. Originally Hichcock wanted Cary Grant for the role and in a lot of ways Grant would've been perfect however with the overt gay overtones of Brandon and Philip adding Grant whose accent and style of acting would've made it go from implications to outright screaming "stereotypically gay dynamics for sure" in flashing neon lights. It's something that audiences back then wouldn't be able to take in fact, this movie was banned in 8 states based on the implication as it was.

This movie is VERY good at setting up the situation, deflating it with some humor and small talk than fully ratcheting it up to the point where the viewer is completely enthralled by the happenings on screen. A great example of this is when Caddell talks to Philip and tries to find out why he's acting so strangely and then he uses a metronome as he digs deeper which causes Philip to flip out a bit.

All in all this was a superb movie which I give 4 out of 4 stars. Check it out if you can!


Warning Sign (1985)

This is the hidden gem I was talking about, it's not a perfect movie by any means but it's pretty engrossing until it gets a bit campy in the 2nd half. The film stars Sam Waterston, Kathleen Quinlan, Yaphet Kotto and Jeffrey DeMunn.

Here's the plot summary:

In an ultra secret laboratory for the developing of biological weapons, covered as "Biotek", a research center for agriculture, a serious accident occurs, spreading a sinister bacteria in the laboratory. The security guard of the complex, closes and seals the building, with all the personnel inside, making very difficult the struggle for survival, not to mention the actions that the relatives of the enclosed people are thinking to do.

Kathleen Quinlan is said guard and her husband (Waterston) is the local law enforcement. The accident is the release and spread of biological weapon within the complex which triggers a response by the army led by Yaphet Kotto. Their job is to basically hold off the locals and get inside the building and make sure everyone is inside the building and....dead. As the cover is that its just an agro based genetics lab they need to make it look like it was an accident related to that rather than a biochemical weapon. Well Waterston goes and find a guy that used to work for Biotek named Fairchild (DeMunn) who at first doesn't want to help mainly because he KNEW exactly what was going on and had invented the anti-toxin for said weapon which fails thus turning the scientists and civilian workers inside into raging zombie-like killers who are going after Quinlan and another doctor (played by G.W. Bailey, he of Police Academy and The Closer fame who's infected and dying but is willing to help Quinlan after he led a group into open rebellion and almost killing Quinlan in the process) as she's the only person who hasn't been infected by the virus/weapon.

On the surface this makes for a great flick and indeed the first half is pretty scary in a realistic way and quite atmospheric. Waterston does a great job with his character who's a germophobe sheriff trying to find out what's going on, how it can be solved and most importantly how to get his wife out of there. The interaction between he and DeMunn is pretty good as Waterston has saved DeMunn's bacon a few times as the latter turned into a drunkard. The movie has a bit of an Alien feel to it what with Quinlan being trapped in a building full of raging doctors and indeed the survival horror aspect is played up quite well.

The movie falls down a bit in the 2nd half what with Waterston and DeMunn getting into the facility and the townsfolk going all crazy trying to break down the doors to get their friends and relatives. The movie almost turns into a slasher flick what with the doctors going ape and going after anyone who isn't infected. Despite this, one is already fully invested in Quinlan's plight and you want to see her escape this madness. The ending is also slightly improbable but it works.

I give this about 2 1/2 stars. I don't know if there was a way to make the 2nd half less campy but it's the 2nd half that pulls this down a notch. It's well worth catching if you can and i'm actually surprised Hollywood hasn't remade this what with bio terrorism and biological weapons being more of a known quantity in the public's eye

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

I really wish I had the cash to buy Hitchcock's blu-ray set. I watched Rear Window the other night on demand. So engrossing although nothing really "happens."

[UWfan206]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

I just seen "Savges" and it was pretty good. I give it a 7/10. At first I thought the girl who played O was Gwyneth Paltrow & I thought the guy that played Lado was Brad Pitt until I seen the cast lineup at the end...

Don't they look alike..?

[Knight165]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

One certified classic and one hidden gem for me this week.


Rope (1948)

Wow....I won't go on too long about this flick because if you haven't seen it then you're missing out big time! Needless to say this movie is excellent. The film is more known today for the technical achievement which is unfortunate as the script and acting is pretty damn good in its own right.

First the plot summary:



I had to spoiler tag a small part of the summary as I felt it too spoilery. This was the set up for the tense, psychological thriller that Alfred Hitchcock presents with the added twist of doing the movie seemingly all in one take (actually 9 different takes seamlessly edited to look like one continuous take) It was a magnificent achievement that gave the movie the feel of a stage play with the added benefit of the background of the afternoon sun drifting into sunset and then to night which psychologically makes the 88 minute movie feel like it's 100 minutes long.

As i've said the acting was SUPERB in this film with Brandon being played to smarmy, arrogant perfection by John Dall and the more submissive and easily cowed Philip played by Farley Granger. Their dynamic is that of a gay couple and indeed the movie is based on a play which in turn was based on an actual crime of the same nature by a gay male couple. Dall portrays his character with unbridled arrogance and watching him hold sway over Granger's Philip is at times a bit unnerving. Brandon is the intellectual driving force of the piece as he continually pushes the envelope by literally having the guests eating off the grave of David Kentley and making sly comments that purposely hints at what the two have done. He even goes so far as to use the rope they killed David with to tie around books for David's father! All throughout the film though, Philip is starting to crack and gets increasingly drunk which makes him act out in ways that call attention to himself as he never wanted the party in the first place.

The other actors in this film were very good especially Sir Cedric Hardwicke as David's father. He doesn't do too much but his lines all have a purpose to them especially during a key argument that takes place which reveals quite a lot. I'm afraid I can't be more forthcoming about said argument but it reveals a bit too much for me to tell you. Needless to say Hardwicke's argument against what Brandon espouses is a turning point in the film.

Rupert Caddell is played by Jimmy Stewart, (the first of his movies with Hitch) and he's a bit miscast in this one as the urbane, intellectually aware and questioning authority figure. There's an arrogance called for in the role and Stewart doesn't quite get it right but he does a very good job with the material and the final segment of the film is where he shines the most. Originally Hichcock wanted Cary Grant for the role and in a lot of ways Grant would've been perfect however with the overt gay overtones of Brandon and Philip adding Grant whose accent and style of acting would've made it go from implications to outright screaming "stereotypically gay dynamics for sure" in flashing neon lights. It's something that audiences back then wouldn't be able to take in fact, this movie was banned in 8 states based on the implication as it was.

This movie is VERY good at setting up the situation, deflating it with some humor and small talk than fully ratcheting it up to the point where the viewer is completely enthralled by the happenings on screen. A great example of this is when Caddell talks to Philip and tries to find out why he's acting so strangely and then he uses a metronome as he digs deeper which causes Philip to flip out a bit.

All in all this was a superb movie which I give 4 out of 4 stars. Check it out if you can!


Warning Sign (1985)

This is the hidden gem I was talking about, it's not a perfect movie by any means but it's pretty engrossing until it gets a bit campy in the 2nd half. The film stars Sam Waterston, Kathleen Quinlan, Yaphet Kotto and Jeffrey DeMunn.

Here's the plot summary:



Kathleen Quinlan is said guard and her husband (Waterston) is the local law enforcement. The accident is the release and spread of biological weapon within the complex which triggers a response by the army led by Yaphet Kotto. Their job is to basically hold off the locals and get inside the building and make sure everyone is inside the building and....dead. As the cover is that its just an agro based genetics lab they need to make it look like it was an accident related to that rather than a biochemical weapon. Well Waterston goes and find a guy that used to work for Biotek named Fairchild (DeMunn) who at first doesn't want to help mainly because he KNEW exactly what was going on and had invented the anti-toxin for said weapon which fails thus turning the scientists and civilian workers inside into raging zombie-like killers who are going after Quinlan and another doctor (played by G.W. Bailey, he of Police Academy and The Closer fame who's infected and dying but is willing to help Quinlan after he led a group into open rebellion and almost killing Quinlan in the process) as she's the only person who hasn't been infected by the virus/weapon.

On the surface this makes for a great flick and indeed the first half is pretty scary in a realistic way and quite atmospheric. Waterston does a great job with his character who's a germophobe sheriff trying to find out what's going on, how it can be solved and most importantly how to get his wife out of there. The interaction between he and DeMunn is pretty good as Waterston has saved DeMunn's bacon a few times as the latter turned into a drunkard. The movie has a bit of an Alien feel to it what with Quinlan being trapped in a building full of raging doctors and indeed the survival horror aspect is played up quite well.

The movie falls down a bit in the 2nd half what with Waterston and DeMunn getting into the facility and the townsfolk going all crazy trying to break down the doors to get their friends and relatives. The movie almost turns into a slasher flick what with the doctors going ape and going after anyone who isn't infected. Despite this, one is already fully invested in Quinlan's plight and you want to see her escape this madness. The ending is also slightly improbable but it works.

I give this about 2 1/2 stars. I don't know if there was a way to make the 2nd half less campy but it's the 2nd half that pulls this down a notch. It's well worth catching if you can and i'm actually surprised Hollywood hasn't remade this what with bio terrorism and biological weapons being more of a known quantity in the public's eye

Rope is great.
Kind of a spin on the Leopold and Loeb story.(A true story)

Warning Sign...I love that flick.
Man I haven't seen that probably since the 80's.

M.K.
Knight165