What movies have you seen recently?

[SPTO]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

So continuing on my Westerns festival we come to a Howard Hughes backed film during the waning days of RKO. The film is called Devil's Canyon (despite no canyon being anywhere in sight though one can guess where the title comes in as i'll explain in a second) released in 1953 starring Virginia Mayo, Dale Robertson and Stephen McNally.

Here's the summary:

Ex-marshal Billy Reynolds, sent to state prison for killing two men in self defense, learns that killer Jessie Gorman, brother of the two men Billy shot, is in the same prison and vows revenge. Complicating matters further is the incarceration of Gorman's girlfriend Abby who helps Gorman plan an escape while at the same time is unsuccessful hiding her feelings for Reynolds

That pretty much sums it up right there though the Reynolds/Nixon (that's Abby's last name in the film) dynamic is a little more complex than that. Apparently she and Reynolds had something together before she got caught up with Gorman and it shows early on in the movie when Gorman's brothers are out for Reynolds as she warns him about them coming for him.

The movie is a little strange in that it starts off as a Western but quickly turns into a prison movie in the mold of White Heat. The only thing really unique about this was that for some odd reason the movie has Abby committing a crime and being sent to the all male prison with over 500 horny, degenerates all around. This could've been a set up for some sleazy porno! This is where I surmise the title comes from as it's obviously in reference to Virginia Mayo's cha cha. Speaking of Ms. Mayo, she had very good screen presence in this flick as she was a tough talking, pull no punches broad but who still has that feminine touch to her.

This isn't the greatest movie ever as a lot of the groundwork follows on prison movie tropes but there are some pretty good performances such as Robert Keith as the warden who knows he has a bunch of criminal lunatics but tries to treat them decently despite his own staff led by Guard Captain Jack Wells played by Jay C. Flippen who's basically a bully and a lout.

The actors do the best with the material though it's not the greatest and that's what kept me involved in the film. There are some scenes that are pretty good such as the scene where Wells tries to seduce Abby rather clumsily which gets him in trouble. Another good scene is when the Warden finds out there's going to a be a break out (though Gorman's men pin it on Reynolds making him look like the ring leader) he invites Abby to dinner and tries to scare her into not going on with it and to warn the others of what could happen.

This movie is pretty flawed but interesting to a degree. I wouldn't recommend going out of your way to find it (there's no DVD release of this) but if TCM ever shows it at a decent hour and you have nothing else to do then it'd be worth taking a peek at.

[GAMEC0CK2002]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Tai Chi Master. Awesome kung fu flick with vintage Jet Li action work. The visuals are dated as you can actually see the wires in some of the scenes.

The Spy Next Door. Pretty decent "kids hate mom's new boyfriend" movie. If you're a Jackie Chan fan, you know what to expect in the action scenes. Even with a PG rating, it kept me entertained.

[dickey1331]

50/50. It was really good. Very emotional. I couldn't imagine what having cancer so young would be like.


Do you really care where I sent this from?

[SPTO]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Continuing on with the Westerns as the next two to come are larger in scope with the 2nd film being a big budget flick with some of the bigger stars of the day but first we take a look at Cheyenne (1947). This movie seems like it was intended for Errol Flynn though he isn't the star of the picture rather it is Dennis Morgan in the lead part.

Here's the storyline:

Wells Fargo stages are being robbed by 'The Poet' (Bruce Bennett) and no one can find out who he is. Wylie (Dennis Morgan) is a gambler who is found by the sheriff and gives him the option of going back to a questionable trial in Carson City or finding 'The Poet' for the stage line. Wylie decides to look for the outlaw and he rides out in the stage with Ann (Jane Wyman) and Emily (Janis Paige) to Cheyenne. He soon finds that the Sundance Kid's (Arthur Kennedy) gang is waiting for 'The Poet' so he impersonates him and finds that Ann is the wife of the outlaw. Wylie is concerned about the gang, 'The Poet' and Ann

That's a pretty good plot synopsis without giving anything away.....

This was a surprisingly adult western with plot being more central to it than the Saturday Matinee shoot em up philosophy. One of the things that make this flick so adult is the byplay between Wylie, Ann and Emily. Emily is a bit of a "loose girl" if you will but she isn't portrayed as being all bad as there's a heart of gold aspect to her while Ann is generally the "good girl" but she's got some rough edges to her and will do what it takes to make things go her way. The film has an air of cynicism that is present but doesn't overwhelm it as there are tonal shifts that leave the viewer unsettled which I think was the purpose as it goes from a noirish piece to comedy to light flirtiness etc etc.

Wylie and Ann pose as husband and wife so he can find out who the Poet is and a lot of their interaction borders on him wanting her to her using him to get rid of her husband who she despises. There's a wonderful scene in a ranshackle house that the Sundance Kid and his gang holes the two up in as Sundance isn't sure if Wylie really is the Poet even though Wylie insists he is and says he has a plan that'll make Sundance rich. Anyways the scene has Wylie and Ann going to bed and Wylie tries to charm Ann to the point that she'd "give in" to him but it doesn't quite work out that way.

The mystery of who the Poet is is revealed early on and we see a lot of gamesmanship between he and Wylie that makes one think of Columbo. The movie is pretty densely packed in plot and we see how characters develop. Even Emily gets some good lines and we see that she's not all bad but there's still that gold digger aspect to her. Even in the end where Wylie makes things bad for her he apologizes because he realizes that despite her background she really wanted to make something good out of her life.

Anyways this is a fantastic film and one that you should seek out if you're interested in an "adult" '40s western that has a little bit of everything in it. There doesn't seem to be a DVD release but since this is a WB film it'll show on TCM again one of these days.

Next up: Broken Lance, a film with Spencer Tracy, Robert Wagner and Richard Widmark.

[Chrisksaint]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Star Trek(2009)- outstanding movie, that is all.

[thaima1shu]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Star Trek(2009)- outstanding movie, that is all.

Love that movie. Can't wait for the sequel.

[daflyboys]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Winona Ryder casting, regardless of the small role, was about the only flaw.

[JWR3232]

Saw the dictator other day and I thought it was absolutely hilarious I loved it.


New York Yankees
Chicago Bears
Chicago Bulls

[AUChase]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Watched Office Space, last night.

I thought it was hilarious.

[goh]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Drive

Absolutely phenomenal. Great acting,story,characters and even great on the technical end.
Top notch cinematography and sound use in particular. Seems like it got pretty snubbed for major awards,not sure why.

Though I do wonder who the heck would ever name their child Standard.

[Beantown]

Holy ****.

[The GIGGAS]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Holy ****.

You're not kidding. We've certainly witnessed a first.

[SPTO]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Broken Lance (1954)

This, my friends is a great western! It's also one slightly ahead of its time as it has elements in it that Giant (1956) The Searchers (1956) and Hud (1963) would feature in spades. Interestingly it's also a remake of an earlier film House of Strangers (1949) which I will track down to compare with though I must say it's going to be pretty hard to beat this in my opinion.

Here's the synopsis and i'll talk about the themes and such:

Cattle baron Matt Devereaux raids a copper smelter that is polluting his water, then divides his property among his sons. Son Joe takes responsibility for the raid and gets three years in prison. Matt dies from a stroke partly caused by his rebellious sons and when Joe gets out he plans revenge

Slight oversimplification there but good enough....

Matt Devereux who's the patriach of his family is played fabulously by Spencer Tracy. I wouldn't say it's one of his greatest roles because it isn't but it's surely top drawer stuff. Devereux is a tough, tyrannical man but there's also a softer side to him usually reserved for his wife who is a squaw woman played very capably by Katy Jurado though frankly she didn't have that much to do in the movie. (interestingly Robert Wagner who plays her youngest son was only 3 years younger than her!) and his youngest son Joe. (Robert Wagner) Matt however holds great disdain for his other three sons who were born years before by his first wife and helped him build up his cattle empire and holds the greatest disdain for the eldest of those boys Ben who is played superbly by Richard Widmark.

The basic thrust of the movie is mentioned in that synopsis there and the dividing of the land is due to Joe sacrificing himself and going to jail for his father which absolutely kills him especially when he makes a deal with the smelter company so that Joe can be released but Ben and the other boys decide not to sign the papers which keeps Joe in the clink.

Now to the themes of the movie: There are two themes that make this a very interesting and fascinating movie. The first is the idea of pollution which is physically manifested by the materials from the smelter killing Devereux's cattle which causes the showdown and violence that ends up putting him and his family in a legal predicament but the pollution is more than that as the theme expands to the pollution of the pure bred American. There is tension between Ben and his brother Joe because Ben and the other boys feel that Joe has gotten it easy in life as he's favored by their father. Joe in turn hates the idea of being a "half breed" being the son of Matt's second wife and the racism that comes from that especially when he falls in love with the governor's daughter, said governor being Matt's closest friend and the man that he has manipulated and put into power through the years.

So you have those tensions throughout and it's dealt with very well. The racial "pollution" aspect is manifested in a couple scenes what with the boss of the smelter calling Matt names which draws Joe's ire and then a scene where Joe tells Barbara (the governor's daughter played by Jean Peters) about how he hates the fact that he's viewed as a half breed and how it's not fair to his mother that she has so little in the way of rights. Another scene which illustrates the whole racism aspect is when Matt goes to the governor who is his best friend and the man he built up in order to talk about how to get out of his predicament. Right away Matt notices that Horace isn't readily willing to help as usual and it comes out that Horace doesn't want Joe seeing his son which is viewed as a betrayal to Matt as he says he doesn't care what other people think about him being married to a squaw woman and the snickering about the family but to have that happen with his own friend is too much and it becomes a rift between the two. This scene was probably the best scene in the entire movie to me and crystalizes that theme along with the other theme....

That other theme being power and rugged individualism. Matt is a man who always got by under the old west ethic of fighting it out and using one's power to get their way even if one has to be underhanded. This is bumping up against the changing mores of the times which is clearly scene in the cross examination scene in court where Matt makes a lot of sense to the people in the court room but under the law and the changing times he looks like a violent dinosaur. You have this old time western ethic combined with his ruthlessness on his three older sons and you can clearly see why they hate their father which rubs off onto hating Joe as well.

The way i'm writing things makes Matt sound like a monster which he isn't totally, actually one of the things that I love about this movie is that there are no "good and bad guys"* but rather there are shades of gray. Everyone has something good in them but there's some not so great aspects to each character that manifests itself and becomes a great flaw. This is an excellent movie which I give 5 out of 5 stars. The movie is readily available on DVD so if you're interested I suggest checking it out.




* This is ruined a bit when Ben's true colors REALLY manifests itself in the last 10 minutes of the movie. You could tell that he was a bit of a bastard but the way he goes on at the end was a bit over the top. If there's any flaw to the film it's that last 10 minutes though I think if they had toned down his aggression a bit it wouldn't have been so bad.

[BlueNGold]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Drive

Absolutely phenomenal. Great acting,story,characters and even great on the technical end.
Top notch cinematography and sound use in particular. Seems like it got pretty snubbed for major awards,not sure why.

Though I do wonder who the heck would ever name their child Standard.

[Ermolli]

Re: What movies have you seen recently?

Home Alone 4.

If it wasn't because I was asked to see it by a friend I wouldn't even consider watching it. It's bad, non funny and have lots of dumb moments. The only thing that I can take from this movie is that now I want to watch Home Alone 1 and 2 so I can remember how good those were.