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| Trish |
 Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:26 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 2438
Location: Massachusetts
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mo_flixx wrote:
The pranks remind me of a bunch of drunk guys on spring break. Was the first JACKASS any better?!
yeah I think it was - it had some very very funny bits - try the first one out |
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| Trish |
| Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:40 am |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 2438
Location: Massachusetts
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Watched a couple DVDs this weekend.
Miami Vice - bored the hell out of me. Yes a couple brief steamy sex scenes - but the score, the story, the acting all uninspiring, dull. No chemistry between the male leads (that the TV show had), humorless, moved sloooowly. And Gong Li is an attractive woman - but I expected SIZZLE after what others had said here and there was none of that. and yeas I have to comment - that hairstyle on Farrell is NOT a good look. Nothing special at all about the action sequences
Where's the BEEF? what's so darn special about this film?
Also watched The Woods
a weird little horror/suspense flick about weird happenings at a Prep school for girls (set in 1965). Surprised to see Patricia Clarkson here.
Agnes Bruckner made the most of the role. She's definitely someone to watch (especially after Blue Car). She has a pretty expressive face. I always enjoy seeing Bruce Campbell (in a noncomic role as her father.
Its definitely in B-movie territory - not a great film, certainly - but it kept my attention even in the hammy/silly parts. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 12:15 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 14498
Location: Houston
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billyweeds wrote: If I were God, I would have awarded Best Picture in 1950 to Sunset Blvd., which has all the verbal dexterity of All About Eve and adds a ton of cinematic verve. But AAE is undeniably a great film, and should have won in almost any other year. Plus, there are moments of pure cinema. The scene where Baxter, Ratoff, Monroe, Sanders gather on the stairs at Margo's party is memorable for Mankiewicz's refusal to move the camera. We glimpse an inimitable dose of "inside show-biz" in a remarkably non-pushy way. Does this make any sense? All I know is that when I think of AAE, I think of this pictorial composition even before I think of Davis's incredible performance.
Damn, I'd never realized it before, but I do, too. That image is the first to come into my mind. I also like the way the scene ends, zooming into the extreme closeup of Sarah Siddons. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 12:47 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: New York City
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Joe Vitus wrote: billyweeds wrote: If I were God, I would have awarded Best Picture in 1950 to Sunset Blvd., which has all the verbal dexterity of All About Eve and adds a ton of cinematic verve. But AAE is undeniably a great film, and should have won in almost any other year. Plus, there are moments of pure cinema. The scene where Baxter, Ratoff, Monroe, Sanders gather on the stairs at Margo's party is memorable for Mankiewicz's refusal to move the camera. We glimpse an inimitable dose of "inside show-biz" in a remarkably non-pushy way. Does this make any sense? All I know is that when I think of AAE, I think of this pictorial composition even before I think of Davis's incredible performance.
Damn, I'd never realized it before, but I do, too. That image is the first to come into my mind. I also like the way the scene ends, zooming into the extreme closeup of Sarah Siddons.
The other shot I revere is the one of Davis and Holm sitting in the back seat of the out-of-gas car. You can practically feel the cold air and you can sense the bond between the two women. I don't care how much tension there was between Bette and Celeste offscreen, the chemistry on screen is almost palpable. |
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| inlareviewer |
| Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:37 pm |
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Joined: 05 Jul 2004
Posts: 1949
Location: Lawrence, KS
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The fact that Bette and Celeste were able to make audiences believe they were best friends on screen speaks for itself as to their artistry.
I prefer AAE to SB, but I wouldn't be without either the Mankiewicz or Wilder. Luck of the calendar that they were in competition against each other. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 3:17 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: Houston
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| The difference for me is that I appreciate Sunset Blvd, whereas I like All About Eve. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 3:41 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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Joe Vitus wrote: The difference for me is that I appreciate Sunset Blvd, whereas I like All About Eve.
Same here. |
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| Melody |
| Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 3:51 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 2242
Location: TX
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Oh my goodness, I love them both. I couldn't possibly choose a favorite among those two.
I'm happy to say the first time I ever saw Sunset Blvd. was on the big screen at the Paramount in Austin. What a thrill, since I wasn't around to see it on the big screen the first time it played there! I await the day when I can see All About Eve there, too. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 3:58 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Look, both SB and AAE are classics and great movies, and musts for any movie buff (or human being, for that matter). It's just that I find SB way more visually interesting. |
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| Marj |
| Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 4:07 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 10497
Location: Manhattan
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I love All About Eve, and thought that scene in the car was terrific. I would have thought Celeste Holmes and Betty Davis were best friends to the end!
The only drawback I have with AAE is Ann Baxter. Fortunatly the sceenplay and other actors are so good I can get past her.
I happened to see Sunset Blvd. a few weeks ago and was astonished at my reaction, especially since I've seen it many times before. For the first time the horror of the film really hit me, as it became less a story about Joe Gillis and more of a cautionary tale about those who cannot seem to age gracefully. And the lengths one will go to stay young or out of sight to the point of loosing all sense of reality. For the first time it was a true horror film, but one I couldn't turn off. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 5:13 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Completely agree about Anne Baxter being the fly in the AAE ointment. She is an inveterate overacter and makes Eve as transparent as a window pane. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I wish I could turn back time and skew it into a pretzel and cast Audrey Hepburn as Eve. Then we'd have someone I would believe could fool Margo into thinking she was sincere. |
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| Marj |
| Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 5:19 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 10497
Location: Manhattan
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| Well put, Billy. And what an idea? I like it. A lot!!! |
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| jeremy |
| Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 5:39 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 6794
Location: Derby, England and Hamilton, New Zealand (yes they are about 12,000 miles apart)
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Trish,
I was also conflicted about Miami Vice, which I felt got too wrapped up in the scenery, hardware and tradecraft to be involving. I didn't empathise with the male leads or care about their fate, but I couldn't stop myself falling for Gong Li. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 5:50 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: Houston
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| Oh, but I think Eve should be transparent—to us. But at the same time, I think Baxter should have agreed to the Best Supporting Actress Nomination, so that Bette had a clear shot at the Best Actress Oscar. |
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| Joe Vitus |
| Posted: Mon Jan 22, 2007 5:51 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
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Location: Houston
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Melody wrote: Oh my goodness, I love them both. I couldn't possibly choose a favorite among those two.
I'm happy to say the first time I ever saw Sunset Blvd. was on the big screen at the Paramount in Austin. What a thrill, since I wasn't around to see it on the big screen the first time it played there! I await the day when I can see All About Eve there, too.
I envy you. I've never seen Sunset Blvd. on the big screen. |
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You've got a great brain. You should keep it in your head.
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