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| carrobin |
 Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 6:32 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| I'd like to see "The Beaver," but it disappeared quickly, and then I forgot about it. So many movies, so little time... But maybe I'll get hold of a disk. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 9:27 pm |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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marantzo wrote: The Leopard came out when I was a Parisian  and the reviews were positive but made it sound like a pretty long slog. The comments on Lancaster were all raves. I gave it a pass.
Didn't he get an Oscar nomination for it?
It's a pretty long slog. It's certainly worth watching, but it's a very detailed and atmospheric look at the aristocracy fading while the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies fell. |
Last edited by Syd on Fri Aug 26, 2011 10:22 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 9:47 pm |
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Site Admin
Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12929
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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Volume 3 of The Blues is "The Road to Memphis," which features B. B. King, Rosco Gordon and Bobby Rush, and is about life on the Chitlin Circuit, and leads to a W. C. Handy awards concert. Not as much music this time, and some views on road life and the history of Beale Street and how it died. B. B. King is of course famous, and we get to hear not nearly enough of his guitar playing. Gordon was popular in in R&B circuits the fifties but didn't have much crossover success. Rush has had a long career and many albums, but I don't know that he's been a major star. Gordon died in 2002 as the documentary was being made, but King and Rush are very much alive if getting a bit long in the tooth.
There is also footage of Little Richard, Fats Domino, Sam Phillips (the record producer). I didn't think this was as strong or interesting as the first two films in the series, but I liked seeing its three featured artists. I felt that there was some atmosphere missing that it needed.
I've read that most of the movies in the series are good, but #6, which concentrates on British blues of the 60s, is the weak link. |
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Rocky Laocoon foretold of Troy's doom, only to find snaky water. They pulled him in and Rocky can't swim. Now Rocky wishes he were an otter! |
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| Marj |
| Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2011 10:21 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 10497
Location: Manhattan
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 4:41 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9016
Location: Shanghai
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Syd wrote: Rosco Gordon was popular in in R&B circuits the fifties but didn't have much crossover success.
I'm pretty fond of Rosco.
But he was too raw for crossover success.
He slurred his words while singing, sounding (intentionally?) a little drunk. Booted was his big hit (#1 R&B in 1952). Also had a big hit with Just a Little Bit, a cover of Tony Topsy's great version.
Gordon's R&B records were popular in Jamaica and his style, and especially his other hit No More Doggin (1952) has often been cited as influencing the development of ska. So Rosco is credited as a progenitor of reggae.
Quote:
Seems incredible that an artist partially responsible for the invention of both Reggae and Rock n Roll is someone you probably never heard of. He was a great singer, songwriter, and a very charismatic performer.
Gordon created a style of piano playing known as ‘The Rosco Rhythm’ and made a number of his early recordings for Sam Phillips at Sun Records. This rhythm placed the accent on the off beats, and is cited as the foundation of Jamaican bluebeat and reggae music.
Forgot to add that Rosco was part of a loose group of supportive musicians who helped each other out and defined Memphis blues -- the the Beale Streeters Johnny Ace, B.B. King, Rosco Gordon, Earl Forrest and Little Junior Parker. A pretty fine collection of talent. Unfortunately the great Johnny Ace chose a poor Christmas present for himself at a young age. Most famous for his ballads, his R&B rockers -- How Can You be So Mean and Don't You Know -- are great. |
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Killing your enemies, if it's done badly, increases their number. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sat Aug 27, 2011 5:51 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| That link to www.instantwatcher.com has made holing up for the hurricane ten times easier. Netflix streaming will be working non-stop. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2011 12:46 pm |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6961
Location: Black Hills
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| Saw Gashole yesterday -- a documentary on the Oil biz (speaking of corporations that definitely are not people) that explains the history (and present course) of fueling America, and does so with great clarity (and nice humorous touches). Also has an intriguing segment on alternative engine designs that may have been suppressed by the oil companies -- some of the claims for these designs (a Studebaker that could get 100 mpg with a fuel-vaporization system) are quite extravagant, but it makes you wonder, makes you want to delve into it a bit more. Also quite a bit about biodiesel, which is accurate, and quite an eye-opener. Various experts are interviewed, as well as the actor in "Fringe" (Josh Jackson) who is a big biodiesel advocate. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| Marc |
| Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 12:15 am |
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Joined: 19 May 2004
Posts: 8424
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| Cold Fish is a must-see if you enjoy extreeeeeeme Asian cinema. It's some kind of warped masterpiece. Rent it and tell me how much you hate me. |
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 2:14 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
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Marj wrote: I've been dying to see The Leopard for years. And it's been on my queue for a long time, but it was on TCM last night, and I couldn't stay with it. Between the dubbing of Burt Lancaster, and its pacing, it was just too much.
Well at least I can remove it from my queue. That is unless someone can argue it's value for giving it another go.
The Leopard is an excellent movie but you need to see it on the big screen. |
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 2:26 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
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| A Film Unfinished is a grim documentary consisting of long lost footage of Jewish life in the Warsaw ghetto. It was filmed by the Nazis in May 1942, just a few weeks before the mass transportation to Treblinka began. Besides filming the degraded living conditions, the Germans also filmed some scenes to fool the outside world, showing the more affluent, well dressed and well nourished Jews being served sumptuous dinners in restaurants, and even providing a grand funeral for a Jew. Depressing but worthwhile. |
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 5:08 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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| Tried watching Samuel Fuller's color-and-CinemaScope film noir House of Bamboo on Netflix streaming, since it's currently being given a big-deal revival at NYC's Film Forum and the Netflix print is excellent. Alas, the film is unwatchably boring. Maybe on the "big" screen (the Film Forum's is small anyway) it gains in visual punch, but the story is snoozeworthy. Glad I didn't spend the money in the theater. |
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| bartist |
| Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 8:25 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
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Location: Black Hills
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Quote: Cold Fish is a must-see if you enjoy extreeeeeeme Asian cinema. It's some kind of warped masterpiece. Rent it and tell me how much you hate me.
Marc, can I skip the rental and just hate you anyway? 
BTW, the last half dozen postings are wonderfully eclectic. |
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He was wise beyond his years, but only by a few days. |
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| Marj |
| Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 5:42 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 10497
Location: Manhattan
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[quote="bartist"]Quote: Cold Fish is a must-see if you enjoy extreeeeeeme Asian cinema. It's some kind of warped masterpiece. Rent it and tell me how much you hate me.
Marc, can I skip the rental and just hate you anyway?
HAHAHAHAHAHA! I don't know why that cracked me up, but it did.
Meanwhile, I had the perfect movie for a hurricane weekend: The Conspirator. And I'm sure it also would have played better on a big screen. Still I loved it. But I love good period pieces, and this was new history for me.
I even listened to Redford's commentary on Sunday night. It was quite odd, since he didn't have a lot to say - so with the sound off, he watched it too, and added pieces of info every few minutes or so. But I didn't want to speed it up for fear of missing something. |
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| marantzo |
| Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 6:34 pm |
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| I was thinking about The Conspirator today. It's a very good movie all around. I think (spoiler), she was guilty as hell but her enabling didn't deserve a hanging. Though being the assassination of the President probably made it a capital crime even though the evidence was what one would call, not without a reasonable doubt. |
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| yambu |
| Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2011 9:02 pm |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
Posts: 6441
Location: SF Bay Area
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billyweeds wrote: Tried watching Samuel Fuller's color-and-CinemaScope film noir House of Bamboo on Netflix streaming, since it's currently being given a big-deal revival at NYC's Film Forum and the Netflix print is excellent. Alas, the film is unwatchably boring. Maybe on the "big" screen (the Film Forum's is small anyway) it gains in visual punch, but the story is snoozeworthy. Glad I didn't spend the money in the theater. |
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