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| bartist |
 Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2016 8:56 am |
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Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 6944
Location: Black Hills
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Syd wrote: Antarctica: A Year on Ice. Antarctica lends itself to great documentaries. We have this, March of the Penguins, Encounters at the End of the World, Endeavour, and the brilliant oldie, With Byrd at the South Pole, not to mention the TV Series, The Last Place on Earth.
....makes me glad to live in a calm, nonwindy state like Oklahoma.
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Heh!
I sorta agree about Internet as being a cheat, when someone is supposedly having an experience of great isolation. Sort of like Thoreau's claim of isolation at Walden being later in question, when it was learned his cabin was a short walk from his mother's house. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2016 9:38 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9008
Location: Shanghai
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I think that Herzog Antarctica doc was the last of his films I liked. Though I might have missed one or two.
I wonder about the logistics of providing internet to the White Continent. Probably a satellite somewhere, but it doesn't sound like a straightforward proposition. I guess it's possible they ran a cable from NZ or Argentina, though that sounds like a hassle. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2016 9:33 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9008
Location: Shanghai
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After The Phantom, I pulled out my Monsters Boxset.
I found the 1931 Dracula kind of boring.
The story unfolds slowly. The young businessman who sells the English property to Count Dracula is rather hammy in both his part as businessman and then later as madman/toady for Dracula.
There's also the weirdness that Dracula's English property is called Carfax Abbey. I did like when the friendly neighbors suggest it will be a fine property once extensive renovations are done, and Dracula haughtily says that he has no intentions of doing any repairs and opines that decay is natural and good.
The vampires are able to transform into bats and wolves, while wolfs-bane and crosses repel them. You can understand that wolf howling adds a certain dimension of creepiness, especially in the English countryside, but it also seems a bit overly complicated (and infringing on the wolfman's turf). Understandable why they later narrowed it down to just bats, while using the cape to mimic a bat's morphology.
I did like when Lugosi is confronted with a cross and he hisses and turns away. Though it's a bit unclear why Dracula is bothered by a mirror. If his reflection isn't there, what's the harm in him looking into it?
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The Mummy was more interesting. The pace is also a little slack. But Karloff is a real strong presence. They really do take an interest in Egyptology -- there was a 1920's Egypt craze in the wake of the Tutankhamen discovery -- and try to act somewhat serious about archeology.
It's kind of creepy that Karloff's character was mummified alive, as punishment for trying to bring his beloved back from the dead. The only thing is the whole point of mummification is to preserve the body, and just wrapping up Karloff alive would have meant that he rotted and wouldn't be preserved and wouldn't be able to come back to life. So they actually kind of muck up the whole mummy angle. A preserved corpse looks like it might be able to be reincarnated somehow, but not one that wasn't embalmed. Well, that only comes in towards the end when the backstory is provided. I'm glad it was only briefly mentioned early on, but then left out for the most of the runtime. |
Last edited by gromit on Sat Aug 06, 2016 10:01 am; edited 1 time in total
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| gromit |
| Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2016 11:09 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9008
Location: Shanghai
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Forgot to mention that while watching Dracula, I thought it borrowed freely from German expressionism. And then I watched some of the extras after the film, and sure enough the cinematographer was Karl Freund, who worked on The Last Laugh, was cinematographer for Metropolis, etc. He was renowned for his mobile camera, and for 1931, early in the sound era, the camera isn't too restricted.
And then the German expressionistic aspects are even more pronounced in The Mummy, directed by Karl Freund. Filmed in late '32, the camera is now noticeably mobile and fluid.
Interestingly, Freund went on to become director of photography for the I Love Lucy Show, and pioneered the use of the now-standard 3 camera set-up for sitcoms. |
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| yambu |
| Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 11:55 am |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
Posts: 6441
Location: SF Bay Area
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| I love it when stuff like this happens. Bernie is a mortician in an East Texas town who seems to have the patter down, delivering streams of Christian platitudes to the bereaved. The secular progressive that I am at first would not allow me to see the caring, truly religious man that he is, who is beloved by all, who when his life unravels, doesn't whine, but faces his trials with help from his Lord. |
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2016 12:21 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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I saw "Bernie" while Time Warner was giving free Showtime for a few months, and enjoyed it. Shirley MacLaine was an excellent bitch.
Last night--or rather, in the wee hours of this morning--I started watching "Heaven's Gate" on TCM. Of course I fell asleep after a while--I nearly fell asleep when I saw it in the theater a few decades ago--but the glorious cinematography kept me watching for an hour. I was delighted that it was the original cut that began with John Hurt's speech on graduation day, and the beautiful dance in the Harvard grounds, but it really is a very slow way to start a movie. The revised version didn't have Hurt's speech, and I think it cut the whole Harvard part entirely. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2016 9:57 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9008
Location: Shanghai
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I'm doing a Bergman binge.
I've seen many of his most famous films, and a few early films.
But have a ton of his films on Dvd I haven't seen.
Sawdust & Tinsel
I was pretty impressed that this was from 1953.
A lot of the techniques such as tight close ups of odd faces, dwarfs, circus performers would turn up later in Fellini.
The film opens with essentially a tour de force short film, and then the full feature repeats and explores those themes. Great casting, nice blending of theater and normal human theatrics. It's not exactly subtle about its themes, but nails them hard. I was surprised how much betrayal and humiliation there was. Interesting film, though i never could get emotionally involved.
The Silence (1963)
I appreciate how Bergman uses some very stripped down settings and limited characters to make powerful dramas. The intense Virgin Spring comes to mind. But Silence left me cold and with nothing much to say. I don;t care for passive-aggressive character conflicts. Not my kind of film.
Winter Light (1963)
Now here's a powerful stripped-down drama.
A priest is having a real bad day. He's feeling ill, has a mostly empty church to preside over, has to deal with a suicidal parishioner, is increasingly irritated by a woman who dotes on him but he has contempt for. Oh yeah, there's also his crisis of faith.
Will likely tackle Through a Glass Darkly next.
Then maybe the late 60's: Shame; Hour of the Wolf, The Passion of Anna. Then if I'm still continuing, will probably head back to the early 50's. In theory, I'd like to knock off all dozen or so films I have here and then re-watch the ones I saw years ago. But that sounds ambitious, and like a possible Bergman overdose. But I should rewatch Persona, Wild Strawberries, 7th Seal, Virgin Spring, Summer with Monika at some point. |
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| Syd |
| Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2016 7:48 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 12890
Location: Norman, Oklahoma
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Mr. Holmes: Ian McKellen plays a 93-year old Sherlock Holmes (and a 58-year old Holmes in flashbacks of his last case), Laura Linney is Mrs. Munro, his housekeeper, Milo Parker is her young son Roger and Holmes' protege, and Hattie Morahan is the woman in his last case, the one which caused him to end his career. Holmes is now writing the true facts of the case to replace Watson's version, but he's now having trouble remembering names and facts, though he's still pretty formidable.
Superb movie, with genuine warmth between Holmes and the Munros (though Mrs. Munro is worried about how Holmes' failing health might hurt her son), and a moving scene where Holmes solves a mystery but doesn't get the point. Beautifully written, directed and acted and highly recommended. |
Last edited by Syd on Sat Aug 06, 2016 9:17 pm; edited 1 time in total
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| carrobin |
| Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2016 8:48 pm |
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Joined: 21 May 2004
Posts: 7795
Location: NYC
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| My friend who puts movies on disks for me sent me "Mr. Holmes"--we're both Sherlock buffs--and I agree, it's a charmer. How strange that it's taken all this time for Ian McKellen to become a popular star. (All due to Gandalf, no doubt.) |
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| yambu |
| Posted: Sat Aug 06, 2016 10:46 pm |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
Posts: 6441
Location: SF Bay Area
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| I'm in for Mr. Holmes. About a year ago I saw McKellen and Patrick Stewart in an SF production of a Pinter duet play. Flawless, funny, and riveting. I had the same fan-like feeling fifty years ago when I saw Helen Hayes in her last year onstage. There is just nothing like it. |
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| Ghulam |
| Posted: Mon Aug 15, 2016 1:20 am |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 4742
Location: Upstate NY
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"Jafar Panahi's Taxi" (also called "Tehran Taxi") was not released in Iran because Jafar Panahi is not allowed to make movies in Iran by the government, but it was received very warmly in Berlin Film Festival (2015), Mumbai Film Festival (2015) and several other film festivals. Mr. Panahi takes us on a taxi ride through the streets of Tehran letting us meet several interesting characters (passengers) and letting us hear some very intelligent morality-tinged dialogue. First class fare!
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| billyweeds |
| Posted: Sun Aug 21, 2016 1:18 pm |
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Joined: 20 May 2004
Posts: 20618
Location: New York City
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One of my favorite film directors is the quirkily hilarious Albert Brooks. But I'd forgotten how flat-out brilliant is his 1996 "Mother," in which Brooks adapts his perpetually neurotic persona to the role of a 40-something writer going back to his family home to live with his widowed mother in hopes of finding some insight into his woman problems.
The dialogue is wildly funny, the emotional arc ineffably touching, and the acting by Brooks and Debbie Reynolds impeccable. Brooks wrote the role expressly for Reynolds and she responds with her most effective turn since "Singin' in the Rain." It streams on Netflix and is unreservedly recommended. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Mon Aug 22, 2016 7:52 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9008
Location: Shanghai
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Sounds interesting. Never heard of it.
But I probably missed a lot of films from the 90's. Wasn't until 1998 or '99 that I got back into watching films after a decade of being otherwise preoccupied. |
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| yambu |
| Posted: Thu Aug 25, 2016 2:32 pm |
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Joined: 23 May 2004
Posts: 6441
Location: SF Bay Area
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I saw Mother on Billy's recommend, and I'm glad I did. However, some of their conversations ran on a tad long, enough to keep me out of silly mode.
It's probably not fair to myself, but I measure all comic dialogue against Planes,Trains and Automobiles.. Or else Midnight Run. |
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| gromit |
| Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2016 3:27 am |
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Joined: 31 Aug 2004
Posts: 9008
Location: Shanghai
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I'm trying to put together a list of favorite Simpson episodes.
Why is a question for another post.
But, thought I'd ask if anyone had a favorite Simpson episode, which I will then proceed to watch and swirl around in my brain.
I've also seen very few episodes beyond Season 20, so if anyone loved a more recent episode, that'd be interesting. |
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