Return Of The Film Corner Thread

[jazzbo]

Saw The Girl in the Train. 'S alright.

[duaneiac]

It's just your typical "concert pianist loses his hands in a train wreck and a doctor transplants the hands of a recently executed convicted murder onto the pianist's arms" story.  Do the hands control the man or vice versa?  The first third of the movie is really slow moving even by silent film standards -- how long did it take audiences to understand the concept of "establishing shot" anyway?  The movie picks up the pace the rest of the way and leads to an unlikely melodramatic conclusion.

[kinuta]

Frank Capra double bill.

Mr Smith Goes To Washington (1939)

It's A Wonderful Life (1946)

[jlhoots]

In A Valley Of Violence

[kinuta]

On 2016/10/22 at 3:15 AM, duaneiac said:

It's just your typical "concert pianist loses his hands in a train wreck and a doctor transplants the hands of a recently executed convicted murder onto the pianist's arms" story.  Do the hands control the man or vice versa?  The first third of the movie is really slow moving even by silent film standards -- how long did it take audiences to understand the concept of "establishing shot" anyway?  The movie picks up the pace the rest of the way and leads to an unlikely melodramatic conclusion.

The Hand by Oliver Stone has a similar plot. Michael Caine plays the lead.

[duaneiac]

2 hours ago, kinuta said:

The Hand by Oliver Stone has a similar plot. Michael Caine plays the lead.

But in The Hand, Michael Caine's writer character has a hand dismembered in a freak accident and they are unable to find it to reattach it.  Then the hand seemingly comes back on its own to create mayhem.  I never got to see the end of that movie because the disc I got from Netflix was kinda scratched and it just froze while playing at some point.

In The Hands of Orlac a murder is committed and the executed murderer's fingerprints are found at the scene of the crime.  Who now has the hands which bear those fingerprints?  Why, our ol' pal Orlac, of course . . .

While looking for the image to post, I discovered there was a 1960 remake of The Hands of Orlac starring Mel Ferrer, Christopher Lee and Donald Pleasance.  I wonder how that one is?

[kinuta]

I doubt you missed very much, it was a pretty dreadful film but alright for a laugh.

I watched it because of the names, Oliver Stone & Michael Caine.

I haven't seen the film you mention but it would appear the only thing they have in common is AWOL hands causing havoc.

Re the 1960 remake, have a look at this.

https://surrealmoviez.info/readarticle.php?article_id=56362

 

[Jazzmoose]

It had been decades since I saw this; I always preferred my Python on the small box rather than the big screen.  But I have to admit, this is good stuff.

[duaneiac]

20 hours ago, kinuta said:

Re the 1960 remake, have a look at this.

https://surrealmoviez.info/readarticle.php?article_id=56362

 

Sorry.  Looks like I'd have to have an account on that site in order to read the article.

[kinuta]

Robert Zemeckis double bill.

Back To The Future (1985)

Back To The Future 2 (1989)

[kinuta]

Krzysztof Kieślowski double bill.

Dekalog 1 & 2

[BillF]

1 hour ago, kinuta said:

Krzysztof Kieślowski double bill.

Dekalog 1 & 2

Hasn't stuck in my mind as much as the Red, White and Blue trilogy.

Edited October 26, 2016 by BillF

[kinuta]

The trilogy is more colourful and cinematically appealing. The Dekalog films were never meant for film release, Roger Ebert says they were never seen in the cinema in America, and look quite drab, which is quite appropriate given the dismal, winter public housing setting. 

I like the stories. One problem may be that it's difficult to watch all ten parts in one go, and breaking them into several viewing sessions reduces the overall impact. I've seen the trilogy so many times, I thought I'd have another look at the Dekalog instead.

[kinuta]

Ingmar Bergman double bill #2.

Through A Glass Darkly (1961)

Winter Light (1963)

[jlhoots]

Desierto

[duaneiac]

First time watching this classic.  It's a shame that when most people think of "great film stars", the name "Charles Laughton" rarely comes up.  He was a great actor for his era, but I guess lacked the movie star good looks that make the immortals immortal in our collective cultural memories.  His performance here is truly unforgettable.  The film is a glorious spectacle (1939 seems to have been a year for glorious film spectacles) and the b&w cinematography is marvelous.

I've never seen the Disney animated musical version, but how in hell did they make a feelgood, family movie out of this grim, violent tale with a cast of thoroughly unlikable characters?

[BillF]

4 hours ago, duaneiac said:

First time watching this classic.  It's a shame that when most people think of "great film stars", the name "Charles Laughton" rarely comes up.  He was a great actor for his era, but I guess lacked the movie star good looks that make the immortals immortal in our collective cultural memories.  His performance here is truly unforgettable.  The film is a glorious spectacle (1939 seems to have been a year for glorious film spectacles) and the b&w cinematography is marvelous.

I've never seen the Disney animated musical version, but how in hell did they make a feelgood, family movie out of this grim, violent tale with a cast of thoroughly unlikable characters?

I used to hear a great deal about Laughton from my parents. They were in their early thirties when this film was made.

[Jazzmoose]

8 hours ago, duaneiac said:

 He was a great actor for his era, but I guess lacked the movie star good looks that make the immortals immortal in our collective cultural memories.

I dunno.  When I think of "immortal immortals" in film, the first name I think of is Humphrey Bogart, and I've seen the back ends of dogs that looked better...

[kinuta]

Indignation - James Schamus (2016)

I enjoyed it very much.

The central dialogue scene with the dean is a standout.

Haven't read the book but am tempted to do so.

[jlhoots]

2 hours ago, kinuta said:

Indignation - James Schamus (2016)

I enjoyed it very much.

The central dialogue scene with the dean is a standout.

Haven't read the book but am tempted to do so.

I liked the film too. The book is definitely worth reading & BTW is not very long.

I hope American Pastoral is  good too.

 

[duaneiac]

18 hours ago, Jazzmoose said:

I dunno.  When I think of "immortal immortals" in film, the first name I think of is Humphrey Bogart, and I've seen the back ends of dogs that looked better...

The young Humphrey Bogart was not a bad looking guy -- kind of darkly handsome.  He wouldn't have made Clark Gable worry about losing his box-office appeal with the ladies, but he wasn't dog butt ugly . . .

I think of Humphrey Bogart as a very good character actor who, through the sheer force of his screen personality, made himself a movie star.  That is not meant as a put down, but rather a compliment because very few character actors have ever been able to pull off that feat.

[kinuta]

4 hours ago, jlhoots said:

I liked the film too. The book is definitely worth reading & BTW is not very long.

I hope American Pastoral is  good too.

 

I've read American Pastoral a couple of times and thought it was great. If the reviews are to be believed, the film is a disappointment, making Indignation all the more admirable. We'll have to wait and see.

[jlhoots]

6 hours ago, kinuta said:

I've read American Pastoral a couple of times and thought it was great. If the reviews are to be believed, the film is a disappointment, making Indignation all the more admirable. We'll have to wait and see.

You're certainly correct re: American Pastoral reviews. Maybe I'll just read the book again.

[BillF]

Took to this one by Amenabar as a bit of relief from Almodovar, but found I was still in the familiar territory of incomprehensible plot, multiple flashbacks and Penelope Cruz - not that she was much bother. 

[duaneiac]

An old-fashioned diversion from our present election woes.  I'm still not a Frank Capra or Katharine Hepburn fan.  For some reason, at the start of the film on DVD, the MGM logo is blacked out even though we can hear the lion's roar and only the Liberty Films logo appears after that.  What's that about?

Edited October 31, 2016 by duaneiac