Return Of The Film Corner Thread

[BillF]

2 hours ago, duaneiac said:

Packed with 10 times the pulse-pounding thrills and excitement of My Dinner With Andre.  At least I got to have two night with Maud; it took me that long to get through this movie.  Every scene as suitably well lit.

Rohmer is always a sound bet, tho' Maude is a bit too philo-talky for my liking.

[duaneiac]

Fred MacMurray sure must have been a Pushover as far as blondes were concerned.  First Barbara Stanwyck and now Kim Novack managed to turn his head and get him shot full of lead.  Mr. MacM plays a police detective assigned to get close to a young woman who is believed to be the girlfriend of a wanted bank robber in hopes that the police can find out the whereabouts of that robber and the $200,000 he recently stole.  As these things will, it goes from being just a job for him into something much more personal as he falls in love with the woman.  She learns he is a cop and manages to convince him that he should kill her bankrobbing boyfriend when he returns to town and then the two of them can skeedaddle with the loot.

Though there are some questionable plot contrivances/cliches (including the one cop who is just looking forward to collecting his pension soon -- we all know what is going to happen to that fellow, and it does!), the movie does a pretty good job of incrementally amping up the tension with added complications.  The main problem for me is the casting.  By the time this movie was made in 1954, Mr. MacM was in his mid-40s and literally old enough to be Kim Novack's father.  The thought that the first time she laid eyes upon him her loins burned with lust is hard to believe.  And watching the beautiful young Ms. Novack have to kiss his jowlly mug is certainly unsettling. 

[kinuta]

On 2017/3/16 at 5:07 PM, BillF said:

Rohmer is always a sound bet, tho' Maude is a bit too philo-talky for my liking.

 I'm afraid Rohmer is lost on me. I agree with the Gene Hackman line from ' Night Moves '.

I've tried rewatching his films over the years , always thinking that age will improve my appreciation.

I hasn't worked and I've abandoned him as a lost cause.

 

[medjuck]

2 hours ago, kinuta said:

 I'm afraid Rohmer is lost on me. I agree with the Gene Hackman line from ' Night Moves '.

I've tried rewatching his films over the years , always thinking that age will improve my appreciation.

I hasn't worked and I've abandoned him as a lost cause.

 

Interestingly in the book the film is derived from the Gene Hackman character complains that it's Chabrol films that are like "Watching paint dry." 

[kinuta]

5 hours ago, medjuck said:

Interestingly in the book the film is derived from the Gene Hackman character complains that it's Chabrol films that are like "Watching paint dry." 

I think it goes without saying that I'd never think that about Chabrol. Here's the last word-

http://www.rogerebert.com/scanners/i-saw-a-rohmer-film-once-the-truth-behind-the-night-moves-meme

 

[BillF]

[paul secor]

Nobody Else But You - Gerald Hustache-Mathieu, dir.

[jlhoots]

The Sense Of An Ending

[BillF]

I liked this. A mixture of ghost story and thriller with excellent acting by Kristen Stewart.

[kinuta]

The Europeans - James Ivory (1979)

[kinuta]

The Bostonians - James Ivory (1984)

[kinuta]

The Golden Bowl - James Ivory (2000)

[jlhoots]

Has anyone had a chance to see I Called Him Morgan yet?

It's getting good reviews.

[BillF]

Iranian drama. Two hours and slow paced, but sound.

[kinuta]

The Wings Of The Dove - Iain Softey (1997)

[duaneiac]

[kinuta]

A United Kingdom - Amma Asante (2016)

Botswana's struggle to escape from under the polished brogue of British colonial rule never gels with the fairy tale romance.

I found it flat, by the numbers and quite dull, right down to the saccharine, droning music.

3 hours ago, duaneiac said:

Two admirable films. The opening wedding reception sequence of the Kurosawa is really superb.

Have you seen ' I Live In Fear', one of his most overlooked items imho ? Also uncannily prescient of the Fukushima disaster.

Edited March 24, 2017 by kinuta

[kinuta]

The Portrait Of A Lady - Jane Campion (1996)

 

 

Edited March 25, 2017 by kinuta

[jlhoots]

My Life As A Zucchini

[duaneiac]

23 hours ago, kinuta said:

 

Two admirable films. The opening wedding reception sequence of the Kurosawa is really superb.

Have you seen ' I Live In Fear', one of his most overlooked items imho ? Also uncannily prescient of the Fukushima disaster.

I have not seen I Live In Fear.  I'll have to look into it.

Yes, that opening wedding sequence was fascinating.  A lot of exposition going on, but it is done so well that even though there is not a lot of action going on and new characters are being introduced every few minutes, the viewer is glued to the proceedings.  And Toshiro Mifune, the star of the film, doesn't even get to say a word for the whole sequence.

Fallen Angel was interesting from a visual standpoint; the story itself was kind of absurd.  Otto Preminger was certainly good at moving the camera both to keep the story moving and keep the film visually interesting.  I'm not a big Dana Andrews fan, but he did what the role called for here very well.

Last watched:

It started out fairly interesting, but the movie had worn out its welcome for me well before it concluded.

[kinuta]

Mifune used to live just a couple of kilometres from my home, within walking distance of Toho studios. All that remains is a production company plaque on a condominium front. Toho studios are just down the street from me.

Film legend has it that the river and small ravine behind the studio was used in filming some of the less ambitious outdoor scenes in several of his films. An interesting bit of history that I often think about as I walk along the riverside path. You can see the back of the studio on the left.

Edited March 26, 2017 by kinuta

[BillF]

8 hours ago, kinuta said:

Mifune used to live just a couple of kilometres from my home, within walking distance of Toho studios. All that remains is a production company plaque on a condominium front. Toho studios are just down the street from me.

Film legend has it that the river and small ravine behind the studio was used in filming some of the less ambitious outdoor scenes in several of his films. An interesting bit of history that I often think about as I walk along the riverside path. You can see the back of the studio on the left.

Interesting stuff, Kinuta!

[kinuta]

The Heiress - William Wyler (1949)

The Innocents - Jack Clayton (1961)

[kinuta]

The Whisperers - Bryan Forbes (1967)

[jlhoots]

On 3/22/2017 at 5:29 PM, jlhoots said:

Has anyone had a chance to see I Called Him Morgan yet?

It's getting good reviews.

Opening here in Santa Fe on Apr. 7.

Looking forward to seeing it.