What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.

[B.W.]

This evening HBO showed Signs, another of the many films I never saw before. I liked it. I found it genuinely scary, although I also found it a tad disappointing.

M. Night Shyamalin is a Philadelphia homeboy. I hadn't known that he had cast himself in this movie.

I haven't ever really seen "Signs", although I've heard some people say it was kind of similar in style to "The Sixth Sense" (1999), a likeable horror movie, but a bit overrated in my opinion, though I appreciate what it was trying to do.  If anyone else here saw "Signs", do you think it was slightly similar in style and tone to "The Sixth Sense"?

[Flyboy]

For me, Signs was kinda creepy!  .....but I thought The Sixth Sense and Ghost were sorta the same. In The Sixth Sense I was truly engrossed in Bruce Willis's performance, and in Ghost it was Whoopi that caught my attention. I don't know if it was because I was so used to seeing Willis and Whoopi on TV and not in films, hmmmm? Don't know, really. Some say Whoopi is always the same character in ALL her films....LOL!! Maybe so......Bruce was a revelation to me in that role. Whoopi is one of those character actors that 'talks out loud to herself in many roles', I LOVE actors who voice their thoughts like that! Mary Kay Place is one who can do that too, she's a GREAT under-rated character actor to me.....love her. I'm almost always drawn to the supporting cast in a film, never the STAR or Lead Actors........not sure why, I rarely see a film just for the Star or Stars alone.........in BBM, I liked Anne's character the best, even though she had limited screen time, 2nd was Jack's Mother, superb acting on her part, again, very little screen time! 

[Jeff Wrangler]

I haven't ever really seen "Signs", although I've heard some people say it was kind of similar in style to "The Sixth Sense" (1999), a likeable horror movie, but a bit overrated in my opinion, though I appreciate what it was trying to do.  If ayone else here saw "Signs", do you think it was slightly similar in style and tone to "The Sixth Sense"?

I edited my post. I wanted to say that I found the movie suspenseful, but I couldn't think of the word last night. I was very impressed by the way Shyamalin built the suspense.

I've never seen The Sixth Sense, so I can't comment on how it compares to Signs.

I could say a thing or two more about Signs, but I won't because I don't want to spoil it.

This I can say: Where it says the story takes place in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia, it was actually filmed in Bucks County.

[Flyboy]

OMG!! Jeff!! You HAVE to see Sixth Sense, a GREAT film, IMHO, you understand??! 

[B.W.]

For me, Signs was kinda creepy!  .....but I thought The Sixth Sense and Ghost were sorta the same. In The Sixth Sense I was truly engrossed in Bruce Willis's performance, and in Ghost it was Whoopi that caught my attention. I don't know if it was because I was so used to seeing Willis and Whoopi on TV and not in films, hmmmm? Don't know, really. Some say Whoopi is always the same character in ALL her films....LOL!! Maybe so......Bruce was a revelation to me in that role. Whoopi is one of those character actors that 'talks out loud to herself in many roles', I LOVE actors who voice their thoughts like that! Mary Kay Place is one who can do that too, she's a GREAT under-rated character actor to me.....love her. I'm almost always drawn to the supporting cast in a film, never the STAR or Lead Actors........not sure why, I rarely see a film just for the Star or Stars alone.........in BBM, I liked Anne's character the best, even though she had limited screen time, 2nd was Jack's Mother, superb acting on her part, again, very little screen time! 

I also think Anne Hathaway's performance in "Brokeback Mountain" was overlooked.  Her last scene in the film is her best.  Roberta Maxwell's performance was also great.  The cast members who had minor roles in the film were very well chosen.

[B.W.]

One movie I watched some weeks back was Universal Pictures' "The Mummy" (1932) with Boris Karloff.  I liked it.  A few months ago, I watched the classic British comedy film "Monty Python's Life of Brian" (1979).  It is so funny and I think that almost any atheist would appreciate the satirical portrayal of 1st century Judaism which is quite accurate according to American agnostic-atheist and highly respected, longtime New Testament Biblical scholar Bart D. Ehrman.  My husband liked it and thought it was hilarious as well.  "What's so funny about the name Biggus Dickus"?

[Lyle (Mooska)]

Congratulations to Anne Hathaway for getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,
as reported in The Daily Sheet, TDS, this week:

A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled Thursday to honor Oscar-winning actress Anne Hathaway, a day before the release of her latest film, "The Hustle."

Anne may have wished she'd gotten the star right before the release of a different film of hers, because, well,
the first I really heard of her new film was from an email a friend of mine wrote me. He works for a place that
deals with MGM in some capacity and they often invite those employees to see free screenings of their upcoming
movies. He said:

So MGM had a screening of The Hustle last week, and I saw it.  In case you don't know, The Hustle is a remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, except they flipped it, and the con men are con women this time. It stars Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson. Well, this is my first pick for the worst movie of the year. I know it's still early (only May), but the stink of this film will definitely hold up to the end of the year. I love Anne Hathaway, but she was awful (she has the Michael Caine role).  Rebel Wilson fairs better, but script is filled with so many cliches and one-dimensional characters. It's badly directed.  "How can we make this scene the least humorless we can?" The unknown actor, playing the Glenne Headly role, is so bland. He's a placeholder where a real actor should be. I can't say enough bad things about this film.

Yikes! I decided to look it up on Rotten Tomatoes and see what others are thinking. As of today, with 124 critics reviews, it has a dismal 15% positive rating.   

My friend mentioned it's a remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. What you may not know is that DRS was, in itself, a remake of a 1964 film that starred David Niven, Marlon Brando and Shirley Jones and was titled Bedtime Story.

Sorry Anne!

[Gazapete]

One movie I watched some weeks back was Universal Pictures' "The Mummy" (1932) with Boris Karloff.  I liked it.  A few months ago, I watched the classic British comedy film "Monty Python's Life of Brian" (1979).  It is so funny and I think that almost any atheist would appreciate the satirical portrayal of 1st century Judaism which is quite accurate according to American agnostic-atheist and highly respected, longtime New Testament Biblical scholar Bart D. Ehrman.  My husband liked it and thought it was hilarious as well.  "What's so funny about the name Biggus Dickus"?

Life of Brian is one of those films that never get old, it's just brilliant. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life was my wedding song, we had it played when we entered the town hall 

[brianr]

Never seen 'Life of Brian' although I have seen plenty of excerpts.
I was a teacher in a Senior Catholic Boys' College in 1979 and suffered far too many jokes and teasings from my students over this film. My first name was hardly a secret. It was about the time the local TV network filmed me sitting in a Gay Rights meeting so I was outed at the same time. Homosexuality was only decriminalised in 1984 in my State.

[Jeff Wrangler]

One movie I watched some weeks back was Universal Pictures' "The Mummy" (1932) with Boris Karloff.

Ever see this one?

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023694/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_62

White Zombie, with Bela Lugosi. This film shows you what a "real" zombie is.

[Lyle (Mooska)]

--Flower Drum Song

A friend of mine asked me over to watch this film. I had seen it once on a VHS tape, probably in the 1980's. So I saw it on a smallish screen and the VHS was not widescreen (letterboxed) in those days. My memory of it was dim and that I didn't really care for it all that much, despite a few songs in it.

I have also learned that many movies that I saw back in the day on VHS that were pan & scan versions deserve another chance, because you aren't really seeing them how they were originally framed. Especially musicals, where dancing numbers are cut off the edges and such.

Well, I was bowled over this time watching it, and loved it. Nancy Kwan is fierce. Also in it is Miyoshi Umeki, who won an Oscar for Sayonara (IMO the other Asian actress, Miko Taka, deserved it more than she) and Bloody Mary from South Pacific herself, Juanita Hall.

The plot of the film is basically about three generations of a Chinese family in San Francisco dealing with a clash of cultures from their new home and their homeland. Romantic subplots with three women involve most of the screen time. It's a big Rogers & Hammerstein production from Universal Studios and produced by Ross Hunter, who made flamboyantly opulent films in the late 50's and early 60's.

Watching it I couldn't help think of the hundreds of Chinese/Asian actors in this film and they must have been experiencing such a huge delight in working on a big budget studio film in Hollywood. You feel sad there was only one film like this and grateful that there was this one film.

There are some great songs, the most famous of which is "I Enjoy Being a Girl", probably because many other artists have recorded it. There is also Love Look Away, A Hundred Million Miracles and the comedic Chop Suey.

I loved the dancing in this movie. The actor who plays the youngest boy, hip, American influenced character has some wonderful dance sequences in the film. His name is Patrick Adiarte.

[Jeff Wrangler]

OMG!! Jeff!! You HAVE to see Sixth Sense, a GREAT film, IMHO, you understand??! 

I don't care for Bruce Willis. I'll skip it, thank you.

[Jeff Wrangler]

TCM ran To Kill a Mockingbird again last evening. Even though I have the film on DVD, I still watched it on TCM last night (there was nothing else on ...). That movie never gets old for me. I'm guessing maybe that was Gregory Peck's greatest role.

I'd forgotten that Alice Ghostley played the aunt of Dill, the character who represents Truman Capote as a little boy. That woman may have never been a star, but she had a career that lasted more than 50 years.

[Gazapete]

I don't care for Bruce Willis. I'll skip it, thank you.

Even Bruce Willis is watchable in that movie, I also recommend it.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Even Bruce Willis is watchable in that movie, I also recommend it.

Not if you find him annoying. I can't explain it because even I don't know why, but I've just always found him annoying. (Shrugs)