What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.

[gattaca]

On TMC watch another really well done B/W "Johnny Belinda (1948)" starring Jane Wyman, Lew Ayres, Charles Bickford and Agnes Moorehead.  The film was directed by Jean Negulesco.  Set during a time when there was only 1 doctor per town - if they were lucky, a new doctor learns of a deaf woman's plight after visiting the family.  He takes a special interest in teaching her lean sign-language while enlightening her and her father that she's quite capable of so much more.  Of course the doctor (Ayres) encourages her father to invest more in her education and he refuses. The young lady show remarkable changes after someone invests in her.  Then circumstance change when she's raped by a local townsman.  Upon examination by a specialist trying to determine the root cause of her deafness, the doctor learns that she's pregnant.  Of course, the young lady doesn't know.  After this, the drama escalates and eventually there's a trial.  For whom and for what, I shall say no more.   

Quite a good film.  Recommended.  Jane Wyman WON an Oscar for her role in this film...without ever speaking a word.

IMDB -> https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040495
Rotten 92/89 -> https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1011176-johnny_belinda

V.

[Lyle (Mooska)]

Vincent, did TCM show Heaven Knows, Mr. Allsion in widescreen as it was made? I think that enhances the movies. When I first saw it, i was dubious of it being in widescreen because it's basically just a two person film! But it really works. I was very impressed with the film. I don't think you mentioned it was in color.

As for Johnny Belinda, it is a good film, but for some reason when I've seen it a couple times, once in a theatre, I've lost my interest about 2/3 the way through.

[Lyle (Mooska)]

--Saturday Night

I thought this film was quite good. It entails the 90 minutes before 11:30pm EST, the night Saturday Night Live first aired. All the problems and personalities and issues that were going on and there were a lot! It starts out with a black screen that says:

                                     The show never airs because it is ready.
                                     It airs because it's 11:30. -- Lorne Michaels

I thought the whole cast was uniformly good. The movie plays from start to finish, mostly, with the foot on the gas pedal. I suppose one's knowledge and relationship with Saturday Night Live would figure to influence one's interest and enjoyment of this film, but i'd also think one would like it even if they knew little about it.

I saw one review quote for this movie I thought was interesting: "It's the Oppenheimer of comedy."

I saw it with a friend at now Tarantino's remodeled 100 year old theatre, the Vista, in the East Hollywood-Silverlake area. He purchased it right around 2020 when covid shut things down. It has the best seating with ample leg room.

Both of us mentioned on the way home that after the movie we wanted to watch that first episode again. We didn't do that together, but we both watched it (streaming) when we got home. So interesting. If it comes out on DVD or Blu-Ray they should include that first episode on there as an extra! This theatre now shows new films and classic films.

[gattaca]

Hi Lyle.  It was presented as shot in Widescreen and in color. Yes I liked it better than Johnny Belinda but quite different films and times with different moral messages.  V.

[gattaca]

From my film class:

1) "Perfect Days (2023)"  -> https://www.imdb.com/title/tt27503384

Rotten -> 96/90 -> https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/perfect_days_2023
Ebert's site -> 4/4 stars -> https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/perfect-days-film-review-2024

I'd read about this film but had not gotten to see it.  Of course, any "William Winders" film is going to be quite different so when the instructor pulled this one to show, I settled in for a challenging film.  The film follows a guy who cleans (high-end) toilets in Shibuya district of Tokyo.  The film reminded me of "Groundhog Day" with the daily, wash, rinse, repeat grind we all tend to live. Over time though, we see smaller events which accentuate his life and amplify his appreciation of the beauty around him - in so many places.   Now these toilets are HIGH END installs which I believe were part of an architecture competition by various famous architects to deliver their marks on the city!  The film's wash, rinse and repeat approach may be boring for some and I think it may have cycled a few too many times.  Then there are a few larger events which disrupt his serenity.   I understand the allure to the film and I think the instructor meant this as another "slice of life" like "The Florida Project" he showed earlier.   I'll recommend this one if you have not seen it - just not a strong recommendation.

2) "The Quiet Girl (2022)" -> https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15109082

Rotten 97/93 -> https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_quiet_girl
Ebert's site -> 3.5/4.0 Stars -> https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-quiet-girl-movie-review-2023

Oh my.  Set in 1980's rural Ireland, the film follows the life of a young observant girl who's home life is neglected to the point of where the father want's to "give the girl away..." b/c they have way too mouths to feed.  To please her drunk of a husband, the girl's mother arranges for her to stay with a cousin who lives quite a distance away.  The father drives the girl, drops her off and so quickly departs that he even forgets to leave her one suitcase!  His wife's cousin and her husband are more than happy to "take the girl in" b/c we later learn they lost their only son and had never really "moved on".   The young girl struggles at first and then the film reminds us the "power of love" applied correctly can alter a person's entire life!  Whether it's teaching love and responsibility or the simple act of leaving a cookie on a table, the film really can kick you in @@ if you allow your guard down.    I won't spoil the ending but it's a real swift kick in the @@ and well worth the pain.

I recommend this film - highly!  It's a good, stark reminder of how we should treat others and how kids really do pick up on everything! 

3) "Galaxy Quest (1999)" -> https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0177789   Starring: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Sam Rockwell, Tony Shalhoub, + a whole cast of others!

Rotten: 90 / 79 -> https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/galaxy_quest
Ebert's site 3 of 4 stars -> https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/galaxy-quest-1999

A laughable parody on the "Star Trek" franchise, films, fans and conventions, the film is one from the instructor's series of "Cult Films".  The class reacted strongly to the film laughing openly at the side-splitting events! The dead-pan humor is delivered with finesse by a notable cast of pretty big names.   I got the feeling these folks had a really good time _making_ this film.

BLUF: "A race of aliens, which has intercepted broadcasts of the show in outer space and mistaken them for “historical documents,” arrives on Earth and transports the entire crew into space, placing them on board a spaceship that has been carefully modeled on the sets of the show."   

If you are not a "Trekkie" then this film is NOT likely going to play well for you.  While you can follow it easily enough, the inside jokes and humor will soar far above your understanding!   As a long time Trekkie of the original and several spin-offs, I loved the film.  It had me laughing with the a delicate blend of humor interspersed with a few dark moments that will get you if you are not careful.  Highly recommended for "Trekkies!"  All others - enter at your own risk! Though you might be amused.   It was an interesting class of mostly older adults whom I'd wager were in their late 60's or 70's for the majority.   

Have fun!  V.

[killersmom]

Some sad news. Teri Garr passed away today. She was 79. She died from multiple sclerosis.

https://apnews.com/article/teri-garr-dies-be39482a60724c5bb81bbd8f34dfaf2d?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share

[Jeff Wrangler]

Some sad news. Teri Garr passed away today. She was 79. She died from multiple sclerosis.

https://apnews.com/article/teri-garr-dies-be39482a60724c5bb81bbd8f34dfaf2d?utm_source=copy&utm_medium=share

They had tributes to her on the NBC network news as well as on the evening entertainment news programs.

[Vic]

"The Wizard of Oz", 1939

85th anniversary!
I might not be American but Hollywood has its share of global classics. And this is certainly one of them, I remember watching it as a kid (too many years ago).
Still has all its charm. 

[Vic]

"Caligula", 1979, UK (The Ultimate Cut)

Still controversial but a cult classic. This latest edition is without the explicit sex scenes. I do have that version, uncut, as well.
I haven't watched it in years, I remember going to the cinema when it first came out (the uncut version). I didn't remember Helen Mirren in the nude anywhere else. I didn't recognize her at first.

Caligula's decadency was infamous, he didn't last long as Emperor... The film certainly portrays that very well.

The Wiki page tells the whole story. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caligula_(film)

[gattaca]

> Just returned from watching "Anora (2024)"  Just WOW!   This is another film by Sean Baker who gave us "The Florida Project" and others which I've not seen (yet).  This film may finally catapult him and his work into the very mainstream! 

The grabs you by the @@ and really doesn't let go, not even in the end which really makes you re-think everything you've just seen.  For me, this is one of those films that most certainly requires a 2nd or more viewing to capture the nuiances of the film.  There are 3 outstanding characters in the film which just stick with you as you wonder WTF is really going on.  The review on Ebert's site is 4/4 stars and the review captures the nature of the film. 

Highly recommended.  But with a strong, caution:   

The film has some violence along with sex scenes which is unavoidable given the context of the material and main character.  There's a lot of cursing, swearing and exposure but overall this film is tame compared to many others out there today.  There is a fair amount of loud music and recurring flashing strobe lights in some of the "gentlemen's club" - aka strip club scenes, which are packed BTW!!  The club's setting along with these flashes may trigger some people with migraine or such sensitivities (PTSD, ....). 

-> IMDB -> https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28607951/
-> Ebert's site 4/4 -> https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/anora
-> Rotten 97/91 -> https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/anora
-> Ebert's site Interview with Sean Baker -> https://www.rogerebert.com/interviews/sean-baker-mikey-madison-anora-interview
-> Variety -> https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/anora-review-sean-baker-1236011025/

" Baker’s subversively romantic, free-wheeling sex farce makes “Pretty Woman” look like a Disney movie. It follows on the (knee-high boot) heels of four other films in which Baker centered the experience of sex workers — from porn stars to prostitutes — and refashions their best aspects into a compulsively entertaining, 80-proof emotional ride."

[Lyle (Mooska)]

A friend and I revisited the film The Ice Storm (Ang Lee) last night. I'd seen when it came out in 1997 and didn't care for it. This time around I was more intrigued, but still not won over. I don't know, but I had the feeling there was supposed to be a dark comic tone in the film, as though we as an audience were supposed to be laughing at the antics of these supposedly modern families, but the tone to me often felt more morose. I know at the time it came out that critics absolutely loved this film, but audiences stayed away in droves and it didn't even make back half it's budget.

The cast is pretty stellar with roles played by Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Sigourney Weaver, Elijah Wood, David Krumholtz, Katie Holmes, and Allison Janney.

My friend pointed out that when I first saw the movie in 1997 the time depicted in the film was 1973, twenty-four years earlier and that since 1997 when the movie came out it's now 27 years after that. 

[Lyle (Mooska)]

I recommend this movie every year! This year I'm just copying what I posted last year!

Just popping in to wish everyone a nice holiday!
___

And also to add: If you aren't doing anything, one of my favorite Thanksgiving and "food movies" is on youtube to watch fo FREE, I found out this morning. (I have a DVD.)

It’s set in Los Angeles, with a great cast playing four families and bringing their own varied flavors of life and food to the Thanksgiving table, trying in the midst of family freak-outs and cooking catastrophes to pull off the impossible: a perfect Thanksgiving.

It's from the same director who did Bend It Like Beckham. The film is very entertaining. You can also call it a "food movie." If you haven't heard that term: The ingredients for the best "food movies" are universal: visual vitals crafted with care by relatable protagonists. Whether it's the trials of a French chef or the story behind a family recipe, the best food movies center on people, not just pleasing plates." Examples: Babette's Feast, Big Night, Chocolat.

Here's the link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NTVe43SIhA

Amazon Prime Video: Free
YouTube: Free
Sling: Free
Tubi: Free
Pluto TV: Free
The Roku Channel: Free
Vudu: Free
Starz: Subscription
Apple TV: From $3.99

[gattaca]

Watched what I'll call a very 1960's "strange little film" last night I'd recorded from TMC b/c it had the rare "4 Stars"   WOW!  If you want a flashback to the 1960's fashions and language, then this film will provide a hefty dose.  The film revolves around a photographer (Hemmings) taking photographs in a park and capturing what appears to be a murder assassination on film. I had a hard time finishing this one b/c it meandered around A LOT into what seemed like pointless rabbit holes.

I CANNOT recommend "Blow-Up" unless you want a 1960's flashback where there's plenty of weed, women and .... 

"Blow-Up (1966)" -> https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060176
Rotten 87/84 -> https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/blow_up_1966
Starring: David Hemmings, Vanessa Redgrave, Sarah Miles
Director : Michelangelo Antonioni

V.

[Lyle (Mooska)]

I CANNOT recommend "Blow-Up" unless you want a 1960's flashback where there's plenty of weed, women and ....

Yes, Blow-Up is one of those must see '60s films -- until you've seen it.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Since it concerns a film, I'll post this here.

Anybody see the documentary on Mary Poppins? I found it quite good and quite entertaining. Hard to believe that film was released 60 years ago this year. The show was also a kind of paean to the Sherman brothers, Richard and Robert, who wrote the songs and more or less became Disney's house composers. It appears P. L. Travers was a piece of work. ... Allegedly at the film's premiere, she turned to Walt Disney and said, "We still have a lot of work."

The Shermans wrote some wonderful songs, but they also have to answer for inflicting on an unsuspecting world that ultimate earworm "It's a Small World."