What Movie Did You Watch This Weekend? The Third.

[Flyboy]

Both Timothy and Jake are nominated for Golden Globes! 

[ingmarnicebbmt]

[Lyle (Mooska)]

--Wicked (Part One)

Before anyone reads what I have to say about this film, I have to mention that I do like the MGM movie version, but I'm not what you'd call a huge fan of it. I like it more from the perspective of Hollywood history and what it's become since then. In the early days of video stores when I worked in them this film was constantly chosen to be played by employees and I got pretty weary of it. I never read the Frank L. Baum books, nor was I interested in the Wicked novel when it came out in 1995, though I knew of those who read it, and the Broadway musical appeared in 2003, but I've never had a desire to spend money on it to see it, either.

That's where I'm coming from. So, I saw this film yesterday. It's 2 hours and 40 minutes! So, I decided to see it at the AMC where they have a theatre that for $5 more you can see it in reclining motorized lounge chair type seats! Why not?

I liked it. It's a bit over-produced, but so is Oz itself! For me, once will probably be enough for this film. I most likely will not see it again and listen to a cd or much else, but...I liked it. I will see Part Two. i can readily understand why others are really into this musical and whatever else they get out of it. The length was not a problem, I got restless once, and I stayed through all the credits. (I always do, especially because theatre sound systems are pretty great and I like listening to the music.) So, I guess what I'm saying is that if I liked it, those with even more like and fondness for these types of stories are probably going to be way more complimentary!

[Lyle (Mooska)]

--Carol for Another Christmas

Sometime recently I was reading an article about various movie and television versions of A Christmas Carol and read about this one I'd never heard of. It began to intrigue me because, first, of all the people involved in it. It was directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the only TV item he ever was involved with. It was written by none another than Rod Serling.

The cast is pretty noteworthy as well, Sterling Hayden, Ben Gazzara, Steve Lawrence, Eva Marie Saint, James Shigeta, Pat Hingle, Robert Shaw, Britt Ekland and Peter Sellers. Peter Fonda is seen briefly as a ghostly image and in a portrait. His actual part in it was reduced for time.

It takes place in the present of the political climate when it was made and it's somewhat didactic, but seeing it now you realize it's messages are still as valid as ever. I thought it was pretty fascinating.

Apparently it was only aired once, but resurfaced last decade a few times on TCM, has had a DVD release and can be seen on the Max app.

Or free on youtube as well, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPjAQHuM85M
Or here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PezzTQTJouM

There's a whole backstory on why this was made and such which can be read about on the Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_for_Another_Christmas#

[Jeff Wrangler]

--Carol for Another Christmas

Sounds worth checking out, but I hope it's not depressing. I don't think I can deal with a depressing Christmas movie right now.

[killersmom]

--Carol for Another Christmas

Sometime recently I was reading an article about various movie and television versions of A Christmas Carol and read about this one I'd never heard of. It began to intrigue me because, first, of all the people involved in it. It was directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the only TV item he ever was involved with. It was written by none another than Rod Serling.

The cast is pretty noteworthy as well, Sterling Hayden, Ben Gazzara, Steve Lawrence, Eva Marie Saint, James Shigeta, Pat Hingle, Robert Shaw, Britt Ekland and Peter Sellers. Peter Fonda is seen briefly as a ghostly image and in a portrait. His actual part in it was reduced for time.

It takes place in the present of the political climate when it was made and it's somewhat didactic, but seeing it now you realize it's messages are still as valid as ever. I thought it was pretty fascinating.

Apparently it was only aired once, but resurfaced last decade a few times on TCM, has had a DVD release and can be seen on the Max app.

Or free on youtube as well, here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPjAQHuM85M
Or here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PezzTQTJouM

There's a whole backstory on why this was made and such which can be read about on the Wikipedia page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carol_for_Another_Christmas#

Thanks Lyle for the recommendation and where to watch. I'm going to try to watch it!

[CellarDweller115]

The 50 Best Movies of 2024

By Paste Staff  |  December 19, 2024


The best movies of 2024 transported us, as they always do in the best of times, to far away worlds and escapist fantasies of the highest order. And to be frank, many audience members needed the reprieve: A year of utter chaos in U.S. society and politics culminated in grand disappointment for many, and an uncertain future for many hallowed institutions. The movies certainly weren’t immune, posting overall box office dips from 2023, reflecting the ever-expanding ripple effect of the actors and writers’ strikes from last year. Only now is the release calendar really starting to feel “back to normal,” or as normal as anything can ever really be in the post-COVID world.

Thank god, then, that there were still scores of standout movies to appreciate–dramas, romances, documentaries, farces and the best year for body horror in recent memory. Body snatcher movies insidiously made a play for sci-fi dominance, while the Marvel Cinematic Universe regathered its energy with its most quiet year in a decade. New names rose to the top of our cinematic ranking, while old masters like George Miller proved they still had at least one more epic left in them. It was a year of daunting architecture, of impulsive, star-crossed lovers on the run, of fucked-up cosmetics increasingly turning people into quivering piles of goop. And of course, it was a year of beavers–so very many beavers. If you still haven’t gotten around to watching Hundreds of Beavers, we can promise you that you’re not imagining nearly enough beavers. You’ll just have to trust us on this.

Here, then, are the 50 best movies of 2024:

https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/best-of-2024/best-movies-of-2024-ranked-the-brutalist-movie-of-the-year

[gattaca]

^^^ Wow, that is quite an wide-ranging listing!   I've seen maybe 10 of the films on the listing!  Many look interesting!  Thanks for posting! V.

[gattaca]

Watched "The Sea Hawk (1940)" starring Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, and Claude Rains via TMC.  I'd never seen the film and it has such high marks, I gave it a chance.  It's a solid B/W film which delivers on the pirate / love story genre.  Errol Flynn carries the part well and I can see why he was "such a hot topic" even during these B/W and "we don't dare discuss that except in private" era of film. 

Over all recommended if you have a lazy afternoon and are bored with all the other *@(@ on the TV!  -> https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033028   V.

[Jeff Wrangler]

Watch "The Sea Hawk (1940)" starring Errol Flynn, Brenda Marshall, and Claude Rains via TMC.  I'd never seen the film and it has such high marks, I gave it a chance.  It's a solid B/W film which delivers on the pirate / love story genre.  Errol Flynn carries the part well and I can see why he was "such a hot topic" even during these B/W and "we don't dare discuss that except in private" era of film. 

Over all recommended if you have a lazy afternoon and are bored with all the other *@(@ on the TV!  -> https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033028   V.

I love that movie! I even own a copy of it. I do regret the absence of Olivia de Havilland, but, IIRC, Marshall's character is supposed to be half-Spanish, so I suppose her coloring was better for the role.

Incidentally, Flora Robson, who played Queen Elizabeth, also played the queen in Fire Over England (1937). The story goes that David O. Selznick's brother saw that film and noticed a pretty young English actress named Vivien Leigh, and all the rest is history.

[gattaca]

Watched a great B/W western last night I'd never seen before on TCM.  It was co-hosted by Ethan Hawke with Ben Mankiewicz.  The film was The Gunfighter (1950) starring Gregory Peck, Helen Westcott and Millard Mitchell with appearances by Karl Malden (bartender) and Ellen Corby (Mrs. Devlin) one of the vocal townspeople concerned about the murderer in their midst.   

The hosts opened the film with a short discussion about why this is, paraphrasing, "one of the best unknown westerns".  Peck carries the film as Jimmy Ringo with great performances by Millard Mitchell as Marshal Strett. The B/W is sharp and the attire accurate. Peck is dressed NOT to stand out which reflects his character's desire openly. 

BLUF:  A famously fast gunfighter who's killed a fair number of men rides into town looking for his lost love and 8 1/2 YO son whom he's not seen. She's changed her name and been hidden in plain sight as the local "school teacher."   Trouble follows Ringo as dimwitted cocky men want to challenge him wherever he goes.  Since he's well-known and recognized nearly everywhere he travels, there's no peace in his life from his hard sought and won notoriety.  Time changes men and re-prioritizes what's important. Ringo realizes that he's tired of running and wants a life with his estranged wife and son.   

Is it too late for Jimmy Ringo to "find himself" (and his family) peace?  With so many people gunning to make a name for themselves as the "person who killed Jimmy Ringo" is that even possible?   

After watching the film and listening to the commentary, it stuck me that the film is a parable for the ages. Yeah there was a real "Jimmy Ringo" but outside of that, most of the story was fictional.  The moral rings true:  Whether it's Hollywood fame, political headliners, star athletes, lottery winners, famous authors or one of the so-called "influencers" wading up to their eyeballs in the the social media quagmire of BS and lies,  it's all a variation on the tiring game old as time with the same outcomes.

Be careful what you wish for....  karma baby karma.  Highly recommended especially if you are a Gregory Peck fan.      V.

[gattaca]

Watched James Mangold's "The Complete Unknown (2024)" starring Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning.   -> https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11563598

Chalamet delivers another kick-ass performance!  Just from my musical memory, the intonations and nasal twang Dylan is infamous for is spot on.  When I looked at Chalamet, he's so close in appearance to what Dylan was then that it took only a few enhancements to tighten that focus.

Reviews have been "mixed" for many reasons but it's not usually from the delivery of the songs.  Some feel the film falls short of what it could have been. Bob Dylan actually approved the script and worked with Mangold (so I've read) so that lends support to it's "right enough"! 

The events we are shown are "based on history" but there's a bit of creative license engaged at times to further the film along. Edward Norton delivers on one of his best roles in years!   While the time period in this film speaks more to the older boomers who were at that age when Dylan first hit the scene, we've all been living in the wake of Dylan's music for 60+ years!  Elle Fanning's role as Sylvie Russo is engaging. Dylan did ask that her name be changed and the writers agreed. You can see the train wreck of this relationship coming at full speed ahead.  You also see another entanglement with Joan Baez. I think that one is more on a competitive level than romantic/sexual level - at least that's my first viewing impression.

Overall, if you were a teenager or 20'something when Dylan hit the scene in the early/mid 1960's, and you are a Dylan fan, then you might enjoy this film.  The range of musical performances of complete songs is a rare in today's TikTok swamp and quicksand...  where most folks have the mentality and attention spans of fruit-flies.    

If you are on the fence, consider reading -> https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/who-was-bob-dylan-a-complete-unknown-1235190776/

Reviews:
a) Ebert's site 3.5/4 -> https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-complete-unknown-movie-review-2024
b) Rotten 77/96 -> https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_complete_unknown
c) WAPO (Paywall) -> https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/movies/2024/12/23/dylan-complete-unknown-review-chalamet/
d) BBC -> https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20241210-a-complete-unknown-review

e) NYT -> https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/25/movies/a-complete-unknown-review.html
"“A Complete Unknown” probably won’t please Dylan purists or anyone, really, who’s a stickler for documentary facticity in fiction. The movie blurs and plays with years and events, creating a generally seamless narrative out of a messy life as it glances at the larger world."

f) Rolling Stone -> https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/a-complete-unknown-review-timothee-chalamet-bob-dylan-biopic-1235183825/
"A Complete Unknown plays fast and loose with the truth whenever it’s convenient. Working from a screenplay that allegedly was footnoted and possibly even puckishly fucked with by Dylan himself, Mangold compresses events and timelines, mixes and matches musical performances and landmark moments (one mash-up in particular will inspire much gnashing of teeth), and treats the apocryphal as holy writ. The print-the-legend vibe is strong in this one. "

V.

[Lyle (Mooska)]

--The Wicked Lady

I don't know why this 1945 British film isn't as well-known as any other British film of the past.
It stars Margaret Lockwood, Michael Rennie and James Mason.

The rather tame brief synopsis of the plot is: A noblewoman begins to lead a dangerous double life in order to alleviate her boredom.

This movie is fascinating, fast-paced and Margaret as Barbara Skelton makes Scarlett O'Hara's scheming and plotting seem anemic by comparison.

It doesn't seem to have been released in the U.S., but can be gotten from Britain if you have a compatible DVD player. A friend of mine recommended this to me because he found it has been posted in a great print quality on youtube. I recommend it whole heartedly.

The Wicked Lady - FULL MOVIE - 1945 HD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL_znVPuhAs&t=2453s

This film may not ever have seen the U.S. home video market before because there was a remake of it in 1983 that starred Faye Dunaway. The film was panned when it came out in the summer of that year. If you see a trailer for it the trailer seems to be trying to get an audience by playing upon Faye's recent take on Joan Crawford and her portrayal. I don't remember thinking much of that film when I saw it back then on VHS. The trailer was quite amusing though. Perhaps the rights to the original were caught up in this U.S. remake or something. In any case, I heartily recommend the original version.

[Lyle (Mooska)]

[Jeff Wrangler]

Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy ... year.