Turns out my Star Trek watching friend has only ever seen the first Star Wars film (that being the New Hope, not one of the prequels). So last week I sat her down in front of that film to refresh her memory, and this week we got half way through Empire Strikes Back before she had to go home to let the plumber in!
She's enjoying them so far.
Oh, I'm looking forward to seeing ""Mr. Nobody Against Putin" tomorrow evening. Good documentaries don't come to our neck of the woods often. I was so happy when it won the Oscar. I'll let you folks know what I think of it after seeing it.
Mrs RR and I watched, '3,000 years of longing' (which she opines should better be called, '3,000 years of bonking') ... OK .... but enjoyed our latest charity DVD, 'Miss Potter' much more. An enchanting film which sent us back to the books.
There is a documentary about my first college, New College in Sarasota, Florida, and the sad things which have been done to it in the last couple of years, called First They Came For My College, though I’ve not seen it yet.
My daughter-in-law taught a diversity class at New College. After the sad things were done, she quit and went to Stetson University. @ChastMastr, I don't think I would have the heart to see that documentary.
I just finished watching "Captain Blood" (1935). This is my first time watching it from start to finish. Back in the good old days, when I had Turner Classic Movies on cable, I saw parts of this movie, but I never had time to watch the whole thing. But Criterion has put it out on BluRay and I just got it.
A fun movie with two appealing stars. This movie was, in fact, the breakthrough role for two stars: Errol Flynn and Olivia de Haviland. Both had only appeared in 3 or 4 movies before this, but this is the one that catapulted both of them to fame (and resulted in the two of them being paired in several other moves after this!).
It is not deep. It is not insightful. It is just fun and exciting entertainment.
I love Captain Blood! There's a story that they had to film some of the early scenes twice, because Errol Flynn's acting had got so much better between the beginning and the end of the film! And of course it also features the wonderful Basil Rathbone as a French pirate.
I love Captain Blood! There's a story that they had to film some of the early scenes twice, because Errol Flynn's acting had got so much better between the beginning and the end of the film! And of course it also features the wonderful Basil Rathbone as a French pirate.
Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler from the X-Men) loves that film! It’s come up in the comics before, with movie posters on his walls as well as other references. When he had to go out in public in “ordinary human” disguise, the image he used was Errol Flynn, in fact.
Maybe I'll give the X-men another go, now that I know that!
I remember a lovely bit in one of Mike Grell's Green Arrow stories where he rescues an old couple from muggers, and when the old lady is giving his description to the police, the picture in her mind is Errol Flynn as Robin Hood.
Last night I watched "Living" (2022), starring Bill Nighy. It is an English-language remake of the 1952 Akira Kurosawa film "Ikiru." "Living" is set in 1950s London and Nighy plays a stodgy bureaucrat who learns that he has terminal cancer and only 6 to 9 months to live. Nighy gave a terrific performance.
Maybe I'll give the X-men another go, now that I know that!
I remember a lovely bit in one of Mike Grell's Green Arrow stories where he rescues an old couple from muggers, and when the old lady is giving his description to the police, the picture in her mind is Errol Flynn as Robin Hood.
I would start with the reprints of the Giant-Size X-Men and Chris Claremont run, #94 on—it establishes the characters we know and love today. ❤️
Kurt was one of the sources that led me to Christ, in fact. There was Narnia, the Charlie Brown Christmas special, and X-Men Annual #4… as you may know, Kurt is a devout Christian, specifically Roman Catholic. ❤️ Looks like a demon but is grateful to God for being a mutant. (Completely ignore the strange, guilt-ridden version of him in at least one of the movies. That’s wholly different than the comics. The animated 1990s series has a version far more like the comics…)
Last night I watched "Living" (2022), starring Bill Nighy. It is an English-language remake of the 1952 Akira Kurosawa film "Ikiru." "Living" is set in 1950s London and Nighy plays a stodgy bureaucrat who learns that he has terminal cancer and only 6 to 9 months to live. Nighy gave a terrific performance.
My wife and I also watched it recently. Agreed, good film and he certainly does.
Last night I watched "Living" (2022), starring Bill Nighy. It is an English-language remake of the 1952 Akira Kurosawa film "Ikiru." "Living" is set in 1950s London and Nighy plays a stodgy bureaucrat who learns that he has terminal cancer and only 6 to 9 months to live. Nighy gave a terrific performance.
My wife and I also watched it recently. Agreed, good film and he certainly does.
If you enjoyed 'Living' do have a look at 'Ikiru' (1952) on which I think it was based, or at least it takes up the same themes as Kurusawa's masterpiece.
It's hard to get me into a cinema - I hate the stench of popcorn and the violent trailers. But today I actually volunteered to go to see The Sheep Detectives after reading good reviews. I am still thinking about it, but generally liked it - a good story line and lots of good acting. Reading up afterwards I see that it was mostly made in England, so was puzzled by the appearance of a left hand drive American pick-up truck, an Airstream caravan (do you really see them in England?) and an American style fire hydrant on a very English street corner.
The baseline story of the shepherd reading crime novels to the sheep at bedtime irresistibly set the scene, and we had to see it.
It's hard to get me into a cinema - I hate the stench of popcorn and the violent trailers. But today I actually volunteered to go to see The Sheep Detectives after reading good reviews. I am still thinking about it, but generally liked it - a good story line and lots of good acting. Reading up afterwards I see that it was mostly made in England, so was puzzled by the appearance of a left hand drive American pick-up truck, an Airstream caravan (do you really see them in England?) and an American style fire hydrant on a very English street corner.
The baseline story of the shepherd reading crime novels to the sheep at bedtime irresistibly set the scene, and we had to see it.
I was initally interested but then repelled by the trailer, with the excruciating exaggerated strident American accents of the sheep.
I’m afraid the ads have made me less likely to go see it. I really don’t want to see any more of Krypto.
Oh, with the possible exception of the Clayface movie (which appears to be more body horror than I think I may be able to deal with), I'm seeing all of the new DC movie/TV universe. I do need to see the Peacemaker and related stuff, though some of it is not fully in continuity with the new universe (long story).
I’m afraid the ads have made me less likely to go see it. I really don’t want to see any more of Krypto.
Oh, with the possible exception of the Clayface movie (which appears to be more body horror than I think I may be able to deal with), I'm seeing all of the new DC movie/TV universe. I do need to see the Peacemaker and related stuff, though some of it is not fully in continuity with the new universe (long story).
While I generally liked David Corenswet, I’m afraid the things I disliked about last summer’s Superman outweighed what I did like to the point I don’t particularly want to see more of James Gunn’s Superman-related movies.
I’m afraid the ads have made me less likely to go see it. I really don’t want to see any more of Krypto.
Oh, with the possible exception of the Clayface movie (which appears to be more body horror than I think I may be able to deal with), I'm seeing all of the new DC movie/TV universe. I do need to see the Peacemaker and related stuff, though some of it is not fully in continuity with the new universe (long story).
While I generally liked David Corenswet, I’m afraid the things I disliked about last summer’s Superman outweighed what I did like to the point I don’t particularly want to see more of James Gunn’s Superman-related movies.
Aw. Different tastes, of course… Not that we’re lacking in decades and decades of Superman adaptations out there, more readily available than at any time in history!
I’m afraid the ads have made me less likely to go see it. I really don’t want to see any more of Krypto.
Oh, with the possible exception of the Clayface movie (which appears to be more body horror than I think I may be able to deal with), I'm seeing all of the new DC movie/TV universe. I do need to see the Peacemaker and related stuff, though some of it is not fully in continuity with the new universe (long story).
While I generally liked David Corenswet, I’m afraid the things I disliked about last summer’s Superman outweighed what I did like to the point I don’t particularly want to see more of James Gunn’s Superman-related movies.
Mrs RR and I watched 'Nomadland' last evening. Impressive, if not fun viewing with lots to think about - reaction to loss, grief, etc. Has any shipmate seen it? Highly reccommended!
Having nothing better to do than watching a movie, I chose Netflix' "Guilty" which is a remake of a Danish film. It is about a cop who has been put on desk duty for an unnamed violation which comes out toward the end of the show. Had a lot of twists and turns in it. Two things stood out in the movie--it was shot with only one main character in the screen shots, most of the movie depended on voice overs. The morale of the movie will probably find its way into a sermon some time. Don't want to give any more of it away.
I can say while I did not think it would hold my attention long enough at first, by the end of the movie I was leaning forward waiting for what was about to happen.
Last night I watched "Living" (2022), starring Bill Nighy. It is an English-language remake of the 1952 Akira Kurosawa film "Ikiru." "Living" is set in 1950s London and Nighy plays a stodgy bureaucrat who learns that he has terminal cancer and only 6 to 9 months to live. Nighy gave a terrific performance.
My wife and I also watched it recently. Agreed, good film and he certainly does.
If you enjoyed 'Living' do have a look at 'Ikiru' (1952) on which I think it was based, or at least it takes up the same themes as Kurusawa's masterpiece.
Ta, I will keep an eye out.
Also, we have seen 'Nomadland' too. An excellent, engaging film.
We watched 'The Sheep Detectives' this week. We enjoyed it, good story, and a bit moving. The Americanisms were indeed a little strange (grating is too strong a word) but not anywhere as strong as the 'Luther' film with Idris Elba when the fact that its target audience was American made certain aspects laughable for a British audience.
I just receive a new shipment of DVDs from Sinister Cinema.
First up: "The Texan" (1930), with Gary Cooper & Fay Wray. That would be about 3 years before Wray was in "King Kong." It was made just after Cooper made it big in "The Virginian"--which is what dictated that the title of this movie be "The Texan." It is based on an O. Henry story, "The Double-Dyed Deceiver."
A wanted outlaw, the Llano Kid (Cooper), is in a poker game when he catches a gambler cheating. The gambler tries to shoot hi, and the Kid kills him in self-defense. But, he is a wanted outlaw, so he has to flee anyway. While escaping, he comes across a crooked lawyer who convinces him to go to Mexico and present himself as the long-lost son of a wealthy Mexican widow to get entrance to the house and steal her gold. Her son ran away at age ten after she yelled at him for getting a tattoo on his left arm. The lawyer makes sure the Kid has the same tattoo. The plan works. The Kid is accepted as the long-lost son---and then he realizes that the REAL son was the crooked gambler that he killed! Oh, and there is a persistent sheriff from Texas on his trail.
I first saw this movie at the Capitolfest movie festival back in 2016 and I have been looking for a copy ever since. I suspect it just entered the public domain this year because not only did I find a copy for sale at Sinister Cinema, but a very good print of it is now available for viewing on YouTube at the PizzaFlix channel. Just search for "The Texan 1930" and it should come up. It is well worth watching.
And it is a golden opportunity to watch beautiful Fay Wray when she isn't screaming her lungs out.
The second DVD from my recent shipment is "Eerie Tales" (1919). And I tell this with some embarrassment.
I have in my collection a German silent film called "Waxworks." It features Conrad Veidt. It is a collection of suspense/terror short stories with a framing device: a poet works at a wax museum devising stories for the figures. In his imagination he becomes part of the stories. There are three stories presented (although four had been planned--but they ran out of money and so released the movie with only three tales).
So what does this have to do with "Eerie Tales"? Well, it is a German silent film featuring Conrad Veidt and it is a compendium of suspense/terror short stories with a framing device. And because of that (and not investigating further) I went for years thinking that "Eerie Tales" was just an alternate title for "Waxworks."
Wrong. They are separate movies. Eerie was from 1919 while Waxworks was from 1924 (which I should have noticed far earlier than I did). Eerie has FIVE stories, not three. And it is set in an antiquarian bookstore rather than a wax museum. The framing device is that, when the shop closes, figures of Death, the Harlot and the Devil step from the paintings of them (that, for some reason, are in the bookstore) and they read tales to each other (and the actors playing the three show up as characters in the stories). The stories presented are based on (1) "The Apparition" by Anselm Heine; (2) "The Hand" by Robert Liebmann; (3) "The Black Cat" by Poe; (4) "The Suicide Club" by R.L. Stevenson; and (5) "The Spectre" written by the film's director, Richard Oswalt (I suspect to give the actress playing The Harlot something to do, because her parts in the other stories were minimal).
Early silent films fascinate me, and this is interesting. Not a classic by any means, but you can see them still developing "the language of film" that we now take for granted.
Finally watched 1943’s Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. It was… Not the best of the Universal monster movies, in my view. I’m hoping the later team-ups will be better.
My last installment of my recent shipment: actually, it is a 2 DVD collection of four B Westerns featuring Johnny Mack Brown. I won't bother with plots because, frankly, the plots of B Westerns were largely interchangeable. So why watch them? Because they are simply entertaining. But different people have different likes. If you like the "singing cowboy" style (I don't), then you lean towards Gene Autry or Roy Rogers. Some like Hopalong Cassidy. While I have mad respect for William Boyd having the foresight to buy up the rights to his Hoppy movies and then made a fortune leasing them out to television, I find his movies dull.
But Johnny Mack Brown? Oh, yeah. I love JMB. Amiable but tough and he can actually act. There is another cowboy hero called Sunset Carson--a big burly man who could deliver a great action sequence, but was absolutely dire when the scene required acting. But JMB? He actually was a legit movie star. He was the romantic lead opposite Mary Pickford in "Coquette" (1929), her first talkie. And he was one of the four servicemen in "The Last Flight" (1931), which should be required watching for anybody interested in film.
And Johnny made fine westerns. I will always happily watch one of his Westerns, no matter how uninspired the plot.
The four on the DVDs are: "Branded a Coward" (1935); "Lawless Land (1936); "Trail of Vengeance" (1937) and "Helltown" (1937). "Helltown" is also known as "Born to the West" and stars John Wayne, about two years before he shot to stardom in "Stagecoach" (1939) (another film that should be in your "must watch" list).
Went to see Disclosure Day this afternoon. It wasn't quite the film I expected, but I did enjoy it. There are some nonsensical plot devices, but the denouement was well worth waiting for. Distinct callbacks to Close Encounters and ET. Though Spielberg does seem to have picked JJ Abrams' penchant for lens flares every 17 seconds, which was a little distracting.
Next in my Universal monster movie list: 1943’s Son of Dracula, which introduced the “Alucard” alias and Dracula turning into a bat onscreen! (He’d done so before, but not on camera.)
We've just had a film crew in town, filming a Hallmark Christmas movie! All the shops in the middle of town had Christmas window displays up, which confused the casual tourists!
Comments
Trailer:
https://youtu.be/Zle7pmZ1M0g?si=5BkaCYlUiRm0O5XG
She's enjoying them so far.
https://youtu.be/29WXahafjsM?si=e4tx9V9TiBUbmBlf
@ChastMastr, I don't think I would have the heart to see that documentary.
A fun movie with two appealing stars. This movie was, in fact, the breakthrough role for two stars: Errol Flynn and Olivia de Haviland. Both had only appeared in 3 or 4 movies before this, but this is the one that catapulted both of them to fame (and resulted in the two of them being paired in several other moves after this!).
It is not deep. It is not insightful. It is just fun and exciting entertainment.
@RockyRoger I think Miss Potter is a lovely gentle watch. I remember enjoying it very much and would watch it again.
Kurt Wagner (Nightcrawler from the X-Men) loves that film! It’s come up in the comics before, with movie posters on his walls as well as other references. When he had to go out in public in “ordinary human” disguise, the image he used was Errol Flynn, in fact.
My geekiness knows no bounds
I remember a lovely bit in one of Mike Grell's Green Arrow stories where he rescues an old couple from muggers, and when the old lady is giving his description to the police, the picture in her mind is Errol Flynn as Robin Hood.
I would start with the reprints of the Giant-Size X-Men and Chris Claremont run, #94 on—it establishes the characters we know and love today. ❤️
https://youtu.be/SwUCCM5G-eo?si=bXptlgcHZXMUyRH2
If you enjoyed 'Living' do have a look at 'Ikiru' (1952) on which I think it was based, or at least it takes up the same themes as Kurusawa's masterpiece.
The baseline story of the shepherd reading crime novels to the sheep at bedtime irresistibly set the scene, and we had to see it.
I was initally interested but then repelled by the trailer, with the excruciating exaggerated strident American accents of the sheep.
Oh, with the possible exception of the Clayface movie (which appears to be more body horror than I think I may be able to deal with), I'm seeing all of the new DC movie/TV universe. I do need to see the Peacemaker and related stuff, though some of it is not fully in continuity with the new universe (long story).
https://www.polygon.com/peacemaker-dcu-canon-james-gunn-zack-snyder-retcons/
Aw. Different tastes, of course… Not that we’re lacking in decades and decades of Superman adaptations out there, more readily available than at any time in history!
I can say while I did not think it would hold my attention long enough at first, by the end of the movie I was leaning forward waiting for what was about to happen.
Also, we have seen 'Nomadland' too. An excellent, engaging film.
We watched 'The Sheep Detectives' this week. We enjoyed it, good story, and a bit moving. The Americanisms were indeed a little strange (grating is too strong a word) but not anywhere as strong as the 'Luther' film with Idris Elba when the fact that its target audience was American made certain aspects laughable for a British audience.
First up: "The Texan" (1930), with Gary Cooper & Fay Wray. That would be about 3 years before Wray was in "King Kong." It was made just after Cooper made it big in "The Virginian"--which is what dictated that the title of this movie be "The Texan." It is based on an O. Henry story, "The Double-Dyed Deceiver."
A wanted outlaw, the Llano Kid (Cooper), is in a poker game when he catches a gambler cheating. The gambler tries to shoot hi, and the Kid kills him in self-defense. But, he is a wanted outlaw, so he has to flee anyway. While escaping, he comes across a crooked lawyer who convinces him to go to Mexico and present himself as the long-lost son of a wealthy Mexican widow to get entrance to the house and steal her gold. Her son ran away at age ten after she yelled at him for getting a tattoo on his left arm. The lawyer makes sure the Kid has the same tattoo. The plan works. The Kid is accepted as the long-lost son---and then he realizes that the REAL son was the crooked gambler that he killed! Oh, and there is a persistent sheriff from Texas on his trail.
I first saw this movie at the Capitolfest movie festival back in 2016 and I have been looking for a copy ever since. I suspect it just entered the public domain this year because not only did I find a copy for sale at Sinister Cinema, but a very good print of it is now available for viewing on YouTube at the PizzaFlix channel. Just search for "The Texan 1930" and it should come up. It is well worth watching.
And it is a golden opportunity to watch beautiful Fay Wray when she isn't screaming her lungs out.
Yes you do. I saw it last night. It is worth it and a worthy addition to the franchise.
I have in my collection a German silent film called "Waxworks." It features Conrad Veidt. It is a collection of suspense/terror short stories with a framing device: a poet works at a wax museum devising stories for the figures. In his imagination he becomes part of the stories. There are three stories presented (although four had been planned--but they ran out of money and so released the movie with only three tales).
So what does this have to do with "Eerie Tales"? Well, it is a German silent film featuring Conrad Veidt and it is a compendium of suspense/terror short stories with a framing device. And because of that (and not investigating further) I went for years thinking that "Eerie Tales" was just an alternate title for "Waxworks."
Wrong. They are separate movies. Eerie was from 1919 while Waxworks was from 1924 (which I should have noticed far earlier than I did). Eerie has FIVE stories, not three. And it is set in an antiquarian bookstore rather than a wax museum. The framing device is that, when the shop closes, figures of Death, the Harlot and the Devil step from the paintings of them (that, for some reason, are in the bookstore) and they read tales to each other (and the actors playing the three show up as characters in the stories). The stories presented are based on (1) "The Apparition" by Anselm Heine; (2) "The Hand" by Robert Liebmann; (3) "The Black Cat" by Poe; (4) "The Suicide Club" by R.L. Stevenson; and (5) "The Spectre" written by the film's director, Richard Oswalt (I suspect to give the actress playing The Harlot something to do, because her parts in the other stories were minimal).
Early silent films fascinate me, and this is interesting. Not a classic by any means, but you can see them still developing "the language of film" that we now take for granted.
But Johnny Mack Brown? Oh, yeah. I love JMB. Amiable but tough and he can actually act. There is another cowboy hero called Sunset Carson--a big burly man who could deliver a great action sequence, but was absolutely dire when the scene required acting. But JMB? He actually was a legit movie star. He was the romantic lead opposite Mary Pickford in "Coquette" (1929), her first talkie. And he was one of the four servicemen in "The Last Flight" (1931), which should be required watching for anybody interested in film.
And Johnny made fine westerns. I will always happily watch one of his Westerns, no matter how uninspired the plot.
The four on the DVDs are: "Branded a Coward" (1935); "Lawless Land (1936); "Trail of Vengeance" (1937) and "Helltown" (1937). "Helltown" is also known as "Born to the West" and stars John Wayne, about two years before he shot to stardom in "Stagecoach" (1939) (another film that should be in your "must watch" list).
Trailer:
https://youtu.be/B0rPaeTHJmY?is=US2pjX4b-EXEo8vD
I still need to see… well, I’ve never seen Despicable Me or the Minions movies yet… Have you liked the others?