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Post by dianedebuda on Nov 30, 2022 21:51:26 GMT
Now there'd be a site enhancement - an index to all the movies mentioned with checkmarks if there were brief and/or in-depth reviews.  Ah, no, I'm not volunteering. 
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Post by Lucky Dan on Nov 30, 2022 22:27:27 GMT
Now there'd be a site enhancement - an index to all the movies mentioned with checkmarks if there were brief and/or in-depth reviews. Ah, no, I'm not volunteering.
One thing I don't like about "I just watched" is that posts are buried quickly. And if there happens to be an ongoing discussion between members about a particular title, an unrelated post seems off topic.
Which is why I like the genre boards. I enjoy reading good writing on topics of interest, and the genre boards allow for deeper reviews and discussion - and focus. Anything over say 250 words should be posted there, I think. |
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Post by I Love Melvin on Dec 1, 2022 0:27:52 GMT
Agreed. This site did a good job of replicating the TCM Genre boards.
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Post by dianedebuda on Dec 1, 2022 3:24:57 GMT
But can't you see when you look at the post how long it is? Then either skip it or just scan it? That's how I read news items. Never every word. The good stuff is usually in the third or fourth paragraph.
One thing I don't like about "I just watched" is that posts are buried quickly. And if there happens to be an ongoing discussion between members about a particular title, an unrelated post seems off topic.
Which is why I like the genre boards. I enjoy reading good writing on topics of interest, and the genre boards allow for deeper reviews and discussion - and focus. Anything over say 250 words should be posted there, I think. |
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Post by Fading Fast on Dec 3, 2022 11:08:25 GMT
Scene of the Crime from 1949 with Van Johnson, Arlene Dahl, Gloria DeHaven, Jerome Cowan and Leon Ames
This solid noir crime drama doesn't have quite the grit of a Warner Bros. or RKO production as MGM was too "classy" for that, but its serviceable story, backed up by strong dialogue, a detailed look at police procedure, talented acting and a couple of good romantic angles keep it engaging throughout.
When a veteran detective is killed one night, and a suspicious thousand dollars is found on his body, another detective, his friend and former partner, played by Van Johnson, begins an investigation that points to a small gang of thugs trying to muscle in on the established mob's numbers racket.
This kinda complicated story is really a crook-versus-crook affair with cops getting killed in the crossfire. There are some wonderful crime-fighting inside reveals as we see the police making small concessions to lower level thugs (looking the other way at some minor crimes) in return for information on those further up the chain.
But Scene of the Crime is less about the internecine gang war than Van Johnson's life as he and his older and younger (newbie) partners try to conduct an investigation, while Johnson's wife pushes hard for him to leave the force and take a safer and better paying job heading up security for a large corporation.
Scene of the Crime, like other crime-drama movies at that time, does a good job of walking you through the steps of an investigation as witnesses are questioned, suspects followed, phone lines tapped, informants manipulated and evidence scrutinized.
Through it all, Johnson's wife, played by Arlene Dahl, who is clearly at the end of her emotional tether, can't take the pressure of not knowing if her husband will come back alive each time a phone call takes him away. The stressed-out cop's wife is not a new challenge in movies, but Dahl draws you into her plight.
Johnson also has a blonde, cute and, maybe, informant, played by Gloria DeHaven, to manage because, as part of the investigation, he begins an affair with her believing she has information about the head gangster trying to take over the rackets. The on-screen slap and tickle is tamped down to assuage the Motion Picture Production Code, but we know what these kids are doing.
It's an odd relationship as Johnson truthfully tells DeHaven he's both married and a cop (more Code-appeasement nonsense?), yet she just goes along since he takes her to nice restaurants. It doesn't quite fit, but eventually it all makes sense giving DeHaven a brief, but outstanding, femme-fatale moment.
Van Johnson is not your usual hard-boiled noir actor, especially in the hands of MGM where he still tilts a bit to matinee idol, as when he romances both Dahl and DeHaven. Yet, he pulls it off with an assist from MGM's strong roster including Leon Ames as Johnson's captain and Jerome Cowan as a head mobster.
The climax, as well (no spoilers coming), feels too MGM perfect as the final gun battle, explosions and arrests are beautifully choreographed, but lack the chaotic verisimilitude of a Warner Bros. shootout. It also doesn't help that MGM saved money by filming most of the scenes on sets, at a time when noir was already moving to the real streets.
Still, Scene of the Crime is well worth the watch for its professional production qualities, acting talent, crime-drama aspects and the one scene where Gloria DeHaven lets her inner femme fatale rip.
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Post by galacticgirrrl on Dec 4, 2022 7:44:38 GMT
No blade of grass (1970)
No room to run! No place to hide! Maddened by fear they turn against each other! An environmental catastrophe destroys civilization. Thousands are starving. Millions are dead. Resources are used up, poisoned and polluted. Found among the survivors are the Custance clan. Led by father John and mother Ann, the Custance clan sets out on a quest for safety in a savage world that may just end up turning them into the very thing they are fleeing.MGM presents ; screenplay by Sean Forestal and Jefferson Pascal ; produced and directed by Cornel Wilde. Not for the faint of heart or those averse to dropping down rabbit holes. This title came up on one of those Top # list type write ups - I think - about apocalyptic scenarios and I had never heard of it. Panic In Year Zero, Where Have All the People Gone, The Day the Earth Caught Fire, Testament....all up my alley so I thought for sure this would be enjoyable on some level, somehow. Wrong. Although I must say I didn't eject it from my DVD player and kept on with it until the end which says something but not much. Quite a few on the imdb love it, 10 out of 10 and such but for me it was just a bad B movie. It did get me wondering about what on earth happened to Cornel Wilde and how it was I knew so little about him. I booked the next available item from the library but felt unwell the second it started playing. Forever Amber (1947)
In seventeenth-century England, Amber St. Clair aims to raise herself from country girl to nobility, and succeeds, but loses her true love in the process.
20th Century Fox ; Darryl F. Zanuck presents ; screen play by Philip Dunne and Ring Lardner, Jr. ; produced by William Perlberg ; directed by Otto Preminger. It appeared it was going to be an overwrought historical melodrama which is not high on my list of go to genres. I also thought I must have seen it and forgotten about it being a huge George Sanders fan. But as the movie rolled my eyes started popping out of my head over the content. I am pretty sure I would have remembered a baby in a den of thieves in 1947. Now I know why someone here said they have their iPad open while watching films to check for imdb info or tidbits. I kept wondering how on earth this had made it to general release in this form. Not that I am a prude but it seemed really out there for 1947. I kept wondering if I had missed something about the code being dropped for a few years after the war or some such. When it was finished I discovered the Legion of Decency was highly involved in having the film altered. A post-code version of a pre-code script indeed. Sadly the DVD I watched had no extras - no clips of the original Amber, Peggy Cummins; No restored version to before the League got their hands on it. I did enjoy the work of the supporting players like Alan Napier, Richard Greene, Richard Haydn, Jessica Tandy. I hate to admit that my worst of all is someone's best of all on the imdb (" Best of all David Raksin's score achieves near-operatic grandeur"). Clearly I know nothing about good scores as it had an Oscar nomination for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture. Fair warning if you enjoy a bit of silence throughout a movie, this one has none. 
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Post by Andrea Doria on Dec 4, 2022 11:31:21 GMT
Thanks for the "Forever Amber," review, Galacticgirrrl. A long time ago someone recommended the book to me and I remember being sort of surprised at the content as you were with the movie. It just didn't seem to fit the year it was published or the genre of historical romance. I've never watched the movie, but assumed all that was deleted for a 1947 film. Guess not. My thoughts when watching graphic content in old movies are always the same, "My mother would have seen that!"
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Post by jamesjazzguitar on Dec 4, 2022 17:11:55 GMT
Scene of the Crime from 1949 with Van Johnson, Arlene Dahl, Gloria DeHaven, Jerome Cowan and Leon Ames
This solid noir crime drama doesn't have quite the grit of a Warner Bros. or RKO production as MGM was too "classy" for that, but its serviceable story, backed up by strong dialogue, a detailed look at police procedure, talented acting and a couple of good romantic angles keep it engaging throughout.
When a veteran detective is killed one night, and a suspicious thousand dollars is found on his body, another detective, his friend and former partner, played by Van Johnson, begins an investigation that points to a small gang of thugs trying to muscle in on the established mob's numbers racket.
This kinda complicated story is really a crook-versus-crook affair with cops getting killed in the crossfire. There are some wonderful crime-fighting inside reveals as we see the police making small concessions to lower level thugs (looking the other way at some minor crimes) in return for information on those further up the chain.
But Scene of the Crime is less about the internecine gang war than Van Johnson's life as he and his older and younger (newbie) partners try to conduct an investigation, while Johnson's wife pushes hard for him to leave the force and take a safer and better paying job heading up security for a large corporation.
Scene of the Crime, like other crime-drama movies at that time, does a good job of walking you through the steps of an investigation as witnesses are questioned, suspects followed, phone lines tapped, informants manipulated and evidence scrutinized.
Through it all, Johnson's wife, played by Arlene Dahl, who is clearly at the end of her emotional tether, can't take the pressure of not knowing if her husband will come back alive each time a phone call takes him away. The stressed-out cop's wife is not a new challenge in movies, but Dahl draws you into her plight.
Johnson also has a blonde, cute and, maybe, informant, played by Gloria DeHaven, to manage because, as part of the investigation, he begins an affair with her believing she has information about the head gangster trying to take over the rackets. The on-screen slap and tickle is tamped down to assuage the Motion Picture Production Code, but we know what these kids are doing.
It's an odd relationship as Johnson truthfully tells DeHaven he's both married and a cop (more Code-appeasement nonsense?), yet she just goes along since he takes her to nice restaurants. It doesn't quite fit, but eventually it all makes sense giving DeHaven a brief, but outstanding, femme-fatale moment.
Van Johnson is not your usual hard-boiled noir actor, especially in the hands of MGM where he still tilts a bit to matinee idol, as when he romances both Dahl and DeHaven. Yet, he pulls it off with an assist from MGM's strong roster including Leon Ames as Johnson's captain and Jerome Cowan as a head mobster.
The climax, as well (no spoilers coming), feels too MGM perfect as the final gun battle, explosions and arrests are beautifully choreographed, but lack the chaotic verisimilitude of a Warner Bros. shootout. It also doesn't help that MGM saved money by filming most of the scenes on sets, at a time when noir was already moving to the real streets.
Still, Scene of the Crime is well worth the watch for its professional production qualities, acting talent, crime-drama aspects and the one scene where Gloria DeHaven lets her inner femme fatale rip.
Great review of this MGM noir film. |
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Post by cineclassics on Dec 4, 2022 23:48:40 GMT
 I'm going to stop slacking off soon and provide more in-depth film reviews, but recently, I watched Since You Went Away from 1944 and was very moved by this film. It would make a great double bill with The Best Years of our Lives, however, with both films pushing 3 hours in length, you have to prepare yourself for the long haul. And while one could make the argument that the film should have a reduction in running time, keep in mind, this is a David O. Selznick production, so excess is part of the territory. The film centers on a family of three women during World War II and how they navigate the difficulties of the time, including the uncertainty of whether their loved ones will return home, how best to contribute to the war effort domestically, etc. The ensemble casting in this film is truly a thing of beauty, and every introduced character is fully fleshed out and developed. Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Shirley Temple, Agnes Moorehead, Joseph Cotton, Monty Woolley, Robert Walker, and Hattie McDaniel. The cast is just an embarrassment of riches, and the technical side is just as impressive with a poetic score by Max Steiner and cinematography by the great Stanley Cortez. Yes, it is sentimental and at times what some would describe as melodramatic hokum, but it never feels unearned. The subject matter is handled with maturity and grace by director John Cromwell and the veteran cast sells every line. The story lines also touch on PTSD and the unintended consequences that war has on civilians, two years before The Best Years of our Lives. P.S. I had to watch a crummy version on Youtube, because I couldn't find it on any streaming service. I have since learned that Kino released a blu-ray a few years back and I intend on purchasing and watching in HD as it was meant to be viewed. |
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Post by Andrea Doria on Dec 5, 2022 11:50:36 GMT
Last night on TCM was my favorite Christmas movie, Remember the Night.
Barbara Stanwyck plays a New York shop lifter, caught for her third offence and prosecuted by Fred MacMurray. He feels sorry for keeping her in jail over Christmas, so when he discovers she is also from Indiana he offers to drop her off at her home on the way to his.
The road trip is fun, how anyone made long trips in those cars, on those roads is a wonder now, but the real story begins when we meet Barbara's horrible estranged mother and she travels on to stay three days at Fred's old home.
Barbara's redemptive arc is beautifully played and acted, but my favorite part is Fred's family with Beulah Bondi showing us all what a mother is supposed to be.
[sorry, my video didn't come through and I can't figure out how to delete it)
classicfilmtvradio.freeforums.net/post/new/7
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Post by Fading Fast on Dec 5, 2022 12:49:00 GMT
Last night on TCM was my favorite Christmas movie, Remember the Night.
Barbara Stanwyck plays a New York shop lifter, caught for her third offence and prosecuted by Fred MacMurray. He feels sorry for keeping her in jail over Christmas, so when he discovers she is also from Indiana he offers to drop her off at her home on the way to his.
The road trip is fun, how anyone made long trips in those cars, on those roads is a wonder now, but the real story begins when we meet Barbara's horrible estranged mother and she travels on to stay three days at Fred's old home.
Barbara's redemptive arc is beautifully played and acted, but my favorite part is Fred's family with Beulah Bondi showing us all what a mother is supposed to be.
[sorry, my video didn't come through and I can't figure out how to delete it)
classicfilmtvradio.freeforums.net/post/new/7
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Post by Andrea Doria on Dec 5, 2022 13:51:25 GMT
Yes! It's Stanwyck and MacMurray's first movie together and the chemistry was so good they went on to make four more!
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Post by cineclassics on Dec 5, 2022 14:50:02 GMT
Remember the night is receiving an updated and extensive blu-ray release, courtesy of Indicator films (it's from the UK so you'll need a region free blu-ray player if you're in the states). Link here: Remember the Night. |
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Post by galacticgirrrl on Dec 5, 2022 16:45:15 GMT
Last night on TC rite Christmas movie, Remember the Night.
Barbara's redemptive arc is beautifully played and acted, but my favorite part is Fred's family with Beulah Bondi showing us all what a mother is supposed to be.
Another one I haven't seen. Thank you for posting. Redemptive arc - so eloquent. I see it is in public domain on the Internet Archive which is handy. archive.org/details/rememberthenight1940lembrasedaquelanoite |
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Post by Andrea Doria on Dec 6, 2022 0:45:25 GMT
The House of Mirth from 2000 with Gillian Anderson, Eric Stoltz, Dan Aykroyd and Laura Linney
Edith Wharton's The House of Mirth is one of the great American novels of the twentieth century, but its inside-baseball look at the social machination of the upper crust of fin de siècle New York society, where a slight head nod can carry great meaning, is hard to translate to the screen.
Director Terence Davies' version of The House of Mirth takes too long to kick into gear, but for those who stay with it, the second half, finally, catches some of the spirited dialogue, searing social commentary and emotional power of the novel.
Oversimplifying, The House of Mirth is the story of a young beautiful complex and conflicted woman, Lily Bart, who craves the acceptance and luxury of the upper class society of which she lives on the margin. Yet her moral code, which has much to admire and some elements to question, so warps her decision making at times that she becomes her own worst enemy.
The choice of Gillian Anderson, a nice looking actress, to play Lily Bart is an odd one as one of Bart's defining features is her arresting beauty. It's the gift that opens doors for on-the-edge-of-society Bart, but it's also an asset that she senselessly squanders.
If you didn't know all that coming into the movie, Anderson's casting would only confuse a viewer. That's just one of several reasons why, to appreciate Davies' movie, one needs to have read the book first as the story is too complex and nuanced for even a long movie to fully present.
But if you have read the novel and if you sit through the slow start - and, today, can endure the diminishing quality of the film print - there is much in the movie to enjoy, including its beautiful settings, its talented actors and Wharton's piercing dialogue.
The costumes, on-location footage, period details and architecture take you back over a hundred years to the world of the very rich. It's a world where everything physical is heavy and studied, much like the unwritten but restricting rules of this rarified society.
While miscast physically, Anderson delivers an engaging performance as Miss Bart, which requires her showing a range of emotions through facial expression and body English as what was said in that rule-bound society was often quite restricted.
Eric Stoltz is equally impressive as one of Anderson's love interests and her only confidant. The surprise in the cast, though, is Dan Aykroyd as Gus Trenor. He delivers a powerful performance as a man who knows the rules of "society" and is willing to enforce them harshly when he feels he's been deceived.
Laura Linney is also outstanding playing the vicious leader of her insular world, as she, like her husband Aykroyd, plays for keeps in this brutal game of societal chess.
There are several other outstanding performances including Anthony LaPaglia's. His, in particular, deserves note as he plays the outsider, a Jew, trying to break into this very Waspy "society" with a smart balance of aggression and discretion.
LaPaglia's scenes with Anderson capture the insight and power of Wharton's writing as LaPaglia's character sees the entire social game for exactly what it is and tries, time and again, to get Anderson, who also sees it, but can't step outside of it, to make smart decisions for herself.
Despite being about an exclusive and tiny sleeve of the population, The House of Mirth still holds timeless and universal lessons about morality, peer pressure, sexual relations and societal rules and conceits. Plus it's just a heck of a good story with a complex and flawed heroine you can't help rooting for.
The House of Mirth, the movie, falls well short of the book, but as a post-read amusement, it's a worthy effort with impressive acting and period details. It can be enjoyed as we wait for the still-to-be-made definitive movie version of Wharton's classic. |
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Ah, no, I'm not volunteering. 
