Let's Talk Movies #35 – Sparrows and Panthers and Dinosaurs…Oh My!

[Wyliefan]

How often do you post about movies you watch on TCM? I love hearing about older movies that I've never heard of. I discover older movies through stars of yesteryear who I see in something and then seek out there other movies. And then through these movies, I discover lesser known stars and then seek out THEIR stuff. I would LOVE to hear about other old movies that might escape my radar.

If you're on Twitter, you've got to join #TCMParty. We have a blast watching and livetweeting whatever's airing on TCM. And sometimes, if the movie is really out there -- as even some classic movies tend to be -- the party gets EPIC.

 

[PeterG]

I will occasionally go to a movie with the twins, but figure that kids movies aren't as much of interest here!

I am picky about adding kids movies to my To See list, but have done so because of people talking about them here. The Incredibles (and the sequel) is one of many examples of that. So I hope you will post more about the kids movies you see. They are one of the genres that I need as part of my viewing list because I need variety from the many dramas and documentaries that I see.

If you're on Twitter, you've got to join #TCMParty. We have a blast watching and livetweeting whatever's airing on TCM. And sometimes, if the movie is really out there -- as even some classic movies tend to be -- the party gets EPIC.

I don't get that channel. That's why I appreciate posts here so I can do my old-man thing and search out the titles mentioned here on digital video disc.

 

[skatesindreams]

How often do you post about movies you watch on TCM? I love hearing about older movies that I've never heard of. I discover older movies through stars of yesteryear who I see in something and then seek out there other movies. And then through these movies, I discover lesser known stars and then seek out THEIR stuff. I would LOVE to hear about other old movies that might escape my radar.

I post about the "Classic" movies and actors that I love, here.
Another passion which my father shared with me.

 

[watchthis!!]

Underworld Awakening was pretty much what I expected. Nice to see Kate Beckinsale continue with her role in the series, and being pretty kick-ass at it! Theo James doubles the pretty quotient and Michael Ealy ain't so bad himself. Not much to the story, just some vamps and were-offspring trying to get through another day after the government has purged pretty much all of them. Charles Dance and Stephen Rea have small roles in this as well.

Trailer for Underworld Awakening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUcrbUCWKQc

I was going to post about my movie-viewing today (Our Souls At Night, When We First Met), but I'm wondering if the movie thread is something that FSU'ers are interested in any more?

I used to see certain user names posting in this thread often, but I haven't seen them around. Maybe they've just moved on to other things in their lives. And are there other message boards or sites that are stealing away figure skating fans from FSU?

 

[snoopy]

Maybe it’s a summer thing? Meaning that there is no figure skating so less reason to hang around right now?

 

[made_in_canada]

Oh, I’d miss this thread if it wasn’t here. I don’t post a ton, but I read it all. And often it helps direct me towards good movies to watch when I get a chance. I rarely go to the theatre so I often feel like I’m a year or two behind on anything new.

 

[manhn]

I too do not go to the theatre anymore, unless I am with their friends and their kids. So, we watch some animated movie. I hate animated movies, so I end up falling asleep. I am a year behind everything, but it still does not stop me from wuzrobbing the Oscars.

 

[PeterG]

Day nine of house-sitting.

6/10 - Gaga: Five Foot Two - The 2017 Netflix documentary about Lady Gaga's making of her "Joanne" album and then preparation for her Super Bowl performance. A lot of this was Gaga talking about how physically and mentally in pain she was. Perhaps more appropriate conversational pieces for your M.D. and your therapist. I guess she wanted us to know that she suffers for her art. Point taken.

??/10 - Savage Island (2004) horror thriller - This one is tough to rate because it looks like it's made by a bunch of people who bought a couple of camcorders and then started script-lessly filming an idea they had drunkenly talked about the night before. It's one of the worst movies I've ever seen, but I laughed a LOT watching this that I almost want to give it a four out of ten as a comedy even though they were going for scary and not funny. The quality of the film is so awful that watching this on my friend's 55 inch screen makes some scenes look like grains of gray sand being blown all over the place. If you ever get together with friends to eat junk food and rip apart a movie, this one might be a lot of fun for you.

When I first started reading these threads, it was to pick up on thoughts about old classic movies. I don't see too many new movies (other than Marvel/DC and Star Wars stuff), but I love hearing about old movies.

How often do you watch classic films? I'd love to hear your thoughts about what you see.

 

[Kruss]

How often do you watch classic films? I'd love to hear your thoughts about what you see.

Well, I have a ton of old movies that I love, and when you've watched some and discussed them here, I've had comments on them. Or when you were looking for movies of Ingrid Bergman before you'd seen Gaslight, I think I mentioned how much I adore that movie.

I'd have to really think about my favorite classic movies, but to mention a few, Gone with the Wind, Gaslight, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, Mame, The Trouble With Angels, the original Parent Trap (although the new one is very good as well), The Quiet Man, and I'll probably continue this list when I get home to look at what I have in my video library.

 

[annie720]

I'd have to really think about my favorite classic movies, but to mention a few, Gone with the Wind, Gaslight, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, Mame, The Trouble With Angels, the original Parent Trap (although the new one is very good as well), The Quiet Man, and I'll probably continue this list when I get home to look at what I have in my video library.

Ah... The Trouble With Angels! I used to love that movie. I loved everything with Hayley Mills in the '60's. I was initially infatuated with TTWA because it featured June Harding as the sidekick Rachel and she was from a small town in southern VA not far from where I grew up. It's interesting that June was 6 years older than Mills and was 25 when the film was made. I always wondered why they didn't use a younger actress.

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

Ah... The Trouble With Angels! I used to love that movie. I loved everything with Hayley Mills in the '60's. I was initially infatuated with TTWA because it featured June Harding as the sidekick Rachel and she was from a small town in southern VA not far from where I grew up. It's interesting that June was 6 years older than Mills and was 25 when the film was made. I always wondered why they didn't use a younger actress.

I grew up in Western Tidewater VA, also not far from June Harding's hometown - and I also have loved that scathingly brilliant movie since childhood. Jerry Goldsmith's score is a jewel.

 

[MacMadame]

Ah... The Trouble With Angels! I used to love that movie. I loved everything with Hayley Mills in the '60's.

Oh, me too! I would watch them on Saturday afternoon tv and watch m favorite over and over whenever they came on.

 

[Kruss]

My favorite quote (among many) from The Trouble with Angels is Rachel saying something about "I'll kill myself", and Mary's response of "Catholics aren't allowed to." For anyone who was educated by nuns as I was, this is a must see.

 

[PeterG]

Well, I have a ton of old movies that I love, and when you've watched some and discussed them here, I've had comments on them. Or when you were looking for movies of Ingrid Bergman before you'd seen Gaslight, I think I mentioned how much I adore that movie.

I'd have to really think about my favorite classic movies, but to mention a few, Gone with the Wind, Gaslight, The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, Mame, The Trouble With Angels, the original Parent Trap (although the new one is very good as well), The Quiet Man, and I'll probably continue this list when I get home to look at what I have in my video library.

Gaslight was a good recommendation as I was unsold on Bergman and with this movie I could say (along with everybody else!) that I liked her. I loved Charles Boyer in this as well. The DVD has an extra about how difficult it was for the director to get a performance out of the boy in the movie. That was really interesting to watch after seeing the movie.

I posted recently about Gone with the Wind and The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, both which I loved and were great recommendations (although Gone with the Wind had been on my To See list for FOREVER). The Quiet Man was another enjoyable viewing.

I've never heard of The Trouble With Angels, I see the library close to where I am house-sitting has a copy of it, so I'm going to put it on hold. As for Mame, do you mean the Lucille Ball version or Auntie Mame with Rosalind Russell? I saw the latter film (thumbs up!!) but not the Ball version.
Looking forward to more favourites of yours to add to my list.

 

[Jay42]

I wasn't too enamored with Lucille Ball's Mame but that wasn't Lucy's fault. I just think using Angela Lansbury (who played the part in the musical on Broadway) would have been a better, more interesting choice.

 

[PeterG]

Day ten of house-sitting.

7/10 - The Forest (2016 horror mystery thriller) - A woman's twin sister goes missing, so she flies halfway around the world to find her. I thought this one was well directed and had a pretty decent script. The ending was good, but I didn't like it. Meaning, the end made sense, fit in with the story and was smartly written. I'm just not personally happen with the details of what happened. Generally speaking, this was a well-crafted spooky tale.

7/10 - Gerald's Game (Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood and Henry Thomas) - This was a way more serious film than I expected, dissecting various aspects of trauma and child abuse. I thought this was going to be more of a light popcorn type of movie, but I found it to be an important piece for people to talk about how burying past trauma can end up haunting you throughout your later life. Great lead performance from Carla Gugino.

7/10 - King Cobra (Christian Slater, Molly Ringwald, James Franco and Alicia Silverstone) - Based on a true story, this is a drama about a young man who moves to L.A. to break into the adult film industry. Things become complicated and get worse, when pretty much everything goes off the rain. Garrett Clayton (TV's Hairspray! Live) gives a star-making performance here.

 

[Japanfan]

Last night I rewatched the film 'Reuben, Reuben' from the 1980s and must say, it has totally withstood the test of time.

My reason for re-watching the film was that it about a poet with dental woes, and I am currently having dental woes. But it was also a most wonderful film! The protagonist is a charming, alcoholic Irish poet who is spending time on the East coast of the US giving poetry readings and just hanging out. He also beds a lot of the bored local housewives. One of these housewives happens to be the wife of the local dentist, and our protagonist needs to the see the dentist. In addition, a complication arises with a much younger local woman he got involved with.

Tom Conti received an Oscar nomination for this film. Competition was steep that year and he did not win - but his performance in this film is masterful and brilliant.

It is rare to find a film that stands the test of the time, but this is one of them. It is so very bittersweet and captures so much of what life tragic, but nevertheless always beautiful.

 

[watchthis!!]

Movie news.


The 39 most anticipated movies for the rest of 2018
http://www.businessinsider.com/39-most-anticipated-movies-for-the-rest-of-2018-2018-7

Some that I want to see include A Simple Favor, Crazy Rich Asians, A Star Is Born, The Hate U Give, The Spy Who Dumped Me and the Mamma Mia sequel.


Scarlett Johansson pulls out of trans drama after backlash
https://www.msn.com/en-ca/entertain...ama-after-backlash/ar-AAA2do4?ocid=spartanntp

One quote from the article:

"Our cultural understanding of transgender people continues to advance, and I've learned a lot from the community since making my first statement about my casting and realize it was insensitive," said Johansson, who added that she had "great admiration and love for the trans community."

Outfest 2018: 7 Films to See at North America’s Premier LGBTQ Film Festival
https://www.indiewire.com/2018/07/outfest-2018-lgbt-film-festival-1201983358/

The article's byline:

With a record two thirds of films made by women, people of color, and trans creators, Outfest is leading the charge for inclusion.

Canary looks interesting, as does the movie with Molly Shannon and the romantic drama Sodom as well. The description for the film Canary:

[quote3]Drafted by the South African Army during apartheid, Johan lands a spot in the Kanaries, the military’s traveling choir, where a battlefield romance brings up his long-repressed sexual identity. Using Boy George and Depeche Mode as influences, this surprisingly fun musical examines the effects of nationalism on a tender soul, and the bond of brotherhood among misfits.[/quote]

 

[Aussie Willy]

I finally got to watch The Hateful Eight last night. Thought was really good but as usual did end up being a bit of a gorefest which Tarantino seems to do these days. And Samuel L Jackson was just playing Samuel L Jackson. Still it had Tarantino's stamp all over it with the dialogue and style. And a bit of a homage to Arrested Development which I thought was funny.

 

[Kruss]

I've never heard of The Trouble With Angels, I see the library close to where I am house-sitting has a copy of it, so I'm going to put it on hold. As for Mame, do you mean the Lucille Ball version or Auntie Mame with Rosalind Russell? I saw the latter film (thumbs up!!) but not the Ball version.
Looking forward to more favourites of yours to add to my list.

I wasn't too enamored with Lucille Ball's Mame but that wasn't Lucy's fault. I just think using Angela Lansbury (who played the part in the musical on Broadway) would have been a better, more interesting choice.

*facepalm* I meant Auntie Mame with Rosalind Russell. I love that version.

I like Mame with Lucille Ball, it's okay, except she couldn't sing. It was Bea Arthur who played Vera Charles. From what I understand, she had done the lead role on Broadway, but I'd have to look that up to be sure.

 

[annie720]

We watched Les Bleus: Une Autre Histoire de France on Netflix tonight, a French documentary on the rise and fall of the French national soccer team from 1996 to 2016. It deals with politics, society, racism, terrorism and the team caught in the middle of it all. We decided to watch a French film for Bastille Day and when we came across this one, the timing was just too good. We liked it and learned a lot.

 

[PeterG]

Day eleven of house-sitting.

9/10 - You're Not You (2014 drama with Hilary Swank, Emmy Rossum, Josh Duhamel) - Have a couple of hankies for this one, a bit of a tearjerker drama about Swank's character being diagnosed with ALS and Emmy Rossum becoming her caregiver. The script is a little movie-of-the-week-ish, but it's moving and the performances are good.

9/10 - Handsome Devil (2016 Irish drama) - I really liked this one. Very strong story about two young men at a boarding school, each trying to deal in their own way about being different from everyone else. Pretty much all the turns in the story go somewhere other than where we expect, so I appreciated the originality.

8/10 - The Big One (1997 Michael Moore documentary) - Moore's second documentary after Roger & Me where Moore calls bulls** on corporate greed. It's interesting to see what Moore gets away with in this one...today if he even stepped foot on any corporate property, they'd have a full force of lawyers and security guards and attack dogs trying to take down Moore and his cameraman. In this one, he even gets to talk to a CEO for a while (Phil Knight of Nike). I love how Moore gets right to the point and calls people on their bull, but in a non-bulldog kind of way.

2/10 - Expelled (2014 teen comedy) - This one wants to be Ferris Bueller's Day Off when it grows up, but that's just wishful thinking. I think I saw on wikipedia that most of the people in this movie are famous for being on youtube or sites like that. The lead actor (Cameron Dallas) is quite good, but smarmy like the Ferris Bueller character. But I hate smarm. I'm not sure how I started watching this, it's aimed at eight or fourteen year old girls, I think. I started watching it on my last time visiting here and have been watching it in bits and pieces while I'm doing other stuff on my phone. I have a bad habit of having to finish whatever movie I start...

 

[Jay42]

*facepalm* I meant Auntie Mame with Rosalind Russell. I love that version.

I like Mame with Lucille Ball, it's okay, except she couldn't sing. It was Bea Arthur who played Vera Charles. From what I understand, she had done the lead role on Broadway, but I'd have to look that up to be sure.

IIRC Bea Arthur played Vera Charles on Broadway and Angela Lansbury played Mame. I read an article years ago that mentioned Angela Lansbury being mad at Warner Bros. for not casting her in the lead since she had done it on Broadway and they were bringing Bea Arthur over from the play.

Auntie Mame with Rosalind Russell is amazing. She always feels a little underrated to me which makes me sad. She was very good. His Girl Friday is a favourite of mine.

 

[skatesindreams]

It was Bea Arthur who played Vera Charles. From what I understand, she had done the lead role on Broadway, but I'd have to look that up to be sure.

She did.

 

[Kruss]

Rosalind Russell was the master of quick talking like many of the women spoke in classic films. And with one arch of that eyebrow, she spoke a thousand words.

Spoiler for those who haven't seen The Trouble With Angels:

Spoiler

In this movie, you see so many different sides to Rev. Mother, as Mary eventually did. Her strength and seemingly detatched attitude with Sister Ligouri's family at the chapel after she died, but then when she broke down over Sister Liguori's coffin - this always tears me up. And despite her wish to expel Mary earlier in the film, her concern for Mary being exposed to "...that man and his - secretary."

Such an amazing actress.

 

[watchthis!!]

It took me a while to get into Blood Ties, a 2013 crime drama with an amazing cast: Clive Owen, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, Zoe Saldana, James Caan, Lily Taylor, Mila Kunis and Matthias Schoenaerts. The story centers around Owen (just out of prison) and Crudup, a police officer. Kind of a good versus evil tale and all the troubles that come their way due to their different places in life. I found this one difficult to get into, but the second half was more engaging. Overall, it was a worthwhile viewing. Schoenaerts has a small role, but as a bad guy vs. Clive Owen as a bad guy, Schoenaerts was much more scarier!

Trailer for Blood Ties: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYBr768Q3mo

 

[DannyCurry]

After 4 months off the theaters, I actually got a pretty good deal at work for the unlimited movie pass so I thought "Why not enjoy the theaters AC. It's too hot to play the violin everyday anyway."

So, this is what I've watched lately :

A Quiet Place : Quite disappointing, apart from the sexy dad (John Krasinki) and Wonder's cutest kid (Noah Jupe). But at least, the session was quiet, as there were only 4 people in the theater. I just can't imagine watching this movie in a busy session with plenty of popcorn eaters.

Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom : Disappointing as well. I only liked the easter eggs (and of course, I can't dislike Chris Pratt). It seems that each new installment only makes the original Jurassic Park (which I adore) seem better.

Incredibles 2 : Really enjoyed it. I was pleasantly surprised by some cues that paradoxically criticized society.

Unsane : So unsettlling. It's awful what happens to the main character. I could relate to this story because I once had the worst bad trip that almost got me into a psych ward..Impressed with Claire Foy playing an American !

Joint Security Area : A story about North Korean and South Korean soldiers. Puzzling. I will have to read more about it because there were a few scenes I didn't understand.

Deadpool 2 : which allowed me to avoid the Word Cup Finale madness (well at least during the match). Despite not being comfortable with gore blood and limp cutting and arms/shoulders twisting/breaking, I enjoyed it, for its humor and self-mockery. Plus, Céline's Ashes song is decent and I loved the quiet rendition of Take on Me. Also, Morena Baccarin and Ryan Reynolds still look gorgeous (and young !).

Past midnight and people are still honking, ugh..

 

[VALuvsMKwan]

*facepalm* I meant Auntie Mame with Rosalind Russell. I love that version.

I like Mame with Lucille Ball, it's okay, except she couldn't sing. It was Bea Arthur who played Vera Charles. From what I understand, she had done the lead role on Broadway, but I'd have to look that up to be sure.

Angela Lansbury created the lead role of Mame Dennis in "Mame" (the musical version of "Auntie Mame"), and Beatrice Arthur created the supporting role of Vera Charles, which she repeated in the film with Lucille Ball.

 

[PeterG]

Day twelve of house-sitting.

7/10 - How It Ends (just released to Netflix yesterday) - Imdb.com says that How It Ends is an action/adventure/sci-fi movie, but it's really a drama about the first five days of a post-apocalyptic world. It's like The Walking Dead but with no zombies and no psychopaths. So there's some action, but very little sci-fi, other than the premise. But the movie is well made with Theo James, Forest Whitaker (and in a lesser role, Kat Graham from The Vampire Diaries) making the most of the script they've got to work with.

5/10 - The Kissing Booth (2018 teen romantic comedy) - I'm probably being generous giving this one a five out of ten. But it's not trying to be anything other than a forgettable flick for fourteen year old girls. (And maybe their GBF's.) Joey King plays a high school (almost) senior torn between her best friend and his uber-hot brother. The problem is that they have a list of rules they've made up over the years to keep their friendship intact. One of those is to NOT act on any interest you may have for your friends siblings. Molly Ringwald has a small role in this as the mother of the two boys.

 

[watchthis!!]

QUIZ: How well do you remember the lyrics from these popular Disney movies?
https://www.her.ie/entertainment/quiz-how-well-do-you-remember-these-409629

5/11