Let's Talk Movies #34 - Kingsmen, Murder, Blade Runners and...IT!

[Jay42]

I still haven't seen It Happened One Night and I picked it up from the desecrated husk of a Future Shop (converted Best Buy) when I was visiting my grandparents just over 2 years ago.

Clark Gable is really good in Mogambo with Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly. The Hucksters, which was Deborah Kerr's first Hollywood movie, is also decent, hard to find though. His pre-codes with Norma Shearer are fantastic, some of Norma Shearer's best work for sure.

The only Claudette Colbert movie I've seen is So Proudly We Hail, about a group of army nurses during WW2, she's very good in it and I keep meaning to seek out some of her other work and forgetting.

 

[Japanfan]

Of course, I really loved that movie at the time. Don't know if I would still enjoy it today, movies I liked in the 90's don't always stand the test of time. I thought it was among Brad Pitt's best works. He was also quite funny in Snatch. But otherwise, I don't find him too good an actor, a bit like Clooney. It's as if they're too aware of their own self when they act. As a result, you always end up seeing them rather than the character they're supposed to embody.

It's one of the dangers of celebrity.

And one of the reasons why I generally prefer RADA to method acting, although some actors do manage to integrate both.

Method actors tend to focus on emotions, but emotions are not so different from one person to another, really. Whereas RADA focuses on how a person looks, talks and moves - which is unique from person to person.

I love the way RADA actors physically disappear into the role they play.

 

[cocotaffy]

It's one of the dangers of celebrity.

And one of the reasons why I generally prefer RADA to method acting, although some actors do manage to integrate both.

Method actors tend to focus on emotions, but emotions are not so different from one person to another, really. Whereas RADA focuses on how a person looks, talks and moves - which is unique from person to person.

I love the way RADA actors physically disappear into the role they play.

I had to search but by RADA do you mean Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. I didn't know there was a RADA method of acting. Which RADA actors do you enjoy the most and in which film ?
I find Leonardo di Caprio manages somewhat to escape this celebrity curse. I have not liked many of his recent projects tbh, the last movie of his I truly enjoyed, mainly because of his performance actually, was the departed.

 

[VGThuy]

Here is an interesting article I found describing some of the different acting styles while giving some real world names who prescribe to that style:

https://www.backstage.com/advice-for-actors/resources/8-acting-techniques-and-stars-who-swear-them/

Here's another that contrasts "classical" acting with method acting:

http://lionhearttheatre.org/the-difference-between-method-acting-and-classical-acting/

ETA: I found an article that spoke about RADA a bit more in-depth:

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/darryl-woodard/are-british-actors-superi_b_6576404.html

For according to such feedback from those potential U.S. students, they see the studio based training upon which much of American entertainment is based, both film and TV, as woefully unsatisfying. Yet those same potential U.S. auditioning students see RADA as liberating, in that it offers broader based training, and a superb foundational launch pad to propel one’s career into many genre’s and different media, which of course does include theatre as well as film and TV.

I think the American equivalent to RADA would be the Yale School of Drama and Juilliard.

 

[Japanfan]

Which RADA actors do you enjoy the most and in which film ?

Anthony Hopkins, Albert Finney, and Alan Rickman immediately come to mind, as do the three primary actors in old British comedy series Yes Minister/Yes Prime Minister come to mind, for those who remember it (Paul Eddington, Sir Nigel Hawthorne, Derek Fowlds).

A lot of the working British actors you see popping up in various British TV series may have studied at RADA, though of course there are other acting schools in the UK.

I find Leonardo di Caprio manages somewhat to escape this celebrity curse. I have not liked many of his recent projects tbh, the last movie of his I truly enjoyed, mainly because of his performance actually, was the departed.

I'm not crazy about di Caprio and thought he was at his best in 'Gilbert Grape'. I could not bring myself to sit through 'The Revenant'.

 

[Japanfan]

Of course, I really loved that movie at the time. Don't know if I would still enjoy it today, movies I liked in the 90's don't always stand the test of time. I thought it was among Brad Pitt's best works.

So many movies don't stand the test of time.

Last summer DH and I decided to spend some of our vacation time watching old films.

One of the films we chose was 'The Deer Hunter', which I loved when it came out in the 70s.

We couldn't get through the first 20 minutes! It was probably better to see it on the big screen, but I don't think I could get through it even then.

Then watched 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore', which IIRC was seen as extremely progressive at the time. Although Ellen Burnstyn is always good and Kris Kristofferson very easy on the eyes, I found it very boring.

After that, we chose not to watch anymore old films.

 

[Jay42]

So many movies don't stand the test of time.

Last summer DH and I decided to spend some of our vacation time watching old films.

One of the films we chose was 'The Deer Hunter', which I loved when it came out in the 70s.

We couldn't get through the first 20 minutes! It was probably better to see it on the big screen, but I don't think I could get through it even then.

Then watched 'Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore', which IIRC was seen as extremely progressive at the time. Although Ellen Burnstyn is always good and Kris Kristofferson very easy on the eyes, I found it very boring.

After that, we chose not to watch anymore old films.

I was raised watching the movies my parents grew up with, so a lot of movies from the 30's through the 70's. There was one period of time where all we were allowed to watch was movies from that time period, because my parents are religious and weird and somehow a movie being done in that time period (although not a lot from the 70's) was better and "cleaner" than a Disney movie from the 90's (I wish I was kidding).

A few years ago I spent the summer only watching movies made before 1970, no real specific reason, I just wanted too and there aren't any shows I keep up with during the summer so I usually find something to watch over the summer, that summer it was old movies. Anyway, it was really interesting watching these movies I had loved as a child, or from an era that I still enjoy movies from, as an adult. There is so much that happened in a lot of those movies that would never happen now. A lot of them age really poorly, Adam's Rib for example has a scene where Spencer Tracy's character spanks Katharine Hepburn's and it startled me so much it took me out of the movie and I had to pause it for a few minutes then go back to it. I still don't tend to rewatch that one because that scene makes me so uncomfortable, the scene isn't played for laughs, it's actually handled pretty well contextually. But it also wasn't necessary to the plot and it really bothers me.

I watched The Court Jester a couple of months ago and I was pleasantly surprised by how well it held up. The women aren't just there to prop up the main character. Glynis John's character is never made out to be inferior because she's more "manly" than Danny Kaye's character. The humour definitely still translates well. It's just a good, funny movie.

I, and I think a lot of fans of Old Hollywood who are around my age, seem to look at these movies with the perspective that yes, a lot of things happened that weren't great, we aren't looking to hold those up as ideals, but this is an era of film that we actively enjoy and we should be able to have intelligent conversations about these things without attacking each other.

Also, if one likes musicals it's easier to watch old movies than it is to watch new ones. There's a much wider selection. It's also hard to find movies that can do crime solving with a hint of comedy like The Thin Man movies.

 

[VGThuy]

I remember taking a Politics in the Cinema course in college and after like the 3rd or 4th movie made in the 1970s where a man slapped a woman, one of my classmates was like "what's with these 70s movies with men assaulting women?"

 

[Jay42]

I remember taking a Politics in the Cinema course in college and after like the 3rd or 4th movie made in the 1970s where a man slapped a woman, one of my classmates was like "what's with these 70s movies with men assaulting women?"

I can name 4, possibly 5, movies off the top of my head where a man spanks a woman. All but one of them has John Wayne in them. Adam's Rib, Donovan's Reef, The Quiet Man, McLintock and possibly Hatari!. It's been years since I've seen Hatari! so I might be wrong on that one. In McLintock it happens with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara as well as Patrick Wayne and Stefanie Powers characters.

 

[VGThuy]

I can name 4, possibly 5, movies off the top of my head where a man spanks a woman. All but one of them has John Wayne in them. Adam's Rib, Donovan's Reef, The Quiet Man, McLintock and possibly Hatari!. It's been years since I've seen Hatari! so I might be wrong on that one. In McLintock it happens with John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara as well as Patrick Wayne and Stefanie Powers characters.

Oh gosh. I do like in Adam's Rib how that spank made Katharine Hepburn go off on Spencer Tracy and how he felt entitled to spank her in the first place. One of my most memorable spanks was in the musical Kiss Me Kate. Gosh, did that one bother me. I get that she was an annoying shrew, but still.

 

[Jay42]

Oh gosh. I do like in Adam's Rib how that spank made Katharine Hepburn go off on Spencer Tracy and how he felt entitled to spank her in the first place. One of my most memorable spanks was in the musical Kiss Me Kate. Gosh, did that one bother me. I get that she was an annoying shrew, but still.

Oh I forgot Kiss Me Kate, I love that movie, I keep forgetting the spanking scene is in there until I'm watching it because I just keep remembering how much I love the musical numbers. Then the spanking scene happens and I get annoyed.

 

[VGThuy]

Oh I forgot Kiss Me Kate, I love that movie, I keep forgetting the spanking scene is in there until I'm watching it because I just keep remembering how much I love the musical numbers. Then the spanking scene happens and I get annoyed.

I think that's why it's memorable for me as well. I remember really enjoying it until that point. I think I just ignore it happens and move on.

 

[PeterG]

Trailers For Movies Released 2017-10-27th
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuI4-fSHhipSSBlYB0pIwWjQhuRXtLbeQ

Not a good week for movies. Only God's Own Country grabbed my interest. The Divine Order almost made my To See list...if anyone happens to catch it, I hope you'll post your thoughts and whether you recommend it or not.


Oct. 27th - Thank You for Your Service (Wide) – War drama with Miles Teller, Keisha Castle-Hughes Amy Schumer and Haley Bennett [The Girl On The Train]

Oct. 27th - Jigsaw (Wide) - Horror with a new cast & Callum Keith Rennie

Oct. 27th - Suburbicon (Wide) – Crime drama with Matt Damon, Julianne Moore and Oscar Isaac

Oct. 27th NOT Sep. 15th - All I See Is You (Limited) - Thriller with Blake Lively, Jason Clarke and Danny Huston

Oct. 27th - The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards (Limited) – Comedy drama with Natalie Portman, Kate Mara, James Franco, Kristen Wiig, Amber Tamblyn, Jimmy Kimmel and Matthew Modine

Oct. 27th – Novitiate (Limited) - Drama with Melissa Leo, Dianna Agron, Julianne Nicholson and Denis O'Hare

Oct. 27th - The Square (Limited) – Comedy drama with Elisabeth Moss and Dominic West

Oct. 28th - Amityville: The Awakening (Limited) – Horror with Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bella Thorne, Jennifer Morrison [Once Upon A Time] and Thomas Mann

Oct. 27th - Discovering Bigfoot (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “…the first feature film documentary with real live interaction between a Bigfoot creature, wilderness experts, PhD's and other world renowned experts and researchers of the Bigfoot enigma.”

Oct. 27th - Crash Pad (Limited) – Comedy with Nina Dobrev, Domhnall Gleeson, Christina Applegate and Thomas Haden Church

Oct. 27th - Maya Dardel (Limited) – Drama with Lena Olin, Rosanna Arquette and Alexander Koch [Under The Dome]

Oct. 27th - Halloween P*ssy Trap Kill! Kill! (Limited) – Horror with Richard Grieco and Margaret O'Brien

Oct. 27th - Mansfield 66/67 (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “MANSFIELD 66/67 is about the last two years of movie goddess Jayne Mansfield's life, and the rumours swirling around her untimely death.”

Oct. 27th - God’s Own Country (Limited) – British romance with a new cast & Ian Hart. From imdb.com: “Spring. Yorkshire. Young farmer Johnny Saxby numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex, until the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker for lambing season ignites an intense relationship that sets Johnny on a new path.”

Oct. 27th - Acts of Vengeance (Limited) – Action drama with Antonio Banderas, Karl Urban [Lord of the Rings] and Robert Forster

Oct. 27th - Mr. Roosevelt (Limited) - Comedy with a new cast. From imdb.com: “After a loved one falls ill, struggling comedian Emily Martin returns to her college town of Austin, Texas and must come to terms with her past while staying with her ex-boyfriend and his new girlfriend.”

Oct. 27th - Bill Nye: Science Guy (Limited) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “A famous television personality struggles to restore science to its rightful place in a world hostile to evidence and reason.”

Oct. 31st - Amygdala Warrior (Limited) – Crime drama horror, new cast. From imdb.com: “Adam…is placed under the care of Dr. James Franz, an unorthodox psychologist who faces a moral dilemma: report Adam's homicidal ideation or cure him before he acts out a murder.”
…no trailer at youtube…

Oct. 27th - Suck It Up (Limited) – Comedy drama with a new cast. From imdb.com: “Ronnie lost her brother, Faye lost her first love. These two best friends take off on a debaucherous road trip to the mountains to get over the death of the guy they both loved.”

Oct. 27th - Let There Be Light (Limited) – Christian drama with Kevin Sorbo, Travis Tritt and Dionne Warwick

Oct. 27th - Flesh and Blood (Limited) – Drama, new cast. From imdb.com: “Based on real life events & captured in a hyperrealistic style, Flesh & Blood unapologetically straddles the line between narrative & documentary to lay bare the beautifully flawed nature of life.”

Oct. 27th - Brimstone & Glory (Limited – L.A.) – Documentary. From imdb.com: “Ecstatic ritual, danger and the absolute beauty of fireworks.”

Oct. 24th - The Jade Pendant (Limited) – Historical drama, new cast. From imdb.com: “A tragic love story set against the lynching of 18 Chinese immigrants in Los Angeles, in 1871.”

Nov. 1st - 1945 (Limited) – Drama from Hungary. From imdb.com: “12 August 1945, 11 AM. Two mysterious strangers dressed in black appear at the railway station of a Hungarian village. Within a few hours, everything changes.”

Oct. 27th - Félicité (Limited) – French musical drama. From imdb.com: “Félicité sings in a bar in Kinshasa. When her 14-year-old son has a motorcycle accident, she goes on a frantic search through the streets of Kinshasa, a world of music and dreams. And her path crosses that of Tabu.”

Oct. 27th - The Divine Order (Limited) – German drama. From imdb.com: “Switzerland, 1971: Nora is a young housewife and mother who lives with her husband and their two sons in a peaceful little village…until she begins to campaign publicly and pugnaciously for women's right to vote…”

 

[Jay42]

I'm intrigued by All I See is You but I think that's because the title flows well and I like Blake Lively. The trailer doesn't make the movie look all that spectacular.

 

[Japanfan]

A few years ago I spent the summer only watching movies made before 1970, no real specific reason, I just wanted too and there aren't any shows I keep up with during the summer so I usually find something to watch over the summer, that summer it was old movies.

Your post brought two of my old faves, 'Midnight Cowboy' (1969) and 'Five Easy Pieces' (1970), to mind. I think those two might well stand the test of time, due to the brilliant acting by Dustin Hoffman, John Voight, and Jack Nicholson. The film also spoke to me personally as a fellow rebel not on great terms with her family.l

In my view 'Five Easy Pieces' was Nicholson at his very best, even better than 'Cuckoo's Nest'. I think the role really resonated with him. Ditto for Karen Black, who IMO gave a masterful, unforgettable performance.

And of course, that film is famous for the 'chicken salad sandwich' scene - a stroke of genius, that scene was. And so emblematic of the 60s generation, which was hellbent on examining/questioning rules.

A lot of them age really poorly, Adam's Rib for example has a scene where Spencer Tracy's character spanks Katharine Hepburn's and it startled me so much it took me out of the movie and I had to pause it for a few minutes then go back to it. I still don't tend to rewatch that one because that scene makes me so uncomfortable, the scene isn't played for laughs, it's actually handled pretty well contextually. But it also wasn't necessary to the plot and it really bothers me.

Yuck. That would really bother me as well, I expect.

 

[cocotaffy]

I'm not crazy about di Caprio and thought he was at his best in 'Gilbert Grape'. I could not bring myself to sit through 'The Revenant'.

Agreed, The revenant, I fell asleep What an horrendous movie that was. But I do think Leonardo has talent and could do so much better than those projects he chooses. Oh well .... Now he has his Oscar maybe he'll go back doing smaller production like Gilbert Grape.

As for Alan Rickman

Talking about older movie I loved, I decided to show Gattaca to the kids yesterday because my daughter asked about dystopia and I thought, let's watch this. At that moment, I remember what I wrote here about test of time. But no worries here. Such a great movie, the pacing is much slower than movies nowadays which doesn't bother me because of I was born before Marvel supra action movies generation but even though, I tried to show my kids different type of movies and not only action, I still wonder how they'll react. They really got into it and were enthralled by the two main characters. I have to say I cried at the end, that last scene when he goes up And of course, they made fun of me, ahahah mum is crying.

Actually, for those of you having teenagers (I guess mine are entering this territory closing on 13 yrs old, uh I feel old myself saying this), I would be interested what kind of movies you try to show them. Do you want to educate them a bit about cinema by showing them a variety of movies ? Do you have cult movies you really want to show them ? Basically do you have a list or any advice ? Sometimes, I run out of ideas.

 

[Vash01]

I watched Anna Karenina (Keira Knightly, Jude Law version). This is an extraordinarily poorly made movie. I had seen it when it came out (On DVD both times) and knew it was bad. The only reason I saw again was to listen to the soundtrack - it's used by Medvedeva for her LP this year. So why didn't I just listen to the soundtrack and not subject myself to the torture of watching the movie? The reason is that I wanted to see Alicia Vikander and Domnhall Gleeson before they became famous. They look very different in this, which goes to show that they are good actors. Vikander in particular; already an Oscar winner.

 

[Japanfan]

Talking about older movie I loved, I decided to show Gattaca to the kids yesterday because my daughter asked about dystopia and I thought, let's watch this.

With Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman?

If that's an older movie now, my goodness, I'm getting old.

 

[cocotaffy]

With Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman?

If that's an older movie now, my goodness, I'm getting old.

No you're fine. Considering it was released 20 years ago in 1997, and in my previous post I was referring to 90's movies, I think 20 yr old movies are starting to enter in the older movie category otherwise I don't know how to call it really. My English is getting stuck here

 

[Aussie Willy]

Talking about older movie I loved, I decided to show Gattaca to the kids yesterday because my daughter asked about dystopia and I thought, let's watch this. At that moment, I remember what I wrote here about test of time. But no worries here. Such a great movie, the pacing is much slower than movies nowadays which doesn't bother me because of I was born before Marvel supra action movies generation but even though, I tried to show my kids different type of movies and not only action, I still wonder how they'll react. They really got into it and were enthralled by the two main characters. I have to say I cried at the end, that last seen when he goes up And of course, they made fun of me, ahahah mum is crying.

This was one of my recent "Need to catch up on movies". I thought it was very good.

Tonight I saw the new Thor movie. Very enjoyable. There were quite a few New Zealand actors in it in smaller roles but seeing the director Taika Waititi is a Kiwi not surprising. Taika Waititi has also directed Hunt for the Wilderpeople so the film had that kind of NZ sense of humour. It actually had a weird soundtrack. Very much in the 80s style of movie music. Almost like Flash Gordon in places. And you can see how well Chris Hemsworth has been working out.

 

[skatesindreams]

I, and I think a lot of fans of Old Hollywood who are around my age, seem to look at these movies with the perspective that yes, a lot of things happened that weren't great, we aren't looking to hold those up as ideals, but this is an era of film that we actively enjoy and we should be able to have intelligent conversations about these things without attacking each other.

That's how I feel, as well.
You can use them as examples/mirrors of how much mores have changed in the ensuing years.

 

[Buzz]

This was one of my recent "Need to catch up on movies". I thought it was very good.

Tonight I saw the new Thor movie. Very enjoyable. There were quite a few New Zealand actors in it in smaller roles but seeing the director Taika Waititi is a Kiwi not surprising. Taika Waititi has also directed Hunt for the Wilderpeople so the film had that kind of NZ sense of humour. It actually had a weird soundtrack. Very much in the 80s style of movie music. Almost like Flash Gordon in places. And you can see how well Chris Hemsworth has been working out.

Here in North America we still have to wait one more week!

 

[watchthis!!]

There's a new trailer out for Helen Mirren's next movie called Winchester:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdgw3SlwQGw

The full title is Winchester: The House That Ghosts Built and it's a biographical suspense horror fantasy thriller. I think that about covers it! Jason Clarke co-stars and it's about the heiress to the Winchester Firearms company who believes she is being haunted by the people who have been killed by the firearms made by her family's company. It gave me a few chills, I have to admit. The movie comes out in February.

 

[Buzz]

Variety claims "Powered by strong reviews and a mania for all things Marvel" Thor Ragnarok made $12.5m in just six overseas markets Tuesday and Wednesday. It had the best October opening ever in South Korea and was also number one in the Philippines. Thor will continue to open in several markets over the next few days but does not open in the three biggest, North America, Japan and China, until next week. In N.A. it is tracking to open at $125m! I strongly advise against reading articles about this movie until after you see it because of spoilers.

 

[Aussie Willy]

As with all Marvel movies stay until the end of the credits.

 

[cocotaffy]

I finally finished watching the 6 parts serie "Scenes from a marriage" by Bergman. That was such a rollercoaster ride, mainly packed with totally infuriating reactions from both absolutely excellent leads. It tells the story of a couple whose relationship slowly crumbles before our eyes and who we witness peeling all the layers of their marriage from a complete state of denial to absolute and brutal honesty. Watching it, it obviously has you think of your own life choices or sometimes lack of thereof. It obviously makes you question your marriage if you're married but it also just questions how we can get entangled into relationships, how we lie to ourselves out of convenience ... It doesn't sound anything special when I describe it this way but it is a great watch, slowly paced yet riveting. I don't think any couple can reach this level of truth without self-destructing (which actually happens to them) but without going that far, it does make you want to at least try to be more truthful and communicate better with your better half or maybe the opposite, burry your head deep in the sand and not look up
.

 

[VGThuy]

I think I’ve seen some clips of it before. That’s the one starring Liv Ullman, right? I always wanted to check that out. Out of all the past masters, I’ve seen very little of Ingmar Bergman and I need to watch more of his filmography. I’ve only seen Fanny and Alexander, Cries and Whispers, and Autumn Sonata. I’ve seen some Woody Allen (Interiors; Another Woman) and Robert Altman (Three Women) that were clearly influenced by Bergman and I really would love to see more.

 

[cocotaffy]

I think I’ve seen some clips of it before. That’s the one starring Liv Ullman, right? I always wanted to check that out. Out of all the past masters, I’ve seen very little of Ingmar Bergman and I need to watch more of his filmography. I’ve only seen Fanny and Alexander, Cries and Whispers, and Autumn Sonata. I’ve seen some Woody Allen (Interiors; Another Woman) and Robert Altman (Three Women) that were clearly influenced by Bergman and I really would love to see more.

Yes this one . There's also a movie version but I would advise the serie if you have some time. İt's definitely worth it. I had never watched any Bergman but now I will certainly watch other of his movies.

 

[PeterG]

Another older movie I watched recently is Flying Down To Rio (1933). It's the first on-screen pairing of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. It's a light romantic comedy with Astaire playing the best friend of the movie's lead, Gene Raymond, who is interested in a Brazilian socialite...who happens to be engaged to marry. Astaire supports his friend is his romantic endeavour but saves a little time here and there to dance with Rogers. The teaming of Astaire and Rogers is the biggest thing about this movie, although it was nominated for one Academy Award, for best song, "Carioca". The trivia section at imdb.com mentions Astaire's words to his agent about teaming again with Rogers:

I don't mind making another picture with her, but as for this team idea, it's out! I've just managed to live down one partnership and I don't want to be bothered with any more.

The reaction to their partnership was so great, he was convinced to do a second movie with her. Then eight more.

I thought Gene Raymond was quite an attractive man, so I looked into his bio at imdb.com. Two marriages, with the first being to singer and actress Jeanette MacDonald (whose on-screen partner was Nelson Eddy). He was with her almost thirty years until she died from a heart attack. Ten years later he re-married and was with his second wife for over twenty years until she passed away. I noticed a gap in his resume from 1941 to 1946, but there was no mention of his military service, so I headed over to Wikipedia. What a different story you sometimes get about someone there versus what you see at imdb.com! Bisexual scandals, spousal abuse, beaten to a pulp for that by Nelson Eddy which was then reported as Raymond's "accidental fall down a flight of stairs". Raymond's entry at wikpedia is a fairly quick read, but certainly interesting:

Gene Raymond at Wikipedia

Raymond never achieved major league fame, although he did win two stars on the Walk of Fame, both for movies and for television. Perhaps he would be more of a household name if he hadn't been blacklisted from film by Louis B. Mayer for his bisexual affairs (or being caught having bisexual affairs)? I wonder if he was actually gay but was forced to live a heterosexual life to fit into societal norms. The story behind why he entered his first marriage is certainly interesting. I think Raymond's story would make for an excellent biographical drama.

 

[watchthis!!]

The Trotsky is a fun comedy drama starring Jay Baruchel as a teenager who believes he is the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky. He beings to rebel against anything he finds to be oppressive and things go quite akwardly (as well as humourously). Is humourously a word? It's funny a funny movie, how about that? Baruchel is good as the lead and he's surrounded by a lot of other actors most known for drama, so it's nice to see people like Genevieve Bujold and Colm Feore doing comedy. Saul Rubinek plays Baruchel's father as well. I found the beginning of the movie to be a little disjointed, but the middle section really kicked into gear and was very engaging. The finale seemed a little aimless, but overall, watching this teen trying to motivate his fellow students into caring about their lives instead of constantly doing whatever they are told to do was both interesting and fun to watch at the same time.

Trailer for The Trotsky: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS3LL_2i-fE