What Was The Last Movie You Watched?

[green papaya]

I saw the movie HOUSE on TELEGRAPH HILL [1951] an excellent Film Noir Classic!

Upon emerging from a Nazi death camp, Victoria Kowelska (Valentina Cortesa) takes the identity of a friend who died there. She travels to the United States where she meets her friend's son, Chris (Gordon Gebert), and discovers that she has come into a large inheritance. Eventually, she gets involved with the boy's guardian, Alan (Richard Basehart), and marries him. However, after some suspicious accidents, she starts to believe that Alan may be trying to kill her so he can claim the money.

 

[Fading Fast]

"The Big Country" for I don't know how many times in my life.

Outer space, the Old West, a farm, a town, a company, an island, a lifeboat - it doesn't matter where it takes place if the story is good.

"The Big Country" is a Western, but it doesn't matter as it really is the story of people - angry, evil, good, smart, stupid, brave, cowardly, selfish, giving, and on and on.

• Gregory Peck's fiancee, no longer in the first flush of love and back with home-field advantage, is shallow, selfish and insecure. She deserves to lose him - and he is, for once, a movie character who lets logic, not passion, drive his decision: she gets the heave-ho*

• Peck is a fish out of water - a ship captain in the Old West - but a fish with a moral code that would make Ayn Rand proud - hate him, love him, respect him, despise him, he doesn't care as he's going to live by his code and it's a pretty moral one

• The two feuding old men - The Major and (the absolutely perfectly cast) Burl Ives - are so consumed by hate, by a lifetime a feuding, that the putative object of that feud, The Big Muddy (the shared water source for both ranches), has become a McGuffin inside a McGuffin
  • Usually, the McGuffin is something the characters care about but the audience only cares about by proxy because the characters do
  • In this case, The Major and Ives don't even really care about The Big Muddy - they go to war even after they both have access - what they each care about is hating the other one

• Running throughout is the Greek Tragedy of a father (Ives - giving the performance of a lifetime) who loves but despises his worthless, immoral son who in turn only hates his father. And right out of the Ancients, the father has to kill the son - cue the Greek Chorus

And that is far from a complete list of the human frailties, emotions, contradictions and passions in this layered story.

Away from all that, while I never took a film course, I imagine studying this movie's sweeping camera angles, well-timed close-ups and the overhead shots of the canyon could absorb many class hours.


* One for the "Terms Which Have Disappeared" Thread

 

[Dated Guy]

'Mildred Pierce' with Joan the Crawford. I had never seen it before last night and isn't it a doozy...?? You could see the ending way before it happened, but still a well made film nonetheless... !!

 

[Fading Fast]

'Mildred Pierce' with Joan the Crawford. I had never seen it before last night and isn't it a doozy...?? You could see the ending way before it happened, but still a well made film nonetheless... !!

You would probably enjoy the HBO version done a few years back as a mini-series. It - being a mini-series - covers a lot more ground that's in the novel while being almost as good as the version you just saw. And "as good" or not "as good" isn't really fair here. Both version are well done and reflect the norms of their times.

 

[Worf]

"The Big Country" for I don't know how many times in my life.

Outer space, the Old West, a farm, a town, a company, an island, a lifeboat - it doesn't matter where it takes place if the story is good.

"The Big Country" is a Western, but it doesn't matter as it really is the story of people - angry, evil, good, smart, stupid, brave, cowardly, selfish, giving, and on and on.

• Gregory Peck's fiancee, no longer in the first flush of love and back with home-field advantage, is shallow, selfish and insecure. She deserves to lose him - and he is, for once, a movie character who lets logic, not passion, drive his decision: she gets the heave-ho*

• Peck is a fish out of water - a ship captain in the Old West - but a fish with a moral code that would make Ayn Rand proud - hate him, love him, respect him, despise him, he doesn't care as he's going to live by his code and it's a pretty moral one

• The two feuding old men - The Major and (the absolutely perfectly cast) Burl Ives - are so consumed by hate, by a lifetime a feuding, that the putative object of that feud, The Big Muddy (the shared water source for both ranches), has become a McGuffin inside a McGuffin
  • Usually, the McGuffin is something the characters care about but the audience only cares about by proxy because the characters do
  • In this case, The Major and Ives don't even really care about The Big Muddy - they go to war even after they both have access - what they each care about is hating the other one

• Running throughout is the Greek Tragedy of a father (Ives - giving the performance of a lifetime) who loves but despises his worthless, immoral son who in turn only hates his father. And right out of the Ancients, the father has to kill the son - cue the Greek Chorus

And that is far from a complete list of the human frailties, emotions, contradictions and passions in this layered story.

Away from all that, while I never took a film course, I imagine studying this movie's sweeping camera angles, well-timed close-ups and the overhead shots of the canyon could absorb many class hours.


* One for the "Terms Which Have Disappeared" Thread

One of my fave westerns. Top five. The fight scene between a testosterone filled Heston and Peck is one for the ages.

"All I can say McKay is that you take a helluva long time to say 'goodbye'."

"I'm just about finished. If it's alright with you."

"It's alright with me."


Worf

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Office Space. I believe you have my stapler.

 

[MisterCairo]

We have now introduced the girls to Thor!

 

[Stearmen]

"The Big Country" for I don't know how many times in my life.

Outer space, the Old West, a farm, a town, a company, an island, a lifeboat - it doesn't matter where it takes place if the story is good.

"The Big Country" is a Western, but it doesn't matter as it really is the story of people - angry, evil, good, smart, stupid, brave, cowardly, selfish, giving, and on and on.

• Gregory Peck's fiancee, no longer in the first flush of love and back with home-field advantage, is shallow, selfish and insecure. She deserves to lose him - and he is, for once, a movie character who lets logic, not passion, drive his decision: she gets the heave-ho*

• Peck is a fish out of water - a ship captain in the Old West - but a fish with a moral code that would make Ayn Rand proud - hate him, love him, respect him, despise him, he doesn't care as he's going to live by his code and it's a pretty moral one

• The two feuding old men - The Major and (the absolutely perfectly cast) Burl Ives - are so consumed by hate, by a lifetime a feuding, that the putative object of that feud, The Big Muddy (the shared water source for both ranches), has become a McGuffin inside a McGuffin
  • Usually, the McGuffin is something the characters care about but the audience only cares about by proxy because the characters do
  • In this case, The Major and Ives don't even really care about The Big Muddy - they go to war even after they both have access - what they each care about is hating the other one

• Running throughout is the Greek Tragedy of a father (Ives - giving the performance of a lifetime) who loves but despises his worthless, immoral son who in turn only hates his father. And right out of the Ancients, the father has to kill the son - cue the Greek Chorus

And that is far from a complete list of the human frailties, emotions, contradictions and passions in this layered story.

Away from all that, while I never took a film course, I imagine studying this movie's sweeping camera angles, well-timed close-ups and the overhead shots of the canyon could absorb many class hours.


* One for the "Terms Which Have Disappeared" Thread

The beginning is my ringtone! No one else, ever looks at their phone when mine is ringing!

 

[Stearmen]

Wasn't there a thread on mistakes in movies? I tried to find it, using different words, but nada!

 

[Zombie_61]

Wasn't there a thread on mistakes in movies? I tried to find it, using different words, but nada!

The closest I could find is the "Verbal anachronisms in period movies" thread.

 

[Fading Fast]

One of my fave westerns. Top five. The fight scene between a testosterone filled Heston and Peck is one for the ages.

"All I can say McKay is that you take a helluva long time to say 'goodbye'."

"I'm just about finished. If it's alright with you."

"It's alright with me."


Worf

A whole lot of respect had been earned in that fight and reflected in those lines.

The entire picture is a philosophy class masquerading as a movie.

 

[LizzieMaine]

"Orphans of the Storm" - D.W. Griffiths masterpiece about two sisters torn apart and tortured during the French Revolution. Say what you will about his politics but the man could direct a movie.

Worf

I saw that as a kid on the PBS "The Silent Years" series, and was overwhelmed by it. Griffith had a way of reaching to the absolute emotional core of any situation, and he knew exactly which strings to pull to achieve his purpose.

I saw "Broken Blossoms" -- which I think is Griffith's most emotionally-intense picture -- when I was seven years old, and it devastated me in a way not approached by any other film I've ever seen in my life. I've only seen it once since -- when I was twenty-six -- and it affected me exactly the same way. I can still remember every scene of that picutre like it was permanently engraved on my brain. Nothing else I've ever seen has ever affected me like that.

 

[Touchofevil]

Mulholland Falls right now and I do not know why. Nice hats and cars, but it does not work. Too cliche. The cinematography is bad, maybe average. Not a bad cast, but there is no feeling to it. No chemistry. It feels forced; all of it. It comes down to bad directing.

 

[belfastboy]

Watched two movies this weekend....one a real dog..."Papa" with Gio Ribisi about Hems last days in Cuba. Poorly written, poorly acted, a pedantic drudge of a movie. But it was fun to watch the scenes shot in Havana and holler at the screen...."I was there"
The other movie watched was "The Light Between the Oceans", brilliantly sad movie, slow moving, atmospheric, poetic and very well acted....It is at least a two hanky movie.

 

[Stearmen]

Run Fatboy Run (2007) Simon Pegg. Though somewhat predictable, it was still funny.

 

[Stearmen]

The closest I could find is the "Verbal anachronisms in period movies" thread.

I think I found it. It appears to be for war movies only. Thanks for looking!

 

[PeterGunnLives]

The Searchers.
It's interesting how Ethan (John Wayne's character) is so familiar with tribal ways, languages, etc., but has such animosity toward native people. I wonder if the book sheds more light on his personal history.

 

[AmateisGal]

Hotel Berlin on TCM. I wanted to buy it on DVD but it's not available. I really need to invest in a DVR at some point.

 

[Tiki Tom]

Mrs. Tiki dragged me to see "La La Land" on the big screen. Much to my surprise, it ticked a lot of my boxes: frequent nods to the golden era and classic movies, spectator shoes and the occasional hat, a love of classic jazz, and --of course-- Paris. It tried to grab the feel of one of the musicals of old. It didn't get there 100% and I'm not sure it is worth all the Oscar buzz, etc. It was very enjoyable however, with much to recommend it to a Lounger. Emma Stone can really act! Ryan Gosling's character was sympatico. The film accomplished the unbelievable by making the City of Los Angeles look pretty and romantic. I also liked the music. The ending seems to be a controversial point with half my friends not liking the ending and half finding it "realistic". I will give no spoilers here.

 

[Otter]

Sitting watching Memphis Belle on TCM. Years since I have seen it, I forgot how good a film it is.