ghost of miles Posted May 1, 2003 Report Posted May 1, 2003 In the spirit of the "now reading" thread, and assuming that there are many habitual movie-watchers among us... THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (1951). Just picked up the 2002 DVD of this, which has a 75-minute documentary on the making of the film, a great 1951 Cold War newsreel about a failed world peace conference, and some other cool features. The movie holds up really well, given that it wasn't effects-dependent--I love the opening scene in which the spacecraft cruises over all of the D.C. monuments and lands on a baseball field, causing mass panic. Next up: SOPHIE'S CHOICE (1982). Quote
Alexander Posted May 1, 2003 Report Posted May 1, 2003 I recently rented "Standing in the Shadows of Motown", which is a must for anyone who ever enjoyed the classic records of Motown's Detroit era. These were truely gifted musicians who did a really thankless job. Yet we enjoy their work every time we listen to a Temptations or a Marvin Gaye single! Great film! Quote
Use3D Posted May 1, 2003 Report Posted May 1, 2003 Not a big movie person, but last night I saw Two Towers on DVD and it was great! I missed that one in the theater. Quote
Jazzmoose Posted May 1, 2003 Report Posted May 1, 2003 Wow! My last two DVD purchases are mentioned already. The Day the Earth Stood Still has always been a favorite, and the documentary is pretty cool, until they get to the collector nerds. (Hey, I have the disease myself, but we simply DON'T film well, okay? ) Picked up Standing in the Shadows of Motown the day it came out on disc, and the wife and I both love it! Absolutely fantastic. (One disagreement between us: I thought Chaka Khan's version of What's Goin' On was the highlight of the movie, music-wise; she kept muttering something about Marvin spinning in his grave...) Has anyone seen The Man without a Past? It's at the top of my "wanna see" list, but not around here yet... Quote
Alexander Posted May 2, 2003 Report Posted May 2, 2003 Picked up Standing in the Shadows of Motown the day it came out on disc, and the wife and I both love it! Absolutely fantastic. (One disagreement between us: I thought Chaka Khan's version of What's Goin' On was the highlight of the movie, music-wise; she kept muttering something about Marvin spinning in his grave...) I think it all depends on whether or not one likes Chaka Khan. If you don't care for her, you're not going to like her version of "What's Goin' On". While I did enjoy it, I didn't think it was the highlight of the show. For me, that honor goes to Ben Harper for his version of "Ain't Too Proud To Beg". He's a tremendous talent (sometimes I think he's too good for this generation, if that makes any sense) and his reading would have made David Ruffin proud (if Ruffin wasn't an egomaniac who thought the whole world was jealous of his talent, but that's another story). Quote
Jazzmoose Posted May 2, 2003 Report Posted May 2, 2003 For me, that honor goes to Ben Harper for his version of "Ain't Too Proud To Beg". He's a tremendous talent (sometimes I think he's too good for this generation, if that makes any sense) and his reading would have made David Ruffin proud (if Ruffin wasn't an egomaniac who thought the whole world was jealous of his talent, but that's another story). Wow. To be honest, the one thing we both agreed on as far as the singers what that he (neither of us knew who he was) was way over his head and basically sucked... Quote
BERIGAN Posted May 2, 2003 Report Posted May 2, 2003 ...and I am sure everyone just got the Universal dvd with 2 Bob Hope Films.. College Swing and Big Broadcast of 1938.... Just Saw College Swing...absolutely without plot, sort of a teen film from the 30's... and directed by Raoul Walsh(Same guy who directed White Heat,High Sierra )Gracie Allen at her best, my brain still hurts...and a 21 year old Betty Grable had a tight.....body...both movies for $9.95 at www.deepdiscountdvd.com ...free shipping as well...clearly a money laundering racket, it costs $13.48 + shipping at Amazon...get ya some cheap shit before someone shuts them down! Quote
Alexander Posted May 2, 2003 Report Posted May 2, 2003 Wow. To be honest, the one thing we both agreed on as far as the singers what that he (neither of us knew who he was) was way over his head and basically sucked... Out of curiosity, why? What didn't you like about Harper? He also did a nice "I Heard It Through the Grapevine". The performer who impressed me least was probably Gerald Levert, just because he's very generic. He's kind of like that Rueben guy on "American Idol": A thumbnail sketch of "Male R&B Singer". I was impressed by Joan Osborn (who I don't always like and whose recent soul album was weak) and Me'Shell NdegéOcello (or whatever). Bootsy was great fun, as always. Still like Harper, I don't care what anybody says. He did a great cover of "Strawberry Fields Forever" on the "I Am Sam" soundtrack album. Quote
Jazzmoose Posted May 2, 2003 Report Posted May 2, 2003 It seemed like Harper's range was extremely limited, as if he could almost hit three different notes on a good night. I admit his phrasing on Ain't too Proud to Beg was top notch. I agree with Joan Osborn. I'm sorry to hear that her own stuff disappoints; I was ready to try some of her stuff on the basis of her work on this movie. Fantastic! Anything of hers you'd recommend? Yeah, Bootsy was fun, but of course I knew who he was! (That reminds me, what the hell ever happened to PFunk from the BNBB???) Berigan, if I ever find myself watching two Bob Hope movies, I'll know I've died and was wrong: there is a hell... Quote
catesta Posted May 2, 2003 Report Posted May 2, 2003 I just returned "Friday", and "The Return Of The Pink Panther." As I usually stick with the intellectual stuff, I will more than likely be viewing something Monty Pyhton this weekend. Quote
Alexander Posted May 2, 2003 Report Posted May 2, 2003 Berigan, if I ever find myself watching two Bob Hope movies, I'll know I've died and was wrong: there is a hell... Bob Hope was very funny, once upon a time. I recommend the movie "My Favorite Brunette". Hope was a big influence on Woody Allen's early films (especially "Love and Death". The whole "You must be Don Francisco's sister - No, it's a greater honor for me" bit is straight out of Hope). Like Groucho Marx, Hope had a deadly sarcastic streak. In the right film, it can be fantastic. I also have a soft spot for those Crosby-Hope "Road" movies. Quote
ghost of miles Posted May 2, 2003 Author Report Posted May 2, 2003 Hope was a big influence on Woody Allen's early films (especially "Love and Death". The whole "You must be Don Francisco's sister - No, it's a greater honor for me" bit is straight out of Hope). Like Groucho Marx, Hope had a deadly sarcastic streak. In the right film, it can be fantastic. I'm pretty sure Woody Allen, quite early in his career, actually wrote jokes for Bob Hope. Hope actually owns all of the jokes that were written for him, and they're stored away somewhere (learned this in a profile of Hope that ran in the New Yorker several years ago). My favorite Hope film is THE LEMON-DROP KID, which my wife and I watch every December. "But Moose, I haven't got ten grand on me (turning to Sam the Surgeon) or in me!" Quote
Jazzmoose Posted May 2, 2003 Report Posted May 2, 2003 I dunno. I've just never thought of Bob Hope as funny. Maybe I just had a blind spot with him. Quote
BERIGAN Posted May 4, 2003 Report Posted May 4, 2003 I dunno. I've just never thought of Bob Hope as funny. Maybe I just had a blind spot with him. Well, those TV specials were pretty lame, and it is too bad, cuz I have seen outtakes from them, and when someone screwed up, he had a better lines than were ever said in the specials...things like that fascinate me! Why not just get better writers? The Woody Allen Documentary that ran last year on TCM, Allen again went out of his way to say how much he "ripped off" Hope, and they showed clips that proved his point...never noticed that before! Mr. Moose,If you ever are really bored, and want to see if you can take Hope in films, check out Son of Paleface, directed by Frank Tashlin (He directed Warner Bros Cartoons in the 40's) or the 1940 film The Ghost Breakers (If you can get past Willie Best's slightly smarter Stepin Fetchit impression)1944s' Princess and the Pirate, Caught in the Draft has it's moments, as do the Road pictures, but they vary greatly, and I just can't remember which are the good ones right now, dammit! He and Crosby were the first to talk directly to the camera, I believe...It is interesting that he became so popular playing an almost total coward most of the time in films! I dug around allmovie.com to see what I might have forgotten, and saw a film called...."Let's Face It" from 1943, also starring Betty Hutton, based on a Broadway play...they give it 4 stars, and I have never, ever heard of it! Not on video ever it appears, wonder if it is tied up for some legal reasons...anyone know???? Quote
chris olivarez Posted May 6, 2003 Report Posted May 6, 2003 I just finished watching "the Unforgiven" one of the better westerns ever made. A friend of mine raved about "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" and I must see this for myself.I hope to god I can find a copy in Pagosa Springs. Quote
Christiern Posted May 6, 2003 Report Posted May 6, 2003 I am watching Fritz Lang's Metropolis (again). Quote
BERIGAN Posted May 6, 2003 Report Posted May 6, 2003 I am watching Fritz Lang's Metropolis (again). I guess you have the newly restored edition from Kino? Also, TCM is going to run this version in late May.... http://www.tcm.turner.com/ThisMonth/Articl...4;25817,00.html Quote
Jad Posted May 9, 2003 Report Posted May 9, 2003 Just watched A Better Tommorrow and Bride With White Hair this weekend in memory of Leslie Cheung. Quote
catesta Posted May 9, 2003 Report Posted May 9, 2003 (edited) American Graffiti Edited May 9, 2003 by catesta Quote
Jazzmoose Posted May 9, 2003 Report Posted May 9, 2003 Just watched A Better Tommorrow and Bride With White Hair this weekend in memory of Leslie Cheung. Okay, Jad; you got me on those! What's the story behind those movies? I'm completely unfamiliar with them. Quote
Kari S Posted May 9, 2003 Report Posted May 9, 2003 A Better Tomorrow is John Woo's epic gangster drama from his Hong Kong years. It's arguably one of his greatest efforts, and is starring cool Chow Yun-Fat B) B) B) in addition to Leslie Cheung. If you're only going to see two John Woo films - see this, The Killer and Hard-Boiled. Quote
Jad Posted May 9, 2003 Report Posted May 9, 2003 (edited) "Bride With White Hair" was one of the better (best) of the martial arts-fantasy genre that came out of Hong Kong in the nineties. Spent a lot of time watching HK action flicks when I was in school. Borderline obsession with me. You know it's bad when you spend hours watching foreign language films and can't make heads or tails of the poorly placed subtitles, and you realize that the dialogue just doesn't matter here. Say what you will about John Woo and Chow Yun Fat since they moved stateside, their best work was done overseas(same for Jet Li and Jackie Chan). Edited May 9, 2003 by Jad Quote
kinuta Posted May 9, 2003 Report Posted May 9, 2003 In The Mood For Love is a great Hong Kong movie. I was very impressed. Slow ponderous story of unrequited love, with brilliant acting, direction music and cinematography. Quote
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