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[Guest Mnytime]

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.

Wouldn't that make 3 Woo films?

I really enjoyed his Hong Kong films but really can't stand his U.S. films. For some reason when I see his current films I think of Levi jeans ads from the 80's and 90's.

For those interested TCM is showing Michelangelo Antonioni's classic film L'Avventura tonight at 2 am EST, which is in about 40 minutes from now.

It's a toss up between this and his other classic Blowup on which makes less sense or if they even have a real plot.

Edited May 10, 2003 by Mnytime

[Kari S]

It's a toss up between this and his other classic Blowup on which makes less sense or if they even have a real

plot.

Yeah, but Blow-Up features music by a certain "Herbert Hancock"...

[Guest Mnytime]

It's a toss up between this and his other classic Blowup on which makes less sense or if they even have a real

plot. 

Yeah, but Blow-Up features music by a certain "Herbert Hancock"...

It also features a scene of the Jimmy Page lead Yardbirds playing "The Train Kept A Rolling".

[ghost of miles]

Godard's BREATHLESS. Stylistically this is still a fun movie to watch, but ideologically--gah! Jean-Paul Belmond's character is a narcissistic ass, and the burgeoning feminism of Jean Seberg's character seems to be brought up only to ultimately be dismissed. Nice jazz score, though.

Edited May 15, 2003 by ghost of miles

[BruceH]

Recently saw The Red Circle by French directer Jean-Pierre Melville, the same one who did Bob le Flambour. (My spelling may be off.) The movie was quite good, once I got over being bummed out that it was in color (it came out in 1970, so I shouldn't have been that surprised). His style had gotten a lot icier since "Bob"----there's hardly any humor in it. Still....a solid late French film noir. Amazingly, it had never been shown in the U.S. until now, even though it was Melville's most popular film in France.

[JohnS]

Two taped from tv in the last week;

Blue Velvet; always worth watching

Existenz; First time for this, polished but amazingly weird, another Cronenberg classic

[BruceH]

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.

Ghost! Great to run across another Day the Earth Stood Still fan! I first saw it on TV when I was in first grade and it blew my mind. Of all the sf films from my childhood, this one holds up the best when viewed from an adult perspective. FAR far better than almost any sf film from that time (the 50's), or now, sadly. About 7 or 8 years ago I taped it off of AMC and have been watching that tape ever since. The great Bernard Herrman did the classic score, featuring the distinctive use of the Theremin. Personally, I think this terrific score is as responsible as any other factor for the impact of the movie. Sounds like maybe an upgrade to the DVD might be a good idea.

[Guest Mnytime]

Anyone interested in some counterprogramming too Hitler (What No One Knows By Now This Guy Wasn't a Nice Guy?) can watch the newly restored Metropolis. Unless you where there when it was first screened you have never seen the full version. It has been gutted to the version all of us who still love it in spit of the gutting by more than an hour of footage.

You can see what they are calling the definitive version on TCM tonight at 9pm PST, 12am EST.

They showed this earlier in the month and it almost a different film but still a masterpiece. It's still missing I believe 20 minutes even though they combed the planet to find what they could for the restoration. The rest has been destroyed.

You can read about it on these sites:

http://turnerclassicmovies.com/ThisMonth/A...4;25817,00.html

http://www.kino.com/metropolis/index.html

Speaking of Hitler/Holocaust related films. How about some films on some of the other Holocausts that have occurred in this century alone? What happened to the Jews was not the first time in this century that Genocide has taken place and it wasn't the last time. It wasn’t even the biggest if you count what Stalin & Mao each did to their people over their lifetimes. Not that you would ever tell any of this from the Media of course. As long as humans live on this planet we will continue to have Genocide’s I am sorry to say.

Edited May 19, 2003 by Mnytime

[BERIGAN]

Speaking of Hitler/Holocaust related films. How about some films on some of the other Holocausts that have occurred in this century alone? What happened to the Jews was not the first time in this century that Genocide has taken place and it wasn't the last time. It wasn’t even the biggest if you count what Stalin & Mao each did to their people over their lifetimes. Not that you would ever tell any of this from the Media of course. As long as humans live on this planet we will continue to have Genocide’s I am sorry to say.

Mnytime, what is the problem with films about all these films about Hitler or the Holocaust , anyway? I get the feeling since you posted twice about this, that you did not see the film, If you had watched the first part last night, you would know that it had nothing to do with the Holocaust, we are still in the mid 20's.

Many millions died because of Hitler. Millions of soldiers died in the conflicts Hitler created. Millions of civilians. And in concentration camps Jews, Gypsies, homosexuals, the mentally ill, the Bolsheviks. In very horrible ways. Over 6 million Jews were killed; another 3 million non-Jewish Poles and a million Serbs were executed. I even read recently that several thousand Spaniards died in camps as well.

These millions died in a very short period, from 1939 to 1945. Hitler tried to eliminate an entire religious group, and damn near did it. Stalin and Mao were around for decades so naturally, they could kill even more than Hitler did.

Don't get me wrong, Stalin and Mao were equally as bad of course,(Who would want to argue which was the worst, or best?) and more films should be made about the evils they caused.

[Guest Mnytime]

You know I really don't need an Elementary School level condescending lecture on the well known.

Is there a single person that posts on this board that does not know the information that Berigan has posted in his post?

As bad as Hitler was (and in no way was I ever saying he was not evil) I don't think he matches Stalin and Mao in terms of murder. Both killed more of there own people than where killed during the whole of WWII and that includes the Jews. In one 5-year span alone Stalin killed 25 million Russians in one of his every so often purges. Mao killed in one way or another close to 100 million Chinese people. Though I have seen some figures that put that number closer to 150 million. And these two where equal opportunity murders. They killed people of every religion and background in their country.

Here is a tip try not to post in a condescending manner to me on a subject that I have one of my Masters in.

Another thing, you really didn’t need to guess that I had not seen the latest Hitler/Holocaust film. Since I posted my posts at least 30-40 minutes before the first part of the mini-series started it should not be too hard to figure that out.

Finally, since this was a mini-series on Hitler’s life it would have been stupid to bring up the Holocaust in the first part, which covers the time up to his imprisonment for the Beer Hall Putsch (which happened on Nov 8th & 9th 1923) in 1924. Since he had not yet been made Chancellor (which happens on Jan 30th 1933) it would be silly to talking about Holocaust in the first part of a life story mini series. Also, you can not make a film about Hitler without mentioning the Holocaust. It would be obscene and a white wash.

I did watch it this morning since I taped it and it was as I expected. Nothing new or revelatory in anyway was shown. In fact that whole scene with him kissing up to the Jewish officer so he could get his Iron Cross Second Class was interesting but not accurate.

Edited May 19, 2003 by Mnytime

[BERIGAN]

You know I really don't need an Elementary School level condescending lecture on the well known.

Is there a single person that posts on this board that does not know the information that Berigan has posted in his post?

As bad as Hitler was (and in no way was I ever saying he was not evil) I don't think he matches Stalin and Mao in terms of murder.  Both killed more of there own people than where killed during the whole of WWII and that includes the Jews.  In one 5-year span alone Stalin killed 25 million Russians in one of his every so often purges.  Mao killed in one way or another close to 100 million Chinese people.  Though I have seen some figures that put that number closer to 150 million.  And these two where equal opportunity murders.  They killed people of every religion and background in their country.

Here is a tip try not to post in a condescending manner to me on a subject that I have one of my Masters in.

Another thing, you really didn’t need to guess that I had not seen the latest Hitler/Holocaust film.  Since I posted my posts at least 30-40 minutes before the first part of the mini-series started it should not be too hard to figure that out.

Finally, since this was a mini-series on Hitler’s life it would have been stupid to bring up the Holocaust in the first part, which covers the time up to his imprisonment for the Beer Hall Putsch (which happened on Nov 8th & 9th 1923) in 1924.  Since he had not yet been made Chancellor (which happens on Jan 30th 1933) it would be silly to talking about Holocaust in the first part of a life story mini series.  Also, you can not make a film about Hitler without mentioning the Holocaust.  It would be obscene and a white wash.

I did watch it this morning since I taped it and it was as I expected.  Nothing new or revelatory in anyway was shown.  In fact that whole scene with him kissing up to the Jewish officer so he could get his Iron Cross Second Class was interesting but not accurate.

You know I really don't need an Elementary School level condescending lecture on the well known. Sorry if you thought it was condescending, Mnytime, but as a doctor, I am sure anytime anyone questions what you say, you are shocked!

Is there a single person that posts on this board that does not know the information that Berigan has posted in his post? Well, I knew most of what you posted as well, though your numbers sound pretty far out there

As bad as Hitler was (and in no way was I ever saying he was not evil) I don't think he matches Stalin and Mao in terms of murder. Both killed more of there own people than where killed during the whole of WWII and that includes the Jews. In one 5-year span alone Stalin killed 25 million Russians in one of his every so often purges. Mao killed in one way or another close to 100 million Chinese people. Though I have seen some figures that put that number closer to 150 million. And these two where equal opportunity murders. They killed people of every religion and background in their country.

In a totally noncondescending way, I ask, where do you get those statistics Mnytime? I have seen stats saying Stalin killing 60-65 million I have yet to find any numbers on Mao murdering close to 100-150 million on the web(I know, they would try to keep the actual numbers quiet, but dictators seem to always keep meticulous records)...from pbs...Under Mao, China underwent enormous social transformation, most notably the liberation of the peasants from centuries-old domination by landlords, and the liberation of Chinese women through the reform of oppressive marriage laws. Yet during the late 1950s and 1960s, Mao implemented a series of disastrous economic and social programs, which brought change at an enormous human cost.

From 1958-62, Mao's "Great Leap Forward," a mass campaign to communize agriculture and speed industrial growth, left China's economy in ruins, and led to the deaths of some thirty million Chinese from starvation. And in 1966 Mao called for a "Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution," an ideological crusade to train a new generation of revolutionaries-- and purge the CCP of Mao's political opponents. Backed by the military, millions of students mobilized into Red Guard units set about ridding China of institutions and individuals deemed insufficiently revolutionary. Like the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution produced widespread economic chaos. It led to the deaths of more than two million people, including many scholars, intellectuals and artists.

By the time of Nixon's visit in 1972, China had begun to emerge from the worst years of the Cultural Revolution, although many of its policies and institutions were not abandoned until after Mao's death in 1976.

Here is a tip try not to post in a condescending manner to me on a subject that I have one of my Masters in. Did it all the time to Alexander, I think I said degrees found in Cracker Jack boxes don't count.(Guess that makes me an "Athist") I have a feeling you both went to revisionist U.

Another thing, you really didn’t need to guess that I had not seen the latest Hitler/Holocaust film. Since I posted my posts at least 30-40 minutes before the first part of the mini-series started it should not be too hard to figure that out. Your post says Posted: May 18 2003, 10:34 PM I don't know what coast you are on-or if you in-between.

Finally, since this was a mini-series on Hitler’s life it would have been stupid to bring up the Holocaust in the first part, which covers the time up to his imprisonment for the Beer Hall Putsch (which happened on Nov 8th & 9th 1923) in 1924. Since he had not yet been made Chancellor (which happens on Jan 30th 1933) it would be silly to talking about Holocaust in the first part of a life story mini series. Also, you can not make a film about Hitler without mentioning the Holocaust. It would be obscene and a white wash.

I did watch it this morning since I taped it and it was as I expected. Nothing new or revelatory in anyway was shown. Mnytime, I think in a way, that was the point. Show him just as a "regular" guy, an artist, who had a way with words....I bet they chopped a fair bit off it as well, like A&E did with that recent Napoleon Mini... In fact that whole scene with him kissing up to the Jewish officer so he could get his Iron Cross Second Class was interesting but not accurate. I wonder if the scene with the dog was true or not as well, since it looked like he was the only survivor from that group

Mnytime, I agree like I said before, how come no major films about Mao? They did an HBO one on Stalin a few years ago....but come to think of it, I think just about every film about Hitler was a made for TV production...

Edited May 22, 2003 by BERIGAN

[ghost of miles]

Kansas City Confidential, a 1952 noir with John Payne (played the young lawyer in Miracle on 34th Street) as a veteran who gets framed for a bank-heist masterminded by a corrupt ex-cop. I think James Ellroy got more than just a title from this flick...

[jazzbo]

I just watched "The Scorpion King" (why didn't they include the alternate versions of the scenes that are bonus material. . . they would have helped the film) which was entertaining. And yesterday went to see "Almight Bruce" which also was entertaining.

[Alexander]

Did it all the time to Alexander, I think I said degrees found in Cracker Jack boxes don't count.(Guess that makes me an "Athist") I have a feeling you both went to revisionist U.

Yeah, and it's just as rude and unpleasant when you do it here as when you did it to me. Is there a particular reason you feel it necessary to make personal attacks on people who disagree with you?

Mnytime,

I think I get your drift: Why does the world continue to obesess about Adolf Hitler when the 20th Century was populated by monsters of equal or greater magnitude? To be totally honest, I don't know. Perhaps because Hitler understood the power of images better than either Stalin or Mao (both Soviet Russia and Communist China were notoriously drab. All those browns and olive greens). Perhaps it was the touches of philosophy, eugenics, and mechanization that made the holocaust so much more horrifying than anything either Stalin or Mao could have come up with. I remember when I was a kid, I had a little book of monsters. It included fictional characters (Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, the Wolfman, all in their Universal Pictures forms) and real people (even unidentified killers like Jack the Ripper). The book included Hitler. It did not include either Mao or Stalin. Obviously, Stalin and Mao are considered bad, but nothing like Hitler. Right or wrong, he's the 20th Century's greatest villian.

[BERIGAN]

Saw some of the 1933 version of the Little Women the other night...and I had a thought...say, Katherine Hepburn is still alive from this film, (Born 1907) and I thought that Francis Dee might still be alive..just now thought to check, and she is as well! (Also born in 1907) I then clicked on the link to Jean Parker, and assumed she died years ago. Well according to allmovie, she was born in 1915, and is still alive as well! So three women who were adults in a film made 70 years ago, are still alive! What are the odds of that?

[ghost of miles]

Not a movie, but...

My wife & I are voluntarily cable-less, but stayed last night at a motel in Michigan and decided to check out the Great Satan of Culture for awhile. (How can you say no to "The Simpsons" on a Sunday night?) Did anybody else see "King of the Hill" with Chuck Mangione? "Just some Muzak... just some Muzak."

Also caught amazing footage of Tony Blair taking questions in the House of Commons Wednesday night, re-run on C-Span... but I'm going to post about that in that sanguine spot known as the Politics forum.

Edited June 10, 2003 by ghost of miles

[Guest Mnytime]

Is that the one where Mangione is found to be living in some store like the Phantom of the Opera?

[ghost of miles]

Yep. The Mega-lo Mart (an obvious stand-in for another huge chain store that we all know and--well, see Jim Sangrey's famous Target comparison post).

[ralphie_boy]

I recently saw THE BIG CLOCK w/ Ray Milland for the first time - very entertaining! Also, FORCE OF EVIL with John Garfield. I don't know what I'd do without TCM now that AMC has gone down the toilet.

[Guest Mnytime]

I recently saw THE BIG CLOCK w/ Ray Milland for the first time - very entertaining! Also, FORCE OF EVIL with John Garfield. I don't know what I'd do without TCM now that AMC has gone down the toilet.

Garfield really doesn't get the attention he deserves IMHO. When I think of Garfield I think of Roy Eldridge. As Eldridge was a bridge on the trumpet Garfield was a bridge between the old school tough guys like Cagney and Bogie to Brando & Dean, etc...

Force of Evil really is an excellent film.

[ralphie_boy]

Yes sir! He was a tremendous actor.

[brownie]

John Ford's 'The Searchers' was on my 10 Best Films list. It was showing on

one of the cable TV channel last night. I had not seen in a long time and

only once on TV. I'ld rather see this type of films on a moviehouse

screen. Well, I really enjoyed seeing this classic once more. John Wayne may

not be my favorite actor (John Garfield or James Cagney would be my choice) but his

contribution to that epic is plain brilliant. Jean-Luc Godard waxed lyrical when he was

contributing to 'Les Cahiers du Cinema' about the scene when John Wayne turns

human and holds Natalie Wood up high in his arms in one of the film's climaxes.

Moved 'The Searchers' to my 5 Best Films list.

[Guest Mnytime]

The Searchers is in my top 10 and is my #1 Western. Though the only way to see this on TV is in WideScreen.

Ford is in my top 2 or 3 U.S. directors.

[slsmcgrew]

Just picked up the three disc set of BlackHawk Down. There are so many extras I didn't know where to start. I also just got Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Old School and Tears of the Sun. Haven't checked out the last two yet but I've always liked Close Encounters.

[brownie]

The Searchers is in my top 10 and is my #1 Western. Though the only way to see this on TV is in WideScreen.

Ford is in my top 2 or 3 U.S. directors.

John Ford is to films what Duke Ellington was to jazz. Both had a long,

successful career. Both surrounded themselves with a stock company of

actors/musicians. Both were creative until their final years.

Also watched 'My Darling Clementine' recently, another remarkable Ford

western. Even a non-Ford regular like Victor Mature (a so-so actor) is just superb

and his Doc Holliday part is just in the same league as Henry Fonda's Wyatt Earp.