I'm glad I remembered correctly that Mark Harmon had been on the last episode or so of JAG as Gibbs. Funny coincidence that David James Elliot's character's first name was Harmon, wasn't it? But I'm fairly sure that his West Wing appearance was at least a year or two earlier than that.Originally Posted by dorispulaski
Last edited by Olympia; 08-21-2012 at 05:21 PM.
Olympia, I highly recommend Beasts of the Southern Wild. It is truly a remarkable film.
Thanks, Pogue. Just the TV ad alone seems astonishing.
It was dreadful because it in't sci-fi. After the collapse of the world economy which all economists say is inevitable. we will have serfs. This was the ancient"games" of thr gladiator revived to scare and intimidate humanity and give an inhumane diversion to bloodthirsty fans from the Districts of Pan America. (surprised no one was spending the Amero). I think this movie is frightening and scary, and made to get you think what the world will be in a fascists police state where 1 percent own all. Movies that glorify killing gladiator style make one think, but enjoyable? Wow. I did not experience that because it is all too possible.
I've seen these Dee and ITA on the Artist. Actually agree exactly on how you felt. The Iron Lady was a good movie but not great. What was great was how Streep becomes Margaret Thatcher. The teeth and eye color contacts transform her to a virtual replica of the older Thatcher. It is hard to forget you are watching Meryl as she is so known to us in many roles. While I don't feel this was the best movie she was in, I have other favorites, she truly deserved the oscar. There is no one like her that we have been exposed to and it is great to see we have someone who can keep working and portraying real or fictional characters.
She is in a class by herself. I have always loved her face, her beauty in Kramer vs. Kramer. My the years just went by, regardless of how they are experience. I loved Sophie's Choice, though find it hard to watch now, and was there a more intriging beauty than The French Lieutenant's Woman? I wish I owned that movie. Does Netflix have all these older movies? What do they charge a month currently Doris?
Thanks Heyang for filling me in on The HungerGames. The book clearly clarifies that which was confusing for me. I read mostly spiritual books. The idea of the drones and implanted microchips in the serfdom left of humanity seems all too real to me. I really thought the costumes were very bizarre with the pink lady and the lipstick, a caricature. So what time period does the book imply this happen? There is no way to know -the intention of the author?
Effie's dress style makes more sense in the books and as related to Panem. In the books, Cinna had assistants that were as bizarrely coiffed as Effie. It speaks to the superficiality and artificialness of Panem where the citizens are oblivious to what happens in the districts and are only concerned about appearance. Recall some of Effie's superficial simplistic reactions to what was going on around her in the movie.
The book has no mention of the 'date'. The only reference to time was the 74 years of Hunger Games.
That's why I'm on the fence about buying the movie - it really lacks the detail of the books. I've read the books twice, but can't see myself deliberately watching the movie multiple times. Of course, I still plan to watch the last 3 movies - book 3 is being done as 2 movies.
Turner Classics is showing a different star each day through August. Today, the star is Jeanette MacDonald, the singer. A lot of her movies are operettas, which aren't to everyone's taste these days. But right now they're showing a favorite film of mine, San Francisco, which has singing but isn't a musical. The leading man is Clark Gable of all people, with Spencer Tracy as supporting cast.
I just love this movie for some reason. It was made in about 1934, when acting was a completely different style, but Gable and Tracy were two of the most naturalistic actors of their day. In addition to being very relaxed and convincing, Gable is also total catnip. This guy from 1934 is hotter than half the leading men of today. He moves with more authority, he smiles with more charm. Electrical sparks are practically coming from the TV. He even warms Jeanette MacDonald up, and she's tremendously formal.
And he even does comedy.
Have I mentioned It Happened One Night, the first and best road picture? Sigh.
Is anyone with me on this?
One of my favorites (but nothing beats "Casablanca" for me).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wHfSb2xz2M
I haven't seen "It Happened One Night" for years.....wasn't there a good scene where Clark's character explained the art of dunking donuts?
Oh, yes...that delicious hitchhiking scene. I just watched it with my sides shaking in glee. Imagine...a joke that has stayed fresh for eighty years. Gable is such a great comedian, wonderful at poking fun at himself. One thing I noticed this time: men today are missing out by not wearing hats. The just-so line of the brim and crown of Gable's hat looks so jaunty and self-assured at first, and then after his being ignored by several cars, the slouchy brim and punched-out curve of the crown reflect his utter defeat.
At one point, I believe the filmmakers wanted Myrna Loy for the female lead, and as I adore Loy (and she worked wonderfully with Gable in several movies), I always thought it would be great to have seen her in this. But no one had legs and ankles like Colbert. For this scene, there aren't many who could have equaled Colbert, let alone surpassed her.
Last edited by Olympia; 08-28-2012 at 12:22 AM.
They're showing The Sting on TCM. Just a delight, from the performances to the clockwork plot to the jaunty ragtime music (which was an anachronism, as the movie is set in the 1930s and ragtime is from the turn of the 20th century--but it was the perfect choice for this film). If there ever was a finer-looking man in film than Robert Redford, I haven't seen him. People compare Brad Pitt to Redford, but Pitt's face is all boyish curves, even now, while Redford gives definition to the term chiseled. I love his speaking voice, also: like dark velvet. And for extra added delight, Paul Newman is here too. Okay, I take it back about Redford being the one and only finest-looking man in film. There were two of them! Plus all those delightful character actors: Robert Shaw, Dana Elcar, Ray Walston (whose voice alone I can identify without looking up), and Eileen Brennan as the life-worn woman with a heart of gold. One of the great treasures of modern filmmaking, a credit to all who took part.
And tonight they're showing High Society, the musicalized remake (many scenes word for word) of The Philadelphia Story with a dream cast but a less workable premise, I think. The Philadelphia Story was a frothy work but had a bit of the sting of social commentary ("the privileged class enjoying its privileges"). Also, the two leads were far more compatible in terms of age and vitality: Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant were almost the same age and both had that leopardlike athleticism that made you understand that they really could be ex-spouses who had married for love and still felt the electricity. In that version, Tracy left Dexter because of his drinking (this is backstory), which he has conquered by the film's opening scene.
In the updated version, Tracy has left Dexter merely because he liked to play jazz. Also, the leads are played by the twenty-something Grace Kelly and the fifty-something Bing Crosby. Great singing in this film (Sinatra and Louis Armstrong also play roles), but not much electricity between the two leads. It's beautifully filmed, and the infatuation between Kelly and Sinatra supplies the fizz, and of course there's the singing. (Crosby and Sinatra even do a duet.) The one unsettling element in both versions is the hypocritical defense of the father's philandering; Tracy's anger about it is portrayed as rigid intolerance. Fie on that!
Last edited by Olympia; 09-04-2012 at 11:05 PM.
The Philidelphia Story is one of my favorite films of all time. It was originally a broadway play written "for" Hepburn. Then when it went to screen they brought in even more star power. Katherine was/is the best actress of all time IMO, I adore her, and you can totally see Tracy IS Kate.
The Italian Straw Hat: a madcap farce from 1927 that's not nearly madcap enough. A trifle.
Crazy, Stupid, Love: Quite enjoyable in a "only in Hollywood" kinda way. Gosling and Stone have some major chemistry, though.
It's one of my favorites of all time, too. I agree that Tracy Lord really is Kate. Everyone justifiably praises the Hepburn/Spencer Tracy partnership: they're a perfect example of the attraction of opposites. But Hepburn and Cary Grant make a tremendous pairing, too, who are more an attraction of likes--tall, elegant, athletic creatures with a flair for comedy and charming accents that ought to sound stilted but instead sound original and witty. Their four films together are each gems. The movie Holiday, also created by Philip Barry (and also a play originally) is a delight, Sylvia Scarlett is darker and one of the few films where you see that Grant can portray a less appealing character effectively, and of course Bringing Up Baby is one of the crown jewels of screwball comedy.
Pogue, The Italian Straw Hat sounds delightful. I just looked it up, and I recognize only Fernandel among the actors. I've never seen Crazy, Stupid Love but have heard a lot about it. I know that Gosling is supposed to be one of the best of the new actors. I'll keep an eye out for it. As for "only in Hollywood," sometimes that's just what you need when you're watching a movie, isn't it? One of my favorite movies is Runaway Bride, which has very little to do with real life but is just a great place to visit when life gets to be too loud and too rough-edged. (It might not be your fave, but I'm sure each of you has an equivalent movie that can't be explained in terms of hard-hitting originality or any of the other virtues we generally put at the top of our list.)
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