(500) Days of Summer (2009)

I've revisited (500) Days of Summer (2009) for the first time since I saw it in the theater. This is a unique, offbeat look at a relationship over (guess what) 500 days. The thing is, the days are shown randomly out of order. The stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Zooey Deschanel are very likable and you come to care about both, neither one is painted as all hero-or-villian. There's an impromptu dance in the street that's wonderful. The movie has lots to say about fate and such. The last line and shot is great irony. An intelligent, fun way to spend a little over 90 minutes.

Love Me or Leave Me (1955)

I checked out Love Me or Leave Me, with Doris Day and Jimmy Cagney, on the recommendation of Metropolis. I enjoyed it, I'm usually not a fan of hers, but this film has more substance than a lot of hers. It's a biopic of 20's singer Ruth Etting, and her stormy relationship with Marty "the Gimp". The music is good and Doris and Cagney play well off each other. On the DVD, there is also a couple of shorts starring Ms Etting which are enjoyable.

Superman(1978)

This morning I watched Superman for the first time on DVD, an extra 6 minutes I think? This is easily the best superhero movie. The extra scenes were hit or miss. There was Lois Lane on a train as a little girl, having a Clark Kent Sighting, with him as a teenager. This seems far fetched to me, as it seems as adults, they're about the same age. There was a touching scene between Superman and his long dead father Jor-El, where Superman tries to reach out to embrace him, also Jor-El instructs him never to reveal his secret identity. This is notable as a 70's movie with no sex and minimal, if any violence, proving filmmakers don't have to resort to this. Yes, the John Williams music is spectacular. There is a music only version on the DVD I haven't watched yet.

Spartacus(1960)

I have been watching Spartacus this week on DVD. I have to say the backstage drama is almost as entertaining as the movie Featured on commentaries were Howard Fast, who wrote the novel the film is based on, and who was going to write the screenplay, but was replaced by Dalton Trumbo(also on commentaries) as apparently he was not working fast enough. Meanwhile, there was drama with Trumbo, who had been blacklisted and working under a pseudonym, but used his real name here at Kirk Douglas' insistence. Meanwhile, the film was originally directed by Anthony Mann, but was fired by Douglas after a week and replaced by Stanley Kubrick. Whew!

It was interesting listening to Fast and Trumbo, who both had negative things to say, as Fast was fired, and apparently a lot of Trumbo's ideas were nixed. Trumbo even went off on Tony Curtis, calling him a "nothing"! While I'm not a Tony Curtis fan, I found that a little harsh.

All that aside, the movie is greatness. Spartacus, with nothing to lose, leads a slave revolt against Rome. It's thrilling, with a great score. The Big Three, Laurence Olivier, Charles Laughton and Peter Ustinov are a joy to watch. Jean Simmons is lovely.

Sylvia Scarlett(1935)

I finally watched Sylvia Scarlett, Kate Hepburn and Cary Grant's first movie together ; I have been curious about it for a long time. I was way less than impressed. Kate goes on the lam with her dad who's "borrowed" from his company disguised as a boy ; not very convincing. This was barely 90 minutes but seemed to take forever. I'm glad I saw it once though, now I've seen all four Hepburn/Grant films. The other three I'll take anytime!

Affair in Trinidad(1952)

I watched Affair in Trinidad, which reunites the stars from one of my faves Gilda, the sexy Rita Hayworth and less sexy Glenn Ford

It's quite entertaining. It starts out as a muder mystery, as Rita's husband is killed(or was it suicide?). The mystery is abandoned somewhere along the way, as the police convince Rita to get dirt on her late husband's "friend" Max Fabian (Alexander Scourby), who has Sinister Plans. Ford is her brother-in-law, of course they end up falling for each other. Rita has a couple of great singing/dancing numbers. Her housekeeper who has advice for everyone is a lot of fun. The conclusion isn't as exciting as it could be, but I still reccomend.

 

Love the poster!


Read more: http://goldensilents.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=soundtalk&action=display&thread=7772&page=414#1313268898#ixzz1UwmH6Qm4

The Great St. Louis Bank Robbery (1959)

I picked up The Great St Louis Bank Robbery(1959) for a dollar. Steve McQueen is a naive college dropout lured in to be the getaway driver for the title crime. This is based on the true incident, with many police officers and bank employees playing themselves. Not the greatest, but definitely worth a dollar and seeing on a lazy Saturday morning.


Read more: http://goldensilents.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=soundtalk&thread=7772&page=411#ixzz1TFSNsAO3

America America(1963)

I have been watching Elia Kazan's America America and I'm wondering how I've never heard of this! I think it's a masterpiece!
It's set in the 1890's and is about Greek Stavros(Stathis Giallelis) and his quest to get to America. This has first rate acting, directing, writing, cinematography, editing, score, everything! I think it's a much better candidate for Greatest Picture Ever than Citizen Kane(if forced to make a list). It passes my "Where Did the Time Go in a 3 Hour Movie List". Very moving, an underrated gem.

Read more: http://goldensilents.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=soundtalk&thread=7772&page=410#ixzz1Sl0mIQsR

Flower Drum Song(1961)

I've watched Rodgers and Hammerstein(II)'s Flower Drum Song. It's okay not great. A young woman comes to San Francisco from China with her father ilegally to enter into an arranged marriage. Various misunderstandings result in a romantic quadrangle of sorts. There are two or three great production numbers, one which two characters from a black-and-white movie come out of the TV and join the number, for no apparent reason other than they can! Some of it's not PC. Worth a look.

Read more: http://goldensilents.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=soundtalk&thread=7772&page=409#ixzz1RdRfAA00

Rear Window(1954)

I have revisited Rear Window. I was struck by how much is going on, how much symbolism there is. All the windows across from James Stewart all have a different "mini-movie" going on. My audio commentary noted that Hitchcock started in silent movies and these are all like mini silent movies, especially the Miss Lonelyhearts, with her exagerated gestures. Fascinating, this demands multiple viewings to catch what all is happening, besides the main story of a murder possibly happening across the street, which would be a good movie by itself.


Read more: http://goldensilents.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=soundtalk&thread=13750&page=1#ixzz1RMAYYNw7

Slumdog Millionaire(2008)

Today I watched 2008's Best Picture Slumdog Millionaire, a friend of mine had recommended it a while back. It is a wonderful surprise! It's on paper the story of Jamal, who causes suspicion of cheating when he gets to the last question on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire and is subsequently interrogated by the police. We flash back through his life with his brother Salim and love of his life Latika, as we see how each of the questions came up in incidents. The final question causes the most dramatic phone-a-friend you're likely to see. The music throughout is very good, which is always a strong point with me. This is a very good "feel-good" movie for modern films, I recommend it highly


Read more: http://goldensilents.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=soundtalk&thread=7772&page=408#ixzz1QyhlGJAY

The Heiress(1949)

I have watched The Heiress(1949) with Olivia de Haviland, Montgomery Clift, directed by William Wyler. Ms de Haviland is a shy wealthy young woman wooed by fortune hunter(or is he?) Clift. She soon agrees to marry him to the chagrin of her cruel father Sir Ralph Richardson, who definitely thinks he's after her fortune. There are lots of twists which kept me guessing throughout, which I enjoyed. All of the acting is very good. At first I was disappointed with the ending, but after thought realized it's better than a traditional ending. I'm optimistic enough to believe though the ending seemed to be clear cut one way about the Clift character, it could have been different and to think that it was ambiguous. I'm sure there'd be debate about that. Olivia won the Oscar which was well deserved as she played her transformation well.

Read more: http://goldensilents.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=soundtalk&thread=7772&page=408#ixzz1QsyDzEd3

The Fly(1958)

---

Last night on commercial TV there was 1958's The Fly and I decided to catch part of it. I was expecting it to be a little scary, and I guess 1958 audiences might have found it so, but all due respect, I found it really funny. It's of course about a scientist doing weird experiments, and ends up with the head and arm of a fly. The scenes of the wife and family trying to catch the fly with the man's head are really weird. The acting and dialogue don't help, as both are bad. Vincent Price is giving top billing in advertisement, but is barely in it. So am I being jaded?  Love this poster though!

Read more: http://goldensilents.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=soundtalk&thread=7772&page=406#ixzz1QDy8WX1E

Murder on the Orient Express(1974)

I watched Murder on the Orient Express. A pretty good whodunit with an all star cast including Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Anthony Perkins and Ingrid Bergman, who won an Oscar... though she's not in it much, she is very good. Directed by the late Sidney Lumet. If you're in the mood for a good mystery, this won't disappoint, though I still don't know how I feel about the ending Oh yes, Ms Bacall is a hoot!



Read more: http://goldensilents.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=soundtalk&thread=7772&page=405#ixzz1Pe26W5Sb

Foreign Correspondent(1940)... (Clause 27)

I watched Alfred Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent(1940) with Joel McCrea, Laraine Day, Herbert Marshall. It's quite good. Reporter Johnny Jones(McCrea) is sent to Holland to find out if war will ensue. His name is changed to Huntley Haverstock(!) before he leaves. He quickly becomes involved with intrigue, with Stephen Fisher(Marshall), his daughter Carol(Ms Day) and the mysterious Van Meer's "assassination"/disappearance. Several memorable scenes, windmill changing directions, the scenes inside the windmill with Van Meer and Jones/Haverstock, on top of the Cathedral Tower. The plane being shot and crashing into the sea near the end is awesomeness. There are also memorable camera shots by Hitch, watch for the sequence of Van Meer on the bed, and a scene involving sunglasses. I don't think it's giving away too much to say that Jones/Haverstock and Carol fall in love instantly Also watch how Jones manages to report his story ; ingenious. The final scene with Johnny and Carol doing a radio broadcast is not to be missed. Very good, underrated effort from Hitch.


Read more: http://goldensilents.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=soundtalk&thread=7772&page=405#ixzz1PZD3PByX

Limitless(2011)

Limitless is a stylish thriller with a fun premise. Eddie(Bradley Cooper) is kind of a slacker, wanna-be writer, who hasn't really written a word on his book. One day, he runs into his ex-wife's brother Vernon(Johnny Whitworth), neither whom he's seen in years. They have a drink(in the middle of the day!). When Vernon is caught up to speed on Eddie's life, he offers him a "miracle pill", named NZT. Vernon tells him we only utilize 20 % of our brains ; this pills helps you utilize all of it. Eddie immediately sees a difference, as he's suddenly motivated to totally clean his trashy apartment, is able to learn languages fluently in minutes, and suddenly submits several pages to his shocked publisher. Even ex-girlfriend Abbie Cornish gets back with him. He moves up and up in the world and ends up employed by powerful businessman DeNiro. It has a lot of dizzying camerwork, which is even in the title sequence. It's generally good, but gets needlessly complicated toward the end and some plot lines are not resolved. Bradley Cooper is very good and DeNiro... is DeNiro. Lots of fun, with a good ending.


Read more: http://goldensilents.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=soundtalk&thread=7772&page=405#ixzz1PO7upXWG

The Devil and Daniel Webster(1941)

I watched The Devil and Daniel Webster(aka All That Money Can Buy or Daniel and the Devil, which was the title on my print, although the first title was on the box ). This is a very well done fantasy film, surreal at times. Down-on-his-luck Jabez Stone(James Craig) ends up selling his soul to the devil aka Mr Scratch(Walter Huston) for 7 years prosperity. After the 7 years, Jabez changes his mind, and Daniel Webster(Edward Arnold) represents him before a "jury of the damned" including Benedict Arnold! Memorable closing speech. Jane Darwell who was Ma a year earlier in Grapes of Wrath is just fine as Ma again This has some excellent camera shots, has some good things to say. Don't miss the final shot!


Read more: http://goldensilents.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=soundtalk&action=display&thread=7772&page=402#ixzz1OAG7xdu8