Can't forget the French original, Wages of Fear. Played at SF's FOX Parkside in the '70s/80s during its revival years. The Castro would have played it several times since, probably paired with Sorcerer. The Wages of Fear Netflix
He's made some pretty bad films, imo. The Long Goodbye is a classic example of him 'inverting' a genre to no good end. It's ultimately a stupid exercise - emotionally anchorless, narratively inchoate. "Let's give Philip Marlowe a cat!" is one of the all time dumb ideas that is supposed pass for ironic, or something. No one talks about Nashville anymore, nor should they. I recall off the charts hype. But I think McCabe and California Split are very good movies. So is Thieves Like Us if you're not hoping for a Dillinger like movie but one that, as Ebert perceptively observed, more about hanging out on porches in the deep south during the depression. OC and Stiggs is so bad it's good.
Yep. Times Square is an interesting 80’s flick. Mot great but great soundtrack. It’s coming on Blu-Ray in 2022. Times Square Blu-ray As I recall it was supposed to come out in 2020 then Covid happened and it was pushed back.
I like “The Player’, “McCabe and Mrs. Miller” , “The Long Goodbye” and “MASH”. I also like a’Buffalo Bill and The Indians”. Most of the rest of his films don’t do much more me including “Nashville”.
I'm a really big fan of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe novels, as well as most of the films based on those novels. However, I was severely disappointed by Altman's very loosely based film adaptation. Yes, I know, there are some who think it's a minor masterpiece. I'm glad for those who enjoyed it, but to me, it was a wasted opportunity to produce a memorable film of arguably the best Philip Marlowe novel. The source material was completely ignored except in the most superficial ways, and Chandler's richly humanized characterization of Marlowe disdainfully discarded. That Altman did this all intentionally to be cute doesn't make it any more palatable, to me. Altman's The Long Goodbye makes Kubrick's The Shining look like a painstakingly faithful adaptation of Stephen King's novel in comparison.
John Huston's Beat the Devil is on CinéMoi more often than you'd think, though I'd never heard of it before. I don't believe it's talked about much but I enjoy Jennifer Jones and Gina Lollabrigida!
The Twilight Time release is quite good. Given that,it fell into the public domain you’d think there would be more showings but it’s over 60 years old and less interest in older films.
Whoops! You're right. Forgot about the sequel. Now I can't remember the plot to Ben since it's still about an army of rats. But I do remember seeing both at the theater because of Willard.
Well since it's that time of the month..err.. season I bring you... Chopper Chicks In Zombie Town... Geez! I wonder why no one mentions this classic '80's flick? Ya' get to see a very young and unrecognizable Billy Bob Thornton. I only saw the trailer at the theater and that was enough for me. Loved the title and often referred to my ex as a closet chopper chick hiding behind an angelic demure. I think her introducing me to pot on our first date should've tipped me off.
The first time I recall ever seeing 'Willard' and 'Ben' was as a double feature on one of the local independent stations Saturday (maybe Sunday) afternoon movie.
I saw Willard on television some time in the late seventies. The following week they showed Ben in the same slot.
Very interesting film, and very forgotten, although it has very good reviews from the people that have been lucky to see it. The director, Larry Peerce, is also very forgotten: the only movie that I have seen from him is "Two Minute Warning" (1976), with Charlton Heston and John Cassavetes, a decent action movie.
Both are very good films and directed by the great Anthony Mann, who had made some western masterpieces starring James Stewart and Gary Cooper, and that is also a little bit forgotten. But movie lovers in the 80's worshipped him. And once he was married to spanish movie star Sara Montiel !!!!
"Biggles" director John Hough also directed Cushing in the Hammer film "Twins Of Evil" (1971); and then went to direct "The Legend Of Hell House" (1973), horror movie starring Roddy McDowall. These Hammer and other british horror films from the era have managed to keep some kind of cult, so they are not absolutely forgotten. This "Biggles" thing, on the other hand...
Hough also directed an interesting American film, a late entry in the 80s slasher craze, American Gothic (though the movie is more slasher-adjacent).
I love this movie! It was a staple on the USA network’s Up All Night series back in the day. Not completely forgotten - Scream Factory has released a great-looking blu ray.
In defense of The Long Goodbye, Altman decided at some point that his movie would be more interesting with Phillip Marlowe as a man out of time, a 40s private eye living in the very different 1970s. It works for me. It’s not meant to be a straight adaptation.
Robert Altman's "Popeye" - a film I love - was planned to be a massive event but I swear I literally never heard anything or read anything about it between its release in 1980 to cinemas and it's first ever UK TV showing in 1992 and I have barely read or seen anything about it since then.