more Angela Something For Everyone (1970, Harold Prince) A charming, machiavellian drifter (Michael York) manipulates a widowed aristocrat (Lansbury) and her family to gain control of the estate. Black humor fun and Angela at the top of her game. Great version on the Tube (above).
Alice--Alice is a 1988 dark fantasy film written and directed by Jan Švankmajer. Its original Czech title is Něco z Alenky, which means "Something from Alice". It is a loose adaptation of Lewis Carroll's first Alice book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865), about a girl who follows a white rabbit into a bizarre fantasy land. Alice is played by Kristýna Kohoutová. The film combines live action with stop motion animation, and is distinguished by its dark and uncompromising production design.
I watched the doc on Baba Ram Dass (Richard Albert, guru, teacher) last night, and was going to read a wiki about him today. Being a Westerner, and a pretty good skeptic I have a hard time believing in a lot of the mystical religious ideology, but if it works for someone else, I'm all for it. There are parts of the doc I did enjoy and a few areas I found maybe a bit well, a bit false of suspect. Either way it was a pretty interesting doc.
the classic Lansbury Haha, Couldn’t avoid it, huh? Thanks. I’ve never watched a single episode but I may start after watching a few full feature Angela movies. Incidentally (as far as I can tell) The Roku Channel is the only legal platform streaming the entire Murder She Wrote series for free.
more Lansbury Death on the Nile (1978, John Guillermin) Hercule Poirot enjoys a luxurious cruise down the Nile, a newlywed heiress is found murdered on board. Can Poirot identify the killer before the ship reaches the end of its journey? Angela was lauded for her performance (BAFTA) as the drunken writer- mother of Olivia Hussey. Maggie Smith was similarly honored for her performance in this one. Not as iconic as it’s star-studded Poirot predecessor, Murder on the Orient Express, but equally as entertaining if you’re into Poirot. Great copy of the Tube (above).
early Lansbury A Life At Stake (1055, Paul Guilfoyle) Potboiler noir melodrama about an out-of-work architect who meets a married woman (Lansbury) with a business proposition for him. Someone said it was Angela’s early “bomb” shell performance. People say the darndest things. Paul Andes plays the beefcake sap obstensibly set up by Lansbury. Should be fun. Free on YouTube (and Tubi).
Happy Birthday Angela (born October 16, 1925)! This short 30 minute interview with the legendary actor is a nice retrospective of her career. She'll be missed. R.I.P.
The Search for One-Eye Jimmy--a raunchy comedy I'd never heard of, but made me laugh, and mostly about weird characters from NYC. Pretty big well-known cast. While working on a documentary on his old neighborhood, a young film school graduate shifts the focus of his production onto the disappearance of a local resident and the strange characters who are conducting the search to find him
Loved the movie as a kid. I still enjoy the lead up to the appearance of the E.T.s, but then it becomes a kind of muppet show. Thanks.
The Bourne Trilogy (2002, 2004, 2007) Three action- thriller installments based on the character Jason Bourne, created by author Robert Ludlum. The overall plot centers around Jason Bourne, a CIA assassin suffering from dissociative amnesia, portrayed by Matt Damon. Nice copies on the Archive:https://archive.org/details/xxdutyxx_20170614/The+Bourne+Identity+2002+720p+BrRip+YIFY.mp4 Not really a Damon fan but the character looks intriguing. Haven’t seen any of them but I just picked up the trilogy on DVD. Pick up where I left off with the streamers when I’m out.
Side Street (1950, Anthony Mann) A struggling young father-to-be gives in to temptation and impulsively steals money from the office of a shady lawyer--with catastrophic consequences. It’s a film with a simple plot that allowed Anthony Mann with a limited budget to have some noir fun with a good cast and a still great New York City. One of my favorites mostly because it’s made with such obvious love for the town and has one of the greatest chase scenes at the end. Nice copy on the Archive: https://archive.org/details/sidestreet1950
I rewatched The Day The Earth Stood Still (original) last night. I've seen it a few times before, but enjoy it each time. I like the relationship between Klaatu and the boy, and their walk thru the Washington monuments. I like Gort as well.
Levon Helm (drummer for The Band)--doc about The Band etc. He's pretty harsh about Robbie Robertson (the leader, guitarist) but as they say, there's two sides to every story.
I watched this recently, but didn't know it was on YT. About a cranky widower taking in a young boy during WWII. Nicely made and somewhat sentimental film.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1999, Pierre Gang) Feature tv adaptation of the classic Washington Irving short story. For good and bad it's reportedly faithful to the original text. Nice version on the Tube.
The Lawnmower Man (1992, Brett Leonard) Based on a Stephen King short story, brilliant scientist Dr. Lawrence Angelo (Pierce Brosnan) uses simple-minded gardener Jobe (Jeff Fahey) as a guinea pig in his virtual reality experiments, using mind altering drugs and immersive computer technology to enhance his subject's intelligence and awaken parts of the brain that have lain dormant for centuries. As Jobe becomes smarter and smarter, the evil corporation behind Angelo's funding pull a switcheroo on the drugs, making the gardener more aggressive. Eventually, Jobe attempts to leave the physical realm to inhabit the worldwide computer network, where he would be a technological god. - BA Harrison I like the above iMDB user's summary of a movie I remember really admiring back when I saw it on the first run in cinemas. Apparently the CGI is laughable now though the moral of the story remains as relevant (and prescient) as it was in '92. Something of a cult classic today. Free on the Tube.
Shadow of the Thin Man 1941--A jockey who threw a race is murdered in the locker room. "My, they're strict at this track!" Nora Charles exclaims. With that, she (Myrna Loy) and hubby Nick (William Powell) are off to the races on another case of murder, mirth and perfect martinis. Highlights of this fourth Thin Man include a visit to the arena for the evening's wrasslin' and dinner at Mario's Grotto where, no matter what anyone wants, the waiter insists upon the sea bass. As in all films in the series, the supporting cast is extraordinary, with Sam Levene, Barry Nelson, Donna Reed, Henry O'Neill and Stella Adler among Shadow's heroes and possible villains. Red herrings abound. But we still recommend the sea bass.
Ha. Ok, I’ll attempt to watch this installment because of your rec, Morpheus, though on the whole the franchise leaves me cold. Might have overlooked some of the novel aspects (like amusing cameos) that you touched on. Thanks.
FANTASIA (1940, Disney) Western Classical music set to state-of-the-art animation from the 1939 Disney Studios. One of their best. Splendid copy on Vimeo.
Hello Dolly (1969, Gene Kelly) Gargantuan Hollywood Musical flop about a New York Jewish matchmaker (Barbra Streisand) who has her eyes on her own millionaire prize (Walter Matthau). This movie has always felt like a fabulous parade on a splitting headache. Bad idea from the start. But YouTube just dropped a splendid free copy this morning that’ll undoubtedly run til December. Might be watchable one big number at time.
This is one I have been waiting for a good re-make of., this and Maximum overdrive are great SK stories that could be great in todays movie landscape.
