The Swimmer--Burt Lancaster and others 1968. The Swimmer is the story of a man who begins at the dawn of a new day to swim in the backyard pool of some friends. The water is cool and fresh, and the day is beautiful. As he has a drink with his friends, it occurs to him that a string of other backyard pools reaches all the way across the valley to his own home. Why not swim every one -- swim all the way home, as it were? This sounds like a glorious adventure, and indeed it starts but that way. He even meets a lovely girl who agrees to come along on the journey. Some of the pool owners are happy to see him. Others hate him. One is a bitter young woman who loved him once. We learn something about this man's life at every poolside, until finally we are able to piece together a story of his disgrace and failure. The Swimmer begins as a perfectly realistic film. But somewhere along the way we realize it is an allegory and surreal, and the ending makes that clear. It is also a very stylized film. It would also appear that the swimmer's experiences are not meant to represent a single day, but a man's life. Good print on Archive.
Always liked Gattaca - the first viewing was the best. With a film like this knowing what’s coming next spoils some of the effect (imo). Waited decades to watch it and, despite the impressive production value, found the performances of the three leads the movie’s most interesting aspect. Thanks.
One of Lancaster’s best, though to be honest, I’ve never seen him give a bad or even mediocre performance. He’s always seemed committed to whatever role he played. Classic. Been a while since I watched it. Thanks.
First of the month usually sees hundreds of new tubi titles (with a couple of dozen legit classics). Other free platforms release their new streamers, too, but I usually check out what tubi has first... A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984, Wes Craven) Teenager Nancy Thompson must uncover the dark truth concealed by her parents after she and her friends become targets of the spirit of a serial killer with a bladed glove in their dreams, in which if they die, it kills them in real life. on Tubi A million spin-offs and copy cats but I've waited YEARS to finally see the original. Rarely streamed on the free platforms I'm exited adding it to my late night viewing queue. Now if tubi can get the original Amityville Horror on I'll have completed my have-to-see-horror classics list.
The Man Who Drew Bug Eyed Monsters is a doc about Reynold Brown, who used to draw old movie posters on Archive. Country Life 1994 Australian film starring Sam Neil. Adaptation of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya" set in rural Australia in the 1920's. Jack Dickens and his niece Sally run the family farm to support brother-in-law Alexander as a (supposedly brilliant) literary critic in London. Action begins when Alexander returns with his beautiful young wife Deborah, revealing himself as an arrogant failure and wanting to sell the farm out from under Jack. Blakemore introduces themes about Australia's separation from England, as well as expanding the pacifist and ecological philosophies espoused by the local Doctor Max Askey. Archive.
John and Mary, a simple romantic story 1969 starring Dustin Hoffman and Mia Farrow, who meet in a singles bar and the next morning get to know each other better. The film flashes forward and backwards in time fleshing out each of the characters lives. I had not seen this before so it was nice to see a film that I somehow overlooked. It's not totally successful perhaps, and can be a little bit contrived in execution, but overall, a decent watch. Good copy on YT.
Runaway Train--A hardened convict and a younger prisoner escape from a brutal prison in the middle of winter only to find themselves on an out-of-control train while being pursued by the vengeful head of security. Took me a while to get into this movie as both main actors are criminals. But once the action starts, it gets better. I think outta print now.
3 Godfathers--John Ford's Legend of the Southwest! Three outlaws on the run discover a dying woman and her baby. They swear to bring the infant to safety across the desert, even at the risk of their own lives.
Purple Rain (1984, Albert Magnoli) A young musician, tormented by an abusive situation at home, must contend with a rival singer, a burgeoning romance, and his own dissatisfied band, as his star begins to rise. Great rock n roll classic. Anyone looking for serious acting from anyone in this cast is a fool - the music is everything. One of my (especially late night) favorites. Free on tubi. Prince's band members (at the time of the filming) talk about the project in the vid above.
The Age of Innocence (1993, Martin Scorsese) A tale of nineteenth-century New York high society in which a young lawyer falls in love with a woman separated from her husband, while he is engaged to the woman's cousin. Exited to see this official streamer on the Tube. One of my favorites from Scorsese, who apparently got flack from critics who felt the Mean Streets director was out of his element with this Edith Wharton material. Time has proven them utterly wrong.
Twin Peaks--Fire Walk with Me dir. by David Lynch. In the questionable town of Deer Meadow, Washington, FBI Agent Desmond inexplicably disappears while hunting for the man who murdered a teen girl. The killer is never apprehended, and, after experiencing dark visions and supernatural encounters, Agent Dale Cooper chillingly predicts that the culprit will claim another life. Meanwhile, in the more cozy town of Twin Peaks, hedonistic beauty Laura Palmer hangs with lowlifes and seems destined for a grisly fate. It helps to have seen the Twin Peak series before this, but not totally essential if you enjoy weird, and experimental cinema (or Lynch).
The Neverending Story 1984 fantasy--A boy who needs a friend finds a world that needs a hero in a land beyond imagination! While hiding from bullies in his school's attic, a young boy discovers the extraordinary land of Fantasia, through a magical book called The Neverending Story. The book tells the tale of Atreyu, a young warrior who, with the help of a luck dragon named Falkor, must save Fantasia from the destruction of The Nothing.
Moonstruck (1987, Norman Jewison) Loretta Castorini, a bookkeeper from Brooklyn, New York, finds herself in a difficult situation when she falls for the brother of the man she has agreed to marry. I didn't realize how many don't care for this movie. How miserable can you be? Classic comedy form a crack ensemble. Watch it every couple of years.
I like Moonstruck too. I never cared for Cher's singing very much, but thought she was a good actress. A good role for Nicholas Cage et al too Return of the Pink Panther--comedy, Blake Edwards, Peter Sellers. The famous Pink Panther jewel has once again been stolen and Inspector Clouseau is called in to catch the thief. The Inspector is convinced that 'The Phantom' has returned and utilises all of his resources – himself and his Asian manservant – to reveal the identity of 'The Phantom'.
Thanks. Without making a big TO DO about it I have to say that I was highly disappointed with this Blake Edwards franchise, especially after having waited decades to finally watch them. Peter Sellers was some kind of comic genius. The series would have been an absolute bomb without him. In fact, when he's not on the screen, to my mind, they all fall flat. Shame, because I do admire several of Edwards' other films. But I'd rather watch the cartoon.
Se7en (1995, David Fincher) Two detectives, a rookie (Bratt Pitt) and a veteran (Morgan Freeman), hunt a serial killer (Kevin Spacey) who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives. Love the subway rattled dinner in Paltrow and Pitt's NYC aprtment but I can't remember much else besides it. Like watching it all over again. Free on PLEX.
The Elephant Man (1980) A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication. Up watching a beautiful copy of a David Lynch favorite. I tend to aim my late night viewing at directors who go heavy on visual storytelling - closer to the silent masters. Lynch is certainly one of them.
The Seventh Seal w/ English Captions--Disillusioned and exhausted after a decade of battling in the Crusades, a knight (Max von Sydow) encounters Death on a desolate beach and challenges him to a fateful game of chess. Much studied, imitated, even parodied, but never outdone, Bergman’s stunning allegory of man’s search for meaning, The Seventh Seal (Det sjunde inseglet), was one of the benchmark foreign imports of America’s 1950s art-house heyday, pushing cinema’s boundaries and ushering in a new era of moviegoing.
Seen this a dozen times. Endlessly watchable with many terrific sequences. Like that bit right at then when Dykan and Albert Grossman are in the limo after the concert. Grossman's high as a kite!
Wolf Hall (2015, Peter Kosminsky) After the downfall of Cardinal Wolsey, his secretary, Thomas Cromwell, finds himself amongst the treachery and intrigue of King Henry VIII's court and soon becomes a close advisor to the King, a role fraught with danger. Based on the novel by Hilary Mantel. Slow, dark but excellent mini-series currently streaming free on Hoopla. Interesting doc on author Hilary Mantel and her experience writing the novel above.
