Wanted something light so I watched Ghost World, hadnt seen it before. I thought it was about comic store nerds, I enjoyed it being different from that. A little long but I liked it Watched Gaslight the other night with my daughter. She wanted to see where the term was from. Hadn’t seen that in years so that was a fun watch too And I finished Sidewalk Ends finally but that was just ok.
I am on a Sterling Hayden binge one of the featured stars of the Month, enjoying everything I've seen so far, the ending of this one was terrific Terror in a Texas Town Spoiler: Info is a 1958 American Western film directed by Joseph H. Lewis (billed only as "Joseph Lewis")and starring Sterling Hayden, Nedrick Young, and Sebastian Cabot. The script of Terror in a Texas Town was written by Dalton Trumbo. Due to Trumbo's status on the Hollywood Blacklist as one of the "Hollywood 10, Ben Perry initially received screenwriting credit lending his name as a front for Trumbo.[1] Both Nedrick Young, who contributed to the screenplay as well as acting in the film, and Sterling Hayden had also been subject to the Blacklist and the investigations of Communist influence in the movie industry by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Director Lewis was set to retire when his friend Young handed him the script, hoping to get back into the film business. Excited by the script, Lewis agreed to do it because he had nothing to fear from working with blacklisted artists as this was going to be his last film,[2] although he did continue to direct television episodes for several more years.[3]
I posted this in another thread, but if you missed it... Stormy Weather (1943) Musical/comedy featuring Lena Horne, Cab Calloway, Bill "Bojangles" Robinson, Nicholas Brothers Terrific performances all around, especially by Cab Calloway, and the closing sequence by the Nicholas Brothers, which Fred Astaire called the greatest dance number ever filmed.
It took me months, but I completed the "Kirk Douglas Collection" (22 films). Most of them departed the service on January 1, but luckily the one I had left was still there. While Kirk played plenty of nearly-omnipotent heroes, he also didn't shy away from playing morally ambiguous characters, and even characters with no moral compass whatsoever (see "There Was a Crooked Man ...", which is still on CC).
Just watched the Plumber. A fun and creepy little piece of late seventies class allegory. Nice little watch.
I'm not sure how a fan of the French New Wave only got around to watching Elevator to the Gallows tonight, but I enjoyed. Shalom, y'all! L. Bangs
Johnny Guitar (1954) dir. Nicholas Ray A manic performance by Mercedes McCambridge drives this film, while Joan Crawford, as her nemesis, smolders. By comparison, the men all seem like impotent buffoons, except Sterling Hayden, who keeps it on the down low.
It is odd I've heard what, for a spell, was a hard-to-find soundtrack many times, while I went years not watching the easily available film, a cornerstone of a cinematic movement I love. I'm not sure what took me so long to see it! Shalom, y'all! L. Bangs
Radio On Directed by Christopher Petit • 1979 • United Kingdom, Germany I enjoyed watching this bleak B&W British road movie last week as a blizzard howled outside the windows. One of Criterion's world streaming premiers, obscure and unavailable. Kicking off with Bowie's Heroes, first the original, then in German, as the opening credits list the artists and songs on the soundtrack: Bowie, Kraftwerk, Ian Dury, Lene Lovich, Wreckless Eric... Radio On (1979) - Soundtracks - IMDb The sound is mono, which added to the car radio vibe. After a few minutes of the camera panning around a flat with Bowie on the radio, we see a note pinned to a bulletin board: We are the children of Fritz Lang and Werner von Braun. We are the link between the '20s and the '80s. All change in society parses through a sympathetic collaboration with tape recorders, synthesizers and telephones. Our reality is an electronic reality. The action moves to a car on the streets of London, with the same music on the radio. A man opens a mailer with three new Kraftwerk cassettes and a note "Happy Birthday , Brother." He inserts a tape and Radioactivity starts playing. If that appeals, this film might be of interest to you. Never heard of the film maker or actors, but there was something familiar about the whole vibe and use of music that was revealed in the closing credits: Spoiler Wim Wenders, associate producer I had to look up how long it takes to drive from London to Bristol, only a couple of hours, but the journey stretches all day with stops along the way to encounter random characters & detours onto back roads. The storytelling is minimalist, leaving the viewer to decode the action and dialog as it unfolds. That was part of the enjoyment for me. After watching, this synopsis filled in gaps: Spoiler: BFI synopsis, don't read unless you want to ruin the film and learn the ending BFI Screenonline: Radio On (1979) Synopsis There's one scene with a well-known musician playing a character on the road: Spoiler Trudy Styler's spouse, Gordon Sumner
I've started going through the "Fox Noir", which has some familiar titles and a few I haven't seen before. I highly recommend "Somewhere in the Night", which seems to have influenced a great many films that followed ("Memento" being one).
Some juicy dialogue in that one. George W. Taylor: [after not responding to Phyllis' long kiss] Did you have fun? Phyllis: I've had more fun drinking a Bromo-Seltzer.
Denver & Rio Grande (1952) Story of the building of the Colorado railroads in the 19th century. Starring Edmund O'Brien, and Sterling Hayden as the heavy. Beautiful Technicolor Colorado vistas, but poor direction, especially the ridiculous gunplay. Zazu Pitts, in a bit part, gives the film some levity.
Mulholland Drive (David Lynch, 2001). The Hollywood dream turns to nightmare… or something like that. It’s a gorgeous looking movie for sure and the acting is beyond excellent.
I've been working my way through the Sterling Hayden Collection, I had not been too familiar with him before this spotlight, but really enjoying his work. 1957: Crime of Passion, Police Lt. Bill Doyle - probably my least favorite of the 5 movies I watched so far, even though I love Barbara Stanwyck, this was a little too over the top melodrama for me, but still very watchable and fun seeing Raymond Burr in this... 2.5/4 Theatrical release poster Directed by Gerd Oswald Screenplay by Jo Eisinger Produced by Herman Cohen Starring Barbara Stanwyck Sterling Hayden Raymond Burr Cinematography Joseph LaShelle 1958: Terror in a Texas Town, George Hansen - Loved the ending on this one, standard issue bad guy gunfighter storyline but that great final showdown that really sticks with you. 3/4 Theatrical release poster Directed by Joseph Lewis Written by Dalton Trumbo Produced by John Seltzer Starring Sterling Hayden Cinematography Russell Harlan Ray Rennahan 1955: The Eternal Sea, Rear-Adm. John Madison Hoskins - Really enjoyed this bio-pic just an amazing story and a sturdy performance by SH 3.5/4 Film soundtrack LP Directed by John H. Auer Written by Allen Rivkin William Wister Haines Luther Davis Produced by John H. Auer Starring Sterling Hayden Alexis Smith Ben Cooper Dean Jagger Cinematography John L. Russell 1950: The Asphalt Jungle , Dix Handley - This was an absolute gem, now sure how I missed this over the years, but a must see crime thriller - 4/4 Theatrical release poster Directed by John Huston Screenplay by Ben Maddow John Huston Based on The Asphalt Jungle 1949 novel by W. R. Burnett Produced by Arthur Hornblow Jr. Starring Sterling Hayden Louis Calhern Jean Hagen James Whitmore Sam Jaffe John McIntire Cinematography Harold Rosson 1954: Crime Wave Det. Lt. Sims - This low-fi crime drama was rock solid, a really gritty noir, with good performances around, felt ahead of its time in some ways. 3/4 Theatrical release poster Directed by Andre DeToth Written by Bernard Gordon Richard Wormser Screenplay by Crane Wilbur Based on "Criminal's Mark" The Saturday Evening Post 1950 by John Hawkins and Ward Hawkins Produced by Bryan Foy Starring Sterling Hayden Gene Nelson Phyllis Kirk Still need to watch Johnny Guitar, the Long Goodbye and the Killing...
Johnny Guitar (Ray, 1954). An almost surreal looking Western, very whacky, but I loved it. Crawford’s harping nemesis Emma Small has a mouth on her like Vera of Detour fame. Ciao! Manhattan (Palmer, 1972). The tragic life of Warhol and Dylan muse Edie Sedgwick. I stopped watching about halfway through. My American Friend (Wenders, 1977). I really liked this stylish European neo-noir, loosely based on the Ripley novels. Some good tense set pieces and great acting throughout.
Watched Doctor X last night, a comic horror film from 1932 that was dumb as heck but full of striking imagery and scene compositions - something helped quite a bit by the film being an early experiment in Technicolor, whose bold greens, blues, and reds added a dreamlike veneer to the proceedings. Worth watching as a historical curio for film buffs, and to see the title character’s lie detector machine, an Art Deco work of art that fills a room.
Some juicy dialogue in that one. George W. Taylor: [after not responding to Phyllis' long kiss] Did you have fun? Phyllis: I've had more fun drinking a Bromo-Seltzer. And it has Mae Busch as the madam of a brothel.
This is an amazing film, and hilarious, with the great Seymour Cassel as Joe. Funny thing is I used to know someone just like his character, and his name was also Joe. I started calling my chaotic experiences with him as Joe University. See the film and you'll see what I mean. In my case, the 'film' did get made, too. In the Soup Directed by Alexandre Rockwell • 1992 • United States Starring Steve Buscemi, Seymour Cassel, Jennifer Beals Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival, Alexandre Rockwell’s offbeat gem is a wryly affectionate snapshot of New York’s early-nineties indie scene built around an irresistible performance from Seymour Cassel. Broke and desperate Adolpho Rollo (Steve Buscemi) is a wannabe filmmaker in love with the mysterious woman next door (Jennifer Beals) who barely knows he exists. When he puts out an ad offering to sell his “fabulous” movie script for $500, he gets a response from Joe (Cassel), a semiconnected wiseguy, who promises to raise the $250,000 to make the picture. Under the influence of the warmhearted but unpredictable Joe, Adolpho’s life becomes totally unglued—and his movie dreams begin to seem farther away than ever.
Over the last few weeks I rewatched Nightmare Alley and a few extras before it goes away. Night and the City, used to have the blu ray, I find Widmark a bit annoying, which is probably the point, but I really like all the side characters especially the fat guy and his skeezy wife. I tried watching Panic in the Streets, made it 2/3 thru over a few nights and finally gave up. And about 1/3 into Col Blimp. I still have that blu ray, so not sure why I'm streaming it! But it takes a looong time to get rolling, so I may try the rest tonight. I like it but not as much as Red Shoes or Black Narcissus. And this one isn't on Criterion, but definitely up this channel's alley, finally watched Phantom Thread now that it's on Netflix. Really loved it, not quite on There Will Be Blood's level, but I liked it more than the Master.
