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Post by stepper on Jul 3, 2013 14:54:08 GMT -6
The Queen - starring Helen Mirren in the title role of Elizabeth II
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Post by Siren on Jul 6, 2013 9:41:36 GMT -6
Red-Headed Woman (1932) - As described in my very dog-eared copy of "Leonard Maltin's 2002 Video & Movie Guide"...
"Jean Harlow has never been sexier than in this pre-censorship story (by Anita Loos) of a gold-digging secretary who sets out to corral her married boss."
And that's just the beginning! After that, she sleeps her way into what she really wants - money and position.
This is strictly a pre-code story in which a woman (as a friend would say) uses what she's got to get what she wants. And, in another sign that it's pre-code, the film ends with a smile on her face.
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Post by stepper on Jul 6, 2013 12:47:01 GMT -6
An excellent description!
Same Time Next Year - with Ellen Burstyn who I like, and Alan Alda - not so much. Two married people meet in California, have an adulterous affair over the weekend, and agree to meet at the same time and same place each year.
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Post by Phalon on Jul 7, 2013 6:10:49 GMT -6
Siren, you always post the most interesting sounding movies.
I'm with you, Stepper - I never much cared for Alan Alda as an actor, who now that I think about it, reminds me very much of my neighbor. Just his mannerisms, anyway.
Since you got the double 'S' and 'T', next up is...
Unstoppable - an action movie from a couple of years ago about a runaway train, starring Denzel Washington.
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Post by stepper on Jul 7, 2013 12:14:48 GMT -6
V for Vendetta - a British film written by the Wachowski Brothers. Set in London in the future, Hugo Weaving portrays V — a freedom fighter attempting to ignite a revolution against the fascist regime led by Adam Sutler (John Hurt) that has taken over his country.
The group Anonymous uses the same Guy Fawkes mask popularized in the film when they appear in public.
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Post by Siren on Jul 7, 2013 21:39:12 GMT -6
I saw that one, Step. An interesting film. And thank you for the earlier compliment. Thank you too, Gams. Those films from the '30s are often very interesting. People have the idea that things were so straight-laced in Grandma's day. But as the Bible says, there is nothing new under the sun. In those old pre-code films, you'll find nudity, adultery, drug use, mental illness, homosexuality, abortion, date rape, violence of all kinds. It's pretty amazing, the things they got away with, right up until the Production Code came along.
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Post by Siren on Jul 7, 2013 21:50:51 GMT -6
I saw that one, Step. An interesting film. And thank you for the earlier compliment. Thank you too, Gams. Those films from the '30s are often very interesting. People have the idea that things were so straight-laced in Grandma's day. But as the Bible says, there is nothing new under the sun. In those old pre-code films, you'll find nudity, adultery, drug use, mental illness, prostitution, torture, homosexuality, alcoholism, abortion, date rape, violence of all kinds. It's pretty amazing, the things they got away with, right up until the Production Code was enforced. Unfortunately, along with these controversial topics, women's onscreen independence and sexual freedom were also squelched under the Production Code.
~~~~~~~~~~
"The White Sister"(1933) - A woman (Helen Hayes) becomes a nun when her sweetheart (Clark Gable) is believed to have died in battle. But then, it turns out he's alive.
This was actually the the third time this story was filmed. The first time was in 1915!
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Post by stepper on Jul 8, 2013 17:07:20 GMT -6
X Y & Zee - Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Caine, Susannah York. Taylor won an award in the UK for her portrayal of the swinger Zee, and the movie was nominated for a Golden Globe.
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Post by Phalon on Jul 10, 2013 6:08:45 GMT -6
My movie-buff friend has talked about the topics in those old pre-code films, Siren. There's one in particular he always refers to, but I can't remember the title of it.
Any Given Sunday
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Post by Siren on Jul 10, 2013 6:49:08 GMT -6
I've never seen that from Liz Taylor, though I've heard of it. What a horrible title! ~~~~~~~~~~ Baby Face (1933) - "A young woman uses her body and her sexuality to help her climb the social ladder, but soon begins to wonder if her new status will ever bring her happiness." www.imdb.com/title/tt0023775/?ref_=sr_1This is one of the most famous Pre-Code films, or infamous, if you prefer. The sexual innuendo in the dialogue of this film was enough to get it banned in some cities. For instance: Courtland: When this thing happened, were you working very hard? Lily: Yes, but not at the bank. The ring of truth in Barbara Stanwyck's wonderful performance was perhaps inspired by her own impoverished childhood. IMO, no one played steely, ruthless ambition like Barbara Stanwyck.
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Post by stepper on Jul 10, 2013 16:34:06 GMT -6
I've never seen that from Liz Taylor, though I've heard of it. What a horrible title! That is the alternate title Siren. The original was 'Zee and Co.' I do not remember who said it, but someone said that Barbara Stanwyck could say more with a raised eyebrow than most modern acresses with a 3 minute dialog. Comes A Horseman - An atypical American Western set in the 1940s, two ranchers (Caan and Fonda) whose small operation is under threat by monetary difficulties and a baron who wants more than he's got. A stuntman working on this film was killed while being dragged by a horse that changed course causing him to hit his head on a fence post. The scene made it into the movie, but is cut away just before the horse passes through the gate where the fatal accident occurred.
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Post by scamp on Jul 11, 2013 3:31:52 GMT -6
Do I Hear A Waltz? ~ play by Arthur Laurents, staging by Stephen Sondheim. A great show.
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Post by Siren on Jul 12, 2013 7:16:57 GMT -6
I would agree, Step, that Barbara was one the best actresses of Hollywood's golden era. Though Bette Davis is often praised as the greatest of all, my opinion that Barbara's acting was superior, and more realistically intense than Bette's. But then, I'm the gal who thinks Hepburn was overrated!
Everwood - A WB series (2002-2006) about a Manhattan neurosurgeon (Treat Williams) who moves his family to Colorado after the death his wife.
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Post by stepper on Jul 12, 2013 11:07:48 GMT -6
Considered a cult classic and nearly a synonym for "man-in-a-rubber-suit" "The Creature From the Black Lagoon". Surprisingly - at least to me - there were actually two creatures and neither actor was credited. Ricou Browning was the creature in the water, and Ben Chapman was the handsome character when out of water.
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Post by Siren on Jul 13, 2013 7:27:06 GMT -6
I remember that, even as a child, I was impressed by how graceful the creature was in the water.
Just saw this one this week...
Golden Voyage Of Sinbad (1974) - John Phillip Law wears the turban this time, and battles some amazing Ray Harryhausen-animated creatures, including a 6-armed statue. The princess is played by beautiful Caroline Munro, who, three years later, appeared in the Bond adventure, "The Spy Who Loved Me".
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Post by stepper on Jul 13, 2013 17:25:20 GMT -6
To Hell and Back - staring the man rejected by US Marine Corps, US Army Airborne, and the US Navy, who was finally accepected by the US Army but when he passed out during basic training his commander seriously considered transferring him to cook school. Resisting this, he managed to stay and eventually became the most decorated US WW-II soldier and played himself in this movie - Audie Murphy.
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Post by Phalon on Jul 14, 2013 6:30:38 GMT -6
White Men Can't Jump - never saw it or cared to, so I don't know anything about it except that it starred Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes
Edited to add that oops, apparently I don't know the alphabet.
I, Robot - this one I did see because I adore Will Smith. Good futuristic action movie if you like that kind of stuff. Which I generally don't. But I adore Will Smith. Did I mention that already?
Continue on with whatever letter you wish.
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Post by stepper on Jul 14, 2013 13:47:54 GMT -6
Kaleidoscope- a 60s flick where a rich playboy (Warren Beatty ) breaks into a playing card manufacturer in Geneva to mark the cards and then break the bank at every European casino. As a footnote, one of my brothers had left for college and his girlfriend took me to see this movie. The movie was okay - but watching BJ get all caught up in what was happening was even more fun.
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Post by katina2nd on Jul 14, 2013 19:22:36 GMT -6
"Let Me In" About an introverted and bullied young boy (Kodi Smit-McPhee) who befriends a mysterious young girl (Chloe Moretz) in his apartment complex.
An atmospheric, and at times touching film, as a friendship slowly develops between the two, and it becomes apparent that the girl is not all she seems.
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Post by Siren on Jul 14, 2013 22:50:58 GMT -6
Nice double, Kat! Thank you for the Paul Harvey-esque Audie Murphy mini-bio. Very interesting! I didn't know that he had been rejected from other branches of service. Makes his remarkable story all the more remarkable.
~~~~~~~~
"Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist" (2008) - A boy with a freshly broken heart and a girl with trust issues find love at a punk music concert.
Michael Cera's first leading role after the huge success of "Juno".
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Post by scamp on Jul 18, 2013 8:50:12 GMT -6
O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a 2000, film written, produced, edited and directed by the Coen brothers, and starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Goodman supported by Holly Hunter and Charles Durning.
Oh Brother is set in 1937 in the backside of Mississippi. The film’s plot is a satire on Homer’s Odyssey while its title references the 1941 film Sullivan’s Travels, in which the lead character (a movie director) wants to film a fictional book about the Great Depression called O Brother, Where Art Thou? Given the backstory to Sullivan’s Travels -- Gulliver’s Travels, from which it got its title, was written by Jonathan Swift, who also wrote “A Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People From Being a Burden to Their Parents or Country, and for Making Them Beneficial to the Publick” (commonly referred to as A Modest Proposal), is a satirical essay in the style of Juvenal. In his anonymously published book, Swift suggests that the impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles (a big depression) by selling their children as food for rich gentlemen and ladies. This satirical hyperbole mocks the heartless attitudes towards the poor, as well as Irish policy in general and marked the dawning of the collapse of the first British Empire.
In other words, in Oh, Brother, there are layers upon layers of meaning. Add the sound track to it and we’d be here forever.
Siren, speaking of the sound track (which we really weren’t), and I do remember that you aren’t fond of Gillian Welch’s voice, do you think Gillian’s Acony Bell is a homage to the Carter Family’s Wildwood Flower? I’d like your opinion if you can tolerate Gillian that long. Thanks!
scamp
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Post by Siren on Jul 22, 2013 20:07:27 GMT -6
LOL! Not only can I not tolerate Gillian for long, I can't tolerate "O Brother.." at all. Sets my teeth on edge. But getting back to "Acony Bell", thanks for putting me onto that. Had not heard it before. I'm afraid I can't discuss the comparison with you. I don't know enough about either song. But I will say this: I was thrilled to see one of Mother Maybelle's guitars in Nashville. A lot of history resonated through that instrument. And check out the price this one went for: www.gruhn.com/features/maybelleL5/AR3719.html
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Post by Phalon on Jul 24, 2013 6:36:14 GMT -6
Me neither, Siren. I've tried to watch it at least twice, and have never made it to the end.
I didn't care for this one either...even though it stars Will Smith (have I mentioned recently that I adore Will Smith?)
The Pursuit of Happyness - even with the happy ending, I felt "blah" through the entire movie.
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Post by Siren on Jul 31, 2013 13:29:24 GMT -6
I didn't mind that one, Gams. But here's a rave review: go see "The Heat". You who see movies regularly may already have. In it, Melissa McCarthy is raunchy and foul-mouthed, but super funny. I laughed through the whole thing, then saw it again, to catch the funny lines my laughter drowned out during the first viewing. ~~~~~~~~ The 5th Quarter (2010) - Driven by the tragic and fatal car crash that took the life of his fifteen year old brother Luke, and wearing Luke's number 5 jersey, Jon Abbate helps to lead the Wake Forest Demon Deacons to the most successful season in school history. www.imdb.com/title/tt1130964/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1Starring Andie MacDowell, Aidan Quinn, and Oklahoma's own Ryan Merriman
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Post by Phalon on Aug 1, 2013 6:13:39 GMT -6
LX did the same thing, Siren...and dragged me with her the second time she saw it; I don't often like comedies, and rarely go to the theater to watch movies. She swore though, I'd like it. She was right. What a hoot!!!
Race to Witch Mountain (2009) - based on the 1975 Disney movie, "Escape to Witch Mountain". I didn't see the remake, but remember loving the original as a kid. It starred child-actress Kim Richards, who seemed to be all over the place on T.V. and in the movies at the time. She had a role in the remake.
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Post by stepper on Aug 1, 2013 16:11:34 GMT -6
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
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Post by scamp on Aug 2, 2013 20:03:29 GMT -6
Nice double, Step. LOL! Not only can I not tolerate Gillian for long, I can't tolerate "O Brother.." at all. Sets my teeth on edge. But getting back to "Acony Bell", thanks for putting me onto that. Had not heard it before. I'm afraid I can't discuss the comparison with you. I don't know enough about either song. But I will say this: I was thrilled to see one of Mother Maybelle's guitars in Nashville. A lot of history resonated through that instrument. And check out the price this one went for: www.gruhn.com/features/maybelleL5/AR3719.htmlSiren, I'd have to agree Gruhn about its importance. Thanks for the link. And I screwed up which Carter song I meant: I should have said, "My Little Flower." Meanwhile, back to the thread: Peter Ustinov in Odette which is a Brit WWII film based on the true story of Special Ops Agent, the French-born Odette Sansom, who was captured by the Germans in 1943, condemned to death and sent to a concentration camp to be executed. However, she survived somehow and testified against the prison guards at the Hamburg War Crimes Trials. Odette Sansom was the first woman awarded the UK’s George Cross (given rarely and only for “acts of the greatest heroism or of the most conspicuous courage in circumstances of extreme danger”) and the only woman who has been awarded it while living.
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Post by stepper on Aug 3, 2013 9:34:20 GMT -6
Vera Miles - Miss Kansas 1948, then she attracted the attention of Alfred Hitchcock and John Ford which led to Vertigo, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and more.
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Post by Siren on Aug 3, 2013 11:23:23 GMT -6
Mr. Weatherbee, principal of Riverdale High in the "Archie" comics
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Post by stepper on Aug 5, 2013 16:49:30 GMT -6
The Amazing Mr. X - an early phony spiritualist movie.
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