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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 3, 2020 8:00:15 GMT -5
Hello, all! I have to confess that I didn't realize this was a friendly competition. My last post listed my goals, and I didn't reach all of them. For the record, in December I watched Magoo's ChristmasChristmas Carol (Reginald Owens) Christmas Carol (Alistair Sim) Christmas Carol (Hicks) Muppet Christmas CarolIt's a Wonderful LifeParts of Christmas Story, and that new Fox Christmas Carol directed by Guy Ritchie. Never got to see John Doe, Christmas in Connecticut or any others. So that's only six movies. I don't want to be Rosie Ruiz.  with six films you still beat Shax and I |
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Post by Prince Hal on Jan 3, 2020 8:53:20 GMT -5
Hello, all! I have to confess that I didn't realize this was a friendly competition. My last post listed my goals, and I didn't reach all of them. For the record, in December I watched Magoo's ChristmasChristmas Carol (Reginald Owens) Christmas Carol (Alistair Sim) Christmas Carol (Hicks) Muppet Christmas CarolIt's a Wonderful LifeParts of Christmas Story, and that new Fox Christmas Carol directed by Guy Ritchie. Never got to see John Doe, Christmas in Connecticut or any others. So that's only six movies. I don't want to be Rosie Ruiz. with six films you still beat Shax and I Well okay, then. So I should come up with a new topic for the month? |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 3, 2020 19:12:25 GMT -5
with six films you still beat Shax and I Well okay, then. So I should come up with a new topic for the month? Absolutely, pick anything you like! |
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Post by Prince Hal on Jan 3, 2020 19:27:33 GMT -5
Thanks, my friends!
All righty then, let's go for movies based on works of literature. Anything from The Irishman to James M. Cain's Mildred Pierce, from Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard in Romeo and Juliet to Kirk Douglas in Ulysses, from Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity to John Ford's Grapes of Wrath.
When you post, give us your take on what you liked and didn't. And if you've read the source material, tell us how well the film captured the characters, theme, plot, tone --whatever -- of the book, play, poem or story. Is it worth a look or not?
This should leave us a wide-open field.
Sound okay?
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 3, 2020 19:49:50 GMT -5
Thanks, my friends! All righty then, let's go for movies based on works of literature. Anything from The Irishman to James M. Cain's Mildred Pierce, from Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard in Romeo and Juliet to Kirk Douglas in Ulysses, from Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity to John Ford's Grapes of Wrath. When you post, give us your take on what you liked and didn't. And if you've read the source material, tell us how well the film captured the characters, theme, plot, tone --whatever -- of the book, play, poem or story. Is it worth a look or not? This should leave us a wide-open field. Sound okay? Great call, I love literary adaptations! |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jan 4, 2020 0:25:57 GMT -5
Thanks, my friends! All righty then, let's go for movies based on works of literature. Anything from The Irishman to James M. Cain's Mildred Pierce, from Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard in Romeo and Juliet to Kirk Douglas in Ulysses, from Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity to John Ford's Grapes of Wrath. When you post, give us your take on what you liked and didn't. And if you've read the source material, tell us how well the film captured the characters, theme, plot, tone --whatever -- of the book, play, poem or story. Is it worth a look or not? This should leave us a wide-open field. Sound okay? Okay, so which Shakespeare adaptations are we watching? Chimes at Midnight? Branagh's Henry V? Olivier's Richard III? Can't wait! |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2020 0:59:42 GMT -5
Thanks, my friends! All righty then, let's go for movies based on works of literature. Anything from The Irishman to James M. Cain's Mildred Pierce, from Norma Shearer and Leslie Howard in Romeo and Juliet to Kirk Douglas in Ulysses, from Burt Lancaster in From Here to Eternity to John Ford's Grapes of Wrath. When you post, give us your take on what you liked and didn't. And if you've read the source material, tell us how well the film captured the characters, theme, plot, tone --whatever -- of the book, play, poem or story. Is it worth a look or not? This should leave us a wide-open field. Sound okay? Okay, so which Shakespeare adaptations are we watching? Chimes at Midnight? Branagh's Henry V? Olivier's Richard III? Can't wait! West Side Story  -M |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jan 4, 2020 1:03:32 GMT -5
Okay, so which Shakespeare adaptations are we watching? Chimes at Midnight? Branagh's Henry V? Olivier's Richard III? Can't wait! West Side Story -M Sometimes, I don't want to live in AmerEEEKa anymore... |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 4, 2020 18:38:31 GMT -5
Little Women (2019, Sony)
It may surprise some to hear it given my love of horror and super hero comics...but Louisa May Alcott's 1868 novel Little Women is one of my all time favorite novels. I've always been a sucker for coming of age stories and I loved how detailed and real Alcott's descriptions of the March sisters were and this movie really nailed that. Each of the sisters is unique here and their lives and trials and tribulations are all wonderfully portrayed. My favorite element however was Saoirse Ronan's (of Ladybird fame) role as Jo March...and Louisa May Alcott! Though not evident at first the scenes where Ronan is conversing and selling her stories look and feel much different than her scenes with her sisters and at the end after the editor agrees to publish Little Women and we see the book that she gifts to her mother and the book she latter clutches to her chest as it comes off the press list different authors that the difference in demeanor is because although semi-autobiographical Jo March and Louisa Alcott are in fact very different people and to see that on screen was fantastic.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Jan 8, 2020 8:00:08 GMT -5
Swiss Family Robinson  1940, RKO Along with Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe the story of the Swiss Family Robinson was a perennial favorite of my boyhood years; it's mix of action, adventure and amazing wild animals was exactly what my young imagination craved. While Disney's 1960 film version has long been a favorite film of mine I had never seen or even heard of this earlier version by RKO and the reason why is neferarious...the rights to the film and every existing print were purchased by old Walt himself and hidden away so they could not compete with his version. Still, it could be worse, he didn't destroy the prints and now almost 60 years later it's available on his streaming service which is where I discovered it. And while I think I prefer the beautiful location shots and bright colors of Disney's version I do love that this original version embraces the darker elements of the novel, exploring the despair the mother felt and the strain it put on her relationship with her husband. |
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Post by brutalis on Jan 9, 2020 7:45:00 GMT -5
Thanks to great timing from MoviesTVNetwork, I was able to sit back and enjoy H.G. Wells The Time Machine last night when I got in from work. This wonderful George Pal 1960's Rod Taylor and Yvette Mimieux movie was a perennial watch during my youth as it was on many a Saturday morning on the local station's science-fiction movie program. The time Machine itself is spectacular (classical enough to remain in the minds of current nerd and geeks since it even pops up in the Big Bang Theory) and the Victorian portions of the movie are vividly colorful and beautiful. The Time Travel portions are splendidly done and great utilization of Stop-Motion animation. Most of the movie is interesting and fun until "George" settles upon the future and meeting the Eloi and Morlocks. Here it slows a bit and goes into that horrible "adult" mushy love story stuff before George escapes back to his own time with an open ending where we are left to presume he has only visited awhile before heading Back to the Future (and in a classier ride than a DeLorean at that!) and his love Weena...
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jan 9, 2020 19:13:04 GMT -5
Just watched Renegades (1930) as part of my Films of Bela Lugosi review thread. I didn't realize it was adapted from a novel until after watching. Renegades (1930) Sgt. Fury's Howling Commandos, only Rhett Butler is leading them, and Victor Fleming gives the whole thing the scope and dignity you'd expect of the director who will go on to make Gone With the Wind only nine years later. Lugosi is barely in this thing, but the film shines brilliantly without his help. Plot (0-5 points): The characterizations, inner conflicts, themes and even symbolism are impressive as all heck. The film is both laugh out loud fun and remarkably poignant. 5Atmosphere (0-5 points): Fleming appears to spare little cost in giving us a sense of sweeping locales and realism as we follow a band of deserters through the Moroccan desert, through forts and camps, never once doubting the grandeur and authenticity of the adventure. 5Other Actors (0-3 points): The lovable band of renegades is perfectly cast and often feels like Nick Fury's Howling Commandos come to life. C. Henry Gordon plays a brilliant grumbling captain who holds to the rules and protocols with savage ferocity. However, the two leads, Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy, lack the complexity the script demands of them. Their scenes together, in particular, are utterly lacking in chemistry. 2The Lugosi Factor (0-10 points): Bela appears in four scenes across nearly 90 minutes of run-time, and only gets a chance to speak more than four lines in one of them. As the bored, reckless, and impulsive Sheik who will ultimately become the film's nemesis, Lugosi tries his best to have fun with the role, playing a silly caricature mostly for laughs, but his choice to do an accent on top of the Hungarian accent he hasn't figured out how to drop is odd at best. Regardless, I enjoy him in the role, but we see too little of him for me to score this component favorably. 3Overall: Very impressive film I'll likely return to again...but not for Bela. 15 |
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Post by shaxper on Jan 12, 2020 10:34:36 GMT -5
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Post by berkley on Jan 12, 2020 20:46:47 GMT -5
Would Billy Wilder's Sabrina count? Adapted from a Broadway play. I saw it at a local cinema Friday, for the first time since seeing it on tv as a kid in the 70s.
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Post by Prince Hal on Jan 12, 2020 22:26:57 GMT -5
Would Billy Wilder's Sabrina count? Adapted from a Broadway play. I saw it at a local cinema Friday, for the first time since seeing it on tv as a kid in the 70s. As this month’s arbiter, I say yes. |
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