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[narfstar]

No they are not old but my wife and I watched some good inspirational movies on Netflix.
Treasure Blind, Soldiers of Change and Smile are all feel good movies.

[profh0011]

Today:

CHARLIE CHAN IN RENO


"Pop! Tell these guys I'm not crazy!"
"Must first convince self of same."

[josemas]

Most of my current shows are winding down-a few have already ended (Being Human-BBC, Being Human-SyFy and The Defenders) and the rest will be finishing their seasons over the next few weeks (Hawaii Five-O, CSI: NY, Crimnal Minds, Criminal Minds:Suspect Behavior, Bones, Fringe, and The Event).
To fill those spots I've already started watching AMC's new crime series-The Killing (which is strong on characterization) and there's a new season of Doctor Who starting next weekend.
After that I'll have to wait until Summer when some other shows I follow return (Leverage, Haven, Torchwood, & Warehouse 13).  There's also a new sci-fi series starting this Summer which I may catch-Falling Skies.  Also may try to catch up in reruns on some others-CSI and Nikita.

Best

Joe

[profh0011]

This weekend:

THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND  (1929)

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA  (1954)


This is probably the first time watching the Disney film where it felt like a "sequel".  (If you've seen the '29 film you know exactly what I mean.)

[Geo (R.I.P.)]

This weekend:

THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND  (1929)

20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA  (1954)


This is probably the first time watching the Disney film where it felt like a "sequel".  (If you've seen the '29 film you know exactly what I mean.)

We just popped 20,000 Leagues under the Sea in last night, my wife called it very boring, I have to admit the fight scene  at the end of the movie made me laugh, it was so bad.

Geo

[narfstar]

Yeah some of those old movies have to be judged on the special affects of the time. We have become jaded. Just check out Harryhausen's Sinbad movies. They were state of the art and so exciting in their day.

[josemas]

DVDs recently watched-

Monsters Vs. Aliens-2009-  Dreamworks animated feature.  While certainly not in the Pixar league the Lil' Missus and I found this one to be an enjoyable enough Saturday night movie.

Mothra-1961-  Where I grew up in Phoenix there was this show that ran on TV on weekends called World Beyond.  I caught many 1950s and 60s sci-fi flicks there over the years growing up.  Lots of AIP films and plenty of Japanese monsters too.  Mothra was among the later.  Hadn't seen it in many years and certainly not in the beautiful color widescreen presentation seen here on the Icons of Sc-fi: Toho Collection DVD set.

Gang Bullets-1938-   Gangsters get run out of big city.  Land in smaller town.  Threaten to corrupt officials.  Fair to middlin.'

The Hudsucker Proxy-1994-   Part of my new "watch a Paul Newman film a week" thing since I read that Newman bio.  Here's one I had never seen before.  Crazy Coen Bros shenanigans.  Newman having fun in a supporting role.

The Girl Who Played with Fire-2009-   The Swedish adaptation of the second of Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander novels comes across as a very condensed version of the book (even at over two hours long) and never quite captures the book's depth or nuances.  Noomi Rapace and Micahel Nyqvist are good in the lead roles though.

Affair in Trinidad-1952-   Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth are re-teamed in an effort to recreate the sizzle they brought to the screen in Gilda (1946).  Rita has some nice numbers in it but the script is ultimately too trite in this weakish noir effort.

Beowulf -2007-   CGI animated version of the famous Old English epic.    It's been decades since I read this in high school but my dim memory sez that the first half of the film is reasonably accurate to the source material.  Beyond that I can't remember as by that point in the film I was bored with the mannequin looking CGI actors and started dozing off.  The Lil' Missus found it more entertaining than I did though.

The World at War-1973-   I've been watching an episode a week of this series for a while now and finally finished it this past week.  I first saw this on my old black and white TV when I was a teenager back in the 70s and was somewhat surprised by how much color footage there was when I re-watched the entire series on DVD.  The DVD set also has all of the subsequent specials, culled from leftover interviews and the miles of documentary footage still on hand, that they put together after the initial (26 episode) series.   IMHO, the best documentary series on war ever and one of the best documentary series on any subject ever.  Highly recommended.

Secrets of the Dead-"Executed in Error"-2008-   A couple of years ago I read a book, Thunderstruck, about the "crime of the century" where the American Dr. Hawley Crippen was tried and executed for the murder of his wife in 1910 in Britain.  The trial was famous for its use of cutting edge forensic science which was instrumental in bringing in a guilty verdict against Crippen.  In this show they examine some of that evidence against modern forensic techniques and find out that the DNA from the body parts (said to have been Mrs. Crippen) reveals that the body parts were not only not her's but were from some man.  Recently released prosecutions documents from the trial also revealed that police suppressed evidence they found that corroborated Crippen's statement that his wife had left him sometime before.  What, at one time, seemed like a killer brought to justice now appears to be, quite possibly, a miscarriage of justice.

Best

Joe

[paw broon]

Love Godzilla, Mothra, Gamera and all those other great Japanese monsters. I've managed to get many of the films on dvd but as lots weren't available here in the U.K., I have American, French, Japanese versions.  Of course, it helps to have a multi region player. Thinking about this has put me in the mood to watch The Mysterions again.
Last night we watched 2 Avengers episodes - The Superlative 7 (Donald Sutherland is the guest star) and Never, Never Say Die with Christopher Lee.  To get the Blackman and Rigg episodes on dvd, I had to buy the Dutch and French sets but they're not dubbed, all you have to do is disable the Dutch sub-titles.

[profh0011]

Reading reviews of 20,000 LEAGUES at the IMDB, it's amazing the differences of opinions of different people.  Many feel it's Disney's greatest achievement, some feel it's an achievement DESPITE Disney (heh), others feel it's dull, boring, annoying, or some combination of those, while quite a few B**** and complain that "It doesn't follow the book!" (There's a AWFUL lot of those kind of reviews for an awful lot of movies at thre IMDB. While there may be some point to it, to judge a film solely on its fidelity to a book is often missing the point. As one person I know liked to say, "Many terrible novels have been turned into terrific movies.")

By a mile, James Mason and his Nautilus are the best parts of the Disney film, making me wish either Disney had done the sequel, or, better, that Charles Schneer had worked out a deal to RE-USE Disney's Nautilus (and its Captain) in his film.

Unfortunately, I was unable to locate my copy of Harryhausen's MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (I would swear I have it on tape somewhere!!), so, since it was handy, instead, last night I watched...

JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS  (1963)

Wow.  I love this movie from beginning to end.  It's one of the most stunningly beautiful films I've ever laid eyes on.  The color is dazzling!  I have read a version of the story (way back in the 60's) and am aware that the film made drastic changes to the details and structure of the story, but in the long run, I feel they made good choices, as what they wound up with really "works" as a movie.

And so many terrific English actors, so many of whom I've become more familair with over the years.  Honor Blackman (THE AVENGERS, GOLDFINGER, DOCTOR WHO: "Terror of the Vervoids"), Patrick Troughton (Hammer's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, DOCTOR WHO seasons 4-6, THE SCARS OF DRACULA, THE SAINT, SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER), Douglas Wilmer (SHERLOCK HOLMES, THE BRIDES OF FU MANCHU, THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, THE GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD, THE SAINT, OCTOPUSSY), Nigel Green (THE FACE OF FU MANCHU, THE IPCRESS FILE), Michael Gwynn (THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN), Nancy Kovack (DIARY OF A MADMAN, STAR TREK: "A Private Littlle War"), Niall McGinnis (NIGHT OF THE DEMON).  Director Don Chaffey later did a ton of TV, including THE AVENGERS, THE PRISONER, the 80's MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE.

But it's obvious the real star of the film is Ray Harryhausen, between Talos the bronze giant, the harpies, the Hydra and the 7 sword-fighting skeletons! And of course, Bernard Herrmann really adds weight and serious awesomeness to every scene (even if he's swiping from several of his own previous scores all the way thru the film).

This is one of those where I first saw it when I was a kid (in the 60's), later saw it on a theatrical reissue (late 70's) and now find myself loving it EVEN MORE as the years go by! It amazes me how much more "adult" it feels than the earlier 7TH VOYAGE OF SINBAD (which revels in its own "storybook" look and feel).  I'd put JASON on a equal footing with GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD as far as the overall tone of the film goes, except GOLDEN VOYAGE has better-developed characters, and even more "real-world" look to its fantasy world, and possibly the hottest-looking heroine in all of 70's fantasy films (Caroline Munro).


One thing that stands out more with each viewing, it's almost painfully clear that the end of the film was setting up a SEQUEL, to tell the rest of the story, the return voyage, and the showdown with King Pelias. WHY was a 2nd film never made?

[narfstar]

Loved the more the merrier monster movies. Gamera was like a superhero to me. I lost interest when they got to Godzilla vs ......

[profh0011]

If GODZILLA was Japan's answer to KING KONG (or, more accurately, THE BEAST FROM 20,000 FATHOMS), then MOTHRA must surely be Japan's answer to MIGHTY JOE YOUNG.  Both plots involve a "good" monster, show-business, and cute girls who just wanna go home.

My favorite Japanese giant-monster films include...

GODZILLA, KING OF THE MONSTERS
MOTHRA
GODZILLA VS. THE THING
GHIDRAH THE THREE-HEADED MONSTER
KING KONG ESCAPES
DESTROY ALL MONSTERS
TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA  (nice way to go out, a return to decent storytelling after too many "silly" films)

[paw broon]

How do I choose my favourite monster movies?  I've been giving this a ponder and in no particular order:-
Godzilla (the original) There was a BFI release a couple of years ago with a lovely re-mastered print.
Destroy All Monsters
Final Wars
Any of the b&w Gamera films.
And a couple of British ones;
The Giant Behemoth (Andre Morell) (a sort of Quatermass movie without Quatermass - Morell played Bernard Quatermass in the t.v. Quatermass and The Pit)
X The Unknown (Dean Jagger) In this a giant, black, radioactive, disgusting blob wreaks havoc in the highlands of Scotland.
Actually, this is getting silly.  There are so many I enjoy it's too difficult to decide.
And what about the monster in The Quatermass Experiment?  Great final scene in Westminster Abbey.

[Menticide]

I don't know anything about Midsummer Murders to get a laugh. Peter D had the misfortune of following the ultra popular (in the US) Tom Baker Doctor. It took me a while to get used to him but I did enjoy his run. The third Doctor is the one I just could not get into. It would be good if more non-US series and movies make it to archive for all to enjoy. There are still a lot of TV series that I have never seen a single episode of.

Hey, Pertwee is my second favorite Doctor, and yes, to illustrate a cliche, Baker is my favorite. But, Peter Davison was my third favorite, and I'm uncertain beyond that. But, Matt Smith has really won me over, and I think my wife is about kick me, because she's really only into David Tennant.

It's funny, when it comes to Doctor Who, most people's favorite is based on who they were first introduced to in the role.

Well, just in case anyone hasn't heard yet, Elisabeth Sladen died yesterday, that would be Sarah Jane, one of my all-time favorite Doctor Who companions. Also, oddly enough, this weekend, series six is beginning...

[paw broon]

Really upset and saddened by Elisabeth Sladen's death.  I've been a fan since I first saw her with Pertwee.  She was so good and her comeback with Tennent brought a tear to the eye.

[bowers]

Really a shock. Another very talented actress leaving us. Oddly enough, I had just rented some episodes of the "Sarah Jane Adventures" a few weeks ago. I had forgotten how good they were. Glad she was able to make a comeback, though. Sadly, Bowers

[profh0011]

What a week! Never watched these all as a set before...

CHARLIE CHAN'S MURDER CRUISE
CHARLIE CHAN AT THE WAX MUSEUM
MURDER OVER NEW YORK
CHARLIE CHAN IN RIO
CASTLE IN THE DESERT


On top of that, I've also continued watching Jeremy Brett as SHERLOCK HOLMES, David Suchet as POIROT, and Leo McKern as RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY.  (I only have a handful of the latter.)

And last night...  THE HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL.  I've now lost track of how many times I've seen this!


"My wife... she's so amusing."

[profh0011]

It takes a special kind of movie for me to be inspired to sit thru it twice in less than a month...


EVIL UNDER THE SUN  (1982)


From the 1st time I saw this on HBO, it immediately became one of my favorite movies.  I'd hoped for 4 years by then that Peter Ustinov would return for a 2nd outing as Poirot (after DEATH ON THE NILE), and I was not disappointed.  If anything, I've long considered this one of, if not the, MOST complicated Agatha Christie murder plots I've ever seen.  Each time I would watch the film, I found myself unable to keep track of all the details!! It happened multiple times... until last month, when, FINALLY, by the end of the film, I found that for the first time, I actually "GOT IT". And I realized what the problem was.  There were 2 related, convoluted plots, not 1.  On the one hand, there was the events concerned with the murder.  But on the other, the events that took place over the months leading up to the murder-- and which formed the MOTIVE.


Stunning location scenery, incredible cast, some of Guy Hamilton's best work ever as a director (this blows 3 of his 4 "007" films completely out of the water), and glorious Cole Porter tunes all thru the picture. I don't think I've done an IMDB review of this yet, but if I did, I'd give it 10 stars, something I never do.

[profh0011]

After slowly plowing thru the episodes in production order, today I finally reached the last of THE NEW AVENGERS. A lot of terrible things have been said about the 4 episodes designated as "The New Avengers In Canada". Much of it called for. However, The first 3 of the 4 episodes each at least had interesting premises: a "perfect" double-agent which turns out to be a 20-story office building with a talent for murder; a group of "indestructible", utterly ruthless killers; and a hidden, MOVEABLE, missile base. But "EMILY" gets back to the excessively over-worn tread in this series of a "mere" double-agent whose identity is unknown (NOT ANOTHER ONE!!!). And after a completely pedestrian first half, the second half just falls right off the board when it turns into a "comical" chase involving an antique automobile, the handprint of the double-agent in question on its roof, and Steed's HAT, taped on top of it to keep the prints intact until they can reach the crime lab.  This might have been stretching things in a half-hour series. For an hour... it's unbearable. And to think, this was how it all ended.  Makes me wish the money had run out 2 weeks earlier. "THE GLADIATORS"-- now THAT was a "great" episode!


As soon as I'm done, I'm planning to dig out my tapes of the series and start all over with the Dr. King, Venus Smith & Cathy Gale. Only this time, I'm thinking of watching them in rotation with 2 other series from the same period-- DANGERMAN, and THE SAINT!  (If you've never seen the B&W Roger Moore episodes, you've missed the BEST one he ever did.)

[narfstar]

A friend lent me the Dangerman DVD's. I tried it but could not get into it

[profh0011]

I can understand what you mean. I recall the first time I watched SECRET AGENT (my PBS station only got the later, hour-long episodes), and it seemed somehow "dull", or perhaops too "serious" compared to most other 60's adventure shows.  Patrick McGoohan was in many cases the SOLE reason for watching. And I have to admit, in  my case, I soon realized that of all the 60's TV adventure heroes, John Drake's personality most reminded me of myself!  (Simon Templar was someone I wanted to be more like; John Drake was someone who seemed I already was, IF I had a job like that.)

Took me years before I got the urge to watch them again, but I must say, they did start to "grow" on my the 2nd time around. A lot of the Cathy Gale episodes of THE AVENGERS were like that. I thought many of them, particularly the 2nd season (her 1st), were DULL. But on 2nd viewing, they got better. Of course, what amazes me about them is, when A&E ran them, they were butchered mercilessly.  I found ONE commercially-available videotape before A&E got the show and rented it, and one day, I managed to watch both copies of the same episode AT THE SAME TIME, on 2 different VCRs.  The A&E copy was missing 8-1/2 MINUTES!!! I mean-- good grief. It's a miracle those episode still make sense!


Come to think of it, Roger Moore's SAINT episodes also grew on me over time.  This was different from Ian Ogilvy's RETURN OF THE SAINT-- those I loved the first time around!

[josemas]

Harper-1966-  My Paul Newman movie for the week.  Adapted from Ross McDonald's first Lew Archer novel-The Moving Target (which I last read about three decades ago).  This was my first viewing of the movie in at least a couple decades too.  I remember it being a very cool and current type movie when I first saw it in the early 1970s. Now it seems more dated because the way they make movies has changed so much since then.  I still find it cool though.  Newman is wonderfully laid back as Lew Harper (don't ask why his name was changed from Archer to Harper as I've read several reasons and they all differ) and he has a great supporting cast that includes Julie Harris, Robert Wagner, Shelly Winters, Lauren Bacall, Janet Leigh, Strother Martin, and Arthur Hill.

Baseball-1994-   I'm not a baseball or big sports guy but I do love this Ken Burns documentary series because it is so full of history and its examination of the sport is such a great reflection of society and how it and the sport changed over the years. I've heard that he did a couple new episodes last year to bring this up to date but I haven't seen them yet.

Secrets of the Dead-"Battle for the Bible"-2007-  Another episode of the PBS documentary series.  This one examines the battles that went on in England to get the Bible translated into English so it could be more accessible to the common man during the 16th and 17th centuries as the Protestant Revolution went on in Europe.

The X-Files: Season Five-1997-1998-  In general I found this season to have a lighter overall tone than the earlier seasons with humor quite prevalent in several episodes.  The final show sets things up for the 1998 theatrical movie that came out during the Summer of that year between seasons 5 and 6.

Food, Inc.-2008-  A documentary that looks at the changes that have gone on during the last few decades in America as to how our food is now grown, raised,  etc..   Sobering and I suspect that it only scratches the surface of the subject.  Still recommended.

Studio One-"Pontius Pilate"-1952-  Well it's Easter week so I dug out this early live television show from an Easter broadcast of nearly 60 years ago. This largely fictionalized story about the Roman prefect who played a part in the crucifixion of Christ is quite well acted and ends with a plea for tolerance among all people.  Lead roles  are well played although I must confess that whenever I see Cyril Richard (who plays Pilate here) I always think of him as Captain Hook from my repeated watchings of those annual reruns of the Mary Martin version of Peter Pan when I was a kid.

Best

Joe

[profh0011]

I've got both HARPER movies on one tape (recorded off commercial TV in the 80's, so, bad signal and faded prints).  I watched them both again a few months ago. I think they're slowly growing on me, though not as much as THE MALTESE FALCON or THE BIG SLEEP have.  I have such a deep love for things from the 60's (probably because I grew up then), yet a lot of movies I've seen from that decade either haven't aged well, or require a special mindset to really enjoy them.

An example would be Irwin Allen's VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA (1961). I was initially disappointed with it compared to the TV series (which I had been a regular viewer of when it was first-run).  It took at least 4 viewings-- and in particular, getting to see it UNCUT and in WIDESCREEN beforer it really started to grow on me. I have a feeling now the TV series would seem odd by comparison.



Of course, all 8 of Roger Corman's POE films are now favorites of mine, but I've had decades of watching some of them for them to grow on me as much as they have.

HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL, on the other hand... that one I loved from the 1st time I saw it! Seen it about 7 times now (so far). the funny thing is, I saw the remake first... found it "interesting", but then, when I saw the original, I liked that much better.

[bowers]

Comcast free "On Demand" finally gave us something really good! Seasons three and four of "Primeval" and the new season of "Dr. Who". Great new twist in the story line of "Primeval". They've only shown the first episode of the Doctor, a two-parter, but it seems to be as well-done as last season.  Cheers, Bowers

[josemas]

I caught the premiere of the new season of Dr. Who on BBC America this past Saturday.  They're off to a good start with the Doctor out West wearing a Stetson and meeting Richard Nixon all in the same episode!

Best

Joe

[profh0011]

A fascinating article about the Sidney Toler CHARLIE CHAN films. I never knew, for example, that wne Fox ended their series, HE bought the rights! Clever guy.  I've been surprised at the IMDB by how many peolpe prefer him in the role to his prdecessor, Warner Oland.


http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/13/movies/homevideo/13kehr.html?_r=1


Henry