Miscellaneous Movie Musings

[Perle]

LOL. I shoulda realized. Well? Was he just as hot in person?

[Alex]

Let's see. The recent watchings.

Surf's Up. My MousePlanet review here. Recap: went in with low expectations and was very pleasantly suprised.

Brewster's Millions. The vagaries of life resulted in us no longer getting the $60 cable package at the $13 price. Of course, now we are used to the $60 package so I had to kick in, and while kicking in might as well get the basic digital package so now we have On Demand. Used my inaugural On Demand viewing to watch this. Stupid movie but I got a kick out of it when I was a kid.

Whispering Smith. I believe this was Alan Ladd's first western, from 1948. Ladd is, as far as I'm concerned, the Ben Affleck of the 1940's. I just don't understand the appeal he had for people. But it was a lot of fun to watch Robert Preston chew up the scenery. It is always interesting to see actors etched in my brain as old being young.

The African Queen. On the big screen at the Stanford Theater in Palo Alto. Some sound issues and one really bad splice. I'd never seen the whole movie in one go (though I'd seen most of it in pieces) and I'd forgotten what a fun movie this is. It starts off pretty weak but, pardon the pun, builds up quite a head of steam by the end.

Oceans 13. Much better than the second one but still pretty pointless. I found it too predictable and too choppy for the style to come through (though it still did at points) but Lani had a lot of fun with it.

The Fortune Cookie. The first pairing of Matthau and Lemmon. It is interesting to think that I watched Whispering Smith form 1948 in Technicolor and The Fortune Cookie from 1966 in black and white ('66 was the last year of separate Academy Awards for color and b/w). Not a great movie and pretty much everybody in it is completely hateful with nothing to redeem them but when Matthau gets in a groove he was a thing to watch. Was surprised that "bitch" was used freely and had to remind myself repeatedly that it was 1966 even though my brain kept wanting to put it back a decade.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Alex

Let's see. The recent watchings.

Surf's Up. My MousePlanet review here. Recap: went in with low expectations and was very pleasantly suprised.

I heard a review of it the other day that actually kinda make me want to see it...

Brewster's Millions. The vagaries of life resulted in us no longer getting the $60 cable package at the $13 price. Of course, now we are used to the $60 package so I had to kick in, and while kicking in might as well get the basic digital package so now we have On Demand. Used my inaugural On Demand viewing to watch this. Stupid movie but I got a kick out of it when I was a kid.

I'll admit to liking it, though I doubt I'd sit through it again having seen it twice.

[libraryvixen]

I went to see Waitress this weekend. The movie was truly lovely. Jenna (Keri Russell) is a pregnant woman in a bad marriage. Her only escape from her husband is working at a local pie diner where she makes pies based on the happenings in her life (ex: the "Bad Baby" pie, after she finds out she's pregnant). She dreams of going to a pie baking contest to win the grand prize.

This movie was such a lovely, little gem. I'd recommend it as a respite from the high tech / action heavy summer blockbuster.

This movie was no different than other indie / arthouse films I've attended in my area. There were a total of 3 paying customers in the movie. It's a like a private screening though!

[Not Afraid]

We saw The Prestige the other day. Why did two films about magicians suddenly come out at the same time and, why did I rent them back to back? Three months from now, I won't be able to tell you what the difference is between them.

[Alex]

One was good the other one was not.

[Snowflake]

Having never seen Goldfinger ( ) I watched it this weekend, in widescreen. Terrific flick, Sean Connery, Honor Blackman, Oddjob, nuff said

As much as I love Connery as Bond, I'm ready now for the franchise to revist the original books and redo them with Daniel Craig. Won't happen, but I can dream, can't I?

[Ponine]

Originally Posted by Alex

One was good the other one was not.

And I am curious, having seen neither, which would you reccomend?

I have a weakness for Christian Bale, but no idea if his film is the better.

[Alex]

I was just looking at Brewster's Millions on IMDb and I learn that the Richard Pryor version was actually the fourth filming of this movie in the United States (and it has been done nine times total worldwide). Interesting lesson on inflation:

1985 - $30 million in 30 days for $300 million.
1945 - $1 million in 60 days for $8 million.
1926 - $1 million in 60 days for $5 million (Miss Brewster's Millions)
1921 - $2 million in 365 days for $10 million.

How extravagant the British 1935 version (500,000 pounds in 60 days for 6 million) must have seemed in the middle of a global depression.

[Capt Jack]

I liked Prestige. even the parts that didnt make any sense.
havent seen the other.