Miscellaneous Movie Musings

[Gemini Cricket]

I've been watching Elvis movies on TCM. Yeah, I'm sorry that he died 32 years ago today but his movies stunk!



On a completely different note, Tea and Sympathy is a pretty good movie. Another to add to my "not on DVD" list. (Although I've never been a huge fan of Deborah Kerr. Liked her okay in Eternity tho.)

[Snowflake]

I just saw a gorgeous Bollywood film, Saawariya. I'm not too experienced in a lot of Indian films, I've seen several old style, but not too many newer films. I loved it, good music and a visual feast.

Here's the amazon editorial review:

Imagine a movie with the lavish production of Moulin Rouge!, the emotional complexity of a story by the great Russian writer Dostoevsky, a cast of staggeringly beautiful people, and the spectacular choreography of Bollywood extravaganzas? You've just imagined Saawariya, a lush romantic saga decked out in dazzling jewel tones--the entire world gleams with shades of sapphire, emerald, and amethyst. An innocent musician named Raj (Ranbir Kapoor, half Justin Timberlake, half the Scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz) falls madly in love with a lovely young woman named Sakina (Sonam Kapoor), who stands every night on a bridge with a black umbrella. But when he learns that she's in love with another man, a man who has been gone for a year but who promised to return that very week, Raj's pure soul turns corrupt with jealousy and longing. The charming lead actors are both making their feature film debut, but in supporting roles are two Bollywood superstars: Salman Khan (once voted the 7th best-looking man in the world by People Magazine) as Sakina's wayward beloved and the rapturously lovely Rani Mukherjee (sometimes known as the Queen of Bollywood) as a prostitute who counsels Raj in his affair, though she may have feelings of her own for the foolish young man. There's nothing else like Bollywood cinema; Saawariya combines wildly theatrical performances and insane dance sequences with an irresistibly sweeping romanticism that puts Titanic to shame. Truly a feast for the eyes and the heart.

[Nephythys]

Originally Posted by Alex

Saw District 9 last night. Very original, some quibbles about sciency things since it seemed to be trying so hard for realism but mostly they didn't bother me. Enjoyed it quite a bit.

Saw it yesterday-thought it was great. Very emotional for a sci-fi movie.

[innerSpaceman]

Kinda really liked D9. Sciency things sure didn't bother me, because I was too wrapped up to notice any weird science.

That's usually a good sign that I'm liking the film. I didn't realize i was till it was almost over. But it's rad.

[Gemini Cricket]

Duel in the Sun is on TCM.
Barf!
I don't know why but Jennifer Jones bugs me. She bugs me almost as bad as the expressionless Loretta Young.

[innerSpaceman]

I really know only one Loretta Young movie well, because I watch it ever year at Christmastime, but she's hardly expressionless in The Bishop's Wife.

[Snowflake]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

Duel in the Sun is on TCM.
Barf!
I don't know why but Jennifer Jones bugs me. She bugs me almost as bad as the expressionless Loretta Young.

Well, Duel in the Sun is stunningly overblown cheese whiz of the highest calibre.

Poor Marion Davies got such a bad rap for heart financing her films and then had her career ruined by assumptions made based on Citizen Kane. Jones is another example, Selznick's obsession with her, my goodness there are some amazingly poor performances. I have great sentimental feelings for Portrait of Jennie, but other films ack.

Back to Duel in the Sun, worth it totally for the death scene of Lillian Gish and Lionel Barrymore's reaction. Makes me cry every time. Of course, King Vidor demanded his name be removed from the film, I can't remember if it was. And I do find the final creepy crawl over the rocks to be hilarious. The technicolor is overripe, too, but glorious. Joseph Cotten is the one the really bugs me. Well cast cheese still does smell awful sometimes.

[Gemini Cricket]

I actually liked a lot of the Marion Davies films they showcased on TCM. I thought she was pretty danged funny.

Back to Duel in the Sun, there's so much wrong about this film. Too long, too slow and Jennifer Jones had too much tanning makeup on. I think one of the most horrible things of the film is the advertisement for the film in the film at the beginning. "Duel in the Sun... two years in the making..." etc Oy vey. Which producer allowed that? Once they're sitting in the seats, they don't need to be convinced to come see the movie.
And as much as I love Lillian Gish and Lionel Barrymore, the scene had the opposite effect on me. The film makes me chuckle. It just feels soooo over the top sad that it makes me giggle.

Ah, Joseph Cotten. Sometimes I watch the couple of films he and Orson Wells are in and wonder if Wells had the hots for him. Just my gaydar working overtime, I think.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Speaking of TCM, do they show film uncut? We're wanting to catch Coppola's The Conversation, it's airing on TCM. But if they edit movies we'll just wait for netflix.

[Moonliner]

For only the second time this summer, I made it out to see a movie at a real theater. District 9.

They had something I've never seen in a theater before, a self serve soda fountain. Very cool, and a large butter popcorn was $3.00 I think I was in junior high the last time I paid that little for popcorn.

As for the movie..... Meh. I never felt emotionally invested in it.

I was like, well duh:

Spoiler:

Of course the prawns are being dissected and used for all sorts of nasty experiments and stuff. Was I supposed to be surprised by that?

The bad "sciency" parts did bother me.

A little more back story on the prawns would have been interesting.