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Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 3:00 pm
by flipp525
A Patch of Blue; dir Guy Green (1965) 9/10
Rewatched this having recently DVRed a Sidney Poitier marathon on TCM. Boy, does this age well. It has the timeless quality of "outsider-dom" that makes Selina's struggle to find her place in a dark, miserable world inspiring and relatable. Shelley Winters (Best Supporting Actress Winner) is ferocious, frightening and fantastic as the roaring bitch Rose-Ann D'Arcey.
But the real revelation is the then-unknown Elizabeth Hartman as Selina. She doesn't fall into any of the traps of playing a blind person. Her sheer terror on display during the scene where Selina is caught in a rainstorm is just magnificently portrayed. Most disturbing scene: Selina describes her rape in a matter-of-fact way, not seeing the horror on Poitier's face as he takes it in.
I think Hartmann gives the best performance that year out of the five nominated women in Best Actress and I will proudly be voting for her in jowa jilly's poll.
The simple, quiet and beautiful Jerry Goldsmith score was a new discovery this time around. I'm glad it was recognized by the Academy with a nomination.
Edited By flipp525 on 1252527909
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 7:43 pm
by Zahveed
Lolita (Kubrick) - (6/10)
It drags quite a bit and there isn't any forbidden kind of chemistry between the two leads, more of just an obsession from the stepfather - which I guess is kind of the point, but there is still no tension in the air. Peter Sellers is great though, but the premise promised more than delivered. The first scene is the best in the entire film.
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:59 am
by Big Magilla
Reza wrote:Big Magilla wrote:As for Phyllis Calvert, she's only in two scenes and nowhere near as impressive as Eileen Herlie in 1972's The Woman I Love with Richard Chamberlain and Faye Dunaway or Peggy Ashcroft in 1978's Edward & Mrs. Simpson with Edward Fox and Cynthia Harris.
Another impressive Queen Mary I recall is Greer Garson in Crown Matrimonial, a 1974 Hallmark Hall of Fame production covering the same material. She was a central figure in all these productions except the 1988 version.
Are The Woman I Love and Crown Matrimonial available on dvd?
No.
None of the old Hallmark Hall of Fame productions are available on DVD so I doubt Crown Matrimonial will ever be released but Universal produced The Woman I love so it's possible that they will see fit to releasing it some time in the future.
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:24 am
by anonymous1980
dws1982 wrote:Netflix shows that Lino Brocka has some films available for rental. I don't have any idea what the audio/video quality is though.
It's not a Criterion-quality print but it's quite watchable considering the fact that we're kind of a poor country our government unfortunately isn't doing a good-enough job in trying to preserve classic Filipino films. A lot of them have been lost (our silent films and the Juan Tamad films of Manuel Conde, considered to be one of the finest films of Filipino, just to name a few).
I'm just grateful these films are now being released on DVD and can be viewed by a younger, wider audience.
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 11:04 am
by Reza
Big Magilla wrote:As for Phyllis Calvert, she's only in two scenes and nowhere near as impressive as Eileen Herlie in 1972's The Woman I Love with Richard Chamberlain and Faye Dunaway or Peggy Ashcroft in 1978's Edward & Mrs. Simpson with Edward Fox and Cynthia Harris.
Another impressive Queen Mary I recall is Greer Garson in Crown Matrimonial, a 1974 Hallmark Hall of Fame production covering the same material. She was a central figure in all these productions except the 1988 version.
Are The Woman I Love and Crown Matrimonial available on dvd?
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 10:15 am
by dws1982
Netflix shows that Lino Brocka has some films available for rental. I don't have any idea what the audio/video quality is though. Unless it's a Criterion release, you never know what kind of a/v quality you're going to get with international films on DVD. They can look and sound great (Violent Summer), or they can be unwatchable (The Gospel According to St. Matthew).
Edited By dws1982 on 1252336568
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 9:58 am
by Damien
anonymous wrote:Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang ("Weighed But Found Wanting) (Lino Brocka) - 9.5/10
Another highly recommended classic Filipino film.
Great film. It's a shame that Brocka isn't a (art) household name. He was one of the truly great -- and original -- filmmakers. (If he had lived into the Internet age, then his virtues would probably have been propegated throughout the world, much as Hou and Wong-Kar Wei have been.
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 9:05 am
by Big Magilla
Reza wrote:Big Magilla wrote:The Woman He Loved (1988) Charles Jarrott 6/10
Jane Seymour and Anthony Andrews do credible imitations of the pair but Olivia de Havilland, Julie Harris and others are wasted in support.
Never understood why Julie Harris got an Emmy nod for this. I don't recall her but Phyllis Calvert played Queen Mary and usually she was always good, even in small roles.
I've never understood most of Julie Harris' nominations.
As for Phyllis Calvert, she's only in two scenes and nowhere near as impressive as Eileen Herlie in 1972's The Woman I Love with Richard Chamberlain and Faye Dunaway or Peggy Ashcroft in 1978's Edward & Mrs. Simpson with Edward Fox and Cynthia Harris.
Another impressive Queen Mary I recall is Greer Garson in Crown Matrimonial, a 1974 Hallmark Hall of Fame production covering the same material. She was a central figure in all these productions except the 1988 version.
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 4:32 am
by anonymous1980
Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang ("Weighed But Found Wanting) (Lino Brocka) - 9.5/10
Another highly recommended classic Filipino film.
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 4:18 am
by mlrg
Hester Street (1975) - Joan Micklin Silver
2/10
If you're into knowing how the jews lived in 1898 in NY, probably you should check this. Otherwise, avoid this terribly directed, poorly acted and boring film (and the running time is only 88 min).
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:14 am
by Reza
Big Magilla wrote:The Woman He Loved (1988) Charles Jarrott 6/10
Jane Seymour and Anthony Andrews do credible imitations of the pair but Olivia de Havilland, Julie Harris and others are wasted in support.
Never understood why Julie Harris got an Emmy nod for this. I don't recall her but Phyllis Calvert played Queen Mary and usually she was always good, even in small roles.
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:43 am
by Big Magilla
Victoria & Albert (2001) John Erman 7/10
British mini-series with a slightly different perspective than the current theatrical release, The Young Victoria. Victoria Hamilton, who plays the young queen here and Emily Blunt who plays her in the film, bear an uncanny resemblance to one another.
The Woman He Loved (1988) Charles Jarrott 6/10
One of several versions of the 1930s romance of Edward VIII (the Duke of Windsor) and Wallis Simpson (the Duchess of Windsor) leading up to his abdication and the only one made after both their deaths.
Jane Seymour and Anthony Andrews do credible imitations of the pair but Olivia de Havilland, Julie Harris and others are wasted in support.
Against the Wind (1948) Charles Crichton 8/10
Fascinating post-war look back at World War II British espionage, the forerunner of everything from The Guns of Navarone and Operation Crossbow to Army of Shadows. Robert Beatty, Simone Signoret, Jack Warner, Gordon Jackson and James Robertson Justice are among the stars.
Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 8:21 am
by mlrg
Hud (1963) - Martin Ritt
6.5/10
Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 6:35 am
by Precious Doll
Hustler wrote:Precious Doll wrote:Ponyo (2008) Hayao Miyazaki 4/10
Wait! Ponyo is a gem! Please, watch it again if you can.
I found it to be derivative of The Little Mermaid and a surprisingly small scale effort for Myazaki. I'd much rather watch his better work again then this.
Che: Part Two (2008) Steven Soderbergh 4/10
The Girlfriend Experience (2009) Steven Soderbergh 4/10
Herostratus (1967) Don Levy 7/10
In the Loop (2009) Armando Iannucci 5/10
Posted: Sun Sep 06, 2009 1:10 am
by Zahveed
Extract (Judge) - 8/10
You gotta love watching people's lives fall to ruins, especially when horse tranquilizers are involved.