Mad Max “Much Damage?” Clip: Writers, Here’s How To Introduce Your Hero (#1 of A Bunch)…

Posted on May 1, 2014 by geelw

So, TCM making more (and better) use of its YouTube page means I get to babble about storytelling for a series of posts about one important part of a good (or even not so good) heroic movie. Forget all about Mel’s more current issues, folks. Back when this film was made, he was cool beans on a fresh plate and Mad Max was to many, his breakthrough role (at least in the USA where action fans got both barrels from this wild ride). This particular clip shows George Miller’s assured direction of always hard to shoot vehicle action and some dynamic camerawork along with excellent use of scoring and sound effects. The opening minute of this scene is pure white-knuckle action, then there’s a pause while Max is introduced and takes over the pursuit, completely changing the tone. The contrast between the Night Rider’s ranting and Max’s slow set-up works and when he breaks the Toecutter in that “chicken” match, you know it’s pretty much all over. Granted, Max goes though some breaking of his own as the film progresses, but I’ll let you catch this on TCM (Saturday, May 3 at 2am ET/Fri, May 2 at 11pm PT) and not spoil a thing if you’re now to this one…

Mr. Hoskins Checks Out…

Posted on April 30, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, FilmsActuTrailers!)

I’ll do a proper RFToW for Who Framed Roger Rabbit? this coming weekend, but here’s a clip to remind me (and you, and you and you and you!) of how the late Bob Hoskins nailed it but good in playing his cheap detective so well against all those ping pong balls on sticks and other stuff on set, probably wondering what the hell he was doing while hoping the animators and tech folks could make the movie work. They did and it’s a classic for the ages.

I’d also recommend Hoskins in Mona Lisa, The Long Good Friday, and Hook for starters. Anyway, I think I’ll have a drink later as a toast to one more great actor lost to time…

Oops. One Tiny Mistake There, TCM. Otherwise, Both Thumbs Up!

Posted on April 25, 2014 by geelw

While it’s wonderful to see William Friedkin’s 1977 film SORCERER getting some much needed love at TCM’s yearly film festival (held this year at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood), I’ll admit to my eyebrow shooting up at the word “The” in that video title.

(thanks again, robatsea2009!)

Eek. Yeah, it’s a minor mistake that can easily be corrected with a few keystrokes, but I’d never heard of “the City Lights” “The Ben Hur”, “The Frankenstein”, or “The King Kong” in my film studies. So that sort of thing is a bit pesky to me. Anyway, perhaps the person who posted this video was thinking of the film Friedkin’s is based off of, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s brilliant 1953 action/drama The Wages of Fear. Hmmm… now I want to see both films pop up on TCM soon. Or even better, FINALLY see Friedkin’s film make a decent Blu-Ray appearance, as it’s one that’s LONG due.

I’ve Got The Power (Back)! Or: Be Careful What You Wish For…

Posted on April 17, 2014 by geelw

Ha and double ha. So, my replacement laptop power supply arrived this afternoon and works fine (it’s not OEM, but it’s getting the job done), but I’m now faced with the hi-larious dilemma of catching up to a ton of stuff I haven’t been able to do until now. My brain and overstuffed inbox just let me know what’s in store for me:

(thanks, davstern1500!)

Ouch. Let’s see now… I’ve a bunch of games to download, some articles to complete a digital stack of email to answer and a few other things that have my head spinning a bit. Oh well, no use complaining about it – there’s work to do so let’s get to it. Er, you might want to stay back a few feet… this could get messy.

Random Film of the Week(end): Nights of Cabiria

Posted on April 12, 2014 by geelw

(thanks, TrailerItaliano!)

The first time I saw Nights of Cabiria, I was wide awake and it was the middle of the afternoon, but I was so wrapped up in watching Giulietta Masina’s spectacular performance that I’d stopped reading the subtitles and missed a chink of the story. Of course, this being a Fellini film, the visuals and expressive acting spelled out most of what happened and Masina’s work as a happy go lucky hooker with a head of stone and dreams of finding love kept me entranced until the ending.

I’ve seen the film quite a few times since and have introduced it to friends with no explanation because how do you properly describe a film about prostitutes that manages to be funny and sad and human all at the same time without getting wrapped up in someone’s “Uh, so… it’s a movie about what?” eyebrow. Granted, you can always take the easy way out and make it a double feature night with Fellini’s La Strada first, as like this film, it won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film and has Giulietta Masina giving another performance for the ages. That SHOULD wipe away any smudgy thoughts about pedigree and content.

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100 From 2001 Is A Pretty Prime Number!

Posted on April 10, 2014 by geelw

EDIT: Duh, I forgot to put the link in. See below for that link. Heh, sorry!

A friend sent me a link to “something wonderful” the other day and after taking the ultimate trip through this amazing imgur gallery of stills and behind the scenes production shots from the filming of one of my favorite films, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, I’m reporting back and sharing the link for all to discover on their own time. I’ve seen a handful of these here and there over the years, but the entire gallery all at once is amazing and quite educational on a few fronts.

As with any film, I knew there were bits shot and discarded, but I’m now wondering about that lovely futuristic (well, for 1966-67) automobile among other things. Was that a mere production still or was/were there a scene or scenes shot on earth? Anyway, the placement of the images seems to follow the film’s plot, but if you’ve never seen 2001 before, fear not. Not knowing a thing about it means you’ll be scratching your head until you DO finally see it. Which is a good thing, of course…

Still… let me slightly not “ruin” things with this trailer (thanks, the cultbox!):

Trust me, you didn’t EVEN have anything spoiled there, as this film demands you pay attention. A few times, at that.

TCM Wants To Feed You With Classic Horror & Sci-Fi This Weekend…

Posted on March 28, 2014 by geelw

Ha! Someone at Turner Classic Movies has a wicked sense of humor, that’s for sure. Granted, I’d still LOVE the job of hosting that Underground feature one of these days (I have a ton of ideas on how to make it sing and soar), but unil then, I’ll deal with the channel doling out its library in its current form. Anyway, FRIDAY night and into early Saturday morning (East Coast time), it’s Soylent Green followed by Night of the Living Dead (a film I really, REALLY need to do a RFotW on, even though it’s been reviewed about a million times or more already). Yeah, I’ve seen both of these many times already, but both are movies that have a way of luring me back in for just one more peek almost any time I find them playing. I bet you’re the same way too, right?

Yeah, I thought so…

Random Film of the Week(end): The Boys From Brazil

Posted on February 8, 2014 by geelw

(Thanks, DEATHTRAP TRAILERS!)

Depending on your frame of mind, The Boys From Brazil will either creep you out of make you laugh a wee bit too much. It will do both if you’re somewhere in the middle on the mental front (or are a first time viewer), but I’ll leave you to let this one settle where it lands. Franklin J. Schaffner’s signature directorial style is on full display here as this semi sci-fi/dramal/horror flick does its thing with some interesting casting choices, dialog ripe with amusing yet nasty situations and a number of creative demises for a few characters.

Granted, the subject matter is a bit touchy to some, what with the book and film positing real-life Nazi war criminal Dr. Josef Mengele (Gregory Peck!) as alive and kicking and still working on a pretty outlandish experiment that involves almost a hundred little Hitlers. But the film pulls you in right from the start and keeps you watching as the bad, mad doctor’s plans slowly but surely come to fruition. Well, sort of…

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Bottomless Bucket List #1: Ennio Morricone US Tour 2014

Posted on February 3, 2014 by geelw

When I was much younger, I really didn’t appreciate Ennio Morricone’s work until I started listening to movies as background noise while doing homework. Sure there were the famous spaghetti western themes that were favorite from the first time the were heard, but I didn’t bother putting a name to those tunes and others until I started collecting soundtracks back when I was around 14 or 15. As I broadened my cinematic horizons, I started to see Morricone’s name pop up even more frequently than some of my more favorite composers and when I dug up more information on the man’s output, I was floored at just how many film and TV soundtracks the man wrote, composed and conducted (it’s currently over 500 since 1959)… Continue reading →

Sleuthathon, Anyone? Get A Clue This March…

Posted on February 1, 2014 by geelw

Ah, the joys of the blogathon! Like-minded fast to slow typists of assorted interests and skill sets, some of the more precisely well worded and edited post, some of the punchy, short perfect post and me with my fishing around for words and hoping they all fit together once I drop my five-cent bowl of alphabet soup on the carpet before I can even open my packet of crackers, *sob!*

Anyway, Fritzi over at Movies, Silently is at it again, hosting not just a blogathon, but a Sleuthathon featuring films up to 1965 about assorted gumshoes, nosy folks who find themselves detecting danger and other flicks and TV shows.

If YOU have a favorite film detective who fits the bill and can string together a few sentences better than I can, feel free to check out the link for submission guidelines and perhaps contribute one of your favorite films, group of related films or shows. The more, the merrier!