Dance, Fools, Dance (1931) Joan Crawford, William Bakewell and some big eared lug from Cadiz, Ohio named Clark Gable. Gable was still years away from being the King of Hollywood. Gangster crime drama. Joan Crawford plays an undercover reporter who's job it is to seduce Clark - who is running liquor and operating a speak easy - and bring down his nefarious empire. Complicating things is that unbeknownst to her, her brother is working for Gable. The brother is played by William Bakewell, who was a fine character, but never really became a huge star. Reputedly, Joan Crawford and Clark started an affair during the filming of this movie, which I believe is their first of eight films together. In an interview later in life, JC described Gables the manliest man who ever drew breath, so I'm guessing that Clark acquitted himself quite well! [emoji6] T
Been on a pre-code Barbara Stanwyck binge. Ladies of Leisure, 1930 Missy plays a good time girl. That's a 30s euphemism for call girl. Meets a nice guy, they eventually fall in love. It's OK. Ten Cents a Dance, 1931 Babs is a taxi dancer. Meets & marries a heel. Didn't like this so much. She plays a doormat for too long before kicking this chump to the curb. The Miracle Woman, 1931 Stanwyck plays a traveling evangelist, who sees the light, thanks to the love of a blind man. Very good to see her expand her range. Forbidden, 1932 Near as I can tell this is an earlier version of her more famous Stella Dallas. Stanwyck is a bit too much of a martyr for me. I kept waiting for her to knock someone in the teeth. Never happened. Ladies They Talk About, 1933 Now this is the pre-code Stanny I know and love! She's a sassy gangster's moll with more swagger than most guys. Imagine Jimmy Cagney in a skirt and with a Brooklyn accent! Pre-code Stanny always looks like she wants to sock someone in the puss. And Dorothy Burgess, who plays the female antagonist, is on the receiving end. Great film IMO. Highly recommended. T
From Baby Face. Love this scene. Young Barbara Stanwyck dealing with a chump. And looking good doing it. T
Gilda, 1946 Rita Hayworth & Glenn Ford I know many consider this classic noir, but I didn't really like this movie. Hayworth is totally gorgeous, but she's annoying as Ford's ex. He's no better. The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, 1946 Typical convoluted noir drama, love and hate, faith and betrayal. Cast is first rate. Barbara Stanwyck at the top of her game. Van Heflin. Kirk Douglas in his inaugural film role! Lizabeth Scott, also in a very early role, doing what she did best - playing a femme fatale who helps a guy go off the rails thanks to her husky voice and curvy figure. Recommended. T
If you're a fan of international cinema, TCM is highlighting Setsuko Hara as part of its Summer Under the Stars series. Ms. Hara is the Japanese Garbo. She was very popular, worked with the top Japanese directors like Kurosawa and Ozu, and then just up and quit, living the last half century of her life as a recluse. Pity. She was a great actor and a great beauty. As part of the series, Tokyo Story (1953), Ozu's seminal work was recently on. It's a tale of elderly parents who visit their children in Tokyo. But, they have lives and families of their own, and do a poor job of showing their folks a good time in the big city. Only their widowed daughter in law, played by Hara, goes out of their way to treat them warmly, taking off work for some sightseeing in Tokyo. The mother dies shortly after her return home, and her children show up dutifully to mourn, but are soon hastily making plans to return to Tokyo to their own lives. As before, Hara's character is the only one who stay behind to be with the father. This is one of those classic films that the cognoscenti seem to love, and this is one that lives up to the hype IMO. As you'd expect of an Ozu film, the cinematography is just spectacular. Highly recommended. T
Ava I feel like I've seen this story before including the ending, but can't figure out which one it was. Decent film, but seemed like it should be a short film rather than full length given the story takes place over a 2 or so week timeframe and is not deep. Jessica Chastain is good, though.
Got around to the rest of Ozu's "Noriko trilogy." Early Summer, 1951 My least favorite of the trilogy. That's to say, it's merely excellent to very good. Late Spring, 1949 People have written academic papers dissecting this film, dissecting individual scenes, so I can only add - WOW! To be honest, one of the best movies I've ever seen. It's a story of conflict arising from a 27 year old daughter who takes care of her widowed father. Each is comfortable with their life. But, they know that that it can't last forever and tradition says she must get married before she's an old maid. The father sacrifices his happiness for her by pretending he's going to remarry. Noriko - played by Setsuko Hara - sacrifices her happiness to accede to what she thinks is her father's wish and bows to tradition by pretending she is happy to be getting married. The plot is mundane in the best sense of the word. But the acting, cinematography, etc. is fabulous. Ms. Hara is sublime. Bravo to TCM for going outside the box and highlighting her this past month. There are two or three scenes near the end where she's just magnificent. If you like simple human drama, superb story telling and fabulous acting, I couldn't recommend this movie more highly. T
Last Leonardo Great documentary about the discovery of the long lost Leonardo da Vinci painting "Salvator Mundi", which became the world's most expensive painting of all times.
While on Japan period films- check out Sword of Doom- a tale of evil and tailspin into madness with Tatsuya Nakadai and Toshiro Mifune and directed by Kihachi Okamoto from 1966 Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
I must be getting old. I thought this was about the Elton John album! [emoji2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Fantastic_and_the_Brown_Dirt_Cowboy T
No Man of Her Own, 1932 Carole Lombard and Clark Gable Lombard is a small town librarian. If I had a nickle for every librarian I've seen hotter than Carole Lombard, I'd be empty handed! Gable is a card sharp on the lam, passing through town. They fall in love, and she convinces him to follow the path of righteousness. Gable and Lombard were married in 1939, but apparently no sparks during the making of this film. How Clark didn't fall in love with her then and there, I have no idea! Cliche story, but Lombard is fantastic. She's both sexy and funny. Her interaction with Gable - both comedic and dramatic - is top notch. T
Many saints of Newark Was pretty good. Was fun to see the characters develop into the Sopranos we all know. A tad woke with a strong focus on BLM before there was such a term. Overall ok, not stellar but good enough.
Not new. Amazing, everyone should see this show. Won't You Be My Neighbor Fred Rogers was a one off. I think the world needs more like him. Different than the Tom Hanks hit, A Beautiful Day in The Neighborhood, which I also thought was good.
"No Time To Die." Terribly disappointing. Full of political wokeness, and excruciatingly long. Worst send off I could imagine for Daniel Craig, the best James Bond in my opinion. Ana de Armas (CIA agent Paloma) is a lone bright spot.
Finally saw Rounders, wasn't too bad. Also watched one I had never heard of called Inheritance that was pretty good also and the leading lady it turns out is Phil Collins daughter Lilly. Another one I really liked was called Joe, it was an Indy movie starring Nick Cage I thought it was very well done and Cage was excellent in it.
I found it very disappointing overall. Some scenes were phenomenal and others were simply gratuitous violence which gave the movie a staccato feel. Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat
The violence was in abundance. They packed more killing into that film than entire Sopranos season had.
Just watched Nobody I liked it. Over the top shoot em up , special forces , john wick action. Sort of Mr & Mrs Smith comedy , i thought it made it better. It's new , 2021 and no obvious pc or wokeness.
That and the bus scene ..classic I think it was a sleeper movie .. i just stumbled upon it .. not the greatest movie but entertaining for sure Sent from my moto g power using Tapatalk
I saw a movie that I had never seen before or even heard of before and you would think I would have: Son of Frankenstein made in 1939. Its the last of the Frankenstein movies with Karloff as the monster. What's funny is a lot of the bits from Young Frankenstein comes from this movie, including the Inspector with the wooden arm and DARTS. Also the monster being controlled by music Also in this movie its the first movie with "Igor" character, played really creepily by Bela Lugosi with a broken neck and hunchback.
