I’ve never seen this movie.
But I don’t have to.
This appears to be one of those trailers that gives away the entire plot.
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It’s been ages but I recall it having a fun slapsticky opening. This opening didn’t involve Pryor, by the way.
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Thanks… I paid money for that, though to be fair it was only $1 at the 2nd run theater. Still was too much. I forgot Napoleon Solo was the bad guy.
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I just saw “Mickey One” for the first time. This is a 1965 movie directed by Arthur Penn and staring Warren Beatty. I had been wanting to see this movie for a few years but kept delaying it because I was afraid it wouldn’t be as interesting as I hoped it would be.
It was interesting. Oh yes, it was.
How can I describe this movie? Imagine a collection of photographs by Diane Arbus have come to life and tell you a story with music accompaniment by Eddie Sauter and Stan Getz. Through choppy editing and heavy symbolism, we are told the story of a Detroit nightclub entertainer who is deep in debt to the mob. He runs away and lives the life of a bum in Chicago. How much does he owe? He can’t find out. Is he saving his life by living in the shadows, or is irrational paranoia destroying him?
The mob seems to be everywhere around him, and yet when he wants to contact them directly, he can’t. Perhaps the threat of death that seems to be hanging over him is just the natural consequence we all face for being alive. Perhaps there isn’t a hitman behind the spotlight, but rather a god? I don’t think the movie answers that question, but maybe I need to see it again.
The main weakness of the movie is that the second half drags a bit. The first half is dense with unusual people and a maze of plot points. But the second half becomes a bit repetitive, where the main issue is will he or won’t he perform at the club Xanadu.
Interesting cast notes: Warren Beatty gets disgustingly filthy in this movie, but he still looks good. This is possibly the only movie where I like Franchot Tone. Teddy Hart appears, reminding us what Lorenz would have looked like. Alexandra Stewart plays the woman who loves Mickey… for some reason. Hurd Hatfield is amazing, and talks of organic food and uses an electric toothbrush. Kamatari Fujiwara, who you may know from various Kurosawa movies, appears as an assemblage sculptor.
This trailer doesn’t quite do it justice:
There are far more documentary-like scenes featuring pit sweat, garbage cans and allegory.
And why is that man’s shirt on inside-out?
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I just saw a movie that potentially could have been good if not for a handful of enormous plot holes, “Funeral in Berlin.” The movie was annoying because it had some interesting ideas, but you will have to dwell on all of them yourself because the movie does not.
But I did enjoy the movie for three reasons: the authentic West Berlin filming location, Oscar Homolka as a Soviet Colonel, and Michael Caine’s under-performance of Harry Palmer.
In fact I would say Michael Caine is the only reason to see this movie, just like Clara Bow’s performance is the only reason to see “It.”
And if you are trying to capture that Harry Palmer look, I recommend:
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I’ve enjoyed all 3 of the original Harry Palmer films (Caine brought Palmer back for two made for TV films in the ‘90s which were supposedly quite negligible). The idea was that he was supposed to be the anti-James Bond, although something like The Spy Who Came in from the Cold did that rather better. My favorite of the bunch is the third, the Ken Russell helmed Billion Dollar Brain.
As I recall, I found the plot a little too confusing to notice any plot holes, or maybe that was the plot holes doing the confusing. Didn’t really bug me though.
Have you seen A Dandy in Aspic, in which British spy Laurence Harvey is assigned the task of eliminating Soviet agent Krasnevin? This is a bit tricky as Laurence Harvey is Krasnevin.
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I’ve seen pieces of “Billion Dollar Brain,” but not the entire thing. I hope Karl Malden does a better job in it than he did in “Murders’ Row.”
Yes, “the Spy Who Came in From the Cold” does a better job in many ways.
No, I have not seen “A Dandy in Aspic.” I always find the title a little off-putting. But I suppose I’ll see it if I get a chance.
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Today I managed to catch Apollo 11. Or, as the marque read, Apollo II.
I was going to make some humorous observations about this being some sci-fi movie from the 60s, with special effects not up to the latest CGI. But, wow. Let me just say, seeing a Saturn V launch is thrilling no matter how many times you’ve seen it before.
Among other things, we got to experience the entire LM decent to the Moon’s surface.
This is the closest I will ever get to taking a trip to the Moon.
The marque:
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So library browsing and I found
It was both worse and better than I remembered. I can’t remember whether I saw it on the Saturday afternoon TV movie or VHS some 25+ years ago now.
Ron Ely was actually a good choice for Doc if a bit old for the part. The casting of his 5 companions however is just awful as well as the dialog it is like a bad parody of the pulp novel dialog. Nice opening narration by an uncredited Paul Frees though.
The story itself is well done but there are some real eyeroll moments where the corrupt local official sleeps in a giant crib and the final fight with the villain.
Bonus for Pamela Hensley (Queen Ardala from Buck Roger in the 25th Century) as the heroine of sorts and veteran character actor Paul Wexler as the main bad guy.
Also bit parts by Michael Berryman of The Hill Have Eyes Fame, Robert Tessier who you have seen as a burly bald henchman in many many tv shows, and William Katt is one of the Inca assassins apparently.
And then there are the songs or rather lyrics added onto John Phillips Sousa music to match the plot that will make you roll your eyes or fall over laughing or both.
See it with booze and friends who appreciate awful cheesey movies.
Next up I got it simply for the title.
Not much to say other than it simply does not pretend to be anything more than what the title says and succeeds in not taking itself seriously as well as being a lot of fun to watch. Bonus for Anthony C-3PO Daniels as a motorcycle riding priest.
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Amicus horror anthology from ‘72. Probably not the best of their anthologies (my vote would go to The House That Dripped Blood) but it’s got the best framing story. In order to be hired at the titular asylum, psychiatrist Robert Powell must interview four incurably insane inmates and determine which one is in reality the former director of the institution. All of the tales are Robert Bloch recyclings originally written decades before. (One of them, “The Weird Tailor,” had already been adapted, in a rather more satisfying fashion, in Boris Karloff’s Thriller TV series.) Fairly predictable, but overall satisfying with good work from Peter Cushing, Britt Ekland and especially Herbert Lom, who easily steals the final story (or should the credit go to his little buddy?)
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TV50 in Detroit used to play Doc Savage every couple years. I loved it as a kid, and still remember the theme and the elevator shaft scene. not much else, though.
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Today I had the privilege of seeing a 70mm print of “2001: A Space Odyssey.” This is the first time I have a) seen the movie in a theater, and b) watched it from beginning to end in one sitting. Up to now I’ve always watched a DVD copy on various computer-based screens, and watched it over the course of a few nights to prolong the magic.
I saw it here: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Village_East_Cinema.
The screen was big. Unfortunately, the theater was not. The theater was wide but not very deep. It could be described as an “intimate” space, where you feel that you are sitting in the stage. A excellent space for a stage show, but not ideal for Super Panavision. This left the theater with a relatively small “sweet spot” of only a few seats. Fortunately only approximately 15 other people attended my showing so getting a good seat was not a problem.
The print was not in great shape. It had clearly been around the block a few times. It was a bit muddy with occasional intrusions of scratches and dirt. There was also a very noticeable jitter, which might have been caused by worn sprocket holes or a worn-out projector. There was also a lot of grain. A surprising amount of grain. I’m not entirely convinced what we saw was a 70mm print as promised.
The audio was a simple optical stereo track played by an array of speakers from behind the screen. The volume was too high. Higher than the system could support. It was loud, not beautiful. If every line of dialogue was not already engrained in my memory I would have had a hard time understanding what the characters were saying. When TMA-1 emitted its high-powered signal to Jupiter, I put my hands over my ears the same time the astronauts did. I guess that’s inter-active cinema.
But despite the dirt, scratches, jitter and poor audio, on the whole I’m glad I saw it. Kubrick’s framing just made more sense on a huge screen. Also, there was something intangibly “real” about the experience — had I gone to see his movie at a normal theater during its original run, this is probably what I would have seen. It reminded me of seeing Star Wars at the Rivoli Theater in Cedarberg.
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Pictures I took of the Village East Cinema itself!
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Has anyone seen the Duncan Jones movie “Moon?”
Would you give it thumbs-up or down?
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I remember liking it fairly well, mostly due to Sam Rockwell, who is pretty much the whole show. Very, very reminiscent of 2001 in various ways, which is a bit of a problem because 2001 is a much better film. Probably plays better if you don’t figure out the ending beforehand, so avoid spoilers.
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Isn’t that always the way?
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Up, especially if you’re into the 2001 / Silent Running / Space: 1999 / Alien era of space futurism
NOTE: It’s about one guy and his problems living in a box by himself. It’s deliberately retro and pretty low budget. Oh, and Kevin Spacey is in it, so if that’s a problem, be forewarned.
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It was obviously written by someone who’s forgotten why they ostracized themself. And they wrapped it up in an idea.
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Thumb way up from me. It’s quiet, thoughtful, and very compelling science fiction. I actually wouldn’t compare it to 2001, except for the quiet tone.
Sam Rockwell is brilliant and 95% of all the performances. I don’t remember Kevin Spacey at all, and he can’t be in it very much since it’s so much focused on Rockwell’s character.
The technology in it is on the gritty, near-future side, which I enjoyed. There’s a working-class physicality to it which keeps it grounded.
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