"The Man with the Golden Arm" 1955 Pretty good, if predictable, story of drug addiction. Daring for the time. Frank Sinatra is great - I tend to forget what a really good actor he was, because I'm not a fan of his Rat Pack movies and persona.

"Nashville" 1975 I think I'll have to watch this one again in order to figure out what I think about it - not sure if I actually got whatever was being said, but I sure enjoyed the ride.

"Barton Fink" 1991

OK, I have no real idea what I just watched, but it sure was beautifully filmed and acted.

Ted 2 I loved this movie couldn't stop laughing I reckon it's better than the first movie

"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2"

I now understand the interest in this concept that's been exhibited here at FT.
At first in the characters of Harry, Hermione and Ron, I was reminded of Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher and Huck Finn. Then the trio of Luke, Leia and Han came to mind and it made me fear too much theft was going on. Viewing one or two of the films might lead someone toward that sense. However, when the whole tale is considered, this is a stand alone work. Sure, the magic theme of another great work (Lord of the Rings) is expanded vastly in this work. My opinion now after watching them all together is that little bits may have been relied on here, JK Rowling has woven her own cloth. The makers of the threads cannot lay claim to the tapestry from a different loom.

I watched all 8 twice and want to watch again. Maybe around Christmas I will be that fortunate.


Spoiler That question here about the Quidditch World Cup not being one of the books/movies in the series being wrong

PS: The great John Williams is responsible for the music theme having scored the first two instalments.

"Phil The Alien" - Boyd Banks, Christopher Barry, Nicole de Boer (Ezri Dax of ST-DS9), Graham Greene (of The Red Green Show and Northern Exposure)
Another nice limited budget Canadian film. Hilarious at times. Worth the watch.



"Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd Out of Control" - Masi Oka (of NBC's Heroes), Nate Torrence, Larry Miller, Patrick Warburton, Jayma Mays
Also hilarious at times. Not too much of the 'Get Smart' characters, it stands on its own. This is something like what a day in the life of Q from James Bond would be like if Monty Python had chosen to satirize that character. You'll love the De-folliclizer weapon and the laughing taser.

I treated myself to a favorite movie theme I suffer the want of, biopics of the classical composers.

"A Song to Remember" (1945)
Cornel Wilde (as Chopin), Merle Oberon (as George Sand), Paul Muni (as Józef Elsner), Stephen Bekassy (as Franz Liszt), and Nina Foch (as Constantia)

Okay, I also don't believe I'd ever seen a film with Merle Oberon in the cast. This film uses a strategy to examine the composer's life: following the lives of those around him. Muni and Oberon rule the screen in this film. The oppression in Poland by Russian Tsars is also a theme.
Oh, the composer: Frederic Chopin
The song to remember (my opinion): "Heroic" or "Drum" Polonaise in A major, Op. 53
Well, maybe all his piano Polonaises are to be remembered (many have been lost!).

A Song to Remember was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Cornel Wilde), Best Cinematography, Color, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture, Best Sound, Recording (John P. Livadary) and Best Writing, Original Story

"The Friends of Eddie Coyle" 1973 Excellent book made into an excellent movie. Performances by Robert Mitchum and Peter Boyle are excellent, but so are all of them, really.

If you've seen "Black Mass" which came out a couple months ago, see which character in this movie is most likely based on one in that. The author of the book, George Higgins, denies it but there are a lot of parallels, and no question that he knew him.

You've now seen where I grew up. Medford, Malden, Somerville, Arlington, Cambridge, East Boston, Southie, Dorchester, Mattapan, Roxbury, Roslindale, Dedham, Quincy, Weymouth, Revere, Saugus, Lynn. All hotbeds of organized crime. All the local papers had a number on the front page that kept changing every day. It was the 'niggerpool' number. Even Southern New Hampshire is in my memories. I summered in Hampton Beach and picked potatoes in Dover. One of my teenage friends opened a bar in Dover, Jo Kidd's Place.
My opinion is that if you'd like a follow up tale arising from the same communities, showing how hard some had it but from a different point of view (heroes' side rather than the loser's) check out "The Boondock Saints".

If it was Peter Boyle you found offered an outstanding performance, you might like him in another Boston area crime thriller: "The Brinks Job".

"Huckleberry Finn" - Jeff East, Paul Winfield, Harvey Korman
"Tom Sawyer" - Johnny Whitaker, Celeste Holm, Warren Oates, Jodie Foster, Jeff East

These two are Readers Digest funded semi-musical versions of the Twain classics. Very enjoyable. Jodie Foster as a child actress, none better! and Jeff East grows physically in the short time between the two productions remarkably. Seeing the comics of the cast sing is worth the watch.

"Huckleberry Finn" - Ron Howard, Donny Most, Royal Dano, Antonio Fargas
This has not only Ron, but the rest of the Howard clan too! Well done, like a fine steak.
"Tom Sawyer" - Tom Kelly, May Robson, Walter Brennan, Victor Jury
One of the earliest color films of Twain's work. A fine presentation of 18th century American morals. The story could not never, no how happen in today's world. Worth seeing the contrast with the musical version.

"Altered" - Paul McCarthy-Boyington, Catherine Mangan, James Gammon
Alien invasion stuff, gory effects, good but take a pass and you'll not have missed a great event in life.

"The Private Life of Henry VIII" - Charles Laughton, Merle Oberon, Elsa Lancaster, Binnie Barnes
After watching the Harry Potter movies, this one makes me ready for 9/10ths of the British Qs here on FT Well performed.

"Camelot" - Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero, David Hemmings, Lionel Jeffries
Oh, heck. this musical is so well decorated, has some of the finest music ("If Ever I should Leave You"; "Camelot") and mixes in some Arthurian legend, it ought to cover me on that other 10% of British Qs.

"Planet Earth" - John Saxon, Janet Margolin, Ted Cassidy, Diana Muldaur, Majel Barrett
Is the presence of Majel in the cast a give-away? This is a pilot for one of Gene Roddenberry's Dylan Hunt character variations he used to try to establish a TV series (he finally hit it with Star Trek but with the main character J. T. Kirk) Another Dylan Hunt based series was "Andromeda". The Dylans all were characters who were awoken in dystopian futures like the Buck Rogers of Roddenberry's younger years.

"Vicky Cristina Barcelona" - Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall
An interesting but what-else-is-new? offering from Woody Allen. A telling of psychological reason d'etre. Scarlett Johansson got many awards for her part. This hit a chord on my instrument when I realized how close the theme, setting, characters, importance of music and plot reverberated with one of my favorite films: "Summer Lovers" with Peter Gallagher, Daryl Hannah and Valerie Quennessen (which I took out and played once again to make sure there was a comparison to be made). The two stories are like fun house mirror images of each other, set a generation apart and the players shuffled, even down to one of the leads suffering body injury to add to the suspense. If you liked one, you'll love the other. I liked it even more so because it made me remember my day in Barcelona.

"Shirley Temple - Baby Burlesks" - Shirley Temple several of the early 30s series of tykes in diapers (nappies) with oversized safety pins holding them together. It's remarkable really the level of acting they elicited from 5 yr olds. Couldn't make these films today without going to jail for child abuse. Every one of them uses pratfalls as big laugh getters.

"Dark Planet" - Paul Mercurio, Michael York, Harley Jane Kozak, Maria Ford, Amy Beth Cohn
I liked this one for the interesting actors, their portrayals, the effects and a fair presentation of a black studio production. In the short time of development, I really grew to appreciate the characters (because they stood out against the infinite black background possibly?).



Edit: and Night in Barcelona.

"Fifty Shades of Grey"- Yes, I finally succumbed to my curiosity and watched it - maybe it was the fact I've been at home the last three weeks with the baby... Whatever the reason, I thought the movie sucked. It was so predictable and then I don't know if they cut stuff from the book or what but it just jumped from everything being fine to her getting so upset. And honestly, I couldn't be bothered to rewind and see if I passed out at some point and missed something. The movie was a cleaned-up version of the book and it just felt like really bad fanfic.

Which makes me want to see how bad the original Twilight fanfic version of it was if the cleaned-up movie was so awful.

I finally saw this 2 or 3 weeks ago I really should've read the book first before I saw this garbage

I heard the book was worse. At least with the movie you have 1) a cleaned-up version of the text and b) you only lose two hours of your life...

See if the cast list divulges the creator of this and the Lead character's name:
"Genesis II" - Alex Cord, Mariette Hartley, Ted Cassidy, Majel Barrett
Yes, It's a Gene Roddenberry Dylan Hunt tale. Almost a copy of "Planet Earth", it deals with Dylan's body being discovered in the future. There are PAX and Sub-shuttles (I think they re-used the sub-shuttle film footage). I need to get the "Andromeda" series with Kevin Sorbo to complete knowing the Dylan Hunt Roddenberry envisioned.


"Spacemen & Go-Go Girls Double Feature":
'Spacemen, Go-Go Girls and the True Meaning of Christmas'
'Spacemen, Go-Go Girls and the Great Easter Hunt'
How did someone slip their 8mm home movies into my DVD box without breaking the shrink wrap? The writer/director/star, Brett Kelly, has some fun with his admitted homage to Ed Wood. Although made in this millennium, it does have the feel of Wood's no budget compositions. The bonus stuff shows us how he began putting the basic idea on film, finding a few backers and expanding the production value until he reached the final product. The tongue in cheek approaches to the two Christian holydays of Christmas and Easter are alone worth exposing the mind to for some overdue expansion.
He should have added some scratches to the film to male it seem an even older than it is film stuff. The idea of a Go-Go Girls Anti-evil Defense League is itself a unique concept.

"Do I Sound Gay?" 2015

David Thorpe, very charmingly, explores his gay voice, and his feelings about it. He interviews voice coaches, famous gays, members of his family, and people on the street. A great little documentary looking at internalized homophobia, but not in a dark and angsty way.

pulp fiction

From everything I had heard about this book when it first came out, I had no desire to read it, therefore, I wasn't interested in seeing the movie either.

Not long after the book was released, I went on a scrapbooking camp with a bunch of ladies and one of them got bored with scrapbooking and started to read the book. She then started reading excerpts from the book out loud and she had us in fits of laughter. It just sounded so stupid! It was funny at first but after about 15 minutes or so, people started getting bored and tired of it. Within about 20 minutes, we were all begging her to cease and desist.

The book and movie are described as "erotic romance". My personal opinion is there is absolutely nothing "romantic" about sexual practices involving bondage/discipline, dominance/submission, and sadism/masochism. Although some people find those practices erotic, I'm not one of them. The bit I heard at camp sounded more like abuse to me. And it was badly written.

One of the best "Christmas" Movies made in decades is the TV adaptation of Terry Pratchett's "Hogfather". At 189 minutes, it takes some determination to watch in one sitting. But it is worth the effort. After I watched it I couldn't resist viewing another of his TV adaptations: "The Colour of Money".

Has anyone seen his other screen product: "Going Postal"?

"The Court Jester" 1955


Silly silly silly, but fun fun fun. They sure don't make 'em like this anymore - the wacky comedy that is not specifically aimed at kids but is also not raunchy just doesn't exist. And it's kinda too bad.

Angela Lansbury and Glynis Johns are impossibly young, Basil Rathbone is sinister, but the movie belongs to Danny Kaye. Get it? Got it. Good.

"Brooklyn"

Very nice small film with all kinds of good stuff, but just doesn't strike me as Best Picture of the Year. The nomination means it's getting some screen time, though, so you don't have to live in a city with an arthouse cinema to see it. So, go see it. You'll have a very nice time with some very nice people.

"The Revenant"

Beautifully shot, powerful.... I liked it a lot, despite its flaws. Saw it with my daughter, who hated it so much she said she felt watching it should be used as a method of torture.

Viral Assassins - Jim Gordon, Ray Kelly, a Troma product
Underworld/Underworld: Evolution - Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman
Virtual Voyeur - Susan Featherly, Amber Newman
The Agency - Lee Majors, Robert Mitchum
Elysium - Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga, William Fichtner
Battleship - Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgård, Rihanna, Brooklyn Decker, Liam Neeson
White Line Fever - Jan-Michael Vincent, Kay Lenz, Slim Pickens, L.Q. Jones, Don Porter
The Deep - Nick Nolte, Robert Shaw, Jacqueline Bisset
Transcendence - Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Cillian Murphy, Paul Bettany
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: The Complete Epic Series - Erin Grey, Gil Gerard
Strange New World - John Saxon, Kathleen Miller, Keene Curtis
The Great Scout & Cathouse Thursday - Lee Marvin, Oliver Reed, Robert Culp, Kay Lenz, Elizabeth Ashley
Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow - Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton
Zoom - Tim Allen, Courtney Cox, Chevy Chase, Rip Torn, Kate Mara
How to Stuff a Wild Bikini - Annette Funicello, Dwayne Hickman, Buster Keaton, Beverly Adams, Mickey Rooney
Morons from Outer Space
Alien from L.A. - Kathy Ireland, William R. Moses, Thom Mathews, Janet Du Plessis
The Man from Planet X - Robert Clarke, Margaret Field, William Schallert
The Angry Red Planet - Gerald Mohr, Naura Hayden, Jack Kruschen, Les Tremayne
Cloud Atlas - Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Susan Sarandon, Hugh Grant
Mortal Kombat II: Annihilation - Robin Shou, Sandra Hess, James Remar, Lynn "Red" Williams
Zathura - Josh Hutcherson, Jonah Bobo
The Initiation of Sarah - Kay Lenz, Morgan Brittany, Morgan Fairchild, Tisa Farrow, Shelley Winters, Talia Balsam
Are You in the House Alone? - Kathleen Beller, Blythe Danner, Tony Bill, Dennis Quaid
Planet Earth - Sigourney Weaver narrator Discovery Channel Series
Metal Man - Samuel Hoffmire, Reggie Bannister, Leah Grimsson, Jill Shackelford, P. David Miller
Matthew Blackheart: Monster Smasher - Robert Bogue, Christopher Heyerdahl, Jay Baruchel, Karen Elkin
Showdown at Area 51 - Jason London, Gigi Edgley, Lee Horsely
Men in Black I & II - Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D'Onofrio, Rip Torn
Men In Black III - Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones, Josh Brolin, Emma Thompson, Alice Eve
Countdown: Armageddon - Kim Little, Clunt Browning
The Day the Earth Stopped - C. Thomas Howwell, Sinead McCafferty, Darren Daulton, Judd Nelson
Transmorphers: Fall of Man - Bruce Boxleitner, Jennifer Rubin, Shane Van Dyke, Alana DiMaria
Sci-Fi, Vol. 4 (Cosmos: War of the Planets / War of the Robots / Unknown World / Phantom Planet)
Runaway - Tom Selleck, Kirstie Alley, Cynthia Rhodes, Gene Simmons
Space Warriors - Thomas Horn, Mira Sorvino, Josh Lucas, Dermot Mulroney, Danny Glover, Ryan Simpkins
Falling From Grace - John Mellencamp, Kay Lenz, Mariel Hemingway, Claude Akins, Larry Crane, Dub Taylor
Dark Universe - Joe Estevez, Blake Pickett
Willows Way - Karl Steudel, Casey McDougal, C. James Roberts



Has anyone seen my eye drops?

Unexpected gems (please allow me to avoid the negatives):
Men in Black III - what a job by Josh Brolin doing Tommy Lee Jones
Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow - just for the well planned time streaming
Alien from L.A. - K. Ireland can act! Who knew?
Cloud Atlas - another good time stream adventure
Runaway - a good near future robots are a problem with KISS' Gene Simmons as a great villain

Edit to add praise for "The Deep" (maybe Nolte's best work) and "The Great Scout & Cathouse Thursday" (for the wonderful portrayal of a Harvard Educated American Indian and no good philanderer by Oliver Reed)

Clouds of Sils Maria

I like Juliette Binoche. Really, I do. I didn't like this movie. Maybe it was the sleep deprivation with the newborn, but I couldn't really concentrate on the story and when I realized I didn't remember what was going on, I realized I didn't really care to go back and re-watch it...

"Dope" (2015)

This is kind of a great movie. Maybe not the cup of tea of everyone here - it's violent, foul mouthed, and takes teens having sex, using drugs, and committing crimes very lightly indeed - but on the whole is very positive and life affirming. I really loved these kids.

"Hail Caesar"

Newest Coen Brothers film - lots of fun, and it's the kind of movie that you want to watch a few more times to see what you missed. Alden Ehrenreich with the spaghetti is one of the most charming things I've seen in a long time.


"The Palm Beach Story" 1942

Preston Sturges madcap comedy, with Claudette Colbert and Joel McCrea. Rudy Vallee and Mary Astor in supporting roles - I don't think I've ever seen Rudy Vallee in a movie and I just loved him. This is really silly, really funny, and yet more charm. Sig Arno as Toto in his tennis outfit has to be seen to be believed.

The 1925 silent version of "The Wizard of Oz". Same characters but based more on L Frank Baum's original story line. The screenplay credits Baum's son, LFB Jr. The start may have inspired "The Princess Bride" since it is a grandfather who agrees to read the story to a grandchild. Oliver Hardy plays the Tin Man (in a really big costume). Very enjoyable for a silent movie. The tornado special effects are well done. My DVD also has Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" and a few era cartoons (1 a Betty Boop).