Favorite Films (lists up to participating site members)

[Robert]

There's a lovely line in The Cat and the Canary where, after some fright or other, they're all asking each other 'how are you?' Finally, Hope says "Folks, how am I?"

[Mayerling]

Interesting thing to me about "Scared to Death". Neither George nor Bela are villains in it. George is a hard working doctor with a secret and is fighting off the victim, who is a greedy blackmailing daughter-in-law (George opposed the marriage; his son now realizes it was a mistake). Bela actually has past history with George, but he really is interested in settling a score with the villainess. At the end neither is dead nor arrested. It is interesting to see them both in color, but the film is actually lousy (due to script and direction). Nat Pendleton tries to give some comedy to it.

[Mayerling]

Toss up who next:

Henry ("Sneer who walked like a man") Daniell

1) The Exile
2) The Sea Hawk
3) The Body Snatcher
4) The Suspect (as an ultimately unsuccessful blackmailer of Charles Laughton.)
5) The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake
6) The Woman in Green (Henry's turn as "Professor Moriarty". Rathbone thought he was the best of the three he faced.)
7) We Are Not Alone
8) Camille (as "Baron De Varvel")
9) The Great Dictator (as "Garbitsch". This film demonstrates that Henry could do comedy - best scene is when he is trying (and failing) to keep a nosey reporter from noticing a fight between Hynkel and Napoleone).
10) The Philadelphia Story (nice cap off for the film at the wedding)
11) The Sun Also Rises (a short part but interesting, as a surgeon who when asked by Tyrone Power/ Jake Barnes breaks the news of the wound quietly.)
12) Les Girls (as the ultimately confused judge at the libel trial)
13) Witness For the Prosecution (as Ty Power's solicitor - this time working with Charles Laughton)
14) Jane Eyre (1943) (as Mr. Brocklehurst)
15) Captain Kidd (as a definitely angry King William III - you don't lie to Kings like him and get away with it!)
16) Holiday (his first film based on a Philip Barry play with Hepburn and Grant.)
17) My Fair Lady (Henry's last film appearance - he is briefly seen at the embassy ball. Daniel died later on the day the scene was shot, but his friend George Cukor kept it in the film, which was very nice of him.)

[Steadmund Brand]

Wow .. another great list! it is fun to go back and think of all these films.. at the same time.. makes me feel weird knowing how many films I have watched over the years.....I know people who never watch films, unless they are brand new..I try to tell them they don't know what they are missing.. but they say " the movies you like are old and boring" or " yeah well, the special F/X suck in those old movies' or " they are so slow, and no action"...but hey, I understand most people only want popcorn flicks...more for folks like us to enjoy...plus, let's admit it, we as a group love hearing from others with similar taste... makes us feel special.....

Steadmund Brand

[Steadmund Brand]

P.S. new list coming soon

Steadmund Brand

[Robert]

I only watch films if they're old. And I avoid remakes (I made an exception of Robert Powell's 39 Steps which was the best of the three in my opinion).

[Steadmund Brand]

I only watch films if they're old. And I avoid remakes (I made an exception of Robert Powell's 39 Steps which was the best of the three in my opinion).

I don't " ONLY" watch old.. there are films that I want to see once in a while, and some great new films (not many.. but let’s face it.. time has filtered out the crap of classic films as well, we all know that at any time 90% was probably garbage...history has a great way of filtering art...be it film or music etc).

I really don't understand the publics obsession with "explosion" films... or super fast shaky cam action sequences that move so fast and are usually too dark for you to be able to see them anyway..plus, even the people I know who only watch these films... seem to totally forget about them almost as soon as they see them... and...they are so interchangeable, when you do try to recall them they all seem to blend together (probably because they make 100 sequels for any action film hahah.. I know the world can't live without a Fast And Furious #8...seriously people, you need 8 of these films hahah...really sad thing is it is no Universal's most "successful" franchise ever...sorry Frankenstein..)

I don't mean to bitch it's just I love film so much I don't know how other people don't feel the same... then again.. what boring world if everyone did eh?

Steadmund Brand

[Robert]

Hi Stead

If I see a trailer for the latest USA film featuring car chases, gun shots, explosions etc I just think 'been there, done it' because you do only need one of these. Second thoughts, I don't even need one.

If I want edge-of-seat excitement plus a good detective story, I go to you tube and watch air crash investigators. There was one where the pilot spent most of the flight sucked half-out of the cockpit.

[Mayerling]

Hi Stead

If I see a trailer for the latest USA film featuring car chases, gun shots, explosions etc I just think 'been there, done it' because you do only need one of these. Second thoughts, I don't even need one.

If I want edge-of-seat excitement plus a good detective story, I go to you tube and watch air crash investigators. There was one where the pilot spent most of the flight sucked half-out of the cockpit.

Hi all,

I'm not really fond of explosion films, although if the film is well made I'll accept a sequence involving an explosion (i.e. the conclusion of "The Guns of Navarone").

What I find disturbing is that this kind of exploitation film (based on what audiences like - supposedly - and will pay to see happen on screen is reminiscent of a bit in Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World". They have created a cinema with "feelies" which allow the viewer to plug into some censors in their movie seats, and they watch pornographic films like one called "Three Weeks in a Helicopter". Not explosives and dynamite, but the concept of giving the public some mind-numbing motion picture experience rather than a thoughtful one is quite the same, disturbingly so.

Jeff

[Ausgirl]

Not even my abiding lust for Vin Diesel will tempt me to watch the Fast and Furious films. I am supremely bored by that genre of action movie, and cannot imagine sitting through a sequence of *eight* of them.

I -am- a sucker for sequels of movies with characters or storylines I really enjoy, though. Now and then, I really do not want the story to end (though conversely, I sometimes am moved to lament that it didn't end at one, some films just should NOT have sequels. I think I'd openly weep if they made Sixth Sense II). I love trilogies, and quadrilogies, and have quite a few in my collection. However, things being as they are, I am oft disappointed with sequels. There needs to some kind of quality control! *cough*Hellraiser*cough*.

And what's with the trend of re-making 'classic' movies? I heard they were going to remake the Blues Brothers.. My entire household went into a minor meltdown and vowed to be very fingers in ears, lalalala-can't-hear-you about it. Utter abomination!

That said, some movies re-makes have been okay. I quite liked what they did with Fright Night 1 & 2 -- David Tennant was a brilliant casting choice.

Hehehe, is my lowbrow showing?

[Steadmund Brand]

Oh remakes....now, to be fair there have been remakes all thru history...sound versions of silent, American versions of Foreign etc.. but the remakes made today are just head scathingly bad....probably because they cost SO MUCH DAMN MONEY.. I mean.. in 1998 they re-made Psycho.... shot for shot (wow how creative to literally steal EVERYTHING!!!) and it cost 60 million bucks... and that’s considered cheap.... really 60 million to Xerox a film (and somehow make it unwatchable... I guess that takes a certain kind of talent haha) and how about something like "Poseidon" a remake of a film that really didn't need one... but wait.. we can do special f/x now and spend (not kidding) 160 million on a film that NOBODY REMEMBERS... 160 MILLION DOLLARS!!!!!! and even worse than the remake is the new trend the " re-boot" ya know the logic.. hey this film made some money.. but it's 5 years old now.. that’s ancient to kids.. so let’s just remake it and start all over... the sad thing is, there are still plenty of artist, and creative people who can't get the funding to make a film....and many of the could make a feature for a few hundred thousand dollars ( or less ) but those original and creative films will NEVER be made... the world will never see them.. because, let's face it the HUGE BUDGET remake of the classic "The Seven Samurai" has to be made...because hey, we can't just screw up Hitchcock in Hollywood.. we have to crap all over Kurosawa as well (not to mention the BIG BUDGET guarantee to be forgotten as soon as it's made remake of the original remake of Seven Samurai.. The Magnificent Seven that Tom Cruise will be starring in....) I just looked up some other films that Hollywood will throw countless dollars at and are remaking and it’s really sickening… The Thin Man is being remade.. WHY????? The Birds (because we saw how easy it was to F$*k up Hitchcock.. so let’s do it again… but with a bigger budget!!! And just for good measure let’s remake Rebecca as well (no joke they are!!) ) and who here really wants to see a remake of Ghostbusters…. Leave it alone….it’s fine as it is…..and anyone here remember the classic film Overboard with Goldie Hawn…. Didn’t think so…. Well get ready that too will be remade…….oh I’m sure none of us can wait for that…. And the “RE-BOOTS” oh Mad Max gets a re-boot and the Police Academy franchise gets to start all over…..and re-boots are planned for Sort Circuit….ok.. now my head hurts hahahaha

we should get back to the lists.. getting this thread fun again…. Any ideas?

Steadmund Brand

[Robert]

Clumsy writing? In "House on Haunted Hill" (right at the start) Vincent Price says 'she's so amusing' twice. It always jars.

[GUT]

Not even my abiding lust for Vin Diesel will tempt me to watch the Fast and Furious films. I am supremely bored by that genre of action movie, and cannot imagine sitting through a sequence of *eight* of them.

I -am- a sucker for sequels of movies with characters or storylines I really enjoy, though. Now and then, I really do not want the story to end (though conversely, I sometimes am moved to lament that it didn't end at one, some films just should NOT have sequels. I think I'd openly weep if they made Sixth Sense II). I love trilogies, and quadrilogies, and have quite a few in my collection. However, things being as they are, I am oft disappointed with sequels. There needs to some kind of quality control! *cough*Hellraiser*cough*.

And what's with the trend of re-making 'classic' movies? I heard they were going to remake the Blues Brothers.. My entire household went into a minor meltdown and vowed to be very fingers in ears, lalalala-can't-hear-you about it. Utter abomination!

That said, some movies re-makes have been okay. I quite liked what they did with Fright Night 1 & 2 -- David Tennant was a brilliant casting choice.

Hehehe, is my lowbrow showing?

Sequels Yes.

[GUT]

Oh remakes....now, to be fair there have been remakes all thru history...sound versions of silent, American versions of Foreign etc.. but the remakes made today are just head scathingly bad....probably because they cost SO MUCH DAMN MONEY.. I mean.. in 1998 they re-made Psycho.... shot for shot (wow how creative to literally steal EVERYTHING!!!) and it cost 60 million bucks... and that’s considered cheap.... really 60 million to Xerox a film (and somehow make it unwatchable... I guess that takes a certain kind of talent haha) and how about something like "Poseidon" a remake of a film that really didn't need one... but wait.. we can do special f/x now and spend (not kidding) 160 million on a film that NOBODY REMEMBERS... 160 MILLION DOLLARS!!!!!! and even worse than the remake is the new trend the " re-boot" ya know the logic.. hey this film made some money.. but it's 5 years old now.. that’s ancient to kids.. so let’s just remake it and start all over... the sad thing is, there are still plenty of artist, and creative people who can't get the funding to make a film....and many of the could make a feature for a few hundred thousand dollars ( or less ) but those original and creative films will NEVER be made... the world will never see them.. because, let's face it the HUGE BUDGET remake of the classic "The Seven Samurai" has to be made...because hey, we can't just screw up Hitchcock in Hollywood.. we have to crap all over Kurosawa as well (not to mention the BIG BUDGET guarantee to be forgotten as soon as it's made remake of the original remake of Seven Samurai.. The Magnificent Seven that Tom Cruise will be starring in....) I just looked up some other films that Hollywood will throw countless dollars at and are remaking and it’s really sickening… The Thin Man is being remade.. WHY????? The Birds (because we saw how easy it was to F$*k up Hitchcock.. so let’s do it again… but with a bigger budget!!! And just for good measure let’s remake Rebecca as well (no joke they are!!) ) and who here really wants to see a remake of Ghostbusters…. Leave it alone….it’s fine as it is…..and anyone here remember the classic film Overboard with Goldie Hawn…. Didn’t think so…. Well get ready that too will be remade…….oh I’m sure none of us can wait for that…. And the “RE-BOOTS” oh Mad Max gets a re-boot and the Police Academy franchise gets to start all over…..and re-boots are planned for Sort Circuit….ok.. now my head hurts hahahaha

we should get back to the lists.. getting this thread fun again…. Any ideas?

Steadmund Brand

Remakes NO!!!

[GUT]

Sequels Yes.

Well mainly yes, some are junk