I've Been Going to the...MOOOOvies

[Jahfin]

I wasn't sure how much I would like this (especially since I don't recall being all that blown away by the original) but it was a nice nostalgia trip if nothing else.

[redrum]

We watched 'The Way Back' last night.

Don't you just love communism?

[Magic Fills the Air]

We watched 'The Way Back' last night.

Don't you just love communism?

I saw that at the cinema on New Year's Eve. It's a great film, and yes, it reminds you what a tyrannical ideology communism was (is).

[Jahfin]

[redrum]

It's a great film, and yes, it reminds you what a tyrannical ideology communism was (is).

Castro and the other diehards cling to it and will most likely never learn. Idiots.

I'm curious as to how the new 'Atlas Shrugged' will be.

I watched the new version of 'Day The Earth Stood Still'.....Say Whaaaaat?????

[Jahfin]

[Bong-Man]

A lot of cliche prison scenes, and too long at 2 hrs 40 minutes.....but still watchable.

Made me chuckle several times, and I hadn't seen Garcia in anything in quite a while.

[Black_Dog_90]

Subculture of skinheads in the 80's set in England a bit after the Falklands War with Argentina. Good interesting film.

Great film and interesting story about skinhead subculture.

[redrum]

We watched John Cassavetes' 'Killing Of A Chinese Bookie' last night. Interesting but probably the best part of the film were the boobs.

[Jahfin]

[TypeO]

Great movie!

I was actually a little surprised how much I liked it.

All My Lovin' and especially Let It Be were truly awesome.

[Virginia]

Finally watched "The King's Speech" and "Harry Potter 7 Part 1" :thumbsup:

[Jahfin]

Great movie!

I was actually a little surprised how much I liked it.

All My Lovin' and especially Let It Be were truly awesome.

I had heard it was good but I was still a bit skeptical going into it. It could have taken a nosedive into cheesiness at any moment but it never did.

[TypeO]

My wife saw this and said I had to see it, and sure enough, it is awesome.

Great action picture, Denzel always delivers.

Ran across this flipping through the premium channels, and I'm not really big on horror-type movies, but this was pretty creepy - stars Christina Ricci.

[Jahfin]

Enjoyed this too. I don't think I've seen a movie like this since Runaway Train. Yes, it's predictable but that doesn't mean it's free of moments of genuine suspense.

[Texas Melanie]

This was a movie I didn't think I would like and was surprised that I did. The run time didn't bother me which is unusual since I have a short attention span with movies.

I was in New Orleans last Summer taking a walking tour of the Garden District and thought one of the houses looked oddly familiar. It was the house that Benjamin grew up in the movie. Very pretty.

[Jahfin]

This was a movie I didn't think I would like and was surprised that I did. The run time didn't bother me which is unusual since I have a short attention span with movies.

I was in New Orleans last Summer taking a walking tour of the Garden District and thought one of the houses looked oddly familiar. It was the house that Benjamin grew up in the movie. Very pretty.

Yeah it was a bit of an unusual movie (well, way more than a bit actually) but I did enjoy it.

[redrum]

We watched 'Black Swan' last night. Why does Hollywood always skirt around the edge of porn?

My comment was: 'Oh look, she's moulting'

[luvlz2]

Haven't went to a drive-in in ages, but that's where I went to see Thor last Saturday evening. I thought it was wicked...Has anyone else seen it yet? Edited May 10, 2011 by luvlz2

[redrum]

Watched 'A Mighty Heart' the other night and I still don't have much sympathy for journalists, especially the likes of Geraldo Rivera. Pearl was killed because he was a Jew.

[Strider]

Watched 'A Mighty Heart' the other night and I still don't have much sympathy for journalists, especially the likes of Geraldo Rivera. Pearl was killed because he was a Jew.

I wouldn't call Geraldo Rivera a "journalist" per se...he's more of a ham.

[Strider]

One thing I like almost as much as going to concerts, is going to the movies. Plus, it's cheaper going to the movies than it is to concerts, so I tend to see more of them than I can keep up with...I probably average about 150-200 films a year, depending on how good the schedule is in a given year.

Here in LA, we have several organizations and venues that devote their programming to old, classic movies or independent, off-beat fare along with periodic retrospectives of stars and directors. One such organization is the American Cinematheque, which has two theatres for their programming: the Aero in Santa Monica and the Egyptian in Hollywood.

The Egyptian opened in 1922 and it was run by Sid Grauman, before he left in 1927 to the Chinese Theatre down the block, which is famous for the cement footprints of the stars in the courtyard(cf. the final scene in "Blazing Saddles"). The first film to open at the Egyptian in 1922 was "Robin Hood" with Douglas Fairbanks. Through the decades it changed ownership many times; United Artists was the last corporate owner before it closed in 1992. I saw two premieres at the Egyptian Theatre in the '80's, coincidentally both James Cameron films: "Aliens" in 1986 and "The Abyss" in 1989.

The American Cinematheque took it over, restored it to it's original exterior and finally had it's grand reopening in 1998. Right now, they are running two tributes concurrently: one for the recently departed Elizabeth Taylor...they showed "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "Cleopatra" earlier this week, and "Giant" is screening this Sunday.

The other tribute is for director Monte Hellman, an obscure director from the 60's and 70's who made these wonderful movies, many of them with the underrated actor Warren Oates and a young Jack Nicholson. So for 3 nights(thurs-sat), they have been showing Monte's films, including the premiere of his latest one, "The Road to Nowhere", his first film in 20 years, and Monte will be there all 3 nights for a Q & A.

But it's Thursday night's double-bill I want to talk about: "Two-Lane Blacktop" and "Ride in the Whirlwind".

"Two-Lane Blacktop", from 1971, is one of my all-time favourite "road" movies...heck, movies period. I see it every chance I get on the big screen: 1) because of the wonderful widescreen cinematography; and 2) because it's rarely shown on TV. It's kind of like "Easy Rider", only instead of 2 guys riding cross-country on motorcycles, it's 2 guys racing a 1955 Chevy across the U.S. It's also more existential, with minimal dialogue, and there's long stretches where "nothing" happens. But as Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf and Seinfeld showed, it's those little "nothing" moments of the day that add up to a world of importance.

And here's the real surprise of "TLB"...it stars 2 non-actors; musicians who would never act in a film again, even though they are so wonderful, so natural in this film. They are James Taylor and Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. I've always liked the Beach Boys, and being a surfer when I was a young grommet, had a soft spot for the late, great Dennis Wilson, drummer of the Beach Boys and the ONLY surfer in the band.

But James Taylor was another matter...when I was younger, I couldn't stand his music; thought he was too bland and wimpy. And I liked plenty of folk and stuff back then...just not James Taylor.

So imagine my surprise when I saw "Two-Lane Blacktop" for the first time and saw these two musicians in starring roles...and they were GOOD! In fact, I think it's the coolest thing James Taylor's ever done.

The rest of the cast includes the great and hilarious Warren Oates as the driver of the GTO, and in an early bit part as a hitchhiker, Harry Dean Stanton, credited as H.D. Stanton. Then there's Laurie Bird, as "the girl", who was one of those iconic hippie-chicks of the early-70's.

The "plot", such as it is, involves James(the driver) and Dennis(the mechanic) going to town to town in their primer-grey '55 Chevy, trying to hustle up a drag-race for cash wherever they go. Along the way, they keep bumping into Warren Oates, who is driving this 1970 G.T.O. across country for some un-named reason; Warren keeps picking up hitchhikers along the way, but he tells a different story to each one. Finally, Warren challenges James and Dennis to a race from Oklahoma to Washington DC for pink slips.

But as in most road movies, it's not the race or the destination that's important but the experiences along the way, the people and places seen. The movie takes place in a key point in our history...1970, as the 60's end and people are trying to make sense of the decade just past and what the future portends. All the characters seem haunted by something, like the reason they have to keep on the move is to outrun their past.

It's also a portrait of an America that is almost vanished...and America before globalization, a time when every region had its quirks and personality. Before there had to be a Starbucks and McDonalds and Wallmart everywhere.

And it's a paean to the pre-catalytic converter era of cars-when muscle cars roamed the land: Cameros, Chargers, GTOs, Barracudas, Mustangs, Firebirds...if you're a gear head(I'm talking to YOU, MissMelanie!), you will LOVE this movie just for the car and racing footage.

But don't think just because it's existentialist, the movie's all dark and dour. No, there's plenty of humour...Warren Oates is especially funny, and even though the dialogue is sparse, what is said is eminently quotable.

What the movie especially gets right is the behavior of real people. You never get the sense you are watching actors "act", but of people just behaving. It also captures, in the relationship between James and Dennis, that type of close

friendship you have with someone where you are comfortable enough with each other to be quiet.

Which is another aspect I love about this movie...the poetic quietness it achieves, which is ironic considering it's about the car racing culture.

Beautiful soundtrack, too...the Doors, Kris Kristofferson, Arlo Guthrie.

Depending on how big a city you live in, it's doubtful you'll get a chance to see "Two-Lane Blacktop" in a theatre, but there's a great Criterion DVD edition that you can rent, buy or put on your Netflix queue. If you liked "Easy Rider", give TLB a shot...I think you'll like it; maybe even be moved by it.

Here's the opening ten minutes of the film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZez1NS7Ptk

The second film screened Thursday night, "Ride in the Whirlwind", is a western Monte directed in 1965 for Roger Corman. It's most notable for being written by, and starring a young Jack Nicholson. Jack and his cowhand buddies get mistaken for bandits and hunted by vigilantes. Harry Dean Stanton also appears. If you like westerns, it's worth renting, if only to see Jack and Harry Dean before they became well-known.

Edited May 15, 2011 by Strider

[planted]

My daughter has rented "Never say Never" (Justin Bieber).

So, here I sit on the boards...I should be reading, though.

[planted]

One thing I like almost as much as going to concerts, is going to the movies. Plus, it's cheaper going to the movies than it is to concerts, so I tend to see more of them than I can keep up with...I probably average about 150-200 films a year, depending on how good the schedule is in a given year.

Here in LA, we have several organizations and venues that devote their programming to old, classic movies or independent, off-beat fare along with periodic retrospectives of stars and directors. One such organization is the American Cinematheque, which has two theatres for their programming: the Aero in Santa Monica and the Egyptian in Hollywood.

The Egyptian opened in 1922 and it was run by Sid Grauman, before he left in 1927 to the Chinese Theatre down the block, which is famous for the cement footprints of the stars in the courtyard(cf. the final scene in "Blazing Saddles"). The first film to open at the Egyptian in 1922 was "Robin Hood" with Douglas Fairbanks. Through the decades it changed ownership many times; United Artists was the last corporate owner before it closed in 1992. I saw two premieres at the Egyptian Theatre in the '80's, coincidentally both James Cameron films: "Aliens" in 1986 and "The Abyss" in 1989.

The American Cinematheque took it over, restored it to it's original exterior and finally had it's grand reopening in 1998. Right now, they are running two tributes concurrently: one for the recently departed Elizabeth Taylor...they showed "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" and "Cleopatra" earlier this week, and "Giant" is screening this Sunday.

The other tribute is for director Monte Hellman, an obscure director from the 60's and 70's who made these wonderful movies, many of them with the underrated actor Warren Oates and a young Jack Nicholson. So for 3 nights(thurs-sat), they have been showing Monte's films, including the premiere of his latest one, "The Road to Nowhere", his first film in 20 years, and Monte will be there all 3 nights for a Q & A.

But it's Thursday night's double-bill I want to talk about: "Two-Lane Blacktop" and "Ride in the Whirlwind".

"Two-Lane Blacktop", from 1971, is one of my all-time favourite "road" movies...heck, movies period. I see it every chance I get on the big screen: 1) because of the wonderful widescreen cinematography; and 2) because it's rarely shown on TV. It's kind of like "Easy Rider", only instead of 2 guys riding cross-country on motorcycles, it's 2 guys racing a 1955 Chevy across the U.S. It's also more existential, with minimal dialogue, and there's long stretches where "nothing" happens. But as Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf and Seinfeld showed, it's those little "nothing" moments of the day that add up to a world of importance.

And here's the real surprise of "TLB"...it stars 2 non-actors; musicians who would never act in a film again, even though they are so wonderful, so natural in this film. They are James Taylor and Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. I've always liked the Beach Boys, and being a surfer when I was a young grommet, had a soft spot for the late, great Dennis Wilson, drummer of the Beach Boys and the ONLY surfer in the band.

But James Taylor was another matter...when I was younger, I couldn't stand his music; thought he was too bland and wimpy. And I liked plenty of folk and stuff back then...just not James Taylor.

So imagine my surprise when I saw "Two-Lane Blacktop" for the first time and saw these two musicians in starring roles...and they were GOOD! In fact, I think it's the coolest thing James Taylor's ever done.

The rest of the cast includes the great and hilarious Warren Oates as the driver of the GTO, and in an early bit part as a hitchhiker, Harry Dean Stanton, credited as H.D. Stanton. Then there's Laurie Bird, as "the girl", who was one of those iconic hippie-chicks of the early-70's.

The "plot", such as it is, involves James(the driver) and Dennis(the mechanic) going to town to town in their primer-grey '55 Chevy, trying to hustle up a drag-race for cash wherever they go. Along the way, they keep bumping into Warren Oates, who is driving this 1970 G.T.O. across country for some un-named reason; Warren keeps picking up hitchhikers along the way, but he tells a different story to each one. Finally, Warren challenges James and Dennis to a race from Oklahoma to Washington DC for pink slips.

But as in most road movies, it's not the race or the destination that's important but the experiences along the way, the people and places seen. The movie takes place in a key point in our history...1970, as the 60's end and people are trying to make sense of the decade just past and what the future portends. All the characters seem haunted by something, like the reason they have to keep on the move is to outrun their past.

It's also a portrait of an America that is almost vanished...and America before globalization, a time when every region had its quirks and personality. Before there had to be a Starbucks and McDonalds and Wallmart everywhere.

And it's a paean to the pre-catalytic converter era of cars-when muscle cars roamed the land: Cameros, Chargers, GTOs, Barracudas, Mustangs, Firebirds...if you're a gear head(I'm talking to YOU, MissMelanie!), you will LOVE this movie just for the car and racing footage.

But don't think just because it's existentialist, the movie's all dark and dour. No, there's plenty of humour...Warren Oates is especially funny, and even though the dialogue is sparse, what is said is eminently quotable.

What the movie especially gets right is the behavior of real people. You never get the sense you are watching actors "act", but of people just behaving. It also captures, in the relationship between James and Dennis, that type of close

friendship you have with someone where you are comfortable enough with each other to be quiet.

Which is another aspect I love about this movie...the poetic quietness it achieves, which is ironic considering it's about the car racing culture.

Beautiful soundtrack, too...the Doors, Kris Kristofferson, Arlo Guthrie.

Depending on how big a city you live in, it's doubtful you'll get a chance to see "Two-Lane Blacktop" in a theatre, but there's a great Criterion DVD edition that you can rent, buy or put on your Netflix queue. If you liked "Easy Rider", give TLB a shot...I think you'll like it; maybe even be moved by it.

Here's the opening ten minutes of the film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZez1NS7Ptk

The second film screened Thursday night, "Ride in the Whirlwind", is a western Monte directed in 1965 for Roger Corman. It's most notable for being written by, and starring a young Jack Nicholson. Jack and his cowhand buddies get mistaken for bandits and hunted by vigilantes. Harry Dean Stanton also appears. If you like westerns, it's worth renting, if only to see Jack and Harry Dean before they became well-known.

Am I having de ja vu??

[Strider]

Am I having de ja vu??

:lol:

Yeah, you probably are...although I made a few alterations to my original text...but it's a movie I feel so strongly about that I had to share it with the board. Plus I know there's some gearheads on here that, if they haven't already seen it, should at the very first opportunity.

Edited May 15, 2011 by Strider