antique movie recommendation

Micah Cohen

Wanna see a really well made, heartily acted, scary, moody, suspenseful thriller?

Well, WANNA?

The original "Cape Fear" (1962) was released in its widescreen form on DVD yesterday. The disc is a restoration job, and includes a documentary about the making of..., but most importantly it shows that even a great great director (Martin Scorcese) and even a great actor (DeNiro) can get a movie SO WRONG that they turn its unnecessary remake into mush. In this case, see this original version now on DVD. Mitchum's Max Cady will make your skin crawl.

MC

George Grand

While I generally like DeNiro, Mitchum wipes him in that role. No tattoos, no real weird behavior.
He scares the **** out of you just standing there.

Polly Bergen, and Telly Savalas with hair. A true classic.


George Grand (of the Jersey Grand's)

RuSsMaN

Cool Hand Luke

Guns of the **** Navarone

Yeah, thats what I'm talkin' bout.....

Cheers,
Russ

Micah Cohen

Yeah, the "Guns of Navarone" DVD is a winner. Not only does the film look and sound better than ever, but the director's commentary is really interesting and informative. What a great great film. And you know what? I think that separate films about each one of those characters before that mission would be great as well! (That's why it's so good: there's so much going on with those characters!)

And speaking of Polly Bergen, who plays the little daughter in "Cape Fear"? She is a complete hottie, and totally risque for that time. Her sexiness and implied innocence is so much more seductive -- and ultimately impacts the story much more -- than the stupid whoriness of the girl in the remake, Juliette Lewis? Why would you cast her in anything? Take away her stardom.

Here's another great old film that I can't wait to see again on DVD: "Jeremiah Johnson." It was on TBS or something a couple of days ago, but I couldn't handle the commercials and the pan & scam presentation. Gotta rent the DVD.

MC

PETERNG

My favorite classic movie is “Midnight Express”, the turkey’s jail and the warden scare the heck out of me…you just can’t get off of your seat until the movie is over. It’s on DVD now...
Hey Micah, Have you watch "To live and die in LA" yet?

Micah Cohen

Someday, "To Live & Die in LA" will come to DVD, just like Friedkin's other great flicks -- "The Exorcist" & the upcoming "French Connection" -- are. What the heck are they waiting for?

Can't wait to see "French Connection" again!

MC

George Grand

Nevada Smith (McQueen's the Man)

Hell is for Heroes (again McQueen's awesome)

The Magnificent 7 (McQueen, WITH MUSIC TOO!)

The Great Escape (damn I miss that man)

The Searchers (maybe the best film ever)

Kelly's Heroes (like to laugh?)

Lifeboat (Hitchcock)

N x NW

Pocketful of Miracles (Jack Elam at his best)

The Thing from Outer Space (the 1950's original)

The Seven Ups

Gort, Klatu Barrata Nikto (don't ask)

There's ABOUT a thousand more. The "Matrix", is not one of them. No matter what you say.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grand's)

Micah Cohen

Why I love George: He mentions Jack Elam in a thread.

I just recently got around to actually watching "The Matrix." I have to say, it was a nothing. A zero. Poorly acted, poorly written, and [note to filmmakers:] once you show me a special effect, don't show it to me again over and over; it gets boring. "Effect for effect's sake" is bad filmmaking.

I have been jonesing to see "Papillion," "The Getaway," "The Great Escape" on DVD, but I hear the DVD versions are crying out for better treatment... I miss those movies! I did (re)watch (for the umpteenth time) "The Magnificent Seven" and "The Searchers" recently. I love how McQueen just casually walks away with his first acting job! And how, in "The Searchers," there's so much more going on under the story -- about America, about people, about life! (The only thing I HATE about "The Searchers" is that chuckle you are forced to cough up when the super says "Texas" and you plainly see Utah, Utah, Utah... I hate that.)

Couple of weekend recommendations:

1. "The Tailor of Panama" -- A good old fashioned spy yarn, in the style of Graham Greene, via John Le Carre. Great performances by Geoffrey Rush and (surprise) Pierce Brosnan (as the anti-Bond), tropical locale, and even a little meat to the story. Plus, Jamie Lee Curtis does some nudity.
B. "O, Brother Where Art Thou" -- The usual Coen Bros kind of flick (that is to say, all over the damned place, but beautiful-looking), with beautiful photography and a glorious American soundtrack. Interesting stuff.

Don't bother with "Saving Silverman" and "Joe Dirt" unless, for you, 90-odd minutes of stupid crap can be salvaged with one boob-shot or a couple of gorgeous babes just standing there. (Okay, okay, I'm guilty!)

MC

TroyD

...and this from the guy that know ALL the **** stars, male and female.

Agree, the Magnificent 7 is sheer greatness as is The Searchers. I also have to say that Hitchcock is a genius, I love his movies. Last year when I was in St. Louis, I saw Rear Window at the Tivoli theater. Hitchcock movies were made to be seen at a theater, don't ask me to explain but watching them at home just isn't the same. North by Northwest is one of the all time GREATS.

Saving Silverman didn't even have any gratuitous flesh although did have a couple of comical moments.

Troy

PETERNG

No question about that, “French Connection” is one of the masterpiece and Gene Hackman was born to play the role. This movie will be released in DVD tomorrow; the special edition "combo" will include “French Connection 2”.
Most of the classic movies your guy mentioned above are great on DVD, the only negative fact is: the soundtrack is recorded in Dolby digital mono…dam n it… life is suck…
:mad:

tmorgan

Nevada Smith was excellent. I thought Brain Keith was awesome as well as Steve M.

TroyD

Brian Keith was the man. He made a movie with Charleton Heston "The Mountain Men" that he (I thought) was great in.

Troy

George Grand

I didn't think THAT MANY of you were of the same opinion as I regarding McQueen, and some of his flicks. Mag 7 is my FAVORITE film of all time, PERIOD! The only thing I find at fault, is Yul Brynner as a Turkish(?) cowboy. I guess Mitchum was busy, cause he would have been great in that role. Eli Wallach is superb as well. Maybe a little known fact, maybe NOT is...
Brad Dexter, the guy who played Harry (the first to die), reputedly saved Sinatra from drowning one time. Sinatra became incensed, and supposedly had him blackballed.
Getting back to the film, I can do the dialogue word for word. Probably some kind of sickness, but who cares.

"Men like Calvera! Men like you." (Bucholz)

"Took me a long time to learn my elbow from a hot rock." (McQueen)

"NOBODY throws me my own guns and says run!"
(Coburn)

"Right now, that's a lot of money." (Bronson)

"I found 'em." (Vaughn)

You guys made me feel real good by admitting you enjoyed those films. Thanks.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grand's)

TroyD

"You lost" (Coburn)

That was sheer greatness. People can say what they want about James Dean or Humphrey Bogart being cool but no one was cooler than James Coburn in the Magnificent 7.

Another great movie that I forgot is the Professionals with Lee Marvin and Burt Lancaster

Troy

George Grand

You only saw it because of Claudia Cardinale and her hat. You don't fool me. Her **** too. You ****.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grand's)

I DID a Coburn quote. But you're right, that was a good one. The guy who "lost" was a great character actor whose name does NOT come to mind. Why? My mind is shot.

TroyD

I can't fool you can I?

Now it is bugging the crap out of me who that guy is, I am going to have to hunt up my tape and check it out...

Troy

George Grand

1. Eye of the Needle (the young Kate Nelligan)

2. The Eiger Sanction

3. Night of the Hunter (Mitchum is scary again)

4. Stalag 17

5. Fahrenheit 451


Micah, how about Royal Dano? Another of my favorites.

George Grand (of the Jersey Grand's)

gidrah

Koyaanisqatsi & Pink Floyd-Live at Pompei. (to come out on DVD)

Micah Cohen

Listen to this: I just found the DVD of "The Big Sleep," speaking of Bogart, for $12! It has both versions. (The released version that doesn't make any sense, which is funny because a] it's the one that became "great," and 2] in it, Bogart laughs at everything because he doesn't understand it -- and YOU DON'T EITHER because of the studio cuts... And the UNreleased version with the 18 missing minutes that actually make the film make sense! GREAT!) I am psyched!

I like the fact that Mitchum is only in like four great films (okay, two GREAT films, and a couple of great films). Otherwise, he'd have overstayed his welcome or played himself out. One of the reasons he's so goddamned good -- so GOOD -- is that you don't see much of him spread around. He did the psycho killer role, and broke the mold, and that was that.

"Pretty wife ya got, couns'lor." Can't you just hear him say it? Effortless menace.

"Stalag 17" is on DVD, but only in pan & scam. I need correct ratio. And I saw the "Eiger Sanction" DVD recently, and while it was a poor transfer, it was the first time I'd seen it in widescreen. I love movies where there are no "special effects," no CGI, and they have to create the thrills organically.

See "Taking of Pelham One Two Three," wherein Robert Shaw manages to be almost as menacing as Mitchum! All in a train car.

What the heck is "Royal Dano"?

MC

TroyD

I think it is a shame Robert Mitchum didn't make more movies.

Troy

Micah Cohen

No no, I agree with that. He's a national treasure, and I wish he had done more.

But, considering, I think I like the fact that he's not all over the place. It makes his appearances all the more impressive.

Plus, to know that he was impossible to work with, and often gone for long stretches of (jail) time, is pretty cool, too.

MC

TroyD

A friend of my parents, who live in CA, had a sister (yeah, I know, this is pretty far out) who was related distantly to Mitchum by marriage. Anyway this woman's mother was sick in the hospital (and didn't have much wampum). To make a long story short, Mitchum didn't know really know her well but he came to visit her faithfully, made sure that she was taken care of and footed the bill for the whole deal.....So, I take the stories of him being a jackass with a grain of salt.

Troy