last movie you watched

[Greystoke]

Arrived this morning - a treat for myself after a sh*t month. Pandora's Box is also on its way, as is the first 5 blu ray box in Kino's Dark Side of Cinema series, which is currently just £25 on Amazon. Oh, and 200 classical records. Busy week!

Very nice, Shane. I'll probably get hold of The Suspect and The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry at some point.

The Suspect is actually from an Arrow Film Noir box, I think, as it says not to be sold separately on the back - but having it pulled from the box suits me fine as I didn't want the other from it. They all come from an ebay seller in the UK. The region A discs were not exactly cheap, but cheaper than importing them, and I got the lot for £60, which I was pleased with. The Dumb Girl of Portici would have been £25 on its own if I bought it from the States.

The rest of the year is going to be expensive, I think, what with the Warner Archive horror titles, the Criterion Val Lewton double bill, and the Eureka Feuillade serials box. Thankfully I'll be getting the Columbia Horror box as a Christmas present. Undercrank have also announced their restoration of the 1926 version of The Bat, which is another one I'll grab before it disappears.

I saw Uncle Harry tonight which is a solid drama/thriller which is completely spoiled by the ridiculous ending which was pretty much demanded by the Hays Office. The Olive Films blu ray is good, but there are no special features to speak of, and picture quality is just fine. But, as always, good to get these films in even average blu ray quality compared to what we have had in the past.

It's going to be the same for me. I'm prioritising some box sets and limited editions that are due in late October and November, then I'll probably make a big purchase around Christmas. I might hold off on the Columbia Horror set since it won't sell out fast, but the likes of Arrow's J-Horror box set and Radiance's upcoming box sets probably won't stick around too long.

They'll get standard releases later on, no doubt. Although I have noticed a few Radiance titles being single print releases, which is worth keeping an eye out for, just in case.

[pmp]

Arrived this morning - a treat for myself after a sh*t month. Pandora's Box is also on its way, as is the first 5 blu ray box in Kino's Dark Side of Cinema series, which is currently just £25 on Amazon. Oh, and 200 classical records. Busy week!

Very nice, Shane. I'll probably get hold of The Suspect and The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry at some point.

The Suspect is actually from an Arrow Film Noir box, I think, as it says not to be sold separately on the back - but having it pulled from the box suits me fine as I didn't want the other from it. They all come from an ebay seller in the UK. The region A discs were not exactly cheap, but cheaper than importing them, and I got the lot for £60, which I was pleased with. The Dumb Girl of Portici would have been £25 on its own if I bought it from the States.

The rest of the year is going to be expensive, I think, what with the Warner Archive horror titles, the Criterion Val Lewton double bill, and the Eureka Feuillade serials box. Thankfully I'll be getting the Columbia Horror box as a Christmas present. Undercrank have also announced their restoration of the 1926 version of The Bat, which is another one I'll grab before it disappears.

I saw Uncle Harry tonight which is a solid drama/thriller which is completely spoiled by the ridiculous ending which was pretty much demanded by the Hays Office. The Olive Films blu ray is good, but there are no special features to speak of, and picture quality is just fine. But, as always, good to get these films in even average blu ray quality compared to what we have had in the past.

It's going to be the same for me. I'm prioritising some box sets and limited editions that are due in late October and November, then I'll probably make a big purchase around Christmas. I might hold off on the Columbia Horror set since it won't sell out fast, but the likes of Arrow's J-Horror box set and Radiance's upcoming box sets probably won't stick around too long.

They'll get standard releases later on, no doubt. Although I have noticed a few Radiance titles being single print releases, which is worth keeping an eye out for, just in case.

Rarewaves currently have a 2 for £16 offer on "collectors blu rays" - that includes some of Radiance's past titles.

[Greystoke]

Arrived this morning - a treat for myself after a sh*t month. Pandora's Box is also on its way, as is the first 5 blu ray box in Kino's Dark Side of Cinema series, which is currently just £25 on Amazon. Oh, and 200 classical records. Busy week!

Very nice, Shane. I'll probably get hold of The Suspect and The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry at some point.

The Suspect is actually from an Arrow Film Noir box, I think, as it says not to be sold separately on the back - but having it pulled from the box suits me fine as I didn't want the other from it. They all come from an ebay seller in the UK. The region A discs were not exactly cheap, but cheaper than importing them, and I got the lot for £60, which I was pleased with. The Dumb Girl of Portici would have been £25 on its own if I bought it from the States.

The rest of the year is going to be expensive, I think, what with the Warner Archive horror titles, the Criterion Val Lewton double bill, and the Eureka Feuillade serials box. Thankfully I'll be getting the Columbia Horror box as a Christmas present. Undercrank have also announced their restoration of the 1926 version of The Bat, which is another one I'll grab before it disappears.

I saw Uncle Harry tonight which is a solid drama/thriller which is completely spoiled by the ridiculous ending which was pretty much demanded by the Hays Office. The Olive Films blu ray is good, but there are no special features to speak of, and picture quality is just fine. But, as always, good to get these films in even average blu ray quality compared to what we have had in the past.

It's going to be the same for me. I'm prioritising some box sets and limited editions that are due in late October and November, then I'll probably make a big purchase around Christmas. I might hold off on the Columbia Horror set since it won't sell out fast, but the likes of Arrow's J-Horror box set and Radiance's upcoming box sets probably won't stick around too long.

They'll get standard releases later on, no doubt. Although I have noticed a few Radiance titles being single print releases, which is worth keeping an eye out for, just in case.

Rarewaves currently have a 2 for £16 offer on "collectors blu rays" - that includes some of Radiance's past titles.

Thanks, Shane. I'll take a look. They've really come into their own as one of the most interesting labels around.

[ForeverElvis]

Has anybody tried the Netflix series mr. and Mrs. Smith?

I started to watch episode one last night and only got about 25 minutes in and had to turn it off. I was bored to death. That is rare for me. I think I’ve turned off maybe three or four things my entire life once I’ve started them. Now, I may have been tired at the end of a workday or it was just boring.

Anyone out there thinks I should maybe give it another shot? When I’m more awake or, is the pacing in that first half hour foreshadowing the pacing of the whole thing?

I also recently watched “the perfect couple”, that moved along at a nice clip. I also guessed the murderer at the second episode - very superficial.

The other day I watched Rebel Ridge, which I thought was a well shot suspenseful thriller. The lead actor has riveting eyes that really would’ve stood out on a large theater screen..

Don’t think about it too hard, because what sets the film in motion is the police seizing the lead characters money, the cash. This money was going to be used to bail his cousin out of jail.

Why wouldn’t he just be carrying a money order or certified check from a bank?

Because then there would be no movie.

I was a bit surprised that the whole movie hinged on one line of dialogue across a radio that was hard to hear at the end.

I actually had to rewatch the last five minutes to make sure I picked up on it . It’s nothing great but it’s a passable time filler.

[Greystoke]

Has anybody tried the Netflix series mr. and Mrs. Smith?

I started to watch episode one last night and only got about 25 minutes in and had to turn it off. I was bored to death. That is rare for me. I think I’ve turned off maybe three or four things my entire life once I’ve started them. Now, I may have been tired at the end of a workday or it was just boring.

Anyone out there thinks I should maybe give it another shot? When I’m more awake or, is the pacing in that first half hour foreshadowing the pacing of the whole thing?

I also recently watched “the perfect couple”, that moved along at a nice clip. I also guessed the murderer at the second episode - very superficial.

The other day I watched Rebel Ridge, which I thought was a well shot suspenseful thriller. The lead actor has riveting eyes that really would’ve stood out on a large theater screen..

Don’t think about it too hard, because what sets the film in motion is the police seizing the lead characters money, the cash. This money was going to be used to bail his cousin out of jail.

Why wouldn’t he just be carrying a money order or certified check from a bank?

Because then there would be no movie.

I was a bit surprised that the whole movie hinged on one line of dialogue across a radio that was hard to hear at the end.

I actually had to rewatch the last five minutes to make sure I picked up on it . It’s nothing great but it’s a passable time filler.

I haven't seen Mr. and Mrs. Smith or The Perfect Couple, but I have watched Rebel Ridge. I can't imagine that I'll watch those two series, all the same.

[Greystoke]

I watched the first episode of The Penguin series last night, which follows in the aftermath of The Batman from 2022. I enjoyed The Batman tremendously, and was quite excited about a series focusing on the exploits of Colin Farrell's Penguin, who hasn't yet worked his way up to become one of the Gotham crime lords.

I liked how grounded and less fantastical The Batman was, and even after Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight films, and Ben Affleck acquitting himself well as Batman, the latest film not only worked really well, in my opinion, it also has its own identity within the Batman canon.

The Penguin retains the same tone and also boats fantastic make-up and prosthetics, with Farrell unrecognisable as Penguin. I won't say much about the plot, other than it following directly on from events at the end of The Batman. And if you liked The Batman, you'll probably enjoy the first episode. I certainly did.

[pmp]

I watched the first episode of The Penguin series last night, which follows in the aftermath of The Batman from 2022. I enjoyed The Batman tremendously, and was quite excited about a series focusing on the exploits of Colin Farrell's Penguin, who hasn't yet worked his way up to become one of the Gotham crime lords.

I liked how grounded and less fantastical The Batman was, and even after Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight films, and Ben Affleck acquitting himself well as Batman, the latest film not only worked really well, in my opinion, it also has its own identity within the Batman canon.

The Penguin retains the same tone and also boats fantastic make-up and prosthetics, with Farrell unrecognisable as Penguin. I won't say much about the plot, other than it following directly on from events at the end of The Batman. And if you liked The Batman, you'll probably enjoy the first episode. I certainly did.

I didn't realise Colin Farrell was The Penguin! It's not something I'm likely to watch, though - I seem to enjoy the first series or two of these prequel series (Pennyworth, Gotham), and then lose interest quite quickly.

Last night I revisited Rear Window for the first time in about eighteen years. Charles Barr was one of my lecturers in the first year at uni, and we heard a LOT about Rear Window - so much so that I it's nearly two decades since I last wanted to see it. It's great to see it again, though, and come to it a lot fresher than many of the Hitchcock films I'm rewatching.

Tonight, I went right back to the beginning with The Pleasure Garden, the restoration of which doesn't seem to even be floating around on the web. Thankfully, the version kicking around isn't too bad. There's been much written about this, Hitchcock's first movie, and people saying this or that is a sign of what was to come, but, other than the opening on-stage sequence with the chorus girls, there's not much that's Hitchcockian about it, and it's a very mundane film, even when placed against what other British filmmakers were doing at the time. Something quite miraculous must have happened between the filming of this and The Lodger, even though there's only one (lost) film between them. It's fun seeing a "young" Miles Mander, though - someone who pops up a few times in the Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies of the 1940s.

Finally, I had another look at Scooby-Doo: Stage Fright, a straight to streaming movie from 2013. This one lacks the well-known guest stars that some of the other movies have, but it's one of the better ones in the series, and borrowing from (and parodying) Phantom of the Opera and talent shows means that adults/horror fans are catered for somewhat more than usual. In fact, it's likely that most of the in-jokes will fly over the heads of the kids watching it. For the moment, the yearly feature length films have been paused, as Netflix works on its new live-action series.

[Greystoke]

I watched the first episode of The Penguin series last night, which follows in the aftermath of The Batman from 2022. I enjoyed The Batman tremendously, and was quite excited about a series focusing on the exploits of Colin Farrell's Penguin, who hasn't yet worked his way up to become one of the Gotham crime lords.

I liked how grounded and less fantastical The Batman was, and even after Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight films, and Ben Affleck acquitting himself well as Batman, the latest film not only worked really well, in my opinion, it also has its own identity within the Batman canon.

The Penguin retains the same tone and also boats fantastic make-up and prosthetics, with Farrell unrecognisable as Penguin. I won't say much about the plot, other than it following directly on from events at the end of The Batman. And if you liked The Batman, you'll probably enjoy the first episode. I certainly did.

I didn't realise Colin Farrell was The Penguin! It's not something I'm likely to watch, though - I seem to enjoy the first series or two of these prequel series (Pennyworth, Gotham), and then lose interest quite quickly.

Last night I revisited Rear Window for the first time in about eighteen years. Charles Barr was one of my lecturers in the first year at uni, and we heard a LOT about Rear Window - so much so that I it's nearly two decades since I last wanted to see it. It's great to see it again, though, and come to it a lot fresher than many of the Hitchcock films I'm rewatching.

Tonight, I went right back to the beginning with The Pleasure Garden, the restoration of which doesn't seem to even be floating around on the web. Thankfully, the version kicking around isn't too bad. There's been much written about this, Hitchcock's first movie, and people saying this or that is a sign of what was to come, but, other than the opening on-stage sequence with the chorus girls, there's not much that's Hitchcockian about it, and it's a very mundane film, even when placed against what other British filmmakers were doing at the time. Something quite miraculous must have happened between the filming of this and The Lodger, even though there's only one (lost) film between them. It's fun seeing a "young" Miles Mander, though - someone who pops up a few times in the Rathbone Sherlock Holmes movies of the 1940s.

Finally, I had another look at Scooby-Doo: Stage Fright, a straight to streaming movie from 2013. This one lacks the well-known guest stars that some of the other movies have, but it's one of the better ones in the series, and borrowing from (and parodying) Phantom of the Opera and talent shows means that adults/horror fans are catered for somewhat more than usual. In fact, it's likely that most of the in-jokes will fly over the heads of the kids watching it. For the moment, the yearly feature length films have been paused, as Netflix works on its new live-action series.

I'm a big fan of Rear Window, too. It's a film that might have been more suitable for 3D at the time, as opposed to Dial M for.Murder. James Stewart is really terrific here, though. It's certainly among my favourite Hitchcock films.

This morning it's The Substance for me at the cinema. It's one of the films I've been looking forward to the most this year, after the reception it got at Cannes and a great marketing campaign of late.

[Greystoke]

I thought The Substance was very good, and it's certainly the best and most adventurous Demi Moore has been in a film since the nineties. This is the second film from writer/director, Coralie Fargeat, and it's audaciously insane, with clear influences from the likes of Cronenberg, De Palma, Carpenter, and even Hitchcock.

I won't elaborate much on the plot for the sake of spoilers, although the broader narrative of the film will be quite familiar. I won't say what I was reminded of, or what it's clearly inspired by in this regard, although it's a film that wears many influences on its blood-soaked sleeve.

Moore plays a former actor who is now fronting an aerobics show on daytime television, but her job is at risk, with the station's head of production, played by Dennis Quaid on suitably scuzzy form, wanting somebody younger and newer in the role. Moore's character, Elisabeth Sparkle, finds an opportunity to change her fortunes, and I'll say no more that that. Other than The Substance being broadly satirical, with body horror writ large throughout, and one of the most bonkers final acts in recent years.

It's overlong, and I think it's too on the nose at times, with some of the film's themes hammered home and then hammered again for good measure, but there's a streak of originality here, too. Some crazy ideas. And great imagery, from the very first scene of a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to very apt parting shot.

[pmp]

Tonight I revisited The Good Neighbor, a 2016 film starring James Caan, Keir Kilchrist and Logan Miller. Miller and Gilchrist play a couple of teenagers who attempt an "experiment" in which they try to make their neighbour (Caan) believe his house is haunted. They set up cams so they can watch everything, and then slowly but surely play with the lights, a banging door, and the hi-fi coming on by itself. What they don't expect is Caan's lack of surprise at the events, and soon they believe that he has murdered his wife and that the body is in the basement.

There are shades of Rear Window here in many respects, as well as borrowings from the later Disturbia, but it's a clever and playful movie for the most part. Sadly, the reveal towards the end is in a rather different tone to the darker movie which preceeds it, and it rather lets the side down a little bit. Yes, it explains everything that has come before, but it's just too sentimental and cloying. That said, the first eighty minutes are excellent, with all three of the leads in excellent form in a film that manages to take what is essentially a found footage movie and make something highly entertaining from it. It's available to stream on Amazon.

[Greystoke]

Sticking with somewhat of a Hitchcock trend on here of late, I watched I Confess tonight, which might be Hitchcock on more low key form in the 1950s, but it's a film I've always found quite compelling.

Montgomery Clift is very good as the priest who hears the confession of a murderer, only for himself to become implicated as his vow to keep the secrets of the confessional remains in spite of accusations that come his way.

It's a beautifully shot film, with brilliant camera work and interesting compositions, not to mention a splendid score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Karl Malden is also effectively cast as the detective who suspects Cliff. There's great location work, too, with the film shot and taking place in Québec City.

I Confess isn't quite up there with my favourite Hitchcock films, but I have watched it several times in recent years. It's thematically rich and Clift is such a compelling presence, and his performance is nicely understated. The Warner Blu-ray is quite excellent, I might add.

[pmp]

Sticking with somewhat of a Hitchcock trend on here of late, I watched I Confess tonight, which might be Hitchcock on more low key form in the 1950s, but it's a film I've always found quite compelling.

Montgomery Clift is very good as the priest who hears the confession of a murderer, only for himself to become implicated as his vow to keep the secrets of the confessional remains in spite of accusations that come his way.

It's a beautifully shot film, with brilliant camera work and interesting compositions, not to mention a splendid score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Karl Malden is also effectively cast as the detective who suspects Cliff. There's great location work, too, with the film shot and taking place in Québec City.

I Confess isn't quite up there with my favourite Hitchcock films, but I have watched it several times in recent years. It's thematically rich and Clift is such a compelling presence, and his performance is nicely understated. The Warner Blu-ray is quite excellent, I might add.

I think my copy is from the HMV range, but quite likely the same print and transfer. I'm very fond of I Confess, which is one of those Hitchcocks that tends to fly under the radar, but Clift is really good here, and that location shooting adds so much.

I have the blu ray of Stage Fright waiting to be watched, too, which is certainly not as good as I Confess, but is another "under the radar" Hitchcock movie.

[Greystoke]

Sticking with somewhat of a Hitchcock trend on here of late, I watched I Confess tonight, which might be Hitchcock on more low key form in the 1950s, but it's a film I've always found quite compelling.

Montgomery Clift is very good as the priest who hears the confession of a murderer, only for himself to become implicated as his vow to keep the secrets of the confessional remains in spite of accusations that come his way.

It's a beautifully shot film, with brilliant camera work and interesting compositions, not to mention a splendid score by Dimitri Tiomkin. Karl Malden is also effectively cast as the detective who suspects Cliff. There's great location work, too, with the film shot and taking place in Québec City.

I Confess isn't quite up there with my favourite Hitchcock films, but I have watched it several times in recent years. It's thematically rich and Clift is such a compelling presence, and his performance is nicely understated. The Warner Blu-ray is quite excellent, I might add.

I think my copy is from the HMV range, but quite likely the same print and transfer. I'm very fond of I Confess, which is one of those Hitchcocks that tends to fly under the radar, but Clift is really good here, and that location shooting adds so much.

I have the blu ray of Stage Fright waiting to be watched, too, which is certainly not as good as I Confess, but is another "under the radar" Hitchcock movie.

Th HMV Premium and Warner Archive titles are indeed the same, although I do like getting the posters that come with the HMV releases. I have a few of them framed and will probably frame a couple more at some point.

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[pmp]

Tonight I watched Witness to Murder (1954) from the first Kino box of Film Noir: Dark Side of Cinema. Barbra Stanwyck is looking out of her window one night when she sees George Sanders in the flat opposite, strangling a woman. Sadly, the police find no evidence of a crime, and so Stanwyck starts investigating on her own, only for Sanders to put in a complaint against her and tries to convince both her and the police that she is going mad. There are elements associated with Rear Window here, but it was actually released months before Hitchcock's film, and there's also elements of Rope, too, given that Sanders is a firm believer in Nietzche and provides that as an excuse for his crime. Agatha Christie's 4.50 from Paddington, written three years later, also makes use of the witness to murder that no-one believes element. Coincidence? Not necessarily, given that the method of murder is the same, too, and Dame Agatha appears to have borrowed ideas from films before. Witness to Murder is a neat little thriller with Stanwyck on excellent form, and Sanders fulfilling his role well, too, although he seems oddly detatched at times, as he sometimes was in his films outside of the 1940s. The blu ray is good, but not great. The grain is very heavy in places, and the picture is sometimes soft. In fact, it looks as if the film was filmed in full frame ratio and then blown up to make it widescreen. If that was the case, then it happened prior to release in 1954 rather than during the transfer for the blu ray.

I've also seen The Fall of the House of Usher from 1960, a film we've talked about here in the past. It really is a wonderful movie, I think, with the four actors perfectly cast in their roles, and the sumptuous look of the movie certainly gives nothing away about the low budget.

Finally, I've seen the Strange Case of Doctor Rx, a decent B-movie thriller from Universal, and released oin Scream Factory's series of Universal horror films. There's not much of a horror link here, but it's a good watch, nonetheless, even though Manton Moreland has a rather demeaning role (as usual). The leads are played well by Patric Knowles and Anne Gwynne, and Lionel Atwill, though highly billed, is actually only present for about 5 minutes of the running time. The blu ray looks excellent, although why Scream Factory put each film in this series on a separate blu ray, I have no idea. The could easily have put two 65-70 minute films on each disc, making these double disc sets and keeping the cost down. Still, it's a great series, and I doubt many of these will see a UK release, unfortunately.

[Greystoke]

Tonight I watched Witness to Murder (1954) from the first Kino box of Film Noir: Dark Side of Cinema. Barbra Stanwyck is looking out of her window one night when she sees George Sanders in the flat opposite, strangling a woman. Sadly, the police find no evidence of a crime, and so Stanwyck starts investigating on her own, only for Sanders to put in a complaint against her and tries to convince both her and the police that she is going mad. There are elements associated with Rear Window here, but it was actually released months before Hitchcock's film, and there's also elements of Rope, too, given that Sanders is a firm believer in Nietzche and provides that as an excuse for his crime. Agatha Christie's 4.50 from Paddington, written three years later, also makes use of the witness to murder that no-one believes element. Coincidence? Not necessarily, given that the method of murder is the same, too, and Dame Agatha appears to have borrowed ideas from films before. Witness to Murder is a neat little thriller with Stanwyck on excellent form, and Sanders fulfilling his role well, too, although he seems oddly detatched at times, as he sometimes was in his films outside of the 1940s. The blu ray is good, but not great. The grain is very heavy in places, and the picture is sometimes soft. In fact, it looks as if the film was filmed in full frame ratio and then blown up to make it widescreen. If that was the case, then it happened prior to release in 1954 rather than during the transfer for the blu ray.

I've also seen The Fall of the House of Usher from 1960, a film we've talked about here in the past. It really is a wonderful movie, I think, with the four actors perfectly cast in their roles, and the sumptuous look of the movie certainly gives nothing away about the low budget.

Finally, I've seen the Strange Case of Doctor Rx, a decent B-movie thriller from Universal, and released oin Scream Factory's series of Universal horror films. There's not much of a horror link here, but it's a good watch, nonetheless, even though Manton Moreland has a rather demeaning role (as usual). The leads are played well by Patric Knowles and Anne Gwynne, and Lionel Atwill, though highly billed, is actually only present for about 5 minutes of the running time. The blu ray looks excellent, although why Scream Factory put each film in this series on a separate blu ray, I have no idea. The could easily have put two 65-70 minute films on each disc, making these double disc sets and keeping the cost down. Still, it's a great series, and I doubt many of these will see a UK release, unfortunately.

Coincidentally, I was looking at Arrow's "Six Gothic Tales" box set earlier tonight, and thinking about watching those films again quite soon. It's been a while. It's one of the larger Arrow box sets, and it's quite an impressive release. The last time I watched The Fall of the House of Usher was probably when this set was released.

I'm quite fond of Witness to Murder. It's quite efficiently made, as you've said, and Stanwyck was ideally cast in the film's leading role. She was great at playing tough and assertive characters, but Stanwyck was also good at playing panic and fear.

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[pmp]

Coincidentally, I was looking at Arrow's "Six Gothic Tales" box set earlier tonight, and thinking about watching those films again quite soon. It's been a while. It's one of the larger Arrow box sets, and it's quite an impressive release. The last time I watched The Fall of the House of Usher was probably when this set was released.

I'm quite fond of Witness to Murder. It's quite efficiently made, as you've said, and Stanwyck was ideally cast in the film's leading role. She was great at playing tough and assertive characters, but Stanwyck was also good at playing panic and fear.

My copy of the box is the streamlined one, with two discs in each case and no book. But it is a great set, although it's a shame Arrow didn't get the rights to Premature Burial and Masque of the Red Death to bring everything together in one place, although I'm not very fond of the latter.

[Walter Hale 4]

sunday night i watched, but i wished i hadn't, a thing called SEX & THE SINGLE GIRL, a poor attempt at slapstic comedy that was released in 1965.

One hour and 55 minute of total nonesense.

I hadn't seen the movie before, despite a very good cast with Natalie WOOD, Tony CURTIS, Lauren BACALL and Henry Fonda. To me, the film left a lot to be desired, it must be the worst of the sixties movies (as most of you know, a decade i usually love with a passion and always promoting and post music and films)
i ever watched, nuff said

Anyone here seen this movie?


Spoiler alert.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_and_the_Single_Girl

[Greystoke]

Coincidentally, I was looking at Arrow's "Six Gothic Tales" box set earlier tonight, and thinking about watching those films again quite soon. It's been a while. It's one of the larger Arrow box sets, and it's quite an impressive release. The last time I watched The Fall of the House of Usher was probably when this set was released.

I'm quite fond of Witness to Murder. It's quite efficiently made, as you've said, and Stanwyck was ideally cast in the film's leading role. She was great at playing tough and assertive characters, but Stanwyck was also good at playing panic and fear.

My copy of the box is the streamlined one, with two discs in each case and no book. But it is a great set, although it's a shame Arrow didn't get the rights to Premature Burial and Masque of the Red Death to bring everything together in one place, although I'm not very fond of the latter.

Speaking of Arrow, their current distribution agreement with Warners will hopefully result in some great releases. They have an announcement due tomorrow. One notable title they have leased is The Cell, which Warners have recently restored in 4K and are screening at this year's Beyond Fest. This is a remarkable film and the Warner Blu-ray is good, but considering when and how this film was made, this could be striking on 4K.


..

[Greystoke]

sunday night i watched, but i wished i hadn't, a thing called SEX & THE SINGLE GIRL, a poor attempt at slapstic comedy that was released in 1965.

One hour and 55 minute of total nonesense.

I hadn't seen the movie before, despite a very good cast with Natalie WOOD, Tony CURTIS, Lauren BACALL and Henry Fonda. To me, the film left a lot to be desired, it must be the worst of the sixties movies (as most of you know, a decade i usually love with a passion and always promoting and post music and films)
i ever watched, nuff said

Anyone here seen this movie?


Spoiler alert.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_and_the_Single_Girl

I'm not very enthusiastic about this film either, although it does feature a fine cast. But it's pretty shallow and leering. I haven't seen it in a while, though. I met Lauren Bacall, incidentally. She's was really nice. Brief as it was, back in 2004.

[Walter Hale 4]

I'm not very enthusiastic about this film either, although it does feature a fine cast. But it's pretty shallow and leering. I haven't seen it in a while, though. I met Lauren Bacall, incidentally. She's was really nice. Brief as it was, back in 2004.

Really ! Can i ask what was the occasion ?

[Greystoke]

I'm not very enthusiastic about this film either, although it does feature a fine cast. But it's pretty shallow and leering. I haven't seen it in a while, though. I met Lauren Bacall, incidentally. She's was really nice. Brief as it was, back in 2004.

Really ! Can i ask what was the occasion ?

It was at one of the evenings she was on stage discussing her career. There was an opportunity to meet her afterwards, and I was able to speak to her for a few moments and get an autograph. Although, I'm not an autograph collector, but the opportunity presented itself. It was only £8.50 to attend the event. Now, you might pay twenty times that for something similar. Even more for meet-and-greets at concerts. Her autobiography is very good, incidentally. I recommend it highly.

I just noticed the date was 2005, not 2004.

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[pmp]

Last night I moved on to The Pit and the Pendulum, the second film in the Corman/Poe cycles. It's odd how our tastes change, as I used to think this was superior to House of Usher, but I felt the opposite this time around. Everything seems just a little TOO over the top, and there are various plot holes, too. Still, it's a good movie, I really love those opening titles!

Tonight I watched The Factory (2012), which stars John Cusack in a serial killer movie. It should have been good, but this is a very dumb movie - and thoroughly unpleasant, too. The plot is made up of a series of stupid coincidences - Cusack is hunting down a serial killer and his daughter just happens to be his next victim, completely by accident. I mean, really? And the twist at the end is certainly one you don't see coming...because it's batshit crazy. It's watchable, but there's a very good reason why this tasteless cookie cutter movie was locked away for five years before being released.

In other news, Warner Archive UK are releasing both the 1931 and the 1941 Jekyll and Hyde movies at the end of October. I have the first but not the second, and so no doubt will pick that up at some point. It's all good to see Criterion issuing Funny Girl in December.

[ForeverElvis]

Last night I moved on to The Pit and the Pendulum, the second film in the Corman/Poe cycles. It's odd how our tastes change, as I used to think this was superior to House of Usher, but I felt the opposite this time around. Everything seems just a little TOO over the top, and there are various plot holes, too. Still, it's a good movie, I really love those opening titles!

Tonight I watched The Factory (2012), which stars John Cusack in a serial killer movie. It should have been good, but this is a very dumb movie - and thoroughly unpleasant, too. The plot is made up of a series of stupid coincidences - Cusack is hunting down a serial killer and his daughter just happens to be his next victim, completely by accident. I mean, really? And the twist at the end is certainly one you don't see coming...because it's batshit crazy. It's watchable, but there's a very good reason why this tasteless cookie cutter movie was locked away for five years before being released.

In other news, Warner Archive UK are releasing both the 1931 and the 1941 Jekyll and Hyde movies at the end of October. I have the first but not the second, and so no doubt will pick that up at some point. It's all good to see Criterion issuing Funny Girl in December.

I watched the Warner Archive editions of the 1931 and the 1941 Jekyll and Hyde movies one after the other.
The differences were subtle but obvious. Almost everything would be due to the production code of the time.

I think the Jekyll scenes are better in 1941 and the Hyde scenes better in 1931.

Be interested to see your comments if you watch one after the other Shane.

[pmp]

Last night I moved on to The Pit and the Pendulum, the second film in the Corman/Poe cycles. It's odd how our tastes change, as I used to think this was superior to House of Usher, but I felt the opposite this time around. Everything seems just a little TOO over the top, and there are various plot holes, too. Still, it's a good movie, I really love those opening titles!

Tonight I watched The Factory (2012), which stars John Cusack in a serial killer movie. It should have been good, but this is a very dumb movie - and thoroughly unpleasant, too. The plot is made up of a series of stupid coincidences - Cusack is hunting down a serial killer and his daughter just happens to be his next victim, completely by accident. I mean, really? And the twist at the end is certainly one you don't see coming...because it's batshit crazy. It's watchable, but there's a very good reason why this tasteless cookie cutter movie was locked away for five years before being released.

In other news, Warner Archive UK are releasing both the 1931 and the 1941 Jekyll and Hyde movies at the end of October. I have the first but not the second, and so no doubt will pick that up at some point. It's all good to see Criterion issuing Funny Girl in December.

I watched the Warner Archive editions of the 1931 and the 1941 Jekyll and Hyde movies one after the other.
The differences were subtle but obvious. Almost everything would be due to the production code of the time.

I think the Jekyll scenes are better in 1941 and the Hyde scenes better in 1931.

Be interested to see your comments if you watch one after the other Shane.

When I saw the 1931 one a few months back it was the first time since being at uni about twenty years ago. It was another of those films that was seen and pulled apart too much to enjoy again until now. I've not seen the 1941 version at all, I don't think. But I shall pick it up.

[pmp]

Tonight's film was The Suspect, starring Charles Laughton as an unhappily married man who decides to kill his wife, only to fall under suspicion both from a detective and his next door neighbour. This 1944 movie really is excellent, with Laughton rather playing against type in this surprisingly sympathetic role. There's also fine support from Ella Raines, and Robert Siodmak directs with flair and keeps the narrative moving at a fast lick. The only down side, perhaps, is the ending - no doubt required because of the production code. Most viewers are likely to wish for a different conclusion, but that's the way it was in Hollywood back in the 1940s. The Arrow blu ray is excellent. Very enjoyable.