Good (or bad) Movies

[weeze]

for jimv:
movie: in no particular order
godfather {1and 2}
on the waterfront
taxi driver
best years of our lives
ben hur
jesus'son
yankee doodle dandy
gone with the wind
the thin man
hound of the baskervilles [peter cushing}
captain blood
my little chckadee
saving private ryan
music man
stalag 17
ok so its not 10 but what the heck, theres more but what can i say

actors:
cagney
deniro
hanks
william claude dukenfield the great one, best comic and juggler in the world
flynn
gable..a REAL movie star
coop
basil rathbone
bogart
mcqueen
holden
preston

actresses:
myrna loy
judy garland......oops gotta go ...ben hur started
ok

[LennG]

Hey Weeze

 Look for the guy wearing a wrist watch during the Chariot Race. Maybe it should have been a sundial for that era, but it probably was a Timex, you know, get run over by 10 chariots and it still keeps on ticking.

[LennG]

william claude dukenfield the great one, best comic and juggler in the world

The Great Man=== Had some great thihngs to say

 rich man is nothing but a poor man with money.
W. C. Fields

A woman drove me to drink and I didn't even have the decency to thank her.
W. C. Fields

Abstaining is favorable both to the head and the pocket.
W. C. Fields

Ah, the patter of little feet around the house. There's nothing like having a midget for a butler.
W. C. Fields

All the men in my family were bearded, and most of the women.
W. C. Fields

Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake.
W. C. Fields

Anyone who hates children and animals can't be all bad.
W. C. Fields

Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.
W. C. Fields

Children should neither be seen or heard from - ever again.
W. C. Fields

Don't worry about your heart, it will last you as long as you live.
W. C. Fields

Drown in a cold vat of whiskey? Death, where is thy sting?
W. C. Fields

Hell, I never vote for anybody, I always vote against.
W. C. Fields

Here lies W. C. Fields. I would rather be living in Philadelphia.
W. C. Fields

Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people.
W. C. Fields

I always keep a supply of stimulant handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy.
W. C. Fields

I am an expert of electricity. My father occupied the chair of applied electricity at the state prison.
W. C. Fields

I am free of all prejudices. I hate every one equally.
W. C. Fields

I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.
W. C. Fields

I drink therefore I am.
W. C. Fields

I like children - fried.
W. C. Fields
I like to keep a bottle of stimulant handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy.
W. C. Fields

I must have a drink of breakfast.
W. C. Fields

I never drink water because of the disgusting things that fish do in it.
W. C. Fields

I never drink water; that is the stuff that rusts pipes.
W. C. Fields

I never drink water. I'm afraid it will become habit-forming.
W. C. Fields

I never met a kid I liked.
W. C. Fields

I never vote for anyone. I always vote against.
W. C. Fields

I never worry about being driven to drink; I just worry about being driven home.
W. C. Fields

I once spent a year in Philadelphia, I think it was on a Sunday.
W. C. Fields

I'm free of all prejudices. I hate everyone equally.
W. C. Fields

If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no point in being a damn fool about it.
W. C. Fields

If I had to live my life over, I'd live over a saloon.
W. C. Fields

If there's a will, prosperity can't be far behind.
W. C. Fields

If you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bull.
W. C. Fields

It ain't what they call you, it's what you answer to.
W. C. Fields

It was a woman who drove me to drink, and I never had the courtesy to thank her for it.
W. C. Fields

It's morally wrong to allow a sucker to keep his money.
W. C. Fields

Last week, I went to Philadelphia, but it was closed.
W. C. Fields

Marry an outdoors woman. Then if you throw her out into the yard on a cold night, she can still survive.
W. C. Fields

Never cry over spilt milk, because it may have been poisoned.
W. C. Fields

Never give a sucker an even break.
W. C. Fields

Never try to impress a woman, because if you do she'll expect you to keep up the standard for the rest of your life.
W. C. Fields

No doubt exists that all women are crazy; it's only a question of degree.
W. C. Fields

Now don't say you can't swear off drinking; it's easy. I've done it a thousand times.
W. C. Fields

On the whole, I'd rather be in Philidelphia.
W. C. Fields

Once, during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water.
W. C. Fields

Remember, a dead fish can float downstream, but it takes a live one to swim upstream.
W. C. Fields

Reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water.
W. C. Fields

Set up another case bartender! The best thing for a case of nerves is a case of Scotch.
W. C. Fields

Show me a great actor and I'll show you a lousy husband. Show me a great actress, and you've seen the devil.
W. C. Fields

Sleep - the most beautiful experience in life - except drink.
W. C. Fields

Some things are better than sex, and some are worse, but there's nothing exactly like it.
W. C. Fields

Some weasel took the cork out of my lunch.
W. C. Fields

Start every day off with a smile and get it over with.
W. C. Fields

The best cure for insomnia is to get a lot of sleep.
W. C. Fields

The clever cat eats cheese and breathes down rat holes with baited breath.
W. C. Fields

The cost of living has gone up another dollar a quart.
W. C. Fields

The laziest man I ever met put popcorn in his pancakes so they would turn over by themselves.
W. C. Fields

The world is getting to be such a dangerous place, a man is lucky to get out of it alive.
W. C. Fields

There are only two real ways to get ahead today - sell liquor or drink it.
W. C. Fields


There comes a time in the affairs of man when he must take the bull by the tail and face the situation.
W. C. Fields

When we have lost everything, including hope, life becomes a disgrace, and death a duty.
W. C. Fields

Women are like elephants. I like to look at 'em, but I wouldn't want to own one.
W. C. Fields

You can't trust water: Even a straight stick turns crooked in it.
W. C. Fields

[squibber]

I saw 4 movies recently.

From Paris With Love:  A 5 out of 10 move that was watchable only because Travolta played an interesting character.

Werewolf: Another 5 out of 10 movie that was watchable because of good acting and cinematography.

Cop Out(Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan): Again a 5 out of 10 movie.  If Tracy Morgan wasn't so funny, thiw would be a boring movie.

The Crazies:  3 out of 10.  Interesting concept but not well written.  No good actors also.

[NYSPORTS]

Shutter Island - don't waste your time

[jimv]

Watched "The Hurt locker" this afternoon.  Pretty good movie but I don't see it as an award winner.

[LennG]

I agree with you Jim, but what the hell do WE know

They showed another of my all time favorites last nite on Fox Movie channel---  Patton''
 What a great movie and a masterful performance by George C Scott. Just never get tired of watching this flix.

[LennG]

 Last nite we watched 'Zombieland'

Yes, there really is a movie called that. I know,with a title like that you wouldn't expect much from the movie and it didn't fail to deliverexactly that, not much. .

 OK, it wasn't terrible, as I have seen some terrible movies. This one was played strictly for laughs, and was meant to do it. Woodie Harrelson is funny and the kid who rides with him, a sort of nerd, is pretty funny also. If not for just a ridiculous storyline, it might be better. Look, it was watchable, under the circumstances, but, if I had to pay anything to watch it, I  Might be a bit upset.
 Would have been a decent 'B' movie in the good old days.

[jimv]

Lenn, IMHO, most of the movies made today would be "B" movies in the old days.  The only "class" most of them have today is computerized special effects.  Take that away & what do you have?  51 years ago, the great epic "Ben Hur" was made by an outstanding director, William Wyler, had an intimate story played by a cast of superior actors with background music by one the great movie composers, Miklos Rozsa.  That movie was "CLASS" all the way.  There were many more, including, of course, "GWTW."

[squibber]

I saw Brooklyn's Finest this weekend.  The movie had three separate stories with a main character in each story.  Iw was filmed as an intense drama and the movie had music that added to the intensity.  It took a while for the movie to take off.  I wasn't drawn into it for a while.  I give it a 7 out of 10.  Definitely not a classic.

Richard Gere plays a burned out and indifferent cop.  Cheadle plays an undercover cop that becomes too close to a drug dealer.  Hawk plays a desparate and strapped for cash family man that tries to steal drug money.

[Sam56]

NY SPORT,

Was planning to see Shutter Island this week, than I read your short, but extremely pungent review "Shutter Island - don't waste your time".

So I looked up one of my very favorite reviewers for decades, Roger Ebert to see what he had to say. Most of his review was quite good. In his olden days, it would have been a "Thumbs Up".

So than I thought I'd go to a few more people who make their living from reviewing movies. I printed just the first couple of lines, because a good reviewer can get the sense of his/her review very quickly in the first couple of lines.

"The Onion (A.V. Club)  Scott Tobias

There’s a purpose to all this madness--though to talk about the primary reason the film succeeds would be giving the game away--but it should be appreciated first as a vivid, waking nightmare.

Los Angeles Times  Betsy Sharkey

Martin Scorsese has created a divinely dark and devious brain tease of a movie in the best noir tradition with its smarter than you'd think cops, their tougher than you'd imagine cases to crack and enough nods to the classic genre for an all-night parlor game.

Wall Street Journal  John Anderson

Not since "Raging Bull" has Mr. Scorsese so brazenly married brutality to beauty. Not since "Kundun" has one of his films felt so aspirational.

Chicago Sun-Times  Roger Ebert

The film's primary effect is on the senses. Everything is brought together into a disturbing foreshadow of dreadful secrets.

Rolling Stone  Peter Travers

Shutter Island -  in his most haunting and emotionally complex performance yet, is the vessel Scorsese uses to lead us through the film’s laby­rinth.

Variety  Todd McCarthy

Even when it's clear Scorsese has decided to employ fakery and allow it to be obvious, it's done with elegance and beauty.

USA Today  Claudia Puig

Despite its flaws, Shutter Island is worth seeing for the palpably nightmarish and gothic world conceived by Scorsese."

So sometime in the next couple of weeks we will go see it. Mrs. Sam56 does NOT normally like this type of movie, but she enjoys Scorsese very much, plus watching the great improvement of DiCaprio as a fine actor, the wonderous Ben Kingsley and the multi-scarey Max Von Sydow.

So we'll give it a shot and see if we are wasting our time and of course, retirement money. Hope not, but I'll be truthful in my asessment of it.

Thanks, Sam56

[jimv]

To continue on my last post:  "Avatar" will likely win a host of Oscars tonight.  But, apart from the computerized special effects, does it really have a legitimate claim to be a "great" movie?  The last really "great" movie of a combination of special effects, story & acting was the "LOR" Trilogy.  Back in, I think, 2002, "Private Ryan" was clearly the outstanding movie of the year.  Spielberg even won the Best Director Award for it.  And, the Acadmy voted "Shakespeare in Love" as the best movie!   Give me a serious break!  

Looking at this year's group of movies it makes me want to barf.  70 years ago, Hollywood's GREATEST year, 1939, the nominees were:
Dark Victory...Arguably Bette Davis's finest performance.
Gone With the Wind...The WINNER. 'Nuf said.
Goodbye, Mr. Chips...Great story; Great performance by Donat; introduction of Greer Garson to America.
Love Affair...Boyer & Dunne. 'Nuf said.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington...One of Capra's greatest.
Ninotchka..."Garbo Laughs!"
Of Mice & Men...Intense story.
Stagecoach...Brought westerns back to class A movies.
The Wizard of Oz..'Nuf said.
Wuthering Heights...Great actors at their height.

[LennG]

Sam, my friend, maybe you missed my 'short' review of Shutter Island.

Just watched a bootleg copy of 'Shutter Island' with Leonardo DiCaprio.

I really don't know how describe this movie. I expected it to be a bit more sinister, and a bit more Hitchcock, which I didn't find at all. In fact, what is advertised as a scary type movie, really isn't.

 i wasn't enthralled by the movie, and, for sure, this is far from DiCaprio's best work (not even close).

I can't say too much about this movie as it has a lot of twists and turns, but I was more than a bit disappointed in it.
 

 As I said, just because mnay people think Scorsese walks on water, doesn't make this a great movie. I was a bit disappointed din it, and I am still trying to figure out the ending. I really expected a nail biter,and waht they show in the trailers is about waht you will see. it contains all the 'scary' Hitchcockian things that this movie was supposed to dwell opn.

 Now, I didn't say it was bad, as it has several good things also, but I was just disappointed, from waht I was led to believe was a 'good creepy movie'.

[weeze]

time for a remake of 'attack of the killer tomatos'......hopefully cast decraprio as the lead tomater.........................................

[LennG]

 Sat nite, we watched the DVD of "Couples Retreat", one of those new fangled comedies that play more to the teen age mind than anyone else.
 Maybe my mind was that way when we watched, but I found it not too bad. Remember, I didn't say GOOD, just not too bad. There were a couple of really funny moments, and, I guess, being married for 35 years, you find you are putting yourself into the situations that these couples found themselves.
 So it wasn't a total waste of time,and if I had to rate it maybe 2 1/2 stars, for me, not too bad for this type of movie.