Movie Chat

TCM is the Turner Classic Movie Channel on Cable TV. They'll be featuring Oscar nominated movies and Oscar winners during the month of February.

I don't have cable. Oh well.

Darn! TCM shows all the oldies and no commercials either. That's how I caught Duel in the Sun the other night. I haven't bought a DVD player because I have so many movies on video tapes, but I probably am going to need a new TV soon (mine has been misbehaving lately) and I guess DVD will be the way to go.

I was reluctant to go with DVDs, but have grown to love them. I felt the same way when CDs replaced records. Many of my records have not been on CD, so I still maintain a turntable.
One feature of DVDs that sold me is the way it skips through the scenes. That's much more efficient than the fast forward.

Yes that's a great feature, but I want to record every movie I see and I don't think one can do that now with DVD. (lol). I've still got my turntable, too. And most of my old records.

Oh, my gosh I've run past the time for Some Like It Hot. G'night from PA.

My husband and I have grown quite a collection of dvd's and our library expands monthly. I love the extra stuff dvd's include, the inside stories, the interviews with cast and crew, so much information. "The Godfather" set has an extra dvd with 3-hours of additional footage. A treasurechest of good stuff worth the $75 pricetag. I try not to buy anything over $15, waiting for the price to go down, but 'Godfather' was so special.
I can't imagine how they will evolve. Seems to me that the dvd is about the best there is.

A follow-up to a recent remark I made about Abbott & Costello movies on dvd. It appears that Universal is releasing the A&C films in bargain, multi-dvd sets. The first set (including "Buck Privates" and "Ride 'em Cowboy") is scheduled for release tomorrow, Feb. 10. Not only is this welcome news, but, if these are good transfers, it's an unbelievable deal.

Just finished watching "The Birds " on TCM. In the end, why oh why did Tippi Hedren, hearing the soft flutter of wings, go into the attic alone?

I caught The Road to Perdition tonight. Bought the DVD, which is how I generally see the films that interest me. Tom Hanks and Paul Newman are some corrupt characters in this one. I won't call it great, but it did hold my interest, which is something most films can't accomplish. Of course after it reached a certain point I was able to predict events before they happened, but it was still worth seeing, I think.

Edgar I agree that the plot was somewhat predictable. But the director (Sam Mendes) made some really unusual choices, which I found refreshing.

I was impressed with how they filmed many scenes. The score was a bit oppressive at times.

Edgar? How could you ignore me so?

I didn't ignore you. I was waiting to see if anyone had the answer. Frankly, I have never gotten engrossed in The Birds enough to sit through it all.

Today I watched Will Smith as ALI. Before the purists chime in, I know the film does not show the full dimensional Ali or anybody else. But the truths it brought forth in that intense emotional way had me sitting with a tear in my eye through about half of it. Bravo, I say.

Brought home Shawshank Redemtion. Ten minutes into it I recalled seeing it on a UHF channel one time. I didn't think that much of it to watch it again, although it was pretty good the first time.

A follow-up to some previous posts:

Abbott & Costello: I purchased the first set of A&C films, put out by Universal, and I'm pleased to say that it has met or exceeded my expectations. A clean transfer, good picture and sound quality, and a terrific price for eight movies (on two double-sided dvds). I can recommend this set to anyone interested in these classic films.

Universal Monsters: The Universal monster movies of the 1930s-1940s (with Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr., etc.) have been out of print for a while, but they're coming back in some specially priced sets in April. There will be a Monster Legacy Collection (Frankenstein, Dracula, The Wolfman) and sets devoted individually to Dracula and Frankenstein and the Wolf Man. I'm particularly happy about the Frankenstein series: as far as I know, it will be the first release of "Son of Frankenstein," an unjustly neglected film that features Karloff's last performance as "the Monster."

The Marx Brothers: A major breakthrough on the Marx Bros. front! It looks as if Warner Home Video is releasing a five-disc, seven film Marx Brothers Collection in May. Included are all the MGM films ("A Night at the Opera" and "A Day at the Races," etc.) as well as the RKO release "Room Service" and the independent "A Night in Casablanca." This is the first collection to include these films, and it marks the first time these films have been in circulation in a long time. We still await the re-release of the earlier Paramount films.

In general, the release of multi-disc, multi-film budget collections is indeed a promising trend, and lovers of classic movies can only hope that it continues.

Good news, Joe.

I woill look for the Marx Bros when it hits the stores.

Joe, that was a great list. One other film not included pops up at me, "The Treasure of Sierra Madre"

Saturday I watched Legends of the Fall. For the first 45 minutes or so I was underwhelmed by the storytelling as compared to the overblown self important presentation. Shortly after WW I ended, I felt that the story and presentation had begun to mesh and it turned into an interesting film. I awoke Sunday morning laughing over the Indian narator's final coment as the film came to a close.