Movie Talk

Colson Whitehead was recently a guest host on TCM, and one of his picks was The Killing, an early Kubrick I had never seen. It’s a noir heist film that influenced Tarantino, among others, with its jumps in chronology — which apparently flummoxed the studio chiefs so thoroughly that they demanded the addition of a narrator to signal the shifts in time.

I was riveted. Sterling Hayden is the lead, and steady as a rock as usual, but the character actors really shine. I had to look up Marie Windsor, whose well-deserved renown preceded me. And Elisha Cook Jr. and Timothy Carey couldn’t have been more Elisha Cook Jr. and Timothy Carey.

The twist climax was fun. It never would have flown today.

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

Here' a movie I can rave about: Save The Children: A Concert for the Ages. On Netflix. 

Fantastic music. Live music. 

Issac Hayes. Live! Curtis Mayfield. Live!  Lots of Marvin Gaye. Nancy Wilson. Staple Singers. Bill Withers. Jackson 5. Quincy Jones directing a big band and Roberta Flack. Cannonball Adderley, And a real treat for me, the Temptations doing Papa was a Rolling Stone live on stage. Wow. I love that song. If you love early 70s Motown and other Black pop music, you will love this.

Let me know if you watch it and what you think. 

Just added it to the watch list. Thanks!

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

Let me know if you watch it and what you think.

Come for the powerhouse vocal performances. Stay for Jermaine Jackson’s bass.

I watched it last night. All the artists were in top form. I could have used more Cuba Gooding Sr. and Eddie Levert, and regret that Donny Hathaway and Johnny Taylor were left on the cutting room floor, but I can’t think of anyone I’d balance them with less of. A standout for me was Zulema, whom I had never heard or heard of.

Every time I see vintage Isaac Hayes I think about the years he was a Stax songwriter and arranger and wonder how he kept his immense presence and showmanship under wraps behind the scenes, or if he even did. The camera’s pan down to his fuzzy white boots was an inspired directorial move.

I was 8 years old when the PUSH Expo was held. Though I wasn’t a child who needed saving, the shots of everyday life from a time I remember were reminders of what Jesse Jackson’s exhortations fell short of accomplishing, of what hasn’t changed in more than half a century. That was sobering.

Also, Sammy Davis Jr.’s appearance was poignant. Here’s an enormously talented guy who has been a superstar since childhood, but the ground is shaking beneath his feet, with fists shaking all around him. He harnessed the convulsion like a pro.

Ghetto sci fi.  Pretty good:

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/they_cloned_tyrone 

We went to see The Odyssey last night. It’s quite an impressive achievement. Lots of amazing technical work, effects and cinematography. The costuming, hair and makeup along with the sets were outstanding. I was caught up in it for most of the 3 hour screen time. The actors (apologies to Spencer Tracy) said their lines and didn’t bump into the furniture. 

I think it could have been half an hour shorter. I felt there were several scenes which dragged, such as Circe transforming the men into pigs. I don’t think the sacking of Troy needed to go on as long as it did … the point was made pretty quickly. 

I would recommend seeing it. It’s quite an achievement and the story is well-told. 

And then again…

DaveSchmidt said:

Colson Whitehead was recently a guest host on TCM, and one of his picks was The Killing, an early Kubrick I had never seen. It’s a noir heist film that influenced Tarantino, among others, with its jumps in chronology — which apparently flummoxed the studio chiefs so thoroughly that they demanded the addition of a narrator to signal the shifts in time.

I was riveted. Sterling Hayden is the lead, and steady as a rock as usual, but the character actors really shine. I had to look up Marie Windsor, whose well-deserved renown preceded me. And Elisha Cook Jr. and Timothy Carey couldn’t have been more Elisha Cook Jr. and Timothy Carey.

The twist climax was fun. It never would have flown today.

I looked up Hayden and realized he played the dirty cop in The Godfather.
He had a pretty interesting life and wrote about it.

"Hayden wrote two acclaimed books: an autobiography, Wanderer (1963), and a novel, Voyage (1976). He said they made him "a lot of money" but he lost most of it to taxes."

yahooyahoo said:

He said they made him "a lot of money" but he lost most of it to taxes."

What matters more is that the government never touched, as far as we know, his precious bodily fluids.

Took myself to see Hadestown: The Musical yesterday. I had never seen the Broadway play. This musical was filmed live in London. I loved it!! 

DaveSchmidt said:

Colson Whitehead was recently a guest host on TCM, and one of his picks was The Killing, an early Kubrick I had never seen. It’s a noir heist film that influenced Tarantino, among others, with its jumps in chronology — which apparently flummoxed the studio chiefs so thoroughly that they demanded the addition of a narrator to signal the shifts in time.

I was riveted. Sterling Hayden is the lead, and steady as a rock as usual, but the character actors really shine. I had to look up Marie Windsor, whose well-deserved renown preceded me. And Elisha Cook Jr. and Timothy Carey couldn’t have been more Elisha Cook Jr. and Timothy Carey.

The twist climax was fun. It never would have flown today.

Saw this today. Really well done and the influence on Reservoir Dogs is obvious. The chess-playing wrestler was a stand-out character, but really the entire cast was perfect. 

The ending would not have taken off today.

mrincredible said:

We went to see The Odyssey last night. It’s quite an impressive achievement. Lots of amazing technical work, effects and cinematography. The costuming, hair and makeup along with the sets were outstanding. I was caught up in it for most of the 3 hour screen time. The actors (apologies to Spencer Tracy) said their lines and didn’t bump into the furniture. 

I think it could have been half an hour shorter. I felt there were several scenes which dragged, such as Circe transforming the men into pigs. I don’t think the sacking of Troy needed to go on as long as it did … the point was made pretty quickly. 

I would recommend seeing it. It’s quite an achievement and the story is well-told. 

Friend of mine turned me onto Ezra Klein's take on the movie. (He is someone I keep meaning to listen to his podcasts but haven't yet; when I hear him on interviews always appreciate his insight.)

For those who saw the movie, check it out. Runs for about 15 minutes. 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/christopher-nolans-trojan-horse/id1548604447?i=1000779524498

One of the better interviews with Nolan about The Odyssey. 

dave said:

One of the better interviews with Nolan about The Odyssey. 

Those look like terribly uncomfortable chairs

Just got back from watching The Odyssey at the Lincoln Square imax. Really enjoyed it -- felt it was a good adaptation, not just adapting from poem to screen, but from ancient saga to something that felt relevant and relatable to our era. I found the treatment of the gods well done -- subtle and believable. The translation from a Bronze Age ethos to one more aligned with our own also felt well done to my mind. These are myths, after all, and it would be a mistake to lean more to Procrustes than Proteus in their retelling. One place I would deduct points is that it's a bit humorless, something my fellow chaperone pointed out (we went with a few teens), though I think that's a general Christopher Nolan criticism.

PVW said:

One place I would deduct points is that it's a bit humorless, something my fellow chaperone pointed out (we went with a few teens), though I think that's a general Christopher Nolan criticism.

In the early encounter with Polyphemus, Nolan even left out Odysseus’ “Nobody” joke. Indeed, while Damon did an excellent job in a role that I didn’t think fit his strengths, Nolan’s Odysseus is so witless it’s hard for me to imagine how the movie alone would convince a viewer why Menelaus held his comrade in such high esteem. “Nolan’s Odysseus is not a trickster,” Ezra Klein noted (h/t wendy). But I didn’t expect him to be the opposite: about as inert as one can make a Greek hero.

I enjoyed the spectacle of the film, which I saw yesterday, as well as the performances. (Elliot Page was especially memorable as Sinon’s shade.) I can’t recall, however, a three-hour epic that gave me less to feel, think or say anything about.

How have you found other Nolan films?

PVW said:

How have you found other Nolan films?

The only other one I’ve seen is Memento — when it came out in theaters, so more than 25 years ago. I loved it. No humor that I recall but, if memory serves, full of wit.

A Damon-related contrast: I never got around to watching Saving Private Ryan, another three-hour epic, until a few weeks ago. The themes and moral questions it raised about war and hubris and responsibility and, as Ezra Klein put it, “those who would remake this world” were far more engaging for me.

And, yes, there was even a bit of humor.

I was waiting (in vain) for the "no one" trick too and surprised it never arrived.

On Nolan, I found Tenet and Inception ok. Didn't hate them, enjoyed watching them, but not on my list of movies I'd go back to. I saw Oppenheimer on a plane so I don't think that counts. I really didn't care for his Batman movies though -- there his overly-serious approach meshed very poorly for me with the material and I didn't enjoy them so much.

DaveSchmidt said:

A Damon-related contrast: I never got around to watching Saving Private Ryan, another three-hour epic, until a few weeks ago. The themes and moral questions it raised about war and hubris and responsibility and, as Ezra Klein put it, “those who would remake this world” were far more engaging for me.

And, yes, there was even a bit of humor.

I'd agree with that.

Thinking about this a bit more, what did stick with me from the movie was Odysseus' interactions with Athena. What did the image of her decapitation in Troy mean? When she spoke to Odysseus, was she actually there, or was this all in his head?

I think the latter, and that's the "what it gave me to feel, think or say about it" for me -- what does it mean that the gods aren't real, but that they matter? 

A small WWII film.

With a powerful punch.

Totally recommend on Netflix 

Number 24

Generational differences! An almost perfect war film.

Looking forward to seeing TONY, the Anthony Bourdain origin story. 

Tony - NYT Review

The_Soulful_Mr_T said:

dave said:

One of the better interviews with Nolan about The Odyssey. 

Those look like terribly uncomfortable chairs

I think Nolan made the calculation: her 100 million followers for a half hour in an uncomfy chair.  

Further on the topic of cinematic adaptation of The Odyssey, I watched The Return (available on Kanopy, which your library card gets you access to), with Ralp Fiennes and Juliette Binoche. Heard of it via a comment on Emily Wilson's review at The Altantic ("A Trojan Horse is Supposed to Have Humans in It" - gift link -- she was less than impressed with Nolan's version).

Much better acting, but it's a much more somber film than Nolan's. Homer's Odysseus was disguised as a beggar by Athena. Damon's, as a trick. Fienne's Odysseus evades recognition, not because of any trick or disguise but because the war-haunted, ravaged man who washes up on Ithaca's shores isn't the conquering hero people expect.

Sticking with the Odyssey theme, I think I'll try O Brother Where Art Thou next.

PVW said:

Heard of it via a comment on Emily Wilson's review at The Altantic ("A Trojan Horse is Supposed to Have Humans in It" - gift link -- she was less than impressed with Nolan's version).

Thanks for the gift link.

Wilson writes: “Yet neither Odysseus nor the film itself seems to move beyond the occasional moment or two of noticing the humanity of all humans. The face of the slaughtered deer-man is not shown, and the film’s narrative rushes on. The final massacre of the cartoonishly bestial suitors inside Odysseus’s house is presented with thrilling exuberance, and the camera does not linger on the pain and humanity of those who die or allow for the possibility that they, too, should be mourned.”

This reminded me of a scene I liked, which Wilson may or may not have counted as one of Nolan’s moments: During Odysseus’ massacre, several of the Ithacans decided to kneel rather than fight. They came to their senses — a recognition of humanity if ever there is one.

Watched O Brother Where Art Thou -- very much on the opposite end from The Odyssey and The Return in tone and in its approach to adaptation. Like most Coen films, not entirely sure exactly what they're trying to say (though the sheriff character feels very much like a Coen character -- feel there's almost always some embodiment of grim fate dogging the protagonist, Javert-like), but what a sound track!

PVW said:

Watched O Brother Where Art Thou -- very much on the opposite end from The Odyssey and The Return in tone and in its approach to adaptation. Like most Coen films, not entirely sure exactly what they're trying to say (though the sheriff character feels very much like a Coen character -- feel there's almost always some embodiment of grim fate dogging the protagonist, Javert-like), but what a sound track!

Her cuts on the soundtrack really propelled Gillian Welch's (and her partner David Rawling's) career as well as giving a big push to Americana/roots music.  Love Welch and Rawlings. Saw them last year at Carnegie Hall.  They were and are great.