[squealydan]

blackshoe, on 2012-October-29, 09:04, said:

I may be mistaken, but I thought Butch Cassidy and The Graduate, at least, were in color originally.

That's why I wrote "(colour now)" beside those movies... perhaps it was my spelling of the word that confused you!

[blackshoe]

mike777, on 2012-October-30, 16:13, said:

The force is strong with Mickey Mouse.

In one of the most momentous entertainment industry acquisitions of the last 30 years, the Walt Disney Company announced on Tuesday that it is purchasing Lucasfilm in a stock and cash purchase valued at $4.05 billion. The deal includes plans for Star Wars: Episode VII, which is in early development, aiming for release in 2015. Walt Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced in a shareholder conference call that the studio also plans to release Episode VIII and Episode IX. “Our longterm plan is to release a new Star Wars feature film every two to three years,” he added, noting that the


http://insidemovies....star-wars-film/

I was surprised at the 4 billion figure. Perhaps I shouldn't have been, but it seems an awful lot for a film company.
ISTR that Lucas said, way back when the first movie came out, that he planned nine "episodes". Later, of course, he decided not to make the last three, but apparently he's happy to let someone else do so.

[kenberg]

As a child I liked Bambi, Fantasia, Song of the South and, to a lesser degree, Pinocchio and Dumbo. Of course Song of the South is, at the very least, patronizing. I was 7 and I didn't notice that.

I can happily do without modern Disney. Even my then 7 year old grandson found Tarzan boring when I took him to it. It was awful. I have fond memories of the Johnny Weissmuller series, and when I discovered the book as a child I could not be pried away from it. Princess Leia will be under the Disney thumb? May the force be with her, she will need all the help she can get.

[hrothgar]

The Black and White Era

Bringing up Baby
Duck Soup

A Bit More Modern

The Producers
Rashomon
MASH
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Animal House

The 80s, on...

Better Off Dead
Alien
Brick

[billw55]

blackshoe, on 2012-October-31, 07:40, said:

I was surprised at the 4 billion figure. Perhaps I shouldn't have been, but it seems an awful lot for a film company.
ISTR that Lucas said, way back when the first movie came out, that he planned nine "episodes". Later, of course, he decided not to make the last three, but apparently he's happy to let someone else do so.

Yeah, seems high to me too, I wonder if it includes a share of residuals from the existing films.

kenberg, on 2012-October-31, 08:47, said:

Princess Leia will be under the Disney thumb? May the force be with her, she will need all the help she can get.

Well it's not like the films were cinematic masterpieces to begin with. With the possible exception of Empire, they are basically high tech kids movies.

Having seen the original films as a kid, I held out a naive hope that Lucas would make adult-oriented films set in the same world; catering to his fans that have grown up. But instead, and predictably, he just chased in on the kid/toy/game/etc market.

[hrothgar]

billw55, on 2012-October-31, 10:36, said:

Having seen the original films as a kid, I held out a naive hope that Lucas would make adult-oriented films set in the same world; catering to his fans that have grown up. But instead, and predictably, he just chased in on the kid/toy/game/etc market.

I would have been content with kid oriented films set in the same world, so long as they were GOOD kid's oriented films.
What I got was offensive claptrap.

As a practical example:

Cartoon Network has a series called The Clone Wars which I find quite enjoyable.

I actively flinched with the hideous racial stereotyping that was introduced in the Fourth Film.
My appreciation for the series never recovered.

[Mbodell]

blackshoe, on 2012-October-31, 07:40, said:

I was surprised at the 4 billion figure. Perhaps I shouldn't have been, but it seems an awful lot for a film company.
ISTR that Lucas said, way back when the first movie came out, that he planned nine "episodes". Later, of course, he decided not to make the last three, but apparently he's happy to let someone else do so.

There were originally 12 films that Lucas did the treatments for. 4 trilogies. We've now seen the first 6.

The prequel trilogy, mostly more than a decade ago with out the 3D/IMAX price hike to bring in more revenue, did world wide box office gross of more than $2.5 Billion alone. That doesn't count merchandising, tie ins, theme parks, video games, etc. Many folks think that the price tag was a bargain and that the true value is double that.

As much as many disliked the prequels and the "disney-ification" of Star Wars from Lucas, I think Disney has done ok by Marvel and the Muppets. And it is too early to tell for Pixar, but I don't really blame them for Brave. But I don't think Disney is stupid and will likely try to bring the sensibility of a JJ Abrams, Joss Whedon, or Christopher Nolan to the franchise (probably not any of these three, but someone who is more from that cloth).

So I have cautious optimism, but I'm sure I'll see Episode VII in 2015.

[mike777]

What is your favorite movie or two from 1973 or before?

Mine is the Graduate.

[y66]

For Shakespeare fans: The 10 best modern takes on Shakespeare – in pictures

[mike777]

Just finished rewatching a wonderful old movie from 2000

Almost Famous with Philip Seymour Hoffman in a supporting role.

"Almost Famous is a 2000 comedy-drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe, telling the coming-of-age story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while on the road with a fictitious 1970s rock band named Stillwater. The film is semi-autobiographical, Crowe himself having been a teenage writer for Rolling Stone.

The film received positive reviews, but failed to break even at the box office. It received four Oscar nominations, with Crowe winning one for best original screenplay. It also earned the 2001 Grammy Award Best Compilation Soundtrack Album. Roger Ebert hailed it the best film of the year."

http://en.wikipedia....i/Almost_Famous

[blackshoe]

mike777, on 2014-February-14, 17:11, said:

Just finished rewatching a wonderful old movie from 2000

Almost Famous with Philip Seymour Hoffman in a supporting role.

"Almost Famous is a 2000 comedy-drama film written, co-produced, and directed by Cameron Crowe, telling the coming-of-age story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while on the road with a fictitious 1970s rock band named Stillwater. The film is semi-autobiographical, Crowe himself having been a teenage writer for Rolling Stone.

The film received positive reviews, but failed to break even at the box office. It received four Oscar nominations, with Crowe winning one for best original screenplay. It also earned the 2001 Grammy Award Best Compilation Soundtrack Album. Roger Ebert hailed it the best film of the year."

http://en.wikipedia....i/Almost_Famous

The music for this includes "original" songs of "Stillwater" which were written by Nancy Wilson, of "Heart", who was then Crowe's wife. That plus good choices of songs from the 70s - no wonder the soundtrack won a Grammy.

[mike777]

blackshoe, on 2014-February-14, 23:33, said:

The music for this includes "original" songs of "Stillwater" which were written by Nancy Wilson, of "Heart", who was then Crowe's wife. That plus good choices of songs from the 70s - no wonder the soundtrack won a Grammy.

I did not know...


thank you for info...great...

if anything blackshoe you make the movie is even better....

[kenberg]

I just finished watching Stalag 17. Still a pretty decent movie, but I can see why I was more enthusiastic about it when I was 14.The part I remembered was William Holden coming out of the shadows after he has seen the informer (Peter Graves) talking with the guard. Acht so.

[Elianna]

kenberg, on 2014-February-15, 21:13, said:

I just finished watching Stalag 17. Still a pretty decent movie, but I can see why I was more enthusiastic about it when I was 14.The part I remembered was William Holden coming out of the shadows after he has seen the informer (Peter Graves) talking with the guard. Acht so.

It kills me that my husband won't watch this movie on the basis that it was in black-and-white and filmed before he was born.

I think that I was about 14 when I first saw it, and thought that it was great. There were parts that didn't make sense to me that on a rewatch as an adult made more sense (and others that I felt were unnecessary as an adult), but I still enjoy that movie.

[kenberg]

Elianna, on 2014-February-15, 22:30, said:

It kills me that my husband won't watch this movie on the basis that it was in black-and-white and filmed before he was born.

I think that I was about 14 when I first saw it, and thought that it was great. There were parts that didn't make sense to me that on a rewatch as an adult made more sense (and others that I felt were unnecessary as an adult), but I still enjoy that movie.

One of the things that struck me as the movie started was "Directed by Billy Wilder". It's remarkable how often the sequence goes "Hey, there is an old movie I remember liking", then followed by seeing Wilder listed as the director. As for William Holden, he just seems to always be there, turning in a solid performance. Usually not flashy, just solid. From roughly the same period, a bit later, I liked Picnic (William Holden, Kim Novak) a lot. I liked it when it came out, I like it now. And hey, it's in color. I never saw the original play, but if it ever comes around, I think I will go. The Third Man was also filmed in black and white and made before your husband was born. I still recommend it. And The Maltese Falcon. Etc. He is allowed to skip Now Voyager, a pre-war chick movie, but I liked that too.

[Aberlour10]

Just watched another time "The Day of the Jackal (1973) directed by maestro Fred Zinneman, based on the novel of Frederic Forsyth. If I should choose a movie which perfectly transforms the novel into, I would take this for sure. Simply, a really intelligent thriller.

[kenberg]

Aberlour10, on 2014-February-16, 14:00, said:

Just watched another time "The Day of the Jackal (1973) directed by maestro Fred Zinneman, based on the novel of Frederic Forsyth. If I should choose a movie which perfectly transforms the novel into, I would take this for sure. Simply, a really intelligent thriller.

I agree. The book was excellent, the movie was excellent.

PS This movie should not, very definitely not, be confused with the Bruce Willis move, The Jackal. the Wikipedia says that The Jackal was inspired by The Day of the Jackal. "Inspired" should never be used in any sentence that refers to the Willis movie.

[dustinst22]

Amadeus. Still just as enjoyable after having viewed it at least 10 times. I feel the same away about the Godfather.

[barmar]

Noticed "Eraserhead" in my cable TV guide -- it's going to be on a few times the first week of March. It's probably the weirdest movie I've ever seen; it was David Lynch's first feature film, made while he was still studying at the AFI. Anyway, what caught my attention was the synopsis in the guide:

Quote

Henry Spencer's hair sticks straught up, and his girlfriend's offspring looks like larva.

Yeah, I guess that kind of sums it up.

You can read more about it in Wikipedia.

[kenberg]

We saw The Sand Pebbles the other night. I had not seen it since it came out in 1966 and Becky had never seen it. I think that it holds up well.

An amusing part was that Candice Bergen was in it, playing a young (she was 20 at the time), sweet, rather idealistic missionary/teacher. I kept waiting to see the cynical caustic Murphy Brown struggling to come out.