Now Screening - What Are You Watching Right Now?

[struth]

yeah, no 'M' in that either. think only the first one didnt have an M.. Bernard Lee was going to play him but was dying sadly a nd had to abandon it. Moore was about 54, so certainly an aged Bond.

The House on 92nd Street, 1945. Directed by Henry Hathaway, and narrated by Reed Hadley who did a number of Department of Defense films as well as narrating hollywood films..





The movie deals with the theft by German spies of the fictional "Process 97", a secret formula which, the narrator tells us, "was crucial to the development of the atomic bomb." The movie was released on September 10, 1945, only a month after the atomic bombs had been dropped on Japan, and barely a week after Japan's formal surrender. While making the film, the actors and Director Henry Hathaway did not know that the atomic bomb existed, nor that it would be incorporated as a story element in the movie. (None of the actors in the film mentioned the atomic bomb.) However, co-Director and Producer Louis De Rochemont (who produced the "March of Time" newsreel films) and Narrator Reed Hadley were involved in producing government films on the development of the atomic bomb. (Hadley was present at the final test of the bomb in Los Alamos, New Mexico, in July, 1945.) After the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Hadley and Screenwriter John Monks, Jr. hastily wrote some additional voice-over narration linking "Process 97" to the atomic bomb, and Rochemont inserted it into the picture in time for the film's quick release.

[walpurgis]

yeah, no 'M' in that either. think only the first one didnt have an M.. Bernard Lee was going to play him but was dying sadly a nd had to abandon it

I liked Bernard Lee, he was a great British supporting actor and in so many films.

[struth]

Monty Python and the Holy Grail, 1975.






The famous depiction of galloping horses by using coconut shells (a traditional radio-show sound effect) came about from the purely practical reason that the production simply could not afford real horses.

During the witch hunt, Eric Idle bares his teeth and bites down on the blade of the scythe he is holding. This was not scripted; Idle was actually about to burst out laughing and bit his scythe to stifle himself so as not to spoil the take. (If you look closely, you can see him shaking slightly, trying to keep his laughing under control.) Sir Michael Palin can be seen hiding laughter at the same time as well, while earlier in the scene, John Cleese quickly turns his head to one side just before the shot cuts, though not quickly enough to hide that he has broken character and is grinning broadly. All three comment on each others' corpsing on the DVD commentary.

[struth]

A Bridge Too Far, 1977. Director Richard Attenborough...Operation Market Garden.







Sir Dirk Bogarde's portrayal of General Browning was highly controversial, and several friends of the late General suggested that, had Browning still been alive in 1977, he would have sued director Sir Richard Attenborough and screenwriter William Goldman for libel. Bogarde took issue with the portrayal during filming, having known Browning personally, as he was a member of Field Marshal Bernard L. Montgomery's staff during the war. Although Attenborough publicly took responsibility for the controversy, his relationship with Bogarde was never the same again. Browning's son said he believed his father was made the fall guy for the failure of Operation Market Garden in the film because the producers knew there would have been too much flak if they went after Montgomery. During World War II, Sir Dirk Bogarde, who played Lieutenant General Browning, served in intelligence with the British Army. He, and eight other intelligence officers, were sent to Arnhem by General Bernard L. Montgomery during the battle.

Sir Michael Caine's scripted line to order the column of tanks and armored cars into battle, was "Forward, go, charge". Luckily for Caine, Lieutenant Colonel J.O.E. Vandeleur was on the set, so he could ask him what the actual line was. Vandeleur told him, "I just said quietly into the microphone, 'Well, get a move on, then'", which is what Caine says in the movie.

....also with Caine, he claims that director Richard Attenborough did not tell him that a string of dummy tanks behind the scout car which Caine was riding in would be blown up so that Caine would look realistically startled during the shot. He did!

[Macca]

quality film although you have to remember the script was written by a yank.

Browning did make one error which was to drop into the Nijmegan DZ along with his whole headquarters unit on the first day. Not only did that use up transport aircraft that could have been used to land more combat troops but also made it harder for him to control the operation than if he had remained in England.

The main reason for the failure is as explained in the film - 1st Airborne's DZ was too far from the objective as the RAF, concerned about losing too many transport aircraft, wanted to avoid flying over the enemy flak units.

A friend of mine her ex-husband was in 3 Para and she said he would be constantly re-watching it. I must have seen it a dozen times at least including at the cinema. I've got two copies of it on DVD as well. Quality film top to bottom.

[Gazjam]

Looking for new things to watch,
thought I'd take a punt on this, on AppleTV+

An "alternative history" take on the Space Race between USA and Soviets,



From Ronald D. Moore, the guy who did some of the best Trek DS9 shows and the reimagining of Battlestar Galactica.
That got my attention.

6 episodes in, its excellent.

[struth]

Invaders from Mars, 1953. one of the first aliens from space films this....





The special effects department used condoms to create the "bubbles" on the walls of the underground tunnels.

Luce Potter, one of the Munchkins in The Wizard of Oz (1939), played the Martian "head" enclosed in glass in the film. For years she received letters from fans of the movie telling her how much she had scared them as kids.

[Macca]

Spectre (2015)

Not bothered with this one until now as one of my brothers is a big Bond fan and he told me it wasn't up to much.

On the whole though it's not so bad by the standards of 'modern' Bond. Craig is probably the most believable Bond since Connery and we no longer have Judi Dench as 'M', which never worked for me.

Some good set-pieces, especially the fight on the train which is reminiscent of similar from 'From Russia With Love' and 'The Spy Who Loved Me.' Although the direction occasionally gets a bit too fancy (you need a workmanlike director to do Bond properly) it's less intrusive than in the previous Craig films.

The return of Blofeld (following the resolution of rights ownership) is welcome and Christopher Waltz is always good, but the whole back story thing is a bit laboured. The last 20 minutes or so are a mess story-wise too. Why does Bond, who has vowed to protect Swann, allow her to just wander off into the night? Needless to say she is kidnapped by Blofeld within minutes.

Conveniently this all happens off screen so we don't see how it occurred as it's already been established that Swann is resourceful and tough.

Worth a watch but it still isn't 'proper' Bond for many reasons. Won't list them all but here is one that will give you an idea - near the start of the film Bond is summoned to M's office. M's office is the size of a basketball court and superbly appointed.

[struth]

It Came from Outer Space, 1953.





Although credited to Harry Essex, most of the script, including dialogue, is copied almost verbatim from Ray Bradbury's initial film treatment of The Creature from the Black Lagoon. .

The first 3-D film to be released by Universal Studios.

The shot of the spaceship destroying a ship was in fact a newsreel shot of HMS Barham exploding after being torpedoed in November 1941.

[struth]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers, 1956.





Kevin McCarthy and author Jack Finney have always denied the rumor that the story is a statement against McCarthyism and Communism; they just saw it as a thriller. Director Don Siegel, however, believes that the political references to Sen. Joseph McCarthy and totalitarianism are inescapable, even though he tried not to emphasize them.