Now Screening - What Are You Watching Right Now?

[struth]

The Company of Wolves, 1984... as recommended by Barry

[Macca]

I usually can't be doing with vampire* and werewolf stuff. Saw that years ago didn't think much of it.

* your Hammer stuff with Lee and Cushing is okay but not the modern crap aimed at angsty teens.

[struth]

I usually can't be doing with vampire* and werewolf stuff. Saw that years ago didn't think much of it.

* your Hammer stuff with Lee and Cushing is okay but not the modern crap aimed at angsty teens.

im in agreement so far. its not bad, just not good... seems to lack any real direction tbh. acting isnt great either even tho there are good actors in it so maybe have to blame the direction and script. not a patch on 'london'...

[walpurgis]

I usually can't be doing with vampire* and werewolf stuff. Saw that years ago didn't think much of it.

* your Hammer stuff with Lee and Cushing is okay but not the modern crap aimed at angsty teens.

Usually not my sort of movie, but I seem to remember enjoying 'The Howling' years ago.

[Barry]

The problem is the poor adaptation from what is a complex book by Angela Carter - hence the rambling direction. It's more about the psychology of why we have a need for, and enjoy, these sort of tales.

However it does have the sexy Tusse Silberg in it.

Overall I liked it and much prefer it to 'London', despite the impressive 'body-popping' special effects of the latter

[struth]

The problem is the poor adaptation from what is a complex book by Angela Carter - hence the rambling direction. It's more about the psychology of why we have a need for, and enjoy, these sort of tales.

However it does have the sexy Tusse Silberg in it.

Overall I liked it and much prefer it to 'London', despite the impressive 'body-popping' special effects of the latter

she was quite nice in her day... think she is still alive too.

[struth]

The Maltese Falcon, 1941.. all new 4k steelbook.




The Maltese Falcon was shot on 35 mm black and white film (specifically Eastman Plus-X 1231 stock) using Mitchell BNC cameras with spherical lenses (Edeson reportedly favored a personally-owned 21 mm wide-angle for this production), and it was finished at the 1.37:1 Academy ratio typical of the period. While there are no restoration notes available, studio sources have confirmed that Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging completed a new 16-bit 4K scan and frame-by-frame digital remastering of the original camera negative earlier this year (and it’s worth noting that the entire original negative for this film actually does survive in good condition). The image was then carefully graded for High Dynamic Range for its Ultra HD release (HDR10 alone is available on this disc). The result is absolutely stunning, a gorgeous presentation that exhibits a significant uptick in resolution and refinement compared to the previous Blu-ray edition. Extremely deep blacks are in evidence, along with luminous highlights, and much greater variation in grayscale than ever before. Fine detail is crisp and clean, with more nuanced texturing too, an improvement that’s readily apparent in facial features, hair, costume textiles, furniture, and brickwork. Archer’s tweed suit in the opening scene, for example, reveals its intricate herringbone pattern with ease. You can nearly read the text on the business license in Spade’s office, not to mention the instructions on the pay phone he uses early in the film. The worn paint and wallpaper in his apartment too are remarkably detailed. Photochemical grain is light to moderate but controlled and natural looking at all times. To the extent that there’s any softness in the image at all, it’s found in optically-printed transitions or slight variations in the depth of focus in low-lighting conditions. But it seems abundantly clear that every bit of detail available in the negative is visible on screen.

[Macca]

one of my all time favourites that, easily top ten.

So much great dialogue:

'The cheaper the crook, the gaudier the patter.'

'When I slap you, you'll take it and like it.'

'I've practiced taking guns of these pocket-edition desperadoes before.'

'Another one who thinks a gat in the hand means the world by the tail.'

[Macca]

Actually that last one is from 'The Big Sleep'. But you get the idea.

[struth]

'The stuff that dreams are made of'...


now, a bit earlier than last film; Ruggles of Red Gap, 1935...




Charles Laughton won the New York Film Critics' Circle Awards for Ruggles of Red Gap (along with Mutiny on the Bounty) in 1935. The National Board of Review named the film the ninth best of 1935. [That year, Laughton's other two films, Les Misérables and Mutiny on the Bounty were sixth and eighth on the list, respectively]. The film was nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture and competed against two other Laughton films that were also nominated: Mutiny on the Bounty (which won the award) and Les Misérables.

Edward Dmytryk, the film's editor, said that Charles Laughton became so emotional during the scene in the saloon where he recites the Gettysburg Address that it took director Leo McCarey 1-1/2 days to complete shooting it. According to Dmytryk, the preview audiences found Laughton's close-ups in the scene embarrassing and tittered through the speech. When substitute shots of Laughton from behind were inserted, the audience found the reaction shots of the other people reacting to him very moving, and the second preview was extremely successful. The Gettysburg address had great personal significance to Charles Laughton as he was considering taking up American citizenship.