TODAY I WATCHED (Movies, TV series) 2014

Robert Wise is getting a little too beaten up in the above. Wise was under contract to RKO at the time, he had no choice but to cut the film the way the studio ordered him to. I know he has expressed regret over the years but said there was nothing he could do about it if he wanted to keep working. Remember, his editing skills are an important part of the success of Citizen Kane and The Devil & Daniel Webster (two 1941 masterpieces).

Aside from that I agree with your assessment completely. The movie is definitely worth watching despite the flaws, what is there is quite brilliant.

S.D. wrote:

Robert Wise is getting a little too beaten up in the above.  Wise was under contract to RKO at the time, he had no choice but to cut the film the way the studio ordered him to.  I know he has expressed regret over the years but said there was nothing he could do about it if he wanted to keep working.  Remember, his editing skills are an important part of the success of Citizen Kane and The Devil & Daniel Webster (two 1941 masterpieces).

Aside from that I agree with your assessment completely.  The movie is definitely worth watching despite the flaws, what is there is quite brilliant.  

I agree about Wise although I didn't say as much; his hands were definitely tied. Welles cutting ties with him and Cotten was understandable in some ways but also a move of melodrama; he needed someone to blame and Schaefer was already on his way out. And the scenes he shot were done on the quick (I'm curious if Cortez was involved in those shots) so their flatness is much more a product of economy than skill. Wise was really a master in both fields (although he can be a bit dry or uncharacteristic behind the camera, I enjoy his observational style).

Wise had a long and very distinguished career and made films in just about every genre imaginable. If forced to pick a favorite it would probably be The Haunting (1963).

His directorial debut, "The Body Snatcher" from 1946 is another must-see.

S.D. wrote:

Wise had a long and very distinguished career and made films in just about every genre imaginable.  If forced to pick a favorite it would probably be The Haunting (1963).  

His directorial debut, "The Body Snatcher" from 1946 is another must-see.  

Yeah he was a bit of a chameleon. Haunting was cool (never saw Body Snatcher; that's with Karloff right?) and he did have a steel eye for sci-fi--Earth Stood Still, Andromeda Strain, and even Star Trek I have this sort of distance or space that is somewhat unsettling.

EDIT: Karloff AND Lugosi!

The Body Snatcher was the last film in the Val Lewton-produced series of horror/suspense films of the 1940s produced by RKO. It's a re-telling of the Burke & Hare story.

Finished my Paul Heyman Blu Ray. Now watching:



"There are many fish in the sea, but you're the only one I want to mount over my fireplace."

College football.

Currently watching Clemson vs Georgia

I love this time of year. College and pro football starting up and baseball season nearing post-season. Unfortunately, my Cardinals have picked a bad time to suck; they've lost 4 in a row.

tohostudios wrote:

College football.

Currently watching Clemson vs Georgia

I love this time of year.  College and pro football starting up and baseball season nearing post-season.  Unfortunately, my Cardinals have picked a bad time to suck; they've lost 4 in a row.

With baseball being the only real sport I can tolerate (sports involving athletic women in skimpy outfits not included ), it's a time of year I could do without. Happily, my sister's fiance isn't a sports fan and nobody in my household is a sport's fan (my mom's late husband was though). However, at work, all the TVs in the breakrooms (two in each small one, five in the large one) are monopolied by sports fans.

I'm a big baseball and college and pro football fan so this is like sports Nirvana for me. I actually really enjoy college basketball too. MLB and college football and basketball are the only sports where I can actually watch 2 teams I don't really care about and still enjoy myself. Like the Clemson/Georgia game I was watching (I just flipped over to the second game of the Cards' day/night doubleheader); I don't really care about Clemson or Georgia but I enjoy watching a competitive college football game like that one.

"SS Doomtrooper" (2006) A squadron of WWII commandoes - led by Corin "Parker Lewis" Nemec! - are assigned to destroy the Nazis' latest superweapon - a radiation-charged "Incredible Hulk" style super soldier - in this entertainingly awful slab of SyFy schlock.

Finishing the first season of Blackadder.

Watching Disney's Tarzan with me boy after 12 shots of Seagrams. This is truly a great movie, on par with Citizen Kane. And Jane is hot.

Lol is true my brain keeps telling her off with your clothes. Not that I'm saying that aloud in front of my kid...

Pretty sad when cartoon women turn you on. Or in my case, it's downright pathetic!

Of course it doesn't help when attractive women in real life won't give me the time of day. Course even if they did, I'm sure women my age are just aching for a fat, low wage, in debt, living with his mom, cartoon loving, nutjob who listens to metal .

Anyhoo, my mom and I have started a journey with Jack Bauer:

S.D. wrote:

I'm sure I didn't say anything anyone here didn't already know. Now for TMI, I could tell you guys about the time... sorry, I just remembered that the lawyers told me I wasn't allowed to talk about that.

AM Raw

Cold Case

Brazil - The Criterion Collection Blu-ray edition.

Well it was pretty rainy today so while being stuck inside, I watched a bunch of episodes of Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction on Chiller.

The Fisher King, still love the film and I have not seen it in years

"Eyeborgs" (2009) in this impressive low budget sci-fi set in the near future, the U.S. is protected by a nationwide network of robotic security/surveillance drones... that suddenly begin killing people. A mix of "Terminator" and "RoboCop" with some post-9/11 paranoia thrown in for good measure. Despite the cheap CGI and the only "name" actor being Adrian Paul of TV's "Highlander," this is a cut above the usual SyFy schlock.

Finished "Brazil".

Such a great film.  It's got Python-esque moments of hilarity but it also envisions a dark, totalitarian future and features a real "downer" ending (which of course I like).  This is the Criterion, uncut verson so it's almost 2 1/2 hours long.  Another masterpiece from Terry Gilliam.

Despicable Me
Despicable Me 2