Manhattan Melodrama and Union Pacific

Man this is a really good movie. you may hear about it now cause it was the last movie John Dillinger saw. Right after he watched he was gunned down outside the theater. Apprently he liked Myrna Loy. The Studio eploited this and apprently it was Myrna Loy who thought it was very wrong for the studio to use his death for promotion.
Regardless of that this movie is really good. In fact I would say it's a great movie. It's really really well made. Probably cause of this you have the team that would literally right after this make the Thin man. Director W. S. Van Dyke and the stars of the thin man William Powell and Myrna Loy. Frankly that's all you need to make a good movie. they would have been fine but then you put Clark Gable in the mix and dam . like really holy shit this movie oozes with not just star power but really great acting.
It's about two friends Clark Gable and William Powell who are friends growing up. Then one Powell becomes a politican and Gable becomes a gangster but there both still very good friends. And you know stuff happens.
I really liked this movie. I actually think I like it more then The Thin Man. However that might just be my impression right now.
It's a movie from the 30's so really you could watch this with anyone but it's not soft. it's a great gangster film and fuck it's a great film. I like the ideas about friendship and the kind of brotherhood you only get with certian people. Also what it says about people there ideals. it's just man. there's alot in this one and it's a dam good film.
If you get the chance to see this movie I defently recomend it. Dillinger must have been in a good mood when he left that theater.





I think almost everyone knows the name Cecil b. Demille but few beyond the ten commadments. really know why he was such a big figure. Well he made alot of huge epics that the public loves. one of those films was union pacific. which is a film about making a railroad that would go across america. It was actually made 70 years after that happened. which is funny cause it's now 70 years since that movie came out.
This is a coo western about what was going on then. Really I prefer stuff like McCabe and ms. miller to this. It did in some parts and it was a good movie. I don't know if it was as good as some of the Demille silent films I've seen. It's defently better then more recent films about this period like The Claim.
I mean this movie is good I don't know if it's as great as the other films from 1939. I know the Cannes film festival thinks so. but this really has nothing on the wizard of oz or gone with the wind. but what movie really does anyway.
You could wonder why such a huge event in it's day isn't even remembered now. Well I'm not sure but it's defently a good movie. I mean the railroad was alot more important then. then it certainly is now. who nows movies about computer people might not mean much in 70 years either. if you like westerns i think you'd like this movie. if you new the genre then i wouldn't see this. i would say this is more for film buffs and old western fans.
Now when I say western fans i mean pre Sergio Leone. So basically there's not that much grit in this film this was before that. but it finds grit in other places. i don't know this movies was defently good though and i think a watch for film buffs.

NEW nockFORCE and The Fugitive Kind

We made this cartoon for My Damn Channel. It was up on there site for a little bit but now it's on you tube. I personally really like this one.

more at nockforce.com





This is kind of an epic bomb. No it's not that great. it kind of meanders on and on. It felt like it needed more time and i later found out it did. This was what started Brando's fall from grace that would end with his role in the Godfather. You always hear about how he was a big star and then he fell off. it was intresting seeing how that started.
Sure this sounds like a great movie on paper. Marlon Brando in a Tennessee Williams written screenplay with Sidney Lumet directing. How could that go wrong. well man it did. it really just didn't work. this movie feels like a mess and the making of it seemed like more so.
I think Brando was miscast. I know he's a great actor but I think that actually someone like Paul Newman would have done a much better job. Brando didn't seem to really know what he was doing at times. Odd this was one of the biggest salaries for an actor at time with a million dollars. kinda suckes when you pay too much for something that ain't that good.
I can understand why this movie wasn't really that big or wasn't respected. for the people that like it now. I really don't get it. it didn't work for me. I read that Lumet didn't get the rehersal time that he wanted and i think that you can tell. it didn't feel like they were confindent enough to make this work. I would skip this if i were you unless you a big lumet or Brando fan. Otherwise find something else to do.

Virtuality and Babes in Arms

This isn't techincally a movie. It's a pilot for a tv show that most likely will never get made. However fox made the pilot and aired it on there best timeslot friday at 8 pm. They also put it on Hulu. Which is were I saw it. It's directed by Peter Berg who the guy behind friday night lights.
The basic premise is that there's a space ship and a bunch of people are on a mission to find another planet for people to live on cause our planet is not gonna last. it's a 10 year mission. to keep the crew from going crazy they have this fantasy thign they can use to give them privacy. also at the same time they are making a reality show of there mission and sending to back to earth.
This seems like it might not work or be kinda stupid. but i really liked it. It give kind of a strange creepy 2001 type vibe to it. It gave kind of the thing i want sci-fi to do more. You never get stuff like this anymore. I feel like sometimes the special effect and explosions are more important to sci fi. I mean i like some of that but it's nice to see something else.
The weight of there mission and being alone in space is really important. It's not a huge crew but the ship is huge. It's like a haunted house in space. Just that people in space think. whats the point. I'm glad people wanna expand the sci-fi genre to make it more human.
I don't know if this would work as a series for that long it would be great as maybe a show that last one season though.
Seriously see this i don't have much to say bad about except maybe the soundtrack at times is lame but i can get over that. anyway check it out. it's only on hulu for 12 more days so see it soon.







This is two thirds a good movie. most of it was great with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland showing alot of star power and charisma. they also can really sing and dance. but the last third really fell apart.
This was directed by Busby Berkeley who is more known for his crazy dance musical numbers like in Gold Diggers of 1933. Which I really liked. This is a change of pace and it's nice to see that Berkeley could direct something beyond his awesome musical numbers. He defently is a good director.
But as soon as they get to the show that the kids are working on it falls apart. sadly the musical numbers don't work that well. This film does have one that does work earlier in the film that is really impressive. but man. and it all starts with them in black face. yes i'm serious. now i get it. it was a different time. The jazz singer is one thing but this was pushing my limits. after that the film falls apart most of the musical numbers arn't that great and the story is kinda lost after that point. It almost felt like they spent to much on the first 2 acts but ran out for the third and we got some cheaper movie somehow.
I mean i do like parts of this movie but it doesn't really pay off. or well it doesn't work. it worked great for most of the film but at a certain point bang it goes down.
Personally it was only ok but you'll love the begining. not as bad as robocop 3 were the begining is amazing and then becomes utter bullshit. It is disappointing but not too horriable. well except the blackface that was really bad.

The Man from Laramie and The Sentinel

Anthony Mann is not your average western director. He likes to mix noir and the western with his own personal touches to make a western. He shoots locations that echo the emotions of the characters. His westerns are brutal showing a side of the west that was glossed over. He is an essential part of how western film making evolved many feel and i agree that the searchers is very influenced by Mann. He also somewhat paved the way for what the spaghetti westerns would do later.
There is a feel to a Anthony Mann western that I can never quite explain but they all have this strange feel.
Jimmy Stewart is so different in the Mann films I've seen him in. He's not the Stewart I'm used to. He's somehow darker and less hopefull then the films we usually see him in. He's like a very good existental western hero. Like a great anti hero. I love his acting in these. He's very good at doing this. you wouldn't think that Stewart would be. But he's good at twisting the everyman appeal he had and using in it to work in very much a noir way.
This is very dark but I like that about this western. It's defently a coo era it wasn't quite sergio leone but it's getting there.
If you've never seen a anothony mann western before check one out. but defently one with Jimmy Stewart. which is like 5 films. but this is a good movie.





This is a coo horror movie from the 70's. This is the film that director Michael Winner made right after Death Wish. well maybe not right after but it was the next film he made. It kind reminds me a little of rosemary's baby. But they change perspective to much to do that. Since both rosemary's baby and the stepford wives rely on that you don't know what these men are doing. In this her boyfriend takes an active role in trying to figure out whats wrong. but it still somewhat influenced by rosemary's baby. But this film has a lot of orignalty to it.
I like the way they made religion look so fucking creepy. man religion has always creeped me out. For a majority of the film the church is looked at as being behind this creepy evil stuff. Good use at the time. I'm sure people weren't thrilled. helps the film age very well.
I like the music Michael Winner is good at getting great soundtracks. I prefer the Herbie Hancock score in Death Wish to this but it's still pretty dam sweet. Very 70's I don't think you could get away with that score any other time.
The most important part to any horror film is the scares and the scares are all here. they really sometimes creep up on you and other times are just good old holy shit what was that. It knows what it's doing.
I also liked the sub text that he boyfriend like hodini. I mena it wasn't used and was very in the background but it felt like they really planned out that he was like in love with hoodini. maybe I'm silly to have noticed that one.
If you want a good scary movie I would check this out. there are actually some plot points that you good wait really i don't know but only til later at the time i didn't even think it. I think thats how well made the film is because if it was a lesser made film. you'd probably be really bugged by it. this film works very well. if your looking for a good scary apartment movie see this.

G men

This was warners attempt at getting conservatives to calm down about there gangster movies. Thye put James Cagney in a movie with gangster except he was the cop not the gangster. Sounds like a pretty good idea and it worked cause this movie was one of the biggest of 1935.
It was really intresting. Some of the shots were amazing. incredible use of shadow. but then it was just shot like a normal movie. I almost felt like it wanted to go all gangster and that's what i guess you feel the movie should do. based on conventions from a gangster movie. It was almost hard to see Cagney as a cop but the movie was so much like a gangster movie. Making this film really intresting.
I mean it's not Public enemy and it's not White Heat. It's still a good Cagney I would say he can pull off playing a good guy. In fact he does a very good job at playing a good guy. But when he plays a gangster oooo man that's when you really see a great job. So yeah his gangster roles are better. But he's James Cagney and he's one hell of an actor. so I'm saying I don't like him I'm just saying that he was good but he can do better i guess.
This is really a blockbuster from 1935. It's obviously a mainstream movie. I don't have a problem with it being mainstream just that it. it isn't an edgy kind of blockbuster. some parts i feel like it wants to be and in fact it's almost there but then you go back to just a regular movie.
If you like a good gangster film this might be a werid movie for you to pick but i think you'll like it. it defently has it's charm and it's a good movie. if you read a description it will say it's about a lawyer who has his law school paid for by a gangster and then has to go after them. to a certain point that is true. but it is not played as the central part of this. all though it is still there. regardless I like this movie and i would say if you get a chance to see it.




I know another Michael Jackson post. but I can't think of a movie to write about so why not here's some videos. but only off the wall

Violent Saturday and Angel Face

This is movie that it took me a while to get my head around. The way this is paced and written and even the choice of characters is odd. I still maybe don't entirely get this movie. So I watched it twice.
For the first two acts almost nothing happens. I mean stuff does happen but it doesn't seem to be going anywhere. It's really slow. you might even think this movie has lost it. like it decided to put some scenes in. Then when the bank robbers come you know about this small town in the mid west. you know who is sleeping with whom and why. It works so well.
It's a mid west noir. and really there's nothing like it. instead of having it take place in new york or California were most noir's take place it's in. It takes place in a minning town in Arizona. which really gives the film it's own coo feel.
I liked the actors. sometimes the roles were odd like Ernest Borgnine as an Amish guy. yeah I'm serious. also Lee Marvin rules as one of the bank robbers. He was really evil. I could really see that guy robbing a bank.
This movie was directed by Richard O. Fleischer. Who is the son of animator Max Fleischer who made Popeye, Betty Boop, those Superman shorts, and mr. bug goes to town. Max Fleischer was awesome as was his brother Dave. It's good to know that there is a third crazy talented Fleisher. I think Richard did a great job with this movie. It's somewhat out there in terms of pacing. but thats one of the reasons it's so great. I really still wanna see it again just to really get it.
I have to say good movie. one of the more odder ones I've seen just get through the first 2 acts you will be questioning but by the end you'll be like ooo man. Really great. they play this on tv alot. I've seen fox movie channel play it alot.






This movie doesn't seem the way it turns out. Really it's good at making you realize that this bitch is fucking crazy. and how. but really she doesn't seem that bad at first. you kind of think that she is werid but not that crazy. slowly your realize she is like bat shit crazy.
Robert Mitchum is good at playing a a chauffer turne boyfriend. He's the right amount of hot and maybe i will totally bang that crazy girl. He also shows that he really doesn't have to put up with this shit. Unlike the rest of the crazy rich girls family he doesn't need this lifestyle. all though he likes the money. Mitchum plays all this and shows it in his performance.
Jean Simmons (not the guy from KISS) does really the performance that makes this movie. She plays it off well. She's really a spoiled rich girl with issues. but real issues not like live journal issues. She knows when to turn on and off the extremes. She's very sudden sometimes but also cunning like she had it planned out but fuck it.
This movie was real good and has one of the better ending I've seen. I think I'm a fan of Otto Preminger when his movie's are shorter cause I was not as into Anatomy of a Murder as I was with this and where the sidewalk ends. He defently liked to push the boundries and i can imagine this was far more shocking in the 50's then today. If you catch this check it out. where the sidewalk ends might be better but this is still a good movie.

Mr. Moto and Last man Standing

Recently and mostly cause of Hulu. I have fallen in love with the Mr. Moto film series. Now before you go that's really racist. It's actually not that bad when you compare it to Charlie Chan or some of the other asian sterotypes at the time. But yeha Peter Lorre is not asian so that isn't coo. However he is fucking Peter Lorre. and he's awesome. I mean come on. not only was he in catcher in the rye. ok well he wasn't in it but the girls in the book saw him so i can count that right.
Peter Lorre is on fire here. He's good at being the star in a fun adventure film. I wish Peter Lorre was in everything cause he is one hell of a good actor. I know he hated this role and hated doing these films but you really can't tell on screen.
I have seen two mr. moto films. thank you mr. moto and mr. moto's gamble. They were both alot fun. YOu don't see that many just fun detective action movies that much. they are also only about 75 minutes. so it's not that much of an investment.
I have seen two so far and the best has to be Mr. Moto's Gamble. which was alot of fun and had a good sense of humor. really funny action movies. then thank you mr. moto is just as fun.
I don't think everything has to be deep these are fun movies. if you get a chance to see one check them out. but come on Pete Lorre how can you go wrong.







This is a western gangster noir. no really it is. Now the movie doesn't really work as well as you might want it to however it's not the epic mistep that many feel it is. maybe it's cause after seeing Walter Hill's Streets of Fire I was more inclined to like this. Certainly that was way worse. This at least has some intresting stuff going on. It's a remake of yojimbo. It's a western cause there in a texas town out in the middle of nowhere in the west. It's a gangster movie cause they all have tommy guns and dress like gangsters. and it's a noir cause you got that nice existential narration.
I know alot of people consider this movie a kind of epic fail. While it certainly not a success. I doesn't really fail competely. but i don't know it didn't have any life to it. the cinematography is great and ideas were there. but it didn't gel or something. they needed humor and intresting character stuff. i don't know.
The actors do help this film you have Christopher Walken and Bruce Dern. Both do good jobs and breath life into the film. However Bruce Willis almost doesn't work. I feel like he was doing what he did in Sin City. but in Sin City he had humor he had a sense of talking to someone like a human being. if you really were watching sin city and went man if only Bruce Willis was more Blander in this role. well then last man standing is calling for you.
The gun shoot outs are really good and Bruce Willis is always good at carrying a gun around. those really worked.
I don't know if i'd recomend this movie. I will tell you see for a few dollars and yojimbo first. then maybe if you have time you can see this. or it's on tv or something but other wise not great. Walter Hill's made better and i think you can see better too.