Last 10:
A few more from 1950 for me.
Cage of Gold (Dearden 6/10)
Stage Fright (Hitchcock 6/10)
Quicksand (Pichel 6/10)
Annie Get Your Gun (Sidney 6/10)
Tea for Two (Butler 6/10)
Colt .45 (Marin 6/10)
All of the above were enjoyable enough but none are top draw in their genres.
I waited for years but this 1985 favorite finally could be bought on streaming and I picked it up instantly. Got to introduce the son to it, which he said he really liked it. Even the wife said it aged well, and she is a fan of Anthony Edwards so all was good in the world, for a time. 
If they ask you what happened, tell them you got hit by a truck!
Last 10:
Finished up my spell of 1950 films with the following:
Young Man With a Horn (Curtiz / 6/10)
Los Olvidados (Bunuel / 9/10)
Francis, Godās Jester (Rossellini / 5/10)
Rashomon (Kurasawa / 9/10)
Young man with a horn looks interesting. It is a 6/10 so it is a one-time watch only?
Itās a decent film @LooneyElmerFudd but not a great one. My biggest beef with it is that it is based on the life of Bix Beiderbecke who was a great jazz trumpeter in the 1920s but has a typical Hollywood gloss to what was actually a truly tragic story. Beiderbecke died of chronic alcoholism aged 28 but here ā¦well, I donāt want to spoil the ending for you if you havenāt seen it but letās just say it turns out a bit more positive despite his spiraling downward for a while.
Couple of rewatches for me this week
I generally find Tarantino entertaining if a bit self indulgent, but KB holds up well whenever I rewatch it. I really like his usage of the Grand Duel and (especially) the Death Rides a Horse themes in part 1.
Iām sure many members here are familiar with this one; Iāve always had a soft spot for it despite its many flaws. A bit heavy handed, slow at times and occasionally downright ridiculous (especially some of the dialogue), but something about the vibe of it all just works for me. Bronson and Sampson have legitimate chemistry in their scenes together, which helps offset some of the clumsy writing.
It did introduce me to the word, āFlummeryā ā¦ though Iām not sure itās used in the correct context .
The writers must have been attempting to use some 1800s lingo which is so unfamiliar to most of the audience that it throws you off rather than engages.
Anyhow I too like the movie, enough to have the US poster on my bedroom wall.
Haha the lingo makes for tons of (probably) unintentionally hilarious dialogueā¦my favorite has to be āif you think a new handle and specs are gonna hide you, youāre snaffled!ā
The poster is awesome! One of my absolute favs from that era. THE WHITE EARTHQUAKE IS HEREā¦badass
Kicked off 1951 with some westerns (as usual)
Rawhide (Hathaway / 7/10)
Fort Worth (Marin / 5/10)
Warpath (Haskin / 4/10)
Westward the Women (Wellman / 8/10)
Fort Worth is one of Randolph Scottās lesser westerns, Warpath features Edmund OāBrien who was completely unsuited as a western hero and looks totally out of place. Rawhide is a very good film marred somewhat by its opening and closing voiceover but redeemed by an excellent villainās performance by Jack Elam. Westward the Women is an unusual western as it centres around, well, women but is excellent in its tale of a large group of females proving themselves strong enough to survive all the west has to throw at them. Thereās an out of character scene where the obvious love interest for star Robert Taylor gets slapped out of her hysterics by him and falls into his arms as a result. Bit on the nose that and doesnāt fit the mood of the film. outside of that blip its a very good film and a bit overlooked I think. Much like a few other Robert Taylor westerns these days.
I watched this last night. I didnāt have high hopes for it, but it was excellent. Gerard Butler was brill, as always. Highly recommended.
The trailer says it allā¦
Four more from '51
The African Queen (Huston 9/10)
The Lavender Hill Mob (Crichton 9/10)
The Man in the White Suit (MacKendrick 9/10)
Quo Vadis (LeRoy 5/10)
3 absolute bangers and another which I donāt think has aged particularly well.
Quo Vadis is a long film which feels even longer these days. But it does have Patricia Laffan and the devil girl from mars as the evil wife of Nero is perfect casting. Ustinov as Nero is still good fun but the rest is a bit of a snorefest really.
African Queen is one of my favourite films (Iād give it 10 stars except for the dodgy special effects) and has been since it was the first VHS tape I ever watched. My brother was an early adopter in 1980 and I used to go round to his flat to watch. The only problem was that tapes were so expensive so he only had the one that they gave him as a free gift with the VCR machinet. That was African Queen and we watched it every week for best part of a year. Later, he got a couple of blank tapes and recorded Little Big Man and Catch 22 off the telly so we watched those every week too. Ah, the past.
The two Ealing comedies are classics and are as near perfect as they ever were. Gently funny and beautifully put together. This really was a golden age at Ealing Studios.
A near perfect film, and I donāt mind the back screen projection or the stock footage animal shots.
Itās exciting, funny and sweet (without being mawkish)
I have a Super 8 print, which is faded, but the magic still comes across ā¦ and I only realized watching this version, that all Robert Morleyās scenes on location in Africa were a not very convincing double ā¦ but, as I said the film is so good overall, that these technical shortcomings donāt diminish the enjoyment one jot .
ā¦ āQuo Vadisā, attempted this for the first time last year, and it is a big ol turkey ā¦ a dry and dull one at that.
Robert Taylor of the blue grey eye shadow, was he ever good in any film ?
Agreed. Taylor was excellent in The Last Hunt. Perhaps his best film. He made a couple of very good other westerns too. Devilās Doorway and Westward the Women.
But Quo Vadis? Sadly not anyoneās best film.
One thing that can be said for Quo Vadis though is that it started the practice for Hollywood of shooting in Italy and we all know where that led.
Itās literally decades since I saw this, but I do remember it being a good one ā¦ wonder if Iād still like it now, especially as Iād have to endure not only āEye Shadow Bobā, but Stewart āFeckinā Granger ! ā¦ another pet hate.
