What did you watch today? v 33.0

[The Professor]

Welcome to version 33, the Egg McMuffin of discussions. 

 

The first post in this thread will be # 14,394. 

 

The ghost of George Sanders reminds you to link your films, and that one should feel free to move on if bored. 

[Knaldskalle]

It just felt to me like these people were wasting their lives - and I guess there was an element of recognition in there as well. There but for the grace of God go I...

[Sevorin]

I found Cinemania depressing as hell

 

The Danish element. Too much Dreyer in the blood.

 

[Knaldskalle]

Yes.

And?

[Mr. Bad]

The Man Nobody Knew: In Search of My Father CIA Spymaster William C... Well produced big budget documentary about former CIA Director Colby by one of his sons. Includes interviews with Singlaub and other Iran-Contra luminaries. Some slow sections about family life are balanced with a good overview of the Vietnam war's flawed inception and Colby's development of the controversial Phoenix Program. Colby died in what I thought of at the time as a pretty suspicious boating accident, but in this documentary strongly suggests it was suicide. Pretty strange for a lifelong devout Catholic. Overall, this is whitewash apologetics/propaganda for people who did the leg breaking for the empire. Still worth seeing if you are interested in Cold War History, especially if you are able to balance what you are seeing with other versions of the story.

[macroman]

Added to my queue.  I remember Colby but don't know much about him and this film has some good reviews.

[David]

Pretty in Pink--not my typical film viewing fare, but it was an ok watch, although I felt it was wrong in so many ways for me.  The Molly Ringwall character ends up with the jerk, imo.  That guy was morose, though rich.  Ducky would have been far more fun.  So I guess Prince Charming wins out...

[eviltimes]

The Help   IMDb   2011   PG-13   146 min   BD

Chick flick designed by Spielberg and Disney to make money and win Oscars (for which they were successful). White washed version of history where the "nigras" experience a life they had no means of obtaining. Some kind of idiotic white re-writing of history (again). Makes me angry when they could have gotten much closer to the truth and still taken home the bacon and the golden statuettes. So, a 5/10 for those reasons.

OTOH, Viola Davis, Sissy Spacek and a wonderful, tear jerking performance from Cicely Tyson are all must see material. Bravo for their acting chops. Sorry, Meryl Streep, but Viola deserved the Oscar.

[eviltimes]

Watched a bunch of those "Classic Albums" discs from the BBC over the weekend.

Fly Jefferson Airplane   IMDb   2004   NR   81 min   IW     It's a 4x3 picture that upconverts.

This is not as advertised - it is a reasonably well done series of interviews with the band members (all alive, BTW), and discussions of the creation of their songs and different points in the band's history. Pleasantly surprised it wasn't a clip show. Of course, they don't deal any dirt - Jorma Kaukonen once said that whoever was sleeping with Grace got their songs on the playlist and onto the albums, for instance. But, 6/10

Never did understand why Airplane gets included in with The Doors, Jimi, Janis, The Who, etc. At best they're a garage band with a couple of hit singles. Only Jack and Jorma have any talent and went on to make excellent stoner partying music as Hot Tuna.

Classic Albums: The Doors   IMDb- no listing   2008   NR   50 min   IW

Interviews and clips covering their first album. Again the BBC approach is all business and no hyping the drugs, arrests, etc. Not as fulfilling as the similar video of the Band or the Airplane, but interesting nonetheless. 6/10 (Ben Fong-Torres!)

Frank Zappa: Apostrophe & Overnight Sensation   IMDb   2007   NR   50 min   IW

Celebrating Franks 1973 break out albums with Billy Bob Thornton, Steve Vai playing "Peaches" with Dweezil. Great video of Frank's three basement vaults he had built under his house to store all this monstrous collection of his reel to reel music creations, most of which we'll never hear. And loads of oddities: Tina Turner's bill for $25/hr for back up vocals, for instance. 8/10 - loads of goodies packed into a very small space. "I'll be knockin' the jockeys off the rich people's lawns..."

[David]

Evil--Grace Slick, to me, wasn't the greatest singer, she had limited range, for example, but check out the Airplane's albums, After Bathing at Baxters & Crown of Creation, for their best efforts.  Their other albums were spotty or a bit uneven, but I can enjoy them.

[eviltimes]

I'm pretty sure I had all their vinyl during that time.  Got tired of them.

[Knaldskalle]

(Ben Fong-Torres!)

I saw him on TV doing the Chinese New Years Parade in San Francisco. A far cry from his "work" in Almost Famous... :-)

[Sevorin]

I lo-o-ove Almost Famous.