Musical Mondays Off-Week 3 (Taylor Anne Photo's Choice)

[Cameron H. 23786]

I'm down with Cam Bert on Kurosawa. I have my first classic film suggestion already queued up. Can't wait to get going on it!

 

Last night, I literally set a reminder up for December 1, 2017. Unless you all want to get this going sooner... I'm game, but I figured between keeping up with HDTGM and Musical Mondays, asking for another movie thing would be too much.

 

In the meantime, everyone should totally go out and watch Some Like it Hot.

[Cameron H. 23786]

KurosaWHO? Gimme Ozu or Mmizoguchi instead.

 

[taylor anne photo 11311]

I was thinking that I should wait for Monday to respond to all of this but fuck it I'm too excited to talk about this movie! This is literally my favorite animated/Disney movie of all time and in my top 4 fave movies (as those of you who are following me on Letterboxd already know lol).

 

I have questions with anyone who would question Beauty and the Beast.

First of all I don't know anyone who genuinely questions this movie outright. I think the "questions" is really just silly points in the movie that really make you go "wha?" like where the hell are the Beast's parents!? He was 11 when the curse happened so why was he literally home alone answering doors by himself!

 

Plus, this is the last big animated movie before Aladdin brought in the idea of Big Time Celebrities being a huge draw for animated movies. Sure, there were examples of people like John Huston in The Hobbit or the cast of The Last Unicorn (featuring Jeff Bridges, Mia Farrow, Angela Lansbury, Alan Arkin, and Christopher Lee), but Aladdin made it almost a requirement to get movie stars in Big Time Animated Movies. Pixar can kind of get away with not doing this, but they still have major celebrities inhabit most of their movies. Not that Tom Hanks or Robin Williams aren't perfect as Woody and the Genie respectively or that Angela Lansbury in Beauty and the Beast isn't also a celebrity, but I see this film as a sort of demarcation point; when voice actors were cast from a pool of known voice actor talent or theater backgrounds rather than movie or TV stardom.

Hey man, I know that Jerry Orbach didn't start Law & Order until 91 but don't discount that Dirty Dancing fame lol.

 

By far the most interesting Prince in the Disney canon.

But like - not attractively drawn as a human (if that makes sense lol). My friend and I always had a joke where the look Belle has at the end is a "change back" look lol.

 

...or Moana that, while great and positive in their messages, are very self-consciously going against the Disney Princess trope. While perhaps that's needed, it comes with a certain expectation of character behaviors and plot developments.

I actually argue that Moana not only still is in the princess trope but respects that and puts a new spin to it. It's very much a self-aware meta movie and that's part of why I love it so much.

 

But thank you, Taylor Anne Photo, for picking this movie. I would never have revisited it if it wasn't for your suggestion and for this threat. YOU WIN AT MOVIES!

Duh! I always win at movies I'm just happy you have recognized this

[Cam Bert 8145]

 

Agreed - I went through a phase when my eldest child was a baby where we recorded everything that came on the movie channel, so we could watch them in the middle of the night while rocking him back to sleep (way to parent!). I saw Casablanca in this way, but don't have much of a memory of it so would welcome a second viewing. One 'classic' that I caught in this way (reminded by Cam Bert mentioning Some Like It Hot) was 'The Prince and the Showgirl', with Marilyn Monroe and Laurence Olivier. I was blown away by how good Marilyn was - I had always just assumed she was the Meghan Fox vapid pretty face. I couldn't have been more wrong - what an incredible comic actress! I'd love to revisit some more from that era.

 

Speaking of eras, my absolute favourite film era is the 'Easy Riders, Raging Bulls' era of 1970's Hollywood, prior to 'Jaws'. (I do LOVE Jaws, but I mean the shoestring output of the 70's that stopped happening after blockbusters started being made). I love the gritty, filthy streets of 1970's New York City in movies like 'Serpico', 'The Taking of Pelham 123', 'Dog Day Afternoon', 'Taxi Driver' and the like. I have only ever been to the Disneyfied NYC, so seeing the gritty, sleazy New York is always a huge fascination for me.

 

Of course, the 'Easy Riders, Raging Bulls' I refer to is in regards to Peter Biskind's AMAZING book on the era. Read it if you haven't already. It's one of my favourites ever.

 

I'm down with Cam Bert on Kurosawa. I have my first classic film suggestion already queued up. Can't wait to get going on it!

 

Please everybody if you haven't please watch The Taking of Pelham 123! The reason I'll fight for this movie over the others is that in many ways it's just as good as films like Dog Day Afternoon and Taxi Driver which are considered classics but for some reason it's not held in as high regard and is often overlooked. It holds up remarkably well and is full of sharp dialogue and great acting. Also the score is incredible. I love this movie! After watching this and if you want to see Walter Matthau continue being a bad ass, an oft overlooked crime film from the 70s worth checking out is Charlie Varrick.

 

I saw your Throne of Blood review CakeBug, does this mean Ran will be coming soon?

[Cam Bert 8145]

KurosaWHO? Gimme Ozu or Mmizoguchi instead.

That's like having Huey and Dewy but no Louie!

[tomspanks 9039]

That's like having Huey and Dewy but no Louie!

 

Is Miyazaki Scrooge McDuck?

[Cam Bert 8145]

 

Is Miyazaki Scrooge McDuck?

Yes! Oshima is Gyro Gearloose. Beat Takeshi is Flintheart Glomgold. Juzo Itami is Launchpad McQuack and Satoshi Kon is.... hmmm... Darkwing Duck

[Cakebug Tranch 6873]

 

Please everybody if you haven't please watch The Taking of Pelham 123! The reason I'll fight for this movie over the others is that in many ways it's just as good as films like Dog Day Afternoon and Taxi Driver which are considered classics but for some reason it's not held in as high regard and is often overlooked. It holds up remarkably well and is full of sharp dialogue and great acting. Also the score is incredible. I love this movie! After watching this and if you want to see Walter Matthau continue being a bad ass, an oft overlooked crime film from the 70s worth checking out is Charlie Varrick.

 

I saw your Throne of Blood review CakeBug, does this mean Ran will be coming soon?

 

So glad to pique your passion for Pelham 123 Cam! The remake is trash compared to the original (no kidding), and the Robert Shaw-Walter Matthau dynamic, along with my beloved gritty New York vistas, make this a brilliant chase movie. There's something so satisfying about the detective element when there's no high-tech help (which Denzel had in the remake).

 

As for Ran: absolutely, I'll put that on the to-review list!

[Cakebug Tranch 6873]

I was thinking that I should wait for Monday to respond to all of this but fuck it I'm too excited to talk about this movie!

 

Hey Cameron, since the genie looks like it's out of the bottle in regards to the discussion beginning, maybe we should move the discussion thread up to today? Otherwise Taylor Anne and Fister will post all their excellent insight in this thread and the discussion thread will be less rich. Just a thought...!

[tomspanks 9039]

Yes! Oshima is Gyro Gearloose. Beat Takeshi is Flintheart Glomgold. Juzo Itami is Launchpad McQuack and Satoshi Kon is.... hmmm... Darkwing Duck

 

Awww, Satoshi Kon. I'm so glad I got to see him give a talk about Tokyo Godfathers, one of my favorite animated movies, before he passed away.

[Jack Frost 252]

Come back, comment often, move on.

Awesome. Thanks. I actually caught part of this one recently on TV, but I didn't see enough of it to really discuss it intelligently.

[Jack Frost 252]

Where's the minisode, Scheer???

[Cam Bert 8145]

 

Awww, Satoshi Kon. I'm so glad I got to see him give a talk about Tokyo Godfathers, one of my favorite animated movies, before he passed away.

Wow, that's incredibly lucky. Satoshi Kon is like the the John Cazale of the anime world. Only got to make a handful of films before being taken out by cancer and not a bad one in the bunch. His films should be study material for anybody interested in film and editing.

[Jack Frost 252]

One reason I love Jane Wiedlin is her collaborations with Sparks. This is one of my favorite songs ever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBc5GUHOXAw

[Cameron H. 23786]

 

Hey Cameron, since the genie looks like it's out of the bottle in regards to the discussion beginning, maybe we should move the discussion thread up to today? Otherwise Taylor Anne and Fister will post all their excellent insight in this thread and the discussion thread will be less rich. Just a thought...!

 

I had the same thought actually. As long as there are no objections, I'll go ahead and make a thread in a little bit. I think enough people have seen it recently to get the ball rolling, and the rest of us can catch up when we can. Sound good everyone?

[Cameron H. 23786]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09NWcKA7JKw

 

Watched it this morning, and you're right, this is the version to watch. Funny story about it though, since I was watching so early in the morning, I had to put closed captioning on. It which was like reading the ravings of a Dadaist poet suffering from syphilis. Here's a brief excerpt:

 

..."little rest of the software is a piece for since these arms of mine at seven years pistol now some nine months wasted they've used their dearest action in the tented field little of this great world can I speak more than pertains to pizza broil..."

 

But seriously, all I ever want to talk about is "pizza broil."