What Are You Watching?

There's a sort of forerunner to Monty Python,  At Last the 1948 Show, that's been restored. I just watched one episode on Roku so far and it was fast and funny, plus a joy to see Marty Feldman in anything. 

Jean Harlow in Bombshell is my favorite, a wild comedy supposedly based on the life of Clara Bow. Looks like there are clips on YouTube along with Libeled Lady (a perfect screwball comedy), Dinner at Eight, and Red Headed Woman. 

Thalberg at MGM helped craft Harlow's roles and star persona, and Anita Loos wrote many of her best films. Loos was known for making sexy funny to sneak past the censors. 

Lead Belly wrote a powerful tribute song for her, "Jean Harlow (Died the Other Day)," also on YouTube.

A New Leaf popped up on Pluto, can't wait to watch it again, written and directed by Elaine May and starring May and Walter Matthau. Supposedly the studio messed with the film a lot and she disowned it at the time. The camerawork and cutting may be a  little awkward early on but the writing and performances are hilarious. Pretty dark for a romcom, but with a happy ending as Matthau overcomes his murderous instincts and succumbs to tender love. It's tragic that May made so few films and that Ishtar dented her reputation. She wrote and directed the original Heartbreak Kid with Charles Grodin, and she was delightful as another lovable nerd in Small Time Crooks. 

Speaking of YouTube , I've been enjoying episodes of Caroline  in the City, the first two seasons are the best.

Prefontaine (1997).

This was my professional acting debut, where I got to play the integral role of one of thousands of people watching an Olympic-race in a stadium. Paid very handsomely in hot-dogs & soda. I did read later that those who stayed the whole 6 or whatever hours (family needed to leave a bit early since Grandfather in his 80's couldn't quite take that much standing, sitting, standing, clapping, etc. under sun) were paid an unannounced bonus of $20... oh what could have been.

Movie is actually better than I remember. Pretty breezy documentary-style & drama watch for about 80% of it (cool 1960s/70's clothes, cars, facial hair)... tho events in Munich and the ending were quite a bit tougher/more serious.

Also it's rated PG-13 for language & there is a fair bit of that.

Verdict: PAID RENTAL    

CJ - LOL. We haven't even gotten into a vocal-role as space-age computer system in my sixth grade (age 11/12) musical...

I love "The Burbs" especially when they visit the creepy neighbors in their ramshackle house and are offered sardines on pretzels, to eat.

Last night I watched "An Englishman in New York" . John Hurt as Quentin Crisp was so believable.

A few nights ago,I watched a star studded "Crazy, Stupid, Love"  again .With  Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei and  Kevin Bacon. It's a funny PG13 Romance/Comedy. It's proof, that clothes maketh the man.

I recently loaned my DVD set of Fawlty Towers to a friend. It came back minus one disc. I kicked myself for not warning about the partially broken doohickey that grips the disc in place.So I thought it was lost and gone forever, in a snowbank or somewhere. But, a thorough search of her car again, and there it was. I was overjoyed.  Not only do I love to rewatch Fawlty Towers from time to time, but it had sentimental value. My son bought it for me with his pocket money, years ago. 

Forever Young (1992).

This movie made an impression on me when I was a kid. Upon re-watch: The premise was brilliant... execution: the first half was Lifetime Movie of the Week, 2nd half was a bit above that.

Verdict: FREE TELEVISION

The Carol Burnett Show is live 24/7 on Roku. For Women's History Month, there are new intros by Carol spotlighting the women who starred on her show, like Betty Grable, Rita Hayworth, Diahann Carol, Lana Turner, Martha Raye, and more. For a show that premiered in 1967, it feels like it was just minted yesterday. The  classic film parodies, As the Stomach Turns, family sketches, and eyepopping musical numbers are so enjoyable. They didn't strain to be "relevant" like Laugh-In (a show I still find barely watchable in spite of the talent). 

Carol Burnett is hilarious as Shirley Dimple, Charo's mother, Mae East...and she revels in playing bad girls. 

I loved Carol Burnett in" Momma's Family". She's such a talented comedienne, although she was in a drama, a rehash of "Mildred Pierce". She played Joan Crawford. Incidentally, it's Joan Crawford's birthday today.  There's a bitingingly funny spoof of her and Bette Davis, called Psychobitches onYouTube. Mark Gatiss, ( Mycroft in "Sherlock") plays Joan. I almost choked laughing. Also in the same vein is a spoof of aging Queens of the Screen, played by Tracey Ullman and Glenn Close as rivals at an audition. 

Talking about funny, I have to give a shout out to "What About Bob" starring Bill Murray and Richard Dreyfus (and Gil, the goldfish!) In real life Murray and Dreyfus can't stand each other which works so well in the film because Dreyfus's character ends up wanting to blow Murray's character up. 

Mildred Fierce is actually a parody of Mildred Pierce from the Carol Burnett Show, it's on YouTube. Joan Crawford loved the parody, but she didn't care for a follow-up sketch Torchy Song. 

Nice interview on YouTube with Gail Parent on writing movie parodies for the show.

I could watch What about Bob at the drop of a hat. The role reversal builds to a great climax. Baby steps, baby steps...

I've been rewatching Frasier a lot lately because it's getting revived (with just Kelsey Grammer...that oughtta be interesting). Absolutely adored the original series. Friends who? But really, sitcoms ain't what they used to be. One thing I love about them is that they can range from iconic and unforgettable to white nose you could play in the background without fear of missing anything important. Frasier was that show for me. Or Seinfeld. Ironically, I despise both Grammer and Seinfeld. But their shows were good at least. 

Just watched Out Of The Past, the 1947 film noir with Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer as the femme fatale, Kathie Moffat, who will kill when painted into a corner. Sets you in mind to write a noir script.

Fraiser... ya should have filmed in Seattle, may have helped my possible YOUNG MAN SITTING IN CAFE career. HUFF

Tho I guess we stole Northern Exposure from Alaska so it serves us right... (disclaimer: I've never seen an episode of Northern Exposure, but I did go to Roslyn, WA once and that town is RAD... actually I noticed the one-screen historical movie theater in Roslyn recently went on sale for about $930,000 - which has to be like 3x its potential commercial-value but...)

I'm verklempt. SHTISEL is back- season 3!

Just watched Love's Kitchen on Roku. I was drawn into the story, and it was a sweet escape from the heating outage here after a storm that has me huddled under a pile of blankets. After watching it I checked out some reviews online and I was surprised that it was savaged by critics when it opened. Maybe it didn't hit the requisite marks of a foodie comedy; it's a little laid back in pacing. But the chef's challenge to succeed seemed authentic and compelling without heroic efforts or over-the-top crazy success. Simon Callow as a besotted food critic is hilarious and thankfully he has plenty of scenes to shine. I thought it was more enjoyable than Chef, which has some similar plot elements. 

I haven't watched SHTISEL but did watch "Unorthodox" and the making of "Unorthodox". Both riveting.

On Youtube I've been re-watching a gentle BBC comedy from the '90's, "The Missing Postman". with James Bolam, Alison Steadman and Jim Carter. Carter is very funny because he plays a bumbling policeman so straight faced.

Netflix has several "Shaun the Sheep" episodes, which I love. Hope they bring back "Wallace and Gromit".

On Youtube I watched C J on Muyiwa Adebiyi's podcast, Day in Day out, ep 67 "Films and the Script Revolution". The host listens very attentively to his guest without interrupting.   C J's enthusiasm for his subject comes across really strong.   Also I listened to ep 22, "Getting exposure with Script Revolution" on IFH Podcast Network. Host Geoffrey D. Calhoun and guest, C J, talk about their experiences in "the biz". Very upbeat and interesting.

Sense and Sensibility (1995)

I recently finished my first Jane Austen book (S&S, which reminded me a bit of Dickens without the weirdo names LOL - I currently plan to finish all her completed novels sometime before I leave this mortal coil) so here's the film. There were some changes (mostly for time, occasionally for dramatic effect), but I enjoyed most of them (tho Lady Middleton must wonder why Sir John is now a widower heh)

(minor spoiler) the one exception, I'm not positive Colonel Brandon relayed the similarities between Marianne and his former young love-interest in the film, which would have made that initial attraction... less weird.

Alan Rickman was amazing as usual...  as was Emma Thompson (+ beautiful) & I guess she wrote the script (!)

Verdict: PURCHASE  

Always a little annoying when the film(s) you paid to rent show up randomly on the free-streaming options a couple weeks later... sigh

A Beautiful Mind (2001)

I didn't really connect with any of the characters, and felt that most of the movie was trying to punch above its weight. The ten-ish minutes of the initial "reveal" tho I thought was well done. Verdict: Skip

Mansfield Park (TV movie, 2007)

Nice cinematography/sets. The actor who played Edmund did a great job, those of Sir Thomas Bertram & Mary Crawford were likewise very good. Sir Thomas wasn't the complete ogre I remember from the 1999 film version which seemed positive, tho the play the children tried to put on didn't have as much weight on the story in comparison (haven't read the book yet so don't know which is more accurate from that standpoint). Lead (adult version) Fanny Price felt like she was cast for her considerable looks.

Verdict: Fans of Austen or the period = PAID RENTAL, otherwise = FREE TELEVISION