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I got on an Alec Guinness kick this month. Wow, go crazy! I'd always found him a little stiff and for the longest time couldn't get myself to rent Kind Hearts and Coronets, even though it's pretty highly regarded. I just couldn't imagine Alec Guinness in a comedy but I couldn't have been more wrong. Almost all of his early films were comedies and all that I've seen were very good, if not great.

Anyway, I first rented The Man In The White Suit (1951) and liked it a lot. Also includes Joan Greenwood, a British actress that I love. Very funny film and probably my favorite of his comedies that I've seen. ****1/2

After watching the above film, I decided to rent the 5 other Guinness DVDs that our library carries. Next up was The Lavender Hill Mob (1951). Another very good one from Ealing Studios that I liked just slightly less than The Man In The White Suit. ****

Next was Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949). Guinness plays 8 different roles in this film, each one being killed off by the star, Dennis Price. Sounds hilarious! It's actually a very funny film. ****

The Ladykillers (1955) is a film about a mob that pretends to be classical musicians while they're plotting their next heist. Very early Peter Sellers is one of the gang, along with a very creep, toothy Guinness. Well worth watching. ****

The Captain's Paradise (1953) is a story about Capt. Henry St. James (Guinness), who has devised the perfect life. He captains a steamer which travels between Gibraltar and North Africa and he's got a wife in each location. Celia Johnson (another favorite of mine) is the perfect housewife to Guinness. He's always in bed at 10 o'clock and his breakfast is ready for him when he wakes up. Yvonne DeCarlo, on the other hand, is the perfect wife to hit the town with. Up all night, dancing and drinking until 2. Never a dull moment. ****1/2

The Horse's Mouth (1958) is a slightly bizarre film that was written by and stars Guinness. Has a very different feel than the earlier films, part of it being contributed to it being in color and widescreen. I enjoyed it but quite a bit less than his Ealing Studios comedies. ***

Finally, we re-watched Great Expectations (1946) which was Guinness' first film. Stars John Mills (one of my favorite actors ever), Jean Simmons and Guinness. A must see. ****1/2

Arthur Dent wrote:

Hungary Jack wrote:Religulous opened last week at the nearby Century Landmark cinema, which is a great place to watch a film. This is Bill Maher's satirical documentary-style examination of religious extremism and its role in society.

I generally cherish anything that points out the absurdity of religious extremism, especially the kind of obsequious, unthinking right-wing evangelical thinking that has bastardized the conservative party over the past two decades. But I left Religulous a bit disappointed. The film provides a multitude of laughs, and some of the scenes are hysterically funny, but Maher wastes most of his sharp wit on low-end targets that are easy to ridicule. These include attendees of a religous theme park that re-enacts the crucifiction with choreographed song and dance; an evangelical Senator who confesses that being a Senator does not require passing an IQ test; and a guy in Amsterdam who thinks smoking a lot of pot is a form of piety. Maher basically ends up shooting fish in a barrel.

This all would be fine if Maher did not conclude the film with his own soliloquy on the perils of religious fundamentalism that crowds out science and finds its way into politics and government. But his closing message is diluted by the slapstick-like scenes that precede it.

Verdict: See it for the laughs

Agreed with all of that. Extremely funny though.

Mrs. Jack and I were cracking up the entire film, especially during the interview with the guy outside the Vatican.

Richie Allen wrote: The Lavender Hill Mob (1951). Another very good one from Ealing Studios that I liked just slightly less than The Man In The White Suit. ****

Next was Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949). Guinness plays 8 different roles in this film, each one being killed off by the star, Dennis Price. Sounds hilarious! It's actually a very funny film. ****

The Ladykillers (1955) is a film about a mob that pretends to be classical musicians while they're plotting their next heist. Very early Peter Sellers is one of the gang, along with a very creep, toothy Guinness. Well worth watching. ****

these are 3 fantastic movies..

i just watched this:

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it was pretty bad...but good...and there was one moment that made it all worth it

and at the very least, ned beatty and darren mcgavin are in it
jd salingers son plays captain america too

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103923/

I had never seen Taxi Driver. I saw it last night (albeit in edited TV format). I don't get all the hype. Deniro does a decent job, don't know why Jodie Foster is praised so highly for this. Too disjointed with all the scenes of him just driving around. Harvey Keitel was unrecognizable as the Pimp. Maybe I am too far removed from the 70's to appreciate it.

jimedmondsfan wrote:I had never seen Taxi Driver. I saw it last night (albeit in edited TV format). I don't get all the hype. Deniro does a decent job, don't know why Jodie Foster is praised so highly for this. Too disjointed with all the scenes of him just driving around. Harvey Keitel was unrecognizable as the Pimp. Maybe I am too far removed from the 70's to appreciate it.

you can't watch this movie in an edited format..

i bet i've seen this movie 30 times.. it's easily one of my all time favorites..

from that same era - I started to watch the French Connection on TV once but dozed off. is that a good one?

Freed Roger wrote:from that same era - I started to watch the French Connection on TV once but dozed off. is that a good one?

i thought it was a bit overrated.. didn't do much for me.. if you are looking for
a great movie from that era and with hackman.. do "the conversation".. now that
is a great movie.. one of the best endings ever.. (it's a bit of an open ending.. just fyi
for those of you who hate open endings)

not long ago - watched the 1950s version of "3:10 to Yuma"

An excellent underrated western. nothing is lost by having seen the remake already-basic premise is the same but its much diff.

There is some of that hokyism that goes along with the 1950s movies, the music etc. but i was surprised by some of the innuendo and subject matter for that era.

the stakes get higher and the tension is ramped up as the story goes along. - i think the older version does it better than the new one

omaha_red wrote:

jimedmondsfan wrote:I had never seen Taxi Driver. I saw it last night (albeit in edited TV format). I don't get all the hype. Deniro does a decent job, don't know why Jodie Foster is praised so highly for this. Too disjointed with all the scenes of him just driving around. Harvey Keitel was unrecognizable as the Pimp. Maybe I am too far removed from the 70's to appreciate it.

you can't watch this movie in an edited format..

i bet i've seen this movie 30 times.. it's easily one of my all time favorites..

This is going to sound ridiculous, and I can't fully explain it, but this movie may have changed my life. I think I saw it when I was a junior in high school. I changed a lot that year due to other things too, but if I were one of those black and white people in Pleasantville, seeing this movie would have been the moment I turned into full color.