u/tefl0nknight

The paths for Taylor Kitsch and Jesse Plemons were already on their own tracks before they were both in the absurd Battleship (2012) but it's such an interesting point of divergence for the two. Plemons was already cast in The Master.

Honorable mention to Scott Porter who popped during the brief window of 2008 and landed the role of Rex Racer in one of my favorite films of this century. Michael B Jordan who came along in season 3 of the show was already on an upward trajectory after his time on The Wire.

Fascinating spawning pool for some actors. I'm Always excited to see Plemons and his partnership with Yorgos has been great for him playing freaky little guys.

A wonderful, bitter sweet musical from Bob Fosse starring Liza Minelli in 1930s Berlin in a whirl of Bohemian Nightlife centered around the legendary Kit Kat Club.

Master of Ceremonies: Leave your troubles outside! Life is disappointing? Forget it!

A diagetic musical set in early 1930s Berlin that follows the ongoings of the legendary Kit Kat Club, Sally Bowels (Liza Minneli) it's star, the enigmatic Master of Ceremonies (Joel Grey), a young English teacher (Michael York) and an ambitious and socialable German. Frivolity, social climbing, sexuality, yearning and the effervescence of youth.

Brian: Screw Maximilian!

Sally: I do.

Brian: So do I.

Sally: You two bastards!

Brian: Two? Two? Shouldn't that be three?

I understand now why Liza Minneli is rightfully such an icon, and perhaps the greatest trick this movie pulls is convincing you that she is a struggling aspiring actress who keeps finding her way back to Cabaret. Wonderfully gay in many facets with two bisexual main characters and all sorts of delightfully gender queer shenanigans, lead the by imitable MC. The friction and darkness comes from existing in the lengthening shadow of the rise of the Nazi Party in the 1970s.

Master of Ceremonies: Outside it is windy, but inside it is so hot, every night we have ze battle to keep the girls from taking off all their clothing. So don't go away, who knows? Tonight we may lose the battle!

The songs are fantastic and exist almost in a reality of their own within The Kit Kat Club and serves to pace the story, set the tone and provide that ole razzle dazzle. There's a garishness to the makeup and costumes for the dancers and orchestra of the Caberet that have a certain Tolouse-Lautrec look about them, a.touch of dirt that makes it all feel like a night out into the small hours of alcohol and strange company. The first half of the film has more happiness to it while the slide from foreboding into tolling bell of encroaching doom.

Brian Roberts: [as Max and Brian are leaving the beer garden where the audience, led by a Hitler Youth boy, is singing "Tomorrow Belongs to Me"] Do you still think you can control them?

I just finished watching Brokeback Mountain and decided to watch Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia. Wow. It is rather bad, particularly all of the" Persians" played by English accented white people. But Alfred Molina is kind of incredible comic relief in it?

​

Anyway, had it seen this and for me it's grouped with the films that Disney did trying to either capture the same essence of Indiana Jones or the Pirate's of the Caribbean films and failing.

​

Also, a good reminder that Assassin's Creed is actually pretty good and accomplishes something that isn't that easy.

Brian Button, the Blue Wrestler from the opening scene in Disclosure Day, played He-Man in an unlicensed (?) Masters of the Universe short film in 2015. Coincide? Perhaps…

Loved the movie but couldn't help but think of this SNL sketch What's Their Name?

​

Loved the movie but this was one of the first things to leap to mind. From the Hader / Mulaney SNL sketch, What's That Name?

I've seen it myself on Screen Unseen and it's such a fun and imaginatively choreographed action movie that goes apeshit.

​

Mostly posting because too many forget The Saving of Silverman.

Ran into it while watching Virtuosity (1995) on Tubi and seeing what else Baby Faced Crowe was up to.

The original universal monsters mummy movie that would go on to spawn many remakes and imitations. I have seen most of the original films of this era, but hadn't caught this before. Definitely worth the time especially under a trim 80 minutes with a great Boris Karloff performance.

[Norton laughs manically after seeing the Mummy leave the archaelogists' workshop with the sacred scroll]

Sir Joseph Whemple: What's the matter, man? For heaven's sake, what is it?

Ralph Norton: He went for a little walk! You should have seen his face!

The Mummy(1932) hits basically all of the same plot beats as Dracula: an ancient evil is discovered, he is in love with a woman long dead but reincarnated as the beautiful love interest of the main character while all involving England. Perhaps most fascinating for me is how many of the later films, including the Brendan Frazier / Rachel Weiss stick to the essential plot of this.

The advantage this has, is Boris Karloff who is fantastic as Imohtep and conveys even more atmospheric dread in a speaking role than he did in James Whale's Frankenstein as the (mostly) unspeaking monster.

Byron Orlok(Boris Karloff): Oh, Sammy, what's the use? Mr. Boogey Man, King of Blood they used to call me. Marx Brothers make you laugh, Garbo makes you weep, Orlok makes you scream.

Sammy Michaels(Peter Bogdanovich): All the good movies have been made.

Bogdanovich proved his character wrong with this one. A Roger Corman produced debut from Bogdanovich the director and holy shit does he kill it with this.

Boris Karloff plays a lightly fictionalized version of himself as Byron Orlok, as the sun sets on his career and he decides to retire; deciding to make an appearance at a local LA Drive In that is showing a classic film of his.

Elsewhere in the suburban sprawl, a clean cut middle class white guy collects guns and starts to experience strange thoughts and impulses which he holds at bay for the first thirty minutes of the film.

As an era of classic horror ends, a new one begins. A thriller that doesn't let up once it gets going. Relentlessly tense and brutal, shocking and horrifying, and still brutally relevant.

Buster is my personal favorite of all the silent comedy stars and I was excited to catch this on YouTube in a solid quality transfer.

It is such a delight! Of all of his films that I've seen this leaves the most room for the romantic plot which is served well by Keaton and Marceline Day.

Buster is a struggling tin type photographer who tries his hand as a news reel photographer to try and impress the lonely Sally.

Alas, he accidentally creates avant garde art by exposing the film multiple times, creating overlayed images that are more Man Movie Camera than newsreel. The third act becomes a chaotic delight where he stumbles across an organ grinder and gains a little monkey side kick. The big action set piece is an surprising gang war in Chinatown that goes much harder than I ever expected.

Wonderfully realized, excellent comedy. It's no Sherlock Jr. Or The General but still a wonderful watch.

​

I have recently gone back to listen to episodes from You Must Remember This, the podcast that aren't part of any of the great series that they put together. I would say it's all worth a listen for anyone interested. The 20th century story of Hollywood.

Isabella is a great actor, human and director in her own right And there are few things that I love more than her avant garde paper mache naturalist work in Green Porno / Seduce Me / Mammas.

This episode gave me new context for the Arc of her life and also her fascinating place in film history, both before she was born and later in life. It's worth a listen for those who are curious and it got me thinking about the Scorsese series coming up.

A thing I knew but haven't spent much time. Thinking about is the role of Catholicism the life and work of Marty. The Last Temptation of Christ is the most overt example in which he wrestles with this, but I know little outside of that in connection to his work.

I can't recall, but has the podcast covered other directors where religion played a substantial role in their life? I faintly remember something about M night shyamalan and his early work connecting with his religious upbringing.

You Must Remember This Isabella Roselini in the 90s

​

Rose Byrne is pretty good in this, but it can't see her as a stressed out mom without thinking of the great Mary Bronstein film.

It's not the house that's haunted. It's their son!