tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post1741717678564564496..comments2024-03-24T13:26:57.317-07:00Comments on Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule: HOLY BIG SCREEN! To Live and Watch in L.A.Dennis Cozzaliohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-39878245433803292452008-04-27T03:49:00.000-07:002008-04-27T03:49:00.000-07:00For what it's worth, Fantastic Voyage is NOT an ad...For what it's worth, <I>Fantastic Voyage</I> is NOT an adaptation of the Isaac Asimov novel. Rather, just as with Clarke's <I>2001</I>, the novel was based on the movie.The Wrong Boxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11525871621986041165noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-35582230591271667572008-03-12T22:47:00.000-07:002008-03-12T22:47:00.000-07:00Dennis -- I'll check on the dates of "The Music Ro...Dennis -- I'll check on the dates of "The Music Room" and get back to you.<BR/><BR/>Re: "Who Could Kill a Child?" and how I saw it. Well, I'm gorephobic but not completely horrorphobic, which has obviously been a lifelong dilemma for yours truly. In any case, back in the day I used to regularly attend these morning free screenings held by the Academy of SF, Fantasy & Horror Films, film pirates, and others...it's a long and weird story of seventies L.A., I'm afraid.Bob Westalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17515868620255715845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-19490323816385303942008-03-12T15:34:00.000-07:002008-03-12T15:34:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-13024517130370466402008-03-12T09:59:00.000-07:002008-03-12T09:59:00.000-07:00Editor A: I don't know. I think the 2007 year-end ...Editor A: I don't know. I think the 2007 year-end wrap-up may have been longer. I know I stayed up later finishing that one, at least! I am now laying in the weeds, conserving energy for a big one that has been a long time coming. Watch out!<BR/><BR/>Ali: Thanks so much! There is no higher honor (and I'm serious) than being printed out and reserved for bathroom reading! And please, bring on the verbosity!<BR/><BR/>Blaaagh: As much as I'm glad to have reminded myself about all the treasures surrounding me here every day (cinematic as well as others, of course), it's nice to know this post has nudged you along in your desire to plan your next visit. I hope you can make it for the Mission Tiki Drive-in's "Monsterama" night coming in October (more about that later, of course), and I really wish you could be here for some Bava. But there will be plenty to see over the summer. Some word was dropped at the Nuart Friday night when I was there for <I>The House That Screamed</I> (which turned out to be <I>pretty good</I>, actually), that a brand-new print of <I>Planet of the Apes</I> will be there sometime in the next couple of months, as well as the Los Angeles premiere of Dario Argento's <I>Mother of Tears</I>, which wowed 'em in Toronto last fall.<BR/><BR/>Speaking of <I>The House That Screamed</I>, I must now take this opportunity to apologize to the couple sitting next to me during the midnight screening. No reflection on the movie, which really was pretty well done, if on the sedate side compared to more modern fare-- it's pretty easy to draw a line from <I>The House That Screamed</I> to <I>The Devil's Backbone</I> to <I>The Orphanage</I>. But with only about 20 minutes or so left in the picture, the long day (and it was a veeeeerrrryyyy long day) finally got to me. I dozed off, and apparently I was snoring pretty vigorously, because I woke up and the fella next to me was very gently nudging me to wake up. He was cool about it, I was embarrassed and apologetic, but I'll tell you what-- I was wide awake for the movie's grisly conclusion. (That impish John Moulder Brown just couldn't be sweeter!)<BR/><BR/>Stan_cz: That's great news about the <I>Charley Varrick</I> DVD, especially for those of us with region-free players. It's an easy improvement over the lousy disc issued by Universal a couple of years ago, one of those full-frame, no-frills jobs. I only wish I could read German so I could see what goodies that two-disc package includes. Care to translate? :)Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-4164538302664270922008-03-12T08:40:00.000-07:002008-03-12T08:40:00.000-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-257884229338656152008-03-12T06:16:00.000-07:002008-03-12T06:16:00.000-07:00This is some sterling work, Signor Cozzalio. I ha...This is some sterling work, Signor Cozzalio. I have actually printed it out to read it on my way back home, and annotate it, so that I can respond to it with the clarity as well as the verbosity it so richly deserves.Ali Arikanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02293558856795196349noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-53351540721734800242008-03-12T00:17:00.000-07:002008-03-12T00:17:00.000-07:00This is the record for the longest post ever. I t...This is the record for the longest post ever. I think you had a quiz recap that topped this, but this is the #1 longest post of 100% pure Dennis Cozzalio that you've ever done. You are out of control!! I need to print this out so I can actually read it. I can't read novels online. My eyes start to hurt.The Mysterious Ad[ri.an B)e;ta]m.a.x.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14584835204677201232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-41831208764595531872008-03-11T22:29:00.000-07:002008-03-11T22:29:00.000-07:00You've succeeded in making me wish I lived in Los ...You've succeeded in making me wish I lived in Los Angeles again! On the other hand, it's nice to know you are rediscovering the joys of moviegoing there. It's too easy to miss the virtues of where one lives, as I can personally confirm. Anyway, thanks for an enjoyable post, which spurs me to start plotting my next visit down there!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-557703319484521502008-03-11T09:39:00.000-07:002008-03-11T09:39:00.000-07:00"I'm not sure LA isn't a continuing film festival,..."I'm not sure LA isn't a continuing film festival, year-round."<BR/><BR/>Vanwall, that's an excellent way to look at it. It just takes a little more work to track everything down. Taking a cue from Editor A and his blog, I will shortly be organizing a section on my sidebar for revival and repertory film calendars so keeping track of the L.A. film scene at least will be just a bit easier.<BR/><BR/>Bob: I meant to e-mail you and see if you were going to be at the Aero Thursday night, but the day kind of got away from me. But if you do take in Ozu or Ray, let me know. I'm very keen on seeing <I>The Music Room</I> and <I>Charulata</I> based on Girish's recommend.<BR/><BR/>Seeing both <I>Charley Varrick</I> and <I>Pelham</I> on the big screen for the first time was a real treat indeed. <I>Varrick</I> I expected to be great. And I knew that <I>Pelham</I> had a great sense of humor; I just wasn't prepared for how much fun it would be to experience that with an auditorium full of simpaticos. Thanks for the reminders not only of screenwriter Peter Stone but also of Joseph Sargent, whose credits may make his "for-hire" status seem overwhelming, but who did some fine work, as you pointed out, in his career. His presentation and evocation of New York City circa 1973 is one for the time capsule, or as you put it, "one of the best ground-level views of the place." And the ending? Just right, especially with the cherry on top of that look Matthau shoots Balsam through the crack in the door.<BR/><BR/>I'm still not convinced I can deal with <I>Who Can Kill A Child?</I>, even on Kimberly's solid recommendation. But I will express surprise that you saw it! How did that come about?<BR/><BR/>Hope to see you around the Cinematheque or the Silent Movie Theater soon!Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-85126077206224033762008-03-10T10:10:00.000-07:002008-03-10T10:10:00.000-07:00Dennis -- I very nearly went to the Varrick/Pelham...Dennis -- I very nearly went to the Varrick/Pelham double two. A truly magnificent double bill and it's been a long time since I've seen Varrick. (Yet another in a long line of cinemamnesiac moments is that I THINK I've seen it on the big screen before, I just can't remember doing so. I've also forgotten most of the plot, for that matter. Great movie, one of Don Siegel's best. I remember that much.)<BR/><BR/>"Pelham," however, I saw just a year or two back at the Egyptian and that was my excuse for saving the hour+ in traffic and $15.00 or whatever worth of gas. <BR/><BR/>I think it was my first time in a theater for that, and I hadn't seen it maybe since early college. What really surprised me is how incredibly funny it was, almost to the point of being jokey, but not to the point of undercutting the suspense. Also, I haven't spent that much time in New York, but it really took me back to my visits there. Probably one of the best ground-level views of the place in a mainstream film, certainly a highpoint for Joseph Sargent, whose work was often solid but sort of anonymous, but not always. I was just looking through his filmography and he did the legendary "Marcus Nelson Murders," for TV as well as the well above average SF thriller, "The Forbin Project," which I haven't seen in decades. <BR/><BR/>And let's not forget that great script by Peter Stone, one of the best of his ilk, on a par with Ernest Lehman, for sure. And that ending...too clever or just clever enough? I like it.<BR/><BR/>Also, I'm sure I'm not the only person to notice the extremely obvious lifts in "Reservoir Dogs," not only in the color coded names of the hijackers, but in Robert Shaw's general attitude, he's a slightly harder version of Keitel's Mr. White. (I've always thought it slightly absurd to focus on Tarentino's "theft" of the plot of "City on Fire." If you've actually seen both the Ringo Lam film and "Pelham" and I'd say that the latter is overall, the more similar film in terms of feeling and tension.)<BR/><BR/>Anyhow, thanks for this exhaustive list. I don't get down there enough and you've given me some good reminders. I am thinking of giving S. Ray and/or Ozu another shot, despite my past bouts of filmnambulism.<BR/><BR/>And finally, believe it or not, I saw "Who Could a Child?" back in the day, under a different title ("Island of the Damned" or something) at one of the multiple free screenings I used to attend in those days. I remember finding it..unpleasant. You'll probably dig it, or maybe not. I can imagine parents having a hard time with it, though my memories are obviously hazy at this point. Though, to give it credit, not much more hazy than "Charley Varrick" which I've seen multiple times...."Who Could a Child?" I saw once, and that was plenty.Bob Westalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17515868620255715845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-8027595199349285032008-03-08T16:03:00.000-08:002008-03-08T16:03:00.000-08:00I'm not sure LA isn't a continuing film festival, ...I'm not sure LA isn't a continuing film festival, year-round. I used to slaver when reading the LAT in the Phoenix Public Library - it wasn't fair. Now I'm closer and a drive up the coast is a nice break in the monotony of standard fare in Dago. <BR/><BR/>"Charlie Varrick" was a great one to see on the big screen, which I was able to do on its initial release - no sentiment in that one, and nice to see it appreciated. Joe Don Baker's Molly is right up there with Harry Powell on my top villains list. <BR/><BR/>This may be a golden age of viewing for Angelenos - savor it while it lasts.Vanwallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14606489784189165989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-19056776878442697952008-03-07T21:52:00.000-08:002008-03-07T21:52:00.000-08:00Peter: I'm not sure why it never clicked so strong...Peter: I'm not sure why it never clicked so strongly with me before just how many great alternative cinema options there are in L.A., especially for a town that still doesn't have a film festival to compare with Toronto or Berlin or even Sundance, and one where the latest foreign releases still can barely register for a week before they're gone. But I was struck by the bounty of this month in particular such that it really clarified for me just how good the repertory and special screening scene is here on a regular basis. It still may not be anything like New York City, but for a cinephile who already has less time on his hands than necessary, it'll do!<BR/><BR/>Oh, and I have the <I>Millennium Mambo</I> DVD and have seen it a coupe, of times, but I would definitely think that seeing that movie theatrically would be a wise move.Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-4403471428079742392008-03-07T19:17:00.000-08:002008-03-07T19:17:00.000-08:00Your post reminds me of why, when I lived in NYC, ...Your post reminds me of why, when I lived in NYC, I got along without seeing most of the mainstream films in theaters.<BR/><BR/>A thought on the presentation of the Bava films: They were shot, like most Italian films at that time, without sound, and dubbed later. Not everyone who appears in a Bava film spoke Italian to begin with, so for me, dubbing in English is less of an issue than having as complete a version as possible.<BR/><BR/>I also recommend <B>Millenium Mambo</B> if you can fit that into your schedule. I saw it theatrically a few years ago.Peter Nellhaushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04161286159856159772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-27596148076568935342008-03-07T15:09:00.000-08:002008-03-07T15:09:00.000-08:00Nate, I look disturbingly like my cartoon avatar, ...Nate, I look disturbingly like my cartoon avatar, so I should be pretty easy to spot!Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-41157441338548496832008-03-07T14:58:00.000-08:002008-03-07T14:58:00.000-08:00Hey, Dennis. I'll be catching the last three night...Hey, Dennis. I'll be catching the last three nights of the Bava retrospective, so maybe I'll see you there!Nate Y.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13440202112042560989noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-18003251940796619462008-03-07T14:21:00.000-08:002008-03-07T14:21:00.000-08:00Sal, thanks for the clip tip! It inspired me to lo...Sal, thanks for the clip tip! It inspired me to look for the <I>Pelham</I> credits and, god bless YouTube, I found 'em!<BR/><BR/>Flickhead, that sounds like an honest-to-God early '70s drive-in triple, all right. Chesty Morgan + Mario Bava + George Romero? In the words of the late <A HREF="http://tinyurl.com/2avoos" REL="nofollow">Bill McNeil</A>, good times... :)Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-47439006536592284922008-03-07T13:40:00.000-08:002008-03-07T13:40:00.000-08:00Good luck with Bava's Four Times That Night.The fi...Good luck with Bava's <I>Four Times That Night</I>.<BR/><BR/>The first (and only) time I saw it was about thirty years ago exactly where it belongs: at a Buffalo, New York drive-in, filling the back end of a triple bill with George Romero's <I>Hungry Wives</I> and Chesty Morgan in <I>Double Agent 73</I>.<BR/><BR/>The Romero movie was pretty good.Uncle Gustavhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08501032829800803300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-30039060239708296692008-03-07T13:26:00.000-08:002008-03-07T13:26:00.000-08:00You got me again Dennis. Now I'm gonna be late for...You got me again Dennis. Now I'm gonna be late for work for sure!!<BR/><BR/>Ok, The Towering Inferno... not only did it take two directors but it also took two studios to produce this film. 20th Century Fox and Warner Bros both had book with similar subject matters, The Tower & The Glass Inferno. Both studios were in preproduction with their own films when Irwin Allen decided he need to do something to protect HIS production. The studios were convinced to share the production budget, thus increasing the the size and scope of the production and ensuring an All-Star cast.<BR/><BR/>My favorite L.B. Abbott shot in the overhead view of the glass tower and the Peerless building next to it, just before Steve McQueen is dropped off to set off the charges to blow the water tanks, with the help of Paul Newman of course.<BR/><BR/>This is one of my 70 disaster favorites. It was also released the same year as EARTHQUAKE in Sensurround. Boy, I was a kid in a candy store that summer. I could take in a screening of EARTHQUAKE at the Chinese Theater then run down a couple blocks to watch The Towering Inferno at the Egyptian. Man... that was a great summer.<BR/><BR/>L.B. Abbott and Albert Whitlock were geniuses.<BR/><BR/>Now I'm all giddy with anticipation. I gotta see TTI on the big screen again. I'm got two versions on LaserDisc, 2 copies on VHS and 2 copies on DVD. All sets have the initial release and the remastered or enhanced versions.<BR/><BR/>And let's not forget TTI also had one of the best John Williams fanfares ever put on screen. That opening piece with the helicopter flying along the coast as the titles begin gives me chills just thinking about it.<BR/><BR/>Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4i-e-RAkEGIAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-88609150096557407462008-03-07T13:17:00.000-08:002008-03-07T13:17:00.000-08:00Jonathan: That's actually a pretty interesting ide...Jonathan: That's actually a pretty interesting idea! Seriously, though, had I tried to gather and post pics last night, God knows what would have ended up on here (random shots of Gomer Pyle and Ann Coulter to begin with, I suspect). I was in no shape to operate machinery, heavy or light, by the time I posted this last night, so I figured a little delayed gratification wouldn't hurt anybody.Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-49645204509370654882008-03-07T13:13:00.000-08:002008-03-07T13:13:00.000-08:00Jonathan, you're like my daughter-- "Daddy, this b...Jonathan, you're like my daughter-- "Daddy, this book is all <I>words</I>!" <BR/><BR/>Moviezzz: I feel your pain. I lived in Medford, Oregon, during the early to mid '80s, which was, I think, a very bad time for movies. And Medford played every single piece of crap available, while making me wait unconscionable amounts of time to see movies like <I>Blue Velvet</I> and <I>She's Gotta Have It</I> (to name just two) that would have served to remind me that all was not lost. My reason for this post was, as Mune suggested, to celebrate the fact that the revival scene in Los Angeles is looking pretty healthy these days, particularly this month, not to rub anything in the noses of those who don't live here.<BR/><BR/>psaga: Your idea is what I was hoping those out of the area would do: maybe take notes off of this and use it as a guide for filling out that rental queue. Although I do wish you could be here to squirm through some Bava with me!<BR/><BR/>I will, however, take your word, Girish, that DVD is <I>not</I> the way to go for <I>Charulata</I>. I can't wait to see this, and on the Aero's giant screen it ought to look extra splendiferous!<BR/><BR/>Mune: I thought of mentioning the <I>Yojimbo/A Fistful of Dollars</I> double feature, but even though the <I>L.A. Weekly</I> picked it as its "Good Rep" suggestion of the week, I couldn't find out whether it was being projected from 35mm or from DVD, so I decided to leave it go. (I once went to a screening of <I>A Fistful of Dollars</I> at a Laemmle in Santa Monica and they showed it <I>cropped</I> in <I>16mm</I>!!!!) However, <I>Yojimbo/Fistful</I> is a smashing combination, and I hope it does well enough that they keep offering goodies like this. <BR/><BR/>Mr. Peel: Who says this isn't a small town?! It was me, all right. Eight rows from the front, slightly off to the left side to avoid the rather big hair of a young film fan who chose to sit herself right in front of me moments before the show began. Next time your suspicions are aroused, please say hi!Dennis Cozzaliohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954848938471883431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-53885136592818608282008-03-07T13:06:00.000-08:002008-03-07T13:06:00.000-08:00Make that Alfredo Leone. But the rest was correct....Make that Alfredo Leone. But the rest was correct. PELHAM is still awesome.Mr. Peel aka Peter Avellinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10553482286909862975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-47723360615806367572008-03-07T13:05:00.000-08:002008-03-07T13:05:00.000-08:00Hey, Dennis, just for a change of pace next time p...Hey, Dennis, just for a change of pace next time put the pictures first and add the words later and we'll see if we can figure out what the post is about. Or maybe I'll try it at my place.Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05730146625671701859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-50566772354311425642008-03-07T12:03:00.000-08:002008-03-07T12:03:00.000-08:00I swear, at one point last night at the Aero, I th...I swear, at one point last night at the Aero, I thought to myself, "Is that Dennis Cozzalio?" Then, for some reason, I dismissed the idea. Isn't PELHAM such an awesome movie to view with a crowd? Sorry, but I wasn't able to stay for VARRICK. <BR/><BR/>I'm anxiously awaiting the Bava fest as well, but I should mention that the Cinematheque has announced that Elke Sommer has unfortunately cancelled. Producer Alberto Leone will be there, however.Mr. Peel aka Peter Avellinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10553482286909862975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-90005778251814647832008-03-07T09:12:00.000-08:002008-03-07T09:12:00.000-08:00Oh, rub it in, why don't ya, Dennis!You reduced me...Oh, rub it in, why don't ya, Dennis!<BR/><BR/>You reduced me to whimpers at the Mario Bava series. *sigh* I'll stop pouting eventually and use your post as guide to Mario Bava on DVD... I suppose.<BR/><BR/>Wow, and the 10th anniversary of THE BIG LEBOWSKI at the Egyptian. I'm sorry to miss it, as I'm sure the Mysterious Adrian Betamax will be tagging along with you to that show!<BR/><BR/>And the Satyajit Ray trilogy at the Aero and GRINDHOUSE at the Fairfax...(I'm going to start hyperventilating soon...)<BR/><BR/>Once upon a time, the UCLA Film and TV Archive brought a lot of new shit to light for me. Good times.<BR/><BR/>Oh, and I just have to say, from my white-bread small-town Midwestern upbringing POV, programming THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD for Easter Sunday is divinely inspired. Beats the hell out of having to wear a frilly pastel dress to church and trying to keep a straight face while singing Protestant dirges. Give me that L.A. religion!<BR/><BR/>In bocca al lupo for the teaching exam, Dennis.<BR/><BR/>Hugs from p.sagaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8795280.post-62046453753217832642008-03-07T08:08:00.000-08:002008-03-07T08:08:00.000-08:00Great post on the opportunities of our fine town. ...Great post on the opportunities of our fine town. I'd like to add that the Imaginasian Center ("LA's premier Asian-American film and culture center") is doing a double feature of Yojimbo and Fistful of Dollars tomorrow. $5. There's an ad in the LA Weekly. No idea what the screen will be like.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com