At The Movies

Third Monday Movie Day

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Movie of the Month: The Maltese Falcon (1941, John Huston)

It's a classic, but it moves slowly - a lot of screenwriters were still treating scripts like stageplays; the script is very talky and 90-95% of the movie takes place in just a couple of locations. Bogie blew up after this...apparently the world was ready for a lead character that wasn't all that redeeming (nobody in this film is particularly redeemable, but they're all interesting).

First time director/screenwriter John Huston blew up after this too - he would have a 46-year career until his death, though it was very front-loaded; he'd arguably made his five best films all in the first 15 years, and Bogart was in a few of these.

I don't have much to add to this one, since it's a classic that probably most of you have seen if it's on your radar, but it was a third straight light movie month.

89 thoughts on “Third Monday Movie Day”

  1. I finished the A&E set of 8 Horatio Hornblower DVDs from the library, and liked them a lot.

    After reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I checked out the Swedish movie. While the acting was quite good, I was disappointed with the movie on whole. The subtitles did not match all that well, for one. And I understand that some alterations are required to fit the story into movie length, but some of the changes were not required, or changed the flow of the plot.

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    Now I'm curious if the American version that's coming out soon can be a bit more faithful to the book.

  2. I watched the new Sherlock Holmes movie last night. I quite enjoyed the first, and the second one (while not quite as thrillingly 'new') was still good.

    Linds forced me into watching Friends With Benefits. It was a dumb and obvious movie (while being obvious about how obvious it was, it's been a long time since I've seen a mainstream movie so winkingly self-aware, it was honestly more annoying that way than it would've been otherwise). Surprisingly good plays by the leads, though.

    Saw The Outlaw Josey Wales for the first time on Saturday. I'd somehow missed it when I when on my classic western kick a few years ago. Very good movie, Eastwood is superb. "Dyin' ain't much of a livin'" ranks among my favorite movie quotes.

    2. Josey Wales is one of my favorite movies, western or otherwise. I don't know how many times I've seen it - probably well over thirty viewings - and I never tire of it.

      1. My father-in-law were discussing it afterwards - it really is a movie that doesn't get made anymore. A standalone epic that allows different sideplots to breathe, without ever dawdling too much so that you forget the main focus. It's really something.

        Does the modern day attention span not allow for it anymore? Has it gotten too expensive to pull off without a very obvious source material?

        1. Producers are too safe, and readers are too clinical. Readers, at this point, have such a large slush pile of scripts to read that they pass over anything that fulfills a certain cliche - like voiceovers are stories about struggling writers - but they also get worried about anything with an ensemble cast, and any scene that doesn't dramatically affect the hero, even if he or she isn't there. It's all about the star when readers are considering a work from a new writer, and it's homogenizing big-budget film.

      2. Dido. Josey Wales stands up very well, IMO. Which reminds me, I have Forrest Carter's original novel, on which the film was based, sitting on my shelf.

        I didn't know anything about Carter when I bought the book, so I hope that excuses me. Because he apparently was quite the bigoted tool for much of his life. But his literary career is so different from his segregationist career, it's almost as if he was a different person (which he claimed to be, literally). Read the bio at the Repository. Interesting stuff.

        1. That is a very strange bio. I get that segregation and racism was pretty accepted in the south, but to try and distance himself from, well, himself, the way he did afterwards, it sure seems like he either had a huge epiphany or or some sort of mental issue.

          1. Epiphany is how some of the southerners I worked with in the service described their parents' & granparents eventual change of heart.

  3. I did go to The Muppets with my wife and kids a couple of days ago. While the setup was great, the story worked and the songs were fun, there were some real dead spots. The middle half of the movie was mostly directionless and some of the jokes played to silence in the packed house. The highs were high, the lows were low. Still, it's closer to being a Muppet movie than some of the dreck they'd put out there semi-recently like Muppets from Space.

    Otherwise, it's been Battlestar - a lot of it - and the continuation of several other shows as well.

    1. Otherwise, it's been Battlestar - a lot of it - and the continuation of several other shows as well.
      Are you starting at the beginning, or just skipping to the recent series?

      1. I never watched the original series from the '70s. I started with the mini-movie and have continued on.

        It's awesome, with the possible exception of the last episode. (Season 2, part 2)

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          1. Yeah, I skipped it on purpose. It's a strange and risky concept - using old and not-so-good source material to inspire a new and very good show. Kudos to whoever had the cojones to greenlight it.

        2. On response to BSG (season 2, part 2)

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    2. I loved the Muppet movie. I'm a fan of Jason Segal and I'm a fan of the original Muppets so I'm not too objective.

      1. The original Muppet Show is one of my favorite shows ever and I too like Jason Segel...I'm not sure why these things alone should affect whether this movie is good, though.

        1. I don't think that is the only reason I liked it. I just enjoy Jason Segel's enthusiasm for the movie.

  4. I've watched quite a few things in the last month, kind of surprising for me.

    Over Thanksgiving I watched Super 8 and Hanna. I thought Super 8 was alright, but the end was extremely corny. They laid it on pretty thick. Hanna I felt was pretty great. It was nice to have a female starring in an action movie that wasn't overly sexualized. The soundtrack was killer, as was the cinematogrpahy. I recommend it pretty highly.

    The other night I got sucked in to watching Too Big to Fail on my DVR and stayed up way too late watching it. It wasn't great, but it was interesting. It also made me feel a tinge of guilt because in 2002-2006 I worked at a bank doing mortgage processing. I never approved the loans, just entered them in, but it's still close enough to make me feel pretty guilty.

    Saturday night I watched Louis C.K. Live at the Beacon Theatre. Not sure if it's been discussed here, but it's pretty cool. Louis C.K. funded the film himself, and is selling it direct on his website as a download and/or a stream for $5. It's a very interesting way to approach content delivery, and one I absolutely had to support. It sounds like it's been successful for him, so I'm glad. The set was pretty good. I prefer the humor on Louie to his stand up humor, but I laughed pretty hard quite a few times. It's absolutely worth the $5.

    1. I spent the five bucks, too. Worth it for sure. I don't know how many people are in a position like Louis CK where they will be able to self fund a project of this magnitude, but I would love to see this form of content delivery more often, for sure.

      2. I bought it, too. Yickit posted it on twitter and I saw it at just the right time for a $5 splurge for something I'm not really familiar with but about whom I've heard little negative.

        For some reason, though, my iPod won't accept it, so I'll have to watch in on my PC.

    2. I recommend it pretty highly.

      Dido. The premise & reveal worked better than I expected them to and Saoirse Ronan did a really nice job in the title role.

    3. I left Super 8 with a good, but cheesy feeling about it, but the longer I linger on it, the worse it turns in my mind. The ending is terrible, and the rest of the movie sort of falls apart without any payoff.

  5. Oh, I saw the first two feature-length episodes of the modern-day "Sherlock" on BBC. There were issues with both - in the first, the culprit is someone we haven't even seen, and in the second, we know who it is all the way through. I guess they aren't so much "issues" as "not what I specifically look for in a detective show," though, since I like a whodunit way more than a howdunit, and such.

    The acting, cinematography and style are all beyond reproach. I wish there was more than just one more episode at present.

    1. I totally agree with your assessments on the "issues" -- British writing on the shows I've watched (I'm looking at you, Doctor Who) tends to gloss over plot holes, etc. and focus more on characters and style. In the case of Sherlock though, I totally enjoyed what they were doing.

      btw, the third episode is more of the same

    2. I really enjoyed "Sherlock". I'm a big Holmes fan, and I thought they modernized the stories fairly well.

      Also, Benedict Cumberbatch is the most English name ever.

      1. Yes. I laughed hard when I read that name, and he's fantastic. I've been a Martin Freeman fan for some time now as well.

        And, certainly, they seamlessly dropped Sherlock into modern times. I don't even think about the fact that it's an update.

    3. This weekend, my wife and I were trying to decide whether or not to sit through Magnolia, our current Netflix disc, or find something to watch streaming. We'd settled on Mary and Max* when I remembered hearing about Sherlock on WGOM. My wife and I ended up watching the first two episodes, one on Sat and one last night. We enjoyed them both quite a bit but were too tired to really talk about what it exactly it was we enjoyed about them. We've both spent a bit of time studying in London and share an affinity for the place...so perhaps it's partially that?

      *We will definitely come back to this one.

  6. Seen a bunch lately:

    Paths of Glory -- Kubrick's first(?). A WW1 drama from the 50's. A classic.
    Everything Must Go -- Avoid this one, kind of boring.
    The Town -- Decent bank heist flick.

    I've seen both Clooney movies this fall: The Descendents and Ides of March. While both are good, neither are great. Ides of March was too cynical for my tastes. Not sure why The Descendents is getting all the Golden Globe love, it was decent. If I was younger I'd be head over heels in love with that teenage daughter, however.

    I mentioned it in the CoC a while back but I also saw the English version of Fever Pitch, which is truer to the Hornsby book than the God-awful American flick. It was well done and would suggest it to any of the WGOM's soccer-following citizens.

    I've actually heard good things about MI:IV. I might go check that one out.

      1. I enjoyed the first MI movie, but I never watched the TV series. This most recent one looks like pretty much the same plot as the first one, but with bigger explosions and more stunts. I'll probably wait until it's on DVD to see it.

        1. I watched the second half of the first movie on Friday while prepping for our holiday party. I have a hard time with action movies because of the lack of realism, but that movie was beyond hilarious for straining any credibility with Tom Cruise flying though the air on top of the Chunnel.

          Outside of Parks & Rec, The Walking Dead,* and Hell on Wheels, I haven't watched much of anything recently.

          *I'm not planning on watching it when it returns and I think I've finally poisoned Sheenie's mind to it after the cliffhanger plot twist I called two episodes earlier

          1. I finally just watched the "cliffhanger" episode of The Walking Dead. It got a very large sigh out of me. At least that g.d. plot line is done.

            1. I had truthfully forgotten that the plot existed for about 2 or 3 episodes. After the big reveal, Linds and I looked at each other and said "oh, yeah... that"

      2. I never really watched the original TV series and I don't think I've sat through any of the first three MI movies due to indifference.

        1. I'm afraid to re-watch the original series. It was soooo awesome when I was a kid that re-viewing can only bring it down.*

          *strangely, I've never had that problem with Star Trek. I guess Shatner's acting is Just. That. Good.

      3. I always think I enjoyed the MI movies, then I actually think about them.

        1: Likable, if completely forgettable action movie (seriously, Emilio Estevez is in it... who even remembers this movie?)

        2: Woo-ified nonsense with a Limp Bizkit theme song.

        3: Decent enough, I guess. Still not particularly memorable.

        The original series has a special place in my heart, as my brother and I always watched reruns at my grandma and grandpa's house thinking it was the coolest thing ever (maybe not as cool as MacGuyver, though).

    2. I'm a big fan of Brad Bird's two Pixar movies, probably my favorites from the studio.
      I should see Iron Giant.
      I'm curious to see what he does with a live-action film.
      I haven't seen any of the first MI movies.

  7. I can't recall whether we saw Hugo before or after last month's movie day. But it was awesomely good, and, as I think I've mentioned, had an excellent score/soundtrack. Sasha Baron Cohen was mostly under control in his role. The kids were good (particularly the boy in the title role), and Ben Kingsley was his usually outstanding. Plus, Frances De La Tour has a nice turn.

    We saw it in 2-D, thankyouverymuch. I am so over the 3D fad.

              1. I thought that all of them died in a horrible plane crash, and so there will never be any sequels.
                Well, maybe in 2024, when they relaunch it with Jaden Smith as Neo.

              1. I just hope they don't try to get too "deep" with their philosophizing. How much pressure do they think Keanu Reeves can take?

  8. Moss saw The Descendants this weekend and didn't love it. It was good, but lacked something. There was a wasted scene or two, and that always bugs Moss. Also, although there was significant bonding between Clooney and the older daughter, Moss thought the younger daughter was mostly neglected. Clooney was very good, as was the older daughter. The rest of Moss' party really liked the movie, though.

  9. I saw Sherlock Holmes over the weekend, It was a fun winter popcorn movie (if summer can have popcorn movies, why cant winter), but I enjoyed the first one more. I do want to get the soundtrack to the movie.

    1. I agree with everything you said here. My friend and I left the theater feeling good about the movie, and awesome about the soundtrack.

  10. not much here, just going back through some arrested development for the first time in forever. damn, that was a great show. here's a gem i'd forgotten:
    httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vArw1YxsngI

    also, i suppose this is the best spot for it: i'd heard people talk about it a lot, but i finally got around to checking it out, and i'm really enjoying WTF with marc maron. been going through a bunch of old episodes.

    1. I just listened to the Donald Glover episode of the WTF podcast (my first episode ever), and it was really good. Another thing to put on the list to get downloaded when I have a replacement HD.

  11. Sin Nombre - Mexican crime drama centering around a young gang member and his interaction with a Honduran migrant girl. Excellent movie.

    Memento - My wife hadn't seen it. I enjoyed it but not as good when you know what happens. Question: Can you recomend any movies with a late twist or surprise/unexpected ending that are just as enjoyable on the second viewing?

    POTC-OST - Depp was his decent self, but didn't add anything new to his character.* This franchise is dead on the vine...has been since 2006. I really enjoyed the first one, thought the second meh, skipped the third one and have no idea why I rented this one. My bad.
    *Is it even possible to add anything new to a character after 4 movies?

    Our Idiot Brother - I like Paul Rudd but his character didn't really make sense. I thought the rest of the cast did a nice job (Zooey as a lesbian was a pleasant surprise). The feeling I got from the movie was a bit odd, like the director wasn't sure what kind of movie he was making.

    Brick - Joseph Gordon-Levitt in a sort of modern film noir set in high school (but not like any high school I've ever been to). I liked it.

    1. Brick was the beginning of my enjoyment of all things JGL. The fact that it was the most unrealistic high school ever only amplified my love of the movie.

      1. I loved Brick. One of my favorite movies last decade. I also quite enjoyed The Brothers Bloom. I'm very excited for Rian Johnson's next movie.

        1. FWIW, I was the the cane-wielding Goth drug dealer at my high school. Didn't everybody have one of those? I recently watched, and very much enjoyed, Brick. Loved the nod to old noir PI's like Samuel Spade, though Brick was no Maltese Falcon, no sir, it was not. Hollywood has no Sidney Greenstreets or Peter Lorres today.

          1. I've seen the preview for Brick a handful of times, and I always mean to get around to watching it, but my wife is not enthusiastic about the prospect. Meh, I'll watch it by myself at some point.

          2. I was the the cane-wielding Goth drug dealer at my high school.

            i am jack's complete lack of surprise.

                1. By Gad, sir, you are a character. There's never any telling what you'll say or do next, except that it's bound to be something astonishing.

          3. Peter Lorre is...I don't know. I just don't know. He's beyond words. Every word is engaging, every movement fascinating...I suppose it's acting treason to say this, but I think he's the best actor in that movie (and probably just about any movie he's in).

        1. Given the series' status as a blockbuster, I'm sure they won't change the formula. Even if subsequent sequels are fun, I wouldn't expect much to change.

          On the other hand, through the original trilogy, it did go from action-comedy to action-drama within a couple of movies.

  12. Besides the last two Furutama movies which were both kind of blah to my senses, the only movie I saw this past month was Shaun of the Dead. And I loved it. The scene to "Don't Stop Me Now" is epic.

  14. I watched the movie "Due Date" over the weekend. Was it a remake of " Cars, Trains, and Automobiles" or did it just seem like it?

  15. Finally saw Cedar Rapids. It has Alexander Payne's footprints all over it. If you liked Election or About Schmidt , you'll probably enjoy this one. I do, and did. It was also a kick to see Maeby Funke and Clay Davis in the cast, as my other big viewing projects of the past two months have been re-watching the entirety of The Wire and Arrested Development.

    Oh, and season one of Homeland.

    1. I'm surprised you liked Cedar Rapids. I thought I would like it a lot but I was disappointed. I thought it was pretty cheesy that they went to The Wire joke twice.

  16. I got The Cat Returns from the Library. It's a Studio Ghibli film where Miyazake was responsible for the concept, but others wrote, produced, and directed it. I enjoyed it quite a bit. It hits many of the same notes as other Ghibli films I've seen, but focuses on a young teenage girl, rather than kids between six and ten. Those notes are: Magical world separate from but connected to human world, child has to make way in it, find self-confidence. It was less immersive than the others I've seen, which made it a lighter viewing than, say Spirited Away. If I owned it on DVD, I'd probably watch it more than the others, even if like it a bit less, because it'd be easier to pop it in an escape for a little bit.

    I shared it with my kids on Sunday. HPR watched a little of it again with the original Japanese Audio. His favorite Legos right now are Ninjago, and he told me that he wants to learn Japanese and to live in Japanese. It was his third Ghibli film, although he saw Totoro before he was 2. (Kept shouting "Kitty Bus!"

    I feel no need for name actors' and actresses' voices for my animated movies, but Peter Boyle was perfect as Muta, as was Andy Richter as a sycophant.

    Is Peter Boyle a name actor? I know he has (an) Emmy(s?) from Raymond, but...

      1. also, he was excellent in The Candidate, one of my favorite political films.

        [ed. Oy. and as Wizard in Taxi Driver]

  17. As our big TV is now only good for DVDs and VHS, my wife has been getting PBS Masterpiece Theater miniseries and related historical British fiction from the library. We watched A Room With a View on Saturday night. My wife wanted to give up on it, but I (having seen that it was only 80 minutes) said "I want to see where it's going." Meh.

  18. This seems as good a place as any to remember Kim Jong Il.

    "I work rearry hard and make up great prans, but nobody ristens, no one understands, seems like no one takes me serirousry, and so I'm ronery,"

  19. Just watched Dabanng (bollywood's 3rd largest grossing film ever).

    Kinda weird plot about rivalry between brothers (one grows up as a cop, the other a slacker). Boffo fight scenes tho. Salman Khan sports a kickass mustache + Texas highway patrol sunglasses. Not your usual B-wood flick.

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