No Wednesday Night at the Movies open thread over at newcritics tonight. We wrapped up our first series last week with a bang-up discussion of Bonnie and Clyde highlighted by extended commentary by Nixonland author Rick Perlstein.
So, what's next?
Yes, there's going to be a next. We'll get that next underway in late August as soon as we can decide what it is and who will host it.
I had what I still think is a great idea for a Burt Reynolds Film Fest. Seriously. Think about this line-up:
Deliverance, Semi-Tough, Stick, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Boogie Nights, and the movie Earl Hickey and his brother Randy think is the greatest movie ever made, Smokey and the Bandit.
We could even throw in Striptease as a bonus for those who love truly awful movies.
But the Self-Styled Siren has turned up her pert nose at this one and our fearless leader, Tom Watson, kept tactfully mum.
Then, last week, after I brooded miserably on the thought that The bad guys are going to get away, several of my commenters did their best to cheer me up by referencing old movies that somehow seemed to predict the current sad state of things. My favorite came from Doghouse Riley, who advised me:
"Forget it, Lance. It's Chinatown."
Cracked me up.
Didn't make me feel better about Bush and Cheney, but it cracked me up.
And Jason Cravat came through with a riff on The Wild Bunch and HenryFTP brought up Costa-Gavras' Z, and they got me to thinking that it might be interesting to follow up a series on the politically and culturally optimistic Oscar winners of 1967 (even Bonnie and Clyde is mostly a cheerful film) with a look at the some late 60s-early 70s paranoia and nihlism, beginning with those three greats---Chinatown, The Wild Bunch, and Z---and including films like The Conversation, The Parallax View, Three Days of the Condor, MASH, and Network.
What d'ya think?
But my favorite idea so far is to shanghai the Siren herself and force her to host an open thread based on her own post, New York City of the Mind. Frankly, I think she was coyly applying for the job with this one. I mean, look at this line-up:
Rear Window, The Sweet Smell of Success, On the Town, The Lost Weekend, Desperately Seeking Susan, and The Apartment.
How about that?
At any rate, we'll have come up with something soon. Leave your suggestions and votes here or over at newcritics.
Now, all of this presumes there will still be a newcritics website. You can help make sure this. Our fearless leader, Tom Watson, has been maintaining the site on his own, but the recent malware attack forced a move to a new server and that's money out of Tom's pocket. Please help put some back in by following this link and donating a few bucks to the cause.
Meanwhile, I'm feeling a little lost and alone here. I don't know what to do with myself with no movie to discuss.
The fifteen year old's inside watching one of the best of the Star Trek movies, The Undiscovered Country. Anybody want to talk about that?
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Re-opening old threads: As I like to say, the beauty of open-threads is that they can stay open forever. The threads on the first series are still there, waiting for you to read, re-read, and comment upon.
Bonnie and Clyde. They rob banks.
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. "It's a movie, not a lifeboat": Tracy and Hepburn together again for the last time.
Doctor Dolittle. Squeaking and Squawking with the animals.
In the Heat of the Night. On the symbolic nature of a broken air conditioner.
The Graduate. "They become their parents." This one continued pretty hot and heavy at my place.
I'm trying to, but the form keeps not recognizing the amount and I can't find the paypal button.
This could be a problem, fundraisingwise.
Posted by: julia | Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 09:37 AM
Wait one cotton-picking minute here. I did NOT turn thumbs down on Burt! I would NEVER. They'd revoke what few Southern bona fides I have left. If you recall (and my email records bear me out) I suggested we broaden it to the more art-house 70s stuff like Macon County Line and Billy Jack. Now if you interpreted that as a lack of seriousness on my part, ah cain't help that.
A political series would go nicely with the election season. Given how things have gone for us for the past eight years, I think we could center it around The Paranoid Style in American Film.
By the way, you left "The 25th Hour" off the list from my post. Musn't diss Spike. Fine thing, you have me losing Southern face AND Brooklyn street cred. Where am I supposed to go after this?
Posted by: Campaspe | Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 09:58 AM
If you're going to include MASH, you MUST also include Catch 22. They were released about the same time (virtually the same week if I recall correctly), but Catch is by far the better (stranger, darker) film.
Posted by: SteveTGravl | Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 10:14 AM
About New York, I must speak out for my favorite New York Movie: The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. I can't think of another movie that better depicts the essential anger of New York. "Whadda they want for their 35 cents, to live forever?" I love that movie.
Posted by: Chris Quinones | Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 01:24 PM
A Burt Reynolds festival without The Longest Yard? From it's Skynyrd "Mr. Saturday Night" car-chase opening to its acknowledgment of Jimmy Carter in the credits, a classic of modern cinema.
Well, all right, it's not The Conversation, but neither is Enemy of the People.
If you're going to do a NYC festival, what about that long, incredibly boring DeNiro/WithAZed vehicle that keeps getting described as the greatest NY movie ever made? Having had the misfortune of seeing much of _DSS_ recently, it can't be much worse than that, and the auteurs of the world can tell the rest of us what we're missing as we snore.
Posted by: Ken Houghton | Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 03:18 PM
I do like Robert Aldrich's Hustle (1975) which actually manages to utilize Burt Reynolds quite well.
"I suggested we broaden it to the more art-house 70s stuff like Macon County Line and Billy Jack"
Monte Hellman's Cockfighter (1974)?
"some late 60s-early 70s paranoia and nihlism, beginning with those three greats---Chinatown, The Wild Bunch, and Z---and including films like The Conversation, The Parallax View, Three Days of the Condor, MASH, and Network."
Well, if you're going to consider Z, why not also consider Alain Resnais' Stavisky (1974) or John Boorman's Point Blank (1964) or Alan Pakula's Rollover (1981)?
I do want to have a shout-out to one of my favorite New York movies: Michael Roemer's The Plot Against Harry.
Posted by: burritoboy | Thursday, July 17, 2008 at 11:08 PM
I'd suggest Moscow on the Hudson as an underrated New York City gem.
Chris Q, did you know there's a remake of The Taking underway?
Posted by: velvet goldmine | Saturday, July 19, 2008 at 01:21 PM