Twilight Time Discussion Thread

[jaws3dfan]

Originally Posted by JasonMichael

He is great. This morning I was watching a TV special he appeared in back in 1975, The Nightmare, which was Alice Cooper performing his Welcome To My Nightmare album. Price was in the hour and six minute show for about 5 minutes total, but was great. The show is only available on DVD, but that doesn't matter too much as it was shot to video tape. Picture quality was good considering the source, and the booklet includes a reproduction of a note from Vincent and his wife to Alice and his manager thanking them and hoping to do more together in the future. As classy a guy as he was talented as an actor.

I still have my VHS tape of this (and the New DVD of Coarse) Both Vincent and Alice are awesome to watch.

[krasnoludek]

I had been wanting to buy something in the MGM sale in February. But with two week-long trips for work and a ton of make-up work on the in-between weeks, I just simply didn't even have a chance to even look at the sale offerings.

Finally, on Feb 28, the last day of the sale, I had a chance -- a short bit of open time right before an afternoon meeting that would have run through the 4pm cutoff for the sale. I thought I could quickly put in an order, but then everything seemed to conspire against me. First, SAE had an issue with its credit card manager, so no credit card sales were possible (unless you called). Luckily, there was still Paypal. Then Blu-ray.com's search engine went offline, meaning I couldn't look up the films and see how high they were in my wishlist or whether I even owned them. Because I was pressed on time, I basically bought blind, fearing that there would be some screwup or omission but not wanting to miss my chance for the sale. I completed the order just before the meeting, without a second to spare.

Looking over the order today, I thankfully didn't purchase anything I already owned, so that's a relief. But I did miss buying a few that I wanted: Theatre of Blood, Chato's Land, and Cutter's Way. Hopefully they will last until the next sale.

[belcherman]

Originally Posted by krasnoludek

I had been wanting to buy something in the MGM sale in February. But with two week-long trips for work and a ton of make-up work on the in-between weeks, I just simply didn't even have a chance to even look at the sale offerings.

Finally, on Feb 28, the last day of the sale, I had a chance -- a short bit of open time right before an afternoon meeting that would have run through the 4pm cutoff for the sale. I thought I could quickly put in an order, but then everything seemed to conspire against me. First, SAE had an issue with its credit card manager, so no credit card sales were possible (unless you called). Luckily, there was still Paypal. Then Blu-ray.com's search engine went offline, meaning I couldn't look up the films and see how high they were in my wishlist or whether I even owned them. Because I was pressed on time, I basically bought blind, fearing that there would be some screwup or omission but not wanting to miss my chance for the sale. I completed the order just before the meeting, without a second to spare.

Looking over the order today, I thankfully didn't purchase anything I already owned, so that's a relief. But I did miss buying a few that I wanted: Theatre of Blood, Chato's Land, and Cutter's Way. Hopefully they will last until the next sale.

Glad you were able to score. One thing I do for sales like this is I put the titles I might want in my wish list on the vendor’s site . That way, I just have to move those titles from my wish list to my shopping cart and I’m good to go. It also helps me to not buy something I already own.

[the sordid sentinel]

Watched Thunderbolt and Lightfoot and Cutter's Way this week. The later was a blind buy that really impressed. Amazing performances by John Heard, Jeff Bridges, and Lisa Eichhorn. Definitely leaves you wondering what happens next when the screen goes black at the end, but you know it is not going to end well for Bone. Something about the general vibe of the movie reminded me a bit of Chinatown and the scene where Cutter rides the horse through the party felt SO much like The Chief breaking free at the end of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Maybe it was the Jack Nitzkie music? Fascinating look at SoCal at the dawn of the 80's as well.

Watching these made me realize how much I miss the old, young Jeff Bridges. He used to nail part after part and bring a lot of nuance. Nowadays he seems to have settled into this gruff, warbly mouthed thing. He's still worth watching without a doubt, but definitely different.

Was glad to see a commentary track is included with both of these. The Twilight Time commentaries are some of the best going IMO.

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by the sordid sentinel

Watched Thunderbolt and Lightfoot and Cutter's Way this week. The later was a blind buy that really impressed. Amazing performances by John Heard, Jeff Bridges, and Lisa Eichhorn. Definitely leaves you wondering what happens next when the screen goes black at the end, but you know it is not going to end well for Bone. Something about the general vibe of the movie reminded me a bit of Chinatown and the scene where Cutter rides the horse through the party felt SO much like The Chief breaking free at the end of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Maybe it was the Jack Nitzkie music? Fascinating look at SoCal at the dawn of the 80's as well.

Watching these made me realize how much I miss the old, young Jeff Bridges. He used to nail part after part and bring a lot of nuance. Nowadays he seems to have settled into this gruff, warbly mouthed thing. He's still worth watching without a doubt, but definitely different.

Was glad to see a commentary track is included with both of these. The Twilight Time commentaries are some of the best going IMO.

agreed... this whole thing started with TRUE GRIT and hasn't let up since

I think Bridges was pretty reliable in pretty much everything he was in until then... including many movies not too long ago when he wasn't a young man any longer (Arlington Road for instance).... and I enjoyed True Grit as well.... I was shocked to see him literally transform himself into that character permanently....

[Hoke Moseley]

Bridges was great just last year in The Only Living Boy in New York. The movie overall is kind of iffy, but if you want to see Bridges in a very down to earth role, check it out.

[mja345]

I watched the blu-ray of "The Hospital" and loved it as much as I did the first time I saw it. Two doctors and a nurse die mysteriously at a Manhattan hospital, but are written off as unavoidable failures of the medical system. Meanwhile, the Chief of Medicine at the hospital (George C. Scott) is watching his life crumble around him. His loveless marriage is reaching an end, his two children hate him, he's drinking copious amounts of booze, he's become impotent, and he's losing his love for his job. He then meets a much younger woman (Diana Rigg), whose father is a patient in the hospital, and falls in love, despite their obvious differences in temperament and outlook. Meanwhile, the hospital he is in charge of continues to be a center of chaos.

The film is written by the great Paddy Chayefsky and is an extended rant against red tape, the inefficiency of the medical system, corruption, abuse of power, and many other societal ills. One has to wonder just how angry Chayefsky would be today if he saw some of the issues currently plaguing the United States. Directed by comedic stalwart Arthur Hiller, the film's tone is very much set by Chayefsky's acidic, deeply cynical script. It's as angry as the brilliant "Network", maybe even more so.

George C. Scott gives one of his best performances. In the 1960s and 70s, if you needed an actor to channel anger, then Scott or Rod Steiger were at the top of the list. His Dr. Herbert Bock was once an idealist, but is now ranting against everything from his hippie children to the failures of his own hospital, all while drowning his sorrows in the bottle. In possibly the best scene of the film, he gives an extended rant directed at Rigg where he drunkenly declares an ode to impotence. The film gives Scott a chance to completely unleash what made him such an exceptional actor, which is the undercurrent of rage that could so quickly emerge from a veneer of dignity.

Rigg gives a terrific performance as a woman determined to take an open-minded ethos to its furthest point. She and Scott are seemingly exact opposites, but in the chaotic world that the film examines, it makes sense that they ultimately find comfort in one another.

Unfortunately, bitter, darkly satirical comedies like this aren't made much anymore. If they are, they are often heavy-handed and lack the brilliance that made Chayefsky's writing so enduring. Watching films like this can be very therapeutic. Whether studios no longer feel that audiences are smart or mature enough to handle this kind of material or there's no longer as much of an appetite for it on behalf of film-going audiences, it's a shame they don't exist as much. With the chaos that envelops modern society, there are many people who likely have a little Chayefsky in them.

[billy pilgrim]

I concur totally, mja. The Hospital has one of George C. Scott's finest performances. The film itself is a stone cold classic.

Having worked in the medical profession for 35 years, including working some of that time in major metropolitan hospitals, hospital work can be pure hell. It's all clearing bed space. The bulk of my career I happily chose and was lucky enough to work in the pre-hospital milieu. As such, I will verify that the US medical system underbelly that is depicted in this film is still eerily accurate in it's message.

Paddy Chayefsky is sorely missed right now.

[mja345]

Originally Posted by billy pilgrim

I concur totally, mja. The Hospital has one of George C. Scott's finest performances. The film itself is a stone cold classic.

Having worked in the medical profession for 35 years, including working some of that time in major metropolitan hospitals, hospital work can be pure hell. It's all clearing bed space. The bulk of my career I happily chose and was lucky enough to work in the pre-hospital milieu. As such, I will verify that the US medical system underbelly that is depicted in this film is still eerily accurate in it's message.

Paddy Chayefsky is sorely missed right now.

Interesting perspective, sir. My older brother is a doctor and is one of the unhappiest men alive. Having to be a doctor, particularly one who performs surgery, in this day and age seems like a special kind of hell that no one deserves. The amount of horror stories he has, and I'm sure you have, is remarkable.

[billy pilgrim]

Originally Posted by mja345

Interesting perspective, sir. My older brother is a doctor and is one of the unhappiest men alive. Having to be a doctor, particularly one who performs surgery, in today's day and age seems like a special kind of hell that no one deserves. The amount of horror stories he has, and I'm sure you have, is remarkable.

I believe that.

When I first entered the profession, I was a respiratory therapist. At that time, I was hired by a local hospital which also had a wing attached which was a nursing home for indigents that were wards of the state. The local teaching medical center rotated their physician residents through this facility. The things that I saw, just on my first medical position were horrific. These indigent residents of the facility were used as training grounds for the physicians. I witnessed countless unnecessary and questionable life extending procedures performed on these people. They had no relatives and were frequently mentally deficient and/or suffering from dementia, therefore had no say in anything. With no one to look out for their interests, these people were essentially helpless and without a voice in their care.

Don't get me started on the inhumanity that I've witnessed in the pre-hospital setting. Man's capacity for inhumanity to his fellow man is unlimited. I will tell you that I chose to work in that setting as a young guy due to it's potential for nasty, adrenaline fueled situations that I found fascinating at the time. Little did I realize that an extended career doing this has the same kind of effect as working in an urban battlefield for decades. You just don't realize how much damage has been done to your psyche.

It's made me completely cynical about the human race as a whole. Unfortunately nothing in current events has made me reconsider this position.

[sb5]

Originally Posted by the sordid sentinel

Watched Thunderbolt and Lightfoot and Cutter's Way this week. The later was a blind buy that really impressed. Amazing performances by John Heard, Jeff Bridges, and Lisa Eichhorn. Definitely leaves you wondering what happens next when the screen goes black at the end, but you know it is not going to end well for Bone. Something about the general vibe of the movie reminded me a bit of Chinatown and the scene where Cutter rides the horse through the party felt SO much like The Chief breaking free at the end of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Maybe it was the Jack Nitzkie music? Fascinating look at SoCal at the dawn of the 80's as well.

Watching these made me realize how much I miss the old, young Jeff Bridges. He used to nail part after part and bring a lot of nuance. Nowadays he seems to have settled into this gruff, warbly mouthed thing. He's still worth watching without a doubt, but definitely different.

Was glad to see a commentary track is included with both of these. The Twilight Time commentaries are some of the best going IMO.

I blind-bought Cutter’s Way during this recent sale as well. Fantastic lesser-known gem. So happy this forum brought it to my attention.

[oildude]

[gates70]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

agreed... this whole thing started with TRUE GRIT and hasn't let up since

I think Bridges was pretty reliable in pretty much everything he was in until then... including many movies not too long ago when he wasn't a young man any longer (Arlington Road for instance).... and I enjoyed True Grit as well.... I was shocked to see him literally transform himself into that character permanently....

You mean he does it on purpose ? All this time I thought he either had an accident or some disease or something...he talks like he has a potato in his mouth and it's awful.

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by gates70

You mean he does it on purpose ? All this time I thought he either had an accident or some disease or something...he talks like he has a potato in his mouth and it's awful.

lol, well I guess I can't really say for sure..... I'm assuming he does it on purpose!!!

[Majin Blu]

I can't wait for DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK.
Hopefully THE SEVEN-UPS will be available later down the road.

[gates70]

Originally Posted by Majin Blu

I can't wait for DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK.
Hopefully THE SEVEN-UPS will be available later down the road.

It's already up for PO isn't it ?

[Majin Blu]

Originally Posted by gates70

It's already up for PO isn't it ?

They will be, on Wednesday.
I just said that because March is already filled up for me, so I'll have to get that one at a later date.

[Monterey Jack]

Originally Posted by gates70

You mean he does it on purpose ? All this time I thought he either had an accident or some disease or something...he talks like he has a potato in his mouth and it's awful.

I honestly think Bridges has suffered a stroke in the last decade. Can anyone locate an interview with him post-2010 where he doesn't sound like Yosemite Sam?

EDIT: Apparently the stroke-victim voice is an affectation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2P3x8dIZGRk

I wish he'd stop it, already.

[StarDestroyer52]

I'm in for Don't Bother to Knock. I just don't know if it will be this month or early next month.

[tisdivine]

I cant even remember the last TT title I bought. Then this month I want them all. Will prob preorder all of this months except The New Centaurians. Ill hold off on that one until the next sale. Way to go Twilight Time!