Weekend Movie Marathon: Classics

[addicted2dvd]

Weekend Movie Marathon:

Classics

This weekend I decided to do some classic movies. I have not been a fan of classic movies for very long at all... I would say probably just a few years. Before that it was like pulling teeth to try to get me to watch anything earlier then 1980!

This weekend I decided to go with classics when I started to profile all the disc that came in a free boxset I got for subscribing to the Total Movie & Entertainment Magazine. This boxset has 40 classic movies (well what they consider classics) on 20 DVDs.


Carnival of Souls (1962)
Mary Henry is enjoying the day by riding around in a car with two friends. When challenged to a drag, the women accept, but are forced off of a bridge. It appears that all are drowned, until Mary, quite some time later, amazingly emerges from the river. After recovering, Mary accepts a job in a new town as a church organist, only to be dogged by a mysterious phantom figure that seems to reside in an old run-down pavilion. It is here that Mary must confront the personal demons of her spiritual insouciance.

My Thoughts:
As soon as I popped this one in it looked vaguely familiar. Turns out at some point I did see this one before... not sure if I caught it on cable one evening... or if I watched this disc shortly after I got it... but I did remember it more and more as I went on. It is a movie that I enjoyed a lot! I would love to get a better version of it. The quality on this one left much to be desired... but it was better then I was expecting it to be. It felt like I was watching a VHS tape that someone had recorded... on the slowest speed. I also had to turn up my volume quite a bit since the audio was rather low. but other then that it was just fine. But as I said... I will be looking for a better version on this one... hopefully with some extras!

[James]

I would love to get a better version of it....But as I said... I will be looking for a better version on this one... hopefully with some extras!

In that case, you are in luck, because there's a 2-disc Criterion version! http://www.criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=63

[addicted2dvd]

Ooohhhhh I want it!... unfortunately my wallet says no at this time... dd.com has it for $32.15

[James]

Yeah, those 2-disc Criterions require a little budget planning. 

[addicted2dvd]

Dick Tracy
Dick is faced with a series of brutal murders in which the victims, all from different social and economic backgrounds, are viciously slashed to pieces. Suspects abound but Tracy, getting a clue that there will be fifteen murders in all, must find the common thread among the victims before more are killed.

My Thoughts:
I picked this one next because I have... and enjoyed the Dick Tracy Movie Serial. I thought this was a good show. I did enjoy it... but it wasn't anything that stuck out as especially good to the point where I would bother replacing this copy. I have to say... I am fairly impressed with the transfer of this one. No... it is not great... far from it actually... but considering the age of the movie... the fact it is in the public domain and the fact that this set was free... it looked pretty good. There was only a few spots where there was any scratches/dust on the film... and a couple spots looked a little light and faded... other then that they did a great job.

[addicted2dvd]

The General (1927)
Johnnie loves his train ("The General") and Annabelle Lee. When the Civil War begins he is turned down for service because he's more valuable as an engineer. Annabelle thinks it's because he's a coward. Union spies capture The General with Annabelle on board. Johnny must rescue both his loves.

My Thoughts:
This is only the 2nd silent movie I have ever seen. The first being Nosferatu. And it is the first one I ever saw  that is actually completely silent... the other one had background music playing throughout the entire film... this one was nothing... complete silence as you watch. I definitely liked this movie... was fun to watch... as old as this movie is I still found parts of it funny enough to laugh at. I will however say that the silent era is not my favorite time period for movies. I do have a small collection of them... and I can/do enjoy them... but it is definitely something I need to be in the mood to watch... which for me is something that won't happen all that often... I can probably even safely say this will be the only silent film I watch in this particular marathon... as the mood hit and has been satisfied.

[addicted2dvd]

The Giant Gila Monster (1959)
A small town in Texas finds itself under attack from a hungry, fifty-foot-long gila monster. No longer content to forage in the desert, the giant lizard begins chomping on motorists and train passengers before descending upon the town itself. Only Chase Winstead, a quick-thinking mechanic, can save the town from being wiped out.

My Thoughts:
hmmmm... what do I say about this movie?... Well it is entertaining... just your basic 1950's monster flick. Definitely a no brainer... just a sit back and relax pop-corn... drive in movie type of entertainment. And once again.... the quality wasn't all that bad considering everything. For a free set I am (so far) not too disappointed when it comes to the quality... at least not on my cheap 20in TV I have.

[addicted2dvd]

Unfortunately for me... This weekend real life has gotten in the way and really took a lot of my time away from enjoying my marathon... so I need to call it an end after only 4 movies... I did enjoy these classics very much and hope to have another classics marathon before too much longer.