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FBG Movie Club: We're Getting the Band Back Together: Metallica vs Nina Simone Movie Docs (4 Viewers)

I currently have

  • Netflix

    Votes: 9 90.0%

  • Amazon Prime

    Votes: 9 90.0%

  • HBO Max

    Votes: 8 80.0%

  • Hulu

    Votes: 8 80.0%

  • Disney+

    Votes: 6 60.0%

  • Criterion

    Votes: 1 10.0%

  • TCM Chanel

    Votes: 6 60.0%
  • Total voters
    10
I just watched The Killing. It was a fun flick and I always enjoy the jumping around in time and settings. I noticed the deaths were a little on the dramatic side. For a second there when the russian had his shirt removed I thought we were watching George the Animal Steel. As telegraphed as the ending was it was still fun. A cool flick but I doubt I ever watch it again.

I will try to watch the second movie this week. I have seen that one in the past and I remember being disappointed. I am willing to give it a second watch as that cast is so good I don't understand how I could not like the movie.

 
I also want to give a shout out to the guy who played the shooter. His clinched teeth while talking was an interesting delivery.

 
Relevant to the thread... I was just reading that Michael J. Pollard (who played C.W. Moss in Bonnie & Clyde) passed away the other day.

 
Don Quixote said:
prosopis said:
I also want to give a shout out to the guy who played the shooter. His clinched teeth while talking was an interesting delivery.
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Timothy Carey.  He was great in Paths of Glory too.  
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Interesting guy who made an impression in everything he appeared in.

He was offered the role of Luca Brazzi in The Godfather, tested for the Lawrence Tierney part in Reservoir Dogs and was originally cast as the rival electronics salesman in The Conversation before leaving the production.

 
Eephus said:
Interesting guy who made an impression in everything he appeared in.

He was offered the role of Luca Brazzi in The Godfather, tested for the Lawrence Tierney part in Reservoir Dogs and was originally cast as the rival electronics salesman in The Conversation before leaving the production.
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Definitely interesting when the first question asked is, “Are you generally known around the industry as a farter?”

 
Please Murder Me

What a snake Angela Lansbury was. Raymond Burr may have gotten his Perry Mason gig off his portrayal of an attorney in this. Poor quality recording, but I liked the story that moved along and didn't drag. 7/10

 
If you can't get enough content, here's a list of 60 film noir films that have lapsed into the public domain. 

Some of the movies mentioned in the thread recently (KC Confidential, Please Murder Me, Scarlett Street) are available.  I'm currently watching the one with Johnny Cash and it's a hoot.

2007 animated noir Key Lime Pie is worth 3 1/2 minutes of your time.

 
Alrighty. I have completed my "noir" list. As stated earlier, this is not a "best of" list, rather a "most touched me" list. I have a mix of "noirs", "neo-noirs" and "noir parodies".

Previously listed (write ups are posted up-thread):

a) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

b) Arsenic and Old Lace

The rest of the list:

c) The Trial - I was turned on to this Orson Welles classic when it was posted by wikkid in another movie thread here. It is a surreal take on a man caught up in the legal system; based on the book by Franz Kafka. Much of my life was caught up in the legal system. My experience was as absurd as this movie. I only watched it twice and hope I never have to watch it again. It is weird. And wonderful. But way tooooo taxing to tackle again. 

d) Blade Runner -  I was a Star Wars kid. When H. Ford appeared in this in '82, I went. I didn't get it all at 14 yo, and doubt I even get it all now, but I've always loved it.

e) Miller's Crossing - Besides being a Dapper Dan man, I am also a Coen Bro man. This movie moved me. Note: I also considered The Big Lebowski here. (See up thread for my antics with the true Dude. That encounter touched me too.)

f) The Hustler - Gleason and Newman and Scott, oh my! Plus, the trip to the Kentucky Derby was sweet. 

g) High Plains Drifter - Welcome to Hell, partner ...

h) The Manchurian Candidate - The mind play is what brought me ... the Chairman of the Board is what kept me. Oh, I like the '04 version as well.

i) Pi - It's an irrational number at its best.

j) The Dark Knight - I first saw this on a wedding cruise for my buddy @Adam Harstad back in '08. We had been at sea for about 3 days when the sea sickness hit me like a Mack Truck. Plus, I had been drinking waaaayy to much up until that point. So, I essentially spent the last day in my bunk room puking, sweating and hallucinating that I was in the movie - as I watched. Batman scared this #### outta me. Did I mention the diarrhea? 

So, that's it.

 
Man of Constant Sorrow said:
Alrighty. I have completed my "noir" list. As stated earlier, this is not a "best of" list, rather a "most touched me" list. I have a mix of "noirs", "neo-noirs" and "noir parodies".

Previously listed (write ups are posted up-thread):

a) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

b) Arsenic and Old Lace

The rest of the list:

c) The Trial - I was turned on to this Orson Welles classic when it was posted by wikkid in another movie thread here. It is a surreal take on a man caught up in the legal system; based on the book by Franz Kafka. Much of my life was caught up in the legal system. My experience was as absurd as this movie. I only watched it twice and hope I never have to watch it again. It is weird. And wonderful. But way tooooo taxing to tackle again. 

d) Blade Runner -  I was a Star Wars kid. When H. Ford appeared in this in '82, I went. I didn't get it all at 14 yo, and doubt I even get it all now, but I've always loved it.

e) Miller's Crossing - Besides being a Dapper Dan man, I am also a Coen Bro man. This movie moved me. Note: I also considered The Big Lebowski here. (See up thread for my antics with the true Dude. That encounter touched me too.)

f) The Hustler - Gleason and Newman and Scott, oh my! Plus, the trip to the Kentucky Derby was sweet. 

g) High Plains Drifter - Welcome to Hell, partner ...

h) The Manchurian Candidate - The mind play is what brought me ... the Chairman of the Board is what kept me. Oh, I like the '04 version as well.

i) Pi - It's an irrational number at its best.

j) The Dark Knight - I first saw this on a wedding cruise for my buddy @Adam Harstad back in '08. We had been at sea for about 3 days when the sea sickness hit me like a Mack Truck. Plus, I had been drinking waaaayy to much up until that point. So, I essentially spent the last day in my bunk room puking, sweating and hallucinating that I was in the movie - as I watched. Batman scared this #### outta me. Did I mention the diarrhea? 

So, that's it.
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Love the originality on this list

 
Man of Constant Sorrow said:
Alrighty. I have completed my "noir" list. As stated earlier, this is not a "best of" list, rather a "most touched me" list. I have a mix of "noirs", "neo-noirs" and "noir parodies".

Previously listed (write ups are posted up-thread):

a) The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

b) Arsenic and Old Lace

The rest of the list:

c) The Trial - I was turned on to this Orson Welles classic when it was posted by wikkid in another movie thread here. It is a surreal take on a man caught up in the legal system; based on the book by Franz Kafka. Much of my life was caught up in the legal system. My experience was as absurd as this movie. I only watched it twice and hope I never have to watch it again. It is weird. And wonderful. But way tooooo taxing to tackle again. 

d) Blade Runner -  I was a Star Wars kid. When H. Ford appeared in this in '82, I went. I didn't get it all at 14 yo, and doubt I even get it all now, but I've always loved it.

e) Miller's Crossing - Besides being a Dapper Dan man, I am also a Coen Bro man. This movie moved me. Note: I also considered The Big Lebowski here. (See up thread for my antics with the true Dude. That encounter touched me too.)

f) The Hustler - Gleason and Newman and Scott, oh my! Plus, the trip to the Kentucky Derby was sweet. 

g) High Plains Drifter - Welcome to Hell, partner ...

h) The Manchurian Candidate - The mind play is what brought me ... the Chairman of the Board is what kept me. Oh, I like the '04 version as well.

i) Pi - It's an irrational number at its best.

j) The Dark Knight - I first saw this on a wedding cruise for my buddy @Adam Harstad back in '08. We had been at sea for about 3 days when the sea sickness hit me like a Mack Truck. Plus, I had been drinking waaaayy to much up until that point. So, I essentially spent the last day in my bunk room puking, sweating and hallucinating that I was in the movie - as I watched. Batman scared this #### outta me. Did I mention the diarrhea? 

So, that's it.
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some of these are only noir during winter in Greenland, but it's always dark in somebody's soul

 
Bought and am watching the blu ray of L.A. Confidential. I am not sure how great of an improvement this blu ray is over the dvd or netflix version, but it's the best noir of the last 30 years.

 
Man of Constant Sorrow said:
I'm looking for the best rental options now, as I don't subscribe to Amazon.

According to justwatch:

A Simple Plan - $2.99 / $3.99 (HD)

The Killing - $2.99 / $3.99 (HD)
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Sorry, I didn't see this before.  I don't have an answer, but was wondering if Amazon has a month-to-month option.  I would probably be worth it for these two, plus whatever we add for next month?

I always pimp going to the library, but not sure how feasible of an option that is around your area.  

 
I liked A Simple Plan more than I even remember as I filtered it through the movie club lens.  That said, the ending still does rub me the wrong way, even though it makes sense for the story (mostly talking about the scene by the plane).   Since I am really not that familiar with noir, one question that I did have as I was watching the movie was: 

How common is it for the dynamic of the brother/brother and especially when one seemed to be on the slower end of the intellectual spectrum in this genre?     

One of the main things that I loved about the movie and the tension was that underlying pain and history between the brothers that kept resurfacing in different ways throughout the movie.  Also, was Fonda a twist on the "femme fatale" role as she fed him a couple of the ideas that that went south and lead to more problems and death? 

 
I think I am going to dig a little deeper into this subgenre the more I read about it and see some of the lists presented here and online.  Like I said - it seems right up my alley, but I don't know why I haven't seen more from the genre.  I think of the usual top 20-30 I see, I have only watched 3?:  Sunset Blvd, Maltese Falcon, The Killing.  I just order a couple more - not a ton seem to be streaming or available on bluray through the library though.  

 
KarmaPolice said:
Sorry, I didn't see this before.  I don't have an answer, but was wondering if Amazon has a month-to-month option.  I would probably be worth it for these two, plus whatever we add for next month?

I always pimp going to the library, but not sure how feasible of an option that is around your area.  
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No prob. I have been flirting with a subscription, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. The library is a good idea. I used to get lots of my music from there.

On the movies, I watched them both yesterday. Only then, did I realized that The Killing was the movie that you recommended to me after discussing Reservoir Dogs earlier (last year?). Anyways, I agree that it hit a lot of the points that I thought were original to RD (e.g. out-of-time sequence, etc.). Great flick.

I'll add my overall thoughts a little later. I need to prep for the NFL games now.

But, I will say: 👍👍

 
KarmaPolice said:
I think I am going to dig a little deeper into this subgenre the more I read about it and see some of the lists presented here and online.  Like I said - it seems right up my alley, but I don't know why I haven't seen more from the genre.  I think of the usual top 20-30 I see, I have only watched 3?:  Sunset Blvd, Maltese Falcon, The Killing.  I just order a couple more - not a ton seem to be streaming or available on bluray through the library though.  
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I would say Double Indemnity, The Third Man and Out of the Past are the 3 that you should start with. They really nail down the noir genre.

 
Ilov80s said:
I would say Double Indemnity, The Third Man and Out of the Past are the 3 that you should start with. They really nail down the noir genre.
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Seen Third Man, so that was a miss on my list.  I will add Out of the Past now.  

Right now the movies coming in are Double Indemnity, The Big Sleep, Out of the Past, and I forgot that I had In a Lonely Place already at home in my Criterion pile.  I also have Gilda coming in because that was one of the few on the list that were blruay/Criterion and just on dvd.  

 
KarmaPolice said:
Seen Third Man, so that was a miss on my list.  I will add Out of the Past now.  

Right now the movies coming in are Double Indemnity, The Big Sleep, Out of the Past, and I forgot that I had In a Lonely Place already at home in my Criterion pile.  I also have Gilda coming in because that was one of the few on the list that were blruay/Criterion and just on dvd.  
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That will give you a pretty strong base for noir. 

 
Man of Constant Sorrow said:
No prob. I have been flirting with a subscription, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. The library is a good idea. I used to get lots of my music from there.

On the movies, I watched them both yesterday. Only then, did I realized that The Killing was the movie that you recommended to me after discussing Reservoir Dogs earlier (last year?). Anyways, I agree that it hit a lot of the points that I thought were original to RD (e.g. out-of-time sequence, etc.). Great flick.

I'll add my overall thoughts a little later. I need to prep for the NFL games now.

But, I will say: 👍👍
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yeah, and you live in a big city so should totally check out that library streaming service 80s is always pimpin

 
wikkidpissah said:
sorry, @KarmaPolice was the pimp. several posts in the mid-20s pgs of this thread. it's called Kanopy. i think if you go to their site, you can find out if your public library carries it.
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I found it. Looks sweet. I have about 15 choices for my area, but I need to get my library card. Will do this week. Thnx.

my town was too small i guess
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You are approaching this with the wrong perspective, my pal.

Your town is not too small; you are just too large.

 
Man of Constant Sorrow said:
I found it. Looks sweet. I have about 15 choices for my area, but I need to get my library card. Will do this week. Thnx.
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You just need to make sure that your "home" library is the same as one that is available on the Kanopy website.  

It's a quality service with interesting options, but when I posted that, I was mostly just saying that you can order blurays to watch for these club ideas too.  

 
Finally watched The Simple Plan- liked it better than I remember. I think it pairs well with The Killing as far noir and neo noir go. 

 
KarmaPolice said:
How common is it for the dynamic of the brother/brother and especially when one seemed to be on the slower end of the intellectual spectrum in this genre?  
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Good Time is a recent film that uses this setup.  It was directed by the Safdie Brothers in their hyper intense style.  Robert Pattinson is excellent as the less slow brother.

It's streaming on Prime and is more noir than A Simple Plan.

 
KarmaPolice said:
I liked A Simple Plan more than I even remember as I filtered it through the movie club lens.  That said, the ending still does rub me the wrong way, even though it makes sense for the story (mostly talking about the scene by the plane).   Since I am really not that familiar with noir, one question that I did have as I was watching the movie was: 

How common is it for the dynamic of the brother/brother and especially when one seemed to be on the slower end of the intellectual spectrum in this genre? '

 Great question- I am drawing a blank on any other examples of this. It doesn't seem to be a common trope.     

One of the main things that I loved about the movie and the tension was that underlying pain and history between the brothers that kept resurfacing in different ways throughout the movie.  Also, was Fonda a twist on the "femme fatale" role as she fed him a couple of the ideas that that went south and lead to more problems and death? 

She was a definite femme fatale. Early on she seemed to be counter to that- pure and sweet, "we don't need the money". However, once she saw the money and began thinking about it, she absolutely pushed her husband into spots where things became worse and worse. B
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You are right - I guess I was thinking of something slightly different for the definition of femme fatale, and she totally fits after I looked up the definition.  Most of the time it was her coming up with the plans like getting the 3rd guy on tape and putting back some of the $.   That was a devastating bit of dialogue she gave Mr. Paxton when they were talking about putting things back the way they were.  

 
Anybody having trouble with The Killing on Prime? It wont play for me tonight, and I forgot that I let someone borrow my copy.  :(

 
 
I guess with deadline passed, can discuss spoilers now.

I thought the movies worked well as a pairing.  Some similarities that reflect common film noir elements, but also some key differences too.  Both feature characters whose greed led them to believe that they could control their circumstances.  And endings are similar with circumstances eventually going beyond their control, and protagonist losing the loot.  And both have the femme fatales helping to push things out of control (in The Killing, that role is played by Sherry who had one of the great lines: "It isn't fair. I never had anybody but you. Not a real husband. Not even a man. Just a bad joke without a punch line."

But The Killing had more of the nihilism common in the detective film noirs.  A Simple Plan has more of the tragic caught up in circumstances.  If I could compare it to a couple of Bogie films, The Killing is to A Simple Plan as The Maltese Falcon is to The Treasure of Sierra Madre.

 
Don Quixote said:
I guess with deadline passed, can discuss spoilers now.

I thought the movies worked well as a pairing.  Some similarities that reflect common film noir elements, but also some key differences too.  Both feature characters whose greed led them to believe that they could control their circumstances.  And endings are similar with circumstances eventually going beyond their control, and protagonist losing the loot.  And both have the femme fatales helping to push things out of control (in The Killing, that role is played by Sherry who had one of the great lines: "It isn't fair. I never had anybody but you. Not a real husband. Not even a man. Just a bad joke without a punch line."

But The Killing had more of the nihilism common in the detective film noirs.  A Simple Plan has more of the tragic caught up in circumstances.  If I could compare it to a couple of Bogie films, The Killing is to A Simple Plan as The Maltese Falcon is to The Treasure of Sierra Madre.
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Well said. You are definitely making the slideshow with that.

 
Comments on a Simple Plan (will finish The Killing tonight):

The biggest takeaway for me is the frustration watching the events unfold - the whole "you idiot" feeling as they make one bad decision after another. To me, that means it succeeded as a Noir,  where things unexpectedly spinning out of control is often a key plot element. You wanted to say "don't mention a plane to the cop" but they do. You want to say to Paxton "no, don't listen to her - don't go back to the plane", but he does. You want to say "leave the farmer alone" but they don't.  Etc. 

I loved Fonda's part in the movie. An alternate take on the femme fatale. She doesn't really have any angle or master plan, but it's her suggestions that start everything unraveling, and keep them chaotic. She has just enough influence over her husband that he'll listen to her. Someone stronger might say "no, we're doing it my way" and that's that, but Paxton is not someone who leads - he takes what life gives him. He'll wait forever for a promotion/raise, he's content with the simple life they have, etc. 

I saw this years ago, but had forgotten it, so this almost a new viewing. I liked the Fargo feel of winter, small town, quirky characters, and I thought it very well cast and acted. Billy Bob Thorton was really good, and to me, this was some of Paxton's best work. Great movie.

 
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KarmaPolice said:
I liked A Simple Plan more than I even remember as I filtered it through the movie club lens.  That said, the ending still does rub me the wrong way, even though it makes sense for the story (mostly talking about the scene by the plane).   Since I am really not that familiar with noir, one question that I did have as I was watching the movie was: 

How common is it for the dynamic of the brother/brother and especially when one seemed to be on the slower end of the intellectual spectrum in this genre?     

One of the main things that I loved about the movie and the tension was that underlying pain and history between the brothers that kept resurfacing in different ways throughout the movie.  Also, was Fonda a twist on the "femme fatale" role as she fed him a couple of the ideas that that went south and lead to more problems and death? 
Click to expand...
I was waiting to circle back to this until we were free to comment...

Regarding the brother/brother dynamic, I see it differently than Ilov80s does, in that I think it was a play on a pretty common trope--that the 'weak' and 'strong' characters end up in reverse places by the end of the story. The concept of brothers on opposing ends of the spectrum is as old as the Old Testament story of Cain and Abel. In fact, I don't know if a good brother v. brother story can be told without them being opposites in some way; that's where the tension you mention comes from. In A Simple Plan, the reversal was a great slow burn, and Thornton and Paxton both really nailed their respective changes.

As for Bridget Fonda's character, I got a Lady Macbeth feel from her, though unlike in the Shakespeare play, her involvement grew over the course of the events in the story, which actually fit very well with the noir story.

Not sure where to begin with The Killing, other than I had confused it in my memory with The Asphalt Jungle. I've seen parts of The Killing before, so this was the first time I watched it all the way through. I had to remind myself a couple of times that this was a Kubrick movie, as some of the shots seemed less stylized than I'm used to from him.  That didn't distract from any of it, just seemed a little out of character. I also felt that some of the narration was unnecessary, but then useful in a couple of others, so overall it balanced out for me.

As for the movie itself, I liked the cuts from one perspective to another to give a multifaceted picture of the heist, plus there were other side angles that gave the whole story a lot of unexplored depth, i.e., Johnny's prison connections to secure a motel room and hire the chess goon that caused the distraction that got him into the counting room, plus something that seems to have been completely overlooked is the character of Marvin's homosexual feelings towards Johnny.  There's a scene just before Johnny leaves to start his part of the plan where Marvin tells Johnny something to the effect of "let's run away together, hide from the world and sort things out. I'm not sure if there's another way to take that exchange, and I don't know if anyone else picked up on that.

The casting was pitch-perfect, though Timothy Carey was a little distracting as he seemed to not want to open his mouth while delivering his lines. Nevertheless, when he used the n-word on the parking lot attendant, I was more shocked than when Tibbs slapped Endicott in In the Heat of the Night. Speaking of the parking lot attendant, a quick :thumbup:  to that actor, James Edwards, whose other notable roles among many before his untimely death at age 51 include The Caine Mutiny, Pork Chop Hill, The Manchurian Candidate and Patton.

 
Kola Kwariani, who played the chess playing wrestler Maurice Oboukhoff in The Killing had a tragic death. From wiki:

Death

In February 1980, while entering the Chess and Checker Club, Kwariani was seriously injured after being assaulted by a group of teenagers. The incident was later described by Samuel Sloan: "Nick came in the downstairs entrance one evening when about five black youths were leaving. They bumped into each other. Words were exchanged. Nick never took any gruff from anybody and soon he was engaged in a fight with all five black kids at once. Nick probably could still have handled any one or two of them, but five were too many. Nick was beaten." He was then taken to a hospital, where he died at age 77.

 
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