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FBG Movie Club: We're Getting the Band Back Together: Metallica vs Nina Simone Movie Docs (6 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
Wait, who the hell gave The Apartment a 0? Or was that just because I forgot to put an option for not seeing it yet?  All good if you thought The Apartment was complete unwatchable trash but I would like to hear that reasoning. 

 
Ilov80s said:
Hopefully we get some more activity with this as both as classics but I know the holidays are tough. Maybe next year we consider taking a holiday for December. 

As for January, how up to speed do the regular posters here feel about the big streaming movies of 2019? @KarmaPolice and I are mulling over a few ideas. One of them is the big likely Oscar nominated streaming films like Marriage Story, Irishman, Dolemite, Two Popes. 
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Ugh, this is me. Holidays, new puppy, etc. Am queuing up the Apartment now, because I haven't seen it in 30 years.  

 
wikkidpissah said:
The Apartment

My 94yo father is deeply unhappy these days. He has probably done more to distinguish himself than any person with our surname (a dozen patents, many of them prominent, and wrote the definitive college textbook in his field) but his career ended poorly (got squoze out in a merger) and he made a lot of $$ for other people without gaining commensurate wealth, rank or respect (mostly because he's been an insensitive prig all his life). For some reason, what he rambles about now is that a friend from his podunk town was in charge of elevator operators at Rockefeller Center in NYC and offered him a job. Da says half the most rich & powerful  television producers got their jobs by becoming elevator operators and pitching their ideas to Sarnoff & Weaver on their way to the penthouse. My father has never evinced a creative instinct of any kind, but that apparently doesn't matter if you read Norman Vincent Peale and can count to the top floor. Ah, senility!

But the lure of Manhattan is tall & deep. You can not only make it anywhere if you make it there but, if you make it there, you're at the top, baby! I tried it twice, for brief periods in the late 70s/early 80s, excited as could be for the chance. It remains my Oz, my Disneyland, my Pandaemonium, even though i'd hardly recognize it now.

There's two reasons i didn't stay: 1) i have the talent to impress more than abide, succeed 2) what they don't tell you in the manual is that the city so nice they named it twice regularly offers to buy your soul, sell you tips on how to get the best deal for it yourself and regularly makse you decide whether or not to screw over almost everyone you ever knew, know and will know. There more people who've made it without any talent at all than people who've made it without giving in to #2. Everyone who lives there is paying the inner price for winning by the power of #2 or failing even after selling all they had to sell.

I'm lucky - my talent is not strong enough to compel me to keep trying and i am constitutionally incapable of selling my soul, no matter the gain. Happily do i fail.

The Apartment is the Old Testament of #2. It is the most deeply-realized comedy ever written - sumptuous, telling, masterfully paced & performed. And, now retired from 25 years making a living in poker rooms after giving up the dream, "Shut up and deal" simply must be my favorite ending line of all time. 
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Now that I've read this little blurb, I understand the film much better. It also explains away my biggest gripe about it: comeuppance.  Sure, Fred MacMurray ended up divorced, but he still seemed to have gotten off relatively easy, and while Bud ultimately won in the end, he also seemed to have ridden a much bumpier road than even the 'villains' who pressured him and used him. I tried to blunt my anger over not seeing true comeuppance by reminding myself that even crooked old Mr. Potter from It's a Wonderful Life didn't appear to be punished for hiding away Uncle Billy's deposit, and chalked it up to that's how they used to tell stories compared to now where we HAVE to see the bad guy get his so we can have that closure.

As for what else I got out of The Apartment, I believe Shirley Maclane gave us an all-time magic pixie dream girl that still compares favorably to anything even the likes of Zoey Deschanel has done in the years since. I also got a feeling of deja vu when the doctor neighbor came over to help Miss Kubelik when she OD'ed, reminded me of the scene from Dirty Dancing when Dr. Houseman came to help Penny recover from her abortion. 

Also,, as always, I got a kick out of recognizing the cast.  We got radio's Great Gildersleeve, Mr. Hand, Otis the town drunk and Larry Tate from Bewitched going through their paces together.

Ilov80s said:
It's definitely not just a comedy and the movie takes many serious turns as it investigates issues like suicide, infidelity, etc. It's about loneliness more than anything. 
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Ultimately, I wanted a little deeper dive into those issues as it seemed like he left a lot of meat on the bone, even for its time, but it was enough to create the right tension for the ending.

 
Charlie Steiner said:
 I tried to blunt my anger over not seeing true comeuppance by reminding myself that even crooked old Mr. Potter from It's a Wonderful Life didn't appear to be punished for hiding away Uncle Billy's deposit, and chalked it up to that's how they used to tell stories compared to now where we HAVE to see the bad guy get his so we can have that closure.
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Actually, until 1968, Hollywood movies were required by the Motion Picture Production (Hays) Code to have all evil doers receive comeuppance. It's A Wonderful Life's original ending satisfied the MPPC as regarded Potter, but Capra came up with the ending we all know & lobbied the Board to allow this uplifting resolution, with Potter's reversal a natural consequence of George Bailey's deliverance from harm.

 
Finished The Apartment tonight with my daughter who has taken an interest in classic films since binge watching a CNN documentary series about the movies when she was sick last month.  I was curious about her impressions since she's more into romcoms than I am.  She enjoyed it and thought the leads had great chemistry.  She was surprised that the suicide scene happened relatively early in the film and thought it would have been a climactic scene in a modern film. 

It was ironic that we watched the ending tonight after viewing a couple of episodes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel which is set in the same time and place.  The New York of The Apartment is grittier than the nostalgic facade of Mrs. Maisel but The Apartment is still a fantasyland that bustles by day and is lonely by night.  Some of the supporting characters from The Apartment like Dr. and Mrs. Dreyfuss could easily crossover to Mrs. Maisel.

I'd seen the film before but not in its entirety for many years.  For me it's one of those movies where I've seen the ending more often since I start watching it on TV and got hooked.  This time I was struck by the ingenuity of the script.  It's a wonderful example of efficient storytelling: every set-up has a payoff, every prop acts to get a laugh, develop character or move the plot along.  Absolutely nothing is wasted.  The film's dialog isn't particularly jokey but its humor flows organically from the characters.  It strikes the delicate balance between comedy and tragedy as well as any film I can think of at this late hour.

I'm not sure if I'm going to watch Life of Brian again.  Monty Python was an important part of my teenage years.  I remember watching the original episodes on PBS with my dad and my high school friends and I would recite dialog in atrocious British accents.  I rewatched the Flying Circus episodes when they went up on Netflix and was kind of disappointed.  I still loved how they flowed from sketch to sketch but didn't find them nearly as funny as I once did.  I think I'd rather live with my memories than watch Life of Brian, which was never my favorite anyway.

 
Ilov80s said:
Can't wait to hear about movie and most importantly, the puppy
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Ok, let's talk the apartment. But first here's the pup when we adopted her in late Nov. She was 7 months at the time - Shepherd/Lab mix (half shepherd, but lab dominates her looks). She's awesome. Like most rescues, it took her a month or so to acclimate, but she's real comfy here now. And a big mush.

Onto The Apartment... I had forgotten how much I liked this movie. Very similar to Eephus, I too watched an episode or three of Mrs. Maisel very recently, and am also struck at how similar many of the characters are. They could easily interchange. Such a slice of life from that time period too - the male white collar NYC executive with the little woman at home. "I'll miss dinner tonight - client coming in". That was my grandparents. Not sure if he cheated or not, but that white-collar life depicted was definitely a thing. 

Also like Eephus mentioned, nothing is wasted. The film moves quickly, without too much heavy drama - you never really wonder "gee, what's going to happen". Even the reveals, like the mirror or the exec glimpsing Fran in the apartment are more or less nonchalant. Part of the reason is Lemmon - he's perfect for this role, and just so likable. From the opening scene of his head slightly bobbing to the typewriter's movements, he's clearly a good guy, and someone we root for. We feel bad for him having to stand out in the cold, we root for him when he starts pushing back, and give a silent "alright" when he hands in the washroom key. 

Of course, there are questions: how many sets of sheets does Bud have? (eew).  Why would any executive let anyone else know he's cheating (the four gathering in Bud's new office seemed odd, like a meeting of the cheater's club). And the big one.... no-tell motel down? Probably a lot safer/convenient.     

Still, I loved it. Good pick for the gloomy winter.   

 
Eephus said:
Finished The Apartment tonight with my daughter who has taken an interest in classic films since binge watching a CNN documentary series about the movies when she was sick last month.  I was curious about her impressions since she's more into romcoms than I am.  She enjoyed it and thought the leads had great chemistry.  She was surprised that the suicide scene happened relatively early in the film and thought it would have been a climactic scene in a modern film. 

It was ironic that we watched the ending tonight after viewing a couple of episodes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel which is set in the same time and place.  The New York of The Apartment is grittier than the nostalgic facade of Mrs. Maisel but The Apartment is still a fantasyland that bustles by day and is lonely by night.  Some of the supporting characters from The Apartment like Dr. and Mrs. Dreyfuss could easily crossover to Mrs. Maisel.

I'd seen the film before but not in its entirety for many years.  For me it's one of those movies where I've seen the ending more often since I start watching it on TV and got hooked.  This time I was struck by the ingenuity of the script.  It's a wonderful example of efficient storytelling: every set-up has a payoff, every prop acts to get a laugh, develop character or move the plot along.  Absolutely nothing is wasted.  The film's dialog isn't particularly jokey but its humor flows organically from the characters.  It strikes the delicate balance between comedy and tragedy as well as any film I can think of at this late hour.

I'm not sure if I'm going to watch Life of Brian again.  Monty Python was an important part of my teenage years.  I remember watching the original episodes on PBS with my dad and my high school friends and I would recite dialog in atrocious British accents.  I rewatched the Flying Circus episodes when they went up on Netflix and was kind of disappointed.  I still loved how they flowed from sketch to sketch but didn't find them nearly as funny as I once did.  I think I'd rather live with my memories than watch Life of Brian, which was never my favorite anyway.
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This is something i forgot to cover when i went all arch w my review. Having grown up in a MetroBoston tripledecker, neighbors are so much a thing. These days, you just pray you don't get jackholes, angry couples or volume problems, rarely thinking about the upside. Our downstairs neighbor, Mrs Gelzinis, would make gefilte fish every Friday and i think i still have some of that odor caked in my nostrils. Then again, she always helped me "run away" or hide my beloved neighbor girl Siobhan from her tormenters and knew just the right time & conditions to send us back home. The 3rd floor neighbors were a moveable feast, for the stinkyhot conditions would keep tenants on the move and turn good people bad and bad people worse. I learned most of my early adjust modes from coping with 3rd floor people. Neighbors are huge in tenement life and well reflected here.

And may i just make a note also about Jack Lemmon. I generally don't care for mannered actors (though i dont have to worry about them any more, because nobody but David Schwimmer has tried to be one in a very long time and i think we can all do without ever seeing David Schwimmer again - this is already more attention than he deserves) but this initially seemed like his most naturalistic role. On that i was wrong. It's his most integrated role. Each time i watch The Apartment, i notice a half-dozen new fetishes with which he has embued CCBaxter, and it's simply astonishing to make that volume of performance choices and have them all work. One of the great, unheralded, cinematic performances of all time.

And glad to hear another person not want to disrupt succinct memories with refreshment. I spent my reunion years asking people why we would want to bother recollections of each other as young, bold, beautiful & stoopit with conceptions of the dull remainders we've become. I've avoided taking psychedelics (even tho i'd like to see if they might help my lifecoach clients w their depression) as an adult in order not to disrupt the way they folded the paper of who i am into the origami of what i am. And, as @Eephus implied, using additional storage to duplicate tepid memories is weak brain economics.

 
jwb said:
Ok, let's talk the apartment. But first here's the pup when we adopted her in late Nov. She was 7 months at the time - Shepherd/Lab mix (half shepherd, but lab dominates her looks). She's awesome. Like most rescues, it took her a month or so to acclimate, but she's real comfy here now. And a big mush.

Onto The Apartment... I had forgotten how much I liked this movie. Very similar to Eephus, I too watched an episode or three of Mrs. Maisel very recently, and am also struck at how similar many of the characters are. They could easily interchange. Such a slice of life from that time period too - the male white collar NYC executive with the little woman at home. "I'll miss dinner tonight - client coming in". That was my grandparents. Not sure if he cheated or not, but that white-collar life depicted was definitely a thing. 

Also like Eephus mentioned, nothing is wasted. The film moves quickly, without too much heavy drama - you never really wonder "gee, what's going to happen". Even the reveals, like the mirror or the exec glimpsing Fran in the apartment are more or less nonchalant. Part of the reason is Lemmon - he's perfect for this role, and just so likable. From the opening scene of his head slightly bobbing to the typewriter's movements, he's clearly a good guy, and someone we root for. We feel bad for him having to stand out in the cold, we root for him when he starts pushing back, and give a silent "alright" when he hands in the washroom key. 

Of course, there are questions: how many sets of sheets does Bud have? (eew).  Why would any executive let anyone else know he's cheating (the four gathering in Bud's new office seemed odd, like a meeting of the cheater's club). And the big one.... no-tell motel down? Probably a lot safer/convenient.     

Still, I loved it. Good pick for the gloomy winter.   
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Others would know better but was the short stay motel a thing back then? At least a thing in a nice area of NY? I know NY got seedy in the 60s-80s but did those exist in the nice part of town that one could take a lady and impress her a bit?

 
Ilov80s said:
Others would know better but was the short stay motel a thing back then? At least a thing in a nice area of NY? I know NY got seedy in the 60s-80s but did those exist in the nice part of town that one could take a lady and impress her a bit?
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I believe there were a couple of motor courts off the West Side Highway in the 60s - W Manhattan from the Lincoln to the piers was a wasteland til Trump bought it to build a stadium in the 80s - but that wasn't the problem. There were plenty of decent, cheap hotels throughout Manhattan, but getting goodtime girls to go was tough, cuz that was a transaction. Going to an apt was an "anything can happen" sitch, which took "slut/hoochie/kurveh" out of it and allowed the event to be considered a good time which got carried away, even if the result was the same every time.

 
Eephus said:
From 1999, a nice appreciation article about Wilder and The Apartment by Cameron Crowe.
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Interesting article, and it feeds into a little conspiracy I developed partway through the film...

When the doctor shows up to take care of Fran, it reminded me of the scene from Dirty Dancing when Dr. Houseman goes to help Penny after her abortion.  Because the article mentions that Fred MacMurray's character's name, Sheldrake, was used often in Wilder's films, and in Dirty Dancing the resort where Baby filled in for Penny was called the Sheldrake, I believe it was a nod to Wilder and basically confirmed to me that they did indeed lift the scene straight from The Apartment, including the "who's responsible for this?" line.  I tend to not mind when this is done, but maybe because I wasn't aware of it before, it bothers me now that I know.

 
Walking Boot said:
Just wanted to say that Scouting NY was one of my favorite blogs. I know he moved to LA and tried to take the formula there, but, he doesn't seem to still be active anymore. But I used to read both religiously. Great insider stuff.
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I love stuff like this.  I'm pretty much a sucker for any old movie set in SF.

 
Late homework excuse here. 

I been as busy as Brian running from the Romans, lately. 

I'm waiting for my space ship ride - right now. 

When I get back to Earth, I'll submit something presentable. 

Till then, just ignore @wikkidpissah's pan of Brian. 🤬

Latah. 

 
The city closed off our block one night to shoot some crowd scenes for "Milk".  My house isn't unrecognizable in the film but there's a shot in the climactic candlelight march that's from a block away on Market St.

 
KP and I have finally come up with our plan for January. We think we found 2 movies that very few here will have seen and will be our newest movies yet...also very on topic for the thread right now 

 
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lol I’ll probably post tonight since talk form last round has died down and tomorrow won’t be good for me posting here

 
Not sure if the person who voted 0 for the Apartment meant to or meant to say they hadn't seen it because I was late to add the option. That's the difference between it being the highest rated movie we've done so far or the 2nd (Lives of Others is currently tops). We also had 22 votes which is one of the stronger months in awhile (though only 17 votes for The Apartment). 

 
Ilov80s said:
Not sure if the person who voted 0 for the Apartment meant to or meant to say they hadn't seen it because I was late to add the option. That's the difference between it being the highest rated movie we've done so far or the 2nd (Lives of Others is currently tops). We also had 22 votes which is one of the stronger months in awhile (though only 17 votes for The Apartment). 
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Russian interference

 
January Movie Club Double Feature

The movie club enters a new year and with it @KarmaPolice and I decided to do something different. We wanted to highlight two movies from 2019 that people likely hadn't seen. On it's face these movies don't seem to have connective tissue. One is a scripted drama about a $4 million dollar home and the other a documentary set in blue collar middle America. However, as we reflect on the decade past, we think it will be very clear how much these movies have in common. I say  think because we haven't seen either of them ourselves LOL. 

2019: The Last Black Man in San Francisco

 A young man searches for home in the changing city that seems to have left him behind.

Streaming on Amazon Prime

2019: American Factory

In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant.

Streaming on Netflix

due 2/3 

 
Ilov80s said:
Not sure if the person who voted 0 for the Apartment meant to or meant to say they hadn't seen it because I was late to add the option. That's the difference between it being the highest rated movie we've done so far or the 2nd (Lives of Others is currently tops). We also had 22 votes which is one of the stronger months in awhile (though only 17 votes for The Apartment). 
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Nice.

I gave 'em both a 5. (Fight me wikkid!)

Still haven't had time to do any write up tho.

I look forward to the new assignment. 👍

 
Ilov80s said:
January Movie Club Double Feature

The movie club enters a new year and with it @KarmaPolice and I decided to do something different. We wanted to highlight two movies from 2019 that people likely hadn't seen. On it's face these movies don't seem to have connective tissue. One is a scripted drama about a $4 million dollar home and the other a documentary set in blue collar middle America. However, as we reflect on the decade past, we think it will be very clear how much these movies have in common. I say  think because we haven't seen either of them ourselves LOL. 

2019: The Last Black Man in San Francisco

 A young man searches for home in the changing city that seems to have left him behind.

Streaming on Amazon Prime

2019: American Factory

In post-industrial Ohio, a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant.

Streaming on Netflix

due 2/3 
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I've seen the first one but not the second.  Looking forward to watching it and participating on this one!

 
prosopis said:
I missed it this month. To much going on. I am back in this month and I still want to try and watch The Apartment. All the Mrs Maisel comparisons have me interested.
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If you end up watching it and want to vote, feel free to post it here and I’ll count it 

 
FADE IN ON:

Stairwell of a suburban split-level home. Down to the walkout floor, up behind the chair of a paunchy, balding man in his forties sitting in a half-finished mancave, working a laptop, sampling frequently from a craft beer and bag of chicharones propped up on an equipment box beside him. The camera follows the man's screen progress as he hops thru an internet routine on the way to check the Free For All Forum on www.footballguys.com.

CC BOOT (V.O.): It's hard to calculate the population of FootballGuys anymore. At one time, if you put all the FBGs end-to-end it would go from Skyline Chili in Cincinnati to Pizza Lola in Minneapolis. You'd be lucky if you made it to the Great American Ball Park now. I know stuff like this 'cause, you see, i don't have a life. I used to. Family errands and expeditions, fishing, cornhole league, board of the local library. After the twins went off to college and my wife left me for her trans pilates instructor - i was never quite sure from which gender to which the transition was - i came to care for little but Donald Trump's effect upon our great nation and my own opinions on everything & nothing.

FADE OUT AS SCREEN FLASHES TO ODD SERIES OF PRON OPTIONS.

 
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wikkidpissah said:
FADE IN ON:

Stairwell of a suburban split-level home. Down to the walkout floor, up behind the chair of a paunchy, balding man in his forties sitting in a half-finished mancave, working a laptop, sampling frequently from a craft beer and bag of chicharones propped up on an equipment box beside him. The camera follows the man's screen progress as he hops thru an internet routine on the way to check the Free For All Forum on www.footballguys.com.

CC BOOT (V.O.): It's hard to calculate the population of FootballGuys anymore. At one time, if you put all the FBGs end-to-end it would go from Skyline Chili in Cincinnati to Pizza Lola in Minneapolis. You'd be lucky if you made it to the Great American Ball Park now. I know stuff like this 'cause, you see, i don't have a life. I used to. Family errands and expeditions, fishing, cornhole league, board of the local library. After the twins went off to college and my wife left me for her trans pilates instructor - i was never quite sure from which gender to which the transition was - i came to care for little but Donald Trump's effect upon our great nation and my own opinions on everything & nothing.

FADE OUT AS SCREEN FLASHES TO ODD SERIES OF PRON OPTIONS.
Click to expand...
This is a masterpiece

 
Finally got back to The Killing. Snoozer.

ETA: The cinematography was excellent though.

 
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