The Last Ten Films I've Seen (as of Oct. 2nd): Some Depressing Dramas

Greetings to our blog readers in Libya, Dubai and India, where we assume the top image might cause us problems.

Amazingly enough, seven of the ten films on this list were seen via Netflix dvds or Netflix streaming, while one film "My Old Lady" was actually seen in a movie theater.

"Prime Cut" is a vintage early '70s action-drama with the late, great Lee Marvin, Gene Hackman, and Sissy Spacek in her film debut, some four years before she became Carrie White in "Carrie."

"For the Bible Tells Me So" illustrates the rift between conservative evangelical Christians who believe in literal interpretations of the Bible, in terms of viewing homosexuality as a sin, as well as gays and lesbians, and their liberal supporters, who strongly find this views reprehensible.

"My Old Lady" is a humorous English-language film set in France, in which Kevin Kline discovers that the home his father left him in Paris is occupied by Maggie Smith and her grown-up daughter played by Kristen Scott Thomas.

Here are the last ten films we've seen:

1. Prime Cut. 1972. Director: Michael Ritchie

2. Free Samples 2012. Dir: Jay Gammill w/Jesee Eisenberg

3. Fruitvale Station. 2013. Dir: Ryan Coogler. w/ Michael B. Jordan

4. For the Bible Tells Me So. (documentary). Dir: Daniel G. Karslake

5. Mandabi. Senegal. 1968. Dir: Ousmane Sembene.

6. Xala. Senegal. 1975. Dir: Ousmane Sembene.

7. My Old Lady. 2014. Dir: Israel Horovitz.

8. Take My Eyes. Spain. 2003. Dir: Iciar Bollain

9. Paradise: Hope. Austria. 2013. Dir: Ulrich Seidl

10. Block-C. Turkey. 1994. Dir: Zeki Demirkubuz

 http://www.netflix.com

A Quote from Lee Marvin for Veteran's Day

We heard some touching news today: Richard Overton, age 107, was honored by President Barack Obama at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va., just outside Washington, DC for Veteran's Day.

Today was also Remembrance Day in Canada.

Oscar-winning actor Lee Marvin, a World War II veteran, is buried at the military cemetery, which was shut down a few weeks ago due to the federal government shutdown.

Here is a quote from Marvin:

"I only make movies to finance my fishing."

We have another quote from one of Marvin's co-stars Jimmy Stewart (both were in "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, a 1962 western directed by John Ford which starred John Wayne).

To see Stweart's quote, go to our sister site:

http://www.politicscultureandotherwastesoft.blogspot.com

Remembering Ernest Borgnine

Two years ago I watched the film "The Vikings" (1958), as it was one of the only movies I could think of with three living actors from the golden age of Hollywood: Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis and Ernest Borgnine. As of today, Douglas is the only actor from the film who is still alive as Borgnine died at the age of 95.

Borgnine's contemporaries from that era also included the likes Burt Lancaster, Charlton Heston, Paul Newman, Lee Marvin, Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon.

Borgnine was also the oldest living Best Actor Oscar winner as he won the award for his title role in the film "Marty" (1955); Borgnine also appeared in the films "The Dirty Dozen" (1967), "The Wild Bunch" (1969) and "Escape from New York" (1981).

On his quotes was: "I don't care whether a part is 10 minutes long, or two hours long, and I don't care whether my name is up there on top, either."

Top 10 Lists- To-do List During My Day Off

Amazingly enough even though I have time off from my teaching gig and I haven't taken an exotic trip to Thailand or anything, I have fallen well behind on my blogs! But, I have finally read J.D. Salinger's classic novel "The Catcher and the Rye" and I watched Akira Kurosawa's vintage samurai flick "Ran" on The Sundance Channel (which should perhaps be seen on the big screen) last night.

Nevertheless, there are things to do......and here is my list for today!

1. Call the vet for Gizmo's shots

2. Decide on whether or not to see the play "Dead Man's Cell Phone"

3. Plan 'Writing the Novel' this fall

4. Catch up on blog posts!

5. Possibly watch 1980s Charles Bronson-Lee Marvin movie "Death Hunt" on FMC tonight at midnight.....?!

6. Check Greyhound's web page to see how much bus tickets to DC would be even though you don't have any expletive time to go to DC right now

7. Be sure to send email to that guy in Istanbul

8. Read Scott Pilgrim comic book at Starbucks or some place like that

9. Start those exercises!!! (Most procrastinated item on list)

10. Learn a phrase in Farsi....

The Last Ten Films I've Seen

Here are the last ten films I've seen. No time for commentary, but we decided to feature an image of Roman Polanski not because of the current controversy he is embroiled in but because his latest film is on this list:


1. "The Art of the Steal" (doc. d-Don Argott. 2009)
2. "The Wages of Fear" (France. d-Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1959)
3. "Ghost Writer" (d-Roman Polanski, 2010)
4. "Roaring Twenties" (with James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. d-Raoul Walsh. 1939)
5. "Four of the Apocalypse" (a spahetti western. Italy. d-Lucio Fulci, 1975).
6. "Heaven Can Wait" (d-Warren Beatty and Buck Henry, 1978)
7. "Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" (doc concert about David Bowie. d-D.A. Penebaker. Filmed in 1973, released in cinemas in 1982).
8."The Story of Floating Weeds" (Japan. d-Yasujiro Ozu, 1934)
9. "The Killers" (with Lee Marvin. Last cinematic role for Ronald Reagan. d-Don Siegel, 1964)
10. "Dr. Strangelove........" (d-Stanley Kubrick, 1964)

SIDEBAR: My friend Jason Garnett is showing the documentary "Cinemania" about film fanatics tonight at the Shadowbox Cinema in Roanoke, Va. That might be short notice, bue he is also screening a night of vintage '70s era trailers which he is calling "Trailer Trash Night" on May 17 at 8:00 p.m. Admission is five dollars.