Hutchinson Leader - classic movies - Comments

A week ago, I saw the

Doug Hanneman — Mon, 12 May 2008 07:58:01 -0500

A week ago, I saw the musical special featuring Frank from 1965. TCM showed it without commercials — it was great. Nelson Riddle was one of two conductors. My wife and I both thought that this was when Frank was at his best. Then TCM played his first movie from 1943, which was also highly enjoyable.

Last night, TCM showed another Sinatra special and followed it with a Frank movie from 1947, also featuring Jimmy Durante. They sang an unforgettable duet.

(Doug Hanneman is editor of the Hutchinson Leader. He may be reached at hanneman@hutchinsonleader.com)

Frank Sinatra died 10 years

Matt McMillan — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:18:28 -0500

Frank Sinatra died 10 years ago this month. In honor of his passing, Parade magazine published a cover story on him last Sunday including remembrances from Tony Bennett, Nancy Sinatra, and many more stars.

The movie releases are part of a larger project to honor Mr. Sinatra this month. The U.S. Postal Service honored him with a stamp, which is available at the post office and in a new cd. Movies on Turner Classic Movies, or TMC, feature the Nancy, Tina and Frank Jr. introducing Sinatra movies each Wednesday.

Read more about the details at: http://sinatrafamily.com/news/news.php.

For Dean Martin fans, consider the "Marraige on the Rocks" and "Some Came Running" movies in addition to the Rat Pack collection. Mr. Martin, called "old red eyes" by Mr. Sinatra, appears in these titles.

Matt McMillan is publisher of the Leader and available at mcmillan@hutchinsonleader.com

Comedy: 25/38 (Big Lebowski

Eric Kraushar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 21:22:34 -0500

Comedy: 25/38 (Big Lebowski - top 3)
Buddy Movies: 8/17 (Top Gun - top 3)
Action: 26/30
War: 5/11
Westerns: 5/10
Rebels: 5/19
Cops: 4/14
Criminals: 11/31
Horror: 11/13
Sci-Fi: 12/15
Art House: 4/15
Mindbenders: 3/12
Classics: 3/14
Nudity: 6/13
Train wrecks: 1/11

129/263 (49%)

Not sure where I missed the other 37, but oh well, I've watched a few movies. How about you?

hey jorge and kay, loved the

Aura_Lee — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 16:17:27 -0600

hey jorge and kay, loved the podcast.

Aura Lee: A fellow horror

Jorge Sosa — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 12:05:11 -0500

Aura Lee:

A fellow horror movie buff! Sweet!

I maybe came off sounding more harshly critical of "Saw" then I meant to. I loved the first two "Saw" movies. "Saw III" was still interesting but didn't seem as rock-solid.

Here's what I mean when I say, "The 'Saw' series copped ideas from 'Seven' but lacks its depth."

((SPOILER ALERT!))

Both movies are about a serial killer who targets victims based on what he sees as their moral failings. He justifies murder because he thinks his victims brought his vengeance on themselves.

Both John Doe and Jigsaw think they have the moral high ground. And they love an audience. They taunt the investigators and eventually lure them into traps.

Both Jigsaw and John Doe set up elaborate ways for their victims to get offed. As you pointed out, people in both series are faced with grisly choices. Not just the "vanity" victim, but ... (BIG-TIME SPOILER!!!) ... Detective Mills who has to choose between duty and revenge. He fails the test and ends up playing right into John Doe's evil scheme.

Both films also have surprise endings, so, I would say it's pretty obvious that the creators of "Saw" were heavily influenced by "Seven."

When I say "Saw" lacks the depth of "Seven," I'm thinking about how "Seven" has all these literary allusions in it. Dante's "The Divine Comedy" and the Bible are referenced quite a bit. With "Saw," the filmmakers primarily reference other movies, namely "Seven."

Also, I think the acting in "Seven" is generally stronger, but that's a matter of opinion. I think both Tobin Bell and Kevin Spacey play excellent villains.

I think both movies are pretty suspenseful, but in different ways. "Seven" is more psychological and "Saw" gets me in the gut.

One thing I really admire about the "Saw" series is that the filmmakers show it's possible to make a really scary and profitable movie without spending a lot of money.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)

The “Saw” series copped

Aura_Lee — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 10:28:03 -0500

The “Saw” series copped ideas from “Seven” but lacks its depth??????????

(spoiler alert!)
please explain. i'm a fan of "seven" but an even bigger fan of the "saw" series. i don't feel "saw" copped anything from "seven". sure people got to make some grisly choices in "seven", like the lady who had to choose between living without a nose and killing herself, but in "saw" and "saw ii" everyone has a way out. "seven" was more of a killer punishing people for the sins of society and "saw" is more about getting people to realize their pettiness and gets them to appreciate being alive. (for however short of a life they have left if they don't figure out the puzzle). with the exception of "Saw III" the "Saw" series, i feel, is far more suspenseful and thought provoking. it makes a person think about all the stupid things in one's life that seem to mean more than they should and one goes away with a feeling that life isn't so bad afterall. "seven" had a cool ending and i enjoyed showing that movie to friends just to see the reaction when that head comes out of the package,(i warned you of the spoiler alert) but the "saw" endings seemed much more exciting and made me want to go back to see the movie again to watch all the small little details that one might miss the first time fall into place.

I didn't realize this as I

Jorge Sosa — Thu, 31 May 2007 12:41:23 -0500

I didn't realize this as I was writing this review, but today is Clint Eastwood's birthday. He turns 77.

Here's a trivia tidbit: Eastwood's classic squint developed out of necessity while filming "A Fistful of Dollars" under the glare of arc lights and the desert sun.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)

That is a great idea,

tobybryan — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 15:47:37 -0500

That is a great idea, remember to pull your pockets out on your pants cause kids in the future wear their pants inside out. If you go to the BTTF.com website you can order the color changing hat that Marty wore....

Years ago, there used too be

Peanut — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 22:28:21 -0500

Years ago, there used too be a Delorian owned by a school teacher. Believe me, If I had enough pepsi cans, I would build a rust proof truck lol.

Wow, I didn't know someone

Jorge Sosa — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 16:45:26 -0500

Wow, I didn't know someone in town drove one of those. With the stainless steel body, it seems like it would be the perfect exotic car for Minnesota driving: No rust!

Check out this picture of what appears to be a hotel parking lot during a De Lorean convention.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)

One of my favorite series of

tobybryan — Sun, 01 Apr 2007 21:45:49 -0500

One of my favorite series of movies. I'm still waiting for my Hoverboard, Pepsi Perfect, and Gray's Sports Almanac. Have you seen that Hutch does have one delorian at a house by school road? ( I think its school road......)

I have to agree with you

Jorge Sosa — Mon, 12 Feb 2007 16:09:34 -0600

I have to agree with you about "Psycho II." I rented it once out of curiosity and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. I could've done without "Psycho III," though.

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)

This is a great movie! I

tobybryan — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 14:04:24 -0600

This is a great movie! I only wish I could have seen it with out knowing the secret of "Mother". But since I was born 24 years after it was made the shocking twist at the end was well known to me. I also highly recommend its little mentioned sequel Psycho II released in 1983.

"Don't Look Now" is an

Jorge Sosa — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 16:37:01 -0600

"Don't Look Now" is an interesting thriller. It's kind of low-key and very British. Donald Sutherland's hair is pretty scary though. He has a shaggy, curly perm in that movie. I also recommend reading the Daphne Du Maurier short story on which the movie is based. It's even better than the movie. Du Maurier's works also inspired Hitch******'s "Rebecca" and "The Birds."

(Jorge Sosa is a staff writer for the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sosa@hutchinsonleader.com)

Is the 1973 horror movie

tobybryan — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:31:38 -0600

Is the 1973 horror movie Don't Look Now starring Donald Sutherland any good? I saw a clip of it on BRAVO's 100 Scariest Movie Moments and it looked interesting.