- Welcome to Badmovies.org Forum.
Recent posts
#11
Good Movies / Re: Recent Viewings, Part 2
Last post by M.10rda - Today at 12:10:07 PMQuote from: Rev. Powell on Today at 11:04:30 AMQuote from: M.10rda on Today at 09:27:09 AMRev. Powell, I never knew about the Brando/Kubrick western. Did it never happen or did Kubrick leave the project? I like THE APPALOOSA (starring Marlon) but it's tricky to imagine it beginning life as a Kubrick film. (Never seen MISSOURI BREAKS.)
Google's A.I. summary: "There's no completed Stanley Kubrick western, but he was set to direct Marlon Brando's 'One-Eyed Jacks', fired due to clashes with Brando, who then directed it himself."
Ah that makes sense. I need to see that 1, too. Thanks!
#12
Good Movies / Re: Recent Viewings, Part 2
Last post by M.10rda - Today at 12:09:24 PMA-ra-besque:
(Noun.) Ballet, a posture in which the body is supported on one leg, with the other leg extended horizontally backward.
2. (Noun.) An ornamental design consisting of intertwined flowing lines, originally found in Arabic or Moorish decoration.
3. (Adjective.) Kind of Arab in appearance without actually being Arab.
Those first two definitions are from Google, the third one is from common sense, and all three are relevant to...
ARABESQUE (1966):
...A highly clever, even too-clever action/adventure/spy comedy from Stanley Donen, who (based on the title alone) was sharp enough to know what he was doing when he directed this literally wild object that spirals in progressively larger and slightly less carefully controlled circles, preserving momentum and the nominal appearance of Order until its very last, brief but hopelessly dumb scene, at which point one begins doing the math and realizes that the entire plot is invalid, unsound, and bananas.
As in his thriller MIRAGE from the previous year, Gregory Peck stands in for Cary Grant amidst labyrinthine espionage intrigue ala NORTH BY NORTHWEST. In MIRAGE, Peck was an improbably clueless global prime mover suffering from the kind of shock/PTSD people only get in silly older Hollywood movies. In ARABESQUE, he's got more on the ball as a proto-Henry Jones-ish professor who goes full Indiana in the course of getting sucked into a Saudi plot underway in London. By the end of an increasingly fraught series of Bond-lite setpieces, Peck is racing on horseback through bucolic landscapes as the bad guys fire automatic weapons at him from a helicopter (!). Peck in MIRAGE looked hopelessly uptight while being pursued on foot or failing to deliver a solid punch. But in ARABESQUE he looks like he's had a stiff scotch or two before every scene - having a great, loose time in the most absurd scenarios. (The surreal highlight is when he's dosed with some kind of sodium penathol cocktail and freaks out on a highway at night - singing, dancing, and even gaily riding a bike while cars wipe out all around him.
The other comparison with MIRAGE is that it, too, had a preposterous plot that couldn't possibly hold up to serious scrutiny. The contrast is that MIRAGE's director Edward Dmytryk refused to lean into his ridiculous material, playing it catastrophically straight-faced until the end, whereas Donen (like Peck) really commits to ARABESQUE's insanity with reckless abandon. It works a lot better, at least to a point.
ARABESQUE isn't discussed much these days, and one reason is obvious: all of its major Arab characters are played by - brace yourself, you mightn't believe it - yes, white people: Sophia Loren, Alan Badel, Carl Duering, Kieron Moore, and George Colouris.
Badel had Peter Sellars' chameleonic career before Peter Sellars had it, thus looks and feels entirely at home in a light tan as the Bondian Supervillain (who never once removes his sunglasses). On the other hand, Duering (who would later play one of the doomed gay detectives in Zulawski's POSSESSION) is buried under so much makeup that, with an accent identical to Badel's, I actually thought his character was also played by Badel in a Strangelovian flourish. This is somehow the first time I've ever seen Loren in a movie, and based on a glance at her other credits it might be the last, too - but I am impressed. She gives a game performance to match Peck's and (as her legend would suggest) she does look phenomenal. Her legs are unspeakably amazing, as best showcased in a long weird scene where Badel interrogates her while slipping a succession of new high heels on her feet. (I bet Tarantino likes that scene.)
The entire film looks marvelous, with cinematography as creative and lovely as probably any other movie from '66. And Donen moves the action along at such a vigorous pace that one is never bored and almost never distracted by the plot's inherent logic or lack thereof. I enjoyed myself so much during ARABESQUE that I felt much worse an hour later as I replayed it in my head and resolved inescapably that the film's final reveals render impossible its initial premise (the justification for Peck's mission). Perhaps my experience with ARABESQUE is similar to that of people who sincerely enjoyed Soderbergh's OCEANS TWELVE, a film with a similar imploding plot twist. I hated OCEANS TWELVE for it but I can't find it in my heart to dislike ARABESQUE.
3.5/5 Then again, I unironically like Donen's SATURN 3, too!
(Noun.) Ballet, a posture in which the body is supported on one leg, with the other leg extended horizontally backward.
2. (Noun.) An ornamental design consisting of intertwined flowing lines, originally found in Arabic or Moorish decoration.
3. (Adjective.) Kind of Arab in appearance without actually being Arab.
Those first two definitions are from Google, the third one is from common sense, and all three are relevant to...
ARABESQUE (1966):
...A highly clever, even too-clever action/adventure/spy comedy from Stanley Donen, who (based on the title alone) was sharp enough to know what he was doing when he directed this literally wild object that spirals in progressively larger and slightly less carefully controlled circles, preserving momentum and the nominal appearance of Order until its very last, brief but hopelessly dumb scene, at which point one begins doing the math and realizes that the entire plot is invalid, unsound, and bananas.
As in his thriller MIRAGE from the previous year, Gregory Peck stands in for Cary Grant amidst labyrinthine espionage intrigue ala NORTH BY NORTHWEST. In MIRAGE, Peck was an improbably clueless global prime mover suffering from the kind of shock/PTSD people only get in silly older Hollywood movies. In ARABESQUE, he's got more on the ball as a proto-Henry Jones-ish professor who goes full Indiana in the course of getting sucked into a Saudi plot underway in London. By the end of an increasingly fraught series of Bond-lite setpieces, Peck is racing on horseback through bucolic landscapes as the bad guys fire automatic weapons at him from a helicopter (!). Peck in MIRAGE looked hopelessly uptight while being pursued on foot or failing to deliver a solid punch. But in ARABESQUE he looks like he's had a stiff scotch or two before every scene - having a great, loose time in the most absurd scenarios. (The surreal highlight is when he's dosed with some kind of sodium penathol cocktail and freaks out on a highway at night - singing, dancing, and even gaily riding a bike while cars wipe out all around him.
The other comparison with MIRAGE is that it, too, had a preposterous plot that couldn't possibly hold up to serious scrutiny. The contrast is that MIRAGE's director Edward Dmytryk refused to lean into his ridiculous material, playing it catastrophically straight-faced until the end, whereas Donen (like Peck) really commits to ARABESQUE's insanity with reckless abandon. It works a lot better, at least to a point.ARABESQUE isn't discussed much these days, and one reason is obvious: all of its major Arab characters are played by - brace yourself, you mightn't believe it - yes, white people: Sophia Loren, Alan Badel, Carl Duering, Kieron Moore, and George Colouris.
Badel had Peter Sellars' chameleonic career before Peter Sellars had it, thus looks and feels entirely at home in a light tan as the Bondian Supervillain (who never once removes his sunglasses). On the other hand, Duering (who would later play one of the doomed gay detectives in Zulawski's POSSESSION) is buried under so much makeup that, with an accent identical to Badel's, I actually thought his character was also played by Badel in a Strangelovian flourish. This is somehow the first time I've ever seen Loren in a movie, and based on a glance at her other credits it might be the last, too - but I am impressed. She gives a game performance to match Peck's and (as her legend would suggest) she does look phenomenal. Her legs are unspeakably amazing, as best showcased in a long weird scene where Badel interrogates her while slipping a succession of new high heels on her feet. (I bet Tarantino likes that scene.)The entire film looks marvelous, with cinematography as creative and lovely as probably any other movie from '66. And Donen moves the action along at such a vigorous pace that one is never bored and almost never distracted by the plot's inherent logic or lack thereof. I enjoyed myself so much during ARABESQUE that I felt much worse an hour later as I replayed it in my head and resolved inescapably that the film's final reveals render impossible its initial premise (the justification for Peck's mission). Perhaps my experience with ARABESQUE is similar to that of people who sincerely enjoyed Soderbergh's OCEANS TWELVE, a film with a similar imploding plot twist. I hated OCEANS TWELVE for it but I can't find it in my heart to dislike ARABESQUE.
3.5/5 Then again, I unironically like Donen's SATURN 3, too!
#13
Bad Movies / Re: The Ultimate So Bad It's G...
Last post by Rev. Powell - Today at 12:06:20 PMHere's a Google Sheets spreadsheet so you can sort by title or points if you want; https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JN0iqwwMsLY85NpLPULaMJGbTrVMoH8OLYecznVD3XE/edit?gid=0#gid=0
I will try to keep this up to date. I don't think anyone else can edit but if you find you can, please don't to avoid double counting and stuff.
I will try to keep this up to date. I don't think anyone else can edit but if you find you can, please don't to avoid double counting and stuff.
#14
Games / Re: Answer the question with a...
Last post by bob - Today at 12:03:05 PM
What's the best sandwich?
#16
Good Movies / Re: Recent Viewings, Part 2
Last post by Rev. Powell - Today at 11:18:29 AMAJ GOES TO THE DOG PARK (2025): Mild-mannered AJ's life is thrown into disorder when Fargo, ND's mayor changes his beloved dog park into a dog-free "blog park," so he decides to run for mayor himself. A homemade comedy feature that plays like an extended YouTube video, with campy acting, deliberately bad CGI, and a Zucker-Abrams-Zucker-inspired gag-a-minute structure; your mileage will vary depending on whether you vibe with the silly/juvenile comedy style (I didn't), but it is fast-paced and light enough to be watchable. 2/5
#17
Bad Movies / Re: The Ultimate So Bad It's G...
Last post by bob - Today at 11:05:24 AM-1 Batman and Robin
+1 Samurai Cop
adding Birdemic 3: Sea Eagle
10 Apple, The (1980)
10 Atomic Submarine, The (1959)
10 Attack of the Puppet People (1958)
9 Batman & Robin (1997)
10 Beast with a Million Eyes, The (1955)
10 Billy the Kid vs Dracula (1966)
10 Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010)
10 Birdemic 3: Sea Eagle (2002)
10 Dragon Lives Again, The (1977)
11 Fatal Deviation (1998)
10 Glen or Glenda? (1953)
11 Gymkata (1985)
11 Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987)
10 Hobgoblins (1988)
10 Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf (1985)
11 Howling Part 7: New Moon Rising, The (1995)
10 Leprechaun 4: In Space (1996)
10 Long John Silver's Return to Treasure Island (1954)
10 Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)
10 Message from Space (1978)
10 Miami Connection (1987)
10 Mitchell (1975)
11 No Holds Barred (1989)
13 Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)
10 Protector, The (1985)
11 Reefer Madness (1936)
10 Return of the Family Man (1990)
10 Robo Vampire (1988)
11 Robot Monster (1953)
11 Room, The (2003)
10 Samurai Cop (1991)
10 Santa Claus (1959)
10 Scanners 3: The Takeover (1992)
10 Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
12 Showgirls (1995)
11 Space Mutiny (1988)
11 Starcrash (1978)
12 Troll 2 (1990)
10 Wicker Man, The (2006)
10 Zardoz (1974)
+1 Samurai Cop
adding Birdemic 3: Sea Eagle
10 Apple, The (1980)
10 Atomic Submarine, The (1959)
10 Attack of the Puppet People (1958)
9 Batman & Robin (1997)
10 Beast with a Million Eyes, The (1955)
10 Billy the Kid vs Dracula (1966)
10 Birdemic: Shock and Terror (2010)
10 Birdemic 3: Sea Eagle (2002)
10 Dragon Lives Again, The (1977)
11 Fatal Deviation (1998)
10 Glen or Glenda? (1953)
11 Gymkata (1985)
11 Hard Ticket to Hawaii (1987)
10 Hobgoblins (1988)
10 Howling II: Your Sister Is a Werewolf (1985)
11 Howling Part 7: New Moon Rising, The (1995)
10 Leprechaun 4: In Space (1996)
10 Long John Silver's Return to Treasure Island (1954)
10 Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)
10 Message from Space (1978)
10 Miami Connection (1987)
10 Mitchell (1975)
11 No Holds Barred (1989)
13 Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959)
10 Protector, The (1985)
11 Reefer Madness (1936)
10 Return of the Family Man (1990)
10 Robo Vampire (1988)
11 Robot Monster (1953)
11 Room, The (2003)
10 Samurai Cop (1991)
10 Santa Claus (1959)
10 Scanners 3: The Takeover (1992)
10 Showdown in Little Tokyo (1991)
12 Showgirls (1995)
11 Space Mutiny (1988)
11 Starcrash (1978)
12 Troll 2 (1990)
10 Wicker Man, The (2006)
10 Zardoz (1974)
#18
Good Movies / Re: Recent Viewings, Part 2
Last post by Rev. Powell - Today at 11:04:30 AMQuote from: M.10rda on Today at 09:27:09 AMRev. Powell, I never knew about the Brando/Kubrick western. Did it never happen or did Kubrick leave the project? I like THE APPALOOSA (starring Marlon) but it's tricky to imagine it beginning life as a Kubrick film. (Never seen MISSOURI BREAKS.)
Google's A.I. summary: "There's no completed Stanley Kubrick western, but he was set to direct Marlon Brando's 'One-Eyed Jacks', fired due to clashes with Brando, who then directed it himself."
#19
Games / Re: Movie Title Chains
Last post by Rev. Powell - Today at 11:01:44 AMUnder the Silver Lake (2018)
A crazy and underrated movie, by the way.
A crazy and underrated movie, by the way.
#20
Bad Movies / Re: Generate Movie Poster with...
Last post by bob - Today at 11:01:31 AMQuote from: Rev. Powell on Today at 10:56:59 AM
I was envisioning an S&M type of dungeon, but I guess Copilot has a purer mind.
this is really cool... I may have to make a sequel to this