General Films thread

[Mudlark @mudlark]

@blenkinsopthebrave

Thanks for the tip regarding the DVD. I didn’t realise that anything other than stills survived of the original Quatermass Experiment, because the only method of recording in 1953 was by filming either the live action or the image on the TV screen, and the resulting picture quality was sometimes more than a bit fuzzy. The same applies to Quatermass II.  I had – maybe still have – a Penguin paperback with the scripts but I never saw them as broadcast because  we didn’t have a TV until 1957.  VERA, the video recording system developed by the BBC in 1958 was presumably used for recording Quatermass and the Pit, before they switched to a better system developed in the USA.  I  watched a live broadcast re-creation of  The Quatermass Experiment on BBC4 in 2005, which I think was faithful to the original, except that the Tate Modern was substituted for Westminster Abbey in the climax. Only just now, when looking it up to check the date, did I realise that the 2005 cast included David Tenant, when he already knew that he would be the 10th Doctor.

@dentarthurdent

That sounds horrifyingly claustrophobia-inducing. The cellars of that house were always a bit creepy, although the extreme effect of Quatermass on on our excursions into them didn’t last very long. The main and relatively well lit part was in regular use because there was a stone shelf which, in the absence of a refrigerator, was sometimes used for keeping food chilled, and my brothers also used it as a darkroom for developing photographs. The really spooky parts were the unlit compartments to the side of this main cellar, one of  which contained a large and particularly sinister looking  furnace/boiler for the central heating system installed c.1910 – never used by us because, even if the system had been proved safe, it reportedly gobbled about 1 cwt of coal or coke a day – not practical in a 1950s post-war economy.

The nearest things in spookiness which I have experienced as an adult archaeologist were some of the abandoned and isolated sites I was required to research and survey before I was forced, kicking and protesting, to retire. Among the worst were WWII defence installations which were being assessed to to determine whether they should be designated as historic monuments. One in particular which I remember was a well preserved coastal battery in Suffolk dating from 1940; pretty much everything was still there except the guns, but the compartments to the rear – magazine and accommodation for the crew etc. – were below ground and flooded. I had a torch and wellies but baulked at the prospect of actually wading into the murk. Who knows what lurked beneath the surface of that dark water.

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

@mudlark After watching the two extant episodes, I was reading about the audience reception.  Apparently a significant number of television sets had been purchased at the time of the coronation. But there was little experience of actually watching a thriller on TV. On the basis of the two episodes I watched last night I can only imagine the response of the average television viewer  in the UK to “The Quatermass Experiment” in 1953. They must have been terrified!

 

[Mudlark @mudlark]

@blenkinsopthebrave

Yes, the coronation of QEII saw a major boost in the sale of TV sets in the UK. As you may remember, this featured as a major plot device in The Idiot’s Lantern, where the Tenth Doctor and Rose inadvertently end up in London in 1953. It was also the case in Norfolk where we lived, although there was no transmitter serving the area at the time, so those who did purchase a TV set  probably viewed everything through a snowstorm of static. As for my family, we listened to the proceedings on radio before heading to the village for the local bucolic celebrations. And yes, almost everything then on TV had the greater impact of novelty, so the first Quatermass series must have had an almost seismic shock effect, though I don’t remember  hearing of it

When it came to Quatermass II I was well aware and remember each week waiting impatiently for an account of the latest episode from more fortunate classmates who did have TV sets.

 

[Oochillyo @oochillyo]

hey everyone 🙂 🙂 how are you all 🙂 🙂

I’m meant to be going out at 9 ish today (Morning) but its 2am haha just watched the most crazy funny film in a long time 🙂

At first it had German music and I knew the song cause used to listen to it and other German songs cause this girl at school not sure if I’ve mentioned her but yeah

And was like ah another reminder of her of recent so stayed to hear the song and the film was crazy from start and it got cooler and cooler and funny and like the coolness changed but it was like wow how crazy is this and then funny like seriously I just found a classic like for me if I can watch again I’ll be happy 🙂

Great acting – funny moments , lot of cool visuals like the electric like the classic Tesla electric equipment , amazing stunts , the gadgets ha what a joy 🙂 02:25

Maybe it started as crazy and became ridiculous but like just pure fun level 11/10 🙂

Ooo and just found it its part of a trilogy wow haha 🙂 02:14

Film was called X X X (or Triple X) Radical Mission

film triple x radical mission poster – Search Images (bing.com)

I even forgot how bonkers the start was it was kinda Matrix like wow this film it changes and is soo crazy and fun and interesting I am soo happy someone made this film – yes had sad and tough topics but I still enjoyed the overall film and how fun and crazy it all was and sweet ending, its like James Bond but turbo 🙂

Take care everyone stay positive hugs health happiness and love 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Regards – Declan Sargent

• This reply was modified 1 year, 3 months ago by  Oochillyo. Reason: I had to edit cause of copy paste spam

[winston @winston]

@dentarthurdent and @mudlark    Your talk of scary cellars and viaducts reminded me of our spooky cellar when I was  child. We lived in a very old log home built in the 1880s that had a very dark cellar with a dirt floor. I was about 8 yrs old and had a very active imagination and was convinced that people or pets were buried down there.For months I refused to go down there unless I was made to and then I almost peed myself with fright.Did I mention that the stairs were open so I thought something might grab my feet on my way back up them? Finally I had to tell my Father what was scaring me and to his credit he didn’t just laugh it off although he also told me I was an idiot… in a kind way. I was still terrified and in the end he spent a whole summer digging out the floor so it wasn’t so claustrophobic, pouring a cement floor and painting all of it bright white. No dark corners for monsters to hide in  and no skeletons under the old floor. I never loved the cellar but it was better after that.

To tie this into the films thread I had managed to watch the old black and white version of “Night of the Living Dead” (I had an older brother) a few months before we moved into the house.That movie scared me more than any movie has since.

stay out of dark places

[Dentarthurdent @dentarthurdent]

@mudlark @winston I had a slightly alarming subterranean experience. I visited a little old sewage pumping station, built in the 1920’s. Auckland City had done things properly, with a little control building at ground level, and little underground pump room maybe 20 feet below it. So as I entered the control building and switched all the lights on, I could see it was a nice little room with all mod cons – a flush toilet in one corner, a desk and chair, a handbasin, it even had hot water thanks to a Zip heater (a thing a bit like a whistling kettle, but cylindrical and fixed to the wall). You could live in there. In another corner was the shaft down to the pump room, about two feet square. So I clambered down this shaft, into a little room with two small eletric-motor-driven pumps, one of which was whirring away contentedly. As I took notes, I heard a faint moaning sound, which very slowly increased to a definite howl – impossible to tell where it was coming from, in such echoing surroundings it was everywhere at once. All I could think of was maybe one of the pump bearings was starting to sieze, which – conceivably – could lead to the pump shaft seal being destroyed and sewage squirting everywhere, not an attractive prospect. By now the howl was quite scarily loud. So I started back up the ladder as fast as I could, with the howl rising to a scream, banged my head on the handrail at the top but just managed not to fall back down the shaft, at which point the howl rapidly died down as the Zip heater (which I had inadvertently switched on along with the lights) switched itself off thermostatically.

[winston @winston]

@dentarthurdent     Don’t you just hate when that happens? We Whovians just have very active imaginations I guess! I am a grown women who is terrified of the dark to this day.

stay safe

[Dentarthurdent @dentarthurdent]

@winston By rights I should have probably reported it to Health & Safety, since the noise could interfere with communication, and the possibility of banging your head on the handrail when exiting the shaft and falling back down it was a definite hazard, noise or not. They would probably just have made it compulsory to wear a hard hat though, which was always a pain. So I didn’t.

[Oochillyo @oochillyo]

hey everyone 🙂 🙂 how are you all 🙂 🙂

I have wrote soo much today over 2000 words in my story but just here now cause that film Triple X Secret Mission is on again and I am watching with joy all over my face 🙂

Take care everyone stay positive hugs health happiness and love 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Regards – Declan Sargent

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

After expressing my discomfort with the way RTD2 has moved Who into the realm of fantasy and magic, I start to think about those who have successfuly combined fantasy, magic and something very British. For me, the one movie that stands out is Powell and Pressburger’s wonderful 1946 prduction, “A Matter of Life and Death”.

Not only did I watch it again last night (for the umpteenth time) but I watched the recent Criterion version which boasts a brilliant digital restoration. The result is an intensity of the colour and of the black and white sequences that is simply breathtaking.

For those who have not seen it, I do not want to spoil it, so I can only encourage you to find some way of watching it. Believe me when I say it is simply one of the most emotionally uplifting film experiences I can think of. And for those who have seen it, the importance of the tear drop made me think of what we have been saying about the Doctor’s tears this season, and watching the movie again I was struck by how Doctor-like (in the Who sense) Roger Livesey plays his role.

For me this movie (particularly now it has been digitally restored and enhanced in this Criterion edition) is (in all senses of the term) one of the most magical films ever made.

 

[winston @winston]

@blenkinsopthebrave    That movie is magic and I have loved it since the first time I watched it ,50 or so years ago. It was on TV and I remember how emotional it made me. It has all the feels and leaves you grinning like an idiot. Everyone should watch it. I know I’ve  had a crush on David Niven ever since.

It was called “Stairway to Heaven” here in Canada. Thanks for reminding me of it but now I must find it and watch it again. I need a feel good movie.

stay safe

[blenkinsopthebrave @blenkinsopthebrave]

@winston Yes, it was a magical film. And for me, the most emotionally uplifting film I can imagine. When I watched again a couple of nights ago I could feel my eyes starting to water up.

@nerys Perhaps your local library might have it. It comes with a 5 star Blenkinsop recommendation. Here is the trailer:

 

[nerys @nerys]

@blenkinsopthebrave Thank you, I will look it up!

[WhoHar @whohar]

@blenkinsopthebrave @nerys @winston

I remember watching this film many years ago on television. Always a fan of David Niven (Incidentally I’m just starting his autobiography The Moon’s a Balloon). Unfortunately, the only copy on blu-ray I can find is Region A. I do have a region free blu-ray player but it’s not great, so I may not see the full benefit of the restored version.

The increasing technology in the field of restoration (Field of Restoration sounds like a Who story title) has given us some impressive results. I was gifted the It’s a Wonderful Life Blu-ray a couple of Christmases ago. I’ve always been rather against colourisation of black and white films, partly because the ones I had seen were done badly, and partly because my understanding is that B&W films are lighted in a specific way that’s doesn’t always translate well to colour. Anyhoo, I digress, and back to IAWL. So, I put this colourised blu-ray on and it blew me away. It lifted the whole movie up. Now I’ve seen IAWL many times in B&W, so maybe it was partly down to the novelty of James Stewart et al in colour, but I’m a convert.

[Oochillyo @oochillyo]

hey everyone 🙂 how are you all 🙂

I just found this amazing really amazing film, been watching it this night even when it freezes and about half way through but I love it so wanted to add it here.

One of my best friends visited us earlier this week (hadn’t seen him face to face in about 2 years) and my cousins who I see once a year and we watched a bunch of films together 🙂 aswell as beach time and connecting and my uncle showed me this great website to watch films and tv shows for free so its the day they gone home and I went through after doing my reading had about 20 mins to go through and find a film and picked this film never seen it before etc but such a gem and really great one like meaningful after my friend and cousins have gone back home and have to wait another year. Nearly cried even before half way of this film I don’t care if it’s simple premise its smart and heartfelt really really become one of my fav films I love Will Smith I Robot but I took that off my top 4 films on Letterboxd now for this one

I might go to be soon its 01:32am and got another hour of the film pretty much half way through and cause sometimes it freezes etc might carry on tomorrow or not cause this film is really enjoyable even though kinda sad but enjoyable to watch. My First film on this great website my uncle recommend and after they gone soo glad I found a good one a really good one. Even 22mins in like when it froze for a while I knew this is brilliant film. So many films slide under the radar and I’m also trying to watch at least 1 film of each year in the 2000’s for my tally? and this is my first 2000 film and such a treat. Sorry I was gonna keep this super short, haven’t been on in a while and pointing out this great film but you all know I’m not good at limiting when I’m thinking/texting. Totally worth it this film to check out. Heart, sadness, humour. love. Time and family are precious 🙂

Take care everyone stay positive hugs and love 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Regards – Declan Sargent 01:20-01:37

[Oochillyo @oochillyo]

Maybe the resolutions isn’t too sharp but that’s the films I got so far that I know dates for etc.

My cousins 🙂 and me watched 6 films over about 3/4 days before they left (my friend and them only here for a week but my friend arrived few days earlier so just with my cousins watching the films with my cousins to fill the gap in my heart there and now I miss them all but gonna keep watching films and have more to talk about with them 🙂

We watched in order – Madagascar, Jumper, Get Out, The Equalizer, A Quiet Place and Django over those days about 3 or 4 nights in addition to other places and things we did over the week 🙂

From my memory maybe I was like 4 when I saw these cousins and many years past. Only ‘met’ them last year around this time. So once a year they visit now and they are super nice but its tough when they have to go after a week but we had lovely time again, beach, zoo, swimming, one of my best friends, them and me all having a laugh and about 20 people for dinner few days ago now its just 3 of us and Molly and quite house and 364 days to go so yeah thanks for listening sorry if this wasn’t necessary for you to know but its good to share and let things be open.

Stay safe everyone and hope you have lovely times with your family and friends too take care hugs 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

Regards – Declan Sargent 01:50

[has.ayres @t2662]

Hi guys i have the torchwood books series for sale 🙂 Just click the link to take you to my vinted

https://www.vinted.co.uk/items/5014249064-torchwood-doctor-who-books-1-15-and-19-with-archives

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