Jeffrey Risher

Oops, I forgot about these...

Morning Watch: "The Tin Star" (1957) Another winning Western from Anthony Mann. This time with Henry Fonda, and Anthony Perkins. Beautifully shot, with an enormously appealing cast working with a tight, and satisfying script. Every scene and plot point is exactly right. A real pleasure to watch.

My standard base Christmas watch list. ("Christmas in Connecticut" is the only one in the 4 Pack I watch, sometimes "Boys Town"). I'll pop in "Die Hard" and others but these are my main viewings scattered through December.

It's a fun, nostalgic and likable movie, with lots of quotable lines. I don't know if you'd enjoy it now, only because it feels like you've made up your mind about it. It's not "It's a Wonderful Life", but I do understand why it's become so popular.

"Porkys" wasn't my kind of movie (but it did well with pre-teen & teenage boys). But "A Christmas Story" has replaced "It's a Wonderful Life" as THE Holiday movie everyone loves (there's even a stage show now). I honestly can't believe you haven't seen it. They do marathons of it every December.

Often credited as the first "slasher" film. Four years before "Halloween". Directed by the late, Bob Clark, the same guy who later did "Porkys" and the now enormously popular "A Christmas Story".

The Criterion release of Guillermo Del Toro's remake of "Nightmare Alley" includes his original black & white vision. While the color theatrical release garnered 3 Oscar nods, had it been released as intended, it would be hailed as a dark, gritty masterpiece of modern filmmaking. Beautifully bleak.

Maybe a tiny shred, but only at the beginning during her fierce ride to scatter her father's ashes. After that, her deceptions are far too calculated to feel anything but repelled. Probably her best and most complex performance.

The thought that someone, somewhere 110 years ago used this pattern to create this very same doily is the reason I enjoy using (primarily) antique patterns.

This one, simply named "Doily" is from the "Priscilla Crochet Book: Centrepieces and Doilies" published in 1915, Priscilla Publishing, Boston

You probably would have loved it like I did. The scene where Amy Irving makes the guy explode predated the exploding head in "Scanners" by a couple years and was THE horror scene frequently discussed among my friends. I have a lot of affection for that flick.

Today's underrated film: "Christine" (2016) Anchored by a brilliant performance by Rebecca Hall as FL news reporter, Christine Chubbuck. Who, in 1974, achieved National infamy when she announced on WXLT's Suncoast Digest, the network was about to present "exclusive coverage of an attempted suicide".

I think I have four copies of this on Blu-Ray. It was public domain so a dozen different labels released it. Then the boutique studios did some restorations and every time another released their "restored version" I bought it. I'm hopeless. It's also a frequent watch for me. Welles hated it.

As near as I can tell this pattern is from the mid-1950s. I like it, it's more playful than a lot of the patterns I hook.

Are you spying on my Facebook account? At the beginning of the month I did a whole post about the perfection of the "Innervisions" album.

Same. I know I'm risking my 'gay card', but I've never liked "Auntie Mame". I like her in "His Girl Friday" & "Night Must Fall". Find her tedious in "The Women"& (the awful) "The Guilt of Janet Ames". But in "Picnic" & "The Velvet Touch", she's excellent.

Oh good. I found it streaming and thought it might be hard to find. From the writing on up, every aspect lifts it above similar storylines. I think it's the most subdued and textured performance of Russell's career. Plus Sydney Greenstreet as the detective! It's a real hidden gem.

Today's find: "The Velvet Touch". A well-written/directed noirish drama with Rosalind Russell giving a great performance as a comedic Broadway star desperate to play a serious role. Russell is hit-or-miss for me. Her shrewish turn in "Picnic" is a fave, but, for authenticity, this wins. #Filmsky

YouTube video by Art Of Noise The Art of Noise featuring Duane Eddy - Peter Gunn (Official Video)

I think my favorite is the Art of Noise version WITH Duane Eddy

youtu.be/tK-vUY6erQU?...

Before the Criterion release two years ago, I had only seen lousy TV prints with commercials breaking it up. When I bought it I wasn't sure if it was as good as I thought it was. Turns out, it was much better. Glad it's finally getting the attention it deserves.

Drive-In Friday. Tonight's feature is the 1975 Drive-In classic, "Race With The Devil". I remember seeing it twice back then. It was the second feature both times. It's a solid, creepy, tense thriller with a strong cast who saw something they shouldn't have. #driveinmovies #moviesky #Horror

"Enemy of the State" (1998) with Gene Hackman and Will Smith is a sort of unofficial sequel to "The Conversation". It's not as good (few films are) but it's a solid thriller and worth watching.

♥️♥️♥️ I watched and photographed the dismantling of the Jack Tar Hotel while it was happening. I wish Union Square still looked like it did in this film. My current dentist is in the building where he met with Robert Duvall & Harrison Ford. This has always been one of my favorite Gene Hackman films.

I think it's one of Susan Haywards most appealing performances. If you fall into it, it's easy to suspend disbelief, while rooting for the oddballs to figure it out. Learning "whodunnit" could be sad, but somehow it isn't. Even people who don't like noir (whoever they are) would like this one.

They were clearly very selective about the comments they chose to feature. Some of these people sound downright delusional. He's a convicted felon and a liar. His election is one of the lowest points in our history. I won't normalize it.

I always thought it was hilarious that Merritt was intentionally trying to make people lisp when discussing the band. I mean, he called the group The 6ths (tricky enough to say) and the albums Wasps' Nests & Hyacinths and Thistles (no way to butch up any of that!)

I truly did gasp. I actually had this one on VHS. You know I'm not a big Comedy guy, but Billy Wilder had a special touch.

It's not a happy tale, but it's a great flick. I was in a Gregory Peck mood and it was between that and "Yellow Sky" (also great). I know it's annoying that I have always seen the stuff you watch. It annoys me to say it most of the time.

Great film. It's funny, I just rewatched that last month.

Emerald Song

Paramount

I did some intricate hooking over the holiday. Both patterns are from 2007. The green one is called "Emerald Song" 15" across, The off-white is "Paramount" and it's 20" across. I usually prefer antique patterns, but I found these and liked them

I think I'll watch it today. I haven't seen it in years. The one thing that stands out in my memory is just how effective Spike Lee is in creating an atmosphere of oppressive heat on film, he did the same thing in Summer of Sam.