EWB Film Club

[Benjamin]

It's A Wonderful Life truly is a wonderful film. Watching it, especially if you did it during Christmas time, gave me that crazy good warm feeling you get at the end of the year.

[Monkey D. Lars]

So, who;s still in it?

[Jimmy]

Sorry guys, I'm just a little behind, but I will catch up.

For this week, Larz is a go!

[Monkey D. Lars]

So, I finally decided who is my pick but first some of the people who didn't make it: Sean Connery, Stanley Kubrick, Steven Spielberg and Daniel Craig were people I was seriously considering. But the winner is!

The man who also dominated the 40/50's! Humphrey Bogart.

If you need any tips (I've only seen Casablanca with him, but these are amazing or so I heard): The Big Sleep (1946), Angels with Dirty Faces (1932), The African Queen (1951) and In a Lonely Place (1950).

Hopefully we will enjoy Mister Humphrey Bogart's work!

[Benjamin]

Watch Sabrina, guys, then you can watch a Billy Wilder, Audrey Hepburn and Will Holden movie all at the same time!

I'm gonna be watching the Caine Mutiny

[Jimmy]

I'd be interested to know what people's opinions are about picking actors at the moment. My worry about us keeping onto pick actors is that there isn't actually much to talk about. An actor's career is more varied, and it's harder to compare films, whereas with a director there is always going to be running themes in their work to compare. I just kind of fear we're losing any kind of discussion aspect, but that's up to everyone. Boggart's still a great choice, either way.

[Monkey D. Lars]

^{Directors are also fine by me. If people want that I would happily change it to Kubrick.}

[Your Mom]

I think I might prefer directors but I found a Bogart movie too if we are sticking with that

[Monkey D. Lars]

Bogart is just epic at playing tormented souls! His role as Dixie Steele in In A Lonely Place is just epic. A dark film but an amazing one!

[Jimmy]

I liked In A Lonely Place quite a bit, but I'd say Johnny Guitar and A Rebel Without A Cause are better Nicholas Ray films. Doesn't change that Bogart's performance is very, very good.

[Benjamin]

Holy shit, guys, Mr. Bogart's performance in The Caine Mutiny is fucking outstanding. I honestly thought that Brando's performance that same year was going to miles ahead of his, and that's why he won for Best Actor, but shit, I think it might be fucking close. He certainly made Jack Nicholson's one in A Few Good Men look almost ordinary by comparison.

Fucking excellent movie.

[Your Mom]

I'll be watching the African Queen because that's the only one on Netflix

[Benjamin]

Followed Caine Mutiny up with the Maltese Falcon, which is a bloody brilliant film noir film. Bogart's character here really reminds me of Rick Blaine, same class and that edge of danger. It's John Huston directorial debut, by the way, and I really liked it. Also Sydney Greenstreet, who I will always love, is in it and he and Bogart bounce lines off each other so smoothly, those were my favorite parts of the movie.

Enjoying Humphrey Bogart so much, I'm gonna' watch a third one of him in it

[Benjamin]

Third Bogart film: High Sierra. Bogart is again amazing, his anger, both when visible and when just symbolised, is just great. He's got these really wonderful moments in his close-ups where you feel he could do anything. Amazing, just loved him.

Rest of the film was pretty good, too, but he was definitely the most polished part.

[Jimmy]

The World Cup has really killed my film watching. Looks like I've got lots of catching up to do.

I will say that I'd encourage people to choose directors from now on, but it's up to them.

[Monkey D. Lars]

Directors would be great! Right now I have a Spielberg challenge to watch all of his movies (Which I can find) before December 31st after him it will be Clint Eastwood (as a director). Also I've watched the African Queen. Simply amazing. I hope Srar will enjoy it!

[Jimmy]

I'm definitely going to get back on track, cos I think it's a really nice project. Going a day early just to get things back to being on a Sunday. Benkid you're back up. I'll update the first page and really commit again.

[Jimmy]

Okay, all updated. I'm gonna go watch The Maltese Falcon to at least catch up on this week. I just think director's will cause more discussion, slightly fewer options should allow for a little more overlap in the same films watched, and should encourage more comparison between films. That said, three great picks with actors.

[Benjamin]

So who do you guys think I should choose that would get a lot of discussion? My initial thought was Miyazaki, but I don't know if you guys would want to watch his stuff, but he doesn't have such a lot of stuff that we all would be watching different movies.

Maybe Wong Kar-Wai? I'm open to suggestions.

[Jimmy]

I wouldn't say to pick purely on trying to make discussion, was just saying that picking directors lends itself to that more than actors. Pick whoever you like, man!