Last week Arbo guessed correctly and it was good to have him back in the game. After thirteen clips there are only five names on the points board with Bill in the clear lead. Today a short clip and if no one gets it, a second short clip from the same movie will go up just because the first one is so short. Good luck.
Clip Number Two
75 comments:
I don't know it. And I think if I'd seen the film, I'd remember this. Looks funny, though.
I'm going to say that line if someone other than you or Flickhead wins the whole thing. Because I'll be thinking, "God who could ever have believed it would end this way? Who? WHO?"
Not me! I keep hoping for another easy one, or at least easy for me. Also, I've tried Googling the dialogue, some description of the scene...nothing.
I'm going to guess wrong:
The Boy Friend, just because the guy in the top hat looks like Tommy Tune.
I thought of Tommy Tune, as well, but he's nowhere near tall enough. Did Tommy Tune ever get arrested, and was that period of his life ever depicted as a play-within-a-film?
I don't even know who plays that part. It's a throwaway scene to set up how awful the play is you're watching.
I'll put up the second clip in a second.
Bullets Over Broadway?
Not B over B but it is about a playwright.
Still nothing.
Nothing huh? Nothing about a playwright, whose current work sucks (as evidenced in the first clip) and is desperate? Nothing?
Playwright. Desperate.
It takes place at the Montauk Playhouse, that much is obvious. "Author! Author!"?
Nope, sorry. That's just the Montauk train station shown in the film. The movie is based on a play about a failing playwright desperate and willing to do anything.
It was a favorite of community theatres for years but now...
AND HERE COMES THE DEAD GIVEAWAY
... it's considered too insensitive to gays.
I'll go along with Marilyn: Is it AUTHOR! AUTHOR!?
I just found it on google typing in three keywords from my last comment.
La Cage Aux Folles?
Making It
No, and sorry, it was four keywords. And then it's number two on Google. Just four keywords: Gay, Desperate and then two other words.
Boy, I guess this movie didn't have many people see it huh?
Gay playwright needs money, will murder for it. Plot based on many twists and turns...
like...
Sleuth. Very much like that.
Sorry, Greg, but I haven't seen 90%of the films you post for "Name the Movie." Time for my meeting now.
Prick Up Your Ears?
Sorry Marilyn, I thought that last clue was the google searching clincher.
For everyone without a meeting:
It's a lot like SLEUTH. Get it? Twist, turns, older man, younger man, dead wife and of course something else they have in common that I really can't say because it really would be the equivalent of just typing out the name.
DEATHTRAP? That's not it, I'll bet.
Deathtrap?
If that's it, Bill, damn you.
And... that's it! Bill got it! It's Deathtrap! Wow, I had no idea this one would take longer than The Silver Horde. Who'da thunk it? It's no great shakes as a play or movie but it's entertaining and Michael Caine is excellent. Also Christopher Reeves is actually pretty menacing in his role, believe it or not.
Wow. I can't believe so many people, including me, have apparently never seen it. I've actually always wanted to, and almost bought a cheap copy just this past weekend.
I thought I was all alone in never having caught that one.
Oh, and sorry, Ed...
I saw it on cable in the early eighties like once a week. I bought the cheap DVD myself a few years ago (it's not letterboxed). It's got good twists and turns with characters getting killed but it turns out not quite and then they kill but maybe not and so on. And of course, you can't trust anyone.
If only I'd been here a bit sooner, I might have been able to win!
I was the assistant director on a community theatre production of "Deathtrap" about 10 years ago. It's not a bad play, but it's very dated; as I recall a lot of the plot contrivances hinge on there being only one carbon copy of the playwright's work and so forth. You kind of have to remember what life was like before computers to fully get it.
as I recall a lot of the plot contrivances hinge on there being only one carbon copy of the playwright's work and so forth. You kind of have to remember what life was like before computers to fully get it....
You're right, that's a plot device. If the play can be destroyed before it's published then the evidence will go with it and so on based on the fact that there are no carbon copies.
If you see the movie though, the thing that kept me going back to it on cable was the house. God, I love that house. It's magical.
You kind of have to remember what life was like before computers to fully get it...
I wouldn't say that dates the film. Literally, yes, but not in the negative sense. I'd hate to think that some day people will criticize movies for being dated because you have to remember what life was like before Twitter.
I hate movies that came before Twitter. If I could, I'd alter via cgi Casablanca so that the final scene has Rick and Ilsa doing the whole thing with Twitter.
RBlaine372: Ilsa, 2 peepul, w/ R probs not even hill of beans.
IlsaLoveChild1122: Rick, OMG, I do not love Lasso.
RBlaine372: Lasso?
IlsaLoveChild1122: ROTF LMAO! Can't believe I did that! Lazlo! Ha ha.
RBlaine372: Get on plane, Nazis.
IlsaLoveChild1122: ;)
RBlaine372: :p
There was life before twitter?
Another one I would have got--- I remember seeing Deathtrap years and years ago as I was getting into Lumet. I've moved away from it, as I have large parts of Lumet, mostly because I feel a smugness and a sense of detachment from him, as well as the fact that his films rarely benefit from repeat viewings. He puts all his emphasis on story and characters (not that there's anything wrong with that), but to me it's all there and it's all obvious enough the first time around.
But Deathtrap has good performances from both Reeve and Caine, and it is fun.
I wouldn't say that dates the film. Literally, yes, but not in a negative sense.Agreed. But it does make it absolutely mandatory that the play forever be done as a period piece. it can't be set in the present day, because it would make no sense. That's not a bad thing either, just a limitation.
Ryan, Christopher Reeve has gotten some pretty bad raps as an actor and not without reason. I found his performance in Street Smart seriously lacking and he has one or two notes that he relied on for everything. But in Deathtrap both of those notes are needed and it turns out he has them. He comes off as somewhat sympathetic and goofy, ala Clark Kent, and really menacing, ala Evil Superman in SUPERMAN 3.
Greg, you make-a me laugh. That was good stuff.
Pat, that's a good point. I never thought of it that way but if you were doing a production now you would have to say in the program that the play takes place in 1982, otherwise the audience would wonder why there weren't backups to the play online and on cd.
Always happy to spread joy when I can Bill.
otherwise the audience would wonder why there weren't backups to the play online and on cd...
Screw those people. Seriously, if you don't have a basic sense of technological history, that should be tipped off the first time someone in the play says "carbon", then just stay home.
Ryan - Lumet has done a lot of stellar work, I think. Plus, he was probably one of the first directors I latched on to in my early cinephilia, so I have a soft spot for him. Besides, Dog Day Afternoon and The Verdict and so forth.
Lumet has done a lot of stellar work, I think....
Agreed.
Plus, he was probably one of the first directors I latched on to in my early cinephilia, so I have a soft spot for him....
Again, I second that notion.
Besides, Dog Day Afternoon and The Verdict and so forth....
Agreed again! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Try picking a fight with that one.
On THAT note, you should watch your copy of Deathtrap, if you like Lumet. It's a lighter side of him for sure but he goes to a lot of the same places he does in his career. Plus, he's a great text-book case in how to make a stage play cinematic.
Well Bill I don't see what's wrong with giving the play a time and place. But anyway, I love Dog Day Afternoon and The Verdict.
And anyway, the house! I love the house. I said that before but I just wanted to say it again. The house is great.
Agreed again! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Try picking a fight with that one...
Yeah but...I wanted to...aw, hell!
If you agree with all that, I'm curious which Lumet films you've cooled on. And don't pull a Greg and say that you don't want anyone getting mad at you! That shit's for pussies!
And I didn't buy Deathtrap...I almost did. I probably will now, mainly for the praise of Reeve. I actually thought he was great in Remains of the Day, however much that film pales in comparison to the novel, which is actually a perfect work of art.
Well Bill I don't see what's wrong with giving the play a time and place...
Beacuse then you're caving in to the morons! Fight them! Fight, I say!
Man the IM-style translations of famous movies would be a great Invisible Edge feature. Although it's at least as depressing as it is funny. Browsing around Borders, I've seen novels, apparently written for "young adults," in which the text is entirely in that kind of LOL/OMG shorthand, and the characters speak to one another in IM or e-mail transcripts. If this is the millennial version of the epistolary novel, I'll pass...
I thought he was good in Remains of the Day too. Bill, I hope you don't know too much about the plot of Deathtrap, because it kind of hinges on unexpected twists.
Well, I actually do know one big thing that you said you wouldn't mention because it would be like giving away the answer. I've known it for many years, so there's no getting around it, and I still want to see it anyway.
If this is the millennial version of the epistolary novel, I'll pass...
As will I... ugh. That shit sounds awful. On the other hand, my new weekly serialized story, Death Ray Daughters, will be magnificent.
MAGNIFICENT!
If this is the millennial version of the epistolary novel, I'll pass...
But they're trying to appeal to kids and they way they are today! It'll get them reading! Until they come across a book not written like that, and then they'll stop.
Why don't people realize that this stuff is making everyone dumber?
Why don't people realize that this stuff is making everyone dumber?...
They do. Why do you think they're doing it? The dumber people are, the more likely they are to buy whatever trash is shoved at them. It's a vicious but profitable cycle.
Until they come across a book not written like that, and then they'll stop...
EXACTLY!!! Boy I've been fighting that fight for years. When people say this or that piece of crap children or teen book is valuable if only because it gets them reading I always say, "Well, if someone spends their childhood watching horrible crap like PORKY'S and Adam Sandler movies and CANNONBALL RUN chances are they're never going to indulge an Ophuls film if given the opportunity."
Bad art is not a gateway to good art.
IT'S JUST BAD!
Bill -
... "Remains of the Day", however much that film pales in comparison to the novel, which is actually a perfect work of art.Amen! I love Ishiguro. "Remains of the Day" is wonderful, and "Never Let Me Go" may well be the best book I read in the last five years.
If you agree with all that, I'm curious which Lumet films you've cooled on. And don't pull a Greg and say that you don't want anyone getting mad at you! That shit's for pussies!...
Well, the last thing I would want to be is wishy washy like out host Greg, but honestly looking over his credits on the IMDb I can't really find one I've seen that I dislike (outside of The Wiz), and Fail-Safe is a personal favorite. I do like his movies but the desire to revisit his movies isn't usually burning. They seem to pretty much put it all out there and I think they tend to state any point they have to make pretty blatantly.
I confess to having never seen The Pawnbroker or any of his newer movies.
I think The Pawnbroker falls apart in its last thirty minutes. It's tightly wound until then and then all subtlety just flies out the window. It's like watching two different movies.
Amen! I love Ishiguro. "Remains of the Day" is wonderful, and "Never Let Me Go" may well be the best book I read in the last five years...
For anyone with aspirations to be a fiction writer -- or any kind of writer, really -- The Remains of the Day is truly, powerfully humbling. It's just extraordinary. Really. If anyone feels less inclined to read that novel because you've seen the film, get past it, and go get a copy, and read it.
And Pat, I still haven't gotten around to Never Let Me Go, but it's currently high on my TBR pile. My understanding is that it's the closest Ishiguro has come to matching Remains. Also, don't know if you're aware, but he has a new book -- short stories -- coming out later this year.
It's been so long since I've seen The Pawnbroker that I don't remember anything about it, although I do remember seeing Rod Steiger interviewed on that late night show Bob Costas used to have, and Steiger got pretty worked up and emotional talking about that film.
Many of Lumet's recent movies aren't that good, and some are outright bad. As for Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, it's a curiosity -- for me at least -- in that I think it's vastly overrated, without actually being bad.
Rod Steiger is fantastic in it. The movie has some very good things about but he's the best thing by far. His early scenes of pent up rage are amazing. It's just that later when it all comes out it seems overblown - but he's terrific anyway.
I think my favorite Lumet film is "Network." It holds up well on repeated viewings, even now.
Pat, that movie so accurately pegged what television would become it now seems like a documentary. And since the Oscars went to Finch, Dunaway and Straight I feel I should stand up for William Holden who I feel gives the best performance in the movie.
Or Duvall, who's also great.
Network is right up there for me, too. Sometimes that's my favorite, sometimes Dog Day Afternoon. I don't care if Lumet's films are not that subtle, because not everything has to be. I can go, and often do, go back to films based on story, performances, alone.
If you're going to do a "movies starring Michael Caine and Christopher Reeve based on plays about plays" double bill I guess you'd have to pair DEATHTRAP with NOISES OFF.
Mr. Peel I can't see any other way around it. Some double bills simply leave you no choice.
By the way, I saw a production of Noises Off. Anyone ever seen a stage production of it. It's wild because they have a fake audience on the other side of the stage.
Noises Off is great, isn't it? Reeve really was an underrated comic actor. And Greg is right (there, I said it), Reeve is very good in Deathtrap.
I think if they made the Twitter CASABLANCA, it would have to star Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, yes? And Jack Black as Louis (maybe Topher Grace as Lazlo).
Damn, I'm always coming to these late. Just saw Deathtrap, too, so I might have gotten this one. Oh, well-- can I get a point just for making fun of Bill? That counts, right?
Wait a minute, when did you make fun of Bill? Or is it something you're going to do in the future if you get a point for it? I recommend calling him a big poopy head. That infuriates him.
I never saw Deathtrap on film because I actually saw the play.
Greg - I've see "Noise Off" on stage a couple of times, one of the funniest plays I've ever seen. I've never been as fond of the film as I am of the stage play. It's well cast, but it just loses something for me in the translation to film. Wish I could be more specific, but it's been a long time since I saw the film.
Peter, it's a good jump to film. If you liked the play you might like the movie even better.
Pat, I totally agree. The movie version of Noises Off seems a little lifeless somehow. I don't know exactly what it is either but it's not the same.
God, I knew that image without having to run the clip and you blind fools were fumbling around in the dark like... sightless people.
[Sighs so heavily he blows all the coupons off his desk.]
Arbo's back! Yes! Deathtrap, boy, I have it memorized thanks to Showtime in the early eighties. I love when Sidney does the whole speech asking Clifford whether he has "any sense of moral obligation whatsoever." I'd like to ask more people that myself but I don't know many sociopaths.
Just Fox, right?
Yeah, but he wouldn't get the question so what's the point.
Oh, and all the kewl kids abbreviate "hill of beans" as HOB these days, or MDF in Spanish.
But I'm not kewl...
and I accept that.
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