This and That
...Having grown up at a time when ordering a book or record album by mail from England was a process that could take a couple of months, it continues to amaze me that I can order DVDs from England on a Thursday and be holding them in my hands on the following Tuesday!
The movies? Region 2 DVDs of Max Ophuls' THE RECKLESS MOMENT (1949) and Gilliat and Launder's MILLIONS LIKE US (1943).
Two DVDs from England in five days for around $20? Amazing.
...This review of today's DVD release, CRACK IN THE WORLD (1965), cracked me up. It's in the Netflix queue! After all, as a commenter here recently said, any Dana Andrews movie is worth seeing once......I love the posters being used by TCM for next month's Summer Under the Stars festival. Check out the teaser website.
...Our family's "Practically Perfect" team signed up today for the MouseAdventure taking place at Disneyland next October. If nothing else, these events provide great exercise, with several hours of fast-paced, non-stop walking...but better yet, it's fun too!
...Someone needs to put out a boxed set of Yvonne DeCarlo DVDs. They may not be great cinema, but there are all sorts of them which would doubtless make fun viewing.I do have this year's VCI release of SEA DEVILS (1952), with DeCarlo and Rock Hudson, ahead of me in the viewing queue. And CRISS CROSS (1949), too.
posted by Laura @ 2:02 PM
11 Comments:
I love "Crack in the World"! I even once recommended it to my geology professor as great entertainment. I think the idea for this movie was a natural because scientists had completed mapping the mid ocean ridges around the world, and the theory of plate tectonics was a hot topic. And what else does Mid Ocean Ridge system resemble but a big seam ready to be RIPPED. What's not to love about this movie. And even when I was a naive teenager I got the implication about drilling the earth's crust because the poor ill scientist couldn't drill his wife.
I order a lot of books and movies (including old James Mason films :-)from the UK and the service is always super fast. I recently had a heavy book shipped via surface mail and even it came pretty darn fast - even the boats are faster now.
Definitely agree with the remark about Yvonne DeCarlo. She was a fabulous film actress, and it makes me sad that all anyone remembers her from is The Munsters (not that she wasn't fabulous in it, too).
My daughter who minored in Geology thinks this film sounds fun too, Panavia! :) She and her friends had a couple movie nights watching films like this with geology angles.
It's a shame that Universal movies are so hard to come by, Amanda! I hope that will change in the future so we can see more of DeCarlo's movies. (I'd also sure like to get my hands on a good copy of Joel McCrea's SADDLE TRAMP, which I watched many times growing up...)
Best wishes,
Laura
Glad you're easily able to procure and enjoy Region 2 DVDs now, Laura.
As a huge fan of the 1950s and 1960s science fiction movies (I have most of them in my collection, both obscure and well-known) I'd just like to say that CITW is one of my favorites - and if, unlike my wife, you like the genre, I guarantee you'll enjoy it.
I have that DVD of The Reckless Moment--it's a 24-karat gem, and why it's not better known is a stupefying mystery to me. (When I did a review on it back on the old blog, I had several people ask me where I got it because they desperately wanted a copy.)
I've also seen the 2001 version from the same source, The Deep End. It's also very good...though the fact that I love Tilda Swinton might suggest a teensy bias.
Thanks so much for the feedback, Mel. I'm starting to think maybe we need to purchase CRACK IN THE WORLD for our Dana Andrews collection, instead of renting it! It sounds like the kind of thing our family would enjoy.
Best wishes,
Laura
I'm delighted to hear the great feedback on THE RECKLESS MOMENT, Ivan. I've wanted to see it for a few months, and as it had one of the more interesting entries I've read so far in the new Film Noir Encyclopedia, that further stirred my interest. Love the leads. The similarly packaged DVD of Mason's CAUGHT was terrific so I couldn't resist.
Is your old review still available on the web?
Best wishes,
Laura
Is your old review still available on the web?
Here 'tis!
Thanks, Ivan, I enjoyed it! Looking forward to seeing the movie soon. :)
Best wishes,
Laura
Great to see some praise for Yvonne! I especially love her in an outrageous western called Frontier Gal. Have you seen it?
You know, I think I did see FRONTIER GAL, Matthew, although it's not on my list of movies seen. The description on IMDb rings a bell. It's a vague memory, obviously -- I'd love the chance to see it (again)!
Best wishes,
Laura
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