A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

I had to record a movie a few nights ago as it contained Lili Von Shtupp, played by Madeline Kahn. Blazing Saddles (1974) was on HDNet and so it was waiting on the hard disk in the PRV. I'd not seen the movie in a couple of years and it wasn't really like fine wine; it'd gotten no better. Yet, I'd never seen a better-looking copy than the high definition version. I do have to admit I am a fan of Mel Brooks. His type of off-the-wall humour is sorely lacking in today's media. In the last ten years I'd be hard put to come up with any movies that even remotely fit into the same genre.

In the 1990's several of the Scary Movie series had a bit of irreverent humour. Rather than containing any satire on society though, they could be more closely identified as teen comedies. More recently, movies like Blades of Glory (2007) are much too self-interested to be very funny. They seldom have any references to the world beyond the movie.

Perhaps modern audiences are simply too stupid for satire. Or maybe there are few points of common reference nowadays as modern cinema has to be make money in every market around the globe.

Damn, we need more Jim Abrahams-type films that'd comfortably fit next to Airplane! (1980)

Labels: HDTV, humour, movies, stars

Yesterday's entry about Blu-ray discs got me feeling a little sentimental. When I was small, we had a television antenna on a metal pole beside our house. For some reason, the Boston channels came in more clearly than when it was attached to the roof. I remember that occasionally we had to go turn it to adjust the picture. Doing so, could reduce the amount of snow. It all seems so quaint compared to today's satellite TV.

I had been to college and was working overseas during the advent of consumer video tape. Although in high school we did have a large reel-to-reel tape deck that would shoot only in black and white.

It seems to me that DVD's have been around forever, but actually we were still using VHS a few years even after coming to Canada. Standard discs seem very ubiquitous around my the apartment now. Thanks to software, I've got hundreds of copies of movies for personal use. Some humans, like crows, like to collect shiny objects, I guess. I like having instant access to great cinema even if a particular movie is seldom viewed. Here's an example:


From Director Franco Zeffirelli's Romeo & Juliet (1968)

JULIET
Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in this;
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.

ROMEO
Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?

JULIET
Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.

ROMEO
O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.

JULIET
Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake.

ROMEO
Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.
Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged.

JULIET
Then have my lips the sin that they have took.

Labels: movies, stars, television

Okay, it's a bit unusual for me to put two images from movies in a row. I did record The Searchers (1956) which was on HDNet last night. I recently watched the DVD from the New Westminster library; however, this high definition copy just blew me away.

I am following the Blu-ray / HD-DVD format war with fascination. It's not a healthy fascination though. It's only early adopters such as myself who give a damn. I cannot believe I've owned a flat-panel LCD for approaching a year and a half but haven't bought a disc player that can utilize its potential. I'm angry as the Blu-ray fanboys seem to be winning the battle although from the get-go the HD-DVD camp had superior functionality. Did you know that most all Blu-ray players manufactured before last fall cannot be upgraded to the current equipment profile? Furthermore, the next Blu-ray version will require Internet connectivity and this will render all presently produced models obsolete. Whereas the specs weren't finalized for Blu-ray, the opposition has been producing players with similar capabilities since day one. Clearly, it's not best product that is winning; it's just Sony has somehow managed to pull the wool over lots of eyes. Shoot, I didn't want to be sucked into commenting about this today.



Instead, I wanted to type in this conversation that goes with the graphic show above:

Jeffrey Hunter: Something mighty fish about this trail, Uncle Ethan.
John Wayne: Don't call me uncle. I ain't your uncle.
Jeffrey Hunter: Yes sir.
John Wayne: No need to call me sir, either. Nor grandpa. Nor Methuselah. I can whoop you to a frazzle.
Jeffrey Hunter: What do ya want me to call ya?
John Wayne: My name's Ethan. Now, what's so mighty fishy about this trail?

Labels: HDTV, movies, stars

Forgive me if I appear a little confused. We went back to BCIT today but due to yesterday's snow closure, it was a Tuesday for me. Consequently, rather than the usual 4-day week ending on Thursday, we'll need to make up our lost day by attending class on Friday. So tomorrow, although actually Thursday will be like Wednesday and the real Friday will end up being a pretend Thursday. Just trying to explain that has got me so exhausted, I cannot possibly put much effort into an entry today. Not putting in a lot of effort makes a nice segue to the graphic captured from a DVD. This is due to the fact the 1968 flick requires very little concentration to be enjoyed.



An enormous variety of things can put on film (and now disc). Yesterday, I watched a few chapters of William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (1999). This was the one with Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Calista Flockhart. It was a bit quirky seeing them all riding around on bicycles. In a completely different vein, I've got a few documentaries squirreled away in my collection. The rather serious topics are not the only things that can be recorded on film.

Fourty years ago, Jane Fonda was running around the universe saving us from Durand-Durand. I imagine myself old enough to have participated in life in 1968 but the fact is I was only nine years old. Ms Fonda hadn't participated in anti-war activities at this time but I'm still pretty sure I wouldn't have been allowed by my parents to have seen this movie. Too sexy, I'd venture. Yet now, I can totally appreciate the silly, often tacky, 98 minutes of sci-fi fluff. Long live, Barbarella!

Labels: movies, stars

The title is not a quote from this movie but if you've seen it, you know what it means. I saw the star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame before this film.

Time: Morning.
Year: Early 1960's.
Location: A beach near Los Angeles.



Jane Hudson: You mean all this time we could have been friends?

Labels: movies, stars

This blog is just a month shy of its fourth birthday. In that time, I really didn't know I had run on so much about movies. Although by no means exhaustive or even representative, I have typed quite about about the subject. Click the following link.

my eJournal and images: The Movie Reviews




When we first came to Canada we went to movie theatres a lot. This probably was due to the fact of having accessible venues. I would venture that except for Saudi Arabia where they're banned, the ones in Kuwait, Bahrain, and the UAE are probably more upscale and mainstream than during the eighties and nineties. I recall dark, dirty, old cinemas showing late, often cut, films.

Around Vancouver, there was a massive building spree at the beginning of this decade. The multiplexes do offer good seating, screens, and sound systems now. It's necessary to see blockbuster events in them. Yet, DVD's are now released surprisingly soon after the original theatrical release. We watch a lot more non-mainstream and indie films on DVD.

I only wish the format wars for high definition DVD hadn't occurred. HD-DVD seems to be cheaper than Blu-ray but who wants to commit to a format before there's a clear winner. Damn them for cutting their collective noses to spite their faces. The studios could be churning out their entire collections in HD by now if a common format had been agreed upon a few years back.

Labels: HDTV, labels, movies, review, stars, The Wizard of Oz

I check through my site's visitor information. This data includes queries entered through search engines. I've come to the sad conclusion that nowadays most visits to my eJournal and images occur due to image searches. I guess there's little reason to labour over word choice or turn of phrase.

So, here's looking at you, kid.

Labels: blogging, movies, stars

During last week in LA, we ended up at the Hollywood Walk of Fame many times as it was just two stops up on the Red Line.

It was rather interesting both day and night. Not only for the stars in the sidewalk but because of the people traversing them.

I don't know how the guy in the Darth Vader outfit was able to stand out in the heat of the day. The 'fat-period' Elvis stayed stubbornly close to the Chinese Theatre. Marilyn Monroe was perfect down to the birthmark. But I would've found it rather creepy actually chatting to any of them, much less pay them money to be in a photo. Perhaps, that's my loss.

I also struggled to find a star I wanted to stand near. It just seemed like it should be a star from old Hollywood. I walked right over many favourites without a single desire to pose near their stars. This star caught my attention though. All About Eve was probably the first film I watched with the sole intent of seeing Bette Davis. Now, that we are witness to international, super-CGI big budget eye candy like the present Superman III, I long for films which actually had memorable dialog. After all, being able to deliver the line, "Fasten your seat belts, it's going to be a bumpy night," has got to be reason enough to be given a sidewalk star.

Labels: Hollywood, Los Angeles, movies, stars

Today is pretty slow as many people have off Good Friday here. As well, I have off Easter Monday which is a statutory holiday for many in Canada. Jay and I visited the new shopping center I blogged about on March 27th. The grocery store has a nice assortment of speciality goods as in many imported cheeses. Some prices are good on national brands but I don't think their housebrand called Western Family is as good as President's Choice which we are used to at the Canadian Superstore. We also crossed over the Queensborough Bridge but I couldn't find a bottle of liquid that makes tap water okay for the goldfish.

After lunch, I put The Night of the Iguana (1964) into the DVD player. Imagine deciding to make a movie in Puerto Vallarta in black and white! Still in some ways it was probably more seductive that way. Wasn't Ava Gardner much sexier than Sue Lyon? Maybe it's just my age or appreciation for butch broads.

Labels: Mexico, movies, stars

Last Saturday, I mentioned listening to Mel Brook's commentary track on the Blazing Saddles (1974) DVD. That movie included an lusty-lady saloon singer played by Madeline Kahn. Mel said that she'd done an excellent job of re-creating the spirit of Marlene Dietrich.

I took that as a direct challenge.

It is no longer impossible to catch up on classic movies. I suppose in the past it was only possible if one lived hear an art-house movie cinema. Now, it's as easy as visiting the DVD section of the local library. My first decision is whether I should watch the German or English version of The Blue Angel (1930).

The second decision will be choosing a time when I'll have the time to view it. There're still a few hours of shows on the PVR that I've not watched yet.

Labels: movies, stars

There is absolutely nothing better than having time off. I can understand why individuals requiring money punch a time clock; however, I cannot fathom why some people I know go to work merely to keep busy. I think hobbies can be a full-time vocation.

In recent times, I've been struggling to become more movie literate. There's so much film history to catch up on. There are quite literally tens of thousands of hours to be witnessed. What is it called when a modern work references past works? It happens all the time on film and without basic knowledge of the original, one is left without a clear understanding.



Some bits of Hollywood are so important as to define who we are. Storytelling, after all, compresses the randomness of life into small, digestible pieces. The odd thing for me is that they can be saved so well. I am so thankful for DVDs as any living room can now be an art-house theatre. In the flick above, Marilyn is approachable although she sung the tune a half dozen years before my birth. How can one appreciate Moulin Rouge (2001) having never seen Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)?

Labels: movies, stars

It's nearing the end of October but more than pumpkins are ready. I was flipping through channels and stopped at the Scream TV. Boy, are they happy this time of year!

There was classic Twilight Zone on. I immediately recognized the young John Lithgow. He's the passenger on an airplane when he notices out the rain-soaked window a gremlin is on the wing ripping pieces off the engine. I though I could remember this episode from my youth. After a little searching on the Internet, I discovered it was a 1983 re-make. Originally in 1962, William Shatner played the starring role in the Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet". Shatner is another one of those in the Hollywood set who originally hailed from Canada.

There's a nice write up at Wikipedia on the history of the concept of Gremlins being responsible for sabotaging aircraft.

Labels: flying, stars, television

I've not blogged about an old movie in a long time. I did mention how West Side Story (1961) wasn't the best way to prepare for a trip to New York City in May. Similarly, I am sure that watching An American in Paris (1951) won't really be too useful in getting ready for next month's trip to Europe. After all it is a musical and 54 years old to boot!

Still, there are those moments in old films that are simply wonderful and rare. They come from the well-written scripts, I think. I like dialog that sounds contrived; after all, it's supposed to be entertaining. I can hear 'real life' on the way to work on public transit, if I choose.



Gene Kelly: That's quite a dress .. you almost have on.

Nina Foch: Thanks.

Gene Kelly: What holds it up?

Nina Foch: Modesty.

Labels: movies, Paris, stars

Since living in Canada, I've come to know that there are a great many famous celebrities who have hailed from the land north of the USA. A long time ago, I mentioned one very local boy from New Westminster in my eJournal and images. Other actors might be immediately recognized as Canadian while others may not. For example, I wasn't aware that recently-deceased James Doohan was born in Vancouver.

Realizing that Star Trek's "Scotty" came from here, prompted me to search for a more complete listing. There are many places on the web where partial ones occur. The site www.CanadianCelebs.com is perhaps the easiest to locate with many popular actors and musicians.

Maybe in the future, I should work on formatting a page which contains this data.

Labels: stars, Vancouver

There's gold in -- them -- thair -- hills. It's getting to be, if it was ever flickered on the tube, then you can now get it on disc ... for a price.



Thirty years ago, Lynda Carter, unassuming gal in the 'War Department,' used to twirl around and become the amazing Wonder Woman! I felt obligated to save this twenty-second video capture.

Labels: Mediaplayer, stars, television

For a while I was ticking movies off my list by director or actor. Now, I've moved to viewing by genre and at present it's Film Noir. Nowadays, when you say a 'Hollywood ending' it means a feel good, trite wrap-up where all comes up roses. It's nice to see this hasn't always been the case.

This snippet of dialog is from Hollywood Blvd. (1950) and it's between William Holden and Gloria Swanson.

Joe Gillis: You're Norma Desmond. You used to be in silent pictures; used to be big.

Norma Desmond: I AM a big. It's the pictures that got small.

Labels: movies, stars

... on Mame.

No, this is not Nichole Kidman in a black and white shot. In order to understand and appreciate the motion picture arts, you have to do a little homework.

Yesterday afternoon, I picked up the DVD copy of Gilda (1946) from the New Westminster library. The gal singing in arm-length evening gloves is Rita Hayworth. This is what the boys back from WWII went to see.

It had a a sophisticated script with lots of surprisingly adult innuendo. There were gay references, quite closeted but obvious. I still suffer from an ill-conceived impression of old media thinking it is all filtered in the same way as the unrealistic 1950's version of America and the world. However, if one steps back a bit further, more enlightened and bohemian material abounds.

The ending of this flick was a bit of a disappointment, but I cannot say enough about what a great job the experts are able to do in restoration! Black and white can be amazingly expressive when a copy is cleaned up and clear. The scenes are a year shy of turning 60 years old but they surely have held up a lot better than flesh and blood.

Labels: movies, stars

In 1956, it was a big-budget SciFi film. Some of the effects were, indeed, ahead of their time. Because I spent yesterday afternoon watching the DVD, I now know that people in space were using realistic lazer guns long before Star Wars. Of course I grew up with TV's Lost in Space, but how would I have known their faithful robot was a rip off of glass-covered, solenoid-head Robby? Even Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry, stole the concepts of "beaming" and "teleporting" from here. I guess the film's mildly-annoying electronic music was a real innovation as well. The most dated aspects of the film are the lone girl's dresses and the crew's chauvinistic attitude towards her.



Speaking of old things, this movie starred Leslie Nielsen (left) as Commander Adams. I generally think of him from Airplane! or the Police Sqad series. He was okay in this movie, but I still would rather think of him being funny. My goodness, Leslie's one Canadian-by-birth who's surely been kicking around Hollywood for a while!

Labels: movies, sci-fi, stars

There are always things I keep forgetting to do. One has been to include a photo captured from the I, Robot DVD. Back on October 23, 2003, I blogged that Will Smith was in New Westminster that summer while shooting the film.

The first section of the movie which shows where the detective lived, was filmed on Front Street under the New Westminster Parkade. The movie wizards can seamlessly splice together CGI and actual footage. The pan down from Chicago 2035 melts right into the street where Will Smith is walking. It's is only a block away from this apartment but, unfortunately, the props are long gone.

Labels: movies, New Westminster, stars

A Street Car Named Desire (1951)

Blanche DuBois: Is that Coke for me?

Stella Kowalski: Not for anyone else.

Blanche DuBois: You precious lamb, is it just a Coke?

Stella Kowalski: You mean, you want a shot in it?

Blanche DuBois: Honey, a shot never did a Coke any harm.



Stella Kowalski: Oh.

Blanche DuBois: Oh, let me ... you mustn't wait on me.

Stella Kowalski: I like to wait on you, Blanche. It make it seem more like home.

Blanche DuBois: I have to admit .. I .. I love to be waited on.

Labels: movies, stars

The Oscars are on and as usual there is homage paid to the history of film. Over the past year, I've gained a lot of knowledge of cinema. After studying on my own through DVDs, I am able to recognize a greater number of moments in past Hollywood magic. This image flashed on screen at one point, and the actor was later referred to.


I watched this film a few weeks back. What was the
name of this 1963 movie in which Sidney Poitier played
Homer Smith? If you get stuck, email me.

Labels: movies, stars

Even if it were raining like cats and dogs, would you pull in here?



In today's blog title, I did not mean I saw people die. Of course, I knew when watching Psycho, that it was a just a fictional character being stabbed in the shower. What I am trying to say is different. Many movie stars from films made around the time of my birth are no longer with us in real life either. For example, Janet Leigh passed away last October.

Wait, there's more and it gets even more bizarre! I am suddenly intreagued by a gal who was born in 1918. Those 41 years before my own birth mean that Rita Hayworth could've easily been my grandmother. Still, in The Lady from Shanghai, she was stunning in blonde, chopped hair. Well, actually it was grey --- like everything else on screen in a 1947 movie. Still it is a bit like meeting a person, the way a movie can capture the voice, gestures, and essence of an actor or actress.

I like old movies not only for the dead people though. Even with all the money in the world I could not buy a plane ticket to a place from a bygone era. In Psycho, I got to see a Phoenix, Arizona forty-five years in the past. The second film mentioned above, had some amazing scenery. Yet Acapulco, Mexico and San Francisco, California haven't looked like that in nearly sixty years!

Labels: movies, stars

When I was young, I thought only grandmothers could last 63 years.

Well, just that many years after its creation, I decided to . . . Play it, Sam.

This time around, of course, Casablanca was on a DVD.

So, . . . here's looking at you, kid!

Labels: movies, stars

It's not as profound as suddenly grasping the concept of the circle of life, but I do enjoy when isolated occurrences seem to merge.

What we've got here is a classic, 50's sci-fi thriller called, It Came from Outer Space. I have to admit a weakness for these adventures and blogged about When Worlds Collide just about a year ago. This genre of film served as an inspiration for many future educators and scientists, I would presume. In one blog entry, I even tried to relate some societal implications of science fiction on film.

Today, I want to relate how two separate streams from my strange taste in movies seemed to coalesce due to one actress: Barbara Rush. She won the 1954 Golden Globe for the MOST PROMISING NEW COMER (FEMALE). Yet, I'd come to know her in my oft-cited, favorite early-80's exploitation flick, Summer Lovers. In that great period-piece, she portrayed the mother of the character played by Daryl Hannah.

I found this connection interesting.

Labels: movies, sci-fi, stars

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Let's say that, by now, you've had your fill of colored lights, cutesy reindeer, and warm glowing fireplaces. Well, then do I have a DVD for you! It's black and white, raw, and uncompromising. How powerful and disquieting even after all these years! It made me quite uncomfortable.

I was just seven years old when this first hit the silver screen. Needless to say, I can hardly remember talk of it. Yet its title is lore and it is an absolute necessity for film buffs to view. You'll either love it or really hate it.

Labels: movies, stars

In this blog, I generally post pictures I've taken or screenshots from my computer. Yet, in order to include a photo to accompany my remarks today, I needed to locate a photograph taken nearly 54 years ago.

Marlon Brando died yesterday at the age of 80. Many headlines today will focus on his role in The Godfather series but I wanted to find Mr. Brando as Stanley Kowalski. This wardrobe check boasts the young actor in an amazing role.

A few months back, I discovered the DVD director's cut of A Streetcar Named Desire. In fact on April 25th, I mentioned it right here. I was genuinely impressed.

I'm not alone in my respect for that movie. The film is #45 on the American Film Institute's 100 Greatest Movies of All Time which was compiled in 1998. Thanks to the proliferation of DVD's, you might be able to go pick it up at your video store today. I'd recommend it.

Oh, and someday I do have to go to New Orleans ...

Labels: movies, stars