Ride In Movies

I set up a spinner bike in my basement for morning training rides. I put a small TV/VCR combo down there and set it up with headphones so I can watch TV while I ride. Here's what I'm watching with the most recent listed first.

Mel Brooks History of the World (Part I)
So many great lines. My favorite this morning was in Caesars court when he asks "What's behind the sheet".

All About Eve (1950)
Bette Davis in a movie about the backstabbing and scheming life of "The Theatre."

Grapes of Wrath with Henry Fonda (1940)
Not the first time I've seen it. But the first time since I educated myself about the life of Woody Guthrie. There is a movie about his life which I need to see.

Master and Commander
I think about steamboats, steam trains, the tall ships. I think about the Hindenberg, the airplanes of Charles Lindbergh, the era of the Titanic. Technology has evolved. But just think of living in those times. What type of person would you be? The Master and Commander story is set in 1805. The Pike expedition was 1806.

Gone With The Wind (1939)
I'm 38 and I had never seen GWTW. I thought I knew what the movie was about, i.e. Civil War, battles, the south. I was wrong and I loved it. It's about men and women and love and conceit. It's about committed and self-absorbed people. When Butler said "Frankly my dear I don't give a damn" it was a surprise and an incredible set-up for an incredible line.

36 Hours (1964)
James Garner is a WW2 officer captured and psychologically manipulated to discover the site of the D-Day invasion.

On The Waterfront (1954)
I've seen it before but found new meaning in Marlon Brando as Terry Malloy. His famous "Coulda been somebody" line made me think about life's opportunities. Won 8 Oscars!

Syriana (watched on June 30)
Two thoughts. (1) not a good choice to watch between 5 and 7 a.m. (2) did movies get smarter or does exercise make you dumber. With the legal and political and inter-related plots I was getting lost on this one. I had to take the headphones off when the son died. Too intense.

Birdman of Alcatraz
Burt Lancaster in the story of an inmate in solitary confinement.

Biography of Frederick Douglas
An inspirational and charismatic abolitionist from the Civil War era. The first book he purchased was a collection of speeches which he memorized and studied. In his own speeches he drew on personal experiences and attacked the cruelest aspects of slavery. He was an escaped slave. Eventually, his friends "bought" him so that he would no longer fear being killed or captured. He became a US Ambassador.

Sergeant York
Made in 1941. Gary Cooper in the true story of a hillbilly sharpshooter drafted in WW1 despite his claim to be a pacifist, who ends up becoming a war hero. Cooper won Best Actor Oscar and the film received eleven nominations.

Hoosiers
I know the story but never saw the movie. I had no idea there was an alcoholic dad character (Oscar Nomination for Dennis Hopper). When Barbara Hershey and Gene Hackman kissed I was shocked, I didn't see that coming! Quote: "My practices aren't designed for your enjoyment."

Fletch
I was due for a little comedy. No Academy Awards for Chevy Chase for this one but plenty of quotable lines. I forgot Fletch was a newspaper reporter.

Mutiny on the Bounty
Marlon Brando as Fletcher Christian who leads the mutiny. He's great as a pompous self important 1st Lt. Several Oscar nominations. No wins. Great and impressive production for 1962 that marvels Master and Commander of more recent days.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Newman and Redford and Burt Bacharach. Guess who won the Oscar. Bacharach won two for best song, Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head and best score.

Hearts In Atlantis
Movie based on the book by Steven King. Book better. Movie okay.

Goldfinger
Sean Connery in an early James Bondmovie where you can sense characters like Q and Ms. Moneypenny are still in cinematic development. Extremely strange to see James Bond play golf against the villain.

The Magnificent Seven
Enjoyable. The music is fantastic and was nominated for an Oscar. Many times during the movie I thought of Flik and the movie A Bug's Life. That's the Disney animated movie about the ant colony that is terrorized by grasshoppers who occasionally come and steal their crops. Then they fight back. Hmmm. Similarities.

The West - A Documentary Film
This one is produced by Ken Burns (although not written and directed by him). Like New York it is also very good. It's has been fascinating contrasting the two in one spinning session. I watched New York from the 1900s to the 1930s and then watched the California Gold Rush of 1849. Back in 1849 Americans complained about Chinese immigrants who were working gold claims. The Chinese were ultimately charged a fee to continue to work their claims. See more information at the online companion to the film.

New York - A Documentary Film
Produced by WNET PBS in New York city this is a really good historical description of the birth and growth of New York city. There are 7 episodes each about 2 hours long. I've been borrowing them from the library. Highlights of my new knowledge are the Erie Canal, occupation during revolutionary war, riots during the civil war, the consolidation of the four burroughs. See more information at the online companion to the film.

The History Channel
I've slowed down on my pace of movies because I've gotten into THC's Cable in the Classroom. No commercials and interesting topics. I watched a bunch of stuff including US presidents, the Spaniards and Incas and the Crusades.

The Great Dictator (watched in March)
WOW!! This is a masterpiece. And a creative idea that few probably understood when Chaplain suggested it. The political dynamics of this movie caused speculation that the movie wouldn't be released. Chaplain stuck with it putting 1.5 million dollars and his independent studio into the effort. Written by Chaplain in 1938 and 1939 while Hitler and the Nazis were persecuting the jews but hadn't blown Europe apart. The following website wikipedia The Great Dictator has a great description of everything about the movie. I am amazed at the creative genius of Chaplain to be able to satirize the Nazis. It's especially amazing now that we know the evil of the Nazis that was hidden, ignored and denied when he made the film.

The Great Dictator is on-line (To get right to the best satire start with Part Four). - Part One - Part Two - Part Three - Part Four

The Music Box
A Laurell and Hardy Movie short showing off their comic genius.

Greystoke - Legend of Tarzan
Faithfully based on the book it gave me a new appreciation for the fishout of water dynamic of Tarzan returning to England

Zorba the Greek
This movie is a voyeuristic treat. You feel as though your watching a social experiment as a objective observer. It's really awesome. Anthony Quinn in the role that would be remembered the rest of his life. I can't believe he didn't win an Oscar for it. The movie won 3 Oscars though.

Read this quote:

Basil: I don't want any trouble. Alexis Zorba: Life is trouble. Only death is not. To be alive is to undo your belt and *look* for trouble.

War of the Worlds(the Spielberg remake with Tom Cruise)
This is an intense way to start your morning. I'm in the basement watching thousands of people killed by aliens and their alien killing machines. Then add the classic Steven Spielberg emotional family scenes. (the girl in this movie can chill your spine with her screams and her crying)

Father of the Bride(the original)
Spencer Tracy, very good movie really. I enjoyed it. I haven't seen the remake. Probably won't.

The Horse Soldiers
What another John Wayne movie! Yea, kind of a theme this week. This one set in the Civil War. Kept my interest for a while then I had to bail out.

Easy Rider
From Henry Fonda to Peter Fonda. The "cruisin'" scenes are classic. Great tunes. Just love that scene with Jack Nicholson when he takes a shot of whiskey after getting out of jail. Hmmm. I wonder how many similarities there are to our RTPP?

The Green Berets
Another John Wayne movie. Hey what's Commander Zulu from Star Trek doing as a vietnamese captain working with the Green Berets? Entertaining but not a very good movie.

The French Connection
Wow, a lot of dead cops and criminals in this one. The car chase is cool. It's more famous than it is good, though. I love how Hackman's character refers to one of the french suspects as "frog one". "I'm sitting on Frog One." It ain't easy being green.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Pretty creepy. Great stereotypes of the 50s too. The doctors, the writers, the older single woman, the cops .. they all fit their stereotypes so perfectly.

Great backhanded social commentary. Get this scene between the unsuspecting doctor and a clone: "What's going On? I don't know. A strange neurosis ... evidently contagious--an epidemic of mass hysteria. In two weeks,it's spread all over town. What causes it? Worry about what's going on in the world."

And this from Becky: "I want to love and be loved! I want your children. I don't want a world without love or grief or beauty. I'd rather die."

The Warriors
Yes. The classic movie from the 70s. I've always loved repeating the line "Warriors, come out and play-hey". All the gangs have fabulous outfits and weapons. But the gang carrying hockey sticks? What good is a goalie stick going to do in a fight.

Fort Apache
John Wayne and Henry Fonda in the only movie they made together. Fonda is the commanding officer and Wayne is the frontier smart Captain battling the Apache nation. Good old black and white western. At one point Wayne finishes off a whiskey bottle and throws it into a canyon (looks like the Grand Canyon). Hey jerk, don't litter!! Didn't your mom teach you anything!

Escape from Alcatraz
Clint Eastwood as the inmate who breaks out. Okay. Got a little slow at times. I wonder how secure it is to have a carpentry shop at a maximum security prison. They ought to have a triathlon from Alcatraz. In fact I think they do.

Anastasia
This is an oldie. Ingrid Bergman and Yul Brynner in the story of group trying to find Anastasia the only surviving member of the royal Russian family. They are motivated by an inheritance of 10 million pounds. Seems a bald Brynner is a quick fix for casting anyone foreign. A King of Siam or a Russian general just get that bald actor, thatll work. Im going to have to watch the Magnificent Seven to see what a bald cowboy looks like. Although I guess hell just wear a hat the whole time.

Thats Entertainment and Thats Entertainment 2
The story of MGM and the musicals. Great highlights of Astaire, Gene Kelly. What impressed me the most was Judy Garland. Ive seen the Wizard of Oz and shes great there but kinda like a kid actor. You dont see the way she can entertain. They have a few clips in the movie showing her doing this shoulder shimmy while she sings. Brassy and confident. The other thing is wow look at the sets and production. Spare no expense on some of the movies.

Patton
George C. Scott. Another move I remember from when I was a kid. GSC is great. Karl Malden who plays General Bradley is great too. Bradley Armored Personnel Carrier is named after the guy who was an infantry mans general.

Antoine Fisher
Denzel Washington is a great actor and does a good job. The plot didnt give itself away and it was pretty cool how it worked out. The movie says its a true story. Wow.

To Kill A Mockingbird
Gregory Peck wins an Oscar for Best Actor in this one. The kids are incredible actors too. They get a lot!! of screen time and they do a nice job. Ive got to say I think I could have given a better defense for his client. Wheres the cross examination? I love the scene where the kids come to the jail where Atticus (Peck) is sitting trying to keep the mob from busting in and killing his client. His daughter walks up and starts talking to one of the men asking about how his sons doing. The mob breaks up and goes home.

Solaris
George Clooney stars in this adaptation of a sci-fi novel which must have been well written. Thats the only thing I can think of which would have encouraged Clooney and a movie studio to continue production. They should have realized at some point how boring and self-absorbed it would be. Someone should have done something to kill it before it was finished.

Emperor of the North
The first movie I watched was a flashback to when I was a kid. For some reason I remember this movie, Saturday Afternoon Movies or something. Hobos in the depression are at odds with the engineers and railway men to ride the freight trains. Lee Marvin and Ernest Borgnine battle it out throughout the movie. It was a little campy but fun. In the final battle on a moving flatcar Marvin takes a fire ax to Borgnines shoulder opening him up pretty bad and then tosses him off the moving flat car.