Favourite (or favorite) Movies

I just asked my son Justin if he ever saw this movie and HE DID! Said it is the freakiest damn movie ever! Said it was just weird - but he did like torso man

Another really good movie by Tod Browning (he directed "Freaks") is "The Unknown" starring Lon Chaney and Joan Crawford. It's a silent film about a circus perfomer named "Alonzo the Armless Wonder" who does an knife throwing act with his feet. Joan Crawford is his partner in the act and he is in love with her as is the circus strongman. However, she has a fear of being held in a man's arms which is why she spends most of her time with Alonzo although she is not in love with him.

Very early in the movie we discover that Alonzo actually does have arms. However, he keeps them bound to his side because he's a fugitive and he has a double thumb on one hand. Later, the circus owner discovers his secret and Alonzo murders him. Nanon (Joan Crawford) witnesses it but the only thing she sees is that the killer had a double thumb on his hand.

Alonzo leaves the circus under guise of illness and goes to a doctor whom he forces to amputate his arms at least in part because he thinks it will make Nanon love him. Of course, she has no idea that he does have arms but I suppose that because they are living together it would be a matter of time before she found out his secret.

When he recovers from the surgery, he returns to the circus and a jubilantly happy Nanon who embraces him and observes that something is different about him. "I have lost flesh", he says. She then tells him she has wonderful news for him and leaves the room. When she returns, she is with the strongman. "We wanted you to be the first to know our happiness". They are engaged to be married. The strongman puts his arms around her and she takes one of his hands and says something along the lines of " Remember when I was afraid of a man's hands? Because of him, I'm no longer afraid."

While all this is going on, you see Alonzo's face going from eager anticipation to bewilderment to utter devastation in the space of seconds. He starts laughing and crying at the same time which frightens the happy couple. Burt Lancaster said he considered that scene the most emotionally compelling work by an actor ever.

It's a short movie by today's standards, only a little over an hour.

Wow, the Unknown sounds really bizarre and sad while freaks sounds bizarre, twisted, and gorey.

I like eccletic movies too, but disturbing ones usually don't go on my list of favorites. For example, Silence of the Lambs is a great flick, but because of the disturbing nature of it I don't include it as one of my top favs. Not that it was not an outstanding movie with stellar acting, it is just not one I chose to see more than once or twice.

Now Slingblade, that is one of the disturbing ones that is so beautiful and beautifully scripted and acted, that it goes on my list of all time favs. Heartbreaking and somehow uplifting at the same time.

Badger wrote:

Adrift, Freaks was banned in The United Kingdom for many years. Until around 1962, in fact.

I can't believe I wasn't aware of that!! I've always been a bit of a movie buff too! Thanks for the info Badger :D

It's funny....one of the films I NEVER wanted to see was The Exorcist.I remember on it's release in the UK (I was about 11 or 12) reading the newspapers about how people had seen it & how they had been affected etc......a tabloid paper btw......along the lines of seeing Elvis on the moon etc, but at that age I believed it! It was then "unofficially " banned until 1998, but it still stuck in my mind that NO WAY would I ever watch it.
Well French & Saunders (Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders...comediennes in the UK) did a skit on it in one of their shows...which was hysterical!!!! The Exorcist was then shown on brit tv for the first time shortly after...so I started to watch...& I just couldn't take it seriously after the skit I saw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epzC88bzghA

French & Saunders did a few mini versions of movies & most were so very very funny ("Whatever happened to Baby Jane" was my favourite)

EEK! I loved The Exorcist!! Scared the crap out of me! Went home and slept on my parents bedroom floor! Saw it a few more times after that!

OMG I LOVE JENNIFER SAUNDERS!! I've never seen that sketch. I am a HUGE Ab Fab fan. I have all the episodes plus the movie The Last Shout.

I've never seen The Exorcist nor do I want to. I would be too scared.

Firecracker wrote:

EEK! I loved The Exorcist!! Scared the crap out of me! Went home and slept on my parents bedroom floor! Saw it a few more times after that!

You strange little FC you!!!!

aerwin wrote:

OMG I LOVE JENNIFER SAUNDERS!! I've never seen that sketch. I am a HUGE Ab Fab fan. I have all the episodes plus the movie The Last Shout.

I've never seen The Exorcist nor do I want to. I would be too scared.

Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders make such a great team!! But also manage to find the time to do their own stuff too.
Ab Fab is brilliant....have you seen any of the the Vicar of Dibley comedy series? (Dawn French) Well worth watching :D

I've seen some of The Vicar of Dibley. Just a few on PBS. But I've seen ALL of Ab Fab Sweetie Darling.

I am an ABFab fan too! When I am lucky enough to catch it on Bravo that is-which is rare these days!

You know, "The Exorcist" was actually based on a true story although in real life the kid being exorcised was a boy. I remember when I was attending Catholic grade school, we had the real-life account read to us in class.

I've heard that, but I am not sure I believe it. I went to Catholic school too and to be honest I would have to see an exorcism to believe it. I don't really believe that there are devils possessing people. Maybe some people who have some metal issues who think they are processed - but I don't really believe that it happens.

Actually, there was a boy who underwent an exorcism that served as the inspiration for the book and later the movie. Obviously, whether or not anyone believes he was possessed is a matter of opinion. IIRC, most of the kids in our class enjoyed hearing it but were kind of skeptical as to whether the young man was possessed or just mentally ill.

By the way, as with other supernatural occurrences such as miracles, visions, stigmata, etc., The Church's initial reaction is to be skeptical and to look for medical or natural explanations first. If they're doing an exorcism on anyone, it's pretty much a last resort thing.

We had a new drama start last night called Apparitions which was quite good (meaning I sort of watched it...but not the gory bits!) http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0605861/
Anyway - it led to a convo at work with one of my team who said she loved that sort of thing (& had seen The Exorcist..lol!)
That led me to mention a film I had heard of, but not watched (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) & had a quick google to give her a link to it (I do work when I'm at work...honest!!!)
Well I've now been reading about the girl the story was loosely based on (Anneliese Michel) & I have to say, I find the whole event horrifying!! Not because of the "demonic" part, or that I would be scared by a film - but that such a young girl suffered the way she did!!
I can understand why I would have believed the "possession" bit when I was a young girl, but my opinion has obviously changed as I have got older.To me - this girl needed medical help.
http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/emilyrose.php

I would like to know if anyone has watched Emily Rose & what they thought of it? (& also the story of Anneliese)

Oh - scary stuff for sure! Poor girl.

After reading that........I want to know more about this poor young girl. It's a shame she didn't get the help she really needed. I also question her parents, my god...........I don't understand any of it. It's so sad.

Did anybody see the movie Men of Honor? I got the dvd cause it was a good price and it had a great cast. Cuba Gooding Jr., Robert De Niro, David Conrad, Powers Booth and other great actors and actresses. I watched it last night and wow it was so good. Cuba Gooding Jr. and Robert Deniro were amazing. David Conrad,(hottie Jim from Ghost whisperer), was great as the jerk naval officer that you only get to see at the beginning of the movie when Cuba is on the Naval ship once in the second act interacting with Robert De Niro and the third act of the movie,(can't say why he is there for that cause it would give away things that happened). Even though he was a jerk he looked majorly hot Back to the movie. The movie is based on a true story about the first black naval master Diver Carl Brashear. So so inspiring. If you haven't seen the movie rent it or go to Target or walmart to get it. I think I paid 5 dollars for it. So worth the money.

You can see scenes from the movie here. This is the song "Win" from the movie. Brian Mcknight wrote it for the movie. You don't get the whole song but most of it. At the end of the video you see a real picture of the Man Cuba was playing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_zPnn9jl9M

Such a good movie you guys. Makes me love Cuba Gooding Jr. even more. His acting is amazing. So honest in his delivery in every scene.

Shannon

I have not seen this movie. I do love Cuba. He is such a doll and good actor! His Oscar acceptance speech is one of the best ever!

IT HAS DAVID CONRAD??????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!! Well I must rent this sometime then! I adore him!!

Firecracker wrote:

I have not seen this movie. I do love Cuba. He is such a doll and good actor! His Oscar acceptance speech is one of the best ever!

IT HAS DAVID CONRAD??????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!! Well I must rent this sometime then! I adore him!!

Yes it has David Conrad and my must admit that was my main thing of buying it. I remembered seeing a write up that he was in it and I wanted to see it. When I saw it for like five dollars brand new I like wow. I am so glad I got it cause as I said Cuba Gooding Jr. was so amazing in this movie. His speech at the end where he talks about one of the main things of the Navy,(or that matter any of the Military,(Army, Air Force, Marines), was just so inspirational it brought tears to my eyes.

Rent it or buy it just see it!

Shannon