Cinema Cycle - The Avengers '63 - Vol3

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE REVIEWED: 02/17/2017

TITLE: The Avengers ‘63 - Vol3

FORMAT: VHS

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 51 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 13.4 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 6264.4 miles

SYNOPSIS: (from Wikipedia) Newly elected Member of Parliament, Michael Dyter, fakes his own death only to reappear later in possession of a nuclear bomb which he threatens to detonate on 5 November, in London. Steed and Cathy go into politics, during a race against time to hunt him down.[2]

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: Early British cool mixed with a healthy dose of British politics and theory.  Long Live Guy Fawkes!

PROS AND CONS:  This is a long running series in my collection and my thoughts on the series in general has already been stated in previous blogs.  It is good, but dated, and therein lives the history lesson.

This is British media asserting itself to try and give a national identity and keep Britain relevant on the world stage after WWII and Suez Crisis.  There is a definite bent toward being hip and unconventional here.  While it seems restrained now, it was really bending the rules in early 1960s England.

The theme of this episode “November 5”, centers around Guy Fawkes day in England.  A failed saboteur that tried to blow up Parliament.  This episode delves deeply into British political structure and how the British government works.

To read an overview of this project, check out this status posting.  

This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.

Five Frames - 02/13/2017

Five Frames

Images Taken With GoPro / Lytro and Lumix Digital Cameras

These images and many many more can be found on my Flickr account.

Cinema Cycle - The Last Days of WWII - The Spoils of War

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE REVIEWED: 02/10/2017

TITLE: The Last Days Of World War II: The Spoils of War

FORMAT: VHS

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 44 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 9.7 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 6251.1 miles

SYNOPSIS: Technology and art are salvaged from the ruins of Hitler’s Third Reich.

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: The real Monuments Men and just how twisted and demented the Nazi regime really was.

PROS AND CONS:  As war documentaries go, this is probably better than most.  Unlike most other videos of this genre, it is not just recycled combat footage from the war department.  There is actually some substance to this work.

The documentary is broken into three parts, the first being the recovery of stolen artwork of the Nazis.  The second the collection of advanced technology from German scientists.  Finally, a look at the holocaust and documenting its horror.

The level of detail here is good.  Many of the place names, persons involved and artifacts are documented in great detail.  Far from being the defeated enemy with a scorched earth policy, the allies found a Pandora’s Box of treasure that would affect the world for decades to come.

To read an overview of this project, check out this status posting.  

This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.

Cinema Cycle - Deliverance

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE REVIEWED: 02/08/2017

TITLE: Deliverance

FORMAT: LaserDisc

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 1 hour 54 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 25.4 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 6241.4 miles

SYNOPSIS: Four men go on a canoeing trip on a remote river and find the unexpected in themselves and humanity

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: People live in the wilderness because they do not conform to the norms of society. Pity the fool that stumbles across them.  I hope Ned Beatty got paid more than the rest of this cast.

PROS AND CONS:  It has been a while since I have seen this film. It was considered controversial when it came out and it is remembered more for it’s shock value than anything else.  

On this second viewing, I realized what a good film this is.  It is a male bonding film (there are no female cast members).  None of the actors are shown in close-up for the first 10 minutes of the film.  The character development in this film is fascinating, learning about each individual and how their strong beliefs are challenged by the situations they encounter kept me interested throughout the film.

This film probably has some of the best ‘death’ scenes in cinema. People don’t just pass out here and die.  The deaths are gruesome and drawn out making them even more horrific. With the exception of his turn in “Boogie Nights”, I believe that this is Burt Reynolds’ best performance.  

To read an overview of this project, check out this status posting.  

This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.

Five Frames - 02/07/2017

Five Frames

Black & White Images Taken With Various Film Cameras

These images and many many more can be found on my Flickr account.

Cinema Cycle - Count Basie and his Orchestra

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE REVIEWED: 02/06/2017

TITLE: Count Basie and His Orchestra

FORMAT: Laserdisc

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 1 hour 1 minute

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 12.3 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 6216 miles

SYNOPSIS: (from LDDB)

Track List:

1. Blee Blop Blus
2. Splanky
3. Shiny Stockings
4. I Need to be Bee'd with
5. Every Day I Have The Blues
6. A Little Tempo, Please
7. Ol'man River
8. Blues Alley
9. Cherokee
10. A Night in Tunisia
11. The Kid from Red Bank
12. Stormy Monday Blues
13. Magic Flea
14. Jumpin' at the Woodside

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: Two short concert films set in the French Antibes during Jazz Festivals in 1961 and 1968

PROS AND CONS:  Astounding performances.  This is why some of us collect odd media.  You can’t find this stuff on cable or Netflix.  This is musical performance gold.

To be sure, this is a Japanese pressing of French television footage shot in the 1960s.  It appears to be early kine scope black and white footage that has been edited down from numerous cameras that were recording the concerts.

The performances here are electric and the simple fact that they were recorded live makes me lament the demise of the big band jazz era.  I would pay a lot of money to attend this type of concert.  

To read an overview of this project, check out this status posting.  

This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.

Cinema Cycle - Young and Innocent

CINEMA CYCLE

(Cardio Workout And Reviewing Movies At The Same Time)

DATE REVIEWED: 02/03/2017

TITLE: Young and Innocent

FORMAT: VHS

TIME RIDDEN / FILM LENGTH: 1 hour 33 minutes

DISTANCE RIDDEN WHILE VIEWING: 22 miles

TOTAL CINEMA MILES LOGGED: 6203.7 miles

SYNOPSIS: A young musician is accused of murder and the judge's daughter decides to help him find his raincoat.

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: Young romantic mysteries before the genre really existed.  A fantasy film for the British working classes in the 1930s.  

PROS AND CONS:  A much better film than I had anticipated.  Much of Hitchcock’s early work can be a bit rough around the edges, but this film showed polish and professional film making.  

To be sure, this is a fantasy film for the masses, with a head-strong young woman (when such a thing was daring) and a dashing if not bumbling leading man outsmarting what appears to be the equivalent of the British Keystone Cops.  

You can see the Hitchcock formula emerging here.  He builds a story to a climax, usually with some over-the-top visual near the end and he does not disappoint here.  The ending was not be believed on several levels.  An excellent film.

To read an overview of this project, check out this status posting.  

This film is a part of my LaserDisc Collection.

Clicking on the title will take you to the Internet Movie Database (IMDB) entry for this film. 

This film was viewed while exercising on my recumbent cycle.  A summary of my time spent working out on my journey through movie-land can be found on Strava.com.