Thursday, April 7, 2022

Thursday Movie Picks-Psychic/Mediums

 


So Wandering Through The Shelves got ahead of herself because she posted a theme for April 1st and April 7th--oopsie:)) I hope she saves the April 1st theme for next year because I am going with the correct date of April 7th. Going back to work, with the travel time to boot, has made me very far behind in my replies to your comments and commenting on your blogs. Hopefully, next week will be back to norm except I will be working:)). Thank you for all your sweet comments on my beautiful Wallace. It sucks when a furbabe leaves us and that we have to make that decision. Anyway, this is on a brighter note which is all about psychics and mediums which I am fascinated about. Yes, I have gone to a medium and some comments were uncanny while others were reaching. Actually, John Edward is one that is uncanny in what he says. OK, on with the show...

1. BLYTHE SPIRIT-1945


I love this film that stars Rex Harrison as a remarried author who travels to the countryside with his 2nd wife to get more info on the novel he wishes to write. They contact a medium thinking it lots of fun until the ghost of his first wife appears leaving poor Sexy Rexy at his wit's end. Now the medium, played gloriously by the great Margaret Rutherford, has to try to send his first wife back to the heavens but how is another matter. A great play by Noel Coward and expertly directed by David Lean before he went epic. 

2. NIGHTMARE ALLEY-1947


Yup, the new film, starring Bradley Cooper, is a remake  of this film which stars Tyrone Power in the lead. Now, I just saw the new film, which is excellent but this, too, is well made and was Tyrone Power's favourite film. He stars as a handsome (hell, it is Tyrone Power) conman who stumbles into a fair/carny show and witnesses a Geek show ( a supposed wildman who bites the heads off chickens, you know, Ozzy Osborne) wondering how anyone can get that low. He is hired to help out at the Carny and soon becomes the boy toy of Joan Blondell who has a mind reading scam going on with her alcoholic husband. Ty learns all he can about this mental shell game and rises in popularity. Another gal in the fair falls for him and goes with him when he decides to take this game on the road rising to great heights. At one of his mind-reading shows, he meets a female psychiatrist and a secret bond starts to happen. Tyrone Power was sick of his pretty boy image and wanted to be taken seriously as an actor which is why he took on this role but the audiences were not loving it so it bombed back then but is now heralded as a classic. I think of both films as apples and oranges and should not be compared too much even though it is the same story. Both are excellent.

3. THE GIFT-2000


Cate Blanchett, who is in the remake of Nightmare Alley, stars in this film about a psychic/medium trying to make a living in the backwaters of a small Southern town. She reads tarot cards for many people including Hilary Swank as a poor beaten upon wife of a very nasty Keanu Reeves who really hates Cate Blanchett. Cate is also friends with a put upon Giovanni Ribisi who is abused by his dad. Unfortunately, Cate now has dreams of a rich bitch (Katie Holmes) being murdered and she goes to the police about it but is laughed at until they find her body. Greg Kinnear rounds out the cast as a sympathetic teacher who was engaged to poor bitchy Katie. I really enjoyed this small gem Cate made just before mega-stardom. I thought all the actors were excellent in their roles including Keanu as a really mean bastard. The ethereal feel to the film also brought more to the whole theme with the surroundings adding that extra touch. It is worth a look.

Have you ever gone to see a psychic? Impressed or not? Which films can you think of?


36 comments:

  1. Hi, Birgit!

    I've been thinking about you and Wallace, dear friend, and so has Mrs. Shady who sends her sympathy. Losing a fur baby is indeed painful, and the decision to end their suffering an agonizing one. You did right by Wallace. You know it and he knows it. I hope you didn't need to fight too much crazy traffic on the way to work this morning. Thank you for staying up late last night to visit Shady's Place!

    I haven't seen any of the films you featured this week. I've found that it's rare for a medium movie to be well done. (See what I did there?) However, these three do look entertaining. During my career as a producer and director of TV commercials, I actually created a series of spots for a local psychic who called herself "Madame Christine."

    Blythe Spirit looks like a hoot. I like Rex Harrison and admire actress Constance Cummings, who was born in Seattle and moved to the UK. Constance lived a long life to age 95.

    "I'm no good. I never pretended to be." Nightmare Alley looks like another great film in this category. I like Joan Blondell and saw several of her pictures of the 30s and 40s, but not this one. Incidentally, for years, I enjoyed watching Joan's sister, Gloria Blondell, in the role of "Honeybee" on the Wm. Bendix TV sitcom The Life of Riley.

    I'll watch anything in which Talk Soup alumnus Greg Kinnear appears, and need to see The Gift. I also like Keanu Reeves' acting style.

    I haven't been to see a psychic other than to make that commercial for a local palm reader. I see my future by reading the writing on the wall. :)

    Take care, have a good day and a safe and happy weekend, dear friend BB!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I was so tired on Thursday that I was scared driving up. I am honest but I made it. I was back in The Falls office but had to wait for the cable guys who came at 4 pm and I don’t have the cable for the monitor to be hooked up to the computer...ughhh. Let’s see what tomorrow will bring. I am beyond tired and hope things will run as smooth as a pot-holed gravel road tomorrow.
      I think you would like all 3 films and I bet you will love Margaret Rutherford. That’s my psychic ability at work.

      Delete
  2. I remember The Gift! Wow, that was a long time ago.
    I'd say The Conjuring. (The first one.)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. To me The Gift is very new...hahahaaa. That’s because I pick films from the silent era. I have yet to see The Conjuring.

      Delete
  3. I thought The Gift was middling, like most Hilary Swank pictures but it did have a good cast.

    Blithe Spirit is a joy! So sprightly and charming. Margaret Rutherford was a British national treasure.

    Still have to catch up with the new Nightmare Alley but this one is an amazing, pitch black noir. Ty is very strong, you can tell he was really committed to the project. Coleen Gray is given the least to do but she does it well and the great Joan Blondell rocks it as the perpetually screwed over Zeena but all pale in comparison to the ill-fated Helen Walker's ice cold interpretation of poison pill Lilith.

    A fun theme! I thought of one of my favorite Edward G. Robinson movies-Night Has a Thousand Eyes, the disquieting Séance on a Wet Afternoon and the fun spooker The Legend of Hell House (1973).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hilary is not one of my favs as I found her annoying in that Clint Eastwood flick where she is a boxer. I think Rutherford is a national treasure and hope there is a stamp in her honour. I just love Nightmare Alley, the original especially Joan Blondell. Too bad Tyrone Power didn’t get the recognition for this role.
      I have not seen the first. Picks of yours but I did like Hell House. I thought it was quite fun.

      Delete
  4. I believe I've only seen Nightmare Alley--both versions--but not your other two picks. I know I've seen plenty of films with characters who were psychics and such, but now to think of them.

    I recall that Poltergeist had a medium communicating with the dead. The guy in Dead Zone had some powers of intuition--I loved the version with Christopher Walken. And there is one that I saw recently where some kind of psychic scam was being set up or something and right now I can't recall what it was. Maybe someone else will name that one.

    Good topic.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. How did you like the new version of Nightmare Alley? I like both versions even though my heart belongs to the original. The Dead Zone is a great choice and one that was filmed near me. In fact, the gazebo was built for the film and it’s still in Niagara On The Lake and is a landmark now. I’m trying to think of the last film but I don’t know.

      Delete
    2. Since I've seen the original a few times and am loyal to that one, I'd probably need to see the new one again to form a better opinion. I thought the sets were very cool. But Tyrone Power nailed the part so well.

      Lee

      Delete
  5. I’ve only seen Blithe Spirit which I enjoyed. Margaret Rutherford was always wonderfully eccentric. She made a great Miss Marple too.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I haven't seen these.
    Hope your work a days continue to go well.
    Hugs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It’s been a bit on the crazy side to be honest.

      Delete
  7. The new Nightmare Alley was just added to Disney+ recently so I'll be watching it soon.

    I have seen The Gift a long time ago and liked it then. Would like to rewatch it.

    By the way there was a mix up in the TMP schedule, so please read my latest post for the fix.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, next week...diary of... I hope you like Nightmare Alley. I thought it was quite good. I want to rewatch The Gift too.

      Delete
  8. If only work did not take up so much of our time, eh? I do love Blythe Spirit. I haven't seen the second, and I'm not sure if I saw the third or not. I should. As for psychics, I did psychic training when I was younger. I have also been to see psychics. Some are better than others.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad you like this theme. That is interesting that you were in psychic training. I’d love to know what they taught you.

      Delete
  9. Oh crap did I do the wrong theme? lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That’s what I thought about me but we are both aok.

      Delete
  10. "Blithe Spirit" must have been before Margaret Rutherford played Miss Marple (one of the biggest boo-boos in casting).

    I haven't seen any of these; the only movie I can think of that featured a psychic was "Ghost" and that wasn't a very good movie...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Funny, I love Rutherford as Miss. Marple and feel she is the best. I actually like Ghost especially Whoopi Goldberg but Demi was blah.

      Delete
  11. I haven't seen any of these movies, but I did see the play Blithe Spirit a few years ago. The only one I could think of was Ghost and that is only because I saw it in a crossword a few days ago.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I’d love to see Blithe Spirit on stage. Ghost is a good one.

      Delete
  12. Is a fortune teller the same as a psychic? I’ve had my palm read a couple of times. I worked with a woman who could tell about past lives and future possibilities of a person with a deck of playing cards. She told me that Mama was my mother in my previous life in which I died before I was five.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think they are one and the same. I had seen a psychic who told me that I died right before I was born in a bad car accident. The car went off a cliff in the alps and every joint was broken which is why I have pain in every joint. At that time I was not limping and didn’t tell her at all about my pain so that was freaky.

      Delete
  13. I remember Blythe Spirit. Good choice.
    Have a relaxing weekend.
    Hugs

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I did my best to sleep. Glad you like Blythe Spirit.

      Delete
  14. The Gift was sure a while ago. I remember enjoying it. The last one that I recall watching was Next. It was meh. I've gone to one once as a friend paid for me to go. Jury is still out on whether or not I believe it lol possible, yes, probable, probably not.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have not even heard of Next. Yes, most just know how to read people and why they are there and whom they want to speak with or know about.

      Delete
  15. BIRGIT ~

    An interesting topic. I have never seen BLITHE SPIRIT, but it sounds intriguing and like something I oughta look for.

    7 Faces of Dr. Lao (1964) was one that I've seen a couple times and really enjoyed. An underrated tour de force performance from Tony Randall, and a lot of fun and words to live by.

    Poltergeist is one of the small handful of Horror movies I actually enjoy.

    Now, just to add something offbeat that I'm sure no one else will have thought of, I'll mention that I really enjoy (and even own) the Steve Martin movie 'L.A. Story' (1991), which features an electronic freeway traffic condition sign which most definitely possesses some psychic ability and a willingness to help others. Fun movie!

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have always wanted to see 7 Faces and hope to one day. I also have not seen Poltergeist because I get so scared and have nightmares. I am now thinking of seeing this movie. I have not seen L. A. story in years and you chose a great movie for this. It is an under-rated movie that deserves more attention.

      Delete
  16. I haven't seen any of these- but The Gift looks familiar to me. Thanks for the reviews. :)
    ~Jess

    ReplyDelete
  17. I also haven't seen any of these, but The Gift sounds like one I would enjoy. What a cast! Thanks for your always lovely reviews.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I think The Gift is a great movie and hope you see it one day.

      Delete
  18. The Gift sounds intriguing. My daughter saw a psychic years ago. It was pretty spot on.
    Have a great work a day.

    ReplyDelete