Thursday, June 22, 2017

Thursday Movie Picks-the forest


I had to really think about what films took place in a forest because, it seems, so many are actually horror movies which I haven't seen. I think I accomplished the feat and am wondering what the other film buffs will choose. Head on over to Wandering Through The Shelves (The Brainchild) to see what the others have chosen. Here are my 3....

1. ROSE MARIE-1936


I bet all of you are Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy fans:) No?? Oh well, what is fun is how hugely popular they were way back in the day since they were operatic stars, MacDonald being the more famous. This film became a huge hit and cemented their careers as a team. MacDonald plays a Canadian Opera diva who finds out her scumbag murderous brother , played by...wait for it... James Stewart, has escaped and is hiding somewhere in the mountainous woods of the Canadian wilderness. She goes to find her brother to convince him to turn himself in and ends up meeting a Royal Canadian Mountie played by Eddy. They sing the Indian Love Call and fall in love. They did actually film certain parts in the Canadian woods which is not outshone by the 2 singing operatic lovebirds. This is not everyone's cup of tea but I love their films because there is a certain innocence about them. One will never see these types of films ever made again which many say yippee but I am saddened by it. I chose the video above because Canada is celebrating 150 years so what better way to pay homage than to see nelson Eddy and the Mounties sing it up

2. ROOSTER COGBURN-1975


This is a sequel to True Grit with the great John Wayne teamed with the equally great Katherine Hepburn. You would think that the right wing Wayne and the democrat Hepburn would not get along but they did. They had a huge respect for one another and thought quite highly of each other and this comes across in the movie. Hepburn is too old to play her role but I don't really care. It's not as good as True Grit but, again, I don't care and find it a great western starring 2 older people that hold your attention. A settlement of missionaries is overrun by drunken bastards who destroy their home, rape and kill. Hepburn's dad( hahahaaaa-the actor was only a year older than Hepburn) is killed and the bandits take off. In come Rooster, played wonderfully by Wayne, who decides to go after the heathens but has to take Hepburn and one student along. They enter the Wild woods, high in the mountains, chasing the killers and encountering many challenges including rapids. It is a fun western made great by 2 legends who clearly enjoy working together. Wayne only had one lung at this time so keep that in mind too.

3. THE EDGE-1997


I would say this is the closest to a horror movie that I get but it's more of a thriller. I love that Bart the Bear steals all the scenes and rightly so because he looks like one mean bear...very scary actually. Anthony Hopkins plays a billionaire married to a young model. Alec Baldwin is a photographer who not only shoots the young model but also is having an affair with her. Baldwin and Hopkins take off in a small plane to look at all the wilds but their plane crashes. They are miles away from nowhere with little to keep them safe. They soon realize they are being tracked by one hungry, huge  bear and must band together to survive and not be dinner for the bear. This film keeps you on the edge of your seat. The location is beautiful and the acting excellent...Bart deserved an Oscar/)

What are your three??

64 comments:

  1. Hi, Birgit!

    No Blair Witch this time around? No Deliverance? No Cabin in the Woods? :) First, I am excited for you and your fellow Canadians as July 1 Canada Day approaches and you celebrate the 150 year anniversary of Canada's founding.

    Innocence in entertainment was already getting scarce by the time I was a teenager. In the last thirty years not even Disney TV series and films could be considered innocent and some projects generated by the once family friendly studio are far from it. Wouldn't it be nice if a present day director set out to make a totally innocent movie like Rose Marie? I predict that modern audiences would eat it up simply because it dares to be so different. Given the chance and the choice I believe most people would support total innocence as an entertainment alternative.

    I haven't seen any of these movies, but the scary one, The Edge starring Bart the Bear, would be of greatest interest. It's fun to see Alec Baldwin before he became typecast as Donald Trump. :)

    Enjoy the rest of your week, dear friend BB!

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    1. I forgot about Deliverance which is a great pick! I haven't seen the other 2 at all. I think you are right and if there was an innocent, sweet movie, it would go over big. You'll like The Edge. Now I can't get "Squeal like a pig" out of my head:)

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  2. Well, I have seen none of these. The mention of 'forest' made 'Robin Hood' with Errol Flynn jump into my head. That is one of my all time favorites.

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    1. OMG! I just re-watched this a couple of weeks ago and totally forgot about this film-great choice!

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  3. The Edge legit terrified me when I was a kid. I was so afraid of that bear. I still can't handle them lol.

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    1. Bart is scary especially with his lower lip. My dad actually met bears for real when he was out logging back in the 30's and 50's

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  4. How did I have no idea that there was a sequel to "True Grit?" I had to go look it up because after your comment I was terrified that Katherine Hepburn was playing Mattie Ross who had magically aged 40 years.

    Yeah, if wanted a woods movie I would have picked Evil Dead. But if you wanted something non-horror, I suppose you could have picked Return of the Jedi or any of the terrible Ewok Movies. :-P

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    1. No, thankfully she did not play Mattie Ross:) I hope you see it. Return of the Jedi is a good one even though those ewoks are horrible

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  5. Hi Birgit...my favourite film to watch with my dad on a Sunday afternoon...Rooster Cockburn...eating crisps and snuggled up on his lap as a child what great memories you choices have evoked....must watch it again xxxxx

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    1. I'm so glad you have this lovely memory with your dad. I have a similar one sitting with my dad watching this and figuring out where it was filmed

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  6. Blair Witch Project
    Hunger Games
    Jeremiah Johnson

    I probably saw Rooster Cogburn, but I don't remember it. TBS had John Wayne movies on all the time when I was growing up.

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    1. I almost picked Jeremiah Johnson which I love

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  7. I am SO movie challenged. I've heard of Rooster Cogburn, but never saw it or heard of the other two. I bet this one was a challenge. It would have been for me, that's for sure.

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    1. I found this one tough but I am reminded here of some classics

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  8. I've watched a lot of old movies in my time, but I think the only Nelson Eddy movie I ever saw was thew very unusual (for him) 1943 version of Phantom of the Opera. It still ticks me off the Claude Rains, the Phantom himself, was billed third in the cast! I think it was Leonard Maltin who described that version as "tool much opera, not enough phantom."

    Rooster Cogburn was enjoyable. Always loved Hepburn! Usually enjoyed the Duke, too, and loved his later roles like this one, The Cowboys, and The Shootist.

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    1. Wow, lots of typos in that comment!

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    2. Don't worry about the typos as I think I am the queen of that:) I forgot that Eddy was in that remake which was not great at all. One did need the phantom more-the film would have been better

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    3. But The Silver Fox is a grammar nazi, so he should be teased about his typos. I won't let him forget this comment.

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  9. Interesting trailers. I take it you don't do horror flicks, hehe. I haven't watched either of those two -the edge seems enjoyable. Thanks for sharing and greetings!

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    1. I am not too much into horror films because i bring them into my dreams. The Edge is a good one

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  10. I'm sure I've seen Rooster Cogburn, but it blends in with all of the other John Wayne movies.

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    1. I have a distinct feeling you are not a Wayne fan- I hang my head and just wonder how:)

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    1. I'm surprised more people have not seen The Edge

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  12. I haven't seen any of these but Rooster Cogburn sounds fun. I'll check it out after True Grit. And I absolutely need to see the one with Hopkins. I'm surprised I haven't seen that one already since I had a Hopkins phase some years ago and I started watching everything with him.

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    1. Glad you will check out the 2 gritty films.

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  13. Never knew there was a sequel to True Grit. The Edge was a good one. Big Game and Hunt for the wilderpeople both come to mind for me.

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    1. Hunt for the Wilderpeople is popular today. You should see Rooster...fun movie

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  14. I've never seen Rooster Cogburn or The Edge. What movies can I think of that are set in a forest? Deliverance (the book is much better than the movie), The Blair Witch Project, and The Wizard of Oz has forest scenes, too. Remember the tree that smacks Dorothy for taking an apple?

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. The Wizard of Oz is a great pick and fit the bill

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  15. My mum would love that first clip! She loved Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald so I'm sure I must have seen this on the TV at some time in my youth.

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    1. Good to see a mention for my first pick. My mom in law's favourite was Maytime

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  16. I love True Grit, but haven't gotten around to Rooster Cogburn yet. Need to fix that. I have seen The Edge and thought it wasn't bad.

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    1. Rooster is not as good as True Grit but I still find it a classy western

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  17. I loved The Edge as well. Bart did deserve an Oscar. I was sad to read of his passing.

    My three. Hmm...Wild, Into the Wild, and Cabin in the Woods.

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    1. I was sad too when he died. I haven't seen any of your picks

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  18. I never think of Jimmy Stewart acting back in the 30s.
    He is such an icon. Loved him.

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    1. I think this was his second movie but he still is memorable

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  19. I liked the sequel more than the original, probably because Hepburn was in it. I thought they had great chemistry. I didn't know Hepburn's character was supposed to be younger. This time I can actually think of movies that feature a forest. Wild, which was about the woman who walked the Pacific Crest trail. The latest Planet of the Ape sequels. And, Wonder Woman! Oh gosh I'm ready to see that movie again.

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    1. I love the movie also and they did have great chemistry. I have to see Wild and I almost picked the last sequel to the planet of the apes. I haven't seen Wonder Woman yet

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  20. Actually, yes, I am a fan of the Jeanette MacDonald/Nelson Eddy movies. I don't think I've seen them all, but I've seen quite a few.

    Oh, The Edge. Not really my kind of movie, but I actually saw it in Oregon (where I don't live) when I was visiting my mother who moved there for a couple years in the '90s. Yeah, that's kinda random.

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    1. I. So glad you are a fan of the operatic duo also. I love Maytime and I married an Angel. Love the random thought and how it brought you to the movie

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  21. Like these.

    I liked the Ann Blyth/Howard Keel remake of Rose Marie better than this one despite a villainous Jimmy Stewart. That's mostly because despite his fine singing voice Nelson Eddy seems carved from cream cheese and Jeannette was deep in her Iron Butterfly period. It's a decent film but when they start trilling at each other it can be a rough go.

    The Duke & Kate's chemistry is what makes Rooster Cogburn better than it should be. Because of their charisma the fact that both are too mature for their roles doesn't matter one whit.

    And once again we match! The Edge is a good, if not great, adventure with Hopkins unsurprisingly walking away with top acting honors though Baldwin is good as is Harold Perrineau.

    While I like all three of mine my first came to me right away and I had to poke around to come up with the other two.

    The Emerald Forest (1985)-Engineer Bill Markham is in Brazil with his wife Jean (Meg Foster) and young son Tommy (the film’s director John Boorman’s son Charlie) working on a hydroelectric dam on the edge of the rainforest. One day while the three are having a picnic near the site Tommy is taken by a forest tribe known as The Invisible People. Markham spends the next ten years searching the jungles for Tommy meeting many obstacles including the cannibalistic Fierce People along the way. Beautiful looking complex adventure based on true events.

    Sometimes a Great Notion (1970)-The Stamper family, father Henry (Henry Fonda), oldest son Hank (Paul Newman), his wife Viv (Lee Remick), younger brother Leeland and nephew Joe Ben (Michael Sarrazin & Richard Jaeckel) are independent Oregon loggers. When the local union loggers go on strike against the corporate giant that controls most of the area they urge the Stampers to join them but being struggling independents they fear they won’t survive and refuse. The tensions that run high among them and the townsfolk is mirrored within the family leading to conflict and tragedy. Based on a Ken Kesey novel this is a sometimes slow but extremely well-acted (Jaeckel is a particular standout) complicated family drama.

    The Edge (1997)-Uber rich Charles Morse (Anthony Hopkins) has gone with his model wife Mickey (Elle Macpherson) on a photo shoot to a remote mountain area along with photographer Robert Green (Alec Baldwin), who Charles suspects is involved with Mickey, and his assistant (Harold Perrineau). While Mickey stays behind the three men fly into the wilderness for nature photos but the plane crashes killing the pilot and the three men must struggle to survive not only the elements but the giant bear tracking them through the woods and ultimately each other.

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  22. Yeah! We match once again...I guess great minds think alike...hahahaaa. I haven't seen the remake of Rose Marie which I want to me day. Even Nelson Eddy made fun of himself in his cabaret shows later on. He would agree with your assessment:) I haven't seen your first 2 films but they sound excellent and it is creepy to think cannibals still are around. I guess we must taste like chicken

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  23. Unusual, but I have actually seen the first two films. Rose Marie shortly after we first came here I think and Rooster Cogburn on TV, again, I think. I was a bit disappointed with Rose Marie I recall. Didn't know there was a remake.

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    1. Yes, the remake is with Howard Kell and Ann Blyth which I have not seen and hope to one day

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  24. Hi Birgit - I don't think I've seen those films ... so live and learn - whether I get to see them or not is another matter ... I'm not even sure I've seen True Grit ... cheers Hilary

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    1. Yes, it all takes time to see films, read books and enjoy certain things we love doing. Work and basics often get in the way

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  25. BIRGIT ~
    I love John Wayne, and I liked 'Rooster Cogburn' well enough, but it struck me as too much of a remake (or reimagining) of 'The African Queen' with Wayne in Bogie's role.

    'The Wizard Of Oz' was definitely a top-notch choice. I would probably have that in my Top 3 also.

    A good amount of 'Tortilla Flat' occurs in the woods, including the most awesome scene where Saint Francis of Assisi shows himself to Pirate's "good boys" (i.e., his beloved dogs). And 'Tortilla Flat' is unquestionably one of my Top Ten favorite movies ever made.

    A third choice? Hmmm.... Perhaps I'll go with Disney's original 1967 classic 'The Jungle Book'.

    ~ D-FensDogG
    [Link:) Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...

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    1. Yup people think of the African Queen but I never did. I looked at it more like an homage to 2 great stars

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  26. I wasn't a big fan of "Rooster Cogburn," but never knew why. I think Stephen above nails it.

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    1. Yes, some people were put off by that similarity but I never was.

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  27. Hi Birgit. I could easily watch the singing Mountie movie again. What a great scene. Those old movies really do have appeal, but The Edge gets my vote because of the actors. Not sure hubby would watch with me. He doesn't go for much drama!

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    1. I think you might like Rose Marie and hope you get to see it. The Edge is more of a thriller and the bear is scary

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  28. I saw Wayne and Hepburn in this one. The Edge was a good film as well. I like most anything that Anthony Hopkins is in. He's intense.
    R

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    1. He is intense! I never thought of that but he is...he could never play a chilled guy who plays bongos

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  29. I enjoyed seeing Wayne and Hepburn together. I actually liked this movie more than the first one. Funny about her 'dad' in the movie being only a year older than her:)
    YOU have a great one.
    Hugs,

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    1. I love the film but do like th first better but this is a classic in my book. I like that tidbit

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  30. I haven't seen any of these. The first movie that came to mind was Watcher in the Woods- which is Disney, but was always a spooky movie for me growing up.
    ~Jess

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    1. I never saw that film but even the title is spooky

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  31. I unfortunately haven't seen any of these, but thinking about 'what movies took place in a forest', I can only think of one that wasn't horror: "Legend". That really is forest and underground, but a good half is forest?

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  32. I really regret not seeing The Edge. Remember hearing great things about it.

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  33. Birgit,

    We saw Rooster Cogburn many years ago. I always liked those old John Wayne films! "The Edge" is a fabulous movie. It's probably one of my favorite thrillers. A wealthy, well-read man implements the things he learned in books to survive the Alaskan terrain, defeats a man eating Grizzle Bear, and his enemy - the man having an affair with his young wife who wants him dead. It's an absolute on-the-edge-of-your-seat experience! We've watched this movie many times over the years. Another good one that takes place in the forest is "Shoot to Kill". :)

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  34. aw yes Bart the Bear! I was pretty scared by The Edge too but I was afraid of Alec Baldwin for some reason.

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