tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post1923266572763215471..comments2024-03-12T12:38:23.542-04:00Comments on The Kind of Face You Hate: The Collection Project: You Oughtta Have Respect for Things That Used to Bebill r.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-46776751903874235432010-05-29T22:36:55.731-04:002010-05-29T22:36:55.731-04:00Wow---that is a fantastic twist! I've been wa...Wow---that is a fantastic twist! I've been waiting for years to see a movie where the maverick who ignores the rules turns out to be wrong; didn't realize it had been done long ago.<br /><br />Reminds me a bit of NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, actually. Ben is our noble hero, and he's never explicitly dressed-down in the movie, but in retrospect, his every decision was wrong, while the obnoxious dickhead in the basement was right.That Fuzzy Bastardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09586029006083399346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-52260413656420025582010-05-29T09:32:51.203-04:002010-05-29T09:32:51.203-04:00Otherbill, that Newhart sequence is still a bit my...Otherbill, that Newhart sequence is still a bit mystifying. There's a stretch of the film that's really given over to the Bob Newhart and Bobby Darin Show. I love both those guys, but you can't help but wonder, at that point, just what kind of war movie this is supposed to be. That one film can contain that section, as well as the early scene with McQueen in the tavern with the waitress, AND that ending is, well, sort of strange. But it all somehow comes together and works. I have little doubt that Newhart was shoe-horned in there by the studio, but what the hell. He's Bob Newhart!<br /><br />McQueen was such an unusual talent. Jason Bellamy's McQueen blogathon a while back actually taught me a lot about the guy, and gave me a better appreciation of his ability to deliver performances like this one -- which is truly outstanding -- despite his limitations.<br /><br />Also, my dad was very similar (he was born in '31), though I don't know that he ever willingly recorded anything with the VCR. He did like having PATTON and ZULU close to hand (I know ZULU isn't WWII, but I bet your dad's a fan of it, as am I).bill r.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17748572205731857892noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856547151523423474.post-82308120466590254032010-05-29T01:45:42.207-04:002010-05-29T01:45:42.207-04:00I'm pretty sure my father caved and bought a v...I'm pretty sure my father caved and bought a vcr back in the day for the sole and express purpose of taping WWII movies. He was born in '34, grew up with the war on the radio, and his fascination with the conflict has never lagged. There's a good couple dozen WWII movies I've probably seen 50 times apiece- usually with him on a Sunday afternoon. This was on of the heavy rotation titles. It's been far too long since I've seen it. I think I'll bring a copy by the old homestead this weekend. Thanks for the reminder.<br /><br />I'll never forget the time I was watching this after having acquired a knowledge of Bob Newhart's career and realized in a rush what a call-out to his persona that telephone routine was at the time. As a kid it was a slightly mystifying sequence that I just sort of shrugged at and took in stride. A similar thing happened when I got older, noticed the production date of KELLY'S HEROES, and picked up on the contextual significance of Donald Sutherland's Oddball. <br /><br />Finally- I really wish we'd had a chance to watch Steve McQueen grow old on film. He was always one of my favorites growing up. If I've seen this film 50 times, I must have watch THE GREAT ESCAPE close to 100. Would've loved to see him in some late career, Eastwood-esque, I-may-be-70-but-I'm-still-Steve-Goddam-McQueen type roles.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com