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Mr. Beaks Plows Into The Warner Archive's May Releases! FREEBIE AND THE BEAN! Ray's PARTY GIRL! Lumet's BYE BYE BRAVERMAN!

Sequel by ColeTrickle	May 14th, 2009 12:09:17 PM
A Freebie and the Bean sequel was actually talked about and its script eventually turned into The In-Laws with Arkin and Falk.
And First by ColeTrickle	May 14th, 2009 12:09:35 PM

ColeTrickle by mrbeaks	May 14th, 2009 12:15:10 PM
When FREEBIE arrived last week, I doubled it up with THE IN-LAWS. Bliss. If you need me, I'll be chiseling Alan Arkin's face into Mount Rushmore.
Beaks - Edit needed in column... by BGDAWES	May 14th, 2009 12:26:04 PM
Beaks, there is a typo/misprint in your recent article; there should be a strike through over 'DEATH PROOF' which needs to be replaced with Vanishing Point. Other than that, great column!
BGDAWES by mrbeaks	May 14th, 2009 12:36:00 PM
I'd intentionally omitted that yesterday, as I think VANISHING POINT is so much more than just a series of car chases. But you're right. It belongs. Not, however, at the exclusion of DEATH PROOF, which concludes with one of the most brilliantly staged car chases in film history. Technically, it's undeniable.
Alright Beaks, you sold me... by BGDAWES	May 14th, 2009 12:50:27 PM
And I seriously do appreciate that you purposefully left off Vanishing Point because I completely agree; Vanishing Point is an outstanding movie that also happens to include some pretty cool car chases...and a naked chick on a motorcycle. I need to give Thunder Road another chance; I'm almost unfair to QT - some reason Death Proof didn't work for me so I'm so hard on it; maybe I'll appreciate it more after repeated viewings, like practically all Wes Anderson films. Again, nice column.
Just thinking "Serpentine, Shel, seroentine" by skimn	May 14th, 2009 12:50:34 PM
Puts a big 'ol smile on my face. How's Peter Falk's health holding up? I could easily see him and Arkin do The Sunshine Boys on the stage.
Stuntman and Stuff by cahcat	May 14th, 2009 01:02:08 PM
I am so getting myself a copy of FREEBIE AND THE BEAN! I am a fan of STUNTMAN too, Richard Rush and all. It's always interesting to me that DEATH PROOF gets knocked down, but I so loved it and the car stuff, chases and all.
Transfer? by Vic_Arpeggio	May 14th, 2009 01:02:31 PM
How's the transfer? I've heard mixed things about some of the Archive transfers, particularly as they're interlaced and not progressive. Some early titles apparently look blocky and aren't cleaned up at all.
The Stunt Man by SpiderHarshaw	May 14th, 2009 01:43:49 PM
Just rewatched this two nights ago, and I still love it. Yes, it's a bit broad, and it cheats a lot with its "nothing as it seems" set pieces, but the soundtrack's phenomenal, Peter O'Toole is a great golden god, and it's imminently quotable. Love that movie.
Why is there no article on MGMHD Channel? by landosystem	May 14th, 2009 02:07:12 PM
Instead of charging 20 bucks a throw like WB, MGM is showing many unreleased classics every month in HD on their MGM HD Channel, why don't you discuss some of these awesome gems? Oh yeah, because you can't make money off that. Ain't it Payola News?
Best "F & B" exchange and moments.... by darthliquidator	May 14th, 2009 03:00:50 PM
Freebie: I can't hit anything today.. Bean: Oh don't feel too bad..you shot a nurse! Best moments: F & B plowing their car into a marching band...Bean riding a motorcycle over the roofs and hoods of cars stopped in a traffic jam..(with an almost full-face view of Caan's stunt replacement) Priceless...
And for more great Rush madness.... by darthliquidator	May 14th, 2009 03:07:50 PM
You've gotta check out l970 "Getting Straight", Rush's anti-everything, campus revolution comedy with then white-hot Elliott Gould (coming off of "MASH") Entire film shot in continual 'shifting focus' (a Rush specialty)...incredible stunt-filled campus riot orchestrated by Chuck Bail...and watch for Harrison Ford as a party-hardy BMOC!
I love the conspiracy theorists by Arteska	May 14th, 2009 03:25:44 PM
I got an email today inviting me to upgrade my HD to include MGMHD....for another $5 a month. It sounds like an ok deal maybe and if money was flowing I might jump on it but every recommendation benefits someone, including the one you made. I also don't get why people are so opposed to ads here...I would guess the alternative would be to purchase a subscription - unless you think administering and doing all this should be done out of charity to entertain you for free?
Fuck warner and their cheap ass dvd-r's! by Goon Bighead	May 14th, 2009 05:27:51 PM
Fuck them in their cheap asses! I'm gonna wait on the Criterion F&B.
Picture Quality by mrbeaks	May 14th, 2009 06:31:19 PM
I haven't had a bad experience with any of the titles I've watched (incl. the three reviewed in this article, PRIVATE LIVES, WESTBOUND, RETURN OF THE BAD MEN and THOUSANDS CHEER). They're not pristine transfers, and, especially in the case of FREEBIE, they can be murky at times, but they're decent. Look, folks, I'd love for WB to get Arkin, Caan and Rush together for a "We got away with this shit?" commentary, but that's just not going to happen. That said, please continue to lobby Criterion on behalf of F&B, because I would absolutely buy that disc. And while you're at it, feel free to shoot Kenneth Lonergan an email imploring him to finish MARGARET right fucking now.
20 bucks for a DVD-R with no features by Samuel Fulmer	May 14th, 2009 08:22:11 PM
Yeah great deal. If it was 20 dollars for a real DVD than sure I'd buy it, even if it was featureless, but this is a horrible joke. How can actual film lovers champion this step back in the DVD revolution. This isn't as bad as the old Divx, but not far off. Why would someone pay 20 bucks for a DVD that in a few years won't play? This is sad too because being a Nick Ray fan, I've been waiting for a long time for Party Girl to hit DVD. Sadly his other great unreleased films like Bigger Than Life and Johnny Guitar will probably meet another shoddy fate.
Plus you can't rent these either by Samuel Fulmer	May 14th, 2009 08:23:11 PM
So no Netflix.
Falk Is Gone by Rebeck2	May 14th, 2009 10:48:19 PM
Sad to say, but Peter Falk is no longer with us. He's alive, but mentally he's gone. Both he and Arkin are two of the greats.
wow, Freebie sounds like my uncle... by The Amazing G	May 15th, 2009 04:39:43 AM

also The Stunt Man... by The Amazing G	May 15th, 2009 04:40:06 AM
is an awesome movie
let's face it Beaks... by The Amazing G	May 15th, 2009 05:01:59 AM
you just want to watch Color Of Night so you can see Jane March buck ass naked and Willis' Willis
SKIN GAME is a funny movie by palimpsest	May 15th, 2009 06:41:22 AM
I loves me some James Garner
Skin Game sounds interesting by Geomancer21	May 15th, 2009 08:42:22 AM
Warner should include trailers though (i'm sure they exist somewhere.) it would help for the more obscure titles. And what does "EST-MOD" mean when its after a title?
TARZAN'S MAGIC FOUNTAIN? by Sw0rdfish	May 15th, 2009 09:09:13 AM
That's what SHE said!
It's a shame that the Archive collection... by beamish13	May 15th, 2009 11:14:41 AM
will probably be the only way WB will release titles like Bill Gunn's unreleased 1970 feature "Stop" and Sidney Lumet's "Last of the Mobile Hot Shots" and "The Seagull"
Four Daughters... by Bones	May 15th, 2009 12:05:52 PM
Is a a great flick that was remade as "Young at Heart" with Frank Sinatra and Doris Day. I caught it on TCM a year or so ago--and they played both versions back to back. Very good film, much darker and more nuanced than you think it will be.
SKIN GAME is A-OK by Dr Lizardo	May 15th, 2009 03:32:38 PM
I also seem to recall a short-lived TV show based on it.
LEX BARKER TARZAN COLLECTION!!!!!!! by riskebiz	May 15th, 2009 04:15:23 PM
That's a big deal for me. I've been waiting on it. NOW... I am waiting for the Gordon Scott, Jock Mahoney, and Mike Henry Tarzan films to be finally in all their widescreen glory!!!!! Hope it's soon.
I like Stewart Granger by CherryValance	May 15th, 2009 05:52:53 PM
I don't think I've seen that one. I'll have to check it out.
vanishing point by TheExterminator	May 16th, 2009 02:17:19 AM
much more than a car chase??are you taking the piss...i think i understand what you're trying to say but unfortunately i think that pretentious douchiness is getting the better of you again beaks. freebie is a great film i remember stumbling on it by accident when the bbc showed it years ago. i was hooked..especially with the hilarious dialogue
How can you mention Party Girl by JackRabbitSlim	May 17th, 2009 03:52:53 PM
and not mention the scene with the scene-chewing Lee J Cobb that clearly served as the inspiration for the baseball bat scene in "The Untouchables"? De Palma certainly added his own trademark flourishes to the memorable moment, but its genesis undoubtedly lies within Party Girl.
Freebie and the Bean may not be the best... by eustisclay	May 18th, 2009 11:07:06 AM
...cop movie ever made, but it was funny and crude definitely influential. Wish that Rush had worked more. I remember that he originally developed Air America, would have loved to see his version. He never plays it safe. And I happily watch Color of Night for Jane March's ass. Soldier in the Rain is one of my favorite films. I love all those service comedies from the forties into the mid sixties( keep waiting for No Time for Sargeants) . Soldier is kind of an odd film(cornball humor, tragedy, a pretty violent barroom fight) but I first saw in on a rainy sunday while in the army and it has stuck in me. Love when Gleason picks up that guy and lifts him over his head. Sgt Slaughter's the man!
SKIN GAME by Alonzo Mosely	May 19th, 2009 02:09:04 AM
Was on the BBC all the time when I was growing up in the UK. I remember it as a really fun movie, which had a fantastic set-up/1st act, but which fell apart a bit when they moved away from the straight sell a slave/rescue/get the hell out of town caper.
death proof?...puh-leeze... by bewareofaholywhore	May 19th, 2009 12:28:40 PM
i would never list that piece of shit anywhere near those other films...
Ray made great movies about freaks and outcasts by reflecto	May 20th, 2009 01:49:43 AM
I was half-dead and mostly asleep when I caught "Party Girl" on TCM a few years ago, but the final sequence with Lee J. Cobb left a real memory. I don't think it's the equal of "Rebel," "In A Lonely Place" or the great, little-known "Bigger Than Life," but I haven't seen it in ages and my memories are foggy. Glad I'll get a chance to refresh them. And I loved "The Stunt Man."

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Mr. Beaks Plows Into The Warner Archive's May Releases! FREEBIE AND THE BEAN! Ray's PARTY GIRL! Lumet's BYE BYE BRAVERMAN!

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