MGM-HD!!!

[♥ COVID-19♥]

MGM-HD

For the past few weeks, I've been struggling whether to put this in the movies or TV section and I finally decided on TV, although it's mainly about movies ...

I have a hi-def TV and with my cable provider (Time Warner), am supplied with many hi-def channels -- despite this, I decided to make the additional investment of purchasing an extra tier of hi-def channels ... and I am now quite glad that I did, because this tier includes something called MGM-HD.

For those of you unfamilar with it, MGM-HD is a channel that features movies from the library of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie studio, and they are shown in hi-def (1080p) format. To say that watching them on a good home theater system is a stunning experience does not even begin to explain how great this channel is.

Recently, I watched two incredible movies on this channel: "The Fortune Cookie" and "Irma La Duce". Both star Jack Lemmon -- I'm admittedly a sucker for his movies, especially if he's teamed with Walter Matthau, as he was in "The Fortune Cookie". Recently, I believe they also showed another Jack Lemmon movie, "The Apartment", in which he co-starred with Shirley MacLaine, as he did in "Irma La Duce".

Notice a thread with any of these? Well, they're all directed by Billy Wilder, someone else's movies for whom I'm a sucker, especially if he co-wrote the screenplay with his frequent collaborator I.A.L. "Izzy" Diamond. If you really want to know how to make a movie -- telling a great story while simultaneously making it funny -- pick any random Wilder movie ("Some Like It Hot", e.g.?).

But as usual ... I digress ...

If you check out the channel's Web site, you'll see many other worthwhile movies as well. In the event you don't already have MGM-HD, you might want to check to see if you cable/satellite provider carries it -- and if they do, then by all means, add it to your monthly service (you won't be disappointed). OTOH, if they *don't* carry it ... you might want to either ask them to add it or consider switching. The movies on this channel are so entertaining, I frequently find it a better choice than the regular fare offered by the major networks or even the recent movies that pop up on premium channels like HBO or Showtime. Classic movies that are seen many years after their original viewing take on a whole new life -- this was most definitely the experience I had recently watching both "Irma La Duce" and "The Fortune Cookie"; after seeing them as a kid (especially, "The Fortune Cookie", which I saw many times), they take on a whole new meaning now, decades later, as an adult (well, chronologically, anyway ... ).

[Chicago Jake]

Those are all great movies you mentioned there, and Wilder is one of the best of the Golden Age directors. That channel is worth whatever they charge for it, to a hard-core movie fan.......Jake

[♥ COVID-19♥]

Jake, I'm not sure exactly what the price-per-channel breakdown is because this "tier" to which I referred actually includes several channels -- i.e., you can't break 'em up ... you either buy the whole tier or not at all (not individual channels -- it's not an a la carte menu), so you get some channels that you may not even bother watching. That said, however, I find that paying for the entire tier is worth it just to have full hi-def access to all of the MGM movies, IMO.

[Merlot Joe]

I am going to check and see if that is available on Comcast. Last night (Friday) we watched "Ice Station Zebra" with Rock Hudson on TCM but it is a MGM movie. Both Denice and I like the oldies so it may well be worth the extra couple of pesos.

Joe

[Ardbeg... innit]

It would be nice if the "free market" actually worked here and we were able to pick and choose channels in a true ala carte style. I know that crap networks are packaged with the good ones because the cable/satellite companies have to buy them from distributors that way. Unfortunately there is no way for the end user (us) to affect how those packages are marketed. Take it of leave it, instead of about 15 channels that I watch 99% of the time, Ive got 235 out of 250 that I never even glance at.

Streaming content is increasing as a workaround, but look for the internet providers to cap download volumes to counter that pretty soon (satellite IP's already do that, I have no reasonable way to stream video because I have a 3Gb cap over a 7 day moving window, one movie download screws me for a week)

[innit Geezer]

Over the last several months I've been enjoying the movies played on our local PBS stations (WNET and WLIW) and Turner Movie Classics.

One night I had some good laughs watching the first 2 movies of the Thin Man series. The causal approach and constant party attitude of William Powell as Nick Charles.

[♥ COVID-19♥]

Jan 31, 2010 1:40:37 GMT -6 Merlot Joe said:

I am going to check and see if that is available on Comcast. Last night (Friday) we watched "Ice Station Zebra" with Rock Hudson on TCM but it is a MGM movie. Both Denice and I like the oldies so it may well be worth the extra couple of pesos.

I caught that one night, too -- it was interesting to see Rock Hudson (when everyone still thought he was straight) and Patrick McGoohan in a different role.

[Merlot Joe]

We just like old old movies. Bogart, Cary Grant, James Stewart, Clark Gable just to name a few.


Joe

[♥ COVID-19♥]

Turner Classic Movies and American Movie Classics can sometimes be good channels for that. I believe they both also have hi-def channels now, too.

[Merlot Joe]

Yes they both have hi-def. We also have the Retro Channel to get movie classic's on.

Joe

[Chicago Jake]

I like American Movie Classics and watch lots of stuff on there, but I think they have a tendency to really stretch the term "classic" these days.......Jake

[Ardbeg... innit]

Youre right Jake, I have found that the term "classic" seems to include movies from the 80's. Very depressing, yet in fact, an entire generation ago, which out of context probably would have been pretty close to my definition of that term.

[Merlot Joe]

I think anything over 20 to 25 years old seems to fall into the classic catagory know days.

Maybe they should have Gold Classics -1959 and later and Classics 1960 to 1985. Just a thought.

As I mentioned I watched "Ice Station Zebra" (1968) the other night but I do not yet consider it a classic.


Joe

[Chicago Jake]

I didn't mean that the movies weren't old enough to be classics. I meant that they weren't GOOD enough to be considered classics!

[♥ COVID-19♥]

I think that's long been true of AMC -- I remember about a decade ago, they showed some movie I'd never heard of before that starred Louis Prima and Keely Smith!

[innit Geezer]

Here's one of Hollywood's and MGM's golden era "heavy's" Joe Callia, I always found him to be a powerful actor and thus an intimidating gangster. If you get a chance to see Golden Boy, you'll see what I mean. An early Pacino perhaps?

(It's only a movie, it's only a movie, it's only a movie .....)

[♥ COVID-19♥]

BTW, this looks to be a good month for Turner Classic Movies -- it appears their schedule includes Academy Award Winners.

[Merlot Joe]

TCM does it every years before the Oscars. The show some of the old winners.


Joe

[♥ COVID-19♥]

I know, I've seen ads for it in years past -- but since this is the first year when I can recall that they've had a hi-def channel on my cable provider, this is also the first year I've actually bothered to pay attention to their schedule. I'm definitely going to make a point of watching some of their movies this year.

[Merlot Joe]

I DVR lots of them to fill the gap when there is nothing new on TV.

Joe

[♥ COVID-19♥]

A wise move! I don't have a DVR myself, but storing up all of those good movies to watch when nothing's on TV is certainly better than channel surfing on a rainy day hoping to find something on TV!

[Merlot Joe]

It nice to have them avaliable. Last thursday night with nothing new on the tube we watch "The Harder They Fall" Bogart's last movie. It was great.


Joe