Forever Classics

My Week In Film: February 19-25

2012-02-26T11:30:00.001-08:00

Week 2 of MWIF. This time I managed to work in three new-to-me films, along with two re-watches.

1. Elmer Gantry (1960)

Rating:4/5

Quite possibly Lancaster's best performance.

2. Sleepless In Seattle (1993)

Rating: 5/5

My new guilty pleasure.

3. The Lion King (1994). Re-watch

First time watching this in years. I fell in love with it all over again.

4. The African Queen (1951). Re-watch

I think everyone already knows how much I love this one. I've probably seen it around 20-30 times now and it never gets old.

5. The Artist (2011)

Rating: 5/5

As much as I loved Midnight In Paris, I'll be upset if this doesn't win Best Picture tonight.

That's it for this week. I should be back Wednesday with an Oscar-related post that I'm pretty excited about, so stay tuned!

My Week In Film: February 11-18

2012-02-19T10:10:00.003-08:00

I received positive feedback last week when I asked if I should start doing MWIF posts in place of reviews, so thank you all for commenting. I only had a chance to watch five films last week, but I enjoyed everything I saw.

1: Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Rating: 4/5

Definitely not my favorite Spielberg film, but Hanks and DiCaprio are great.

2. The Hard Way (1943)

Rating: 4.5/5

I was surprised by how much I liked this film. Ida Lupino's best performance, in my opinion.

3. The Long, Hot Summer (1958)

Rating: 3.8/5

I thought Newman and Woodward had great chemistry, but the plot wasn't anything special, in my opinion.

4. Say Anything... (1989)

Rating: 5/5

My favorite of the films I saw last week. This is a quintessential film for anyone who loves the 80's as much as I do.

5. La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast, 1946)

Rating: 4/5

Nothing will top the Disney adaption, but this is a wonderful film. The black-and-white cinematography is beautiful.

That's it for MWIF week 1. Expect week 2 next Sunday!

Question/Suggestion?

2012-02-13T14:15:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed I haven't posted many reviews lately. This isn't because I'm not watching films- I am- but I just don't have the motivation to write reviews at the moment. However, I follow several bloggers that do "My Week In Film" posts, where they list the films they've seen over the past seven days and (usually) write a few words about what they thought of it.

I'm considering doing this on my blog, but this would be a bit different since the posts would include modern films I see and probably any films I re-watch. There aren't really any cons to this, but I'm still on the fence about it. So I'm asking my followers: do you think I should begin doing My Week In Film posts or continue with regular reviews? Feedback is much appreciated.

Valentine's Day Movie Meme: My Answers

2012-02-11T14:57:00.000-08:00

My answers to the Valentine's Day Movie Meme that I published last week!

1. What is your favorite romantic comedy?

Adam's Rib. It's perfect, don't argue with me.

2. What is your favorite romantic drama?

Romantic drama is one of my favorite genres and it's impossible for me to choose just one. Just a few that I love are Casablanca, The African Queen, Forrest Gump and Gone With the Wind.

Yes, I love Forrest Gump. Judge all you want.

3. Worst romance film you've seen?

If you can even call it that.

4. How do you feel about the majority of romantic film being labeled "chick flicks"?

I think it's pretty ridiculous. Yes, most women love romantic films, but there are plenty of men that like them, too.

5. Favorite on-screen couple?

I really love Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine in The Apartment.

6. Favorite off-screen couple?

I sort of answered this in my last survey- I can't choose between Bogie and Bacall and Tracy and Hepburn.

7. Best kiss in a movie?

Nothing else comes close to this.

8. Favorite romantic scene?

For some reason, Blogger wouldn't let me upload it, but this scene from Woman of the Year (even though it's sort of a second answer for question 7).

9. Who are two film characters you wished had gotten together, but never did?

This may not be a legitimate answer since they were dating for the first portion of the film, but I always felt that Peter and Mary Jane should have actually gotten back together in Spider-Man 3. Besides that, I love the film- I've never understood why it got so many mixed reviews.

10. Two actors you think would have good chemistry, but have never done a film together?

Bogie and Vivien Leigh. I picture them together in a Hitchcock film for some reason.

11. Favorite romantic song in a film (doesn't have to be from a musical)?

"(I've Had) The Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing. "As Time Goes By" is a close second.

12. Best score from a romance film?

Gone With the Wind. And anything else Max Steiner.

13. Most romantic film quote?

Is "We'll always have Paris" too cliche?

14. A film you'd recommend to watch on Valentine's Day?

Something for everyone: For comedy, Adam's Rib or The Thin Man. For drama, Casablanca. For adventure, The African Queen. For action, Spider-Man. For animated, Beauty and the Beast. And many more I'm forgetting.

That's it for my answers. Thank you to everyone who's done this meme so far, and Happy Valentine's Day!

Survey time!

2012-02-06T17:53:00.000-08:00

My answers for the Valentine's Day movie meme are coming (hopefully) on Wednesday, but until then I'm doing a film survey created by Rianna at Frankly, My Dear.

1. Favorite classic Disney?

Not really old enough to be a "classic", but Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite.

2. Favorite film from the year 1939?

Unoriginal, I know.

3. Favorite Carole Lombard screwball role?

My Man Godfrey. A close second is Hands Across the Table.

4. Favorite off-screen couple? (It's okay if it ended in divorce). My answer(s) are the same for question 5, which is favorite pair of best friends?

My two favorite off (and on) screen couples are Bogie and Bacall and Tracy and Hepburn, and the four of them also make up my favorite old Hollywood friendship. This picture is also one of my favorites.

6. Favorite actor with a mustache?

7. Favorite blonde actress?

Betty Bacall, of course!

8. Favorite pre-code.

The horror-addict inside me loves Freaks.

9. Which studio would you like to have joined?

Warner Brothers, hands down.

10. Favorite common on screen pairing that should have gotten married?

William Powell and Myrna Loy. I probably could say Tracy and Hepburn, too, but I'm choosing Bill and Minnie since they weren't actually together.

11. Favorite I Love Lucy episode?

So hard to choose just one, but my first pick would be Job Switching since I love chocolate so much and it's the first episode I remember seeing.

12. Lucille Ball, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, Natalie Wood, Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergman and Greer Garson- which one do you like the best?

This one is obvious.

13. Shadow film noir from the 40s or splashy color musical from the 50s?

For me, film noir. Musicals aren't one of my favorite genres (which is odd, since I love Broadway).

14. Actor or actress with the best autograph (photo preferred)?

15. A baby photo of your favorite actor or actress?

Bogie, age 2. You can't not smile at this.

Review: Midnight In Paris (2011)

2012-02-04T15:23:00.000-08:00

IMDb Synopsis: A romantic comedy about a family traveling to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple forced to confront the illusion that a life different from their own is better.

Most of you know how it is when a film gets a lot of hype: the trailer is released, everyone and their cat wants to see it, critics and bloggers rave over it. Sometimes it lives up to expectations and others it's just overrated, which is why I put off seeing Midnight In Paris. Now I really wish I'd had the chance to see it in theaters because it's quite possibly my favorite film from the past decade.

This was my first time watching a Woody Allen film (terrible, I know), so I didn't know what to expect from his work. I really loved the way he was able to capture the feel of the 1920's as well as the likeness of the people Gil encounters, my favorites being the Fitzgerald's and Ernest Hemingway.

If possible, I would go back and re-write the Movie Character Personality Soup post I did last year because Gil Pender is me summed up in a film character. I think the same can go for other classic film fans as well: Gil is someone fascinated by things of the past who eventually forces himself to accept the present, which is a situation I face quite often.

Overall: just watch Midnight In Paris. It's worth every bit of hype it gets. I doubt it will with films like The Artist and The Descendants nominated, but I would love to see it win Best Picture.

5/5 stars

Valentine's Day Movie Meme!

2012-02-02T11:46:00.000-08:00

In honor of Valentine's Day I created a new movie meme which consists of 14 questions relating to romance in films. If you decide to do this, please leave me a link in the comments so I can check it out. I'll also be posting my answers for the meme sometime next week.

1. What is your favorite romantic comedy?

2. What is your favorite romantic drama?

3. Worst romance film you've seen?

4. How do you feel about the majority of romantic films being labeled "chick flicks"?

5. Favorite on-screen couple?

6. Favorite off-screen couple?

7. Best kiss in a movie?

8. Favorite romantic scene?

9. Who are 2 film characters you wished had gotten together, but never did?

10. Two actors you think would have great chemistry, but have never done a film together?

11. Favorite romantic song in a film (doesn't have to be from a musical)?

12. Best score from a romance film?

13. Most romantic film quote?

14. A film you'd recommend to watch on Valentine's Day?

*How many times did I use the word "romantic"?.....

My Favorite Films: To Kill a Mockingbird

2012-01-31T11:58:00.000-08:00

I was planning to do another MFF post since I hadn't done one in awhile, and this one in particular is quite special for me because it's on what started my love for film and it's adapted from my favorite book: To Kill a Mockingbird. The film won't celebrate it's fiftieth anniversary until December, but I'm writing about it early in honor of the commemorative Blu-ray and DVDs being released today.

Directed by Robert Mulligan and released by Universal Pictures, To Kill a Mockingbird tells the story of Alabama lawyer Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) who defends an an African-American man that is falsely accused of raping a Caucasian woman in the 1930s. The case is seen through the eyes of Atticus' young children (Mary Badham and Phillip Alford).

I first saw this film in middle school a few years ago, and the way I've looked at films has never been the same. There are so many things about it that I remember being fascinated by: the realness that the actors brought to their performances, the family element that is prevalent throughout the film, and the moral of the story that still applies to society today.

No one other than Gregory Peck could have played Atticus. It's almost as if the character was written specifically for him. Harper Lee even said "In that film, the man and the part met". His nine minute summation speech (which he filmed in just one take) is one of my favorite scenes in any film and it's one of many moments that show how much Atticus deserved to be ranked the greatest hero in American film.

Mary Badham and Phillip Alford give the finest performances I've ever seen from child actors. Something I've always taken note of is their facial expressions throughout the film, particularly in the scene where Scout meets Boo Radley, which I'll talk more about farther into this post. They were both wonderful alongside Gregory Peck, especially Badham, who became close to him during filming (they even called each other "Scout" and "Atticus") and remained friends with him until his death in 2003.

Brock Peters plays Tom Robinson, the man Atticus defends who is accused of rape. The scene in which he gives his testimony is part of what makes the trial so powerful. It's obvious that he's an innocent man, yet few people in Maycomb believe him.

Then there is Collin Wilcox as Mayella Ewell, the supposed rape victim. Her only scene in the film takes place during the trial and it's just as moving as Peters'. Yes, I realize I keep going back to the trial, but it's the defining point of To Kill a Mockingbird.

Last, but certainly not least, is Robert Duvall as Arthur "Boo" Radley. He has no lines and appears in the final scene, but it always makes me tear up when Scout meets him for the first time and simply says "Hey, Boo". It's such a heartwarming scene.

Since the book is my favorite, I care a lot about how it's adapted, and Robert Mulligan did a wonderful job. There are few changes in the film and, in my opinion, it's quite close to the novel, although I know some people don't agree.

Overall, To Kill a Mockingbird continues to inspire me, and has changed not only the way I view films, but the way I view life and society, and I hope it does the same for many of you.

Update

2012-01-23T08:47:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry for the lack of posts lately, but those of you that follow me on Twitter know I injured my foot last week and I just didn't have the motivation to write anything then. I have another installment of My Favorite Films coming in a few days and I will also be working on a tag/meme that I'm quite excited about. Another thing I wanted to mention is that I probably won't post as many reviews during the month on February because I'd like to catch up on seeing more films from 2011 prior to the Oscars, but I have several other post ideas coming up to take the place of my regular reviews.

Hope you all are having a great day!

Review: How to Steal a Million (1966)

2012-01-13T11:02:00.000-08:00

IMDb Synopsis: Romantic comedy about a woman who must steal a statue from a Paris museum to help conceal her father's art forgeries, and the man who helps her.

When I reviewed That Touch of Mink, I mentioned that 60s comedies were either a hit or miss for me- some I've absolutely loved and some I'll never watch again (That Touch of Mink being part of the latter). I wanted to see How to Steal a Million because I'm trying to see more Peter O'Toole films and also because many of the people I follow on Tumblr absolutely love it. After watching it myself, I now understand all the hype.

This was the only time O'Toole ever co-starred with Audrey Hepburn, which is quite unfortunate because I thought they were wonderful together. While their performances are great, I felt that the best aspect of the film was their chemistry. I've heard some people criticize the film for its "fluff", but isn't that what makes most romantic comedies so much fun?

Overall, if you're looking for a film that's lighthearted, romantic and fun, How to Steal a Million is just that.

5/5 stars

Review: The Aviator (2004)

2012-01-09T11:03:00.000-08:00

IMDb Synopsis: A biopic depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes' career, from the late 1920s to the mid-1940s.

I'm back from my hiatus! For my first post in 2012, I'm reviewing a film that is discussed frequently among the classic Hollywood fandom: Martin Scorsese's The Aviator. (I also plan on reviewing The Artist whenever I get an opportunity to see it.)

I love watching biopics, if they're made well. Sometimes I'm hesitant to watch a film when it's portraying people I''m fond of, since there's always a chance that the actors chosen won't live up to my expectations. Fortunately, this wasn't the case here.

The two actors that surprised me the most (and the two that I was most pleased with) were Cate Blanchett and Leonardo DiCaprio. Prior to viewing, I was skeptical of Blanchett- not just anyone could play Katharine Hepburn- but I was pleased with her performance and I'm glad she won an Oscar. For no particular reason I loved her line "Can't you just eat ice cream out of a bowl, like everyone else?"

Then there's DiCaprio, who I've never liked (I blame Titanic). Like Hepburn, Howard Hughes isn't an easy role to play, but DiCaprio managed to master his role, especially in the scenes concerning Hughes' mental illness.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Aviator and I think the same goes for many other classic Hollywood fans. Also a deserving mention to the costume designer and makeup artists for making all of the actors look so authentic.

4.5/5 stars

Hiatus + New Years Eve Movie Meme

2011-12-31T09:41:00.000-08:00

Due to the holidays ending and the fact that I have absolutely nothing to write about, this will be my last post until January 9. That's all I had originally planned to blog about, however when I came online this morning I noticed that several fellow bloggers were doing the New Years Eve Movie Meme created by Rachel at The Girl With the White Parasol, and I decided to do it for my final post in 2011.

1. What is your all-time favorite Grace Kelly costume?

Unoriginal choice, but the black and white dress from Rear Window.

2. What classic film would you nominate for a remake?

There really isn't any film that I feel needs to be remade. However, I have yet to see a decent adaption of Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises.

3. Name your favorite femme fatale.

Lauren Bacall in To Have and Have Not. Also Rita Hayworth in Gilda.

4. Name the best movie with the word "heaven" in it's title.

Leave Her to Heaven.

5. Describe the worst performance by a child actor that you've ever seen.

I loathe Hayley Mills in Pollyanna (sorry to all the people I just offended).

6. Who gets your vote for most tragic movie monster?

Not the typical "monster", but Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (particularly Lon Cheney's version).

7. What is the one western that you would recommend to anybody?

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. A close second is The Searchers.

8. Who is your ideal movie-viewing partner.

Anyone who doesn't mind me throwing out film trivia every five minutes. Aka no one I've met yet.

9. Has a film ever made you want to change your life? If so, what was the film?

It's a Wonderful Life, To Kill a Mockingbird, Rebel Without a Cause, On the Waterfront, The Defiant Ones, just to name a few. And almost every film on AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers.

10. Think of one performer that you truly love. Now think of one scene/movie/performance of theirs that is too uncomfortable for you to watch.

I love Katharine Hepburn, I do. But I'm never watching The Little Minister again.

10. On the flipside, think of one really good scene/performance/movie from a performer that you truly loathe.

I have a strong dislike for Joan Crawford, but Mildred Pierce is wonderful.

12. And finally, since it will be New Years soon, do you have any movie or blogging-related resolutions for 2012?

Just to update frequently and comment on more blog posts- I've been slacking lately.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy New Year! See you in 2012.

Blogathon Wrap Up

2011-12-26T15:55:00.000-08:00

First of all, I just want to thank all of you for taking part in the Humphrey Bogart blogathon this weekend- so many great posts were submitted! Second, I just finished updating the contributions page, so please check that out and support all the bloggers that participated.

Again, thank you all for contributing and supporting my first blogathon. Hopefully I can find an excuse to hold another one in 2012!

Blogathon Contributions

2011-12-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

Here are all the blogathon contributions I've received so far. I'll be updating this post again soon for anyone else who submits their posts over the weekend:

Sofia from FILMflare gives a few guidelines for getting Bogie's look.

Ivan from Thrilling Days of Yesteryear writes a great introductory post to Edward Copeland's post on the 60th anniversary of The African Queen.

Anna from Defiant Success shared several reviews on some of Bogie's best films:

To Have and Have Not
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Casablanca
Sabrina
The Maltese Falcon
In a Lonely Place
The Roaring Twenties
The Big Sleep
The African Queen
The Barefoot Contessa
Knock On Any Door

Bette from Bette's Classic Movie Blog discusses The African Queen and Sabrina.

Brandie from True Classics focuses on John Huston's adaption of The Maltese Falcon.

Leticia from Critical Retro writes a very informative post that shares several facts about Bogie.

Barry from Cinematic Catharsis reviews The Return of Doctor X.

Dorian from Tales of the Easily Distracted writes about The Big Sleep.

Natalie from In the Mood discusses Bogie's relationship with Lauren Bacall.

R.C. from The Shades of Black and White compares Bogie's life to some of his most popular film quotes.

Rianna from Frankly, My Dear interviews her father, a fellow Bogie fan.

Angela from The Hollywood Revue compares Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon to the John Huston adaption.

Lesya from Eternity of a Dream reviewed Casablanca, To Have and Have Not and Sabrina.

Vinnie from The Forty-Year Old Fanboy reviews We're No Angels.

Steve from Shades of Gray reviewed King of the Underworld.

Erin from Silver Screen Scribblings discusses Bogie's role in Casablanca.

My Favorite Films: The African Queen

2011-12-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

My third and final My Favorite Films post in honor of the Humphrey Bogart blogathon is going to focus on The African Queen. I've really been looking forward to writing this post because it's my favorite Bogie film tied with Casablanca, and also because it premiered 60 years ago today in Los Angeles.

Released in 1951 and directed by John Huston, the film takes place in Africa during World War I and tells the story of an alcoholic boat owner (Bogie) who is persuaded by a missionary (Katharine Hepburn) to use his boat to sink a German warship.

There are so many reasons why I love The African Queen. It contains just about every element you'd want in a film (comedy, drama, adventure, romance, etc), it pairs Bogie with Katharine Hepburn, the color cinematography is beautiful and the story remains timeless to this day.

I think Bogie's role as Charlie Allnut really shows his diversity as an actor. Yes, his character is the "tough guy" he was most commonly known for playing, but it's different here because he's absolutely hilarious. The scene where he becomes intoxicated from gin and later when he attempts to imitate a hippo nearly made me fall out of my seat laughing the first time I watched it. Forget Marlon Brando, Bogie rightfully deserved the Oscar.

As with Bogie, this is also my favorite film and performance from Katharine Hepburn. Bette Davis was originally considered for Rose (she later dropped out because of pregnancy), but no one could have played her as well as Hepburn did. I do like Vivien Leigh, but I personally feel that the Academy made the wrong decision in the Best Actress category that year.

One of the best aspects of The African Queen is the chemistry between Bogie and Hepburn. It's so interesting to watch their relationship progress throughout the film- they start out as barely tolerating each other then end up in love by the films' ending. This was the only time they worked together, but they remained close friends for the rest of Bogie's life (she and Spencer Tracy were some of the last people to see him the night before he died in January 1957).

**SPOILER ALERT**

The film was adapted from the C.S. Forester novel of the same name. I haven't read it, and I don't plan to, mainly because of different endings between the film and the book. If you've seen the (and if you read past the spoiler alert, I'm assuming you have), you know it ends as Charlie and Rose are captured by the Germans and married by the captain before execution. The Louisa then crashes into the remains of the African Queen and the torpedoes explode the ship, allowing Charlie and Rose to flee to the Belgian Congo. The book, however, ends as the Louisa is destroyed and Charlie and Rose go to inform the British Army. Honestly, I don't think I would like the film as much as I do if the ending hadn't been changed. I rarely say this, but I think this is one example of the movie being better than the book.

The African Queen was restored in 2009 for it's first release on DVD in 2010. I hadn't seen the film pre-restoration, but the video linked above shows comparisons between the two versions, and it's amazing to see how much the quality has improved. The color cinematography along with John Huston's direction is beautiful.

Overall, The African Queen is one of my favorite films and I hope it will be remembered 60 years from now just as it is today.

It's Blogathon Time!

2011-12-23T05:16:00.000-08:00

After 3+ months of planning, the Bogie blogathon begins today! If you all could please leave links to your posts in the comments, I'll make sure to include them all in another post later. I also have my last My Favorite Films post for December going up this evening. If you have any questions, please let me know.

Review: In This Our Life (1942)

2011-12-21T07:11:00.001-08:00

My contribution for the Dueling Divas blogathon at Backlots.

IMDb Synopsis: A young woman dumps her fiancée and runs off with her sister's husband.

I've been contemplating over the last few weeks about which film I wanted to write about for this blogathon. My original choice was The Dark Mirror in which Olivia de Havilland plays twins, but I wasn't able to find it online. Instead, I chose John Huston's In This Our Life which pairs de Havilland alongside Bette Davis.

Davis and de Havilland made several films together, and in most of them they play rivals, as they do here. This time, the reason for their strife being that Davis runs off with de Havilland's husband (played by Dennis Morgan, who I consider to be extremely underrated). Other actors worth mentioning are George Brent as Davis' fiancee and Charles Coburn.

The characters the actresses play in this film are the type of roles they were most commonly known for- Davis is a "bee" with an "itch", and de Havilland is convincing as a kind but strong woman who doesn't let her sister and her husband's actions destroy her life.

Overall, I wouldn't consider In This Our Life to be the greatest of either Davis or de Havilland's work (that's saved for Now, Voyager and The Snake Pit) but they both deliver solid performances and the film is definitely worth watching.

3.5/5 stars

My Favorite Films: To Have and Have Not

2011-12-16T10:51:00.000-08:00

In honor of the Bogie blogathon next week (I still can't believe it's only a week- I started planning this four months ago!), I'm writing another My Favorite Films post, this time on To Have and Have Not.

Released in 1944 and directed by Howard Hawks, To Have and Have Not tells the story of Harry Morgan (Bogie), an American expatriate living on the island of Martinique who is persuaded against his better judgment to help smuggle resistance members onto the island while flirting with a lounge singer (Lauren Bacall, in her film debut).

The film was adapted from the Ernest Hemingway novel of the same name, which is also considered the worst of his books (I haven't read it, so I can't give my opinion). The plot may not be the most unique, but it's the remarkable chemistry between the two stars that makes it so memorable.

This was the first of four films that paired Humphrey Bogart with his future wife Lauren Bacall, and it was a match made in movie heaven. With some actors, it's obvious that the chemistry between them is forced. With Bogie and Bacall, I sometimes forget I'm watching a film. All four of the movies they made together (the others being The Big Sleep, Dark Passage and Key Largo) are wonderful, but To Have and Have Not stands out the most for me because, if you're familiar with the romance between Bogie and Bacall, it makes you feel as if you're watching two people fall in love (and, in reality, you are).

The best (and most remembered) scene in the film is without a doubt in which Bacall says "You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow." Every time I watch this, I'm astonished that she was robbed of an Oscar nomination, not just for this film, but in general. In 1997 she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in The Mirror Has Two Faces and in 2009 received an Honorary Award, but she had so many great performances in the 40's and 50's that sadly weren't recognized by the Academy.

Overall, I consider To Have and Have Not to be one of Bogie's best films, and I hope those of you that haven't seen it will check it out. It's airing March 5 on Turner Classic Movies for those of you interested.

Unfortunately, this turned out shorter than I wanted it to be as I'm busy planning next weeks' posts, but I hope you all enjoyed reading it!

Holiday Gift Guide: DVDs & Books for Film Lovers

2011-12-10T09:08:00.001-08:00

As we're getting close to Christmas, I've seen quite a few fellow bloggers post holiday gift guides for classic film fans, and I've decided to do the same by listing some of my favorite box sets and film-related books. Some of these things I've received as gifts recently, and I think anyone who likes films as much as I do will enjoy them. I've also included links to where you can purchase the items shown, most of them are from Amazon.

DVDs/Box Sets:

Bogie and Bacall- The Signature Collection

Toy Story Ultimate Toy Box Collection

Back to the Future 25th Anniversary Trilogy

Tracy & Hepburn- The Definitive Collection

The Complete James Dean Collection

The African Queen Commemorative Box Set

The Lion King Triology 8 Disc Box Set

Jurassic Park Ultimate Gift Set

Moguls and Movie Stars: A History of Hollywood

Books:

TCM Classic Movie Trivia: Featuring More Than 4,000 Questions to Test Your Trivia Smarts

1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (2011 Edition)

Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide: From the Silent Era Through 1965

That's it for my gift suggestions. I hope I helped some of you out!

Thanks for reading,

My Favorite Films: Casablanca

2011-12-06T13:44:00.001-08:00

In case you didn't already know, December is the month of the Bogie blogathon here at Forever Classics. In conjunction, all of the My Favorite Films post are going to be devoted to my top three picks from Bogie's filmography: Casablanca, To Have and Have Not and The African Queen, in that order (I won't be writing on The Maltese Falcon as it was featured as the noir of the month in April). Today's post is focusing on my favorite film of all time- Casablanca.

Released by Warner Brothers in 1942, the film tells the story of American expatriate and cafe owner Rick Blaine (Bogie) living in unoccupied Africa during World War II. Unexpected complications arise when Rick's former lover (Ingrid Bergman) and her Resistance leader husband (Paul Henreid) arrive at Rick's cafe and ask him to help them flee the Nazi's.

Casablanca is considered by many (including myself) to be the greatest film of all time, and it's obvious why: it's a perfect film with a wonderful cast, screenplay, score and director, all of which I will discuss more in depth later on.

"Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine."

One of the many things that make Casablanca so wonderful is that it contains some of the greatest performances in cinematic history. This is my favorite Bogie's film, tied with The African Queen. I love that he is able to play the cynical tough guy (which he was frequently type-cast as) but in the end still possess the emotions of a man torn between, in Claude Rain's words, love and virtue. (And, for the record, no one will ever be able to say "We'll always have Paris" the way Bogie did.)

Ingrid Bergman's performance as Ilsa Lund is her most popular role, and I consider it to be her best. Ever since my first viewing of Casablanca, I've always taken note in her facial expressions. In particular, when her character is conflicted, she seems to capture the scene perfectly. This is because she herself was confused during filming: Just like Ilsa was torn between helping her husband or staying with the man she really loved, Bergman was clueless about who she would end up with since the screenwriters did not finish writing the final scene until the day it was filmed. Since this is her most remembered film, it's quite astonishing that her Oscar nomination in 1943 was instead for For Whom the Bell Tolls.

It's amazing to look at the chemistry between Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. They did so well in their scenes together, which is odd because they rarely spoke outside of filming, on account of Bogie's wife at the time who constantly accused them of having an affair. The American Film Institute ranks it as the most passionate film ever made, as do I. One great example is the scene in which Ilsa comes to Rick's apartment to ask him for the letters of transit and admits she still loves him. (You can watch that scene here.)

Despite the popularity of Casablanca, Paul Henreid was a very underrated actor. While I don't think he was as great as the leading actors, his performance is still memorable since he plays one of the most important characters in the film. I particularly like the scene in the bar when Laszlo tells Rick he knows he's in love with Ilsa and also persuades him to give them the letters of transit. The supporting cast consists of Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet and S.Z. Sakall, who all, like Henreid, are extremely underrated. Even in supporting roles, they each add a lot to the film. For example, Peter Lorre has maybe eight minutes of screen time and he's in one of the most vital roles.

"We'll always have Paris." "Here's looking at you, kid." "Round up the usual suspects." "Play it Sam. Play, 'As Time Goes By'." Aside from the cast, the most recognizable thing about Casablanca is the screenplay. Even if someone hasn't seen it, the previous quotes are still vaguely familiar. It's a wonder that the screenplay turned out to be so great, considering the difficult time that brothers Julius and Phillip Epstein had writing it. The script was adapted from the play Everybody Comes to Rick by Joan Alison, but the title was changed to attract more viewers, similar to the film Algiers in 1938.

As I mentioned when discussing Bergman, the ending was rewritten several times to find the scene that best suit the story.Being the romantic that I am, I would have liked Ilsa to stay with Rick, but I strongly agree with what Julius Epstein said in the documentary You Must Remember This: The Making of Casablanca (which is available on the special edition DVD): the film wouldn't have the legacy it has today if it ended the way most people wanted it to. It shows a man giving up the woman for something he knows is more important, which is why it's so remembered today.

"As Time Goes By", originally released in 1931, is now one of the most well-known songs in film, but it was almost removed from Casablanca. After filming was complete, composer Max Steiner wanted to replace it with an original song, but, by this time Bergman had cut her hair for her part in For Whom the Bell Tolls. Scenes could not be re-shot and the song could not be removed since it was such a large part of the film, so "As Time Goes By" (thankfully) stayed.

And of course Google didn't have the picture I wanted.

Lastly, I want to discuss Michael Curtiz' direction. Curtiz made several great films including White Christmas and Mildred Pierce, but Casablanca was his masterpiece. Another thing I mentioned about Ingrid Bergman was the closeup shots. It's a remarkable quality, not just with her, but with the film as a whole. For example, the scene when Ilsa comes to Rick's cafe and asks Sam to play "As Time Goes By". Rick, hearing the song, walks over to Sam and he and Ilsa see each other for the first time since she left him in Paris. The way the camera captures their expressions is just perfect. It's one of my favorite scenes in the film.

Overall, I've seen Casablanca dozens of times and it still continues to amaze me as a film. I'll be re-watching it throughout December and I hope many of you will do the same.

Robert Osborne Returns to TCM

2011-11-30T07:49:00.001-08:00

If you didn't already know, host Robert Osborne will be returning to TCM tomorrow! I'm so excited because TCM just hasn't been the same without him. While there have been some wonderful guest hosts (I'd love to see Jane Powell do some kind of presentation again), it's going to be great to hear "Hi, I'm Robert Osborne," again. Even better, his return will start with the first night of films to honor December Star of the Month William Powell. If you'd like to join in welcoming Robert Osborne back to TCM, please check out the Welcome Back, Bob Tumblr page.

Till next time...

Review: That Touch of Mink (1962)

2011-11-28T15:47:00.001-08:00

IMDb Synopsis: A rich businessman and a young woman are attracted to each other, but he only wants an affair while she wants to save her virginity for marriage.

For me, the 1960's is a hit or miss decade for comedies. Some I've loved, others, not so much. Unfortunately, That Touch of Mink is part of the latter.

The only thing I enjoyed about this film was Cary Grant. He (as usual) was decent as the suave, debonair gentleman that he often played, but I wouldn't consider it one of his best roles by any means. Doris Day, who I've never cared for, delivers what I found to be a mediocre performance. She's much better in Pillow Talk, another romantic comedy and the only film of Day's I've liked so far.

As for other things I disliked, I found the plot and script to be extremely lacking. Even though the performances aren't great, the actors did the best they could with the material given. The film could have been better had the characters weren't so one-dimensional had more depth, like Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine in The Apartment, for example.

Overall, That Touch of Mink isn't the worst film ever made, but it's certainly not one of the best. I'd recommend skipping this one.

2.5/5 stars

My Favorite Films: It's a Wonderful Life

2011-11-25T14:47:00.001-08:00

Since most of my posts during the month of December are going to be Bogie-centeric, I wanted to take some time over the next week to talk about some of my favorite films to watch over the holidays. My all time favorite Christmas film (and one of my favorite films in general) is Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life.

Released in 1946 and starring James Stewart and Donna Reed, the film tells the story of George Bailey (Stewart), a family man on the brink of suicide and feels that his loved ones would be better off had he never lived. George then receives a visit from an angel (Henry Travers) who shows him what the small town of Bedford Falls would have been like without him and makes him realize that his life is pretty wonderful, after all.

With certain films, there is one specific quality that makes it memorable. Sometimes it's the acting, the direction or the script. With It's a Wonderful Life, it's all these and more that make it the cinematic masterpiece it is today.

"Dear Father in Heaven, I'm not a praying man, but if you're up there and you can hear me, show me the way."

I'm always mesmerized by the talent that the actors posses, particularly James Stewart. Stewart was such a marvelous actor, and one thing that contributed to this was his ability to do well in any genre of film. He could do comedy (The Philadelphia Story), western (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance) and thriller (Vertigo) with each performance being equally great. He often brings me to tears several times during the movie, but two scenes stand out the most for me: the first being the scene where George prays in the bar and the second when Harry toasts George as "the richest man in town". The emotions in It's a Wonderful Life are so real and effective. I dare you not to cry while watching it.

Then there's Donna Reed, who is one of my favorite underrated actresses. Reed, like Stewart, also did well playing in versatile roles- here, she portrays the devoted wife and loving mother, yet she won her sole Academy Award playing a prostitute in From Here to Eternity. I also love the way she acts alongside Stewart, their chemistry together, especially in the telephone scene is unforgettable.

Also in the supporting cast are Lionel Barrymore as Mr. Potter and Thomas Mitchell as Uncle Billy. This is one of Barrymore's finest performances, even though he plays what was probably his most evil character. While Mitchell is seldom mentioned among popular actors today, he appeared in several iconic films- Gone With the Wind, Stagecoach (for which he won an Oscar) and High Noon, to name a few. It's nice to see him playing the comical character since this is definitely a dramatic film.

The film's screenplay was adapted from the short story The Greatest Gift written by Phillip Van Doren Stern. Doren unsuccessfully attempted to publish the story, and made it into a Christmas card instead. This attracted attention from RKO's David Hempstead, who mentioned it to Cary Grant's agent. In 1944, RKO bought the rights hoping to have Grant play George, he, however, went on to star in The Bishop's Wife instead (which I will be discussing in a blog post over the next few days).

Frank Capra then read The Greatest Gift and saw potential within the story. This is great because no one besides Capra could have made this movie as well as he did. The script is perfect- the dialogue pulls at the viewers' heartstrings without being too over-the-top (I personally think the term "Capra-corn" was undeserved). Capra's flawless direction only adds to the film. His camera shots are stunning, from the opening scene featuring a visual of "heaven" as the citizens of Bedford Falls pray for George, to the scene on the bridge where he contemplates taking his own life.

"...Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings."

In 2006, the American Film Institute named It's a Wonderful Life the most inspirational film ever made, and it is. Frank Capra's work continues to be a heartwarming story that sparks the dreamer in all of us and reminds the viewer not to take what life has to offer for granted. If you have yet to see this film, I hope you change that this holiday season.

Blogathon Updates

2011-11-23T16:19:00.001-08:00

Today, November 23rd, marks the one month countdown to the Humphrey Bogart blogathon here at Forever Classics. The majority (if not all) of my posts during the month of December are going to be Bogie-related, so I have several installments of My Favorite Films featuring some of his best films planned as well as a few other special posts. So far, 23 blogs are listed to participate, so thank you to everyone who's signed up! If you would like to participate or have any questions, please leave a comment and let me know.

Here's a list of all the blogs signed up to participate:

As Time Goes By
Backlots
Bette's Classic Movie Blog
Blame Mame
Cinematic Catharsis
Defiant Success
Eternity of a Dream
Film Classics
FILMflare
Frankly, My Dear
Gold Hollywood
The Hollywood Revue
In the Mood
Le Mot du Cinephiliaque
Matt & the Art of Motion Pictures
The Most Beautiful Fraud in the World
Notreallyworking
Pretty Clever Films
Shades of Gray
Sittin' On a Backyard Fence
Tales of the Easily Distracted
Thrilling Days of Yesteryear
True Classics

For the Boys: Sidney Poitier

2011-11-17T18:24:00.001-08:00

My contribution to the For the Boys blogathon, hosted by The Scarlett Olive.

When I first heard about this blogathon, I immediately thought about men who went against type casting and stood out from other actors of the era. One of these men is Sidney Poitier, a favorite actor of mine. Poitier began acting in the 1950s and has been a significant icon in the film industry ever since. Some of his most popular films include The Defiant Ones, Lilies of the Field, A Patch of Blue, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner and To Sir, With Love, all of which I'll be writing about in this post. I will also be including excerpts from Poitier's autobiography The Measure of a Man in which he writes about each of the films discussed.

In 1958, Poitier starred alongside Tony Curtis in Stanley Kramer's The Defiant Ones. The film is about two escaped convicts, one white and black, who are chained together and must co-operate together in order to prevent capture. Curtis and Poitier were both nominated for Academy Awards- the first time an African American man had ever been nominated (both lost to David Niven). Poitier writes:

"Greed and cruelty are pretty widely distributed throughout humanity, as are their victims. You can have oppression of one sort or another all across the board culturally speaking, and all across the board racially speaking, and all across the board religiously speaking. The down-and-out characters played by Tony Curtis and me in The Defiant Ones weren't willing to give any credence to this commonality until their experience thrust it right up in their faces and they could no longer ignore it. That's why, at the end, they wound up on that railroad trestle, one guy holding the other guy, struggling to survive, hanging on, but singing a song, a song of hope." -pg 103

Six years after receiving his first nomination, Poitier became the first African American man to win an Oscar for Lilies of the Field. Directed by Ralph Nelson and adapted from the novel by William Barrett, the film tells the story of a man (Poitier) that meets a group of German nuns who believe God sent him to build them a new chapel. Poitier writes of his win and the effect it had on him:

"In 1964, I was awarded the Oscar for best actor in Lilies of the Field, the first African-American so honored. Did I say to myself, 'This country is waking up and beginning to recognize that certain changes are inevitable'? No, I did not. I knew we hadn't 'overcome' because I was still the only one. My career was unique in all of Hollywood....When I realized that I could be a better than utilitarian actor, I realized that I had the responsibility, not as a black man, but as an artist, to exercise tremendous discipline."-pg 107

In 1965, Poitier costarred with Elizabeth Hartman and Shelley Winters in A Patch of Blue. Directed by Guy Green, the film is about a blind Caucasian girl (Hartman) who falls in love with a black man. When released, A Patch of Blue caused a great deal of controversy as the United States was racially divided at the time. Scenes of Poitier and Hartman kissing had to be cut from the film when it ran in film theaters in the Southern states (these scenes are included in the DVD version and on Turner Classic Movies' airings). Poitier talks about his mindset while filming:

"...I was dipping into emotional pockets that were new to me. This was a white girl, and we were in 1960s America. This was a revolutionary attempt at filmmaking, so I was mentally awake in every way. I had my eye out, my ear out, and I was quite primed to make sure that nothing untrue, uncomplimentary, or stereotypical occurred. I wanted to make sure that the story was told with dignity and respect for the questions involved. This wasn't the story of an interracial couple, mind you. This was simply a guy trying to help a young girl who was in need. It was a very human story." -pg 110

My favorite of Sidney Poitier's films is Stanley Kramer's Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Released in 1967, the film tells the story of a white woman (Katharine Houghton) who brings her black fiancee (Poitier) home to meet her parents (Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy, in his last film). This was a groundbreaking point in film history, as it confronted the subject of interracial marriage, which was still illegal in seventeen states at the time. Poitier writes about meeting Hepburn and Tracy before production on the film began:

"The truth of the matter is that the formation of this business relationship was almost a literal "pre-enactment" of the situation in the film we were about to make. The black man was coming for dinner, and we usually didn't do that....They were going to enter into an intense creative partnership in which they would take on one of the primal taboos of our culture, interracial marriage- and 'we usually don't do that,' either." -pg 122

The fifth and final film I'm going to mention is To Sir, With Love. Also released in 1967, this film is about a black high school teacher (Poitier) and his experiences in a class full of white students (Coincidentally, Poitier had played a rebellious student twelve years earlier in Blackboard Jungle). Racial issues are mentioned, but the prominent subject focuses on the teenage angst and the inspiration the students receive from Poitier's character. Poitier discusses the impact his character had on the students:

"By the end of the film he had transformed his class into a group of interesting people, most of whom were thinking about going further in education, most of whom were feeling much, much better about themselves and were willing to give each other the benefit of the doubt, who were able to offer respect and to receive respect quite openly. He did all this for them, but he also showed them that they were still the same people that they had been- only better." pg 188

That's about it for this post. I highly recommend all five of Sidney Poitier's films that I discussed. Thanks to Hilary and Katie at the Scarlett Olive for hosting this blogathon!

Review: The Rainmaker (1956)

2011-11-17T08:46:00.001-08:00

IMDb Synopsis: Lizzie Curry is on the verge of becoming a hopeless old maid. Her wit and intelligence and skills as a homemaker can't make up for the fact that she's just plain. Even the town sheriff, File, for whom she harbors a secrect yen, won't take a chance --- until the town suffers a drought and into the lives of Lizzie and her brothers and father comes one Bill Starbuck ... profession: Rainmaker.

For no particular reason, I really enjoy watching films adapted from plays. Some of the best ones include A Streetcar Named Desire, 12 Angry Men and The Petrified Forest. The Rainmaker was adapted from the N. Richard Nash play and stars Katharine Hepburn and Burt Lancaster in the title role. A lot of reviews for this film are mixed, but I really enjoyed it.

I personally think a lot of people miss the point of The Rainmaker. The fact that it's a bit over-the-top and unbelievable at times it what gives it so much depth. Most of us have probably heard the term that you have to love yourself before anyone else can love you in return, and that's exactly what this film is about: Hepburn plays a repressed woman who fears she'll remain a spinster for the rest of her life, and Lancaster is the man who finally makes her believe in herself.

Some of the more skeptical viewers may find The Rainmaker to be unrealistic, but I thought it was quite lovely and inspiring. At least give it a viewing before you judge.

5/5 stars

Review: The Searchers (1956)

2011-11-15T13:45:00.001-08:00

IMDb Synopsis: As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece captured by Indians, his motivation becomes increasingly questionable.

The 1950's was a great decade for films, particularly westerns. During this time, westerns such as High Noon, Shane, and Giant were all released. Another western from the fifties was John Ford's The Searchers, which the American Film Institute named the greatest western of all time, and for good reason.

Two of the biggest names in westerns are John Ford and John Wayne, who made 24 films together over the course of 35 years. Up until the last few months, I'd never cared much for Wayne but he's definitely beginning to grow on me with every film I watch. John Ford is one of my favorite directors, and he definitely doesn't disappoint with this film.

Overall, The Searchers isn't my favorite western (that spot is reserved for The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance), but it deserves to be considered one of the greatest films of all time.

4.5/5 stars

Review: The Haunting (1963)

2011-11-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

IMDb Synopsis: Dr. Markway, doing research to prove the existence of ghosts, investigates Hill House, a large, eerie mansion with a lurid history of violent death and insanity. With him are the skeptical young Luke, who stands to inherit the house, the mysterious and clairvoyant Theodora and the insecure Eleanor, whose psychic abilities make her feel somehow attuned to whatever spirits inhabit the old mansion. As time goes by it becomes obvious that they have gotten more than they bargained for as the ghostly presence in the house manifests itself in horrific and deadly ways.

When it comes to horror movies, ghosts and/or haunted houses are usually popular topics. Some ghost stories are just awful, while others are fantastic. Fortunately, The Haunting is part of the latter.

One of the things I love about classic horror films is that they (for the most part) rely on imagination to scare you, unlike today's horror films which are usually filled with gore. This film is scary in the psychological sense, which is what makes it so terrifying. An example: Nell (Jullie Harris) and Theo (Claire Bloom) are in their room when Nell hears noises outside of the bedroom door, causing Nell to grab Theo's hand. Nell starts screaming and wakes up Theo, who was asleep on the other side of the room and was obviously not the one holding her hand. There are many scenes like this one in The Haunting, but I found this one by far to be the most frightening.

Overall, The Haunting contains no blood or monsters, but it still remains to be utterly horrifying even forty-eight years after it's release. Don't skip this one.

5/5 stars

My Picks: Top 10 Pre- Codes

2011-11-08T15:34:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things about classic films are Pre-Codes. If you're not familiar, the Pre-Code era was a period between 1929 (two years after talking pictures began) and 1934 (before the Hays Code was put into affect) when many controversial subjects were allowed to be discussed in films- drugs, infidelity and abortion, to name a few. Needing a post idea, I made a list of my top ten Pre-Code films that I think are essential for every classic film buff. These are listed by year and in alphabetical order:

Night Nurse (1931)

Possessed (1931)

Waterloo Bridge (1931)

Freaks (1932)

Scarface (1932)

Three On a Match (1932)

Baby Face (1933)

Bombshell (1933)

King Kong (1933)

It Happened One Night (1934)

I originally wanted to include City Lights as it's one of my favorite films, but left it out since it's a silent film and wasn't really controversial compared to other films released at the time. I also wanted to add a brief description about each of these films and why I like them, but didn't since this was a bit of a rushed post.

Decades Meme: 1960s

2011-11-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

The fourth post in my decades meme, this one featuring films from the 60's. Previous installments: 1930s, 1940s and 1950s.

1960: The Apartment

1961: Judgement at Nuremberg

1962: To Kill a Mockingbird

1963: Charade

1964: Marry Poppins

1965: A Patch of Blue

1966: Harper

1967: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

1968: The Lion In Winter

1969: A Boy Named Charlie Brown

Review: Psycho (1960) + Blogathon Update

2011-11-01T10:52:00.000-07:00

IMDb Synopsis: A young woman steals $40,000 from her employer's client, and subsequently encounters a young motel proprietor too long under the domination of his mother.

Every time I see bloggers or film critics post lists of what they consider to be "must see" films, it seems as if Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is always included. Since it's primarily a horror film, I figured Halloween night would be the best time to finally watch it. Now I wonder why I waited so darn long to see it.

It's no surprise that Psycho is regarded as one of the greatest films ever made.Hitchcock's directing, the actors, the score and the cinematography are all what make it such a masterpiece. As far as horror films go, I did think it was quite scary. And as for the shower-stabbing scene (which shouldn't be a spoiler since almost everyone knows Janet Leigh dies), I actually found "Mrs. Bates" opening the shower curtain to be scarier than the stabbing itself. I also thought what Vera Miles discovered in the cellar (I'll save you from a spoiler) was equally terrifying.

The star of the show here is definitely Anthony Perkins. His stunning performance as Norman Bates makes characters like Norma Desmond and Harry Powell seem almost normal, and the stare he gives at the end of the film is guaranteed to give you chills.

Overall, if you've never seen Psycho, you should change that immediately.

5/5 stars

I also wanted to give an update on the Humphrey Bogart blogathon I announced last month, which you can read about here. So far, 20 people have already signed up, so a big thanks to all of you planning to take part. I also got a comment asking what you had to do to secure a place in the blogathon, and all that's necessary is just to let me know in the linked post. I'll be posting another update soon with all the blogs signed up to participate. Thanks for reading!

Review: Night of the Living Dead (1968)

2011-10-29T08:01:00.000-07:00

IMDB Synopsis: A group of people hide from bloodthirsty zombies in a farmhouse.

I've never been very familiar with zombie films (or zombies in general), so I decided to start off with the film that is remembered for starting the zombie phenomenon: George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead.

I obviously knew prior to viewing that this was a horror film, but I had no idea what I was in for. It's gruesome, violent and probably the most disturbing film I've ever seen. It's no surprise that it's still considered to be a masterpiece among the horror genre.

While the film contains a great cast (Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea and Karl Hardman, just to name a few), the main thing that makes it unique is Romero's direction and the special effects. The film doesn't necessarily contain "constant gore", but during the few scenes that it does, it's terrifying. I'll admit I had to cover my eyes several times, particularly during the last half.

Overall, Night of the Living Dead deserves to be ranked with the greatest horror films of all time. For anyone interested, TCM is airing it on Halloween night at 8:00PM EST.

5/5 stars

Review: Some Like It Hot (1959)

2011-10-25T05:48:00.000-07:00

IMDb Synopsis: When two musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all female band disguised as women, but further complications set in.

I think everyone has an answer when asked what they consider to be funniest film ever made. Most people, along with the American Film Institute, choose Billy Wilder's Some Like It Hot. After finally watching it for the first time, I can see why.

Jack Lemmon is one of my favorite actors, one reason for this (and a lot of my other favorite actors) is because he's so versatile: he can do drama (Days of Wine and Roses) or comedy (The Apartment) and manage to be wonderful at both. It's quite obvious that he owns the film. I was really impressed by Tony Curtis, who also seems to have a lot of versatility- this was only a year after he played Sidney Falco in Sweet Smell of Success.
In my reviews of How to Marry a Millionaire and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, I mentioned I wasn't a Marilyn Monroe fan for several reasons. However, I liked her in both of those films, and I thought she was wonderful as Sugar Kane. She's genuinely funny- I found myself cracking up at her quite a few times (if you've seen the film, I'm sure you know why). I didn't think I'd ever say this about Monroe, but I'm honestly surprised she didn't get any kind of recognition from The Academy. Joe Brown was also a really great addition to the cast, and delivers the famous closing line (which I'll mention towards the end of this review).

Billy Wilder is probably my second favorite director of all time (the first being Hitchcock). He's directed so many of my favorites, and I love his work because it remains timeless. After sixty one years, Sunset Blvd is captivating, and The Major and the Minor is still hilarious. I feel the same way about Frank Capra- so many of his films still delight movie watchers today. Some Like It Hot is no different. It's one of those movies that's bound to make you laugh, no matter how many times you've seen it. For instance, the closing dialogue between Jack Lemmon and Joe Brown:

Jerry: Oh no you don't! Osgood, I'm gonna level with you. We can't get married at all.
Osgood: Why not?
Jerry: Well, in the first place, I'm not a natural blonde.
Osgood: Doesn't matter.
Jerry: I smoke! I smoke all the time!
Osgood: I don't care.
Jerry: Well, I have a terrible past. For three years now, I've been living with a saxophone player.
Osgood: I forgive you.
Jerry: I can never have children!
Osgood: We can adopt some.
Jerry: But you don't understand, Osgood!
[Finally gives up and pulls off his wig]
Jerry: Ohh... I'm a man!
Osgood: Nobody's perfect!

If it isn't obvious, I'm giving Some Like It Hot 5/5 stars.

Decades Meme: 1950's

2011-10-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

The third post in my decades meme, where I pick my favorite film from every year of a certain decade, today's begin the 50's. Previous installments here and here.

1950: Sunset Blvd

1951: The African Queen

1952: Singin' In the Rain

1953: Roman Holiday

1954: A Star Is Born

1955: East of Eden

1956: The King and I

1957: Designing Woman

1958: Vertigo

1959: North by Northwest

Review: True Grit (1969)

2011-10-17T14:22:00.000-07:00

IMDb Synopsis: A drunken, hard-nosed U.S. Marshal and a Texas Ranger help a stubborn young woman track down her father's murderer in Indian territory.

If you saw my review of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, you know that I've never had a strong liking for westerns or John Wayne. I'll admit that I never really had interest in seeing True Grit until it was remade last year with Jeff Bridges and Hailee Steinfield.

With most westerns, I usually end up losing interest after the first half hour or so. With True Grit, this wasn't an issue. I actually found myself becoming quite engrossed as the story progressed. It's no surprise to me now that Wayne won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1970- I'd say it ranks with Liberty Valance for being his best performance. I also was really impressed with Kim Darby. Now, I'm really interested in seeing the remake to compare it to the original.

Overall, I found True Grit to be a really enjoyable film. Even if you're like me and don't enjoy westerns, I would most definitely recommend viewing it.

4/5 stars

Review: Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962)

2011-10-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

IMDb Synopsis: Author Eugene O'Neill gives an autobiographical account of his explosive homelife, fused by a drug-addicted mother, a father who wallows in drink after realizing he is no longer a famous actor and an older brother who is emotionally unstable and a misfit. The family is reflected by the youngest son, who is a sensitive and aspiring writer.

I don't even know how to start this review. I watched Long Day's Journey Into Night yesterday afternoon, and the only word I can think of to describe it is "Wow"- a film hasn't impressed this much since Judgment at Nuremberg.

Sidney Lumet and Katharine Hepburn really complete the film. I was completely blown away with Hepburn's captivating performance- if that's not superb acting, then I don't know what is (which she's the greatest actress of all time, so I'm not at all surprised). The same goes for Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards and Dean Stockwell, who all give quite impressive performances as well. This is one of the films where the whole main cast deserved Oscar nods.

One of my favorite directors as of late is Sidney Lumet (also known as the man behind masterpieces like 12 Angry Men and Fail Safe). I find his camera shots and cinematography to differ from other directors of the era, which brings a lot of depth to his films. I haven't read Eugene O'Neill's play yet, but I'm definitely going to now.

I can't enforce this enough: if you haven't seen Long Day's Journey Into Night yet, please do yourself a favor and change that.

5/5 stars

My Favorite Films: The Night of the Hunter (1955)

2011-10-10T15:36:00.000-07:00

"Chillll . . . dren?''

As I'm beginning my new "My Favorite Films" series in October, I think it would be appropriate for the first installment to be on one of my favorite horror/thriller films, The Night of the Hunter (1955). I first saw it only five months ago, but its quickly become a favorite since. The film stars Robert Mitchum in what I consider to be his finest role, along with Shelley Winters, Lillian Gish, Peter Graves and Sally Jane Bruce.

The Night of the Hunter tells the story of religious psychopath Mitchum who entices and marries a widow (Winters) so he can get close to her children (Graves and Bruce) who know where their father stored $10,000 dollars from a robbery that he was sentenced to death for. The film was adapted from Davis Grubb's 1953 novel of the same name. The novel was influenced by serial killer Harry Powers (also known as the Bluebeard killer of West Virginia), who was convicted in 1923 for the murder of two women and three children.

This was the first and only film directed by Charles Loughton. The film was a failure, both with audiences and critics when released, and Laughton never directed again. This is quite unfortunate for two reasons, the first being that Hunter is such a wonderful film, and the second being that Laughton had so much potential as a director and I often wonder what other films he would have made had it done better at the box office. He has influenced many modern directors, David Lynch, Martin Scorsese and Terrence Malik being just a few of them.

***SPOILER ALERT***

Hunter contains two of the most frightening scenes I've ever seen in a film, both with show Laughton's brilliant direction, The first being the shot of Winters body in the lake after Mitchum has murdered her, which kept me awake for hours after my first viewing.

The second scene being the one in which Mitchum is seen from a distance riding his horse and singing "Leaning On the Everlasting Arms" as he hunts (no pun intended) for Ben and Pearl. It's almost impossible not to get chills from watching it.

Another reason that makes it so great besides Charles Laughton is the actors. I mentioned above that this is my favorite of Mitchum's roles, and he's so convincing as the psychopath not only in this film, but also in Cape Fear (1962), one of my recent favorites. And even though her performance is so brief (she and Gloria Grahame seem to be the most murdered actress of all time), Shelley Winters adds a lot to the film. Apart from Robert Mitchum, I think the most important presence in the film is from Peter Graves and Sally Jane Bruce, who deserve much more credit for their roles. And I can't not mention Lillian Gish, who does marvelously well in what is sadly one of only two of her films I've seen.

To sum it up, The Night of the Hunter has captivated me since I first watched it back in May, and has continued to do so with others since it's release in 1955. As Robert Ebert stated "It is one of the most frightening of movies, with one of the most unforgettable of villains, and on both of those scores it holds up ... well after four decades."

Review: No Man of Her Own (1932)

2011-10-08T07:11:00.000-07:00

IMDb Synopsis: Clark Gable plays a card cheat who has to go on the lam to avoid a pesky cop. He meets a lonely, but slightly wild, librarian, Carole Lombard, while he is hiding out. The two get married after Lombard wins a coin flip and they move back to the city. Gable continues his gambling/cheating scheme unbeknownst to Lombard.

Since Clark Gable and Carole Lombard are one of the most remembered old Hollywood couples, it's surprising that they only worked together once, several years before they fell in love and later married in 1939 (even though the 1976 film Gable and Lombard makes it seem as if they began seeing each other soon after they met).

I quite enjoyed watching Gable and Lombard in this film. Even though they weren't together at the time, I thought they had wonderful chemistry and played off of each other very well. Another great addition to the cast is Elizabeth Patterson, who is most famous for her role as Mrs. Trumble in I Love Lucy.

Overall, I wouldn't say No Man of Her Own is the best of either Gable or Lombard's films- I'd pick Gone With the Wind and My Man Godfrey for those- but I do think it's a decent film supported by remarkable performances. You can watch it here if you wish.

4/5 stars

Review: The General (1926)

2011-10-06T11:20:00.000-07:00

IMDb Synopsis: When Union spies steal an engineer's beloved locomotive, he pursues it single handedly and straight through enemy lines.

I mentioned in my review of The Phantom of the Opera that I was starting to watch more silent films, for two reasons: one being that I've really been enjoying silents lately, and the second being that Buster Keaton is the October Star of the Month on TCM, so I've watched a good bit of his work so far this month. The General is Keaton's most famous film. A lot of critics call it his best film, and, from what I've seen, I can agree.

Whether it's a comedy or a drama, Buster Keaton is a delight to watch in any of his silent films (I'm sure he is in the talkies he made, too, but I can't say as I haven't seen any of those yet). I think he and Charlie Chaplin possessed the same quality of always being able to entertain the viewer no matter what the genre is. I also really enjoyed Marion Mack, who played his love intrest.

It's hard to believe now that The General was a flop at the box office, considering the status it has in the film industry today (then again, a lot of films now ranked among the best were failures- look at It's a Wonderful Life and Bringing Up Baby). Overall, I'd recommend it if you're in the mood for a great comedy or are looking to see more silent films. Watch it here if you wish.

5/5 stars

Decades Meme: 1940's

2011-10-03T16:51:00.000-07:00

Continuing with the second installment in which I pick my favorite film from every year of a particular decade. (View 1930's post here).

1940: The Grapes of Wrath

1941: The Maltese Falcon

1942: Casablanca

1943: The More the Merrier

1944: To Have and Have Not

1945: Brief Encounter

1946: Notorious

1947: Out of the Past

1948: The Red Shoes

1949: Adam's Rib

Review: Baby Face (1933)

2011-10-01T04:51:00.000-07:00

IMDb Synopsis: A young woman uses her body and her sexuality to help her climb the social ladder, but soon begins to wonder if her new status will ever bring her happiness.

If you like classic films as much as I do, you'll probably agree that one of the best things about classics is pre-codes. I think it's so interesting to see how much film makers got away with in the early thirties, as apposed to films made after the Production Code went into effect in 1934. There are so many great pre-code films that never would have made it past the Hays Office, and Baby Face is one of them.

Barbara Stanwyck's performance is top-notch. She's so convincing as Lily Powers, and this is my favorite of her earlier roles, along with Night Nurse (1931). I haven't seen many of George Brent's films, but I enjoyed his performance as well. Also notable are Donald Cook and a young John Wayne towards the beginning of his film career.

Overall, Baby Face is the most provocative pre-code film I've seen, and one of the best. I would suggest watching it if you're looking to see more pre-codes, or are just a Barbara Stanwyck fan.

5/5 stars

Review: The Making of the African Queen or How I Went to Africa With Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind by Katharine Hepburn

2011-09-29T16:49:00.000-07:00

Goodreads Summary: The Making of The African Queen or How I went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind by Katharine Hepburn. Published by Alfred A. Knope New York 1987 Filled with laughter and personal insight into the making of the movie, many photographs.

I love Katharine Hepburn. I love her autobiography Me: Stories of My Life. The African Queen is one of my all time favorite films. So it shouldn't be surprising when I say this is one of my new favorite books.

Hepburn gives the reader a vivid insight into her experience making The African Queen with Bogie and John Huston- which is great, because she talks about several things I haven't heard discussed in most documentaries (for instance: I didn't know she objected to the original script or that she actually suggested a few of the most popular scenes to Huston.) I've heard some complain before that they thought Hepburn's writing style a bit hard to read, but I've never had issues with the writing in either of her books (and I personally love the way she writes anyway).

Another thing I love about this book is that it contains several behind the scenes pictures and stills that I've never seen before and are probably really hard to find anywhere else.

Overall, I found The Making of the African Queen to be a quite wonderful book. I'd suggest checking it out if you're a fan of the movie. This book is currently out of print, but is available in places like libraries and Amazon, and it also comes with The African Queen box set, which is how I got my copy.

"Now what do you suppose ever happened to Charlie and Rose? Where did they live? Did they stay in Africa? I always thought they must have. And lots of little Charlies and Rosies. And lived happily ever after. Because that's what we wanted them to do. And every summer they take a trip in the old Queen- and laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh..."

-closing paragraph, page 129.

Humphrey Bogart Blogathon Announcement+ Blog Updates

2011-09-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

As most of you probably know by now, Humphrey Bogart is my favorite actor. In honor of his 112th birthday on December 25th, I've decided to host my first blogathon, which will run from December 23-December 25th. I realize that's it's three months away, but if you'd like to participate, I ask that you let me know by December 22nd. Your post can be about his films, his life or anything else Bogie-related.

Here are a few banners I made to promote the blogathon (feel free to make your own if you'd rather):

Just a few other blog updates:

Starting Saturday, I'll be changing the blog header at the beginning of every month featuring a film that somehow relates to that particular month.

Also, I'll be starting a new "blog series" called My Favorite Films. As the title says, about once or twice a month I'll do blog posts talking about some of my favorite films, mainly focusing on my top twenty for now. I'm planning to blog about a few special films to coincide with the blogathon in December.

If you have any questions about the blogathon, let me know in the comments, or contact me through Twitter.

Fashion In Film: My Top 10 Edith Head Designs

2011-09-24T05:43:00.000-07:00

My contribution to the Fashion In Film Blogathon, hosted by Angela at The Hollywood Revue.

Over the past few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about what to write. As Edith Head is my favorite costume designer, I thought it'd be fun to decide which films/designs of hers I liked best. This is more so ranked on the actresses' whole wardrobe, rather than just one outfit. Also, Angela just posted her top 10 film costumes recently, so make sure you check that out!

10: Olivia de Havilland in The Heiress (1949)

9: Barbara Stanwyck in Ball of Fire (1941)

8: Kim Novak in Vertigo (1958)

7. Bette Davis in All About Eve (1950)

6. Gloria Swanson in Susnet Blvd (1950)

5. Audrey Hepburn in Sabrina (1954)

4. Elizabeth Taylor in A Place In the Sun (1951)

3. Barbara Stanwyck in The Lady Eve (1941)

2. Grace Kelly in Rear Window (1954)

Tried to find a good colored version of this dress...no such luck.

1. Ingrid Bergman in Notorious (1946)

That's it for my top 10 Edith Head designs. A big thanks to Angela for hosting this blogathon!

The Films of Cary Grant and Alfred Hitchcock

2011-09-22T11:33:00.000-07:00

Cary Grant made four films- Suspicion, Notorious, To Catch a Thief and North by Northwest- with my favorite director, Alfred Hitchcock. Grant also referred to Hitch as his favorite director, and Hitch called Grant "the only actor I ever loved in my whole life". I've seen all four of their films together, and enjoy them all, so I decided to say a bit about each of them.

Grant's first film with Hitch was Suspicion (1941), co-starring Joan Fontaine, who won an Oscar for her role. The film is about an English woman (Fontaine) who marries charming playboy (Grant), then suspects he is planning to murder her.

I would say Suspicion is probably the weakest of the four Grant/Hitch collaborations. Not that it's a bad film- it isn't- but I find the other three films they made together to be much better, one reason being because of the changes made to Grant's character in the film versus the original novel Before the Fact written by Anthony Berkeley. **SPOILER ALERT**. In the book, Grant's character kills Fontaine. However, the studios objected to this as Grant was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood at the time and they feared playing a murderer would ruin his image. Thus, the ending was altered, much to Hitch's objection. I would have liked to see the ending as it was in the novel, since Grant rarely played the villain in any of his films.

The second of their films together is my favorite Hitchcock film, Notorious. Released in 1946, Notorious tells the story of a Nazi spy's daughter (Ingrid Bergman) who is trained by a government agent (Grant) to spy on her father's former colleagues who transfer to Brazil after WWII.

Notorious is one of Hitchcock's most acclaimed films, as it contains two of the most remembered scenes in film history. The first begins at the top of a staircase as Hitch slowly zooms in on Bergman showing a key hidden in her hand. The second is a two-and-a-half minute on-again/off-again kiss between Grant and Bergman that went against the Production Code, which stated that a kiss could be no longer than three seconds.

This is my favorite Hitchcock film for many reasons, one being the wonderful chemistry that the two stars had together.

To Catch a Thief (1955) pairs Cary Grant with Grace Kelly, whom he referred to as his favorite of the many actresses he worked with during his career. It was the third film that both Grant and Kelly made with Hitch (Kelly had starred in Dial M for Murder and Rear Window prior to this). This film is about retired jewel thief John Robie (Grant) who the police believe has returned to his robberies. Kelly plays an heiress who is convinced he is guilty, while her mother (Jessie Royce Landis) believes he's innocent.

Each of the four Grant/Hitchcock films features a car chase scene, the one in To Catch a Thief taking place in Monaco- reportedly on the same road where Kelly's fatal car accident occurred on September 14, 1982, after she supposedly had a stroke while driving.

Last but not least is the film that would probably be Hitchcock's most famous if not for Psycho: North by Northwest. NxNW stars Grant as Roger Thornhill, a man mistaken by foreign officials for being a government advocate, and is tracked across the United States while trying to prove his real identity. This film co-stars Eva Marie Saint and James Mason.

North by Northwest is most remembered for the iconic crop-dusting sequence. While Grant waits at an isolated bus stop, a biplane is, in another character's words, "dusting crops where there ain't no crops". The plane flies toward Grant, barely missing him. You can watch the scene here if you're interested.

To sum it up, the four films Cary Grant made with Alfred Hitchcock are all worth watching. I'd recommend them to any classic film fan.

Review: Ace In the Hole (1951)

2011-09-20T09:38:00.000-07:00

IMDb Synopsis: A frustrated former big-city journalist now stuck working for an Albuquerque newspaper exploits a story about a man trapped in a cave to re-jump start his career, but the situation quickly escalates into an out-of-control circus.

Billy Wilder is one of my favorite directors, who made quite a few of my favorite films- Sunset Blvd, Double Indemnity, Stalag 17 and The Apartment being just a few of them. Being a huge Wilder fan, I expected quite a lot from Ace In the Hole. I'm glad to say my expectations were met.

I'm starting to become a big fan of Kirk Douglas (and I have TCM to thank for that as I've seen several of his films since he's Star of the Month for September), and this is the best performance from him that I've seen so far. I thought it was really interesting to see him as the "bad guy" since he plays more of the hero-type in films like Spartacus. The cast itself is made up of several marvelous actors, including Jan Sterling, Porter Hall and Richard Benedict.

Billy Wilder's direction is wonderful, but considering it's from the same man who made Sunset Blvd, I'm not surprised. Also worth mentioning is the extremely well written script from Wilder and screenwriters Lesser Samuels and Walter Newman, which was nominated for Best Story and Screenplay at the 1952 Academy Awards.

Overall, I found Ace In the Hole to be a wonderful film noir, thanks to both Wilder and Kirk Douglas. I'll be watching this again soon.

5/5 stars

Happy birthday, Lauren Bacall+ TCM tribute

2011-09-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, September 16th, marks the 87th birthday of one of my all time favorite actresses, Lauren Bacall. TCM is also airing a thirteen hour tribute in Bacall's honor, which includes some of her greatest films (I've seen all but The Cobweb). Here's the line up for anyone who's interested:

6:45AM- Dark Passage (1947) *
8:45AM- Key Largo (1948) *
10:30AM- Bright Leaf (1950)
12:30PM- The Cobweb (1955)
2:45PM- Sex and the Single Girl (1964)
4:45PM- Harper (1966) *
7:00PM- Private Screenings: Lauren Bacall (2005) *

*I recommend this film

I again want to say happy birthday to one of my biggest role models and the woman that first inspired me to pursue acting. I also highly recommend her autobiography By Myself, and Then Some, to anyone that hasn't read it.

Review: The Innocents (1961)

2011-09-12T14:10:00.000-07:00

IMDb Synopsis: A young governess for two children becomes convinced that the house and grounds are haunted.

Can I just start off by saying this film was fantastic? I hadn't heard that much about it prior to viewing, but I was quite blown away by how much I enjoyed it. The Innocents is a film that truly defines "classic horror".

I've always been a big fan of Deborah Kerr, and I wouldn't be exaggerating if I said this was the best of her performances I've seen so far. I'm quite surprised she did't get a Best Actress Oscar nomination in 1962. The whole cast itself was marvelous, including Megs Jenkins, Martin Stephens and Pamela Franklin.

I can't finish this review without mentioning the direction and cinematography. Between director Jack Clayton (who also made Room at the Top and The Pumpkin Eater) and cinematographer Freddie Francis, The Innocents contains a very Hitchcockesque quality to it, which few films can pull off. Also worth noting are the Victorian-style costumes by Sophie Devine, who also made similar costumes for films such as Long Day's Journey Into Night and Great Expectations.

Overall, The Innocents is a wonderful and haunting film that I'd recommend to suspense/horror fans, or just classic film buffs in general. If you'd like to watch it, you can do so here.

5/5 stars

Decades Meme: 1930's

2011-09-11T16:35:00.000-07:00

I really enjoyed doing memes like the Cinematic Alphabet and the Old Hollywood Alphabet. I couldn't find anything like them, and, needing something new to write, I just decided to make my own Decades Meme- picking a film from every year in a certain decade (today's being the 1930's). I'll also be doing the 40's, 50's and 60's later on. I won't be doing the 20's or previous decades for awhile as I haven't yet seen many pre-30's films.

1930: Morocco

1931: City Lights

1932: Scarface

1933: Bombshell

1934: It Happened One Night

1935: Top Hat

1936: The Petrified Forest

1937: Stage Door

1938: Pygmalion

1939: Gone With the Wind

Nicholas Ray Blogathon: Rebel Without a Cause

2011-09-07T16:28:00.000-07:00

For my contribution to the Nicholas Ray Blogathon over at Cinema Viewfinder, I chose to be quite unoriginal and write about Ray's most seen and most remembered film, Rebel Without a Cause (1955)- just because it's probably my favorite and the one I've seen the most out of all of his films.

Rebel is an iconic film for quite a few reasons, the biggest probably being that it stars James Dean sporting red leather in his most popular role as Jim Stark, the new kid at Dawson High School who, along with Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo, can't seem to fit in with anyone. Dean was the only one of the three that didn't receive an Academy Award for his performance, as he was nominated the same year for East of Eden (which I consider to be the best of his three film performances).

Another reason that this film is so widely remembered is the fact that all three of the main stars died young under unfortunate circumstances: In September 1955, just before the release of Rebel, James Dean was tragically killed in a car accident at the age of 24. In 1981, Natalie Wood drowned at 43, and in 1976, Sal Mineo was stabbed to death at 37. Edward Platt also committed suicide in 1974.

Rebel Without a Cause changed cinema history when released in 1955 and still continues to achieve landmark status to this day. It's a truly remarkable film, and one that I believe every classic film fan should see.

Review: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953)

2011-09-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

IMDb Synopsis: Two singers, best friends Lorelei Lee and Dorothy Shaw travel to Paris pursued by a private detective hired by Lorelei's fiancé's disapproving father to keep an eye on her, a rich, enamoured old man and many other doting admirers.

I've mentioned a few times on my blog before that I'm not a huge Marilyn Monroe fan. This is for a number of reasons, mainly because she's never appealed to me and I find her extremely overrated. However, I did really enjoy her in How to Marry a Millionaire, so I decided to watch Gentlemen Prefer Blondes since it's one of her most popular films and I've heard nothing but goods things about it. Needless to say, my high expectations were met.

This film is mostly remembered for Monroe singing "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend". But more is memorable than just the song- her acting is great, too. I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed her performance, as well as Jane Russell's. There's also a great supporting cast, which includes Charles Coburn, Tommy Noonan and Norma Varden.

Howard Hawks is responsible for directing many of my favorite films, including To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep, Ball of Fire and His Girl Friday, just to name a few. This was my first time viewing one of his Technicolor pictures, and his direction is top-notch (which is no surprise).

Overall, I found Gentlemen Prefer Blondes to be a surprisingly delightful film. Now I'll finally get around to seeing Some Like It Hot and The Seven Year Itch.

5/5 stars

Happy birthday, Ingrid!

2011-08-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

Happy 96th birthday and RIP to my favorite actress of all time, Ingrid Bergman. I would go into a lengthy monologue to talk about how talented she was, how much grace and beauty she possessed and what a wonderful person she was. But, honestly, words are inadequate when discussing my adoration for this woman.

All I can say is: Happy birthday, Ingrid. May you continue to live on in film viewers hearts forever.

Film Noir Contest: Sunset Boulevard (1950)

2011-08-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

..My post for Film Classics Film Noir Contest. I know this post is a bit late, as I just found out about it last night.

Two films instantly come to my mind when I hear the words "film noir": Sunset Boulevard and The Maltese Falcon.
Since I just wrote about Falcon a few months ago, I decided to talk about Sunset instead.

Sunset Boulevard is what I consider to be the best film noir to come out of Hollywood in the nineteen-fifties. It's one of my favorites and is considered one of the greatest films of all time by many critics.

Sometimes, when discussing or reviewing a film, it's said that one certain element completes it- whether it be the acting, the plot, the direction, the score, etc. With Sunset Boulevard, it's all of these elements and more that make it the phenomenal film it is today.

William Holden, Nancy Olson, Erich von Stroheim all deliver wonderful performances (as they all received Oscar nominations), but it's really Gloria Swanson's film. As much as I loved Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday, Swanson should have won the Best Actress Academy Award in 1951, since she gave possibly the greatest screen performance of all time. I always find myself feeling mesmerized during the final scene as she says, "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up", as she descends into madness:

Sunset Blvd wouldn't be the great film it is without Billy Wilder. From his flawless direction, to his infamously quotable script ("I am big. It's the pictures that got small."). He and Swanson both make the film complete. I think Roger Ebert summed it up best when he wrote:

"...who else can field two contenders among the greatest closing lines of all time? From ``Some Like It Hot'' there is ``Nobody's perfect.'' And from ``Sunset Boulevard,'' Norma Desmond's: ``There's nothing else. Just us, and the cameras, and those wonderful people out there in the dark. All right, Mr. De Mille, I'm ready for my closeup.''

credit: http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990627/REVIEWS08/906270301/1023

If you haven't seen Sunset Blvd yet, you can do so here. Also, a big thanks to David from Film Classics for hosting this contest!

Review: The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

2011-08-22T17:13:00.000-07:00

IMDb Synopsis: A mad, disfigured composer seeks love with a lovely young opera singer.

I've never reviewed a silent film on my blog before. That's because, up until two months ago, I hated them. (And, honestly, I don't even remember why, except that I didn't like the idea of films without dialogue.) But, recently, I've seen quite a few silents that I really enjoyed (City Lights and The Scarlet Letter, just to name a few). Earlier this week, I saw Lon Chaney in The Hunch Back of Notre Dame, so I had really high hopes for The Phantom of the Opera. My expectations were by far surpassed.

If not for The Night of the Hunter, I would say Phantom is the scariest film I'd ever seen, mainly because of Chaney's shocking appearance. Naturally, after just seeing him play Quasimodo, I was expecting him to be quite grotesque as Erik, but he was much more horrifying than I expected him to be. Chaney's performance itself is absolutely wonderful and he affected me as much as Robert Mitchum did. Other notable performances are delivered by Mary Philbin and Norman Kerry.

Rupert Julian's directing is absolutely marvelous. Phantom is among some of the best-directed films I've seen, and that includes films like Casablanca, Vertigo, and Sunset Boulevard. I'm quite interested in seeing more of his films now, particularly the silent adaption of Ben Hur (also released in 1925).

Overall, I found The Phantom of the Opera to be a disturbing yet wonderful film. I know what I'm watching on Halloween this year...

If you haven't seen this film yet, you can do so here.

5/5 stars

Awards Update: Liebster Award

2011-08-20T17:07:00.000-07:00

Just recently after blogging about the Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award, I discovered that Craig from Blame Mame and Rianna from Frankly, My Dear both nominated me for the Liebster Award, so a big thanks to both of you!

In German and Spanish, Liebster means "beloved". Apparently this award started in Germany and has become quite popular. The purpose is to spotlight blogs with under 300 followers. As far as rules go, all that's required is to link back to the blog(s) that tagged you, then pass the award on to five other bloggers.

1. Anna from Defiant Success

2. Brian from The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of

3. Maria from FILMflare

4. Java from Java's Journey

5. Millie and Emm from The Stupendously Amazing Cool World of Old TV

Please check out all of the amazing blogs listed!

Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award

2011-08-18T17:18:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much to FlickChick from A Person In the Dark for passing me The Irresistibly Sweet Blog Award!

Here are the rules:

1. Thank and link to the person who nominated you.

2. Share 7 random facts about yourself.

3. Pass the award to 12 of your blogging buddies.

4. Notify the recipients.

7 Random Facts About Me

1. I have an odd and unhealthy obsession with 80's music (even though I never lived in the 80's) and Bryan Adams is my favorite artist.

2. I really love super-hero movies (Spider-Man, Iron Man, Superman...you get the idea).

3. My favorite website is most definitely Tumblr.

4. There's no such thing as too much Criminal Minds.

5. My favorite director is Alfred Hitchcock. We actually share a birthday (August 13).

6. I consider Citizen Kane to be the most overrated film ever made.

7. I'm gonna marry Robert Downey Jr...he just has to meet me first.

The 12 blogs I've tagged:

1. Rianna from Frankly, My Dear

2. Emily from The Silver Screen Affair

3. Sarah from And...scene!

4. Jacqueline from Another Old Movie Blog

5. Jen from Gold Hollywood

6. Meredith from Movie Montage

7. Bette from Bette's Classic Movie Blog

8. Lesya from Eternity of Dream

9. Audrey from Fedoras and High Heels

10. Amanda from A Noodle In a Haystack

11. Angela from The Hollywood Revue

12. Caroline from Garbo Laughs

Make sure you check out all of these wonderful blogs!

Review: The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

2011-08-17T14:46:00.000-07:00

IMDb Synopsis: A senator, who became famous for killing a notorious outlaw, returns for the funeral of an old friend and tells the truth about his deed.

I'll admit it- even though I'm a movie lover, I don't like westerns. And for a number of reasons, mainly because few of my favorite actors were in them, and the thought of (usually) just watching people shoot each other and ride around on horses doesn't appeal to me. I watched The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance because I really like James Stewart, I'm attempting to give John Wayne a chance, and it's considered to be one of those "every classic film fan has to see it" films. I'm still not a fan of westerns in general, but this is definitely the best one I've seen.

I mentioned previously that I was a Jimmy Stewart fan, and his performance did not disappoint- the fact that he wasn't nominated for an Academy Award baffles me. Out of the handful of John Wayne films I've watched, I consider his performance in Liberty Valance to be his finest- and that tops films like Stagecoach, Red River, and They Were Expendable. Other notable performances are delivered by Vera Miles (who is also great in Hitchcock's underrated thriller The Wrong Man) Lee Marvin as Liberty Valance himself, and Edmond O'Brien.

I can't finish this review without mentioning John Ford. His direction was marvelous, but I wasn't surprised considering this was from the same man who made Young Mr. Lincoln and one of my all-time favorites, The Grapes of Wrath (which I reviewed a few months ago). I think it's safe to say that he's probably the greatest western director of all time.

All in all, I think The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance is a great film that should be seen by all classic film fans, even the ones like me that don't care for westerns.

4/5 stars

Old Hollywood Alphabet

2011-08-11T17:34:00.000-07:00

A few months ago, I did my Cinematic Alphabet, which was a lot of fun. I've seen a few blogs do the same method, but using actors first names instead of film titles. I needed an idea for a blog post and figured I'd give it a try.

A is for Ann Margret

B is for Burt Lancaster

C is for Charlie Chaplin

D is for Deborah Kerr

E is for Ernest Borgnine

F is for Frank Sinatra

G is for Gregory Peck

H is (obviously) for Humphrey Bogart

I is for Ingrid Bergman

J is for James Dean

K is for Katharine Hepburn

L is Lauren Bacall

M is for Montgomery Clift

N is for Norma Shearer

O is for Olivia deHeavilland

P is for Paul Newman

R is for Rita Hayworth

S is for Sidney Poitier

T is for Tallulah Bankhead

V is for Vivian Vance

W is for William Holden

Z is for Zsa Zsa Gabor

Loving Lucy: My Favorite I Love Lucy Episodes

2011-08-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I've ever mentioned this on my blog before, but I love Lucille Ball. This is no surprise considering I grew up watching I Love Lucy (which I still do everyday), so, naturally, I was so excited when I read about this blogathon on True Classics.

One thing I've realized over the last few days is that I had no idea what to write. So, I just decided to talk about my favorite episode from each of the six seasons (I didn't include episodes from The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour, as I haven't seen as many episodes from it). Of course there are dozens that I love, but I've found these six to be the ones I watch/enjoy the most. I wasn't able to find full episodes online (except for the last one), but I did find a few clips on YouTube that I've included and also some trivia from TV.com. Listed in order by season and air date:

Season 1- Lucy Does a TV Commercial- (Original Airdate May 5, 1952)

I realize this is completely unoriginal, as this is probably the most popular I Love Lucy episode. But, it's popular for a reason- Lucy is absolutely hilarious (as usual), which is why it's my favorite. This also was reportedly Lucy's favorite episode, and it's easy to see why.

Trivia: Vitametavegimin is actually 23% alcohol. However, if you closely examine the labels on the bottles seen behind Lucy when she is rehearsing the commercial, they say Vitametavegamin is 11% alcohol. It was originally 11% in the script, but, changed to 23% on the spot because the higher percentage of alcohol sounded funnier.

When Lucy is showing Ricky that she can do the commercial, Desi Arnaz is clearly trying not to laugh.

Season 2- Job Switching- (Original Airdate September 15, 1952)

My unconditional love for chocolate has caused me to be unoriginal again. I think this was most likely the first episode I ever saw, so it plays a significant role for me in both introducing me to Lucy and making me realize how much I loved classic films and television. A close second from season 2 would be Lucy Goes to the Hospital.

Trivia: The candy dipper, Amanda Milligan originally had lines in her scene with Lucille Ball but these were cut because of Milligan being uncomfortable talking on camera. Amanda Milligan was a real life candy dipper who worked at the Farmer's Market in Hollywood. At the time of this episode, she had never seen an episode of "I Love Lucy" before because she watched wrestling on Monday nights.

While the conveyor belt is speeding up, Lucy was too soon to eat one of the chocolates. And realizing her mistake, she quickly removed the candy and dropped it on the floor.

Season 3- Ricky Minds the Baby- (Original Airdate January 18, 1954)

The main reason I chose Ricky Minds the Baby is solely for the scene above, although I love the whole episode. I thought it was really sweet to see Ricky bonding with his son, as Little Ricky is such a sweetheart.

Trivia: In the scene where Ricky is telling Little Ricky the bedtime story, the camera cuts to show Little Ricky in his crib. If you look closely, the picture on the bumper in the crib is of a cartoon Lucy & Ricky kissing each other.

Season 4- L.A. At Last (Original Airdate Febrauary 7, 1955)

My favorite season of I Love Lucy is definitely season 4, because I have a fascination with pointing out my favorite actors in the Hollywood episodes. This episode guest stars the wonderful William Holden in another iconic scene.

Trivia: Contrary to popular rumor Lucy's nose was supposed to catch on fire. There was a tiny candle wick under the clay. What was improvised was how she extinguished the fake nose. In the original script Lucy was supposed to take her fake nose off and dunk it in her cup of coffee, instead she dunks her nose into the coffee cup while it is still attached to her face.

Season 5- Paris at Last- (Original Airdate February 27, 1956)

I enjoy the Europe episodes as much as I do the Hollywood ones. I was stuck between this episode and two others- Lucy's Italian Movie and Lucy Meets the Queen, but I decided I liked this one most out of the three. My favorite part is the scene included above, but I also like the scene where Lucy attempts to eat snails...

Trivia: Writers Bob Carroll Jr. and Madelyn Pugh are sitting at the cafe. Lucy toasts Carroll with a glass of wine but Pugh was frequently out of the film frame.

Season 6- I Love Lucy Christmas Show (Original Airdate December 24, 1956)

I don't really like the idea of colorizing I Love Lucy episodes (or anything that was formerly black and white), but this clip was the only thing available. I really love this episode for the sole fact that it's about Christmas and I also really enjoy the flashback's included, particularly the ones from Lucy Goes to the Hospital.

Trivia: Also known as 'The Lost Episode' or 'Jingle Bells'. Because this was a "special" and employed so many long flashback sequences, this episode was not included in the eventual syndication package. The last time even a portion of it was telecast was December 1981 on Rona Barrett's short-lived NBC series, "Television: Inside and Out." Today, most fans can find this episode available on video.

That's about all I have to share, except again to say that I truly love Lucy and what she was to the world. I hope we all take some time to remember her on her 100th birthday. Also a big thanks to Brandie, Nikki and Carrie for hosting this blogathon. It was a lot of fun, and I hope we bloggers can do this again in the future.

Ida Lupino & Humphrey Bogart- For the Ida Lupino Blogathon

2011-08-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

My entry for the Ida Lupino blogathon, hosted by Jen to remember Ida seventeen years after her death on August 3, 1995.

My favorite film of Ida's would have to be High Sierra (1941). The film was directed by Raoul Walsh and co-stars my favorite actor of all time, Humphrey Bogart, in the role that made him a star. I considered just discussing the film itself, but I instead decided to write about a topic that has interested me for some time: the much-speculated relationship between Ida and Bogie. As you may have already noticed, several websites and biographies state that they strongly disliked one another, while a majority of them also say they were good friends throughout filming.

Bogie first co-starred with Ida in They Drive By Night (1940), also directed by Walsh. (I'll admit that I have yet to watch this film, but I've heard Ida's performance is wonderful.) I wasn't able to find her exact quotes, but I have read statements from Ida that they didn't get to know each other well and she was thrilled when he was cast opposite her in High Sierra, which strongly supports the theory that they got along.

Also supporting this theory is information found on Bogie's Wikipedia page about the filming of High Sierra, saying:

"Bogart worked well with Ida Lupino, and her relationship with him was a close one, provoking jealousy from Bogart's wife Mayo."- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humphrey_Bogart#High_Sierra

There are quite a few statements/articles however that say the opposite about Bogie and Ida's relationship:

"Never a team player, Lupino had quarrelled with Humphrey Bogart during the production of High Sierra, and vowed after the film’s completion that she would never work with the actor again."
-http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2009/great-directors/ida-lupino/

"When Ida Lupino found herself unable to cry during the film's final scene, co-star Humphrey Bogart coaxed her into it by telling her, "Listen, doll, if you can't cry, I'm going to take the picture away from you." Despite this, Lupino disliked Bogart's verbal treatment of her, and refused to accept another co-starring role with him in Out of the Fog." -http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0033717/trivia

From a certain point of view, I suppose it could be seen that Ida and Bogie disliked each other since they never made another film together and she didn't want to co-star with him in Out of the Fog (1941). I would like to point out, though, that they did collaborate again in 1944 to perform High Sierra for the Screen Guild Theater's Live Radio Programme, which is available here.

What do I think about the rumor's surrounding Ida Lupino and Humphrey Bogart? Well, being a huge fan of both, I like to believe they were friends despite several arguing reports.

Either way, High Sierra is a wonderful film that I feel every classic film fan should see, and it's a great way to remember Ida on the sixteenth anniversary of her death.

I would also like to thank Jen for hosting this great blogathon. It was a lot of fun, and I hope there are more to come!

My Picks: TCM's Summer Under the Stars 2011

2011-07-29T09:22:00.000-07:00

As most of you probably know, TCM's annual Summer Under the Stars begins this Monday, August 1st. SUts is my personal favorite feature on TCM (along with 31 Days of Oscar), so, naturally, I'm very excited. I'm also quite excited that some of my favorite actors and actresses are being honored this year. Here are some of the highlights I recommend viewing throughout the month of August. I won't be including everyday, but most of them, at least,

August 1- Marlon Brando
I'm really not much of a Brando fan, but he's in a few of my favorites that are definitely worth watching:

Guys and Dolls (1955)- 5:15PM EST
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)- 9:30PM EST
On the Waterfront (1954)- 12:00AM EST

August 3- Bette Davis
Davis is one of my favorite actresses- I'm so glad she's been included this year!

Stardust: The Bette Davis Story (2005)- 7:30AM EST
Now, Voyager (1942)- 9:00AM EST My all time favorite of hers- a must see.
20,000 Years In Sing Sing (1932)- 12:45:PM EST
The Letter (1940)- 4:30PM EST
The Petrified Forest (1936)- 6:30PM EST
Jezebel (1938)- 10:00PM EST

August 5- John Garfield

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)- 8:00PM EST
Destination Tokyo (1943)- 3:30AM EST

August 6- Lucille Ball
Happy 100th, Lucy! This is also the day of the Loving Lucy blogathon at True Classics.

Without Love (1945)- 9:30AM EST (One of Tracy and Hepburn's best- very underrated.)
The Long, Long Trailer (1954)- 2:30PM EST
Stage Door (1937)- 8:00PM EST
The Big Street (1942)- 9:45PM EST

August 9- Ann Dvorak

Scarface (1932)- 8:00PM EST

August 10- Shirley MacLaine

The Children's Hour (1961)- 12:00PM EST
The Apartment (1960)- 8:00PM EST
Some Came Running (1958)- 10:30PM EST
Ocean's Eleven (1960) 1:00AM EST

August 12- Claudette Colbert

Without Reservations (1946)- 4:15PM EST
It Happened One Night (1934)- 11:30PM EST
Since You Went Away (1944)- 1:30 AM EST

August 13 (birthday of yours truly:)- James Stewart
I'll admit I'm disappointed that they're not airing any of his Hitchcock films (as it's Hitchcock's birthday as well).

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)- 9:00AM EST
Wife vs. Secretary (1936)- 11:15AM EST
The Shop Around the Corner (1940) 2:30PM EST
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)- 12:00AM EST

August 14- Ralph Bellamy

The Wolf Man (1941)- 6:45PM EST
His Girl Friday (1940)- 8:00PM EST

August 17- Humphrey Bogart
Honestly, I'm more excited for this than I am my birthday, even though I've seen all but five of the films featured. Although I wish they were showing The African Queen, several other of my all time favorites are coming on that I'll definitely be sitting down to watch again.

To Have and Have Not (1944)- 11:00AM EST
The Big Sleep (1946)- 12:45PM EST
High Sierra (1941)- 2:45PM EST
In a Lonely Place (1950)- 6:15PM EST
The Maltese Falcon (1941)- 8:00PM EST
Sahara (1943)- 10:00PM EST
Beat the Devil (1954)- 12:00AM EST
The Caine Mutiny (1954)- 2:00AM EST
Tokyo Joe (1949)- 4:15 PM EST

August 19- Debbie Reynolds

Singin' In the Rain (1952)- 2:15AM EST (I need to see more of her films...)

August 20- Montgomery Clift

Lonelyhearts (1958)- 9:00AM EST
From Here to Eternity (1953)- 3:30AM EST
The Misfits (1961)- 5:45PM EST
A Place In the Sun (1951)- 8:00PM EST (Every classic film fan has to watch this at least once.)
The Heiress (1949)- 10:15PM EST
The Search (1948)- 12:15AM EST
I Confess (1953)- 2:15AM EST

August 21-Cary Grant

The Philadelphia Story (1940)- 3:30PM EST
North by Northwest (1959)- 5:30PM EST
Only Angels Have Wings (1939)- 10:15PM EST
The Bishop's Wife (1947)- 2:15AM
Bringing Up Baby (1938)- 4:15AM

August 22- Joan Crawford

Mildred Pierce (1945)- 11:00PM EST

August 23- Conrad Veidt

All Through the Night (1942)- 9:30AM EST (Very underrated film, and one of Bogie's best.)
A Woman's Face (1941)- 6:00PM EST
Casablanca (1942)- 12:00AM EST (Best. Movie. Ever.)

August 25- Burt Lancaster

Sweet Smell of Success (1957)- 12:00PM EST
Brute Force (1947)- 4:00PM EST
The Killers (1946)- 11:30PM EST

August 28- Carole Lombard

To Be or Not to Be (1942)- 6:15PM EST
My Man Godfrey (1936)- 8:00PM EST

August 31- Marlene Dietrich

Stage Fright (1950)- 1:15PM EST
Shanghai Express (1932)- 6:30PM EST

Review: The King and I (1956)

2011-07-25T11:06:00.000-07:00

IMDb Synopsis: Musical about a widow who accepts a job as a live-in governess of the King of Siam's children.

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge fan of musicals. Sure, I like some, such as The Wizard of Oz, A Star Is Born and Mary Poppins, but most of my favorite films are found within the likes of dramas and film noirs. I'm glad to say, though, that The King and I is an exception.

This film is one of several to be adapted from one of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Broadway Musicals, so it's no surprise that the musical numbers and the score are both wonderful. (The score actually won an Academy Award in 1957). My personal favorite of the musical numbers was "Shall We Dance"; you can view it here.

As for the acting, I thought Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner were both marvelous. I've seen Kerr is several films, as she is one of my favorite actresses, and she does not disappoint as Anna. This is my first time watching a Brynner film- he even won the Best Actor Oscar for this film- but it certainly won't be my last.

The color cinematography in The King and I is spectacular, but I don't expect any less from a Cinemascope film. Walter Lang's Academy Award nominated directing is great as well. Lang also directed another Rodgers and Hammerstein film, State Fair, which I don't care for very much.

Overall, I found The King and I to be a wonderful film, and one of few musicals that I can say I truly loved. Check it out if you haven't done so already.

5/5 stars

Upcoming Blogathons

2011-07-24T17:15:00.000-07:00

Before I post my review of The King and I (which should be up before Wednesday), I wanted to share the news of a few upcoming blogathons I will be participating in over the next few months. I have them all listed in a widget on the left, but I wanted to make an official post, too.

August 1 & 2: The Ida Lupino Blogathon

Hosted by Miss Ida Lupino

August 6: Loving Lucy Blogathon

Hosted by True Classics

September 24: Fashion In Film Blogathon

Hosted by The Hollywood Revue

October 6-9: The Carole Lombard Blogathon

Hosted by Carole & Co

Review: Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

2011-07-14T17:07:00.000-07:00

IMDb Synopsis: In 1948, an American court in occupied Germany tries four Nazi judges for war crimes.

I'm going to start off and say that this was one of the most amazing and mind-blowing films I've ever seen. Stanley Kramer made an absolute masterpiece that should have taken home the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1961.

Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich, Maximilian Shell, Judy Garland, and Montgomery Clift. If it's not already obvious, this film has a heckuva cast. All of the actors delivered flawless performances, but I think the most profound ones came from the supporting cast- particularly Judy Garland and Montgomery Clift. Anyone who has seen A Star Is Born knows that Judy was a wonderful actress, and she proves it again in Nuremberg. Monty Clift is one of my all time favorite actors, and I think it's safe to say that this is my personal favorite of his performances (although I do love A Place In the Sun and From Here to Eternity). His acting was so deep and genuine to the point that I found it to be heart-breaking.

The direction in Nuremberg is stunning, but I don't expect anything less from Stanley Kramer, who also directed two of my favorite films, The Defiant Ones (1958) and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), Spencer Tracy's last film. Rob Reiner actually compared it to his film A Few Good Men, which I have not seen, but is considered to be one of the all time greats.

Overall, Judgment at Nuremberg is an amazing film and a complete essential for anyone who loves films as much as I do. You can watch it here if you have not already done so.

5/5 stars

My Movie Character Personality Soup

2011-06-30T17:16:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I saw Brandie from True Classic's post of movie characters she thought defined/described her, and that automatically had me thinking of who I would pick to define myself. I spent awhile and managed to come up with the top five movie characters that I feel relate to me the most:

Amanda Bonner (Katharine Hepburn) from Adam's Rib (1949, dir. George Cukor).

I've always been a feminist, so Amanda's personality and boldness hits close to home. And who wouldn't love to have those cheekbones?

Belle (Paige O'Hara) from Beauty and the Beast (1991, dir. Gary Trousdale).

She's a bookworm and people think she's strange. That's all too familiar...

Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) from The Wizard of Oz (1939, dir. Victor Fleming).

I'm originally from a small town, and, trust me, I know what it's like wanting to be "over the rainbow".

Constance Peterson (Ingrid Bergman) in Spellbound (1945, dir. Alfred Hitchcock).

My love for Bogie made me want to choose Ilsa Lund, but I ended up going with Constance since we share a strong interest in psychology.

Jim Stark (James Dean) in Rebel Without a Cause (1955, dir. Nicholas Ray).

I wouldn't call myself a rebel or a trouble-maker by any means. But, at times, I can't help but identify with certain aspects of Dean's character in a way that I've never understood. Back to the part where people think I'm strange.

Honestly, there are probably several- maybe even dozens- more film characters much like myself, but this is just what I felt resembled me the most.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Until next time...

Review: Pat and Mike (1952)

2011-06-22T18:41:00.000-07:00

IMDb Synopsis: Pat Pemberton is a women's sports sensation - a champion in golf, tennis, and whatever else she decides to do. Knowing a good thing when he sees it, Mike Conovan becomes her manager. Mike has made his living fixing sports events, but he tries to go legit before Pat finds out his schemes.

It's quite rare that I review two romantic comedies in a row (as I just reviewed Designing Woman last week). It's also rare that I love both of
them.

I've written this in several posts before, but Katharine Hepburn is one of my favorite actresses of all time, and I absolutely love her films with Spencer Tracy. I've read before that this film was written specifically for them, and for good reason. They play so well off of each other, just as they do in other films, such as Adam's Rib and Woman of the Year, their first collaboration together. I thought both of their performances were marvelous, and I'm actually quite surprised they didn't receive Oscar nominations in 1953.

George Cukor has come to be one of my favorite directors as of late. He directed Hepburn in at least nine films, including her film debut, A Bill of Divorcement, and two more of the nine Tracy/Hepburn films, Keeper of the Flame and Adam's Rib. Pat and Mike is one of his finest works as a director, and I think he should receive more recognition for it.

Overall, I found Pat and Mike to be a delightful film- one of the best to come out of the 1950s. Definitely recommending.

5/5 stars