5 Films Forever Blogathon

 

Cinematic Delights, who participates every Thursday at Thursday Movie Picks, also talks film from classics to the brand new and everything in between. She decided to create this blogathon to find out what films people would choose if they couldn't go anywhere and would re-watch. OK, I suck the biggus diggus trying to explain so here is what she has to say...

“You wake up to eerie silence. You call out ‘Hello?’ but no-one answers. You’re alone except for a film projector and speakers with infinite battery life and five of your favourite films at the foot of the projector. You have nowhere to be so start watching the films. What are they, where are you and how will your story play out?”

or the ‘Five Films Forever’ blogathon I’m asking you to list:

My five films: What are the five films you would happily watch for the foreseeable future and why?

My fate: Where have you been deserted – are you adrift like Hanks in Castaway or are you an end of the world survivor like Smith in I Am Legend?

My finale: How will your time alone end? Will you be saved by Spielberg or will you live happily ever after on your own like Disney?

So let's begin....I wake up with a man on top of me, the sea crashing onto us making me feel like I am Deborah Kerr and Burt is ready to ravage me when I realize the man on top is deader than a door nail and the seaweed is up yonder. With the help of some crashing waves, I get bloated dead man off of me, shiver in disgust and look around seeing nothing but the ocean, sand and tropical greens. I now see that I am in a Tom Hanks movie save for one unique area ahead... a nice chair, a screen, 5 DVD's, a DVD player and the ability to watch these DVD's. How they can actually play here and how they got here doesn't matter but before i can watch them, I have to make a fire and find food. Thankfully, I have keen knowledge how to make a fire, spear a fish and the island is much bigger than Tom Hanks sorry ass island so I could find some mangoes. The 5 films just happen to be ones I love to watch over and over plus they come with all the extras so I can see commentary, cartoons, the making of, music and everything else they can put on a DVD. Here are my 5 films...

1. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE-1946

Well, duh, of course I will have this film about a man who is so discouraged and desperate that he is thinking of doing himself in until an angel, with no wings, helps him see what his life would have been like without him. I have talked quite a bit about this film from the great Jimmy Stewart, the many classic character actors, to the dark imagery of the film where we first see Jimmy Stewart show a darker side to his wholesome character. It truly is a great film.

2. CASABLANCA-1943

A perfect film in so many ways starring Humphrey Bogart as the owner of Rick's Cafe who lets everyone stay at Ricks from hookers, crooks to the dreaded Nazis. Ingrid Bergman plays Ilse who comes back into his life and shakes it up big time; her heroic husband, played by Paul Henreid who is being sought after by the Nazis; Major Strasser, the despicable head Nazi a-hole played to dripping ickiness by Conrad Veidt and my favourite, Claude Rains, as the French Prefect who notices everything. There are so many great lines in this film that it is hard to choose which ones are the best. It is worth all the accolades.

3. THE THIRD MAN-1949

A post-war film that takes place in Vienna when Joseph Cotton, who plays a writer, comes to this city to see his old friend Harry Lime only to find out Harry Lime is dead...maybe. He meets up with Lime's girlfriend Alida Valli and begins to learn that Lime is not the choirboy he remembers. The main music is rightfully famous and was a huge hit in the day, known as the Harry Lime theme played on the Zither by Anton Karas, who was found by director Carol Reed in a cafe when checking out the city.  The cinematography is brilliant with the angles and shadows along with the famous Ferris wheel scene and the scene in the sewers makes this a great film more people should see.

4. SINGING IN THE RAIN-1952

This is one hilarious comedy that could stand on its own without the music and dancing but you never want the music and dancing to disappear because they are fantastic pieces kept on celluloid from Kelly's famous dance (done under hot tarps and Kelly having a 103 fever), Donald O'Connor going nuts to make his friend laugh(needed to be in the hospital due to exhaustion because of that routine) and legs up to heaven Cyd Charisse in the fantasy number bringing her best Louise Brooks seduction to the floor. Jean Hagen steals every minute as the spoiled and no talent Lina Lamont who pines for Kelly but wants to keep her image as the lovely romantic half  of their famous film duo of Lockwood and Lamont. She makes sure by having Kelly's new good girl, girlfriend(Debbie Reynolds) dub all her dialogue for her since her voice sucks.When they have to make a talking picture, you laugh at what happens. What is great is how close and accurate many things were from the mics picking up heartbeats to the huge fear that many big stars of the silent era had(many didn't make it and some killed themselves as a result).  I love all the little nuances like the vampirish woman woman married to La Falaise de la toolong was based on Pola Negri who married Henri de La Falaise, Marquis de La Coudraye A must see.

5. WHAT'S UP DOC-1972

This is a great homage to the wonderful screwball comedies of the 1930s directed by Peter Bogdanovich, who I want to find and talk film with him since he has met all the greats during his life time. This is one zany film starring 4 matching bags owned by 4 different people that quickly get mixed up in all the raucous in the Bristol (or is that Crystal??) hotel. Howard Bannister(Ryan O'Neal) and his fiance, Eunice(first film for Madeline Kahn), are coming to the hotel for a convention so he can talk about his igneous rock formations(rocks in the bag #1). Judy(Barbra Streisand) follows a pizza into the hotel and quickly sees Howard and sets her sights on Steve, er I mean, Howard while holding her bag #2(full of clothes). A reporter has another bag(#3) holding secret documents while a member of the government, with a set of golf clubs as a disguise, follows him into the hotel and finally, a hip old broad in hotpants carries her bag of jewels(#4) with her, making the concierge slobber as he rings the bell(which is half a tone off) for his dull-witted partner to follow her up so they can get the jewels. Funny, laugh out loud moments ensue culminating in one of the best chases set to film.

I enjoy all of these films but I see a magical door and open it to find myself in a beautiful fairy realm with books, great clothes and movies galore. I am now in heaven!

Thursday Movie Picks:TV Edition-2020 Freshman Series

 

I can be such a daft blonde numbnut. Why might you ask? Well, I read this week's theme over at Wandering Through The Shelves, and immediately thought of TV shows that were about rookies, interns, the new kids on the block(no, not that boy group from whenever they were big) and was racking my brain about shows with new recruits. Finally, my 10 watt bulb saw "2020" and I realized it was about shows that came out last year. My brain was still slow because I just have not seen many, in fact, very few so, without further adieu(like that Patt?), here are my 3 choices...

1. PICARD-COMING BACK!

Can I say, I love this new show starring the great Patrick Stewart as Jean Luc Picard and was able to watch this on the Sci-Fi network(they better keep it there). I am a Star Trek nut (except for the latest STD) and have seen the original many times and love The Next Generation where this beloved character comes into the picture. It starts off with Picard as an old man on his winery estate in France, trying to live out the last part of his life. He is visited by the Dead Data(see the films) who informs him that Dead Data has a daughter(s). It cuts to a young woman who realizes, when people are trying to kill her, that she must see Picard. Picard meets up with her and now the story becomes more involved with the Romulans, The Borg who are trying to become their original beings again, Seven of Nine(who still has a body that won't quit...the bitch), a quirky scientist, a rough chick who hates Picard and an off beat owner of a ship that will take all of them on quite the ride. I loved every part except when they killed off Hugh(sorry for spoiling something so just don't read this part...oh...too late). The writing is excellent as well as the acting and some people from the Next Generation show up to bring in some nostalgia. 

2. FILTHY RICH-CANCELLED

This was a new show starring Kim Catrall(Sex And The City but not the reboot as everyone seems to hate her guts and vice-versa) as a tele-evangelist/Martha Stewart type who has made millions on the gullible..er....Jesus people(not that there is anything wrong with that) who give her their hard earned dollars so she can live in a big mansion, have great clothes and jewels. Her husband helps run this fine tuned business(played by a wonderful Gerald McRaney) and who showers his wifee-poo with jewels. They have 2 children, a boy and a girl who are well into their 20s and, in fact, the boy is married to a Karen. At the end of the first show, you find out that hubby loves to Partee with every floozie he can man handle and was doing this on an airplane when the plane take a nosedive. Everyone believes he is dead...but he is not. As he tries to figure out if he wants to return to the fold, his wife finds out that not only was her husband fooling around but that he sired 3 kids. His illegitimate daughter, being a successful business woman in the 1-900 calls plus operating a clean, well run whorehouse decides that she deserves some of the millions from the stepmom's show and helps her 2 new found brothers realize they deserve some of the action too. Before you think these characters are one-dimensional, think again because they are anything but. You don't dislike any of these people and you see how they are human and have a need for love. The Catrall character is more than just for money but believes in her show and what she preaches and ends up having feelings for all these children even the gal who makes money, the sinning way. Too bad it was cancelled, but, from what I have read, it is partly to do with Covid19.

3. GOOD OMENS-MINISERIES

This came to Canada in 2020 even if it made it's debut in Britain in 2019 so I count this as from last year, so there! Can I say I love this mini series that stars David Tennant and Michael Sheen as angels, one bad(Tennant) and one good(Sheen). You have the wicked British humour, great acting, a great script, good vs evil, Frances McDormand, John Hamm and Benedict Cumberbatch as the, not very happy, Devil. It starts off with Crowley(Tennant) giving Eve the apple and meeting Aziraphale(Sheen) on the walls of Eden watching Adam and Eve leave their paradise but not before Aziraphale takes pity on the poor couple and gives them his flaming sword. Cut to present day(well almost) and you find out the the good and bad angels are friends and often meet for tea. Crowley is always a bit upset that he thought it would be fun to hear out Lucifer and got pushed out of heaven over a misunderstanding since he wasn't truly following  that bad guy while Aziraphale is loving what food choices he might try. They find out that the dark lord has decided to bring his child out to the world which is the beginning of the end of Earth as we know it. Both upstairs and downstairs realize that it must be the end and are looking forward to warring with each other. The kid arrives ready to be swapped for the innocent baby but another very pregnant couple come forth and, in the mayhem, the babies all get switched up. You now have both angels trying to figure out where the "bad" kid is so they don't have to go to war. You have the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse, ready to wreck some damage, a witch trying to stop everything and many other characters including the small demon child who is just enjoying his life with his friends and his dog(demon dog but loses his meanness through the kindness of the kid and others). It is funny, dark but with a message that friendship and love, no matter which side of the tracks they come from, can overcome anything. By the way, I love the musical introduction of this show, I hope you watch it.

Which 3 shows from last year have you watched..if any?

Tomorrow is the 29th(holy Batman, Batman!) and there is a blogathon created by Cinematic Delights where you pick 5 films that you could watch over and over if you were stuck somewhere and could not leave. Check out her post here to find out more. Talk tomorrow!

Thursday Movie Picks: Police Detectives

Yup, I am late this week and hope to not be for the rest of the year. I work late Wednesday and didn't have my post written yet. I was going to go to the computer and get it done but hubby put in a movie(The White Countess) and I watched that instead. There are so many police detectives in film that I was wondering which ones to choose plus I was trying to avoid the private eye  type. I will enjoy everyone’s choices so head over to Wandering Through The Shelves and find out what other detective films were chosen. So here are my 3...

1. CHARLIE CHAN AT THE OPERA-1936

I used to watch Charlie Chan movies all the time because I love the mystery and I loved the character and his #1 son. The character is a detective from Honolulu and travels around with his son ending up in all sorts mayhem involving death. Keye Luke played #1 son who later became famous as the old blind man in Kung Fu and Sydney Toland played Charlie. Sydney was...Swedish! I love that fact but he “looked the part" because his grandmother had Mongolian in her lineage.  This is considered one of the best of the Charlie Chan series  which takes place at the opera( no kidding). A lunatic, Boris Karloff,  gets his memory back and escapes bent on revenge. The scene of the crime is behind the scenes of the  opera with the leads as well as others who could all be a possible murderers but Charlie Chan will get to the bottom of it. This is quite well acted, with a good storyline and great costumes especially the one Boris wears.

2. THE BIG HEAT-1953

I am finding out I really like Fritz Lang(Metropolis) films which seem to always deal with social injustice and this is another where Glenn Ford plays an honest cop who finds out that his town is run by some very corrupt a-holes..Lee Marvin being one of them. Many on his police force are also corrupt and Ford takes it to a new level when his wife is blown up in their car(the bomb was meant for him). You made Glenn one very angry cop who ends up working with Lee Marvin's moll(Gloria Grahame) to put an end to these S.O.B.'s. A great film, in my humble opinion, that is brutal for its time.

3. THE PINK PANTHER STRIKES AGAIN-1976

On to lighter fare with the great Peter Sellers as the fumbling French detective, Inspector Clouseau. I don't like the Steve Martin films which don't even compare to Peter Sellers who portrayed the inspector 5 times, I believe(the last film, Sellers died during the making of the movie, so the film was made around his disappearance). This film starts off where the Inspector visits his former boss, played brilliantly by Herbert Lom who should have received an Oscar Nomination for this role, to see him on the day Lom is leaving the insane asylum, cured of his insanity. Let's just say, within a few minutes, Lom's eye starts twitching and he really wants to kill this incompetent detective. Lom and his evil minions kidnap a scientist and his daughter and hole up in a castle in the Alps wanting money and the nations to kill Clouseau or else. You have the inspector having to dodge his manservant Kato who tries to kill him to keep the Inspector on his toes, funny disguises, a beautiful woman, Omar Sharif and Lom's twitching eye. Poor Sellers couldn't do a lot of his stunts since he had a weak heart, but he is so funny and this is one of my favourites. 

I wanted just one clip from the Pink Panther but, somehow, 3 showed up...oh well...enjoy!

So which 3 would you pick?

Wandering through the Shelves- 2020 Releases

 

What a week! I have a feeling 2021 will be, excuse me, a shitshow, before finally settling down. All we can do is ride the wave. I hope the weeks coming up will be smoother than I think they will be. Wandering Through The Shelves chose  this topic which is a toughy since we have been, mostly, on lockdown. In fact, Ontario is on a major lockdown starting at 12:01 am Thursday. We can only go out to the grocery store, pharmacy, exercise, walk the dog plus we can't be out past 8pm unless we need to go to work and can't work from home. If people would listen, we would not be in this situation. OK enough rant... I have only seen one film from 2020 which I will talk about but I will choose 3 films I do want to see and here they are...

1. MANK

This film stars Gary Oldman as Herman J Mankiewicz who was a Hollywood screenwriter during its heyday and wrote Citizen Kane..er..therein lies the issue since Orson Welles laid claim to co-writing it or actually writing most of it. It depends on which film books you read and which documentaries you watch but you know both had their hand in writing the screenplay which was a veiled story about William Randolph Hearst. I will say that Marion Davies, Hearst's mistress, was a gifted comedienne  and did have talent but was shown in negative way in the film. I would read up about Hearst(who tried, with Louis B Mayor of MGM to buy up all the negatives and burn the film), his narcissistic ways, his castle, the parties he gave and then watch Citizen Kane. Anyway, I know this film got mixed reviews but I really want to see it.

2. MA RAINEY'S BLACK BOTTOM

I have listened to some of Ma Rainey's music and I do love it. She had a great voice and I love that old style blues. I love the actors in this film who, in my book, never make a bad movie and they rise above the story they are given. Viola Davis plays Ma and the late, great Chadwick Boseman plays her ambitious trumpeter. It is set in the late 20s during an afternoon recording session where you see all the characters interplay with one another from fighting to some lustful events. This film sounds intriguing to me because of the actors and the music.

3. WONDER WOMAN 1984

Gal Gadot is the perfect Wonder Woman and I do want to see this sequel even though I heard it is not as good as the first film. I also can't see Kristen Wiig as Cheetah baddie. Poor cheetahs, why should they be bad when they are one of the nicest big cats around. I would not have chosen this gal for this role. We know Wonder Woman is helping her fellow man and has to, somehow, save the world...typical but it's just fun to see. 

4. 1917

This is one film that my hubby and I did see and thoroughly enjoyed since it did come out in Canada in 2020. You follow 2 young men who end up behind enemy lines and must try and find their way back to their own side without being killed. It is well acted and the effects, cinematography and art direction are excellent. It really is a must see. 

Have you seen any films from 2020? 

Thursday Movie Picks-Best Picture

Happy New Year everyone! Well, everything is about the same but changes are happening and, I believe, for the good. Now begins a whole new year of weekly themes from Wandering Through The Shelves. Thursday Movie Picks is so much fun and I am always amazed at how many themes can be created. So, this week is the first of a whole new slew of themes, and it is about Best Picture Oscars which is a s@%*load of  films to choose from. Without further adieu, here are my 3...

1. WINGS-1927

This is the very first film, and the only silent film,  to win best Oscar. It beat out some great films like Sunrise, The Last Command, The Crowd, Metropolis but does this make it a bad movie? I don't think so even though the other films, I believe, are better . Wings is is a great film that has some excellent aerial battles. The director, William Wellman, was part of the famous Lafayette Flying Corps so his heart was truly in this film. Wings is about 2 rivals who grew up together and the girl they both end up loving, played by Clara Bow. The boys go to war and become friends especially when a new mate dies soon after they meet him(played by Gary Cooper that catapulted him to stardom). The melodrama is secondary to the war that was very fresh to everyone since it ended only 9 years before. They often show the aerial and land battles in documentaries since so little was filmed during the actual war. This film is worth seeing.

2. HOW GREEN WAS MY VALLEY-1941

Talk about a big upset that now makes many critics deride this film, unfairly in my book.  Why? This is the year of Citizen Kane, arguable the greatest film ever made( I believe it is better than The Godfather). It also is the year of The Maltese Falcon, The Little Foxes, Suspicion, Meet John Doe and The Lady Eve. Does this make How Green Was My Valley a crappy movie? Not in my books and I really like this film. It stars a young Roddy McDowall who is part of this family of miners led by the patriarch, Donald Crisp. The daughter is the beautiful Maureen O’Hara who loves the local preacher played by Walter Pidgeon. Their lives are shown around this the Welsh village that unites families because of the mines. John Ford directed this film with a gentle hand since he loved his heritage and it shows. One has to look at this film on its own not that it beat out all the other films.

3. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY-1953

This film has an all star cast set just before and during the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Burt Lancaster is a Sergeant in the army who is having a lusty affair with Deborah Kerr, the wife of his Captain. You see them famously make out on the beach while the waves crash about them. You have the soldiers in the barracks from the brutal bullet-headed Ernest Borgnine who bullies everyone but especially Montgomery Clift and Frank Sinatra. The climax of the film is the bombing which was really well done for this time. Once again, this film won over the likes of Shane, Roman Holiday, Stalag 17, The Bandwagon and The Big Heat. This film is excellent even if one thinks it should not have won and should be seen , once again, on its own merit. Frank Sinatra won an Oscar and rebuilt his career from the ashes due to this film.

So which 3 would you choose?