Thursday, September 3, 2020

Wandering Through The Shelves-Domestic Thrillers

 


September is here already and the days are getting shorter. To be honest I cant wait for cooler weather and I don't care much about the evenings getting shorter in daylight but I don't like getting up in the morning when it is still dark. Oh well, I wouldn't trade where I live...scratch that, yes, if I could live in an Alpine village, I would go there but other than that, I love Canada. This week is much easier because it is all about domestic thrillers and, no, I am not talking about toothless Bertha and her hubby/cousin Bubba belching beer, eating roadkill a la carte shooting off one of their 6 guns, misquoting the bible and thinking that hoarders was how to style their shack, but about non-marital bliss. Wandering Through The Shelves picked a good one for this week(well, almost always, they are good picks) I don't think I can keep it to 3 so here are my chosen not so few.

1. SUSPICION-1941

A classic Alfred Hitchcock film starring Joan Fontaine as the suspicious wife and Cary Grant as the, possibly, murderous husband. Young, rich Joan meets this man, Cary, who sweeps her off her feet and they marry and move into a home that has "rich" written all over it. Cary is always into some scheme or another and has a good friend, played by the likeable Nigel Bruce(of Dr. Watson fame from Sherlock Holmes movies of the same time period) who is with him on his schemes. Soon Joan begins to suspect all is not what it seems with her dashing husband and when she becomes ill and he brings her some milk, she is not sure how to get around to not drinking it. This is quite the uneasy film because you don't know what is true and what isn't. I love how Hitchcock made the milk light up to make it look more ominous. It is worth taking a look at this gem.

2. LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN-1945

I did speak about this film quite a while ago but it is worth a revisit. Cornel Wilde plays a writer who falls for the mysterious but very beautiful Ellen, played by the very beautiful Gene Tierney. She has a mom and sister but Ellen was always daddy's girl, where nobody could come between them. Well, the hapless writer marries Ellen who loves him to the exclusion of everyone. She can't abide anyone sharing his love with someone else so his much younger brother, who is disabled, must be dealt with. When Ellen finds out she is pregnant and realizes the baby will take attention away from her, she will not abide this. The writer soon finds out he is not married to a hapless waif. This is an excellent film that makes you shudder at the depths this girl will go to to keep attention on her. Gene Tierney gave one of her best performances in this role and it is worth watching.

3. DIAL M FOR MURDER-1954

Grace Kelly, in her first Hitchcock film, plays the wife of  a tennis player, played by Ray Milland. Good ole Ray has decided to want out of his marriage and arranges for her to be killed but he doesn't think that his wife is good with scissors. Grace is often called the ideal Hitchcock lady and he loved working with her and vice versa. This is actually a film done in 3D and you can see where some of the images were to be put to this effect but it does not distract from the story. Good ole Grace, who loved loving her leading men had quite the affair with Ray Milland to the point where Milland's wife used Grace's name with the lawyers but, the affair cooled and Milland went back to his wife. 

4. BLACK WIDOW-1987

This is a gem if you can find it because it is a real cat and mouse game with the women playing the strong parts and the men the hapless victims. We meet Theresa Russell(where is she now??) as Catherine newly married to an older, rich man(Dennis Hopper) who dies and not by accident. We soon realize that Catherine is a killer of men after she marries them for their money. An FBI agent, played by Debra Winger, knows this women will kill again and goes on the hunt for her and tries to outsmart this sexy evil bitch. This is a real cat and mouse game with the women in power, rare to find in film.

5. DOUBLE JEOPARDY-1999

Ashley Judd is happily married to a wealthy man and has a young son with him. One eve, they take out their small boat even though he does not know how to handle the boat but believes in his wife. After a night of passion(or 10 minutes), she falls into a deep sleep and when she wakes up she  finds blood everywhere. She is promptly arrested, tried and found guilty in the death of her husband. In prison, scared, she soon starts to make friends with the other women and one day, when she calls her best friend so she can speak to her son, she hears her her son call out, "Daddy!" Can we say PISSED! She finds out she can't be charged twice for the murder of her husband since he is, supposedly, dead. She gets out after 6 years for good behaviour and meets her parole officer, played by Tommy Lee Jones. Little does he know she is on a mission to find her husband so, when she breaks her parole, Tommy is hot on her trail. This is quite a fun flick with one strong woman in Ashley Judd and Bruce Greenwood, who is such a good actor, plays her slimy husband. 

I could have written more but there are my 5.  Which would you choose?


39 comments:

  1. Hi Birgit, a super selection of films today, though have only seen the last three, although I would love to see the first one.
    I felt the original Double Jeopardy was a far superior film with the great Barbara Stanwick. I'm an Autumn person, and love the changing colours. It's certainly turning here, keep safe, Kate x

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    1. I think you are thinking of Double Indemnity with Barbara which is a far superior film and would fit this week for sure

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  2. I don't like going to work when it's dark, that's for sure. Would like to see some cooler weather though.

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  3. I recently watched Dial M for Murder for the first time and enjoyed it! Grace Kelly is so beautiful.

    I hate that the nights are getting shorter. That means snow is right around the corner.

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    1. Grace was stunning and glad you liked this movie. shorter nights..yeah but I don't mind the snow

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  4. Hi Birgit - I've seen none of these ... but am not happy with domestic thrillers - though know they happen. I'd hate to be in a boat covered in blood - but am glad the story looks like it turns out positively! Take care - Hilary

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    1. It does and they are good. We do hear of this in the news for real..much too often

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  5. I remember when Black Widow came out. I didn't see it, I think it was rated R (and I was too young). Maybe I should see if I can find it. Some good choices here. Alas, Double Jeopardy was spoiled for me as she couldn't actually kill her husband and get away with it legally. Legally, the second crime was a different crime. (They got that part right in People Will Talk.)

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    1. Yes, you are right about Double Jeopardy but it is still fun. You should find Black Widow...quite good

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  6. Good choices though neither Suspicion nor Dial M for Murder are among my favorite Hitchcock's they are still good films.

    Gene Tierney is so disturbing in Leave Her to Heaven by far the strongest part of the film.

    I saw both Double Jeopardy and Black Widow in the theatre when they came out and enjoyed them but haven't revisited them.

    Lots of choices for this theme so it was a pretty easy week.

    Rear Window (1954)-Photo-journalist “Jeff” Jeffries, wheelchair bound because of a badly broken leg combats the boredom of being confined to his apartment by watching the activities of his neighbors though his rear window. Late one night he thinks he witnesses one of them, Lars Thorwald (Raymond Burr), murder his wife but initially has trouble convincing anyone of the fact. Slowly with the help of his acerbic nurse Stella (Thelma Ritter) and fashion model girlfriend Lisa (Grace Kelly) he starts to put the pieces together but when Thorwald begins to suspect Jeff knows something the tables are dangerously turned.

    Deceived (1991)-Art restorer Adrienne (Goldie Hawn) and museum curator Jack Saunders (John Heard) have a seemingly perfect life living in their restored New York City loft with their daughter Mary. But that life is thrown into turmoil when Jack’s boss dies under questionable circumstances. Jack starts acting strangely then suddenly leaves town purportedly on business raising Adrienne’s suspicions. Before he returns he is apparently killed in a car crash but when Adrienne files for his death benefits it turns out “Jack Saunders” died in a plane crash 20 years ago. So who was the man she married? As she searches for answers the truth becomes increasingly dark and very perilous.

    Rosemary’s Baby (1968)-Young Rosemary Woodhouse (Mia Farrow) and struggling actor husband Guy (John Cassavetes) move into a New York City apartment building of sinister repute. When their odd new neighbors, Roman and Minnie Castavet (Sidney Blackmer & Ruth Gordon) become overly familiar Rosemary tries to back away but Guy, suddenly successful, welcomes them. Rosemary, now pregnant, becomes increasingly isolated and the diabolical truth of the matter is revealed only after Rosemary gives birth. One of Roman Polanski’s best films permeated with a sense of dread.

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    1. I really want to see Black Widow again. The 2 I chose are not Hitch's best but they still work well but I love...LOVE Rear Window and that is an inspired choice because the husband and wife are "minor" characters but instigate everything. This is one of the best voyeur films. Gene Tierney is par excellence in this film and should have won the Oscar. Gosh, I couldn't remember the Goldie Hawn film title otherwise I would have chosen it. This is a great film that goes unnoticed and a rare performance by Goldie in this film. I still have not seen Rosemary's Baby because it sounds so disturbing and scary.

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    2. I put off Rosemary's Baby for years because I felt the same way and it does have elements of those two things but it's so well done and accomplished that it was worth that sense of unease. If you've seen his Repulsion and made it through unscathed you'll do fine with Rosemary.

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    3. Oh good to know! I did see Repulsion which was an excellent film.

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  7. Only one I saw was Double Jeopardy and that was really good. Looking forward to cooler weather too!

    Betty

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    1. It is a good movie and one can enjoy watching.

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  8. I've seen your choices - some more than once. My thought: Gaslight, which I think you mentioned recently, and Rebecca.

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    1. I would have chosen Gaslight but, yes, I did talk about that one. Rebecca is a perfect choice as well.

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  9. "Judy Judy Judy"

    (I can't count the number of times I have been mistaken for Cary Grant and mobbed by adoring females.)

    Hi, Birgit!

    I love Hitchcock's suspense thrillers, and Suspicion is a favorite because I also like Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine. I saw Suspicion in 2007, the year I binged on old B&W and noir films. I appreciate the unique trailer in which Joan's character breaks the fourth wall and speaks to the viewing audience. Hitchcock was fond of this device. I also recall drunken sot Watson Pritchard speaking directly into the camera in the trailer of Wm. Castle's House On Haunted Hill as well as in the movie itself. Hitch's Dial M is also a favorite of mine. I have seen it several times and the same is true of the 1998 remake A Perfect Murder starring Michael Douglas and Gwyneth Paltrow. (If you like Gwyneth, I highly recommend her new Netflix TV series The Politician, a cleverly written and brilliantly acted dark comedy.)

    I haven't seen Leave Her To Heaven but I like Jeanne Crain. I'll put that one on my viewing list. I vaguely recall having seen Black Widow many years ago. Theresa Russell was a popular actress and familiar face at the time and appeared in a number of projects I watched. I see that she was still appearing in films as recently as 2016. I am also fond of Debra Winger and just saw her in an episode of Law & Order a few evenings ago. I am an Ashley Judd fan and completist and therefore I have seen Double Jeopardy several times. She is one of my favorite actresses and favorite people.

    Thanks for the reviews, dear friend BB, and enjoy the rest of your week!

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    1. I just love the old trailers and wouldn’t it be a great idea to create a trailer for a new film and use the old style like this, I hope you see Leave Her to Heaven because I know you will love it. I love Ashley Judd as well and hope she makes some new films

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    2. Oh and that Paltrow movie with Viggo Mortensen as well..hubba, hubba, is a really good film. I don’t have Netflix so I can’t see that series. I don’t like her as a person from what I have read and what I have seen but she is a good actress and I can separate the 2.

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  10. You hit two of my favorites. Black Widow and Double Jeopardy. I thought the acting and storylines were amazing.

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  11. Are you sitting down? I've actually seen one of these and it's Double Jeopardy. I remember at the time it came out how the critics said it wasn't possible and some even panned the film. I liked your synopsis of it, though.

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    1. Yeah, they panned it but it is a good film no matter what they say. Glad you saw this one film.

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  12. I've only seen #1 & 2 of your picks, but I'm familiar with the others. This is a great category though as is often the case my lack of memory doesn't bring many titles to mind at the moment, but I'll try.

    One film we watched last night was Star80 which was based on the true story of actress sexpot Dorothy Stratton. Good tale of a husband's jealousy and obsession with his wife. I think that can be considered a domestic thriller.

    Postman Always Rings Twice is another favorite of mine.

    So many others, but I'd have to think on it a while to come up with exactly what they are.

    Arlee Bird
    Tossing It Out

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    1. I still have to see Star 80 about her murder at the hands of her nasty ex. It’s a sad true story which puts things in the new perspective that these domestic thrillers are often all too real. The Postman... the original, is a great film and a perfect fit.

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  13. BIRGIT ~

    As you probably remember, I have long been enamored with Gene Tierney (the most beautiful woman God ever invented), and so 'Leave Her To Heaven' (which really should have been titled 'Leave Her To Hell') is a good movie but a bit disturbing to the mind of the man who loves Gene.

    'Domestic Thrillers' -- the possibilities are endless with this category. And although 'Thrillers' aren't my normal mug o' beer when it comes to movie genres, there are some that I think are fabulous.

    The first one that sprang to mind is Hitchcock's 'NORTH BY NORTHWEST'. It's definitely my favorite Hitchcock film.

    'DEAD AGAIN' is a horribly underrated and thus forgotten Thriller that I love a lot!

    And although it also falls under the category of 'War', I don't think there are many movies more thrilling than 'THE DIRTY DOZEN'. 'War' is also one of my least beloved movie genres, so that says a lot about how great I think 'The Dirty Dozen' is, when I consider it both one of the best War movies as well as one of the greatest Thrillers!!

    ~ D-FensDogG
    STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS

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    1. Your picks are not fitting the theme but I LOVE them and just rewatched The Dirty Dozen...why Maggot was chosen, I have no clue. North by Northwest is such a great film with so many little nuances in this movie. Dead Again does fit the theme and what a perfect film for this because it is a thriller, a romance and a fantasy film all in one. I agree that it is under-rated.

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  14. Double Jeopardy is sure a great one indeed. Watched that one a few times.

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    1. It is so good and I have watched it many a time too.

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  15. I've seen Dial M for Murder and Double Jeopardy. I need to rewatch Dial M, but to be honest, it didn't work that well for me - one of the weaker Hitchcock movies I've seen. Double Jeopardy was a fun flick.

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    1. Dial M is not one of my favourite films but I like it better than you do, it seems:j. DJ is fun for sure

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  16. Birgit,

    You picked some good movies. The last three we've seen and they are excellent films. In recent years I've seen both Black Widow and Double Jeopardy available on Netflix. I don't know if they are still on or not. Dial M for Murder is one we caught on Amazon Prime. Your first two picks are new to me but they sound good, especially Suspicion. I'm going to check on our streaming services to see if I can find them. A few others that come instantly to mind for this category are Sleeping with the Enemy with Julia Roberts and Deceived with Goldie Hawn. It's early and that's all I can come up with before my morning coffee. :) Thanks for sharing. Have a good week and thanks for dropping by, my friend!

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    1. I think you would like the first 2 and I am so glad you chose Sleeping With The Enemy because I was so close in picking that one and now I wish I would have. Patrick Bergin is so good as the villainous husband. Apparently the small town hated Julia Roberts because she called the town boring and was disgraceful about the town residents. She was in her 20s, self-righteous and full of herself.

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  17. I’ve only seen Dial M for Murder and it was brilliant. The remake was terrible though.

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  18. I've seen Dial M for Murder but can't remember the plot. I do remember liking it though.

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