The Thin Man

Laughs (#32)

I liked this movie.  Nick and Nora Charles are detectives solving a murder case.  The mystery is all right - they even have all the suspects together for a dinner party at the end, where they explain the case and announce who did it.  Very dramatic. 

But better yet is the relationship between Nick and Nora.  Like Madame Curie, this also should have been on the Passions list.  Why?  Because it beautifully shows the romance of a married couple.  A lot of that is due to the chemistry between Powell and Loy.  Nick and Nora just plain have fun being married, and I like that.

They drink a lot, though.  But it's the 1930s, so it's glamorous.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H1tnbPBCtnI

Sons of the Desert

Laughs (#96); Quotes - "...Here's another fine mess you've gotten me into" (#60)

I love Laurel and Hardy.  We used to watch their movies as a special treat in elementary school, then, if we were really good, we'd get to watch them backwards.  Oh, how we laughed!

While my favorite movie by these comic geniuses is The Music Box, this one is good, too.  Laurel and Hardy trick their wives into letting them go to a lodge convention.  Needless to say, it doesn't quite go as planned.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SvuNcPx2dg

Madame Curie

Cheers (#97)

I'm so glad I saw this movie, for it was much better than the book I read about Marie Curie.  She was more interesting and likeable here, and the scientific studies made so much more sense.

Walter Pidgeon is charming, and Greer Garson reminded me of Susan Sarandon.  Maybe she and George Clooney should do a remake.

Personally, I think this movie also belongs on the Passions list.  The love story between Pierre and Marie is sweet, and Pierre's social awkwardness makes it that much more endearing.  I wanted his proposal to be the clip of the day, but alas, youtube doesn't have it.  You'll have to rent the movie yourself, and in the meantime, watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7S3K9kEASOw&feature=related

Goldfinger

Thrills (#71); Quotes - "A martini.  Shaken, not stirred" (#90); Songs - Goldfinger (#53); Villains - Auric Goldfinger (#49)

Dr. No didn't have all the Bond gadgets, but this movie did.  Very cool.  And of course, there's Sean Connery.  Also very cool.  But (SPOILER) what's with 007 always getting caught?  He wasn't the hero of this movie.  A girl was.  Not so cool.

Oh, and guess what?  In the newest Bond movie, Daniel Craig will ask for a Heineken, not a martini, shaken, not stirred.  There are just some things product placement should NEVER mess with.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7OPuc4KZZY

The Big Chill

Stars - Jeff Goldblum (Current); Songs - Ain't Too Proud to Beg (#94)

This is a movie about college friends who reunite 15 years later for the funeral of one of their own.  My thoughts and random statements:
1) I love Kevin Kline, and I have ever since BoofAunt and I saw Pirates of Penzance oh so many years ago.  And I loved him in this movie.  Well, most of this movie.
2) I'm not really sure what Meg Tilly was doing there.  She was the dead guy's girlfriend, much younger than the others and therefore not part of the college gang.  I don't know why she was spending the weekend with them, and her role seemed competely pointless.
3) These are talented actors (most of them).  So where are they now?
4) Tom Berenger's mustache was a horrible idea.  His character was a Tom Selleck-type TV actor, so I'm guessing that explains the 'stache.  But it still was a horrible idea.
5) This is the most famous movie Kevin Costner was not in.  He played the dead guy (in flashback scenes), but all of his scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.  And now you know.
6) I love my college peeps.  I loved that we were such a big part of each other's lives, and that even now we can pick up conversations right where we left off, even when we go for several years without seeing each other.  I also love that we didn't do drugs or all sleep with each other.
7) I like Ain't Too Proud to Beg.  This movie had a great '60s soundtrack.  But why, oh why, must the music always be about 1000 decibels louder than the dialogue?
8) I really, really, really could have done without that ending.

Serpico

Cheers (#84); Heroes - Frank Serpico (#40)

This is a true story about a NYC cop who exposes wide-spread corruption on the force.  It's sad that, for one thing, the corruption existed in the first place; for another, his superiors wouldn't listen; and for another, he feared for his life because of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9oJR2egKEs

Take the Money and Run

Laughs (#66)

I wouldn't exactly call Annie Hall a comedy. And Bananas was just stupid. But Take the Money and Run has its funny moments. Woody Allen is a man called to a life of crime, and yet he's so very bad at it.

Years ago, my friend Pam told me to see this movie. She said it was super funny. Seeing as how I don't love Woody Allen, I didn't rush to rent it. I still wouldn't list it as best ever, but if you have nothing better to do, it's good for a few laughs.

Oh, and your dad would love it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSG_YNJCmik

A Shot in the Dark

Laughs (#48)

This movie, one of the first Pink Panther films, certainly pushed the buttons of propriety. Downright scandalous for 1964. Sad how far we've fallen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UoNskJVK2YA

The Gold Rush

Top 100 (#74/58); Laughs (#25); Stars - Charlie Chaplin (#10)

I'm not exactly sure why Chaplin heads off to the frozen tundra in his tramp outfit. You'd think he'd be rather cold. But I liked this movie. Chaplin is endearing and I'm guessing the special effects were pretty amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti1W5nHxhW8&feature=related

The English Patient

Passions (#56)

I think I'll let Elaine Benes review this movie for me -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B57bOy2Dzjg

Hair

Songs - Aquarius (#33)

Um, well...I fast-forwarded parts. And Treat Williams looks like Colin Farrell. And the ending was totally illogical. But how do you not love the choreography in this song -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pH8_M1fbXd4&feature=related

Wall Street

Quotes - "Greed...is good" (#57); Villains - Gordon Gekko (#24)

A good movie, but sad. Sad that people think money is all there is. It's sad when Bud Fox (Charlie Sheen) tells his blue collar dad, "I just want you to be proud of me." How sad that he thinks money is the key to his dad's pride, and how sad that what he's really saying is that he's embarrassed that his dad doesn't even make $50,ooo.

The other thing that's sad is that this movie is another reminder of how Charlie Sheen wasted so much potential (well, except that he doesn't know how to cry).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lG8n1fjGz3Q

Shane

Top 100 (#69/45); Cheers (#53); Quotes - "Shane.  Shane.  Come back!" (#47); Heroes - Shane (#16); Top Ten - Western (#3)

Alan Ladd was a bit wussy, but other than that this was a good movie. Thank heavens, though, that it wasn't made recently. Then we'd have to suffer through Shane 2: The Return (in 3D).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy3xcQPdiHc

The Quiet Man

Stars - John Wayne (#13); Passions (#76)

John Wayne wants Maureen O'Hara for his wife, but her brother refuses to give Wayne her dowry. In the end, the Duke dukes it out with the brother and they all live happily ever after. Sweet, although there wasn't really a basis for their romance.

It's a bit dated, and I have no doubt many women take issue with Wayne caveman-dragging O'Hara across the fields of Ireland. However, O'Hara's smile at the end of their trek wasn't because he roughly dragged her. It was because Wayne finally showed he was willing to fight for her. What do men want? A girl worth fighting for. And what do women want? A man who thinks we're worth the fight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iQ-ZoES4OY

The Godfather

Top 100 (#3/2); Thrills (#11); Score (#5); Stars - Marlon Brando (#4), James Caan (Current); Quotes - "...an offer he can't refuse" (#2); Top Ten - Gangster (#1)

This is one of my favorite guy movies. Very well written (it's generally a good thing when the author of a book gets to play a prominent role in writing the screenplay) and very well acted.

The Godfather is the I Ching. The Godfather is the sum of all wisdom. The Godfather is the answer to any question.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB8xPnhpzAM

Bringing Up Baby

Top 100 (#97/88); Laughs (#14); Stars - Katherine Hepburn (#1), Cary Grant (#2); Passions (#51)

I like this movie. It's quirky, and Hepburn is charming, and Grant is suave. It's definitely a classic. However, if I had to chose between this and Arsenic and Old Lace for a spot on the Top 100, I'd go with Arsenic. Just my opinion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_3JiqMJLFY

The Diary of Anne Frank

Cheers (#18)

I wouldn't say this is a great movie, as much as it's an important one. The story is fragmented - after all, it's based on a diary. It also is obviously based on a 14-year-old's view of the world.

And so, it's not a monumental cinematic achievement. However, the story it tells, the history it holds, and the hope it shares is worthy of its spot on this list.

A Raisin in the Sun

Stars - Sidney Poitier (#22); Cheers (#65)

Excellent movie. I'm not sure if it was based on Langston Hughes' poem Dream Deferred ("What happens to a dream deferred?/Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun...), but it certainly has the same theme.

A family receives a $10,000 life insurance check, and they all dream of what they can do with the money.

One thing I noticed was the whole "love and respect" idea. Walter's dreams were dying because none of the women in the house would listen to him. His wife didn't encourage him and nobody gave him the respect he should have had as man of the house. His role was usurped by his mama, the matriarch of the family. On the other hand, his wife, Ruth, wasn't feeling like Walter loved her. She felt completely alone in their marriage.

Anyways, great movie. And I love Sidney Poitier.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JUUWLLN03s

Shampoo

Laughs (#47)

Really? This movie and not The Princess Bride? You've got to be kidding me.

The premise doesn't even sound appealing - a Hollywood hairdresser beds just about every woman he meets.

A colossal waste of time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh85R-S-dh8

Glory

Stars - Morgan Freeman (Current); Cheers (#31)

Am I the only one who finds it a bit ironic that Matthew Broderick gets top billing in this movie?

Finally, after 125 years, these soldiers get the recognition that they are due, but it's considered Broderick's movie.

All the same, it's a very good movie (although Glory is gory). The story is well-told, and the acting is excellent. Denzel's Oscar was definitely deserved.

If you haven't seen it, see it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r72aGkShD4

Camille

Stars - Greta Garbo (#5); Passions (#33)

Even though anyone who's ever seen Annie knows how the movie ends, I still thought this was a good movie. It was romantic and sad. The storyline was basically the same as Moulin Rouge!, but I liked Camille better.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVOoUTLl0dc&feature=related

Arsenic and Old Lace

Laughs (#30); Stars - Cary Grant (#2)

Seriously - how is this not Top 100? One of the best comedies ever made, Cary Grant and his supporting cast are delightful. It's twisted and funny, and worth watching again and again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev_v3xgxMTg

Breaking Away

Cheers (#8); Top Ten - Sports (#8)

Enh. High school graduates are unsatisfied with their lives. They're "cutters" - working class people, and the preppy college kids are always giving them crap. Gee. Life sucks.

And then there's the bicycle racing guy who thinks he's Italian. I really can't believe his parents put up with that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLjeYcwYHsA&feature=related

Die Hard

Thrills (#39); Villains - Hans Gruber (#46)

It's ridiculous and far-fetched. But I love Bruce Willis. And I love the friendship that develops between him and Reginald Vel Johnson. And I love that my husband says that if I'm ever held hostage by terrorists in a skyscraper, he'd go all John McClane and rescue me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBCZuZJvkzk