Oh man, today’s one of those “suck-it-up” days. Running on four hours of sleep is no bueno and trying to watch the Robert Aldrich directed Kiss Me Deadly was not gonna happen. Don’t get me wrong, I can immerse myself in the seedy, pulpy underworld of Mike Hammer and Mickey Spillane, but only on a … Continue reading
Category Archives: Movies
100 Years of Movies in 100 Days – Day 45 – Rear Window/Dial M For Murder (1954)
I’m exhausted. And this time it has nothing to do with this movie marathon. This time, it has to do with waking up at 5a.m. to beat the crowd down to Harbor UCLA hospital to check my dad in. And seeing as how the wait times there are often ridiculous (see yesterday’s post for more … Continue reading
100 Years of Movies in 100 Days – Day 44 – Roman Holiday (1953)
There’s certainly a plethora of classics to choose from 1953. Stalag 17, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, From Here To Eternity, Shane, Peter Pan and the first War of the Worlds. But snce I could only choose one, I went with the Audrey Hepburn–Gregory Peck romantic dramedy Roman Holiday. Hepburn won the Best Actress Oscar, Best Actress … Continue reading
100 Years of Movies in 100 Days – Day 43 – Singin’ in the Rain (1952)
OK, seriously, how can you not be smiling after watching Singin’ in the Rain . I mean, Gene Kelly’s smile alone is infectious, but then you add in the energentic, physical comedy of Donald O’Connor and the innocent songs and dance numbers and it’s no wonder this movie is ranked #79 in the AFI top … Continue reading
100 Years of Movies in 100 Days – Day 42 – Strangers on a Train (1951)
The great thing about Strangers on a Train is that it doesn’t mess around. It gets right to the point and doesn’t get all cutesy with its plot twists. You can thank the combination of a Raymond Chandler script and a Alfred Hitchcock‘s direction for that kind of singlar focus. Granted it’s not my favorite … Continue reading
100 Years of Movies in 100 Days – Day 41 – Sunset Blvd. (1950)
The main reason I love Sunset Blvd., aside from the sharp dialogue and narration, is that it’s literally the story of my life. Well, kind of… well, I hope I don’t end up like William Holden does at the end. He plays a struggling writer who quits his newspaper job to pursue writing Hollywood scripts, … Continue reading
100 Years of Movies in 100 Days – Day 40 – The Third Man (1949)
Five reasons The Third Man rules! 1.) The opening narration and the mandolin that plays throughout. I love the tone and accent of the narrator as he casually sets up the story for us. And without wasting time, bang, we’re right in the middle of a who-dun-it murder mystery. And to add to the mandolin, … Continue reading
100 Years of Movies in 100 Days – Day 39 – Bicycle Thieves (1948)
So today was a bit tricky. I had a choice between three excellent movies, including one that has a 100% freshness rating on RottenTomatoes. But Bicycle Thieves was the movie that ended up arriving from Netflix so I went with that. A quick note though that The Treaasure of Sierra Madre (that’s the 100% rated … Continue reading
100 Years of Movies in100 Days – Day 38 – Out of the Past (1947)
Well, I can say onething for certain – 1947 was a slow year in movies. My choices really boiled down between this noir crime drama and Miracle on 34th St. and considering it’s still four months til Christmas, it would’ve felt a bit weird to be watching a holiday movie in mid-September. The problem I … Continue reading
100 Years of Movies in 100 Days – Day 37 – My Darling Clementine (1946)
So for today’s viewing, I decided to do a compare and contrast with John Ford’s My Darling Clementine and George Cosmatos’ 1993 Kurt Russell-Val Kilmer masterpiece Tombstone, since they both center around the story of Wyatt Earp. Henry Fonda vs. Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp – Fonda plays Earp really straight, dark and serious. There’s … Continue reading
100 Years of Movies in 100 Days – Day 36 – Brief Encounter (1945)
Wow, what a boring movie. Don’t get me wrong, it’s well-directed but the story is just so pedestrian and every time the housewife (Celia Johnson) would drift off on her endless self-narration of her affair with the middle-aged horny toad doctor, I wanted to punch her in the mouth. Well, OK, not really. I don’t … Continue reading
100 Years of Movies in 100 Days – Day 35 – Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)
This play has such nostalgic qualities whenever I watch it. See, back when I was in those blissfully awkward high school days, Arsenic and Old Lace was one of the first plays I ever acted in. I played Gibbs and the Officer O’Hara. I remember on the second performance, I forgot some of my lines. … Continue reading
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