One of the best aspects of this climbing road trip is the spare time during the evenings to catch up on books and movies. I have never been a movie connoisseur and am thoroughly enjoying working through a good handful of titles. One that I would recommend is Happenstance, produced in 2001. This French movie stars Audrey Tatou, the main actress in Amile, and is a complex story of serendipitous events that intriguingly all come together in the end. Two thumbs up from me.
Other movies that I have viewed lately include:
21 – the movie about the book Bringing Down the House. It was good and worth renting, but the book was substantially better.
Smart People – it was ok, but not worth renting.
The Last Kiss – Um, sometimes I have a limited supply of movies to choose from, all depending on which town I am currently visiting. It was pretty good, but wouldn’t suggest renting.
Sex in The City – Once again this was a pick that I watched due to a small selection of movie choices. It actually was surprisingly better than I anticipated.
21 Dresses – Ha ha… I rented this one for the sole reason that Shaft’s 10-year-old daughter suggested it and I wanted to chat with her about it. It was actually ok, but doubt highly any of your readers want to rent it. =)
I am now thankfully in a place with numerous movie rental stores, which means that I can actually rent some documentaries, classics and hopefully some independents. I will keep you posted. =)
I haven’t watched too many films as of recently, even skipping over the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. Yet, the latest two to add to the classic line up are Citizen Cane and The Scarlet Pimpernel.
Citizen Cane – This uber classic took me five attempts to finish. I was determined to see it through considering this past December’s news contained the controversy of Orson Welles’s daughter selling his Citizen Cane Oscar even though just years earlier she had fought for its custody due to sentimental value. The auction of the Oscar received quite a bit of hype, yet I never read (nor can find) if it actually did sell. Regardless, the movie itself was quite intriguing with the underlying theme being that no matter what this man achieved in his life, it could never replace the family life he never had. Interesting concept. Perhaps instead of chasing money he should have just invested in some therapy and learned to be forward looking for healthy relationships and not linger on the fact that his mother didn’t want him. Just a biased opinion though. =D
The Scarlet Pimpernel was given to my by my friend Sam. It was so kind of him and sent randomly in the mail during a time when he knew I was struggling. Sam truly is a great friend. The movie had a fun plot of mystery and deceit. But the best part of the film was the main character’s, Percy’s, phrasing of speech. Whew. I almost didn’t make it through the first 30 minutes of the film because the intonation and spacing of the Percy’s sentences was almost too much to bear. Funnily, I lent it to someone at work and he had the same hang up and ended up not watching the whole film. Ha ha. Once I was able to adapt to Percy’s speech, the movie was real enjoyable and the perfect entertainment while donating platelets.
The Philadelphia Story – a romantic comedy with Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn and James Stewart about a couple who gets divorced, dates other people and then unexpectedly remarries. I liked Hepburn substantially more in this film than in Bringing Up Baby. Funnily I read in Wikipedia that this was her first big hit, removing her nickname of “box office poison.”
A Streetcar Named Desire – whew. This film was a little intense! Definitely not one of my favorites, but Marlon Brando’s acting was phenomenal. “Stella!”
Some Like It Hot – fantastic little film based around two musicians running away from the mafia after wandering into a shoot out. The two men dress as women and join an all-women’s band. Stars include Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe. This was the first film I had seen with Monroe and liked her performance, though I hear she typically played the ditsy blonde role.
Charade – one of my favorites so far! Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn work together to solve the mystery behind Hepburn’s husband death. The combo of Grant and Hepburn is phenomenal, plus the thriller and romance keeps one’s attention.
Monkey Business – silly 1952 film starring Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers and Marilyn Monroe. The light hearted plot based around the idea of a scientist researching for the “fountain of youth” drug. Grace Kelly’s dance scene and Grant’s scene of dressing up as an Indian to play with the children were real good.
Father Goose – I thoroughly enjoyed this film, especially Cary Grant’s role as it differed from many of his other roles. The plot was based around the idea of a drunk vagabond being tricked into helping the government during WWII. He randomly meets Leslie Caron’s character and the opposites soon attract.
My employing firm has a summer intern who has not only been fantastic to work with and completely gung-ho about learning the ropes of venture capital, but he has enlightened my life in many different aspects. For instance, he is a lover of classic films. After one of our conversation concerning a classic movie, I thought I would go home and give one a try. I was instantly hooked! The films I have seen so far include:
Bringing Up Baby- One of the sillier, but still enjoyable, films. This film was produced by Henry Hawk in 1938 and includes Cary Grant and Kathryn Hepburn. The story line is about an absent-minded, well-to-do girl (Hepburn) who randomly meets the conservative paleontologist (Grant). The two end up on a wild adventure pursuing a leopard, making the paleontologist miss his wedding.
Casablanca – A definite must see classic produced in 1942 including Henry Bogart and Inga Bergman. Set in unoccupied French territory Cassablanca during World War II, the story is entwined with a former freedom fighter/current night club owner’s (Rick Blaine’s) ability to help rebel Victor Lazlo escape to the United States. Lazlo, however, is inconveniently married to Blaine’s only love, Ilsa. The most well known quote from this show is, “Here is looking at you, kid.” I have now watched the movie twice and would eagerly watch it again.
North by Northwest – fantastic! Yes ladies, it is true… Cary Grant is as handsome as the rumors suggest. This film is another Hitchcock produced classic that includes Cary Grant as an executive who is mistaken as a government agent and chased across the US. One of the most popular scenes is when Grant is alone in a mid-western field and is being dive bombed by an airplane.
To Catch a Thief – another fantastic Hitchcock produced film! Created in 1959 and including Cary Grant and Grace Kellie, the plot is based around a jewelry thief in Nice whose robberies are being blamed on the previous jewel thief (played by Grant).
Citizen Cane – My friend PE Bruce suggested this one. I actually need to re-watch it as I was so tired that day I only made it halfway through it. What I did see was great.
One of the best aspects of this climbing road trip is the spare time during the evenings to catch up on books and movies. I have never been a movie connoisseur and am thoroughly enjoying working through a good handful of titles. One that I would recommend is Happenstance, produced in 2001. This French movie stars Audrey Tatou, the main actress in Amile, and is a complex story of serendipitous events that intriguingly all come together in the end. Two thumbs up from me.
Citizen Cane – This uber classic took me five attempts to finish. I was determined to see it through considering this past December’s news contained the controversy of Orson Welles’s daughter selling his Citizen Cane Oscar even though just years earlier she had fought for its custody due to sentimental value. The auction of the Oscar received quite a bit of hype, yet I never read (nor can find) if it actually did sell. Regardless, the movie itself was quite intriguing with the underlying theme being that no matter what this man achieved in his life, it could never replace the family life he never had. Interesting concept. Perhaps instead of chasing money he should have just invested in some therapy and learned to be forward looking for healthy relationships and not linger on the fact that his mother didn’t want him. Just a biased opinion though. =D
The Scarlet Pimpernel was given to my by my friend Sam. It was so kind of him and sent randomly in the mail during a time when he knew I was struggling. Sam truly is a great friend. The movie had a fun plot of mystery and deceit. But the best part of the film was the main character’s, Percy’s, phrasing of speech. Whew. I almost didn’t make it through the first 30 minutes of the film because the intonation and spacing of the Percy’s sentences was almost too much to bear. Funnily, I lent it to someone at work and he had the same hang up and ended up not watching the whole film. Ha ha. Once I was able to adapt to Percy’s speech, the movie was real enjoyable and the perfect entertainment while donating platelets.
