Review: The Aviator (2004)

IMDb Synopsis: A biopic depicting the early years of legendary director and aviator Howard Hughes' career, from the late 1920s to the mid-1940s.


I'm back from my hiatus! For my first post in 2012, I'm reviewing a film that is discussed frequently among the classic Hollywood fandom: Martin Scorsese's The Aviator. (I also plan on reviewing The Artist whenever I get an opportunity to see it.)


I love watching biopics, if they're made well. Sometimes I'm hesitant to watch a film when it's portraying people I''m fond of, since there's always a chance that the actors chosen won't live up to my expectations. Fortunately, this wasn't the case here.


The two actors that surprised me the most (and the two that I was most pleased with) were Cate Blanchett and Leonardo DiCaprio. Prior to viewing, I was skeptical of Blanchett- not just anyone could play Katharine Hepburn- but I was pleased with her performance and I'm glad she won an Oscar.  For no particular reason I loved her line "Can't you just eat ice cream out of a bowl, like everyone else?" 


Then there's DiCaprio, who I've never liked (I blame Titanic). Like Hepburn, Howard Hughes isn't an easy role to play, but DiCaprio managed to master his role, especially in the scenes concerning Hughes' mental illness.


Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed The Aviator and I think the same goes for many other classic Hollywood fans. Also a deserving mention to the costume designer and makeup artists for making all of the actors look so authentic. 

4.5/5 stars

My Favorite Films: The African Queen

My third and final My Favorite Films post in honor of the Humphrey Bogart blogathon is going to focus on The African Queen. I've really been looking forward to writing this post because it's my favorite Bogie film tied with Casablanca, and also because it premiered 60 years ago today in Los Angeles.

Released in 1951 and directed by John Huston, the film takes place in Africa during World War I and tells the story of an alcoholic boat owner (Bogie) who is persuaded by a missionary (Katharine Hepburn) to use his boat to sink a German warship.

There are so many reasons why I love The African Queen. It contains just about every element you'd want in a film (comedy, drama, adventure, romance, etc), it pairs Bogie with Katharine Hepburn, the color cinematography is beautiful and the story remains timeless to this day.

I think Bogie's role as Charlie Allnut really shows his diversity as an actor. Yes, his character is the "tough guy" he was most commonly known for playing, but it's different here because he's absolutely hilarious. The scene where he becomes intoxicated from gin and later when he attempts to imitate a hippo nearly made me fall out of my seat laughing the first time I watched it. Forget Marlon Brando, Bogie rightfully deserved the Oscar.

As with Bogie, this is also my favorite film and performance from Katharine Hepburn. Bette Davis was originally considered for Rose (she later dropped out because of pregnancy), but no one could have played her as well as Hepburn did. I do like Vivien Leigh, but I personally feel that the Academy made the wrong decision in the Best Actress category that year.

One of the best aspects of The African Queen is the chemistry between Bogie and Hepburn. It's so interesting to watch their relationship progress throughout the film- they start out as barely tolerating each other then end up in love by the films' ending. This was the only time they worked together, but they remained close friends for the rest of Bogie's life (she and Spencer Tracy were some of the last people to see him the night before he died in January 1957). 

**SPOILER ALERT**

The film was adapted from the C.S. Forester novel of the same name. I haven't read it, and I don't plan to, mainly because of different endings between the film and the book. If you've seen the (and if you read past the spoiler alert, I'm assuming you have), you know it ends as Charlie and Rose are captured by the Germans and married by the captain before execution. The Louisa then crashes into the remains of the African Queen and the torpedoes explode the ship, allowing Charlie and Rose to flee to the Belgian Congo. The book, however, ends as the Louisa is destroyed and Charlie and Rose go to inform the British Army. Honestly, I don't think I would like the film as much as I do if the ending hadn't been changed. I rarely say this, but I think this is one example of the movie being better than the book.

The African Queen was restored in 2009 for it's first release on DVD in 2010. I hadn't seen the film pre-restoration, but the video linked above shows comparisons between the two versions, and it's amazing to see how much the quality has improved. The color cinematography along with John Huston's direction is beautiful.

Overall, The African Queen is one of my favorite films and I hope it will be remembered 60 years from now just as it is today.

Review: The Rainmaker (1956)

IMDb Synopsis: Lizzie Curry is on the verge of becoming a hopeless old maid. Her wit and intelligence and skills as a homemaker can't make up for the fact that she's just plain. Even the town sheriff, File, for whom she harbors a secrect yen, won't take a chance --- until the town suffers a drought and into the lives of Lizzie and her brothers and father comes one Bill Starbuck ... profession: Rainmaker.


For no particular reason, I really enjoy watching films adapted from plays. Some of the best ones include A Streetcar Named Desire, 12 Angry Men and The Petrified Forest. The Rainmaker was adapted from the N. Richard Nash play and stars Katharine Hepburn and Burt Lancaster in the title role. A lot of reviews for this film are mixed, but I really enjoyed it.


I personally think a lot of people miss the point of The Rainmaker. The fact that it's a bit over-the-top and unbelievable at times it what gives it so much depth. Most of us have probably heard the term that you have to love yourself before anyone else can love you in return, and that's exactly what this film is about: Hepburn plays a repressed woman who fears she'll remain a spinster for the rest of her life, and Lancaster is the man who finally makes her believe in herself.


Some of the more skeptical viewers may find The Rainmaker to be unrealistic, but I thought it was quite lovely and inspiring. At least give it a viewing before you judge.

5/5 stars

Review: Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962)

IMDb Synopsis: Author Eugene O'Neill gives an autobiographical account of his explosive homelife, fused by a drug-addicted mother, a father who wallows in drink after realizing he is no longer a famous actor and an older brother who is emotionally unstable and a misfit. The family is reflected by the youngest son, who is a sensitive and aspiring writer.


I don't even know how to start this review. I watched Long Day's Journey Into Night yesterday afternoon, and the only word I can think of to describe it is "Wow"- a film hasn't impressed this much since Judgment at Nuremberg.


Sidney Lumet and Katharine Hepburn really complete the film. I was completely blown away with Hepburn's captivating performance- if that's not superb acting, then I don't know what is (which she's the greatest actress of all time, so I'm not at all surprised). The same goes for Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards and Dean Stockwell, who all give quite impressive performances as well. This is one of the films where the whole main cast deserved Oscar nods.


One of my favorite directors as of late is Sidney Lumet (also known as the man behind masterpieces like 12 Angry Men and Fail Safe). I find his camera shots and cinematography to differ from other directors of the era, which brings a lot of depth to his films. I haven't read Eugene O'Neill's play yet, but I'm definitely going to now.


I can't enforce this enough: if you haven't seen Long Day's Journey Into Night yet, please do yourself a favor and change that.

5/5 stars

Review: The Making of the African Queen or How I Went to Africa With Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind by Katharine Hepburn

Goodreads Summary: The Making of The African Queen or How I went to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and Almost Lost My Mind by Katharine Hepburn. Published by Alfred A. Knope New York 1987 Filled with laughter and personal insight into the making of the movie, many photographs.


I love Katharine Hepburn. I love her autobiography Me: Stories of My Life. The African Queen is one of my all time favorite films. So it shouldn't be surprising when I say this is one of my new favorite books.


Hepburn gives the reader a vivid insight into her experience making The African Queen with Bogie and John Huston- which is great, because she talks about several things I haven't heard discussed in most documentaries (for instance: I didn't know she objected to the original script or that she actually suggested a few of the most popular scenes to Huston.) I've heard some complain before that they thought Hepburn's writing style a bit hard to read, but I've never had issues with the writing in either of her books (and I personally love the way she writes anyway).


Another thing I love about this book is that it contains several behind the scenes pictures and stills that I've never seen before and are probably really hard to find anywhere else.


Overall, I found The Making of the African Queen to be a quite wonderful book. I'd suggest checking it out if you're a fan of the movie. This book is currently out of print, but is available in places like libraries and Amazon, and it also comes with The African Queen box set, which is how I got my copy. 


"Now what do you suppose ever happened to Charlie and Rose? Where did they live? Did they stay in Africa? I always thought they must have. And lots of little Charlies and Rosies. And lived happily ever after. Because that's what we wanted them to do. And every summer they take a trip in the old Queen- and laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh..."

-closing paragraph, page 129.

My Movie Character Personality Soup

A few weeks ago, I saw Brandie from True Classic's post  of movie characters she thought defined/described her, and that automatically had me thinking of who I would pick to define myself. I spent awhile and managed to come up with the top five movie characters that I feel relate to me the most:

Amanda Bonner (Katharine Hepburn) from Adam's Rib (1949, dir. George Cukor).

I've always been a feminist, so Amanda's personality and boldness hits close to home. And who wouldn't love to have those cheekbones?

Belle (Paige O'Hara) from Beauty and the Beast (1991, dir. Gary Trousdale).

She's a bookworm and people think she's strange. That's all too familiar...

Dorothy Gale (Judy Garland) from The Wizard of Oz (1939, dir. Victor Fleming).

I'm originally from a small town, and, trust me, I know what it's like wanting to be "over the rainbow".

Constance Peterson (Ingrid Bergman) in Spellbound (1945, dir. Alfred Hitchcock).

My love for Bogie made me want to choose Ilsa Lund, but I ended up going with Constance since we share a strong interest in psychology.

Jim Stark (James Dean) in Rebel Without a Cause (1955, dir. Nicholas Ray).

I wouldn't call myself a rebel or a trouble-maker by any means. But, at times, I can't help but identify with certain aspects of Dean's character in a way that I've never understood. Back to the part where people think I'm strange.

Honestly, there are probably several- maybe even dozens- more film characters much like myself, but this is just what I felt resembled me the most. 

I hope you enjoyed this post! Until next time...

Review: Pat and Mike (1952)

IMDb Synopsis: Pat Pemberton is a women's sports sensation - a champion in golf, tennis, and whatever else she decides to do. Knowing a good thing when he sees it, Mike Conovan becomes her manager. Mike has made his living fixing sports events, but he tries to go legit before Pat finds out his schemes.


It's quite rare that I review two romantic comedies in a row (as I just reviewed Designing Woman last week). It's also rare that I love both of 
them.


I've written this in several posts before, but Katharine Hepburn is one of my favorite actresses of all time, and I absolutely love her films with Spencer Tracy. I've read before that this film was written specifically for them, and for good reason. They play so well off of each other, just as they do in other films, such as Adam's Rib and Woman of the Year, their first collaboration together. I thought both of their performances were marvelous, and I'm actually quite surprised they didn't receive Oscar nominations in 1953.


George Cukor has come to be one of my favorite directors as of late. He directed Hepburn in at least nine films,  including her film debut, A Bill of Divorcement, and two more of the nine Tracy/Hepburn films, Keeper of the Flame and Adam's Rib. Pat and Mike is one of his finest works as a director, and I think he should receive more recognition for it.


Overall, I found Pat and Mike to be a delightful film- one of the best to come out of the 1950s. Definitely recommending.

5/5 stars 

A Tribute to Katharine Hepburn

I posted this last Thursday, but for whatever reason Blogger removed it from my site :/

It's no secret that I'm a huge Kate Hepburn fan. She's my second favorite actress ever, just behind Ingrid Bergman and Lauren Bacall, who are tied for my number one spot. Today, May 12, would have been her 104th birthday, and in tribute, I'm going to write about my five favorite films/performances of hers and why I love them. Although, I won't be going into plot details (since I'm obviously no good at that).

These are in no particular order- just listed chronologically by year.

Stage Door (1937)

It's actually kind of unusual for me to pick a Katharine Hepburn film from the 1930s as one of my favorites. I do like some of her earlier films, but I've always preferred her films from the fifties and the sixties (as you will see farther into this post) since I think her acting was more mature and so much stronger. I think Stage Door, however, is one of the best dramas to come out of the thirties- it's no Gone With the Wind, obviously, but it does have great potential and wonderful acting from Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, and Lucille Ball. 

Adam's Rib (1949)

Adam's Rib is one of my two favorite Tracy/Hepburn films (I'll be writing on my other favorite later in this post). It's honestly one of the most hilarious films I've ever seen. Tracy and Hepburn had stellar chemistry, and this film really shows how well they did together. I've always loved Hepburn's strong, feminist performance. She also has several great scenes with Judy Holliday (in the role that helped land her the lead role in Born Yesterday). This film is a delight, and definitely an all-time favorite for me.

The African Queen (1951)

If I had to pick only two or three of Katharine Hepburn's films to be my favorites (which would be very hard, mind you), The African Queen would definitely be one of them. I just love her performance, and I think she was marvelous alongside Humphrey Bogart (who I have a huge liking for, if it's no already obvious).

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967)

The Lion In Winter (1968)

My Picks: The 50 Best Female Performances in Film

I was inspired to do this post/meme after seeing it featured on Defiant Success and True Classics. (I'll also be posting my top 50 male performances later in the week.)  I am not, however, limiting myself to only one role per actor. Many of the actresses on this list are remembered for several performances and I think more than just one should be celebrated.

My top 50, in order by film title:

Katharine Hepburn as Rose Sayer in The African Queen (1951, John Huston).

Bette Davis as Margo Channing in All About Eve (1950, Joseph Mankiewicz)

Myrna Loy as Milly Stephenson in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946, William Wyler)

Judy Holliday as Emma "Billie" Dawn in Born Yesterday (1950, George Cukor.)

Celia Johnson as Laura Jesson in Brief Encounter (1945, David Lean)

Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund in Casablanca (1942, Michael Curtiz)

Elizabeth Taylor as Margaret "Maggie" Pollitt in Cat On a Hot Tin Roof (1958, Ricard Brooks)

Shirley MacLaine as Martha Dobie in The Children's Hour (1961, William Wyler)

Bette Davis as Judith Traherne in Dark Victory (1939, Edmund Goulding)

Lee Remick as Kirsten Clay in Days of Wine and Roses (1962, Blake Edwards)

Barbara Stanwyck as Phyllis Dietrichson in Double Indemnity (1944, Billy Wilder)

Patricia Neal as Marcia Jeffries in A Face In the Crowd (1957, Elia Kazan)

Deborah Kerr as Karen Holmes in From Here to Eternity (1953, Fred Zinnemann)

Ingrid Bergman as Paula Anton in Gaslight (1944, George Cukor)

Rita Hayworth as Gilda Farrell in Gilda (1946, Charles Vidor)

Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind (1939, Victor Fleming)

Greta Garbo as Grusinskaya in Grand Hotel (1932, Edmund Goulding)

Katharine Hepbun as Christian Drayton in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967, Stanley Kramer)

Ida Lupino as Marie in High Sierra (1941, Raoul Walsh)

Susan Hayward as Barbara Graham in I Want to Live! (1958, Robert Wise)

Lana Turner as Lora Meredith in Imitation of Life (1959, Douglas Sirk)

Susan Kohner as Sarah Jane Johnson in Imitation of Life (1959, Douglas Sirk)

Donna Reed as Mary Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life (1946, Frank Capra)

Jane Wyman as Belinda McDonald in Johnny Belinda (1948, Jean Negulesco)

Claire Trevor as Gaye Dawn in Key Largo (1948, John Huston)

Gene Tierney as Ellen Berent in Leave Her to Heaven (1945, John Stahl)

Katharine Hepburn as Queen Eleanor in The Lion In Winter (1968, Anthony Harvey) 

Greer Garson as Marie Curie in Madame Curie (1943, Mervyn LeRoy)

Ginger Rogers as Susan Applegate in The Major and the Minor (1942, Billy Wilder)

Mary Astor as Brigit O'Shaughnessy in The Maltese Falcon (1941, John Huston)

Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins (1964, Robert Stevenson)

Joan Crawford as Mildred Pierce in Mildred Pierce (1945, Michael Curtiz)

Ingrid Bergman as Alicia Hubberman in Notorious (1946, Alfred Hitchcock)

Bette Davis as Charlotte Vale in Now, Voyager (1942, Irving Rapper)

Eva Marie Saint as Edie Doyle in On the Waterfront (1954, Eliz Kazan)

Joan Fontaine as The Second Mrs. DeWinter in Rebecca (1940, Alfred Hitchcock)

Audrey Hepburn as Princess Ann in Roman Holiday (1953, William Wyler)

Audrey Hepburn as Sabrina Fairchild in Sabrina (1954, Billy Wilder)

Claudette Colbert as Anne Hilton in Since You Went Away (1944, John Cromwell)

Olivia de Havilland as Virginia Cunningham in The Snake Pit (1948, Anatole Litvak)

Dorothy McGuire as Helen Capel in The Spiral Staircase (1946, Robert Siodmak)

Natalie Wood as Deanie Loomis in Splendor In the Grass (1961, Elia Kazan)

Judy Garland as Esther Blodgett/Vicki Lester in A Star Is Born (1954, George Cukor)

Barbara Stanwyck as Stella Dallas in Stella Dallas (1937, King Vidor)

Gloria Swanson as Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd (1950, Billy Wilder)

Grace Kelly as Frances Stevens in To Catch a Thief (1955, Alfred Hitchcock)

Lauren Bacall as Marie "Slim" Browning in To Have and Have Not (1944, Howard Hawkes)

Mary Badham as Jean Louise "Scout" Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962, Robert Mulligan)

Kim Novak as Madeleine Elster/Judy Barton in Vertigo (1958, Alfred Hitchcock) 

Merle Oberon as Cathy Earnshaw in Wuthering Heights (1939, William Wyler)

This was so hard. I seriously have no idea how I'm going to finish my top 50 male performances. Unfortunately,  I had to leave a lot of great roles out (Adam's Rib, Spellbound) but these are my all-time favorites, and I hope you enjoyed this post.