Review: Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)

 IMDb Synopsis: In 1948, an American court in occupied Germany tries four Nazi judges for war crimes. 

I'm going to start off and say that this was one of the most amazing and mind-blowing films I've ever seen. Stanley Kramer made an absolute masterpiece that should have taken home the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1961.

Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich, Maximilian Shell, Judy Garland, and Montgomery Clift. If it's not already obvious, this film has a heckuva cast. All of the actors delivered flawless performances, but I think the most profound ones came from the supporting cast- particularly Judy Garland and Montgomery Clift. Anyone who has seen A Star Is Born knows that Judy was a wonderful actress, and she proves it again in Nuremberg. Monty Clift is one of my all time favorite actors, and I think it's safe to say that this is my personal favorite of his performances (although I do love A Place In the Sun and From Here to Eternity). His acting was so deep and genuine to the point that I found it to be heart-breaking.

The direction in Nuremberg is stunning, but I don't expect anything less from Stanley Kramer, who also directed two of my favorite films, The Defiant Ones (1958) and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), Spencer Tracy's last film. Rob Reiner actually compared it to his film A Few Good Men, which I have not seen, but is considered to be one of the all time greats.

Overall, Judgment at Nuremberg is an amazing film and a complete essential for anyone who loves films as much as I do. You can watch it here if you have not already done so.

5/5 stars

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)