100 Things I Love About the Movies

I was inspired to do this meme after seeing it featured on Defiant Success. It literally took me forever to finish.
These are listed in no particular order. I just to the list as I went along. These are all original!

1. "We'll always have Paris".
2. Bogie and Bacall
3. Ingrid Bergman's eyes
4. Atticus Finch's nine-minute courtroom speech
5. "The stars are ageless, aren't they?"
6. Judy Garland's red ruby slippers
7. The opening credits of Vertigo
8. Humphrey Bogart in a trench coat and fedora
9. Katharine Hepburn's voice
10. Norma Desmond
11. "A man has a choice, and it's that choice that makes him a man".
12. The closing scene of It's a Wonderful Life
13. "The, uh, stuff that dreams are made of".
14. Rhett Butler
15. Hitchcock's cameos
16. Lauren Bacall's voice
17. James Dean's red leather jacket
18. Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman's famous kiss in Notorious
19.  Bette Davis' eyes
20. The score of Gone With the Wind
21. Kim Novak's grey suit in Vertigo
22. Howard Russell in The Best Years of Our Lives
23. Julie Andrews' smile
24. Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy
25. Audrey Hepburn's eyebrows
26. Gary Cooper's "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth" speech
27. "Of all the gin joints, in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine".
28. Spencer Tracy's closing monologue in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
29. "I coulda been a contender..."
30. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing
31. Dorothy McGuire's final scene in The Spiral Staircase
32. Cary Grant's accent
33. Gene Kelly's performance of "Singin' In the Rain"
34. The ballroom scene in Beauty and the Beast
35. Bogart's voice
36. The staircase shot of Clark Gable in Gone With the Wind
37. "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By'".
38. "Do you know what's wrong with you?...Nothing."
39.  The flashbacks in Brief Encounter
40. Cinderella's "gown transformation"
41. The murder sequence in Dial M for Murder
42. "Jean Louise, stand up. Your father's passin'".
43. Barbara Stanwyck in Double Indemnity
44. "Nobody ever lies  about being lonely".
45. Ingrid Bergman's "mad" scene at the end of Gaslight.
46. Elizabeth Taylor's white cocktail dress from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
47. "After all, tomorrow is another day!"
48. Jane Wyman in Johnny Belinda
49. "I want to be alone"
50. "I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me".
51. The dialogue from It Happened One Night
52. "Where's the rest of me?!"
53. Gene Tierney's portrait in Laura
54. "With all my heart, I still love the man I killed!"
55. The score from The Big Sleep
56. "Alligators have the right idea- they eat their young".
57. Natalie Wood in Miracle on 34th Street
58. The crop-dusting scene in North by Northwest
59. Paul Henreid's cigarette lighting
60. "Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderly again..."
61. "Follow the yellow brick road".
62. "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!"
63. Cary Grant in a tuxedo
64. "Hey, Stelllaa!"
65. The murder shown through the glasses lense in Strangers on a Train
66. "I was born on the side of a hill."
67. The end of Days of Wine and Roses
68. The meeting of Jurors 8 and 9 in the final scene of 12 Angry Men
69. Henry Fonda in The Grapes of Wrath
70. "You're tearing me apart!"
71. The spaghetti-sharing scene in Lady and the Tramp
72.  "I may be old fashioned, but I thought murder was against the law".
73. James Stewart's apartment-observing in Rear Window
74. Lucille Ball's hair
75. The door opening kissing sequence in Spellbound
76. The ending of Key Largo
77. Aurora's dress changing colors in Sleeping Beauty
78. Farley Granger's cigarette lighter in Strangers on a Train
79. Judy Garland singing "Born In a Trunk".
80. Katharine Hepburn's elevator in Suddenly, Last Summer
81. Natalie Wood's "I'm not spoiled" scene in Splendor In the Grass
82. Donald O'Connor performing "Make 'Em Laugh"
83. "Round up the usual suspects".
84. Cary Grant and Deborah Karr's final embrace in An Affair to Remember
85. Mary Astor in The Maltese Falcon
86. The ending of Edward Scissorhands
87. Margo Channing
88. Greta Garbo's laugh in Ninotchka
89. Gene Tierney's madness in Leave Her to Heaven
90. The shot of Heathcliff and Cathy's ghosts at the end of Wuthering Heights
91. Bogie and Katharine Hepburn in The African Queen
92. "Something brought you here. Fate. Destiny."... "A horse."
93. Clark Gable's laugh
94. Technicolor
95. "Fiddle-dee-dee"
96. "The cala lilies are in bloom again."
97. The scenery in Roman Holiday
98. "You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and...blow"
99. The end of To Kill a Mockingbird
100. "Don't let's ask for the moon, Jerry. We have the stars."

Review: Charade (1963).

IMDb Synopsis: Romance and suspense in Paris, as a woman is pursued by several men who want a fortune her murdered husband had stolen. Who can she trust?
















Charade is directed by Stanley Donen, but is often referred to as "the best Hitchcock movie that Hitchcock never made"- and for obvious reason. The opening titles are very similar to those in Vertigo, while the cinematography and Donen's direction are both somewhat reminiscent of films like Rear Window and North by Northwest. 


I can't even begin to say how much I enjoyed watching this film. I think it's definitely Donen's finest work as a director and one of both Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn's best films.


Grant and Hepburn both delivered marvelous performances. Anyone who doesn't like Audrey Hepburn's acting should really give this film a try before judging her only by Breakfast at Tiffany's and My Fair Lady (Both of which are films I dislike.) The chemistry they had together is part of what really makes Charade a wonderful movie, and I really wish they had worked together more than once.


Screenwriter Peter Stone deserved an Oscar for the script. Every bit of dialogue is both witty and clever. I can honestly say that the story kept me guessing throughout the whole film and I was genuinely surprised by the ending (which I won't spoil).


Charade is among my picks of the best thrillers of all time, and one of the best films to come out of the nineteen-sixties. I'm willing to bet that any Hitchcock (or classic film) fan would enjoy this gem from Stanley Donen.

5/5 stars

Academy Awards, 1964:

Best Music, Original Song Nominee

Review: Stage Door (1937)

IMDb Synopsis: A boardinghouse full of aspiring actresses and their ambitions, dreams and disappointments.














"The cala lilies are in bloom again"




I honestly have no idea how to start this review. I can, however, say I loved this film.


I was quite surprised to find a Katharine Hepburn performance from the 1930s that I enjoyed. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy Little Women and Bringing Up Baby, but I've never cared for her acting until I saw her films from the fifties and sixties when I feel her performances were much stronger and more mature. But in Stage Door, her acting is superb and she brings a lot of depth to Terri Randall's character.


The whole cast is amazing. Besides Hepburn, I think the best performance is from Andrea Leeds as Kay Hamilton, who received an  Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination for her work. I also really enjoyed Ginger Rogers, who I've been giving more of a chance lately, and a great Lucille Ball in her early comedy days.


Overall, Stage Door is a wonderfully made film from director Gregory La Cava. Definitely recommending to any classic film fans.

5/5 stars

Academy Awards, 1938:

Best Picture Nominee

Best Supporting Actress Nominee, Andrea Leeds

Best Director Nominee, Gregory La Cava

Best Writing, Screenplay Nominee

Short Review: The Kennedys (2011)

I'll be honest, the main reason I watched this show was to see what all the hype was about. Reelz Channel advertised it 24/7 and The History Channel made a huge controversy over it. I didn't expect to get very much out of it at first, but, frankly, I'm quite glad I gave it a chance.

I knew next to nothing about the Kennedys before watching this series. All I knew was that John Kennedy was assassinated and that he had an infamous affair with Marilyn Monroe. If you're the same way, I would watch The Kennedys for a mini-history-lesson.

The one thing that attracted me the most was the acting. I've seen some of Greg Kinnear's work before and enjoyed his performances, but I was quite unfamiliar with Katie Holmes, and I personally think she was great as Jackie Kennedy, and also Diana Hardcastle as Rose Kennedy. Even Charlotte Sullivan as Marilyn Monroe had several bright scenes in her performance.

I mentioned above that I knew JFK was one romantically involved with Monroe, but I was frankly surprised that it was made to look as if her death was a suicide after Bobby Kennedy ended their affair. I also didn't know the Kennedys had any contact with Frank Sinatra- but I wasn't impressed by Chris Diamantopoulos, the actor chosen to portray him.

Overall, The Kennedys is a solid portrayal of the notorious political family. I recommend it to anyone who's considered viewing it.

4/5 stars

Review: How to Marry a Millionaire (1953).

  IMDb Synopsis: Three women set out to find eligible millionaires to marry, but find true love in the process.

I'll be the first to admit that I am NOT a Marilyn Monroe fan by any means. However, Lauren Bacall will always be the queen of my heart, so I had high expectations for this film. Thankfully, my expectations were met.

This movie is just genuinely funny. As I just mentioned, I don't like Monroe at all, but she, Bacall, and Betty Grable all give delightful and witty performances. Bacall does particularly well with William Powell and Cameron Mitchell (including one comedic scene referencing Bacall's real-life husband, Humphrey Bogart).

The color cinematography in Millionaire is nearly flawless, which is no surprise considering it was filmed in Cinemascope.Jean Negulesco's directing is also great, as he was famous for making other visual blockbusters, such as 1953's Titanic.

Overall, How to Marry a Millionaire is a delightful comedy that I would recommend to anyone. Even non-Monroe fans, such as myself, should give it a viewing.

4/5 stars

April Noir of the Month: The Maltese Falcon

IMDb Synopsis: A private detective takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette.
















When I first started my 'Noir of the Month' series in January, I already predicted that there would eventually be a post on one of my all-time favorite films, The Maltese Falcon.  Released in 1941, the film stars Humphrey Bogart, Mary Astor, Sydney Greenstreet, and Peter Lorre; directed by John Huston.


Falcon is remembered for a large number of reasons- it's considered to be the grandfather of film noir, it marks John Huston's directing debut as well as Sydney Greenstreet's acting debut in an Oscar-nominated performance, and it features Bogie as Sam Spade who gives some of the most memorable quotes in film history, including "The stuff that dreams are made of" and "I don't mind a reasonable amount of trouble". 


This is actually the third screen adaption of the novel  by Dashiell Hammett- there were two previous versions- the 1931 pre-code of the same name and the 1936 film Satan Met a Lady. I've seen neither, but I've heard they should both be skipped. 


The performances in this film are absolutely incredible. Bogie should have at least gotten an Oscar nom for his work, along with Mary Astor for Best Supporting Actress (although she won the award that year for The Great Lie). The lead performers are also well accompanied by Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre (Trivia- Lorre stated this was his favorite of all his films).

I absolutely must say a few words about the directing: Huston's work is just marvelous. I actually was shocked when I found out this was his first film. The effects, camera shots, and lighting in The Maltese Falcon rank him with directors like Alfred Hitchcock and Otto Preminger.

I think we can all agree that The Maltese Falcon really is "the stuff that dreams are made of."

Review: The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

IMDb Synopsis: A poor Midwest family is forced off of their land. They travel to California, suffering the misfortunes of the homeless in the Great Depression.




This seemed to be one of those "everyone's seen it but me" films. And there is a darn good reason almost why everyone has seen The Grapes of Wrath: it's a masterpiece and one of the best films I've ever seen.


It seems to me that all of the films adapted from John Steinback's novels have marvelous male leads. Henry Fonda gives a flawless performance, as did James Dean in East of Eden, fifteen years later. The whole cast itself is amazing, including Russell Simpson and Jane Darwell as Pa and Ma Joad (Darwell actually won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1941).


I can honestly say that The Grapes of Wrath is one of the best and most inspiring films I've ever seen. Do yourself a favor and check out this flawless classic from director John Ford.

"Takes no nerve to do something, ain't nothin' else you can do." - Tom Joad (Henry Fonda)

5/5 stars