Gone Too Soon: James Dean

When it comes to the topic of actors that died too young, one of the first people that comes to mind is James Dean. On September 30, 1955, Dean was killed in a car crash at the age of 24. Although he made only three films (East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant), Dean made a lasting impact during his short life, and he continues to influence many today. After I decided to write about James Dean for the Gone Too Soon blogathon hosted by Comet Over Hollywood, I began to think about the different ways that he has influenced pop culture and media, which is what I'll be discussing today.

Dean has been referenced of mentioned in dozens of popular songs, some of them being "A Young Man Is Gone" by The Beach Boys, "Electrolite" by R.E.M., "James Dean" by the Eagles, "Rockstar" by Nickelback, "Speechless" by Lady GaGa, "Blue Jeans" by Lana Del Ray, "These Days" by Bon Jovi and is one of several stars mentioned in "Vogue" by Madonna.

Dean is also recognized in several television shows and movies. On Happy Days, a picture of Dean is seen in Fonzie's closet,  another appears on Rizzo's wall in Grease. The show Queer as Folk compares him to music icons Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix ("They're all legends. They'll always be young, and they will always be beautiful"). Dean is also portrayed by actor James Franco in the biopic James Dean, released by TNT in 2001. I haven't seen the film myself, but I've heard several Dean fans praise Franco's performance and most of the film is said to be accurate compared to Dean's life.

Thanks to Comet Over Hollywood for hosting the Gone Too Soon blogathon. Please go check out the other contributions recognizing other actors whose lives ended prematurely.

Until next time...

My Week In Film: February 19-25

Week 2 of MWIF. This time I managed to work in three new-to-me films, along with two re-watches.

1. Elmer Gantry (1960)

Rating:4/5

Quite possibly Lancaster's best performance.

2. Sleepless In Seattle (1993)

Rating: 5/5

My new guilty pleasure.

3. The Lion King (1994). Re-watch

First time watching this in years. I fell in love with it all over again.

4. The African Queen (1951). Re-watch

I think everyone already knows how much I love this one. I've probably seen it around 20-30 times now and it never gets old.

5. The Artist (2011)

Rating: 5/5

As much as I loved Midnight In Paris, I'll be upset if this doesn't win Best Picture tonight.

That's it for this week. I should be back Wednesday with an Oscar-related post that I'm pretty excited about, so stay tuned!

My Week In Film: February 11-18

I received positive feedback last week when I asked if I should start doing MWIF posts in place of reviews, so thank you all for commenting. I only had a chance to watch five films last week, but I enjoyed everything I saw.

1: Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Rating: 4/5

Definitely not my favorite Spielberg film, but Hanks and DiCaprio are great.

2. The Hard Way (1943)

Rating: 4.5/5

I was surprised by how much I liked this film. Ida Lupino's best performance, in my opinion.

3. The Long, Hot Summer (1958)

Rating: 3.8/5

I thought Newman and Woodward had great chemistry, but the plot wasn't anything special, in my opinion.

4. Say Anything... (1989)

Rating: 5/5

My favorite of the films I saw last week. This is a quintessential film for anyone who loves the 80's as much as I do.

5. La Belle et la Bête (Beauty and the Beast, 1946)

Rating: 4/5

Nothing will top the Disney adaption, but this is a wonderful film. The black-and-white cinematography is beautiful. 

That's it for MWIF week 1. Expect week 2 next Sunday!

Question/Suggestion?

You may have noticed I haven't posted many reviews lately. This isn't because I'm not watching films- I am- but I just don't have the motivation to write reviews at the moment. However, I follow several bloggers that do "My Week In Film" posts, where they list the films they've seen over the past seven days and (usually) write a few words about what they thought of it.

I'm considering doing this on my blog, but this would be a bit different since the posts would include modern films I see and probably any films I re-watch. There aren't really any cons to this, but I'm still on the fence about it. So I'm asking my followers: do you think I should begin doing My Week In Film posts or continue with regular reviews? Feedback is much appreciated.

Valentine's Day Movie Meme: My Answers

My answers to the Valentine's Day Movie Meme that I published last week!

1. What is your favorite romantic comedy?

Adam's Rib. It's perfect, don't argue with me.

2. What is your favorite romantic drama?

Romantic drama is one of my favorite genres and it's impossible for me to choose just one. Just a few that I love are Casablanca, The African Queen, Forrest Gump and Gone With the Wind.

Yes, I love Forrest Gump. Judge all you want.

3. Worst romance film you've seen?

If you can even call it that.

4. How do you feel about the majority of romantic film being labeled "chick flicks"?

I think it's pretty ridiculous. Yes, most women love romantic films, but there are plenty of men that like them, too.

5. Favorite on-screen couple?

I really love Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine in The Apartment.

6. Favorite off-screen couple?

I sort of answered this in my last survey- I can't choose between Bogie and Bacall and Tracy and Hepburn.

7. Best kiss in a movie?

Nothing else comes close to this.

8. Favorite romantic scene?

For some reason, Blogger wouldn't let me upload it, but this scene from Woman of the Year (even though it's sort of a second answer for question 7).

9. Who are two film characters you wished had gotten together, but never did?

This may not be a legitimate answer since they were dating for the first portion of the film, but I always felt that Peter and Mary Jane should have actually gotten back together in Spider-Man 3. Besides that, I love the film- I've never understood why it got so many mixed reviews.

10. Two actors you think would have good chemistry, but have never done a film together?

Bogie and Vivien Leigh. I picture them together in a Hitchcock film for some reason.

11. Favorite romantic song in a film (doesn't have to be from a musical)?

"(I've Had) The Time of My Life" from Dirty Dancing. "As Time Goes By" is a close second.

12. Best score from a romance film?

Gone With the Wind. And anything else Max Steiner.

13. Most romantic film quote?

Is "We'll always have Paris" too cliche?

14. A film you'd recommend to watch on Valentine's Day?

Something for everyone:  For comedy, Adam's Rib or The Thin Man. For drama, Casablanca. For adventure, The African Queen. For action, Spider-Man. For animated, Beauty and the Beast. And many more I'm forgetting.

That's it for my answers. Thank you to everyone who's done this meme so far, and Happy Valentine's Day!

Survey time!

My answers for the Valentine's Day movie meme are coming (hopefully) on Wednesday, but until then I'm doing a film survey created by Rianna at Frankly, My Dear.

1. Favorite classic Disney?

Not really old enough to be a "classic", but Beauty and the Beast has always been my favorite.

2. Favorite film from the year 1939?

Unoriginal, I know.

3. Favorite Carole Lombard screwball role?

My Man Godfrey. A close second is Hands Across the Table. 

4. Favorite off-screen couple? (It's okay if it ended in divorce). My answer(s) are the same for question 5, which is favorite pair of best friends?

My two favorite off (and on) screen couples are Bogie and Bacall and Tracy and Hepburn, and the four of them also make up my favorite old Hollywood friendship. This picture is also one of my favorites.

6. Favorite actor with a mustache?

7. Favorite blonde actress?

Betty Bacall, of course!

8. Favorite pre-code.

The horror-addict inside me loves Freaks.

9. Which studio would you like to have joined?

Warner Brothers, hands down.

10. Favorite common on screen pairing that should have gotten married?

William Powell and Myrna Loy. I probably could say Tracy and Hepburn, too, but I'm choosing Bill and Minnie since they weren't actually together.

11. Favorite I Love Lucy episode?

So hard to choose just one, but my first pick would be Job Switching since I love chocolate so much and  it's the first episode I remember seeing.

12. Lucille Ball, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, Natalie Wood, Grace Kelly, Ingrid Bergman and Greer Garson- which one do you like the best?

This one is obvious.

13. Shadow film noir from the 40s or splashy color musical from the 50s?

For me, film noir. Musicals aren't one of my favorite genres (which is odd, since I love Broadway).

14. Actor or actress with the best autograph (photo preferred)?

15. A baby photo of your favorite actor or actress?

 Bogie, age 2. You can't not smile at this.

Review: Midnight In Paris (2011)

IMDb Synopsis: A romantic comedy about a family traveling to the French capital for business. The party includes a young engaged couple forced to confront the illusion that a life different from their own is better.


Most of you know how it is when a film gets a lot of hype: the trailer is released, everyone and their cat wants to see it, critics and bloggers rave over it. Sometimes it lives up to expectations and others it's just overrated, which is why I put off seeing Midnight In Paris. Now I really wish I'd had the chance to see it in theaters because it's quite possibly my favorite film from the past decade. 


This was my first time watching a Woody Allen film (terrible, I know), so I didn't know what to expect from his work. I really loved the way he was able to capture the feel of the 1920's as well as the likeness of the people Gil encounters, my favorites being the Fitzgerald's and Ernest Hemingway.


If possible, I would go back and re-write the Movie Character Personality Soup post I did last year because Gil Pender is me summed up in a film character. I think the same can go for other classic film fans as well: Gil is someone fascinated by things of the past who eventually forces himself to accept the present, which is a situation I face quite often.


Overall: just watch Midnight In Paris. It's worth every bit of hype it gets. I doubt it will with films like The Artist and The Descendants nominated, but I would love to see it win Best Picture.

5/5 stars