True Grit

I have recently become a fan of Western films and there are so many that I need to see!  Luckily the TCM Big Screen Classics series features a lot of Westerns, including the latest selection True Grit, so I might be able to catch up!  After trying to see this movie on Sunday (there were technical difficulties so the screening was canceled) I got to see it last night and I really enjoyed it!  This is probably my favorite John Wayne film (so far) and his riveting performance earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor.  Wayne plays Rooster Cogburn, an aging, overweight, alcoholic, and trigger-happy U.S. Marshall, who is hired by a young girl named Mattie Ross (Kim Darby) to bring her father's killer, Tom Cheney (Jeff Corey), to justice.  A Texas Ranger named La Boeuf (Glen Campbell) is also on the hunt and is looking to claim a large reward because Cheney killed a Texas state senator.  Cogburn and La Boeuf set out to track Cheney down and reluctantly allow Mattie to ride with them leading to an epic showdown with the gang protecting Cheney.  I absolutely loved the character of Mattie because she is so feisty, determined, and resourceful.  I especially love the scene where she negotiates with a wily horse trader (Strother Martin).  Darby more than holds her own with the veteran actors in this film and she has great chemistry with Wayne, particularly in a poignant scene where Cogburn tells Mattie about himself while they are waiting to ambush the gang.  In my opinion, Wayne can sometimes seem like a caricature with his laconic line delivery but in this film he brings a sensitivity to the grizzled character he plays and his performance is very compelling.  The action sequences are incredibly exciting, especially when Cogburn gets into a gunfight on horseback with four other men in the middle of a meadow!  While the film is set in Arkansas and Oklahoma, it was mostly filmed in Colorado and the cinematography is breathtaking.  I am so glad I was eventually able to see this film on the big screen and I highly recommend it!

Ben-Hur

Yesterday I went to see Ben-Hur on the big screen as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series and it was an awesome spectacle!  Messala (Stephen Boyd) is a Roman tribune who returns to Jerusalem as the new commander of the Roman garrison.  He has a joyous reunion with his childhood friend Judah Ben-Hur (Charlton Heston), a wealthy prince in Jerusalem.  Messala asks Judah to help quell the rebellion that is brewing in Jerusalem but they soon quarrel when Judah refuses to spy on his people.  During a military parade, a tile falls from Judah's house injuring the new governor and Judah, his mother, and sister are arrested.  Messala, wanting to curry favor with the governor, sentences Judah to be a galley slave while the fate of his family is unknown.  Judah vows revenge for this betrayal.  After several years, Quitus Arrius (Jack Hawkins), a Roman consul, is assigned to Judah's ship and notices his will to live.  Arrius has Judah's chains unlocked just before a battle allowing him to escape the sinking ship as well as rescue him.  In gratitude, Arrius takes Judah to Rome where he learns to drive a chariot.  Eventually, Judah returns to Jerusalem to seek his mother and sister.  When he, erroneously, hears that they are dead, he challenges Messala to an epic chariot race.  A parallel story to Judah's involves that of Jesus Christ and his birth, ministry, and crucifixion.  They have two brief but meaningful encounters with each other which allows Judah to forgive the Romans for what they have done to him and his family.  This movie is epic in every sense of the word.  It had the biggest budget of any movie up to that point with thousands of extras, horses, and costumes and a crew of 200 to create over 300 sets.  It was the highest grossing movie of 1959 and won 11 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director for William Wyler, and Best Actor for Charlton Heston.  I thought it was amazing, especially the chariot race which is absolutely thrilling.  It was so much fun to see this again on the big screen and I highly recommend it!  You have one more chance to see it on Wednesday (go here for tickets and information).

To Kill A Mockingbird

Unbelievably, the only time I have ever seen the movie To Kill A Mockingbird is when we watched it in my ninth grade English class after reading the novel!  I was so happy for the opportunity yesterday to see it again, this time on the big screen, as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series.  It is a brilliant adaptation of one of my very favorite novels and it had a very powerful impact on me.  Jem (Phillip Alford) and Scout (Mary Badham) Finch learn that their father Atticus (Gregory Peck) is a hero when he defends an innocent black man named Tom Robinson (Brock Peters) against a charge of rape, even though he knows he will lose, simply because it is the right thing to do.  They also learn not to judge people until they have seen things from their perspective through their interactions with the reclusive Boo Radley (Robert Duvall). Peck gives an incredible performance as one of the most beloved characters in literature and there is a moment when he is giving his summation to the jury that took my breath away!  I love how this scene was filmed because as he leans towards the jury he is looking directly into the camera so it seems as if he is talking to the audience.  It is so powerful and I hoped against hope that the jury would be convinced and return a different verdict.  Another moment that I found especially poignant was when all of the black people sitting in the gallery rise as a sign of respect as Atticus walks out of the courtroom.  It brought a tear to my eye!  The young actors, Alford, Badham, and John Megna as their friend Dill, also give wonderful performances as precocious, yet innocent, children who must learn difficult life lessons.  I loved the scene where Jem refuses to leave his father alone when facing a lynch mob and the scene where Scout walks Boo Radley home.  Finally, I loved Elmer Bernstein's haunting score and the realistic sets representing the sleepy town of Maycomb, Alabama during the Depression.  It was an incredible experience seeing this beautiful movie on the big screen and I highly encourage everyone to take advantage of one last opportunity to see it on Wednesday (go here for information and tickets).

My Fair Lady

After seeing the stage musical My Fair Lady performed as a concert with the Utah Symphony on Saturday night, I spent Sunday afternoon watching the Academy Award-winning film adaptation as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series and I loved it so much!  This is one of my favorite movies from my childhood (I have vivid memories of watching it and other movie musicals at my Grandma Anderson's house) and it was incredible seeing it on the big screen!  Audrey Hepburn is absolutely luminous as Eliza Doolittle, a Covent Garden flower girl, and Rex Harrison is charmingly irascible as Professor Henry Higgins, the arrogant phonetics professor who sets about turning her into a lady.  I love every single scene in this film but I wait with bated breath for the Ascot race with all of those beautiful black and white gowns, especially Eliza's, and the Embassy Ball when Eliza makes her grand entrance in a glittering gown and is mistaken for royalty.  I love all of the instantly recognizable songs but my favorites are "On the Street Where You Live" sung by a lovesick Freddy Eynsford-Hill (Jeremy Brett), "The Rain in Spain" sung by Eliza, Higgins, and Colonel Pickering (Wilfrid Hyde-White) when Eliza finally makes some progress, and "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" when Higgins suddenly realizes that he loves Eliza.  I love the production design for this film and I always swoon over Higgins' library!  This film is simply loverly and I had a huge smile on my face while watching it.  I highly recommend seeing it on the big screen and you have one more opportunity to do so on Wednesday (go here for more information).

White Christmas

Since White Christmas is one of my Mom's all-time favorite movies I have seen it countless times (I've even seen the Broadway touring production of the stage musical) but never on the big screen.  This Christmas classic is part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series so I had the chance to see it as it was meant to be seen yesterday and it made me so happy!  After collaborating on a Christmas show while fighting in World War II, Bob Wallace (Bing Crosby) and Phil Davis (Danny Kaye) continue collaborating after the war and become big stars.  Soon they meet Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy (Vera-Ellen) Haynes after seeing their act.  Wallace and Davis eventually follow the sisters to Vermont where they are booked for the holidays at the Columbia Inn and discover that their former General, Tom Waverly (Dean Jagger), owns the inn and is in financial difficulties due to lack of snow.  Bob has the idea of staging their show on Christmas Eve to bring people to the inn and Phil has the idea of getting Bob and Betty together.  I love all of the big production numbers as Wallace and Davis rehearse their show but I wait through the whole movie for the reunion of the 151st Division for General Waverly and the title song complete with snow falling in the background.  It is a movie filled with so much nostalgia and I definitely recommend seeing it on the big screen!  You have another chance to see it on Wednesday (go here for tickets).

Note:  I got to see all of the movies in the TCM Big Screen Classics series this year and I enjoyed all of them!  The 2019 movies have been announced and I am so excited: The Wizard of Oz, My Fair Lady, To Kill a Mockingbird, Ben Hur, True Grit, Steel Magnolias, Field of Dreams, Glory, Hello, Dolly!, Lawrence of Arabia, The Shawshank Redemption, Alien, The Godfather Part II, and When Harry Met Sally.  Are you looking forward to any of these classic movies?

Die Hard

The next selection in the TCM Big Screen Classics series is Die Hard which is celebrating its 30th Anniversary.  I distinctly remember seeing this in the theater when it was first released (which makes me feel old) and I absolutely loved it!  I got to see it again yesterday and it is just as fun as I remember.  John McClane (Bruce Willis), a New York City police officer, has come to Los Angeles on Christmas Eve to reconcile with his wife Holly (Bonnie Bedelia) who has taken a high power job with the Nakatomi corporation.  He arrives at the Nakatomi high rise building during a Christmas party which is interrupted by a group of terrorists, led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), who seize control of the building and take everyone but John hostage.  The terrorists are heavily armed and attempt to open the vault to steal $640 million in bearer bonds.  The police and the FBI are in over their heads, so John, with the help of a lone LAPD officer (Reginald VelJohnson), attacks the terrorists one by one until an epic confrontation with Gruber.  Even thirty years later, this movie is still suspenseful and exciting with great action sequences, especially when McClane jumps off the roof ahead of an explosion.  Bruce Willis became the ultimate action hero after this movie and its easy to see why with his wisecracking bravado touched with a little vulnerability.  This movie was my first introduction to Alan Rickman and I loved him as the suave and sophisticated, yet ruthless, villain Gruber (many believe Gruber to be one of the best movie villains ever).  This movie has often been imitated but, after seeing it again on the big screen, I realize how vastly superior it is to many that came after, especially this one!

Note:  Do you consider Die Hard to be a Christmas movie?

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

I can think of nothing better for a Sunday afternoon than a film directed by Frank Capra starring Jimmy Stewart.  It was absolutely delightful to see Mr. Smith Goes to Washington on the big screen as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series yesterday.  Jefferson Smith (Jimmy Stewart) is a young and idealistic man appointed to the U.S. Senate when the sitting Senator dies unexpectedly.  The senior Senator, Joseph Paine (Claude Rains), and a corrupt political boss, Jim Taylor (Edward Arnold), think that because he is naive and inexperienced he will be easily manipulated.  However, Smith sponsors a bill for a boys camp in an area earmarked for a dam in an appropriations bill that is supported by Paine because it will greatly benefit Taylor.  Paine tries to discredit him but Smith stages a dramatic filibuster on the Senate floor until the truth comes out.  I just loved this film because, like most of Frank Capra's films, it emphasizes standing up for what you believe even if it costs you fame, money, and power.  I have always really liked Stewart as an actor but he is incredibly appealing in this role which is thought to be his best performance.  I loved the chemistry he has with Jean Arthur, who plays Saunders his cynical assistant.  I also really liked Raines in this role because he has such a character arc, going from a corrupt Senator to wanting to be the man Smith thinks he is.  Even though this film was made almost 80 years ago it still so relevant in our troubled times and it gave me a little bit of hope that there might be young and idealistic men and women still willing to fight for what is right.  I highly recommend seeing this film when it is screened again on Wednesday (go here for information and tickets).

Rebel Without a Cause

I have never seen Rebel Without a Cause, the ultimate movie about teenage angst, so I was really excited when I found out that it was part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series this year.  I had the chance to see it yesterday and I'm glad I can finally cross this classic off my list.  This movie is about three teenagers who are alienated from their families and are getting into trouble as a reaction to their discontent.  Jim Stark (James Dean) lives in a home with an overbearing mother (Ann Doran) who emasculates his father (Jim Backus).  Jim is embarrassed by his father and gets into fights to prove that he is not a chicken.  Judy (Natalie Wood) hangs out with the wrong crowd in order to get her father's (William Hopper) attention.  John "Plato" Crawford (Sal Mineo) longs for a connection with someone because he has an absent father and a disinterested mother.  After Jim participates in a drag race that results in the death of a gang member, the rest of the gang goes after him because they think he has ratted them out to the police.  Jim, Judy, and Plato hide out in an abandoned mansion (which was also used in Sunset Boulevard) until the gang finds them leading to an epic showdown at the Observatory.  I understand that this movie was groundbreaking in its portrayal of adolescent unhappiness but, to me, it seems extremely melodramatic.  There was even a moment early on when Jim tells his parents that they are tearing him apart when I laughed because it reminded me of the same line in the movie The Room.  Everyone ridicules Tommy Wiseau for his delivery of that line but I didn't see a difference between his delivery and Dean's.  However, I did enjoy Dean's performance in this movie much more than his performance in Giant because I found him to be incredibly appealing.  My favorite scene was the field trip to the Observatory because the presentation about the destruction of the Earth profoundly foreshadows the characters' feelings of hopelessness (it also reminded me of the Observatory scenes in La La Land).  I'm glad I had the chance to see it on the big screen!

The Sound of Music

I had the opportunity to see The Sound of Music on the big screen several years ago with the Megaplex Silver Screen Classics series and it was absolutely magical.  When I found out that it would be screened through the TCM Big Screen series I just had to see it again!  I simply couldn't resist the chance to see such an iconic musical on the big screen one more time.  Oh, how I love this movie!  I love every single thing about it and I waited with great anticipation for every one of those wonderful Rogers and Hammerstein songs:  "The Sound of Music," "Maria," "I Have Confidence," "Sixteen Going on Seventeen," "My Favorite Things," "Do-Re-Mi," The Lonely Goatherd," "Edelweiss," "So Long, Farewell," "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," and "Something Good."  Every single song is so instantly recognizable and I really had to try not to sing aloud (some people at my screening actually did sing along!).  I love the "Do-Re-Mi" scenes and the wedding scene because they remind me of a trip I took to Salzburg (I actually sang "Do-Re-Mi" when I visited the Mirabell gardens) but my very favorite scene is when Maria and Captain von Trapp dance the Landler because it is so romantic!  I think Christopher Plummer is so handsome in that scene.  I have seen this movie countless times (it was shown on network television last December) but there is something so special about seeing these old favorites on the big screen!  I had a smile on my face the whole time and I'm so glad I took advantage of seeing it again!  If you love his movie as much as I do, you have another opportuity to see it on Wednesday (go here for information and tickets).

Note:  I love this movie so much that it was disconcerting for me to see the Broadway touring company production because it is so different!

South Pacific

I think "Some Enchanted Evening" is one of the most romantic songs, ever.  Hearing it under any circumstance is enough to make me swoon but hearing it yesterday while watching the movie South Pacific on the big screen was simply amazing!  It is such a treat to see all of the old favorites I remember watching at my Grandma Anderson's house on the big screen!  Set on an island in the Pacific during World War II, South Pacific tells the epic love story between Nellie Forbush (Mitzi Gaynor), a navy nurse, and Emile de Becque (Rossano Brazzi), a wealthy French plantation owner with a past that threatens their romance.  When de Breque volunteers for a dangerous mission, Nellie realizes the only important thing is their love.  There is also a secondary story between Lieutenant Joe Cable (John Kerr) and a beautiful Polynesian girl (France Nuyen) as well as a group of Seabees, led by Luther Billis (Ray Walston), who provide lots of comic relief.  With so many wonderful Rodgers and Hammerstein songs, including "There Is Nothing Like a Dame," "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair," "I'm In Love with a Wonderful Guy," "Happy Talk," and "Honey Bun," this movie has a fun and lighthearted tone but it deals with serious issues and the message of acceptance is an important one.  This movie is so beautiful (although there are some weird color filters in some of the musical numbers).  I especially loved the scenes on Bali Ha'i because it really is a paradise.  Gaynor is delightful as Nellie Forbush and Brazzi is handsome and charming as de Becque.  Even though most of the singing voices are dubbed I really enjoyed all of the performances, especially "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Younger than Springtime."  I love these old fashioned musicals so much and I'm glad that TCM shows them on the big screen.

The Big Lebowski

Yesterday I had the chance to see The Big Lebowski, the next selection in the TCM Big Screen Classics series, and, in the parlance of our times, it is hilarious!  The Stranger (Sam Elliott) introduces us to The Dude (Jeff Bridges), an unemployed slacker who likes smoking weed, drinking White Russians, and bowling.  He inadvertently becomes involved in a kidnapping gone wrong because he is mistaken for someone else.  Like most films by the Coen brothers, it is populated by characters with exaggerated personalities, quirks, and mannerisms such as the millionaire philanthropist Jeffrey Lebowski (David Hiddleston), his trophy wife Bunny (Tara Reid), his overwrought assistant Brandt (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and his daughter Maude (Julianne Moore), an experimental artist.  We also have the Dude's bowling partners Walter (John Goodman), a Vietnam veteran with anger management issues, Donny (Steve Buscemi) a mild mannered ex-surfer who can't get a word in edgewise, and Jesus Quintana (John Turturro) another over-the-top bowler in the Dude's league.  Add in Jackie Treehorn (Ben Gazarra), a director of pornographic films, and a gang of German nihilists (Peter Stormare, Torsten Voges, and Flea), who may or may not be the kidnappers, and you have a film with such an outrageous plot that you can't help but laugh out loud (as everyone did in my screening).  My favorite moments are when Jesus Quintana, wearing a tight purple jumpsuit, dances after bowling a strike, when Walter pulls a gun in the bowling alley, and when the Dude gets thrown out of a taxi after saying he doesn't like the Eagles.  The absurdist comedies of the Coen brothers are hit or miss with me, but this (along with Fargo and Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?) is one of the good ones and should be seen on the big screen (go here for more information).  Am I wrong?

Big

Yesterday I saw Big, the next selection in the TCM Big Screen Classics series, and it was a lot of fun.  I remember seeing this movie on the big screen during its first release and, since that was 30 years ago, it was incredibly nostalgic (and it made me feel old).  Thirteen year old Josh Baskin (David Moscow) asks a fortune telling arcade machine called Zoltar Speaks to make him big after being denied admission to a carnival ride in front of the girl he likes.  Overnight he is transformed into a 30 year old man (now played by Tom Hanks).  When his Mom (Mercedes Reuhl) doesn't believe him, he seeks out his best friend Billy (Jared Rushton).  They try to find the arcade machine but the information won't be available for six weeks.  In the meantime, Josh goes to New York, finds a job at a toy company, and gets a girlfriend (Elizabeth Perkins).  When he and Billy find the arcade machine, will he want to be a kid again?  Most people seeing this movie for the first time might find the story to be a bit improbable with lots of plot holes but it is just so charming and what makes it work is the delightful performance of Tom Hanks.  He exhibits a wide-eyed wonder at every new experience and he replicates Moscow's awkward mannerisms to perfection.  I especially enjoyed the interactions between Hanks and Rushton because they both seem like thirteen year old boys, especially in the scene with the silly string.  I also really enjoyed the interactions between Hanks and Perkins, especially when they have the sleepover in the bunk beds and whenever he gets that goofy grin on his face.  I was happily reminded of why Tom Hanks is one of my favorite actors to this day!  This movie will be screened again on Wednesday (go here for tickets) and I highly recommend it for some nostalgic fun!

Note:  My favorite scene in the movie is when Josh and the CEO of the toy company he works for (Ben Loggia) play "Heart and Soul" and "Chopsticks" on a foot operated piano at FAO Schwartz.  I remember being so disappointed when I first visited the famous toy story on a trip to New York and discovered that the piano on display was much smaller than the one specially made for the movie!

West Side Story

The next feature in the TCM Big Screen Classics series was West Side Story.  I love this musical so much so it was an absolute thrill for me to see it on the big screen for the first time!  The story about a boy in a street gang who falls in love with a rival gang member's sister, an update of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, is poignant but what makes this movie remarkable are the songs composed by Leonard Bernstein with lyrics by Stephen Sondhein, the truly brilliant choreography of Jerome Robbins, and the performances of Rita Moreno and George Chakiris.  I pretty much love all of the songs in this movie but my favorites are "Maria," "Tonight," "One Hand, One Heart," and "Somewhere" because all four of them are so romantic.  I got chills seeing these numbers on the big screen.  Sigh!  The choreography is simply breathtaking and I think that the opening number is one of the best sequences in any musical that I've seen because it establishes the animosity between the Jets and the Sharks with just movement (and the snapping of fingers)!  I also love the choreography in "The Jet Song," "America," and "Cool."  Finally, I think Rita Moreno, who plays Anita, is amazing in this movie, especially in the scene at the drug store when the Jets attack her, and George Chakiris gives a very affecting performance as Bernardo (they both won Academy Awards for their performances).  I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this movie on the big screen and I suggest that you see it when it is screened again on Wednesday (go here for information and tickets).

Note:  I love it when old-school movie musicals have overtures and intermissions!

The Producers

Last night I went to a screening of The Producers (which is celebrating its 50th Anniversary) as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series.  I have seen the stage musical many times but not the movie so I was excited to see it on the big screen.  Zero Mostel plays Max Bialystock, a once great theatrical producer down on his luck, and Gene Wilder plays Leo Bloom, his neurotic accountant.  When Bloom mentions that Bialystock would make more money with a flop, they become partners and come up with the perfect plan: find the worst play ever written, Springtime for Hitler written by ex-Nazi Franz Liebkind (Kenneth Mars), hire the worst director on Broadway, the flamboyant Roger De Bris (Christopher Hewitt), and hire the worst actor, a hippie named Lorenzo Saint DuBois (Dick Shawn).  Of course the show becomes the toast of Broadway so Bialystock and Bloom produce Prisoners of Love while serving their sentence at the state penitentiary.  This was so much fun because there is nothing better than an overwrought Gene Wilder!  He is particularly funny in this movie and the scene with his blue blankie had everyone in the theater laughing out loud!  Mars is also hilarious, especially when he watches Springtime for Hitler performed, and Andreas Voutsinas is an absolute hoot as Roger’s assistant Carmen Ghia.  While I really enjoyed seeing this on the big screen, I think I prefer the stage musical.  I can appreciate how groundbreaking this was for 1968 but, to me, the musical is much more irreverent!

Sunset Boulevard

Last night I took my Mom to see Sunset Boulevard as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series and we both loved it.  I had seen the Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical but I had never seen the Billy Wilder classic film before and I was really excited for the opportunity to see it for the first time on the big screen!  Joe Gillis (William Holden) is a down and out Hollywood screenwriter who turns into a driveway on Sunset Boulevard to avoid having his car repossessed.  The driveway belongs to Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) a former actress of silent movies who has been forgotten but lives in a fantasy world where she is still a star.  She is aided and abetted in this fantasy by her butler Max (Erich von Stroheim) who is in reality her first director Max von Mayerling and her first husband.  Gillis cunningly arranges a job writing a screenplay for Desmond and moves into her mansion.  Soon Gillis realizes that Desmond is in love with him and he tries to leave but, when she threatens suicide, he returns to her to become a kept man.  When Desmond's illusions of making a Hollywood comeback are dashed and she realizes that Gillis is in love with someone else, she comes undone in one of the most famous scenes in film.  Sunset Boulevard is a classic example of film noir with atmospheric lighting, black and white cinematography, and a pessimistic portrayal of the underbelly of Hollywood.  I also think it is a great example of a dark comedy.  Both my Mom and I found ourselves laughing but immediately stifled that laughter because it seemed inappropriate given the drama.  Swanson gives the performance of her career and, while she is imperious and hysterical, she is somehow incredibly sympathetic as a woman trapped in the past.  Holden is very charismatic (and quite good looking) as a man who despises what he has become but can't bring himself to leave.  The production design is incredible.  Desmond's house is suitably ghoulish and ostentatious (I particularly loved all of the photos of her in her glory days) and her costumes are fantastic (the feathers!).  I am glad that I finally had the chance to see such a classic movie and it was so much fun with my Mom!

Grease

I was nine years old when Grease was released and my Dad went to see it with my aunt and uncle without me.  This was absolutely devastating to me and the only thing that could console me was getting a giant lipsmacker (I chose watermelon).  I have, of course, seen it dozens of times since then but never on the big screen which is why I was so excited to see it yesterday as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series.  It was so much fun!  People in my screening sang along (out loud) to every song and some people were even doing the actions to "Greased Lightnin'" and "Born to Hand Jive."  This movie is the quintessential high school musical featuring a love story between Danny Zuko (John Travolta), the leader of the T-Birds, and Sandy Olsson (Olivia Newton-John), a good girl who has recently transferred to Rydell High from Australia.  With a little help from the rest of the T-Birds (Jeff Conaway, Barry Pearl, Michael Tucci, and Kelly Ward) and the Pink Ladies (Stockard Channing, Didi Conn, Jamie Donnelly, and Dinah Manoff) they might just get back together by graduation.  This movie is such a nostalgic look back at the 1950s with leather jackets, letterman sweaters, poodle skirts, sock hops, malt shops, drive-in movies, and fantastic cars.  It was fun to see all of the cameos by people who were popular stars in the 1950s such as Sid Caesar, Eve Arden, Alice Ghostley, and Joan Blondell.  I love all of the songs especially "Grease" during the opening and closing credits, "Summer Nights," "Hopelessly Devoted to You," "Sandy," and "You're the One That I Want."  All of the musical numbers have a lot of fun choreography and they really stand the test of the time.  The only number that is really cheesy is "Beauty School Dropout" sung by Frankie Avalon but it is so cheesy that it is good.  I had so much fun watching this movie!  In fact, I'm thinking of seeing it again on Wednesday (my sister is bitter that I saw it without her).

Vertigo

I believe I have mentioned once or twice that I absolutely love the films of Alfred Hitchcock so when TCM announced that Vertigo, arguably one of his best films, would be screened for its 60th Anniversary as part of the Big Screen Classics series I got really excited.  I have seen this psychological thriller about obsession many times but never on the big screen so it was a real treat to see it yesterday.  John Ferguson (Jimmy Stewart) is a San Francisco police officer who retires after an episode of vertigo contributes to the death of a fellow officer.  He is asked by Gavin Elster (Tom Elmore), an old friend, to follow his wife Madeleine (Kim Novak) because he believes she is acting erratically.  Her actions lead Ferguson to believe that she is possessed by an ancestor and, after he falls in love with her, he tries to protect her from her ancestor's fate of suicide.  Ultimately, he is unable to stop her from jumping from the bell tower of a Spanish mission because of his vertigo.  He is absolved of responsibility for her death but descends into a deep depression until he sees a woman named Judy (Kim Novak) who looks remarkably like Madeleine.  He begins a relationship with her but she may not be who she appears to be.  It is such a brilliant psychological thriller and the scenes where Ferguson tries to make Judy look like Madeleine are so creepy but you just can't look away.  Stewart is fantastic as a man driven mad by his obsession for a woman who doesn't exist. There is a scene, in particular, where Ferguson accuses of Judy of impersonating Madeleine for Elster as part of a murder plot and then realizes that he, too, has asked her to impersonate Madeleine for his own design.  It is incredibly powerful.  Novak is the perfect Hitchcock woman: blond, icy, and mysterious.  The score is haunting and does much to enhance the sense of unease that permeates the film.  Hitchcock's camera work (a technique now know as the dolly zoom which was invented for this movie) is also very disorienting, almost as if the audience is experiencing Ferguson's vertigo along with him.  I think this film is a masterpiece and I recommend seeing it on the big screen (go here for info).

The Philadelphia Story

While I have seen a production of the play upon which the film is based, I had never seen The Philadelphia Story until it was screened yesterday as part of the TCM Big Screen Classics series.  I'm not sure why I had never seen it before because Cary Grant is one of my very favorite actors and who doesn't love Jimmy Stewart and Katharine Hepburn?  I absolutely loved this lively drawing room comedy!  Socialite Tracy Lord (Hepburn) is about to marry George Kitterage (John Howard), a respectable if boring self-made man.  On the eve of her wedding her ne'er-do-well ex-husband Dexter Haven (Grant) shows up with a reporter, Macauley "Mike" Connor (Stewart), and photographer, Liz Imbrie (Ruth Hussey), to disrupt the proceedings.  Tracy eventually finds herself torn between Dexter, Mike, and George but first she must figure out who she is before she can figure out who she should marry!  Grant, Hepburn, and Stewart are so well-suited for their roles and give wonderful and engaging performances but, in my opinion, Virginia Weidler steals the show as Tracy's teenage sister Dinah, especially during the scene when she is showing off for Mike and Liz.  The beautiful interiors and elegant costumes are perfect for a fun bit of escapism.  The script is incredibly intelligent, sophisticated, and witty, filled with one-liners delivered at lightening speed.  I'm not a huge fan of romantic comedies but there were many times when I laughed out loud, as did many people in my screening.  In my opinion this film is just about perfect and I am so glad that I was able to see it on the big screen!

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Yesterday I had the opportunity to see The Treasure of the Sierra Madre for the first time on the big screen in honor of its 70th Anniversary.  I love being able to see these classic movies as they were meant to be seen and this one about greed and betrayal is spectacular.  Frank Dobbs (Humphrey Bogart) and Bob Curtain (Tim Holt) are down and out in Tampico, Mexico in the 1920s when they meet an old prospector (Walter Huston) full of wild stories about the fortune to be made in the mountains.  Dobbs and Curtain decide to put in with him and they endure many hardships before finding the mother lode.  Even after acquiring enough gold for all three of them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives they still want more and soon begin to distrust each other.  When a stranger happens upon their mine they contemplate killing him to avoid taking him on as a partner.  After fighting off a group of bandits they decide to close down the mine but Dobbs turns against them in one of the most ironic endings I've ever seen.  This movie does move at a very slow pace but the point is not really the adventure but what the adventure does to the men and this theme is very compelling.  Bogart gives an incredible performance as a man slowly driven mad by his own greed and I also really enjoyed Huston as the grizzled old prospector, especially when he does his famous jig when they discover gold.  This movie also includes one of the most famous lines when a bandit says, "We don't need no badges.  I don't have to show you any stinking badges."  My Dad quotes this line to me all of the time but I never knew what it meant.  Now I do!  This is a fantastic movie and I recommend seeing it on the big screen.  You have another opportunity on Jan. 17 (go here for tickets).

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

I won tickets to see Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (thanks Classic Movie Hub!) and I had the chance to see it yesterday afternoon as part of TMC's Big Screen Classics.  Even though the film is celebrating its 50th Anniversary this month, the themes are still just as relevant today.  Joanna Drayton (Katharine Houghton) brings her fiance Dr. John Prentice (Sidney Poitier) home to meet her parents.  This causes problems because, even though her parents (Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn) are liberals who have taught her to reject racial inequality, the fact that John is black forces them to confront their beliefs up close.  Joanna also invites John's parents (Roy E. Glenn and Beah Richards) to dinner which makes for a pretty tense evening.  This film is extremely thought-provoking and I was especially intrigued by the response of the family maid (Isabel Sanford), who is black, because she accuses John of trying to get above himself by marrying a white woman.  There is a lot of discussion in this film (the titular dinner begins at the very end) and there were two speeches that really struck me.  John says that his father thinks of himself as a black man while he thinks of himself as a man.  Joanna's father tells them that they will face obstacles but the only thing that really matters is how they feel about each other and I have to admit that I had a tear in my eye after that scene.  I did laugh out loud when Joanna's father hangs up the phone in the middle of his secretary's long recitation of John's  accolades after he asks her to investigate him.  Katherine Hepburn (who won an Academy Award for the role) and Spencer Tracy (who received a posthumous Academy Award nomination) are outstanding and Sidney Poitier more than holds his own with those two screen legends.  I highly recommend this film about the power of love and you are in luck because there is another opportunity to see it on the big screen on December 13 (go here for details).

Note:  I have really enjoyed the TCM Big Screen Classics series this year and I am excited that they will be continuing it in 2018!  The films are The Treasure of the Sierra Madre,  The Philadelphia Story, Vertigo, Grease, Sunset Boulevard, The Producers, Big, The Big Lebowski, South Pacific, Rebel Without a Cause, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Die Hard, and White Christmas.  Doesn't that sound fabulous?