I really wanted to meet Ernest Borgnine, so I attended the Hollywood Collectors Show last Saturday. He's in so many of my favorite movies: The Dirty Dozen, Flight of the Phoenix, The Vikings, The Wild Bunch, among many others. He popped up in my favorite movies more often than my "favorite" actors did! And I can't think of a time when he wasn't part of my movie-watching experiences. So, I got to meet him and thank him in person for all the wonderful years of performances he has given us. He was very nice, gracious, and funny. He laughs a lot! I know he's 94 now, but he sure doesn't act it! I got his autograph on his biography, which I'm really looking forward to reading. It was an honor to meet him in person.
I also chatted with Ed Asner, who was also very nice, gracious, and very funny. He cracked me up. I think I laughed more waiting in his line than any other time that day! He was eating lunch when I stopped by, and he would growl, "Whaddaya want?" to people in line -- but he couldn't keep a straight face, and he would break into a smile. I told him the first thing I ever saw him in was Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and that he made such an impression on me that I never forgot his character's name (Alexi Brynov). Probably because his bad guy character died nastily by drinking sea water, and a gruesome, unusual death was guaranteed to make someone memorable in my young mind. I got a pic from Up signed for my nephew. Mr. Asner was a very cool guy.
It was a fun day.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Monday, July 18, 2011
Opera at the Bowl!
I was privileged to attend Turandot at the Hollywood Bowl last night. I love the Bowl. I never tire of attending concerts there, and I wish I lived closer (and money grew on trees) so I could go more often. Although I really do need to remember that it gets cold there after dark, no matter how hot the day, and bring a warmer jacket next time!
Puccini's Turandot is one of my favorite operas by any composer. It has such beautiful, stirring, noble music -- particularly the main theme. Whenever that theme swells and the chorus comes in, I get goosebumps or teary-eyed or both. Last night was a constant state of both! The first act was so beautiful, so perfect, that I nearly cried through the whole thing. It's very rare to get a performance that measures up to a recording, but that first act was outstanding. The singers, chorus, children's chorus, the orchestra, the tempos... it was exactly how I want to hear my Turandot. The tenor, Frank Porretta (who turned out to be a sub, and thank God, as he was phenomenal), and the soprano singing Liu (Hei-Kyung Hong) were in fabulous voice, and I could have listened to them all night. I'd love to have that first act on CD.
Alas, in the second act, Turandot finally shows up, and the opera had its only downside. At least in this performance, the soprano, Christine Brewer, could not hit the high notes. (I read in a review that she has sung the big aria in concert and did fine, so I'm prepared to cut her some slack... the Bowl is outdoors, chilly, and is probably a tough place to sing an opera for the first time, particularly the role of Turandot which is a toughie.) It's too bad, as she had a really nice voice when she sang lower and softer. She reminded me a bit of Marilyn Horne, if Horne had been a soprano. Similar quality. But when Brewer should have soared, she... well, she kind of yelled her highest notes (very bizarre) and then slid/scooped back down to the next note she could hit. It was rather like watching a minor train wreck. Fortunately, the really high stuff is only in the second act, and she didn't have to stretch too much in the third, so there was no more cringing, just pure enjoyment.
And even those disastrous high notes weren't enough to dampen the evening or the opera. I had a great time. I'm very impressed with Gustavo Dudamel's conducting -- he hit everything just right. The right tempo's a big deal when that main theme kicks in in Turandot. Too slow it can be ponderous, too fast and it loses impact. Dudamel conducted it beautifully the whole evening. There wasn't one thing I would have asked for differently (well, besides Turandot actually hitting her highest notes, and I'm hoping she just suffered an off night).
And I'm looking forward to Frank Porretta performing again in the LA area, as I will definitely go see whatever he's in. Good tenors are, unfortunately, a rarity these days.
Man, I do so love opera. My first and truest love!
Puccini's Turandot is one of my favorite operas by any composer. It has such beautiful, stirring, noble music -- particularly the main theme. Whenever that theme swells and the chorus comes in, I get goosebumps or teary-eyed or both. Last night was a constant state of both! The first act was so beautiful, so perfect, that I nearly cried through the whole thing. It's very rare to get a performance that measures up to a recording, but that first act was outstanding. The singers, chorus, children's chorus, the orchestra, the tempos... it was exactly how I want to hear my Turandot. The tenor, Frank Porretta (who turned out to be a sub, and thank God, as he was phenomenal), and the soprano singing Liu (Hei-Kyung Hong) were in fabulous voice, and I could have listened to them all night. I'd love to have that first act on CD.
Alas, in the second act, Turandot finally shows up, and the opera had its only downside. At least in this performance, the soprano, Christine Brewer, could not hit the high notes. (I read in a review that she has sung the big aria in concert and did fine, so I'm prepared to cut her some slack... the Bowl is outdoors, chilly, and is probably a tough place to sing an opera for the first time, particularly the role of Turandot which is a toughie.) It's too bad, as she had a really nice voice when she sang lower and softer. She reminded me a bit of Marilyn Horne, if Horne had been a soprano. Similar quality. But when Brewer should have soared, she... well, she kind of yelled her highest notes (very bizarre) and then slid/scooped back down to the next note she could hit. It was rather like watching a minor train wreck. Fortunately, the really high stuff is only in the second act, and she didn't have to stretch too much in the third, so there was no more cringing, just pure enjoyment.
And even those disastrous high notes weren't enough to dampen the evening or the opera. I had a great time. I'm very impressed with Gustavo Dudamel's conducting -- he hit everything just right. The right tempo's a big deal when that main theme kicks in in Turandot. Too slow it can be ponderous, too fast and it loses impact. Dudamel conducted it beautifully the whole evening. There wasn't one thing I would have asked for differently (well, besides Turandot actually hitting her highest notes, and I'm hoping she just suffered an off night).
And I'm looking forward to Frank Porretta performing again in the LA area, as I will definitely go see whatever he's in. Good tenors are, unfortunately, a rarity these days.
Man, I do so love opera. My first and truest love!
Sunday, July 03, 2011
It's the simple things
Yesterday, my three-and-a-half-year-old nephew couldn't wait to show me his new DVD. "It's baseball! With Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra!" I can't tell you how cool it is to hear this little boy enthuse about Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra movies. He started with Anchors Aweigh, then he moved on to On the Town. His new movie addition is, of course, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, which he is already in love with. It may end up being his favorite of the three, given how much he loves baseball.
It's never too early to start the next generation on classic films!
It's never too early to start the next generation on classic films!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Terror in a Texas Town (1958)
Whoa, this was a doozy of a little Western! A familiar enough story but with new trappings, and, man, did I enjoy it. Basic plot involves a wealthy man, Ed McNeil (Sebastian Cabot), buying/forcing everyone else out of a large area of land. He's not above a little murder to scare the rest of the farmers out. His hired gun, Johnny Crale (Ned Young), kills a Swedish farmer for him. But just when McNeil thinks he's got everything in hand, the Swedish farmer's son, George Hansen, shows up, played by Sterling Hayden. He proves more stubborn and ornery than they figured, and things naturally boil to the inevitable showdown -- with a few twists along the way, so that things aren't quite what you expect.
Things I really loved about this movie: Hayden's character, Hansen, never touches a gun. Doesn't ask for one, doesn't even think about one, even after he's beaten and finds out what's really going on. Hansen is a seaman (how appropriate for Hayden!) and whaler, and when he heads to the final fight -- it's with a harpoon! Now that's not something you see everyday in a Western!
Johnny Crale, the hired gun... what an interesting character he turned out to be! He's the only complex character in the film. Crippled (lost his right hand, had to relearn to shoot left-handed), ready to hang up his gun... but won't, losing his nerve... but finding it again. He seems constantly on the verge of of regretting his actions and breaking away from it all with his long-suffering girlfriend, but always returns to what he knows best: killing. And he's pretty vicious about it. Not content to kill somebody, he empties his gun into them after they're down. It's wild and a bit unexpected. He's definitely a bit unbalanced and it was so cool to watch his cold fish character vacillating. When a victim finally stands up to him without fear, he completely trips on it, and really starts losing his hold on things. It's all quite fascinating and really turns the villain into something yet again.
Victor Millan as Jose Mirada was excellent. Probably my favorite character.
And I loved how the film opens with the final showdown, cuts before you find out what happens, and then goes back and tells how we got there. The script is very tight, nothing wasted (Dalton Trumbo is the screenwriter, so this doesn't surprise me). The plot takes several standard Western tropes and twists them ever so slightly.
I think the only thing I didn't like was the score, which just seemed oddly perky and out of place. But that's a very small complaint in a movie that went way beyond my expectations. When I started the film, I thought it'd be just a throwaway Western... but that was not the case at all. This one's a keeper. It's available on Netflix instant viewing.
Things I really loved about this movie: Hayden's character, Hansen, never touches a gun. Doesn't ask for one, doesn't even think about one, even after he's beaten and finds out what's really going on. Hansen is a seaman (how appropriate for Hayden!) and whaler, and when he heads to the final fight -- it's with a harpoon! Now that's not something you see everyday in a Western!
Johnny Crale, the hired gun... what an interesting character he turned out to be! He's the only complex character in the film. Crippled (lost his right hand, had to relearn to shoot left-handed), ready to hang up his gun... but won't, losing his nerve... but finding it again. He seems constantly on the verge of of regretting his actions and breaking away from it all with his long-suffering girlfriend, but always returns to what he knows best: killing. And he's pretty vicious about it. Not content to kill somebody, he empties his gun into them after they're down. It's wild and a bit unexpected. He's definitely a bit unbalanced and it was so cool to watch his cold fish character vacillating. When a victim finally stands up to him without fear, he completely trips on it, and really starts losing his hold on things. It's all quite fascinating and really turns the villain into something yet again.
Victor Millan as Jose Mirada was excellent. Probably my favorite character.
And I loved how the film opens with the final showdown, cuts before you find out what happens, and then goes back and tells how we got there. The script is very tight, nothing wasted (Dalton Trumbo is the screenwriter, so this doesn't surprise me). The plot takes several standard Western tropes and twists them ever so slightly.
I think the only thing I didn't like was the score, which just seemed oddly perky and out of place. But that's a very small complaint in a movie that went way beyond my expectations. When I started the film, I thought it'd be just a throwaway Western... but that was not the case at all. This one's a keeper. It's available on Netflix instant viewing.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Book release!
Amazon Paperback
Barnes & Nobles Hardcover
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Revolver (1973)
Just a quicky review today, as I have not had time to watch anything else lately. I've had another short story accepted to an anthology, and I've been busy with editing and moving on to the next story that's due! Very exciting, but not conducive to watching movies!
Revolver is an Italian production directed by Sergio Sollima and stars Oliver Reed and Fabio Testi and, while a little muddled and a little slow in places, still kept my interest throughout. I'm sure a good part of that is simply that Oliver Reed is just so damned entertaining to watch. The basic plot concerns a prison warden, Vito Cipriani (Reed), blackmailed into freeing prisoner Milo Ruiz (Testi) when his wife is kidnapped. He takes matters into his own hands and kidnaps Milo in turn, in order to gain insurance that his wife will be returned to him, then quickly finds out things are not what they seem. Plot twists, an unlikely partnership, and bloody mayhem ensue.
Things I liked: The partnership between Vito and Milo that starts out of exepedience and turns into genuine friendship. It's played naturally and really well by the two leads, and I liked it. I liked the story line with its conspiracies and twists. I liked the European shooting locations. I liked Ennio Morricone's score. I like the ending. I really like two Oliver Reed moments in particular, one where his character balks at trespassing. It's a lovely character moment, considering he's trying to illegally cross the border, not to mention he's stepped outside the law in several far more serious ways by that point. And there's a moment where he drives away from a random bystander wounded in a gunfight and asking for help. Vito's upset, he hesitates, and he still has to drive away, and it's very nicely done. Very haunting. It's one of those decisions you know will give his character nightmares later.
There was also one really neat line of dialogue which sort of sums up the theme of the film:
"Society has many ways of defending itself: with red tape, prison bars, and the revolver."
I like that a lot. It's used in the trailer, and I can see why. It's a nice hook.
Things I didn't like (and groaned over): the horrible 1970's clothing some of the characters are wearing... egads. Seriously, I'm not sure there was a worse fashion era than the '70s. Or at least, it's not my style. I couldn't even bear to take screenshots of the worst offenders. But Oliver Reed, fortunately, was not a casualty of the awful wardrobe brigade and he looked great. Almost out of place next to the eye-popping outfits he was surrounded with. Dig his warm coat with the collar turned up half the time.
I'm still a little confused over who one character was who popped up out of seemingly nowhere and I never did catch a name or who he was or how we arrived there, but okay, I'll go with it. And there was some really bad cliche dialogue a couple of times, but overall, I still enjoyed the movie. Any excuse to watch Oliver Reed be broody and angry and bust up the scenery is time not wasted.
Revolver is an Italian production directed by Sergio Sollima and stars Oliver Reed and Fabio Testi and, while a little muddled and a little slow in places, still kept my interest throughout. I'm sure a good part of that is simply that Oliver Reed is just so damned entertaining to watch. The basic plot concerns a prison warden, Vito Cipriani (Reed), blackmailed into freeing prisoner Milo Ruiz (Testi) when his wife is kidnapped. He takes matters into his own hands and kidnaps Milo in turn, in order to gain insurance that his wife will be returned to him, then quickly finds out things are not what they seem. Plot twists, an unlikely partnership, and bloody mayhem ensue.
Things I liked: The partnership between Vito and Milo that starts out of exepedience and turns into genuine friendship. It's played naturally and really well by the two leads, and I liked it. I liked the story line with its conspiracies and twists. I liked the European shooting locations. I liked Ennio Morricone's score. I like the ending. I really like two Oliver Reed moments in particular, one where his character balks at trespassing. It's a lovely character moment, considering he's trying to illegally cross the border, not to mention he's stepped outside the law in several far more serious ways by that point. And there's a moment where he drives away from a random bystander wounded in a gunfight and asking for help. Vito's upset, he hesitates, and he still has to drive away, and it's very nicely done. Very haunting. It's one of those decisions you know will give his character nightmares later.
There was also one really neat line of dialogue which sort of sums up the theme of the film:
"Society has many ways of defending itself: with red tape, prison bars, and the revolver."
I like that a lot. It's used in the trailer, and I can see why. It's a nice hook.
Things I didn't like (and groaned over): the horrible 1970's clothing some of the characters are wearing... egads. Seriously, I'm not sure there was a worse fashion era than the '70s. Or at least, it's not my style. I couldn't even bear to take screenshots of the worst offenders. But Oliver Reed, fortunately, was not a casualty of the awful wardrobe brigade and he looked great. Almost out of place next to the eye-popping outfits he was surrounded with. Dig his warm coat with the collar turned up half the time.
I'm still a little confused over who one character was who popped up out of seemingly nowhere and I never did catch a name or who he was or how we arrived there, but okay, I'll go with it. And there was some really bad cliche dialogue a couple of times, but overall, I still enjoyed the movie. Any excuse to watch Oliver Reed be broody and angry and bust up the scenery is time not wasted.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wild Rovers (1971)
I'll admit up front that this review might be just a wee bit colored by the frustrations I've had trying to watch this film. For some reason my computer has fits with Netflix instant viewing now, and glitches every few seconds. I tried to watch this movie a month or so ago, gave up, and finally just bit the bullet and watched it, constant glitching and all.
Despite the fact that this is a Western, and stars William Holden, I did not particularly enjoy it. There was too little plot for its length, and consequently I found it tedious (not a normal complaint of mine -- I generally like long movies). But I need strong plots, and this one just didn't have one. Has an okay main concept, but doesn't do much with it, relies on coincidence and fate rather than character action. There's also a subplot about sheep farmers that really has nothing to do with anything, it just gets in the way of the rest of the story. Yawn.
The good things that almost outweigh the rest:
William Holden. I thought he was fabulous, particularly towards the end of the film. Watching him react to things, watching the emotions on his face nearly made me like this movie despite the lack of plot. He carries this film, and his character is the only one who changes a tiny bit.
Jerry Goldsmith's score. I've always liked this score, so it was great to hear it in context, and more than that, hear the music that's not on the album.
Moses Gunn as an old soldier friend of Holden's was great. And the scenery was pretty nice, but that's about all the positive.
And you know, I'm really really glad the first thing I saw Tom Skerritt in was Alien. He was a good guy there, nice, brave, and a bit naive. Mostly, he was just a nice guy, and I really liked him. I swear I have not seen him play a good guy since then. He shows up a lot in older films (and TV shows), usually as a young, whining, uncouth lout who I usually cannot wait to see get what's coming to him. This movie was no exception.
Despite the fact that this is a Western, and stars William Holden, I did not particularly enjoy it. There was too little plot for its length, and consequently I found it tedious (not a normal complaint of mine -- I generally like long movies). But I need strong plots, and this one just didn't have one. Has an okay main concept, but doesn't do much with it, relies on coincidence and fate rather than character action. There's also a subplot about sheep farmers that really has nothing to do with anything, it just gets in the way of the rest of the story. Yawn.
The good things that almost outweigh the rest:
William Holden. I thought he was fabulous, particularly towards the end of the film. Watching him react to things, watching the emotions on his face nearly made me like this movie despite the lack of plot. He carries this film, and his character is the only one who changes a tiny bit.
Jerry Goldsmith's score. I've always liked this score, so it was great to hear it in context, and more than that, hear the music that's not on the album.
Moses Gunn as an old soldier friend of Holden's was great. And the scenery was pretty nice, but that's about all the positive.
And you know, I'm really really glad the first thing I saw Tom Skerritt in was Alien. He was a good guy there, nice, brave, and a bit naive. Mostly, he was just a nice guy, and I really liked him. I swear I have not seen him play a good guy since then. He shows up a lot in older films (and TV shows), usually as a young, whining, uncouth lout who I usually cannot wait to see get what's coming to him. This movie was no exception.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
I had seen this movie a long long time ago, but it has been so long, I'd forgotten what happened in it! It was quite different from what I thought I recalled. I always thought of Lana Turner as much more of a femme fatale than she actually was. I love that she always wears white, except for a couple of times, which I'm sure is loaded with symbolism, but it's too early in the morning for me to delve into that.
My favorite part of this film was just watching John Garfield. He has an easy acting manner that just makes him fascinating to watch. He reminds me, physically, just a bit of a young Charles Bronson. I really liked him and do believe I will need to rent a few more of his. There was a special features piece that was TCM's "The John Garfield Story." I watched that too, and enjoyed it a lot, but it was so sad too. I knew he'd died young, but only thirty-nine? Sad. Such talent, taken away so early.
My favorite part of this film was just watching John Garfield. He has an easy acting manner that just makes him fascinating to watch. He reminds me, physically, just a bit of a young Charles Bronson. I really liked him and do believe I will need to rent a few more of his. There was a special features piece that was TCM's "The John Garfield Story." I watched that too, and enjoyed it a lot, but it was so sad too. I knew he'd died young, but only thirty-nine? Sad. Such talent, taken away so early.
Sunday, May 01, 2011
Hangover Square (1945)
What do you know? I finally had time to watch a movie! I've had this one from Netflix most of April, while my life has simply been too busy to find time to watch it or anything else. And what an enjoyable film this was too.
Laird Cregar plays the lead, George Harvey Bone, a brilliant, but schizophrenic composer, who gets siderailed by Linda Darnell, playing a sexy greedy manipulative songstress, who uses anybody she can to get ahead in the world (and then dumps them when someone mores useful comes along.
Faye Marlowe plays a beautiful pianist in love with Bone, though he can't seem to see how much she cares for him. And George Sanders puts in a turn as a good guy, a doctor Bone consults about his mysterious lapses in memories.
His mysterious lapses are episodes triggered by discordant loud noises. And once he trips over, he goes violent and murderous. When he finally snaps out of it, he can't remember what happened. A shopkeeper is murdered in the opening frames (very creepily, close angles, camera in POV of murderer), and Bone fears he may be guilty during one of his lapses. He goes to Scotland Yard, to George Sanders, for help, to find out if he's guilty and what he can do to prevent the lapses. Bone is a soft-spoken good guy who means well. He loves his music more than anything else, and his lapses in memory truly bother him. Laird Cregar always dominates a scene, and he is superb here, at turns gentle and quiet, letting himself be bullied around by Linda Darnell, who wants him to give up his concerto to write songs for her to sing (and advance her career), and then scary and ominous when he gets triggered. His life was so short, and it's such a shame. He was such a charismatic actor.
The movie features one of the most memorable ways to dispose of a body ever (I admit, I grinned in writerly delight at the cleverly beauty of it), and a spectacular finish. The running time of this film is only an hour and seventeen minutes, but it uses all those minutes well and, while Sanders is very under-utilized, the rest of it moves nicely in that short time frame.
The memorable score, including Bone's Concerto, is by Bernard Hermann.
Laird Cregar plays the lead, George Harvey Bone, a brilliant, but schizophrenic composer, who gets siderailed by Linda Darnell, playing a sexy greedy manipulative songstress, who uses anybody she can to get ahead in the world (and then dumps them when someone mores useful comes along.
Faye Marlowe plays a beautiful pianist in love with Bone, though he can't seem to see how much she cares for him. And George Sanders puts in a turn as a good guy, a doctor Bone consults about his mysterious lapses in memories.
His mysterious lapses are episodes triggered by discordant loud noises. And once he trips over, he goes violent and murderous. When he finally snaps out of it, he can't remember what happened. A shopkeeper is murdered in the opening frames (very creepily, close angles, camera in POV of murderer), and Bone fears he may be guilty during one of his lapses. He goes to Scotland Yard, to George Sanders, for help, to find out if he's guilty and what he can do to prevent the lapses. Bone is a soft-spoken good guy who means well. He loves his music more than anything else, and his lapses in memory truly bother him. Laird Cregar always dominates a scene, and he is superb here, at turns gentle and quiet, letting himself be bullied around by Linda Darnell, who wants him to give up his concerto to write songs for her to sing (and advance her career), and then scary and ominous when he gets triggered. His life was so short, and it's such a shame. He was such a charismatic actor.
The movie features one of the most memorable ways to dispose of a body ever (I admit, I grinned in writerly delight at the cleverly beauty of it), and a spectacular finish. The running time of this film is only an hour and seventeen minutes, but it uses all those minutes well and, while Sanders is very under-utilized, the rest of it moves nicely in that short time frame.
The memorable score, including Bone's Concerto, is by Bernard Hermann.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
April 17
Two of my favorite actors - old and new - share a birthday today: William Holden and Sean Bean. I'm not sure what it is about April, but so many of my favorites were born this month, and that includes friends and family.
And tonight, Game of Thrones premieres on HBO. It's the first day in years that I really wish I had television. I love the books, and with Sean Bean playing my favorite character from the first book (Ned Stark), it's as delightful as finding out he was playing my favorite character from the Lord of the Rings series (Boromir), or my favorite character from the Iliad (Odysseus). He has a habit of doing that, and no complaints here! Alas, Game of Thrones will air tonight, and I will not be able to watch it, but I will be dreaming of it, and waiting for the day I can watch it myself. Sigh.
Happy birthday, Sean Bean, and happy birthday to my number one favorite -- William Holden.
And tonight, Game of Thrones premieres on HBO. It's the first day in years that I really wish I had television. I love the books, and with Sean Bean playing my favorite character from the first book (Ned Stark), it's as delightful as finding out he was playing my favorite character from the Lord of the Rings series (Boromir), or my favorite character from the Iliad (Odysseus). He has a habit of doing that, and no complaints here! Alas, Game of Thrones will air tonight, and I will not be able to watch it, but I will be dreaming of it, and waiting for the day I can watch it myself. Sigh.
Happy birthday, Sean Bean, and happy birthday to my number one favorite -- William Holden.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Quicky run-down
I was visiting a friend for the past few days, and she showed me a bunch of movies, new and old, that I'd never seen before.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) -- fun! I love Jane Russell in particular, and the music is catchy.
Moonstruck (1987) -- meh. Not bad, but not my type of movie. At least it had opera in it!
Inkheart (2008) -- fun! Helen Mirren steals every scene she's in. I want to see this one again.
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) -- entertaining, nice music, but not one I particularly want to see again.
Chicago (2002) -- blech, did not like this one, mostly because I could not care about the unsympathetic characters. Why, exactly, am I supposed to root for murderesses to evade their sentences? I did like Catherine Zeta Jones, though. I thought she was great, but it's just not a story I cared for.
True Grit (2010) -- well, I didn't actually finish watching this one. I was so bored about forty-five minutes in that I gave up on it. I know, I'm a Western fanatic, but nothing about this one caught my attention long enough to keep it.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) -- fun! I love Jane Russell in particular, and the music is catchy.
Moonstruck (1987) -- meh. Not bad, but not my type of movie. At least it had opera in it!
Inkheart (2008) -- fun! Helen Mirren steals every scene she's in. I want to see this one again.
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) -- entertaining, nice music, but not one I particularly want to see again.
Chicago (2002) -- blech, did not like this one, mostly because I could not care about the unsympathetic characters. Why, exactly, am I supposed to root for murderesses to evade their sentences? I did like Catherine Zeta Jones, though. I thought she was great, but it's just not a story I cared for.
True Grit (2010) -- well, I didn't actually finish watching this one. I was so bored about forty-five minutes in that I gave up on it. I know, I'm a Western fanatic, but nothing about this one caught my attention long enough to keep it.