3.18.2024

when a man cannot choose, he ceases to be a man

good versus evil, illustrated
12. Were you ever tempted to consciously choose evil over good? 
    yes
 
13. Have you ever seriously considered dropping everything and living a simpler life, away from everything? 
    not exactly, but kind of. After all, I live in the big city now, and the quiet and peaceful country seems really appealing sometimes....
 
14. Do you have an “unfinished” relationship with anyone? 
    heck yeah
 
15. Would you ever date someone with a face tattoo? 
    nope, I don't think I could get over that. Along with yellow cars and, um, private piercings. 
 
16. What do you think about advertisements that target kids? 
frankenstuff hot dogs
    having grown up on a steady diet of Trix Are For Kids, and Uh Oh, Spaghetti-Os, and even The Marlboro Man, I feel like it's not the hardest thing in the world to withstand. 
    Anyway, preventing that will solve what? Will it keep kids from "feeling bad," or facing discrimination, or being vulnerable? Nope. 
 
17. Are there any people you’d give up your kidney for? 
    yup. My family, of course, and another two or so people. 
    Someone recently described this as the core group of people you'd take a bullet for. How big is that group? Has it changed, over time?
    It's scary to think, much less to say, that you're willing to die for someone. It can certainly be misconstrued. To anyone who thinks they might be on my list, please know that I don't want to die for you.
 
18. What’s one thing you’d change about yourself? 
    only the way I look, think, and act
 
19. Have you fully embraced streaming media, or do you still play it old school?
blooper reels are the best
    I do both, but for video I still prefer DVDs. Why?
        • gag reels - I think this kind of unselfconsciousness is a terrific glimpse into the genuine person behind the superhuman actor persona
        • other special features, like cast and crew interviews or documentaries
        • ease of use/speed of use - no scrolling to find something that sounds interesting
        • streaming while working is impossible because internet service in this limestone valley blows
 
20. If you had a year left to live, what would you do? 
    not sure, except that I wouldn't live it out loud like a farewell tour
 
21. What’s the most evil thing you have ever witnessed? 
    on a mass scale, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Personally, it's being caused pain, deliberately, by someone who convinced me that they were committed to the opposite.
 
[from here; the title quotation is by Anthony Burgess, from A Clockwork Orange]

3.17.2024

a wolf remains a wolf, even if it has not eaten your sheep

A walk through the obscure classics section of the video store....

The Black Hole (1979)
The Black Hole
(1979) - "A research vessel finds a missing ship, commanded by a mysterious scientist, on the edge of a black hole."
source: DVD
I watched it because: I was on a mini Anthony Perkins run
IMDB: 5.9/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 42% Audience: 45%
my IMDB: 4/10
notable quote: "A pint cannot hold a quart, Mr. Pizer. If it holds the pint. it's doing the best it can."
MPAA rating: PG
directed by: Gary Nelson
my notes: undeniably weird and creepy, at which Maximilian Schell excels. Perkins isn't given much to work with. Robert Forster has the best role, which is telling.
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Cinematography—Frank V. Phillips
• Best Effects, Visual Effects—Peter Ellenshaw, Art Cruickshank, Eustace Lycett, Danny Lee, Harrison Ellenshaw, Joe Hale
overall: not  recommended except for the campy element

Conrack (1974)
Conrack (1974) - "The true story of Pat Conroy, a handsome, idealistic Caucasian who is an elementary-school instructor for a group of poor Black children in an isolated school."
source: DVD
I watched it because: it's one of my mom's favorite movies
IMDB: 7.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 69% Audience: 78%
my IMDB: 7/10
notable quote: "There ain't a family on this island that hasn't pulled somebody - somebody - from that river. They fall in that river, they go down, like a stone."
MPAA rating: PG
directed by: Martin Ritt
my notes: to say that this movie is inspiring is to be blind to everything else that's alive here. It's very funny. It's gentle. It's revelatory. It's set in a place unlike anywhere I've ever been, or that I've even heard about. A beautiful place that's both hot and cold at once. It taught me some things, and left me thinking. And Paul Winfield, as Mad Billy, is marvelous.
overall: strongly recommended

The Caine Mutiny (1954)
The Caine Mutiny
(1954) - "When a U.S. Naval captain shows signs of mental instability that jeopardizes the ship, the first officer is urged to consider relieving him of command."
source: DVD
I watched it because: it's another classic I'd never seen, and I like war movies
IMDB: 7.7/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 93% Audience: 87%
my IMDB: 7/10
notable quote: "I don't want to upset you too much, but at the moment you have an excellent chance of being hanged."
MPAA rating: NR (TV-PG)
directed by: Edward Dymtryk
my notes: this is not the movie that I thought it would be, but it's a good one nonetheless. Humphrey Bogart is terrific as Lt. Cmdr. Queeg--intense, eccentric, and thoughtless. JosΓ© Ferrar is wonderful as attorney Barney Greenwald. And Van Johnson takes the cake as Lt. Steve Maryk, the unintentional focus.
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture—Stanley Kramer
• Best Actor—Bogart
• Best Supporting Actor—Tom Tully
• Best Writing, Screenplay—Stanley Roberts
• Best Sound, Recording—John P. Livadary
• Best Film Editing—William A. Lyon, Henry Batista
• Best Music, Score—Max Steiner
overall:  recommended

Wait until Dark (1967)
Wait until Dark (1967) - "A recently blinded woman is terrorized by a trio of thugs while they search for a heroin-stuffed doll they believe is in her apartment."
source: DVD
I watched it because: I'd never heard of it, but had the opportunity to see it and couldn't resist after reading that Stephen King called it the scariest movie ever made.
IMDB: 7.7/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 96% Audience: 91%
my IMDB: 7/10
AFI: 100 Years…100 Thrills (2001) #55
notable quote: "'Gloria?'
    'Yeah?'
    'How would you like to do something difficult and terribly dangerous?'
    'I'd love it!'"
MPAA rating: NR (TV-PG)
directed by: Terence Young
my notes: scary! I'm really glad I watched it during the day so I could get over the willies before I went to bed. There's something deeply frightening in seeing a blind woman being taunted and abused, especially over a really damned creepy porcelain doll. Ish.
Academy Award nominee: Best Actress—Audrey Hepburn
overall:  recommended
 
High Anxiety (1977)
High Anxiety
(1977) - "A psychiatrist with intense acrophobia (fear of heights) goes to work for a mental institution run by doctors who appear to be crazier than their patients, and have secrets that they are willing to commit murder to keep."
source: DVD
I watched it because: Mel Brooks has done some of my favorite films (Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein)
IMDB: 6.6/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 75% Audience: 67%
my IMDB: 4/10
notable quote: "Yes! The woowoo. Perhaps the most significant psychological feminine component known to mankind."
MPAA rating: PG
directed by: Mel Brooks
my notes: too frenetic for my taste, and kinda schticky
overall: not  recommended

Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)
Suddenly, Last Summer (1959) - "A surgeon is assigned the case of a young woman whose aunt wants her lobotomized to cover up a family secret."
source: DVD
I watched it because: I haven't seen much of Elizabeth Taylor's work, nor Montgomery Clift's
IMDB: 7.5/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 68% Audience: 83%
my IMDB: 5/10
notable quote: "Truth is the bottom of a bottomless well."
MPAA rating: approved
directed by: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
my notes: based on a Tennessee Williams play, this is a deeply disturbing story. There's no sane person involved. Lies and double meanings and symbols abound. And if you don't get the Venus flytrap reference...you will when it's done.
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Actress—Katharine Hepburn
• Best Actress—Elizabeth Taylor
• Best Art Direction - Set Decoration, Black and White—Oliver Messel, William Kellner, Scott Slimon
overall: only mildly recommended
 
[the title quotation is from The Black Hole]

3.16.2024

I still recall that moment of looking up and seeing

A white room and a party going on 
and I was standing with some friends 
under a large gilt-framed mirror 
that tilted slightly forward 
over the fireplace. 
We were drinking whiskey 
and some of us, feeling no pain, 
were trying to decide 
what precise shade of yellow 
the setting sun turned our drinks. 
I closed my eyes briefly, 
then looked up into the mirror: 
a woman in a green dress leaned 
against the far wall. 
She seemed distracted, 
the fingers of one hand 
fidgeted with her necklace, 
and she was staring into the mirror, 
not at me, but past me, into a space 
that might be filled by someone 
yet to arrive, who at that moment 
could be starting the journey 
which would lead eventually to her. 
Then, suddenly, my friends 
said it was time to move on. 
This was years ago, 
and though I have forgotten 
where we went and who we all were, 
I still recall that moment of looking up 
and seeing the woman stare past me 
into a place I could only imagine, 
and each time it is with a pang, 
as if just then I were stepping 
from the depths of the mirror 
into that white room, breathless and eager, 
only to discover too late 
that she is not there. 
 
[Mark Strand {1934-2014} ‘Mirror’, from New Selected Poems]

3.15.2024

Holmes has one weakness, his insatiable curiosity. If you can arouse that, you can lead him anywhere

The best part of watching loads of movies is that I am still continually surprised by what works.

Lansky (2021)
Lansky (2021) - "When the aging Meyer Lansky is investigated by the Feds, who suspect he has stashed away millions of dollars over half a century, the retired gangster reveals the untold truth about his life as the boss of the National Crime Syndicate."
source: Prime
I watched it because: I was on a date, and it was mutually agreeable
IMDB: 6.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 62% Audience: 85%
my IMDB: 7/10
notable quote: "See, I believe this world is made of shades of gray. It's never black or white."
MPAA rating: R
directed by: Eytan Rockaway
my notes: Harvey Keitel can be a hard sell, but he overcame himself in becoming Lansky. Sam Worthington (David Stone) reminds me of Matthew Lillard, though the latter is a better actor. This movie, though, is more about the young Lansky (John Magaro), and especially his relationship with Ben (don't call me Bugsy) Siegel, played brilliantly by David Cole - who steals the show. This is an interesting story - and more so if you're familiar with the basic story. I liked it.
overall:  recommended

Suddenly (1954)
Suddenly
(1954) - "The President of the United States will be arriving by train in the town of Suddenly where he plans to then be driven to a nearby lodge. The Sheriff, Tod Shaw, has everything under control and with the assistance of the State Police, has set up a reasonable security plan. Soon however, Shaw is taken prisoner by John Baron in the home of Pop Benson. Baron and his henchmen gained access to Benson's home by posing as FBI agents. The house provides perfect line of sight to the train station and Baron is there for only one reason: to assassinate the President. Baron has no political agenda and is simply a killer for hire but it's left to the Sheriff, Benson and Benson's daughter-in-law Ellen to stop him."
source: Crackle
I watched it because: it's been recommended several times
IMDB: 6.8/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 100% Audience: 63%
my IMDB: 6/10
notable quote: "'Don't you have any feelings?'
    'No, they were taken outta me by experts.'"
MPAA rating: NR (TV-PG)
directed by: Lewis Allen
my notes: this is a strange movie, with various levels of story going on at once, and not a very clear message. I loved the spunky little kid (played by Kim Charney), and Pop Benson (James Gleason).
overall:  recommended

Bridge of Spies (2015)
Bridge of Spies (2015) - "During the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers."
source: DVD
I watched it because: I was on a different date, and it was a natural choice for both of us (first reviewed here)
IMDB: 7.6/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 91% Audience: 87%
my IMDB: 8/10
notable quote: "'You're not worried?'
    'Would it help?'"
MPAA rating: PG-13
directed by: Steven Spielberg
my notes: maybe I overuse the word 'brilliant', but I think that Mark Rylance, as Rudolf Abel, is extraordinary in this movie. Great all the time, but truly outstanding here as a quiet, intense, subtle man carrying unimaginable weight on his shoulders.
Academy Award winner: Best Supporting Actor—Rylance
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture—Spielberg, Marc Platt, Kristie Macosko Krieger
• Best Writing, Original Screenplay—Matt Charman, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
• Best Music, Original Score—Thomas Newman
• Best Sound Mixing—Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom, Drew Kunin
• Best Production Design—Adam Stockhausen (production design), Rena DeAngelo (set decoration), Bernhard Henrich (set decoration)
overall:  highly recommended

Cape Fear (1962)
Cape Fear
(1962) - "A lawyer's family is stalked by a man he once helped put in jail."
source: Tubi, maybe? Streamed somewhere.
I watched it because: I'd seen the remake (reviewed here)
IMDB: 7.7/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 96% Audience: 86%
my IMDB: 5/10
AFI: 100 Years…100 Thrills (2001) #61
     100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains (2003) Villain #28
notable quote: "Max Cady, what I like about you is... you're rock bottom. I wouldn't expect you to understand this, but it's a great comfort for a girl to know she could not possibly sink any lower."
MPAA rating: passed (TV-PG?!)
directed by: J. Lee Thompson
my notes: this is a Gregory-Peck-as-upright-family-man film, which I've seen before, in better stories. It's also Robert Mitchum as the baddest of the bad guys, taking almost dirty pleasure in violence. It feels icky to watch.
overall: not especially recommended
 
The Woman in Green (1945)
The Woman in Green (1945) - "Holmes and Watson investigate a series of bizarre and apparently unconnected murders, and the death of a possible suspect. The trail leads to a society of hypnotists and a mysterious, glamorous woman. The fiendish Dr James Moriarty, though reported hanged in Montevideo, is suspected of being involved."
source: DVD
I watched it because: S. Holmes is one of my heroes
IMDB: 6.6/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 100% Audience: 57%
my IMDB: 6/10
notable quote: "'You mean you're not hypnotized?'
    'Certainly not!'
    'Then get off the wall, you idiot!'"
MPAA rating: approved (TV-PG)
directed by: Roy William Neill
my notes: this story is beyond intricate. I had a hard time keeping up, and when I was able to keep up, I was not exactly engrossed. There is a bit about Holmes being hypnotized which is well worth the effort.
overall: mildly recommended

Mrs. Miniver (1942)
Mrs. Miniver
(1942) - "A British family struggles to survive the first months of World War II."
source: DVD
I watched it because: it's much acclaimed
IMDB: 7.6/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 94% Audience: 84%
my IMDB: 8/10
AFI: 100 Years…100 Cheers (2006) #40
notable quote: "I know how comfortable it is to curl up with a nice, fat book full of big words and think you're going to solve all the problems in the universe. But you're not, you know. A bit of action is required every now and then."
MPAA rating: approved (TV-G)
directed by: William Wyler
my notes: a marvelous movie, well acted and shot. Terribly sad, romantic, heartwarming, and inspiring.
Academy Award winner:
• Best Picture
• Best Actress—Greer Garson
• Best Supporting Actress—Teresa Wright
• Best Director—Wyler
• Best Writing, Screenplay—George Froeschel, James Hilton, Claudine West, Arthur Wimperis
• Best Cinematography, Black and White—Joseph Ruttenberg
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Actor—Walter Pigeon
• Best Supporting Actor—Henry Travers
• Best Supporting Actress—May Whitty
• Best Sound, Recording—Douglas Shearer
• Best Film Editing—Harold F. Kress
• Best Effects, Special Effects—A. Arnold Gillespie (photographic), Warren Newcombe (photographic), Douglas Shearer (sound)
overall:  recommended
 
[the title quotation is from The Woman in Green]

3.14.2024

the life we receive is not short but we make it so; we are not ill provided but use what we have wastefully

hair extensions - very natural
8. What do you think about hair extensions? 
    they're nicer now than when they were first used, but I'm still not interested in them for myself.
    Frankly, the idea of wearing someone else's hair gives me the willies.
 
9. What’s the most “manly” thing about you? 
    my taste for action movies, or the width of my shoulders
 
10. Do you think a man should be the provider in a family? 
    substitute the word "the" for "a" and I can agree completely
 
11. How does the idea of giving birth sound to you? 
    physically impossible
 
12. Could you ever shave your head? 
    sure. I have made a sort of related promise to my hair stylist. 
 
13. Do you have a diary?
 
    yup, I have kept journals in an almost unbroken string since becoming an adult. The first several were in spiral-bound notebooks, which are a mess and take up a lot of space. They've been saved as PDFs. Since then, I've used a variety of journals. Some hardcover, some soft. Some spiral, some with glued bindings. Some lined, some blank page - and at least one grid, which turned out to be more distracting than helpful. I mostly use Moleskine Classics (lined) but often receive blank journals as gifts and so I use what I've got. My favorites have a pocket in the back for photos, movie tickets, menus, and so forth, and an elastic band to keep it closed. Lately I've been using the Journal app, which is easy for including pictures (or voice messages, which I'm not doing yet) but cumbersome for long entries.
 
14. What do you look for in a relationship? 
    constant companionship, complete agreement on absolutely every topic, and of course continual hand-holding.
    Or just a sarcastic humor congruent with mine.
 
15. Do you have a favorite movie franchise? 
Myrna Loy, Asta, and William Powell from The Thin Man movies
    this is a point of contention with a few people in my world! I think that movie franchises tend to be stretched beyond their useful life. The first one is great, the second is good, and the third and beyond are notable only for the continuity of character, not for the quality of the entry. The Thin Man movies with William Powell and Myrna Loy (1934- ). The Expendables (2010- ). Eddie Murphy's best film work in Beverly Hills Cop (1988- ) - though I'm keeping my mind open to the fourth entry, due out in July, 2024. Die Hard (1988- ). The Godfather (1972- ).
    Exceptions to this "rule": the Star Trek films (1966- ), Top Gun (1986/2022), and Red (2010/2013).
 
1. Do fish have dreams? 
    maybe? I don't know. I guess if I could choose it would be yes.
 
2. What if all humans lived underwater?     
    we'd have to adapt gills for breathing in water, and our skin would need to be thicker. Probably some other bits that I haven't thought of, since I spend so little time in water.
 
[from here; the title quotation is by Lucius Annaeus Seneca, from On the Shortness of Life]

3.13.2024

I know, I know - you don't give a whoop what I do, but when I do it, you get sore...

Next year, I promise to focus on quality rather than quantity in my holiday movie-fest!

Destined at Christmas (2022)
Destined at Christmas
(2022) - "Kim and Theo meet in the midst of Black Friday shopping madness but there's a definite spark between them. When a power outage causes some panic at a store, the couple gets separated. With Christmas coming, there should be plenty of distractions but neither Kim nor Theo can forget the other. Both yearn to find each other but how with so little information to go on?"
source: Freevee (Prime)
IMDB: 6.9/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 67%
my IMDB: 5/10 πŸ€ΆπŸ»πŸ€ΆπŸ»πŸ€ΆπŸ»πŸ€ΆπŸ»πŸ€ΆπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»
MPAA rating: TV-PG
directed by: Brittany Wiscombe
my notes: it's a fresher story than a lot of them, with essentially non-stupid characters. But the search goes on for quite a long time, leading the viewer to wonder what kind of desperation leads these two people to be so intent on finding someone who maybe didn't want to be found.
overall:  very mildly recommended

Random Acts of Christmas (2019)
Random Acts of Christmas (2019) - "While uncovering who is behind the random acts of Christmas popping up around her city, investigative journalist, Sydney (Erin Cahill) meets a competing reporter, Cole (Kevin McGarry), who ignites her Christmas spirit and captures her heart."
source: Prime, maybe?
IMDB: 6.5/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 71%
my IMDB: 3/10 πŸ€ΆπŸ»πŸ€ΆπŸ»πŸ€ΆπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»
MPAA rating: TV-G
directed by: Marita Grabiak
my notes: again, it's not a terrible idea for a story - but the execution is inherently flawed. For one thing, the characters are uninteresting and unbelievable. Also, it's a completely flawed idea of how media works, and definitely about corporations. (Have these writers ever had a real job, or known someone who did?)
overall: not  recommended

To Have and Have Not (1944)
To Have and Have Not
(1944) - "During World War II, American expatriate Harry Morgan helps transport a French Resistance leader and his beautiful wife to Martinique while romancing a sensuous lounge singer."
source: DVD
I watched it because: Bogie & Bacall are a cultural phenomenon about which I know nothing, and it's about time I learn
IMDB: 7.8/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 94% Audience: 90%
my IMDB: 7/10
AFI: 100 Years…100 Passions (2002) #60
notable quote: "'I'm hard to get, Steve. All you have to do is ask me.'
    'You know what you're getting into. It's gonna be rough.'"
MPAA rating: passed
directed by: Howard Hawks
my notes: moody, dark, and sexy. I'm starting to understand what all the fuss is about with these two.
overall:  recommended

Bullitt (1968)
Bullitt (1968) - "Senator Walter Chalmers is aiming to take down mob boss Pete Ross with the help of testimony from the criminal's hothead brother Johnny, who is in protective custody in San Francisco under the watch of police lieutenant Frank Bullitt. When a pair of mob hitmen enter the scene, Bullitt follows their trail through a maze of complications and double-crosses."
source: DVD
I watched it because: my parents dig Steve McQueen, so I'm trying to see more of his stuff
IMDB: 7.4/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 98% Audience: 85%
my IMDB: 5/10
notable quote: "Play it by the book from now on."
MPAA rating: M/PG
directed by: Peter Yates
my notes: meh. I didn't hate it, but it's repetitious and kinda numbing. The car chases are pretty cool.
Academy Award winner: Best Film Editing—Frank P. Keller
Academy Award nominee: Best Sound
overall: equivocally recommended

Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon (1942)
Sherlock Holmes and the Secret Weapon
(1942) - "Working for the British government, Sherlock Holmes manages to spirit Dr. Franz Tobel out of Switzerland and into England before the Gestapo are able to get to him. Tobel has devised an immensely accurate bomb site and while he is willing to make it available to the Allies, he insists on manufacturing it himself. Soon however, he vanishes and it is left to Homes, assisted by the bumbling Dr. Watson, to decipher a coded message he left behind. Holmes soon realizes that he is up against his old nemesis, Professor Moriarty. "
source: DVD
I watched it because: I adore Sherlock Holmes, in all his guises
IMDB: 6.5/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 53%
my IMDB: 7/10
notable quote: "Brilliant man, Sherlock Holmes. Too bad he was honest."
MPAA rating: approved
directed by: Roy William Neill
my notes: this is a particularly good entry in the series. Rathbone is amazing as the great detective, arrogant and obnoxious but never mean. I'm not so fond of Nigel Bruce's Watson, who is irritating and foolish. This story is clever and particularly well-shot.
overall:  recommended

Goodbye Again (1961)
Goodbye Again (1961) - "In this adaptation of Françoise Sagan's best selling novel, Paula is a beautiful and successful 40-year-old businesswoman. She is deeply in love with Roger, her mature consort of five years. Roger is a very charming gallant who loves Paula but is too selfish to give up the freedom to be promiscuous. When Paula meets Phillip, the immature 24-year-old son of one of her rich clients, he falls hopelessly in love with the glamorous, sympathetic older woman and insists that the age difference will be no barrier to a romance. Paula resists the young man's persistent advances, but she finally succumbs when Roger initiates yet another affair with one of his young 'Maisie's. An affair begins, and society does not approve."
source: DVD
I watched it because: I was curious about Anthony Perkins in a worldly European love story
IMDB: 7.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 76%
my IMDB: 9/10
notable quote: "In France, it's different. The French have a logic and a sophistry and a true sense of drama. J'accuse! Sorry. I accuse. In the name of the dead, I accuse you of aborting your duty as a human being. I accuse you of letting love go by. Of neglecting your duty to be happy. Of living on evasion and subterfuge and resignation. You should be sentenced to death. You will be sentence to solitude."
MPAA rating: NR
directed by: Anatole Litvak
my notes: this is a profoundly sad movie. If that doesn't appeal to you, then you should avoid it. If you like that nuance, though, it's marvelous. Ingrid Bergman is quiet, serene, and gorgeous. Yves Montand is handsome, suave, and morally bankrupt. And Perkins... he's a much better actor than he is stereotyped to have been.
overall: highly recommended
 
[the title quotation is from To Have and Have Not]

3.12.2024

he loved her, as you can only love someone who is an echo of yourself at your time of deepest sorrow

happy vegetables
22. What do you think about vegan activism? 
    I'm far too busy to get active about anything new, thanks
 
23. What’s the biggest personality change you’ve undergone? 
    people who knew me when I was little thought of me as bright, outgoing, and basically happy. Something changed from college, through grad school, and then law school. No less bright, maybe, but less outgoing and maybe not so basically happy.
 
24. Would you steal or beg for food if you were homeless with no money, and working was not an option for some reason? 
    Well, yeah. Who wouldn't? I'm not going to starve to death on purpose. 
 
25. Are you concerned about being spied on by a government or a corporate entity? 
spies are everywhere
   
not exactly, on a daily basis. I'm absolutely sure it happens - just read the news. Every day there's a data breach, inappropriate data collection, and somebody else stepping in to remediate or regulate or punish it. Companies, and government agencies, have no clue what they're collecting, how best to maintain it, how they can permissibly use it, and how to prevent it from being misused. Data is not private, practically speaking. It's only a matter of time until computer systems or stupid/bad/greedy individuals either lose it or sell it or take it.
    All this means that I'm not concerned about it, but I am aware of it and careful about what I share. For instance, I don't participate in loyalty programs or email newsletter memberships or store credit cards. When "required" to enter a phone number online when I'm not a customer, I use a faked random number. Even if it's supposedly intended to save money, loyalty programs are primarily about marketing. I don't need to receive more marketing than I already get. 
 
26. Do you think death will come easily? 
    what an awful question! There is no answer that wouldn't be creepy at best.
 
27. What do you think about romanticizing crime and debauchery in media? 
    you mean, like martial arts movies, or books about war, or gangster films? Westerns, rap music, and (especially older) country music? Graphic novels about superheroes who overcome the forces of evil? There's a difference between realistic portrayal—even sympathetic portrayal—and glamorization. Anyway, exposure to these things can help people understand the value of being and doing good.
 

via GIPHY

28. What would you do if you realized you have a relationship with a destructive person? 
    I already do have that sort of relationship, with more than one person. That's part of life, of knowing people who might be different from me but with whom I have something in common that's worth the rest of it.  
 
the. BEST. card. (2022)
29. Do you think any real value can be extracted from shock entertainment such as horror films? 
    "any real value" made me laugh. Entertainment for entertainment's sake is enough "value" for me. Plenty of people get more entertainment from that than they would from more bucolic things like nature poetry or romance novels. Anyway, who am I to say what is valuable to others?
 
1. Would you want to be present at your child’s birth? 
    uhm, since I'm female it would (without extreme assistance) not be my choice
 
2. What’s the best birthday gift you ever got? 
    a card. The right words get to me like objects never could.

  [from here; the title quotation is by Orson Scott Card, from Speaker for the Dead]

3.11.2024

those of you who wish to go, go now! Those who wish to sing with me, for the last time, stay

Getting close to the end of the Christmas movies! And yet another list of films wherein my assessments don't match the Academy's.

Love Me or Leave Me (1955)
Love Me or Leave Me (1955) - "A fictionalized account of the career of jazz singer Ruth Etting and her tempestuous marriage to gangster Marty Snyder, who helped propel her to stardom."
source: Tubi
I watched it because: it's an interesting concept
IMDB: 7.1/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 71% Audience: 75%
my IMDB: 1/10    DNF
notable quote: "'Wouldn't that be an awful lot of trouble for you?'
    'There's some trouble a man just doesn't mind getting into.'"
MPAA rating: passed
directed by: Charles Vidor
my notes: James Cagney's Marty is an awful, abusive wretch, and Doris Day's Ruth is just not sexy. Even the music didn't do anything for me. Ish.
Academy Award winner: Best Writing, Motion Picture Story—Daniel Fuchs
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Actor—Cagney
• Best Writing, Screenplay—Daniel Fuchs, Isobel Lennart
• Best Sound, Recording—Wesley C. Miller
• Best Music, Original Song—Nicholas Brodszky, Sammy Cohn, for "I'll Never Stop Loving You"
• Best Music, Scoring of a Motion Picture—Percy Faith, George Stoll
overall: not  recommended

Hurricane (1937)
The Hurricane
(1937) - "On the Island of Manukura, a French colony in the South Seas, joyful Terangi is a leader among the natives and the first mate of the Katopua, the tall ship of Captain Nagle. Terangi marries Marama and soon sails to Tahiti. While in a bar playing with other natives, Terangi is offended by an alcoholic French racist and he hits him, breaking his jaw. Despite Captain Nagle's testimony, Terangi is sentenced to six months of forced labor since the victim had political connections with the Powers That Be. Captain Nagle asks the Governor Eugene DeLaage to uses his influence to help Terangi, but the governor refuses. Terangi unsuccessfully tries to escape from the prison, and each attempt increases his sentence. Eight years later, he finally escapes and his jailbreak is celebrated in Manukura. Father Paul finds his canoe and brings Terangi to the island. But a devastating hurricane also arrives in the island threatening the dwellers. "
source: DVD
I watched it because: with that wackadoodle description, how could I resist?
IMDB: 7.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 68%
my IMDB: 7/10
notable quote: "A sense of honor in the South Seas is about as useful and often as silly as a silk hat in a hurricane."
MPAA rating: approved
directed by: John Ford
my notes: marvelous! It's weird, and happy, and (even in black and white) incredibly beautiful. Dorothy Lamour (Marama) and Jon Hall (Terangi) are terrific, and make a surprising couple. Mary Astor and Raymond Massey as the LeLaage couple are good baddies. Thomas Mitchell's Dr. Kersaint is fun, too.
Academy Award winner: Best Sound, Recording—Thomas T. Moulton
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Supporting Actor—Mitchell
• Best Music, Score—Alfred Newman
overall:  recommended

12 Dates of Christmas (2011)
12 Dates of Christmas (2011) - "Unwillingly set up on a blind date with handsome Miles on Christmas Eve, Kate gets 12 chances to relive the date over and over again until she sets things right. At first reluctant to give Miles a shot, Kate learns acceptance from a holiday miracle."
source: Prime
I watched it because: I actually recognized some of the cast!
IMDB: 6.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 52%
my IMDB: 7/10 πŸŽ„πŸŽ„πŸŽ„πŸŽ„πŸŽ„πŸŽ„πŸŽ„
notable quote: "Reputations are just history in rumor form—you can change it."
MPAA rating: PG
directed by: James Hayman
my notes: while this is not an unfamiliar premise for a movie (ahem), it is well executed and clever. The cast is engaging and the ending absolutely justifies the whole endeavor.
Star power: Amy Smart and Mark-Paul Gosselaar
Santa character:
overall:  recommended

Dangerous Passage (1937)
Dangerous Passage
(1944) - "While living in Central America, Joe Beck receives word that his grandfather has passed away and left him $200,000. Beck prepares to travel to Galveston, Texas to claim his inheritance, with the important papers that he will need. When he is assaulted soon afterward, he changes plans and takes a ship leaving that night. Also on board is Nita, who herself seems to be in a hurry to leave port. Beck receives a number of veiled threats and warnings, and then is almost killed by an accident on deck. Beck soon realizes that he is facing two serious problems: an attempt to defraud him of his inheritance, and another plan to stop him from finding out what the ship's crew is up to. "
source: Prime
I watched it because: I had high hopes....
IMDB: 5.4/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: N/A%
my IMDB: 3/10
notable quote: "I've tapped my last tap."
MPAA rating: passed
directed by: William Berke
my notes: it's one of those movies that seems to have been made on some kid's movie camera with untrained actors who don't give a flip about the process. Boring!
overall: not  recommended

Going My Way (1944)
Going My Way (1944) - "Youthful Father Chuck O'Malley led a colorful life of sports, song, and romance before joining the Roman Catholic clergy, but his level gaze and twinkling eyes make it clear that he knows he made the right choice. After joining a parish, O'Malley's worldly knowledge helps him connect with a gang of kids looking for direction and handle the business details of the church-building fund, winning over his aging, conventional superior, Father Fitzgibbon. "
source: DVD
I watched it because: some of Bing Crosby's movies are marvelous
IMDB: 7.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 83% Audience: 74%
my IMDB: 5/10
notable quote: "I'm sure that the way to say what I'd like to say will occur to me after you've gone."
MPAA rating: passed
directed by: Leo McCarey
my notes: it's song-y, and dance-ish, and exceedingly Catholic. If you're not of the faith, as indeed I am not, it might be a sore test of patience. Not terrible, but not my favorite.
Academy Award winner:
• Best Picture
• Best Actor—Bing Crosby
• Best Supporting Actor—Barry Fitzgerald [Fitzgerald is the only actor to have received Leading and Supporting Actor nominations for the same performance. Voting rules were altered shortly after this occurred to prevent future such instances.]
• Best Director—McCarey
• Best Writing, Original Story—McCarey
• Best Writing, Screenplay—Frank Butler, Frank Cavett
• Best Music, Original Song—Jimmy Van Heusen, Johnny Burke, for "Swinging on a Star"
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Actor—Fitzgerald
• Best Cinematography, Black and White—Lionel Linden
• Best Film Editing—LeRoy Stone
overall:  recommended

One December Night (2021)
One December Night
(2021) - "Two music managers must put their history aside to oversee the televised reunion performances of their rock-star fathers with a fractured past."
source: Prime, maybe? Streamed somewhere.
IMDB: 6.9/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 60%
my IMDB: 4/10 πŸ€ΆπŸ»πŸ€ΆπŸ»πŸ€ΆπŸ»πŸ€ΆπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»
notable quote: "Let's just deliver one toy at a time, okay?"
MPAA rating: TV-PG
directed by: Clare Niederpruem
my notes: schmaltzy, melodramatic, and trying way too hard. Not really bad, just not personally engaging.
Star Power: Bruce Campbell and Peter Gallagher, with Didi Conn (Frenchy in Grease) as the Santa Character, the waitress Norma
overall: not strongly recommended
 
[the title quotation is from The Hurricane]

3.10.2024

one must believe in the possibility of happiness in order to be happy

2. Do you actively try to avoid negative experiences in life? 
    well, yeah - because I'm not a masochist. I don't avoid challenge or complexity and am actually charged up and driven by it. I do avoid stuff that I know will hurt me, without offsetting rewards. 
 
what is happiness?
3. What stops you from being happier? 
    incidental things. Annoyances, health issues, money woes. My own trouble with using time wisely - laziness, poorly thought out priorities. 
 
4. Could you kill to save your own life? 
    yes
 
5. Do you believe in a bright future for humanity? 
    this is the kind of question that makes me bad at job interviews. I read it and cringed. What difference would it make, this belief? And what makes humanity's future "bright"? Surely that would mean different things to different people.
 
6. Do you have a purpose guiding you through life? 
    nope, I don't have one motto or goal or purpose. What I want and need has changed since I started thinking I had a clue about these things.
 
The Long Gray Line (1989)
7. Do you often go against yourself? 
    this hits the "ignorance is bliss" button for me, and reminds me of a passage from The Long Gray Line by Rick Atkinson, a micro-study of a group of West Pointers after graduation in 1966. A group is performing a complex swimming exercise which is made more difficult by fighting it; the point of the activity is to realize that relaxing and working with it makes it smoother. One character advises another: "Try to go easier in life." 
    It doesn't mean, take the easy way out. It doesn't mean, don't try. It certainly doesn't mean that challenges aren't worth attempting. The point is that life is hard enough sometimes, so don't make it worse - for yourself, or anyone else. Don't set yourself up to fail. 
 
8. Share irony from your life.
processing...processing...
    • the phrase "hold still" makes me flinch
    • being asked to tell a story makes my brain mute
    • I deeply crave security, but chafe when I get it
 
9. Do you ever think about humans going extinct? 
    "going extinct" seems unlikely to me. "Fucking things up irretrievably" is much more likely.
 
10. Would you be afraid of seeing a psychologist? 
    ha! I was married to one. Just seeing one professionally is nothing compared to that.
 
11. Do you think violent entertainment causes or prevents real violence? 
    yes, both. People who are predisposed to violence can be drawn to violent entertainment, or numbed by it, or inspired by it. People who, on the other hand, are neutral or not disposed to violence can be repelled by such entertainment. I watch a lot of martial arts and war films and haven't yet turned into a big kicker or war-monger. Pretty sure that the issue isn't the entertainment but the person who takes part in it.

[from here; the title quotation is by Leo Tolstoy, from War and Peace]

3.09.2024

you loud-mouthed broad - get out of here!

Win some, lose some? When you watch this many movies, some are bound to be stinkers.

Crime of Passion (1956)
Crime of Passion (1956) - "Kathy leaves the newspaper business to marry homicide detective Bill but is frustrated by his lack of ambition and the banality of life in the suburbs. Her drive to advance Bill's career soon takes her down a dangerous path."
source: Tubi
I watched it because: Barbara Stanwyck is a favorite - a smart, sarcastic brunette. And, of course, Raymond Burr is impossible to resist.
IMDB: 6.4/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 80% Audience: 34%
my IMDB: 7/10
notable quote: "Lavender chiffon!"
MPAA rating: approved
directed by: Gerd Oswald
my notes: marvelously creepy, this is real noir. Stanwyck's character Kathy is realistically nutso, Sterling Hayden (Bill) is a charming dupe, and Burr's Tony Pope is bluff, genial, and skeezy. This is a good one!
overall:  recommended

Baby, It's Cold Outside (2004)
Baby, It's Cold Outside
(2004) - "A woman from the tropics meets and marries a man from northern Maine and moves there in winter."
source: Tubi
I watched it because: I was in hardcore Christmas-movie mode, and trying to see anything that had over 5 stars on IMDB.
IMDB: 6.5/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: N/A%
my IMDB: 1/10 πŸ€ΆπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»
notable quote: "'My name is Ylva...'
    'And I'm Inga...'
    'And what's your name?'
    'BEAR!'"
MPAA rating: NR
directed by: Polly Bennell
my notes: Trying to be Northern Exposure, and failing miserably. This is a terrible movie! The only good part - by which I mean "the only remotely interesting part" - is Antony the anteater.
overall: strongly not recommended

The Flight Before Christmas (2013)
The Flight Before Christmas (2013) - "Two strangers who both happen to be in marketing, share a room at a bed-and-breakfast when a snowstorm strands their flight in Montana on Christmas Eve."
source: Tubi
I watched it because: early in the holiday season, my Skepticism Meter was skewing low
IMDB: 5.9/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 47%
my IMDB: 3/10 πŸ€ΆπŸ»πŸ€ΆπŸ»πŸ€ΆπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»πŸ‘ŽπŸ»
notable quote: "The eyes—they never lie."
MPAA rating: TV-PG
directed by: Peter Sullivan
my notes: Totally unrealistic. And dumb. And insulting. And insultingly stupidly unrealistic.
Also, in terms of religion, mortifying simplistic.
Star Power: Mayim Bialik
overall: not  recommended

Berserk!
(1967) - "A scheming circus owner finds her authority challenged when a vicious killer targets the show."
source: Tubi
I watched it because: my familiarity with Joan Crawford is limited, and I was looking for a palate-cleanser after a couple of nauseatingly dumb Christmas movies
IMDB: 5.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 35%
my IMDB: 5/10
notable quote: "What are you trying to do, ruin my circus?"
MPAA rating: approved
directed by: Jim O'Connolly
my notes: Bruno (George Claydon) is the best character. This is a truly insane movie, terribly violent and realistically gory, and also kind of a drug-trip of the surreal. Not to mention, Joan Crawford in a leotard and tights...not so good.
overall:  recommended for campiness only

Shoelaces for Christmas (2018)
Shoelaces for Christmas (2018) - "After a disagreement with her father, teenager Jennifer inadvertently stumbles into a local homeless shelter late one evening. Will volunteering at the shelter teach her to be responsible and compassionate toward others?"
source: Tubi
I watched it because: I've seen the lead couple, Bailey Chase and Jennifer Morris, in a few other things.
IMDB: 6.4/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: N/A%
my IMDB: 6/10 πŸŽ„πŸŽ„πŸŽ„πŸŽ„πŸŽ„πŸŽ„
MPAA rating: TV-PG
directed by: Craig Clyde
my notes: The parents created this monster, and then were surprised when it acted monstrously. However, the schmaltz level actually works, and I left it feeling content with my choice.
overall:  recommended for holiday movie marathons only

[the title quotation is from Berserk!]