You asleep? / Yes! / Good. I want to talk to you

Classic cinema, thanks to the storehouse that is my dad's file room in their basement. There were a couple of unexpected hits here!

Action in the North Atlantic (1943) - "An American tanker's sunk by a German U-boat and the survivors spend 11 days at sea on a raft. Their next assignment: bound for Murmansk through the sub-stalked North Atlantic."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: Humphrey Bogart is always a treat
IMDB: 7.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 70%

notable quote:  "I ought to make you smell knuckles for the duration."
story: but it's kinda shallow (excuse the pun). Propaganda and morale are stamped all over this. That doesn't make it bad, just somewhat predictable and rah-rah.
visuals: pretty well done, which also means it's pretty gross at times
costumes, hair & makeup: limited by the setting
acting: besides Bogie, the high points are Raymond Massey (Capt. Steve Jarvis) and Dick Hogan (Cadet Ezra Parker)

intangibles: I usually really like sub movies, but this one was a little flat - probably because of the pointless love interests (hullo 1940s, not every movie has to have one!)
Academy Award nominee: Best Writing, Original Story 
overall: recommended 

Bringing Up Baby (1938) - "While trying to secure a $1 million donation for his museum, a befuddled paleontologist is pursued by a flighty and often irritating heiress and her pet leopard, Baby."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: Katharine Hepburn is a favorite, and I have not seen many of her early films
IMDB: 7.9/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 93% Audience: 90%
AFI: 100 Years...100 Movies (original list 1998) #97

100 Years...100 Movies (10th anniversary edition 2007) #88

100 Years...100 Laughs (2000) #14

100 Years...100 Passions (2002) #51

notable quote: "...in moments of quiet, I'm strangely drawn to you, but...well, there haven't been any quiet moments."
story: SO WEIRD. I mean, profoundly strange, wacko in the extreme, confusing and bizarre. Cary Grant (David Huxley) plays an absent-minded professor, and Hepburn (Susan Vance) is his dingbat nemesis/love interest. Dinosaur bones, a rowdy dog named George, and a leopard (or two) are involved. Hijinks ensue.
visuals: as limited by the time period, the camera work is very good. Lighting is not great (in the reproduction that I saw, anyway) 
costumes, hair & makeup: well done
acting: well, knowing that Hepburn was not an idiot, and that if anything she was known for being "too smart to be an actress," this must have been a major stretch for her. Her character would make the reality show celebrities of the modern era look like thoughtful geniuses. Grant played Huxley just like the other roles I've seen him play, a little aggressive, abrasive, and preening.

intangibles: engaging enough to keep my interest for 102 minutes, but certainly not the best of its kind
overall: recommended with reservations

Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959) - "An Edinburgh professor and associated colleagues follow an explorer's trail down an extinct Icelandic volcano to the earth's center."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: it is a classic of a genre that I know almost nothing about
IMDB: 7.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 86% Audience: 69%

notable quote: "Are we to be abducted every day in Iceland?"
story: convoluted but clever. Jules Verne was so imaginative! Once you get there, the ride is worth it.
visuals: weird and wonderful - the sets were so much fun
costumes, hair & makeup: dated, but in a good way, thinking about what was expected attire for an adventurer in 1959. Even when imagining "a futuristic 1880s reality," the men were wearing suits and the lady a corset, for adventuring!
acting: Pat Boone (Alec McEwen) was clearly supposed to be the eye candy, but who could take that seriously? It would be like ogling a Mormon. (ick)

intangibles: fun, fascinating, silly (Gertrude the duck!!), and engaging
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Art Direction--Set Decoration, Color

• Best Sound

• Best Effects, Special Effects
overall: well recommended 

The Thin Man (1934) - "Former detective Nick Charles and his wealthy wife Nora investigate a murder case, mostly for the fun of it."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I like noir lit and have been seeking a good film adaptation 
IMDB: 8.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 97% Audience: 93%
AFI: 100 Years...100 Laughs (2000) #32

notable quote: "I don't care! It's just that I'm used to you, that's all."
story: a little scattered and silly, as fits the era, but the 'detecting' is smart and makes sense
visuals: well-lit, dramatic and supporting the action
costumes, hair & makeup: glamorous and debonair
acting: William Powell (Nick Charles) and Myrna Loy (Nora Charles) are terrific

intangibles: this is one of the most romantic films I have ever seen, in the guise of a funny little movie. Nick & Nora's banter is deliciously salacious, sharp, super-smart, witty, wry, and so very well matched. It is like a dream.
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture

• Best Director

• Best Actor--Powell

• Best Writing, Adaptation
overall: very highly recommended

Moby Dick (1956) - "The sole survivor of a lost whaling ship relates the tale of his captain's self-destructive obsession to hunt the white whale, Moby Dick."
Source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I have neither read the book nor seen any of the film adaptations, and I love Gregory Peck, so it seemed win/win.
IMDB: 7.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 86% Audience: 73%

notable quote: "We all see it. That don't make it real."
story: see above. 
visuals: some were all right, and a lot were pretty show-through. 
costumes, hair & makeup: nothing to cheer over
acting: this was directed by John Huston like a stage play, big and loud. Peck was absolutely wrong for the part of Ahab, both too young and too mellow.  

intangibles: I cannot see myself watching or reading this again. Maybe it is a "man movie."
overall: not recommended

[the title quotation is Nora & Nick Charles, from The Thin Man]