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) - "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

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) - "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 🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

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 (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) - "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) - "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 🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻🤶🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻👎🏻

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]