trouble? You're not what I'd call trouble...

A combination of strong (Gregory Peck) and unexpected (new comedy).

Roman Holiday (1953) - "Overwhelmed by her suffocating schedule, touring European princess Ann takes off for a night while in Rome. When a sedative she took from her doctor kicks in, however, she falls asleep on a park bench and is found by an American reporter, Joe Bradley, who takes her back to his apartment for safety. At work the next morning, Joe finds out Ann's regal identity and bets his editor he can get exclusive interview with her - but romance soon gets in the way."
source: DVD
I watched it because: (watched Apr. 2018 but not reviewed)
IMDB: 8.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 95% Audience: 93%
my IMDB: 9/10

AFI: 100 Years…100 Passions (2002) #4

    10 Top 10 (2008) Romantic Comedy #4

notable quote: "The best thing I know is to do exactly what you wish for a while."

MPAA rating: passed (TV-PG)

directed by: William Wyler

my notes: such a charming, fun, lovely film! Unexpected depth and currency combined with quaintly outdated notions. I like this one a lot.

Academy Award winner:
• Best Actress—Audrey Hepburn

• Best Writing, Motion Picture Story—Dalton Trumbo (Trumbo was blacklisted and received neither credit nor the Oscar until 1993)

• Best Costume Design, Black and White—Edith Head
Academy Award nominee:
• Best Picture—William Wyler

• Best Supporting Actor—Eddie Albert

• Best Director—Wyler

• Best Writing, Screenplay—Ian McLellan Hunter, John Dighton

• Best Cinematography, Black and White—Franz Planer, Henri Alekan

• Best Art Direction - Set Decoration, Black and White—Hal Pereira, Walter H. Tyler

• Best Film Editing—Robert Swink
overall: strongly recommended

Judge Priest (1934) - "In this lyrical comedy, legendary humorist Will Rogers stars as the amiable judge who presides over his small, post-Civil War Kentucky town with good-natured common sense, but whose eccentricities ruffle the feathers of some of his fellow citizens. A key achievement in director John Ford's early career, exploring the theme of community that he would return to throughout his work, Judge Priest conjures moments of great charm and humanity through its relaxed tone and ambling plot. The film remains controversial, however, for its romanticized evocation of a South still steeped in Confederate pride and for the stereotyped roles played by Black actors Stepin Fetchit and Hattie McDaniel."

source: DVD (borrowed from my parents' collection)
I watched it because: I'd never seen Will Rogers before!
IMDB: 6.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 80% Audience: 47%
my IMDB: 6/10

notable quote: "'Your honor, as I recollect the procedure, at the time bein' I'm an ordinary member of the bar in good standing.'

    'Not ordinary, sir, but absolutely in good standing.'"

MPAA rating: passed (TV-G)

directed by: John Ford

my notes: be warned, this is VERY much a product of its age and setting, which equates to blatant racism. Do not watch this without knowing that's coming, please. 

    It's simplistic, folksy, awkward, and still unforgettably beautiful. There's real relationship forming and character growth. I reluctantly liked it.

overall:  recommended - with deep reservations

The Big Country (1958) - "Retiring to the American West to marry his fiancée, Patricia Terrill, Captain James McKay enters a land-and-water feud between his future father-in-law, Major Terrill, and the rough and lawless Hannassey family, led by Rufus. McKay prefers peace between himself and the Hannasseys, who repeatedly attempt to provoke violence. But his steadfast demeanor only angers his fiancée and Major Terrill, who won't settle for truces."
source: DVD
I watched it because: it's an acclaimed Gregory Peck movie that I hadn't seen, with the bonus of Burl Ives' Oscar-winning performance
IMDB: 7.9/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 100% Audience: 91%
my IMDB: 6/10

notable quote: "'But if he loved me, why would he let me think he was a coward?'

    'If you love him, why would you think it? How many times does a man have to win you?'"

MPAA rating: passed

directed by: William Wyler

my notes: an overlong, overwrought, strange story that seems to have motivation, but it's hard to tell where it came from. Ives is awesome, though, and so is Jean Simmons in an underrated role.

Academy Award winner: Best Supporting Actor—Ives
Academy Award nominee: Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture—Jerome Moross
overall: marginally recommended

We're the Millers (2013) - "After being robbed of a week's take, small-time pot dealer David is forced by his boss to go to Mexico to pick up a load of marijuana. In order to improve his odds of making it past the border, David asks the broke stripper Rose and two local teenagers to join him and pretend they're on a family holiday."
source: it was on TV!
I watched it because: I was on a date, and ...
IMDB: 7.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 48% Audience: 76%
my IMDB: 7/10

notable quote: "'You know what I'm sayin?'

    'Well, I'm awake and I speak English, so yeah, I know what you're saying.'"

MPAA rating: R

directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber

my notes: VERY funny and surprisingly engaging. And the outtakes are hysterical.

overall:  recommended

 

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004) - "The odd members of a local gym rally together in order to save their beloved gym from becoming yet another property of a heartless national chain, In order to raise the needed funds, they enter into an international sports competition, with a cash prize for the winner. The competition? Dodgeball."
source: (cable) TV
I watched it because: it's an old favorite
IMDB: 6.7/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 71% Audience: 76%
my IMDB: 8/10

notable quote: "If you can dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball."

MPAA rating: PG-13

directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber

my notes: this is my movie, the one that I am incapable of not watching. I can recite most of the dialog without realizing I'm doing it. It's dumb, stereotyped, and hilarious. I love it.

overall: highly recommended

Game Night (2018) - "A group of friends who meet regularly for game nights find themselves entangled in a real-life mystery when the shady brother of one of them is seemingly kidnapped by dangerous gangsters."
source: DirecTV On Demand
I watched it because: later on, during that date ...
IMDB: 6.9/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 85% Audience: 78%
my IMDB: 7/10

notable quote: "You're, like, a double threat: brains ... and you're British!"

MPAA rating: R

directed by: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein

my notes: I was drawn into it from the start, and thought it was funny. Not particularly clever or unprecedented, but worth a watch

overall:  recommended

 

[the title quotation is from Roman Holiday]