the only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize

Average rating: 8. Four really good ones!

The Keys of the Kingdom (1944) - "Orphaned as a child, Francis Chisholm grows up to join the priesthood. He decides to become a missionary in China, and arrives to find the previous church burned down. Undaunted, he presses on, but doesn't initially fare well with the local populace. It's not until the child of a Mandarin falls ill that Chisholm proves his worth. Over time, he collaborates with a trio of nuns, endures several wars and, at the end of his life, returns to Scotland."
length: 2 hours, 17 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I loved it the first time, and I needed something of this vibe today

    (previously reviewed here)
IMDB: 7.2/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: N/A% Audience: 83%

my IMDB: 9/10

MPAA rating: Approved

notable quote: "'Father, may I say something sinful?'

    'Of course not.'

    'You will hear it in confession anyway, because I'm thinking it.'"

directed by: John M. Stahl

my notes: I doubt that there is a living actor who would take the role of a good and devout priest in a quiet and gentle film, at the age of 28. Gregory Peck made remarkable choices. It's a marvelous, thoughtful, peaceful movie. Plus, Thomas Mitchell (Willie Tulloch) and Vincent Price (Angus Mealey)!

Academy Award nominee:
• Best Actor—Peck

• Best Cinematography, Black and White—Arthur C Miller

• Best Art Direction - Interior Decoration, Black and White—James Basevi, William S Darling, Thomas Little, Frank E Hughes

• Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture—Alfred Newman
overall: happily recommended

 

Steel Magnolias (1989) - "M'Lynn is the mother of bride-to-be Shelby Eatenton, and as friend Truvy Jones fixes the women's hair for the ceremony, they welcome a helping hand from aspiring beautician Annelle Dupuy Desoto. Diabetic Shelby has a health scare, which is averted but doesn't bode well for her hopes of having children. Time passes, and the women and their friends encounter tragedy and good fortune, growing stronger and closer in the process."
length: 1 hour, 57 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I haven't seen it in many years
IMDB: 7.3/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 73% Audience: 89%
my IMDB: 8/10

MPAA rating: PG

notable quote: "There's so much static electricity in this room, I pick up everything but boys and money."

directed by: Herbert Ross

my notes: good movie, funny and sad. A nice reminder to hug your people, and say the words when you have the chance.

Academy Award nominee: Best Supporting Actress—Julia Roberts

overall:  strongly recommended

War of the Arrows {Choi-jong-byeong-gi hwal} (2011) - "Thirteen years after the King Injo Revolt, the Chosun Dynasty is attacked by the Chung Dynasty of China. A young man named Na-mi leaves his demolished village to find his young sister, Ja-in, and her finance Su-koon, who were to wed on the very day of the attack. While on his mission to rescue her, he is being traced by Jushinta, a fierce Chung Warrior, and his band of malicious men who are out to stop him. Na-mi has but a day to rescue his sister before she is taken away to be a slave. When Na-mi finally finds his sister, Jushinta comes between them and a fierce battle between two of the finest warriors unfolds."
length: 2 hours, 2 minutes

source: I own the DVD
I watched it because: I was in the mood for something family-ish
IMDB: 7.1/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 100% Audience: 78%
my IMDB: 7/10

MPAA rating: R

directed by: Kim Han-Min

my notes: any published description of this movie makes it sound incredibly complex and hard to follow, but the experience of it is the opposite. An orphaned brother and sister are raised by a friend of their father's, after the father is killed as a traitor to the crown. They grow up extremely skilled archers, but the girl is as good a girl as the boy is a wastrel. Only after soldiers arrive to beat down the citizens does the boy figure out that he has a mission to accomplish.

    Good plot, terrific costumes and hair, bafflingly beautiful cinematography, and awesome archery and other weapon use. The closing scenes are especially marvelous.

overall:   recommended

The Wild Bunch (1969) - "In this gritty Western classic, aging outlaw Pike Bishop (William Holden) prepares to retire after one final robbery. Joined by his gang, which includes Dutch Engstrom (Ernest Borgnine) and brothers Lyle (Warren Oates) and Tector Gorch (Ben Johnson), Bishop discovers the heist is a setup orchestrated in part by his old partner, Deke Thornton (Robert Ryan). As the remaining gang takes refuge in Mexican territory, Thornton trails them, resulting in fierce gunfights with plenty of casualties."
length: 2 hours, 15 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I love William Holden
IMDB: 7.9/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 90% Audience: 91%
my IMDB: 8/10

AFI: 100 Years…100 Movies (original list 1998) #80

    100 Years…100 Thrills (2001) #69

    100 Years…100 Movies - 10th anniversary edition (2007) #79

    10 Top 10 (2008) Western #6

MPAA rating: R

notable quote: "'I'd like to make one good score and back off...'

    'Back off to what?'"

directed by: Sam Peckinpah

my notes: what a crazy, dangerous, funny, terrifying movie! Incredibly violent (body count: 145), angry, and fascinating. Holden, Ryan and Borgnine are awesome.

Academy Award nominee:
• Best Writing, Story and screenplay based on material not previously published or produced—Walon Green (screenplay/story); Roy N Sickner (story); Peckinpah (screenplay)

• Best Music, Original score for a motion picture (Not a Musical)—Jerry Fielding
overall: highly recommended

 

[the title quotation is from Steel Magnolias]