as if a woman ever loved a man for his virtue

Average rating: 8.33 (disregarding the fourth entry)

The Painted Veil (2006) - "This is a love story set in the 1920s that tells the story of a young English couple, Walter Fane (Edward Norton), a middle class doctor and Kitty (Naomi Watts), an upper-class woman, who get married for the wrong reasons and relocate to Shanghai, where she falls in love with someone else. When he uncovers her infidelity, in an act of vengeance, he accepts a job in a remote village in China ravaged by a deadly epidemic, and takes her along. Their journey brings meaning to their relationship and gives them purpose in one of the most remote and beautiful places on Earth."
length: 2 hours, 5 minutes

source: I own the DVD
I watched it because: I read an article about Edward Norton, and wanted to seek out one of my favorites of his movies.

    previously reviewed here
IMDB: 7.4/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 74% Audience: 85%
my IMDB: 9/10

MPAA rating: PG-13

notable quote: "'For God's sake, Walter, will you stop punishing me? Do you absolutely despise me?'

    'No. I despise myself.'

    'Why?'

    'For allowing myself to love you once.'"

directed by: John Curran

my notes: one of the most beautiful movies ever made. The cinematography is top notch. The costumes, hairstyling, makeup, props, and sets are gorgeous, as if from another world. The actors are magnificent. This is essentially Naomi Watts' film, with Edward Norton and the rest of the cast as supporting players, and she carries it well. She and Norton have great chemistry, and she accurately and believably plays both weakness and strength. The moment when the two of them hug in the infirmary is where their marriage really begins. 

overall: strongly recommended

 

After the Thin Man (1936) - "Back in San Francisco after their holiday in New York, Nick and Nora find themselves trying to solve another mystery. It's New Year's Eve and they are summoned to dinner with Nora's very aristocratic family. There they hear that cousin Selma's husband Robert has been missing for three days. Nick reluctantly agrees to look for him. The case takes a twist when Robert is shot and Selma is accused of murder. Several other murders occur, but eventually Nick gathers everyone in one room to reveal the identity of the killer. "
length: 1 hour, 52 minutes

source: I own the DVD (set)
I watched it because: I'm watching the whole arch in order

    previously reviewed here and here
IMDB: 7.6/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 96% Audience: 90%
my IMDB: 7/10

MPAA rating: Approved

notable quote: "'Good night Nick, and thanks so much for everything. I want to kiss you.' [Looks at Nora] 'May I?'

    'Go right ahead. But I warn you, it's a hard habit to get out of.'"

directed by: W.S. Van Dyke

my notes: it's not as brilliant as the first in the series, but it's still a fun and smart movie. Nick and Nora's interplay is the best, with the mysteries serving as background for their extravagant weirdness. 

    Hint: the bad guy is especially delicious.
Academy Award nominee: Best Writing, Screenplay—Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett
overall:  recommended

The Train (1964) - "With the Allies poised to retake Paris from the Germans, Col. Franz Von Waldheim (Paul Scofield) conspires to sneak out by train all of the art masterpieces looted by the German army. But museum curator Mademoiselle Villard (Suzanne Flon) alerts the French Resistance, and soon railway inspector Paul Labiche (Burt Lancaster) is pressed into service. He reroutes the train, and cleverly deceives Von Waldheim by renaming each train station along the way."
length: 2 hours, 13 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD from my parents' collection
I watched it because: I've seen a few not-so-great war movies lately, and wanted one that I knew would be worthwhile

    previously reviewed here
IMDB: 7.8/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 94% Audience: 89%
my IMDB: 9/10

MPAA rating: Not rated

notable quote: "What's it like, here in Saint-Avold?"

directed by: John Frankenheimer

my notes: terrific action film as well as a very good war movie. Probably Lancaster's best work. (My only real problem with this movie is the pretense of Lancaster's character being French. Accent notwithstanding, he's just so clearly a big American guy!) Keeping in mind that this was made without computer-aided design, and that the cast did their own stunts, it's a mind-blowing film.

    Roger Ebert's assessment of Frankenheimer's work is here, with which I agree - and want to see more

Academy Award nominee: Best Writing, Story and Screenplay, Written directly for the screen—Franklin Coen, Frank Davis
overall:  highly recommended

A King in New York (1957) - "When King Igor Shahdov (Charles Chaplin) flees the revolutionaries of Estonia, he arrives in New York City with almost nothing. With a theater background, Shahdov finds work in TV commercials. But when he befriends 10-year-old Rupert Macabee (Michael Chaplin) and the boy's communist parents, the U.S. House Un-American Activities Committee deems Shahdov a communist and arrests Rupert's family. Enraged at American paranoia, Shahdov fights the HUAC for the family's freedom."
length: 1 hour, 45 minutes

source: I borrowed the DVD through the public library
I watched it because: some of Chaplin's films are magnificent
IMDB: 7.0/10  -  Rotten Tomatoes: Tomatometer: 80% Audience: 73%
my IMDB: DNF

MPAA rating: G

notable quote: "'What's that you're reading?'

    'Karl Marx.'

    'Surely, you're not a Communist?'

    'Do I have to be a Communist to read Karl Marx?'"

directed by: Chaplin

my notes: I couldn't watch it. The politics was far too overdone, and the fun is buried beneath foolish, annoying characters and speechifying. I learned an important lesson, though. My love for Chaplin is in his expressions, his physicality, and the simplicity of his silent works. 

    I might give this one another go sometime in the future when politics in this country is not so fraught. As it is now, the film was too ... provoking.

    Roger Ebert's review is here, with which I almost completely disagree—except for this assessment: "...the Chaplin who communicated so well without words depends on them too much."

overall: not  recommended

 

[the title quotation is from The Painted Veil]