Saturday, July 29, 2006

More Yadda, Yadda, Yadda

Okay--well, I am still feeling about as creative as your average vegetable...so today I will be rambling on about some of my favorite movies. And since I could go on and on and on about movies in general, I will try to limit myself to some of my favorite classic movies.

The Manchurian Candidate. There was a time when I wouldn't be caught dead watching a black and white movie. But many moons ago, when extended cable wasn't as extended as it is today, I was stuck with nothing to watch and decided to give this movie a go. It turned out to be an awesome movie and forever ended my snobbery against black and white movies. The movie was a political landmine when it was released, playing on all the fears that Americans had about "the enemy". Stands the test of times. And despite the excellent cast of the remake, I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. You could just tell that it wouldn't be the same.(Frank Sinatra, Janet Leigh, Laurence Harvey, Angela Landsbury)

The Day the Earth Stood Still. Another movie spawned by fear...this of nuclear weapons. The special effects are nothing compared to what we see today, but so what....it's still a good movie. And "Klattu barada nikto" has made its way into latter day culture...quoted in Army of Darkness for one. And its overly simple look and right and wrong, good and evil are somehow refreshing instead of trite. And Gort rocks! (Michael Rennie, Patricia Neal)

Harvey. Come on...what's not to love about a story about a man and his imaginary friend (a six foot three and half inch rabbit). It's a sweet movie filled with great quotes like, "Well, I've wrestled with reality for 35 years, Doctor, and I'm happy to state I finally won out over it. " Elwood, my hero, flying in the face of convention all the way through the movie and all the happier for it. (James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Charles Drake)

Night of the Living Dead. Nothing beats this classic. It is genuinely creepy and far superior to every attempted remake or all the "sequels". And the ending....well, it is the definition of irony. "They're coming to get you Barbra." (Duane Jones, Judith O'Dea, Karl Hardman)

Casablanca. After I got over my "fear" of black and white films, I decided to give this one a try and immediately fell in love with it. It is amazing to think that when this movie was made, the film companies were churning out 50 pictures a year each and had to trade for stars like baseball cards. Great lines, great starts, great story and a wonderful love story. Also, one of the most misquoted movies of all time. (Humphrey Bogart, Claude Rains, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid)

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. Socially relevant and very challenging when it came out, this movie shines. From Hepburn's firing of snobbish Hilary to Tracy's fight with his sock drawer, the movie will please. It's sad, it's funny, it's 100% worthy. (Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier)

Sabrina. Another movie where I wouldn't touch the remake with a ten foot pole. Nothing against Harrison Ford, but he's no Bogart. Bogart wasn't originally thought of as a leading man, but it doesn't get any better than him, does it? Underneath the love story, there is a message about class distinction, but it isn't nearly heavy handed to ruin the movie. (Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, William Holden)

The War of the Worlds. I actually did watch the remake of this recently (I can't resist a disaster flick) and despite all the advancements in special effects, the remake pales in comparison to the original. Sometimes the special effects get in the way...before they came along, you really had to concentrate on the character and the stories. (Gene Barry, Ann Robinson, Les Tremayne)

And that is all for today! What are you favorite classic movies...or heck, just your favorite movies?

5 Comments:

Blogger Dagoth said...

Hi Hope

All of Them! If I turn on TCM or AMC and there is any good old B&W movie on I am immediately sucked right in and it will be over with before I noticed that I stopped to watch it. I have always had issues with the new movies that spend millions on effects and the plot and storyline take a backseat. Even the music was so much more dramatic to keep you on the edge of your seat. The movie industry forgot how to make a drama quite some time ago...

2:25 PM  
Blogger kimber said...

I need to watch "Harvey", because I know it will instantly be a favorite!

If I was to pick five classic movies that I love, they would be (in no particular order):
1. Mothra
2. The Sound of Music
3. The Spirit of St. Louis
4. The Great Escape
5. Rear Window

Now all I want to do on this rainy afternoon is watch movies! Hurray!

4:11 PM  
Blogger Tai said...

I love the Katherine Hepburn, so I'm pretty happy watching her in anything!

6:09 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

Me, I can watch Mary Poppins anytime :-)

3:09 AM  
Blogger djn said...

I love musicals so I don't know if you can classify any of them as classics. IMO you can so I'll add my 2 cents. I love Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. And I love It's a Wonderful Life.

4:02 PM  

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