Films this week May 5 - 11

We are still having unsettled weather, lots of rain and high winds. Not the best for being outdoors trying to plant a few flowers. So I stayed in and watched a few of my favorites:

Flying Down To Rio (1933) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024025/
Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire's first teaming and they dance to the Carioca. And the title song is staged on old biplanes flying over the hotel. Girls hanging onto whatever, waving their arms, legs, while the plane swoops and it is silly but fun. Busby Berkley directed the number. Delores del Rio and Gene Raymond are involved in romance. Song "Orchids In The Moonlight" is sung and the camera makes love to Delores' face. 7/10

First Love (1939) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031311/
Deanna Durbin's first grown up role. Robert Stack gives her her first movie kiss. Story an updated version of Cinderella. She is surrounded by great character actors and sings "Amapola", "Home, Sweet, Home", and the aria from Madame Butterfly, "One Fine Day" in English. Her voice and great screen personality makes her films delightful. 9/10

The Tamarind Seed (1974) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072253/
One of my favorite spy/mystery/romance films. Julie Andrews is lovely in the '70s fashions by Dior. Omar Sharif is handsome as the Russian attache she meets on holiday in Barbados. It is the height of the Cold War and both British intelligence and the Russian agents are trying to recruit each other. But our couple are just trying to see each other as friends and then fall in love. Beautiful cinematography and the leads have never been so lovingly filmed, perhaps due to Blake Edwards, Julies husband, being the director. 9/10

Arthur (1981) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082031/
One of my favorite comedies of the 80s. Dudley Moore as a rich lush who meets poor girl Linda (Liza Minnelli), stealing a tie from a ritzy mens store, and is enthralled, is perfect. John Gielgud, as Hobson his man Friday, is wonderful in his Oscar winning role. Lots of fun "getting these two kids together", as Linda's father says. Fine supporting cast and score help it along. 8/10

The Client (1994) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109446/
A John Grisham story about a murder witnessed by two young brothers while out on the bank of a bayou, sneaking a smoke. Susan Saradon is a feisty lawyer hired by the 11 year old boy, who is smarter than most of the adults. Tommie Lee Jones is the States Attorney trying to find out what the boy knows. And the mob is trying to shut the kid up before he says anything. Lots of great dialog and atmosphere. Director Joel Schumacher does a great job with the boy (Brad Renfro) who is very natural in front of the camera. 9/10

Disclosure (1994) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109635/
Demi Moore and Michael Douglas square off in a battle of who is sexually harassing who at a conglomerate electronics company. Interesting and thought provoking. The sex scene is pretty hot even for this day and age. 8/10

The First Wives Club (1996) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116313/
Diane Keaton, Goldie Hawn and Bette Midler are college friends, who have all been recently dumped by husbands who they helped make successful. They meet again at the fourth friends funeral, after her suicide, because she too, had been recently divorced. How they come together and form a revenge pact to get back their own, is a fun romp and women understand completely. 8/10

Bringing Down The House (2003) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0305669/
Queen Latifah and Steve Martin in a story centering on internet dating and how it makes fools of everyone. Latifah is great. A natural force of nature. 7/10

How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days (2003) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0251127/
The title says it all. Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey are pretty and cute and both make bets with their collegues they can make the other fall in love and then be dumped in 10 days. Does it happen? Is this a rom/com? The leads are fine and it's fun, so 8/10

Mothers Day yesterday brought my two daughters with presents, my stepdaughter sent roses, and a wonderful seafood dinner in front of the fireplace overlooking the lake at the new Bass Pro restaurant. Very nice day.