I watched these films recently:
Mr. Skeffington (1944) Bette Davis, Claude Rains. Beauty marries for money and has to live with the consequences, including a daughter she never wanted. A meditation on beauty, wealth, selfishness and fantasy lives. Begins in horse and buggy days and ends during WWII. Rains as the title character, a Jewish banker, is great as always. The story is a good 'Matinee' Ladies' film. My only quibble is Bette's high pitched delivery of her lines. Fanny is fake, but the voice is like chalk on a blackboard. Thanks goodness the writers delivered the daughter to a husband who takes her far, far away. Still for a afternoon by the fire I give it - 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037094/
Nights of Cabiria (1957) Guilietta Masina. I tried to enjoy seeing this film because it is praised to the heavens. Another of the prostitute films where we are forced to watch her being mistreated, cheated, almost killed. All the while the actress is screeching half the time and crying and acting all coy the rest of the time. Geezus in a pancake! If this was an USA film with Julia Roberts screaming her lines, and acting this stupid - all Hell would be rained on her head. But the fanboys have anointed Fellini and his wife above reproach. Well, eeeexxxxcuse me! 3/10 Bad, bad, bad! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0050783/
Taken (2008) Liam Neeson in a great action film about a former spy, retired and trying to reenter his estranged daughters life, who has to use his old skills to rescue her when she is kidnapped on a trip to Europe with a girlfriend. Action, start to finish. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0936501/
Lovely Bones (2009) Lots of fine actors take part in a film about a serial killer. We are guided through the film by one of the victims as she watches and waits for her body to be found because then she......ah what? I was stupefied. And have forgotten it already! 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0380510/
Con't another day....
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