Final January films

First viewings:

Sin Takes A Holiday (1930) Constance Bennett, Basil Rathbone, Kenneth MacKenna, Zasu Pitts. Secretary Sylvia, enters into a marriage of convenience with her boss, who sends her off to Paris to live. She becomes a fashionista and romantic partner of bon vivant Reggie. Interesting early pre-code film with all the players in various illicit activities. Bennett has her usual great wardrobe which is what her fans wanted to see. Rathbone is lots of fun to see as a romantic lead. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021377/combined

Monte Carlo (1930) Jeanette MacDonald, Jack Buchanan, Zasu Pitts. Jeanette sings "Beyond The Blue Horizon" which becomes sort of her theme song, it became so popular during the early days of the depression. Story of Counts, Countesses and Princes, was directed by Ernst Lubitsch with his light touch. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021153/combined

Ladies They Talk About (1933) Barbara Stanwyke, Preston Foster, Lilian Roth. Strange pre-code film of bank robbers, gun molls, evangelist Dave Slade who loves but gives up Nan and sends her to prison. Stanwyke is tough and walks into prison like she owns it. Roth, a lifer, befriends her and shows her the ropes. Not a favorite early film of Missy, but she is always worth watching. 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024238/combined

A Man's Castle (1933) Loretta Young, Spencer Tracy, Marjorie Rambeau, Glenda Farrell. Trina is homeless and hungry. Bill takes her in to his shack in a squatters camp. She fixes it up and loves him but he is a rolling stone who is about to jump a freight train when he finds out she is going to have a baby.. Early look at the way young people had to live in the early years of the depression. Cast is very good, and Loretta is luminous. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024302/combined

Purchase Price (1932) Barbara Stanwyke, George Brent, Lyle Talbot. Barbara as a torch singer and mistress to a racketeer grows tired of the life and runs away and eventually takes the place of another woman who sent a picture of our singer instead of one of her own, to a farmer looking for a mail order bride. So out to North Dakota she goes and to marry said farmer. Not one of the stars best - I found it strange and unlikable. 3/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023362/combined

Me & My Gal (1932) Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett. Tracy as a cop and Joan as a waitress with a meandering story that was not very interesting or charming. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023202/combined

Ladies With A Past (1932) Constance Bennett, Ben Lyon, David Manners. Connie is a rich girl who is nice and seems unable to interest men. So she hires a guy to squire her around and make her seem naughty. Silly story but Connie dresses in gorgeous frocks and looks beautiful all the same. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023110/combined

Cross Country Romance (1940) Gene Raymond, Wendy Barrie, Hedda Hopper. Immediately reminds you of It Happened One Night because of the runaway heiress bride. Not as good and the gal is rather an unpleasant spoiled brat so the question is - why is he putting up with her? Oh yeah - he a good guy! 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032369/combined

23 Paces To Baker St. (1956) Van Johnson, Vera Miles, Cecil Parker. Okay thriller about a blind man who overhears a conversation about murder. Van is good as the author of a play in London who tries to find out who has been killed and who did it. Not as suspenseful as it could have been. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048919/combined

ENCORES:

Nicholas & Alexandra (1971) Michael Jayston, Janet Suzman, Irene Worth, Tom Baker. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067483/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

The Contender (2000) Joan Allen. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0208874/combined

The Phantom Of The Opera (2004) Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum. Love it. 10/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0293508/combined

The Proposal (2009) Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1041829/combined

In The Valley Of Elah (2007) Tommie Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon, Jason Patric, James Franco. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478134/combined