One New & some Encores---

NEW TO ME:

Emma (2009 TV series) Romolo Garai, Michael Gamon, Johnny Lee Miller.  Jane Austen's novel of a meddlesome but sweet young woman who wants her friends to marry well, and who she chooses, is wonderfully realized in the 4 part mini-series.  The village and the homes used in England, make the story all the more real and beautifully realized.  Nominated for many awards, and won an Emmy for hair styling.  8/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1366312/combined

ENCORES:

Saratoga Trunk (1945) Ingrid Bergman, Gary Cooper.     10/10

Dead Reckoning (1947) Humphrey Bogart, Lizabeth Scott.           7/10           

The Best Of Everything (1958) Hope Lange, Diane BAker, Stephen Boyd, Suzy Parker.    8/10  

The Caine Mutiny (1959) Humphrey Bogart, Van Johnson, Jose Farrar, Fred MacMurray.  8/10   

Erin Brockovich (2000) Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart.                9/10

Taken 2 (2012) Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace.                       6/10

The brilliant and the bummers---

NEW TO ME:

Tess (1979) Nastassja Kinski, Peter Firth.  Awful story of a beautiful poor girls struggle to survive in 1800's England.  She is preyed upon by men and has to do anything to survive.  I hated the whole thing and felt awful when it ended.  Now I find it was made by pedophile Roman Polansky and think he is a sick SOB.  4/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080009/combined

The Object Of My Affection (1996) Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd, Alan Alda, Aison Janney, Steve Zahn.  Rom/com about a woman who finds herself pregnant with one stupids guys baby, but has a really great gay guy sharing her apartment.  It all works out but these people are too good to be true.  6/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120772/combined

8MM (1999) Nicholas Cage, Joaquin Phoenix.  Awful mess about a private eye sent by the widow of a rich man to find out if a film found in his safe is real.   He ends up in the porn/snuff industry  in Los Angeles.  I could not finish this stinker.  Who wants to wallow in such stuff.  It is enough to read about it in the news.  4/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0134273/combined

Love, Marilyn (2012) Documentary about her life, using film clips, interviews with those who knew her, and her letters and recently found diaries and notebooks of her writings,  Fifty years after her death she is still a favorite topic, and her pictures are still used and sold.  I still feel sorry for her all these years later.  8/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2077747/combined

ENCORES:

The Great McGinty (1940) Brian Donlevy, Akim Tamiroff, Murial Angelus, William Demarest. The first of writer Preston Sturges great films he directed.  Story of a bum who rises to be governor of a state with the help of a crooked boss.  His in-name-only marriage to his secretary, who then fall in love, and the jaded look at politics, is as relevant today as it was 80 years ago.  9/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032554/combined

Reap The Wild Wind (1942) Ray Milland, Paulette Goddard, Susan Hayward, Raymond Massey, John Wayne.  Cecil B. DeMille's story of clipper ships, the Florida Keys, storms and southern belles, is entertaining.  What DeMille does best.  Shot in beautiful technicolor.  And a giant squid for good measure!  8/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035244/combined

Wag The Dog (1997) Dustin Hoffman, Robert DeNiro, Anne Heche, Willie Nelson, Woody Harrelson.  Political satire and dark humor about a Presidential election, and doing whatever it takes.  Hoffman as a Hollywood producer hired to do the impossible, is terrific.  At every problem he says "this is nothing!"  8/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035244/combined

Argo (2012) Ben Affleck's Oscar winning film is a favorite of 2012.  Watch it often.  9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1024648/combined

A good week of watching films---

NEW TO ME: 

Anthony Adverse (1936) Fredric March, Olivia deHavilland, Claude Rains, Gale Sondergaard, Edmund Guenn, Anita Louise. 18th century Italy and a story of how an orphan rises from nobody to wealth and his adventures in the Indies, Africa and finally off to America, and freedom.  You can see why March was a matinee idol of the 1930's.  Very handsome and very good actor.  Anita Louise is luminous.  8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027300/combined

And The Band Played On (1993) Mathew Modine, Alan Alda, Richard Gere, Glenne Headly. The first years of the AIDS virus and the fight to get funding and finally the infighting among the doctors from the USA and France about who would be given credit for the discovery of what it was. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106273/combined

The Stranger Beside Me (1995-TVmovie) Tiffany Thiessen.  Tiffany, a star of White Collar,  is the only reason to watch this mess.  About a woman married to a guy who is a serial rapist.  She slowly grows suspicious and finds a way to save herself and her baby. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114559/combined

Turbulence (1997) Ray Liotta, Lauren Holly. A flight during Christmas season, plane all decorated and everything, and a madman and a flight attendant duke it out.  Finally gets that sucker landed all by herself.  Whew!  Tiresom drivel, but nothing else would do.  Liotta plays nuts okay. 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120390/combined

Emma (2009 TVseries) Romolo Garai, Michael Gamon, Johnny Lee Miller.  Jane Austen's novel of a meddlesome but sweet young woman who wants her friends to marry well, and who she chooses, is wonderfully realized in the 4 part mini-series.  The village and the homes used in England, make the story all the more real and beautifully realized.  Nominated for many awards, and won an Emmy for hair styling.  8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1366312/combined                          
Ides Of March (2011) Ryan Gosling, Paul Giamatti, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, George Clooney. Dirty politics among the staffs of campaign rivals.  Interesting, but we end up not caring about any of these buggers.  7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1124035/combined

ENCORES:

The Thin Man Goes Home (1945) William Powell, Myrna Loy,  Lucille Watson, Anne Revere, Gloria deHaven.  Nick and Nora go home on holiday and get involved in - ta da - murder!  Not up to the best of the series, but Asta saves the day being cute.  And even on their worst day, better than most. 8/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037365/combined

The Great Ziegfeld (193) William Powell, Frank Morgan, Myrna Loy, Luise Rainer. Story of the great Broadway producer of extravaganzas, glorifying the American Girl.  9/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027698/combined

The Heiress (194) Olivia deHavilland, Montgomery Clift, Miriam Hopkins, Ralph Richardson. Olivia's second Oscar win and she is magnificent.  Great film of the successful Broadway play of the Sloper father and daughter, and a young man intent on marrying 'the heiress.'  10/10

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041452/combined

Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf (1966) Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, George Segal, Sandy Dennis.   Volatile, overwrought drama of aging couple spending a drunken evening with new couple on campus. One of the films that introduced cussing to American movies. 6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061184/combined

Wait Until Dark (1967) Audrey Hepburn, Alan Arkin, Richard Crenna.  Blind woman in danger. As the years go by, Hepburn's delivery of her lines seems more and more false.  6/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062467/combined

The Day Of The Jackal (1973) Edward Fox as an assassin is riveting.  9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069947/combined

28 Days (2000) Sandra Bullock, Viggo Mortensen, Dominic West, Elizabeth Perkins.  Alcholic and drug abuser is sentenced to rehab for 28 days instead of a jail term, which she will serve if she fails to get sober.  Her drinking buddy boyfriend is no help because he just wants to party.  Bullock is good as a perp who isn't serious about reform until she is almost sent off to prison.  8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0191754/combined

The Jane Austin Book Club (2007) Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Kathy Baker.  A group read through all the Austin novels while living lives they discover match the heroines of the books.  8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0866437/combined        

Trouble With The Curve (2012) Clint Eastwook, Amy Adams, John Goodman, Justin Timberlake.   Favorite film of the year.  Baseball, romance - what could be better?  8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2083383/combined         

Final movies enjoyed in JANUARY

NEW TO ME:

What Price Hollywood? (1932) Constance Bennett.  Waitress finds stardom and trouble.  7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023686/combined

Small Town Girl (1936) Janet Gaynor, Robert Taylor. She marries a rich guy. 7/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0028269/combined

Divorce (1945) Kay Francis, Bruce Cabot.  A Monogram film and a step down for our Kay. Forgettable. 6/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037645/combined

Wintertime (1943) Sonja Heinie, Cesar Romero, Cornel Wilde, Carole Landis, Jack Oakie. Ice Skating, music and great ballroom dancing by Romero. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036540/combined

The Package (1984) Gene Hackman, Tommie Lee Jones, Joanna Cassidy. Green Beret Sgt. has to get Green Beret prisoner to USA, but he escapes and the chase is on.   7/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098051/combined

Beautiful Creatures (2013) Jeremy Irons, Viola Davis, Rmmy Rossum.  Why are these good actors in this mess.    5/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1559547/combined

A Good Day To Die Hard (2013) Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney.  John McClane has a son and they are in Russia.  Boring.  5/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606378/combined

ENCORES:

Maytime (1934) Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy, John Barrymore. Perfect.  Great singing. Beautiful cinematography.  10/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029222/combined

The Women (1939) Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Mary Boland, Rosalind Russell, Paulette Goddard.  Great comedy.  10/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029222/combined

Broadway Melody of 1940 Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell, George Murphy, Ian Hunter, Frank Morgan.  Did not enjoy it as much as the first time I saw it.  Seemed labored and dull.   Downgraded a point.  Still, it has The Fred, Frank and Hunter.  Not a fan of Powell.   8/10  
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032284/combined

Nobody Lives Forever (1946) John Garfield, Geraldine Fitzgerald. Good film noir with romance.  8/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038780/combined

That Midnight Kiss (1949) Mario Lanza, Kathryn Grayson, Jose Iturbi, Ethel Barrymore. The film that introduced the great singer.  Lively romance and great music.  8/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041956/combined

Rear Window (1954) James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Thelma Ritter, Wendall Corey, Raymond Burr. One of Hitchcock's finest. 10/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047396/combined

Gambit (1966) Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, Herbert Lom.  Favorite caper film.  9/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060445/combined   

Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci.  Buddy cops Riggs and Murtaugh get a federal witness -Leo - to protect who is a pain the neck but helps out anyway. 8/10 http://whttp:www.imdb.com/title/tt0097733/combined

Lethal Weapon 3 (1992) Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo.  Riggs, Murtaugh and Leo, get a buddy cop who is a woman who can match Riggs all the way.  8/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0104714/combined

Sleepless In Seattle (1993) Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan.  Charming romance.  8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108160/combined

The Pelican Brief (1993) Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Sam Shephard, John Heard, James B. Sikking, Tony Goldwyn.  Conspiracy political thriller. 9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107798/combined

Clear and Present Danger (1993) Harrison Ford, William Dafoe, Anne Archer, James Earl Jones. Tom Clancy's character, Jack Ryan, takes of the Columbia drug cartels.  8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109444/combined

First Wives Club (1996) Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Bette Midlar.  Three women get dumped by their husbands but get their revenge.  Great cast. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116313/combined

Syriana (2005) George Clooney, Matt Damon, Christopher Plummer, Chris Cooper.  spying and other nefarious dealing in the oil industry. Confused. 6/10    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0365737/combined

Hurt Locker (2008) Jeremy Renner.  Iraq war bomb squad maverick is a loner and not liked, but gets the job done.  8/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0887912/combined

The Bourne Legacy (2012) Jeremy Renner, Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, Stacy Keach.  Another part of the CIA has operatives that  are targeted to be killed.  Number 5 Aaron Cross has to figure out how to stay alive and keep Dr. Marta Shearing from being killed, also.  Solid entry into the Bourne world. Gorgeous scenery of snow capped mountains and trees.  9/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1194173/combined

TV Series Favorites: 

Jane Eyre (2006) Toby Stephens. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780362/combined
White Collar Final episodes for season. Matt Bomer; Tim DeKay, Willie Garson. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1358522/episodes?season=5
Black Sails (2014) Episode 1 Toby Stephens. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2375692/combined