Only Angels Have Wings, The Phantom, 300, Conviction-----

---this week I watched:

Only Angels Have Wings (1939) Jean Arthur, Cary Grant, Rita Hayworth, Richard Barthelmess, Thomas Mitchel. Great cast in a story of the early attempt to set up a flying mail service in a South American port city. It is dangerous work because of the narrow passes through the mountains and horrible rain storms that come at a moments notice, along with lots of fog. Into this setting comes showgirl Bonnie, off a boat on her way back to the States. She is immediately smitten by Geoff, the fly guy in charge, and against her better judgement, decides to stay. Into this mix comes the MacPhersons, Bat and Judy. He is disgraced for having baled out on his mechanic, who was killed. But the number two man at this air field is the dead guys brother, the Kid, Geoff's best friend. More involved and more in depth insights than most films of its' day, every character has a small but telling scene and it all adds up to a terrific movie. 10/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031762/

Phantom Of The Opera (2004) Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossom, Minnie Driver, Now bing shown on the Cinemax channels. I DVR'd it and watch a few minutes every day. An all-time favorite film. For me - 10/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0293508/

300 (2006) Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham. Shown on TNT on the 20th, so watched it even though it was cut up badly.
Still, King Leo and the 300 are worth watching in bits and pieces - and the altogether. LOL 10/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416449/

Conviction (2010) Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver, Loren Dean. Based on a real story about a man (Rockwell) who is convicted of murder. His sister (Swank) works for 15 years to prove he is not guilty. Very intense and unnerving story. She gives up almost everything to become a lawyer so she can challenge the evidence in the case and get "The Innocence Project" lawyers to take up this case. She finally succeeds in getting the DNA evidence that had been taken but not given to the defence, and her brother is set free. The followup at the end of the film say she is still taking hopeless cases to this day. Hilary, Sam and Driver are excellent. 8/10    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1244754/

Running Scared

Running Scared(1988) Billie Crystal, Gregory Hines, Dan Hedaya, Jimmy Smits. Buddy cop film extraordinaire. Two Chicago cops and their crazy way of doing their job makes a very funny and entertaining time at the movies. They are after drug dealers killing people and get into a mess when 2 undercover cops are outed by mistake. Off on a vacation ordered by their boss, Hedaya, they find themselves in Key West. Sunshine, babes, booze and they decide the good life is for them. They'll buy a bar! But first they have to finish the drug case and nab Smits the head guy. Love the bro-love and their one brain so they finish each other sentences. Hedeya is perfect as their boss being slowly driven crazy by them. Hines and Crystal make it fun, and the great chase segment that ends up on the Chicago El is outstanding. in Fact, Chicago is a star of the film too. Great shots of some of the old north side buildings. I keep a copy in my collection to watch every few years. This time Cinemax is showing it as a hot summertime treat. 8/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091875/

The Good Girl, Life, etc---

The Good Girl (2002) Jennifer Aniston, Jake Gyllenhaul, John C. Reilly, Zooey Deschanel. At a super discount store romance and lust bust out among the employees.  Married Justine (the good girl) and the stock boy Holden, have sex wherever, and he wants her to run away with him. But they have been seen and she is blackmailed into having sex with hubby's best friend. More complications. A slice of life, and the cast is fine. 7/10     http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0279113/


The Life Of David Gale (2003) Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney. A reporter (Winslet) goes to interview a man convicted of rape and murder and scheduled to die soon. In a series of flashbacks we see that he is a Professor of philosophy at the University Of Texas. And an activist against the death penalty. The unraveling of the story is interesting and the final revelations sad. It should have been more affecting, but whether by the actors or the director or the writing, it is sort of limp. 6/10    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0289992/

The American (2010) George Clooney. An assassin has his last assignment in Italy. Story is so muddled and boring that I ended up not caring who did what to whom. The scenery was pretty. 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1440728/

Life As We Know It (2010) Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, Josh Lucas, Clagett sisters. Sports Director Eric and Bakery/sandwich shop owner Holly, are best friends of the Clagetts, who have arranged a date but the two are not at all compatible. So later when the match makers die in a car accident, it is with shock that they learn from the Clagett lawyer that they have been named guardians for the year old baby girl, Sophie, who both love. The big house is paid for by the insurance, but the social worker says they must live there and show they can take care of a child. Fish out of water story for the next hour. Slowly they get to know and like each other and after a few wrong turns, we have a happy ending. Heigl is one of our loveliest stars right now. IMO. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1055292/

Claudette Colbert: STAR; Oscar Winner; Fashion Hall Of Fame(1958); Part II,

She Married Her Boss (1935) Claudette Colbert, Melvin Douglas, Jean Dixon. Secretary(Julia) is highly efficient and runs office like a well oiled machine. Clueless owner of the department store(Barclay)s where they work, is divorced, living with his daughter(Annablle) - a spoiled brat; and his sister(Gertrude) who rules by having the vapors every ten minuites. The butler, Franklin,(Raymond Walborn) sees all and does accordingly. When boss decides to bring secretary home so they can continue working on the new store opening, she sees that he needs a wife. And who else but her? She is in love with the dolt but why is never divulged. Players are all good, but script is muddled and makes some of the actors seem like fools. Not in a funny way. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0026986/

Midnight (1939) Claudette Colbert, Don Ameche, Mary Astor, John Barrymore, Francis Lederer. A true screwball comedy right up there with "Bringing Up Baby." Paris taxi driver Tibor, comes across showgirl Eve, running away from hotel and gambling debts. When he gets too involved, she skips out and gets into a society shindig and becomes a fourth in a bridge game with Helene Flammarion (Astor) and her partner, and Jacques Picot(Lederer) as her partner. This is exactly what Mr.Flammarion has been waiting for and he manages to set Eve up with a hotel suite at the Ritz, luggage and clothes. He arrives the next morning to tell her he just wants her to keep Picot interested and away from his wife. That's the set up and the next 45 minutes are some of the goofiest and funniest from that golden era. Ameche can go from a suave Count to a raving lunitic in the bat of an eye. Barrymore may have had to read his lines off giant cue-cards, but he is just perfect as the man behind the curtain pulling all the strings. Astor and Colbert never were filmed better. Great camera work. 10/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031647/

Claudette Colbert: STAR; Oscar Winner; Fashion Hall Of Fame(1958)----

The famous leg

 

It Happened One Night (1934-Oscar) Colbert (Oscar), Clark Gable (Oscar). Reporter gets on a bus and gets into a fuss with a clueless young woman. As they travel down the highway, he discovers she is an heiress running away from her father. who is trying to have her runaway marriage annulled. He decides to help her get away IF he can have her story exclusive. Both stars are very likable here and very pretty, but both had to be talked into doing it. Clark took off his shirt and sales of men's undershirts took a nosedive, because he wasn't wearing one. Claudette didn't want to do the scene showing her leg, so director Capra (Oscar) shot it with a double. But when she saw the rushes, she decided it wouldn't look right without her doing it - and it is the most frequently shown scene from the film.    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0025316/

The Fallen Idol, a true classic; Dance, Girl Dance, Lucy as a louse!----

The following films I have seen over he last 10 days:

On TCM:  first viewing
Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) Maureen O'Hara, Lucille Ball, Ralph Bellamy, Louis Hayward, Virginia Field. Innocent young woman(O'Hara) who is studying ballet, goes to big city and gets a job as a stooge for the star of the burlesque show (Lucy). She has tried to get in to see the producer of a Broadway show but been rejected. After many mixups and close calls, she finally is discovered and all is as it should be by the fadeout. Good cast makes film interesting for classis film fans. 7/10  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032376/

The Fallen Idol (1948) Ralph Richardson, Bobby Henrey, Michelle Morgan, Sonia Dresdel. ---is a film I relish and have since first seeing it in 1948-49. Great atmosphere, performances and the little boy is wonderful.

A butler, Baines, in a foreign embassy in London is idolized by the lonely little son of the Ambassador, and his wife, who spends much of the time away on missions. He tells the boy fanciful stories of his life and the boy believes it all. The butler and his wife have a frosty marriage, and a new employee at the embassy and he have managed to fall in love. The boy figures in to the wife discovering the romance and when she confronts her husband there is a terrible accident. The last half of the film is the police unraveling the web of deceipt and finding the truth. An amazing performance by Henrey as the boy; Richardson is perfect as the butler Baines; the ladies Morgan and Dresdel are good/ and evil personified. Familiar faces on the police also. 8/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040338/

Cocktail (1988) Tom Cruise, Bryan Brown, Elizabeth Shue. Veteran Brian goes to college during the day and supports himself as a bartender at night. Doug, his boss, teaches him how to be theatrical and together they are so spectacular, they become famous and draw huge crowds to the bar. Then things get complicated when Doug makes Brian so angry he leaves and goes to Jaimaca. There he meets artist Jordan, also from NYC and on holiday, and they fall in love. Again Doug shows up and dares Brian to hit on an older rich woman, and when Jordan sees the two leaving the bar together, she is outta there. How Brian gets his life back togther is the last third of the film. For a hot summer afternoon in an air-conditioned room with cold drinks, this wasn't bad. Young Tom was a smasher! 7/10
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094889/

Never Let Me Go (2010) Kiera Knightley, Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield. Awful story about cloning and harvesting organs. Had to quit watching half way through, it was so disturbing to me. At 79 I cannot imagine wanting to have a clone that I can canibalize so I could live to over 100. Sickening. 5/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1334260/