Movies, Mom & Me

• 
  Commentary:  I've been wanting to own a copy of this movie forever ... well, since my mother died in 2008. You see, when she took off for parts unknown, I ended up quickly disconnecting our cable subscription in order to manage expenses on one source of income. I didn't think about it, I just did it; and suddenly realized how much I was giving up in the way of movies. This is one of those movies that Mom and I watched every time I could ferret it out on TCM or one of the many other cable-subscription-only channels that ran this audience favorite. Still, the disconnect had to be done.
    Since then, I've checked it out of our public library system more times than I can remember. It's a crowd pleaser (as well as one of Roger Ebert's Great Movies; his review of it is attached to the title of this post, above) so it circulates far and wide and I usually can't get it without putting a hold on it and waiting for notice that it's waiting for me. Often, the copy I receive has glitches in playback or, in one case, simply wouldn't cooperate with my disc player. As of right this minute, our library has seven copies, either loners or in collections, and all are checked out! Enough, I decided today. I need a copy of this movie in my collection. It'll arrive tomorrow.
    This movie brings me such joy no matter how many times I view it. Thank you, Hollywood, and James Cagney, for creating such a zesty, delightful, perennially infectious sweet. I'm surprised it's taken me this long to add it to my collection.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  James Cagney	George M. Cohan	Joan Leslie	Mary Cohan	Walter Huston	Jerry Cohan	Richard Whorf	Sam Harris
  Irene Manning	Fay Templeton	George Tobias	Dietz	Rosemary DeCamp	Nellie Cohan	Jeanne Cagney	Josie Cohan

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1942
    Directed by Michael Curtiz.

Labels: biography3, me-favorite4, mom-favorite2, musical2

# posted by gail @ 15:28    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G, not as often as you might think.
• Mentions:  *1*
• 
  Commentary:  We've only owned this movie since this last holiday season and only watched it once, I think. I am oddly attracted to it. I think my mother is, too. I think, unlike It's a Wonderful Life, which we are apt to watch in the middle of the summer, this will remain a holiday movie.
  Update 2/10/18:  Yes. This is a super-hero movie. Don't argue with me. Santa Claus is the epitome of the purely good super-hero.
  Update 11/17/2021:  This post was originally published February 6, 2005. It was one of the accidental deletions that occurred, which is covered in this post.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Maureen O'Hara	Doris Walker	John Payne	Fred Gailey	Edmund Gwenn	Kris Kringle	Gene Lockhart	Hon. Henry X. Harper
  Natalie Wood	Susan Walker	Porter Hall	Granville Sawyer	William Frawley	Charlie Halloran	Jerome Cowan	D. A. Thomas Mara

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1947
    Directed by George Seaton.

Labels: Christmas, comedy2, mom-favorite2, natalie-wood, super-hero2, thelma-ritter

# posted by gail @ 19:51    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1* *2*
• 
  Commentary:  I think Mom goes into deep reverie over this movie. The first few weeks after we purchased and first watched it, she watched this movie very frequently. I think I've memorized quite a bit of it. She likes the older version with Myrna Loy and Yours, Mine and Ours with Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda, too, as much if not more than the others, because Lucille Ball becomes a Navy wife, which my mother was, for awhile. I can never remember a time when my mother hasn't said, "I would have loved to have a dozen kids. We would have, if we could have afforded them."
    Forgive my momentary, and cheap, philosophizing, but, isn't it interesting that in a rich country people wonder if they can afford to have lots of children, whereas in a poor country people wonder if they can afford not to have lots of kids.
  Update 8/10/21:  Yes, I gave this movie to the library in the first cull of my collection after my mom died. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it, it's that my mother insisted on watching it so often I could quote dialog from it, so I had no desire to see, or hear, it again.
  Update 11/17/2021:  This post was originally published February 6, 2005. It was one of the accidental deletions that occurred, which is covered in this post.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Steve Martin	Tom Baker	Bonnie Hunt	Kate Baker	Piper Perabo	Nora Baker	Hilary Duff	Lorraine Baker
  Paula Marshall	Tina Shenk	Alan Ruck	Bill Shenk	Tiffany Dupont	Beth	Ashton Kutcher	Hank

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2003
    Directed by Shawn Levy.

Labels: comedy2, mom-favorite2

# posted by gail @ 19:05    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1*
• 
  Commentary:  Although we haven't watched this in awhile, we've watched it more than once. It is one I know will keep Mom occupied from beginning to end when she doesn't want to do anything else but wants to remain awake; I'm able to share in movie moments with her, since the movie has a fair number of satisfying moments, and this is important. It is, for my mother, primarily a "woman's movie" in the old tradition: Women sharing the deep secrets of womanhood; comedy and triumph at the expense of the men, who are clueless; in the end, the men are proud of their women but remain clueless, the women are proud of themselves and remain a society closed to the men; and the children, if there are any, remain clueless but promising. A film of old and treasured (and sometimes questionable) sensibilities.
  Update 11/17/2021:  This post was originally published February 6, 2005. It was one of the accidental deletions that occurred, which is covered in this post.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Helen Mirren	Chris Harper	Ciarán Hinds	Rod Harper	Julie Walters	Annie Clarke	Linda Bassett	Cora
  Annette Crosbie	Jessie	Celia Imrie	Celia	Penelope Wilton	Ruth Reynoldson	Geraldine James	Marie

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2003
    Directed by Nigel Cole.

Labels: comedy2, helen-mirren, mom-favorite2, popcorn-and-soda6, women's-movie2

# posted by gail @ 19:02    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  None
• 
  Commentary:  This movie is a treat for both of us. My mother is an animation fan, anyway, so she was an easy sell. She often requests this movie when I'm drying her hair, then watches it through to the end. We play the credits at least a couple of times per viewing because she and I both like the theme song (including the fact that it's written and sung by Randy Newman).
    I'm a very hard animation sell, but everything about this movie charmed me, including the concept and its development. I am a devotee of children's literature, anyway (all ages), but animation has never done much for me, even as a kid. Pixar, though, seems to know exactly how to seduce my eye, and I'm a big fan of most of their stuff. I consider this movie one of their most brazen and imaginative. Even so, after Mom died, I donated it to the library. I didn't think I'd watch it again because, well, again, I'm a very hard animation sell.
  Update 5/8/22:  This is a reposting of a previous post dated 2/7/2005 that I managed to recover.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  John Goodman	Sullivan	Billy Crystal	Mike	Mary Gibbs	Boo	Steve Buscemi	Randall
  James Coburn	Waternoose	Jennifer Tilly	Celia	Frank Oz	Fungus	John Ratzenberger	Yeti

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2001
    Directed by Pete Docter.

Labels: animated, dramedy2, kids, mom-favorite2, steve-buscemi, suspense2

# posted by gail @ 17:17    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  None
• 
  Commentary:  I think Mom considers this a type of gender bender movie. It's one of her favorites, one of those that, when ever it played on television previous to us buying it, I'd cue it, knowing that Mom would love it, yet again. I like it. There are certain scenes, in this movie, like the dance direction scene, the initial diva-trauma scene and the reminscing dance scene between Val's mother and father that I never get tired of watching. I saw the original La Cage aux Folles many, many years ago, enjoyed that movie, and have no problem with the existence of both, although I tend to consider them different movies. For some reason, though, certain scenes in this movie grate on me and, when Mom wants to watch it, I find it a good time to catch up on chores or my journals.
  Update 2/6/18:  Thought I should mention, in tribute, although my Chandler sister has not visited for a few years, almost every time she comes she insists on watching this movie. I think it may be one of her favorites, if not her absolute favorite. Come to think of it, I haven't watched it since one of her last visits and, now, I can't remember which of the scenes grates on me. Perhaps I should watch it again.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Robin Williams	Armand Goldman	Nathan Lane	Albert Goldman	Christine Baranski	Katharine Archer	Dan Futterman	Val Goldman
  Hank Azaria	Agador Spartacus	Calista Flockhart	Barbara Keeley	Gene Hackman	Sen. Kevin Keeley	Dianne Wiest	Louise Keeley

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1996
    Directed by Mike Nichols.

Labels: comedy1, gender-bender, mom-favorite2, popcorn-and-soda4, robin-williams

# posted by gail @ 13:13    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1* *2* *3* *4* *5* *6* *7* *8* *9* *10*
• 
  Commentary:  Although normally I'd say that all the comments would suffice as a review, this time I can say even more. Mom's favorite of the series is the first. Mine is Conquest of, although Battle for is a close runner up. We both much enjoyed the documentary on the making of the series, Behind the. The truth is, there is much that makes this series outstanding for its time and, thus, worth viewing. It set a couple of standards for science fiction movies, involving make-up and respecting the viewer's need for detail that grants plausibility, as well as respectable gaps that aren't too hard for the viewer to fill in, that puts it in the category of "must haves" for any science fiction movie maven. Even though the documentary clearly outlines a story of trying to milk an idea for all it was worth, its truthfulness lends even more respectability to the series. My mother, of course, is much more of a fan than I, and this is saying a lot, as I can imagine that I will eagerly watch all these films again with her.
  Update 2/9/18:  As I was updating the links in this site I noticed this link connected to a wonderful site about all the Apes movies. It insinuates that it will not remain up forever, having become an "archived" site, then talks a bit about its history. I don't know when this announcement was posted. I hope it remains at least until my own Mom & Me Journals sites are retired; frankly, I can't even imagine that possibility. Blogspot, as far as I can tell, keeps sites up forever and a day, even if they become "ghost" sites.
    Below is a list of all the movies in the sextilogy, the director of each and their corresponding links to their Wikipedia articles.
  
  
  • 
    Planet of the Apes
      

    Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
    Charlton Heston	George Taylor	Roddy McDowell	Dr. Cornelius	Kim Hunter	Dr. Zira	Maurice Evans	Dr. Zaius
    James Whitmore	Assembly President	James Daly	Dr. Honorious	Linda Harrison	Nova	Robert Gunner	Landon

    
      Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
      Release Date: 1968
      Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner.
    
    
  • 
    Beneath the Planet of the Apes
      

    Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
    James Franciscus	Brent	Kim Hunter	Zira	Maurice Evans	Dr. Zaius	Linda Harrison	Nova
    Paul Richards	Mendez	James Gregory	General Ursus	Gregory Sierra	Verger	Charlton Heston	Taylor

    
      Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
      Release Date: 1970
      Directed by Ted Post.
    
    
  • 
    Escape from the Planet of the Apes
      

    Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
    Roddy McDowall	Dr. Cornelius	Kim Hunter	Dr. Zira	Bradford Dillman	Dr. Lewis Dixon	Natalie Trundy	Dr. Stephanie Branton
    Eric Braeden	Dr. Otto Hasslein	William Windom	U.S. President	Sal Mineo	Dr. Milo	Ricardo Montalbán	Armando

    
      Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
      Release Date: 1971
      Directed by Don Taylor.
    
    
  • 
    Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
      

    Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
    Roddy McDowall	Caesar	Don Murray	Governor Breck	Ricardo Montalban	Armando	Natalie Trundy	Lisa
    Hari Rhodes	Role Name	Severn Darden	Kolp	John Randolph	Commission Chairman	David Chow	Aldo

    
      Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
      Release Date: 1972
      Directed by J. Lee Thompson.
    
    
  • 
    Battle for the Planet of the Apes
      

    Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
    Roddy McDowall	Caesar	Claude Akins	Aldo	Natalie Trundy	Lisa	Severn Darden	Kolp
    Lew Ayres	Mandemus	John Huston	The Lawgiver	Richard Eastham	Mutant Captain	France Nuyen	Alma

    
      Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
      Release Date: 1973
      Directed by J. Lee Thompson.
    
    
  • 
    Behind the Planet of the Apes - Documentary
      Very interesting, if you're a died-in-the-wool fan of these movies. My mom was, and she loved it. Although, frankly, I'm not sure if she thought she was watching a documentary or another Apes movie.
      Hosted and Narrated by Roddy McDowell
      Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
      Release Date: 1998
      Directed by Kevin Burns & David Comtois.

  Labels: apocalyptic, charlton-heston, mom-favorite2, nuclear, popcorn-and-soda4, science-fiction1

  
  
  # posted by gail @ 22:35    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1*
• 
  Commentary:  I think I covered everything in the "mention" above. Despite this, I've kept it. Although we haven't seen it again, I'll bet, one of these days when Animal Planet, Discovery and National Geographic all have shit on them and Mom's not interested in anything but animal stuff, it'll come in handy. I think it's the only animal special we have on DVD. Well, besides The Planet of the Apes movies, which I'm sure Mom considers the best of animal specials.
  Update: 7/31/21:  Well, dear reader, this one went in the library bin. I don't remember when, but it was probably during the first library dump after Mom died.
    Narrated by Morgan Freeman.
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2005
    Directed by Luc Jacquet.

Labels: animal, documentary1, mom-favorite2, morgan-freeman, science

# posted by gail @ 22:31    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1*
• 
  Commentary:  I got this as a nod to Mom (see mention) but, lo and behold, I enjoy it, too. It's not even a guilty pleasure for me. It's got some great actors in it, I enjoy the fact that the Japanese is not subtitled in English because it keeps the viewer in the same position as Anjin-San and, well, it's an involving production. Mom could probably watch this 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
    The interesting thing about this series and the book upon which it is based is that there is much historical background upon which they are based. Check out the Wikipedia article, linked below, and cruise through the actor list with its historical equivalents.
  Update 2/9/18:  I recently rewatched this series over a few nights, mainly to see if I wanted to donate it to the library. I vaguely noticed some "dating", but was still swept up. It will be remaining in my collection, for awhile, at least.
  Update 5/13/2022:  You may think that, by now, this series is close to the donate-to-the-library box. Not so! I've actually watched the entire series, over a weekend, about four months ago, in the depth of winter. I know its structure as a mini-series is dated but I continue to find it engaging, worthy of a winter weekend, and, perhaps, even a mid-summer weekend when there's nothing to do but, well, watch a mini-series!
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Richard Chamberlain	John Blackthorne	Toshirô Mifune	Yoshi Toranaga	Yoko Shimada	Lady Toda Mariko	Frankie Sakai	Kashigi Yabu
  Alan Badel	Father Dell'Aqua	Michael Hordern	Friar Domingo	Damien Thomas	Father Martin Alvito	John Rhys-Davies	Vasco Rodrigues

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1980
    Directed by Jerry London.

Labels: action3, adventure3, dramaA, mom-favorite2, period5, political4, popcorn-and-soda4, spectacle2, toshirô-mifune, TV2

# posted by gail @ 17:09    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  None
• 
  Commentary:  I'm surprised there is no mention of this movie in my journals. The reason I bought a copy is that Mom and I watch it every time we notice it playing on TV but we usually manage to cue it up after it's already begun. I'm only a fair fan of gender-bender movies. They have to have other qualities to recommend them and the gender bending performance has to be really sleek for me to enjoy it. This one qualifies on both counts. Mom always forgets that Tootsie is being played by a man until the end. The sideline performance of her surprise is a delight in itself to watch.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Dustin Hoffman	Michael Dorsey	Jessica Lange	Julie Nichols	Teri Garr	Sandy Lester	Dabney Coleman	Ron Carlisle
  Charles Durning	Leslie Nichols	Bill Murray	Jeff Slater	Sydney Pollack	George Fields	George Gaynes	John Van Horn
  Geena Davis	April Page	Doris Belack	Rita Marshall	Ellen Foley	Jacqui	Lynne Thigpen	Jo

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1982
    Directed by Sydney Pollack.

Labels: geena-davis, gender-bender, mom-favorite2, popcorn-and-soda4, romance3, satire2

# posted by gail @ 17:02    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  None
• 
  Commentary:  Mom's sister introduced both of us to this movie. Since knowing it was one of mom's sister's favorites it has become a favorite of Mom's although sometimes, now, it moves a little fast for her. I've always enjoyed this movie. It's like riding on a carousel.
  Update 9/29/19:  I know, I know. It may seem like I'm just looking for movies to include in my "gang-movie" category, but this movie is definitely a gang movie -- an "ad hoc" gang movie, with a muddled moral core (unusual for gang movies) that adds to its delightfulness.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Paul Newman	Henry Gondorff	Robert Redford	Johnny Hooker	Robert Shaw	Doyle Lonnegan	Robert Earl Jones	Luther Coleman
  Charles Durning	Lt. William Snyder	Ray Walston	J.J. Singleton	Eileen Brennan	Billie	Harold Gould	Kid Twist
  Dana Elcar	FBI Agent Polk	Dimitra Arliss	Loretta Salino	Sally Kirkland	Crystal	Paulene Myers	Alva Coleman

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1973
    Directed by George Roy Hill.

Labels: action3, adventure3, buddy, gang-movie, jean-favorite, mom-favorite2, mystery2, paul-newman, period5, popcorn-and-soda5, robert-redford

# posted by gail @ 02:29    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  None
• 
  Commentary:  This is a ditty of a movie, and this little ditty is a delight. This is my idea of a cartoon, even though it's a docu-drama in the best sense of the word.
    It is this type of movie that is responsible for turning my idea of what movies are for and can do for me. There are, for instance, movies that one would want to have in one's own collection for pure enjoyment. My mother and I, for instance, spell the words along with the participants (we've seen the movie twice).
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2002
    Directed by Jeffrey Blitz.

Labels: documentary1, mom-favorite2

# posted by gail @ 07:24    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1*
• 
  Commentary:  This show has "an incident" to recommend it: See the one "Mention". I have to admit, there is something addictive about this show. And, despite the active argument in which several critics are indulging, this show wasn't so innocent as all that. It still isn't. I'm pissed that they recorded a new cover of the theme. I miss the brightness of the old arrangement and the final chord.
    We'll probably collect more of this show's seasons.
    This is kind of an update, but I don't want to call it that. Suffice it to say, I'm writing it on 8/15/21. It's often hard to find legitimate reviews of television shows, and this has proved true for this show. I did, however, find reasonable rundowns of the four seasons we own: season one, season two, season three and season four. Be forewarned, about the only reviewy writing I could find is a short article linked to the title of this post. That'll have to do. Or, perhaps, the fact that I have never purchased any more seasons of this show is a review, in itself.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Mary Tyler Moore	Mary Richards	Ed Asner	Lou Grant	Gavin MacLeod	Murray Slaughter	Ted Knight	Ted Baxter
  Valerie Harper	Rhoda Morgenstern	Cloris Leachman	Phyllis Lindstrom	Georgia Engel	Georgette Franklin Baxter	Betty White	Sue Ann Nivens

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1970-1974
    Directed by several men and one woman for two episodes in Season 4. "That's all, folks."

Labels: buddy, comedy2, female-director2, henry-jones, mom-favorite2, TV2

# posted by gail @ 07:20    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1*
• 
  Commentary:  This movie has obsessed me since it was first advertised when I was a nascent teenager. For some reason, I hyped the possible experience up in my mind to the place where I found the movie disappointing and was embarrassed (in the way young teens are) that I liked the movie. But, the summer of the year we (my sisters and I as a group) saw it, we also spent that summer on vacation singing all the songs from the movie, working out harmonies, etc. My decision to buy the movie was of the gut and immediate when I noticed the commercial, last year, for the "limited release" of an edition of this movie. I snapped it up and I'm glad I did. We've watched it maybe four times since then, and sing our way through the movie when we view it. During one viewing I made a savory stew and it was as though The Spirit of Mary Poppins inhabited our house. And, I'm no longer embarrassed to admit this! So there!
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Julie Andrews	Mary Poppins	Dick Van Dyke	Bert & Mr. Dawes Sr.	David Tomlinson	George Banks	Glynis Johns	Winifred Banks
  Karen Dotrice	Jane Banks	Matthew Garber	Michael Banks	Ed Wynn	Uncle Albert	Hermione Baddeley	maid

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1964
    Directed by Robert Stevenson.

Labels: julie-andrews, kids, mom-favorite2, musical2, period5, popcorn-and-soda5

# posted by gail @ 07:19    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1* *2*
• 
  Commentary:  The truth? Occasionally I'll get caught up in one of these episodes, but it is more interesting for me to watch my mother watching this show. Several years ago she used to say that she liked the series even though she "couldn't stand" Angela Lansbury. As she watched, though, she'd forget that the character is played by Ms. Lansbury and immerse herself in the genteel, nosy, forthright, thoughtful amateur detective who is also a mystery writer. I think my mother likes the reverie of believing that J. B. Fletcher is the epitome, not of what the Ancient One life should be but is. So, I watch the show more carefully, now, when I'm so inclined.
  Update 2/11/21:  No offense to the show, this is now in my county library system. After Mom died, I just didn't think I'd be interested in watching it, anymore. Yes, it's a great portrait of elders, and I'm an elder, now, officially, but, well, she's not a good role model for me, seeing as how I am a natural-born-hermit.
  Update 5/25/23:  Although I did not include Andy García in the truncated (because I passed this onto my local library system) list of actors and roles, below, I do include him in the labels at the end of this post because he does appear in the pilot episode of this series, which I, at one time, did own.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Angela Lansbury	Jessica Fletcher	Tom Bosley	Sheriff Amos Tupper	William Windom	Dr. Seth Hazlitt

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1984-1985
    Directed by several people, no women.

Labels: andy-garcía, angela-lansbury, mom-favorite2, mystery2, TV2

# posted by gail @ 07:16    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G, several times
• Mentions:  *1* *2*
• 
  Commentary:  Considering how many times over the years with my mother I have been put to the task of finding "the next showing" of this movie, renting this movie, watching this movie and, finally, purchasing this movie, I'm truly surprised I haven't mentioned it more in my journals. I think the hardest thing for me to admit about this movie is that as much as it offends me, I also enjoy it. Some years ago I took a romance novel writing class and this movie was held up as the perfect structure for any romance story. And, I have to admit, as much as details about it irritate me, much of it is very satisfying for me to watch, including the end. Funny how cultures imbue people with even personally disagreeable characteristics. It's important to note, my mother loves this movie, despite the fact that she has never been a typical woman on a typical trajectory.
    I took a class in writing romances (novels, short stories, "true confession", movies, whatever). My instructor said, at the beginning of the class, that this movie is an example of "a perfect romance". As we went through our book and learned the dynamics of writing a romance (a book, by the way, she did not like and did not recommend, but was stuck with by the English department), sure enough, turns out, this movie follows the formula exactly!
    You'll notice, as well, that I did not thin this movie out of my collection after my mother died. And, yes, in case you're curious, I occasionally still watch this movie. And, no, I've never been a typical woman on a typical trajectory, either. Go figure. Maybe I will figure this one out, sometime later in my life.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Richard Gere	Edward Lewis	Julia Roberts	Vivian Ward	Héctor Elizondo	Barnard Thompson	Laura San Giacomo	Kit De Luca
  Ralph Bellamy	James Morse	Jason Alexander	Phillip Stuckey	Dey Young	snobbish saleswoman	Hank Azaria	a detective

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1990
    Directed by Gary Marshall.

Labels: julia-roberts, mom-favorite2, richard-gere, romance3

# posted by gail @ 22:52    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M [lots more than] G
• Mentions:  *1* *2*
• 
  Commentary:  This is one of my mother's haunting movies. Her reaction to this movie is similar to my reaction to Little Buddha: During some parts, she experiences trance-like states; during others, she becomes fully engaged in the finest detail of the culture of the Native American community portrayed in the movie; throughout, she follows the story meticulously and often attempts to engage other viewers in conversation about the movie, which means that she remembers enough of it from viewing to viewing not to feel as though she has to pay close attention every minute.
    Sometime in late 2007 "they" finally came out with the widescreen version, which I quickly snatched up. This version also cuts in close to an hour of extended footage. I was surprised how much of the original cut the extended footage explained. Both my mother and I were, and are, very pleased with the additions.
    P.S. Despite what this picture of the cover says, my copy actually says "Collector's Edition" at the top. Since it's also a 2-disc-er I imagine that this extended cut and the special features are the same as on the "Special Edition", but I can't swear to that.
  Update 5/9/22:  My mother is long, long gone, but, as I was rereading this post and remembering the pleasure she took in this movie, it occurred to me that, no matter how much dissension it created among critics, the Native American community and the community of "woke" non-Native Americans, my mother likely has a virtual copy of this movie, where ever she is now, and watches it every chance she gets. I still watch it, too. I derive great pleasure from remembering my mother watching this movie and thinking of her watching it, now. Perhaps, at times, we're watching it simultaneously.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Kevin Costner	Lt. John J. Dunbar/Dances with Wolves	Mary McDonnell	Stands with a Fist/Christine Gunther	Graham Greene	Kicking Bird	Rodney A. Grant	Wind in His Hair
  Floyd Red Crow Westerman	Chief Ten Bears	Tantoo Cardinal	Black Shawl	Jimmy Herman	Stone Calf	Nathan Lee Chasing His Horse	Smiles a Lot
  Michael Spears	Otter	Wes Studi	Toughest Pawnee	Maury Chaykin	Major Fambrough	Robert Pastorelli	Timmons

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1990
    Directed by Kevin Costner.

Labels: action3, adventure4, dramaB, haunting2, mom-favorite2, period5, revisionist-western, spectacle2, tantoo-cardinal, war2, wes-studi

# posted by gail @ 10:29    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1*
• 
  Commentary:  Watching this movie is pure delight for my mother. Although she appreciates children's or 'family' musicals, considers them, "very nice", her preference is for adult musicals. Recently, when we were watching a Broadway retrospective on PBS, she mentioned, while "Sweeney Todd" was being reviewed, that she thought she'd "enjoy that one".
    My mother is a big fan of cross dressing and love/gender complications in movies. Add Julie Andrews, Robert Preston and James Garner and my mother will buy a ring side seat.
  Update 2/10/18:  You'll notice that I linked the title to a write-up about the play, not about the movie. You'll also notice, if you read the article, that the play is based on the movie, not vice versa, which is the usual case. That's why I linked to the article. I thought this bit of information was interesting, especially considering the stage musical actors in the film.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Julie Andrews	Victoria Grant	James Garner	King Marchand	Robert Preston	Carroll Todd	Lesley Ann Warren	Norma Cassidy
  Alex Karras	Squash Bernstein	John Rhys-Davies	Andre Cassell	Graham Stark	The Waiter	Peter Arne	Labisse

  
    If you're curious about the Wikipedia article on this film, it's here.
    Release Date: 1982
    Directed by Blake Edwards.

Labels: comedy2, gender-bender, julie-andrews, mom-favorite2, musical2, period5, popcorn-and-soda6

# posted by gail @ 01:53    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  None
• 
  Commentary:  I supposedly got these for my mother. She haunts cable looking for replays of the That's Entertainment series. I have to admit, though, I really enjoy them. They are especially good for generating energy. My mother and I both sing along to them. Sometimes, I dance along to them, too. Just for your info, the 4th disc, "Treasures from the Vault", is repetitious and boring. Don't bother.
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the series. This write-up primarily covers the 1974 production. Links to the other two are attached to their respective release dates, below.
    Release Date: 1974, 1976, 1994
    Part One is directed by Jack Haley, Jr. Part Two is directed by Gene Kelly. Part Three is directed by Bud Friedgen and Michael Sheridan. No indication anywhere of who is responsible for direction on "Treasures from the Vault".

Labels: dance, documentary1, fred-astaire, historical4, mom-favorite2, musical2, popcorn-and-soda6

# posted by gail @ 19:18    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  None
• 
  Commentary:  This is the least played of the three Hepburn/Tracy movies we have, but this is not to say it is not well played. The character in this movie seems to remind my mother one of her cousins with whom she went to college, as, every time we watch this movie she gets an urge to call this cousin. The cousin wasn't a golf star, but she was of big, bold character, a type much admired by my mother's generation of women.
    This movie is a part of the Tracy & Hepburn Signature Collection.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Spencer Tracy	Mike Conovan	Katharine Hepburn	Pat Pemberton	Aldo Ray	Davie Hucko	Jim Backus	Charles Barry

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1952
    Directed by George Cukor.

Labels: comedy2, katharine-hepburn, mom-favorite2, romance3, spencer-tracy, tracy-hepburn

# posted by gail @ 19:08    0 comments    email......this post