Movies, Mom & Me

• Who's watched: M & G
• Mentions: *1*
• 
  Commentary:  Mom: This is, to my surprise, one of my mother's favorite's of any type, despite it's darkness and irony. She's especially hooked on the last spread, the death number. I think part of the attraction for her is that it is a very well done, very watchable musical. I'm not sure about the rest of her attraction.
    Me: Its simply one of my all time favorites. We watch it every couple of months.
  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
  Roy Scheider	Joseph Gideon	Jessica Lange	Angelique	Leland Palmer	Audrey Paris	Ann Reinking	Katie Jagger
  Ben Vereen	O'Connor Flood	Erzsébet Földi	Nichelle Gideon	Deborah Geffner	Victoria Porter	John Lithgow	Lucas Sergeant

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up for this movie.
    Release Date: 1979
    Directed by Bob Fosse.

Labels: dramaD, john-lithgow, satire3, shared-favorite

# posted by gail @ 14:28    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G, more than once
  Mentions:  None
  
• 
  Commentary:  Something about the scene in which the invading army comes over a snow ridge. Something else about that "song and dance" number about what it takes to be a man. Something else about it being a Chinese fairy tale. I don't know if Mom likes it for the same reasons I do, but I know she likes it. I've even replayed the "Be a Man" song for her when we are watching it.
    Too, and I don't know if this has anything to do with my enjoyment of the film, when the movie hit the theaters in 1998 Mom and I took my Chandler niece to see it because all three of us were excited about the movie.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Ming-Na Wen	Fa Mulan	Eddie Murphy	Mushu	BD Wong	Captain Li Shang	Miguel Ferrer	Shan Yu

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1998
    Directed by Tony Bancroft & Barry Cook.

Labels: action3, adventure4, animated, coming-of-age2, father-daughter-dynamics, gender-bender, kids, period6, shared-favorite, suspense2

# posted by gail @ 11:30    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  none
• 
  Commentary:  This is another excellent series produced by the same people who brought us Planet Earth. I have a preference for nature shows that explore water environments and this one stacks up very well. Unlike March of the Penguins, it lives up to its hype, even if you're a regular watcher of the variety of channels that frequently host animal and geographical specials. While I have tended, over the years, to become a bit jaded in the company of Animal-Vegetable-Mineral programs, seeing as how we view so many of them, this one, like Planet Earth, engages me, every episode, every time, and, because of my sub- and unconscious veering toward water videos, adds an extra "dreamy" dimension for me.
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2001
    Alistair Fothergill is listed as a director for one episode. No other directors are listed.

Labels: documentary1, dream1, film-art1, political3, science, shared-favorite, TV1

# posted by gail @ 12:08    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  None
• 
  Commentary:  Decades ago, when this show debuted on PBS, Mom and I watched it separately, then together during a serendipitous visit when it was being aired again, and, as well, during one of those watchings I recorded it off the TV and we listened to it many times. Over the last year the desire to listen to it, again, came up between us and I couldn't find the old casette tape, so I scoured the internet and found a copy of the original video production. We watched it at least twice before Mom died. We enjoyed it as much as we did the first time around. Definitely a shared-favorite! We both felt that Julie Harris did a wonderful job of portraying a highly self-possessed, talented wordsmith of a woman who wasn't so much shy as a joyful loner.
    You'll notice that I did not link a review of this DVD to my title, I linked the section of the play wherein Dickinson narates her recipe for Black Cake. It's fun to contemplate. You might want to read a review for the televised version. Here is a link to the only review I could find for the televised version. The play production that was televised was presented at the Longacre Theatre in Manhattan, New York, in 1976. The film was not processed for DVD release for 28 years, even though it appeared on television through PBS much earlier than that.
    One last surprise! I scoured the net and found a scaled down recipe for Dickinson's Black Cake. It reads very much like my mother's yearly process for making fruit cakes, down to the wax paper lining the baking pans, except that my mother included a larger variety of candied fruits and nuts, always nuts, specifically pecans, which I think were singled out because, to the taste, they are a sweet nut. I think I like Dickinson's variety better. My mother did not like cooking or baking, although she wasn't bad at it, so she trained us daughters in home culinary skills very early, as soon as we expressed an interest. She was, however, dogged about taking on the task of making seasonal fruitcakes herself. She gave them as gifts, and always kept a few for us, her family, to happily munch. She also "soaked" (her word) the cakes much more liberally with a variety of sweet fruit brandies than this recipe recommends. My father also, yearly, took over one of her cakes and soaked his even more than my mother soaked hers. Oh, it was always a Merry Holiday Season for all at our house when I was a child!
  Update 5/24/22:  Yet another post published on 4/09/09 that "disappeared" and I had to recapture.
    There is a Wikipedia write-up for the play as it appeared at the above location in New York, but it's of little use.
    Release Date: 2004
    Directed by Charles S. Dubin.

Labels: audio-visual, biography1, period3, shared-favorite, TV1

# posted by gail @ 10:01    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  None
• 
  Commentary:  This is one of my favorite romantic comedies. There isn't anything about it I don't like. When I purchased the movie, though, for some reason I thought my mother wouldn't like it, so I planned my first "owned" viewing while she napped. She awoke and joined me during the scene in which "the big French Oaf" assents to play an original composition on the piano for dinner guests he's just met. After the scene she asked if we could start the movie again.
      I remember once, after watching the movie, Mom said, "Isn't it interesting how such a bad ending can make you feel so good?!?"
    I remember responding that, yeah, I'd never thought about it but, at the end of this story, you have absolute confidence that their love triumphed, and will continue to triumph.
    At one other watching, Mom sat back satisfied at the end and said, "I remember seeing that movie when I was teaching. It came out about the time those Hepburn/Tracy movies came out."
    In case you're wondering, I did not disavow her of this notion. It is a great compliment to this movie that my mother considers it in the same category as the Hepburn/Tracy romantic comedies.
    Finally, I couldn't resist, here's Roger Ebert's review of this movie. He gave it three stars.
    And a bonus post: a reverie of sorts about Ebert's fascination with Peter Weir's work. I share that fascination. I'm happy.
  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
  Gérard Depardieu	Georges Fauré	Andie MacDowell	Brontë Parrish	Bebe Neuwirth	Lauren Adler	Gregg Edelman	Phil
  Robert Prosky	Brontë's lawyer	Mary Louise Wilson	Mrs. Sheehan	Lois Smith	Brontë's mother	Ann Dowd	Peggy
  Conrad McLaren	Brontë's father	Ronald Guttman	Anton	Jessie Keosian	Mrs. Bird	Danny Dennis	Oscar

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

Labels: comedy2, gérard-depardieu, lois-smith, peter-weir, romance4, ronald-guttman, shared-favorite

# posted by gail @ 19:39    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  None
• 
  Commentary:  I am probably more of a fan of this movie than my mother. She loves the eye spectacle, and every time we watch it, which is at least once a year, she mentions several times that she would have loved to have lived during the period of the regal, stately Southern U.S.
    Roger Ebert reviewed Gone with the Wind (link to his review in the title of this post) in order to christen it as one of his Great Movies. Very interesting review. He does not sidestep the discomfort we have about it, now, nor does he dismiss the technical brilliance that brought this movie to the screen. Read it, if you get a chance.
    Glenn Erickson DVD Savant weighs in on the movie, twice, cogently. Here's his first review. Here's his second. If you're at all interested in this movie and have gotten past your embarrassment on behalf of the United States and whiteness, in general, for producing either the novel or the movie, you should read these reviews, and, maybe, consider watching the movie.
    For me, I love reminding myself that the best, most successful romance in the history of romance stories contains a heroine who is wily and unredepemptive and whose one sterling quality is her ability to survive, despite who she hurts in the process. The hero, a scoundrel himself, is more sympathetic than the heroine.
    When we watch this movie, it is always a "planned" watching; in other words, we plan appropriate food, make sure the phone ringer is off, and settle in for several hours. It is, for us, an Event Movie.
  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
  Vivien Leigh	Scarlett O'Hara	Clark Gable	Rhett Butler	Olivia de Havilland	Melanie Hamilton	Leslie Howard	Ashley Wilkes
  Hattie McDaniel	Mammy	Butterfly McQueen	Prissy	Carroll Nye	Frank Kennedy	Harry Davenport	Dr. Meade

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1939
    Directed by Victor Fleming.

Labels: dramaC, period6, romance4, shared-favorite, spectacle2

# posted by gail @ 19:21    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G, many times
• Mentions:  *1* *2* *3*
• 
  Commentary:  As I recall, my mentions of this movie speak for both my mother's and my delight in it. Aside from my favorite scene with Bruce the Shark, which I've seen many times, I love being transported by the oceanic graphic environment of the movie, including, and especially, the background ocean music. It is truly one better than the ocean, only because it is so available. Watching the movie is practically like having a virtual experience without the nerve stimulation technology.
    My mother, I should note, usually takes a nap after this movie. Perhaps, she actually lives through it.
  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
  Albert Brooks	Marlin	Alexander Gould	Nemo	Ellen DeGeneres	Dory	Willem Dafoe	Gill
  Allison Janney	Peach	Andrew Stanton	Crush	Nicholas Bird	Squirt	Barry Humphries	Bruce
  Geoffrey Rush	Nigel	Vicki Lewis	Deb & Flo	John Ratzenberger	Moonfish school	Bill Hunter	Dentist Philip Sherman

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 2003
    Directed by Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich.

Labels: animated, bill-hunter, coming-of-age2, dramedy2, kids, shared-favorite, willem-dafoe

# posted by gail @ 19:14    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  None
• 
  Commentary:  This is one (of the many) that Mom never has any recollection of watching, yet we watch it a lot, usually during a cold, stormy afternoon/evening binge of this movie and The American President, of which she has a somewhat better memory. She likes feeling hopeful about what's best in the U.S., so do I, and both of these movies help, while the love stories provide comedy relief.
    As a footnote, may I add that I am a West Wing freak; my mother is not, but she tolerates me. No, we have not bought any collections of West Wing episodes. I have forbidden myself to do so. When, for instance, would I watch them? I watch little enough of what we have, and then, usually, only peripherally, now. It's been a hard lesson to learn that if only I like it, my indulgences in it will be few and far between. I'm okay with this; it's just been a hard learning.
  Update 11/2/08:  I was given the entire West Wing series for Christmas a few years ago by a friend of mine; see the link.
  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
  Kevin Kline	Dave Kovic/Pres. William Harrison Mitchell	Sigourney Weaver	Ellen Mitchell	Frank Langella	Bob Alexander	Kevin Dunn	Alan Reed
  Ving Rhames	Duane Stevensen	Ben Kingsley	Vice Pres. Gary Nance	Charles Grodin	Murray Blum	Laura Linney	Randi
  Bonnie Hunt	White House Tour Guide	Anna Deavere Smith	Mrs. Travis	Faith Prince	Alice	Tom Dugan	Jerry

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1993
    Directed by Ivan Reitman.

Labels: ben-kingsley, comedy2, kevin-kline, laura-linney, political5, popcorn-and-soda6, presidential, shared-favorite, sigourney-weaver

# posted by gail @ 19:10    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  *1* *2*
3. 
   Commentary:  This one transports both of us. I purchased it because we watched it so much on cable, then I recorded it and we watched it some more. The music and the European time period are major attractions for my mother. She really likes stories of women raising children alone with strength and courage, too. The fairy-tale quality of the story mesmerizes both of us.
   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
   Juliette Binoche	Vianne Rocher	Victoire Thivisol	Anouk Rocher	Judi Dench	Armande Voizin	Alfred Molina	Comte de Reynaud
   Lena Olin	Josephine Muscat	Johnny Depp	Roux	Carrie-Anne Moss	Caroline Clairmont	Leslie Caron	Madame Audel

   
     Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
     Release Date: 2000
     Directed by Lasse Hallström.

Labels: carrie-anne-moss, dramaC, judi-dench, juliette-binoche, period6, romance4, shared-favorite

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

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1* *2* *3*
• 
  Commentary:  As covered in one of the above Mentions, this movie was suggested by MFS. I was surprised at how much Mom loved it. I enjoy it, too. It's yet another spectacle movie for me (I should create a "spectacle" category, shouldn't I...I think I will, then add to it later) and I love a variety of the acting performances in this movie, particularly (but not solely) Richard Harris as Marcus Aurelius. Before he ever says anything in the movie his acting makes many aspects of Marcus Aurelius' character clear. We watched this movie on TV several times, in "to-fit-your-screen" format, before I finally purchased it. Much better in widescreen. On a whim, I watched the movie last night. I continue to find it supremely entertaining; and, as well, now that Mom's dead, surprisingly emotional, specifically at the end when Juba says, as he buries Maximus' personal idols, "I will see you again, but not yet." If you have any interest in this movie, I urge you to click into the link to the title of the movie, above, which will send you to a thorough and compelling critique of the historicity of the movie. Believe me, despite the astonishing number of historical inaccuracies in the movie, the critique renders watching the movie even more enjoyable.
  Update 2/7/18:  So much has been written about this film since it aired. Quite a bit has been dumped, as well, including the link I had originally attached to the title above. I've attached another which may be helpful but, just in case, here's the Wikipedia link for Gladiator which may be a good starting place if you're interested in historicity research.
  Update 8/2/21:  The link I attached in 2018 still holds strong, is still remarkably interesting, and even has a comment attached. Take advantage of it before it disappears into the oligarchic ether.
  Update 5/23/22:  Another post I managed to disappear. It's original publication date is 4/9/09.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Russell Crowe	Maximus Decimus Meridius	Joaquin Phoenix	Commodus	Connie Nielsen	Lucilla	Oliver Reed	Antonio Proximo
  Derek Jacobi	Senator Gracchus	Djimon Hounsou	Juba	Richard Harris	Marcus Aurelius	Ralf Möller	Hagen
  Tommy Flanagan	Cicero	David Schofield	Senator Falco	John Shrapnel	Senator Gaius	Tomas Arana	General Quintus
  Spencer Treat Clark	Lucius Verus	David Hemmings	Cassius	Sven-Ole Thorsen	Tigris of Gaul	Giannina Facio	Maximus's wife
  Omid Djalili	Slave Trader	Giorgio Cantarini	Maximus's son	Adam Levy	Condemned Officer	David J. Nicholls	Giant Man

  
    Release Date: 2000
    Directed by Ridley Scott.

Labels: action3, adventure3, derek-jacobi, drama7, historical2, joaquin-phoenix, oliver-reed, period3, political3, revenge1, richard-harris, ridley-scott, russell-crowe, shared-favorite, spectacle1, suspense2, violence3, war1

# posted by gail @ 14:15    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G, many times
• Mentions:  *1* *2* *3* *4* *5* *6*
• 
  Commentary:  This is a sort of "grahsshoppah" movie, for me, but of a somewhat more serious vein, like listening to Alan Watts tapes.
    Mom enjoys the movie, as well, as adult religio-spiritual fairy tale. We actually view this movie, or parts of it, a lot.
    I know there are many detractors of this movie. I don't care.
    I know people take swipes at the acting, especially that of Keanu Reeves. I don't care, and further, he was playing an icon, being introduced to children in the form of a myth. What the hell were you expecting?   I know the story seems implausible, but the point of the movie isn't to relate a true story, it's to relate a story, like the book that is read to one of the children in the movie.   Finally, if you want to be a film critic about this movie, fine, but, I can't explain why, I can't critique this movie. I love this movie. I watch it at least a couple times a year and have since I acquired it in 2005 (I'm having to rewrite this post on 5/7/2022 because, somehow, while working on this journal, I deleted it). I always watch it with pleasure and in rapt attention, and I suspect I will until the day I die.
  Update 5/08/22:  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
  Keanu Reeves	Prince Siddhartha	Chris Isaak	Dean Conrad	Bridget Fonda	Lisa Conrad	Alex Wiesendanger	Jesse Conrad
  Ying Ruocheng	Lama Norbu	Raju Lal	Raju	Greishma Makar Singh	Gita	Sogyal Rinpoche	Kenpo Tenzin

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1993
    Directed by Bernardo Bertolucci.

Labels: dramaC, dream2, keanu-reeves, pseudo-cgi-animation, religion1, shared-favorite, spiritual2

# posted by gail @ 16:44    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  I've wanted to own this movie for a long time and finally caught it, used, at our local Hastings, which is in the process of going out of business, unfortunately. It's where I've bought most of my movies, used and cheap. Not sure what I'll do, now. At any rate, I've watched this movie on television more than a few times. It's one of my all time favorite classics. A few months ago, when I was contemplating the current U.S. Presidential election, I suddenly got a hankering to watch this movie because of what I thought I remembered as similarities between the portrayal of the "John Doe Club" movement and what was going on in both political parties. Since I no longer have a TV connection the solution was buying it and, there it was, on the Hastings shelves. And, yes, I think I was right in the connections I made between the political movements then and now. I know I'll be coming back to this movie over and over in the years to come. And, yes, for those of you who notice "shared-favorite" the labels, below, it was a favorite of my mother's as well. She may be dead, but my memories of her live on and are refreshed every time I watch this movie.
  Update 11/17/2021:  This post was originally published August 14, 2016. It was one of the accidental deletions that occurred, which is covered in this post.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Gary Cooper	John Doe/Long John Willoughby	Barbara Stanwyck	Ann Mitchell	Edward Arnold	D. B. Norton	Walter Brennan	The Colonel
  Spring Byington	Mrs. Mitchell	James Gleason	Henry Connell	Gene Lockhart	Mayor Lovett	Rod La Rocque	Ted Shelton

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1941
    Directed by Frank Capra.

Labels: anti-fascist, barbara-stanwyck, Christmas, drama6, frank-capra, political2, shared-favorite

# posted by gail @ 03:05    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G
2. Mentions:  None
3. 
   Commentary:  Another favorite that we watch fairly often, when we need to believe in political integrity.
     Mom especially likes the state dinner for the French President and his wife. Every time we watch that scene she can't help but say, "Wouldn't you just love to attend one of those dinners?" The truth is, I think she would like to spend her entire life going from State Dinner to State Dinner. It would suit her.
     I particularly like that, after I'd established my affection for the movie, a good friend of mine told me that he considers me the real life Sidney Allen Wade. He's wrong, of course, but, still, I spend a lot of time preening inside as I watch this movie.
   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
   Michael Douglas	U. S. President Alan Shepherd	Annette Bening	Sydney Allen Wade	Martin Sheen	A.J. MacInerney	David Paymer	Leon Kodak
   Samantha Mathis	Janie Basdin	Michael J. Fox	Louis Rothschild	John Mahoney	Leo Solomon	Anna Deavere Smith	Robin McCall
   Nina Siemaszko	Beth Wade	Wendie Malick	Susan Sloan	Anne Haney	Mrs. Chapil	Shawna Waldron	Lucy Shepherd
   Richard Dreyfuss	Bob Rumson	Beau Billingslea	Agent Cooper	Gail Strickland	Esther MacInerney	Joshua Molina	David

   
     Here's the link to the Wikipedia write-up of this movie.
     Release Date: 1995
     Directed by Rob Reiner.

Labels: aaron-sorkin, annette-bening, dramedy2, john-mahoney, michael-douglas, political4, presidential, richard-dreyfuss, romance3, shared-favorite

# posted by gail @ 15:46    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G, many times
• Mentions:  *1* *2* *3* *4* *5* *6* *7* *8* *9* *10*
• 
  Commentary:  We both remain fascinated with this show and continue to watch it, and discuss it while watching it, regularly. As you can read in the mentions, we have eccentric opinions about and reactions to this show.
  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.
  Update 5/18/2022:  Yes, I continue to watch this show. I am, in fact, working my way through, oh, I don't know, my 678th viewing? I can't explain why. I think, partly, it's that the episodes are a half hour and a great way to unwind right after I've tucked myself in, before I go to sleep. The acting is good. The cast is always varied. The story lines meander from dead (literally) serious to hilarious. The characterizations are on point. It's not a show to learn from, but it is a show that provides relaxation with a light touch. These people, all of them, actors, writers and crew, knew what they were doing.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Sarah Jessica Parker	Carrie Bradshaw	Kim Cattrall	Samantha Jones	Kristin Davis	Charlotte York	Cynthia Nixon	Miranda Hobbes
  Willie Garson	Stanford Blatch	Lynn Cohen	Magda	Chris Noth	Mr. Big	Frances Sternhagen	Bunny MacDougal
  Kyle MacLachlan	Trey MacDougal	Anne Meara	Mary Brady	Mikhail Baryshnikov	Aleksandr Petrovsky	Bridget Moynahan	Natasha

  
    I have two copies of Season 3.
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1998-2004
    Episodes directed by several people. Lots of female directors in the first seasons although not approaching half; less and less as the seasons progressed.

Labels: cynthia-nixon, dramedy2, erotic, female-director2, popcorn-and-soda6, shared-favorite, TV3, women's-movie1

# posted by gail @ 15:41    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1* *2*
• 
  Commentary:  I think I've said quite a lot about our reactions to this movie throughout the main journal. We both find it entertaining and "feel good" inspirational.
    There are a lot of movies, including many from this film's era, previous, post, and all the way through to now, that focus on populist vs. elitist politics. None of them, though, has yet approached the pointedness, pertinence and perceptiveness of this all time classic. I'll bet it will never, ever, not be a popular classic, because, at least in the United States, its story will always be contemporary.
  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
  James Stewart	Jefferson Smith	Jean Arthur	Clarissa Saunders	Claude Rains	Joseph Harrison Paine	Edward Arnold	Jim Taylor
  Thomas Mitchell	Diz Moore	Beulah Bondi	Ma Smith	Astrid Allwyn	Susan Paine	Ruth Donnelly	Mrs. Hopper

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1939
    Directed by Frank Capra.

Labels: anti-fascist, beulah-bondi, claude-rains, dramedy2, frank-capra, james-stewart, political5, romance4, shared-favorite, thomas-mitchell

# posted by gail @ 15:35    0 comments    email......this post

1. Who's watched:  M & G, many times and off-season
2. Mentions:  *1*
3. 
   Commentary:  This movie turned me into a Jimmy Stewart and Frank Capra fan. It used to irritate Mom, though, because it is so believably dark (which is what I love about it...by the time Jimmy Stewart is hanging over the bridge, you're thinking, yep, that's the only way). Now, she focuses on Donna Reed and Beulah Bondi.
     I remember reading somewhere that this is the only Capra movie in which the monster does not receive his comeupance. And, Lionel Barrymore is a superb monster in this movie.
     Roger Ebert christened this movie as one of his "Great Movies". The review is the one linked to the title of this post.
   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
   James Stewart	George Bailey	Donna Reed	Mary Hatch Bailey	Lionel Barrymore	Mr. Potter	Thomas Mitchell	Uncle Billy
   Henry Travers	Clarence	Beulah Bondi	Mrs. Bailey	Frank Faylen	Ernie	Ward Bond	Bert
   Gloria Grahame	Violet	H. B. Warner	Mr. Gower	Frank Albertson	Sam Wainwright	Bill Edmunds	Mr. Martini

   
     Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
     Release Date: 1946
     Directed by Frank Capra.

Labels: beulah-bondi, Christmas, dramaC, frank-capra, james-stewart, shared-favorite, thomas-mitchell

# posted by gail @ 15:23    0 comments    email......this post

• 
  Commentary:  I originally saw this movie in the theater during its first release, on Guam, after having read the book by Ira Levin. It was the first time I'd seen a movie that so closely followed the book that, I swear, I'd imagined the movie exactly as it appeared before I saw it. Typically, every year, around Halloween, some film service to which I have access features this movie. I always watch it. At least once. However, I often yearn to watch it when it's not being featured on a film service, so I've checked it out innumerable times from the library. Now, I own it.
    I can't say much about this movie that hasn't already been said. It has loquacious fans all over the world. I can, however, say something about my interest in Roman Polanski movies. I'm surprised I don't own more than three. One, in particular, I wish I owned is Tess [P.S. 8/16/21: I own this movie, now]. I even wrote a published review of that film. I've seen several of the movies he's directed, including: Chinatown, such a "cool" (in the Marshall McLuhan sense) film; Knife in the Water, an interesting, eerie film, loads of promise; Carnage, a sardonic delight; Macbeth, which, unlike many critics, I thoroughly enjoyed, it is, in fact, my favorite film adaptation of this play; and The Ninth Gate, with which I was disappointed, to say the least. I wish he'd done something more, well, spectacular, with Johnny Depp. Oh well, when you've got a line-up like Roman Polanski's, they can't all be winners, I guess. There are several more I haven't seen but intend to. I would say it's possible that I will end up owning more of his films. There's something about the Polanksi directing touch, which, while unobtrusive, is unique and powerful.
    Turns out, much to my surprise, I don't have a "horror" label for my film collection. That will be corrected with this film.
    And, by the way, yes, Mom and I watched it together, more than a few times, and, yes, she loved it, too. She especially enjoyed Mia Farrow's characterization of a pregnant woman. Every time she watched the walking-around-in-the-street scene she'd say, "That's exactly how a pregnant woman walks!"
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Mia Farrow	Rosemary Woodhouse	John Cassavetes	Guy Woodhouse	Ruth Gordon	Minnie Castevet	Sidney Blackmer	Roman Castevet/Steven Marcato
  Maurice Evans	Hutch	Ralph Bellamy	Dr. Abraham Sapirstein	Charles Grodin	Dr. Hill	Patsy Kelly	Laura-Louise McBirney
  Angela Dorian	Terry Gionoffrio	Philip Leeds	Dr. Shand	Elisha Cook	Mr. Nicklas	Tony Curtis	Donald Baumgart

  
    Just in case, the Wikipedia write-up for this film is here.
    Release Date: 1968
    Directed by Roman Polanski.

Labels: drama4, erotic, fantasy1, folk-horror, haunting1, roman-polanski, shared-favorite, suspense1

# posted by gail @ 10:19    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  Bought this movie AMD
• Mentions:  none
• 
  Commentary:  Funny about this movie. Yes, it's yet another emotional and, this time, comedic fluff movie that I bought after my mother died, for the same reasons I bought all the others. It was, as well, one of the movies that I recorded on our DVR long before my mother died and kept there because both of us enjoyed watching it so much, thus, watching it now has the added dimension of remembering my mother's and my shared pleasure in the movie. Although we enjoyed the entire movie, we especially liked the title sequence featuring Harry Nilsson's "The Puppy Song". Too bad this guy died so young. This isn't the only one of his compositions that intrigues me. I bought it in order to erase it from the DVR and, of course, watch it at my leisure.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Tom Hanks	Joe Fox	Meg Ryan	Kathleen Kelly	Parker Posey	Patricia Eden	Jean Stapleton	Birdey
  Dave Chappelle	Kevin	Steve Zahn	George	Dabney Coleman	Nelson Fox	Greg Kinnear	Frank Navasky

  
    Here's a link to the Wikipedia write-up of the film.
    Release Date: 1998
    Directed by Nora Ephron.

Labels: 20th-century-chick-flicks1, comedy1, female-director3, meg-ryan, popcorn-and-soda2, romance1, shared-favorite, tom-hanks

# posted by gail @ 13:29    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
  Mentions:  *1*
  Commentary:  Aside from the comments in the Mention, above, you should know that the theme for the series casts a spell over me, as well. My mother never tired of watching these videos. Neither do I.
  Update 8/2/21:  I've been trying hard, on and off, over the years, to figure out a way to upload the musical theme from the Sister Wendy shows to this post, without success. Blogger doesn't want to recognize it as uploadable, even though it is an mp3 that can play on a video application. So, finally, today, I searched the web for a place where you, dear reader, can hear it. All the sites I found do the tune the indignity of cutting short it by a few seconds. The copy I downloaded in 2014 does the same. But, I can tell you, when I played it on my computer, today, I teared up, as I always do when I hear it. It is an indescribably tender piece of music. Download it. Put it on your player. Right now.
    Our collection consists of the following:
  
  • 
    The Complete Collection (European)
        Sister Wendy's Odyssey - Release Date: 1992
        Sister Wendy's Grand Tour - Release Date: 1994
        Sister Wendy's Pains of Glass - Release Date: 1995
        Sister Wendy's Story of Painting - Release Date: 1996
      Multiple directors, a few women
    
  • 
    Sister Wendy's American Collection
      Unsure of directors, probably multiple
      Release Date: 2001
    
  • 
    Sister Wendy at the Norton Simon Museum
      Release Date: 2002
      Directed by David Willcock
    
  
  
  
  

Labels: documentary1, female-director3, shared-favorite

# posted by gail @ 16:24    0 comments    email......this post

• Who's watched:  M & G
• Mentions:  *1*
• 
  Commentary:  I don't care why critics think it's a great movie...I just love it. Every single moment of it; especially the dancing and singing in the rain and the dance sequences with Reynolds, Kelly and O'Connor. LOVE watching O'Connor and Kelly together. They both looked like they just "[Had]'ta Dance"! Mom loved this movie, too. The only reason we didn't own it before last year is that it showed on TCM so much that it seemed as though we didn't need to own it...until I ran across a copy of it on the cheap and decided it was time. Also, I consider this movie film art because of the way dance was translated to the screen.
    Roger Ebert, by the way, wrote twice about this movie, once in 1998 (the review linked to the title of this post) and again in 1999, for his "Great Movies" collection of reviews.
    

  Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role	Actor	Role
  Gene Kelly	Donald Lockwood	Debbie Reynolds	Donald O'Connor	Cosmo Brown	Katy Selden	Jean Hagen	Lina Lamont
  Millard Mitchell	R.F. Simpson	Cyd Charisse	Dancer	Douglas Fowley	Roscoe Dexter	Rita Moreno	Zelda Zanders

  
    If you still feel the need for the Wikipedia article on this movie, it's here.
    Release Date: 1952
    Directed by Gene Kelly & Stanley Donen.

Labels: comedy1, dance, debbie-reynolds, film-art1, musical1, popcorn-and-soda3, romance2, shared-favorite

# posted by gail @ 16:08    0 comments    email......this post