To fast to live too young to die

This post is about James Dean (*obviously). I was prompted to post this because he was brought up in quite an unlikely place today at school, it was during History and we are soon to be learning about 'Youthquake' and my teacher wants to show us a little 1950's youth movie named Rebel Without a cause. which, according to her, well i'll quote her:
"It's very famous but probably no-one in here has seen  it (this is where i started to think it must be Rebel without a cause) it's called Rebel without a cause ("I've seen it!" i said, trying to show how i'm a bit different to everyone else) and it starred James Dean who was a big famous icon in the mid 50's and wrapped himself around a tree when he was 20something (i mumble, and she says without looking at me as she knew who it was) how old was he? (i say 24) he only made 3 movies. that was how big an impact he made"

The people in my history class, well most of them, have closed minds when it comes to movies, they'll only watch new movies or horror movies, because they think that following the masses is 'cool'. I've got news for them, thats not cool, James Dean was cool. He and Steve Mcqueen were the essence of 'cool.' So anyway this announcement got me hyped for this class, to be honest i thought history would be boring but if i get to watch one of my favorite movies then i'm all for it. I don't think my class will really understand and respect it the way i do but you never know. I hope so.

In one of the best known trivia in movie history the 3 young stars of this iconic film all met with tragic ends: James Dean at 24, car accident, Natalie Wood at 43, drowning and Sal Mineo at 37, murder. Of course, they were all well respected actors and shouldn't just be remembered for dying young, Rebel without a cause is one of the finest of all of the actors' careers. The film gave James Dean iconic status (partly because it was released barely a month after his death), Natalie Wood forged an adult career by being in this film and Sal Mineo got his big break. Dennis hopper also appears (with little to no lines but still if you look you can see him) in the film. So it's pretty special.

"Please lock me up, i'm gonna hit somebody and i don't want to" Jim Stark (James Dean) Rebel Without A Cause. 

Sunset Blvd and why i don't like William Holden.

I recently watched the 1950 movie Sunset Blvd, i thought it was a great movie with an entertaining script and a well thought out character in Norma Desmond (played with precision by Gloria Swanson). BUT, i never warmed up to the William Holden character, perhaps I've never been a fan of him, I've seen him in a few other movies and it never seems like he plays anyone differently, or even that well, i'd even go so far as to say that he was a wooden actor. Of course this is just an opinion, he may seem wooden to me but may seem absolutely wonderful to someone else.
I suppose he wasn't meant to be the greatest actor in the world nor the best looking (don't get me wrong he wasn't ugly) but in Sunset Blvd i found that i didn't like him at all, he couldn't 'hold'a scene, you know how the actors back then  (and now) had to be able to dominate a scene and have a presence? You know, like Bogart, Clift, Dean and Brando? Well Bill Holden didn't have that, his scenes were easily stolen by Gloria Swanson, Erich Von Stroheim and the trees in the background. I hope it doesn't come off as though i hated his character, his character had really good lines and Holden delivered them well, but i simply didn't warm to him and the parts where Holden had to show emotion were fails on his part. Overall the movie was pretty good and i'm even considering buying it, maybe i'll change my opinion about him the next time i watch it.
There are some great cameos from Buster Keaton, Cecil B Demille and Hedda Hopper as well, which makes this movie a treat for any classic film buff.
It is also extremely quotable, i had a hard time choosing which line to end the post with, everyone knows the 'pictures that got small' line and the infamous 'close up' line. so In the end i went for a memorable and perhaps even tragic line that (to me) sums up how delusional the character of Norma is.

"The stars are ageless aren't they?" Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) Sunset Blvd.

Originality and all that other gobbligook

Who says that cinema has lost it's originality? As we have seen by this years Oscar nominations alone there are still some very original and imaginative people out there, so why are people saying that Hollywood has lost it's edge? Darren Aronofsky (who directed Black Swan and whom i really hope wins best director) showed us just how original a mainstream movie can be. i'm pretty sure that the whole 'void of originality' label can be stuck on many things nowadays like the recently released film No Strings Attached (although the plot isn't really original i'd just like to say that is still an okay movie).

Another example of originality is perhaps Avatar, okay so the plot was pretty much the same as Pocahontas or however the hell you spell it but the effects were very original and so was the execution. Original plots are quite hard to find in any recently released movie but the execution of the plots could be what really counts right now.

To say that Hollywood has lost it's edge is pretty presumptuous, it's like how people in the 50s thought that everything worth inventing has been invented, of course we now know that this was not the case. So lets have a little faith, we all know that we may have to suffer through a lot of crap before we get to the good stuff but that's life.

"I just want to be perfect" Nina (Natalie Portman) Black Swan

Cult Classics that should be re-released in theaters

I have a soft spot for cult classics, from Rocky Horror to Heathers to pretty much any Star Trek and/or Star Wars movie, but the original Star Trek movies that came before the 2009 reboot have been gathering dust in the proverbial theater cabinet, as has many other films that should be seen by more people so they get the respect (or 'so bad its good' feeling) they deserve. Here are just a few cult films that i hope get re released in theaters or at least get released worldwide on DVD.

• This is Spinal Tap - The awesome satire/mockumentary needs a theatrical re-release. I guarantee tickets sales, just you wait.
• Freaks - Extremely controversial when it came out and still is today because it used real 'freaks'. it's creepy too, a theatrical re-release would work because people would be very intrigued by the film. I would love to have met the 'freaks' because they seemed like great people. It's an interesting film that would do well at the box office with the right marketing.
• The Rocky horror Picture show - whats a cult list without Frankenfurter and Co? Well known but hasn't had a theatrical re-release in Australia, we want one! Even if it had, it needs to be an event you know how they act out all the scenes and people dress up as characters? whatever happened to that? we gotta do that
• The Wiz - with that Oz revamp in the works The Wiz and The Wizard Of Oz could be released on a double feature, c'mon you know you'd see it.
• Heathers - High School satire at its deadliest could use a re-release and world wide super special DVD release.
• The adventures of sherlock Holmes' smarter brother - Gene Wilder, Marty Feldman, Madeline Kahn. Need i say more about why this needs some long overdue exposure?
• Ed Wood films - you probably can get them on DVD, to be honest i've never looked but wouldn't it be fun to go to a theater to see the 'worst' movies ever made? i may be alone on this but i'm sure that the popularity of the Tim Burton film Ed Wood will certainly interest people to see the movies.
• Pink Flamingos - One of the lesser known John Waters films needs to be seen to be believed, so extremely strange that once you get into you're head to see it you won't be able to get out for weeks. Isn't that what a great movie does? A trailer park transvestite literally eats REAL dog feces just to be named the worlds filthiest person. interested??
• Raising Arizona - a couple can't have a baby, so they steal one.
• Little Shop of horrors - the 1960 version or the popular musical remake. preferably both. Theatrically they sound great, the songs in the remake would sound good in theatrical surround sound.
• THX 1138 - George Lucas' lesser known film and what he named his revolutionary cinema sound system after. Rife for re-release just so people know that George Lucas was awesome even before Star wars.
• Brazil - only for people with a specific kind of humour, but if you 'get' it you'll think that it's a masterpiece. i get it, so naturally i like it.
• Star Trek (original movies) - they're all on DVD but a theatrical re-release to nab a new group of Trekkies, the 2009 version got the interest going in generation Y, now show them just how great Star Trek is.
• Repo: the genetic opera - with a name like that you just know it's a cult film!!! Anthony Head is in which makes it even better and if it were re-released theatrically it would have huge ticket sales from goths. It's not entirely a gothic film but a know a lot of goths who like it.

Cult films and TV shows are the kind with a huge legion of really cool nerds, i am one of those nerds so thats why i wrote this post. as for Cult TV, well, i'll write about that some other time.

"Did you have a brain tumor for breakfast?" Heather Chandler (Kim Walker), Heathers

i never liked Charlie Sheen. ever

Two and a half men is an alright show, i wouldn't go out of my way to watch it but yeah i like it, but i HATE Charlie Sheen in it! he just plays himself only with less cuss words, and i hate it when people play themselves. I liked Hot Shots and Hot Shots 2, but that would have been funny with or without Charlie Sheen. I know i should give him a chance, but i have, many times. It angers me sometimes that his brother Emilio Estevez is a better actor than him and yet Charlie's more famous, it's like how all of my friends know who Paris Hilton is but none them have heard of Sharon Stone.

I'll only mention briefly all the trouble he's gotten himself into lately, i think he's really stupid for that and should act his age!!! see i only mentioned it briefly, i just don't like him in movies and i probably wouldn't like him in real life.

"I can't walk... they've tied my shoelaces together" Rowan Atkinson, Hot Shots 2

The Teen movies that defined a generation and the ones that made us want to blow up Hollywood.

Teen movies. I think we all have seen at least 5 from this somewhat worn out genre, some teen movies are great (Mean Girls, Heathers, Juno, The breakfast club, Clueless) and others aren't even worthy of a wedgie.
The teen movie really started in the 50's because studios wanted to address real issues at the time and one of these issues was 'juvenile delinquency', famous movies about this includes The Wild One (starring Marlon Brando) Blackboard Jungle and Rebel without a cause (my personal favorite). Arguably the best title out those three is that of Blackboard Jungle because it doesn't sound nearly as cheesy as the others, but ironically it is perhaps the least famous.

Lets take a look at some of the really good teen movies that have come out-

• Rebel Without a cause - not only was the movie striking at the time it came out (and is still relevant if not as powerful today) it also contains the quintessential performance of James Dean and the one he will always be remembered for, it also has great performances from Sal Mineo and Natalie Wood. A bold movie for its time. It may seem pretty tame today, but i suppose it all depend on your tastes.
• To sir with love - a film to be enjoyed by anyone, Sidney Poitier turns in a fine performance as do the actors who play his students, a sixties classic, although if you don't like cockney accents all that much you may find it grating.
• Blackboard Jungle - Which is in a similar vein as To Sir, With Love, i haven't seen it but I've heard good things about it. A teacher comes to an unruly boys school and instead of just putting up with his students' antics he decides to instill discipline in them. Which is mostly the plot of To Sir With Love.
• Mean Girls - a film almost completely cliche free and irreverently funny. An accurate, if exaggerated, look at the politics of high school girl cliques.
• Heathers - It's like Mean Girls only with murder. That's how i describe it to anyone who hasn't heard of this movie and it immediately gets them interested, then when they see it they are slightly disappointed that it doesn't have the same humor as Mean Girls. Heathers is darker and deadpan, and until a second viewing i don't think you can appreciate it as much. Winona Ryder and Christian Slater star as Veronica Sawyer and Jason 'JD' Dean, i think it's quite obvious about the reference. The movie plays joyfully with the conventions of high school movies and is a wonderful throwback at the John Hughes movies of the 80s.
• The breakfast club - a staple of any 80's teen movie fan. it follows 5 teenagers from different social types stuck together in Saturday detention. While enjoyable i never thought it was all that brilliant but i knew that i'd be killed if i didn't put on here.
• Juno - quirky teen Juno gets pregnant by her best friend and goes on a an emotional roller-coaster with funny results, it's not just funny its a good portrayal of teen culture, i wouldn't rate it as brilliant but it is well written and everyone in it delivers a great performance.
• Napoleon Dynamite - ok now, he's just cool. who doesn't love this film? i'm not going to say anymore on the  matter, if you haven't seen it rent it and you'll understand.
• Splendor in the grass - Bud and and Wilma Dean 'Deanie' Loomis are in love in the 20's, they want to take their relationship further but face pressures from their parents. The performances in this movie are astounding and often heartbreaking, Buds father is multi dimensional human like he should be and the movie was made all the more stronger by his presence. Warren Beatty (Bud) made his film debut in this movie and he turned in a good performance giving us a taste of what was yet to come (plus he looked friggin' hot). Ginny Stamper (Buds sister) was a highlight of the film and steals every scene she's in. But it's Natalie Wood in one of her best performances that keeps the movie interesting. I talked a lot about that one but i think that shows that i really like the movie. 
• Pretty In Pink - Molly Ringwald was the teen movie queen back in the eighties and is still very much associated with them, she was quite good in this and has young Jon Cryer as her best friends Duckie. Really, it's worth watching just for him. 
• Saved! - good but awkward satire on a religious high school.

There are so many more like Fast times at Ridgemont high, Risky Business and Scream, but i can't talk about them all.

Now let's take a look at our teenage wasteland-

• Material Girls - Getting it's name from a Madonna song and even having Hilary and Hayley Duff do a cover of it must have seemed like a good idea at the time, but it takes more than that to make a film, a cliche'd mess if there ever was one and i feel slightly sorry for everyone in it. It's a shame because i truly hoped it would be better than what people claimed.
• Spice world - kind of self explanatory, you put a music group that can't act (or sing for that matter) in a movie and you've got the worst musical ever made, sure it was aimed at teen audiences but even we, the teens, aren't stupid enough to watch this - and we watched Disaster Movie.
• Weird Science - i'm sorry fans, i have failed you, this wasn't that good of a movie, maybe it's because it's a John Hughes classic and i expected too much or perhaps i just didn't like hearing the 'tries too hard to be funny' lines
• Crossroads - When i saw this i wasn't surprised that Britney Spears couldn't act, i was just surprised that those guys down in casting thought she could. fair is fair though, i did find her funny in those episodes of How I met your Mother. Zoe Saldana (of Avatar fame) was in this as well, perhaps something she might like to forget.
• From Justin to Kelly - bad actors, bad music, lame attempts at 'comedy' and a cliche'd plot. shall i go on? the only way it could have been worse was if the 'Justin' in the title referred to Justin Beiber.
• Teen Witch - campy and cheesily enjoyable, this movie comes under the so 'bad it's good' title.

I'm going to stop there. I think this post is already too long! i may continue on in this teen movie vein until i get it out of my system so don't be surprised if my next post is about teen movies.

"Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass; glory in the flower; we will grieve not' but rather find strength in what remains behind" Wilma Dean Loomis (Natalie Wood), Splendor in the grass (Poem written by William Wordsworth)

Worst movie ever made? #100

i have decided to try and post about 100 of the worst movies ever, not all in one post but you get what i mean. i want you to know that even though i'm counting down it doesn't mean that i'd necessarily rate them in that order, it's just the order i thought of them in.

Today i thought of a terrifically bad movie, i think that a lot of people know about it and it probably has a cult following somewhere but it's still a very, very bad film: Troll 2 (1990). Currently #62 on IMDB Bottom 100 and   starring people whose careers were ruined shortly after the release. Moment of silence for those terrible, terrible actors.

Director Claudio Fragrasso (so he's who we blame) was (is?) Italian which probably lead to mis communications with the cast and crew so i suppose i can't blame him for the movies outcome. The movies plot wasn't so great either- "A young boy is horrified to find that a family trip is being haunted by his worst nightmare."
From just reading that you wouldn't think it's great but no terrible, I've been going on about how bad it is but what was bad about it? here:

• "the powers of evil are very strong here- i must leave" was the script writer sniffing newsprint?
• The town is called "Nilbog" (10 points if you know what it says spelled backwards)
• There are no trolls in this movie- just goblins
• It's meant to be a comedy and theres nothing worst than a horror comedy without comedy. Well, i did laugh, but not with it

I should have put this on my 'the dark side of sequels' post (which is below this one) but Troll 2 isn't really a sequel, it's a completely different movie based on the moderately successful Troll (1986). Oh and um while we're at it: the sex scene with the popcorn... well its was strange, which wasn't helped by the fact that the scene wasn't actually needed.

If you want to watch a movie about Trolls watch Troll, not Troll 2, if you want a movie about goblins watch The Labyrinth, not Troll 2, if you want to watch a movie that makes you ache for Plan 9 from outer space, then by all means- watch Troll 2.

"They're eating her... and then they're going to eat me! OH MY GOD!" Arnold (Darren Ewing) Troll 2

The Dark Side of Sequels

Before i begin would you do me a favor and read the posts before this as well? like under it? cos i posted this on the same day as that one and i'm not sure of anyone saw it. ok thanks!

There are some sequels that people just love, like 'The Godfather part 2" or... Well it's your turn you think of one. Oh! i have it! The Star Wars sequels! There are the so bad its good sequels like "Grease 2" (i don't think it was all that bad but i can see why some people may dislike it it) or "Shock Treatment" (the sequel-or equal-to Rocky horror). Rocky 2 to... what 50? weren't great (IMO) but i'll leave those off because they're true to the original (again IMO) and besides i kinda like Sylvester Stallone.

Some sequels are just bad, like...

• Pretty much any American Pie sequel - i didn't like the first one, but i could at least sit through it
• The Blues Brothers 2000 - why?! if there is no John Belushi there is nothing! NOTHING! (No offense Mr Ackroyd)
• The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull - i wanted to like it. i swear, i love the originals and Harrison Ford, it wasn't his fault the movie sucked, it just... there are some things you just can't save.
• Batman and Robin - George Clooney? He lacks the edginess of... Who was a good batman before Christian Bale? Well, yeah Michael Keaton but you get the point i'm trying to make. Well, lets just say that Clooney isn't the worst thing about the movie, its Mr Freeze. Poor, Poor Arnie, it's a wonder he came back after this abomination.
• Caddyshack 2 - once again i wanted to like it, but theres only so much Chevy Chase i can take. Its kinda hard to enjoy when you've seen the first one, it's like if they made a sequel to Citizen Kane or something. You get that analogy right?
• Cody banks 2 - Well.... It's a Disney spy movie SEQUEL, with kids with about as many facial expressions as the pieces of wood that taught them all to act. Frankie Muniz is at least somewhat likeable in it, or maybe i'm just remembering Malcolm in the middle. Plus the girl in it was kind of... Boring. Not that the first movie was any better though.
• Star Wars: Attack of the clones - A little part of me wanted to leave it off the list because of my own nostalgic feeling about it, it came out when i was very young and my older brother watched all the Star Wars movies over and over again, naturally I've been brought up to love them. But this was the worst, i liked Phantom Menace because i thought Darth Maul was awesome, but 'Clones' was drawn out and boring. Revenge of the sith was great though, it saved my very critical mind from not buying the prequel boxset. i bought it. i still watch them, because they're all crucial to Star wars universe.
• Speed 2 - when Speed came out it was more awesome because no-one expected it to be awesome, but when number 2 came out it sucked because A- no Keanu Reeves B- it's a friggin boat and C- it's called Speed 2: Cruise Control. which is kinda lame.

Now for what prompted this post- the sequel to the 2004 comedy Mean Girls. Great movie, Tina fey is an amazing writer, the leads were convincing and above all it was realistic enough to relate to and surreal enough to keep us laughing. Fey should have won a bloody Oscar! I try not to judge movies until I've seen them but lets review (preview? whatever):

Disney kids from- Camp rock, Wizards of Waverly place and Cory in the house. Now lets picture them in a Tina Fey movie... actually don',t because Mean Girls 2 isn't a Tina Fey movie! No, she had nothing to do with it, the only cast member to return is the principal? Oh and theres a fashionista who carries around a chihuahua. (In Gretchen Wieners voice) "Thats so fetch!". Its to be aired by ABC Family, who (from what I've heard) sensor the original to the point of it being a pantomime. Now lets put all this information together in our minds... Egad I've seen this... I believe it was called The Clique. Horrific film by the way, now compare that to Mean Girls. 

Yeah, i want to stab someone too.

I love Mean girls, I've watched it like a million times, we even watch it at school, personally i think that we should watch Heathers as well as Mean Girls, but thats just because i love them both. I know that every teenage girl has been guilty of quoting one of those movies, the thing about a good movie is it has to be memorable- i put this to you: search up the trailer for Mean Girls 2 and see if you can remember a single line from it.

"Do not have sex- or you will get pregnant and DIE" Health Teacher, Mean Girls

Blog Needs to get support

people i don't want to sound needy but i could use some followers/comments as i like feedback and i like writing stuff about movies on this blog so naturally i want someone to read it.
I think i can really make a good and informative blog if i have feedback on what i can improve on, what i'm doing well at and some suggestions for films i should watch/review/anything else. just general opinions.
So if you would be so kind as to tell me what you thought of a post or something i'd apreciate it (i sound like one of those PBS telethon things.)
So please help me out here people.

"You're tearing me apart!!!" Jim Stark (James Dean), Rebel Without a cause

Credit where its due: High school Musical

Before the die hard haters of the HSM series go insane i just want to say that i don't really like the series, it is a phase that has since passed (thank goodness) but there are a few nice things i have to say about the HSM series.

The songs aren't excruciatingly terrible when you think about who they're aimed at, i'm not even going to say that the dances are generic, because they suit the music and have people who are at least capable of doing them. Sure the moves are cheesy and seem only to be there in the hope that they would catch on at birthday parties, but they do suit the music so i guess choreographer/director Kenny Ortega did what he was supposed to do.

The acting. The actors aren't Oscar worthy, they don't deserve any prestigious award based on their performances in these movies, BUT the characters are over the top and contrived, the actors pretty much just go through the motions and it's pretty noticeable. I blame the script for the actors shortcomings.

The movie is a musical, as we all know the musical genre has been flailing in favor of dance movies like 'Step Up' and 'You got served' (did anybody actually see that? anybody?) musicals like 'Moulin Rouge' and 'Chicago' were aimed at adults and the kids really didn't have many movie musicals. Well except maybe 'The Cheetah girls' which i haven't seen but i think it's a musical. Then HSM came along, with its stereotypes, its cheese and 'lets sing about it' teeny bopper style. It exposed the younger generation(myself included) to musicals. HSM "heartthrob" Zac Efron also appeared in sixties musical 'Hairspray' (which by the way is better) and so the musical saw a resurgence in popularity, seeing 2 sequels made of HSM and the god awful 'Camp Rock' which was made as as a simple cash in on The Jonas Brothers and HSM. this isn't new of course, it's showbiz, it's been happening  for years.

Kids look up musicals, ask their parents about musicals and Google musicals. What comes up? 'West Side Story', 'Singin in the rain', 'funny Girl' etc. All these musical greats, the children watch some of these, they think: 'hey this is nothing like HSM!' then they watch a bit further:
'hey she sings better than Gabriella!'
'He's hotter than Zac Efron!' and... you got them. The little girls want a cute guy (regardless if he can sing, dance or even act) and they want a pretty and talented girl for them to aspire to be like. Soon they've discovered these movies, the original 'Hairspray and 'Grease'. I'm pretty sure that 'Grease' has been viewed by almost everyone with a TV since it came out but the kids may have never taken any notice because "its old". I'll also give an honorable mention to 'Glee' because that show is great and exposes the younger generation to the classics.

What i'm trying to say is HSM isn't good but its effects and intentions are.
You don't have to agree with me, what I've said may not even make sense, but i'm not a professional writer so what do you expect?

"I got thirty-six expressions, sweet as pie and tough as leather and thats six expressions more than all them Barrymores put together" Fanny Brice (Barbra Streisand), Funny Girl.

Whats So Funny? The 30's edition

Ordinarily i'd start with the 1920s but i haven't seen enough movie from that period to give you a good post so we'll get to that later. It was the 30s, or... the beginning of the golden era. gone were the flapper style made popular by Clara Bow and the vamp popularized by Theda Bara. Moviegoers, waited with burning ear to hear their favourite silent stars speak as talking pictures became the biggest thing since film itself. 'Garbo Talks!' cried poster in 1930, advertising her first talkie 'Anna Christie'. She wouldn't make a comedy util 1939 so we'll get to her a bit later.

Many early talkie comedies haven't aged well, due mostly to studio's being weary of sound (they thought it was just a phase) and some tried to avoid it for as long as possible. There was an actor - a comedy actor - who didn't see (geddit!) the need for the spoken word, his name was Charles Chaplin and he avoided the microphone like the plague, releasing silent comedies in an era that had become infatuated with sound - and it worked.

Chaplin had many early comedy successes with 'The Kid' in 1921 and 'The Gold Rush' in 1925. The latter of these 2 films depicted an iconic scene in which Chaplin eats his own shoe.
In 1931 Chaplin released his silent (or semi silent, due to the presence of a music score) 'City Lights'. A rather funny film that involves Chaplin's iconic 'Tramp' falling in love with a blind girl who believes that he is rich.
The movie was a rousing success, proving that the silent era wasn't ready to die.
Chaplin also found success with 'Modern Times', released in 1936, it satirized the modern era. If i may say so myself, i believe that this is one of (if not the) best Chaplin film.
We didn't hear Chaplin talk until 1940 with 'The Great Dictator', which was still funny and i'm sure that many people wondered why he didn't do it earlier.

There was also the musical comedies starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers that provided many laughs for the depression era moviegoers. With Top Hat, Carefree and the Gay Divorcee ranking as their most funny.Astaire and Rogers are legends, their chemistry was unique, they sang and danced and played comedy like it was first and second nature. Fred Astaire had a big career in musicals through 1950's and still brought the goods even after his best years were behind him. Ginger Rogers was a versatile actress and won an Oscar in 1940 for 'Kitty Foyle'.

'It happened one night'. The pioneer of of modern rom coms was this film released in 1934. Starring Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable, the film was the first to achieve 'the big 5' at the Oscars, winning Best actor, best actress, best picture, best director and best screenplay. Who can forget the infamous scene in which Ellie (Colbert) stops a car without using her thumb?

You may have seen the Adam Sandler comedy 'Mr Deeds', which is actually a remake (by premise and title) of 'Mr Deeds goes to town' in 1936. It stars (since the movie still exists i'm referring to it in present tense) Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur as Longfellow Deeds and Babe Bennett (the remake featured Adam Sandler in the Gary Cooper roles and Winona Ryder as Babe). it is far superior to the remake in almost every way, the fact that it isn't in colour doesn't take away from the overall experience of the film.

Now for 1938, their are a couple that stand out in this year: 'Bringing up baby' (considered to be one of the best screwball comedies of all time) was released that year. It stars Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, the film is available pretty much everywhere as it is quite popular.  It is madcap to say the least, i remember when i first saw it i laughed so much i began to wonder if AFI made a mistake naming 'Some like it hot' the funniest movie of all time. While funny i still don't think its the funniest movie ever. There is one line in 'BuB' i remember the most, it's when Grant and Hepburn are in jail-
"Don't worry David when they find out who we are they'll let us out"says Susan (Hepburn)
"When they find out who you are they'll pad the cell"
 There is also 'Holiday', which also starred Ms Hepburn and Mr Grant, both films were flops upon first release but are now highly regarded.
"You can't take it with you". Thats a good movie, James Stewart and Jean Arthur were funny and listen, i added this in on an after thought, i recommend that you search it up as it is quite good, at least watch it for Lionel Barrymore.

The Marx Brothers. Surely you must have heard of them, you know how it goes - "One morning i shot an elephant in my pajamas, how he got in my pajamas i don't know'
Their madcap style stretched through many movies but arguably their best films were in the 30's with Horse Feathers, a day at the races, a night at the opera and duck soup all being released in the 30's. The Marx Bros consisted of: Groucho, Chico, Harpo and sometimes Zeppo.

'GARBO LAUGHS!' screamed the posters for 'Ninotchka'. Well technically Greta Garbo had laughed on film before, but 'Ninotchka' was her first comedy. A no nonsense Russian envoy comes to Paris to sort out a problem with some jewels but is romanced by capitalism and a man about town (Melvyn Douglas). Co-written by Billy Wilder (Some like it hot, Sunset Blvd, The Apartment) the dead pan wit and satirical light that was cast on communism and capitalism while dated now, is still quite funny. This was Garbo's second to last film, the last would be 'Two faced Woman' which while having some good moments was a disappointing movie.

There are so many more great 30's comedies, but this is just to point you, the reader, in the right direction in the way of classic comedy. i guarantee laughs from these movies. if you don't laugh i give you full permission to take shots at this post in the comments.

"You know you haven't stopped talking since i got here, you must've been vaccinated with a phonograph needle" Groucho Marx, Duck Soup

To Start Off

This is a blog about cinema (as if there weren't enough), i'll be talking about 'old' movies and new ones, so one day i may have a post about Charlie Chaplin (if you don't know who that is you are to Google him immediately) and then have a post about Quentin Tarantino. I'm assuming you know who QT is, i think he's an amazing director and he's directed 2 of my fave movies - True Romance and Pulp Fiction.

i don't get out to the movies often because they closed down the movie theater in my town due to the leaky roof and absence of air conditioning. They still hold plays there, i should know as I've been involved in a few, you're not missing much play-wise. But whenever i go out to the movies, see a movie for the first time or happen to have seen a film that i think is worthy to post about, i'll post.

I'll talk about movie stars as well as movies, i'll talk about directors and things like that, hopefully i'll  be informative. i'll talk about TV shows, because they're important as well, you know, the oldies and the new ones, just generally i'll try to talk about films and the art of movies.

I won't be able to post all the time because i have school stuff  (dang it!) but when i can i will, i'm doing a project on films this year any way so this blog isn't a far leap from school. Its creepy that i love movies so much, but i'm a creepy person, despite what you may think - i'm not one of those people who just sit at home and watch movies all day. Although sometimes i wish i was.

You're just jealous because the voices are talking to me...