The Best Year of Our Lives (1946)
A Post-War Love Story About PTSD The Best Years of Our Lives is without a doubt in my Top 10 favorite movies of all time! I mean the cast alone just fills the bill... Myrna Lo y, Fredric March , Dana Andrews , Virginia May o and Teresa Wright , whom I fell in love with in Shadow of a Doubt ! A feel-good movie about PTSD? It seems ridiculous to say a movie about the struggles of soldiers returning from war is a feel good movie, but in many ways it is! There is a level of drama, depression anxiety, dysfunction, triumph and joy that make Th…
The Feminine Touch (1941)
Makes One Yearn for a Simpler Time Every once in awhile I come across an old movie I never heard of and immediately upon watching it, find a new comfort movie. The Feminine Touch is one such movie!
A Place in the Sun - 1951
A Disturbingly Brilliant Movie A Place in the Sun was disturbing. How's that for blunt? I mean, it was a great movie but man - it's squirm worthy, rife with so many tragic themes.
High Society (1956)
High Society , for me, rates as a comfort movie - you know, like comfort food it gives a sense of gemutlichkeit, that nearly indefinable feeling of warmth, friendliness, and good cheer - comfort! I remember seeing this movie as a kid, and I certainly didn't understand the premise, or innuendo, but it had Bing Crosby in it! Of course, today I'm more like - it has Grace Kelly in it! That being said - along with Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Celeste Holm also starred, and there was even a couple short clips …
Road House (1948)
This is a great, sexy little noir starring one of my favorite actors - Ida Lupino! And oh dear Lord - DO NOT confuse this with Patrick Swayze's movie of the same name, that's be a tragedy! Amazon has a good synopsis: At a seedy nightclub and bowling alley near the Canadian border, owner Jefty Robbins (Richard Widmark) is in love with his new cabaret singer, Lily Stevens (Ida Lupino), who only has eyes for Jefty's best friend, bar manager Pete Morgan (Cornel Wilde). Although he tries to keep his distance, Pete soon falls for L…
The Big Combo (1955)
I love Film Noir...(for cryin'-out-loud, look at the name of this blog) and this is one of the best! Cornel Wilde stars as a cop determined to take down Mr. Brown (doesn't that remind you of Reservoir Dogs?), a bookkeeper (played by Richard Conte ) for an absent crime boss, now running the outfit himself. Our vixen Susan ( Jean Wallace ), a sad-eyed moll caught between the two antagonists, "realizes she’s in over her head, and doesn’t see any way out except suicide. She attempts it in one of the film’s early scenes, then sp…
The Talk of the Town (1942)
It Will Be the Talk of YOUR Town! The Talk of the Town is a surprisingly fun, and funny, movie! I don't know why it surprised me, certainly Jean Arthur and Cary Grant had great comedy resumes. Nonetheless it was such a pleasant surprise. A human side to law Here's a little synopsis from Leonard Maltin on TCM , "fugitive Grant hides out with unsuspecting professor Colman and landlady Arthur, and tries to convince legal-minded Colman there's a human side to all laws." Doesn't sound particularly funny but - s…
Michael Clayton
Michael Clayton is just flat-out a modern film-noir! There's all the elements...crime, murder, coverup, threats, intrigue, mob, loan sharks... heck, even the score has a noir feel to it. The cast is amazing...George Clooney, Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilkinson . Now I know everyone's gaga over Clooney, and the artsy crowd fawns all over Swinton, but for me - Tom Wilkinson stole the show! REVIEWS: Nick's Flick Picks does a masterful review of the movie as does A World to Win . FAVORITE QUOTE: Clayton: "I am not the enemy.&qu…
Ex-Lady
This was an interesting little film. I'm always intrigued when I see things in old movies that we still debate and discuss today. Ex-Lady explored topics such as the empowerment and rights of women (not to be confused with political women's rights), infidelity without embarrassment, open marriage, disdain for marriage, and the list goes on! The main star was Bette Davis, and I gotta say... she really was quite beautiful! I'm not 100% certain, but I think this may actually be my first Bette Davis film. REVIEWS: I don't ne…
The Reckless Moment
There's something just kind of heartwarming about The Reckless Moment . I know that sounds weird considering the movie's about murder, cover-up, blackmail and whatever kinds of mayhem! For being such a low-down crook, Martin Donnelly (Mason) seems awfully reluctant about what he's doing, and is very tender with Mrs. Harper (Bennett). For crying-out-loud, the guy ends up making you wish things could have been different for both of them! Also Like Life has a nice review of the movie, as does Obscure Classics . I almost forgot... …
