Let's do a movie-centric post, since I don't seem to do those enough. I'm pretty bad about keeping track of the movies I see. I used to keep a list but don't update anymore. Instead of watching television (except for a few shows), I usually watch movies. That's why I have no idea what is going on in televisionland at the moment. I'm always behind the times when it comes to certain series or tv movies.
For instance, I am only now watching 24 (20th Century Fox). I finished the first season and am starting the second season. I can see why everyone thought it was brilliant. Lots of action, suspense and what I like the most, twists and turns you don't see coming. Probably helps that Kiefer Sutherland is the lead actor. I've liked him ever since The Bay Boy (Orion Pictures 1984) but now I am digging him even more watching him be all kick-ass in 24.
Gratuitous Kiefer shot. And sorry, but I can't help laughing because this guy thinks he's a Kiefer lookalike:
Seriously, dude???
Luckily I watched this movie online, for free, at archive.org so it wasn't a waste of money! The Face At The Window (George King Productions 1939) is not a great movie. It's supposed to be, I guess, a horror film, but to me it was more like a comedy. As you can guess from the title, "the face at the window" is scaring the city of Paris because every time it appears, someone dies. Actually, Chevalier Lucio del Gardo (on the left in the picture), played by Tod Slaughter, creeped me out more than "the face at the window." He was not against blackmailing Cecile de Brisson's Father, in order to get his hands on Cecile as his wife. Blech. But how appropriate for Tod Slaughter to star in horror films!
I was curious about Night Tide (Phoenix Films 1961) because it stars a young Dennis Hopper and I've only seen his later films (unless you count him in Giant, which I don't, because it wasn't a huge role). This is an interesting film. I loved how it was filmed mostly outside, around Santa Monica and Venice. That was something quite new for its time so it had a cool feel about it, on top of having the requisite weird on-the-beach-dancing-to-music scene of the 60s. But it was a strange, strange film. I can sum it up with the question, "Do mermaids murder?" Interesting fact: Linda Lawson, who plays Mora, the mermaid and Dennis' love interest, is the Mother of actress, Amanda Foreman (probably best known recently, for playing crazy Katie Kent on Private Practice).
I've only seen one film that starred Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton together (Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?) so D decided to show me The V.I.P.s (MGM 1963) when we got together for food, gabbing & a movie. This was really schlocky melodrama centering around a number of passengers waiting for a flight to Miami, which gets delayed, and their resulting trials & tribulations. But I liked it because of the chemistry between Elizabeth & Richard. I swear there is one scene where they are both arguing & angry and all I wanted to see was Richard ravish Elizabeth because their chemistry was just sizzling off the screen. D had seen it before and was amused by my commentary. I kept guessing how the story would unfold and yep, I got it right. So, if you want to be surprised, this is probably not the film for you. But if you like looking at pretty clothes (Elizabeth has some fantastic outfits) and can appreciate great chemistry (not only Elizabeth & David, but a young Maggie Smith & Rod Taylor) & some cute humour (Margaret Rutherford, with a surprise appearance from HER real life husband, Stringer Davis. She got married when she was 53! Gives all us single people some hope now, doesn't it? She won an Oscar for this role.), check it out.
Oh, and current movies? I saw Bridesmaids (Universal 2011) and thought it was a hoot! There are some real laugh out loud moments in it (as well as some kind of gross out loud moments) and I think Chris O'Dowd is quite fine. It's the accent which gets me! Plus the awkward dorkiness.
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