Tag Archives: netflix

#22-It Happened One Night

Quick recap: Socialite Ellie Andrews has married a man her father disapproves of. When he annuls the  marriage, she runs away to be with her husband. Andrews embarks on a journey to New York by bus that proves difficult because she is rich and also a woman. Peter Warne, a journalist, steps in to help her manage her money and not get taken advantage of because she is rich and also a woman. At some point Andrews falls in love with Warne and of course everyone lives happily ever after. Except Andrews because she is rich and also a woman.

he's teaching her how to dunk her donut properly because she can't even do that right

he’s teaching her how to dunk her donut properly because she can’t even do that right

Fun (?) Fact: The next time someone mentions that they love this movie, I’m going to respond with, “Do you know who else loves this movie? HITLER.” Because he totally did. Apparently.

I think I just wanted to mention Hitler so I could post this.

I think I just wanted to mention Hitler so I could post this.

My thoughts: If there is 0ne genre of movie I detest, it would have to be the modern ‘Romantic Comedy’. I can’t quite pin down why I hate them so, but it might have to do with the fact that the woman always seems desperate for a man and falls in love with him in some zany way. And then when I read the description for this movie, I realized that THIS is where it all began and for some reason that gave me hope. Maybe the original romantic comedy is delightful and really funny and sweet and the modern genre has just lost its focus.

NOPE.

As a disclaimer, if I look at this movie in the correct context of 1930’s American culture, I can see why it was such a big hit. It’s an interesting premise to have love blossom on a bus and the main characters are gorgeous. But I’m watching this in 2013 and the plot just doesn’t hold up as well. Ellie Andrews is supposed to be this hard headed woman who will do what she pleases, but what she wants is a man. She needs a man. And she has absolutely no idea how busses work. She seems so strong in the beginning, but by the very first night of running away, she is leaning on Warne’s arm for comfort. She misses the bus the next day and Warne is there to rescue her. At one point he even takes away her money because she isn’t using it properly. She becomes even more helpless as time passes. There is one scene when the two of them try to get some rest in a haystack. Warne walks away for a minute to find food and Andrews FREAKS out. I know that the scene is important to show that she is in love, but she seemed more like a child than an ‘independent woman’. I suppose the two are perfect for each other as one needs constant rescuing and guidance and the other is perfectly happy to fill that role.

And then there is the violence and threatening of violence. I get that that sort of thing was hilarious a long time ago, but it just makes the movie seem dated now. 10 minutes into the first scene, Andrew’s father is slapping her for being silly. In one of the most important scenes where Warne declares his love for Andrews he says, ‘She needs a guy who’d take a sock at her once a day whether she deserves it or not.’ That’s true love, right there.

Plot aside, I really did enjoy the bus scenes with all of the colorful characters and I also fell in love with the motel houses (?) that they stayed in each night. It made me want to buy a bus ticket right then and there, although I don’t think I would have as grand a time. This movie was also set in the 30’s and you know what that means….. spinning newspaper montage!!! No classic film is complete without it.

And Clark Gable, we can’t forget about him. He was the sole reason I found myself drawn to this movie more than I expected to. He was charming and funny and I think I fell in love at some point. The one scene I found truly hilarious was of Warne undressing himself in front of Andrews in an attempt to persuade her to stay with him. I can see why everyone went crazy over him back then.

yet another novel way to threaten a woman

yet another novel way to threaten a woman

Final review: 3/5. This was a tough one to settle on. I disliked the helplessness of Andrews but on the other hand, CLARK GABLE.

Where/how I watched it: Netflix DVD

Up Next:  Ariel, my first foray into subtitled foreign films. Oh boy.

 

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#21- Cabaret

Quick Recap: The movie follows Sally Bowles, an American, and Brian Roberts, an Englishman, as they navigate their way through Berlin in the 1930s. Bowles is a singer at the local Kit Kat club, while Roberts is working on his doctorate in philosophy while tutoring students in English. The two become friends and later lovers. While their affair is going on, the Nazi party is beginning its rise in Germany and by the end of the film has completely taken over Berlin.

Fun (?) Fact: If you are looking for a film version of the stage musical, this ain’t it. Cliff Bradshaw on the stage is now Brian Roberts. Sally Bowles is American instead of British and most of the songs have been cut while others have been added in.

It's ok because Joel Grey is still the Emcee

It’s ok because Joel Grey is still the Emcee

My thoughts: Let’s just go ahead and get this out of the way before I start this review: The only association I have of Liza Minnelli and pop culture is this:

other Lucille!

other Lucille!

Whew. I feel better now. So anyway, I saw the stage version of ‘Cabaret’ a few years ago and quite enjoyed it so I figured this would be the same but better. The fact that the film version was so different from the stage version took me awhile to pick up on. I just thought that maybe I had slept through the whole thing or just completely missed the point. The themes are the same though.

As someone who doesn’t always enjoy ‘sing talking’, I like the director’s idea to put all musical numbers inside the Kit Kat club and to have them complement the plot that is going on outside.Those scenes were my favorite, especially seeing the rise of the Nazi party in the club. At the beginning of the film, members of the Nazi Party are kicked out but by the end they make up the majority of patrons. It was such a striking way to tell that part of the story.

Liza Minnelli is brilliant in her role as Sally Bowles. She plays the perfect mix of broken, optimistic, captivating girl. I spent the entire movie going back and forth between feeling sorry for her and loving her unique style.

The issue I had with the movie was how hard everyone tried to drive the point that pre war Germany is BAD. It’s a place where people cheat on each other, have abortions and go to a seedy nightclub where anything can happen. So it’s no wonder the Nazi Party has risen to power in all this mess. In reality, it was much more complicated than that. The same goes for the subplot of Fritz and Natalia. It was like someone said, ‘Hey! We are making a film about pre-war Berlin! Where are the Jews? The audience is going to get really confused if we don’t throw in some Jews!’ And so they did.

The most powerful scene in the movie is at the beer garden as the young boy stands up and starts to sing a German national song. He begins the song as a loving tribute to his country and then people start standing up and singing along. At the end of the number, everyone is angry and the song has become a sort of marching song for the Nazi Party.

Final review: 3/5. I loved the musical numbers at the Kit Kat club and loved Liza Minnelli’s performance. I can see why it is considered a great film, but I wouldn’t want to sit through it again.

Where/how I watched it: Netflix DVD while I enjoyed a St. Arnold Icon. It is not my favorite hefeweizen but it was good.

go get some!

go get some!

Up next: Still waiting on Psycho. Until then, I’ll watch ‘It Happened One Night’

 

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#20- High Society

Quick Recap: Tracy Samantha Lord, who is in HIGH SOCIETY, is set to marry the very boring George. The only problem is that her ex-husband, Dexter, is still in love with her, as well as a reporter from SPY Magazine. Tracy must choose between these three men. Oh, the problems of being in HIGH SOCIETY. Also, Louis Armstrong starts the movie by basically singing the plot just to make sure everyone is on the same page.

apparently it's a ton of fun to sing about petty,rich, white people

apparently it’s a ton of fun to sing about petty,rich, white people

Fun (?) Fact: At the time of filming, Grace Kelly was only 26, while her love interests were 40 and 53.

I'm going to go ahead and choose Sinatra as the better looking of the two

I’m going to go ahead and choose Sinatra as the better looking of the two

 My Thoughts: I always knew that this ‘musical comedy’ genre of movies existed, but I think this is the first one I actually sat through. As with everything, I do my best to keep an open mind but when the first scene of the movie is a guy singing the plot of the movie,  I know I’m doomed. That’s not to say I don’t like musicals; I just don’t think musical comedies are a thing I am going to readily enjoy. The banter between Sinatra and Bing Crosby was fun enough, and oh my god was Grace Kelly gorgeous. Those parts kept me going throughout the NINE musical numbers. All of the musical scenes involve characters sing-talking to each other, which, in my opinion , is the very lowest form of musical selections. On a personal level, there was the novelty of actually seeing Crosby and Sinatra singing for the first time because I don’t think I’ve ever experienced that before. They are extremely talented and it’s no wonder they were so popular.  In fact, watching them sing inspired me to broaden my vinyl search the next time I shop at a record store. I dug the crooning style, even if I wasn’t a fan of the actual numbers. And Louis Armstrong was quite a character. I’m not really sure what his point was in the film, except for the trailers to say, ‘Hey! Look! We have Louis Armstrong!’.

The plot of the film was also an issue for me. Here’s Tracy (played by Grace Kelly), who is set to marry a handsome man in good standing, albeit a bit boring. And that’s not good enough for her because her ex-husband (Crosby) is still in love with her. That’s enough of a situation to carry the movie but NO Sinatra has to show up (Mike in the movie) and throw his hat in the ring. At some point, Tracy believes she has slept with Mike, and hilarity ensues when everyone casually tries to figure out the truth. The movie ends with Tracy breaking off her engagement to George right before she is set to marry him and then at the last second, with NO talk beforehand, deciding to remarry her ex. It wasn’t a surprise by any stretch of the imagination but still incredibly silly.

Final review: 2/5. I’m tempted to give it a one but I do have to appreciate the musical talent. Also, watching this movie made me appreciate Seth Macfarlane even more.

the musical numbers are really spot on

the musical numbers are really spot on

Where/ how I watched it: Netflix DVD

Up Next: Psycho or Cabaret, depending on which DVD Netflix sends me first

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#19- Dr. Strangelove

Quick recap: General Ripper orders an air strike on Russia for no reason. As expected, it does not go well. Most of the movie takes place in the war room, as the president and his council attempt to get hold of the situation and recall the alert. Russia is understandably displeased and threatens to set off the doomsday device if they are bombed, ending all humanity as we know it. The movie switches back and forth between Dr.Ripper’s further descent into insanity and on one of the planes carrying the bomb.

Fun (?) Fact: Peter Sellers, who played three major rolls in the film, ad-libbed most of his lines. Kubrick later added the dialogue into the written screenplay.

Dr.Strangelove fighting with his own arm to keep from giving the president the Nazi salute

Dr.Strangelove fighting with his own arm to keep from giving the president the Nazi salute

My thoughts: I don’t have much to say about this movie, unfortunately, for a few reasons. 1. It was directed by Kubrick and I love his ideas so I knew this would be amazing. And that it was. 2. What makes this movie so wonderful is its spot on satire of the cold war. I say ‘spot on’ based on my limited knowledge of the subject, since I wasn’t actually alive at the time. 3. Dr.Strangelove was truly hilarious so me adding anything insightful would just be fruitless. This movie filled in several holes of my pop culture wall. For example, the quote, ‘You can’t fight in here! This is the war room!’ is a line I had heard several times, but only now know where it came from. Same goes for the last scene of the movie, as the Major rides the bomb as if it were a bull in a rodeo. There were so many wonderful moments, but my absolute favorite was the first conversation the president had with the Russian Premier where he explains that the General went and did a ‘silly thing’. The movie is gold, but I’d watch it again for just that one scene.

Yet another Simpsons joke I can better appreciate now!

Yet another Simpsons joke I can better appreciate now!

Final review: 4/5. I’d give it a perfect score, but I know that I missed so many jokes, based on my limited knowledge of the Cold War. That’s probably something I should change. I plan to rewatch this movie again in a year from now and see what I else I can pick up.

Where/how I watched it: Netflix DVD

Up next: High Society

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