Meet Me at the Movies - x 4

I haven't done a very good job of keeping up with my own meme.  I started "Meet Me At the Movies" to take advantage of a wider variety of the 600+ channels we get on TV and I've watched quite a few - but haven't added them here.  So let's rectify that.  Here's a quick rundown of what I've been watching:

Christmas in July: (1940) An office clerk loves entering contests in the hopes of someday winning a fortune and marrying the girl he loves. His latest attempt is the Maxford House Coffee Slogan Contest. As a joke, some of his co-workers put together a fake telegram which says that he won the $25,000 grand prize. As a result, he gets a promotion, buys presents for all of his family and friends, and proposes to his girl. When the truth comes out, he's not prepared for the consequences.

Stars Dick Powell and Ellen Drew, staples in movies from the 1930's through the 1950's and on TV during the 1960's.  Cute "comedy of errors"-type story.

On The Town:  (1949)  Three sailors on a day of shore leave in New York City look for fun and romance before their twenty-four hours are up. 

Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Ann Miller with music by Leonard Bernstein - It just doesn't get much better than that.  Features the classic song "New York, New York".  As in many films of this style/era, the plot is a little thin, but the music and comedy make it so much fun that I didn't care.

Also starred Betty Garrett.  Took me a while to place her, but you might remember her better as Irene Lorenzo on All in the Family or Edna Babbish on Laverne and Shirley.

Going My Way: (1944)  Father O'Malley's (Bing Crosby) worldly knowledge helps him connect with a gang of kids looking for direction and handle the business details of the church-building fund and winning over his aging, conventional superior, Father Fitzgibbon. 
This was easily my favorite of my recent movie watches. The story of Father O'Malley's work with the "gang" (pretty mild-mannered gang by today's standards) is touching, but the music is still the highlight.  Bing Crosby singing Silent Night and Swingin' On a Star is a treat.

Mary Mary: (1963)  Nine months after they split up, Bob and Mary meet at his New York apartment to sort out some tax matters. He's getting married to healthy-eating Tiffany as soon as the divorce becomes final, and she is attracted by fellow tenant Dirk Winston, a Hollywood star.  Working through the tax records brings back memories and rekindles old feelings.

Debbie Reynolds is always a joy to watch. Her comedic timing is perfect.  Unfortunately, we don't get to hear her sing in this film, but the story and the writing are good.  Barry Nelson was another of those faces that I knew I should know but couldn't place, so I had to look him up.  He's another actor who guest-starred on nearly every TV show during the 60's - 80's, but I realized I recognized him most from the movie Airport.  

Meet Me At The Movies: Elvis!

Change of Habit - When I was young, back in the days when there were only four television  networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS), the "late movie" came on each night at 10:30.  If the movie happened to star Elvis Presley, I begged Mom to let me stay up and watch.  Because she was such a softy, I've seen most of Elvis' movies - some several times.  I even had the soundtrack album to Spinout.  But I had never seen Change of Habit - Elvis' 31st, and last, movie.

This movie was a definite change from most Elvis movies, which were basically a thin plot to string together lots of opportunities for Elvis to sing.  Change of Habit only includes two songs - the title number and Rubberneckin' - and the story focuses on some deep subjects.

Three nuns - Mary Tyler Moore, Barbara McNair and Jane Elliot - move to an impoverished neighborhood to work in a medical clinic run by Dr. John Carpenter (Elvis).  Filmed in 1969, the story involves issues of race, women's rights, and autism - a condition mostly unknown at that time.

For General Hospital fans, Jane Elliott now plays Tracy Quartermaine on GH, and Barbara McNair appeared briefly on GH in 1984 as Aunt Bettina.  It took me a few minutes to recognize Jane, and I can't remember Barbara's GH character at all, but I thought it was a fun bit of trivia.  You can also spot a very young Ed Asner as the neighborhood policeman.

This was certainly the best written and acted of Elvis' movies, but I'll admit I wanted to hear him sing a little more.  I mean, it's Elvis...!

Meet Me at the Movies: Double Feature

I watched two of my chosen classic movies this week - one an all-time hit and one a total flop.  First the flop:

Kiss Them For Me
Three decorated Navy pilots finagle a four day leave in San Francisco. They procure a posh suite at the hotel and Commander Crewson, a master of procurement, arranges to populate it with party people. Lieutenant Wallace is trying to get the pilots to make speeches to rally the homefront at shipyard magnate Eddie Turnbill's plants, but they're tired of the war and just want to have fun. While Crewson begins falling in love with Turnbill's fiancée Gwinneth Livingston, he tries to ignore the distant call of war.

Not even Cary Grant could save this bomb.  Silly plot, unbelievable situations, and Jayne Mansfield's annoying voice made it tough to watch.  But, did I mention Cary Grant?  

Based on the book Shore Leave by Frederic Wakeman (1943).

The second half of the double feature was a hit - but that wasn't a surprise because I've seen this movie many times.  It's always rewatchable!

Bye Bye Birdie - A rock singer travels to a small Ohio town to make his "farewell" television performance and kiss his biggest fan before he is drafted.

Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margaret, Bobby Rydell, Janet Leigh, Paul Lynde, Ed Sullivan . . . this movie is full of big names and catchy songs that get stuck in our head.  It was inspired by Elvis's induction into the army in 1957 - at the height of his popularity - and his "one last kiss" to an Army WAC.  The movie is an adaptation of the Broadway musical that premiered in 1960 and won Tonys for Best Musical and Best Performance by a Male (Dick Van Dyke) in 1961.  There is also a mid-90's remake with Vanessa Williams, Jason Alexander and Tyne Daley that is almost as good.  But you just can't beat Dick Van Dyke, in my book.

Put on a Happy Face is probably the best-known song from the movie, but there are others that make you want to sing, and maybe even dance:  One Last Kiss, One Special Boy, Everything is Rosie and, of course, Bye Bye Birdie.   Highly recommended  - it's fun and lighthearted and . . . just fun!

Meet Me At the Movies: Summer Stock

1950 - As a favor to her actress sister Abigail, New England farmer Jane Falbury allows a group of actors use her barn as a theater for their play. In return, the cast and crew have to help her with the farm chores. During rehearsals, Jane finds herself falling for the show's director, Joe Ross, who also happens to be engaged to the show's leading lady-- Abigail.

Starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly

This wasn't the greatest start to my Meet Me at the Movies feature.  With the exception of "Get Happy", the music didn't have any memorable tunes. In fact, some of the songs barely had a tune - memorable or otherwise.  The story was cute - although terribly stereotypical about farm folk as overall-wearing, chewing on a straw with what teeth they have left, hicks.

Still, watching Gene Kelly dance is reward enough for sitting through even the most mediocre movie.  He's handsome and smooth and makes me want to dance.

Part of the fun of watching old movies is finding familiar actors in early roles.  Gloria DeHaven is one of those familiar faces.  She went on to guest on nearly everything on television - from westerns (The Rifleman, Wagon Train, Gunsmoke) to detective shows (Mannix, Murder She Wrote, Hart to Hart) to 80's standards (Highway to Heaven, Love Boat, Falcon Crest).  She even played in several soap operas (As the World Turns, Ryan's Hope and All My Children). Do you recognize her?

Movie Reviews

Our movie viewing has dropped drastically in the last year since we moved to a town without a theater.  The nearest theater is 28 miles from our house; to get more than two options we have to travel to St. Joe, MO, which is about 50 miles.  Not a big deal - we can make it a date night and eat out, or make a Wal-Mart or Home Depot run while we're at it - but still not as convenient as having a theater three blocks away like we did before.  However, we've gone twice recently - and here's what we thought:

The Hunger Games - We have both read all three books and loved them, which actually made us a little concerned about the movie living up to the books.  Although we would have to agree that the books are still better, this movie came as close as possible.  Naturally there were some things that had to be left out or glossed over so that the movie didn't last 6 hours.  The biggest of these being Katniss's relationship with Gale.  Honestly, as it was done, there was no reason to even have Gale in the movie.  They didn't capture the Gale/Katniss connection or the conflict she felt over having to pretend to love Peeta, knowing that Gale was watching on TV.  

The flashback scenes were fine for those who already knew the story, but otherwise confusing (I confirmed this by asking several viewers who had not read the books).  I also didn't care for the jumpy camera style.  I know it's the new fad on TV and movies, but I find it annoying - but that's a personal thing.

Other than those small things, the movie was a success.  The violence was as gore-less as possible while still conveying how savage the "game" was.  The set design was gorgeous and the casting was excellent.  Wish there had been more of Woody Harrelson, just because he was fun to watch, and because that part of the plot was largely untold.  

We give it the old Siskel and Ebert Thumbs Up for both readers and non-readers.

Titanic: 3D - We didn't see this movie the first time around and selected it this time mostly for the novelty of 3D than for any attraction to the story.  However, it being the 100th anniversary of the voyage of the Titanic, I'm glad we saw it.  Amanda saw it with us and I'm sure it made a historic event much more real for her.  

For me, at least, the love story took a back seat to the greater story of the ship itself, and the ways people react in a crisis - from the vanity and self-preservation of the "upper class" to the total generosity and selflessness of the band who continued to play and try to calm passengers as the ship sank.  

As for the "new" technology of 3D movies - It looked a lot like something I saw in a ViewMaster in 1967.  It was more of a distraction than an enhancement.  Over all it was a thumbs up for the historical value, but so-so otherwise.

Movie Review: You Again

What doesn't kill you...is going to marry your brother.

Round 1:  Marni, high school nerd turned beautiful, successful career woman, comes home to meet her brother's fiance', Joanna - only to find that Joanna is actually J.J., the popular cheerleader who tormented her teen years.  Joanna pretends to not remember Marni or any of her own horrid behavior.

Round 2: When Joanna's "Aunt Mona" arrives for the wedding, she turns out to be Ramona, Marni's mother's ex-best friend from high school.  The two of them had a falling-out at their senior prom and have harbored their hard feelings all these years.

Betty White is her usual comical self as Grandma Bunny, and there's even a brief appearance by Patrick Duffy who, incidently, is even dreamier than he was as Bobby Ewing in Dallas thirty years ago. 

There were a couple points where the plot became a bit frantic with over-the-top jokes and shenanigans that seemed avoidable, but rational behavior isn't usually entertaining.  This was a fun date night movie and we left the theater smiling.

Movie Review: Ramona and Beezus

Adorable!  Ramona and Beezus are just as much fun on screen as they have been in print for over fifty years.  

All the familiar characters from Klickitat Street are there, including  Henry Huggins, who is now a teenager and coping with a budding romance with Beezus.  Plus, there are characters who were new to me because they came along in the later Ramona books - loooong after my grade-school days.

The story revolves around changes in the Quimby household when Mr. Quimby loses his job.  Antics from several books are combined, with some new material added in, to make a completely fun movie.  No cuss words - except when Ramona threatens to use a "bad" word and yells "Guts!" - no sex, no blood; just good clean fun.  Even with the G rating, it didn't feel like watching a "kids" movie.  Portions of the story appealed to all ages.  We recommend this movie to everyone who has small kids, who once had small kids or who once were small kids. 

Schmucks: In Film and Print

Just from looking at the pictures, you probably wouldn't think that there is a connection between the movie, Dinner for Schmucks, and the book, Chesapeake Shores Christmas, by Sherryl Woods - but there is.

Dave and I saw Dinner for Schmucks last weekend.   I knew that any movie starring Steve Carrell would probably be what I call "guy humor" or just "stupid humor" (for examples, see any movie Will Farrell or Adam Sandler ever made), but Dave - being a guy - likes that type of humor, and I just like going to the movies. 

In this movie, Tim, a young executive looking for a promotion, is invited to a "Dinner for Idiots" hosted by his boss.  Each executive brings a guest - the biggest schmuck they can find.  The guests are told it is a dinner for "exceptional people".  If Tim brings the biggest schmuck to the dinner, he will be rewarded with a bump up the corporate ladder.  Convinced by his girlfriend that this is a nasty way to treat people, Tim is prepared to turn down the invitiation...then he meets Barry.  Barry is an IRS accountant and part-time taxidermist.  He makes vignettes of famous scenes from history and literature, using mice that he finds on the street and stuffs.  He's the perfect schmuck!  As the story progresses, Barry moves from sad, lonely oddball to annoying half-wit to so ridiculously moronic that you just want the movie to end - regardless of HOW it ends - so he will go away.  At one point Dave said "I want to crawl into the screen and strangle this guy.  Why has no one killed him?"  And therein lies the basis for the connection to the O'Brien family in Chesapeake Shores.

Chesapeake Shores Christmas is fourth in the Chesapeake Shores series.  I have not read any of the first three, and perhaps my sympathy level for the characters would have been higher if I had, but I don't think so.  Megan O'Brien left her neglectful, tyranical husband after nearly twenty years of marriage, and lost touch with her five children in the process.  Now, years later, Megan and ex-husband Mick have reconciled and are planning a New Year's Eve wedding.  The problem is, Megan wants the childrens' blessing on the reunion, and son Connor is not willing to forgive her yet.  Megan also wants to start her own business, with no help from Mick, who insists on stepping in.

The plot is sound and offers lots of fodder for a touching Christmas story.  Unfortunately, the Christmas portion of the story consists mainly of carrying decorations down from the attic and untangling lights.  By two-thirds of the way through, I was echoing Dave's words at the movie - "I want to crawl into the page and strangle these people!"  Someone really needed to give this family a major attitude adjustment and a little advice to "grow up!"  

I wouldn't recommend spending time or money on either of these tales, but perhaps if you've read earlier Chesapeake Shores volumes, you'll have more tolerance and understanding for the characters than I did.

Movie Review: The Expendables

There is just no reaction to this movie that doesn't start with "What the...?"  First off, notice the movie poster on the right.  What the heck made me think this was my kind of movie?  Skulls, blood and a raven....normally not indicative of a romantic comedy.

Next, what the heck were the Hollywood-types thinking when they advertised this as starring Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwartzenegger, and Bruce Willis?  Arnold and Bruce were both on screen for about a minute and a half. (However, they did contribute the only genuinely humerous lines of the entire movie.)  Granted, movies starring any of these men are not usually light and fluffy, but somehow the clip I saw made me think that, since these men are getting older, they are now kinder, gentler action heroes.  I'm pretty sure the intention of the ad campaign was to lure women like me into ignoring the skulls, the blood and the raven.

Third, and the most serious of my questions, is "What the heck went wrong in our eighteen years of parenting our beautiful daughter to make her think this bloodbath qualified as "a good movie"?  "Oh yeah, Mom, I saw that a couple weeks ago.  It's really good.  You should go."  This is the same girl who frequently rewatches The Notebook, who owns the entire Love Comes Softly series, who's life is drenched in all things pink. What the.....?

Finally, what the heck made my darling husband feel that exploding, punctured and/or mangled bodies are funny?  Evidently I missed the rib-tickling moments while I was avoiding vomiting by staring at my shoes.  Dave would bust out in uproarious laughter, but when I looked up there was nothing on screen but explosions and flying body parts.  The comedy scenes must have been quick!  Even the reviewers saw the humor that I missed:  "The Expendables" is action–packed, laugh–out–loud funny and altogether watchable. (nwitimes.com) - There are multiple quotes that will have you chuckling as men bleed to death on the floor. (blhsnews.com)  I just didn't see it.

I suppose my attendance at this gore-fest was only fair since Dave has attended many "chick flicks" and animated films at my request, but I still find myself shaking my head and muttering "What the....?"

Toy Story 3: Movie Review

To celebrate our 28th wedding anniversary, we saw Toy Story 3 at the local theater.  We considered borrowing some toddlers so no one would know we were going to an animated picture alone, but then realized we would have to spend more time watching them than the show.  So we marched in, unapologetic, got our usual large combo (2 large drinks and one large tub of popcorn - hold the butter - for $7), two packages of peanut M&M's (for the appropriate sweet to salty ratio) and took our seats. 

When the original Toy Story came out in 1995, our children were 5 and 3.  Some friends were visiting us in Nebraska for Thanksgiving weekend, so we all went to the theater together, then went to Burger King and got the kids Toy Story figurines in their Happy Meals. I remember how amazed I was at the reality of the computer animation process.  Toy Story on video became part of the rotation of movies we watched over and over at home.  By the time the second installment came out, the kids were 9 and 7, and we had moved back to Kansas.  Again, we took the kids and some friends to the theater, but I think we enjoyed it as much as they did.  Naturally, with these fun memories attached to the first two films, we couldn't allow the release of number three without the theater experience. We actually tried to get the kids to join us and make it another family outing, but at 19 and 18, they just weren't as excited as they used to be.

In this show, Andy has grown up and is leaving for college - an appropriate story line at our house.  His mother asks him to sort the detritus of his childhood into boxes and trash bags to be sent to three destinations:  stored in the attic, donated to a day care, or trashed.  Andy intends to store all the familiar characters in the attic, with the exception of Woody who is destined for his college dorm room, but the bags are mixed up and they all end up at the day care, under the control of Lotso, the tyrant Teddy bear who rules the playroom.  The rest of the story covers their escape and perilous trek to return to Andy's house. 

At the most climactic moment, the movie came to a grinding halt.  The spool on which the movie was wound had broken somehow and would require that the entire film be removed, the spool repaired and then the film rewound - a process that would take up to two hours.  We were given free tickets to return the next night and watch the whole thing again.  After 24 suspenseful hours, we finally got to see if the toys completed their dangerous journey or if they fell victim to Lotso and the dump ground incinerator.

As always, the movie is filled with clever dialog and some pop-culture references that will mean more to the parents than to the kids.  And of course the animation is even more amazing than it was fifteen years ago. Naturally, once we learn the fate of Buzz, Mr. & Mrs. Potatoe Head, Hamm, and all our other toy friends, it comes time for Andy to head off to college.  Don't tell my kids, but I actually cried.  Maybe it was the toy's memories of Andy's childhood, maybe it was that my own nest will be empty in three weeks, or maybe I'm just a sentimental sap, but it was the perfect ending. 

Movie Review: Date Night and Back-Up Plan

Romantic comedies make for the perfect date night movie - especially one called "Date Night".  Tina Fey and Steve Carrell are a middle-aged couple - Phil and Claire Foster - stuck in the rut of family life, work and kids. They're weekly date night has become one more part of the routine, so Phil decides to jazz things up by taking his wife to an upscale Manhattan restaurant.  Unable to get a table and unwilling to give up, they identify themselves as the Triplehorns - a couple who have failed to show for their reservation.  The mistaken identity leads to a laundry list of dangers, close calls and slapstick humor.  There were plenty of car chases and shoot-em-ups for Dave, enough romance and clever dialog for me, and plenty of laugh-out-loud moments for us both.

Our second date night film was "Backup Plan", starring Jennifer Lopez and Alex O'Loughlin.  Zoe (Lopez) has given up on finding "the guy" and decides to have a child on her own.  On the same day she visits the doctor to set her plan in motion, she also meets Stan - who just might turn out to be Mr. Right.  Thus the comedy of errors begins:  from attempting to hide the morning sickness, fatigue and cravings of early pregnancy while dating, through witnessing a member of her single-moms support group give birth in a kiddie pool, to the mood swings and ungainliness of the third trimester...  This movie also satisfied both of our tastes in films (although maybe a little too "chick-flick" for Dave at times) but the best part was sharing the memories of our childrens' arrivals that this movie stirred up.

We recommend both of these flicks for date night viewing and we also strongly recommend having at least a bi-weekly date night.  Even if your children are teens like ours or completely on their own, having an occasional night to return to your dating days and focus only on each other is worth the effort and cost.   There's no need to act your age, act like kids again!

Clash of the "Clash of the Titans"

Dave has been anticipating the remake of Clash of the Titans for months.   He was a big fan of the 1981 version and figured taking a good basic story and updating it with modern technology would make for a hit movie.  Unfortunately, he was wrong - at least in this instance.  Rather than enhancing the myth of Perseus, which was told so well in the first version, this film is a two hour commercial for "look what our special effects department can do!"  The story is nearly obliterated by the continual barrage of creepy characters, bizarre sounds, strange landscapes, camera shots that move so fast you can't follow the action, and slime - they really like slime. 

Are you getting the idea that I didn't care for this show?  Dave even fell asleep at one point (or maybe two) because the dialog was either A.) drown out by background special effects noise or B.) filtered through some special effects gizmo that made the English language nearly unrecognizable.  If we hadn't seen the original, there is no way we could have followed the story.  I'm not sure what, other than the $20 we had just spent, kept us from walking out in the middle.  The only positive thing I can say about this experience is...at least we didn't drive to the city and pay double the price to see this mess in 3-D.

Movie Review: Alice In Wonderland

We went to the Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland Sunday evening and I've been struggling ever since for words to describe it.  The costumes and scenery are amazing; the special effects are stunning; I was even impressed with the makeup in this movie and I think that's a first.  The story holds true to the original much more than I expected, with the expected Burton twists and quirks.  Mia Wasikowska makes the transition from pale, wimpy, scared Alice to bold, confident Champion Alice remarkably.  Johnny Depp is slightly frightning yet touching as the Mad Hatter.  Anne Hathaway as the White Queen is comical. And the Red Queen - played by Helena Bonham Carter - and her minions are both grotesque and absurd.  But none of those words quite sum it up.  So I guess I'll have to go with the opinion I expressed to Dave as we were leaving the theater:  That was BIZARRE!

Old Dogs: Movie Review

Pair up John Travolta and Robin Williams and there can be no result except side-splitting humor. I'm thrilled to see John continue his recent turn to comedies. Although I've enjoyed a lot of his more serious roles, his unique comic style is my favorite. The plot is the standard "guy who doesn't handle kids finds out he has children from a previous relationship" and I'll let you guess at how that turns out. However, this movie has three things that I thought made it special: 1. Big name actors who aren't afraid to admit their age. 2. The interaction between Travolta and Williams. Combining Mork from Ork and Vincent from Pulp Fiction seemed like an incredibly odd pairing, but both actors kept their own personality while still creating a believable friendship. 3. It's just FUNNY! Even if the story has been done a million times, their antics and mishaps are hilarious. We both highly recommend this movie for a fun time that the whole family can see.

A Christmas Carol - The Movie

Dave and I drove 110 miles round-trip, not to mention paying an exorbitant amount for popcorn and drinks, to see this movie over the weekend. It will be in our local theater over Thanksgiving weekend, but I was afraid with son home from college and in-laws visiting, I wouldn't be able to schedule a movie. But now that I've seen it, I will definitely make time to go a second time. The original Dickins story has been one of my favorites since childhood (see "Re-reading the Classics" post from read-a-thon). Since this version stars Jim Carrey, Dave was wishin' and hopin' for a comic version, but he was disappointed - it was nearly word-for-word true to the original. At least one of us was happy. The downside to the authenticity is that it may be difficult for young children to understand classic lines such as "There's more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are." The flip side of that is, with animation this gorgeous, kids will still be enthralled. There just aren't words to describe the detail and realism. I was blown away by "Polar Express" a couple years ago, and there have evidently been advances to the technology since then. I will be in line the day this comes out on DVD and add it to my list of perennial Christmas movies to watch.