The Silver Screen Oasis

If it's such a terrible sentence, why am I smiling?

Cinemus-Mavenus!

MY FAVORITE BRUNETTE is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. It's one of those comedies where every joke is right on target! "Oh. Ray Milland's been here!"

I liked My Favorite Brunette, but the one that always makes me laugh (aside from the Road pics) is My Favorite Blonde (1942), with Madeline Carroll as the blonde and a rollerskating penguin as Hope's show biz rival and partner in vaudeville. It's profoundly silly and very funny.

This movie doesn't seem to get much air time for some reason. Probably 'cause it belongs to Paramount, whose parent company likes their investments locked away in cool, dark vaults where no one can see them. I guess they keep better that way.

cool, dark vaults

At least, the penguin will be comfortable!

Ha! Oh Red, that's wonderful!

On TCM today - I saw Mogambo starring Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, and Grace Kelly and I just loved the African Safari and the rich Jungle Scenes and the Drama and the Adventure that goes with it. This is becoming a favorite of mine and I always watch it on Television when it's comes on. I just loved the chemistry that Gable and Gardner brings.

After that - I watched the Hitchcock's Thriller - Dial "M" for Murder today and also starred Grace Kelly, Ray Milland, and Robert Cummings and this is one of the better Robert Cummings movies ... and I just loved the twists and turns that this movie brings and the drama and suspense too. I loved it now, than I last saw it on TCM about 3-5 years ago. This is one of the better Hitchcock's movies and it's quite entertaining to watch nevertheless.

You just can't beat these wonderful movies of yesterdays ...

"Dial M" is classic mystery melodrama. Grace Kelly had a gift for playing that. MOGAMBO is fine, but I find RED DUST a little tighter; more theatrical. If Gable and Gardner make sparks, you should see The King with Jean Harlow! My favorite "Gable and Gal" adventure is CHINA SEAS. Not that this has anything to do with the discussion at hand. But it's a crackling, pounding, modern day pirate story, directed by Tay Garnett. A must see for fans of this genre.

RedRiver wrote:"Dial M" is classic mystery melodrama. Grace Kelly had a gift for playing that. MOGAMBO is fine, but I find RED DUST a little tighter; more theatrical. If Gable and Gardner make sparks, you should see The King with Jean Harlow! My favorite "Gable and Gal" adventure is CHINA SEAS. Not that this has anything to do with the discussion at hand. But it's a crackling, pounding, modern day pirate story, directed by Tay Garnett. A must see for fans of this genre.

I love CHINA SEAS! ... One of my favorite Pirate movies!

I saw SINBAD THE SAILOR that starred Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Maureen O'Hara along with Walter Slezak and Anthony Quinn with George Tobias, Jane Greer, Mike Mazurki, Sheldon Leonard - co starring as well and I find this movie about finding the lost treasure of Alexander the Great - a rousing tale of adventure, romance, gorgeous settings, and wonderfully photographed as well. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. did not disappoint me as Sinbad and neither did Maureen as Shireen. Loved this movie ...

Here's the trailer ...

[youtube][/youtube]

I saw "Gravity." It is a rather mixed reaction I have to it. It was lovely to look at and behold the technical genius that went into the movie.

If anyone wouldn't know the plot revolves around a space crew on a shuttle mission is hit with space debris during a space walk separating them from the spacecraft. They have to find a way to get not only back into a craft but back to earth.

You get the feeling, it seems, that you are in space with them. The camera moves freely around the actors and the craft to give a sense of floating. It comes round often enough to give you perspective but never lost. At one point I was happy to see that a single shot of Bullock was static and went on for quite some time. It was undisturbed by cuts and only moved when it moved to another angle without a cut.

Suspending one's disbelief helps. Bullock is quite good and seemingly properly terrified for most of her ordeal. George Clooney, not so much. No deep psychological drama here but a story of survival. Cheers for bringing it in at 91 minutes. With nearly half of the movie dedicated to a solo performance by Bullock much more could have been a problem. It wasn't.

Watched RUTHLESS PEOPLE last night and it's one of the craziest movies that came out in 1986 and I haven't seen this movie in TEN years or so and I enjoyed watching the antics of DeVito, Midler, Reinhold, and Slater. It's has pretty much a madcap comedy with everything under the sun.

RUTHLESS PEOPLE is hilarious! It's clever, energetic, perfectly timed. Every minute of it is funny. There aren't many comedies you can say that about.

I don't have much time right now. (Damn this work thing!) I'll write more later. But BAND OF ANGELS is even better than I remembered. It's a fine drama, with considerable depth. The boisterous CALL OF THE WILD is good too. It bears little resemblance to the book, but the movie it's morphed into is exciting, and expertly presented. Both these Clark Gable classics are well worth a look!

More detail. BAND OF ANGELS, Raoul Walsh's pre-Civil War tale of slaves, plantation owners and the inevitable conflict is dramatic and thought-provoking. It doesn't shy away from questions of right and wrong; who we are and what made us that way. There's a love story; a love hampered by tradition and prejudice. There's danger in the form of a fast approaching Union army. There's character, both good and bad. Loyalty is strained. Lifelong understandings are questioned. Morality is seldom pure, often transparent. "There's a difference between fighting for them and inviting them into our homes!"

Yvonne DeCarlo plays a "white" woman whose mother was a slave. After the death of her father, she herself is sold into bondage. Clark Gable is the kind plantation owner who buys her, but he's no saint. This Robert Penn Warren story doesn't take the easy way out. If BAND OF ANGELS lacks greatness, it doesn't miss by much. Is every scene a work of brilliance? No. Are there overstated moments? Perhaps. But there aren't many GONE WITH THE WINDs. If you want the next best thing, this will do as good as anything.

CALL OF THE WILD gets so-so marks from classic movie fans. Maybe because it strays far from Jack London's thrilling tale, told mostly from the dog's point of view. That's fair. But once you accept that book and movie share only the title, this William Wellman adventure is fun. It's rugged, exciting, romantic and tender. The scenes of Buck, the once wild sled dog, longing to follow his instincts make crystal clear what he's feeling. This is expert filmmaking. In the tradition of the silent era in which the director cut his teeth, the message is conveyed through pictures only. Buck, I assume, was not gifted in dialogue!

Gable and partner Jack Oakie meet Loretta Young. Loretta's husband disappeared while panning for gold. Some bad guys come along. They believe, as the hero does, that taking from others is the law of the land. But the real drama comes in the main character's inner conflict. He is torn between the comforts and friendliness of the civilized world and the wilderness he is instinctively drawn to. Am I talking about Gable? No. I'm talking about the dog! Buck's inevitable choice is bittersweet and inspiring. Are not we all called to go home occasionally?