I'm At A Place Called VERTIGO

This would have to be my new favourite film! Even as I’m writing this blog, only just having finished watching it for the first time, Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 masterpiece, Vertigo, will be indelibly etched on my mind! I’m still shaking from this beautiful nightmare of obsession....with a killer twist!

Set in San Francisco, James Stewart portrays an acrophobic (someone with an irrational fear of high places...you’re welcome!) detective hired to trail a friends suicidal wife (Kim Novak...hotototototot!) After he successfully rescues her from a leap into the bay, he finds himself becoming obsessed with the beautifully troubled woman.

What makes this film outstanding to me is yes, it’s full of Hitchcock’s masterful camera angles and special effects, but what I see in Vertigo is a story with true human emotion which no other Alfred Hitchcock movies offer, adding a new creatively pleasing dimension to his work.

Jimmy Stewart is wonderful yet again and portrays his most brilliant and complex character. He represents everyman and is incredibly easy to identify with.

The most exciting element in this film for me is The “Vertigo Effect”. As a filmmaker this shot, used to dizzy the audience and thus put them in the characters perspective, is worthy of inspiration and imitation. And it has been imitated by the best. Steven Spielberg used this shot in JAWS...in the beach scene. The famous Vertigo shots were done with miniatures laid on their sides, since it was impossible to do them vertically. The view down the mission stairwell cost $19,000 for just a couple of seconds of screen time.

Nuns scare me...so I found the climax scene disturbing. Kinda had to turn my lamp on a little...

Vertigo is one of cinema’s most chilling romantic endeavours: it’s fascinating myriad of haunting camera angles shot among some of San Francisco’s renowned landmarks. This film is a must see for movie buffs! A genuinely great motion picture that demands multiple viewings!

Cymbals the Symbol...

It seems to be Hitchcock month here at the moment. Has nothing to do with me and my current tastes it’s just that Hitchcock has so many films that have made it onto the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list! With a single crash of cymbals the life of an American family is turned upside down in 1956’s The Man Who Knew Too Much.

James Stewart and Doris Day, in a rare dramatic role, are superb in this brilliant suspense thriller from the undisputed master. Stewart and Day play Ben and Jo MacKenna, innocent Americans vacationing in Morocco with their son, Hank. After a French spy dies in Ben’s arms in a Marrakech market, the couple discovers their son has been kidnapped and taken to England. Not knowing who they can trust, the MacKenna’s are caught up in a nightmare of international espionage, assassinations and terror. Soon all their lives hang in the balance as they draw closer to the truth and a chilling climatic moment in London’s famous Royal Albert Hall.

I wasn’t fully getting into this film when I first started watching it and I must admit I didn’t think it was anything that special. But 20 minutes into the film I was hooked. I was tense and nervous, on the edge of my seat to use the cliché. The plot development was masterful and completely compelling.

The whole cast are superb, giving incredibly naturalistic performances - see the scene in the Moroccan restaurant, which almost seems ad-libbed. The absolute stand out in this film for me however is Doris Day! Originally production had doubts about whether she could pull off the serious dramatic elements the script called for, after all, Day was used to playing in Hollywood Musical Comedies. But Day delivers the impossible 110% in this film. Her emotional breakdown scene after discovering the kidnapping of her son is superb.

At first, Day refused to record "Que Sera, Sera" as a popular song release, dismissing it as "a forgettable children's song." It not only went on to win the Academy Award, but also became the biggest hit of her recording career and her signature song.

As usual, there are the elaborately staged set-pieces, beautifully choreographed blend of music and images building to the pivotal crash of cymbals in the film’s climax. This is one of Hitchcock’s best.

Rear Window Ethics

I often have this debate with my somewhat overbearing mother as to the ethics of spying on the neighbours. Do I really want to know what they’re doing? To know that the old man to our left pays for the company of younger women or the woman to our right enjoys the old puff every once in a while? The answer is...yes! How fun it is to play the voyeur!

None of Hitchcock’s films has ever given a clearer view of his genius for suspense that 1954’s Rear Window. When professional photographer J.B Jeffries (James Stewart) is confined to a wheelchair with a broken leg, he becomes obsessed with watching the private dramas of his neighbours play out across the courtyard, when he suspects a salesman may have murdered his nagging wife, Jeffries enlists the help of his glamorous socialite girlfriend (Grace Kelly) to investigate the highly suspicious chain of events...Events that ultimately lead to one of the most memorable and gripping endings in all of film history.

This is a great film, although it does take a while to get into. It’s full of sumptuous, witty dialogue, especially between Stewart and Kelly, and Classic one-liners not likely to forget.

The performances are masterful. Thelma Ritter as Nurse Stella is fantastic. Kelly is profoundly beautiful as always! She frequently played the same characters...but boy! Is she good at it! Stewart is great too and he was looking fine until he took his shirt off and I got an eyeful of old man boobs!

The sub-plot of Miss Lonely Heart will tear at your emotions with its sad and tragic events...so be warned.

The entire picture was shot on one set, which required months of planning and construction. While shooting, Alfred Hitchcock worked only in Jeff's "apartment." The actors in other apartments wore flesh-coloured earpieces so that he could radio his directions to them. Keep a sharp eye out for the piano player! That’s Ross Bagdasarian, creator of Alvin and the Chipmunks.

This film is an undeniable classic. It’s inspired many a rip off. The Simpsons for one and DJ Caruso’s film Disturbia with Shia LeBouf is a modern retelling of the story. Enjoy the Voyeurism. Seeing isn’t always believing.

The King of Movie Musicals!

Singin’ in the Rain....Without a doubt, hands down the greatest Hollywood musical ever made in the history of everness!! And I will fight every single one of you Neanderthals who disagree!! Not only does this movie mean so much to me personally it also reflects the Golden Age on Cinema at its toe-tapping best.

Silent movies are giving way to Talking Pictures – and a hoofer-turned-matinee idol (Gene Kelly) is caught in that bumpy transition, as well as his buddy (Donald O’Connor), prospective ladylove (Debbie Reynolds) and shrewish co-star (Jean Hagen).

I cannot help but smile at the film’s beginning! Then I find my smile doesn’t fade throughout the films entirety! 1951’s Singin’ in the Rain really is the King of Movie Musicals. Kelly captivates me with his wonderfully inventive and incredibly athletic dancing. He really was a true mater of his craft and made it look so easy. When teamed with O’Connor you can expect some brilliant choreography that will leave you breathless.

This film is full of classic songs that it’s impossible to pick a favourite! (It’s like being asked to name your favourite child!) All I Do Is Dream of You, Make ‘em Laugh, Moses Supposes, Good Mornin’ and the legendary Singin’ in the Rain...you’ll be singing along like a Disney movie!

The first sound recording scene with Kelly and Hagen is comedy gold and guaranteed to make you chuckle. I’ve always skipped the soundstage number with Kelly and Reynolds it’s too slow and lovey-dovey for me...a real lull in the film’s action.

As I watch this film I am saddened. Gone are the days of actors with real talent like Kelly, O’Connor and Reynolds. Artists who could sing, act and dance! We don’t have star like that in this day and age anymore. But their legacies are left on film for audiences to enjoy over and over again. What a Glorious Feeling!!

Hand Me A Rope

I first heard of Rope when I was on the set of one of my short films. My lead actress told me of the play “Rope’s End” by Patrick Hamilton; a sinister tale of murder and intrigue. It aroused my interest so I did my research and found that Alfred Hitchcock’s 1948 film Rope was the most well know filmed version of the play. I didn’t get what I was expecting!

Two...let’s call them friends (wink wink to the major homosexuality theme throughout the film)...strangle a classmate for intellectual thrills, then proceed to throw a party for the victim’s family and friends – with the body stuffed inside the trunk they use for a buffet table. As the killers turn the conversation to committing the “perfect murder”, their former teacher (James Stewart) becomes increasingly suspicious. Before the night is over the professor will discover how brutally his students have turned his academic theories into chilling reality.

Nothing in this movie works for me. The film is based on a play and I feel like I’m watching a play. Hitchcock films the entire movie in ten minute segments in an attempt to make the film run like one continual shot. The problem is he has to do these ugly and completely ridiculous close ups into the backs of characters costumes to mask the cut edits! There’s no fancy Hitchcock camera work and the sense of macabre that the movie promises is lost on me a little. The odd softly whimsical music during the opening credits doesn’t quite fit the mood of the film. 20 minutes in and I wish the movie would kick into some form of gear!

Thank God Jimmy Stewart finally arrives at the party! Things are beginning to look up! Stewart is endearing and witty, grabbing my full attention...but alas! He can’t save this film for me.

The idea of this film does excite me; I know who’s done it, I’m just waiting for the lead character to figure it out. However, I think a lot of the tension was taken out of the film by Hitchcock showing the murder in the first scene. If the audience had been left to guess whether there indeed was a body in the chest or not the picture would have been a lot more riveting.

A Comedy of Murders

In Monsieur Verdoux, a suave but cynical man turns to crime to support his family after he is laid-off from his job as a banker. He begins marrying rich women then murdering them for their money but is caught out as two ladies prove to be serious occupational hazards.

Written by Chaplin from an idea by Orson Welles, the 1947 comedy was nominated for an Academy Award and is one of the first films to feature Chaplin out of his Tramp persona.

The first thing to be seen in the film...Monsieur Verdoux – A Comedy of Murders; accompanied by dark strings...it’s hard to believe this films a comedy. It seems an absolute contradiction! Then Chaplin’s startling and creepy narration commences. It’s time to admit...you’re kidding yourself if you expect a slapstick filled film!

You can notice that Chaplin was a slapstick director though. A lot of the shots in the film are long shots designed to canvas the entire bodily action of the actors on screen. And what strikes me is Chaplin’s constant breaking of the fourth wall! He regularly looks at the camera as if appealing to the audience to see the reasons behind his wicked acts.

This film is filled with little treasures! There is nothing more delightful to see Chaplin pruning roses whilst his latest murder victim burns away behind him in the incinerator. The money counting motif is sure to make you chuckle as well as the boat scene with the yodellers.

Only when Chaplin began to talk did we realise how deep and philosophical he was. Deep down this film is a social and political commentary with a powerful ending speech and a strong atheistic theme. And as Verdoux walks away to his execution and that slightly demented Tramp walk shines through I realise this film deserves to be listed with the greats.

The Greatest Film of All Time!

This would have to be, without a doubt, one of the hardest films to review! Every critic worth his salt under the sun has branded this film the greatest ever made. How do I know this? ...It's written on the back cover of the DVD... But if you ask my 2009 advanced English class you will find a small group who would rather stab themselves in the eyes then watch Orson Welles' 1941 classic - Citizen Kane.

This timeless masterwork (#1 in the American Film Institute’s list of Best American Movies) is more than a groundbreaking film. It is also grand entertainment, sharply acted and superbly directed with inspired visual flair. Depicting the controversial life of influential publishing tycoon, Charles Foster Kane, this Academy Award winning film is rooted in the themes of power, corruption, and vanity – the American Dream lost in the mystery of a dying man’s last word: “Rosebud.”

I love Orson Welles’ and respect him as a groundbreaking actor and visionary director. Every piece of dramatic work he has produced is brilliant. His work in this film is no exception. His portrayal of the monolithic Kane is gripping as you follow him from a young, handsome and likable college freshman to an old, tired and pitiable recluse.

I make films myself and I often have cursed sets where nothing goes as planned. It was a comfort to find as I was researching the film that Welles chipped his anklebone halfway through production and had to direct for 2 weeks from a wheelchair. When he was called upon to stand up onscreen, he wore metal braces. The injury occurred in the scene where Kane chases Gettys down the stairs and Welles tripped. Thank God! I thought it was just me!

This film just has too many fantastic scenes in it. It deserves all the accolades it has received over the years and I have no doubt it will continued to be studied in English classrooms for years to come.

Hitchcock's Rebecca

I think Tim Burton when I see the model opening to Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 film, Rebecca. A wonderful opening sequence with a haunting, dreamy voice over by Joan Fontaine. I see a little Ed Wood in the intro as the camera slowly manoeuvres its way through an intricately detailed miniature set. Hitchcock has my attention!

A shy ladies' companion (Fontaine), staying in Monte Carlo with her stuffy employer, meets the wealthy Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier). She and Max fall in love, marry and return to Manderley, his large country estate in Cornwall. Max is still troubled by the death of his first wife, Rebecca, in a boating accident the year before. The second Mrs. de Winter clashes with the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, and discovers that Rebecca still has a strangle hold on everyone at Manderley.

What strikes me first about the film is the two powerful leads steering it; Fontaine and Olivier. Fontaine is strangely beautiful and delightfully awkward, like a small fish in a very big pond. Olivier is his usual brooding, elegantly sophisticated self. But it's the maid that steals the show!

Judith Anderson as the delightfully twisted Mrs. Danvers adds a lot to this film. You hardly notice the other characters when she's in the scene. Mrs. Danvers is hardly ever seen walking; she seems to glide. Alfred Hitchcock wanted her to be seen solely from Joan Fontaine's character's anxious point of view, and this effect tied in with her fear about Mrs. Danvers appearing anytime unexpectedly.

Some highlights of the film include the scene in which Mrs. Danvers shows Fontaine Rebecca's room for the first time - brilliantly unnerving. And the imaginary murder re-enactment in which the camera shows where Rebecca would have stood and leave the audience to use their imaginations to determine how it all played out! A genius Hitchcock moment. And I need to mention the unforgettable dramatic ending...it's a must see!

Chaplin's Modern Masterpiece

Ok I realise now...Yes! I’m biased!! But you have to admit all Chaplin's films...they're pretty damn perfect! 1936's Modern Times is another example of this. This was his last "silent" film...a term I use loosely because for a silent film there is a heck of a lot of talking and sound effects in it! What else was he supposed to do?? The "Talkies" were killing off his medium!


In the film Chaplin turns against modern society, the machine age and man's technological progress. IMDB terms it thus: "Firstly we see him frantically trying to keep up with a production line, tightening bolts. He is selected for an experiment with an automatic feeding machine, but various mishaps leads his boss to believe he has gone mad, and Charlie is sent to a mental hospital... When he gets out, he is mistaken for a communist while waving a red flag, sent to jail, foils a jailbreak, and is let out again. We follow Charlie through many more escapades before the film is out."


What I particularly love about this film is Chaplin's genius use of the vaudeville sight gags. This film is little more than a series of comedy skits strung together on an apparently flimsy clothesline of a plot yet it delivers such a strong, time-transcending message about poverty stricken populations.


My favourite scene in this film would have to be lunchtime in the jail. Whilst contentedly eating his soup the fellow inmate next to Chaplin pours his stash of cocaine into the table's salt shaker to avoid a run in with the ever watchful guards. Chaplin then proceeds to season his soup with the drug and enjoys a rather trippy...slightly aggressive ride!


One reason why this film should be remembered by audiences and be recognised for its historical value is because this was the last major American film to make use of silent film conventions such as title cards for dialogue. The very last dialogue title card of this film (and thus, it can be said, the entire silent era) belongs to The Tramp, who says "Buck up - never say die! We'll get along."

And it ends on Chaplin's well loved open road. Our two main characters walk off into the distance happy and content. Sigh! It's all very moving and metaphoric and...And stuff!


Don't overlook this film! Its story is just as relevant today as it was back in 1936. Of course we wouldn’t watch the film and brand Chaplin a communist today...that's the only difference I can think of!

Be Patient Ol' Chap!

The English Patient; what can I say folks...it's slow! Slow...like the overly gorgeous girl at school! Anthony Minghella’s OSCAR Award winning film runs for 162 minutes...i only enjoyed the last 20!

At the close of WWII, a young nurse (Juliette Binoche) tends to a badly-burned plane crash victim (Ralph Fiennes). His past is shown in flashbacks, revealing an involvement in a fateful love affair with the exquisite Kristin Scott Thomas.

At first I was excited to watch this film. It blitzed the 1996 Academy Awards; nominated for 12 awards, eventually winning 9! But about half an hour in all I was doing was staring at a mutilated Ralph Fiennes and thinking...so that’s why Lord Voldemort looked like that...

The performances by Fiennes, Binoche, Scott Thomas, Willem Dafoe and Colin Firth are exceptional however and made the film just that tad bit tolerant to watch. I’m a sucker for love stories but this one left me high and dry. There are moments...Dafoe’s thumb removal scene and Fiennes’s drunken, fiery rant at the dinner party are ones that are particularly enjoyable...but then it nose dives again into boringness.

I’m sure the older generations would love this movie. I and other members of Gen Y probably would pass on this film every time though.

The film has a slight David Lean feel; an epic love story set against an arid desert landscape. The cinematography, remarkably and sophistically accomplished by John Seale is worth a mention. The desert never looked better...or harsher.

Critics would say that the slow action “simmers” throughout the film...I say it “slithers”! Be patient with The English Patient. If you make it to the last enjoyable 20 minutes...you’ve done well.

City Light's Shine Brightly

It's another Chaplin film this week possums! A film that can be summed up in one word...MASTERPIECE! Trust me when I tell you this is about as close to movie perfection as you're gonna get! The perfect blend of pantomime and pathos. (It is after all a Chaplin film)

A tramp falls in love with a beautiful blind girl (Virginia Cherrill). Her family is in financial trouble. The tramp's on-and-off friendship with a wealthy, booze-loving gentleman allows him to be the girl's benefactor and suitor.

City Lights was Chaplin's first film made during the sound era: released 1931. He faced extreme pressure to make the film as a talkie, but such was his popularity and power in Hollywood that he was able to complete and release the film as a silent (albeit with recorded music) at a time when the rest of the American motion picture industry had converted to sound.

I find it incredibly funny when I watch this film. As a passionate Chaplin fan i know anything and everything there is to know about his career and life. As i watch the tear-jerking chemistry between the tramp and the blind flower girl i cannot help but inwardly chuckle because I know wat lurking behind the silent faces...Chaplin's relationship with Cherrill was not a friendly one. At one point, Cherrill came back to the set late from an appointment, keeping Chaplin waiting. He fired her on the spot. He intended to reshoot the film. However, Chaplin had already spent far too much time and money on the project to start over. Knowing this, Cherrill offered to come back to work - at double her original salary. Chaplin reluctantly agreed and the film was completed. 

The Boxing Scene is the icing on the cake in this film for me. Like a delicate, masterful ballet it simmers with wit and perfectly timed and executed slapstick. It really is remarkable and side-splittingly funny! And then you look behind the laughs and realise why the tramp is doing this...he's putting his life on the line for the girl he loves. The Tramp...a true romantic! In 2008, this film was voted #1 on AFI's list over the ten best romantic comedies of all time.
And for those who may read this and find my opinion as insignificant...I leave you with this thought...Emma Stone's said City Lights was her favorite film alongside Woody Allen's Manhattan. SHE'S HOT...YOU KNOW WE GONNA LISTEN TO HER!

Gold Rush...More Like Gold Mine!

I’m sitting in the biggest house in Australia. The Sydney Opera House. Just below the railing I am leaning on I see the orchestra quietly tunning their instruments as hundreds of smartly dressed men and women murmur gaily from their seats. I’m in love with Charlie Chaplin but I've never seen one of his feature length films before. The swelling of the strings mimic my own heart strings as a sense of inner ecstasy grows in the pit of my stomach.


I still remember the moment when the giant silver screen flickered to life. We see the Little Tramp in his most memorable movie entrance; out on the edge of a cliff unknowingly being stalked by a black bear. And the music! Oh! The music! Chaplin's music played the only way it should be played...by a 50 piece orchestra.


Chaplin himself said "This [The Gold Rush] is the picture I want to be remembered by". And what a film it is! The perfect blend of both comedy and pathos.


In the creation of comedy, it is paradoxical that tragedy stimulates the spirit of ridicule; because ridicule, I suppose, is an attitude of defiance: we must laugh in the face of our helplessness against the forces of nature - or go insane.


The laughter experienced in this film is so genuine! Some key scenes include the running against the wind gag, the cooking and subsequent eating of the boiled leather boot and the hilarious and profoundly memorable climax, in which the Tramp and Big Jim find their decaying old shack hovering over the edge of a cliff and any movement could mean death...cue the comic music and polished slapstick!


The edible shoe in the film was actually made from liquorice and since perfectionist Chaplin took 63 takes over a period of 3 days inevitably Chaplin and co-star Mark Swain discovered the laxative effects of eating too much liquorice. Swain stating later that he would of actually preferred to eat the leather!


But like many Chaplin films we can juxtapose these moments of hilarity with scenes of profound melodrama and tragedy.  It is truly heart wrenching to watch the way more dominant characters in the film repeatedly use and abuse the Tramp. When he celebrates his Thanksgiving alone and his true love rejects him for another lowlife! Tears pool in my eyes.


This is a truly remarkable and rememberable film! In 1925 the film cost Chaplin $923,887.45 to make...a hell of a lot of money back then however as the title of this blog suggests this money certainly wasn't wasted. The Gold Rush remains to this date the highest grossing comedy film ever! If you claim to be a fan of comedy...why haven't you watched this yet??

Missing A Rib

In Adam’s Rib domestic and professional tensions mount when a husband and wife work as opposing lawyers in a case involving a woman who shot her husband....zzzzzz....zzzzzzz....what? Oops sorry!

You are absolutely right reader...not as exciting as it sounds!

When a woman attempts to kill her uncaring husband, prosecutor Adam Bonner (Spencer Tracy) gets the case. Unfortunately for him his wife Amanda (Katherine Hepburn)... who happens to be a lawyer too... decides to defend the woman in court. Amanda uses everything she can to win the case and Adam gets mad about it. As a result, their perfect marriage is disturbed by everyday quarrels.

I was promised hilarious, witty repartee in this film but I barely chuckled! And I’m not going to knock Tracy or Hepburn, because they’re legends, I blame the writing! At the end of this film I wasn’t left feeling satisfied...or entertained. In the decades since the film's release, it has attracted the esteem of many critics. NOT THIS ONE!

Like my opinion matters anyway! Sidewards frowny face :(

In several scenes of the film, there are unusually long takes, where the camera does not move for minutes at a time. Most of these scenes happen when Tracy and Hepburn are arguing. Strange that this technique was the only thing in this Rom Com that peaked my interest.

If your one of those radical free thinkers’s known as feminists...you may enjoy this film. The story is a knowing commentary about women's inequality under the law in the 1940s and raises some very topical points still relevant for today’s audiences.

But will someone please shoot the neighbour!! If he lived across the hall from me I would go out of my way to push him over and go to the bathroom on him at least once every day.

In conclusion children, I don’t hate this movie. I didn’t think it was a complete waste of film...it’s considered a beloved classic by many! I just wouldn’t go out of my way to watch it again.

This Pianist Hits All the Right Notes!

Whether you believe the rape accusations against Roman Polanski or not, there's no denying that he is a remarkable director! [Wow that was a really serious statement to start on...]

Whilst enjoying the fruitage of my insomnia I look through the movie listings on Foxtel and I see The Pianist. Oh how excited I am! But it starts at 3:05am...RECORD THAT MOTHER FLIPPER!!

A brilliant Polish Jew pianist, [ha-ha sounds like penis...] Władysław Szpilman (Adrien Brody) witnesses the restrictions Nazis place on Jews in the Polish capital, from controlled access, to the building of the Warsaw ghetto. As his family is rounded up to be shipped off to the Nazi labour camps, he escapes deportation and eludes capture by living in the ruins of Warsaw.

Szpilman's experiences as a persecuted Jew in Poland during World War II were reminiscent of Polanski and his family. While Szpilman and Polanski escaped the concentration camps, their families did not, eventually perishing.

NOTE: Try not to be distracted by Adrien Brody’s HUGE nose. I’m pretty sure at parts I could see the flag Sir Edmund Hillary planted on top of it. But all that aside he is a fantastically dedicated actor. In order to connect with the feeling of loss required to play the role, Brody got rid of his apartment, sold his car, and didn't watch television. He also lost 14 kg (31 lb) for the role...like he wasn’t skin and bones already!

This film while hard to watch at times does not hold back whilst showing the persecution of Jews by Nazi scum. Incredibly graphic at parts...yes I had to turn my face from the screen...the violence will shock and anger you. Inwardly I found myself being worked up to the point where I had to leave the room and make myself some noodles. Mmmm noddles.

This is not just another holocaust film where the main character is persecuted and oppressed until he can’t take it anymore and fights back. No, instead we find the main character merely surviving. Taking every opportunity he gets to stay alive...with a little bit of pure luck thrown in there too.

Music was his passion. Survival was his masterpiece.

Eve is Evil

Scheming, Manipulative, Sinister...no I'm not talking about the past women in my life...I’m talking about the lead character in Joseph L. Mankiewicz's 1950 film, All About Eve.

Ok if ever I wanted to shove pins into a voodoo doll of any character I'd choose Eve Harrington! And it’s really a testament to Anne Baxter's remarkable acting that could make me hate her so.

The film stars Bette Davis as Margo Channing, a highly regarded but aging Broadway star. Baxter plays Eve Harrington, a willingly helpful young fan who insinuates herself into Channing's life, ultimately threatening Channing's career and her personal relationships.

I’m thoroughly enjoying this film so far but...and this is a good but...kinda like Pippa Middleton's or Kim Kardashian's...mmmmm...anyways, but then enter stage left...Marilyn Monroe! Hotototototototototot! One of her first screen appearances and she is looking FINE!

Praised by critics, myself included, the film was nominated for 14 Academy Awards (a feat that was unmatched until the 1997 film, Titanic...which I’m sure I’ll review later) and won six, including Best Picture. As of 2011, All about Eve is still the only film in Oscar history to receive four female acting nominations (Davis and Baxter as Best Actress, and Celeste Holm and Thelma Ritter as Best Supporting Actress). Some factoids for you sad trivia people out there.

And of course Bette Davis is truly delightful in this as well. There's a reason why she's referred to as a Legend! They don't make sophisticated films like this anymore so please go out and watch! I guarantee you will enjoy it immensely!

I'm sorry my peeps :(

Hello my scant followers :) how ive missed you all :)


I wish to apologise about my absence from my blog. It's a longs story but the shortness of it all is...i was in hospital...the i was recovering....then i had to start pre-production for my new film :D and yes...thats pretty much how it was in a nougut filled nutshell.


BUT I'm back now nd all is suddenly right in the world wide web! So im gonna upload sometime tonight nd please comment...PLEASE COMMENT!!! cos' i'd love to hear from you all :)


Lil Tramp signing off!

The Queen of Adventure's!

It's turned into Family Movie Night in the Paterson household tonight! After an exhausting day of being a complete knob, I get home and collapse on my couch. Laksa for dinner and tonight's movie whizzing in the player. I’m looking forward to this!

MOTHER: What you watching?
ME: The African Queen
FATHER: What is it you're watchin'?
ME: The African Queen!

Before you can say HOLY TESTICLE TUESDAY!...all three of us are on the couch, eyes held in the glow and flicker of the TV.

Released in 1951, this rollicking adventure film, adapted from the 1935 novel of the same name by C. S. Forester, was directed by John Huston and stars Humphrey Bogart (who won the Academy Award for Best Actor – his only Oscar), and Katharine Hepburn.

In Africa during WW1, a gin-swilling riverboat owner/captain is persuaded by a strait-laced missionary to use his boat to attack an enemy warship.

It's hard to define who the real star in this picture is. Both Bogart and Hepburn are considered legendary actors (Hepburn is hailed as the greatest female actor of all time!), but these two monoliths match up so perfectly! Both are given their equal scenes to shine both comically and dramatically. You could cut the awkward sexual tension with a machete...well....s’pose you could actually cut a lot of things with a machete...

The beautiful African backdrop, filmed on location in Uganda and Congo, shows no mercies to our characters. Sending them rapids, crocodiles, mosquitoes and eventually Germans (They may not be native to Africa...) and feel free to chuckle at the rudimentary Green Screen shots. Even though the actors have a healthy green aura around them it's still a testament to the emerging technologies of the era.

This film definitely deserves to be on the list! It really is a classic. Plenty of laughs, romance and adventure! You’ll be grinning from beginning to end. The African Queen = the Queen of Adventures!

A Symphony for the Senses

I was introduced to this movie by my dad...and THANK GOD!! Amadeus is about as close to perfection as movies get! From its dark, dramatic beginning to its chilling climax, it remains one of my favorite films of all time! The music is rich and sumptuous. It's look is vivid and vibrant! The performances by F. Murray Abraham and especially Tom Hulce, as Mozart, are timeless. It won 8 Academy Awards...No Shit?! Go Figure!

Based on the play of the same name by Peter Shaffer; in 1781 Vienna, court composer Salieri (Abraham) is maddened with envy after discovering that the divine musical gifts he desires for himself have been bestowed on the bawdy, impish Mozart (Hulce), whom he plots to destroy by any means necessary.

Ok...it needs to be said...Mozart's wife...Great Rack!!

For fans of Family Guy out there it's interesting to note that "It takes a village idiot, and I married one", Episode 17; Season 5, does a parody of the film, thus embedding it into pop culture history.

Everytime I think of this film I am excited and inspired. Suprisingly, the two and a half hours slip away as you are drawn into a lavish world of aristocracy and poverty. You cant help but transend above it all and be carried away by the music...the man...the movie. Amadeus.

A Funny French Felon Fable

Its no secret that I LOVE Charlie Chaplin! I worship him!! When i researched that 1931 French flick - A Nous la Liberte ("Freedom For Us") was locked in a 10 year plagiarism battle with the Little Tramp, I had to watch this film and judge for myself!


What a quaint little gem I have found in this movie! A simple film about two ex-convicts, one of whom escaped jail and then worked his way up from salesman to factory owner. Fearful of his past being exposed, at first by his friend and later by another gangster, the owner chooses to give his factory to the workers, then escapes with his friend to the freedom of the open road.


The film is a tennis match of the emerging technologies in film making at the time. Its mostly a silent film yet it has these delectable musical sequences that smolder with lustful french lyrics and short, almost comical "talkie" segments.


The relationship between Emile, an ex-convict, and the blonde bombshell of a factory secretary is tragic...but altogether heart melting! ((Gay Voice)) OMG those french are sooooo romantic! I genuinely LOL'd when a single man disrupts the efficiency of the assembly line scene...I see a little Chaplin....


Sometimes we can take friendships for granted, I know I have, but it is films like this; they make you reflect on the one who sticks by you no matter what...the one you refer to as being "Thick as Thieves"!


This is hailed by many as one of the all-time comedy classics! And it saddens me that many will look over it just because its black and white...and over 80 years old! Don't look this one over! It's movies, just like this one, that paved the way for comedies today!


FIN

About Schmidt or About Shit?

It's 4am and i find myself wondering why I'm watching this movie! I know I can't sleep nd yes...i've been drinking...but even being drunk, I'm still not finding this movie entertaining!!

Warren Schmidt (The ever creepy, Jack Nicholson!)  has led a safe, predictable life working in the insurance industry in Omaha, Nebraska. Now facing retirement he is forced to take a hard look at his wife, his life and his relationship with his estranged daughter. An series of events follow as Schmidt embarks on an unpredictable RV journey to attend his daughter's wedding in Denver.

**SPOILER ALERT** His wife dies whilst cleaning the floor! Take notes ladies :)

Nothing in this film is peaking my interest. Not even the scene in which Schmidt, after years of his wife forcing him to sit down and pee, finally stands up and urinates all over the bathroom floor in spite!

Then I have the overwhelming need to rip my eyes from my head as i witness something...something no man should see! KATHY BATES NAKED! Arrrrggggghhhhh! My eyes! The goggles do nothing!! Surely the director could of cut this scene out! i mean please...there are people watching!

I find myself weeping in the end. (Not because of the whole naked thingy) but because the ending is so touching! Schmidt has lived his whole life thinking that he hasnt had an effect on anyone else. Then he recieves a heartfelt painting from his foster child; two smiling stick figures, one large and one small, holding hands on a sunny day. Schmidt...and myself, weep silently, realizing that someone has benefited from his life after all.

If you can get through the first 45 mins of the film you'll probably like this film. Its definately a film for a more matured audience but the ending will definately have u sobbing and thinking about it for the next passing days.

In a galaxy far, far away...

Thought I'd start my new adventure in a cheesy sci-fi geek kinda way :) This my compadre's is my new blog. Its another movie blog, one among the many, and its probably just a rehatched blog idea, but if Hollywood can rehash most of their films for a newer audience...why then, oh why can't I??

I bought a book the other day! With lots of pretty pictures so it doesn't hurt my brain much :) The book is entitled "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die", a film reference book compiled by various critics worldwide and edited by Steven Jay Schneider. Not the gift to get your elderly Grandma or Grandpa. Chances are they'll fall short of the title.

So methinks...why don't i do a blog and talk about these films and make up my own list of the greatest movies! Im a f**king genius!! BUT CAREFUL CHILDREN...if u open your mind too much...your brain will fall out. So on these rare occasions when I actually follow through on my ideas I have created this blog and shall endevour to ramble on, like Im doing at the moment, about films that I've enjoyed and that I encourage my...probably one follower (Thanks Mum)...to watch and enjoy yourselves! Then y'all can comment and tell me what you thought of the films or abuse me for liking something you hated!

So until next time...Live Long and Prosper! (Im such a f**kin geek...)