meme, movies

[the_rev]

Okay. Maybe I want to play too. I did this before, a long time ago, and had fun, so. Stolen from everyone.

Ask me my fannish Top Five [Whatevers]. Any top fives. Doesn't matter what, really! And I will answer them all in a new comments to this post.

Now, of course, old movies!

Notorious (1946). Hitchcock, Cary Grant, and Ingrid Bergman. Phew! Is it warm in here or is it just the hottest makeout scene ever?



Also, nailbitingly awesome! It's a Cary I've never seen before. Stern and straight-faced and not silly at all, even once. And the kind of love story I enjoy best! The angsty ones! In which everyone loves each other but are too stupid/proud/stubborn/whatever to accept it, to say it, to realize their love is returned! I love Ingrid Bergman more with every film of hers that I see. I'm eager to see Casablanca now. Anyway, this one needs to be owned and viewed many times!

The Innocents (1961). Based on The Turn of the Screw. Actually watched this a week or two ago and forgot about it! I generally enjoy Deborah Kerr and she was good in this, but I'd like to see her play someone not nice. Or not *so* nice at least. The movie itself was effectively creepy, but confusing at the end. I've read that the book is also ambiguous at the end.

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). I loved the ending, and many other scenes, but some of it was just a little boring. I'm sorry. I'm sure this means I fail at classics, but I don't enjoy the party lifestyle now and I apparently wouldn't have enjoyed it then. Buddy Ebsen was (a little heartbreakingly) fun!

She Done Him Wrong (1933). Another way in which I fail at classics: I don't like Mae West. I watched this in spite of my better judgement, mostly because the Captain was late coming home and I was bored waiting, and it's only sixty minutes. And, of course, Cary Grant. Mae is too conceited for me to like her. She's funny sometimes, but the constant mention of how beautiful and wonderful she is, and clever and kind... and then she call's her maidservant "eight ball".... I skipped through to the Cary parts, making a sixty minute movie something like twenty.

Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid (1969). This one's been on my netflix queue since I had an account, and my mental queue for as long as I can remember. I'd seen scenes but never the whole film, and of course, I already knew how it ended. I loved it. How could I not? The buddy western to beat all buddy westerns! Cute guys, horses and guns! And humor. And, as always, Robert Redford is one hot bastard.

Amused to find that after watching it last night (from Netflix), AMC aired it this morning.

Comments

[helens78]

Five favorite "tough guys" (or girls)!

[the_rev]

Yay! That's a good one. These are perhaps not my definitive Top 5, but they're what I thought of first.

1. Clint Eastwood in practically anything. Possibly mostly as Blondie in The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, and most revently in Gran Torino. The voice, the squint, the cigar, the sometime bastard facade and the smushy nice guy underneath.

2. Ellen Ripley. She's not only badass, she is *especially* badass because she is vulnerable and overcomes it! She will cry, wipe her nose, then KICK YOUR ASS.

3. Dracula. Gary Oldman. I don't know if this counts, I wouldn't exactly call him "tough", but he's hard to kill and will fuck your shit up. Mostly I love the way Oldman plays him, I know his lines by heart and I giggle and giggle with evil glee everytime I see this movie. Also another good combination of emotionally vulnerable and physically formidable!

4. T-1000 as portrayed by Robert Patrick. Damn near indestructible! And emotionally invulnerable! The perfect badass. Unlike the lame T-X from the third film who was annoyingingly indestructable, he managed to be both more badass than the original T-101 but still slightly physically vulnerable, keeping him interesting.

5. Book!Eownyn, far more awesome than movie!Eowyn. I can't even remember why, it's been so long since I've read, just that I loved her dearly, loved Tolkien for writing such a strong character, and was disappointed in Jackson for not pulling it off a little better.

[kittenbiscuits]

Notorious is not only my favorite Cary Grant movie, but is my all time favorite. I think it is Hitchcock's best (and that is saying something because there are so many good ones). I have seen this film more times than I can count and it seems new to me each time. I love, love, love it.

nice icon!

[the_rev]

Prior to this I'd said that Charade was my favorite Cary movie (like I said, I'm an old man perv) but this one rivals it and possibly wins. I loved it terribly. I need to own it to make everyone I know watch it!

I loved Bergman in the beginning, everytime she said "copper". I giggled a little. :)

Re: nice icon!

[kittenbiscuits]

I love Charade too. But Notorious is it for me. I adore Bergman in it. And yeah "copper" is just too funny.

I'm always saying "skip it" to people. ;)

[fjbryan]

Best line: "the fall'll probably kill ya!"

And yes, Notorious is quite possibly the perfect Hitchcock film, although I think Rear Window gives it a serious run for its money. Glad you loved it.

[the_rev]

Haha, yes. :) Great line. The Making Of featurette was awesome, too, narrated by George Hill, it was hilarious. He curses a lot. :) And it was neat to see how they accomplished that jump scene.

Mmm, Notorious. I just bought it. :D I actually also just borrowed Rear Window from the librbary. I've seen it but it was a long time ago, and the Captain has never seen it.

[fjbryan]

Notorious is worthy owning. I never get tired of watching it. You'll have to let me know how RW compares when you've watched it again.

[the_rev]

We watched it tonight! Compared to Notorious? So very different! I think I love them equally for different reasons. RW has a few laughs and Notorious had none, whereas the latter wins in steamy kisses. :) Really, I could watch them both again happily.

Compared to when I was a kid? I think I certainly have a greater appreciation for Grace Kelly!

[kittenbiscuits]

I agree that RW has a bit more laughs, but there are a few moments in Notorious that are meant to get a giggle.

Like the running gag about Prescott being a handsome man. That always gets a chuckle out of me.

Or when Dev sits his empty glass on the passed out woman's chest.

But the line that gets me every time:
Alicia: I'm terrified
Dev: Just pretend you're a janitor. Janitors are never terrified.
Alicia: I have a feeling they're very slow.

LOL!

[the_rev]

Quite right! I'd forgotten the glass. When he did it I sort of did a double take to make sure I wasn't seeing things. :)

I wondered about that "handsome" remark. Like, really?

And I remember thinking wtf? at the janitor line! It was so random. I think I laughed for that reason. I still don't think I get it! Maybe next time, in context. :)