"Sierra Madre" Is Treasure

Review #19: Treasure of Sierra Madre, 1948 Hot. Really hot. When you watch this movie you feel the heat. The heat of the dry, Mexican mountains. The heat of the frustrations of manual labor. The heat from the tension between friends. The heat that comes from greed. In a nutshell, this movie is about greed, and the men who go crazy from it. And, Humphrey Bogart does a good crazy. You see glimpses of it early on in the movie, as he asks the same American man for money three times in a row. You hear Walter Houston foreshadow this crazy as he sets the stage for what will become the beginning of the end for Bogart's character. I thought this movie was a western. It's not. It is really a movie about the vices of greed and how it can ruin you. It's a movie about losing your mind. It's a movie about living. Bogart's character lived for himself. He lived for each day and was a man without a dream. He got the gold. And, that was all that he wanted. Then, he died. The end. This movie is #38 on the AFI 100 Movies 100 Years list. For me, it's along the lines of movies like "Psycho" and "Vertigo," exploring why people act the way that they do. I have to admit that it is unlikely I would have ever watched this movie without it being part of my movie project. What unlikely movie favorite have you discovered?

Hepburn is Hilarious!

Movie Review #18: Bringing Up Baby, 1939. This is a laugh out loud flick that proves life doesn't have to be so serious! If there was ever a man that needed to loosen up, it's Cary Grant's stuffy museum character. And, Katharine Hepburn is just the woman for the job. Once she starts talking, she doesn't stop! Her stream-of-conscience thought processes are one step away from landing her in the nut-house, and causing mass mayhem in the streets with her playful leopard that's running loose. You have to watch this film to appreciate it. So, grab some popcorn and your sweetie and kick back for a good lighthearted evening.

"Bridge" Spans Test of Time

Movie Review #16: Bridge On the River Kwai, 1957 I find it hard to get too excited about watching a war film. Generally speaking, I am always expecting the worst from them. Hard. Bloody. Little dialog. However, I have to say that this film did not take me there. It was bright. Beautifully shot. And, full of words...and whistling. It was actually a rather enjoyable film, and not what I was expecting. Do you remember when I said that just when I think a know a film or it's story, I'm surprised to learn that I just only thought I did. I really am learning so much, and experiencing a world of stories that I otherwise would not have known. Alec Guinness is rather captivating as the British commander who stands up to the Japanese Commandant, By not giving in to his demands. However, in standing up for the rules, Guinness ends up helping the enemy and is blinded by the very values that saved him earlier in the film. And, in an ironic twist, William Holden's character, who was a bit lack-luster in the values area, returned to save the day, albeit under duress. I was only a bit saddened by the meaningless loss of life at the end....which made it more of a true to my expectation war movie. If you haven't watched this film, I recommend it. If it's been a while, you might dust it off and take a peek. It's worth a viewing!

Don't "Duck" this Funny Favorite

Movie Review #15: Duck Soup, 1933 With each new movie I watch from this all-time favorites list, I pride myself on being able to learn something new...add something to my movie vocabulary...become well-watched! So, when it came to this movie I was perplexed. I really had never been a fan of the Marx Brothers' comedy, and had seen little of their work. Throughout the movie I tried hard to make sense of the senselessness. I tried to find direct parallels with what was going on in politics, the world during that time. I looked for meaning in the dialog. It shouldn't be a surprise to you that I didn't find it, or at least not much of it. I even had to look at several websites to figure out why it was titled "Duck Soup." and, it had nothing to do with the movie comment, rather it was just another joke. I was still perpexed why this movie made it to the classics list. I guess the joke's on me! So what did I learn from it? After I decided that careful consideration and deep reflection were not the best paths for figuring out this movie, I was able to take this away from my experience: 1. Don't always take yourself so seriously. 2. If you make movie watching a list that you are just checking off, then you lose a lot of what you could have gotten out of the entire experience of watching. 3. Enjoy the jokes in life, and take them for what they were meant to be...fun. 4. And lastly, laugh loud and hard! Here's to wishing you fun and lots of laughs in 2012! Happy New year!