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Post by doc on Aug 5, 2020 13:07:54 GMT
So I watched The Great Ziegfeld; Casablanca's spot at the top of the Best of the Best Picture winners list remains safe. Some decent moments in the movie including a dance number by Ray Bolger (The scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz) that was pretty amazing, let's just say old Ray was quite a limber guy. Luise Rainer won the first of her 2 Best Actress awards for this movie, she played Ziegfeld's first wife, Anna Held. His second wife was Billie Burke, Glinda the good with of the north also from The Wizard of Oz. And Ziegfeld's nemesis in business, Jack Billings, was also played by a Wizard of Oz actor - the Wizard himself, Frank Morgan. This one will definitely be slotted in the lower 3rd of the worst to first list - it had some grandiose production numbers but it was way too long and sappy at times. I'm sure it was a huge hit in 1936 as Florenz Ziegfeld had died a few years earlier and was the king of Broadway in the early days.
Next up - Ben-Hur when I have 4 hours to kill!!
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Post by Bevo on Aug 5, 2020 17:52:51 GMT
So I watched The Great Ziegfeld; Casablanca's spot at the top of the Best of the Best Picture winners list remains safe. Some decent moments in the movie including a dance number by Ray Bolger (The scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz) that was pretty amazing, let's just say old Ray was quite a limber guy. Luise Rainer won the first of her 2 Best Actress awards for this movie, she played Ziegfeld's first wife, Anna Held. His second wife was Billie Burke, Glinda the good with of the north also from The Wizard of Oz. And Ziegfeld's nemesis in business, Jack Billings, was also played by a Wizard of Oz actor - the Wizard himself, Frank Morgan. This one will definitely be slotted in the lower 3rd of the worst to first list - it had some grandiose production numbers but it was way too long and sappy at times. I'm sure it was a huge hit in 1936 as Florenz Ziegfeld had died a few years earlier and was the king of Broadway in the early days. Next up - Ben-Hur when I have 4 hours to kill!! I really struggle when trying to decide on a "Best Movie". I like so many, and for different reasons. But Casablanca is always very near the top for me. It's such a marvelous combination of everything. It's funny. It's serious. It's a war movie, a love story, a suspense thriller. It has star power. It just has EVERYTHING a movie could ask for. Terrific performances too. Ben-Hur is really good too. But, BOY is it long. Same with Lawrence of Arabia. They're like TWO movies. |
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Post by doc on Aug 5, 2020 18:28:46 GMT
So I watched The Great Ziegfeld; Casablanca's spot at the top of the Best of the Best Picture winners list remains safe. Some decent moments in the movie including a dance number by Ray Bolger (The scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz) that was pretty amazing, let's just say old Ray was quite a limber guy. Luise Rainer won the first of her 2 Best Actress awards for this movie, she played Ziegfeld's first wife, Anna Held. His second wife was Billie Burke, Glinda the good with of the north also from The Wizard of Oz. And Ziegfeld's nemesis in business, Jack Billings, was also played by a Wizard of Oz actor - the Wizard himself, Frank Morgan. This one will definitely be slotted in the lower 3rd of the worst to first list - it had some grandiose production numbers but it was way too long and sappy at times. I'm sure it was a huge hit in 1936 as Florenz Ziegfeld had died a few years earlier and was the king of Broadway in the early days. Next up - Ben-Hur when I have 4 hours to kill!! I really struggle when trying to decide on a "Best Movie". I like so many, and for different reasons. But Casablanca is always very near the top for me. It's such a marvelous combination of everything. It's funny. It's serious. It's a war movie, a love story, a suspense thriller. It has star power. It just has EVERYTHING a movie could ask for. Terrific performances too. Ben-Hur is really good too. But, BOY is it long. Same with Lawrence of Arabia. They're like TWO movies. Yeah - some movies are impressive simply based on the effort that went into making them and the sheer epic-ness of the production - Lawrence of Arabia would definitely fit into this category. Just a beautifully photographed piece of film making. Others I highly rank due to a certain significance in my life; Terms of Endearment, Forrest Gump and Oliver! are a few that fit this category. I took my wife to see Terms of Endearment on our first date, Oliver! was one of the first movies I ever saw in the theater, Forrest Gump is one that our entire family watched together many times. And then some are just perfect movies - Casablanca is at the top of that list for many of the reasons you mentioned plus it just keeps getting better and better. |
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Post by Bevo on Aug 5, 2020 20:36:02 GMT
I really struggle when trying to decide on a "Best Movie". I like so many, and for different reasons. But Casablanca is always very near the top for me. It's such a marvelous combination of everything. It's funny. It's serious. It's a war movie, a love story, a suspense thriller. It has star power. It just has EVERYTHING a movie could ask for. Terrific performances too. Ben-Hur is really good too. But, BOY is it long. Same with Lawrence of Arabia. They're like TWO movies. Yeah - some movies are impressive simply based on the effort that went into making them and the sheer epic-ness of the production - Lawrence of Arabia would definitely fit into this category. Just a beautifully photographed piece of film making. Others I highly rank due to a certain significance in my life; Terms of Endearment, Forrest Gump and Oliver! are a few that fit this category. I took my wife to see Terms of Endearment on our first date, Oliver! was one of the first movies I ever saw in the theater, Forrest Gump is one that our entire family watched together many times. And then some are just perfect movies - Casablanca is at the top of that list for many of the reasons you mentioned plus it just keeps getting better and better. I just love the first 30 minutes or so of Stripes... especially, the opening argument Bill Murray has with his girlfriend. That is quintessential Murray. "That's what you said LAST week John". John: "Yea, but.. c'mon. How much growing can you really do in a week?" The Sound of Music was one of the first movies I saw in a sit down theater. I still love that movie. The music is corny, but musically very good. Terms of Endearment (filmed in Houston, and Galveston... very near where I grew up) came out less than a year after my mother died of cancer. I love the movie. But, it pains me to watch it. When I first saw it, I was actually angry and bitter... All I could think about, when she was in the hospital 'dying', was... "That's NOT how it is". Too close to home. But, I love the beginning. Wedding Crashers and Forgetting Sarah Marshall are two movies that I will probably see a 1000 times before I die. I NEVER tire of them. Just SO funny. Patton is another movie that I watch, any time I see it on. Just love it. I also like Forrest Gump. It gets me. And, I'm a news junkie. Hard not to like it. Philadelphia Story is one of my favorites... Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn epitomize the oldtimey "Hollywood Stars" But, really.. I could list 100 more movies that I love. I just like the format. |
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Post by doc on Aug 6, 2020 13:16:08 GMT
I love watching the old movies on TCM - have you seen The Awful Truth or Bringing Up Baby, both have Cary Grant - great, comedies. Also Strangers on a Train, Suspicion, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Sgt. York - North By Northwest is one of the best movies I've ever seen if you exclude the struggle on Mt. Rushmore - that was a bit corny. But then, I love West Side Story and seeing gang members do ballet down the street as they head to a gang fight is a bit corny, too!! Also, the ending on The Bridge on the River Kwai is about as tense and as good as it gets.
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