An American In Paris [59]

Jerry is an artist living in Paris who pretty much loves how everything is going. He’s pretty popular, he has no worries and just lives off his paintings. Ms.Roberts is intrigued by Jerry and his paintings and is willing to help him out by setting up a showcase for him. Problem is she’s falling for him and he’s just met the girl of his dreams.

Lisa is Jerry’s “love at first sight.” Problem is he doesn’t know anything about her and she’s not willing to let him in just yet. He tries really hard to grab her attention and to finally get her to agree on a date with him. Poor guy is heartbroken to hear she’s already engaged, even more to WHO she’s engaged to (I’m not telling). He’s ready to give everything up for her but it looks like he’s just going to have to settle for someone else.

Jerry sings, paints, dances and plays music. This movie just opened my eyes to all the different forms of art you can express yourself with. The way all the arts are combined so beautifully in this film just wow’s me. Apparently it caught the eyes of many others because this film won 6 Oscars. Surely a must-see for anyone who appreciates the arts.

She Wore A Yellow Ribbon [58]

Captain Brittles [Wayne] has just a few more days left until he can retire and he has a mission to take care of. He has to guide his troops and escort two women through Indian territory. He sets it upon himself to declare peace with the Indians before he retires.

The Indians don’t give into Brittles’ motions and the Calvary men are left awaiting war. Brittles’ doesn’t want to see any of his good men fall down at the hands of the Indians and he sets out another goal. All the while there is a love story forming in the sidelines. Miss Olivia, one of the women being escorted, has two men at her feet. “She wore a yellow ribbon” derives from a song that says that when a woman wore a yellow ribbon, it was because her love was in the Calvary. Olivia doesn’t tell them who she’s wearing it for and the men start picking fights with each other, when their minds need to be focused on arriving safely at the military fort.

John Wayne plays a calm and cool character. He’s a strong leader who cares for his men and will do what he can to avoid them getting hurt. His character was very inspiring to me because he was able to put others’ needs before his. He could have just called for the retirement sooner or not go on this mission but he knew he would be the only one who could save his men’s lives.

Mary Poppins [57]

  "A spoonful of sugar helps medicine go down, in the most delightful way"

Jane and Michael just scared off another nanny and their parents are looking for someone new that will actually stick around. Jane and Michael have sorted out their own guidelines for the new nanny and Mary Poppins fits the description perfectly. According to them she’s “kind, witty, very sweet and very pretty.” They start off thinking she’s nothing special but in the matter of a few hours they see how magical she really is.

Mary Poppins takes the kids on adventures through paintings, rooftops and songs. She just wants their parents to see what wonderful kids they are and to appreciate them a bit more. We never learn much about Mary herself just that she’s “practically perfect.” Mary is loving but firm and helps the kids and their parents’ bond flourish.

This is a very enchanting film and I was amazed at the special effects, they were corny but really good. Sadly Mary doesn’t stick around for long. Seems this was a mission she was sent out for and once it was complete she’s on her way. Her goal was to reunite the kids with their parents because the kids were becoming unappreciated and their father’s work was the only thing on his mind. The movie ends on a happy note, with summer on its way and parents outside with their children.

Troy [56]

Troy tells the story of the legendary Trojan War and of Achilles, the famous warrior who was son of the God’s. The Trojan War was initiated when Paris of Troy stole Helen, Queen of Sparta, from the King. This film portrays real emotion in such a way that I couldn’t back away from it; the warfare is gruesome but the way they loved… it was just beautiful.

The King of Sparta just wants his wife back but his brother wants to take over Troy. They join together but the Trojan’s aren’t scared of them. The Trojan’s are willing to fight for their Troy, their people, their wives and children. Things get out of hand because all the main figures in this war let their emotions get in the way of their thinking. Even Achilles, who seems to not care for anyone but himself, loses sight of what he’s doing and is overcome with mourning. And the king of Troy lets the love of his son’s blind him and leads his beloved Troy into war.

To me, this movie and story show how easily things could be avoided. All these actions lead to nowhere good, just to a downfall of a lot of great people and rise of more warfare. If everyone just sat down and talked about things reasonably everything could have been resolved without bloodshed. But when does anyone take that angle? And if they would have, there wouldn’t be such a great film, haha.

Serpico [54]

"Frank, let's face it. Who can trust a cop who don't take money?"

Serpico [Pacino] is an honest cop, which means all the more trouble for him. He finds out things he wishes he didn’t and is handed money being passed under the tables. He stands up for himself but no one really seems to care. The ones that do have no way of helping him so he doesn’t know where to go.

This film is based on the real life of a retired NY policeman and starts off with Serpico drenched in blood being driven to the hospital. We work back to where he just started his career and we witness how the corruption around him changed and worried him. He’s good at what he does but let’s others take credit for his work. Seems he can be walked all over but no matter what he doesn’t join in on the corruption and pay-offs.

Serpico’s trying his best to take a stand but the people willing to help either don’t have any connections are too scared to get involved. How far can you get if you’re not trusted within the department?

Move Over, Darling [53]

Ellen [Doris Day] has just been pronounced legally dead, she’s been missing for five years after being in a plane accident. Only one problem, she’s just been found alive. The same morning she gets back home, her husband re-marries and his new wife is doing everything possible to get him into bed with her.

This film is in the comedy section, but I found it hard to laugh sometimes. I mean she just wants her husband back and he wants her but it’s just really bad timing, haha. She doesn’t even know how to go about telling her daughters that she’s her mother and is alive. I was just totally feeling for her, I wanted things to fall back into place, but the odds were against us… I mean 5 years? A lot has changed.

That’s where the humor falls in, she’s trying to gain back her family and trying to understand all the changes that have happened in the world. She’s a very very charming woman with a very kind heart. You can’t help but want the best for her. But oh is she stubborn, she wants everything here and now. Can’t blame her, she’s been stranded on an island with a pervert for the past few years.

Come and See [52]

This has to be one of the most intense movies I’ve ever seen and I’m sure I could never sit through it again. The whole time watching it I kept repeating to myself that I shouldn’t be watching this. This is truly an epic, too bad for me that I can’t handle to see such things.

This film takes place during the Hitler’s “all out war,” so during the Holocaust. We follow young Florya through the horror of it all. We never step foot into the gas chambers, piles of dead bodies, or the real heat of war but we might as well have. Florya is taken from his family to fight against the Germans but then he’s left behind because it doesn’t seem he’ll survive.

Once he’s left alone, the Nazi’s attack and he’s left deaf. He’s slowly going insane throughout the whole film and you can’t help but feel bad for him. The stress he’s going through and all the trauma he’s soaking in slowly starts showing on his face. He’s clearly losing his mind.

We get to see some of the horrible things the Nazi’s did… I’ll let you see everything else by yourself because overall it’s a really good film and it’s bound to leave an impact.

Gandhi [51]

First off, I didn’t know squat about Gandhi before watching this. Just that he was a very influential and peaceful person. And I have to say that after watching this film I really want to know all there is about him and his life.

Film starts off with his assassination and takes us back to who he was before he was named “Father of the Nation” in India. Then we get to the major highlights of his life and his movement; all at a sort of slow pace to throw more details and such into the story.

The film really moved me, mainly because I never heard of the harsh killings and the “non-violence” movement depicted in the film. I was rooting for Ghandi from the beginning; I was dying to know how much he accomplished. Seems the guy was just too good to live in such a world. He was surrounded by so much violence and oppression, it just really just blew my mind that he could stay so peaceful.

I’m sure it’s a great film whether you know nothing about him or if you do. It’s an epic story of one of the most significant and influential people the world has laid eyes on.

"Mahatma Gandhi had become the spokesman for the conscience of mankind, a man who made humility and simple truth more powerful than empires." And Albert Einstein added, "Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth."

A Hard Day's Night [40]

[Haha, picture reminds me of Vampire Weekend]

“ What would you call that hairstyle you're wearing?”

“Arthur.”

Ah, the Beatles <3.  This film takes place in the height of their career; they’re just boys looking for a good time. They parade, sneak and run around through most of the film and shoot some funny lines here and there. Sort of reminded me of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in the sense that it’s innocent and the guys just want to have a good time, relax and bend the rules for a bit.

I loved their sense of humor, some of it I didn’t get but when I did understand it I was just in awe of their quirkiness. They seemed like all around good guys who didn’t like being bossed around (which they were, a lot) but when it came down to it they really loved performing (not like anyone could hear them over the screaming fans).

The soundtrack consists of some of their most familiar songs, the simpler/sweeter ones. Like “All My Loving,” “She Loves You,” and “I’m Just Happy Dancing With You.” Highly recommended for Beatles fans, just in case you haven’t seen it for whatever reason but hey it was my first time watching it. And for anyone looking for that Ferris Bueller innocent sense of humor.

Born Yesterday [39]

I really enjoyed watching this movie. Our girl, Billie, is a “dumb broad” but she doesn’t give a damn, “I’m stupid and I like it,.. as long as I know how to get what I want that’s all I want to know,” she say’s herself. Anyways her corrupt and very wealthy boyfriend hires a journalist to get some smart into her. So he won’t be ashamed of taking her out to meet all the high class people he’s messing with.

Bille gets down talked day in and out, hard to believe she stays with Brock. All they do is scream at each other from rooms away and play card games, sort of amusing to watch but you begin to wonder how she can handle it. Even when she starts picking up a few things here and there and getting more confident about being able to read and understand what it is she’s reading he’ll still call her stupid and make her feel bad.

Bille starts falling for the journalist, who encourages her to keep trying and has nothing but faith in her, and starts to see how corrupt her boyfriend really is. Brock thinks she’s been reading too much and now understands more than she can handle but that’s not even half of it. He’s trying to buy these high-class congressman and she won’t let him take things further. But how do you expect a “dumb broad” and a petty journalist to beat a boss-man like persona at his own game?

The Apartment [38]

“That's the way it crumbles... cookie-wise.”

C.C. Baxter [Jack Lemmon] rents out his apartment to married men so they can… have some extramarital affairs. They’re all guys in the office so they refer him to the boss man and he slowly gets his way up to the higher floors. Doesn’t sound too bad right? Well his world comes crumbling down once he finds out that the elevator girl, Fran [Shirley MacLaine] he’s falling for has already been to his apartment, and he didn’t lead her there.

Fran’s been seeing the boss man and thinks he’s going to leave his wife for her. She tries to push him away but keeps falling into his tricks. He’s been at this for years, seeing a different girl from the office, breaking their heart then moving on to the next one. She finds out about this and as you can imagine, is devastated. She takes one too many sleeping pills over at Baxter’s apartment the night he’s about to get lucky.

He takes care of her, first because the boss asked for his help but then he gets over his heartache and keeps at it with Fran. Too bad for him she’s still too wound up with the bad guy.

This movie is very appealing because it’s elegant, somewhat innocent, quirky and funny. Baxter is a really good guy who keeps a smile on his face, jokes around and can’t really say “no.” But by falling in love he slowly starts overcoming that and starts putting his foot down. You can’t help but hope that Fran opens her eyes and sees how in-love Baxter is with her.

Winchester '73 [37]

 

 

McAdam [James Stewart] enters a shooting competition and wins a sweet Winchester rifle. Too bad he doesn’t even get to engrave his name on it, next thing he knows he’s beaten to the floor and the rifle’s stolen.

[I love movies where different stories intertwine, or when just a bunch of stories/people surround one thing.] And this is one of those, we follow the rifle through many hands. Sometimes people don’t survive the next person who gets it or end up in a very troublesome position.

McAdam is searching for the man who stole his rifle, happens to be the same guy he’s been on the trail of for a while now. What he doesn’t know is that the rifle is switching owners all around him and causing a whole lot of trouble.

Surely a great classic western, with a twist I won’t dare ruin. But my favorite aspect of this movie is really the fact that the rifle sort of plays a main character, might as well be the antagonist.

My Fair Lady [36]

Eliza,[Audrey Hepburn, who’s charming and adorable.. even in rags]who has a horrible London accent, lives on the streets and sells flowers for a living. One night she bumps into Professor Higgins who claims that he could have her speaking so properly that she could go as a duchess to a ball. Hearing this she knows she doesn’t want to live in rags forever and goes to him seeking help. Higgins can be a real sleaze ball and really inconsiderate but when it comes down to what he knows, he knows his stuff.

At first he doesn’t think he’s going to get anywhere with Eliza but keeps on trying now that this has turned into a bet. Soon enough she starts learning phrases in a proper accent. Poor girl is taken for granted though, she gets no credit for all the hard work she’s put in.

This is a very moving story, it’s a musical and I usually am not big on those but all these songs added more to the on-going script and soon enough they were stuck in my head. Other than it being charming its very amusing, with Higgins being such a bachelor and not caring who listens in to what he thinks about women. With lines such as “I find the moment a woman makes friends with me she becomes, jealous, exacting, suspicious and a damn nuisance..” and Higgins singing his own song “Why can’t a woman be more like a man?” the story can’t stay serious.

Little Big Man [35]

Jack Crabb [Hoffman] is a centenarian aging 121 years who tells his AMAZING life story. He watched his parents get killed when he was 10 by Pawnee Indians. Then was taken in by Cheyenne Indians and grew in their lifestyles. He was named Little Big Man because even though he’s little, he’s still strong and brave.

He talks about all the different stages and turning points he’s gone through. From being raised by Indians to being taken into the Christian lifestyle, to being a gunfighter, apprentice, and to his business and wife getting stolen right under him. Just goes to show how random and all over the place life can be, along with love.

This film really impressed me because it could have me rolling around laughing and in a few moments have me cringing at how tragic it gets. Mr.Crabb sees a lot in his days, meets a lot of people who don’t do much good for him and some that help him out immensely. He lives a long life and has been through so much, seems like too much for him to handle when we see him staring off sadly into space in the last few shots. Wonder how someone can deal with copious life lessons, heartache, and deaths and still live to be more than a hundred years old.

The Professionals [34]

This movie is a real treat to watch, the colors are beautiful, the scenery is captivating, the story surely makes for a classic and the characters are so damn interesting.

Four men are sent out to claim a kidnapped wife, they’re all professionals of some sort so for them to come together like this surely makes them unstoppable. One of them is pros in one of the following: military, explosives, horses and Apache skills. Their goal is to enter their fellow soldiers hide out and rescue the woman they’re in this mess for. You’d never think they’d even make it into the hide out, even less blow the whole thing away.

They grab the woman only to realize “they’ve been had.” Maria, the woman worth a hundred thousand dollars, tells them their heartbreaking story but they’ve stuck out their necks to get her and can’t really see themselves giving up everything.

So they keep on the journey, with explosives being lit up here and there; with their fellow soldier on their trail and a woman willing to do anything to escape.

The Last of the Mohicans [33]

 

Hawkeye is the adopted white son to the Indians and is asked to help the British in war. He and his fellow brothers agree, on one condition, that if their homes are attacked they get to leave. The British agree to this and set foot towards their fort. What they don’t know is that the native guide by their side is actually working for their enemy and they’re ambushed. Only a few people survive.. they pass by Hawkeye’s home only to find everyone massacred.
The British don’t stick to their promise, and don’t let the Indians leave for their homes to protect their families. Most of them escape anyways, knowing that if they’re caught they’ll be killed. Hawkeye stays because he’s fallen in love, but is caught anyways for his brothers’ doings.
Hawkeye and Curo’s love came fast and strong but they’re taken apart from each other on several occasions. We get into Hawkeye’s life, and we see how strongly and harshly the Indians take their customs. The cruelness of it all makes me shiver, the scalping and blood spilled everywhere is just overwhelming. A lot of people are tortured for others’ wrongdoings. People are hung, scalped, and burned alive for things they’re not even aware of.