Movie Discussion Part 3

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Since I started these discussions it seems I have film titles going through my head 24/7--even get up in the middle of the night to jot a title down! Most of the movies I have mentioned so far are twenty years or older--trying, really trying, to think of pictures I have seen in recent years that I would a) want to sit through again and/or b) want to buy the DVD--yes, Monsters and Sordid Lives are on my list as soon will be Crash--some films, like The Woodsman, Hotel Rwanda I'll watch on cable again--some of you have remarked about the lack of sci-fi, horror, etc. Sorry, I saw the first chapters of Harry Potter, Lord Of The Rings and Star Wars but they didn't entice me to see the sequels--and forget Texas Chainsaw, The Ring and such films. And now on with some of my favorites: "Gone With The Wind"--"Dr. Zhivago"--"Lawrence Of Arabia"--"Giant"--"Sunshine"--5 epics that I can, and do, watch over and over--great acting, cinematography, directing, story, etc--each is close to or even over 3 hours but seems like they take place in half the time--if you aren't familiar with Sunshine ,Ralph Fiennes gives a monumental performance playing 3 roles: his grandfather, father and son. "West Side Story"--of all the musicals I love (and own) this is the one I have probably seen the most--I went to see the opening night of the Broadway production and bought tickets for the next 7 performances so I approached the movie version very hesitatingly but fell in love with it--the same energetic dancing, the same great score and, most important to me, the same feelings--I don't know how many times I've seen it but each time I hear "Tonight", "Somewhere", "A Boy Like That" I cry--I cringe each time Anita goes into the drugstore to give Tony the message from Maria--my body just moves during "The Dance At The Gym" and I want to shout Ole during "America". The musicals from M-G-M during the 50s and 60s, like "Singing In The Rain", "The Bandwagon", "Silk Stockings", just to name three, are gems just as many 'from Broadway to Hollywood' (not all--believe me "Man Of La Mancha", "A Chorus Line", etc., are pitiful!) like "Annie Get Your Gun", "South Pacific", "Oklahoma", "Carousel", "Sound Of Music", to name only a few, are a joy to watch again and again. "Love Me Or Leave Me"--I fell in love with Doris Day in August 1947 when her first movie "Romance On The High Seas" came out and she sang "It's Magic"--after that I saw every picture she ever made and I have many favorites; "Calamity Jane", "Pillow Talk", "Storm Warnings", "The Man Who Knew Too Much", "Lullaby Of Broadway" just to name a few but "Love Me Or Leave Me" is at the top of the list--she and Cagney had electricity, her rendition of "Ten Cents A Dance" is a classic while her acting is superb. "The Accused" Jodie Foster was pitch perfect in this movie and earned her Oscar for it just as she did for "Silence Of The Lambs" "The Fastest Indian In The West" Anthony Hopkins in a great performance in a feel good movie. "Rocky" yes, Rocky--come on how can you not feel exuberant when Sly jumps on the steps when training? How can you not feel moved when he yells "Adrianne" his face and body all battered in the ring. (Please, don't even think of mentioning the sequels and remind me to stay away from the one he is filming now!) "Bambi" I cry every time I see it and his mother dies--I remember the scary fire--and, yes, laugh at Thumper and the his other 'friends'. "The Bad Seed" Nancy Kelley and Patty McCormark excellently recreate their Broadway performances and Eileen Heckart brilliant as the dead son's mother--the ending was changed (to it's detriment but there was a 'code' at that time) and the 'bows' at the end were hoaky (though I do miss the times when at the end of the movie they showed the actors and the roles they played)--this movie shows some people are born evil and 'Rhoda' certainly was evil! And the list goes on!