Good Morning.
I started watching the Sunday news shows yesterday morning and shortly switched over to Property Brothers, the HGTV show where two identical twin guys get home buyers to purchase a mess of a house that becomes showplace. In the episode I saw yesterday, they had to deal with mold and rusted out plumbing, but it was better than watching the Sunday news shows because I knew that all would be well in the end. I'm tired of feeling like a leaky old boat in a hurricane.
My go-to remedy for extracting myself from the current insanity is to watch a movie in the comfort of my home. Here are some of my favorites that clearly reflect my age but oh well. In random order:
As previously mentioned, Moonstruck, about a colorful Italian family in Brooklyn. Starring Cher, Danny Aiello, Olympia Dukakis, Nicolas Cage, and Vincent Gardenia. Every moment of the film is romantic and funny, none more than when the old grandpa in a multi-generational household walks half a dozen dogs and howls at the moon.
Casablanca, the 1942 classic starring Humphrey Bogart, the incomparably beautiful Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid, about an American expatriate who owns a nightclub with an interesting clientele. Into the club walks his former lover with her husband, a Czech Resistance leader, and things get extremely complicated immediately.
Shine, an Australian film about a mentally tormented pianist who overcomes the emotional abuse handed out by his tyrannical father to share his gift with the world. Starring Geoffrey Rush, Lynn Redgrave, John Gielgud, and Armin Mueller-Stahl.
The Magnificent Seven, about a bunch of cowboys who help a Mexican village run off a band of outlaws that keep taking their food. With Yul Brynner, six other top flight actors, and the great Eli Wallach as the leader of the bad guys. The soundtrack is fabulous.
All the President's Men, about Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein who broke the story about the Watergate break-in and ultimately brought down Nixon. With Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman. The garage scenes with Deep Throat are spooky enough to grab a pillow, and of course the film is somewhat relevant today.
Philadelphia, about a gay man with AIDS who gets kicked out of a law firm and sues the SOBs. With Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington. The entire film is gutwrenching and the opera scene with Hanks is one of the most powerful on film.
The Verdict, my favorite Paul Newman film, about a washed up, alcoholic lawyer who takes a malpractice case against a couple of doctors whose negligence put a woman in a coma and who are represented by big shot attorneys hired by the archdiocese of Boston.
Chocolat, a (yummy) film about a woman who opens a chocolaterie in a small French village in the middle of Lent. With Juliette Binoche, Alfred Molina, Lena Olin, Johnny Depp, and the glorious Judi Dench.
On Golden Pond, set at a quintessential lake in New England where a crusty old guy and a teenage kid spend the summer trying to catch a fish named Walter. Fonda and Hepburn at their best, supported by a chorus of loons and the rest of the sound track is wonderful too.
Judgment at Nuremberg, about the famous war trials and perhaps the most important film ever made. Three hours long, shot appropriately in black and white. With Maximilian Schell, Spencer Tracy, Judy Garland, Marlene Dietrich, Montgomery Clift, Richard Widmark, William Shatner, and Burt Lancaster. Everybody over the age of fifteen needs to watch it, even though the subject matter is really tough. Tracy's speech during the verdict is incredible.
Also Amadeus, Driving Miss Daisy, Giant, Dr. Zhivago, Pride and Prejudice, Chariots of Fire, Dead Poet's Society, Ordinary People, North by Northwest, Advise and Consent, Dances with Wolves, and the title of this blog. I love movies, absolutely love them, and I like a mix. Please send me your recommendations.
Best regards,
Elisabeth
Comments