Day One: Favorite Actor

Okay, so I have to get this post out before the day ends, since the April Challenge is on.

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Day One: Favorite Actor

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James Stewart



I thought about this all day, and I have to go with always great Jimmy Stewart. Whether we are watching him do the right thing at the expense of his dreams in It's a Wonderful Life or watching him watch his neighbors in Rear Window, he is always a joy to watch. And while L.B. Jeffries and George Bailey are two of my favorite Stewart roles, there are so many more performances of his that I love.

Some of his roles I enjoy, time and again, include David in After The Thin Man, Alfred Kralik in The Shop Around the Corner, Macualy Connor in The Philadelphia Story, Rupert Cadell in Rope, Elwood in Harvey and Dr. McKenna in The Man Who Knew Too Much.



Infinitely watchable, Jimmy Stewart is my favorite actor.

Movie Monday - A Stocking Full of Christmas Films

Lots more holiday viewing this week:

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Holiday Inn (1942)

[Bing Crosby; Fred Astaire; Marjorie Reynolds; Virginia Dale; Walter Abel; Louise Beavers]

Plot: Tired of the bright lights of showbiz, Jim Hardy retires to the countryside to become a farmer. He converts the farm into the Holiday Inn, open only on holidays, then competes against his pal for a singer-dancer's affection.

This was my very first viewing of this classic, and I shouldn't have waited so long. Musicals aren't really my favorite kind of flick, but this one is fun and the songs are great. All are great in their roles, especially Crosby and Astaire. Great combination.

This film was also the first appearance of the perennial Christmas classic song "White Christmas". Great song, great film.



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White Christmas (1954)

[Bing Crosby; Danny Kaye; Rosemary Clooney; Vera-Ellen; Dean Jagger; Mary Wickes]

Plot: Crosby and Kaye play war buddies turned entertainers who fall for a pair of sisters. The boys follow the girls to a resort, which is owned by their former commanding officer, and he's in danger of losing the place. What better reason to stage a show than to keep the resort out of hock?

Another classic I had always missed, this year I made a point of watching it. And I like it, even more so than "Holiday Inn". Crosby and Kaye make a great team, and paired with Clooney and Ellen, they really shine. Music is great throughout, including the title track.

Also love seeing Wickes, she has been a favorite character actress of mine for years. Always fun seeing her in anything, and I probably would have watched this one years ago, had I realized she had a part in it.



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The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas (1996)

[Sam McMurray; Ann Magnuson; Bug Hall; Sandy Baron; Mary Woronov]

Grandpa has accidentally captured Santa Claus and two of his elves, while Lily is trying to win the local neighborhood Christmas home decorating competition, and Marilyn has invited family and friends from the "old country" to stay for Christmas. And Eddie is sad, and nothing seems to cheer him up.

Hoo-boy. Sometimes, I just wonder how movies get made. This flick is just bad. Not funny, at all, ever. The plot is thin, at best. And the actors barely work to bring the Munster family to life. Just not good, at all. Bleh!

Couldn't find a trailer, and you are better off for it.

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A Very Brady Christmas (1988)

[Florence Henderson; Robert Reed; Ann B. Davis; Maureen McCormick; Eve Plumb; Barry Williams; Christopher Knight; Mike Lookinland; Jennifer Runyon]

Plot: The entire Brady family manages to overcome personal obstacles to spend a happy holiday together.

I will be the firs to admit that this movie is schmaltzy. It is a guilty pleasure flick if ever there was one.

That said, I like it. It is goofy, moralistic, cheesy. But it is what the Bradys were always all about and stays true to the family I (and many of us) grew up on. The only major "flaw" I have with it is the fact that the actress who originally played Cindy (Susan Olsen) was unavailable for this reunion, so Cindy is played by the 80s cutie Jennifer Runyon. Having Olsen would have made this movie near-perfect.

I realize some of you may be shaking your heads, but I stand by this flick. It is just a good old holiday visit with some old friends. Recommended.



This is part one, but the whole movie (I believe) is available to watch on YouTube!

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Black Christmas (1974)

[Olivia Hussey; Keir Dullea; Margot Kidder; John Saxon; Marian Waldman; Andrea Martin]

Plot: Terror reigns inside a sorority house a few days before Christmas break as a series of menacing phone calls -- and the discovery of a dead girl's body -- transform yuletide cheer into fear. This 1970s horror gem comes from director Robert Clark, who told a much happier holiday tale with his 1983 classic, A Christmas Story.

This is my favorite holiday-horror flick, it is just so well done and so damn creepy! The killer is SO freaking crazy, we are left scared for the characters and ourselves. And we are left wondering so much more about this madman. Great early 70s stuff.



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It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

[James Stewart; Donna Reed; Lionel Barrymore; Thomas Mitchell; Henry Travers]

Plot: Frank Capra's inverted take on A Christmas Carol stars Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey, a good man who's spent a lifetime giving up on his dreams in order to keep life in his small town humming. When a guardian angel named Clarence finds a despondent George poised to jump off a bridge, he shows George what life would've been like had he never been born.

I don't really need to say much about this one, it is a classic, and deservedly so. The unrealized ambitions of a small town man lead him to believe his life has been meaningless. But he soon comes to see otherwise.

The ending of this flick always gets to me. I know what is coming, I have seen it before. But when you watch the movie from the beginning, by the time you reach that final scene you are just wrapped up in the whole story. Moving, indeed.



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xkcd: Organ Donation

Hemant @ The Friendly Atheist posted this panel from xkcd:



I like it.

We can all make a difference when we are gone. I won't need my parts, so why not let them go back in 'the bin' for others to use?

:)

Texting While Driving - Real Life Horror PSA

At first I debated whether or not to re-post this. But then I thought of all the young people I know who either are driving now or will be soon enough.

I think, while this might be jarring to view, it is a lesson better learned here than the hard, horrible way in the real world.

This can be tough to watch, so be prepared.



Sad, scary, horrible.

I have to admit to being guilty of doing this in the past. But I know I will NOT be texting anymore while driving, ever.

Lesson learned here.

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This is a PSA (Public Service Announcement) from Britain.

Originally found at Entertainment Weekly's PopWatch Blog

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Theme Thursday - Suitcase

This week at Theme Thursday: Suitcase!

After the theme of "vacation" last week, I was a bit 'at sea' as to where to go with a theme of "suitcase" so quickly.

Here is what I came up with:

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First, I thought of the thing that always pops into my head when I hear "suitcase" (and I am not kidding).

This video:



Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time", my favorite song from this great artist. I loved this video when it was released, waaaay back when I was 13. The song is so good, such a well written, emotional masterpiece. A classic now.

And the video was great, as well. Her character was so interesting to me, hopeful and sad at the same time. And by the end, all alone.

I always think of this in regards to suitcases, because of the odd assortment Cyndi had; a huge (for her size) duffel bag, a round hat box thing, and a metal lunch box. Definitely unique.

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Next, I thought of George Bailey from "It's a Wonderful Life". George has such big dreams of leaving Bedford Falls and traveling the world. But life keeps getting in his way.

Here he is demonstrating how big of a suitcase he wants for all his travels:



George wanted it to have room for lots of stickers, from around the world. Something like this:



We know that by the end of the movie, George has learned that it doesn't matter where you go or what possessions you have. All that is important is who you love and are loved by. That is what makes a "wonderful life".

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Then, I thought of this scene, from "Evita" with Madonna.



I think Madonna was pretty damn good in this film. Her acting has always been less then stellar, but here, with the acting and singing working together, I think she did her best film work.

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Oddly, I remembered this scene, from the pilot episode of "Mork & Mindy":



Mindy had still be skeptical of Mork's claim that he is an alien. Until a knock at the door finds a floating egg in the hallway, there to deliver Mork's lost luggage. She is a little more willing to believe his strange claims after this!

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Lastly, I recalled the classic episode of "I Love Lucy" called "The Passports", which originally aired way back in 1955.

In this episode, Lucy is unable to locate her birth certificate, which she needs for a passport for their European trip. She gets one of her bright ideas, thinking she can hide in Fred and Ethel's old steamer trunk. Of course, she gets locked inside.

Here is a replica of the trunk used in the show:



Strangely, this is a light-activated cookie jar. Not sure how that bit of merchandising came to be, but it is kind of cool, nonetheless.

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I hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane.

And hey, no suitcases were lost on this journey!

10 Movie Characters I Love

Bill R. from "The Kind of Face You Hate" tagged me in this meme, way back on April 4th. I somehow missed it. But since it is a fun meme, and right up my alley, I decided to post it now, better late than never!

So, here are the 10 Movie Characters I Love. These are the ones I just love watching, and, in some cases, wish I could be (at least for a little while).

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1) Michael Myers (Halloween films)



Michael was, and still is, the horror villain who scared the crap out of me. Lurking, barely hidden, behind car windows, bushes, clothes on a line, Michael watched you and waited. He was super-patient and always silent.

Watching the original "Halloween", late at night, in the dark, Michael can still give me the willies. I can't say that about many other characters.

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2) Jason Voorhees (Friday the 13th films)



Jason is the quintessential freaky, outcast kid back for vengeance. Doesn't matter that the kids who picked on him, or the girl who offed his mom, are all gone. He will continue to make everyone pay.

Never one who "fit in" myself, I guess I can understand Jason on that level. Maybe that is why he has resonated so long for so many horror fans. We get him. Creepy, but true.

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3) Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark, etc)



Indiana Jones was smart, adventurous and brave, yet also a wee bit unsure of himself at the same time. He went on amazing adventures to exotic places and always won out over the bad guys. And he got the girl.

What boy in the early 80s didn't find a jump rope, a clothesline or something to use as Indy's whip?

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4) Mikey Walsh (The Goonies)



Where Indy was the adult we wanted to grow up to be, Mikey was the kid we were, having "adventures" with our friends.

Mikey gets to go on the real adventure we all dreamed we could have, finding a way to save his home and town in the process. And he does it with his friends, the Goonies.

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5) George Bailey (It's a Wonderful Life)



George is a great kid who grows up to be an even greater man. He doesn't ever do anything big and showy, the adventures he dreams of having. Instead, he stays home and does what needs to be done, standing his ground for what he knows is right.

George is the kind of man we want to be, in our heart, doing what is right no matter what may be easier, or more profitable, or even just "cool". Doing the right thing simply because it is the right thing to do.

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6) Rick Blaine (Casablanca)



Rick is the suave, cool, man-of-the-world who seems to have it all together. But, alas, he is just like everyone else, with his fair-share of heartbreak and pain.

At first cool and jaded, we soon see he still has a good heart. And when it comes down to it, he, too, does what is right. Even though it hurts.

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7) Lisa Fremont (Rear Window)



I went back and forth, unsure whether to include Grace Kelly's Lisa or Thelma Ritter's Stella in this list. Both characters, from Hitchcock's "Rear Window", are wonderful, as is James Stewart's L.B.

In the end, I chose Lisa, simply because she is my favorite of Grace Kelly's characters. Beautiful, smart, kind, witty, brave... She is just amazing. The fact that L.B. is so reluctant to marry her and settle down seems, to me, to be more about the awe he feels at living up to such a lady.

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8) Nick & Nora Charles (The Thin Man book and films)



Okay, so I cheated here. Obviously, Nick and Nora are two characters. But, I love them both, and can't imagine watching either of them apart. They work as a team, playing off one another like no other characters I know of.

Created by Dashiell Hammett, the characters came more to life in the movie and it's sequels. Played by William Powell and Myrna Loy, Nick and Nora are so great together, so much better than they are alone. Their banter is playful and adult, yet never mean or hurtful. They love each other, no matter what, and they "get" each other.

I wonder if we will ever see a couple like them in movies again.

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9) Clark Griswold (National Lampoon's Vacation movies, specifically Christmas Vacation)



Clark is the stereotypical suburban dad, trying to have the best vacation ever with his family, even if all hell has broken loose and everyone wants to just go home.

I think Christmas Vacation is the best of the movies, truly showing the heart of the man in Clark. He just wants to give his family, and himself, the perfect Christmas ever, the celebration he remembers from childhood, even if he is only remembering the best parts of it himself.

To me, he is just a normal dad, trying his best, no matter what common sense tells him.

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10) Yzma (The Emperor's New Groove)



Played with such gusto by the late, great Eartha Kitt, Yzma is the Disney horror villain who can never catch a break.

I just love how she tries so, so hard to be EVIL, yet is always thwarted. Yzma is diabolical, smart, creepy, everything that would make you think she will succeed in her nasty plans. But nothing ever goes her way. Just hilarious.

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So, there are my ten. Of course, tomorrow or the next day, I will read this and think about who should be here who isn't. But, that's life!

Not going to tag anyone in particular. I would love to see your "top 10", but only if you want to. Hope you liked mine!