High Society

"You could play football in this room."
"I know, but can you rehearse?"
"Is that chandelier tied tight up there?"
"If it gets to swinging a little put a mute in your horn."

Tracy Lord (Kelly) is preparing for her perfect wedding to handsome, self-made-man, George Kittredge (Lund).  All the preparations are going well, until Tracy's first husband, C.K. Dexter Haven (Crosby) arrives the day before the wedding to open his home (beside the Lord home) to the jazz festival musicians, specifically Louis Armstrong and band.  Dexter is still in love with Tracy, and even wrote a song for her...

Meanwhile, Tracy's Uncle Willie (Calhern) is coerced into allowing two reporters from Spy Magazine, Mike Connor (Sinatra) and Liz Imbrie (Holm), to do an article on the wedding to stop an "unsavory" article about her father, Seth Lord (Sidney Blackmer), and his affair with a dancer.  Tracy, with a little help from her sister Caroline (Lydia Reed), decides to give the reporters a story... and switch the personas of their father and Uncle Willie.

As the wedding draws nearer Tracy starts to have doubts about George and is drawn to Mike.  Who will Tracy choose?


Take a successful Broadway show... turn it into an award winning, popular screwball comedy FILM ... turn that film into a musical with new songs by Cole Porter, and you have High Society. It is rare when a remake of a popular film is good... but this one works.  Yes, The Philadelphia Story is a great film.  It has an "A" list cast: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart; and plenty of slapstick and other funny moments.  And High Society does not take away from that film, or try to do the same things.  Yes, it is the same plot, most of the characters are the same, and some of the dialog is verbatim, BUT there are some interesting changes.

The role of George has been downsized and lost any interesting characteristics, which did not seem possible.  The role of the sister, Dinah in The Philadelphia Story and Caroline in this film, is a little different.  Caroline has more interaction with Dexter and the other characters, but her role is played down in the pool scene and the story of her "dream."

While the first film may have better actors and embrace the comedy of the situation, this film also works well.  The leads are talented actors... and the male leads (Crosby & Sinatra) have careers in music and musicals.  Crosby's Dexter is different than Cary Grant's Dexter.  He may not be as smooth or suave, but when he starts to sing you know he's the right man for Tracy.  Sinatra's Mike is a little smoother than the one James Stewart portrays, and he falls for Tracy (through song) sooner.  Grace Kelly is more believable as the icy Tracy.  Hepburn is great, but I prefer Kelly's version.  She does not sing as much as her co-stars (she performs a duet with Crosby), but she holds her own.

While the leads are great, they can't hold a candle to the supporting cast.  Louis Armstrong steals the show as the narrator / Greek chorus.  He starts and ends the film and you look forward to his appearances.  Also memorable are Celeste Holm and Louis Calhern.  Holm is a great side-kick as the sarcastic Liz.  Ruth Hussey was better in The Philadelphia Story, but Holm works.  Calhern is fantastic in every film, and this is no exception.  His Uncle Willie is funny and memorable and just about steals his scenes.  You know the character, and while you may be repulsed, you do want to know what happens next.

A decent revamp of a classic film.  Not the best musical ever, but there are some great songs (check out the Crosby and Sinatra duet of "Well, Did You Evah?").

High Society (1956) 111 minutes
Director: Charles Walters
Starring: Bing Crosby as C.K. Dexter Haven
Grace Kelly as Tracy Samantha Lord
Frank Sinatra as Mike Connor
Celeste Holm as Liz Imbrie
John Lund as George Kittredge
Louis Calhern as Uncle Willie
Louis Armstrong as Louis Armstrong

The Philadelphia Story

"Doggone it, C.K. Dexter Haven. Either I'm gonna sock you or you're gonna sock me."
"Shall we toss a coin?"

Wealthy socialite Tracy Lord (Hepburn) is preparing for her second wedding.  Everything is perfect: her new beau, George Kittredge (Howard) is a handsome "man of the people" who worked his way to the top.  They are planning a lavish ceremony at the Lord estate, and nothing could ruin the day... except for the arrival of her ex-husband, C.K. Dexter Haven (Grant), and two reporters, Mike "Macaulay" Connor (Stewart) and Liz Imbrie (Hussey), from Spy magazine.

The editor of Spy magazine, Sidney Kidd (Henry Daniell), plans to publish an article about Tracy's father, Seth Lord (John Halliday), and the affair he is having with a ballet dancer.  To prevent the publication of the article, the women of the Lord family decide to give the reporters a show... which includes switching the identities of Mr. Lord and Uncle Willie (Roland Young).  Meanwhile, Dexter tries to prove he is the right man for Tracy... while she seeks the affections of Mike.  Who will win Tracy's heart?


A quintessential screwball comedy with big stars and big laughs.  The combination of Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, and James Stewart makes this a must-see film and the perfect example of a great screwball comedy.  This film was adapted from the Broadway play, starring Hepburn (who owned the rights to the film).  The play was written for Hepburn by a friend, to serve as her comeback to Broadway... and the film was to serve as her big comeback.  Hepburn had the ability to select director, the writer, and the cast... she had to settle for her male co-stars.

They might not be her first choice, but I can't imagine anyone else appearing in the film.  Grant is charming and has great chemistry with Hepburn (they appeared together in several films prior to this one).  When they fight or are getting along, you can't help but hope they get back together.  Stewart steals the show as the bitter writer, who has strong opinions about the idle rich.  He has sizzling chemistry with Hepburn, especially after the party.  Stewart owns the second half of the film, especially the party scene.  This role won him an Oscar.

The film wouldn't work without help from the support cast.  Ruth Hussey nails the part of Liz, with the fast dialogue and a little look here or there.  She isn't the main focus of the film, but she delivers a stellar performance that helps the rest of the cast shine.

If you're a Grant, Stewart, or Hepburn fan, OR you love screwball comedies, OR you just love a good film, check it out!

The Philadelphia Story (1940) 112 minutes
Director: George Cukor
Starring: Cary Grant as C.K. Dexter Haven
Katharine Hepburn as Tracy Lord
James Stewart as Macaulay Connor
Ruth Hussey as Elizabeth Imbrie
John Howard as George Kittredge

Sgt. Bilko

"I'm paralyzed from the hair down. Make the bad man stop."

At the Fort Baxter army base, life revolves around the antics of Master Sergeant Ernie Bilko (Martin).  The base Motorpool, under his command, is the home of the base gambling activities.  There is a roulette wheel and a bar and a computer system of other scams.  They are always looking for new ways to scam people out of their money: a tug of war contest between a horse and Private Doberman (Edwards), starting a daycare center in the storeroom with the motto "they won't die."  Bilko's men adore him and eagerly engage in each scam; and their commanding officer, Colonel Hall (Aykroyd), ignores their indiscretions.

When the army sends high-strung Major Colin Thorn (Hartman) to investigate the base, he runs into an old acquaintance: Bilko.  Thorn worked with Bilko, until he was blamed for one of Bilko's scams and sent to Greenland.  Now Thorn is bent on revenge... making Bilko's men run obstacle courses and performing random dorm checks.  He even brings in two accountants (Chris Rock and Catherine Silvers) to track every scent of the Motorpool.  And Bilko's fiance, Rita (Headley), has had enough.  After being left at the altar many times, she is done waiting... she gives him an ultimatum: put a ring on it by the end of the month or they are done.  With all this pressure, what will Bilko do?


My roommate and other close friends love this film and quote it to an excess.

"Make the bad man stop!"

"All I want is a puppy dog with big brown eyes that will lick my face and love me no matter what kind of a person I am."

"I have a plan, a P-L-A-N [spells P-A-L-N]"

So it was high time I watched this film.  And I have to say it was great; a constant stream of laughs.  Steve Martin is in top form scheming and talking his way out of any (and every) jam.  And Phil Hartman oils his way across the screen.  Hartman was a genius on SNL and found a home in movies, always playing the slimeball you love to hate.  The Motorpool crew really sell their parts and steal some laughs here and there.  The only character that is lacking is Glenne Headly's Rita.  Perhaps it relates to how the character was written, but the character just doesn't measure up to the rest of the ensemble.

According to various message boards, this movie pales in comparison to the original TV show starring Phil Silvers.  Silvers is a talented comedian, and I have no doubt that his Bilko is awesome, but I have yet to see the TV show.  Interesting fact: Silver's daughter Catherine appeared in this film as one of the accountants.

Another slam dunk from Martin.  This film gets better each time you watch it!

Sgt. Bilko (1996) 93 minutes
Director: Jonathan Lynn
Starring: Steve Martin as Master Sgt Ernie Bilko
Dan Aykroyd as Col John Hall
Phil Hartman as Major Colin Thorn
Glenne Headly as Rita Robbins
Daryl Mitchell as Pfc Walter Holbrook
Max Casella as Spc Paparelli
Eric Edwards as Pvt Doberman
John Marshall Jones as Sgt Henshaw
Pamela Adlon as Sgt Barbella

Scrooged

"All day long, I listen to people give me excuses why they can't work... 'My back hurts,' 'my legs ache,' 'I'm only four!'"

Frank Cross (Murray) is the youngest president of IBC television network.  He avoids prolonged contact with his brother James (John Murray) and overworks his employees.  It is Christmas Eve and Frank is producing a live broadcast of Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol that will air around the world.  The head of the network brings in a young over-achiever, Brice (Glover), to help with the live production... who is gunning for Frank's job.

With the stress mounting, Frank is visited by the rotting corpse of his mentor, Lew (Forsythe).  Lew died seven years prior and is paying for his decisions in life... He has come to suggest Frank make some changes and to warn of the visit of three ghosts.  As the cast begin to rehearse, Frank is kidnapped by the Ghost of Christmas Past (Johansen), a cigar smoking taxi driver with an obnoxious laugh, to visit Frank's past.  This journey to the past leads Frank to a lost love, Claire (Allen).  Claire runs the local homeless shelter, where she spends the majority of her time.  Later he is attacked by the Ghost of Christmas Present (Kane), a fairy princess with a mean right hook.  Will the ghosts make an impact, or will Frank be lost forever?


Since AMC decided to show this film for 24 hours on Christmas day this year, I finally got around to watching this film.  I've seen the end numerous times, but somehow I always miss the beginning (and middle).  Everyone knows Charles Dickens' classic story, A Christmas Carol, and this is an interesting take on the classic.  You get to see parts of the story, as the show within the show... and the modern portion of the film reflects the story.  This is best illustrated towards the end of the film, during the live broadcast when the Scrooge character (Buddy Hackett) is about to meet the third ghost, and you can begin to see the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come creeping up the TV screens in Frank's office.

Bill Murray is doing his usual schtick... a scumbag who is just a smidge lovable.  He abuses everyone in his wake, and has some funny lines.  You know he will eventually come around and be a decent guy, but do you really want to see that?  It is a strong performance without being too over-the-top.  Bobcat Goldthwait (what a name) gets some great moments late in the film, with his interesting voice.  The delivery and voice just make you laugh the whole time.

A funny Christmas film... not quite a classic, but an interesting one to watch over the holidays.  It's missing some of the holiday warmth, but works overall.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Scrooged (1988) 101 minutes
Rating: PG-13
Director: Richard Donner
Starring: Bill Murray as Frank Cross
Karen Allen as Claire Phillips
John Forsythe as Lew Hayward
John Glover as Brice Cummings
Bobcat Goldthwait as Eliot Loudermilk
David Johansen as Ghost of Christmas Past
Carol Kane as Ghost of Christmas Present

A Muppet Family Christmas

"Aren't they adorable?"
"Hey, don't encourage them!"

The Muppet gang decide to surprise Fozzie Bear's (Oz) mother, Emily (Nelson), and spend Christmas at her farm.  Meanwhile, at the farm, Emily Bear is getting ready to leave for a week at the beach, and meeting Doc Christian (Gerard Parkes) and his dog Sprocket (Steve Whitmire) who are renting the farmhouse for a "nice, quiet Christmas."  But plans change when the Muppets arrive and take over the house.

"Excuse me! You promised me a nice, quiet Christmas."

"You think you're disappointed? I just took three months of surfing lessons for zip."

They are soon joined by their friends from Sesame Street.  With reports of a major blizzard on the way everyone gets comfortable in the warm farmhouse... but Miss Piggy (Oz) is still in the city with other commitments and determined to spend Christmas with her friends.  Will she make it to the farmhouse or get stuck in the city / on the way.


A sweet, family Christmas story from the Muppets.  This TV movie emphasizes the importance of family, especially spending time with family at Christmas.  My grandparents had a tape of this film and we used to watch it every Christmas.  I haven't seen it for years, and looked everywhere for it.  Thankfully the entire movie (all 42 glorious minutes) are available on YouTube, so I decided to see if I would still love it after all these years.

That's the great thing about the Muppets, or at least the old Muppet movies.  You love them as a child, and years later you are still entertained as an adult.  I love that this movie featured all the characters from Jim Henson's four TV shows: The Muppet Show, Muppet Babies (as puppets), Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock.  It really is the WHOLE family getting together for the holidays.  They sing lots of Christmas carols and have a new Christmas song, the Fraggles sing about their holiday tradition with the song "Pass It On."  My favorite song is Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem singing "Jingle Bell Rock," which is my favorite version of the song.

If you are a Muppet fan, and have the opportunity, definitely look for this film.  They certainly don't make Christmas specials like this anymore.  Also, watch for a Jim Henson cameo towards the end.

A Muppet Family Christmas (1987) 42 minutes
Director: Peter Harris & Eric Till
Starring: Jim Henson as Kermit / Rowlf / Swedish Chef (et al)
Frank Oz as Fozzie / Animal / Miss Piggy (et al)
Dave Goelz as Gonzo (et al)
Jerry Juhl as Scooter (et al)
Jerry Nelson as Emily Bear / Robin (et al)

Quantum of Solace

"You lost somebody?"
"I did."
"You catch who ever did it?"
"No, not yet."
"Tell me when you do, I'd like to know how it feels..."

Still reeling from the death of the woman he loved, Vesper (Eva Green), MI-6 Agent James Bond (Craig) jumps at the chance to take down the people that killed her.  While trying to interrogate Mr. White (Jesper Christensen), the man responsible for her death, Bond and M (Dench) learn that he is part of a larger organization that has people planted everywhere... including M's personal bodyguard who helps Mr. White escape.

MI-6 has no knowledge of the organization, Quantum, and a search of the bodyguard's apartment turns up minimal answers.  One clue leads Bond to Haiti, where he saves Camille (Kurylenko) from an assassination attempt.  Her boyfriend, Dominic Greene (Amalric), hired a hitman to get her out of the way.  Greene is the head of an ecological company and a member of Quantum, and is collaborating with a Bolivian general, Medrano (Joaquin Cosio), to overthrow his government.

After learning their plans, he teams up with an old ally, Mathis (Gianni) to stop Greene and Medrano.  Meanwhile, the FBI sends two agents, including Bond's friend Felix Leiter (Wright), to negotiate with Greene... and convince MI-6 to send Strawberry Fields (Arterton) to remove Bond.  Will Bond avenge Vesper, or will he fall victim to Quantum?


This film picks up minutes after the end of Casino Royale, and is the first direct sequel in the James Bond film franchise.  But unlike it's predecessor, QoS does not work.  Casino Royale revamped the Bond franchise.  The story was easy to follow and the action sequences were awesome.  Somehow the powers that be decided it would be a good idea to ignore everything that worked there when making this film.

There is too much going on... too many side plots and it gets confusing.  The action scenes are still good, but the rest of the movie can't keep up.  The villain is...eh.  He isn't menacing or even a little intimidating.  And his reasons / master plans are just a little weak.  Also, is it necessary to have 2 Bond girls?  Olga Kurylenko's Camille is good and has an actual reason to join forces with Bond... Gemma Arterton's Strawberry Fields is unnecessary.  Her character is barely in the film and doesn't contribute to the plot.  Daniel Craig is still a decent Bond and Judi Dench continues to make her character a highlight.  In fact, the filmmakers give her more screen time in this film.

Not even close to the worst Bond film, but not as good as I was expecting.

Quantum of Solace (2008) 106 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and some sexual content.
Director: Marc Forster
Starring: Daniel Craig as James Bond
Olga Kurylenko as Camille
Mathieu Amalric as Dominic Greene
Judi Dench as M
Giancarlo Giannini as Mathis
Gemma Arterton as Strawberry Fields
Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter

A Charlie Brown Christmas

"Get the biggest aluminum tree you can find, Charlie Brown, maybe painted pink."

Christmas time is here, happiness and cheer...
Christmas is right around the corner for the Peanuts gang and everyone is getting ready for the big day.  Everyone is excited, except for Charlie Brown (Robbins):

"Christmas is coming, but I'm not happy. I don't feel the way I'm supposed to feel.  I just don't understand Christmas, I guess....I always end up feeling depressed."

Everyone around him is consumed by the holiday, and how much stuff they can get.  Charlie Brown's dog Snoopy, enters his doghouse in a house decorating contest... and his baby sister Sally (Steinberg) sends a letter to Santa asking for lots of money.  Still confused, he turns to Lucy (Stratford), as a therapist.

Lucy thinks the best way to get Charlie Brown in the holiday spirit is to make him the director of the school Christmas play.  But no one else takes him seriously, choosing to ignore his directions and dance (see picture above).  Will Charlie Brown ever find a way to enjoy Christmas?


A holiday classic!!  It isn't Christmas until I watch A Charlie Brown Christmas.  My all-time favorite Peanuts film and favorite Christmas film, everything works with here.  Charles Schulz was ahead of his time... if he thought consumerism was bad then, how would he react now?  His straight forward depiction of American consumerism (we want so much stuff) and how we typically miss the mark at this time of year (check out Straight No Chaser's song "The Christmas Can-Can" which is a funny take on this same topic).  It is a powerful film, especially Linus' speech on the stage (Luke 2:8-14).  But it isn't all serious: there is plenty of humor and quotable / memorable moments.

According to IMDb.com, this film changed the rules for Animated Christmas Specials: no laugh track and children provided the voices for children.  I'm glad Schulz and producers Bill Melendez (the director) and Lee Mendelson decided to break these rules: I can't imagine any Peanuts special any other way.

The score is amazing.  Vince Guaraldi's music is the perfect addition... what would the Peanuts be without their theme song "Linus and Lucy"?  "Linus and Lucy" was introduced in this film, with all the characters dancing their hearts out (pictured above... check out YouTube to see this scene set to Outkast's "Hey Ya").  That scene is one that everyone remembers and tries to replicate.  All the songs enhance the film and make you nostalgic for your childhood.

As close to perfection as possible.

A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) 25 minutes
Director: Bill Melendez
Starring: Peter Robbins as Charlie Brown
Chris Shea as Linus van Pelt
Tracy Stratford as Lucy van Pelt
Cathy Steinberg as Sally Brown
Chris Doran as Schroeder & Shermy
Geoffrey Ornstein as Pig-Pen
Karen Mendelson as Patty
Sally Dryer as Violet
Ann Altieri as Frieda

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

"Still shootin' first, askin' questions later?"
[shoots cigar to pieces] "Still smoking cheap cigars?"

James Logan (Jackman) and his brother Victor Creed (Schreiber) have extraordinary talents: they don't age and have incredible healing powers.  They serve in every war that comes their way and try to keep a low profile.  Eventually they are discovered by Colonel William Stryker (Huston), and are recruited to join a special team.  Stryker's team of mutants includes Agent Zero (Henney) who is a marksman, Wraith (will.i.am)
who can teleport, Fred / Blob (Durand) who has super strength and invulnerable, Wade (Reynolds) who talks a mile a minute and wields swords, and Chris / Bolt (Monaghan) who controls electricity.  James is unimpressed with their missions and walks away.

Years later he is living a normal life, living in the middle of nowhere with his girlfriend Kayla (Collins) and working at the local lumberyard.  He is content with life and wants nothing to do with his past, even as his former friends start disappearing.  When Stryker comes to visit, James' world collapses and he volunteers for an experimental new procedure to exact vengeance...


This film is another example of the powers that be taking something / someone that worked in one place and then ruin it...  Wolverine is a character that worked well in the X-Men film franchise, and is a favorite in the comics.  It seems like a good idea to take a beloved character and flesh out the backstory / character... but this film crashes and burns.

They try to fit too much information into one film.  The character backstory is disappointing... really, that's the best you can do?  They try to pack too many characters into the film.  Yes, it is a nice nod to the fans of the comics, but they don't fully develop any of the characters.  Wolverine is an interesting character, but he just washes out here... and you are left wanting more of the other characters, specifically Wade.

A major disappointment.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) 107 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, and some partial nudity
Director: Gavin Hood
Starring: Hugh Jackman as James Logan / Wolverine
Liev Schreiber as Victor Creed / Sabertooth
Danny Huston as Colonel William Stryker
Will i Am as John Wraith
Lynn Collins as Kayla Silverfox
Kevin Durand as Fred Dukes / Blob
Dominic Monaghan as Chris Bradley / Bolt
Taylor Kitsch as Remmy LeBeau / Gambit
Daniel Henney as David North / Agent Zero
Ryan Reynolds as Wade Wilson / Deadpool

Stardust

"You know you sort of - glitter sometimes. I've just noticed it. Is it... Is it normal?"
"Let's see if you can work it out for yourself. What do stars do?"
"Hmm... Attract trouble?"

The town of Wall is surrounded by a wall, which is guarded by an elderly man.  On the other side of the wall is the mystical kingdom of Stormhold.  One day a falling star, Yvaine (Danes), crashes in Stormhold.  Soon the star is sought by several groups of people...

-A boy from Wall, Tristan (Cox), promises to give the star to Victoria (Sienna Miller) to keep her from marrying someone else.
-A trio of evil witches, led by Lamia (Peiffer) want to cut out the heart of the star to stay young and beautiful forever.
-And the living princes of Stormhold, Primus (Jason Flemyng) and Septimus (Strong) need the necklace Yvaine is wearing to claim their father's throne and rule the kingdom.  The king had seven sons (named for their place in line for the throne... Primus, Secondus, Tertius, Quartus, Quintus, Sextus, Septimus), but they have been killing each other for years to eliminate the chances of someone else ruling the kingdom.

With magic guiding each search who will get there first?


Adapted from the novel with the same name by Neil Gaiman, this film has something for everyone.  There is humor, romance, betrayal, magic, sword fights, pirates... I'm excited just thinking about it!

A strong, interesting storyline and a talented cast bring the story to life.  All of the main characters work well... most of the characters that live in Wall, such as Sienna Miller's Victoria, are boring and one dimensional.  But if you can survive that portion of the story, it picks up once Tristan crosses the border to Stormhold.  The characters in Stormhold are more interesting and more enjoyable, with the exception of Ricky Gervais' Ferdy the Fence.  He is funny, but goes too far with the character.  If he toned it back a bit, his character would be a highlight... Gervais is funny, but sometimes he goes too far and the characters / comedy bits just fall a little flat.

Michelle Pfeiffer throws herself into the part of Lamia and looks like she's having a blast.  While the character of Lamia is interesting, she doesn't hold a candle to the pirates.  Robert De Niro's notorious pirate Captain Shakespeare only appears in a few scenes, but he manages to steal the show.  The princes of Stormhold are comedic relief and interesting characters, especially the dead ones.  Charlie Cox and Claire Danes have good chemistry and really embody their characters.

A good family film... the filmmakers manage to keep the language clean AND avoid showing blood / gore.  Yes, some of the characters die during the film and other characters are already dead, but they don't rely on gore to portray these deaths.  And the characters that are already dead are played for laughs.

Definitely worth taking a chance on a fantasy film!

Stardust (2007) 127 minutes

Rating: PG-13 for some fantasy violence and risque humor

Director: Matthew Vaughn

Starring: Claire Danes as Yvaine
Charlie Cox as Tristan Thorne
Michelle Pfeiffer as Lamia
Robert De Niro as Captain Shakespeare
Mark Strong as Septimus
Ian McKellan as the Narrator