Grandview

I took this photo walking around St. Paul a couple months ago. One aspect of the Twin Cities I am really looking forward to once I move there (in just three weeks!) is its gigantic selection of old movie theaters. They are still beautiful, as I imagine they were in the 1920s, and seem to be everywhere, like Starbucks. I am already pondering which one I may visit first, and what movie I may see!

By the way, and completely unrelated to this post, I had to give myself a pat on the back for some awesome timing with yesterday's Rebel Without a Cause post. It's going to be on TCM ... right now, pretty much. If you have TCM, and have not seen it yet, or want to watch it again, I recommend it. It's a lot of fun. 

Also on the TCM line-up today is City Lights with Charlie Chaplin and Pygmalion with Leslie Howard. Needless to say, I abandoned my boring plans, exchanged my slightly uncomfortable dress for PJs, and brewed some Earl Grey tea. Whatever, it's Saturday!

~F. 

Transported, courtesy Natalie, Jimmy, and Rebel Without a Cause

I feel I have been blogging about Natalie Wood a lot lately, but in my opinion, there can never be enough love for her. So, here I go again! This is a fantastic interview from the 1970s where Natalie discusses James Dean and Rebel Without a Cause. It's funny I love this because few films have disappointed me as much as Rebel. The first time I watched it years ago, I prepared myself for something "deep" and "brilliant," but instead thought the film melodramatic and over-acted, especially on Jimmy's part. However, after a few more viewings, I am less critical (it is difficult to resent Sal Mineo's character), and even respect Jimmy's acting more. Thank you, Giant.


Anyway, as Natalie says in the interview, she and Jimmy developed a close friendship, and she seemed to admire him quite a bit. It's interesting to listen to her speak about Jimmy's cultural significance because she was so, well, "Hollywood," compared to him, and definitely exhibited a different style.

Driving in cars

A friend asked me this Formspring question ages ago, and I am finally catching up to her:

What is your favorite past-time? What past experiences do you have good memories from?

One aspect of myself I take a lot of pride in is my acceptance of "alone time." Popularity has always been a foreign concept to me. I never experienced it in school, and with the exception of a brief college period, I quit longing for it years ago. As a result, I love spending time with family and friends. However, it also does not scare me to entertain myself. 

Right after I got my license in high school, my solo recreation consisted mostly of taking long drives. I would spend an hour, sometimes several, just driving through nearby towns and countryside, with a Pretty Girls Make Graves album, or the American Graffiti soundtrack playing. I loved it. I explored the place I grew up in, and I also took time to reflect on my life, and where I wanted to go. Furthermore,  I found odd little places I felt no one else knew about. 

Now I would never take drives like that. Being more eco-conscious, I am too afraid of feeling guilty. I miss them.

Ask me a question via Formspring!

~F.

"I've been searching my soul tonight ..."

I do not watch a lot of TV, but one show I have fallen in love with over the past year is Ally McBeal. After I watched every episode of Sex and the City at least a dozen times, I decided I needed a new "girly show" to indulge in. Ally seemed like a natural choice. I remember my mom and my sister watched it when it aired in the '90s, but it seemed too "grown up" for me at the time. Now, I appreciate its quirky, hilarious, and often touching story lines.

Plus, I love the music Vonda Shepard contributes. "Searching My Soul" has become a real guiltless pleasure :-)



Oh, and this is hilarious:



~F.

Transported, courtesy Scott and Zelda ...

I saw Midnight in Paris last night. It's a lovely film, especially for a semi-Francophile and 1920s-lover like myself. I was surprised how big a role F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald played. I am fascinated by this couple, despite their sad story, and have researched them for years. One of Zelda's biographies has been sitting on my shelf for a few months, and next week I will finally get around to reading it. In the meantime, here is a fun video of her and Scott.



By the way, Paris is my favorite place I've never been to. After watching this movie, I decided if I ever visit, I need to find a flea market and go record-hunting.

My sentiments, exactly, Marilyn!

Today the temperature will reach 94 degrees in Boise. I know some places have probably seen much more intense temperatures, but this is the hottest day of the year so far for us! I imagine I will spend most of today like Marilyn Monroe's character in The Seven Year Itch, who spends a great deal of the film figuring out how to keep cool in a sweltering summer apartment with no air conditioning.



I see myself downing a few glasses of frosty, frosty, iced tea this afternoon!

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) and The Woman in the Window (1944)

I was hungry for some film noir last week, so I watched two new-two-me, Where the Sidewalk Ends and The Woman in the Window. I will keep these descriptions brief, and avoid details as I think the surprise element is important in films like these. I recommend both.

In Where the Sidewalk Ends, Detective Mark Dixon (Dana Andrews) wants so much to escape his criminal father's legacy, he goes to elaborate measures to cover up the accidental death of a murder suspect, to which he plays a part. This cover-up leads to more flawed suspects and investigations, along with Dixon's burgeoning relationship with the deceased suspect's wife, played by Gene Tierney. External and internal struggles abound as Dixon decides how to handle his mistake.

Otto Preminger directed Where the Sidewalk Ends, and after seeing several of his films, this one also kept me interested. His works I previously viewed, Laura, Bunny Lake is Missing, Angel Face, and River of No Return, contained suspense and complex characters. Dixon and his plight certainly parallel these. Juxtaposed with Andrews and Tierney's chemistry, it all became poetry disguised as a cop movie to me. Of course, I also liked Andrews and Tierney together in Laura, so I am not surprised they deliver another top-notch film together.

I then watched The Woman in the Window, and surprisingly loved the similarities between the two films. A man and woman (Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett) brought together by an accidental murder, and subsequent cover-up, also dominates this one. Robinson plays Richard Wanley, a professor whose family leaves on vacation. While downtown with some drinking buddies, he spots an intriguing-to-him portrait of a woman displayed in a window. After a few drinks, he meets the woman, Alice Reed (Bennett), she invites him to her apartment, and a brawl between Richard and the woman's lover ensues when the lover sees Richard there. In self-defense, Richard stabs the lover, and kills him. Panicked, Richard and Alice dispose the body, and try cover their tracks as the investigation ensues.

Fritz Lang, who directed the exquisite films M and Metropolis succeeds again in my view. While The Woman in the Window is much more fast-paced than M, it is still smartly played out, with an unexpected twist at the end. Also, I love the film's details. Richard's first sighting of Alice as a reflection in the window beside her portrait seemed original, and a little eerie to me.

Like any classic film lover, this genre intrigues me, but I do not often view movies like this back-to-back. It was a fun experience. Do you like film noir? Which ones are your favorite?