Becky Sharp (1935)

This very early Technicolor film shows off Miriam Hopkins' sparkle in the best way. The plot is based on the play of the same name, which was rather loosely based on /Vanity Fair/, but this movie is primarily a comedy with some drama sequences. The ending is definitely different from the original novel. All the supporting players are excellent.

Streamline Express (1935)

The best part of this romantic farce was definitely the sci-fi Art Deco bullet train on its maiden cross-continent voyage at 150 mph! Aside from the fabulous setting filled with champagne cocktails, furs, jewels, and beautiful rich people, the dialogue had a few witty moments. Light fare, but not bad.

Three of a Kind (1936)

This light romantic farce stars Evalyn Knapp as a pouty, stubborn heiress mixed up with three conmen who are all trying to swindle each other. Rather silly, but watchable, like a Shakespeare comedy of mistaken identities but with less dialogue. 

#74 in my pandemic, old-movie watching binge.

Seven Days in May (1964)

Cold War fever consumes and divides the US governing officials. As far as political thrillers go, this movie is pretty good: tense plotting, stellar cast, excellent cinematography. But it's all talk, talk, talk. I guess that's realistic where politics are concerned; I would have liked a bit more action and confrontation.

Sin Takes A Holiday (1930)

I didn't mind watching the glow-flower named Constance Bennett on screen for 80 minutes. The plot was lightweight, and none of the dialogue sparkled or stuck in my memory. They cut away from the only conversation I was actually interested in hearing, so the reconciliation at the end feels forced. Not recommended.

The Smallest Show on Earth (1957)

The casual racism of mid-twentieth-century media is breathtaking. Not recommended for that reason. One quick note: Peter Sellers features in an early disguised part before he was a big movie star (he was already famous from radio!).

The Strange Door (1951)

This period drama crossed with a gothic horror film was entertaining because of Charles Laughton. He chewed up every line of dialogue in the most delightful way. His evil character's demented plan for revenge took 20 years to materialize. He kept his brother in the dungeon and his niece in the castle the whole time. No spoilers. It's not a great movie, but Laughton is worth watching at his most wacky: the evil cackle is something! Boris Karloff is underused.

Apartment for Peggy (1948)

I watched another William Holden flick to make this past week into a real Holden mini-fest. Apartment for Peggy starts as a dramedy and turns into a tearjerker that eventually has a happy ending, with much philosophizing in the middle. Thumbs up! The real star was Jeanne Crain, and the screenplay was based on a novelette by Faith Baldwin, an author who often wrote about women and their daily struggles. This flick has a lot of heart.

Sunset Boulevard (1950)

Best gothic-romance-satire-detective-horror-mania-meta-cynicism-noir movie I've seen in a long time. I guess that's a pretty niche subgenre, but this Billy Wilder masterpiece does them all well. Obsession, hypocrisy, and moral turpitude aren't usually my cup of tea lately, but I couldn't peel my eyes off this mesmerizing oeuvre. How do I go back to the mediocre messes I've been watching this past year? (See my previous blog posts here.)

As Norma Desmond says, "I am big. It's the pictures that got small." You've sure got that right, Norma: the pictures have got small.

Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960)

Although this movie was written by a woman, stars a woman, and was based on a bestselling essay collection by a woman, you can really tell it was made by 1950s dudes who would be horrified by the coming Women’s rights movement. Aw, I didn't want these short reviews to get heavy. Parts of this flick were cute. Doris Day sings a cute song. She wears cute and super-tight clothes. A good line was thrown in occasionally, such as "You can get awful lonesome being right." So true.