Monday, August 4, 2014

Classic Movies Review

Lately Mr. and I have been in a classic movie binge but here are 3 to start you off with.
 
 
Let's start with 'Malta Story'. Released in 1953, it's about the British trying to keep Malta from being occupied by Germany in 1942 and a budding romance between a local girl and a RAF  photographer. Malta sits in the middle of the Mediterranean, just south of Italy but north  of Libya. Consider it the Mid-Way of Mediterranean .. both sides need this island for a stopping area for their supply lines. It wasn't bad but it wasn't great either .. all in all I say it's about a 3 star.


Forget it Jake .. yup the next movie is 'Chinatown'. This 1974 film was nominated for 11 Oscars and 7 Golden Globes but walked away with 1 Oscar and 4 Golden Globes - along with a slew of other nomination and wins; which is why I would give it 4.5 stars. I will start by saying that I am not really a Polanski fan but this movie is one to watch. It is about a private investigator - Jake Gittes - who is hired by a wife to expose her cheating husband a co-owner from the city's water supply system. Jake finds himself tangled up in this crazy web of lies when he photographs the husband with a young woman. Everything from the woman who hired him really isn't the water guy's wife to who the mystery woman is to what is really happening to the city's water supply. Not only does it have the beautiful Faye Dunaway but both Jack Nicholson and John Huston - yes Angelica Huston's dad whom Jack was dating at the time. You will even get to see Ron Howards dad, Rance Howard, who plays the angry farmer.  There is a sequel 'The Two Jakes' which is not directed by Polanski but by Nicholson who also kept the staring role - it's added to my Netflix so expect a review on it. Not to spoil anything but due to some of the content and the finale' I wouldn't let kids under 13 (15 for that matter) watch this.


Lastly trust no one .. well at least not in 'Charade'. Well I wish I could say that I absolutely loved this 1963 classic but sadly I didn't ~ so my rating will be 3.5 stars .. maybe I need to watch it again. There was so much potential .. between the wit, the intrigue, the scenery along with the very beautiful Audrey Hepburn and the even more handsome Cary Grant but something is missing. It was like the timing was off or they were trying too hard - I just can't put my finger on it but something wasn't right. This movie is about Reggie (Hepburn)  who is on vacation with her female friend and tells her she is going to divorce her wealthy husband and on this trip she meets Peter Joshua (Grant). When Reggie arrives home she finds out that her husband is dead and that he liquidated all their assets into cash and that the cash is missing. Cash that her husband obtained during WWII  when he and 4 of his buddies intercepted a delivery of gold on its way to the French Resistance. Now the buddies came to claim their share and think Reggie has it. The only person who seems to be able to help her is Peter but she finds out that not all as it seems as the buddies start to turn up dead. Bum Bum Bummm. Grant didn't wish to make this film due to his 24 year age difference with Hepburn, he thought that his advances towards her would seem predatorial - in a last ditch effort the writer changed it that she pursued him and that was ok with Grant. This film seems very Hitchcock-y but in fact it is directed by Stanley Donen (from Singing in the Rain, Funny Face, 7 Brides for 7 Brothers and On the Town) this confusion has lead people to call this film "the best Hitchcock film that Hitchcock never made".

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