Category: Film Page 46 of 101

Scorecard: April 2012

On May 11, 2012

[At the end of every month I post a rundown of the movies I saw that month, tallying them according to how much I did or didn’t like them. You can always see my recent watches here and my ongoing list of bests for the whole year here.]

AKA, the TCM Classic Film Festival edition. There are a few others mixed in, but the majority of these are from that Fest. Which means it was a damn good month of moviewatching. Oh, and apparently my two favorite new-to-me films were both silent. I honestly do not try to do this, people. It just happens that way, I swear.

What I Loved

Girl Shy

I wouldn’t say Harold Lloyd is a recent discovery for me as I continue my odyssey through silent film; I saw Safety Last quite a while ago and always included him as one of the great silent comedians. But beyond that obligatory name-checking, I hadn’t had a lot of exposure to his work. I was very grateful to put that to rights this month with not one but THREE Lloyd films seen at the TCM Fest and at Cinefamily, and the presentation of Girl Shy at the Egyptian Theatre will definitely go down as a lifetime filmgoing highlight. This film is awesome, taking the nerdy, girl-shy Harold through a series of misadventures whereupon he meets a girl and overcomes his stuttering shyness as he tells her about his book – which is about how to get all kinds of women to fall in love with you. It’s extremely charming and quite funny, and all capped off with one of the most incredible chase stunt sequences I’ve ever seen, and yes, I’m including Keaton’s motorcycle chase in Sherlock Jr. in that assessment. Just when you think Lloyd has done about all he can do with this gag, he tops himself and does something even more gasp-worthy. Insta-favorite. Full review on Row Three.

1924 USA. Director: Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor. Starring: Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Richard Daniels, Carleton Griffith.
Seen April 14 at the TCM Film Fest, Egyptian Theatre.
Flickchart ranking: 372 out of 2930

For Heaven’s Sake

My other Lloyd experience was a double feature (the other one is a bit lower on the list) Cinefamily and the Silent Treatment showed in honor of Lloyd’s April birthday. These were actually before Girl Shy, and were already enough to solidify my Lloyd fandom, I liked them so much. Particularly this one. Thoughtless millionaire Lloyd accidentally funds an inner-city mission, but his apathy turns to extreme interest when he meets the preacherâ€™s lovely daughter. I really enjoyed this film, which has two fantastic extended chase/action sequences â€“ one with Lloyd provoking all the street thugs he can find into chasing him right into the mission (where he wins their loyalty by nonchalantly passing the collection plate to rid them of stolen jewelry before a police search), the other with Lloyd trying to corral a group of five drunk friends and get back to the mission for his wedding. Both are filled with physical gags and insane stunts, all done with a charm and physicality that belies Lloydâ€™s milquetoast first impression.

1926 USA. Director: Sam Taylor. Starring: Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, Noah Young.
Seen April 4 at Cinefamily.
Flickchart ranking: 512 out of 2930

Cabin in the Woods

I’ve been looking forward to this Joss Whedon-penned horror film for literally years now, as it went through distributor hell along with everything else MGM owned as they fought bankruptcy. In fact, I’ve been watching its progress so long that I remember being disappointed that I was going to have to watch a horror film to keep up with Whedon, because I wasn’t into horror films yet. Thankfully by the time it came out, I had overcome that hurdle and managed to see and enjoy most of the films Cabin in the Woods references, plus this film isn’t really going for scares as much as laughs and meta in-jokes, which are precisely up my alley. I had a great time with this film, which is extremely clever in the way it plays with expectations, horror tropes, and manipulation. I won’t go as far as some in saying that revolutionizes the horror genre – it doesn’t do that so much as celebrate it, poke loving fun at it, and layer a great workplace comedy in on top of it. It’s a lark, not a deep satire, and that’s fine. I laughed a lot, gasped some, and had a ginormous smile plastered on my face the whole time.

2012 USA. Director: Drew Goddard. Starring: Kristen Connolly, Chris Hemsworth, Fran Kranz, Anna Hutchison, Jesse Williams, Bradley Whitford, Richard Jenkins, Amy Acker.
Seen April 21 at AMC Burbank 16.
Flickchart ranking: 534 out of 2930

Scorecard: March 2012

By Jandy

On April 30, 2012

In Film, Scorecard

Yes, I realize this is now exactly one month late. I blame two things – the TCM Film Fest and how gorram difficult it was to pound out that Blind Spot review of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, which I wanted to finish before posting this recap which includes it. But now it’s done and I’m already working on April’s, so hopefully I should have that ready soon. Though it is extremely large, given the aforementioned TCM Film Fest. By the way, I haven’t posted anything on that here outside of the initial preview – I meant to, but time has been short – but there are a few reviews and more on the way over on Row Three.

What I Really Liked

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

So after I struggled quite a lot figuring out how I wanted to rate and review this film (see my Blind Spot entry for it), it ended up coming in the respectable high 600s on my Flickchart, which is basically square in my “really liked it” section. I’m not sure I actually “really liked” it, but it’s probably a fairly good spot for it, considering how many sides of me were warring over the film. For the record, when I FIRST ranked it immediately after watching it, it was in the 1100s somewhere. So it has definitely gone up in my estimation with a few weeks to mull it over. Anyway. I wrote a lot about it in the other post, so I won’t bother writing more here.

1966 USA. Director: Mike Nichols. Starring: Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, Sandy Dennis, George Segal.
Seen March 21 on DVD.
Flickchart ranking: 621 out of 2901

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas

This was one that was on Jonathan’s list for me to see, and I pretty much went into it knowing nothing about it. Even though I had no expectations, it was not what I expected. :) Mostly because I always forget it’s directed by Terry Gilliam – whenever I remembered that, the batshit insane things going on onscreen made sense. Er, “made sense” is a poor choice of expression. Nothing in this movie (purportedly about a journalist heading to Las Vegas to cover a race) makes sense, but that’s what you expect from Gilliam – and apparently Hunter S. Thompson, though I have no familiarity with his work beyond this. Basically this movie is a very long, very whacked out drug trip, and while that description doesn’t usually appeal to me, this movie is almost non-stop WTF fun. And it’s definitely the best thing I’ve seen Johnny Depp do for a while (“this here’s bat country”). Like most Gilliam movies, it goes off the rails at the end (how could it not, in this case?), and I had some issues following the chronology that made some of the later parts a little less enjoyable, but I really had fun with it overall, even if I spent three quarters of the movie with my jaw dropped going “I can’t believe that just happened.”

1998 USA. Director: Terry Gilliam. Starring: Johnny Depp, Benicio Del Toro, Tobey Maguire, Ellen Barkin, Gary Busey, Christina Ricci.
Seen March 30 on Criterion Blu-ray.
Flickchart ranking: 622 out of 2901

The Raid: Redemption

I first heard of this film after a few glowing reviews from friends who saw it at TIFF, who praised it for its non-stop, well-choreographed, high-octane fighting, even though the story of a SWAT team invading a drug lord’s apartment building is a little sparse. For a little while I was afraid I’d misheard and it was gonna be all guns, which would’ve been boring and just needlessly violent (in a boring way). But then the hand-to-hand stuff started, and all of that was awesome. So yeah. Just enough story to string a nearly 100-minute long fight scene on, and that was enough. Also, it was surprisingly well-paced for basically being a long fight scene, with some breather sections in there at just the right times. Definitely had fun with this.

2010 Indonesia. Director: Gareth Evans. Starring: Iko Uwais, Ananda George, Ray Sahetapy, Yayan Ruhian.
Seen March 24 at Arclight Hollywood.
Flickchart ranking: 991 out of 2901

The Hunger Games

The immense amount of hype and some decently cut trailers got me into the theatre for this even though I haven’t read the book, and I wasn’t disappointed in the least. Not that the film is a perfect one – the direction is lackluster and the camerawork and editing falls into all the traps of chaos cinema, using closeup shakicam and frenetic editing for no purpose whatsoever. That did kind of settle down a bit as the film went on, though most fight scenes were still indecipherable. And yet, I truly enjoyed the film anyway, because Katniss Everdeen is simply a great character, and Jennifer Lawrence does a great job of portraying her. She’s everything a hero should be – brave but not arrogant, intelligent but not infallible, trying to do the right thing, but often conflicted. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more of her onscreen, so I’m hoping that Gary Ross’s replacement will not have quite as much affection for annoying camera and editing techniques.

2012 USA. Director: Gary Ross. Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Wes Bentley, Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks.
Seen March 31 at AMC Burbank.
Flickchart ranking: 964 out of 2901

Possessed

This film has a pretty killer opening, with a sans-make-up Joan Crawford stumbling down a Los Angeles street in a daze, calling out the name “David” over and over again. She soon collapses and is taken to a hospital, where she eventually becomes well enough to tell what happened to her. The film settles into a more conventional noir melodrama, but as with any of these films, the interesting bits are in the details. The David she was searching for is Van Heflin, a man who she’d been obsessed with earlier, but who hadn’t returned her love. He’s basically an homme fatale, taking the place of the femme fatale so much more common in noir – he pops in every once in a while to turn the emotional knife in Crawford’s gut, with never a care in the world beyond himself. Eventually she snaps, falling into a schizophrenia that has her believing all sorts of things happened that didn’t, and the film is told closely enough from her point of view that it’s often hard for us to tell what’s real and what isn’t. The film may try to do too much, between the unrequited love, eventual loveless marriage, love triangle, stepmother-stepdaughter conflict, nurse-patient trauma, schizophrenia, murder/suicide/accident plot, and whatever else. But Crawford holds it together, and the noirish cinematography makes it often very interesting to look at. There’s a tracking shot near the beginning as she’s being wheeled into the hospital – her POV, so all ceilings going by until the exam room and two doctors pop their heads into the frame to exam her/the camera. Very nice, and alerts us immediately we’re in her shoes for the duration. That’s not an isolated good shot, either – the film is full of them. Not necessarily flashy or attention-grabbing, but effective and effortless.

1947 USA. Director: Curtis Bernhardt. Starring: Joan Crawford, Van Heflin, Raymond Massey, Geraldine Brooks.
Seen March 22 on DVD.
Flickchart ranking: 1224 out of 2901

What I Liked

Lilac Time

Capitalizing on his memorable single scene in 1927’s Wings, Gary Cooper played a WWI pilot again in this film, which is not nearly as great a film, but still quite watchable and with some very endearing parts. Colleen Moore is cute as a button as the French girl who tends to a contingent of British pilots stationed in France. They’re “her boys” as she feeds them, entertains them, carefully counts their returning planes and mourns for any losses, but when Cooper joins them, her affections run a little deeper for him. The film is really solid until the melodrama of their probably doomed romance takes over everything else, kind of ruining the great group dynamic the film had worked so carefully to balance for the first three quarters. Even so, it was an enjoyable watch, Moore was enchanting (especially in the lighter earlier sections), and it’s fun to see Cooper so young.

1928 USA. Director: George Fitzmaurice. Starring: Colleen Moore, Gary Cooper, Burr McIntosh, George Cooper, Cleve Moore.
Seen March 7 at Cinefamily.
Flickchart ranking: 1499 out of 2901

Rewatches – Loved

Modern Times

I ended up writing a whole long post about this film after seeing it at Cinefamily a few weeks ago, so I won’t belabor the point here. It’s in my all-time Top Twenty on Flickchart, so it’s pretty clear how much I adore this film. Even though I would probably now tend to favor Keaton et al over Chaplin et al, there’s not much that can come close to my love for Modern Times.

1936 USA. Director: Charles Chaplin. Starring: Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard.
Seen March 14 at Cinefamily.
Flickchart ranking: 19 out of 2901

Rewatches – Liked

The Circus

It had been quite a while since I last saw The Circus, which is sandwiched up between The Gold Rush and City Lights in Chaplin’s filmography and rarely gets as much attention as either of those films. And granted, it may not be quite as amazing as they are, but it is still a pretty freaking awesome movie. Chaplin’s Tramp runs into a circus as he’s being chased by the police (this is after a tremendously funny and exciting chase through an amusement part, with way more sight gags and baits-and-switches than I remembered) and ends up inadvertently becoming the hit of the show. But not all goes as well for him on the personal front, as he falls in love with the ringmaster’s daughter, who only has eyes for the tightrope walker. The story invokes all of Chaplin’s trademark pathos, and has a lot of magnificent set-pieces as well – the most well-known are when Chaplin tries the tightrope walking himself, and when he accidentally locks himself into a cage with a lion. This film is definitely a worthy entry in Chaplin’s filmography, and gag for gag, probably as funny as any of them.

1928 USA. Director: Charles Chaplin. Starring: Charles Chaplin, Merna Kennedy, Allan Garcia, Harry Crocker, Henry Bergman, George Davis.
Seen March 28 at Cinefamily.
Flickchart ranking: 728 out of 2901

Sunshine

I still think the third act falls apart, though I will say I didn’t mind it as much on a second viewing, when I knew what to expect and wasn’t totally thrown off-guard by the tonal shift. I still much prefer the more meditative part before they find the Icarus I, but I can understand better now where that last bit was trying to go. I just don’t think it totally worked. That said, I did have a fun time this go-around finding comparisons to Apocalypse Now (I hadn’t seen it yet last time I watched Sunshine). Even with the third act let-down, it’s still a pretty top-notch sci-fi movie, and I like the film overall enough to still rank it pretty highly.

2007 UK. Director: Danny Boyle. Starring: Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh, Hiroyuki Sanada, Troy Garity, Cliff Curtis, Mark Strong.
Seen March 24 on DVD.
Flickchart ranking: 854 out of 2901

A Shot in the Dark

When this popped up on Instant, I was seized with a sudden desire to rewatch it, since I hadn’t in a very very long time, so I made Jon watch it, too (he hadn’t seen it before at all). It’s easily the best of the Pink Panther films, with Clouseau taking center stage and getting himself into some pretty ridiculous situations. I will say, though, that the comedy was a lot slower and less hysterical than I’d remembered – it really takes its time setting up gags and letting them play out perhaps a bit longer than necessary. I won’t say I was disappointed – I still think it works quite well as both a comedy and a mystery, but memory had amped up the hilarity more than is actually the case.

1964 UK. Director: Blake Edwards. Starring: Peter Sellers, Elke Sommer, George Sanders, Herbert Lom, Tracy Reed.
Seen March 2 on Instant Watch
Flickchart ranking: 749 out of 2901

Blind Spots 2012: Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

By Jandy

On April 23, 2012

In Film

This has been an extremely difficult review to sit down and write, largely because this film elicited such strong and conflicting reactions from me both while viewing it, and thinking back on it afterwards. I have never felt so in turmoil about a film, even while in the midst of watching it, my thoughts and emotions swirling back and forth even within the same scene. Loving it, hating it, sympathizing, being repulsed, being moved, understanding, feeling detached, exasperated, annoyed, intrigued, heartbroken, unresolved. Of course, maybe that’s utterly appropriate, given that the film is about a couple constantly at each other’s throats, except when they’re in each other’s arms, who drag a younger couple along with them on a night of “fun and games.” But what is the game, and what are the rules, and who’s having fun? The answers to those questions shift as often as my emotions did, and with as little warning or explanation.

George and Martha are a middle-aged academic couple, respectively a professor in history and the daughter of the university’s long-time president. As the film opens, they’re wending their way home after a university party, chatting quietly while lovely and calm background music plays. But even at this most peaceful point in the movie, they quickly fall into a rhythm of argument, clearly their default mode of interacting with each other. As they return home, Martha quotes one of Bette Davis’s campiest characters, proclaiming “What a dump,” then hounding George to tell what movie it’s from. At this point, the movie was already grating on me pretty badly, and it’s only getting started!

Soon a young couple comes over to continue the party, but they don’t know what they’re getting into any more than I did. The night wears on, Martha goading George continuously and flirting with the young man, while his wife gets more and more inebriated. But George, though far wearier and less vulgar, can give as good as he gets from Martha, his barbs carrying an air of intellectualism that makes them cut even deeper. Meanwhile, the younger couple aren’t innocents, either, but have their own skeletons in the closet. The film is almost a one-room drama (as the original Edward Albee play was), focusing on the four characters’ ongoing conversation and interactions. Most of it is very antagonistic, quite mean-spirited, and rather stagey and histrionic.

And yet. And yet. I can’t simply write the film off, and not only because I know how highly regarded it is. Somewhere about halfway through it started getting under my skin, and I’ve found it often popping up in the back of my mind since I finished it. As more details start to come out about George and Martha’s past and the “games” they play with each other (as George says, “we’re not ‘at’ each other, we’re just exercising what little of our wits is left”), I found myself more and more intrigued both by these people and by the structure of the film itself. It lets us in only slowly, at first only showing us George and Martha as they are now, a bitter couple who have grown almost complacent in their antagonism. But there’s more to them than this, a depth that soon becomes apparent in Burton’s weary eyes, his sighs as he accepts or counters yet another of Martha’s hurls.

Really, if it hadn’t been for Burton, I doubt I would’ve made it through the entire film. Taylor’s performance is often praised (and she won an Oscar for it), but except for one or two times when she quieted down and revealed some of the pain behind her own animosity, her performance largely tends toward shrill and histrionic, and I rarely if ever believed her. Burton, though, I believed all the time. All his emotional beats worked completely for me, and I felt every catch in his voice, every callback to old pain revisited. I will say that Taylor came very close to redeeming herself for me in the final scene, by which time the film had put me through such a confusing emotional wringer that I was as drained as she and Burton (the kids are there mostly as audience surrogates and something for George and Martha to play off of; they have their own stuff going on, but it’s relatively insignificant in comparison).

So by the end, the film’s power had definitely gotten to me, but I still don’t know if I could rewatch it any time soon. And yet…I do want to rewatch it. I want to study why it had the effect on me that it did. Very rarely am I this confused about my reaction to a film, and on the one hand, I know the film is powerful for affecting me the way it did, and the last act is pretty devastating however you slice it. Meanwhile, the first act is viciously funny (it worked better for me after I opted to think of it as a comedy – until somewhere in the second act, that becomes impossible). Also, I credit Mike Nichols and cinematography Haskell Wexler for some greatly affecting lighting and camerawork, which did a whole lot to balance out the theatricality of the dialogue. Even when I was recoiling from the characters and the mean-spiritedness on screen, I was still usually fascinated by the way it was shot. Even so, I can’t in good conscience say I think everything in it worked. Sandy Dennis also won an Oscar for her role, which I don’t understand, because she’s largely just acting a silly drunk girl the whole time, and she’s almost more annoying (if more innocuous) than Martha. Taylor I can’t get behind totally, and the young man is pretty dull.

And one thing about the ending. Vague spoilers follow.

The ending depends on the revelation that something George and Martha have been talking about the entire night is actually an elaborate fantasy, the breaking of which fantasy because reduces Martha to nothing. Now, I have in my life indulged in an awful lot of elaborate fantasy, which has, at certain times in my life, been very real to me. But despite the undeniable sincerity with which Burton and Taylor treat this aspect of the film, it stretched my suspension of disbelief to the breaking point to believe that two well-educated adults had kept up a fantasy just between the two of them that has this kind of power over them. It’s one of those things that worked while I was watching the film because Burton and Taylor put it over, but five minutes after the film was over, I was going “wait, really?!”

The “who’s afraid of Virginia Woolf” is an academic variation on “who’s afraid of the big bad wolf,” and in this case, apparently, the big bad wolf is a life free from illusions, free from facades – a life that Martha in particular fears to face. But I got that from a Wikipedia article, not from the film, at least not on a first viewing. And even with that, I’m not sure WHY she fears it so much, and why George, who seems better adjusted, would help her keep up such a strange and elaborate fantasy for so long, and then finally break it that night. Those are questions that will have to wait until I get to another viewing. But returning to the world of George and Martha will be exhausting, and I’m not sure when I’ll be ready for it. At this point, I’m inclined to rate it highly simply because I think the extremely unsettled feeling I had both while watching it and thinking back over it is intentional. On the other hand, I’m still not sure I like that, and while certain scenes worked like gangbusters, as a whole I can’t say I enjoyed watching it. But not every film is made to be enjoyed. So I end up where I started – conflicted.

The Queue Needs to Die

By Jandy

On April 7, 2012

In Film

Netflix interface on the Xbox 360

Back when Netflix was a fledgling DVD-by-mail rental company, still only hoping to take the world by storm but not yet having done so, they popularized the concept of a rental queue, a list of DVDs you could set up and organize so Netflix would (depending on availability) send you the DVD you wanted most. Other companies picked up this idea, whether the correlation was exact or not – Netflix competitor Greencine has a queue that works the same as Netflix’s, Gamefly has a queue to send you video games in order, while streaming-only site Hulu set up a queue to keep your shows in order, basically treating it as a playlist so you could watch your shows continuously.

But with the ongoing transition from physical to streaming media, the queue needs to die. The concept of the queue is based on linearity. You watch this movie, send it back, get another movie, watch it, send it back, get another one, etc. Its whole purpose is to keep the list of movies you want to see but can’t yet in order, so Netflix(/Greencine/Gamefly/etc) knows what to send you next. In streaming media, there is no linearity, at least not in terms of what Netflix, et al, needs to know. You many only be able to watch one thing at a time, but there is no reason whatsoever for you to keep an ordered list of what else you want to watch, in order of how soon you want to watch it.

Netflix Canada and UK users are jumping up and down right now screaming that they’ve never had a queue. And it’s likely that Netflix realizes that a queue, as it exists right now, is not particularly useful for streaming media, and that’s why they haven’t bothered to implement one for users who have never had DVD subscriptions through them. They may very well take the queue away from US users as well. But that’s not optimal, either, because with a wide range of streaming possibilities, we need a way to keep track of the things we want to see, or might want to see again, and to separate them from the thousands of movies we have utterly no interest in seeing ever. The queue as currently implemented for US users is workable for this, but not ideal – the linear nature of it makes it difficult to navigate, and the 500-item limit isn’t large enough.

My queue on Netflix; it generally runs around 480 titles long

So the Queue should die, and in its place should come the Collection. That is, a way for each user to mark any film on a streaming service as part of their “collection”, and they should be able to manipulate that collection in all the same ways you can manipulate the entire Netflix library. So if I’m in the mood for a comedy, I should be able to browse comedies, but be able to optionally limit the results to the comedies I’ve marked for my collection. Note I said “optionally” – you should always be able to pull back and browse the whole library, too. There would be no limit on the size of this collection, so you’d never have to worry about having to declare that you’re no longer interested in one thing just in order to declare your interest in another thing. And, if films you’ve marked for your collection expire off Instant Watch and are later added again, they should be returned to your collection automatically.

I’ve been speaking about this idea in terms of Netflix, but for every streaming media service I know of, the collection concept would work much better than the queue or playlist concept. (More on playlists in a minute.) Hulu is a great example. I have HuluPlus on my Xbox, and it’s great to watch Criterion films at the drop of a hat. But the queue is an utter nightmare. TV shows and movies aren’t separated out, which wouldn’t be too bad except that on my Xbox, the queue lists individual episodes separately, so I could have three episodes of a show, then five movies, then two more episodes of it, then ten more movies, in that order. That’s messy. Plus the HuluPlus queue is difficult to reorder, since it’s on multiple pages – my queue right now is some 20+ pages long, and it’s a nightmare to try to get things in some semblance of order, and even then, it still has the problem of being linear when it doesn’t need to be. If instead I could just browse all the shows or movies I’ve marked for my collection, without regard for order and without individual episodes clogging the works, I might actually use HuluPlus outside of the few times a month I go to watch a specific film.

HuluPlus interface on Xbox 360

In streaming subscription music, the Collection concept is useful as well. I love Spotify, but the fact that the only way I have of keeping track of music is by adding it to a playlist drives me NUTS. Playlists definitely have their place, for curating specific music or songs either for your own use or for others, and I’ve gotten great use out of Spotify’s playlists. Here I’m not suggesting that playlists need to go away, but merely that they’re not suitable for every task. Right now I have a playlist of 2012 albums, because I don’t know any other way to keep track of them so I can listen to them and evaluate them for my Tunes Worth Hearing series and my eventual year-end lists. That playlist is now over 600 songs long, and it’s only April! That means by December, it will have over 2000 songs in it, and that’s a ridiculous amount of content for a linear organizational system.

And that doesn’t even begin to cover all the other music I want to check out. I had a playlist for a while called “music I want to check out.” Between indie bands I’d heard of through friends, classic rock I wanted to catch up on, jazz music I wanted to learn more about, back catalog music from bands I grew to love late, etc., the list ballooned to unmanageable before I could blink. Separating those things out into genres didn’t help much, either. What I need is a way to mark songs for my Collection, so they’re organized not linearly by all the songs, but browsable/searchable by genre, artist, and year of release. That would make Spotify 1000x more useful to me than it already is, which is a lot.

My 2012 Albums playlist on Spotify; 652 tracks, and we're barely into April

When I suggest things like this, I usually get a few people telling me to just search for what I want. Well, yes. All these services are built strongly on searching (or on recommendations). And that’s great, for people who are searchers. People who know what they want to watch or listen to and can just go get it. I’m much more of a browser. I’m much likely to think, “I want to watch a movie tonight, what should it be,” and then browse through available options. With so MANY available options, I need a way to tap quickly down into what kind of thing I’m interested in right now, and I need those results to include not just things Netflix or Hulu thinks I might want to watch, but what I’ve earmarked as things I want or need to watch. I can’t be the only person like this. So for us picky browsers, streaming media companies ought to move away from the idea of a linear queue and towards the idea of a non-linear collection.

Heading to the TCM Classic Film Festival 2012

By Jandy

On March 30, 2012

In Film

In just about two weeks’ time, the TCM Classic Film Festival will descend on Los Angeles once again, turning downtown Hollywood into a mecca for film fans hungry for the glamour and nostalgia of the days of yore. Waxing poetic aside, this is the third year for the festival, and it seems to be going as strong as ever. Last year, attendance nearly doubled over the first festival, so we’ll see what the crowds are like this year! In any case, with Robert Osborne and the TCM crew bringing in films big and small, essential and rare, along with star appearances and special events galore, it’s sure to be a weekend of fun for anybody who loves classic Hollywood. The theme this year is “Style in the Movies” – with an apparent eye toward costume design and set decoration. There are sidebars for specific designers, specific “looks,” especially style-conscious directors, and even the broader Essentials section has been curated to favor films that feature a unique design aesthetic. Confirmed special guests include Kirk Douglas (who was fantastic last year at a screening of Spartacus), Debbie Reynolds, Liza Minnelli, Shirley Jones, Kim Novak, Robert Wagner, Angie Dickinson, director Norman Jewison, and more.

Along with the festival, TCM sponsors a Road to Hollywood series of screenings in various cities throughout the weeks leading up to the festival, with Robert Osborne and special guests presenting the screening. That series continues with The Last Picture Show March 31st in Toronto, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers April 3rd in Denver, and Marty April 5th in Portland. TCM did this last year as well, bringing a taste of the festival to other cities, so even if you don’t live in LA, keep an eye on where TCM is holding these (free!) screenings. Plus, you may learn insider info before the rest of us – at a recent screening, Robert Osborne let it slip that Mel Brooks will be a special guest. But he caught himself before revealing what film Brooks will be introducing – could even be something not announced yet!

As far as the main event in Hollywood, taking place April 12-15, Festival Passes are still available, and individual tickets will be on sale before each screening. With no further ado, here is the line-up thus far announced. I got the schedule while I was working on this, so some of the entries reflect my knowledge that I won’t be seeing them due to scheduling conflicts. There will be many more that will fall to the vagaries of a very full three-day schedule. (Note: I took most of the synopses below from IMDb, so my apologies if they’re bland.)

Essentials

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954)

Director: Richard Fleischer
Starring: Kirk Douglas, James Mason, Paul Lukas, Peter Lorre
Synopsis: A ship sent to investigate a wave of mysterious sinkings encounters the advanced submarine, the Nautilus, commanded by Captain Nemo.
My take: I’ve not seen this before, but Disney’s first live-action feature film promises practical special effects galore, and I’m a sucker for those. Plus, any chance to see Kirk Douglas live is probably worth taking. Hoping to see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Kirk Douglas

Annie Hall (1977)

Director: Woody Allen
Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton, Tony Roberts, Carol Kane, Paul Simon, Shelley Duvall, Christopher Walken, Colleen Dewhurst
Synopsis: Neurotic New York comedian Alvy Singer falls in love with the ditsy Annie Hall.
My take: I love this film a lot; in fact, it’s a constant battle between this and Manhattan for the title of my favorite Woody Allen film. Still, I think I’ll skip this in favor of things I haven’t seen a dozen times. Probably won’t see
Festival Guide

Auntie Mame (1958)

Director: Morton DaCosta
Starring: Rosalind Russell, Forrest Tucker, Coral Browne
Synopsis: An orphan goes to live with his free-spirited aunt. Conflict ensues when the executor of his father’s estate objects to the aunt’s lifestyle.
My take: I haven’t seen this film, despite liking Rosalind Russell a good bit. That said, it’s not that high on my list and scheduling being what it is, this probably isn’t the time. Not seeing
Festival Guide
In attendance: Todd Oldham

Black Narcissus (1947)

Director: Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger
Starring: Deborah Kerr, Kathleen Byron, David Farrar, Flora Robson, Jean Simmons
Synopsis: After opening a convent in the Himalayas, five nuns encounter conflict and tension – both with the natives and also within their own group – as they attempt to adapt to their remote, exotic surroundings.
My take: I have seen this, but it’s been so long I don’t remember much of it. I’ve been wanting to rewatch it for quite some time now, and I’d definitely love the opportunity to see Jack Cardiff’s Technicolor cinematography on the big screen. Planning to see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Thelma Schoonmaker

Cabaret (1972)

Director: Bob Fosse
Starring: Liza Minnelli, Michael York, Helmut Griem, Joel Grey
Synopsis: A female girlie club entertainer in Weimar Republic era Berlin romances two men while the Nazi Party rises to power around them.
My take: I love this movie, but this is the opening night premiere film, which is very difficult to get into. I’ve seen the film a lot of times, so I won’t bother with it here. Not seeing
Festival Guide
Screening notes: Opening night film; World Premiere of 40th anniversary restoration
In attendance: Liza Minnelli and Joel Grey

Casablanca (1942)

Director: Michael Curtiz
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, Claude Rains, Pete rLorre, Sydney Greenstreet, Dooley Wilson, Conrad Veidt
Synopsis: Set in unoccupied Africa during the early days of World War II: An American expatriate meets a former lover, with unforeseen complications.
My take: I’ve seen this film more times than I can count, and it seems like they show it every year. So if you’re coming in from out of town and haven’t seen this on the big screen, by all means, do so. But I’ll save my time for other things. Not seeing
Festival Guide
Screening notes: 70th Anniversary digital restoration

Dr. No (1962)

Director: Terence Young
Starring: Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Bernard Lee, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Lord
Synopsis: James Bond’s investigation of a missing colleague in Jamaica leads him to the island of the mysterious Dr. No and a scheme to end the US space program.
My take: This remains one of the best Bond movies, though I still place it lower than Connery’s next two outings. It’d be fun to rewatch it on the big screen, but other things claim my time more strongly. Probably won’t see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Eunice Gayson, Maud Adams

Duck Soup (1933)

Director: Leo McCarey
Starring: The Marx Brothers, Margaret Dumont, Louis Calhern, Leonid Kinskey
Synopsis: Rufus T. Firefly is named president/dictator of bankrupt Freedonia and declares war on neighboring Sylvania over the love of wealthy Mrs. Teasdale.
My take: I usually place A Night at the Opera and A Day at the Races as my favorite Marx Brothers film, but most people like this one the best. Time to re-evaluate? Since it’s a midnight movie with no timeslot competition, I think yes. Planning to see
Festival Guide

Elmer Gantry (1960)

Director: Richard Brooks
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, Shirley Jones
Synopsis: Smitten with lay preacher Sister Sharon, fast-talking traveling salesman Elmer Gantry uses his swift wit and persuasiveness to join her ministry; but his unsavory past isn’t far behind.
My take: This film won Oscars for both Burt Lancaster and Shirley Jones, which I’ve known forever due to my early obsession with Oscars as well as my enjoyment of Jones’s Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals. Yet I’ve never actually seen it. If scheduling works out, I definitely wouldn’t mind catching up with it now. Hoping to see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Shirley Jones

Grand Illusion (1937)

Director: Jean Renoir
Starring: Jean Gabin, Erich von Stroheim, Pierre Fresnay
Synopsis: During the First World War, two French soldiers are captured and imprisoned in a German POW camp. Several escape attempts follow until they are sent to a seemingly impenetrable fortress which seems impossible to escape from.
My take: This movie blew me away when I first saw it, and I absolutely wouldn’t mind seeing it again. (Anyone who hasn’t seen it needs to NOW.) But I’m not dead set on revisiting it, and will let the schedule dictate this one. Might see
Festival Guide
Screening notes: US Premiere of 75th Anniversary restoration

The Grapes of Wrath (1940)

Director: John Ford
Starring: Henry Fonda, Jane Darwell, John Carradine, Charley Grapewin, John Qualen
Synopsis: A poor Midwest family is forced off of their land. They travel to California, suffering the misfortunes of the homeless in the Great Depression.
My take: I saw this for the first time last year and was more than impressed with it, especially on a visual level (which I hadn’t expected); that would show up even better on the big screen, but I’m not sure I’m quite up fr a rewatch just yet. Probably won’t see
Festival Guide

High Society (1956)

Director: Charles Walters
Starring: Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra, Celeste Holm, John Lund, Louis Calhern, Louis Armstrong
Synopsis: Tracy Lord is getting remarried, but her wedding is about to be crashed by her ex-husband and two reporters hoping for a big society scoop.
My take: As much fun as it sounds like it would be to watch a film poolside at the Hollywood Roosevelt, and as innocuously enjoyable as this film is, I’m not a big enough fan of it to make much of an effort. Not seeing
Festival Guide
Screening Notes: Presented poolside at the Hollywood Roosevelt

The Longest Day (1962)

Director: Ken Annakin, Andrew Marton, Bernhard Wicki
Starring: John Wayne, Robert Ryan, Richard Burton, Paul Anka, Arletty, Sal Mineo, Robert Wagner, Richard Beymer, Jean-Louis Barrault, Bourvil, Red Buttons, Sean Connery
Synopsis: The events of D-Day, told on a grand scale from both the Allied and German points of view.
My take: Even though I generally like war films more than the next girl, I haven’t taken the time to see this one yet, despite the all-star cast, and I likely won’t take three hours of time to watch it here. Probably won’t see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Robert Wagner

The Pink Panther (1964)

Director: Blake Edwards
Starring: David Niven, Peter Sellers, Claudie Cardinale, Capucine, Robert Wagner
Synopsis: Bumbling and conceited French police inspector Clouseau tries to catch The Phantom, a daring jewel thief whose identity and features are unknown – and is acting right under his nose.
My take: I have seen this film and enjoyed it a lot, but it pales in comparison with its sequel, A Shot in the Dark, which I rewatched just a few weeks ago. So as fun as it is, I’ll give this a pass. Not seeing
Festival Guide
In attendance: Robert Wagner

Rio Bravo (1959)

Director: Howard Hawks
Starring: John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan
Synopsis: A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a cripple, a drunk, and a young gunfighter in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy.
My take: Oh man, it’s incredibly tempting to sit down and relax with this film for the umpteenth time. And if the scheduling works out, I might just do it. Might see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Angie Dickinson

Sabrina (1954)

Director: Billy Wilder
Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, William Holden
Synopsis: A playboy becomes interested in the daughter of his family’s chauffeur. But it’s his more serious brother who would be the better man for her.
My take: As a big fan of Billy Wilder, Audrey Hepburn, AND Humphrey Bogart, I’m a little surprised at how underwhelming I tend to find this film, especially since a lot of people like it a whole lot. If I take time to watch it here, it’ll be in full-on Rewatched and Reconsidered mode. Probably won’t see
Festival Guide
Presented by: Janie Bryant

The Searchers (1956)

Director: John Ford
Starring: John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles, Ward Bond, Natalie Wood, John Qualen
Synopsis: As a Civil War veteran spends years searching for a young niece captured by Indians, his motivation becomes increasingly questionable.
My take: Seeing this film on the big screen (and not just any big screen, but Grauman’s Chinese) would be a treat, for sure. I may pass it up for one of the less ubiquitous films at the fest, but I dunno. It’s really tempting. Might see
Festival Guide

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

Director: Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Starring: Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O’Connor, Jean Hagen
Synopsis: A silent film production company and cast make a difficult transition to sound.
My take: Tempting, very tempting to catch one of my all-time favorite movies on the big screen. But I’ve seen it so many times and it plays the American Cinematheque with some frequency, so I can’t justify it unless the schedule is very, very forgiving. Probably won’t see
Festival Guide
Screening notes: World Premiere of 60th Anniversary restoration
In attendance: Debbie Reynolds, Patricia Kelly

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Director: Ben Sharpsteen, William Cottrell, David Hand, Wilfred Jackson, Larry Morey Perce Pearce
Starring: Adriana Caselotti, Harry Stockwell, Lucille La Verne
Synopsis: Snow White, pursued by a jealous queen, hides with the Dwarfs; the queen feeds her a poison apple, but Prince Charming awakens her with a kiss.
My take: I made time for Fantasia last year, and I might just make time for Disney’s pioneering animated feature this time (I am due for a rewatch on it). Might see
Festival Guide

Sullivan’s Travels (1941)

Director: Preston Sturges
Starring: Joel McCrea, Veronica Lake, Robert Warwick, William Demarest, Franklin Pangborn, Porter Hall, Eric Blore
Synopsis: A director of escapist films goes on the road as a hobo to learn about Life…which gives him a rude awakening.
My take: This and The Lady Eve duke it out constantly as my favorite Preston Sturges film, and I’m more than overdue for a rewatch on this. But the scheduling doesn’t quite work out, unfortunately. Not seeing
Festival Guide
In attendance: Ron Perlman

The Thomas Crown Affair (1968)

Director: Norman Jewison
Starring: Steve McQueen, Faye Dunaway
Synopsis: A debonair, adventuresome bank executive believes he has pulled off the perfect multi-million dollar heist, only to match wits with a sexy insurance investigator who will do anything to get her man.
My take: Mostly all I remember from this film is the incredibly awesome chess-playing seduction scene, and I’d really love a refresher on the rest of it, even if it is largely a film of cool style over substance. Hoping to see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Norman Jewison

To Catch a Thief (1955)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: Cary Grant, Grace Kelly, Jessie Royce Landis
Synopsis: When a reformed jewel thief is suspected of returning to his former occupation, he must ferret out the real thief in order to prove his innocence.
My take: This has never been among my favorite Hitchcock films, but I have to admit, it’s the one to choose when your theme is “Style in the Movies.” Style this movie has in spades. Still, I rewatched it hoping for a better reevaluation last year, and I’m not up for doing it again just yet. Not seeing
Festival Guide

Vertigo (1958)

Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes
Synopsis: A San Francisco detective suffering from acrophobia investigates the strange activities of an old friend’s wife, all the while becoming dangerously obsessed with her.
My take: My second-favorite Hitchcock film, always worthy of a big-screen rewatch. But I’m even more gung-ho about it this time since my husband has never seen it. This is the time. Planning to see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Kim Novak

Wings (1927)

Director: William A. Wellman
Starring: Richard Arlen, Charles “Buddy” Rogers, Clara Bow
Synopsis: Two young men, one rich, one middle class, who are in love with the same woman, become fighter pilots in World War I.
My take: I saw this movie way back when I was intent on watching all the Academy Award winning films (this won the first Best Picture award); so, like, fifteen years ago. Now with my renewed interest in silent cinema, I’d love to look at it again with fresh and better-educated eyes. Hoping to see
Festival Guide
In attendance: A.C. Lyles, Bill Wellman Jr.

The Women (1939)

Director: George Cukor
Starring: Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Joan Fontaine, Paulette Goddard, Mary Boland, Virginia Wiedler
Synopsis: A study of the lives and romantic entanglements of various interconnected women.
My take: I have seen this film a dozen times, and I will take any excuse offered to see it again. It’s that much fun watching all these fabulous ladies duke it out over men who never appear onscreen. And I’m dragging Jonathan to it, too. Planning to see
Festival Guide
Presented by: Todd Oldham

Young Frankenstein (1974)

Director: Mel Brooks
Starring: Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Madeline Kahn, Kenneth Mars
Synopsis: Dr. Frankenstein’s grandson, after years of living down the family reputation, inherits granddad’s castle and repeats the experiments.
My take: When Robert Osborne leaked that Mel Brooks would be a guest, I wondered if he might be introducing this film (especially with the Universal sidebar going on at the Fest), and I was right. I love this film dearly, but the 1000 times I’ve seen it might count against it here. I’m still undecided, though. Might see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Mel Brooks

Discoveries

Bonjour Tristesse (1958)

Director: Otto Preminger
Starring: Deborah Kerr, David Niven, Jean Seberg, Mylène Demongeot, Geoffrey Horne
Synopsis: Cecile is a decadent young girl who lives with her rich playboy father Raymond. When Anne, Raymond’s old love interest, comes to Raymond’s villa, Cecile is afraid for her way of life.
My take: I’ve vaguely heard of this film quite a bit, but I never knew very much about it until looking it up right now. Jean Seberg just before Breathless is certainly a tempting proposition. Might see
Festival Guide
Presented by: Barbara Tfank

Call Her Savage (1932)

Director: John Francis Dillon
Starring: Clara Bow, Gilbert Roland, Thelma Todd
Synopsis: Sexy Texas gal storms her way through life, brawling and boozing until her luck runs out, forcing her to learn the errors of her ways.
My take: Now we’re into ones that I know less about, and that’s all the better. I really enjoyed seeing Clara Bow’s final film Hoop-la at last year’s festival, and I’m more than down to see her in another pre-Code talkie. Planning to see
Festival Guide
Screening notes: New 35mm preservation print from Museum of Modern Art
Presented by: David Stenn and Katie Trainor, Anne Morra (at different screenings)

Fall Guy (1947)

Director: Reginald Le Borg
Starring: Robert Armstrong, Leo Penn, Teala Loring, Elisha Cook Jr
Synopsis: Penn stars as a hard-drinking veteran who awakens from a drug-induced blackout with vague memories of a murdered blonde. His search for the truth leads him through a demimonde populated by drug dealers, addicts, bar girls and even a stoolie (the screen’s best, Elisha Cook, Jr.).
My take: The festival guide calls in one of the “noirest of all noir.” I pretty much have to see that to find out if it’s more noir than Detour. Planning to see
Festival Guide
Presented by: Walter Mirisch

Lonesome (1928)

Director: Pál Fejös
Starring: Barbara Kent, Glenn Tryon, Andy Devine
Synopsis: Two lonely people in the big city meet and enjoy the thrills of an amusement park, only to lose each other in the crowd after spending a great day together. Will they ever see each other again?
My take: I have never ever heard of this film, but the descriptions I’m seeing (“a truly American approach to German Expressionism”, etc.) are giving me Sunrise vibes. This kind of thing is absolutely what I come to this festival to see. Planning to see
Festival Guide

The Macomber Affair

Director: Zoltan Korda
Starring: Gregory Peck, Joan Bennett, Robert Preston, Reginald Denny
Synopsis: Robert Wilson leads safaris on the Kenyan savanna, and is taking Mr. and Mrs. Macomber out to hunt buffalo. The obnoxious ways of Margaret Macomber make the three of them get on each others nerves, but sparks are about to fly.
My take: Another I’ve never heard of, apparently a Hemingway safari love triangle adventure story. I’m not against any of those things in any way, but this will come down to scheduling. Hoping to see
Festival Guide

A Night to Remember (1958)

Director: Roy Ward Baker
Starring: Kenneth More, Ronald Allen, Robert Ayres, Honor Blackman
Synopsis: The Titanic disaster is depicted in straightforward fashion without the addition of fictional subplots.
My take: I wasn’t too much interested in this one (I’ve already seen a couple of versions of the Titanic story – the boat goes down in them all), but the description of it as a non-fictionalized almost-documentary is kind of intriguing. We’ll see. Might see
Festival Guide
Screening notes: Newly restored print
Presented by: Don Lynch

Phase IV (1974)

Director: Saul Bass
Starring: Nigel Davenport, Michael Murphy, Lynne Frederick, Alan Gifford
Synopsis: Desert ants suddenly form a collective intelligence and begin to wage war on the desert inhabitants. It is up to two scientists and a stray girl they rescue from the ants to destroy them. But the ants have other ideas.
My take: Okay, hold up. Saul Bass directed a movie? And it sounds like a combination of “Leiningen vs.the Ants” and Them!? Oh yeah, I’m there. Thanks, TCM, for programming some midnight stuff. :) Planning to see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Michael Murphy

Seconds (1966)

Director: John Frankenheimer
Starring: Rock Hudson, Frank Campanella, John Randolph
Synopsis: Want out of your life? Just pay the fee and we’ll fake your death, change your face, and set up a new identity for you…but you may or may not be pleased with the results.
My take: Now, this is one I definitely SHOULD rewatch. When I first saw it ages ago, I was rather underwhelmed, but it routinely makes “hidden gem” lists, so I definitely need to check it out again. But the scheduling may do me in once again. Hoping to see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Richard Anderson

Who Done It? (1942)

Director: Erle C. Kenton
Starring: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Patric Knowles, William Gargan, Louise Allbritton
Synopsis: Two dumb soda jerks dream of writing radio mysteries. When they try to pitch an idea at a radio station, they end up in the middle of a real murder when the station owner is killed during a broadcast.
My take: I have a soft spot for Abbott & Costello, but even though I went through a bunch of their films as a teenager, I don’t think ever saw this one. I definitely would, though, as comedy-mysteries are always fun. Might see
Festival Guide
Screening notes: Will be screened with the 1949 Three Stooges short Who Done It?
In attendance: Michael Schlesinger

Built by Design: Architecture in Film

Bringing Up Baby (1938)

Director: Howard Hawks
Starring: Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, May Robson, Charles Ruggles, Barry Fitzgerald, Virginia Walker
Synopsis: While trying to secure a $1 million donation for his museum, a befuddled paleontologist is pursued by a flighty and often irritating heiress and her pet leopard “Baby.”
My take: I actually rewatched Bringing Up Baby a few months ago, and even though I love it, it’s a bit too manic for me to want to watch it again so soon. Maybe next time. Not seeing
Festival Guide
Presented by: Matt Tyrnauer

The Fountainhead (1949)

Director: King Vidor
Starring: Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal, Raymond Massey, Kent Smith, Robert Douglas, Henry Hull
Synopsis: An uncompromising, visionary architect struggles to maintain his integrity and individualism despite personal, professional and economic pressures to conform to popular standards.
My take: Not a film I’ve ever been particularly interested in seeing; a film fraught with Ayn Rand’s philosophy just sounds too heavy to be any fun. On the other hand, the screencap above is pretty gorgeous. Not seeing
Festival Guide
In attendance: Eric Lloyd Wright, Matt Tyrnauer

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)

Director: H.C. Potter
Starring: Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, Melvyn Douglas, Reginald Denny, Louise Beavers
Synopsis: A man and his wife decide they can afford to have a house in the country built to their specifications. It’s a lot more trouble than they think.
My take: Despite being a big Cary Grant fan and this being one of Grant’s more popular movies among his fans, I have never caught up with it. This may or may not be the time. Might see
Festival Guide

My Architect: A Son’s Journey (2003)

Director: Nathaniel Kahn
Synopsis: Director Nathaniel Kahn searches to understand his father, noted architect Louis Kahn, who died bankrupt and alone in 1974.
My take: I’m not that much of a documentary person, and with only the tenuous “architecture in film” tying this into the festival, I’ll skip it. Not seeing
Festival Guide
In attendance: Matt Tyrnauer, Nathaniel Kahn

Deco Design

Counsellor-at-Law (1933)

Director: William Wyler
Starring: John Barrymore, Bebe Daniels, Doris Kenyon, Isabel Jewell, Melvyn Douglas, Thelma Todd
Synopsis: Successful attorney has his Jewish heritage and poverty-stricken background brought home to him when he learns his wife has been unfaithful.
My take: I’ve totally never heard of this film, but it’s definitely got an intriguing cast and director, plus the tagline on the Kino DVD case is “William Wyler’s hard-boiled comedy.” Still, I’m not sure that can over come potential scheduling difficulties. Might see
Festival Guide
Presented by: Illeana Douglas

Our Dancing Daughters (1928)

Director: Harry Beaumont
Starring: Joan Crawford, Johnny Mack Brown, Anita Page
Synopsis: Diana is outwardly the hit of the party but inwardly virtuous and idealistic. Her friend Ann is thoroughly selfish and amoral. Both are attracted to Ben Black, soon-to-be millionaire.
My take: I’ve actually been dying to see some of Joan Crawford’s silent stuff, but haven’t had a good opportunity. This is one of the best opportunities, so I’m pretty much not going to miss it. Planning to see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Linda Snyder-Sterne

Swing Time (1936)

Director: George Stevens
Starring: Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Helen Broderick, Victor Moore, Erik Rhodes, Eric Blore
Synopsis: A performer and gambler travels to New York City to raise the $25,000 he needs to marry his fiancÃ©e, only to become entangled with a beautiful aspiring dancer.
My take: This is one of my comfort movies; I can put it on any time and it cheers me up immediately. That said, I’ve seen it a hundred times, so I’ll likely skip it. Probably won’t see
Festival Guide

Trouble in Paradise (1932)

Director: Ernst Lubitsch
Starring: Herbert Marshall, Miriam Hopkins, Kay Francis, Charles Ruggles, Edward Everett Horton, C. Aubrey Smith
Synopsis: A gentleman thief and a lady pickpocket join forces to con a beautiful perfume company owner. Romantic entanglements and jealousies confuse the scheme.
My take: Last year TCM Fest played Design for Living, and I was really disappointed I had to miss it. Hopefully that won’t happen this time, because I’ve been dying to rewatch both these early ’30 Lubitsch films for quite a while. Hoping to see
Festival Guide
Presented by: Matt Tyrnaver, Deborah Nadoolman Landis (at different screenings)

The Noir Style

Criss Cross (1949)

Director: Robert Siodmak
Starring: Burt Lancaster, Yvonne DeCarlo, Dan Duryea, Stephen McNally
Synopsis: An armored truck driver and his lovely ex-wife conspire with a gang to have his own truck robbed on the route.
My take: This film noir has been on my list for a LONG time and I’ve never gotten around to it. It looks like this may finally be the time, and I’m really looking forward to it. Planning to see
Festival Guide
Presented by: Eddie Muller

Cry Danger (1951)

Director: Robert Parrish
Starring: Dick Powell, Rhonda Fleming, William Conrad, Regis Toomey
Synopsis: Ex-con Rocky Mulloy seeks the real culprit in the crime he was framed for, in a night world of deceptive dames and double crosses.
My take: Noir film I haven’t heard of AND it stars Dick Powell? Sign me up. Planning to see
Festival Guide
Screening notes: Preservation funded by The Film Noir Foundation
In attendance: Rhonda Fleming, Eddie Muller

Gun Crazy (1950)

Director: Joseph H. Lewis
Starring: Peggy Cummins, John Dall
Synopsis: A well meaning crack shot husband is pressured by his beautiful marksman wife to go on an interstate robbery spree, where he finds out just how depraved and deadly she really is.
My take: This is a noir I always recommend to people; despite getting a lot of love from noir fans, it remains surprisingly underseen, and it’s loads of fun. If I can get to it, I’m due a rewatch. Hoping to see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Peggy Cummins, Eddie Muller

Night and the City (1950)

Director: Jules Dassin
Starring: Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, Googie Withers, Hugh Marlowe, Herbert Lom
Synopsis: A small-time grifter and nightclub tout takes advantage of some fortuitous circumstances and tries to become a big-time player as a wrestling promoter.
My take: It’s been a while since I saw this one, but I enjoyed it quite a bit – really great use of on-location London filming with a noir style. Not one I’m necessarily jumping to see again, especially with so many noirs I haven’t seen playing. Not seeing
Festival Guide
Presented by: Eddie Muller

Raw Deal (1948)

Director: Anthony Mann
Starring: Dennis O’Keefe, Raymond Burr, Claire Trevor, Marsha Hunt
Synopsis: After taking a prison rap for a friend, Joe mounts an escapes despite his friend’s double-cross.
My take: Another noir I’ve never heard of, AND it stars Claire Trevor, AND it’s directed by Anthony Mann? Sign me up twice. Planning to see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Marsha Hunt, Eddie Muller

Legendary Costumes of Travis Banton

Cleopatra (1934)

Director: Cecil B. DeMille
Starring: Claudette Colbert, Warren William, Henry Wilcoxon, Joseph Schildkraut
Synopsis: The man-hungry Queen of Egypt leads Julius Caesar and Marc Antony astray, amid scenes of DeMillean splendor.
My take: I’ve got to admit, I’m morbidly curious to see this; it doesn’t have the best reputation among DeMille’s canon, but sometimes a little over-the-top excess isn’t such a bad thing. Might see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Deborah Nadoolman Landis, Bob Mackie

Cover Girl (1944)

Director: Charles Vidor
Starring: Rita Hayworth, Gene Kelly, Lee Bowman, Phil Silvers, Leslie Brooks, Eve Arden, Otto Kruger
Synopsis: Rusty Parker wins a contest and becomes a celebrated cover girl; this endangers her romance with dancing mentor Danny.
My take: Frankly, this movie is fairly forgettable, aside from the dancing-with-himself number Gene Kelly did, prefiguring his later iconic ballet numbers. It’s worth watching once, but that’s it. Not seeing
Festival Guide

I’m No Angel (1933)

Director: Wesley Ruggles
Starring: Mae West, Cary Grant, Gregory Ratoff, Edward Arnold
Synopsis: Working as a lion-tamer and flirting with rich men to get presents on the side, Tira seeks the man a fortune-teller promised is the love of her life.
My take: I saw the other West-Grant film She Done Him Wrong aaaages ago and wasn’t too impressed; but that was aaaages ago and I’m actually really interested to check this out. Hoping to see
Festival Guide
Presented by: Deborah Nadoolman Landis

Letter from an Unknown Woman (1948)

Director: Max Ophüls
Starring: Joan Fontaine, Louis Jourdan
Synopsis: A pianist about to flee from a duel receives a letter from a woman he cannot remember whom may hold the key to his downfall.
My take: I’ve seen this before, quite a while ago, and I remember being pretty bored and frustrated by it. But I’ve heard a lot of good things about it and I’m kind of curious to see if I was wrong. But I don’t know if I’m all THAT curious. Might see
Festival Guide
Screening notes: Preservation funded by The Film Foundation

Nothing Sacred (1937)

Director: William A. Wellman
Starring: Carole Lombard, Fredric March, Charles Winninger, Walter Connolly, Sig Ruman
Synopsis: When a diagnosis of a terminal illness turns out to be incorrect, Hazel Flagg decides to milk it anyway, becoming the toast of New York thanks to a reporter hungry for a heartwarming story.
My take: This is one of Carole Lombard’s most iconic roles, solidifying her madcap comedienne persona; I remember it being a tad on the shrill side, but it’s been a while since the last time I saw it. Might see
Festival Guide
Presented by: Deborah Nadoolman Landis

The Scarlet Empress (1934)

Director: Josef von Sternberg
Starring: Marlene Dietrich, John Lodge, Sam Jaffe, Louise Dresser, C. Aubrey Smith
Synopsis: Young Princess Sophia of Germany is taken to Russia to marry the half-wit Grand Duke Peter, but prefers Russian soldiers instead; eventually engineering a coup d’etat, she becomes Catherine the Great.
My take: I’ve spent weeks excited about this because I thought it was Shanghai Express. Now that I’ve learned better, I’m less excited. I’ve actually seen half of this movie and it looks nice, for sure, but beyond that it was kind of bland. Still, I guess I should finish it, just for completeness’ sake. Might see
Festival Guide
Presented by: Deborah Nadoolman Landis

The Films of Stanley Donen

Charade (1963)

Director: Stanley Donen
Starring: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Walter Matthau, George Kennedy, James Coburn
Synopsis: Romance and suspense in Paris, as a woman is pursued by several men who want a fortune her murdered husband had stolen. Who can she trust?
My take: This is one of my all-time favorite movies, and one I recommend to everybody I know (and I’ve never had anyone disappointed yet). I’m sure I’d be right there for it again if I hadn’t JUST watched it like three times over the past couple of months. Not seeing
Festival Guide
In attendance: Stanley Donen

Funny Face (1957)

Director: Stanley Donen
Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Fred Astaire, Kay Thompson
Synopsis: A photographer, fashion editor, and bookish model head to Paris for a fashion shoot, punctuated by music and romance.
My take: I’ve never been as into this film as a lot of Audrey Hepburn fans; it’s the height of stylishness, that’s for sure, and has some solid Gershwin songs, but I doubt I’ll go far out of my way for a rewatch. Not seeing
Festival Guide
In attendance: Stanley Donen

Two for the Road (1967)

Director: Stanley Donen
Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Albert Finney, Eleanor Bron, William Daniels
Synopsis: A couple in the south of France non-sequentially spin down the highways of infidelity in their troubled ten-year marriage.
My take: This film nigh unto blew me away when I saw it several years ago – one of the most grown-up films I’ve ever seen, with great performances and a fascinating non-linear structure to boot. Definitely love a rewatch, as it’s been a while. Hoping to see
Festival Guide
Screening notes: World Premiere of 45th Anniversary restoration
In attendance: Stanley Donen

The Paramount Renaissance

Black Sunday (1977)

Director: John Frankenheimer
Starring: Robert Shaw, Fritz Weaver, Bruce Dern
Synopsis: An Israeli anti-terrorist agent must stop a disgruntled Vietnam vet cooperating in a plot to commit a terrorist plot at the Super Bowl.
My take: I don’t know much about this film (I spent a few misused minutes trying to figure out how a Mario Bava film could be in a Paramount sidebar), but Frankenheimer is always solid, and it sounds interesting. We’ll leave this one up to scheduling. Might see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Robert Evans

Chinatown (1974)

Director: Roman Polanski
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston
Synopsis: A private detective investigating an adultery case stumbles on to a scheme of murder that has something to do with water.
My take: This is another one I’m definitely hoping to see with Jonathan; for me, it’s probably the quintessential neo-noir crossed with a peculiarly ’70s sense of alienation that hits on all cylinders. Planning to see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Robert Towne

Love Story (1970)

Director: Arthur Hiller
Starring: Ryan O’Neal, Ali MacGraw
Synopsis: A pair of class-crossed lovers defy their parents’ distaste for their union, but can’t stop the inevitable as Jenny faces a terminal illness.
My take: I’ve never seen this, but I don’t have much desire to, either, except as pure academic curiosity. Which doesn’t take me very far in a very crowded festival. Not seeing
Festival Guide
In attendance: Robert Evans

Marathon Man (1976)

Director: John Schlesinger
Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Roy Scheider, Laurence Olivier
Synopsis: A graduate history student is unwittingly caught in the middle of an international conspiracy involving stolen diamonds, an exiled Nazi war criminal, and a rogue government agent.
My take: Another one I only know about in bits and snatches, but that synopsis sounds AWESOME (much better than my mental picture of Dustin Hoffman running a marathon for two hours). If I can make time for this, I probably will. Hoping to see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Robert Evans

Rosemary’s Baby

Director: Roman Polanski
Starring: Mia Farrow, John Cassavettes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Ralph Bellamy, Elisha Cook Jr.
Synopsis: A young couple move into a new apartment, only to be surrounded by peculiar neighbors and occurrences. When the wife becomes mysteriously pregnant, paranoia over the safety of her unborn child begins controlling her life.
My take: TWO Roman Polanski films at the fest, how about that? I watched this a couple of years ago and wasn’t as impressed as I wanted to be, though there are certainly some good moments. I should re-evaluate at some point, but this probably isn’t the time. Probably won’t see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Robert Evans

Universal’s Legacy of Horror

The Black Cat (1934)

Director: Edgar G. Ulmer
Starring: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi
Synopsis: American honeymooners in Hungary are trapped in the home of a Satan-worshiping priest when the bride is taken there for medical help following a road accident.
My take: I feel like I’ve seen this before, but maybe not – I definitely don’t recall Karloff and Lugosi playing chess. And I think I need to see that. Planning to see
Festival Guide
In attendance: Sara Karloff, Bela G. Lugosi

Dracula (1931)

Director: Tod Browning
Starring: Bela Lugosi
Synopsis: The ancient vampire Count Dracula arrives in England and begins to prey upon the virtuous young Mina.
My take: Neither my favorite version of Dracula nor my favorite Universal horror film; you definitely ought to see it once, but it creaks far more than even I like. Not seeing
Festival Guide
In attendance: Carla Laemmle

Frankenstein (1931)

Director: James Whale
Starring: Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles
Synopsis: Horror classic in which an obsessed scientist assembles a living being from parts of exhumed corpses.
My take: This one is my favorite of the Universal horror cycle, and since Jonathan hasn’t seen it yet, I’m hoping to save a place for it on my schedule. But I have seen it a lot of times and I’m not going to be disappointed if I miss it. Hoping to see
Festival Guide
Screening notes: New restoration, with restored cuts made in post-1931 reissues to comply with the Production Code
In attendance: John Carpenter

Son of Frankenstein (1939)

Director: Rowland V. Lee
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff
Synopsis: One of the sons of Frankenstein finds his father’s monster in a comma and revives him, only to find out he is controlled by Ygor who is bent on revenge.
My take: I initially blew this off looking at the schedule (sequels to sequels to sequels of horror films, nah), but the more I think about it, the more I’m curious to check it out. Maybe it’s just Lugosi and Karloff together again, but yeah. Might see
Festival Guide
Presented by: John Landis

The Wolf Man (1941)

Director: George Waggner
Starring: Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, Claude Rains, Maria Ouspenskaya
Synopsis: A practical man returns to his homeland, is attacked by a creature of folklore, and infected with a horrific disease his disciplined mind tells him can not possibly exist.
My take: This is one of the few major Universal horrors I haven’t, and it’s one of the stories that interests me the most. I’ve had it on my list forever, and this is a great time to cross it off. Hoping to see
Festival Guide\
In attendance: Rick Baker

Special Presentations

A Fine Mess: Laurel and Hardy

Program of shorts includes: Helpmates (1932), County Hospital (1932), Busy Bodies (1933)
Starring: Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy
Synopsis: A collection of three sound Laurel & Hardy shorts made for the Hal Roach studios, but after Leo McCarey left. Laurel supervised these films, though uncredited.
My take: I’ve liked the few Laurel and Hardy films I’ve seen (I’ve mostly seen silents, because they show them before silent features at Cinefamily sometimes), and I wouldn’t say no to these. But other things are likely to eclipse it on the schedule. Might see
Festival Guide

“A Trip to the Moon” and Other Trips Through Time, Color and Space

Program of early cinema shorts includes: A Trip to the Moon (1902, Georges Méliès), Apr&eagrave;s le bal (1897, Georges Méliès), A Trip Down Market Street (1906, Miles Brothers), Caruso sings “La Donna 7egrave; Mobile” (1908, Alfred Duskes), The Acrobatic Fly (1910, F. Percy Smith), Balloon Land (1935, Ub Iwerks), and more
Synopsis: A curated collection of early films focusing on technical experiments and flights of fancy.
My take: I would LOVE to see the newly restored version of A Trip to the Moon, that’s for sure, and the other things listed on the program also intrigue me a lot, with my current fascination with early cinema. I’ll definitely make an effort to get to this program. Hoping to see
Festival Guide
Screening notes: 2011 restoration of A Trip to the Moon, with original hand-coloring and new score by AIR
Presented by: Director, producer, and historian Serge Bromberg

Baby Peggy: The Elephant in the Room

Director: Vera Iwerebor
Starring: “Baby Peggy” Diana Serra Cary
Synopsis: A documentary about “Baby Peggy,” one of cinema’s first child stars, doing pretty much all of her work by the age of 11, and all in the silent era.
My take: Cinefamily has shown Baby Peggy-related things before; in fact, I think they’ve shown one of her few surviving films (Captain January) with her in attendance. I’d frankly rather see that than a documentary about her, so as wonderful as it is that she’s still with us and willing to do appearances like this, I might have to skip this. EDIT: They are now also showing a program of her shorts. Probably won’t see
Festival Guide
In attendance: “Baby Peggy” Diana Serra Cary, Vera Iwerebor

Girl Shy (1924)

Director: Fred C. Newmeyer, Sam Taylor
Starring: Harold Lloyd
Synopsis: A shy, young man, who is completely incapable of talking to women, decides to write a book that details to other bachelors how to find a girlfriend.
My take: I’ve only seen a couple of Harold Lloyd films, and I enjoyed them both – this one is supposed to be one of his best, just shy of Safety Last, so if I can get to this, I will. Planning to see
Festival Guide
Screening notes: New score composed and conducted by Robert Israel

How the West Was Won (1962)

Director: John Ford, Henry Hathaway, George Marshall
Starring: Debbie Reynolds, John Wayne, Henry Fonda, James Stewart, Gregory Peck, Thelma Ritter, Lee Van Cleef, Harry Dean Stanton
Synopsis: A family saga covering several decades of Westward expansion in the nineteenth century–including the Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the building of the railroads.
My take: I’m not a huge fan of this star-studded, bloating attempt to encapsulate the entire history of the Old West in less than three hours, but I am being swayed mightily by the opportunity to see one of the only Cinerama films ever made in one of the last remaining Cinerama domes. That alone is tempting. Might see
Festival Guide
Screening notes: Sponsored by ArcLight Cinemas and presented at ArcLight’s Cinerama Dome

Retour de Flamme: Rare and Restored Films in 3-D

Program of shorts includes: L’Arivée d’un Train en Gare de la Ciotat (1935 3D version, Lumière Brothers), Musical Memories (1935, Max Fleischer), Melody (1953, Disney), Motor Rhythm (1939), Falling in Love Again (2003, Munro Ferguson), Murder in 3-D (1941, Pete Smith)
Synopsis: A curated collection of 3D films and experiments from the 1930s through 1950s (and a few outliers).
My take: I don’t like 3D in general, but the opportunity to see films made with older and experimental 3D processes is kind of intriguing. And given several of these are animated, I’m not sure I can resist. Hoping to see
Festival Guide
Presented by: Director, producer, and historian Serge Bromberg

The Thief of Bagdad (1924)

Director: Raoul Walsh
Starring: Douglas Fairbanks, Julane Johnston, Anna May Wong, Snitz Edwards, Charles Belcher, Sojin
Synopsis: A recalcitrant thief vies with a duplicitous Mongol ruler for the hand of a beautiful princess.
My take: Cinefamily played this last year along with their Fairbanks retrospective, and I missed both screenings. I’d love to rectify that here. Hoping to see
Festival Guide
Screening notes: Accompanied by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra

Club TCM

Also vying for time are panels, lectures, displays, and events held at the passholder-only Club TCM in the Roosevelt Hotel. I usually try to hit one of these just for variety’s sake, but which one is dictated mostly by scheduling.

Meet TCM: The People Behind the Network
Thursday, April 12 1pm-2pm

The Maltese Touch of Evil: New Perspectives on Film Noir
TCM brand manager Shannon Clute and film scholar Richard Edwards – cohosts of podcast Out of the Past: Investigating Film Noir
Thursday, April 12 3pm-4pm

The History of Oscars’ Red Carpet
Friday, April 13 12:30pm-1:30pm

The Ultimate Film Noir
Film noir expert Eddie Muller and actress Rose McGowan
Friday, April 13 2:30pm-4pm

So You Think You Know Movies
New York Film Forum’s Bruce Goldstein hosts movie trivia
Friday, April 13 5:30pm-6:30pm

The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful
Costume designer and author Deborah Nadoolman Landis
Saturday, April 14 12:30pm-2pm

African Americans On-Screen: 1903 to the Present
Film historian Donald Bogle
Saturday, April 14 3:30pm-4:30pm

Hollywood Home Movies: Treasures from the Academy Film Archive Collection
Presented by AMPAS representatives Randy Haberkamp and Lynne Kirste, with special guests Margaret O’Brien, and members of the MacMurray, McQueen, and Koster families
Saturday, April 14 6pm-7pm

Classic Movie Memorabilia Appraisals by Bonhams
Sunday, April 15 10am-2pm

Imagemakers: The Truth Behind Hollywood’s PR Machine from the Golden Age to Now
Moderator: Pete Hammond. Panelists: Henri Bollinger, Dick Guttman, Arnold Robinson
Sunday, April 15 12:30pm-1:30pm

Designing Iconic Movie Imagery
Moderator: Randy Haberkamp. Panelists: Jim Bissell, Terence March, Jim Pascale
Sunday, April 15 2:30pm-3:30pm

The Brown Derby: A Hollywood Legend
Mark Willems
Sunday, April 15 4:30pm-5:30pm