Welcome to the 173rd Edition of my blog. I went through a lot this week with my selections, the last 4 were very unplanned. Last week, I tried out for AMERICA'S GOT TALENT in Chicago for the second year in a row. I use singing as my talent. Last year, I went and I moved up from the first round but in the second round I got rejected to go in frong of the television judges. This year, I did pretty much the same routine. I sang a song that got me into the second round which was higher than most people. This time, they were not making any final decisions and that they will call me if they want me to try out for the television judges. If I get the call it will be between about 4-6 weeks so we'll see what is going on but I feel quite a sense of accomplishment since I have moved up a little bit each time. I'll shut up now and give you the ten movies for the week.
The Odd Couple (1968): Gene Saks directed this adaptation to the Neil Simon play which pits Oscar and Felix as roommates. Walter Mathau plays Oscar and Jack Lemmon was Felix. They are the two people we know as the odd couple. Felix was just thrown out of his house by his wife and Oscar takes him in as a roommate to help him out. Felix is the clean freak and Oscar is the slob which lead into some great situations and one of the most enjoyable comedies of all time. I believe this is the second of many teamings of the two and the best in my opinion.
Boys Town (1938): I then bring you a tribute to a good man. Spencer Tracy stars as Father Edward Flanagan wo sees that much of the crime done by children are the ones who have no family or direction so he decides to start a place of the title name. Flanagan believed there was no such place as a bad boy and starts this dream town where he helps children through organization and structure and does not have any kind of prison walls. Mickey Rooney, in one of his absolute best performances, plays the brash Whitey Marsh who puts Father Flanagan's beliefs to test. This is a place that is still in existance and is now for boys and girls. Apparently there were no female juvenile delinquents out there. This was founded in 1921 and has helped many at-risk youth through the years, an exception being Charles Manson who was once there. Spencer Tracy won an Academy Award and donated it to the place which is still there. This was a simple story of a good person who did everything he could to keep Boys Town running.
Across the Universe (2007): This was quite a watch and I watched this in the car riding home with my mom from Chicago. This movie is a musical which features many of the songs from the Beatles and I came to see this as a cross between HAIR and MOULIN ROUGE. Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess star as a upper-class girl named Lucy and a poor artist named Jude. Can you guess where those names came from? This takes place during the Vietnam War where the two of them become love interests and their friends, one of whom is drafted to Vietnam and become anti-war activists. I really enjoyed the performances and the singing making this movie much bettter than SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND. She has kind of a big chin like Rourke. Look for singers like Joe Cocker and Bono, comedian Eddie Izzard, and a small part from Salma Hayek.
B. Monkey (1998): I found this one on IFC. Jared Harris stars as a London schoolteacher named Alan who is looking for a bit of excitement. Asia Argento plays Beatrice aka the title nickname. She is a jewel thief who lives with her partner Bruno, played by Rupert Everett, and Bruno's lover Paul, played by Jonathan Rys-Meyers. Alan and Beatrice meet and form an unusual relationship which makes both question their values and brings tension between her and Bruno. This was definetly worth watching for Asia Argento and a pretty entertaining action story.
Spellbound (1945): I now bring in The Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock and to my knowledge the only collaboration between him and star Gregory Peck. Peck stars as an amnesiac patient accused of murder and Ingrid Bergman as Dr. Constance Peterson who does everything she can to help Peck recover his memories and believes he did not do it. This movie has some interesting camera angles and a great dream sequence. Psychotherapy was something on the rise at the time and is shown here. This was a great early performance from Peck and quite a year for Bergman.
Every Sunday (1936): This is the debut of Judy Garland in this short film. Judy and her friend have a grandfather whose orchestra concert is about to be shut down by the city officials do to lack of audience so they go out and find people to come see the show and Garland has a good music number with AMERICANA. Good to see in her debut for what would become an iconic career.
Key Largo (1948): John Huston directed this suspense classic which stars Humphrey Bogart as former GI Frank McCloud who is coming to visit a friend's hotel only for it to be taken hostage by a group of mobsters lead by Johnny Rocco, played by Edward G. Robinson. Lauren Bacall plays Nora Temple who is the widow of the owner and Lionel Barrymore is her wheelchair bound father. In all this a hurricane happens complicating things more and making Frank reluctant to act against them leading up into quite a climax at the end. This one had quite a bit of action for its time and is very enjoyable.
Center Stage (2000): This is part 21 of the Random Myspace Profile selection and for this one I chose Stacy who I have worked with a few times in shows. This is not something for everyone and some may even call it a chick flick. This one takes place at the American Ballet Company where many hopefuls hope to be enrolled in the company but only a few can be taken. Amanda Schull stars as Jody, who is not quite the gracebul ballerina but has her own talent. Zoe Saldona is talented by rather arrogant and has a problem with authority. Susan May Pratt is someone who is under a lot of pressure from her mother and does whatever possible to keep her figure. I thought it was a pretty good look at the backstage of a place like this and what it takes to get on top. I was once in THE NUTCRACKER and I have seen how hard these people work. No real all-star cast and pretty formulaic but inspiring.
The Pope of Greenwich Village (1984): I admit, I was really looking for a Mickey Rourke movie because I had something with Evan Rachel Wood and I found this on IFC. Stuart Rosenburg directed this movie which stars Mickey Rourke and Eric Roberts as cousins. Mickey is Charlie and Eric plays Paulie. Charlie wants to live a more normal life but cannot get away from his troublesome cousin who is always in some kind of trouble. They both decide to steal $150,000 but the money belonged to the mob which has them high on their list. Daryl hannah plays Charlie's girlfriend who tries to get Charlie to stop being around Paulie. Other people include M. Emmet Walsh, Geraldine Page, and Burt Young. This was a good character study with a good performance by Rourke and a rather entertaining one from Roberts.
Legally Blonde (2001): I end this week with part 22 of the Random Myspace Profile selection and for this one I choose Amber who was a friend of mine when I went to Ball State. This is another that might get some mixed opinions but I have always been a fan of Reese Witherspoon and I believe she really pulled off this one. She plays Elle Woods, an LA girl who had a 4.0 in her Fashion major and is very blonde and is dumped by her boyfriend, played by Warner Davis, who is going to law school and sees her as too much of a "Marilyn". Elle and her little chihuahua Bruiser which made me think a lot of Mickey Rourke, then head out to Harvard where she tries to win him back but sees she is quite different from the others. I feel this does divert a lot from stereotypes as we see throughout the movie as strange as Elle might be, she is not stupid. Luke Wilson is a teacher's assistant who takes an immediate liking to Elle. Others include Holland Taylor, ALIAS alum Victor Garber, Selma Blair, Jennifer Coolidge, and even Raquel Welch. I have never seen the sequal or the musical both of which I have heard very mixed opinions.
Well, that is it for this week. Tell me what you like and what you hate and stay tuned for next week which will include a full-length Judy Garland film, early Spielberg and another Mickey Rourke film.
FUN LITTLE TRIVIA
Walter Matthau (Odd Couple) presented Lauren Bacall (Key Largo) a Tony for her performance as Margo Channing in APPLAUSE
Jack Lemmon (Odd Couple) and Daryl Hannah (Pope of Greenwich Village) were father and daughter in the 1993 film GRUMPY OLD MEN and the 1995 film GRUMPIER OLD MEN.
BOYS TOWN actors Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney have some interesting connection
-Spencer Tracy plays Father Flanagan in this weeks feature and the 1941 sequal MEN OF BOYS TOWN and Mickey Rooney plays the role in the 1995 tv movie BROTHERS' DESTINY but wasn't really the star of it.
-Spencer Tracy played the part of inventer Tom Edison in the 1940 film EDISON, THE MAN. Mickey Rooney played was the younger version of the person in YOUNG TOM EDISON which was also in 1940.
Spencer Tracy (Boys Town) and Humphrey Bogart (Key Largo) were good friends in real life.
Mickey Rooney (Boys Town) and Judy Garland (Every Sunday) were in many of the Andy Hardy movies together as Andy Hardy and Betsy Booth
Evan Rachel Wood (Across the Universe) and Mickey Rourke (Pope of Greenwich Village) were estranged daughter and father in THE WRESTLER. Seeing Evan in ACROSS THE UNIVERSE, I observed her look and realized how perfect she was to play that role first because she was good and second I noticed she has that chin kind of like Mickey.
Evan Rachel Wood (Across the Universe) and Selma Blair (Legally Blonde) were both featured in the Miu Miu ad campaign and I really don't know what that is.
Ingrid Bergman (Spellbound) and Humphrey Bogart (Key Largo) were old flames trying to rekindle their fire in the 1942 film CASABLANCA.
Gregory Peck (Spellbound) attended the funeral of Jack Lemmon (The Odd Couple)
Gregory Peck (Spellbound) and Humphrey Bogart (Key Largo) were close friends in real-life.
Humphrey Bogart (Key Largo) plays Glenn Griffin in the 1955 film DESPERATE HOURS and Mickey Rourke plays the role renamed Michael Bosworth in the 1990 version
Eric Roberts (Pope of Greenwich Village) has been in a few episodes of the tv series HEROES as Thompson and Ali Larter (Legally Blonde) is the character Niki Sanders
Mickey Rourke (Pope of Greenwich Village) did quite a tribute to Eric Roberts (Pope of Greenwich Village) at the Independent Spirit Awards.
Mickey Rourke (Pope of Greenwich Village) used to carry around his chihuahua in a lot including ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO and Reese Witherspoon carried one around in this week's feature LEGALLY BLONDE.
Victor Garber (Legally Blonde) plays Oliver Warbucks in the 1999 film ANNIE and my facebook friend Burt played the role in a production at the Anderson Mainstage Theater that I was in.
Victor Garber (Legally Blonde) played John Wilkes Booth in the original Off-Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim's musical ASSASSINS and my facebook friend Edward played the role in a recent version of the musical.
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