poppinginnocentyears32

Vincent Minnelli's portrait on the highs and lows of an affluent household in St. Louis is so tenderly remembered for its expressive combination of tragic melodrama and delightful musical numbers. MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS also reminisces the irresistible nostalgic charm of ingénue Judy Garland, who grounds the film with such confident optimism while singing several striking show-tunes.

Crafted in 1944, the plot in this film would later become the foundation for many perky much more contemporary movies and TV episodes. Children having to move away, a girl falling in love with the next-door-neighbor, a kid yearning to play with the bigger people...all have been used so frequently in the media that the ideas have become totally clichéd. However, what truly distinguishes this from all the others is its psychological study on family structure. It evidently shows the actions, traits and behavior that mutually unite people living under the same roof. For a musical, this film carries an incredible amount of symbolism. Undoubtedly, the most poignant sequence in the movie was Tootsie's (adorable Margaret O'Brien) destruction of her snow people—a sign of her fury and hatred toward her real family. Another tremendous representation utilized in the picture was its accommodating image of America depicted towards the end in the World's Fair, a minor but nonetheless significant reference.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the film for most people is the charismatic appeal of the legendary Judy Garland and its incorporation of remarkable music. After all, this was the film where Garland looked fondly out the window belting out "The Boy Next Door". What about the endearing scene where Tootsie and Esther (Judy's character) danced to "Under the Bamboo Tree"? Everyone has been moved by Esther's heartbreaking rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". However, the most popular, cherished number is arguably the colorfully show-stopping high point, "The Trolley Song" (Klang, Klang, Klang went the trolley...) with Garland in a bus full of animated passengers. Every member of the supporting cast is just as captivating: Leon Ames as the stubborn father, Mary Astor as the suffering housewife, O'Brien, June Lockhart and Lucille Brenner as the daughters, Hank Daniels as the son, Harry Davenport as the volatile grandpa and Marjorie Main as the maid.

Since its release, this innovative picture has truly become a landmark musical. It broke new grounds giving fewer restrictions for modern family films rather than becoming some sort of unlikely fantasy fluff musical. MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS introduced domestic conflict to the celluloid, a topic that would forever reverberate beyond the walls of American cinema. This is without doubt essential to every fan of musicals. Even the average person would find this film certainly satisfying or entertaining.

Few filmmakers dare to open the curtains to the public on what really takes place beyond Hollywood's glitter and glamor as Billy Wilder did with SUNSET BLVD. Unforgettable performances, effective visuals, faultless, inventive direction and a biting, comical and melodramatic screenplay make this a legendary film on filmdom.

Joe Gills' (William Holden) corpse is seen floating in a swimming pool while his off-screen narration recalls his dangerous professional and personal involvement with Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) and the events leading to his demise. Joe, a B-movie screenwriter, inadvertently winds up at a decaying mansion, where faded silent film-star Norma takes residence with her faithful butler Max Von Mayerling (Erich Von Stroheim). The insane Norma has certainly past her prime but she mistakenly believes she can achieve a "return" as an actress again. Joe wishes to leave but when Norma insists that there will be serious cash involved, he takes on a job offered to him as an editor of her defective, self-indulgent screenplay. At first, Joe, who is now obliged to live with Norma, is treated like a gigolo, having every one of his needs catered. However, when Joe secretly co-writes a script with the attractive level-headed Betty Schaefer (Nancy Olson), Norma takes extreme measures to assure herself that she is a star who will not be abandoned.

Wilder productively creates the eerie, dreamlike and surreal atmosphere in the beautiful black-and-white images of the crumbling mansion and the wicked, wraith-like characters. Nevertheless, not a single characteristic of the film seems fabricated or fictitious. Its sense of realism is undeniable. Many can relate to Desmond - rejected by Hollywood after years in front of the camera. Another unusual yet valuable aspect is its sense of humor and ability to laugh at itself. Even the most famous lines in the movie are both heartbreaking and amusing, intensifying the illusion that Norma has forever been a superstar.

Gloria Swanson is exceptional in her magnum opus and most memorable role as the purely malevolent, manipulative Norma Desmond, a woman stuck in the past. Gloria, herself, was a silent movie queen of her time and had been missing from the silver screen for 16 years. Now, it is unimaginable to picture anyone else as Norma. Though less remarkable, William Holden is excellent as a skeptical screenwriter knowing Norma won't be able to attain the star-status she once had. He has moral flaws of anyone walking down the street but he slowly becomes the likable protagonist. Just as competent is Erich Von Stroheim who plays the silently sadistic butler, who guarantees Norma that she has always been the celebrity that she thinks she is. The final major character is ingénue Betty Schaefer played by Nancy Olson. Her composure and calmness is a pleasing contrast to Norma's irrationality.

SUNSET BLVD. is really a black comedy-satire with a sardonic, derisive screenplay, film-noir with perfect direction and character-driven drama with terrific acting all together. Though most significantly, it is a painfully captivating work of art and a candid peek on the fickle world of showbiz and its devastating effects.

One who is not a fan of Carrey's crazy antics must really set their standards low for FUN WITH DICK AND JANE. Though, Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni really seem to really have chemistry in the scenes they are in. The execution of the story leaves a lot to be desired but it eventually works because of the two main celebrities.

This publicly-lambasted remake of the 1977 film sees husband and wife Dick (Carrey) and Jane (Leoni) living the typical suburban upper-middle-class lifestyle with Dick climbing the corporate ladder. But when the company Dick is involved in becomes the center of a scandal right after Dick is promoted, he is robbed of his job. When Jane voluntarily quits her job, the two turn over to a life of comical crime sprees in order to pay for their mounting debt and decide to rob the one man behind the disaster, Jack McAllister (Alec Baldwin).

If any other stars would have replaced Leoni and Carrey, FUN WITH DICK AND JANE would have been not worth watching and it would just be a bottom-of-the-barrel unfunny and very tedious comedy. About three-fourths through the story, the screenwriters loose us and we find it difficult to stay in our seats. There are a few unsystematic and messy gags here and there but it's all just so dull to be able to work. However, the charismatic Carrey, who gives us a business-as-usual performance, glues us to our seats regardless of what's happening in the story. And Leoni comes off as one of Carrey's most memorable comedic leading ladies. The greatest scenes in the picture are the scenes with Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni committing crime because the two leads are able to stand out and do all these kinds of ridiculous actions even when nothing is really happening. Die-hard aficionado of Carrey, Leoni and physical slapstick and cultural-reference humor will find this film to be a gem. Regular fans will have a pleasant time at best but those who despised FREAKY Friday (2003), ACE VENTURA: PET DETECTIVE (1994) and SPANGLISH (2005) will surely find themselves sound asleep watching this.

Seemingly outdated today, the strength of its performances, the overall impact of Nicholas Ray's direction and the teenagers' frantic cry for help from anguish make REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE eternal for generations of moviegoers. The film is most renowned for launching a young James Dean into mega-stardom establishing him as a legend of 20th century cinema.

A newcomer to the town, Jim Stark (Dean) is a defiant juvenile delinquent and individual, who stems from a stuck-up family. Jim is sent to the police station for staying past his curfew where he meets a weeping, attractive and similarly disturbed Judy (Natalie Wood).The next day, Jim tries to get her to go his way, but she runs off with the "cool" crowd led by Buzz (Corey Allen). Because of Jim's maverick behavior, he is not gleefully welcome by Buzz's clique. His and Buzz's competition escalate to violent behavior and brutality solely for the sake of honor. All the while, Plato (Sal Mineo) a distressed, helpless, feeble loner tries his best to befriend Jim by trying to get Jim to support and care for him.

Nicholas Ray provides us a fascinating and unadulterated character study. Ray spent hours studying petty crime and misdemeanor among youngsters at the time. He implies that most of the felonies committed by teenagers root from dysfunctional families. Jim's parents are apathetic to his social life. Judy's father never gave her the adoration she required and Plato's parents separated at a young age. All feel unloved and abandoned by their respective relatives and the trio tries to build their own "family" based on shared understanding and genuineness to one another. The transpiring events will spark curiosity among younger viewers and ones of older generations will reminisce. Also, the planetarium scene, the brawl scene and the "chickee run" scene all oddly make us contemplate on where we really fit in....that is what REBEL is all about.

Dean is agonizingly powerful in this tailor-fitted role that made him a martyr in the filmdom. This was undoubtedly his magnum opus in his all-too-brief career. His defining moment in the movie is the devastating drunken performance he gave in the opening sequence. ("You're tearing me apart!"). Natalie Wood is likewise noteworthy and authentic as a daughter eager for love, Judy, who slowly falls for the charming Dean. The scenes with her and her father are psychologically excruciating to watch. However, the most emotionally shattering representation of a character is Sal Mineo's Plato. After his father leaves him, he takes extreme measures to make Jim his "dad". He is dangerously engrossed (sexually?) with Jim since he was the only one who would be Plato's pal.

If REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE could have been more accessible to other generations, it could have been completely perfect. Nevertheless, Nicholas Ray offers us a mesmerizing analysis on sociology and adolescence with its stars at full power. This turned out to be the most influential movie of the fifties and the most significant picture on teenage years ever.

Digging deep into the thoughts and dreams of mortals and the angels who look after them, WINGS OF DESIRE is a masterfully-made work of art and Germany's finest. It matches lavish cinematography, flawless direction by Wim Winders, impressive performances and a simple plot told with such brilliance, symbolism and will.

The first half of the film resembles more like a beautifully-painted mosaic or an avant-garde film showing empathy for every character brought about by the screen even showing traces of the Nazism era. Here, the idea of supernatural beings that indirectly assist humans in day-to-day life is introduced. The mystifying beings are unseen to everyone except to the young-at-heart. Hovering atop statues or wandering inside public libraries or apartments, they see and know everything as Winders etches the black-and-white world of the angels. The story evolves when one angel Damiel (Bruno Ganz) wonders what it is like to be human, how it is like to be able to feel, to hold or to be seen. Once he comes to the aid of attractive trapeze artist Marion (Solveig Dommartin), he feels a spiritual devotion he has never felt before.

Winders' slow-but-steady rate gives time for the viewer to contemplate on the questions a child asks ("Why am I me and why not you? Why am I here and not there? When did time begin and where did space end?"). He allows the audience members think what they want to think in a new light instead of manipulating them. The scenario of a ghostly being falling for a human may seem overworked now (GHOST, JUST LIKE HEAVEN) but WINGS OF DESIRE is a fresh, innovative piece of cinema with remarkable photography and unbelievable performances. Henry Alekan's cinematography is both insightful and visually dazzling. Every camera angle takes on a new connotation. Ganz and Dommartin are equally irresistible as two different "people", who worlds apart from each other; both characters are looking for love, no matter how close Damien is from Marion. Peter Falk, playing himself, is an amusing attribute to the cast being "Columbo" in the popular TV show. Being a mysterious character himself, he metaphorically adds a little color to the film amidst all the spellbinding drama and discloses an entertaining revelation that helps the film progress.

This revolutionary masterpiece of craftsmanship is considered by many as the greatest non-US movie ever and it deserves all of its praise entirely. WINGS OF DESIRE breaks new ground in romantic and dramatic film making. Every scene in this movie offers a chance for hope, understanding and compassion. Unbearably creative, outstanding and poignant, this superbly-made motion picture is not another art-house flick. Astounding.

WINGS OF DESIRE was remade in Hollywood as the sleek yet disappointing CITY OF ANGELS(1997).

Gently poking fun at religious hypocrisy, SAVED! is a charmingly devout yet flawed variation on contemporary youth culture. Debut director Brian Dannelly mixes an ambitious plan and side-splitting observations and surprisingly incredible performances by an ensemble cast. Sadly, the script fumbles its way through five-sixths of the film becoming less convincing toward the conclusion.

Opening with a bang, the movie revolves around a deeply Christ-worshiping yet trendy Mary (Jena Malone) who surrenders her virginity to her possibly homosexual boyfriend as a "calling from God". Upon realizing that she was pregnant, she ditches her pretty, popular prejudiced pal and neurotic Christ devotee Hilary Faye (Mandy Moore). Instead, Mary befriends the two misfits, wheelchair-bound Roland (Macaulay Culkin) and the only Jewish girl in their Christian school, the rebellious, radical Cassandra (Eva Amurri). SAVED! climaxes on prom night when revelations are made public veering for a finale.

At numerous times, the humor becomes dark and somewhat irreverent but not to the point of blasphemy. Despite that, it still manages to be clever, pleasing, sweet and scarcely offensive. Controversy arose at the time of its premiere. Many criticized its derisive depiction of fundamentalism embodied in the truly nasty Hilary Faye. In truth, SAVED! doesn't pass any distrust on the Roman Catholicism; Dannelly even embraces the teachings and beliefs of unity, tolerance and acceptance of every religion. All he does is make caricatures out of society's stubbornness and extremism. However, the film looses its edge fifteen minutes before finishing off.

In a relatively tough genre to perform in, the renowned cast does a remarkably ideal job. Jena Malone effectively completes a fairly difficult job portraying a girl slowly losing her loyalty to God, if not being a little lackadaisical at times. Mandy Moore's over-the-top representation as the petty candy-coated Hilary Faye is hysterical. Still, Macaulay Culkin and Eva Amurri never fail to steal the scene they are in. Amurri is brilliant as the defiant, wayward misfit, Cassandra, who influences and alters Mary's behavior upon finding out Mary is expecting. Culkin, in his most memorable performance since HOME ALONE, shows he is entirely capable of acting portraying a paraplegic impressionable teenager, who is greatly swayed by Cassandra's noncompliance. The adult performers, Martin Donovan and Mary Louise-Parker, are just as adept as the younger stars.

Despite the gradual decline en route for a predictable ending, SAVED! still manages to be an entertaining satire on humanity's artificiality and teen movies, which is worth seeing for the whole family, no matter what philosophy they lives by.

Initially unprofitable at the time of release, VERTIGO may now be well-considered Alfred Hitchcock's most riveting masterwork and possibly his best. Told with such somber menacing tones, it establishes an overall ambiance of suspense and anticipation. With its premise taken from French novel "D' Entre Les Morts", it was executed exceptionally by the Master himself. It blends an outstanding revised screenplay, distinguished cinematography and noteworthy acting between two renowned leads—all intensified by a legendary Bernard-Hermann score.

John "Scottie" Ferguson is a retired San Francisco officer regularly suffering from acrophobia leading to the demise of one coworker. Hired casually as a detective by old schoolmate Gavin Elster (Tom Elmore), Scottie is asked to track Gavin's voluptuously icy wife, Madeline (Kim Novak). Gradually, Scottie is enticed by the unstable Madeline (whose suspicious behavior may be attributed to a dead ancestor's possession over her). Madeline then fatally plunges off a bell tower with Scottie helpless to save her and VERTIGO deviates completely. As Scottie, inebriated with angst, recovers from his loss, he meets Judy (Novak), a saucy brunette resembling the lost Madeline. He forcefully converts her physically to remind himself of the departed Madeline, leading to an alarming conclusion.

No other picture embodies the persona of an indisputable Hitchcock suspense story as well as VERTIGO does. In this terrifyingly personal movie, Alfred's passion to alter particular characters is exposed here. Another great aspect is how every meticulous detail, the lighting, the makeup, the score, the set etc., takes on significant meaning. The film boasts of numerous transcendental, platonic and emotionally devastating scenes. Among the well-known visuals, scenes and sounds first seen in VERTIGO, which are nowadays frequently used as homage, include the simultaneous zoom-in-zoom-out shot, the Golden Gate Bridge scene and the classic background music of Bernard-Hermann. We see that Hitchcock is truly the Master of establishing character development, mounting tension and pacing virtually everything in the silver screen. He successfully plays mind games with the audience until a shocking revelation four-fifths way into the film and even then we are still left guessing.

Only Jimmy Stewart can portray such an acrophobic private eye plagued with desire and necrophilia and make him as down-to-earth as Scottie. Kim Novak, in one of her most prominent roles, stars in a dual character conveying two opposite extremes. The way she plays a glacial elusive girl on one hand and a brassy independent woman on the other is remarkable. Both actors easily depict how two Hitchcock's characters are forced to run in a merciless, never-ending spiral of lust and deceit.

Surrealistic yet believable, VERTIGO is the supreme thriller, that induces delightful terror into the audience. Only this movie can bewilder and bamboozle even the most persnickety critic.

Worth mentioning also is Barbara Bel Geddes' underrated performance as the "normal" predictable woman in Scottie's life, Midge (whose love interest is none other than Scottie)

Milos Forman directs this enticingly unique Oscar-winning biopic derived from Peter Shaffer's profitable play. AMADEUS focuses on a composer, Antonio Sarelli whose music rarely outranks mediocrity and his envy toward juvenile genius, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The story is told entirely in flashback with an elderly Sarelli (F. Murray Abraham) confined in an insane asylum. He opens up to a young cleric about his angst-ridden relationship towards prodigy Mozart (Tom Hulce). Sarelli was a special music devotee and the court composer of Emperor Joseph II (Jeffery Jones). Initially enthusiastic about meeting the renowned composer Mozart, Sarelli's fervor soon subsided when he encounters an ardent immature man who turns out to be the famous musician. Sarelli is shocked at first, but upon discovering Amadeus' effortless strokes in creating unspeakably beautiful music, he is infuriated. Once Mozart captivates the emperor with his music, Sarelli is determined to do everything in his power as a court composer to keep Mozart away from the glory and recognition he deserves.

F. Murray Abraham deservingly won an Academy Award as the fittingly bitter Antonio Sarelli. Abraham gives the right pungent misery and covetousness to his role. Sarelli, having an ear of a music lover and not that of a composer, only thinks of everything concerning Mozart and Mozart's music. His character's analogy between Mozart and his music proves intriguing. Sarelli absolutely despises him yet he cannot even survive without the beauty of Amadeus' music. Sarelli cannot comprehend how such talent could be manifested in such a seemingly infantile self-indulgent fool.

Tom Hulce adds his modern, eccentric flavor to his role as society's most celebrated intellectual, Mozart. He frolics and clowns around magnificent sets ratifying his devil-may-care attitude. He effectively makes Wolfgang seem like a womanizing idiot who can produce divine music at the top of his head. His displays vulgarity and crudeness in soirée's while blurting out his trademark high-pitched laughs (the most significant in all of cinema). However, the strangest of all, he considers Sarelli as one of his closest friends despite Sarelli secretly taunting him and mocking Mozart's dead father (Roy Dotrice).

Meticulously authentic to be set in the 17th century, the film amplifies every visual detail. Theodore Pistek's custom-made dresses, wigs, costumes and masks are astonishing representations of Bohemia and long-forgotten Europe. Patrizia Von Brandenstein and Karel Cerny's art direction establish credibility in every set from start to finish. The camera work is superb and the original score is a reminiscent of the classics.

Everything about Milos Forman's direction is nothing short of flawless. The acting by the two male leads and supporting cast are excellent and the entire feature is a banquet for the eyes and ears. AMADEUS still remains the champion as the unrivaled king of biography movies. Any follower of brilliance deserves to watch this film.

There are remarkable performances by Jeffery Jones as Emperor Joseph II and Roy Dotrice as Mozart's father.

No group of Hollywood filmmakers and actors could come across such a dark satirical portrait on mental illness, rebellion and organizational authority and make it a revolutionary landmark film like ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST. Based on the 1962 bestseller by Ken Kessey, Milos Forman breaks new grounds in the art of film-making. He flawlessly blends astute cinematography, an outstanding adapted screenplay, rhythmical pacing and remarkably first-rate performances by two stellar leads and an authentic ensemble cast.

When anarchistic petty crook Randall Patrick McMurphy (Jack Nicholson) is taken to a mental institution to be evaluated, he instantly develops silent yet tenacious animosity toward deceitful, stubborn Nurse Mildred Ratched (Louise Fletcher). As a sign of the rebellious, flamboyant, defiant individual he always has been, he acquaints his fellow mental patients with actual life outside their wards.

Jack Nicholson's tour de force is here in his Oscar-winning role as R. P. McMurphy, the audacious rebel who liberates the group of impressionable mental patients from living in solitude. Among this group of inmates includes "deaf and dumb" noble Native American Chief (Will Sampson) who becomes McMurphy's loyal accomplice. McMurphy understands what the patients lust for and he encourages them in the best way he knows how: baseball, fishing and a night of debauchery. He wreaks even more disorder to a carefully laid system for his and the patients' benefit— much to the dismay and chagrin of Miss Ratched.

Louise Fletcher also receives a well-deserved Academy award as the very manipulative Nurse Ratched. Many argue that her performance was bland but she blew me away conveying one of the most despicable women in the history of film. Her neurotic feelings of repressed sexuality are cleverly masked by cool, authoritative facade and icy stares. She is entirely apathetic and insusceptible to the needs of others and her biggest concern is making herself the psychosomatic leader of the ward. Her reluctance for McMurphy to outdo her escalates to a heart-stopping climax.

Each member of the supporting cast gives incredibly genuine interpretations to their character. It is amazing how every one of those chaotic (proven by their regular hectic group therapy sessions) patients have their own story to tell behind their convalescence. The patients are motivated by McMurphy, even if they aren't completely aware of their actions by the exposition of propaganda Randall takes. In a way, they become cured through Randall's behavior.

With a phenomenal unofficial screenplay by Lawrence Hauben and Bo Goldman and poetic momentum and character development, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST still upholds its title as one of the most potent pieces of the big screen of the 20th century.