Friday, March 4, 2011

February 2011 film log

February was busy! I am still behind trying to write about several of the movies, and I didn't get to watch as many as I would have liked. Here's the count, with links for the ones I managed to review over at the Examiner column.

Footlight Parade (1933) - Cagney sings and dances with Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler

Top Hat (1935) - Fred and Ginger up to their usual tricks

Swing Time (1936) - More Fred and Ginger; I actually like this one better than Top Hat, partly because their characters are called "Lucky" and "Penny"

The Lodger (1944) - Part of my ongoing obsession with Laird Cregar, this time playing Jack the Ripper
Hangover Square (1945) - More Cregar, and the best ever use of Guy Fawkes Day in a movie

Monkey Business (1952) - Cute comedy with Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers, plus a smart chimp and a ditzy Marilyn Monroe

Shock (1946) - Psychological thriller with Vincent Price, sadly not as good as it should have been

The Card (1952) - Delightful minor film with Alec Guinness and Glynis Johns, typical small budget English picture with smart dialogue and wry humor

I Wake Up Screaming (1941) - Betty Grable and Victor Mature do noir to the tune of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" - not a great film, but it does have Laird Cregar!

Libeled Lady (1936) - William Powell and Myrna Loy steal the movie from Spencer Tracy and Jean Harlow, but they all seem happy at the end - a fun one for Powell & Loy fans

Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) - A Laura reunion for Dana Andrews and Gene Tierney; he's a rotten cop with a thing for punching suspects, and she's a nice girl with lousy taste in men

The Illusionist (2010) - Sylvain Chomet animated picture from France; a beautiful elegy for Jacques Tati, Vaudeville age performers, and traditional animation

The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - James Whale directs Karloff and Clive again, this time with Elsa Lanchester's eye-popping bride added to the mix

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