Happy New Year! While most people usually spend their New Year's Eve drinking and partying or at a friend's home eating and watching the ball drop, my family and I enjoy a simpler celebration. Most times we have an early dinner and relax at home with a cup of coffee and a movie. This year it was Leap Year. I never get tired of that one. It is one of the few modern movies I always enjoy repeating.
One of my favorite holiday (or really anytime) movies is While You Were Sleeping starring Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman. I watch this movie Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Valentines Day, Groundhog Day, President's Day, whatever the heck day it is, it can always be a While You Were Sleeping Day. I love Sandra Bullock in most anything she does but I think While You Were Sleeping was one of her finest works.
If you have never seen this movie, it is about a woman without any family facing yet another holiday alone. Because of a complete misunderstanding she is thrown into a big, dysfunctional-but-lovable family. Through these loving people she finds happiness and, in the end, she gets what she has longed for. A family. The story is so charming and it simply never gets old. I watch it every Christmas and about 112 times throughout the rest of the year. You can't get much better than snowy Chicago, crazy family antics, Sandra Bullock, and Bill Pullman (in the one movie where he was actually pretty cute).
So grab some popcorn and a bag of m&ms and have a happy new year with While You Were Sleeping.
Fondly,
J.H.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Friday, December 30, 2011
3 Reasons Old Films Are Best
As I sit in bed surrounded by a fresh bouquet of roses, piles of squishy pillows, and a glass of wine, I reflect on the reasons I love classic films. Do not get me wrong, I still enjoy watching new movies and have found many that I love to watch over and over. However, in my opinion, the timelessness and beauty of classic films will always overshadow today's films. Here are three of my reasons why:
1) Talent.
- Before the age of computer animation and CGI effects, film directors only had camera shots and lighting with which to make their point. Every interpretation, projection, and effect rested on the actors' portrayal and the director's staging and editing.
2) Simplicity.
- When you think about the plot lines of classic films, they are really very simple. What is My Fair Lady really about? A poor girl wanting to be a lady. Gone With the Wind? A woman not seeing what is right in front of her. Singin' in the Rain? A man going back to his real talent. These are basic ideas portrayed beautifully.
3) Imagination.
- Alfred Hitchcock once said, "There is nothing so frightening as an unopened door." The classic film era appreciated viewers' imagination and allowed them to use it. So many movies today steal the viewers' need to use their minds and imaginations because everything, and I do mean everything, is laid out in front of them.
I love classic films for more reasons than I could possibly explain. As I said, I do appreciate the works of today, but when compared to classic works, they simply cannot hold a candle. Call me what you will, but I will gladly turn on a black and white movie full of pops and static any day.
So grab some popcorn and a bag of m&ms and find some old black and white movie and enjoy a work of art from a finer generation of film.
Fondly,
J.H.
1) Talent.
- Before the age of computer animation and CGI effects, film directors only had camera shots and lighting with which to make their point. Every interpretation, projection, and effect rested on the actors' portrayal and the director's staging and editing.
2) Simplicity.
- When you think about the plot lines of classic films, they are really very simple. What is My Fair Lady really about? A poor girl wanting to be a lady. Gone With the Wind? A woman not seeing what is right in front of her. Singin' in the Rain? A man going back to his real talent. These are basic ideas portrayed beautifully.
3) Imagination.
- Alfred Hitchcock once said, "There is nothing so frightening as an unopened door." The classic film era appreciated viewers' imagination and allowed them to use it. So many movies today steal the viewers' need to use their minds and imaginations because everything, and I do mean everything, is laid out in front of them.
I love classic films for more reasons than I could possibly explain. As I said, I do appreciate the works of today, but when compared to classic works, they simply cannot hold a candle. Call me what you will, but I will gladly turn on a black and white movie full of pops and static any day.
So grab some popcorn and a bag of m&ms and find some old black and white movie and enjoy a work of art from a finer generation of film.
Fondly,
J.H.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Bachelor Mother
I am a firm believer that holiday films are not only for the holidays. After all if you live in New York do you only watch films that take place in New York? Of course not. However, because I have been debating on what films with which I should begin my blog, I am allowing the holiday to decide. This being New Year's weekend, the first two films I am writing about take place over the New Year's holiday.
Ginger Rogers was one of the classiest women in Hollywood to date. She was talented, beautiful, and never seemed to lose her quality. Growing up watching old films, I always loved watching anything with Ginger. She was simply marvelous. To this day, some of my favorite movies are hers. I find it sad that she is so often combined with Fred Astaire that no one really understands how remarkable her individual talent was. The many films she made without Astaire, in my opinion, are far superior and showcase her talent much more than those with him.
One of my favorite Ginger movies is Bachelor Mother. I only discovered it a couple of years ago and I was instantly in love. Made in 1939 and co-starring David Niven, Bachelor Mother a charming comedy of errors. Polly Parish (Rogers) loses her job just before Christmas. While on the hunt for a new job she is mistaken for the mother of an abandoned baby boy. Through many misadventures, her former employer and his son become involved in the confusion and by the end of the film everyone thinks they know the whole story but they are still quite mistaken. Great wit and light comedy make Bachelor Mother a thoroughly enjoyable film for anyone looking for laugh and a sweet story.
So grab some popcorn and a bag of m&ms and enjoy Bachelor Mother.
Fondly,
J.H.
Ginger Rogers was one of the classiest women in Hollywood to date. She was talented, beautiful, and never seemed to lose her quality. Growing up watching old films, I always loved watching anything with Ginger. She was simply marvelous. To this day, some of my favorite movies are hers. I find it sad that she is so often combined with Fred Astaire that no one really understands how remarkable her individual talent was. The many films she made without Astaire, in my opinion, are far superior and showcase her talent much more than those with him.
So grab some popcorn and a bag of m&ms and enjoy Bachelor Mother.
Fondly,
J.H.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Overture
When I was a kid I used to fast-forward through the overture of an old film. I was impatient for the movie to begin and did not want to sit around listening to boring music waiting and waiting. How wrong I was then. Today, I love listening to the overture music. The medley of songs from the film prepares me for the story to come. I think of great musicals like My Fair Lady and Oklahoma! and the exquisite scores that complete the film and make it wonderful. And it all begins with the overture.
One thing I never realized as I watched old films as a kid was the amazing talent actors had in Hollywood’s prime era. If you stop to realize, most of them sang, danced, and/or played at least one instrument, in addition to their acting. The majority of Hollywood’s finest back then got their start in the theatre and therefore had a multitude of experiences on their resumes. Compare these talents to those of today. Unfortunately, the majority of Hollywood now can barely act well, let alone do anything else. As I watch old films now, I am amazed at the unmatched talent I see.
There is nothing quite like an old film to take the cares of the day away. To relax and allow yourself to be drawn into another time and place can give a much needed escape. Even more so now than when I was younger, I love curling up with a cup of tea and an old movie. Nothing relaxes me more. Some old films I have watched so many times I know them by heart have almost become like old friends to me. When I am in a bad mood, watching one of these films is like getting a visit from that great friend that can always lift you up when you are down.
I would love to share my passion for old films with you. I am sure that many of those I will mention you will have heard of or perhaps seen. I love watching a new film. Well, new to me anyway! Hopefully I can introduce some that may be new to you and encourage you to seek them out and find a new friend like I have. I hope you enjoy learning and discovering these treasures from the past with me and are encouraged to find some of your own. So grab a bag of popcorn and a bag of m&ms and enjoy some of yesteryear’s best creations.
And so is the end of the overture, on with the show!
One thing I never realized as I watched old films as a kid was the amazing talent actors had in Hollywood’s prime era. If you stop to realize, most of them sang, danced, and/or played at least one instrument, in addition to their acting. The majority of Hollywood’s finest back then got their start in the theatre and therefore had a multitude of experiences on their resumes. Compare these talents to those of today. Unfortunately, the majority of Hollywood now can barely act well, let alone do anything else. As I watch old films now, I am amazed at the unmatched talent I see.
There is nothing quite like an old film to take the cares of the day away. To relax and allow yourself to be drawn into another time and place can give a much needed escape. Even more so now than when I was younger, I love curling up with a cup of tea and an old movie. Nothing relaxes me more. Some old films I have watched so many times I know them by heart have almost become like old friends to me. When I am in a bad mood, watching one of these films is like getting a visit from that great friend that can always lift you up when you are down.
I would love to share my passion for old films with you. I am sure that many of those I will mention you will have heard of or perhaps seen. I love watching a new film. Well, new to me anyway! Hopefully I can introduce some that may be new to you and encourage you to seek them out and find a new friend like I have. I hope you enjoy learning and discovering these treasures from the past with me and are encouraged to find some of your own. So grab a bag of popcorn and a bag of m&ms and enjoy some of yesteryear’s best creations.
And so is the end of the overture, on with the show!
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