What Classics Did You See Last Week (January 18–January 24)
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unex — 2 months ago(January 25, 2026 01:13 PM)
Holiday (1930) - A movie about a man who quickly enters the life of a family that for some reason takes a real liking to him. Ann Harding got a best actress nomination for her role but I thought she was overwrought. It might have been a good performance but it seemed phony because the man didn't strike me as at all impressive and they didn't really show how stifled she was, unless she is particularly sensitive. George Cukor made another version in 1938 that is supposed to be much better.
The Milky Way (1936) - A Harold Lloyd talkie. It's better than the others I've seen and considered his best. That's not surprising considering Leo McCarey directed it. Lloyd was great in this as a milkman turned boxer, able to get a laugh with a well-timed smile.
Spite Marriage (1929) - Buster Keaton's last silent film. I don't know why I never saw it until now. Maybe because The Cameraman has the reputation of being his last great film, which is probably true. The story isn't as tight as it could be and relies on a large coincidence, but it's still good. -
PygmyLion — 2 months ago(January 25, 2026 04:54 PM)
I thought Ann Harding was quite good in Holiday(1930), and Mary Astor was pretty good as her sister. As you say, the male lead, Johnny Case, played by Robert Ames seemed a bit weak. This is rectified in the 1938 version, where you have Cary Grant as Johnny Case.
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spiderwort — 2 months ago(January 26, 2026 07:56 PM)
Haven't seen any of yours, unex, though I have seen the later version of
Holiday
, which I highly recommend.
But I'm really interested in seeing
The Milky Way
, being way behind in my Harold Lloyd films as I am and with Leo McCarey directing. Will see if I can find it. Thanks for the recommendation. -
sheetsadam1 — 2 months ago(January 25, 2026 06:24 PM)
Monterey Pop (1968, D. A. Pennebaker)
- Rewatch. Simply put, one of the greatest documentaries of all time. The only real criticism is that it isn't much, much longer than 80 minutes.
10/10
GoldenEye (1995, Martin Campbell) - Rewatch. The first and best of the James Bond franchise's Pierce Brosnan era. The entire series showed up on Netflix a few days ago and I decided to rewatch this one.
8/10
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997, Clint Eastwood) - I read the book this week and decided to watch the film adaptation since I'd never seen it before. I knew reading through the book that this would be a tough one to adapt and, while it isn't completely faithful, the screenplay does a nice job of keeping to the vibe of the book. The cast is excellent and Eastwood is a better director for this material than I imagined he would be.
6.5/10
The Life of Chuck (2024, Mike Flanagan) - Speaking as a fan of Stephen King, director Mike Flanagan and the latter's previous adaptations of the former, this was a pretty disappointing film. Chiwetel Ejiofor delivers an outstanding performance, but that aside this was a pretty mediocre adaptation of what I seem to recall being a great short story.
5/10
"Praise be to Allah." - President Donald J. Trump, Easter Sunday 04/05/2026
- Rewatch. Simply put, one of the greatest documentaries of all time. The only real criticism is that it isn't much, much longer than 80 minutes.
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spiderwort — 2 months ago(January 26, 2026 07:52 PM)
I haven't seen any of your films but
Monterey Pop
, and I agree 100% with your rating of that one. I think I can skip the others, although I'm sure
Golden Eye
is a good one, just not my cup of tea these days. -
PygmyLion — 2 months ago(January 26, 2026 01:42 AM)
Reunion in France
1942 Joan Crawford, John Wayne, Phillip Dorn, John Caradine, Reginald. An upperclass Frenchwoman (Crawford) tries to save a downed American flyer (Wayne), who has been serving in the RAF. ***
Kitty Foyle
1940 Ginger Rogers, Dennis Morgan, James Craig. Kitty has to choose between the man she really loves (Morgan), who has let her down a couple of times and is married, and a man who really loves her (Craig). ***
The More the Merrier
1943 Jean Arthur, Joel McCrea, Charles Coburn. There is a shortage in Washington D.C. during WWII. Connie Milligan (Arthur) decides to rent the other room in her apartment. Expecting to have a woman, she has Benjamin Dingle (Coburn) push his way into the room. Dingle brings in Joe Carter (McCrea) to the apartment, hoping to be a matchmaker. ***
The Wedding Night
1935 - Gary Cooper, Anna Sten, Ralph Bellamy, Helen Vinson. Dir. King Vidor. Drama. A struggling author (Cooper) and his wife (Vinson) are forced to move back to his family's house in Connecticut. The author is able to sell some land to his Polish neighbors, allowing his wife returns to NYC, but he remains to write about his Polish neighbors and is attracted to a young Polish farm girl (Sten). ***
The Affairs of Martha
1942 - Marsha Hunt, Richard Carlson, Majorie Main. The newspaper reports that a maid in a well-to-do neighborhood had written a book about the people in the neighborhood. Martha, that maid, must hide the fact that she was the author. ***
John Loves Mary
1949 Ronald Reagan, Jack Carlson, Patricia Neal. Comedy. John (Reagan) marries an English girl to help her get to America, so she can marry his best friend (Carson). Unfortunately his best friend has gotten married in the interim, and John has problems concerning his girl Mary (Neal), who he wished to marry. **1/2
The Westerner
1940 Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Doris Davenport. Dir William Wyler. Walter Brennan plays Judge Roy Bean. ****
Only Angels Have Wings
1939 Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Rita Hayworth, Thomas Mitchell, Richard Barthelmess. Dir. Howard Hawks. Geoff Carter (Grant) runs an air freight company running flights through a pass in the Andes. **** -
spiderwort — 2 months ago(January 26, 2026 07:47 PM)
I've seen all but of your films but
Wedding Night
, which sounds interesting. One I would probably enjoy seeing, so I'll keep it in mind. And I agree all your ratings except for
The More the Marrier
, which I would give at least a ***1/2.
The Westerner
and
Only Angels Have Wings
are among my favorites and some of the best work of their directors. Haven't seen them in ages, and I think I need to watch them again, so thanks for the reminder. -
MissMargoChanning — 2 months ago(January 27, 2026 10:08 PM)
Kitty Foyle!
Good movie! I haven't seen that one in a long time!
I will definitely watch that one again!
You asked a pretty question; I've given you the ugly answer.
Fasten Your Seatbelts….
It's Going To Be A Bumpy Night! -
spiderwort — 2 months ago(January 26, 2026 02:37 PM)
All re-watches:
Brief Encounter / David Lean
(1945). A married British woman (Celia Johnson) and a doctor (Trevor Howard) meet at a train station, fall in love, then decide to part. Another David Lean masterwork, based upon Noel Coward’s play, it’s a sensitive, beautiful, deeply meaningful film. Nominated for three Oscars: Best Actress, Best Direction, and Best Screenplay. Highly recommended. (On several streaming services and on TCM through February 22)
A Letter to Three Wives / Joseph L. Mankiewicz
(1949). One of their friends sends a letter to three wives (Jeanne Craine, Linda Darnell, Ann Sothern), announcing that she will be leaving town with one of their husbands (Kirk Douglas, Paul Douglas, Jeffrey Lynn). The wonderful Oscar winning screenplay by Mankiewicz, along with his superb Oscar winning direction and its exceptional cast make this a joy to see. Also Oscar nominated for Best Picture. Highly recommended. (On TCM through January 31st, and there’s a high quality version on YouTube LINK)
The More the Merrier / George Stevens
(1943). A working girl (Jean Arthur) shares a D.C. apartment with two men (Joel McCrae, Charles Coburn) during WWII, in which complications arise. This is one of my favorite screwball comedies, as well as one of my favorite George Stevens and Jean Arthur films. It was nominated for six Oscars in all major categories, with Cobern winning as best supporting actor. Beautifully written, performed and directed, it’s a joy to see. Highly recommended. (On TCM through January 30, and there's a high quality version on Youtube)
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman / John Korty
(1974). A 110 year old former Louisiana slave (Cicely Tyson) reminisces about her life and society from the Civil War to the beginning of the cilvil rights battle. Won 9 primetime Emmys in all the major categories. Tyson is absolutely brilliant in it, andTracy Kennan Wynn’s script and John Korty’s direction are remarkable. Highly recommended. (On several streaming services and on TCM through February 18)
Rich and Famous / George Cuckor
(1981). A modern updating of John Van Druten’s 1940 play “Old Acquaintance” filmed in 1943 and starring Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins. In this version, two women evolve from college friends (Jacqueline Bisset and Candice Bergen) into fierce rivals in Manhattan's literary world as the pressures of fame, money, and relationships push their bond to the breaking point. This was George Cuckor’s final film at the age of 82, and although it’s certainly not without its flaws, its still an entertaining endeavor, with a particularly good performance by Bisset. (On TCM through February 16.) -
PygmyLion — 2 months ago(January 27, 2026 04:10 PM)
I watched
Brief Encounter
about a year ago. I was expecting a lot from it given its 8.0 rating on IMDB. I found the movie slow and boring and gave it a 6.3.
I have viewed
A Letter to Three Wives
several times in the past, and always enjoy it. Jeane Crain is especially good as the younger of the 3 women, who especially worried about losing her husband.
Like you, I watched
The More the Merrier
this past week. It is always fun to watch. -
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CoriSCapnSkip — 2 months ago(January 26, 2026 11:44 PM)
The Brave One
(1956) on January 18
Take Me Home: The John Denver Story
(2000) on January 19
Heidi
(2015) on January 22
The Rescuers Down Under
(1990) on January 23
A Little Princess
(1995) on January 24 -
spiderwort — 2 months ago(January 27, 2026 01:58 PM)
The only one of yours I've seen, Cori, is
The Brave One
, which has been a personal favorite since I first saw it when I was a kid and it was first released. I've seen it a few times through the years and have always loved it just as much as I did then.
The Oscar winning screenplay was written by the then blacklisted Dalton Trumbo, who used a pseudonym (a "front") for screen credit at the time. He didn't get personal credit for it until 1975 when the Academy's president, Walter Mirisch, personally delivered a belated Oscar to Trumbo for that wonderful script, now officially recognized by AMPAS as his creation. And eighteen years later, the Academy awarded him a posthumous Oscar for his
Roman Holiday
(1953) script. What a life. -
spiderwort — 2 months ago(January 27, 2026 09:37 PM)
I suspect the versions of
Roman Holiday
we see today were updated by the studio later after the Blacklist, though I can't be sure how it all came down. But the original film was credited to his front: Ian McLellan Hunter. I've only seen it with Trumbo's credit since I first saw the film in the sixties, but I know that it wasn't that way when the film was first released during the Blacklist. He didn't get screen credit again until Kirk Douglas hired him to write
Spartacus
and Otto Preminger hired him to write
Exodus
, and they both gave him screen credit, which effectively put an end to the Blacklist. Kudos to them for doing that.