What Classics Did You See Last Week (December 21–December 27)
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sheetsadam1 — 3 months ago(December 28, 2025 04:29 PM)
I'll Be Seeing You (1944, William Dieterle)
- Very nicely done Christmas film, more than worthy of the wonderful song it was named for! Joseph Cotten and Ginger Rogers were both outstanding and I was actually a bit surprised that a Hollywood movie depicted PTSD so openly while WWII was still ongoing. Note that there is a mistake on the original poster, with the directing and producing credits reversed.
8/10
Christmas in Connecticut (1945, Peter Godfrey) - Barbara Stanwyck is top-notch and the rest of the cast is excellent as well, particularly Sydney Greenstreet, who I don't believe I'd seen in this sort of comedic role before. I would rank Stanwyck's other Christmas film
Remember the Night
just slightly higher, but this one is well worth watching. Thanks to
@spiderwort
for reminding me of it last week! It had been on my to-watch list for quite a while!
7.5/10
Angel Face (1953, Otto Preminger) - Certainly not the absolute best film of anybody involved, but a great little noir nonetheless!
7/10
The Verdict (1982, Sidney Lumet) - My disappointment in one of the films I'll talk about below put me in the mood to see a
good
courtroom drama and I must say that I picked a real winner with this one. Paul Newman gives one of the best performances I've seen from him as a down-on-his-luck lawyer looking for redemption. James Mason, Milo O'Shea, and Lindsay Crouse are all excellent. And it's extremely well-written (by David Mamet) and well-directed. Sidney Lumet is another of those directors whom I've liked everything I've seen from and really should get around to watching more.
8.5/10
Home Alone (1990, Chris Columbus) - Rewatch. Pure nostalgic fun for me and for that reason I'll forgo a rating, but this is one of my personal favorite Christmas movies. No, it's no
It's a Wonderful Life
(which is perhaps the finest movie ever made), but it's very good for what it is and like most John Hughes movies, I have so many great memories of watching and rewatching this one with family.
Also watched:
Juror #2 (2024, Clint Eastwood) - A complete waste of the considerable talent in front of and behind the camera and of a very intriguing premise to boot. There is more wrong with the script than I care to get into here and I've already elaborated on it on the film's board, but most unforgivable is the complete lack of tension and mystery which only makes it's other flaws more evident. The top-billed cast do a commendable job and Eastwood's biggest mistake here was not demanding a rewrite that would have done the premise justice. His directing is still on point and I can't imagine anyone would have done much better working with such a remarkably poor script. It would be a shame if, as rumored, such a storied career ends on this note. Regardless, his legacy has long been secure.
3/10
Joker: Folie á Deux (2024, Todd Phillips) - I'd avoided this one previously due to the terrible reviews and, unfortunately, the reviews were completely correct. A remarkably thin plot padded by unnecessary musical numbers and Joaquin Phoenix's singing voice seems to have deteriorated significantly since his portrayal of Johnny Cash a few decades ago. If Todd Phillips' first
Joker
film was an homage to
The King of Comedy
, this one takes it's cues from another Scorsese project:
New York, New York
and, like that film, there isn't much to recommend it. Very disappointing as a fan of both main cast members, as well as the first film. I give it half a point over the lowest score because at the very least attempt was made to deliver something other than a retread of the first film and that's rare in a major studio sequel these days. Unfortunately, it didn't work in the slightest.
1.5/10
"Praise be to Allah." - President Donald J. Trump, Easter Sunday 04/05/2026
- Very nicely done Christmas film, more than worthy of the wonderful song it was named for! Joseph Cotten and Ginger Rogers were both outstanding and I was actually a bit surprised that a Hollywood movie depicted PTSD so openly while WWII was still ongoing. Note that there is a mistake on the original poster, with the directing and producing credits reversed.
-
spiderwort — 3 months ago(December 28, 2025 07:54 PM)
I very much enjoyed
I'll Be Seeing You
. It's a very moving film, the only film that producer Dore Schary directed, but he did a fine job.
And I'm so glad you got to see
Christmas in Connecticut
again. It's a real treat, on of my all-time favorites, though I agree with you about
Remember the Night
, which I just watched again (see below), being the better of the two.
I haven't seen
The Verdict
in a couple of decades, but I'm a big fan of it – almost everything that Lumet directed is worth watching. Another director who was great with actors, he started directing in the early days of the Golden Age of Television in the 1950s.
And I tried to watch Eastwood's
Juror #2
, but I found it so dull I just stopped after about 15-20 minutes.
Haven't seen your other titles. -
sheetsadam1 — 3 months ago(December 28, 2025 08:51 PM)
Of the Lumet films I've seen, it would be difficult for me to choose my absolute favorite between
12 Angry Men
and
Dog Day Afternoon
. And
Network
comes very close as well. I'd rank
The Verdict
just slightly below those and ahead of the other half dozen or so I've seen from him, all of which I enjoyed.
You didn't miss much with
Juror #2
. I really hope that Eastwood can find one more great project, because I do think he still has it as a director if the script is there and if he can refrain from casting himself in a role that isn't appropriate for his age (as he did in his previous film
Cry Macho
). I can only assume that all of the positive reviews for this one were out of deference to the talk that this could be his final film.
"Praise be to Allah." - President Donald J. Trump, Easter Sunday 04/05/2026 -
Rufus-T — 3 months ago(December 28, 2025 07:18 PM)
Anything Goes (1936)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027302/
This was the first adaptation of the stage musical with music of Cole Porter, directed by Lewis Milestone, and starring Bing Crosby & Ethel Merman. I never saw the musical. From what I read, only a few songs from the musical actually made it to the movie due to some copyright isse. Even the title song came with only the first line of the song. You can't deny the wonderful singing of Crosby & Merman. It is a musical comedy about a man trying to save a young woman who might be trapped by gangster in a ship. The young woman was played by the teenage Ida Lupino, who could not be more beautiful looking. The comic was kind of goofy. If you can ignore that and just pay attention to the music, it can be enjoyable.
In the Good Old Summertime (1949)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041507/
A musical remake of The Shop Around the Corner, starring Van Johnson & Judy Garland and directed by Robert Z. Leonard. The musical part is solely from Judy Garland. The movie was very colorful. The Shop Around the Corner was a well written comedy with witty lines. This one the comic was more dumbed down, and sometimes on slapstick. I did not think Van Johnson & Judy Garland were that as well cast The Shop Around the Corner nor the later remake of You've Got Mail. I just didn't feel the heavy emotional charm in it as in the other two movied. It is beautiful to look at, and the singing of Judy Garland was wonderful. Buster Keaton also played a supporting role as the nephew of the shop owner.
It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038650/
This essential Frank Capra movie never gets old, even watching it almost every year. Based on the story by Philip Van Doren Stern, The Greatest Gift, A desperate man being granted a wish by an angel that he was never been born. The first 3/4 of the movie was a prologue introducing to the man before the real story took place. The story was quite dark like watching an extended episode of Twilight Zone, but there is something deep in every scene with much humor too. What a perfect cast of James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, and among others. Every line hits the right note, and every emotional moments were impactful. -
spiderwort — 3 months ago(December 28, 2025 08:12 PM)
I haven't seen
Anything Goes
, Rufus, but it sounds like one I would enjoy, even though it isn't great; appreciate your comments about it.
And while I agree with most of your comments about
In the Good Old Summertime
, I confess that I still very much enjoy watching it. I think I like the cast more than you do, although I would absolutely agree that it's not even close to being as good as
The Shop Around the Corner
.
As for
It's a Wonderful Life
, I agree with you 100%. A great film, which I just re-watched myself after a couple of years of not seeing it. My notes are below, though yours are better. -
Rufus-T — 3 months ago(December 28, 2025 08:54 PM)
spiderwort, As someone who likes musical comedies, I did enjoy both
Anything Goes
and
In the Good Old Summertime
. I just didn't find them put together well. I think you will like
Anything Goes
too. which is available on YouTube.
In the Good Old Summertime
is on Tubi. -
spiderwort — 3 months ago(December 28, 2025 08:29 PM)
All re-watches of Christmas favorites:
It’s a Wonderful Life / Frank Capra
(1946). Capra’s masterpiece that never loses it’s charm, humanity, and brilliance. I hadn’t seen it in a couple of years so I had to dive in again, and I’m so glad I did. It’s one of the best, most beloved films ever made, although it was a failure at the box-office when it was first released. After the war the audiences weren’t ready for the dark side of it, but a decade later, when it began running on television for free it became incredibly popular, and may still the most popular Christmas film of all time. (On several streaming services)
Remember the Night / Mitchell Leisen
(1939). Love blooms when a sympathetic attorney (Fred McMurray) takes an attractive shoplifter (Barbara Stanwyck) home for the Christmas holiday so she won’t be alone before her trial begins. This is a wonderful film, written by Preston Sturges, the last script he wrote before he began directing. Its great supporting cast includes Beulah Bondi, Elizabeth Patterson and Sterling Holloway. Beautiful and deeply moving, it’s a must-see. (On TCM through December 31)
The Man Who Came to Dinner / William Keighley
(1941). A critic (Monty Woolley) breaks his hip and stays in a Midwestern family’s home, wreaking havoc until he mends. One of my all-time favorites, it has a great cast and a wonderful Kaufman/Hart script that never fails to make me laugh out loud. (On Tubi and on TCM through December 30)
Going My Way / Leo McCarey
(1944). A young priest (Bing Crosby) brings new life to an elder priest (Barry Fitzgerald) and his financially strapped parish. A rich, deeply human film, beautifully produced and directed by McCarey, who won three Oscars for it, for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Original Story. Crosby won for best actor and Fitzgerald won for best supporting actor. It was nominated for a total of 10. And it has a wonderful supporting cast that includes Gene Lockhart, the opera singer Risë Stevens, Frank McHugh, James Brown, and Porter Hall. (On TCM through December 28)
Come to the Stable / Henry Koster
(1949) Two nuns (Loretta Young, Celeste Holm) arrive unannounced in the small New England town of Bethlehem, where they recruit various townspeople to help them build a children's hospital. A lovely film that received 7 Oscar nominations, including Best Actress for Young, Best Supporting Actress for both Holm and Elsa Lanchester, and Best Screenplay for Clare Booth Luce. There’s something about director Koster’s work that always manifests the most spiritual part of any story (i.e.
Portrait of Jenny
and
The Bishop’s Wife
) and this touching film is no exception. Highly recommended. (Available on Youtube)
A Star in the Night / Don Seigel
(1945). A lovely short film that's a modern-day retelling of the Nativity story, set on Christmas Eve at a desert motel in the Southwestern United States. It stars J. Carrol Naish, Donald Woods and Rosina Galli among others, and was Don Siegel's directorial debut. It won an Oscar in 1946 for Best Short Subject.
Here’s the film: -
sheetsadam1 — 3 months ago(December 28, 2025 09:05 PM)
As I mentioned somewhere above, I'd be hard-pressed to think of a better film than
It's a Wonderful Life
. I'd hoped to rewatch it again this year, but didn't find the time.
Going My Way
is another tremendous film! I can't remember if it was this one or
The Naked City
which first introduced me to Barry Fitzgerald, but he quickly became one of my favorite classic film actors!
I enjoyed
A Star in the Night
, which is a bit uncharacteristic of Siegel's work. Siegel is one of my favorite directors. Among other highlights of his filmography, he directed the sci-fi classic
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
, two of the all-time great prison movies (
Riot in Cell Block 11
and
Escape from Alcatraz
), John Wayne's final film (
The Shootist
), the first and best
Dirty Harry
, arguably Elvis Presley's best film (the western
Flaming Star
; the only other real contenders in my book are Michael Curtiz's
King Creole
and Richard Thorpe's
Jailhouse Rock
), as well as underrated gems like
Charley Varrick
and
The Beguiled
.
And since we were talking about Clint Eastwood's latest film above, an interesting bit of trivia is that Siegel made a rare acting appearance in Eastwood's very first directorial effort, playing a bartender in
Play Misty for Me
, a very good thriller.
Come to the Stable
sounds quite interesting! I'll have to put it on my watch list for next December!
"Praise be to Allah." - President Donald J. Trump, Easter Sunday 04/05/2026 -
PygmyLion — 3 months ago(December 29, 2025 01:25 AM)
The Fighting O'Flynn
1949 - Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Helena Carter, Richard Greene. Swashbuckler. O'Flynn (Fairbanks) returns to Ireland after a long time away and helps thwart the French incursion under Bonaparte. - ***
The Exile
1947 - Douglas Fairbanks jr, Paula Corday, Henry Daniell, Nigel Bruce. Swashbuckler. Fairbanks plays Prince Charles (later to be King Charles II) in exile. He is pursued by roundhead agents who wish to kill him, and he hides out on a farm/Inn in Holland where he finds love with pretty owner Katie (Corday). ***
The Man I Love
1946 - Ida Lupino, Robert Alda, Andrea King, Bruce Bennett - Petey Brown (Lupino) who had been working in a nightclub in NYC, decides to visit her family in California for the holidays. ***
Persuasion
1995 - Amanda Root, Ciaran Hinds - a nice rendition of Jane Austen's novel. - ***1/2
Miracle on 34th Street
1947 -Edmond Gwenn, Maureen O'Hara, John Payne - I hadn't watch this Christmas classic for a several years. - ***1/2
Written on the Wind
1956 - Rock Hudson, Lauren Bacall, Robert Stack, Dorothy Malone. - ***
The Proud Rebel
1958 - Alan Ladd, Olivia De Havilland, David Ladd - Western - Confederate War veteran John Chandler comes to the North trying to find someone to cure his son's muteness. ***
Tenth Avenue Angel
1948 - Margaret O'Brien, George Murphy, Phyllis Thaxter - ***1/2
It's a Wonderful Life
Jimmy Stewart, Lionel Barrymore, Gloria Grahame- Christmas Classic. **** -
spiderwort — 3 months ago(December 30, 2025 02:45 PM)
Boy, you're sure making your way through the Douglas Fairbanks Jr. films, PL. Good for you. And I'm so glad you got to see
It's a Wonderful Life, Tenth Avenue Angel
and
The Miracle on 34th Street
this year, three of my favorites, of course. I didn't get to watch
Miracle
this year though. I meant to, but it got away from me. Next year, I guess, because now I have to start watching new films for the awards season.
And I don't remember if you had seen
Tenth Avenue Angel
before, but I agree with your rating for it – and for
Miracle
and
It's a Wonderful Life
, too (of course).
When I get a chance, I'm going to catch up on some of your Fairbanks Jr. films, especially the older ones. -
PygmyLion — 3 months ago(December 30, 2025 04:28 PM)
It was my 2nd watching of
Tenth Avenue Angel
. I watched it last year and enjoyed it, so I thought I'd watch it again.
TCM got me going a bit on Douglas Fairbanks jr by having a night of his movies up including
Chances
and
Captured!
, so I started looking at his career. He was a big star in the 1930's then went off to fight in the war in 1941. In starting up after the war, some of his movies were box office failures and he essentially got dropped by the studios. He seems to have made only 6 movies in the years after the war. Thus I was curious to see how he looked after the war, and dug up a couple of his movies. In both,
The Exile
and
The Fighting O'Flynn
, Fairbanks was trim, active, and engaging. Fairbanks produced both movies. Fairbanks was born in 1909, so he was only in his late 30's at the time.
One of the ways that I look for good movies, when there isn't anything interesting on watchTCM, is to get a list of an actor's or actress' (that I like) on IMDB and go down it and see if there are movies that sound interesting - and then see if I can find them. Last night, I watched another Fairbanks movie:
Union Depot
(1932). After I got into it, I realized I had seen it before, but I enjoyed it again. -
CoriSCapnSkip — 3 months ago(December 29, 2025 06:11 PM)
Charles Dickens' The Christmas Carol
narrated by Vincent Price (1949) on December 21. The mistakes in the title are as given in the program, also they spelled Scrooge's first name "Ebeneezer," but it is a pretty good adaptation well worth watching. I can only name two which follow the book in having Scrooge go to bed fully dressed. The other is the George C. Scott version because Scott refused to run around in a nightshirt when it was freezing.
The Littlest Angel
(1969) on December 22.
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
(1970) on December 23.
The Little Drummer Boy
(1968) on December 24.
Frosty the Snowman
(1969) on December 24.
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol
(1962) on December 25.
David
(2025) on December 26. -
spiderwort — 3 months ago(December 30, 2025 03:04 PM)
Of your titles, Cori, I've seen
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, The Little Drummer Boy, Frosty the Snowman
and
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol
, and I loved all of them, though I saw them so very long ago that I really need to see them again. Where on earth did you find them? I have to start watching new films now because of the Awards season, but I'd love to watch them again later when I have a chance. They were a real treat for me back in the day. -
CoriSCapnSkip — 3 months ago(December 30, 2025 05:09 PM)
Santa Claus is Comin' to Town
–Good Copy on Internet Archive.
The Little Drummer Boy
–On YouTube, probably best quality available. Original sadly lost or misplaced and this is a copy of a copy, still great.
Frosty the Snowman
–Free on Hulu, absolutely beautiful copy.
Mister Magoo's Christmas Carol
–Spectacular copy on YouTube, never saw it look and sound so great. -
CoriSCapnSkip — 3 months ago(January 01, 2026 05:24 PM)
You might check if Frosty is also on Internet Archive. If not, the place I go after trying YouTube and Internet Archive is ok.ru. This is a Russian site where you don't have to have an account or identify yourself in any way. You type the name of the program into Google and add ok.ru and if it brings up multiple copies play a little of each and choose the one which seems clearest. I have an HDMI cable connecting my computer to my TV and the programs play almost perfectly, with glitches no bigger than might be seen on network TV.