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Noirvember

These are Matthew Sweet's five rules of film noir, in honor of a gloomy month that calls for some equally dark movies...I do love a femme fatale.

Labels: movie pick, movies

Whip It

One of my favorite summer movies is Whip It. The directorial debut of Drew Barrymore it's an inspiring coming-of-age story set to the beat of girl pop-punk bands and roller derbies. Bliss (Ellen Page) is a misfit in her small Texas town and dreams of leaving. After seeing her first roller derby she tells the women of the Hurl Scouts team (loads of hilarious team names in this film) that they are her "new heroes." Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig) tells Bliss to "put on some skates and become [her] own hero." And this is the basic premise of the movie: becoming the person you want to be. Bliss gets knocked down and around a few times both figuratively by life and literally in the roller rink, but step-by-step she becomes her own person in her own terms. Unlike other teen films where the protagonist discovers who they are through a transformation dictated by someone else, Bliss shapes her life and her future herself. It's a fun film with a good message and suits the hot summer months perfectly.

Labels: movie pick, movies

Designing Woman

What to watch: Designing Woman
Why: Watch if you like comedies like How To Marry A Millionaire and 1950s fashion
Synopsis: Designing Woman starts as your typical romantic flick--boy meets girl, they fall in love, they even get married all while on vacation and then a funny thing happens on the plane back to New York "Marilla changes her clothes." Mike Hagen, played by Gregory Peck, has developed one idea of Marilla Brown (Lauren Bacall) on their shared vacation, brushing aside her mention of her job because it doesn't suit his image of her, but with a simple wardrobe change his world is rocked. He goes on to state that she changed her clothes "nine times in a day" and it's just the start of realizing that she isn't who he assumed she was and they don't have much in common. Marilla Brown is a fashion designer, which in movie terms means one jaw-droopingly 1950s gorgeous outfit after another from a full fur dress to sheer organza sleeves bigger than her head. The film turns quite comedic as they settle into domestic life in New York as her acting and dancing friends mingle with sports writer Mike's boxing and poker-playing gang of tough guys. Towards the end things get a bit slapstick, but overall it's a solid comedy with solid performances by both the leads and the sort of costumes vintage lovers will really enjoy.

Labels: movie pick

Favorite Films Masterpost

*photo by J.R. Eyerman at the opening-night screening of Bwana Devil, the first full-length, color 3-D movie

It's always difficult for me to pick favorites; I'm always hard-pressed to name my favorite author or candy or book from childhood or even dress or outfit and yet we are constantly asked to pick favorites. The frequent request for a favorite movies master post has led to today's post listing a few of my favorite movies by genre (genres as defined by me anyway). I haven't been very good at posting movies recently, but I'd love to get back into the swing of things because there's nothing better than a couple of hours escaping into a fantastic film and then discussing it for awhile afterward. Anyway, back to today's subject: favorites. The movie that is probably closest to being named my overall favorite is Charade--it has all my favorite elements: Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, plot twists, intrigue, comedy, and a gorgeous wardrobe. It's a bit of a Hitchcock copy, but with so much wit and humor that it stands on its own apart from more traditional thrillers.