2. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) - [blind spot] I think the one from the 50s is incredible and this one is supposed to be EVEN BETTER?! I was HYPED going into this and I'm so happy to report that it is, indeed, a perfect film. 5 stars. The cast is great - I've been a big Donald Sutherland fan from when I was a kid (I was a big Buffy fan WAY before the tv show existed). Jeff Goldblum used to really know how to pick his roles, didn't he? I'm not sure what happened, but he's in some incredible films and now I've only seen him in Jurassic sequels and reboots. Also, Brooke Adams looks so much like Kate Allen that I thought it was her for almost the whole movie until I looked it up because I thought "wait, she also kind of looks like Ali MacGraw?", but she's neither. She's also married to Tony Shalhoub (things I learned while googling). This feels inspired by the original, but it's definitely its own thing, which I appreciate. The sound is superb - the screeching of those swings is a sound that will haunt me. I can finally say that I've seen the film with the Donald Sutherland creepily pointing at the camera gif. LOL.
3. Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? - [blind spot] I've seen parts of this movie, but never the whole thing at once. I love learning about the history between these two iconic women, Joan Crawford & Bette Davis. I think Davis is the star here though - the range she shows in this is stunning. I'm pulled in right from the opening credits with the still shots of the car that paralyzed the sister, along with the shots of the broken doll. The crazy thing is - I didn't know about the twist in this movie??? HOLY SHIT! It's so good! The line "you mean all this time, we could've been friends?" is an all-timer of a line. I'm surprised at how dark it gets, too - the scene when she starts beating her?! I was shocked. My only criticism of the film is that it's too long and it drags a bit. If it were 30 minutes shorter it would be a 5 star movie (editing is important!). I would actually love a modern day remake of this starring the Fanning sisters. Someone in Hollywood needs to get on this idea STAT.
4. The Rocky Horror Picture Show - [rewatch] It's been a long time since I've watched this, but I listen to the Glee version of some of these songs regularly (haha!). I was never one of the cult-like fans of this, but I do like the movie. My husband told me that his mom used to put this on every Halloween, so I decided to rewatch it this past Halloween because I think that's a cute tradition (probably not an appropriate movie to put on for children? But they all turned out fine). Tim Curry is absolutely iconic in this role - and I don't think that's hyperbole. Some of the dialogue is hilarious ("a triumph of your will" is one of my favorites). I love so many other things about it, but I don't think it's any higher than a 3.5 star film. It feels long for a 100 minute movie, and some of the songs slow it down. However, I've given it 4 stars with this rewatch simply because of the cultural impact and Curry's performance. It's kind of insane that this movie was made in the 70s because I'm pretty sure if it was made today it would be called "woke campy garbage" or something to that effect.
5. Above Suspicion (1943) - [blind spot] This is another movie that could easily get a modern remake - actually, maybe one already exists? I'm not sure. It sort of reminds me of Mr. & Mrs. Smith (more the tv show because they know each other are spies). It seems really far-fetched and ludicrous, and if it leaned into that more, maybe it would have been much better. But it gets very boring, very quickly, and I zoned out for most of it, unfortunately. Love Joan Crawford in this too, though! She's so good.
6. The Nutty Professor (1963) - [blind spot] I've seen the 90s remake with Eddie Murphy but I barely remember it. I've also seen clips of this one, and maybe the whole thing, but I don't remember it at all. I didn't realize that Jerry Lewis co-wrote and directed this too! He was such a talent. And knowing that he co-wrote it, there is absolutely no denying that it IS based on his frenemy Dean Martin (he does deny it, but it's just so Dean Martin coded - sorry, Jerry, I don't believe you!). I love how cliched the nerd version is - just hits every nerd aesthetic: glasses, buck teeth, the hair cowlick, the nasally voice, the highwater pants. It's just instantly, visually funny. Like every time Steve Urkel appeared on Family Matters, the audience would laugh before he even said anything. And Jerry is so good at the switch, too. He's incredibly believable at both of these characters. I also love that the cast bow at the end, like they are in a play. More movies should end like this.
7. Gaslight - [blind spot] It's so interesting that this whole term of "gaslighting" someone has had such a resurgence over the past few years (although a lot of people use it incorrectly!). It was such a common theme in Hitchcock movies (Rebecca, Suspicion etc.), and other movies of that time like Diabolique (which I watched again earlier this year, and I can't stop thinking about it! It's a perfect movie). This is from the same writer as Rope, and I watched it on AMC as part of a "movies that could have been directed by Hitchcock" marathon, which is kind of funny. But also, this would have probably been a better movie if Hitch did direct it. It's still good though - but it gets very repetitive. Like, we get it - we understand what's going on - so move it along, please! Ingrid Bergman is gorgeous, though. AND ANGELA LANSBURY!!! It was her first role and she's so young and adorable! I love her so much. I hope it's obvious to every woman that as soon as he questions why she smiles at a man who smiled at her first, she should have bolted from that relationship instantly.
8. The China Syndrome - [blind spot] This is another one of my bigger blind spot films. And I love Jane Fonda, so I'm not sure why I waited so long to watch this. She's outstanding in this, as is Jack Lemmon. I prefer him in funnier roles because he's so naturally goofy, but he's so good in this - like Oscar worthy good (he was nominated). I could live without Michael Douglas - he was basically doing a Richard Dreyfuss impression (why not just get Dreyfuss for this?). I like how the beginning of this is almost set up like a reality tv show (how it keeps rolling after her broadcast so you "see" the reality behind the camera), which is WAY ahead of its time. It's also kind of crazy that this came out 7 years before Chernobyl. I thought for sure that it was inspired by that, but no, instead it practically predicted it?! That's wild. It's a great movie, but I expected 5 stars and it barely hits 4 for me.
9. The Maltese Falcon (1941) - [blind spot] I've watched clips of this for a film class, but not the whole thing (that's how I've seen a lot of older movies - in clips from film class. We would often be assigned to watch the movie as homework, but I didn't have time for that. I worked 2 jobs in college! And had internships!). I've never really thought of myself as a Bogart fan, but doing this whole retrospective thing has kind of changed that because I really liked him in The Big Sleep, The African Queen, and, of course, Casablanca. But this is the kind of roles that I remember him in and I find him really dull in this - his performance almost feels like a parody of a Bogart role, if that makes sense. I watched this after falling down stairs at work and stuck on my couch at home, on some major pain medication that made me very drowsy, so I wasn't paying as much attention to it as I should have. But I got the gist. It's a classic detective noir story - but nothing special about stands out to me.
10. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - [blind spot] I've probably watched this as a kid, but after watching this, I have my doubts that I've ever seen it because it did not seem familiar AT ALL. I was shocked that it's about a country that doesn't allow children?! IMAGINE! I would want to move there immediately. Sounds like Heaven. It seems kind of scary for a children's movie, though, right?? It was a perfect movie to wrap Christmas presents to and by the end I was belting out the "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" song along with the cast. I didn't love it, but some of it is good. I honestly thought it was a film made in the 50s, because for a film made in 1968, it should look better, right? It's obviously too long (2.5 hours), but I'm loving the intermission. There are plans for a remake for this, right? That could be interesting.
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