Saturday, May 31, 2008

Blog News

June is guest blogger month. I have recruited several people to submit a piece to me and I will post their submissions over the next few weeks. They have free reign to submit anything their heart desires on whatever subject as long as it's classic film related. In fact, depending on when the submissions come in, I will probably be posting into July as well.

If you are interested in being a guest blogger, please e-mail me your submission (my e-mail link is to your right). Feel free to include photos. You can come up with a pen name if you so desire.

Also, I have joined The Golden Age of Hollywood (as some of you friends who were coerced... ahem encouraged to join already know). It's a social networking site for fans of classic films. It's a great way to meet other like-minded people as well as share your interests in films. If you join, please make sure to add me as a friend.
I've added some links to other cool new blogs. Check them out.

Finally, Out of the Past ~ A Classic Film Blog has received a rating of 9.1 on Blogged.com. My blog was critiqued based on 4 categories: Frequency of Updates, Relevance of Content, Site Design, and Writing Style.

Out of the Past at Blogged

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Raquelle's Favorite Genres

I got to thinking about genres and types of movies I like to watch. And I have to say, I have a very unique taste. Very specific things excite my wonderment and curiousity. I have talked about a few on here, but there are others, some of which I made up terms for, that I haven't really delved into. Do you have any very specific types of films that you enjoy? Please feel free to share!

Here is my list (some genres overlap with each other). Each category links to one of my favorite films in that given genre.


Contemporary French Films

Pre-Codes

'60's Sex Comedies & Romantic Comedies

Film Noir

'40s Romances

Screwball Comedies

Mormon Cinema

Controversial '50s Films

'90s Period Pieces

Visually Stylized Films

Contemporary Romantic Comedies

Office/Workplace-based Comedies

Book Industry-related Films

Literary Adaptations

Dating/Relationship Movies

Sweltering Deep-South Dramas

Americans Abroad - Comedies

Monday, May 26, 2008

Unseen Noir

The Harvard Film Archive had an Unseen Noir series over the long holiday weekend, showcasing numerous noir films that were not available through regular channels. This was a great opportunity for me and my friend Kevin to watch some unique film noirs!

On Friday night, Kevin and my new friend Bob and I watched a double feature of He Ran All the Way and The Sound of Fury. On Sunday night, Vivienne and Nate joined us for a screening of Pitfall. The place was packed on both nights, which gave me all sorts of warm proud feelings inside. To see so many people come out to watch these movies when they could be spending their money on some brainless blockbuster. Below are my thoughts and reactions or interesting information on each of the films.

He Ran All the Way (1951) - John Garfield plays Nick, who is running away from the police after accidentally killing a cop. Is he genuinely evil or is he a good guy gone bad due to circumstances? He romances Shelley Winters, as Peg, only to sequester her and her family in their apartment as he grows ever anxious of being caught. Peg is caught between her growing affection for Nick and her love and devotion for her family. And time is running out.

~ Why isn't this on DVD? Garfield + Winters + Noir = $$$
~ John Garfield's last film.
~ classic gutter scene. Every film noir should have one.
~ great camera angles and shots. Lots of focus on Garfield's face.
~ One scene, Garfield's face is half in shadow, showing how he's split between good and bad.
~ low-budget, short, so the focus is on the story and the rising tension.
~ Suspense was well-done. As the plot progresses, Garfield's character becomes less patient and more suspicious.
~ My favorite line was a suggestion made to Winters character about how a little lipstick, a hairdo and a nice dress can make a man do anything you want!

The Sound of Fury (1951) ~ Based on a true story, this is an interesting study in journalistic sensationalism and the violence that can erupt from mob mentality. Frank Lovejoy plays a family man, desperate for cash for his wife, kid and baby on the way, who gets entangled in a kidnapping gone wrong with the charismatic Llyod Bridges. The media and community are hungry for blood.

~ Why isn't this on DVD? Bridges + Mob Mentality + Noir = $$$
~ Uncomfortable to watch because it was so poignant. Left me somewhat depressed.
~ Wow. Llyod Bridges. Wow. Double wow.
~ Reminded me of the equally uncomortable They Won't Forget (1937).
~ Didn't help that they kept talking about how people won't forget.
~ Several funny moments helped us feel the intensity of the tragedies to come.
~ Kathleen Ryan reminded me of Melanie Lynskey.
~ Mob riot/jail scene was breathtaking!

Pitfall (1948) ~ Dick Powell is a jaded insurance man who is bored with his job + wife + kid = safe life scenario. He meets Lizabeth Scott who's boyfriend is in jail for stealing insured jewelry. Biggest mistake, sending a detective, played by Raymond Burr, over to Scott. Sadistic Burr wants Scott but so does Powell and the love triangle gets ugly.

~ Why isn't this on DVD? Powell + Young Raymond Burr + Noir = $$$
~ Raymond Burr gave me the chills. Burrrr...
~ Lizabeth Scott is like a combination of Lauren Bacall and Susan Peters!
~ One of a few great movies based on insurance companies. The Apartment, Double Indemnity.
~ My first Jane Wyatt film.
~ Any film with a fashion scene is a-okay with me.
~ Some of the story, especially dialogue, seemed to much like filler. Could have been more tension build up.
~ Dick Powell can do it all, in my honest opinion. He was superb in this.

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Tammy Tyree

I had so much fun watching Sandra Dee's 2 Tammy movies. They were campy and sweet and Sandra Dee was just as loveable and vibrant as I like to see her in films. Although not by any means a sex comedy, these films I group in that wonderful category of '60s Romantic Comedies. A genre I have come to love.

The Tammy films are quite formulaic, watching both was like watching the same film twice. They feature Tammy Tyree, that's short for Tambrey which means "immortal", who was raised on the river and doesn't know much about book-learning or talking like folks of the world or even what that box TV is. But man can she fry up a mean catfish.

1) Love Interest - must have personal crisis to overcome before he can love Tammy.
2) Ridicule - Others laugh at Tammy but she puts them right at the end with a big speech.
3) Grumpy Old Person - Tammy makes person less grumpy and gives them a friend.
4) Job - Tammy fails over and over again much to our amusement.
5) Troubled Couple - Tammy helps them overcome their issues and fall in love all over again.
6) Body of Water - Preferably a river, but Tammy will do with a mason jar of water or the ocean.
7) Catch Phrases - Tammy must utter such phrases as "monstrous kind" throughout movie.
8) Failed Kisses - Tammy has to beg for a kiss numerous times until she finally gets a good one towards the end.
9) Acquaintance - Takes a liking to Tammy and shows that not everyone is disdainful.
10) New Experience - Tammy does something she's never done before and we are amused at her wonderment.

Tammy Tell Me True (1961) - This was my favorite of the two. Tammy is in her element on the River and out of her element at college where she is falling in love with Public Speaking teacher Tom, played by the hunky John Gavin. She helps Beulah Bondi's character live again and escape the greedy clutches of her inheritance-hungry niece. I loved Tammy's dialogue. My favorite line, paraphrased badly, was when she was talking to a catfish in the river saying "You are going to be breaded and fried in fat and ate my two lovely ladies and that's a mighty wondrous end for you". My only gripe is that the film overcompensates for Tammy's being dumped by the previous film's love interest Pete, who's name is so often brought up that I feel he was a ghost character.

Tammy and the Doctor (1963) - Because of the formula, I felt like I was watching Tammy Tell Me True again. This time, Beulah Bondi (Mrs. Call) is sick and Tammy who refuses to leave her side takes a job at the hospital. Peter Fonda is just not right for this movie. Poor guy. He stood out like a sore thumb. I felt like there were better things waiting for him. It didn't help that they gave him wrotten dialogue. He couldn't compete with Tammy's unique language. He had sexy lines such as "You can find her address at the personnel's office" or "I'll be back as soon as I wash up." Groan! And also Tammy belongs by the river! In a hospital she was just out of her element too much. We really forgot what she was like. But I have to say, I enjoyed the film nonetheless which in the end is what counts the most.

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