Movie Monday: Hanna.

source.

I got this damn movie for my dad for Christmas thinking it was sure to please and I was way off. Did. not. get good reviews from him. It's mine now, I guess.

I loved Hanna for some reason. It is full of action and has a very unusual storyline. Saoirse Ronan plays Hanna, the only child of an ex-CIA agent who has been simultaneously hiding out for x amount of years and teaching his daughter to be an assassin. They have an enemy. Something happened to Hanna's mother and Eric Bana's wife. What is it?! Go.


it's Monday,
jayteewo.

Walking in the Air.

I am sorry to tell you we cannot be friends if you are not obsessed with 1982's animated, silent, but with a brief intro by David Bowie, film, The Snowman. I just realized that would really limit my companions so I may have to reconsider. Seriously, though, it is so weird and haunting and whimsical. Driven almost entirely by its score; visually it is quite dumbed down (Raymond Briggs both wrote and animated). It does such a good job, at least for me, at drawing the audience in and making you emotionally involved in the story. And the song, "Walking in the Air," is beautiful and a little (lot) creepy.. I'm sure you'll love it, though.


watch here.
buy here. 
read here.

Pierre says you'll be into it.

best,
jayteewo.

Movie: Now Voyager.

This movie is very multi-faceted and it covers a lot of time and transitions. It's based on the novel by Olive Higgins Prouty (loving the name Olive) who took her title from Walt Whitman's "The Untold Want" in Songs of Parting: "The Untold Want, By Life and Land Ne'er Granted,/Now, Voyager, Sail Thou Forth, to Seek and Find." 

It's about an ugly duckling, a manipulative parent and letting yourself be a doormat even though you know you're better than that. Charlotte Vale (Bette Davis) is the underdog in the family with zero social skills. Turns out she's also either having a nervous breakdown or just totally off her rocker in general. It takes the interest of a particular doctor to help her through her issues. As usual with Davis' films, it's great. Also per usual, Bette gets mouthy towards the end which, as you know, I love.

When Jeri (Paul Henreid) lights two cigarettes in his mouth and hands one to Charlotte.. Uhhhh. Hot. From IMDB: Henreid's "act of lighting two cigarettes at once caught the public's imagination and he couldn't go anywhere without being accosted by women begging him to light cigarettes for them." Not sure I'd want Henreid to do it, but I'm open to other applicants, surely. 

:)

jayteewo.

Movie: Sólo Con Tu Pareja.

I finally got around to the Español section of my queue (yes it's alphabetized). Sólo Con Tu Pareja (1991) is a Mexican film that I very much enjoyed. Tomás Tomás (Giménez Cacho) is a man whore publicist who banged Silvia Silva (Dobrina Liubomirova) and did her wrong. Silvia happens to be a nurse who gets her hands on his STD test results and marks "positive" on his AIDS test to scare the shit out of him. Tomás is a little bitch so he decides to off himself rather than face the music and notify all of his conquests. 

Clarissa (Claudia Ramírez), a flight attendant, finds out her fiance is cheating on her and now wants to end it as well. Tomás happens to be in love with Clarissa, however, so the adventure ensues. It's really artistic and stylized and its beautiful, instrumental score really impacted the film and gave it special personality. The film is laced with lovely, relevant quotes plus, there's a sexual tension theme where Tomás is like, always on.  

"For those sick of life, love is the cure."

sincerely,
jayteewo.

Movie: Sex and the Single Girl.

This is a pretty sweet movie. Prett-y scandalous in its day. The title alone was said to fill the seats in the theater when it came out. Starring Natalie Wood, Tony Curtis, Lauren Bacall and Henry Fonda (amazing cast), Sex and the Single Girl (1964) is the story of a tabloid-writing dude who finds himself involved with a psychologist that has been smeared in his magazine in the for her work in sexology and relationships. First of all, this movie deals with being comfortable as a single woman and feminism in its infant stages.


I have to admit, I expected to dislike this film but it grew on me. The last third of the movie really brought it home. I feel like I'm always seeing pictures of Tony Curtis late in life with white hair and big lips. Turns out he always looked like that. Natalie Wood is perfectly cute in the film and Lauren Bacall, always sarcastic, was perfectly humorous as a jealous wife in a struggling marriage. Check it out if not only for the bold subject matter that it was back in the day.


adieu,
jayteewo.

Movie: The Lion King.

Let's all give a 'what up!' to Disney's The Lion King. Lemme give you a little history here: The Lion King was originally released in 1994 when I was nine. Saturday night as part of my dear friend Kirstie Lu's 26th birthday celebration (Happy Birthday!) we saw this wonderful film in the theater again, 17 years later, but this time we did it big in 3D! Now I've given you the components of the equation so you figure that shit out. Let's just say it was a while back and it was a trip down memory lane, to say the least. Unlike everyone else in the audience, Kirstie Lu and I held back quoting the entire movie and singing along to the songs that we could easily sing on queue, a cappella, at any moment of any day. Either way, we had fun, what with all the wildebeests and lionesses flying at our face in the third dimension! We didn't have that business the first time around when I was a shy young girl of nine.

Now that I'm a shy young girl of ALMOST 26, I want to make a declarative statement here and if you're not comfortable with it you can throw it right back (I'll then likely return it until you accept it as fact): The Lion King is the most powerful Disney film of all time. I'm not saying it's my favorite, let's not get crazy, but it's the most powerful by far. It's about duty, honor, love, mortality (or whatever the animal version of that is), family and how all of those things overlap. It's about leadership. Damn. Aristocats doesn't have that shit. Deep stuff as illustrated by warthogs, lions, meerkats, hyenas and the rest of our friends from the Pride Land.

The real point of this post is to encourage you to go see The Lion King 3D in its limited two-week run in theaters. It's awesome. It's nostalgic. It's Disney. Do it.


best,
jayteewo.

Movie: Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Obviously I've seen Breakfast at Tiffany's before, but never have I appreciated it appropriately. Now the time has come for me in my life to go through some big changes. I'm starting a new job, I became a mother of a beautiful baby boy kitty and I'm seeing the subtle nuances and comedic value in Breakfast at Tiffany's for the very first time. I feel like a school girl again! I don't know that I think Audrey was the greatest actress ever  but she does bring something to the table in the shade of quirkiness. Now I like quirky, who doesn't? So this, for me, is enough to keep me engrossed in a film. To be honest, I've watched it about 90 times in a row. I am still digging it.

best,

jayteewo.

Movie: Paris Blues.

"I don't feel average when I'm with you, I feel very, very special."

Paris Blues (1961) is a sort of dark, deep and steamy movie. Those descriptors sound a little odd together, but they're accurate. I've seen it before but caught it again on TCM the other day. Paul Newman is my man, I have no qualms about exposing that. He's hot and he needs to reincarnate and come back to marry me. Weird? Sorry but it's about time I expressed that.

Two women are vacationing in Paris and they happen upon two good looking jazz musicians. One couple is white, one is black. It deals with sex, race, jazz, drugs, love, resistance and Paris. I seem to like movies set in Paris; they are romantic, I guess, but in a sincere way. Paris is believable and the chemistry between Paul and Joanne Woodward is genuine because they were in love in real life. Sydney Poitier is always a nice addition and I love jazz.. so the sum is something very lovely to watch. But I don't know where you're gonna do that because it's not on Netflix but you could buy it here. It's worth it. Anything with Paul is. Duh.

P.S.- Woodward's wardrobe (tongue-twister) deserves a mention. This gorgeous undergarment is so pretty, I wish you could see the diving back. And the rest is just very elegant and perfect for a Parisian vacay.

peace,

jayteewo.

Summer Under the Stars.

I'm late in writing this, I suppose, but it's still worth talking about. TCM's Summer Under the Stars is going on the whole month of August. Each day they show movies in the theme of one outstanding star. It's a great way to learn about classic film and see a good chunk of an actor's résumé in a single day. It's particularly great if you have a DVR of some sort so you can go through a day's films and simply record the ones you want to watch and you can get to them at your convenience. Phenomenal! The TCM website for this event is really cool, too.

This week I'm excited about Joan Crawford (tomorrow) and Burt Lancaster (Thursday)! There are SO many fantastic movies on! Can hardly contain myself. Check it out!


best,
jayteewo.

Movie: Goodbye Again.

This is such a good movie, folks. Like, really good. Goodbye Again (1961) stars Ingrid Bergman, Yves Montand, and Anthony Perkins. Like many films of this era it was based on a best selling novel. Bergman plays Paula, an uptight 40 year old interior decorator living in Paris who is involved with playboy Roger, played by Montand. She encounters the 20-something son of a wealthy American woman on a decorating job, and a love triangle follows, despite Paula's devotion to Roger. It is engaging and ahead of it's time due to the scandalous age difference in the romance- of course, it's derived from a French novel. Great acting, music, scenery and a compelling storyline. So good. If you're still hanging tight with our dear friend Netflix, then you can watch it on instant, otherwise you can buy it here.


regards,
jayteewo.

Movie: Irma la Douce.

I just watched Irma La Douce (1963) on TCM again the other day and it is really good. It stars Jack Lemmon and Shirley Maclaine. Shirley is so cute in it and I love her style. She has a green theme and a little dog with a matching bow. She's a hooker in Paris and Jack Lemmon whom falls in love with and conjures a scheme to get her to be with only him. He gets into a pickle and a romantic comedy unfolds. This isn't the only movie the two starred in together and you can see why. They have great chemistry but I especially like Maclaine. She's young and pretty and mischevious. Perfect female amalgamation.

later,

jayteewo.

Movie Monday.

You should watch Arthur Penn's Bonnie and Clyde (1967). Those two are household names but few people nowadays are familiar with the movie that made them famous. I was totally one of them, so I'm not judging. Turns out, the movie actually is worth watching. Both Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty gave fine performances. It's especially cool because it's about real people who did all of this badass, yet criminal stuff. They weren't kidding. 

 

Their relationship was very compelling. The infamous duo were a mere 23 and 25 (respectively) when they died and the whole tale only spanned about four years, which isn't long for all of this shit to have happened. I like the lust-at-first-sight deal that leads into I'll-follow-you-into-battle-even-if-it's-batshit-crazy thing. Add on the jail time trauma and we've got a solid story cookin' here. It's helpful to know the backstory to gain perspective on Clyde, at the least. If you can get through Faye's accent then you're good to go (it really is kinda annoying but she's supposed to be a poor broad from Texas back in the day so give her a damn break). Give it a shot. 

adios, 

jayteewo.

Movie Monday.

A Face in the Crowd (1957).

I feel like I've already written about this film but it turns out I only thought about it. This is an excellent movie that I did not expect to like because Andy Griffith is in it. His generally acting style and voice is not quite my fave but in this movie I feel it serves a purpose at least. It's about an assertive female radio personality, played by Patricia Neal (whom I love), who discovers a natural talent in a burnt-out, drunk of a jailbird. Fame drives him to the edge and he starts acting like a douche, OF COURSE. Patricia Neal I think steals the show and anchors the plot line. She has an amazing life story filled with struggle and overcoming the odds that you should read about here or  here; she passed away less than a year ago, actually. Check it out.

get some shit done this Monday,

jayteewo.

Funny.

best regards,
jayteewo.

Movie Monday.

The Best of Everything (1959).

I LOVE this movie- one of the rare 5s I've given on Netflix (I take that rating system very seriously). It was also a best-selling novel by Rona Jaffe which I learned about incidentally because Betty Draper was reading it on Mad Men. I like her style (seriously just her style, her parenting technique sucks). I still haven't gotten around to reading it, per usual (all them books I didn't read/ they just sat there on my shelf/ lookin much smarter than me). 

It's about five young women, who work in the typing pool at a publishing company under a cranky editor played by Joan Crawford (told ya she plays a good bitch), and the struggle of trying to prove themselves in that time period. Other amazing actors in this film include Hope Lange (first film I've seen her in- love), Suzy Parker, Diane Baker, and Louis Jourdan, among others. There's an affair, there's rejection, there's betrayal, there's death, there's a real cold-hearted bitch trying to keep a good girl down, there's the struggle to make it to the top. It's good shit, I'm telling you. 

sincerely,

jayteewo.

Movie Monday.

You guys. I just watched Woman of the Year with Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. This, after I heard about their life-long love affair from my Gramma. Scandal! Spenc wouldn't get a divorce because he was Catholic so they just lived next door to each other and everyone knew that they were lovasss! So it's not hard to believe their chemistry on screen at all. It's really intense and comically ahead of its time. Very good timing. And I love Katherine Hepburn. I tried not to like her, but I do. Her accent grows on you, I swear (maybe not). This was her first appearance with Tracy in a film and also the one during which they fell in love. You can tell. Plus, my feminist side (which might be all sides) likes to watch movies with a powerful woman in the leading role trying to balance "it all." I liked Woman of the Year so much I am going to buy it and let up on my stingy Netflix rating and give it five stars. 

best,
jayteewo.

Winnie-ther-Pooh.

Yes, I'm writing a post about Winnie the Pooh, dammit. I need to tell you some stuff because Disney is doing something with this story that pretty much doesn't happen these days: they are releasing a movie that is animated like the original tv show! They're goin classic with this bitch. Heyoo! This gives me hope, people. Maybe I jumped the gun when I purchased all of my favorite Disney shows/movies on dvd so as to have something to show my kids one day when the wonderful art of yesteryear animation is completely nonexistent.

Disney is releasing a Winnie the Pooh movie today, July 15th. It looks pretty authentic, but of course I have a few complaints: Christopher Robin's voice: who do you think you're kidding here, Disney? I could also deal without the Keane song on the trailer. What's that about? The imagery is the same, though, and the basic plot line has the feel of the original series. I won't go see it (probably will) but I'm glad that kids today will be exposed to this type of animation and innocent subject matter. None of that new-fangled crap they have out nowadays. It's a glimmer of hope, that's all.

until next time,

jayteewo.

Mildred Pierce.

Joan Crawford got a bad rap for the whole Mommy, Dearest thing.. but ya know, she was in a ton of films and a lot of them very good. My absolute, hands-down favorite is Mildred Pierce (1945). It is a crazy ride. Every time I watch it I yell at the television hoping my objections will make it turn out differently (they do not). Plus, I love film noir. There are some other great actors in the film also: Jack Carson, Eve Arden and Zachary Scott. Joan's m.o. is being a bitch, but in this movie the tables are turned! Gasp!

It should be mentioned that there is a mini-series on HBO presently based on MP. I really would like to see it, but I don't have HBO so I'll be waiting for it to grace Netflix. It stars the beautiful Kate Winslet (fab) and surely has a great supporting cast but I didn't feel like researching it. (okay, I know Evan Rachel Wood plays that bitch!, Veda) Some liberties were probably taken and though I'd recommend watching the mini-series, first watch the original. It also happens to be a book which I have definitely not read.

adios,

jayteewo.

Movie Monday.

I have a love for old films (and films in general) and their stars. Sometimes they are a little ridiculous if you don't consider them in context but that's part of the fun. They're simpler and sillier. The style back then (between 1940-1960ish) was more glam and if you think we take style seriously these days, you should check out the pains these women so obviously went through to have like a 15-inch waste and hair that doesn't move. Ever. And the men! So dapper always. God I love TCM (that's Turner Classic Movies for you ignoramuses out there). TCM is a wonderful thing in my life that has exposed me to many stars and films I otherwise would have never been aware of. Netflix also makes so many old films accessible. They don't make 'em like that anymore.


Today its Lana Turner. Look how beautiful this woman was! Lana had an interesting life and was a fantastic actress. I just watched Marriage is a Private Affair (1944). It was scandalous. Basically she played a hot chick who gets married but still chases men.. At the worst, you get to look at her.


farewell,
jayteewo.

Long, Hot Summer.

Paul Newman is my main man. He makes delicious organic food products and has a delicious bod. Not to mention he's a really good actor. (All in present tense.) I just watched Long, Hot Summer and it was great. I thought it relevant because that's what we're looking down the barrel of, a Long. Hot. Summer. Ughh. Joanne Woodward really knocked it out of the park with this guy. Good for her.. I guess.


xo (not into that),
jayteewo.