My Five Favourite Films: Cary Grant

Cary Grant is probably the single most attractive man to ever grace the silver screen. He was charming, suave, and had a voice that would make any woman weak at the knees. But, perhaps, because of his good looks and charming manner, Grant’s talent as an actor, these days, is somewhat overlooked; certainly neglected. As one of the rare few to reach such a status, he is remembered more as an icon than as an actor. But Grant was indeed an actor, and a very good one at that. In fact, I find him so captivating that I would place him second on a list of my favourite actors of all time, behind Jimmy, of course.

Though I found it easy to pick my five favourite of Grant’s films, I found it somewhat troubling to put them in order from one to five, especially when it came to my second and third favourites. Anywho, this is the order I eventually came up with:

5.) An Affair to Remember

"If it had to happen to one of us, why did it have to be you?"

4.) North By Northwest

"Now you listen to me, I'm an advertising man, not a red herring. I've got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex-wives and several bartenders that depend upon me, and I don't intend to disappoint them all by getting myself "slightly" killed."

3.) Bringing Up Baby

"Because I just went gay all of a sudden!"

2.) Notorious

"Dry your eyes, baby; it's out of character."

1.) Charade

"Hasn't it occurred to you that I'm having a tough time keeping my hands off you?"

My Man Godfrey (1936)

William Powell and Carole Lombard were two of the biggest screen stars of the 1930s. During that period, they starred in dozens of films, My Man Godfrey being one of their most famous. Released in September of 1936, the film became the 11^th highest grossing film of the year, and remains of one the best known films of the early talky, or sound film, era.

A young woman on a scavenger hunt, looking for a “forgotten man”, stumbles across Godfrey, a well spoken, well mannered vagrant, whom she takes an instant liking to. After Godfrey offers his services to her during the scavenger hunt, the young woman, wanting to return the favour, offers Godfrey a job as her butler.

"All you need to start an asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people."

My Man Godfrey is what they called a screwball comedy back in the day. According to Wikipedia, the definition of a screwball comedy is a comedic film that behaves in unexpected ways. The Golden Age of Hollywood produced many of these fantastic films, including Bringing Up Baby (1938), The Lady Eve (1941), and, of course, My Man Godfrey. The term is still used today, but it is usually applied to films that are less (than) watchable. In fact, these days, the term has gained somewhat of a negative connotation, often being associated with modern slapstick. Let’s just say that if someone told me that a certain film was a screwball comedy, I’d probably go to great lengths to avoid it.

The “unexpected way” that My Man Godfrey heads towards is the fact that Godfrey is not what he appears to be. Although he lives in a city dump, and dresses like a homeless man, Godfrey is actually a highly educated, Harvard alumni from a very wealthy family. He became a vagrant by choice after a break-up that left him contemplating suicide. He found that the forgotten men of the city dump gave him the spirit he had been lacking, and he decided to stay with them.

"You mustn't come between Irene and Godfrey. He's the first thing she's shown any affection for since her pomeranian died last summer."

Godfrey is, what I call, an “easy watch”. By this, I mean a film that doesn’t require a lot of thought, but is never the less entertaining. They don’t make films like this anymore, which might be a good thing. If such a film were attempted today, I doubt it would be able to contain the innocence and simplicity of those made in the early stages of cinema.

William Powell is one of my favourite actors of the classic period. For the most part, he worked in comedy (Often teamed with actress Myrna Loy), and he was very skilled at it. He is excellent as the straight-laced Godfrey. Carole Lombard is lovably bubbly as Irene, the young lady that takes a shine to Godfrey. She has a wonderful chemistry with Powell in this film. My Man Godfrey also features an actress called Gail Patrick, who played the so-called “mean girl” in many early films. In Godfrey, she plays Irene’s nasty, competitive sister Cornelia. She is devilishly good in the role as the girl we love to hate.

My Man Godfrey is my type of comedy: pure, simple, and utterly charming. 9/10

Trivia: By the time they made My Man Godfrey, William Powell and Carole Lombard had been married two years and divorced for three. They defied the Hollywood stereotype that divorcees should dislike each other after parting ways, and remained good friends after the split.

**BONUS** My Man Godfrey was the first film to receive Academy Award nominations in all four acting categories, in the first year that the supporting actor categories were introduced. It also remains the only film in Oscar history to be nominated for all for acting awards, yet not be nominated for Best Picture.

Review: It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

It's a Wondeful Life. Everybody's heard of it, and most people have probably seen it as well. It is, perhaps, the most loved Christmas movie of all time. A true classic from the golden age of cinema. Released in December of 1946, It's a Wonderful Life was not considered such a classic back in its day. It opened to mixed reviews, and placed 26th on the list of the highest grossing films of 1947. For years, It's a Wonderful Life was deeply underappreciated. It was time that made it a classic. The film currently holds the 29th spot on IMDB's Top 250.

As George Bailey, a man who has spent a great deal of his life helping others, contemplates suicide on Christmas Eve, he is joined by an angel named Clarence, who shows George what life would have been like if he had ever existed.

"George Bailey, I'll love you till the day I die."

George Bailey is a man with big dreams. He wants to travel the world, go to college, and be somebody. Having lived his whole life in the small town of Bedford Falls, a place that he both loves and hates, George longs for the opportunity to stretch his legs, but it always seems to be just out of his reach. After settling down with Mary Hatch, a girl who's loved him for years, and having a bunch of kids, George finds himself in a difficult situation when a great deal of money that he owes is misplaced. Feeling he has no other options, George results to suicide. But before he can go through with it, an angel named Clarence, who's trying to get his wings, prevents him, and shows George what he means to the people of Bedford Falls.

Frank Capra directed a couple of fantastic films in the 1930's and 1940's. It Happened One Night (1934), You Can't Take It With You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) all belong to him. But his best film, and certainly his best known film, is It's a Wonderful Life. It was Capra's third and final collaboration with James Stewart, and one of the last Hollywood films that he directed. This was due in part to the commercial disappointment of It's a Wonderful Life. Though the film was hardly a failure, it didn't make as much money upon its release that the studio, RKO Pictures, had hoped, and Capra was no longer seen being able to produce popular pictures. It's ironic that his most famous film is the one that very nearly ended his career.
It's funny to think that in a time where we pay to see such films as Dance Flick (2009), that we've also learned to appreciate older films that weren't so fondly thought of in their time. It's a Wonderful Life was hardly a "must-see" picture back in 1946. The "big" film of that year was the post-war drama The Best Years of Our Lives, which went on to win the Best Picture of 1946 Oscar, beating It's a Wonderful Life. The Best Years of Our Lives is a very good film, and I like it a lot, but, I bet if you were to ask people about it today, many wouldn't even know it was a movie. On the other hand, I'm certain that a majority of people would be able to tell you at least a little something about It's a Wonderful Life. It joins the likes of Casablanca as one of the best films of the 1940's. A classic in every sense of the word, and it was made one by us, not the critics.

"A toast to my brother George: The richest man in town."

Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey, in his first major post-WWII role. In 1941, Stewart was enlisted in the United States Army as a pilot, and would spend the next four years of his life flying planes as part of the Air Force in World War II. Stewart was the first major Hollywood star to enlist in the war, with other stars, such as Henry Fonda and Clark Gable, following in his footsteps. While Stewart would remain in the Air Force Reserve after the war, in 1946, he would return to filmmaking as his primary occupation, with his first serious role being George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life. Bailey is the character for whom Stewart is best known, with the film It's a Wonderful Life often being considered his best work. He plays the role of George brilliantly, as he did with all his roles. Stewart always played these nice guy characters, and I have a feeling that this was simply because he was a nice guy in real life. Hardly anybody ever said a bad word against him. He seemed like a terrific guy and he certainly had terrific talent. It's a shame that the stars of today can't be more like Jimmy. It's a shame that we all can't be more like him. I feel that, if more people were as nice as Jimmy Stewart was, the world may be a nicer place to reside.

Donna Reed plays Mary, a very sweet girl who has been in love with George Bailey all of her life. Reed is great as Mary, and makes a perfect onscreen companion to Jimmy Stewart's George. She glows whenever she's on screen. Henry Travers is also very good in his small role as Clarence the Angel. He brings a whimsical edge to the film. Lionel Barryore (That's Drew's Greatuncle) is menacing as Mr. Potter, the man that sets out to distroy the Baileys. He plays the perfect mean old man.

As I've already stated, It's a Wonderful Life didn't become known as the great film it is until its later years. Now, it's considered one of the best American pictures ever made, with the American Film Institute voting it as the 20th greatest American film of all time. The AFI also voted George Bailey as the 9th greatest Hero in American film and Mr. Potter as the 6th Greatest villain. The film also landed the number one spot on AFI's list of the most inspiring films in American cinematic history. That's a great many honors for a film that was once considered a major disappointment. I wonder what the original critics of It's a Wonderful Life thought of their reviews of the film in later years...

It's a Wonderful Life is a wonderful film that everybody should see at least once in their lifetime. 10/10

Trivia: George Bailey was Jimmy Stewart's favourite film role. The part, which was originally written with Cary Grant, was rewritten to suit Stewart after Frank Capra signed on as director of the film. 

Review: The Santa Clause (1994)

The Santa Clause was the 4^th highest grossing film in North America of 1994. The film is notable for helping Tim Allen make his transition from television star to film star, his previous success being the hit show "Home Improvement". The Santa Clause was Followed by two sequels, The Santa Clause 2 (2002) and The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006). Despite both films being moderately successful at the box office, they were slaughtered by critics, unlike their predecessor.

After accidentally killing Santa Claus on Christmas Eve, Scott Calvin must step into the big man’s shoes and become Santa himself.

"Seeing isn't believing. Believing is seeing."

Scott Calvin is a rather rude workaholic, who doesn’t spend much time with his son, Charlie. He’s divorced from his wife, and has a great dislike of her new husband. He doesn't seem to have many friends, and his life outside of work leaves much to be desired. This all changes the night he becomes Santa Claus. Calvin’s experience as Mr. Claus brings him closer to his son, and gives him a real purpose in life: To keep the spirit of Christmas alive in the hearts of Children everywhere.

By putting on Santa’s suit, Calvin effectively accepts the terms of “The Santa Clause”, a clause legally binding him to the role of Santa until he is no longer able to fulfil it. Calvin is given one year to “get his affairs in order” before he must return to the North Pole to live permanently, which he fails to comprehend. Upon waking up the next morning, Scott believes the whole thing was just a dream, and continues to believe this and live his life normally until his appearance starts to drastically change, leaving him with an uncanny resemblance to Santa Claus.

This movie gives an interesting take on Santa Claus, and a logical one at that. The idea that Santa is replaced by a new man every time the previous Santa dies makes a lot of sense. It's a very clever idea. I admire it.

"I don't know what's happening to you. You're starting to look like the Pillsburg Doughboy."

When I was a kid, this was the Christmas movie; the one all the kids loved and wanted to own. It's a magical film that really delivers on the spirit of Christmas. As an adult, I find that I still like this movie, but for different reasons. It has a real comedic edge that I didn't notice as a child. It actually happens to be a very amusing film. I'm not sure if I enjoyed it more as a child, or if I enjoy it more now, as an adult.

Tim Allen, who I usually find overacts, is very good as Scott Calvin, aka Santa Claus. I like him a lot in this movie. David Krumholtz is also good as Bernard, the elf, and really shines in the role. The rest of the cast is fine, though not outstanding, in their supporting roles.

The Santa Clause is a Christmas fantasy created by the best, Disney Studios. 8/10

Trivia: Disney, which produced The Santa Clause, broke one of its own rules to allow Tim Allen to star in the picture. The rule? No hiring of an ex-con. Allen had previously spent time in jail on drug charges, making him an exception to the rule.

Review: Love Actually (2003)

Let's face it: Christmas films these days are a dime a dozen, and they're usually overly sentimental, unoriginal, and not very good. Every now and then, however, a Christmas film comes along that "presents" (My attempt at a Christmas joke) us with something new; something special. Love Actually is one of those films. While it wasn't wildly successful at the North American box office (It grossed just under $60 million), Love Actually was a huge success overseas, and became the 14th highest grossing film (In worldwide sales) of 2003.

Love Actually follows the lives of various people, all of whom are related in a "six degress of..." sort of way, during the five week run up to Christmas.

It's hard to write a summary for Love Actually as so many different stories occur within the film:

• The newly elected British Prime Minister finds himself attracted to one of his employees.
• A writer travels to France in search of solace after discovering his girlfriend has been cheating on him with him brother.
• A devoted wife discovers that her husband's affection may be misplaced in the workplace.
• A recently windowed man encourages his young step-son to go for the girl of his dreams.
• A burned out rockstar, trying to revive his music career, takes out a somewhat desperate bid for the UK Christmas number one. His effort being a cover of The Trogg's classic "Love is All Around", "Christmas is All Around".
• A newlywed tries to understand why her new husband's best friend can't seem to stand her presence.

And these are just the main stories featured in Love Actually. There are many more, interesting tales sewn throughtout this fantastic film.

"Hiya, kids. Here's an important message from your Uncle Bill - Don't buy drugs... Become a popstar and they give you them for free!"

The opening monologue of Love Actually, narrated by Hugh Grant, is perhaps the best monologue I've ever heard in a film. It's not particularly clever. It doesn't tell us anything that we don't already know. What it is, is simple; A person's simple, poignant view on love and how it's evident all around us, all of the time.

Despite its happy premise and seasonal setting, Love Actually is not as happy and cheery as it may seem. A few rather devastating things do occur in the film, which, believe it or not, isn't such a bad thing. Too much of a good thing is never, well, a good thing. If Love Actually had been based entirely around happily-ever-after stories, it would have lost its credibility. Real life, even at Christmas, isn't always happy. It pained me to type that, but it's true. I'm glad that Richard Curtis, the writer and director of Love Actually, realized this and incorporated sad events into the screenplay as well as happy ones.

I generally do tend to like Curtis' work. He's written some very good, if slightly corny, things. I believe that this may be his best. I'm sure that a lot of people would disagree with me on this, and claim that Four Weddings And A Funeral (1994) is Curtis' best work, but I've never particularly liked that film. There's just something about it that never really hit me like it seemed to hit everybody else. I am, However, a HUGE fan of the television show "The Vicar of Dibley", which is also written by Curtis. Now, that's funny stuff. If you love Love Actually, you'll love "The Vicar of Dibley".

Apart from having a great opening monologue, Love Actually also features one of the most romantic (Yes, I used that word. I promise I'll try never to use it again) scenes I have ever seen in a film. It involves giant flashcards and practically no words at all. It is a very sweet scene that's beautifully subtle. The irony of it is that it occurs between two people who have, until that point, not gotten along very well with each other. It's a great scene. It's almost worth watching the film for this scene alone.

"It seems to me that love is everywhere. Often, it's not particularly dignified or news worthy, but it's always there."

Love Actually features a ensemble cast of brilliant actors. And, though everybody pulls their weight, there are a few key players that outshine the rest. Liam Neeson and Thomas Strangster are very touching as father and son duo Daniel and Sam. They bring real emotion to the film and have great chemistry. Emma Thompson, who plays a woman wronged, is excellent as Karen. Thompson has some of the more serious scenes in the film, and she plays them with complete honesty. And then we have the man that stole the picture: Bill Nighy. This man is funny, and, boy, can he act! He is incredible as Billy Mack, the aging rocker with a heart. I loved him in this film. I loved everybody in this film. The cast was great.

Love Actually is not a Christmas film about love; it is a film about love that just happens to take place at Christmas. And the love in question isn't always "romantic"; As in life, the love in this film is shown to us in numerous forms: the love of a parent; the love of a child; the love of a friend. I hope I've managed to show to you my love of this film. 10/10

Trivia: All of the airport footage from the very beginning and the very end of Love Actually is genuine. Love Actually's director, Richard Curtis, sent cameramen to Heathrow airport's arrival gates for a week to film real reunions between loved ones, and later obtained their permission to use the footage for the film.

Review: Die Hard 2: Die Harder (1990)

After the unexpected success of Die Hard in 1988, a sequel was, of course, going to be made. Released in 1990, less than two years after the first, Die Hard 2 would outgross its predecessor by more than $30 million, and go on to become the 8th highest grossing film of 1990.

After terrorists take control of a Washington DC airport, John McClane once again finds himself in the wrong place at the wrong time on Christmas Eve.

"How can the same shit happen to the same guy, twice."

In the opening scenes of the movie, we learn that McClane in now living in Los Angeles with his family and works as a Lieutenant for the LAPD. As the film begins, we see that McClane is at Washington Dulles International Airport waiting for his wife's plane to come in from LA. However, before long, all hell breaks loose when political terrorists take the airport hostage.

People often refer to this film as Die Hard on a plane. This isn't strictly accurate. You see, the terrorists don't take over the planes, they take over the airport. So, strictly speaking, Die Hard 2 is actually more along the lines of Die Hard in an airport.

Like its predecessor, Die Hard 2 was released in the middle of July, despite the fact that it's set on Christmas Eve. However, this time around, I think that this probably had something to do with a clever marketing strategy. If a movie is released to cinemas in the summer, it should be available to buy sometime around Christmas; therefore, Die Harder would have boosted its, what would have then been, video sales simply due to the fact that it was set at Christmas. Now, this is just a theory, I have no idea when Die Hard was released to video, and I could be completely off the mark... But, it wouldn't surprise me if I was right.
 
Die Hard 2 could have very easily seemed completely unrealistic; the unrealistic part being that this could all happen to the same peron twice (As of now, it's actually happened to the same person four, going on five, times). It is unlikely, lets face it. But McClane himself realises this, even stating it several times throughout the film. This also gives the picture a bit of an appreciated (By me, at least) humorous streak.

"I'll be damned if I'm gonna clean up this mess!"

What I love about Die Hard 2 is that it stays very faithful to Die Hard. This can't be said of the series' third installment, and though the fourth is an improvement over the third, it's nothing like the first. Die Hard 2 is another matter. It has the same tone and gives the same feel as the first film did, despite the fact that it takes place in an entirely different location, with a cast that greatly differs from Die Hard. Die Harder is also every bit as exciting as its predecessor, and it still, even today, stands strongly as a worthy sequel to a great film that didn't really need one.

Bruce Willis is back in the role that made his film career, John McClane, and he picks up right where he left off. Willis is fantastic in the role he was born to play. Nobody could play McClane better than he, and I wouldn't want to see anybody try. Bonnie Bedelia and William Atherton also reprise their roles as Holly McClane and Richard Thornburg, with Atherton being particularly good in the film. New additions include William Sadler as lead terrorist Colonel Stuart, and Dennis Franz as Police Chief Lorenzo. Both of them are good in their roles, as is everybody else. There's also a nice cameo from Reginald VelJohnson as Sgt Al Powell, the cop who helped McClane out in the original film. I would have liked to have seen more of him, however, it just wouldn't have been realistic. There's no way that this could have happened to both Powell and McClane twice, which the filmmakers probably realised.

Die Hard 2: Die Harder is an excellent sequel to a film that I really love. It's not as good as Die Hard, but it's not far off the mark. 10/10

Trivia: Like its predecessor, Die Hard (1988), Die Hard 2: Die Harder was adapted from a novel. Die Hard was adapted from the 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever, written by Roderick Thorp. Die Hard 2: Die Harder was adapted from the 1987 novel 58 minutes, written by Walter Wagner.

Review: Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

Judy Garland was box office gold during the late 1930’s and 1940’s. She made many a musical for MGM during that period, including the film Garland's best known for, The Wizard of Oz (1939). Meet Me in St. Louis, another one of Garland's most famous films, was released five years after Oz. The film was a smash hit for MGM, more than doubling Oz's box office take, and grossing more money than almost any of the studios' other film releases over the previous 20 years, the only film having made more being 1939's Gone With The Wind (Which, adjusted for inflation, is still the highest grossing film of all time).

A family with four daughters finds out that they will be leaving their home in St. Louis for New York City just before their beloved city is set to hold the World's Fair in 1904. Issues on life and love ensue, with a few musical numbers to help them along the way.

"You've got a mighty strong grip for a boy."

Often billed as a Christmas movie, Meet Me in St. Louis has very little to do with Christmas. In fact, only a very small portion of the film is actually set at Christmastime, though I suppose it is probably the most important part of the film, as it’s when the climax occurs. It also happens to be the part of the film where we hear the famous song "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", which was written specifically for the movie.

The songs in St. Louis are very catchy, with two of them proving particularly difficult to remove from one’s head; their names are "The Trolley Song" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". Though "The Trolley Song" is generally considered the best known song from the film, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" is the better known of the two in general. It's achieved world wide fame as a premiere Christmas tune, and has been covered by dozens of artists over the decades. The song also holds 76th spot on AFI's list of the 100 greatest songs from American cinema. "The Trolley Song" also landed a spot on the list at number 26.

You know, I've always wondered how it is that everybody in a musical knows all the words to the songs and all steps to the dances. It lacks realism, and I always notice it in musical numbers. But, I suppose films arn't really supposed to be realistic, are they? If they were, then they'd lose some of the magic that the best films manage to produce, and magic is an important ingredient to any film; not realism. Besides, it doesn't annoy me. No, I must admit, I do enjoy a big musical number. It's just something that I tend to notice...

And while I'm on the subject of things I noticed, I must say a word about the dresses in this film: They all look like they were made out of curtains. Now, this did annoy me (ever so slightly), until I watched the Making Of... featurette after the movie. Apparently, all of the costumes in Meet Me in St. Louis are historically accurate, which means that it's not the film's fault; it's the time period's. You know, I bet that people back then thought that those clothes were the cat's meow. That's funny to think about. 100 years from now, people will likely look at the types of things we wear and think, "What were they thinking?"

"Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light. Next year, all our troubles will be out of sight..."

John Truett. Ahh, now he is definition of the boy next door. He’s nice, handsome, charming; everything that a girl could want in a man. I always seem to fall for the leading men in these classic films. The leading men of today got nothing on them. John was, well, perfect. And his romance with Esther was terribly sweet. Tom Drake, who played Truett, gave a wonderful performance in the film

Judy Garland. What a legend. Her acting was so natural, and she had such a beautiful voice.  In St. Louis, Garland gives a wonderful performance as Esther, the girl in love with St. Louis. Directing Garland in the picture was her future husband, Liza's father Vincente Minnelli, whom she met on set. The two married not long after the completetion of the film, but would sadly part ways in 1951 after six years together. Judy had the great ability to inject cheer into the hearts of not only her characters, but the hearts of her audience as well. What happened to her was such a shame. Her death was a great loss to the entertainment world. Very few entertainers have ever been as talented as her.

One final preformance from the film that I must mention was the preformance given by then-seven year old Margaret O’Brien. She is absolutely adorable as little Tootie, the youngest of the girls in the film. O'Brien would go on to win a special juvenile Oscar for outstanding child actress of 1944 for her role as Tootie. Incidentially, Judy Garland had won this award in 1940 for her "outstanding performance as a screen juvenile" during the year of 1939.

Meet Me in St. Louis is delightful. And, despite it not strictly being a Christmas film, Christmas is certainly a good time to watch it. 8/10

Trivia: One of Meet Me in St. Louis's most famous songs, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", was drastically rewritten during filming when the film's star, Judy Garland, refused to sing the original, gloomy lyrics to seven year old Margaret O'Brien. The original lyrics read like this:

"Have yourself a merry little Christmas, it may be your last.

Next year, we may all be living in the past.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas, pop that champagne cork,

Next year we will all be living in New York.

No good times like the olden days, happy golden days of yore,

Faithful friends who were dear to us, will be near to us no more.

But at least we all will be together, if the Fates allow,

From now on we'll have to muddle through somehow.

So have yourself a merry little Christmas now."

The song's writter, Hugh Martine, was initially against changing the lyrics, but eventually did so to make the song more upbeat and match the feel of the film. A later rewrite was also made by Martin in 1957, when Frank Sinatra asked him to lighten up the line "Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow". Martin changed the line to read "Hang a shining star upon the highest bough", hence introducing the most commonly used version of the song today.