1941: Movies Sorted By Tier
Submitted by jim on Sun, 07/17/2005 - 12:49
Tags:
Loved
The Lady Eve
... Well that tears it, I'm definitely going to have to see more of Preston Sturges and Barbara Stanwyck. The former was terrific behind the camera, and the latter in front of it. Henry Fonda's no slouch either, but I already knew that. Stanwyck in particular grabbed me. Her Eve just might vie with Myrna Loy's Nora Charles for my favorite female character from this era. A rare example of a classic screwball comedy that worked for me from beginning to end.Really Liked
Ball of Fire
... Adorable. Good year for Barbara Stanwyck, although I did prefer The Lady Eve, I think mostly because this one loses its way a bit once they get on the road and the gangsters get more involved.The Maltese Falcon
... All I'm going to say about the movie is that it's worth it just to watch Bogart sell such hard-boiled lines. I have to believe the dialog would have turned to mush in a lesser actor's mouth, but out of his it's pure gold. But I'd much rather talk about how every night at bedtime my seven-year-old daughter begs to come downstairs to watch whatever "grown-up" movie I'm going to put on. Usually I have a good reason for making her go to bed at a reasonable hour, but with no AM engagements I figured what the heck, she'd probably get bored in 15 minutes and go to bed on her own. Well, she went the distance and enjoyed it, despite admitting to not really knowing what was going on. What a champ. She and I have a nice movie-watching future ahead of us. And she wasn't completely lost. During one pause in the movie I was explaining what a "fall guy" was, and when I said it was somebody to take the blame for the three murders she asked, "you mean like Thursby?" Good girl. :-)Sullivan's Travels
... What a run Preston Sturges had going there in the early 40s. While I liked The Lady Eve quite a bit better that this one, it should in no way diminish what an enjoyable social commentary/comedy this is. Of course, the thing that makes this particularly interesting is the abrupt tonal swerve about 2/3 of the way through the picture, which keeps you wondering just how dark Sturges is going to allow things to get. Joel McCrea was quite enjoyable, and Veronica Lake was of course beautiful and also quite talented (no match for Barbara Stanwyck though, in my limited Sturges experience).Glad I Saw
- None Yet
Guilty Pleasures
- None Yet
Could Have Missed
- None Yet
Should Have Missed
- None Yet
El Sucko Grande
- None Yet
Unranked
Citizen Kane
Dumbo
Cloned From:
Wow, Jim. It warms the heart to know that people such as you and your wife are raising kids. Good to know the girl's getting so savvy so early!
My, what a nice thing to say, thanks!