movies

Why I’m a Sucker for Old Movies

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / Leave a comment

Recently, I’ve been able to check out the newly-renovated and restored movie theatre in downtown Franklin. I’ve been able to see on successive Sundays To Kill A Mockingbird and Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Both movies are right at 50 years old.

For me, that’s pretty close to heaven. I know I will probably sound all old and geeky, but I really don’t think there are many actors today that really touch the old-school actors in terms of glamor and screen presence and style.

It’s like getting a glimpse into a bygone era that only exists anymore in books and in music and on film.  An era before my time.

So yeah, I’ve seen Casablanca and Gone With the Wind and The Maltest Falcon multiple times. My DVD collection contains lots of old movies.

For me, it’s like having my own personal time machine to go back to when things really were simpler. At least, they seem simpler in black and white and in technicolor.

I can’t wait to see what old movie the Franklin Theatre will be showing next, but I will be there. I’d like to see Cat on a Hot Tin Roof there, or maybe To Catch a Thief. A film noir festival would be awesome, too.

I realize old movies aren’t for everyone. Some just have to have big-budget CGI special effects in their movies. I am not one of those. In fact, I have lately been turned off by movie trailers that promote movies where CGI is the main part of the movie and storyline and plot seem to be an afterthought. But that’s just me.

I’d say watch what you like and listen to what you like. Just find whatever makes you come alive and not what everyone else around you likes.

And if you like old movies, a good place to start in your film education is Turner Classic Movies. With that shameless plug, I bid you a fond adieu.

 

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things Part II: Movies

/ Ragamuffingospelfan / 2 Comments

I am unashamedly and utterly a movie geek. I love movies, especially ones with a good story and characters that I can relate to. I’m more and more a fan of character-driven films and less and less a fan of the big-budget special effects extravaganzas. My tastes are very eclectic, as the following list will show (in no particular order):

1) The Lord of the Rings trilogy

2) The Red Shoes

3) Casablanca

4) The Maltese Falcon

5) Doctor Zhivago

6) Elizabethtown

7) Sunshine Cleaning

8) Amadeus

9) Ice Castles

10) Charade

11) Juno

12) High Fidelity

13) An Officer and a Gentleman

14) Gone With the Wind

15) Lawrence of Arabia

16) Heathers

17) Gladiator

18) Kingdom of Heaven

19) The Last Waltz

20) Grease

21) Moulin Rouge

22) Romeo + Juliet

23) The Blues Brothers

24) Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

25) Dead Poets’ Society

26) The English Patient

27) Gran Torino

28) Up in the Air

29) Charade

30) Rear Window

31) The Philadelphia Story

32) Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner

33) The African Queen

34) Tombstone

35) Back to the Future

36) Breakfast at Tiffany’s

37) Roman Holiday

38) Mystic Pizza

39) My Big Fat Greek Wedding

40) Cinema Paradiso

41) Babette’s Feast

42) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

43) Bright Star

44) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

45) The Notebook

46) Shawshank Redemption

47) The Green Mile

48) To Kill a Mickingbird

49) Forrest Gump

50) The Straight Story

I could probably list at least 50 more, but I won’t (unless I do another favorite movies blog). As you can tell, these films are both old and new and range across every genre there is.

I’d like to know some of your favorites, both from a personal and from an artistic standpoint. I know I will probably look back at this list and see movies I left out that should have been in, but those movies can be in your list. It’s not supposed to be comprehensive.

Part III will have a listing of my favorite albums, and that will really be all over the map, so gird your loins for that one. And have a fantastic Memorial Day tomorrow!