July was a busy month for me, so I ended up watching a lot of films from the ’30s because of the short running time. Onto the monthly film list!
New-to-Me: 34
Re-Watched: 2
New-to-Me Films by Decade:
- 1920s – 1
- 1930s – 11
- 1940s – 4
- 1950s – 6
- 1960s – 4
- 1970s – 1
- 1980s – 2
- 1990s – 1
- 2000s – 1
- 2010s – 3
List of New-to-Me Films:
- Grand Hotel (1932)
- The Dark Mirror (1946)
- Almost Famous (2000)
- The Hustler (1961)
- Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)
- Of Human Bondage (1934)
- Four’s a Crowd (1938)
- It Should Happen to You (1954)
- The Big Chill (1983)
- Philadelphia (1993)
- The Divorcee (1930)
- We’re Not Dressing (1934)
- The Conversation (1974)
- Ladies of Leisure (1930)
- The Miracle Woman (1931)
- Forbidden (1932)
- The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)
- The Big Combo (1955)
- Saboteur (1942)
- Angels in the Outfield (1951)
- Jubal (1956)
- 3:10 to Yuma (1957)
- Oliver! (1968)
- Pal Joey (1957)
- The Big Clock (1948)
- Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)
- The Ghost Writer (2010)
- The Way Way Back (2013)
- Fruitvale Station (2013)
- The Strawberry Blonde (1941)
- Dancing Lady (1933)
- Hands Across the Table (1935)
- A Man for All Seasons (1966)
- Blow Out (1981)
Trends and Notes
- Watched 3 movies starring Olivia de Havilland.
- Watched all 4 of the Frank Capra movies that Barbara Stanwyck starred in from the 1930s in a row.
- Watched 2 of the 3 Delmer Daves films starring Glenn Ford in a row.
Five Favorite Discoveries:
The Dark Mirror (1946), directed by Robert Siodmak
I celebrated the great Olivia de Havilland’s 97th birthday with a double dose of her. This is a great lesser-known film noir, and de Havilland excels at playing twins that aren’t very much alike (aside from their wardrobe).
Can’t think of any film specifically that’s similar to this, but any fan of Olivia de Havilland is in for a treat!
Almost Famous (2000), directed by Cameron Crowe
A movie that’s been on my shame list for quite some time…but I finally watched it this month and enjoyed it immensely. I tend to have stronger connections to movies with writers as the main character, more specifically journalists or screenwriters (aka future career vs. dream job), so I really loved the story about a high school student traveling alongside a rock band. This movie features a great cast of characters, with an excellent turn from Kate Hudson among others. And that soundtrack! Definitely one of my favorites now, and that scene where they played Tiny Dancer by Elton John just put a smile on my face.
Unfortunately, I haven’t explored much of the “coming-of-age” genre so I don’t know of any movies that are really similar to this.
It Should Happen to You (1954), directed by George Cukor
Jack Lemmon’s film debut! And a good one too; this movie showed the potential he had in becoming even better. Lemmon and Judy Holliday played very well off of each other with comedy and romance. I really enjoy seeing Holliday on screen; she brings not only comedy but also warmth to her characters, definitely one of the best actresses to play the “dumb blonde” stereotype.
Recommended if you enjoy: Born Yesterday (also directed by George Cukor and starring Judy Holliday!).
The Miracle Woman (1931), directed by Frank Capra
Like I mentioned earlier, I watched all 4 Capra pre-codes starring Stanwyck in a row, mostly as a countdown to her birthday (if you haven’t noticed, I love honoring old stars by watching movies of theirs I haven’t seen yet). This was my favorite of the bunch and is very much a Capra movie with the theme of one sticking with their principles.
Recommended if you enjoy: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, and Meet John Doe. And Frank Capra and/or Barbara Stanwyck in general. Definitely check out all the movies they collaborated on together!
Blow Out (1981), directed by Brian De Palma
This past semester I had taken an audio production class, so having done that coming into this movie probably helped me enjoy it more. The use of sound in this movie is incredible (as it should be with the subject matter), and the visuals that are attached to it are great at elevating the movie. I especially enjoyed the scene above, where John Travolta’s character records sounds that could potentially be used in a movie he’s working on.
Recommended if you enjoy: The Conversation.
Lots of cool films in that list, Keisha! Two ‘big’ noir favorites of mine were ‘The Big Combo’ and ‘The Big Clock’…what did you think about those, like or no like?
Wow sorry for such a late reply! I have been a bit busy between watching movies and getting ready for a new semester of school…
I really enjoyed both of them! I didn’t know much about The Big Combo, other than the iconic film noir image at the end of the movie, but I was pleasantly surprised at how great it was. The Big Clock was a fun one too.
I can’t IMAGINE how getting ready for school would be more important than discussing film noir! 😉 Glad you liked the two noirs…looking forward to your next list!