The Ten Best Movies (I Screened) in 2009: Part I

Here’s my annual list of the Ten Best Movies I Screened in 2009.

I did not see more than a handful of contemporary releases that came close to the smart pacing, narrative sophistication and honest passion of these older films.

Though I will give a strong nod to 500 Days of Summer and Funny People, two fine films. Both are beautifully written, carefully structured and oh what a relief, they vigorously espouse what can only be described as (mostly) conservative values, a welcome relief in this post-modern age where nihilism passes for, ahem, cutting edge entertainment.

But I roll with classic Hollywood, silent movies and films from Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Keep in mind that most of the movies on my list were produced on modest budgets, never intended as studio blockbusters.

I’m not claiming that any of these movies are classics like The Crowd or Seven Samurai. I am saying that these ten films are grand entertainment from Hollywood’s great dream factory and well worth seeking out. (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: Adolph Hitler, Bed of Roses, Billy Haines, Cecil B. DeMille, Constance Bennett
Posted Dec 31st 2009 at 6:01 am in Classic Hollywood, Featured Story | 28483430 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/12/31/the-ten-best-movies-i-screened-in-2009-part-i/The+Ten+Best+Movies+%28I+Screened%29+in+2009%3A+Part+I2009-12-31+14%3A01%3A34Robert+J.+Avrech

Mae Clarke: Gangster, Grapefruit and Forty-One Seconds to Screen Immortality

Jimmy Cagney smashes a grapefruit in Mae Clarke’s face, The Public Enemy, 1931.

Most actors are remembered for their unique personae. Clark Gable was a man’s man. The humorous gleam in his eye sent daggers to the knees of women everywhere. Bette Davis practically cornered the market on the deeply neurotic woman clawing at the boundaries of love with Baroque fury. Gary Cooper was the classic taciturn American, a solid, self-confident Yankee who spoke eloquently through his silences. Marilyn Monroe is still the paradigm of the woman as vulnerable child waiting to be rescued by a knight in shining armor.

Of course Fay Wray, who played in over eighty motion pictures, is only remembered for her role in King Kong. Thus she is, for better or for worse, the shrieking woman, for all time.

Less common is the actor who is identified and remembered for a single brief scene. (more…)

Email this to a friend | Print | Share on Facebook | Tweet this |

Tags: Jimmy Cagney, Mae Clarke, the public enemy, Waterloo Bridge, william wellman
Posted May 19th 2009 at 6:39 am in Celebrity News, Entertainment | 13502647 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ravrech/2009/05/19/mae-clarke-gangster-grapefruit-and-forty-one-seconds-to-screen-immortality/Mae+Clarke%3A+Gangster%2C+Grapefruit+and+Forty-One+Seconds+to+Screen+Immortality2009-05-19+13%3A39%3A50Robert+J.+Avrech