Movie Monday: To Catch a Thief

It's been a while since I've talked about an older movie, so it seemed about time that I rectify the situation with a little dose of Hitchcock!

Reasons why To Catch a Thief is awesome:
1. It's Hitchcock, but not the murdery kind.
2. Car chases of Bond-esque proportions.
3. Cary Grant. He's fabulous as the retired cat burglar trying to clear his name.

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4. Ridiculous meet-cutes.
5. Grace Kelly. She's amazing.
6. The costumes. They're fantastic.
7. The scenery. GORGEOUS.

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8. Hilariously low-key escapes from the police (ON THE BUS, for crying out loud!)
9. Cary Grant's ridiculous facial expressions, much like in North by Northwest.
10. Danielle, queen of sass.

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11. John Robie, nervous passenger.
12. Jessie. She's absolutely hilarious.
13. The over-the-top bonkers costumes at the gala. I can't even.

LOOK AT THIS THING. Also, source.

14. The big plot twist.
15. Being pinned to a tree by an old lady.

Plus, the following quotes:
- "Did you kill many people?" "Seventy two. But I know something that'll please you: none of them were insured."
- "You're somewhat egotistical." "Fighting fire with fire!"
- "Don't let the robbery spoil your day. It's only money and not even yours at that!"
- "Mother, the book you're reading is upside down..."
- "The pastry's as light as air!" "Germaine has very sensitive hands and an exceedingly light touch. She strangled a German general once, without a sound."
- "This is better than anything we have back in Portland, Oregon!" "Almost anything is..."
- "Mrs. Stevens, would you kindly keep your jewellery in the hotel safe?" "And what would I do when I go out? Wear the safe around my neck?!"
- "You're a jackpot of admirable character traits."
-" I only stole from people who wouldn't go hungry!"
- "Why do you think we moved so often? Your father was a swindler, dear, but a lovable one. If you ask me, this one's a bigger operator on every level." "Thank you, madam."
- "Say something nice to her, Danielle." "She looks a lot older up close."
- "Not only did I enjoy that kiss last night, I was awed by its efficiency."

Have you seen it? What did you think??

K xx

Adaptations - not always a good thing

So if you follow me on Twitter, you would have seen me talking a week or so ago about watching an adaptation of The Day of the Triffids. And it was quite spectacularly awful for numerous reasons. But one of the reasons why it was awful warranted discussion, and a vlog seemed like the easiest way to do that. So...yeah. Enjoy!



What do you think? Can stories that are intrinsically linked to the social and political constructs of the era in which they're written be successfully modernised? Or is it doomed to failure?

K xx

Movie Monday: Some Like It Hot

A while back, I saw a post on Tumblr that consisted of a photo from this week's movie and a caption along the lines of "As if Marilyn Monroe couldn't get any cooler, here she is hanging out with drag queens!". And I was like "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelllllll.........you're sort of right??"

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Anyway, I'm guessing that it's probably a movie that not a lot of people have seen, and that needs to be rectified immediately, because it's PHENOMENAL.

Reasons why Some Like It Hot is awesome:
1. It was made in 1959 and set in 1929, and yet features all manner of wibbly wobbly gender bendy cross-dressing craziness. Which not a single character bats an eyelid at.
2. Jack Lemmon. He's FANTASTIC. And has an Oscar nomination to prove it.

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3. Tony Curtis.
4. It was banned in Kansas. Anything banned in Kansas has to be worth watching!
5. Marilyn Monroe. It seems like she had a ton of issues going on when they were filming this, and she's still amazingly adorable.
6. The tango scene.

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7. The soundtrack.
8. Joe E. Brown as Osgood. Hilarious.
9. The ending. It's absolutely perfect.
10. Smuggling booze in coffins.

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11. Gangsters.
12. Tony Curtis impersonating Cary Grant. Perfection.
13. It's written and directed by Billy Wilder, who's also responsible for The Seven Year Itch, Sabrina and Sunset Boulevard.
14. Spats and fedoras.
15. Marilyn's ridiculous costumes.

Who thought a see-through dress with spangly nipples was a good idea?!
Also, source.

16. Sleazy bellhops.
17. It was nominated for six Oscars, and won one.
18. Joan Shawlee as Sweet Sue.
19. Playing the double bass backwards due to distraction.
20. Jack Lemmon's girl laugh.

21. No one blinks an eye at the idea of same sex marriage. Seriously.

Plus, the following quotes:
- "Real diamonds! They must be worth their weight in gold!"
- "Hey, these are real diamonds!" "Of course they're real! What do you think? My fiance is a bum?"
- "What are you afraid of? No-one's asking you to have a baby!"
- "Story of my life. I always get the fuzzy end of the lollipop."
- "Will you look at that! Look how she moves! It's like Jell-O on springs."
- "Now you've done it! Now you have done it!" "Done what?" "You tore off one of my chests!"
- "But, you're *not* a girl! You're a *guy*, and, why would a guy wanna marry a guy?" "Security!"
- "We're up the creek and you want to hock the paddle!"
- "Something tells me the omelette is about to hit the fan!"
- "Ohhhhhhh no. Not tonight, Josephine!"
- "I don't want you to think I'm a drinker. I can stop any time I want to. Only I don't want to."
- "I'm a girl. I wish I were dead."
- "I am Osgood Fielding the third." "I'm Cinderella the second."
- "You shave with your spats on?" "I SLEEP with my spats on."
- "How DO they walk in these things?!"
- "I don't care how rich he is, as long as he has a yacht, his own private railroad car, and his own toothpaste."
- "It's not how long you wait, it's who you're waiting for."
- "What is it?" "It's a member of the herring family." "A herring? Isn't it amazing how they get those big fish into those little glass jars?" "They shrink when they're marinated."
- "This is my friend Daphne, she's a Vassar girl." "I'm a what?" "Or was it Bryn Mawr?" "I heard a very sad story about a girl that went to Bryn Mawr. She squealed on her roommate... and they found her strangled with her own brassiere!" "Yes, we've got to be very careful who we choose for a roommate..."
- "Well, nobody's perfect!"

So. Have you seen it? Do you love it?

K xx

Movie Mondays: Singin' in the Rain

Over the weekend, Emmy said something on Twitter about how she had the urge to watch Singin' in the Rain. The minute I saw her tweet, I knew I'd found my choice for this week's movie.

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I love this movie. I can't even tell you how many times I've watched it. (Heads up - if you love this movie, do NOT read the trivia section about it on IMDb. It will make you saaaaaaaaaaad...)

Reasons why Singin' in the Rain is awesome:
1. Gene Kelly. My God, that man could dance.

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2. The costumes. Divine decadence.
3. Lina's voice. You can't help but laugh.
4. Donald O'Connor. Apparently he was really unwell when they were filming the "Make 'em Laugh" scene, to the point where he was so exhausted afterwards that he had to spend three days in bed to recover!
5. TAP DANCING, SO MUCH TAP DANCING. I'm not going to lie - a combination of this movie and seeing 42nd Street live on stage is what made me take up tap dancing a millionty years ago.
6. The "Make 'em Laugh" routine.
7. Movie directors wearing ridiculous puffy trousers and knee high boots.
8. Debbie Reynolds. She was only 19 when this was filmed, and had to catch several buses from her parents' house to the lot every day.
9. How often Gene Kelly acts/speaks directly to the camera.
10. Cyd Charisse. I actually don't like the "Broadway Melody" interlude-y thing, but she's an incredible dancer.

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11. OH MY GOD, THE SHOES. (I'm not sure if I love these or Cyd Charisse's green ones from "Broadway Melody" more...)

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12. The "Singin' in the Rain" routine. It was filmed in one take, and Gene Kelly ad-libbed a lot of it.
13. Jean Hagen. It takes a lot to be so dislikeable a character and still steal the show.
14. No matter how insanely strenuous the dance routines are, Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor always look like they're having a blast.

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15. Gene Kelly's spectacular collection of knee high socks.
16. When the sound and the picture get out of sync at the screening of the Duelling Cavalier. Genius!!

Not to mention the following quotes, many of which are from Lina, so appear far less funny than they actually are when they're in her ridiculous squeaky voice:
- "She's so refined I think I'll kill myself."
- "What's wrong with the way I talk? What's the big idea? Am I dumb or something?"
- "Haven't you heard? She's irresistible! She told me so herself."
- "And I can't stand him!"
- "You've got to show a movie at a party. It's a Hollywood law!"
- "I'd rather kiss a tarantula." "You don't mean that." "I don't? Hey Joe - bring me a tarantula."
- "Well of COURSE we talk. Don't everybody?"
- "Moses supposes his toeses are roses, but Moses supposes erroneously. Moses he knowses his toeses aren't roses, as Moses supposes his toeses to be."
- "Well I can't make love to a bush!" (there's a microphone hidden in the shrubbery)
- "Sensational! Cosmo, remind me to give you a raise." "Oh, R.F.?" "Yes?" "Give me a raise."
- "I can't quite visualise it, I'll have to see it on film."
- "I happen to be in *love* with her." "That's ridiculous, everybody knows you're in love with me!"
- "I make more money than...than...than Calvin Coolidge. Put together!!"
- "People?! I ain't people!"
- "Lina. She can't act, she can't sing, she can't dance. A triple threat."
- "I gave an exclusive story to every paper in town."
- "If we bring a little joy into your humdrum lives, it makes us feel as though our hard work ain't been in vain for nothin'."

Who else covets basically every pair of shoes in this film?? Or, you know, just loves the crap out of it?

K xx