Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #32 - Guys and Dolls (1955) - There is so much to love about this musical. Its New York City setting, the wise-racking Damon Runyon characters, the bright colors and costumes, the wonderful cast, and of course the great songs and dance numbers. But for me, what takes Guys and Dolls over the top is Marlon Brando, at his sexiest and most charming. He was at the peak of his popularity when this film was made, and Frank Sinatra couldn't talk the producers into giving him the role of Sky Masterson when Gene Kelly, their first choice, was unavailable. They wanted Brando. And thank goodness for that, as he was perfect for the role and even did his own singing. Sinatra was great as Nathan Detroit, but apparently was no fan of Brando during filming. Oh well. Any petty personality issues were definitely left in the dressing room, as this filmed version of the great musical is a joy to watch. Members of the Broadway cast were also on board, including Vivian Blaine as Miss Adelaide, Stubby Kaye as Nicely Nicely, B.S. Pully as Big Jule ("from Chicago!"), and Johnny Silver as Benny Southstreet. British actress Jean Simmons does a nice job as Sister Sarah Brown, Skye's love interest, and does her own singing as well.
When a guy wears tails with the front gleaming white Who the hell do you think he's tickling pink on Saturday night?
Pet Me Poppa
In other words, Just from waiting around, For that little band of gold, A person can develop a cold
Nathan Detroit (Frank Sinatra) tries to convince Skye Masterson (Marlon Brando) to bet on Lindy's cheesecake
That bacardi flavor, it certainly makes a difference, doesn't it?
Your eyes are the eyes of a woman in love...
Luck if you've ever been a lady to begin with ...
I dreamed last night I was on the boat to heaven ...
Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #31 - The Last Tycoon (1976) - The Last Tycoon is a mystery within a riddle within a mystery, which is definitely part of its appeal. Director Elia Kazan and screenwriter Harold Pinter adapted F. Scott Fitzgerald's unfinished novel (he died before he finished it), which contributes to its enigmatic quality. Robert DeNiro plays protagonist Monroe Stahr in a quiet, compelling way - very far from his most well-known, more brutish performances. Set in Hollywood in the late 30s, when the studios were just seeing the end of the mogul era and the rise of the corporate structure, The Last Tycoon follows Stahr over the course of a few days as he tries to save the current picture he is overseeing and embark on a doomed romance. There is something wonderful and unfulfilled in a movie that doesn't (and can't) answer all your questions. No matter how many times I see it, I want more. Just like life.
One of my favorite scenes:
Studio executive Monroe Stahr (Robert DeNiro) in his natural habitat
Stahr shows Kathleen Moore (Ingrid Boulting) the beachside villa he's never going to finish
Stahr with union organizer Brimmer (Jack Nicholson) and Cecilia Brady (Theresa Russell)
Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #30 - Rebel Without A Cause (1955) - There are only three movies that James Dean starred in before his tragic death in 1955 in a car crash, but boy, did he leave an impression. A few months ago the kid and I caught Rebel Without A Cause on TCM. I hadn't seen the film in many years, and I was not only surprised by how easily he sucked me right back in to his character Jim Stark's awkward attempts to make his way in the world, but how affected my fourteen year-old daughter was by his performance, too (and Sal Mineo's tragic turn as Plato). We also recently watched Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of S.E Hinton's The Outsiders, which was heavily influenced by this film. The technicolor is amazing too, with Jim's bright blood-red jacket an immediate icon of "dangerous" youth.
Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #29 - Black Widow (1987) - This is a very stylish thriller, with two fantastic female leads - Theresa Russell and Debra Winger. A cat and mouse game, Black Widow is not a murder mystery - we know from its opening shots who is the hunter and what sort of prey she prefers - very rich, very talented men. The true mystery at the core of the film is not how, or if she will be caught, but why she feels compelled to do what she does. The supporting cast is full of fine actors, too: Dennis Hopper, Diane Ladd, Nicol Williamson, Lois Smith, Sami Frey, Terry O'Quinn, James Hong, Mary Woronov, andD. W. Moffett. Highlights include the yin/yang relationship between the women and gorgeous locations, including some breathtaking Hawaiian scenery. I wrote about this film in more depth in 2011.
Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #28 - Ed Wood (1994) - Johnny Depp has been Tim Burton's male muse for a long time, and this film, I believe, is their best work together. An affectionate biopic of Hollywood's "worst director," Ed Wood manages to capture its subject's unconventional life as well as his love of films and filmmaking. Martin Landau portrays a touching Bela Lugosi nearing the end of his career, but the whole cast is amazing. Did Ed Wood know that he had meager talent? It doesn't seem to matter. As Depp plays him, he is enthusiasm and loyalty personified. Filmed in glorious black and white, Ed Wood has plenty of laughs, a little pathos, and tons of style. And it never ridicules its subject. A brilliant film.
Ed Wood (Johnny Depp) loves the feel of a angora, "My girlfriend still doesn't know why her sweaters are always stretched out."
Vampira (Lisa Marie) takes the bus to work
Ed and the gang on the way to a premiere
Ed meets the woman of his dreams (Patricia Arquette)
Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #27 - Midnight in Paris (2011) - As a writer and artist it's hard not to feel that Midnight in Paris was made for me. Owen Wilson is frustrated in work and in love, and the beauty of Paris is luring him to follow his true dream - to ditch his Hollywood screenwriting career and move to Paris to finish his novel, a la his idols F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway. One evening, strolling and soaking in the city's beauty, a vintage Peugeot rolls up and whisks him away to the Paris of his dreams - the 1920s. He meets not only Fitzgerald (Tom Hiddleston) and Hemingway (Corey Stoll), but Pablo Picasso, Gertrude Stein (Kathy Bates), and a beautiful artist's muse named Adriana (Marion Cotillard). Gil has many adventures in the past, and who wouldn't want to meet their heroes? There are plenty of wonderful art in-jokes, including Gil suggesting to Luis Bunuel the plot of his classic film The Exterminating Angel. Midnight in Paris is a wonderful tribute to the city, art, love, and realizing that one can honor the past while living in the present.
Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #26 - This Is Spinal Tap (1984) - Rob Reiner learns how to turn it up to eleven in this silly, funny rockumentary about England's loudest band, Spinal Tap - David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest), Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer). "Stonehenge." Spontaneously combusting drummers. "Smell the Glove." Armadillos in their trousers. 🤘
Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest): The numbers all go to eleven. Look, rightacross the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and...
Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner): Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten?
Nigel Tufnel: Exactly.
Marty DiBergi: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?
Nigel Tufnel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?
Marty DiBergi: I don't know.
Nigel Tufnel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?
Marty DiBergi: Put it up to eleven.
Nigel Tufnel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.
Marty DiBergi: Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?
Nigel Tufnel: [pause] These go to eleven.
Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner): Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten?
Nigel Tufnel: Exactly.
Marty DiBergi: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?
Nigel Tufnel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?
Marty DiBergi: I don't know.
Nigel Tufnel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?
Marty DiBergi: Put it up to eleven.
Nigel Tufnel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.
Marty DiBergi: Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?
Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #25 - Logan’s Run (1976) - I remember seeing Logan’s Run in a movie theater with my family. Michael York was such a dish. And there was nudity! (Must have been uncomfortable for my mom and dad with my brother and me there - oops!) Jenny Agutter and her ankh choker. Farrah Fawcett in a bit part. Peter Ustinov and all those cats. I’ve always loved science fiction that played with our future. This was an early filmed dystopia. I loved it so much I read the novel, which was quite different from the film.
Favorite movies that have had an impact on me - #24 - Planet of the Apes (1968) - Before HBO and streaming it was a big deal to premiere theatrical movies on TV. Seeing Planet of the Apes for the first time with my family (probably in summertime) was the beginning of our shared love of movies. So many things about this movie, apart from the cool monkeys rule the world theme are memorable. It was an early experience of a post-apocalyptic world and a twist ending. And the “they always kill the black guy” trope that always irritated me in films and movies at at early age. And Charlton Heston looked great in that loincloth.
George Taylor (Charlton Heston): Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!
