Double the Summer Sunshine Awards

Both Taking Up Room and Nitrate Glow have nominated me for a Sunshine Award!  Thank you, lovely movie mavens!  I'm going to answer ALL their questions in this post :-D  ::flexes fingers::

Zee usual Sunshine Award Rules:

• Display the award’s official logo somewhere on your blog
• Thank the person who nominated you
• Provide a link to your nominator’s blog
• Answer your nominator’s questions
• Nominate up to 11 bloggers
• Ask your nominees 11 questions
• Notify your nominees by commenting on at least one of their blog posts

Here are my answers to Taking Up Room's questions:

1. Which movie of 2024 has been your favorite so far? Your least favorite? 

If we're saying strictly movies released in 2024, my favorite has definitely been Horizon: An American Saga, Chapter One (2024), and my least-favorite has been The Ministry for Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024), and that is entirely misleading and horrible to say, because I enjoyed Ungentlemanly Warfare enough to buy a DVD copy for my shelves -- but those are the ONLY new movies made in 2024 I have seen this year.  It has been a sucky year for movies, yo.  There have been a few others I wouldn't mind seeing at some point, but I didn't want to see them enough to get me in the theater.

Now, if you want me to pick from all the movies I have watched for the first time in 2024, that's more interesting.  Then my favorite is probably The Train (1964), which is spellbinding, and my least-favorite has absolutely been Sherlock Holmes and the Leading Lady (1991), which was so abysmal I couldn't even finish it, not even for Christopher Lee's sake.

2. Do you like superhero movies or are you over them? 

I love them.  I'm so excited that my kids are getting old enough to really dig them!  But, at the same time, I am no longer watching the new MCU movies and shows because the first couple that came after Avengers: Endgame (2019) soured me deeply on where they were taking the franchise, so I am simply choosing to end the MCU there in my headcanon.

3. You have the chance to visit any movie studio or any movie production at the height of the studio era. Which studio or movie do you pick and why? 

I pick the production of The Blue Dahlia (1946) because it gives me the best shot at meeting both my favorite author, Raymond Chandler, and my dearly beloved Alan Ladd.  Plus his best friend, William Bendix

4. What do you like best about your favorite film genre? 

I love westerns because they make me happy.  I simply can't be uncheered by a cowboy!

5. Who are your favorite film critics? 

My blogging friends.  I pay basically no attention to "real" movie critics.  If they agree with me, it doesn't change anything, and if I disagree with them, I often get mad at their wrongness, and who needs more anger in their life?  Not me.

6. Are there any movies you regret reviewing? 

Ugh, yes.  I made a list nineteen years ago of my bottom 10 movies, and I really wish I could go back in time and stop myself from watching them.

7. Have you ever changed your opinion of a movie and if so, which movie was it? 

Goodness, yes!  Many times.  Especially as I gradually revisit movies I disliked when I was a teen.  3:10 to Yuma (1957), Hour of the Gun (1967), and The Proud Rebel (1958) are all movies I disliked or found boring as a teen, but dearly love now.

8. What are some of the other things you like doing besides blogging? 

I homeschool my kids, I read a lot of books, I write and publish books, I teach literature, I grow flowers and bake yummy snacks and take pretty pictures of books for Bookstagram.  I crochet.  I write a monthly newspaper column on Old West history.

9. Are there any movies that you think might make good video games? If you have any interest in video games, that is. 

I do enjoy video games now and then, particularly if they are movie-related.  I get a big kick out of the Lego Hobbit game, for instance.  It would be really fun to have a sort of film noir mash-up game where you get to choose what classic noir detective you want to be, and then you go around solving cases inspired by noir films.

10. If you could write about any celeb or other film-related topic, what or who do you write about? 

You mean, if I could write, like, a newspaper column on movies?  I could write about western movies and shows for months/years.  Or, if you mean, who or what could I write a nonfiction, film-related book about, again, westerns!  Maybe Alan Ladd's westerns, specifically.  Or Hamlet adaptations.  I keep watching more of those, and I could totally write a book reviewing a few dozen of them.  Which doesn't sound like a bad idea for a book, actually...

11. Who do you most enjoy seeing movies with?

I enjoy watching movies with people who are ready to enjoy them.  If I'm in a theater, give me a crowd that is going to laugh aloud at funny things, maybe clap at something awesome.  If I'm at home, give me companions who are NOT going to talk over the dialog all the time, but who are ready to laugh and maybe clap, maybe gasp, maybe quick share a "that's so cool!" kind of reaction.

Here are my answers to Nitrate Glow's questions:

1. What is the best theatrical experience you have ever had? 

When I was fifteen, we went to see Apollo 13 (1995) in the theater.  At the end, when the big, happy, wonderful reveal happens, the stoic Iowa farmers in that theater around us stood up and clapped.  I get tears in my eyes just remembering it.

2. Any opinions on the future of movie theaters?

I think theaters that are showing classic films alongside new ones will stay strong.  Theaters that only show new releases are going to struggle.  This is entirely based on my personal experience, in that I have gone to see two new releases this year, but by the end of this month, I'll have been to 9 re-releases of older films.

3. Is there a universally despised movie you think isn’t so bad? 

Well, The Lone Ranger (2013) is in my top five for all-time favorites...

4. Name a movie you enjoy from a genre you don’t usually like. 

I don't watch horror much at all, but I really like Dracula Untold (2014).  They put a very unique spin on his origins that I very much dig, as a writer.  Also, Luke Evans.  ::insert heart-eyes emoji here::

5. What do you think your best post to date is? 

I've been blogging for 22 years.  One best post?  Ouch.  Hmm.

Here are three I'm very proud of:

• My fake review of Murder Most Foul (1943)
• My poetic analysis of the song "Hurt" melded with Hamlet
• My post about finally figuring out why I love Hamlet so much

6. What is your favorite film from 1939? 

Destry Rides Again.  So quotable!

7. What are some classic film related books you would recommend? 

I really loved Sixguns and Society: A Structural Study of the Western by Will Wright.  Film Noir: Light and Shadow by Alain Silver and James Ursini is a delight.  I learned a lot from We'll Always Have Casablanca by Noah Isenberg.

8. What movie has the best cinematography you’ve ever seen? 

Well, this is tricky, because what does "best" mean?  Most-sweeping visuals?  Best composition?  Most striking use of color?  Gotta say, the best one I have seen in a long time is Midway (2019) -- they don't waste anything in their frames, and their shots showing what it was like to actually be in a dive bomber, diving on an enemy ship -- they're spectacular.

9. Name an underrated filmmaker/performer/creative in the industry you always champion. 

Have you heard me natter on for pages on end about Alan Ladd and how under-loved he is these days, how really good he was in serious roles even though the critics usually dismissed him as just a tough guy, how sweet and kind he was as a person?  If not, you must have not been reading my blog much for the past eight years...

10. Favorite movie soundtrack? 

I love a lot of soundtracks, so I'm just gonna go with Bruce Rowland's score for The Man from Snowy River (1982) because that's my favorite movie.  And the soundtrack is the first CD I ever bought.  And all three of my kids were born while that soundtrack was playing in the birthing room.

11. What movie are you itching to write about but haven’t yet?

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023) -- but I'll be reviewing it this weekend for the Barbarians at the Gate blogathon I'm co-hosting!

And now, the nominees are...

Nobody.  I just got nominated with a third Sunshine Blogger Award a couple days ago, so I'm going to save my tagging for when I answer that one...

A Tale of Two Illyas: Character Changes in "The Man from UNCLE" (2015)

Anyone who has seen the ‘60s spy show The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and the 2015 film version will tell you that, although the film is faithful to the show, there’s one major difference between the two. 

They both take place in the ‘60s during the Cold War. They both involve a Soviet spy named Illya Kuryakin (David McCallum in the original; Armie Hammer in the film) teaming up with an American spy named Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn first; Henry Cavill now). Both involve wild and somewhat madcap adventures, pretty girls, handsome men, shiny cars, spy gadgets, and a middle-aged British gent named Mr. Waverly (then Leo G. Carroll; now Hugh Grant) who runs the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement. 

There are some smaller differences, such as the fact that Solo and Kuryakin are pretty good at spying in the film, but mysteriously inept on the show. Also, they are always working together on the show, but don’t team up until midway through the film, making it a prequel more than a reboot. But while both versions of Napoleon Solo are handsome and charming serial womanizers, the two Illya Kuryakins could not be more different, at least on the surface. 

The original Illya was short, slight, quiet, cool, and enigmatic, with a backstory never divulged beyond his Russian ancestry. It was that mysteriousness, combined with actor McCallum’s boyish cuteness, that gave rise to what’s often termed “Illya mania.” Young teen girls in the mid-1960s idolized Illya Kuryakin the way a more recent crop of girls swooned over One Direction. The writers divulged nothing about Illya’s past beyond a few tantalizing hints, so viewers never learned how he became a calm, mild-mannered spy who killed without flinching and avoided romantic entanglements as avidly as Napoleon Solo sought them. 

Movie Illya is tall, athletic, loud, angry, and emotionally disturbed. He’s given to “episodes” of rage-fueled outbursts. Not long into the film, we learn his whole back story: father fallen out of favor with Soviet officials and sent to the Gulag, mother with a reputation for being “easy,” and Illya distancing himself from both parents by becoming the KGB’s youngest agent ever and rising in the ranks to become their best. Over the course of the film, he gradually falls clumsily in love. 

Movie Illya is lonely; TV Illya would rather be alone. Movie Illya falls in love easily; TV Illya has no time or need for love. Movie Illya is relentless and obsessive; TV Illya is bored by just about everything. Movie Illya can’t dance and doesn’t care for American music; TV Illya is a jazz aficionado. 

The filmmakers changed Illya so deliberately, while keeping Solo so much the same, that I’m convinced they had a specific reason for doing so. I suspect it’s because quiet-and-enigmatic is no longer a fresh and intriguing type of character. When the show aired in the 1960s, Illya was very different from the typical heroes of the time who tended to be tall, dark, handsome, and brash—think of Sean Connery’s James Bond, of John Wayne and Gregory Peck and Henry Fonda. Those were heroes, big and manly and in control. TV Illya was their opposite, which made him new and interesting. 

But, what about now? James Bond today is lonely, quiet, tortured. So is Jason Bourne. From Harry Potter to Edward Cullen to Peeta Mellark, pop culture is glutted with heroes who are shy, slight, and quiet. TV Illya would fit right in, instead of standing out. 

I think the filmmakers wanted Illya Kuryakin to still have an aura of “otherness.” So they made him outwardly the opposite of TV Illya because he would be outwardly the opposite of the plethora of teen heartthrob heroes we have today. They made him emotionally disturbed instead of remote because audiences today would find him more interesting that way. They gave him a sad back story to help us sympathize with him, but cast an actor whose physical height alone would assure viewers he’s more than capable of fending for himself. And by making him obviously a novice when it comes to love and romance, they enhanced his “otherness” for an audience who assumes that everyone has had multiple romances and sexual encounters by their mid-twenties. 

Many TV series fans were put off by changes made to Illya Kuryakin for the movie. I myself find Movie Illya far more alluring than TV Illya because he needs other people while TV Illya doesn’t interest me much because I have no sense of who he is inside. Is this partly because I’m not a teenager? Is it because I saw the movie before I saw the show? Is it because I was already a fan of Armie Hammer before the movie was released? Those things probably play into it. I hope anyone who objected to this film “because Illya is just so different” will take the time to ponder why he’s different, and come to realize that, if the filmmakers didn’t change the other characters, they must have had a good reason for changing him.

(This post originally appeared in Femnista magazine on September 21, 2016.)

My Ten Favorite Live-Action Disney Movies

This list was WAY harder to narrow down than yesterday's list of animated favorites!  I grew up watching so many classic Disney movies over and over and over.  I almost cried when I realized I had to leave both Davy Crockett movies off this list.  They were so formative for me!  But I haven't watched them in years now, so I'm leaving them off... but mentioning them here so they aren't entirely neglected ;-)

Once again, titles are linked to my reviews when applicable.

1. The Lone Ranger (2013)  John Reid (Armie Hammer) returns to his Texas hometown after years away at law school. Bad guys ambush him, his brother, and a company of Rangers -- everyone else dies, but a renegade named Tonto (Johnny Depp) saves John Reid's life, and together they try to bring down the greedy men responsible for the deaths of their family members. It's a twisty, fable-like origin story that I never tire of.

2. The Parent Trap (1961)  Twin sisters (Hayley Mills as both) with divorced parents (Maureen O'Hara and Brian Kieth) scheme to bring their parents back together. It's been one of my favorite movies since I was a teen.

3. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)  Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) resorts to commandeering, raiding, pillaging, plundering, and otherwise pilfering his weasely black guts out, all to regain his beloved ship. More fun than a barrel of undead monkeys!

4. The Three Musketeers (1993)  Young d'Artagnan (Chris O'Donnell) just wants to be a Musketeer, but he ends up embroiled in unmasking a plot against the king. His three Musketeer friends (Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, and Oliver Platt) are hilarious and awesome too. I actually like this better than Alexandre Dumas' book :-o

5. The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)  When three little swindlers kids show up in a slowly-declining California gold rush town, a gambler (Bill Bixby) just passing through winds up taking care of them.  One gold strike, one marriage of convenience involving the local stagecoach driver (Susan Clark), one bank robbery by the bumblingest outlaws in the west (Don Knotts and Tim Conway), and one capture of a notorious outlaw (Slim Pickens) later, and they can finally live happily ever after!

6. The Swiss Family Robinson (1960)  A shipwrecked family (John Mills, Dorothy McGuire, James MacArthur, Tommy Kirk, and Keven Corcoran) builds a new home on a deserted island.  And fights pirates.  An absolute highlight of visiting Disney World last year, for me, was getting to explore the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse there!

7. Cinderella (2015)  Ella (Lily James) treats her stepmother (Cate Blanchett), a prince (Richard Madden), and her fairy godmother (Helena Bonham Carter) with courage and kindness. It's a straightforward, cottagecore retelling of the classic fairy tale, and it delights me.

8. Kidnapped (1960)  A young Scotsman (James MacArthur) gets kidnapped by slave traders hired by the uncle who has cheated out of his inheritance.  He and a fierce highland gentleman (Peter Finch) join forces to escape and make their way back to his home to claim what belongs to him.

9. That Darn Cat! (1965)  An adventurous teen (Hayley Mills) enlists her sister (Dorothy Provine), her best friend (Tom Lowell), and an FBI agent (Dean Jones) in her plot to rescue a kidnapped bank teller from two icky robbers (Neville Brand and Frank Gorshin) by following her cat around town.  Um, yes.  It's very funny and zany and sweet.

10. The Journey of Natty Gann (1985)  During the Great Depression, a young teen (Meredith Salenger) hitches rides across the whole country to find her dad (Ray Wise), sometimes helped by a wolf, and sometimes helped by a sarcastic young hobo (John Cusack).  I saw this when it was first released to VHS in the mid-'80s and have been a John Cusack fan ever since.

Spot any favorites of your own?  Any here you've been meaning to see, but haven't gotten around to yet?  Let's discuss in the comments!

This is my second contribution to the 100 Years of Disney blogathon hosted by Silver Scenes.  Be sure to check out their blog for all the delightful posts people have written to celebrate this event!

My Answers to the LOWCW 2023 Tag

It has taken me days to fill this out.  So many good moments to choose from!  I'm so glad we decided to say "a favorite" for these so I didn't have to feel pressure to figure out my one absolute top favorite for any of these, as I would probably never have finished it otherwise.

In other words, get yourself a fresh cup of coffee and a biscuit from the chuckwagon and settle back for a series of pretty thorough answers to these tag questions.

The LOWCW 2023 Tag

Stetson -- a favorite hero moment (i.e. highlighting their character and/or making a pivotal decision, etc) 

There's a moment in The Lone Ranger (2013) at the beginning of the finale when John Reid (Armie Hammer) appears above the crowd on his white horse, which rears up, and the first time I saw that, it was like he slotted into this silhouette in my head that's the shape of A Heroic Man.  It's really hard to describe, but it was like this moment of recognition for me and victory for him, and... I love that moment, because it's when John Reid finally OWNS being The Lone Ranger, and he never looks back from then on.

Petticoat -- a favorite heroine moment (ditto)

There's a tiny moment in The Rare Breed (1966) where Hilary Price (Juliet Mills), her mother Martha (Maureen O'Hara), and cowpuncher Sam Burnett (James Stewart) are transporting the prize Hereford bull Vindicator to Texas.  Vindicator is tied behind the wagon that Martha and Hilary usually ride in on the trip, but on this sunny afternoon, Hilary isn't in the wagon, she is riding on Vindicator's back.  She raised him from a calf and loves him dearly, and she's really struggling to accept that he's been sold and is on his way to his new home, where she will have to leave him.  Most of that struggle is not conveyed to us in words, but in how Hilary behaves toward him, and that's most poignant in the moment when she's riding on his back and lies down on his back and closes her eyes.  The love and trust conveyed in that simple moment get to me every time I watch the movie.

Canteen -- a favorite scene with a leader/mentor 

In my favorite movie, The Man from Snowy River (1982), young Jim Craig (Tom Burlinson) has been accused of stealing a valuable horse from his employer, Mr. Harrison (Kirk Douglas).  Jim loses his job and heads home to the mountains.  There, he encounters a friend of his dad's, the crack rider Clancy (Jack Thompson).  Clancy tells Jim that Mr. Harrison is getting together a lot of riders to recover that valuable horse from the herd of wild horses it has joined.  Jim wants nothing to do with it because he's angry over being falsely accused of theft and fired, but Clancy tells him he should join the search because he's a grown man now, not a sulky kid, basically.  Jim is unconvinced.  Finally, Clancy asks him, "What's the first thing you do when a horse bucks you off?"  Jim says, "You don't let him beat you, you get straight back on."  Clancy nods and says, "Well?"  Jim might not like it, but he knows what he has to do.

That bit of advice, to stand up and try again and not let one fall defeat you is something that has been a real help to me all my life.  My own dad has actually quoted it to me, most memorably the first time I put on a pair of roller skates after breaking my arm while roller skating when I was 12.

Gloves -- a favorite sidekick/friend scene 

This is a scene that hurts and hurts, but it's so agonizingly good that I love it anyway.  In Hour of the Gun (1967), Wyatt Earp (James Garner) has just gunned down a man involved in the murder of Wyatt's brother.  Doc Holliday (Jason Robards) has been sitting silently on his horse watching things go down, but once Wyatt's business is finished, Doc can't be quiet anymore.  He tells Wyatt he's not carrying warrants for arrest, he's carrying hunting licenses.  Doc says Wyatt has no intention of bringing any of these people in alive, he's not working for the law anymore, he's turned vigilante and is carrying out his own little vengeful killing spree.

Wyatt is enraged.  It's the truth, but he can't bear to admit it to himself.  He absolutely refuses to admit anything that Doc is saying is true, and ends up belting his friend across the face.

Doc drops to his knees, the blow having started a horrible coughing fit, as he's slowly dying of tuberculosis.  He coughs and coughs and coughs, and Wyatt instantly switches from rage to compassion and remorse.  It's a gorgeous scene where Doc has the guts to tell his friend the truth, and Wyatt refuses to listen, but then his friendship for Doc overrules his anger.

Canyon -- a favorite western landscape 

I can't decide between Monument Valley and the Grand Tetons.  They both pop up in plenty of westerns, and they are both always completely, achingly gorgeous.

Monument Canyon in The Lone Ranger (2013)

The Tetons in Shane (1953)

Pistol -- a favorite fight scene 

The showdown at the end of A Fistful of Dollars (1964) is everything I want a gunfight to be.  The stakes are as high as possible, with the freedom and peace of a whole town riding on the outcome.  The bad guys are evil, and multitudinous, stacked against one lone hero who won't stay knocked down.  Add in a glorious trumpet theme by Ennio Morricone and you can't lose!

Saddle -- a favorite horse / animal in a western 

He may not be my absolute favorite, but Denny, the horse that Jim Craig rides to glory in The Man from Snowy River, is amazing.  I definitely owe my love of buckskin horses to Denny, and I owe my love of all horses to that film.

Sky -- a favorite ambitious / crazy plan in a western 

The War Wagon (1967) is all about a plan to rob an un-rob-able armored stagecoach filled with gold.  It's a heist film disguised as a western, and it might be part of why I love heist films, now that I think about it.  Taw Jackson (John Wayne) was wrongly convicted of a crime and just got out of prison after serving time for it (oh, and that is another favorite trope of mine!).  He decides to get his revenge on the man who framed him (Bruce Cabot) by gathering a group of oddly talented ne'er-do-wells (Kirk Douglas, Howard Keel, Keenan Wynn, and Robert Walker Jr. -- and no, I am not making that cast up) to help him carry out a very elaborate and detailed plan to rob his nemesis's armored gold-shipment coach.  That's the whole plot of the movie.  And it's a fun, fun ride.

Rifle -- a favorite scene with an antagonist 

Basically any scene from The Magnificent Seven (1960) with the bandit leader Calvera (Eli Wallach) in it, to be honest.  He steals every scene, even out from under the likes of Steve McQueen and Yul Brynner.  If I had to pick one favorite, it would be one from close to the beginning where he is justifying his thieving to some townsfolk, because he is totally convinced he makes absolute sense.  He's not stealing from these villagers because he hates them or he's filled with malice or he wants to take over the world, he's stealing from them to feed the men who follow him, and he's not mean and nasty about it, and that makes him one of the few villains I actually like a little bit.

Chuckwagon -- a favorite meal scene 

In Shane (1953), after Shane (Alan Ladd) uses nothing but his quietly menacing presence to scare their enemies away from their homestead, Joe (Van Heflin) and Marian (Jean Arthur) invite him to eat a meal with them.  While they eat, you get the sense that it has been a long time since Shane shared a meal with a family instead of eating at a boarding house or in some beanery.  He thanks Marian and tells her that this was "an elegant meal, ma'am."  His soft and graceful chivalry in that one line communicates to the audience -- and to Joe and Marian -- that there is a lot of depth to this gunfighter.  That he is more than just another tough guy. 

Badge -- a favorite scene with peace officers / sheriff 

There's a moment in Rio Bravo (1959) that has nothing to do, exactly, with keeping the peace or upholding the law, but it's such a sweet and lovely scene that I have to share it here.  The sheriff (John Wayne), his deputy (Dean Martin), the man who sweeps out the jail (Walter Brennan), and a young gunman (Ricky Nelson) are all holed up in the town jail, guarding one prisoner until the judge can come and try his case.  That prisoner's rich and powerful brother is doing everything he can to get the lawmen to release him, but they are standing firm and refusing.  In the middle of a very tense movie that is going to ratchet up the tension even more before it's through, we get a soft and quiet interlude where Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson sing a couple of songs one evening because you cannot have Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson in a movie together without getting them to sing something.  And because the audience needs a little breather between tense and exciting plot points just as much as the characters do.

Lariat -- a favorite cattle drive /roundup

The climax of Chisum (1970) involves a herd of cattle being driven straight through the main street of a town, with cattle going inside the buildings and smashing stuff up and altogether causing a great deal of mayhem.  It's chaotically glorious in a strange way, and I look forward to it every time I watch the movie.  Not quite a cattle drive or roundup in the usual sense, but very memorable!  I may have drawn inspiration from it for the ending of The Man on the Buckskin Horse, actually.

Hey, look at that!  You made it to the end of this very long post!  Hope your coffee held out.

Don't forget that today is the last day to enter my giveaway!  

Movie Music: Daniel Pemberton's "The Man from U.N.C.L.E." (2015)

Daniel Pemberton created a fun, retro soundtrack for the 1960s-set Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) that perfectly suits the film's upbeat vibe. Pemberton uses lots of period songs from icons like Nina Simone and Roberta Flack, as well as what I think must be European pop music from the era. Several times in the film, these period songs begin as something playing on the radio, then swell to be simultaneously diagetic and non-diagetic, which is a fun way to suck the audience into the film. I'm not going to share any of those today, though -- instead, I'm going to focus on my four favorite original tracks. Rather than a lush orchestral sound, Pemberton chose to write stripped-down songs using only a few instruments, rather like a band in the '60s. The results are, I must say, pretty groovy. 

"His Name is Napoleon Solo" has a lovely swagger, but a thread of tension and worry running through it as well. The swagger is for Napoleon Solo, who's being discussed during the scene where this plays, and the tension and worry are for Illya Kuryakin, who is being briefed on this potential adversary early in the movie. The two emotions weave around each other in interesting ways, much like the two characters when they are forced to work together. 

"Circular Story" has almost a spaghetti-western sound to parts of it, which at first seems weird, cuz what does a movie about spies in the '60s have to do with spaghetti westerns? Ah, but those are called "spaghetti" westerns because they were filmed in Italy, many during the '60s, and much of this film takes place in Italy, so... it makes sense in the end. (There's even part of an Ennio Morricone song used in the movie, though it's not on the soundtrack.) 

"Take You Down" gets used during my absolute favorite moment in the movie, a moment that is glorious, brilliant fun that makes me want to stand up and cheer, though in the theater I contented me with just clapping. It's one of those moments that, when I know it's coming soon, I start bouncing up and down and grinning madly. This song is a celebration of revving engines, speed, and the joy of the chase. The Morricone influence is back here too, with that opening "Wah-wah-wahhhhhh" reminding me so much of the beginning of the main theme for The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966).

"The Unfinished Kiss" is about as different from the previous track as possible. It's tender, wistful, hesitant. But still strong and determined -- such a fascinating contrast! 

Well, there you have it: one of my favorite soundtracks, from one of my favorite movies.  Ciao! 

(This review originally appeared here at J and J Productions on September 8, 2015.)

My Ten Favorite Movies Filmed in Europe

Phyl of Phyllis Loves Classic Movies tagged me with the Pick My Movie Tag 2, and she challenged me to post about a favorite movie that was filmed in Europe.  I decided to do a list of ten instead ;-)  So here are my ten favorite movies that take place in Europe that are actually filmed entirely in Europe! (As far as I can tell from their IMDB.com pages, anyway.)

All titles are linked to my reviews if I've reviewed that particular movie.

1. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) -- filmed in Italy and the UK.  An American (Henry Cavill), a Russian (Armie Hammer), and a German (Alicia Vikander) team up during the Cold War to stop neo-Nazis from creating a nuclear bomb. This is an unabashedly fun movie, and I love it ever so dearly.

2. The Princess Bride (1987) -- filmed in Ireland and the UK.  After Buttercup's (Robin Wright) true love Westley (Cary Elwes) is murdered by pirates, she agrees to marry Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon), but gets kidnapped before the wedding. I'll never forget the first time I saw this movie -- it changed my ideas about humor and fantasy forever.

3. The Great Escape (1963) -- filmed in Germany.  The Nazis brilliantly put all their worst eggs (Steve McQueen, James Coburn, Charles Bronson, James Garner...) in one prison camp, and naturally all those escape artists work together to escape. I love this on so many levels, from the whole band-of-misfits-working-together angle to the clever planning to the actual escape itself. And it's based on a true story!

4. Chocolat (2000) -- filmed in France and the UK.  A mysterious woman (Juliette Binoche) opens a chocolate shop in a sedate French village and teaches its inhabitants to reexamine their attitudes and customs. The yummiest Johnny Depp movie ever -- do not watch this without a good supply of chocolate on hand!

5. A Knight's Tale (2001) -- filmed in the Czech Republic.  Penniless commoner William Thatcher (Heath Ledger) pretends to be a knight so he can win jousting tournaments and feed himself and his friends (Paul Bettany, Alan Tudyk, and Mark Addy). Rollicking good fun, with a crazy soundtrack and some awesome jousting scenes.

6. Emma (1996) -- filmed in the UK.  Meddlesome young Emma (Gwenyth Paltrow) tries her best to make matches for all her friends and acquaintances, then falls in love herself.

7. North and South (2004) -- filmed in the UK.  A woman (Daniela Denby-Ashe) from the pastoral south of England moves to the industrial north and spends months ignoring the fact that a wealthy manufacturer (Richard Armitage) is in love with her.

8. Pride and Prejudice (2005) -- filmed in the UK.  Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) and Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) can't fall in love with each other until they both come to understand themselves first.

9. The Three Musketeers (1993) -- filmed in Austria and the UK.  Young d'Artagnan (Chris O'Donnell) just wants to be a Musketeer, but he ends up embroiled in unmasking a plot against the king. His three Musketeer friends (Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, and Oliver Platt) are hilarious and awesome too. I actually like this better than Alexandre Dumas' book!

10. Jane Eyre (1983) -- filmed in the UK.  A young governess (Zelah Clarke) teaches her employer (Timothy Dalton) about love and honor. My favorite adaptation of my favorite novel.

Since this is a tag, here are the rules for it:

• Nominate one or more people to review the film or films of your choice. Or you can request they review something from a certain year, genre, or star. Everyone can review the same thing, or you can request each person cover something different. As long as it’s something they haven’t written about yet, you’re good. 
• Nominees are allowed to request a different pick for whatever reason no more than five times. Stuff happens. We all know it. 
• Nominees must thank the person who nominated them and provide a link their blog. 
• Nominees may nominate others to keep the tag going. Picking the person who nominated them is allowed, or they can nominate someone else. Or both. 
• All participants need to include these rules in their post, whether they’re nominees or picking nominees. 
• All participants should use the “Pick My Movie” banner or something similar in their posts. 
• Have fun!

I hereby tag Caffeinated Fangirl, I'm Charles Baker Harris (and I Can Read), and Meanwhile, in Rivendell... to write about one or more movies that they have changed their mind about somehow.  Reviews, musings, lists, whatever!

"Death on the Nile" (2022) -- Initial Thoughts

I FINALLY GOT TO SEE THIS MOVIE!  I have waited for more than two years to see this movie.  And I have finally seen it.

Unfortunately, that long wait may have built my expectations up higher than this movie could actually bear.  I did like it.  But I didn't love it.  And maybe that's because... it would be really hard for any movie to live up to two years' worth of expectations and anticipation?  Possibly.

Except I often have movies that I really, really want to see and don't get a chance to see for years and years.  So I'm not convinced that over-anticipation is the reason I didn't love it.

Part of what I didn't love is how much they pushed the PG-13 boundaries in regards to sensuality.  There's a lot of suggestive bumping and grinding and clutching, and even a moment when a woman starts to unbuckle and reach inside her husband's pants.  It gets way too hot and heavy for me to let my 14-year-old watch this, for sure.  I, as a married adult, was uncomfortable.  And that was just not necessary.  Sigh.

The mystery itself is thoroughly mysterious.  People keep dying under Hercule Poirot's very mustache.  He is flummoxed.  In fact, he might be too flummoxed.  He really didn't do any detecting of note until very close to the end of the film.  It was almost like he was along for the ride on the murder boat, then finally got around to trying to solve things after multiple bodies had stacked up.  And it's not like he really stopped any more murders from happening, he just figured out who did the killing.  I don't think anyone else was going to get killed, by the time he solved it.  

I haven't read the novel yet, though it's been sitting on my shelf for two years, waiting for me to see this so I could read the book after.  I suspect I may like the book better.  We'll see.

(MAJOR SPOILERS in this paragraph!)  And, yes, part of what made me not love this movie was that Armie Hammer's character turns out to be a villain, and I am always vexed when a favorite of mine plays a bad guy.  Especially when I don't know going in that they'll be the bad guy.  So, there's that.  Plus, there's really no justice served on the guilty parties, as they commit murder-suicide to get out of going to jail.  Hmm.

(END OF SPOILERS)

So... I'm not saying "this movie isn't worth seeing," but it's not one I'll be buying so I can watch it over and over.  Which I was kind of hoping it would be, so that's a disappointment.  However, I will say that Armie Hammer was devastatingly handsome, Gal Gadot and Letitia Wright were very beautiful, and the whole movie was aesthetically elegant.  I do love how Branagh directs, with every shot very purposeful and never shaky or distractingly showy.  And the music by Patrick Doyle was lovely.  I may pick up the soundtrack at some point, since I do love Doyle's scores.

Modern Dream Cast for "It's a Wonderful Life"

I want to be very clear, right from the start, that I am not advocating for anyone to remake It's a Wonderful Life (1946).  That movie is jewel-perfect and could not be improved on.

However.  It's really fun to imagine an alternate reality in which It's a Wonderful Life is getting made into a movie for the first time in 2021, starring today's talent.  And in which I am a casting director with the power and budget to cast whomever I please :-D

Please note that some of what I discuss here may spoil the original film, so if you haven't watched the 1946 film, do yourself a favor and celebrate its 75th anniversary by watching it before you read this.

With that in mind, here are my casting choices!

George Bailey -- Chris Evans

We need someone extremely likable and relatable for George Bailey, and I think Evans excels at both of those.  After all, he made Captain America a fan favorite by exuding genuine niceness, which is not something most actors can pull off.  But we also need someone who can go dark and angry as his frustrations and disappointments keep piling higher and higher.  Having just watched Knives Out (2019) for the first time this month, I really think Evans can go to that dark and lonely place too, making him ideal for this role.

Mary Bailey -- Grace Park

Mary Bailey is a tough character to cast because she's so multi-faceted!  She needs to be a sweet yet sexy girl-next-door in the flashbacks, then be a dependable and loving mother and wife, and yet also be a dowdy spinster in the alternate reality scenes.  That's a lot to ask from one actress!  But I think Park can handle all of it.  She impressed me so much back when she was on Battlestar Gallactica (2004-09), where she played multiple people with a magical blend of toughness and sensitivity.  In fact, I liked her so much there that she's the main reason I watched the Hawaii Five-O (2010-17) reboot.  I also think she and Evans would play a cute and believable couple.

Clarence -- Alan Arkin

This might be my favorite bit of casting.  In fact, I kind of started with Clarence and then moved outward from him because if he's not likable, no one will believe that George Bailey rescues, befriends, and believes him.  Alan Arkin has such a wonderful, mischievous twinkle to him, and I very much wish I could see him in this role for real!  I think he would play off Chris Evans extremely well, never taking too much nonsense from him, but also never bullying or badgering him into making good decisions.

Mr. Potter -- Clint Eastwood 

Probably my other favorite bit of casting.  If we can wrangle a moment where Mr. Potter calls George Bailey a punk, that would be amazing.  But even if we can't, my goodness, Eastwood would be so magnificent as a "warped, frustrated old man" grasping at any and all possible ways to ruin the young man he hates and envies so much.  He honestly might be a little TOO scary in the role, but I'm willing to take that chance.

Uncle Billy -- Dustin Hoffman

Did I cast Dustin Hoffman because he blusters and fumbles well?  Yes, I did.  Would he make audiences cry with his despair after he loses that all-important deposit?  Yes, he would.

Violet -- Jessica Alba

Violet was so hard for me to cast!  She has to be sexy and sassy, but also not too brassy.  We have to believe that she dates around and likes to have a good time, and has maybe gotten herself in a little trouble from time to time... but we also have to believe that the kiss she plants on George's cheek is innocent of anything but gratitude.  I think Jessica Alba can pull off the mix of come-hither and don't-come-quite-that-hither that the role requires.

Sam Wainwright -- Anthony Mackie

Hee haw!  Sam Wainwright, how ARE you?  :-D  Did I cast Mackie here because I already know he's great at giving Chris Evans crap with a likable grin?  Absolutely.  Plus, I just want to see him in more roles!  I think he'd be awesome as a successful businessman who gracefully loses Mary to George...but continues to give George a hard time whenever he gets a chance.

Mr. Gower -- Robert Duvall

I don't think the whole childhood incident with little George saving Mr. Gower's reputation as a pharmacist would work in modern times.  Pharmacies don't work that way anymore.  But surely we could figure something similar out with Mr. Gower being a barista who accidentally puts sugary syrup in a coffee for a very diabetic customer, and George being a delivery boy who notices and doesn't take her the coffee because it would hurt her.

Anyway, Duvall can ALWAYS be depended on to be enjoyable and watchable.  And I love that he's still acting!!!

Harry Bailey -- Armie Hammer

George Bailey's kid brother who turns into a glamorous war hero has to be taller and cooler than George himself.  I know Hammer has had some personal difficulties lately, but I can't wait to see him in Death on the Nile next year, and I think a happy-go-lucky role like Harry Bailey would be perfect for him to charm audiences back into really liking him.

Ruth Dakin -- Lily James

I STILL haven't seen Rebecca (2020), but I love the photos and clips I've seen of James and Hammer together in that, and I think it would be such fun to see him as a genuinely happy couple in this.  Ruth needs to have polish and aplomb, but also be fun and appealing, all in just a couple of minutes on screen.  We need to believe that George truly likes his new sister-in-law and takes her seriously when she says that Harry has a too-good-to-miss opportunity ahead of him.

Ma and Pa Bailey -- Karen Allen and Harrison Ford 

PLEASE, can we make this movie happen?  I know this picture is from a few years ago, but I'm certain Allen and Ford would still be magically delicious together.  And be believable as the parents of hotties like Chris Evans and Armie Hammer.

Ernie and Bert -- Billy Boyd and Dominic Monaghan

Did I save the best for last?  I DID.  Obviously.  We need this movie to happen just so these two goofballs can play opposite each other again, even in the super tiny roles of Bert the Cop and Ernie the Cabbie.  It's completely impossible to find photos of Monaghan and Boyd together where they look like normal people, much less movie stars, but since Bert and Ernie have a key scene together in the rain, serenading the newlywed Baileys, I figure this works pretty well.

What do you think?  Let's discuss!

This is my second contribution to the It's a Wonderful Life Blogathon hosted by Classic Movie Muse in honor of this classic film's 75th anniversary.  (My first was a review of the short story that inspired the film.)