Hud, 1963

Director: Martin Ritt

Stars: Paul Newman, Melvyn Douglas, Patricia Neal

Hud (Newman) can't get along with his father, or anyone else, and when he's drunk, he acts like a complete moron.  Very slow-moving, and depressing, really.  Not worth watching.  Sorry, Paul.

Torn Curtain, 1966

Director: ALFRED HITCHCOCK

Stars: Paul Newman, Julie Andrews,









And now, the last review of April!

American physicist Michael Armstrong (Newman) is on his way to Europe with his secretary/fiancee Sarah (Andrews) for a big mathematics conference or something.  (Is it ridiculous that I don't completely understand what is going on?)  Anyway, the whole point is that everyone thinks Armstrong is defecting to Germany, and he can't tell them that really he is working for the US government as a sort of spy, trying to get a formula for something!  

Okay, I don't know why I don't know the details because this truly IS one of my favorites.   It has PAUL NEWMAN!  Enough said.

Torn Curtain is not at all scary, just suspenseful, and of course, romantic.  And, no, Julie Andrews does NOT sing.

CAMEO:  In the hotel in the beginning, Hitch is seated, holding a baby.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, 1969

Director: George Roy Hill

Stars: Paul Newman, Robert Redford

"Kid, who's the best lawman?"

"Best?.... You mean the toughest, or easiest to bribe?"

Bank robbers Butch (Newman) and Sundance (Redford) lead the famed bank-robbing "Hole in the Wall" gang, that is until some pretty big hot shots decide to put a price on their heads. So, they head to Bolivia, for a change of scenery (to prolong their lives), and continue their lovely lifestyle down there. Until the law catches up with them again.

This is a classic. Absolutely hilarious, and beautiful. Very interesting ending. I love it and hate it. The end, I mean. I really like the movie; it's very worth the 2 hours!! I promise! (I've seen it twice!) And did I mention Paul Newman and Robert Redford are in it?? Dreamy!!

NOTE: William Goldman wrote the screenplay; he's also the writer of The Princess Bride (the novel and the screenplay), The Ghost and the Darkness, and Maverick, among many others. Thanks, Mr. Goldman-- I'm a fan!

The Long, Hot Summer, 1958

Director: Martin Ritt

Stars: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Orson Welles, Angela Lansbury

Another Paul Newman one! Enough said, right? You are about to hop in the car and go rent it.

Ben Quick (newman), a drifter, comes on a little town in Mississippi, looking for work. He finds a place to stay and work, on the plantation farm of the Varners, the richest family in town. Mr. Varner's son Jody and daughter-in-law live at home in his big mansion, along with his unmarried daughter, the local schoolteacher Clara Varner (Woodward).

The story is about Clara, and how she has dealt with her singleness and her father's opinion of it. And how Jody Varner, Clara's brother, deals with his father's resentment towards him. And of course, the story also includes Ben, seemingly stealing away the father's affection from Jody.

After watching it, I just want to sit on a rockin' chair on the front por-rch, and speak in a Southern dra-wl. Sippin' some cold sweet tea, or somethin'.

Perfect movie for a rainy day, though it is called The Long, Hot Summer.

I think it's sweet how Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were married 50 years (until his death in 2008. In Hollywood, that is serious.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1958

Director: Richard Brooks

Stars: Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman, Burl Ives

Wow. Not exactly what I was expecting. But not bad at all.

So Brick (Newman) is a alcoholic who is rejecting his wife Maggie (Taylor) because of something that happened in their past. While visiting his childhood home, they get caught in the midst of much drama on learning that Big Daddy (Ives) is dying. This film is a struggle of relationships and realizations of mistakes and all that jazz. It's emotional and dramatic, but I don't mean it negatively. And I don't want to give away any more.

And after I watched it, Paul Newman made a guest appearance in my dreams!

Needless to say, I highly recommend it.