FAVORITES of 2011

My favorite tv show of 2011. Well, I discovered it in 2011, anyway.


HAWAII FIVE-O, tv series, 2010- (original post October 21, 2011)

my new favorite show!

2. Hawaii Five-0

Hawaii Five-O ran from 1968-1980, and was a police action drama starring Jack Lord and James MacArthur (yes, that would be Fritz from Disney's Swiss Family Robinson, folks!). I'm sure it was great- it did run for 12 seasons after all. But now, 30 years later, it's back!

Now starring Alex O'Loughlin, Scott Caan, Daniel Dae Kim, and Grace Park. It reminds me of NCIS: Los Angeles, except the guys are better looking (HAVE YOU SEEN THAT PICTURE? <<<<<<<<------), and of course, it takes place in Hawaii. I would probably never want to visit Hawaii, but it sure is pretty on tv!

I've started season 2 because that's where the show is now and I can watch full episodes on CBS.com. But I'm excited to watch season 1 through Netflix. I really love Netflix, and right now especially. I can even watch all 12 seasons of the old version of Five-O on Netflix- instantly! I might give it a go.

FAVORITES of 2011

These 2 don't have a specific theme, just their titles. But I LOVE them both!

IT HAPPENED TO JANE, 1959 (original post: June 14, 2011)


Director: Richard Quine

Stars: Doris Day, Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs

I seriously love this movie.

Jane Osgood (Day), a widowed mother of two living in a small New England town, raises and sells lobsters for a living. When the Eastern and Portland Railroad fails to deliver her lobsters on time, as she paid them to do, the result is a load of dead lobsters. She and her friend George Denham (Lemmon), also her lawyer, begin to fight the big corporation, which is run by Scrooge-like Harry Foster Malone (Kovacs).

It's a classic David-vs-Goliath story. With romance and small town charm.

This is on my "to-buy" list. It's definitely worth owning! Best marriage proposal scene ever!

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, 1934 (original post: September 26, 2011)

Director: Frank Capra (also directed It's A Wonderful Life, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Arsenic and Old Lace)

Stars: Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert

"I'll stop a car........ and I won't use my thumb."

(my favorite of all Colbert's lines!)

Ellie (Colbert), daughter of a famous millionaire, marries King Westley at a Justice of the Peace, but her father's goons drag her away directly after the ceremony. She's of age, but her father disapproves and tries to keep her on his yacht in Florida. But she escapes and hops a bus to New York, where her husband is waiting for her.

On the bus, she meets a reporter, Peter Warne (Gable), who, seeing she can't take care of herself, tries to teach her what life in the real world is like. He soon discovers who she really is (not just any spoiled brat!), and needing a good story to get back into his boss's good graces, decides to basically blackmail her into staying with him and giving him an exclusive, and in return he will not tell her father where she is.

On their little adventure, they pose as husband and wife, share a cabin for the night, hitchhike, and basically fall in love.

Words can't express how much I LOVE this movie!!

Two thumbs up!

FAVORITES of 2011

The ones that surprised me:

THREE COINS IN THE FOUNTAIN, 1954 (original post: May 14,2011)


Director: Jean Negulesco

Stars: Clifton Webb, Jean Peters, Dorothy McGuire, Louis Jourdan,

I watched it twice!

Need I say more? No, but I will. There's something about the 50's, isn't there? Just watch a movie from the 50's. (Watch this one!) The big, detailed sets with absolutley wonderful furniture; the beautiful scenery and places; the color; the clothes! (I absolutely loved the dresses from this film! I wish they were in style now!)

Three secretaries in Rome and the tales of their romances. I don't want to give anything away, which is always my story with the good ones. This is one of those great "summer movies". Travel, new places, Italy, beautiful locations, great clothes, gorgeous people, sweet romances- is there anything else you could want in a movie?

This one is on my "to buy" list.

Thank you, Rebekah, for
suggesting it!

SWEET LAND, 2005 (original post: June 8, 2011)


Director: Ali Selim

Stars: Elizabeth Reaser, Tim Guinee, Alan Cumming, Alex Kingston

Inge (Reaser) arrives in a small Minnesota farming community to marry Olaf (Guinee), but without her immigration papers, plus the fact that she is German and the time is right after World War I, both the minister and the county clerk refuse to marry them. And poor Inge doesn't speak English, so she doesn't understand what is going on.

At first Inge stays with Olaf's good friends Frandsen (Cumming) and his wife Brownie (Kingston), but soon, sleeping in the same quarters with their nine children becomes insufferable. She ends up living at Olaf's house with Olaf, though he sleeps in the barn since they are not married. Assuming scandal, the minister preaches a sermon against them, and Olaf's friendship with Frandsen suffers, as well.

I don't want to write anything more, because I don't want to give anything away or make it sound stupid, which I probably do sometimes. I absolutely loved it. It's a quiet, slow movie, very sweet and emotional. There's lovely music, when there is music, but there isn't a lot of it. Which makes it more realistic to me.

I absolutely despise Alan Cumming's accent, but it's very accurate; so good job, dude!

Rebekah, I really, really think you'd like this one!

THE WORLD'S FASTEST INDIAN, 2005 (original post: November 30, 2011)





Director: Roger Donaldson

Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Aaron Murphey

Burt Munro (Hopkins) has been restoring his 1920's Indian motorcycle, in order to race it during Speed Week in 1967 at the salt flats in Utah. It's the story of his journey from Inver Cargill, New Zealand, to the salt flats.

It's an absolutely wonderful film, and I don't want to give anything away! Watch it! I actually cheered when he passed though motorcyclists in the first race in the beginning. It had only been 20 minutes, but his character is so lovable, I couldn't help it.

Secondhand Lions, 2003

THURSDAY MOVIE CONNECTION

Robert Duvall- Josh Lucas



Director: Tim McCanlies

Stars: Michael Caine, Robert Duvall, Haley Joel Osment, Kyra Sedgwick, Josh Lucas

I love this film.

Walter (Osment) is sent by his selfish mother (Sedgwick) to live with her bachelor uncles Hub (Duvall) and Garth (Caine). Hub and Garth reluctantly take him in, and eventually grow to like him, since he seems to get on the nerves of other relatives who are just coming over to get into the men's wills. Rumor has it, Hub and Garth have millions stashed away somewhere.

A lot of the movie is Garth telling Walter the story of Hub and Garth's lives: how they traveled to Europe, fought in the French Foreign Legion, and lived in Africa. Tales of action, adventure, romance!

This movie is beautiful from start to finish. I can't do it justice at all. You'll love it.

2012 Thursday Movie Connection

In 2012, I've decided to play a movie connection game. Every Thursday, I'll have a new movie, which connects by an actor to the Thursday before it. Then from that movie, I'll choose another actor and connect it to the next Thursday's movie.

I will begin with Robert Duvall, and tomorrow's movie is Secondhand Lions.

I tried to plan it with new movies only, as in ones I haven't already reviewed. But there are a few repeats- oops!

My favorites of 2011

For the next two weekends, I'd like to do a re-post on my favorite movies I reviewed in 2011. A few I watched for the very first time, and was very pleasantly surprised with them. They joined the list of my own all-time favorites. This Friday, the re-posts will be:

Sweet Land, 2005
The World's Fastest Indian, 2005
Three Coins in the Fountain, 1954


Just a little shout out to my favorites of last year! Hello, 2012!

Two Thousand Twelve

Happy New Year!!

My 2012 New Year's resolution is to watch more movies and write more reviews!

Well, it's sort of a real resolution.

If you are a regular reader (Rebekah!) or just happen to come upon my site, here's what you have to look forward to in 2012:

--March is the month of musicals! March will include:

*An American in Paris *Singin' in the Rain *Seven Brides for Seven Brothers *On the Town *Guys and Dolls *Shall We Dance *Swing Time *My Fair Lady *Summer Stock *The Sound of Music *Oklahoma *The King and I *Hello, Dolly!

and more! Should be a fun month for me, especially. I'm sure I'll be singing a lot in March.


My favorite director, Alfred Hitchcock, died on April 29, 1980. So the month of April will be dedicated to Hitch, The Master of Suspense!! Movies to include:

*Saboteur *To Catch a Thief *Vertigo *Torn Curtain *North by Northwest *The Thirty-Nine Steps *Rich and Strange *Notorious *Lifeboat *Shadow of a Doubt *I Confess *Dial 'M' for Murder *Rope *Easy Virtue (sounds interesting...!) *The Trouble With Harry *The Man Who Knew Too Much *Rebecca *Rear Window *Marnie *Strangers on a Train

I might even try to watch "Spellbound" with Gregory Peck. I mean, it stars Peck; not that I would watch it with him. Unfortunately.

More random ones include:

The Swiss Family Robinson *The Parent Trap *17 Again *Sabrina *Roman Holiday *Ever After *Secondhand Lions *Music and Lyrics *The Wedding Singer *13 Going on 30 * The Blues Brothers

Many more movies to come, though I don't know about any more theme months or weeks. Those are always fun, so I'll try to come up with more of those ideas. Maybe....

-A week of Jane Austen? (Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Emma, Mansfield Park)
-Star Wars (only the classics!)
-Lord of the Rings
-Disney classics (Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Aladdin, The Lion King, etc.)
-The 80's (Romancing the Stone, Look Who's Talking, The Princess Bride, Overboard, etc.)

Some films may be repeats from last year (example: I already reviewed a few Hitchcock films, and I will re-post them in April), but I promise never to re-post an awful film. Those don't even deserve one post.