The African Queen (1951)

Posted on December 18, 2013 by 4 Star Films

With the ultimate pairing of Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn, this film throws together two starkly different people in extraordinary circumstances. Hepburn is a prim and proper missionary in Africa whose brother dies after a confrontation with German soldiers. Bogart is the rough-edged pilot of an old steamboat christened The African Queen. Together they take on the dangerous task of going down the river in order to sink a German ship. At first they are both at odds with each other and struggle to cope with their situation. However, with no one else to turn to, over time, they become close. Their bond is so great that they are willing to die rather than to be separated. This is truly a heartwarming story of love and loyalty with two legends who literally light up the screen.

5/5 Stars

In a Lonely Place (1950) – Film-Noir

Posted on December 17, 2013 by 4 Star Films

Starring Humphrey Bogart and Gloria Grahame with direction by Nicholas Ray, the film is about a struggling screenwriter with a hot temper. Dixon Steele (Bogart) has not written a good script in a while but then one evening he has an enthusiastic young woman explain a novel he is supposed to adapt since he has not read it. Everything goes seemingly normal however the next morning she is dead and Steele is the main suspect. The police investigate, including Steele’s detective friend, but a neighbor gives an alibi which seems to save Steele. Soon Grahame begins to fall in love with him and vice versa. However, she soon realizes his violent side and second guesses Steele’s innocence since he has such a violent history. Although they are to be married it is broken off when he finds out she was going to leave. Only then does Grahame find out he was indeed innocent but the damage is already done and their relationship cannot be saved. This is a pretty good film noir with powerful characters.

4.5/5 Stars

2013 National Film Registry December 18th!

Posted on December 16, 2013 by 4 Star Films

The National Film Registry will be announcing the inductees for 2013 on December 18th so I thought I would share the films I chose. It should be noted that I had a list of about 80 titles but I took off the newer ones because I could nominate them at a later time. My number 1 pick was the, probably, little known Go for Broke! since it tells the story of Japanese-American soldiers during WWII. The rest were relatively standard fair.

1. Go for Broke! (1951)

2. To Have and Have Not (1944)

3. Gilda (1946)

4. Judgment at Nuremburg (1961)

5. The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)

6. Strangers on a Train (1951)

7. The Birds (1963)

8. The Great Escape (1963)

9. It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)

10. Mary Poppins (1964)

11. My Fair Lady (1964)

12. Rio Bravo (1959)

13. Rebecca (1940)

14. Harvey (1950)

15. The Magnificent Seven (1960)

16. Spartacus (1960)

17. Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967)

18. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

19. The Return of the King (2003)

20. The Circus (1928)

21. Steamboat Bill Jr. (1928)

22. You Can’t Take it With You (1938)

23. Only Angels Have Wings (1939)

24. Balls of Fire (1941)

25. The Little Foxes (1941)

26. Meet John Doe (1941)

27. The Palm Beach Story (1942)

28. The Pride of the Yankees (1942)

29. Tales of Manhattan (1942)

30. The More the Merrier (1943)

31. Star Spangled Rhythm (1943)

32. Gaslight (1944)

33. Scarlett Street (1945)

34. Spellbound (1945)

35. The Bishop’s Wife (1947)

36. The Lady From Shanghai (1948)

37. On the Town (1949)

38. The Gunfighter (1950)

39. Winchester ’73 (1950)

40. Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950)

41. Stalag 17 (1953)

42. The Caine Mutiny (1954)

43. Mister Roberts (1955)

44. To Catch a Thief (1955

45. The Killing (1956)

46. Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

47. Auntie Mame (1958)

48. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

49. The Misfits (1961)

50. Cape Fear (1962)

The Treasure of The Sierra Madre (1948)

Posted on December 16, 2013 by 4 Star Films

Putting Humphrey Bogart in his element once again, The Treasure of The Sierra Madre is another wonderful adventure film. Directed by John Huston, it tells the story of three men who join together in their search for an elusive treasure in Mexico. At the beginning, they are in good spirits eager to become wealthy. However, when they finally strike it rich they find it is not all it is cracked up to be . The situation escalates and they become paranoid of each other. Finally, Bogart’s character Dobbs is pushed over the edge and commits a malicious act out of desperation. Seemingly as an act of karma, he meets with another form of justice. However, it seems that by the end no one actually wins. A surprisingly good film, Sierra Madre takes your usual treasure hunt and realistically depicts man’s greed which often can overpower everything else. Bogart was supported nicely by Walter Huston (the father of the director) and Tim Holt.

5/5 Stars

Have Yourself a Very Movie Christmas!

Posted on December 7, 2013 by 4 Star Films

It’s that time of year again to dust off those old videos and tune your TVs to some Christmas classics. Whether it’s oldies like It’s a Wonderful Life or White Christmas, or more recent favorites like Home Alone and Elf, these films spread Christmas cheer for all to hear. As always Charlie Brown knows the real reason for the season. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Scrooge (1935)
Remember the Night (1940)
Holiday Inn (1942)
Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
The Bishop’s Wife (1947)
Holiday Affair (1949)
A Christmas Carol (1951)
White Christmas (1954)
Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol (1962)
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964)
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)
The Little Drummer Boy (1968)
Frosty the Snowman (1969)
Santa Claus is Coming to Town (1970)
Scrooge (1970)
The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)
The Gathering (1977)A Christmas Story (1983)
Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983)
Scrooged (1988)
Christmas Vacation (1989)
Home Alone (1990)
The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)
The Santa Clause (1994)
Elf (2003)
Prep & Landing (2009)

The Pawnbroker (1964)

Posted on December 5, 2013 by 4 Star Films

Starring Rod Steiger with support from Jaime Sanchez and direction by Sidney Lumet, the film chronicles the present life of a Holocaust survivor turned pawnbroker. Sol Nazerman is a man who keeps to himself and he is callous to everyone who enters the doors of his shop. Under the surface, it is evident that the reason for his demeanor are his constant tormenting memories of the death camp as well as the loved ones he lost. In present day Haarlem Sol feels fear for the first time in a long while when he learns his shop is being used as a front for illegal activities. The energetic Ortiz (Sanchez) who eventually got fed up with his boss, shows his loyalty in the end. Despite his specters, Sol seemingly feels humanity after such a long time of being cut off from the world. Steiger gives a stunning performance and although sometimes it seems confused, I think this is an important film to see.

4/5 Stars

A Hard Day’s Night (1964)

Posted on December 4, 2013 by 4 Star Films

A Hard Day’s Night directed by Richard Lester and starring the Beatles, showcases the eponymous album and plays out rather like a documentary more than a full-fledged movie.

The opening sequence has the Fab Four running frantically away from a mob of fans as they try to get to their train without being carried off. On the train we get a bit more acquainted in a day in the life of the Liverpool Lads. Paul’s clean but crafty grandfather has come along for a change of pace and the boys try to pick up girls, while their manager attempts to keep them in line. They get to their destination, but would rather dance, talk with girls, and frolic in an open field rather than answer fan mail and attend a press conference. They find themselves in trouble a number of times in between rehearsals for their show. It might be Paul’s grandfather getting in trouble at a casino, George taking a wrong turn, or John being cheeky and childish. Then, thanks to Paul’s grandfather they lose Ringo when he decides to get out and live a little! Time is running out and so they try to run him down with the police hot on their trail. They make it to their performance in time and Beatlemania takes over as they perform complete with swooning girls and deafening noise. The Beatles are a success and then they quickly head off in a helicopter, stopping one of Grandad’s schemes in the process.

We can only assume they were heading to American and as we all know the rest was history. I read an interview with Bob Dylan once and he said the true 1960s did not really start until about 1965. With Marx Brother antics and their challenging of authority you could say that the Beatles led this change. They may have looked like four clean cut boys, but their music, hairstyle, and nonconformist demeanor, at times, reflected a new generation. If you like the Beatles’ music this film is for you, and it also gives an interesting representation of 1960s London.

4.5/5 Stars

The Maltese Falcon (1941) – Film-Noir

Posted on December 2, 2013 by 4 Star Films

This archetypal film-noir directed by John Huston, stars Humphrey Bogart as the detective Sam Spade. After an initial conversation with a mysterious woman, that same night two men end up dead. As Spade tries to understand what is going on, it puts him in contact with a paranoid little man and another man who is trailing him. All of them have something to do with a black bird and the situation gets more complicated when Spade meets the fat man. Rather surprisingly Spade ends up with the falcon but of course there has to be a twist. Soon enough the truth comes out of Brigid O’Shaughnessy and Spade coldly does his work. This film has great characters played by Mary Astor, Peter Lorre, Sidney Greenstreet, Ward Bond, and Elisha Cook Jr. The directing is good as well as the cinematography. This is the film that finally made Bogart a star and he would never look back.

5/5 Stars

Star of the Month: Humphrey Bogart

Posted on December 2, 2013 by 4 Star Films

The man with the memorable speech impediment acquired from a WWI injury, Bogart began in the movies as a bit player in gangster films such as The Petrified Forest (1936) and Angels with Dirty Faces (1938). He finally made is major breakthrough as Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon (1941) directed by John Huston, and from that point on he never looked back. He followed it up with his trademark performance as Rick Blaine in Casablanca (1942), then two Huston classics The Treasure of Sierra Madre (1948) and The African Queen (1951). The 1940s also saw the inception of his romantic pairing and eventual marriage to Lauren Bacall. They acted together in To Have and Have Not (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947), and Key Largo (1948). Bogart continued to star in films in the 1950s including Sabrina and The Caine Mutiny before his death in 1957. He is undoubtedly one of the cultural legends of Hollywood with so many great film credits to his name. He could be a tough guy and a softie but he did it all with that iconic face and voice. Here’s looking at you Bogey.

Bonnie and Clyde (1967)

Posted on November 29, 2013 by 4 Star Films

Starring Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, with director Arthur Penn, the film chronicles the crime life of a group of notorious gangsters during the 1930s. Clyde Barrow (Beatty), a small time thief meets the beautiful young girl Bonnie Parker (Dunaway) and together they begin robbing banks. Soon they enlist the help of a dim-witted mechanic C.W., and then Clyde’s brother joins the fray bringing along his wife. They have a string of successes and they become infamous nationwide. Soon they begin to bicker among themselves and the police start to buckle down. In a shootout Buck is shot dead and Bonnie, Clyde, and C.W. just barely escape. However, their actions eventually do catch up with them and thus ends the story of these two figures depicted as anti-heroes. This film is significant because it was influenced by the French New Wave but it in turn ushered in a new era of American film . It has a unique combination of comedy, romance, violence, and of course banjo music.