Movie Review: Brigadoon (1954)

Hello!
I am participating in Love Letters to Old Hollywood's Van Johnson Blogathon!! Yes, I know this happened days ago, but I am still having my say even though I am late.

It was funny, I saw this last year, but I thought, "I don't even know who that is." Then this year I watched The Last Time I Saw Paris. "Oh, so that's who that is!" I exclaimed. Thinking about it, I had watched two movies before that with him, and I am here to review the first Van Johnson movie I saw!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless it says so.

Brigadoon (1954):

"...And you're lost in a beautiful forest.."
Two hunters are walking around Scotland one misty morning when they stumble across Brigadoon, a town that only appears every 100 years, but each time it appears it is just the next day from when it appeared last. Today, there is to be a wedding! Tommy and Jeff, the hunters, decide to fully enjoy the day because it is the only time they will ever see this place.

Genre: Musical, Romance.
Length: approx. 108 minutes

Costumes: 9.
Script: 8, "I've been wanting to do that all day."
Crew:
Directed by: Vincente Minnelli
Produced by: Arthur Freed
Written by: Alan Jay Lerner
Starring:
Gene Kelly as Tommy Albright

Van Johnson's facial expression here is the best.

Van Johnson as Jeff Douglas
Cyd Charise as Fiona Campbell

Virginia Bosler as Jean Campbell
Jimmy Thompson as Charlie Chisholm Dalrymple
Hugh Laing as Harry Beaton
Barry Jones as Mr. Lundie
Albert Sharpe as Andrew Campbell
Elaine Stewart as Jane Ashton
Eddie Quillan as Sandy
Tudor Owen as Archie Beaton
Owen McGiveney as Angus
Dee Turnell as Ann
Cinematography: 7.

Cinematography by: Joseph Ruttenberg
Music: 8.
Music by:
Alan Jay Lerner
Frederick Loewe
Conrad Salinger
Notes:
Cyd Charise was so tall she is always barefoot in this movie so it doesn't look like she is taller than Gene Kelly.
Quotes: 7, "You've noticed that, have you?"

Storyline: 6, There is some kissing, death, drinking, smoking, and suggestive things.
Good For: Musical lovers.
Overall Score: 7.5

Thank you so much to Love Letters to Old Hollywood for hosting this! Make sure you go check out the other entries, HERE.

I am so sorry this is late, I am having a problem with being on time this year. I hear by promise I will not be late anymore. And you can hold me to that.

Thanks for reading!

MovieCritic 

Movie Review: E. T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

Hello!
"Why, if it isn't Ethel Barrymore." (No, Drew Barrymore!).
Yes, I know that is the same opening I used for this blogathon last year, but it is such a good opening.

What blogathon? You ask. Well, it is Crystal at In The Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood's fourth annual Barrymore trilogy blogathon!!!

Yes, I know Drew Barrymore isn't in the "trilogy", but Crystal extended it to all the Barrymores! I am here to review one of Drew's first movies.

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless it says so.

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

"I'm keeping him."
When a space ship accidentally leaves one of it's inhabitants behind, a boy named Elliott finds it, and wants to keep it as a friend. But the creature, whom Elliott named E.T., starts to get homesick. Meanwhile, Elliott and his brother and sister have to keep him secret from government agents who are trying to find the alien they saw in the woods.
"How do you explain school to a higher intelligence?"

Genre: Science Fiction
Length: approx. 115 minutes.
Costumes: 10, I'm giving this a 10 because E.T. is a machine, not CGI.
Script: 6, there is some bad name calling, a few bad words and some swearing.
"Can't you understand English?"

Crew:
Directed by: Steven Spielberg

Produced by:

Kathleen Kennedy

Steven Spielberg

Written by: Melissa Mathison
Starring:
Pat Welsh as the voice of E.T. "He's not going to hurt you."

Henry Thomas as Elliott.

Drew Barrymore as Gertie. "I'm not stupid, you know." (she is so cute!!)

Robert MacNaughton as Michael.

Dee Wallace as Mary.

Peter Coyote as "Keys".
K. C. Martel as Greg. "This is reality, Greg."
Sean Frye as Steve.
C. Thomas Howell as Tyler.

Cinematography: 8.

Cinematography by: Allen Daviau

Music: 9.
Music by: John Williams
Quotes: 9, "I don't know streets, Mom always drives me!"
Oscars won: 4: Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Effects Editing, Best Sound, Best Original Score.
Notes: There are references to The Quiet Man, Star Wars, and Peter Pan.

Storyline: 7, it has people being drunk, possible smoking, and deals with divorce.
Good For: People who feel abandoned.
"You've gone someplace else now."
Overall Score: 8.5

For the blogathon:

Drew Barrymore is the perfect Gertie. She is mischievous, but she can also be very sweet and innocent. Plus, she is adorable!

Thank you so much for hosting this Crystal! Sorry that this is a few days late... summer gets busy!

Thank you for reading!! Please go check out all the other posts in this blogathon HERE.

MovieCritic

Would You Rather: Classic Movie Edition

Hello, everybody!

Cordy at Any Merry Little Thought is hosting a Month of Classics Blog Party!

She has come up with this would you rather game, so I am doing it! Of course.
Would You Rather: Classic Movie Edition:

~Would you rather dance with Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly?~

Hm... that is so hard! I'm taller than Gene Kelly, so maybe Fred Astaire? But, all of Fred's dances look so complicated. Ahh, so hard!!!!

Okay, I've decided on Gene Kelly, because dancing with him I'd have "Dignity. Always dignity."
With Fred Astaire, this would be me:

~Would you rather star opposite Cary Grant or Gregory Peck?~

Cary Grant! And it would be in a comedy, of course. Because he is hilarious!

~Would you rather be serenaded by Howard Keel or Bing Crosby?~

I think I have seen only one movie with Howard Keel, so Bing Crosby. I have been listening to Bing as long as I can remember. I think my grandpa actually knew Bing, but I'm not certain.

~Would you rather share an airplane ride with Danny Kaye or Donald O'Connor?~

NOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! How in the world can I answer this??? Why did you do this to me, Cordy!?

*sigh* I guess I have to pick. Just give me a minute.

Donald O'Connor, because he would "Make 'em laugh". I know, I know, two quotes from the same movie in one post? It's my favorite movie of all time! Also, Donald O'Connor and I both have blue eyes, not that that has anything to do with being on the same airplane.

~What classic movie outfit would you steal?~ (No you cannot say all of them! ;))

Steal? Couldn't we bargain? No? Okay then.

Hmm... the first dress we see Truly Scrumptious in, the blue and white one.

Sorry I couldn't find any full length pictures!

Sigh, I just realized that this blog party is featuring movies from 1930-1965. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was made in 1968. Oh bother. I guess I'll go with the first dress we see Sabrina in (Sabrina [1954]).(This was the hardest question, Cordy!!!)

~Would you rather be cast in a classic noir film or a classic western?~

Noir! I have always loved mysteries, and in westerns there can be mysteries, but you get to sneak around and be in the shadows in noir films. Hmm, but you get to ride horses in westerns... I'm sticking with noir.

To tell the truth I have seen more classic westerns than noir films.

~Would you rather go on a shopping spree with Audrey Hepburn or Grace Kelly?~

Audrey Hepburn! Of the top of my head I don't think I have seen anything with Grace Kelly, let me go check. I was right.

I don't really like going on shopping sprees, but it would be fun with Audrey!

~Would you rather solve a mystery with William Powell or Myrna Loy?~

WHHATT!!!!!!?????? BOTH OF THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THERE IS NO OTHER ANSWER!!!!

I can only pick one!?? Why!!?? I guess I'll have to go with Myrna because she wouldn't find ways to get rid of me, but she might sneak off if I thought something was too dangerous. The answer remains both.

~Would you rather imitate Jimmy Stewart's voice in front of Jimmy Stewart, or imitate Maureen O'Hara's "temper" in front of Maureen O'Hara?~

My sister is actually pretty good at imitating Jimmy Stewart, so if we did it together he would probably laugh at how bad I am.


This game was so much fun to do! Thank you so much, Cordy!

Please go check out all the Classic movie fun at Any Merry Little Thought.

Thanks for reading!

MovieCritic

August is #AMonthWithoutTheCode: hosted by PEPS

Hello, again!
Last month, Pure Entertainment Preservation Society (PEPS) hosted, #CleanMovieMonth to celebrate the Production Code Administration. The challenge was to watch only movies made in the Breen era (1934-1954). (If you could help it). Here is how I did.

Now...

August is #AMonthWithoutTheCode.

Click HERE to read the original announcement.

The idea: This month, to show how much better movies are with the Code, we are not watching any Code movies (If you can help it).

My goal: Try to watch more non-Code movies than Code movies. I will have a wrap-up at the end of the month to show you how I did.

What about you? Are you going to participate?


MovieCritic

#CleanMovieMonth: Wrap-up

Hello!

July was #CleanMovieMonth. A huge, huge thank you to Pure Entertainment Preservation Society (PEPS) for hosting it! Please check out their wrap-up post with a summary of all the movies they reviewed in #CleanMovieMonth!

 My goal was that at least more than half of the movies I watched were in from 1934-1954. Let's just say I didn't do the best.

Total movies: 8
1934-1954: 4
Others: 4

Here are my thoughts on them, and if they were in Code.

The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)

(Well, to be fair, I watched this and I thought that I was watching a Code movie, because I thought the dates were 1934-1956, instead of 1934-1954. So, I was trying!)
My first Alfred Hitchcock movie... I liked it. Jimmy Stewart and Doris Day do amazing jobs.  It was nice to listen to the Oscar winning song, "Que Sera Sera".
In Code?: There were some graphic deaths, but besides that, I think this is pretty "in-Code".

Santa Fe Trail (1940)

Ah, Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Read my review to see what I thought of it.

The Thin Man (1934)*

*This was my only complete re-watch of the whole month. I watched because I thought, "Hey, 1934 was in Code!" Well, not the whole year. I think this one was before the Code. The mystery is great, William Powell and Myrna Loy go excellently together.
In Code?: Didn't I just answer this? I think the Code could have improved this one just a little bit.

The Incredibles 2 (2018)

Well, I didn't mean to see this. "What? How can you go to a movie theater and not mean to see the movie?" you ask. Good question.
My mom and I were going to go see Oceans 8. We had been waiting all day for it. We get there and the theater is not playing Oceans 8, it's playing The Incredibles 2. This was particularly annoying because I had gone to the theater earlier that week to make sure that they were going to play Oceans 8. They told me they were going to! Anyway, since we had been waiting for a movie all day, we just watched it anyway.
I really enjoyed it. I have never been a fan of The Incredibles, but this sequel was awesome.
In Code?: I would say so.

The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

I actually really liked this. It was really funny, and it was an hour and a half well enjoyed.
In Code?: Uh, maybe? It deals with people trying to kill someone.

Let's Dance! (1950)

Read my review to see what I thought of it.

Follow the Fleet (1936)

Eh. I watched this for Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and they were good. But the rest of it... eh.
In Code?: I guess, but there seemed to be too much kissing.

Forrest Gump (1994)

What did I think of it? Um... Forrest Gump is a sweetheart. Besides that... I did not like this. It won Oscars? Hh..how? Why? I just don't get it.
In Code?: Definitely no, and I think it would be sssoooo much better if it was.

And I watched bits of:
Eloise
The Phantom Menace
The Music Man
From Here to Eternity
Fantasia

Well, at least half of the movies I watched were in Code! Sort of. I don't watch that many movies in the summer, and I was gone for a bit. I had fun and I really hope to do this again next year!

Please tell me any thoughts you have on these movies!

MovieCritic