5 Mini Reviews including "Manpower" & "Tea for two"

Five brand new mini reviews from me to you...

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1. Romance in Manhattan (1935; Stephen Roberts)

GREAT (and kind of unknown) Ginger Rogers movie. Shows the reality of a nice illegal immigrant (Francis Lederer) that arrives to America full of hopes and dreams. But when his money is stolen, the only way he finds to stay in the country is living in the rooftop of an equally nice and very understanding girl (you know who) and her little brother. 

It was surprising to see Ginger in this kind of role, I mean, her mom Lela being sooooooo conservative and all. I liked the characters and I liked the interesting situations they showed, like how was the life of a kid selling newspapers in the streets or how people struggled to earn bucks during the Depression. I also loved the funny bits:

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2. Week-end at the Waldorf (1945; Robert. Z. Leonard)

AVERAGE Ginger Rogers movie. It's a remake of Grand Hotel only with less brilliant performances, mood, dialogue, stories, etc.

In the 40s Ginger made great movies like Kitty Foyle and I'll be seeing you, but also very mediocre films like Tender Comrade (review), Lady in the Dark (review) and Once Upon a Honeymoon (review).
I don't like the way she plays adult women in some movies, assuming somehow always the same lordly, insipid expression. I don't know, if she was playing a movie star, I guess she could have done more than playing the stereotype.
The script doesn't help a lot, the stories are uninteresting, even when they tried to make them tragic (like an ill  soldier that is supposed to die, played by a very healthy looking Van Johnson and the girl that falls in love with him, played by Lana Turner). Forgettable movie.

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3. Manpower (1941; Raol Walsh)

Like Joey would say of the "shepherd's pie" that Rachel tried to prepare but according to Ross smelled "like feet"...I LIKED IT! Well, this is a very unknown film, people over Imdb give it a 6.9 but I would give it a 7.4. That's a great difference. 

When the movie starts, it's raining cats and dogs at night, you can see the power lines and some lightnings. And you think "hey, I have never thought about this, but how do the guys at the power company manage to fix these things during the storms? And how did they in those times, with less equipment and technology?" and then [onomatopoeia for surprise] you notice  the movie is about that! Well, kind of.

Edward G. Robinson is a hard worker, tough and he's always trying to get "chicks" (he's no very lucky). George Raft is his best friend. They risk their lives trying to fix the wires and stuff. Then Marlene Dietrich arrives to their lives and messes all up. Well, not because she wanted to, but because Edward really falls in love and asks her to marry him. George Raft hates the girl because he thinks she's a cheater, thief, bad woman, etc.

But Marlene surprises them all with her choices and behavior. At least at the beginning. Eve Arden has also a part in this movie, but very little, although she has a few funny lines.

I liked this movie because it shows things how they are: the characters try to change, to take the right decisions, but that's not always enough; they try to make their best to please the rest and be happy, but that doesn't depend only on them. The leads are great in their roles, Edward being a bit naive; Raft being a protective friend; and Marlene portraying a woman that tries to settle down. The ending could have been better, but I liked it anyway. Great drama.

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4. Tea for Two (1950; David Butler)

There are some musicals that understand that the music and dance sequences should fit the action and seem natural. And some don't. Tea for two has this problem. The story isn't good either: during the Depression a rich girl wants to give a lot of money to an ex boyfriend (that everybody describe as a con man) to make a musical show. But the girl's uncle, S. Z. Sakall lost a lot of money and only can offer a bet: if she doesn't say "yes" during the whole weekend, she will be allowed to finance the show.

So, you think that Doris Day's character is stupid because she want to give the money to such a man.
AND make up with him when they have no chemistry and she's really in love with a talented guy. And then things go beyond stupidity when she decides to invite the whole cast to rehearse at her house.
AND then people randomly sings/dance.
AND Doris randomly sings/dances with the guy she's in love with, but the rendition of one of my favorite songs, Tea for two, is not really memorable.
AND there's a woman that offends Doris but stays to sleep at her mansion because Doris has no personality whatsoever and only sings and smiles.
AND then you don't give a **** about the success of the show or the bet or anything.  

AND to make things worse this WHOLE STORY IS BEING TOLD IN FLASHBACK BECAUSE S.Z.SAKALL THOUGHT IT WAS A GREAT STORY TO TELL TO HIS GRANDNIECE AND GRANDNEPHEW. My God. The only person that seemed sane was Eve Arden with her sharp remarks, but her character is lost in the movie.

But I have to say, I really LOVED two dance sequences I can't embed: Doris' tap dancing scene and the Charleston sequence. Watch them on Youtube and save your time.

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5. The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming (1966; Norman Jewison)

Saw this one on TCM. It caught my attention because the cast included Eva Marie Saint, Alan Arkin (the bad guy from Wait Until Dark and Little Miss Sunshine's grandpa), Brian Keith and Carl Reiner. It was hilarious! A Russian submarine runs around off New England. They are very confused and don't have hostile intentions...but the villagers don't get it. Everyone start panicking and the fun begins :)

I liked everybody's performances, Arkin's was so great as the Russian Lt.Rozanov, with his accent and imperturbability; the whole Whittaker family was fun: Carl playing a whining dad, Eva always making serious remarks and the kid being so sarcastic and a real pain in the ass. And then we have the whole town, some old women that go in a crazy sidecar ride spreading the news, the stupid major, the uncoordinated police, etc etc.

I liked the tone of the movie: if they laughed about the Russians, the also laughed about the Americans. You could see that they were all human beings facing their fears and they even included a bit of romance between an American girl and a handsome Russian I wish run aground over here (the actor was John Phillip Law). Here's the trailer:

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Well, hope you enjoyed! Have a great weekend.

5 first mini reviews of 2011 including awesome "Caged"

For some reason, I haven't been in the mood of writing reviews lately, even when I started the year very well in terms of the quality of the films I've seen. I had very low expectations with some of them but they impressed me; others, didn't. Today I finally managed to describe my feelings towards these five films, take a look:

Since you went away (1944; John Cromwell)

Who's in it: A lot of great actors, Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotten, Shirley Temple, Hattie MacDaniel, Agnes Moorehead, Lionel Barrymore, Robert Walker.

What's it about: The life of a family during the II World War.

The good: I like the movies about war that show the domestic life of the people who stay. It gives you more elements to understand historical events. I liked all the performances, but if I had to pick my favorite it would be Robert Walker's as the shy Corporal Bill. Even when it lasts more than 2 hours, it maintains the tension about the possible loss of the father in the war. David O. Selznick produced and wrote the screenplay, so expect a magnificent musical intro and intermission (by Max Steiner), varied locations and an overall well managed drama. On the frivolous side, I also liked this guy who played a minor character.

The bad: I didn't find any flaw. I only have a very personal thing with very melodramatic scenes, they always kind of distract me, no matter if they are needed and well acted.

Should I see it?: Yes.

The bigamist (1953; Ida Lupino)

Who's in it: Joan Fontaine, Ida Lupino, Edmund Gwenn.

What's it about: A guy marries Joan and then Ida. The end.

The good: I liked the performances by Ida and Edmund. Ida makes you feel that her character doesn't expect anything good from life and you understand why is she attracted to this unknown guy without asking questions; and even when Edmund's character is breaking the law, you could understand his acts. There's dramatic tension until the end. Also, I'm crazy about movies told in flash back, so kudos just for that. I loved the trip to see the famous actors houses in LA, like Barbara Stanwyck and James Stewart's (watch a tiny part of this scene).

The bad: I didn't like the end, so that's a big con. Joan and Edmund supposedly have a terribly boring marriage, but that's told and not shown, because when they're together I didn't notice they didn't get along. I found it kind of boring at some points.

Should I see it?: I know some of my fellow bloggers loved it, but in my humble opinion there are many movies you should see before this one.

Scarlet Street (1945; Fritz Lang)

Who's in it: Edward G. Robinson, Joan Bennett.

What's it about: Edward is a good person, efficient worker, but his life sucks. Then he meets bad Joan and when you think his life would be better, it painfully enters in the most terribly state of decadence.

The good: I liked everything in this movie. I even liked the ending despite the fact that it was far from what I was expecting. Edward's performance is terrific as always, Joan surprised me because she played an harpy but at the same time she showed a bit of decency that made you hate her but not completely. The real BAD guy is her boyfriend, one of the most despicable characters I've ever seen, a vicious, greedy bastard with not ethics or feelings. Fritz's usual dark photography fits very well the theme of the film, and makes everything even more painful to see.

The bad: Only that I wanted the bad guy to suffer more.

Should I see it?: If you're in the mood for a dark movie, totally.

Caged (1950; John Cromwell)

Who's in it: Eleanor Parker, Agnes Moorehead, Jan Sterling.

What's it about: A young Eleanor Parker is imprisoned because of a tiny criminal act and has to endure the terrible life in jail.

The good: I LOVED this movie. I loved it so much that I saw it twice. Eleanor Parker was surprisingly awesome in this film and I'm really impressed by her chameleonic appearance in the different films I've seen her in. She's able to show such vulnerably, such discomfort and frailty that you really suffer with her. This movie has another terribly cruel character, Evelyn Harper (Hope Emerson), the matron of the cell. She's an aggressive beast who thinks that prisoners are animals, and what's more terrible she has powerful contacts so she can't be dismissed by humanitarian Head of the prison played by Agnes Moorehead. It has great secondary characters and many intense and shocking situations to show so it's never boring. This is a movie that really makes you think of the reality of prisons and how people could change if they had a chance.

The bad: SPOILER -----When I saw it for the first time, I thought that they could have managed better the change in Eleanor's character personality, like showing it more gradually, but the second time I didn't care. 

Should I see it? YES!

In the good old summertime (1949; Robert Z. Leonard)

Who's in it: Judy Garland, Van Johnson, S. Z. Sakall, Buster Keaton.

What's it about: It's the same story of The Shop around the corner, You've got mail, etc...

The good: S. Z. Sakall! I always love to see him and here he funnily plays the owner of a music shop. Also, it's a pleasure to hear Judy singing. My favorite numbers were Play that Barbershop Chord (watch) and I don't care (watch). Plus, she's funny in this one. The story of two people hating each other when you know they're gonna end up together, is always fun. At the end, you can see Judy and her real life baby daughter, Liza.

The bad: There are some adapted situations that I felt kind of forced, like Van Johnson getting fired because he lend his boss' violin. One of my favorite scenes, the one when the couple is going to meet in a restaurant and he sends a co worker to check how the girl looks, here is delivered really fast and with less intensity. Plus some characters lost presence and identity in the adaption (the man who advices the couple; Keaton's character; etc).  

Should I see it? The shop around the corner and You've got mail are better in my opinion, but this one is fun anyway. 

That's all folks!

Day 19- Who’d you like to party it up with in the afterlife

William Powell and Myrna Loy of course (yeah, I'm thinking really in Nick and Nora Charles). And Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz (he would be in charge of the music obviously). I'd invite Peggy Lee and Frank Sinatra to sing some of their hits. Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, and Ginger Rogers to show some moves. Oh, oh, and Bette Davis and Joan Crawford :) I would go with Cary Grant so we two will laugh about all the craziness around, while S. Z. Sakall tell us some interesting gossip. Everyone would go —just like in Well, did you Evah? lyrics— "what a swell party this is!". 

Goulash & "Christmas in Conneticut" (1945)

In this post I talk about my cooking adventures. I chose goulash and potatoes with cheese for the first lunch I prepared. That reminded me what Babs had to go through in "Christmas in Connecticut" :)

Yo sé cocinar papas fritas (desde hace una semana), hacer chocolate caliente y café helado. Punto final de mi conocimiento culinario. Hasta hoy.

Con mi hermano chico decidimos que este domingo íbamos a preparar el almuerzo para los 6 que somos en mi familia. De unas recetas antiguas de mi madre elegimos el menú. Y cuando vi "goulash húngaro" me acordé que en la peli "Christmas in Connecticut" (1945) —con Babs Stanwyck y mi querido-aunque-no-lo-puse-en-mi-top25-de-actores-favoritos S.Z. Sakall— hablaban de ese plato. Obvio que había que hacerlo. Decidimos acompañarlas con "papas con queso al horno" y de postre "refresco de chocolate".

Partimos súper, la carne de asiento para el goulash era blandita y la cortamos en dados grandes como decía la receta. Las papas las pusimos a cocer en sal, completas y sin pelar, según las indicaciones. Piqué cebolla por primera vez en mi vida, guiada por Youtube.

Los cubitos de carne los pusimos en aceite en una olla a fuego lento, condimentamos con un polvo que venía en una bolsa etiquetada "aliño completo" y mi finita cebolla, y dejamos que se doraran. Agregamos agua y salsa de tomate (menos de la indicada, para que no quedara como caldo) y nos olvidamos de la olla por 45 minutos.

Con las papas me puse impaciente y obligué a mi hermano a sacarlas antes de tiempo. Pelamos, cortamos en rodajas, las pusimos en una fuente enmantequillada con bolitas de manteca y queso. Me pareció que las papas estaban muy duras y medias pegoteadas, pero pensé que en el horno se arreglarían.  Eran 15 minutos para esa fuente.
De pronto mi hermano me avisa que la olla de la carne estaba quemada en el fondo. ¡Se nos había olvidado dar vuelta la carne! Y la olla estaba un asco, con una capa negra y pegote. Mi pesimismo natural me llevó a manifestarme lastimeramente y a dar todo por arruinado, para molestia de mi hermano con espíritu de  Pollyana :)

Bueno, decidimos sacar los trozos que milagrosamente sabían muy bien y estaba impecables, y los pusimos en una estilosa paila de greda, mientras lavábamos frenéticamente la olla para que nadie se diera cuenta de nuestro mini fracaso.
Hicimos ensalada de tomate y empezamos a reunir los ingredientes del postre: miel, chocolate en polvo, leche, limón, crema y café. El único problema es que había que usar la juguera, electrodoméstico que me odia. Pero, hoy, le comenté a mi hermano, hay que aprender a usar todo. Así que la lavamos, instalamos, enchufamos, pusimos todo el menjunje adentro y presioné el botón. Nada. El enchufe de la pared estaba malo. Llevamos todo a uno que está cerca de la lavadora. La juguera la pusimos encima. Presioné. Y empezó a chorrearse todo, caía la mezcla por la base, pasaba a la lavadora, y el hilo de líquido corría hasta al piso.
Mi pesimismo de nuevo me hizo decir cosas como: esto es un fracaso, el motor de la juguera se va a fundir, la ropa de la lavadora debe estar manchada para siempre, etc etc. Pero limpiamos y echamos el líquido en vasos, y todo volvió a la normalidad.
A todo esto, fuimos a revisar las papas. Las tratamos de partir con un tenedor. Estaban preocupantemente duras. Mi hermano mencionó el hecho de que yo lo había obligado a sacar las papas antes. Yo dije que quizás si las poníamos un poco más se cocerían mejor. But no, but no, el queso era un líquido y las papas seguían duras como un palo.

Ya era hora de almuerzo, todos se sentaron a la mesa. Estábamos completamente histéricos, así que llamamos a mi madre. Ella encontró que todo era una maravilla, por lo que servimos. Las papas estaban definitivamente duras, así que mi mamá las frió en sartén. Con eso se ablandaron.
La carne/goulash estaba exquisita y fue devorada. Cuando las papas con queso estuvieron remendadas, también. El postre quedó peculiar, con muchos sabor a miel, pero pasable (aunque no creo que lo volvamos a hacer).

En definitiva, yo nos pondría un 5 de 7. Aprendimos a picar cebolla, que las papas hay que cocerlas completamente antes de que vayan al horno, que la juguera hay que apretarla muy bien antes de hacerla andar, que la carne de asiento es muy fácil de manejar y que el refresco de chocalate no es muy rico. Quizás el próximo domingo cocinemos de nuevo. Y quizás den una comisión monetaria por lo de hoy :)

Les dejo el trailer de "Christmas en Connecticut", si no la han visto es ultra recomendable. Babs es una periodista que escribe en una revista exitosa y da consejos como si fuera una perfecta ama de casa...sólo que no sabe ni cocinar un huevo. El día de Navidad pondrá todo su ingenio a prueba cuando tenga que preparar una cena para su jefe y un soldado y pasar por dueña de casa...

Aprovecho para saludar a Lola, nueva seguidora del blog, y a Rena, que ojalá pueda olvidarse lo más pronto posible del susto por el terremoto en Mexicali :)